Manic yawned loudly as Kiwi Bot traveled the non-beaten path. Aurora, clipped to the utility belt of the filly, registered a bored look. She really wished she had her body right now. Exploring a ruin sounded fun. But, she would prefer it if she was able to explore on her own whim. It was strange to have been completely overwhelmed by a filly. And out here in the wastes, a sad fact that most of the children born into the world today undergo some form of traumatic experience with no guidance. There have only been a few cases where children have lived non-broken lives. It made Aurora wonder if this filly is one of those ponies. Mustering up the courage, she finally spoke:

“So… who are you, exactly?” The filly kicked back in her seat as she replied.

“Who wants to know?” Aurora frowned slightly at this.

“I’m just curious. I mean, we had just left town and were already being chased by A.S.S. And when we thought we were out of the clear, in rolls a strange device that took us out without much effort.” Manic chuckled.

“I designed that baby to have enough kick to disable anypony or machine, but still not enough to rightfully ‘kill’ in a sense.” Aurora frowned again.

‘That answers one question.’ Shaking her head, Aurora replied. “Then, you must have some experience with the outside forces.” Manic rubbed her chin.

“Well, other than sandstorms and lunar eclipses, yeah, I’ve had my fair share of danger.” Manic pressed a few buttons on the panel. “After all, I’m a mechanic. I need to scavenge around for parts and such. I can’t get anything done without the proper material.” The filly beamed suddenly. “And lo and behold, we are here.” Aurora tried turning her head to get a better look. However, being clipped to the utility belt made it difficult to even do so. But the filly seemed to unclip her head and place her onto of the dashboard of the bot.

Aurora gasped in awe. They stood on top of a rock pile. Below them expanded a spacious area. In the middle of it was a massive square like complex that reached four stories. This place seemed indeed a jackpot of all trades. Manic tapped a few more buttons on the panel and Kiwi Bot descended the pile and rolled along the sand.

“No pony knows about this place.” The filly rubbed her head. “I think so anyway.” Aurora was too baffled to respond. She registered excitement and a wide grin spread across her face. Manic caught this, however, and arched an amused brow. “Now then.” She said, turning Aurora around. Aurora registered from excitement to a little disappointment from being turned around. She wanted to scope out the place. Explore every little nook and cranny. But of course, this filly has her by the neck. “Do you have any idea what it is?” Aurora studied the filly, expecting her to answer her own question.

With no response, Aurora sighed and scanned the data base. Thankfully, she was still connected to the network and able to gather as much info as she needed. It didn’t take but even a few seconds before Aurora found the info needed.

“What we are seeing before us is a structure known as an apartment complex. It is a building that housed a number of ponies and their families when they had no expenses to buy a simple residence. These complexes ranged from small structures to what we see now. As for this particular structure, it appears to be one designed specifically to house a lot of ponies.” Aurora frowned, seeing missing information. “It appears, however, that I cannot find the exact number of individuals that lived here or what its’ main purpose is other than living expenses.” Manic rubbed her chin and smiled.

“An apartment complex, eh? And totally ripe for the taking.” Aurora cocked her head.

“Err… are you sure this place hasn’t been touched?” she asked. Manic nodded.

“Eighty percent positive.” She said. Aurora slumped her head a little.

‘That’s not a good percentage.’

“I say so because I’ve been staking this place out for a while. Everyday on my breaks, I would scout the perimeter and look for any signs of scavenger activities.” Manic hummed slightly before continuing. “Thankfully, I saw no signs of any Jackals in the area. So we are free to explore with the possible danger of rogue machines and or bandits.” Aurora hadn’t thought of possible housing of Jackal units or Mock units either. As for bandits? They may have probably already taken refuge from their own spree. In any case, this place was dying to be explored.

Manic chuckled. “You have this grin on your face.” She said. Aurora blinked once and blushed.

“O-oh I uh… just…” Manic pet the android’s head.

“No worries. Now that I am properly equipped, I finally get to see what this place has in store. C’mon, Kiwi. Times-a wasting.” The bot hummed in approval before loudly stomping across the sand. Aurora hopped her head around and stared in awe as the complex grew closer. The very presence of this complex created vertigo for them, despite the excitement. Four stories seemed a lot bigger than they had anticipated. Manic moved Kiwi to trial the side of the complex, hoping to spot a way in.

Aurora noticed an opening in the second story at the corner of the complex. “How about there?” Aurora stated, trying to point with her muzzle. Manic nodded and pressed a few buttons on the panel. Kiwi crouched and Aurora heard a faint sound of exhausted fire. To the android’s surprise, the bulky bot seemed to hover in the air a bit before lifting up and over to the opening. Reaching inside, the bot landed hard on the ground, causing a loud echo to emit throughout the still and abandoned ruin. Manic waited for a bit to see if it had alerted anything. To her relief, no sign of movement. As the filly turned on the eye lamps, Aurora did her best to take in the sights as much as possible.

To her disappointment, the room they were in seemed to be just as barren. A lone bed that has been dirtied beyond recognition and a char mark that showed that its’ material had caught on fire. No posters. No furniture. Just a simple, lone destroyed bed.

“Let’s keep going.” Manic said as she piloted the bot over to another hole in the wall. This one lead out to a hallway that had been greeted by a dark abyss. The eye lamps did their best to expose as much as possible. Peeling wall paper, littered hall with burnt papers and tipped over display tables with cracked stained vases were all that was visible. Manic tapped Aurora on the head, making her optic sights to fuzz a little. “So then. With that built in map, do you think you can possibly find out where I should start looking?” Aurora frowned.

“The map only shows what’s around me.” She looked at her HUD. The map was appearing to her as a grid. “If I had my entire body, then perhaps I would have enough power to fully map out the place.” Manic frowned.

“Well damn. Then I guess we have to see what we can find out of this place.” And with that, the filly moved the bot deeper into the dark abyss of a hallway. Every room they had passed showed no signs of previous residents. ‘Good. That means that nopony had checked this place yet. But it’s so massive! Where can I even start?’ As the filly thought about this, Aurora noticed something interesting. She zoomed in down the hall and with the limited power she had, highlighted the object of interest and saw a hanging poster with strange symbols tracing down it. She couldn’t quite make out what it meant, but her info scanning picked up its’ origins.

“Neighpon?” she said, not realizing that she had said it a little too loudly. Manic arched a brow.

“Oh?” she said. Aurora hopped to turn her head to face the filly, her stoic look meeting her questioning expression.

“I’m not sure. But there is a poster that appears to be Neighsian in origin.” Aurora said. Manic rubbed her chin in thought.

“Hmm… let’s see if there are any more signs.” She said. ‘If this android is right, then this place is definitely rich with materials.’ Manic felt herself humming happily as they continued on. Aurora had did her best to make sure she took in everything they had passed by. And as the day went on, they had covered at least two entire sections of the complex. Each room they had checked yielded, if anything, small bits of material that she was looking for. But it was enough to satisfy her curiosity. But Aurora wanted to explore more of the place. And seeing the android protest in a strange way, Manic sighed.

“Alright, fine. But don’t expect me to pick up any stray junk you think is ‘valuable’.” Aurora squeed before hopping back around and facing forward. Manic piloted the bot away from the sections they had explored. And to both their surprise, the more they traveled further in, the more they realized that there were signs of previous residents. In fact, one room they had entered displayed both skeletal and mechanical corpses that were scattered about. Manic felt goosebumps. Aurora, however, remained excited.

“Oh wow! This place must have been much more lively than I had thought!” she said. Manic did her best not to shiver.

“Uhh… if you think skeletons are lively, then you really need to get your personality chip checked.” Aurora scanned the room while she replied.

“Isn’t that what mechanics are for?” she asked. Manic blinked once and looked at the android head.

This android…

Manic continued the move down the complex, gaping in awe when they suddenly turned the corner. It appeared to be a gymnasium like room. However, everywhere they looked had oriental designs and decorations. Almost as if there was a small town of Neighsans living here at one point. But the more Aurora scanned the skeletal corpses, she realized that hardly any of them were mechanical.

“Wow… I wonder what this place really was back in the day.” Aurora marveled. Manic frowned and looked around. She pressed a few buttons on the panel and Aurora blinked once, seeing the bot’s wings expand and detach from the side and hovered in front of them. They then proceeded to hover around the room, a blue grid scan on everything they hovered past. Manic smiled.

“A full run of the room will probably tell us.” Her eyes then spotted a terminal humming to life on a desk. A skeletal corpse sat behind it, slouching forward. Manic hopped out of the bot, taking Aurora with her under her foreleg and trotted over to the humming box. Placing the android next to it, Manic pushed aside the skeletal corpse, letting the poor soul clatter to the floor, before sitting on the chair and tapping into the terminal. It had timed out some few hundred odd years ago. Manic raised her right foreleg and opened a panel on her suite.

Extending a cable, the filly plugged the cord on its’ side and went to work on cracking the password. Aurora cocked her head slightly in question as to the action of the filly. However, her own curiosity made her bite her tongue and let the filly work. She did ask one question though:

“So… what is it like having to explore almost every ruin at your leisure?” Manic didn’t look at the android as she replied.

“More trouble than it’s worth.” Aurora felt her hopes dim a little.

“O-oh…” Manic now looked at the android and gave her a studious look. The filly sighed.

“Well… if you really must know, being a mechanic by trade, I have to do so in order to fulfill orders by Artellia.” She said. Aurora arched a brow.

“Why are Artellia officials all the way out here?” Aurora furrowed her brows. “I can understand them having A.S.S. stationed at the ready in certain areas. But why representatives?” Manic shook her head.

“Not sure. But if I don’t bother to do so, I lose the income and a chance at getting out of my stupid town.” Manic faltered at this. Aurora was now even more curious about the filly.

“You don’t like the place you reside in?” Manic remained quiet for a bit before sighing.

“W-well… I just…” she bit her lip and clicked her tongue. “You know what? Nevermind. I don’t need to tell you anything.” She furrowed her brows at the android. “For all I know, you are probably just another one of Zillex’s spies.” Aurora shook her head as best she could.

“I do not belong to Zillex. My registration ID is entirely unique and unaffiliated.” She said. Manic frowned.

“But that still doesn’t exclude the fact you had a piece of the Tree of Harmony in you.” Aurora cocked a brow this time. What was this filly trying to say?

“About that. I didn’t know a piece such as that resided inside my chassis. I was hoping you would fill me in.” Manic chuckled.

“A know it all computer is asking me to fill her in. That’s rich.” Manic caught the studious eyes of the android. The filly rubbed her head in response. Going back to working the panel, she couldn’t ignore the look she was getting from the head. As much as she wanted to avoid talking about anything other than work, this android is unusually questioning. ‘Aren’t all androids supposed to know what goes on with ruins such as these? I brought her along so she might help out spotting things of value. Not explore out of sheer curiosity.’ Her panel blipped, signaling that the program had finally cracked the password.

The terminal blinked on. Manic smiled and went to work on downloading the data. Realizing that she was being ignored, Aurora hopped to turn her head to face the terminal. Seeing the data being transferred, Aurora couldn’t help but notice something blink on her mini map. She arched a brow and studied it.

‘Weren’t there two green dots earlier?’ she thought to herself. Indeed, when the filly had activated those wing drones, they appeared on her map as green dots. Aurora glanced at the filly who was preoccupied with the data. The filly suddenly frowned and sighed.

“Well, data is complete. There is one file, however, that it won’t let me access too.” Manic hummed quietly before looking at Aurora. She couldn’t help but notice the android looking worried. She smiled. “But maybe… you can help me out here.” Aurora blinked again in confusion.

“Beg your pardon?” Manic unplugged the cable and grabbed ahold of Aurora. Manic moved Aurora’s head around and brushed aside the back of her mane. “W-wait! I didn’t consent to this!!” Manic stuck the cable into a port at the back of Aurora’s neck and the android stiffened. Manic placed her head back on the table and pressed a couple of buttons on her hoof panel and Aurora felt a strange surge of energy enter her.

Aurora found herself suddenly standing in front of the complex. The building looking… different than usual. Almost as if it had suddenly regressed back to its’ original glory. To her surprise, she noticed a walkway being lined with trees and flowers. Almost as if this place had been taken care of like the next Garden of Eden.

‘Where the hell am I?’ she thought. She looked down at herself and noticed that she had her body back. However, she looked a little bit… see-through. But despite the transparent self, she found herself wondering back to the awe that was the complex. Trees, flowers and the sound of chirping in the distance told her that there were birds as well. She was in awe. She had heard stories and tales about how Equestria was like back before the Big Bang. But to see it now, despite the ghost like transparency, she almost felt as if she was a part of this place.

“A-are you sure about this, Rarity?” a metallic voice spoke behind her. Aurora turned and saw two ponies trotting up to the complex. One was a very beautiful mare with a snow white coat and curled purple mane. She smiled at the pony next to her, a strange looking android pony that had a fauxhawk charcoal mane and a granite painted coat. What was strange was that the android was wearing a purple and black vest and collared shirt with a tie to match.

“Oh, I’m sure dear. Zecora told me about this place and they could really use the help.” She winked playfully at the pony. “And I made sure to put in a good word with the owner of the place. He does owe me for that little ‘mishap’ of a business attire for a meeting.” The mare, Rarity as Aurora thought, suddenly looked behind her and waved. “Oh, Spikey dear! Do please be careful! I need those to be in tip top presentable fashion!” Aurora looked past the ponies and saw a pile of gift wrapped boxes swaying and tilting with each step of whoever this Spike was.

Aurora got her answer when she noticed a dragon like face peek out from behind the boxes.

“N-no worries, Rarity.” Spike said with. “You just… go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you! Eventually…” Rarity and the android turned to walk up to the complex’s doors.

“Spike is such a sweetheart for agreeing to help me with this order.” The android smirked.

“I bet he’ll probably do anything if you ask him too.” Rarity chuckled and the two entered. Aurora looked to see a small dragon carefully make his way towards the door. However, Aurora was much more interested in the two ponies that had entered the store. Leaving the struggling dragon to his own devices, Aurora went to reach for the door, only to have her hoof slip through it. She stumbled and blinked once, looking down at herself.

‘Oh right.’ She thought. Aurora caught sight of the two ponies and quickly caught up to them in a trot. They stopped in front of a counter where a mare in a bun mane worked at a terminal. She looked up and smiled.

“Welcome! How may I be of assistance?” the mare asked. Rarity smiled.

“Good afternoon. My friend, Tom here, has an appointment for a job assistance here in the refugee camp.” She said. The mare looked at the android and the android returned a bashful smile and a wave.

“Is it for a job or volunteer assistance with the refugees?” she asked. Rarity rubbed her chin.

“Well, we were hoping to get a word in with Limelight. I told her I would be bringing someone with a reliable work schedule.” Tom nodded along with her. Aurora studied the two. These ponies seemed familiar. But she couldn’t remember where. The mare behind the counter tapped away at a terminal and hummed.

“It appears that Limelight’s schedule is currently filled today. I’ll let her know about your visit. In the meant time, if you are looking for volunteer work, I could point you down the hall and to your right should be the gymnasium.” Rarity smiled.

“Thank you, dear. Come along, you two!” Rarity said as she trotted in the direction they were pointed too. Tom looked over to the door and Aurora followed his gaze. Spike had trouble getting through the door. And when he finally did, he almost lost his balance. Fortunately, the dragon seemed spry enough that he regained his footing and balanced the boxes before following after Rarity. Tom looked to the mare behind the counter and cleared his throat. The mare looked up.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I err… don’t mean to be a bother. But do you happen to know anypony by the name of Xi that lives here?” Tom rubbed his mane with a blush. “I-I mean, a zebra buck that is about as fit as a stallion?” the mare rubbed her chin in thought before smiling.

“Yes, I do believe we have.” She tapped a few keys. “He likes to call himself Master Xi, if I am not mistaking. You’ll probably find him in the gymnasium with the other refugees. He’s been working hard to make sure that everypony there is taken care of.” Tom smiled.

“Thanks.” He said before trotting after the distant figures of Rarity and Spike. Aurora found herself suddenly being dragged along. She wasn’t moving. It was as if a magical force had grasped her and pulled her along for the ride. The area around her suddenly flickered and Aurora found herself standing in the gymnasium. This place was packed with zebra. Both stallion, mare and foals laid closed together in either big groups or in small. Aurora found herself sitting behind a table with a draped curtain over it and the familiar looking boxes that Spike had brought it laid next to her. On her other side sat Rarity, Tom and Spike. In front of them was a family of zebra chatting away with them.

With whatever business they were finished with, Tom turned to Rarity.

“So, isn’t RD supposed to be here? I heard that she was going to be here to sign autographs.” He asked. Rarity nodded.

“She will be. Knowing her, she is probably finishing up Wonderbolt briefings before heading over here.” Rarity giggled. “She can never resist boasting for her fans.” Spike chuckled.

“Yeah, especially if she was the one that helped these refugees.” Spike sighed. “It’s weird, ya’ know. Seeing the aftermath of the Roam retaliation to Neighpon. It must be difficult when your resources are suddenly dwindled and more focused on the war effort.” The mood seemed to darken a little. But Rarity wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Yes, in any case. I am glad that we are able to open up a place for them. Not only is Canterlot and the Crystal Empire chipping in and offering jobs to them, Twilight is also busy with helping escort any more refugees.” Rarity sighed. “One of these days, that young princess regality is going to either be a shining example or a total train wreck. The poor dear has been working herself to the bone after that incident in Cloudsdale.” They suddenly quieted, the mood turning even more dark. Aurora was transfixed that she was suddenly reliving in the past and found it rather hard to take in. Now she remembered who these ponies were. They aided in the Last Migration’s refugee camps. Hearing about their exploits in ensuring the war between Neighpon and Roam hadn’t dwindled the morality of its’ people.

And now that she looked more, she noticed that some of the ponies here weren’t really zebra. In fact, she could tell by the strange looking cutie-marks branded on their flanks. The telltale sign of a Neighsian.

‘Incredible…’ Aurora marveled to herself. To relive the past and even be exposed to its’ events. This was something entirely unexpected to her. She hadn’t even thought about scanning the files into her VRs. Whatever made the filly decided this must have been risky at the same time as genius. Suddenly, Tom stood up and excused himself. Aurora watched the android, her curiosity piquing even more. Leaving Rarity and Spike to discuss another matter pertaining to their friends, Aurora followed Tom. Seeing the android make a sudden turn in the gymnasium, she stopped when Tom greeted an older looking zebra buck.

“Master Xi?” Tom asked. The old buck turned.

“Eh? What do you want?” The buck squinted his eyes at the android, getting a bit too close, much to the android’s uncomfortable invasion of space. The buck suddenly opened his eyes and Aurora noticed them slightly glazed. However, they showed a sign of recognition. “Oho! Well if it isn’t Tom. A pleasant surprise to see you here.” Tom nodded and smiled.

“Indeed. Err…. How are things over at the temple?” Master Xi brushed his long beard that seemed to almost touch the ground as he replied.

“My pupils are faring better than I had anticipated. Their recuperation is a big step in them learning the ways of the Shaolin.” The buck shrugged with a small chuckle. “Albeit with a few of your cybertechy limbs.” The two were interrupted when a small zebra filly and a young unicorn colt with a strange brand on his flank came up to them.

“Papa Xi! Papa Xi! Can you read us a story?” the filly asked.

“One where you bested the dragons in their own games? I like that one!” the colt beamed. Master Xi chuckled and pat the head of the filly.

“I’ll be with you all shortly. I would like to catch up with one of my pupils.” He said. The two seemed to frown slightly. Aurora noticed Tom registering guilt. This came as a shock to her.

‘Does this android have a self-aware personality chip as well?’ she thought. She got her answer when Tom suddenly smiled and pat Master Xi’s back.

“Come on, old buck. Don’t leave me out of the fun too.” Master Xi smiled tiredly at the android.

“Well…” he looked at the two. “How would you like brother Tom to act out the scenes with me?” The two smiled excitedly at him.

“Yay! Come on, we got to tell the rest!” the colt told the filly. The two galloped happily away and into the crowd. Tom and Master Xi watched them with smiled on their faces.

“The minds of the future. I wonder what their true destines hold?” Master Xi sadi with a stroke of his beard. Tom chuckled.

“Well, their religion states otherwise. But that doesn’t mean their destinies have to stop there. Right?” Tom arched a cool brow at the buck, who returned it with a loud guffaw.

“Correct, my bright pupil. Let us go, shall we?” Master Xi began to walk forward, only to stop when he realized Tom didn’t follow. Aurora looked to see Tom rubbing his foreleg bashfully.

“Err… Master Xi. I’ve been meaning to ask…” The buck turned and smiled to him. “Do you think maybe I-?” Aurora waited for the android to finish. However, she noticed something seemed off. It was like the whole world suddenly froze for her. Suddenly, Aurora felt something tug on her.

‘W-what’s going on!?’ she panicked. Aurora found the world around her suddenly start crumbling into small specks before increasing in volume. She then felt a strong pull on her and she was lifted up and away from the scene.

When Aurora came too, she noticed that she was suddenly looking at the room sideways. She felt herself being dragged and hugged into the forelegs of the young filly. Manic was breathing quietly, but her state of panic told the android that something was definitely off.

“Manic? What’s wron-?” Manic quickly put a hoof over Aurora’s muzzle and shushed her. Aurora saw the filly peek out slightly before ducking back quickly. Aurora hadn’t noticed it at first due to the disorienting state of which she was forced out of. But regaining her senses and her surroundings, she noticed that she was back in present day. It was almost disappointing to see the place she had just came from suddenly take a drastic dark turn. However, that wasn’t her sole worry.

Her map had picked up a red dot that was very close by their own dots. They remained quiet. Both of them hearing the sound of hoofsteps scuffing the ground. Aurora couldn’t help but notice Manic’s heart rate increasing more quickly than she had anticipated. Aurora looked worriedly at the frightened filly. Was this her first time dealing with danger? Didn’t she state that she explored ruins before and dealt with danger? She even said she was well prepared. So why is she suddenly freaking out. Manic gulped quietly and peeked slowly back out.

She caught sight of a shimmer through the door way. Aurora couldn’t find a good view, so instead, she whispered.

“Manic, you have a plan on getting out of here?” Manic looked at the android, fright clearly displayed on her face. “Manic!” Aurora whispered a little more loudly. Manic quickly covered her muzzle again.

“Shut up! I’m trying to think!” Manic whispered back. This isn’t good. Aurora could tell the filly was having trouble trying to think of a solution. And based on the sound of the armor and suite the intruder was making, they were clearly survival gear. However, when Manic peeked back out, Aurora saw what she was hiding from. The pony was dressed in black camo and many belts and buckles displayed the amount of survivable aspects of the equipment this pony had. However, what caught her eye was the glowing tri-goggles. It seemed to move by itself, as if switching sights. The pony was examining Kiwi Bot. Aurora noticed sparks quickly coming out of the bot. It had been disabled.

Aurora had to think of something. No way was she going to be lost inside this place without a body. Her look turned stoic and she looked at the filly.

“Manic, listen to me.” Aurora whispered. Manic was trying her best to keep her breath under control. She wasn’t sure if the filly heard her, but she kept going. “You have to remain calm. Hesitation will only get you killed.” Aurora glanced around. She beamed when she saw a hole in the wall that seemed just about the right size for a filly to squeeze through. “Manic, there!” Manic looked at the android worriedly before following her gaze. The hole was open at the bottom of the wall. But it led to another room. “We’ll come back for Kiwi. For now, we have to make sure we don’t get disabled.” Manic looked at the android, her eyes furrowing before nodding.

“O-okay. I can do this.” Manic took a quiet deep breath before quietly making her way to the hole. Getting down on her stomach, she placed Aurora on the other side and she slid her body through. And just in the nick of time too. As the filly got her hind hooves in and out of sight, the pony looked behind the desk she was hiding behind. Manic quickly scrambled to her hooves and clipped Aurora to her utility belt before creeping along the wall. The room they had escaped too was unusually dark.

Manic crept through the room, muttering to herself.

“This is why I wanted to get out of here! But nooo, somepony wanted to explore out of sheer curiosity. You ever hear the saying curiosity killed the cat?” Aurora frowned.

“There is a reason why I wanted too. And if I had my body, we could probably had finished it quicker.” Aurora retorted. Manic snorted.

“Oh yeah, because I want a luradiated android to suddenly go bat shit insane on me.” Aurora tried to shake her head in response, but the small bounces from the filly made it difficult too.

“You could have just fixed it. You’re a mechanic, right? Soon to be GM Mechanic of Artellia?” Manic groaned.

“I don’t need an android to remind me of my achievements! I can give two shits about the position. It just comes down to money. Bolts make this world go round now. But I’ve been doing fine by myself.” Manic almost stumbled over a chair, but quickly regained her footing and stopped the chair from falling over. “In any case, I’m not too inclined to trust a pegasus, a zebra and an android that are possible threats! Hell, I’m probably doing the world a favor by keeping you all contained and isolated!”

“Then perhaps I can assist with that.” A voice said, startling the filly. She backed away and tripped over the chair she had previously stepped over. A pair of tri-goggles stared down at her. The glow turned from a bright green to a bright red. “Nickname Manic. Prodigy mechanic and soon to be GM Mechanic in Artellia.” The pony chuckled. “And my next big paycheck.” The pony looked around and whistled. “Nice place you scouted out. Surprised that hardly anything is living in here.” The two watched as the pony unslung an alien like Lunarium rifle. “Well, I’m sure it wouldn’t mind another corpse.” Aurora heard Manic’s heavy panicked breathing.

‘A bounty hunter then? But why a filly?’ Aurora glanced around, hoping to spot a way out. Before she could find anything, however, Manic quickly dove to the side as a loud thumping sound emitted in the room. Manic crawled under the desks, ignoring the cold sting of the graze she had gotten on her side. Aurora looked back and gapped. Most rifles with Lunarium and Solarium are just simple bullets that mimic high heat or freezing temps. But on impact, they are supposed to dissolve. Whatever rifle this pony was carrying, the Lunarium bullet appeared to freeze where it had impacted, turning the unfortunate chair into an ice block.

Manic didn’t take time to look back, however. The filly scrambled under the desks, squeezing through the undersides.

‘I have to get out of here!’ she thought in panic as the pony turned and took aim. She yelped when the bullet came close to striking her noggin. Fortunately, she ducked in time and the wall suddenly had an icicle sticking out of it. Aurora did her best to scan for the best route out of danger. But the grid on the map was proving to be less helpful. Aurora did, however, notice an opening to the left of the filly.

“Left!” Aurora shouted.

“What!?” Manic cried out, ducking as another shot grazed her.

“Just trust me!!” Aurora said through grit teeth. That graze had her worried for the filly’s safety. Manic wasted no time and bolted to the left, finding herself in a dark hallway. She took another left and galloped down the hallway, jumping over tipped over debris and furniture. The spastic movement made it difficult for the bounty hunter to get a good lock on her. Clicking his tongue, the pony scanned the area. Manic breathed heavily, the panic once again clear on her face as she bolted down the hall and taking a sharp right.

She had no idea where she was going. But she was hoping it would be away from the pony.

“Take a right!” Aurora said. Manic did. “Through those doors!” The filly followed through. When she burst through the doorway, she found herself standing in what appeared to be a lobby. Manic looked around desperately.

"W-where do I go now?” she asked, her breath leaving her. Aurora bit her lip.

“I-I don’t know? I can’t really see from the side.” She stated. Manic quickly unclipped the android’s head and held her up. Aurora took a brief moment to get her surroundings. It was strange. Having to live through the VR, she couldn’t help but notice the path they had took was the opposite direction as in the VR. Aurora looked around and noticed another pathway that seemed clear of danger. “Through there.” She pointed with a motion of her head. Manic quickly cantered into the hallway and made her way down. As she did, they could hear the hoofsteps of the bounty hunter not too far off.

Manic picked up her speed and quickly burst into a room. Not taking the time to gather her surroundings, she shut the door and quickly took cover behind a curtain that had a hospital bed behind it. Just to be sure she was completely out of sight, she crawled under the bed and hugged Aurora’s head close to her chest. Aurora could hear the fast paced beating of the filly’s heart.

“Manic, breath. Take a few deep breaths and remain calm. You are going to make it through this.” Aurora said, trying her best to reassure the filly. Manic did as she was told. Finding herself at a reasonable quiet breathing pace, they remained quiet, their ears straining to listen to the noise that the bounty hunter was subtly making. What felt like hours turned to minutes as the door they had entered in through burst open and the bounty hunter aimed the alien like gear and scanned the room. The goggles switching sights as the bounty hunter walked into the room. Aurora felt the filly apply pressure as she hugged the android’s head tightly.

Thankfully she had no existing breath, otherwise she would have probably suffocated. Digressing the point, Aurora was in a position where it was hard to tell exactly where the bounty hunter was searching. The bounty hunter made his way, tip-hoofing through the room and quietly pulled the first curtain aside.

Nothing.

Moving to the next one, he did the same thing.

Nothing.

Again to the one next to it.

Nothing.

That came down to the last one in the room. Manic held her breath as best she could, quietly letting out breaths as the bounty hunter pulled open the curtain. The two heard the sound of the gun thumping and a loud creaking of ice forming. Manic shut her eyes tightly, reciting in her mind a prayer to the goddesses. All was quiet. All except for the sound of the bounty hunter’s rifle humming to life. The bounty hunter switched sights on his goggles. He noticed that there was something laying in the bed. When he pulled the curtain back and fired off the round, his bolt missed whatever was laying there. Taking a few moments, he switched sights again and saw a skeletal corpse laying on the bed.

It appeared to be laying back, as if in a restful slumber. The bounty hunter hummed in thought before turning to look back at the door. His ears twitched. He could have sworn he heard something outside the room. And just when he was about to look outside the room, the door suddenly clicked open and the bounty hunter aimed the rifle, only to stop and lower it as a figure of an android moved into the room. The android appeared to be worn down, as if years of rust and exposure to heat made it unbearable to move with each step. It was levitating a half destroyed clipboard next to it as it stepped and looked at the bounty hunter.

“I’m sorry, sir. Visiting hours are over. Please come back tomorrow.” It said metallically. The bounty hunter studied the android. Probably back then, it was a nursing model made to aid in recovery of veterans and the sickly. The pony made no movement but did step aside. Manic peeked out quietly from underneath the bed. The android made her way past the bounty hunter before standing next to the skeletal corpse. “Good afternoon, Sunny Sprinkles. How have you’ve been?” There was a brief moment of silence. The android giggled a little. “Oh, what a cute little drawing! May I ask who is that?” More silence.

The android chuckled and scanned the clipboard. “He must sound like a very kind pony to do that for you.” There was a brief pause before the android spoke again. “Well, good news. In about a week from now, you’ll be up and walking and able to play with all your little friends! Isn’t that exciting?” Suddenly, the android made a loud cracking sound as a spark of electricity made her stiffen and change her speech to a solemn and remorseful tone. “Doctor Springdale. I have an update on our patient.”

The android flipped through destroyed and rotten papers. Manic could see the pieces and specks falling from the board. “The poor dear is soon to have surgery and during one of her CAT scans, we err… spotted another tumor.” The android made a sad sigh before continuing. “I was so looking forward to her playing with her friends. Even they were asking about her.” More pause. “Yes, sir. I’ll inform the surgeon.” The android registered a worried look. “Oh the poor dear. May Celestia’s sun shine down on her this da-.” There was a loud thump and the android suddenly jolted and fell to her side. Manic covered her muzzle in horror as the cold staring face of the android met hers.

White blood pooling from where the bolt had struck. However, the enchanted bolt appeared to be freezing the blood. Manic scooted back a little as to avoid the icing of the liquid that almost touched her suite. The bounty hunter sighed.

“Damn things are always creepy.” The bounty hunter then holstered his rifle and put a hoof to his ear. “Put me on the line with my client.” There was a brief pause. “This is Toxic Star. I lost sight of the target. She had disappeared into the ruins of a complex.” Manic’s ears moved to the side at the sound of a quiet voice. “I understand… Very well, I will retreat for now and wait until the filly exposes herself.” The bounty hunter chuckled. “Besides, I checked her schedule. This was supposed to be her lunch break.” The bounty hunter, Toxic Star, nodded before looking back at the android and kicked the body lightly. “’May Celestia’s sun’. What utter bullshit.” And with that, Toxic Star turned and quietly exited the room.

Taking a moment to release the held breath the filly hadn’t realized she was holding, she quietly slid out from under the bed, avoiding the frozen pool of nano-blood. Aurora and Manic looked at the android corpse. Indeed, the centuries haven’t been too kind on her model. Rust forming, paint peeling, part of her wires and components showing. And that’s where the remorse ended.

“An android that was working here?” Manic whispered, unsure of the bounty hunter still nearby. Aurora looked at the medical android. She wondered what it was like to take care of the patients here. She then looked at the skeletal corpse. Whatever poor soul died on this bed appeared to be no more than a filly. Manic gulped and quietly crept out from behind the curtain. “We need to get back to Kiwi. I can remove that sapper, but I need you to guide me back there.” Aurora looked at the panicked filly. Her expression stoic, she nodded.

Making sure the coast was clear before stepping out of the room, Aurora guided the filly back through the lobby and down the hall. Taking a few turns here and there, they finally arrived back at the place where they had stopped. Kiwi Bot was tipped over, the lights in its’ eyes flickering as a strange square like device was clamped onto its side sparked and hissed. Clipping Aurora to her utility belt, the filly took a screw driver and jammed the tool’s tip into the clamps and carefully wiggled it out. With a small pop and a crack, the sapper fell to the floor. Manic picked it up and frowned, examining the device.

“How strange…” she said. Aurora rolled her eyes.

“Perhaps you can worry about it when you get back to safety?” Manic looked at the android, her expression of that of disappointment.

“And now the dumb android wants to go back to the workshop. Hell, if it wasn’t for your curiosity, we would have probably been back by now and I could…” her eyes suddenly widened in realization. “Oh, shit.” Aurora blinked once in confusion.

“What? What did you remember?” she asked. Manic pocketed the device and hopped back on the bot, pressing a few dials and activating the bot.

>Urgh. I feel like I have gone to Tartarus and back.

“Save the expressions for later, Kiwi. We gotta’ get back now.” Manic pressed a few buttons and turned a couple of dials, making the bot hum to life and stomp through the room.

>Is everything alright, Madame?

“Just get us back! I want to be as far away from this place as possible!” Aurora remained quiet as the filly piloted the bot back the way they came, keeping eye and careful awareness in case they ended up bumping into the bounty hunter. Fortune favored her and they made it back to the one hole of the room leading back out into the desert world of Equestria. As the bot hopped down and suddenly transformed into a tank like figure, the filly sped across the wide open area, unaware of the one pony that had hunted them looked on as they did. Toxic rubbed his helmet.

‘Well. Time for plan b.’

Arriving back at the filly’s two storied abode, Manic parked the bot outside of a garage and quickly hopped out, rushing to the door and opening it. Trotting down the stairs, Aurora balked when they entered into a spacious area with two giant containment boxes. It was hard to tell what was going on in them as the barrier was fogged over. The filly rushed over to the terminal and looked to see a bar saying complete. Pressing confirm on the prompt, there was a loud sound of the machine turning off. Aurora watched as the containment boxes suddenly vacuumed up the fog to reveal two ponies inside each one.

“Candlejack? Zelori?” Aurora asked, her confusion clear across her face. Manic looked over to see the brain prodding helm unclamp from the two and ascend into the ceiling. The two siblings swayed a bit before shaking away the pounding headache.

“Urgh… that was like an enema to the head.” Candlejack stated as he shook off the daze. Manic watched quietly as the two ponies recuperated from their disorientation. Once they did, they immediately glared at the filly. “Hey you! Just what the hell are you trying to pull!?” Candlejack slammed on the barrier, only to be zapped and shot back. Zelori looked down at herself.

“I feel… different.” She said. Manic cleared her throat.

“Well then. Glad to see that the extensive prodding of your brains didn’t cause brain damage.” She looked at Candlejack, implying that there may have been a big chance on the poor sod. Something about this pony gave off uncomfortable vibes. Like a stray cloud had suddenly appeared over him and drenched the pegasus in a never ending fall of unfortunate events. And yet, despite the setback of his actions against the barrier, he jumped up to his hooves and brushed a foreleg under his muzzle with a sniff.

“So then. Now that we have the cleaning and data gathering out of the way, I bet you want something to eat?” Manic turned back to the terminal and pressed a few buttons. The containment boxes shot a mechanical arm out and the ponies immediately stood on their hind hooves, much to the filly’s surprise. The ponies had expected another brain prodding device and had elicited a stance the filly was unfamiliar with. They cautiously watched as the arm slithered down in front of them and aimed down at their hooves. A small blue grid hummed and materialized a tray of steaming food. When it was done, the arm slithered back up and vanished in the dark abyss of the compartment.

The two stared at the tray, as if they were expecting it to suddenly explode on them. Manic cleared her throat and motioned with a hoof.

“Dig in.” she said. Candlejack and Zelroi cautiously eyed their trays. Sitting down on their haunches, the filly watched as the two took a few moments to test their food for anything dangerous. Manic sighed and shook her head. “I promise you, it isn’t rigged with diseases or explosives.” She seemed to puff out her chest in pride as she explained the next part. “I happen to have created a matter materializer that can create anything I tell it too.” She then rubbed her mane. “Err… with the exception that I need blueprints for it. But recipes and such aren’t hard to come by.” Zelori eyed the filly when suddenly, the sound of munching and licking reached their ears. Candlejack hadn’t realized how hungry he had been ever since they left Detrot.

Planting his muzzle into the food, he was surprised to taste another mixture of euphoria in his mouth. He pulled back, his cheeks puffed to show his mouth full of food before munching happily and licking his lips.

“Mmm! Whath is thith?” he asked as food crumbs escaped his mouth. Manic cringed as the food crumbs pelted the barrier, making it sizzle. The sight of the pony talking with his mouth full made her feel the coffee she had earlier come back up. Taking a brief moment of respite, she put on her best smile.

“It is hay rice and beans mixed with a hay burger wheat.” She said. Candlejack, swallowing his food, planted his muzzle back in and chewed away happily. Zelori, however, had only taken a small bite of it and frowned. Manic cocked her head slightly. “You don’t like it?” Zelori looked at the filly.

“I’m more concerned about where we are and what you are planning to do with us.” She said. Manic beamed and clapped her hooves together.

‘She must be the brains of the two! Somepony I can gather info about!’ Manic trotted over to her containment box, trying her best to ignore the pegasus creating a food bath in her containment box. Sucking up her disgust, she responded.

“Well, I’m glad you asked. You see, I have you in containment for… safety reasons. I had to contain you both due to your exposure to luradiation and possible threat to my home. Both hygienic and collateral wise.” Zelori arched a brow.

“Hygiene? There is nothing wrong with our health.” She stated. Manic opened her hoof panel and scrolled through the list of data that had been collected from the two.

“You say that. But the tech says you both had lice all over your fur. You had poor dental hygiene and bad breath. Haven’t had a bath in… years.” Candlejack from the other side of the containment breach perked up at this.

“Does a garbage bath count?” he asked, swallowing his food whole and coughing at the poor judgement. Manic frowned.

“No, it doesn’t. In fact, the state of mal nutrition you both have states that you have been feeding on nothing but expired beans and food pastes. Lack of protein, vitamins and others are minimal, if not any, are present. I’m more surprised that you two can even function a word based on how badly your health is. Have you two lived under a rock for years or what?” Candlejack chuckled.

“Funny you should say that. We are from New Equestria.” He said. Manic arched a brow.

“New Equestria? The underground civilization that had been abandoned for centuries?” she asked. Zelori arched a brow.

“What makes you think it is abandoned?” she asked. Manic rubbed her chin in thought.

“Just the fact that everyone above ground, if that’s the case, state that the expeditions had caused the underground to be obsolete and uninhabitable.” Manic looked at the android head at her utility belt. “Are they telling the truth?” Aurora, who had been quiet this entire time, spoke up.

“I am uncertain myself. I had only met them recently on the outskirts of Detrot. They were wearing obsolete suites and had suffered heat fever. But the suites appeared to be none I am familiar with.” Manic hummed in thought. Candlejack then spoke up.

“Aurora? What happened to the rest of you?” he asked. Aurora remained stoic as she responded.

“I have appeared to have been corrupted by luridium and had to be separated from my body as to avoid any more corruption to my programming.” She said. Manic nodded.

“That brings me to my next question. The luradiation I had picked up on all three of you were dangerously close to yellow levels. What field did you go through to gather that much?” The room was quiet. But Manic noticed that the android and the zebra mare were eyeing the containment box with the pegasus in it. Candlejack rubbed his mane, feeling it to be soft and groomed to a more definite spike style than usual as he created a small nervous grin.

“I err… may have caused a meltdown at a luridium factory.” He said. Manic wanted to be surprised by this. However, the vibe the pony was giving off told her that it shouldn’t have been one. Her surprise was more towards the factory part.

“Just what in the hell were you three doing at a luridium factory? Those places are unstable and dangerous.” She asked. Zelori remained quiet as did Candlejack. They weren’t certain if they should really tell a young filly about their objective while they were out here. Taking a deep breath, Candlejack spoke.

“Kicking ass. A group of robot bandits had taken refuge and we were… hired to clear them out.” He said. It wasn’t far from the truth. But Candlejack didn’t want to tell the filly the whole reason. ‘Perhaps these ponies up here don’t need to know what goes on down below. Its best things stay where they are. What happens in New Equestria, stays in New Equestria.’ Manic frowned.

“Wait, you’re stating that you’re from the underground, yet you were hired to take out a group of robot bandits. Not accounting the fact that you caused a meltdown, do you think I’m some sort of dumb foal?” Candlejack blinked once in confusion.

‘Damn, loopholes are a bitch.’ Candlejack gave her his best smile.

“I… think you’re… a reasonable filly?” he said with a small squee. Manic eyed the pegasus before looking at his wings. She looked back at the panel on her hoof.

“Aside from that, no sign of Psi-Co consumption either. Which is great considering that the bad state of health, Psi-Co would have really messed up your systems entirely.” Candlejack cocked his head.

“Psi-Co? What’s that?” he asked. Manic continued to look at the panel, but made a rotating motion with her free hoof.

“It’s a drug that is mixed with healing properties and actual chemicals. Supposed to be the pre-war medicinal Deus Ex Machina of its’ time, but now it is a black market drug for Pseudos.” Candlejack rubbed his chin in thought.

“Pseudos?” Manic frowned. The pegasus’s questions were starting to get as annoying as Aurora’s curiosity. The filly groaned.

“It’s a term to define those that aren’t really their specific race anymore. Take for example an earth pony. Say they don’t want to be an earth pony anymore. With a certain dosage of Psi-Co, not only do they get the modified benefits, but they can change their race appearance too. Now that earth pony can either be a unicorn with a base property of magic or a pegasus with hardly any flying time.” Zelori spoke up.

“Sounds like something that shouldn’t be played with.” She said. Manic nodded.

“You and a few hundred others back when the thing was created centuries ago. While it did prove to be beneficial to those in the wars, that didn’t stop chem addicts from exploring its properties and exploiting its benefits for personal gain. Now the drug is all over the place and in many forms. Kind of like a certain Luridium Plague incident that happened.” Aurora chimed in.

“Luridium is different than the properties of Psi-Co.” she said. Manic nodded.

“Luridium is considered Psi-Co for the mechanical denizens. Am I correct?” Aurora remained quiet, but nodded as best she could. “In any case, knowing that the drug wasn’t in your systems, you both are now with a clean bill of health.” She smirked. “And don’t thank me. Thank me! Clean teeth, clean body and clean systems, you are free to do whatever you want.” Candlejack and Zelori eyed the filly.

“So… we are free to go?” Candlejack asked. Manic laughed.

“Oh no. I still think you two are big threats. Unless you can prove otherwise, you will remain here under my care until I deem you no longer threats.” The filly stretched. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an order to complete.” She frowned. “And a dumb brother’s table to fix.” Candlejack frowned.

“You think this thing can hold us?” he said. Manic chuckled.

“I’d like to see you try. And as amusing as it sounds, I’ve wasted enough time. Ciao!” With that, the filly trotted up the stairs to the exit. Candlejack caught Aurora’s look. The android mouthed to him a sentence:

“I will keep an eye on her.” And with that, the two siblings were left to their own quiet breathing.

Later that night, Manic was hunched over a table. Doing her best to avoid any form of sleep, she worked away at White’s record table. Aurora’s head was placed back on the charging pedestal. The android watched quietly as the filly worked away. However, despite the amounts of coffee she had materialized to keep herself awake, her state of mind began wandering to incoherent speeches. Aurora strained her ears to listen in on them.

“… Damn thing is such a pain in the ass. Why does my brother think music is so great? The stuff he makes is awful! It’s like griffon talons scratching glass. Speaking of griffons, I wonder if that shipment of scones have come in? I should check later.” The filly hissed in pain and shook her hoof before going back into the table. “What’s so great about this thing anway? I understand it was a birthday gift, but still, does it really matter anymore? I mean, she’s no longer around and I… I…” Aurora watched as the filly suddenly placed the tool she was using to the side and sighed tiredly. “I miss her too… asshole…” There was silence. The filly stretched and took another swig of her coffee. However, Aurora watched with slight amusement as the filly suddenly leaned back and the coffee cup fell from her grip. The cup bounced on the ground and rolled away as the last bit of coffee seeped out.

The filly snored loudly. Aurora watched quietly as the filly’s sleeping body suddenly twitch and she sprang back to life. Wiping her muzzle, the filly shook her head furiously.

“N-no! Sleep is for the weak! I have to get this finished now or I’ll… I’ll… I…” The filly tipped forward, her head placing gently against her crossed forelegs on the table. Snoring a bit more quietly now, the android studied the filly. It appeared that she had finally found the quiet embrace of slumber. And as soon as Aurora was about to command her own systems to rest, the door to the filly’s room opened. Aurora remained stoic, pretending to act as if she had finally put her systems to sleep. A cloaked figure suddenly slithered into the room and looked around.

The hood draped over the muzzle, making it hard for Aurora to figure out who was underneath it. The figure quietly walked over to the table she was at and examined the desk. The pony picked up her pedestal and twist and turned, as if examining a careful priceless piece of art. Taking note of the quick glimpse of the face, she couldn’t help but wonder why this particular pony was invading. The pony placed the pedestal back down and Aurora watched as the pony crept towards the filly’s work area. Examining the work, the pony then reached for the record table and opened a small compartment on the side of it. Extending a hoof, the pony withdrew a green crystal from the cloak and quietly placed it inside.

Turning to the filly, the pony whispered something to her before adjusting the cloak’s hood and quietly trotting out of the room. With the room now quiet aside from the small hums the filly’s matter materializer was creating, Aurora frowned.

‘How odd. Perhaps I should look into this more.’ Aurora looked down at her neck and looked over to her disassembled body on a desk. ‘Of course, I would need my body to do so.’ What seemed like minutes turned to hours. And the android was beginning to register boredom. She suddenly beamed. ‘Perhaps I can finally finish that VR!’ Taking a moment to gather her data, she finally found the file that was recent in her list of “personal erotic” VRs. Aurora blushed a little. ‘Maaaaybe I should put it in a different folder.’ Wasteing no time, the android did just that and played the VR.

Aurora found herself back in the spectral body. Realizing that she had appeared in a different part of the VR, she looked around to see if the ponies of interest were around. The hallway she was in looked strangely different from the one she had lead the filly down. But that didn’t account the fact that there were activities going on. She looked up to see a small banner over the hall. It read:

Happy Birthday Sunny Sprinkles!

The banner was decorated with foal like drawings of stick ponies and flowers. Aurora trotted down the hall, seeing that the rooms she had passed were occupied with colts and fillies of all kinds. Aurora watched as a group of foals playing tag ran down the hall towards her, laughing in utter joy at the game. She noticed that Zebra, Neighsians, Griffons and Equin were in on the game.

‘This place must have been a haven for everypony.’ Aurora thought. As the kids ran through her, ignoring her ghost like appearance, she turned to see a familiar room. One that Manic had to take cover in. She peeked inside and saw a familiar looking android.

Tom was sitting next to a bed, a book in his hoof. There were a few other colts and fillies gathered around. Aurora phased through the door and walked slowly over to the festivity.

“Brother Tom! What happens next!?” One of the colts raised a hoof. Tom smiled and looked back in the book.

“Well, Little Miss wandered the woods, following the rock trail that was left behind by her sister. She remembered that if they were ever separated, the sister would leave a trial for the younger one to follow. And then, once she neared the forest’s edge, she heard something moving in the bushes.” The foals gasped and whispered to one another, the anticipation of the story clearly gripping them in a net of suspense. Aurora watched with a smile on her face as the android looked at the filly laying on the bed. A colorful looking filly no less.

Her bright yellow coat and lemon striped mane expressed the joy she had displayed on her face. A small stuffed Ursa was being hugged by her. Her magenta eyes staring in wide anticipation for the next scene. Tom continued.

“Fear and worry struck Little Miss. Her eyes darting for any possible route for escape. And then…” Tom leaned in, smirking in a teasing way as the colts and fillies leaned in with him. “As if time had slowed down just for a brief moment… out from the bushes came…” With a quick leap up, he suddenly tickled the filly in the bed “The horrifying Tickle Monster of Legend, ready to tickle her senseless!” He chuckled as the filly screamed with laughter. The colts and fillies seemed to laugh along with him. Aurora watched the exchange with amusement. Tom sat back down and continued to read: “With a quick instinct, she avoided the Tickle Monster’s many tickle feathers as she ran out of the forest and down the hill back to her home. There, she called to her sister.” Tom put on a high pitched voice but in a faked panic. “Sister! Sister! I am being chased by the Tickle Monster of Legend!” Tom then changed the pitch of his voice to an older but wiser one.

“Do not fret, my dear sister. For we are protected by the charm of our grandfather. The monster cannot leave the forest, for it fears our goddesses warming embrace.” Tom switched to the younger high pitched voice. “But sister! Can it not come out at night?” he switched again. “Nay it cannot’, replied the older sister. ‘Tis a creature that dwells in the forest and only knows the forest. If it were to venture out of unknown territory, the night mother’s embrace will surely banish its’ presence.’” Tom read in his normal voice.

“With the ease of her sister’s words, Little Miss happily entered her safe haven of her home. That night, with the protection and watchful eye of the nightmother, the Tickle Monster of Legend did not venture any further, but instead, went back to its lair, hoping to search for its’ next foalish victim to wonder into its grasp. Little Miss slept soundly in the embrace of her sister, the worry leaving her as the two lived happily ever after.” Tom closed the book. “The end.”

The colts and fillies clapped their hooves together and cheered. Tom seemed to blink once at the clock over the doorway and stood up.

“Oh no! I am about to miss Rainbow Dash’s signing!” The foals looked at the scrambling android as he quickly packed his saddle bags and tossed it on him.

“Aww… do you really have to go?” The filly with the stuffed Ursa asked. Even the foals at the foot of the bed seemed sad too. Tom looked at them, a look of happiness and calm. Aurora was impressed by the android’s dedication to be a brotherly figure to them as the android spoke.

“Oh, I’m not leaving just yet. Buuut…” He looked ahead and waved. “Excuse me, nurse!” Aurora looked to see a familiar android enter the room. The nurse android smiled. “I hate to be a bother, but do you think maybe my friends here can be excused to see Rainbow Dash?” The android hummed in thought.

“I am not certain. Sunny Sprinkles is due for a CAT scan in about three hours and-.” Tom suddenly picked up the filly and put her on his back. The filly smiled and hugged the android.

“It won’t take but an hour. I’ll be sure to have her back then.” He looked at the others. “C’mon, all. Time to go visit the most awesomest pony you have ever met!” The filly on his back hugged him.

“I doubt she is as awesome as you!” she said. Tom seemed to blush a little. But taking it as a cue, the android trotted past the nurse android, who was looking at him in stunned awe.

“I-I… but… wait!” the nurse called out. But the herd of colts and fillies moving down the hall ignored her and continued on. Aurora followed closely, watching quietly as Tom entertained the children as they made their way out into the lobby and down the hall to the gymnasium. Of course, a herd as big as theirs definitely caused a few heads to turn. But none seemed too bothered by it. In fact, he seemed to have gathered the interest of some of the non-patients children and followed the herd.

Arriving at the gymnasium, the ponies inside were baffled when the place was suddenly filled with laughing and playing children. Tom watched, unaware of the ghostly presence of Aurora standing next to him. She watched as Tom and the filly on his back moved through the crowd. Reaching a certain table, Aurora noticed a few ponies behind it.

A yellow pegasus with a pink mane and shy demeanor was sitting next to a very confident looking cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. Aurora noticed some small bits of cybernetic enhancements. A mechanical leg and wing. Next to her was an orange Pegasus mare with a purple mane that was casually working away at something. Taking a closer look, it appeared to be a toy. The ponies looked up to see Tom trot over with children, causing smiles to spread across their faces.

"Popular as usual, Tom." The cyan pegasus said with a smirk. Sunny Sprinkles beamed and stared at the Pegasus in star struck awe.

"No way... it's really Rainbow Dash." The pegasus puffed her chest out proudfully and nodded.

"You bet, kid! Your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash! In the flesh!". She then chuckled abbot and held up her mechanical hoof. "More or less." The kids suddenly gathered around the table, grabbing their parchments and holding them up to her. Rainbow Dash seemed to be a bit baffled by the crowd. But she played it with a cool smile and began signing away. The yellow pony next to her giggled.

"It's amazing that you had gathered so many of the kids, Tom." She said. Tom rubbed his mane with a small blush.

"Well, what can I say? I enjoy the company." Tom replied. The orange pegasus smiled and fixed the toy she was working on.

"And company definitely loves you. I have to say, Time Turner really did a good job on you." Tom again felt embarrassed.

"Speaking of, have you've heard from Twilight?" Tom asked. The yellow pegasus nodded.

"Oh yes. In fact, once we are done here, she wants us all to head on over to the castle." She said. Tom looked over to the crowd of children that had lined up to have their casts and parchments signed by Rainbow Dash. He smiled and looked back to the pony.

"Hey, Fluttershy. Is that Sanctuary of yours still up and running?" The pegasus, Fluttershy, giggled.

"Oh, it should always be running. After all, it's Mother Nature expanding on it." She put a hoof to her chest in a petite manner. "All the cute little critters are having the time of their lives." Tom smiled.

"So... I've been meaning to ask. Do you think...?" Tom faltered. Fluttershy cocked her head.

"Is everything alright?" She asked. Tom sighed and shook his head with a smile.

"I...should probably tell you all when we get to the castle." Tom blinked and looked down to see Sunny Sprinkles holding her stuffed Ursa to him. The filly fidgeted nerveously.

"Erm... umm... Brother Tom. I want you to have Slappy... if that is okay?" She looked up to the android, who blinked again in confusion.

"Your favorite teddy? But why?" He asked. Sunny Sprinkles fidgeted again.

"W-well... I think you are super nice and always reading me bedtime stories when you can. I just want to return the favor." Tom chuckled softly before sitting on his haunches and placing a gentle touch on the bear.

"You know, Slappy is really lucky to have a friend like you." He said. The filly gapped.

"Really?" She asked. Tom nodded.

"Oh I know so. In fact, Slappy wanted to thank you for being the best friend he could ever have. And I also want to thank you, Sunny." He gently clasped the hooves of the filly with her stuffed Ursa and moved it to her chest. "For being the best friend an android like me could have." Sunny looked at the android before squeezing the stuffed Ursa tightly. Tom rubbed his chin and then beamed.

He turned to the table and pulled off a parchment. Aurora watched as the android skillfully drew himself on the parchment along with Sunny riding on top of a smiling Ursa. Finished with his design, he turned to the filly and gave it to her.

"Let this be a momento of our friendship. Is that okay?" He asked. Sunny beamed and nodded happily before trotting over to her friends. Tom smiled and looked to Fluttershy, his expression suddenly turned to worry as he saw the pegasus about to cry. "Fluttershy? Are you okay!?" Tom asked. Fluttershy sniffles and wiped a tear with a smile.

"I-I'm fine." She said. Tom sighed and smiled. "Twilight would be so proud. You have definitely come a long way, Tom." Aurora smiled and waited for more words to be said. However, time seemed to have froze for her. She looked around and balked when she noticed a prompt on her vision.

VR ended.

Aurora felt herself being dragged up into the air as the world slowly began to crumble around her.

Aurora found herself back in the room of Manic. She blinked once and looked around. The filly was no longer on the seat. Instead, she was twitching one hoof in the air as she rolled over to her side on the ground. Aurora couldn't help but think back to that moment with Tom and the filly.

'That pony... seems really nice to have as a friend.' Aurora hummed in thought. 'I wonder if...' she looked at the filly and smiled again. 'Perhaps tomorrow.' Aurora took a moment to deactivate some prompts before going into sleep mode. With the room now quiet, the android remained quiet and motionless, unaware of the filly' struggling expressions as the nightmare returned to her.