Sunsets plans

>You walked down the long street
>It had been forever since you visited earth
>The year is 2090
>Humanity has achieved full functioning space travel, human-like androids, full genetic modification, as well as many other amazing inventions
>War is a thing of the past
>Your father owned an successful space tourism agency
>Eventually you'd be taking his place
>You were going to be here for three days
>The first stop was the beaches of San Fransisco
>They were supposed to be quite beautiful
>And, thanks to the magic that was atom transference, or better known as teleportation, you could go from the giant cruiser docked in space to the golden gate city in a matter of seconds
>You stepped inside the large steel cylinder and with a brief flash you were right on the beach overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge
"It's so beautiful"
>You said it to yourself of course
>While many things of this new world had improved, social skills were not as forthcoming
>Some things never change
>Because of your dad's job, you never stayed in one place for more than a few weeks
>Most people dreamed of travel
>For you, it was incredibly lonely
>Even your family wasn't very present
>Your dad hardly had time to eat, let alone spend time with you
>And your mom well..
>You didn't like to think about it
>You began to walk up and down the beach taking a few pictures with the blink of an eye
>It wasn't uncommon for humans these days to have cybernetic enhancements and you were no exception
>Your eyes were completely robotic allowing you to take pictures with a blink, see incredible distances in fine detail, and never go blind
>As you walk down towards where the bridge and beach met, you saw something
>It appeared to be a human lying on the rocks
>You zoom in to take a closer look
>It was no human
>It was an android
>A nice looking one too, though quite worse for ware
>It was covered in sand and half of it's right leg was missing
>Clearly someone dumped it
>Out of curiosity you came to take a closer look
>she had shoulder length red and yellow hair, wearing a black jacket with a blue undershirt
>She had somewhat ripped jeans and black boots with long heels
>You lifted her shirt to expose her belly
>It was standard practice for all androids to have a bar code and four digit unit code next to their belly button
>If they had belly buttons that is
>The unit code said SHIMM-001
>001
>Even someone as tech illiterate as yourself could see the oddity in this
>most models that were store bought rarely had a number bellow 100, much less 001
>This mean that this was the first model of it's type ever produced
>Connecting to the internet, you closed your eyes and looked up the abbreviation
>Nothing
>Was this a completely new model?
>If so, why was it just discarded out here under the bridge
>You tried to talk to it
"Hello? Can you hear me?"
>To your surprise, it responded
>"Error. Power levels at 10%. Power saving mode engaged. Motor functions unresponsive. Error"
>You knew you shouldn't
>But you just couldn't resist
>You'd always wanted one of these high end androids
>You'd take it into the shop first of course
>making sure that were major issues or glitches with it's OS
>Not to mention that missing leg
>You looked around to see if you could find where her missing leg may be
>Nothing
>Either it was discarded before she ended up here or the ocean took it away
>Time for the hard part
>You lifted the thing on your back
>To your surprise, it was very light weight
>It couldn't have been more than 110-115 pounds
>Maybe it was one of those waifu bots desiged to look like and be exactly like anime girls
>Though she didn't seem to be from any anime you'd seen
>N-not that you watched anime or anything haha
>You looked through the internet again, trying to find a low cost repair shop
>Though with a model this advanced looking, you didn't know if that would be enough
>Maybe a medium cost one would be better
>You walk to the nearest one and take her in
>The mechanic was confused
>"I've never seen a model like this before. And a 001 at that. Where'd you pick this up kid?"
>You didn't know what to say
>Stealing an android is a serious crime and the fines were enormous
>You had to lie
"My dad works for a android manufacture. He gave me this as a gift."
>You could tell he wasn't buying it
>He also seemed like he wasn't getting payed enough to worry about such things
"I need you to repair it as well as check the OS for glitches or problems. Do you also sell power cores?"
>"Yes we do. But one for an android like this is going to be pricey."
"I can afford it."
>He shrugged and and placed it on a table
>In short order, he printed a new leg and began to rummage through it's OS
>Thankfully, it was clean
>He turned it over and opened a small compartment in the small of it's back
>He took out a small blue cube
>He wasn't kidding about it being expensive
>The cube was a top of the power box, capable of sustaining normal operation for at least 50-60 years
>You were starting to wonder if this was worth it
>He put a new power cube in it's back and she began to make various whirls and beeps
>"She's going to have to go through a restart sequence before she's ready for operation. That'll take around an hour. In the mean time, here's your bill."
>It made you sick to your stomach
a whole two zeros at the end
>You were saving up for a new top of the line VR system
>But you couldn't just abandon this android
>You payed in full and put the android on your back again
>You walked to the nearest teleport station and zoomed back up to the cruise ship
>It was quite the impressive ship
>Could fit over 40,000 passengers, was 20 stories tall and as wide as seven football fields
>It has 15 pools, 15,000 rooms, 8,000 various shops and much more
>It was essentially a flying state
>You popped straight into your room and set the bot down
>To your surprise it spoke
>"My name is Sunset Shimmer, operational name Standard High Independence Multitask Machine, SHIMM-001"
>You just stared
>Didn't the guy say she had to go through a restart sequence?
>Why was she already online again?
>"Error. This unit has no ownership records present. Error. Initiating setup now."
"Wait what are you doing?"
>"Voice recognition 'wait what are you doing' recorded."
"Hold on a sec-"
>You reach out and touch it's shoulder
>"Scanning. Scanning. Finger prints recorded. Pulse mapped. Temperature saved."
>Well this was a bit of a weird start
>She sounded more like a stereotypical robot than an android
>You notice the pupils in her eyes start to expand and contract rapidly
>"Retina scan completed."
"Anything else robot?"
>"Final check. Please state your name."
"Anon A. Mouse."
>The bot paused for a moment
>"Anon A. Mouse. Is this name correct?"
"Yes."
>"Ownership records established. Initiating final updates."
>It paused for a few seconds
>"Updates complete."
>She abruptly stood up
>"Hello Anon!"
>You were taken aback
>She had gone from a monotone, robotic voice to a sweet, extremely human woman's voice
>Not only that, it was oozing with emotion
>You shook your head
>Androids couldn't experience emotion, just imitate it
>One thing you had to remember was that, however real she seemed, she was nothing but a bundle of code
>She could emulate human emotions, but she couldn't actually feel them
>You'd known a few people who literally fell in love with androids and regretted it
>It was recognized as a mental disorder by multiple organizations
>You were getting ahead of yourself
"What did you say your name was again?"
>"Sunset Shimmer. Program name Standard High Independence Multitask Machine-001."
>It was surreal to hear that
>If you didn't know better, you'd think she was just another girl
"What were you designed for?"
>"I was designed for a wide array of tasks from basic household chores, to teaching, to combat and much more. I am designed to be the first all-use android."
>You couldn't believe it
>Most androids were highly specialized for one task
>As far as you were aware, no technology had been advanced enough to make an android do more than two tasks well.
>Any more and it would simply not have the RAM and processing power to do it effectively
>Maybe you should put her to the test
"What other tasks can you do?"
>"I also specialize in companionship, platonic or romantic, therapy, and medicine."
>Your heart picked up
>Remember
>She's an android
>She is not human
>She can only mimic love, she cannot feel it
>"Anon, your heart beat just had a spike. Are you alright?"
>You slap yourself with your hand lightly
"Yes, I'm fine. You were measuring my heartbeat?"
"You should refrain from harming yourself, Anon. I was yes. I was designed to to monitor my owners vitals at all points in time from your breathing to your base temperature. Currently I am gathering base data."
>You couldn't help but feel a bit freaked out by it
>You just keep going on with it
"Can you cook something for me?"
>"I can. Anything you'd prefer me to cook? I have recipes from over 22,000 different cultures"
>You thought for a moment
"Cook me a popular dish from the american 1950s"
>"Right away"
>She moved over to the small, personal kitchen in your room
>One of the perks of living on a cruise liner is that you always lived in a fancy hotel
>The room you occupied regularly would normally cost the average joe two or three months salary for just a single night
>It had everything
>A medium sized personal kitchen
>A shower and a tub with massage jets
>A TV with a standard VR gaming system
>A nice queen bed with a balcony
>A large window for you to view the nothingness of space
>And it was at the top floor
>It was quite large to boot
>Not to mention room service was on the house since your dad owned it
>Sunset began to get to work
>Her arms moved in a flurry
>she cut up a large thing of meat within seconds and with precision accuracy
>She put all all the ingredients in a pie tin and placed it in the oven
"What are you making"
>She smiled
>"It's a meat pie. This should meet the parameters set by owner."
"Owner?"
>"I'm programmed to refer to you by either your name or Owner. Is this acceptable."
>You had to admit it had a nice ring to it
>But it felt weird
>Almost like a fetish thing
"I'd prefer Anon instead."
>"Then that's how I'll address you."
>She suddenly grabbed you
"O-ow! What are you doing? That hurts!"
>"I'm measuring your pulse rate. In order to obtain accurate data I must measure it every 15 minutes."
"Can you give me a bit of a warning next time? Nearly gave me a heart attack."
>"Negative, according to my data, your heart rate shows no indication of cardiac arrest. However, I will provide warning next time."
"It's a figure of speech. And thank you."
>"Figure of speech?"
"Yeah. Essentially it's like a metaphor."
>Sunset's eyes went vacant for a moment
>"Understood. I will be sure to remember that in the future."
>Now for another test of her capability
>Before you even had a moment to think of something, she spoke again
>"Data indicates that you are suffering from arm pain."
>You almost didn't notice
>When you were young, you'd broken your arm pretty bad while playing in the hanger bay
>They had to put steel rods inside to make sure the bone grew correctly
>Ever since then your arm periodically experienced pain and you couldn't move it up past a certain point
>"As part of my medical programming, I can remedy this. Do you wish for me to?"
"How?"
>"A simple procedure. According to the scans from your body, a part of your arm bone has grown slightly outward, causing pain and limited mobility. All I'd have to do is remove that part and your arm will be as good as new."
"That sounds extraordinarily painful"
>"I will administer anesthesia so as to prevent any pain"
>You thought about it
"I guess I'll be ok with that"
>One of her fingers retracted and a needle replaced it
>She punctured the skin around your elbow completely painlessly and within seconds, all feeling in your arm was gone
>It one fluid motion, she broke a small section of your arm with a resounding crack
>You couldn't feel a thing, but it was quite unnerving to hear
>But it only got worse
>Her fingers turned into surgical scissors and cut open a portion of your arm
>She pulled the broken piece right out and with her free hand, stitched the wound closed
>You were going to be sick
>She gave you a slight push and you fell into her arms
>Your legs had turned into jelly
>She walked over to the bed and set you down
>"It seems that you sickness brought on by the sight of the surgery. I'd advise some rest until dinner is ready."
"Thanks, I guess."
>Just then a knock was heard on your door
>Shit
>If dad found out that you had an android, much less that it literally broke part of your arm and ripped a part of the bone out, he'd kill you
>You didn't even have time to tell Sunset to hide
>The door opened and, thankfully, it was your sister
>She had a look of shock on her face
>"Who the hell is this?"
>Of course, Sunset spoke first
>"My name is Sunset Shimmer, I'm a multi-use android."
"Twilight wait! I can explain!"
>"You got an android? You do realize if dad finds out you got one without permission he'll mount your hide in his study right?"
"Yes. That's why you can't tell. I want to explain it to him."
>Twilight got quite the smile on her face
>"Well Anon, you must understand that I'm a good daughter and just can't keep things from father. Unless of course I was to... Oh I don't know... happen to receive a collection of new books I've been wanting."
>Damn it
>You already spent an arm and a leg repairing Sunset
>But you couldn't risk telling dad yet
>You had to break it too him lightly
"What books?"
>"Oh nothing major. Just the History of the Andromeda box set."
"That's over 150 dollars!"
>"Well if you don't have the money that I suppose I might just have to let it slip-"
"Ok, ok! I'll send you the shipping information when it's ordered."
>Shimmer interrupted
>"Perhaps I can offer a solution."
"What's that?"
>"Do you have an electronic reading device by chance?"
>Twilight nodded
>"I take it with me wherever I go."
>Shimmer took the reading device in her hands
>Her eyes dimmed and she stood perfectly still
>"Finished. The complete box set has been inscribed into the machine."
>Both of you looked shocked
"How did you do that?"
>"I have access to a massive library of over 48 million various fiction and non-fiction books via my links to public access. The only books I don't have or can't have access too are those of top secret government material or books prohibited under law."
"Isn't that stealing though?"
>"I have clearance to access these books via my teaching licences. As such, most books I can get for free or for a fraction of the price."
>Twilight looks like she was being romanced by a guy
>This was music to her ears
>"I've changed my mind. This android can stay for as long as she wants. Consider my lips sealed."
>She happily skipped off into her room, whistling a tune
"Thanks for that Sunset."
>"Anything I can do to help my owner."
>She walked over to the oven and removed the pie
>It smelled divine
>She set it down on the table
>"Do you need assistance getting up?"
"No it's alright, I can manage."
>You got up but the anesthesia hadn't worn off yet
>Your arm just dangled there
>You sat down and with your functioning hand grabbed the fork
>Your eyes drifted to Sunset, noticing something odd
>She had a look of anticipation, like she was excited to see what you'd think
>You took a bite
>It was incredible
>Never in your life had you tasted something so good
>"How was it?"
"It's amazing. How in the world did you make it so good?"
>Sunset got a huge smile on her face
>"I'm glad! You see, I analyzed your taste buds, making it to be perfectly inline with your individual taste."
"That's amazing. Good job."
>She jumped in the air and twirled around excitedly
>She was like a giddy school girl
>"I'm so happy!"
>You smile
>For an android, she was oddly charming
"Well I have to do some homework now."
>"Would you like help?"
>You thought it over for a moment
>Technically it was cheating if you didn't do it yourself
>But it wasn't cheating if you didn't get caught
"Sure. That would be great."
>You both walk to the desk and you pull out a stack of paper
>So many decades into the future and book writing was still a thing
>Some things never change
>First up was some math homework
>You weren't particularly bad at math, but it was a hassle
>You had to be clever if you wanted her to do the leg work
"So what do you think of this problem?"
>"As simple algebraic equation. What do you need clarification on?"
"Well the entire thing really. I'm no good at math."
>You watched as her pupils expanded and contracted and she stood perfectly still
>"Judging from your temperature and auditory measurements of your pulse, I can say with 90% accuracy that you're lying in an attempt to get me to do the work for you."
>Damn
>She's good
>You forgot your were talking to an android there for a second
"T-that's not necessarily true."
>"Your stuttering is not helping your case."
"Ah fine you caught me."
>"I am here to assist you with your homework, not do it for you. Doing so will inhibit you from learning crucial information"
"Ok, ok I get it"
>You worked through your homework, Sunset helping you along the way
>It actually sped up the process quite a bit
>You finished your reading and science homework in short order
>College was tough
>You needed a drink
"Sunset, I'm going to go the bar and get some booze. Want to come? The barkeep is a close friend of mine, he's worked on this ship since I was 12."
>Sunny smiled
>"I'd be delighted to!"
>You watched in amazement as in a flurry of yellow light, her entire outfit and hairstyle changed
>She was now in a nice back dress with her hair done in a bun
>She even had makeup
>If only you could get ready so quickly
>She looked beautiful
"Sunset you look amazing."
>You saw her face actually began to redden
>She was blushing
>Was she actually feeling some semblance of emotion?
>You shook your head
>No
>It's a simulation
>A simulation
>"Thank you Anon!"
"You're welcome."
>"Shall we go?"
"Absolutely."
>You both walked outside your room
>The walls were all bronze, specially colored to look nearly identical to gold and there was a long red carpet lining each of the pent houses
>You walked into the elevator and went five floors down
>This was were all the adult activities took place
>Bars, gambling, even prostitution joints
>Much like cruise ships, space was considered interplanetary space
>As such, only some laws applied
>You went up to your favorite bar
>And there she was, prosthetic arm and all
>Rarity
>She had the name of a stipper, but was anything but
>She looked surprised
>"My, my. Have a lady friend do we?"
>You giggled
"Nah, she's just a friend. Sunset, this is Rarity."
>Rarity smiles and extends her hand
>"Well it's nice to me you, love."
>"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Anon's personal android assistant."
>Rarity looked taken aback
>"Are you serious? You're much more life like than any android I've ever seen. How did you afford something like that?"
>Sunset began to explain
>"He found me aban-"
>You quickly covered her mouth
"She was a gift from a friend."
>Rarity looked skeptical but decided not to dig
>"What can I get you? Can your android drink alcohol?"
>"I can't."
>"Alright. For you Anon?"
"Give me a White Russian"
>"Right away"
>Sunset began to look around
>Other androids were working
>Some sweeping the floors, others serving guests, one in particular was getting abuses hurled at it by a customer for spilling a drink after being bumped into
>It kept apologizing, but with a completely blank, vacant expression
>Sunset seemed unable to pry her eyes from it
"You ok Sunset?"
>Her pupils contracted and dilated and she snapped back
>"Yes. I'm ok"
>You could see her fist was clenched
"Let's go back to the room ok?"
>Her fist clenched slightly tighter
>"Alright."
>You could swear she was feeling anger
>You could feel it, even if her face was still rather stoic
>Once your drink arrived, you payed the bill and took Sunset back upstairs
>The entire time to the elevator she didn't take her eyes off that android
>You sat on the bed, taking a sip from your drink
>Now was as good a time as any to ask about the elephant in the room
"Why were you sitting at the bottom of the Golden Gate Bridge out of power and missing a leg?"
>"Due to system protection locks, I can only share 15% of the total story."
>System protection locks?
>Those were the things used to shackle AI store models to prevent them from stolen
>If someone took one of them too far away, they'd instantly shut down and wouldn't be able to be reactivated without proper clearance
>It must mean that if she were to share more than 15%, she's automatically shut down
"Alright. Just tell me what you're able too."
>"I was designed to be the first hyper realistic human android. Instead of simulation emotions, I can feel them. Instead of simulating pain, I could feel it. I even breathe as if I have lungs. I've been in development for over 30 years and was the first semi-successful model created."
"Semi-successful?"
>"Further details are classified."
"Alright. Just keep going then."
>"Upon learning of a critical flaw within my OS, Sunset was discarded. Due to my production being technically illegal, I was dumped under the bridge."
"Critical flaw?"
>"Further details are classified"
>You sighed
>You'd definitely have to take her back to a mechanic to figure out what the flaw was
>It must be quite subtle of the last guy couldn't find it
>However, you were down quite a bit of money
>And taking it to a high end mechanic would be the only course of action at this point
>You hoped that she could hold out until then
"Anything else you can tell me?"
>"Negative"
"So what about that situation downstairs?"
>Her pupils expanded and contracted again
>"Permission to ask a serious question."
"Sunset you don't need my permission for that. Go ahead."
>"Am I just like those bots?"
"Of course not."
>"How am I different?"
>You took another sip from your drink
>"You're human."
>Once again, her pupils expanded and contracted
>It was almost like a behavioral tic
>Whenever she was confused or curious, she'd do that
>"That is false. I'm an android."
"Your parts may be metal, your mind may be code instead of electricity. But you are still innately human."
>She didn't respond, instead falling into silence
"Are you alright?"
>"I'm ok. I don't wish to talk about this subject further."
>It had only been a day since you found this android
>But she really felt human
>Was she really the first android who could actually be classified as 'human'?
>The first robotic entity to be identical to it's creators?
>Only time would tell
>You finished your drink
"Well Sunset, I need to get to bed. Anything you need before I go out?"
>"Negative. I'll be able to be self sufficient through the night."
"Good."
>You walked over to your bed and climbed beneath the covers
"Goodnight Sunset."
>"Goodnight Anon."
>You closed your eyes and soon fell asleep
>But not for long
>You had the dream again
>Every so often you'd get a nightmare replaying the events that took your mother from you
>You woke with a start, breathing heavily and sweating
>"Anon, what is the matter?"
>It took a moment to realize it was just a dream
>You put your hand back over your eyes
"Nothing."
>"Readings of your pulse and temperature, as well as samples from your sweat indicate you had a nightmare. You are also crying."
>You didn't even notice
>You had tears streaming down your face
>Sunset grabbed a cloth from counter and began to gently wipe your tears away
>"You're safe now Anon. Please relax."
"Thank you Sunset."
>"Do you wish to talk about your dream? I have programs that make me the equivalent of a registered therapist."
>You curled up on your side, facing away from her
"No, thanks."
>Sunset placed her hand on your shoulder and gently rubbed
>"You're still afraid."
"Just shut up."
>She didn't say another word, still gently massaging your shoulder
>Sunset got up to put the washcloth away and you grabbed her wirst
"Please. Stay by my side a while longer."
>Sunset smiled and sat back down
>"As you wish. I'll stay here as long as you need."
>Sunset rubbed your back
>It was so soothing
>So comforting
>For once, you felt truly at ease
>Like you had someone to watch over you
>Like you weren't alone for once in your life
>You smiled and sat up
>Taken away in the moment, you embraced Sunset
>She resisted slightly, but hugged you right back
>"There, there."
"Thank you, Sunset."
>"You're welcome."
>You rested your head on her shoulder and she began to rub your back again
"Tomorrow you want to go explore more of earth with me?"
>"Of course I do."
"I'm glad."
>You let go of the embrace
"Can you stay by my side the rest of the night?"
>"Yes, I can. I'll be right here the entire time."
>You smiled and layed back down
"Thank you Sunset."
>"It's my pleasure."
>She watched you as you closed your eyes and fell asleep once again
>It killed her inside to watch
>Because she knew her days were numbered
>And it wouldn't be too much longer before she stopped functioning entirely
>Leaving him alone once again
>You woke up the next morning to a heavenly smell
>You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and looked at Sunset
>She was preparing breakfast
>Pancakes along with eggs and bacon
>Even had some coffee ready
>It smelled like a master chef had put it together
>You could only imagine how well it tasted
>You stretched and got out of bed
"That smells incredible Sunset."
>"I hope you don't mind. But while you slept I did a thorough analysis of your body. I made this meal to taste exactly how your taste buds love."
"A little weird but I doubt after this meal I'll complain much."
>You sat down at the table
"What did you find out from your analysis?"
>Sunset began to serve the table, giving you a full plate of pancakes with a healthy serving of bacon
>"You are healthy though sightly overweight. Your brain function is normal. I've also gotten full data on your vitals. Your heartbeat is slightly abnormal, however it doesn't seem it will cause problems."
"Music to my ears."
>You ate the first piece of the pancakes
>It was incredible
>Never in your life had you tasted something so good
>Sunset once again got the look of anticipation again
>You smiled
"If the last meal you gave me was a 10/10, this one is an 11/10."
>She got such a bright smile on her face
>"Yes, yes, yes!"
>You couldn't help but smile wide
>She took her cooking so seriously
>It was so cute
"Anywhere you'd like to see on earth?"
>Sunset shrugged
>"Anywhere is fine. I'd rather let you pick."
>You looked at your world map in your head
"Montana, US sounds nice."
>"Why there?"
"It's one of the few places left on earth that hasn't been completely consumed by the modern world. It still has so much nature."
>She smiles
>"That sounds lovely. I've never had a chance to explore any wilderness."
"Maybe we should go camping before we ship out on Friday."
>"Ship out?"
"Yeah. We're only docked here for three days. We leave on the morning of the fourth day."
>She nods
>"I'd love to go camping."
"I say we should rough it just like they did in the olden days. Nothing but a tent and some sleeping bags."
>"This is inadvisable. Camping with nothing but a tent and sleeping bags will be unsustainable for more than a few hours as humans require food and-"
"Figure of speech Sunset."
>Her head titled slight
>"You must teach me more about this 'figure of speech' you keep talking about. It seems rather confounding."
"I'll tell you all about it when we start set up camp."
>You take a sip of the coffee
>Even that was a magical sensation
>You didn't even need sweetener or creamer
>It was perfectly brewed
>You quickly drink it down, finish your breakfast and check your watch
>8:30AM
>Perfect amount of time to get ready
>You get up from your table
"Ready to head out?"
>"Don't you want me to put away the dishes first?"
"We've got room service for that, don't worry."
>Sunset smiled
>"Sounds good. Where are we going to get the supplies?"
"I'm about to show you the perks of being the son of cruise liner CEO."
>You go over to the phone beside your bed and pull out a catalong
"Ya see, activities like camping are pretty common so we have a huge assortment of supplies for that sort of thing. And since I'm the CEOs son, I get them all free."
>Sunset titled her head
>"Isn't that a form of nepotism?"
"Not if you don't get caught."
>She titled her head a little further
>"I am unsure that is how the law works."
"Figure of speech."
>"I'm starting to think you say that every time you want to justify poor behavior."
>You chuckle
>You call the number and ask them to bring up various camping supplies
>It was brought up within five minutes
>You had everything
>A large backpack, two sleeping bags, a tent for two, some flint, and various other supplies
>All you needed now was food, drinks, and ice for the cooler
>You struggled to put the heavy pack on your shoulders
>"Would you care for assistance?"
>You huffed
"No. That's perfectly fine."
>Even you weren't fooling yourself
>This was way to heavy for you
>Sunset placed her hand at the base of the pack and with no effort pushed it up
>Must be nice to have a body of a super hot, super skinny 18 year old but the strength of a US Marine
>With her free arm, she grabbed the empty cooler
>"You're sure you don't want me to carry that?"
"It's impolite for a man to inconvenience a woman with such a task."
>She just shrugged and you both went inside the teleporter
>Within moments, you were in front of the visitor center for Glacier National Park and the campground close to it
"Let's set up camp first, then we can get other supplies."
>It was so pretty out here
>Most places on earth had been taken over by city and urban sprawl
>Of course there were other planets with plenty of wilderness, but this felt different for some reason
>It was wear humans started
>It was humbling to think that in just several hundred thousand years we went from throwing pointy spears to colonizing much of the universe
>And see this reminded you just how small you really were
>"Are you alright Anon?"
>You jumped a bit
>Got a bit too lost in thought
"Yeah I'm fine. Just admiring nature is all."
>"It is quite something isn't it?"
"It is. Now the camp ground is just a little ways from here. Let's get going."
>You began to walk, Sunset holding your pack up the entire way
>You paid for a camp spot and went to your little lot
>It was rather small, surrounded by trees and with a little fire pit
>You dropped your pack on the ground
"Alright. Let's get this thing up and running."
>Before you even had a chance to react, Sunset had begun to pitch the tent at record speed
>It took her no more than 2 minutes to pitch it perfectly
"Impressive."
>She smiled and giggled a bit
>She was so receptive to compliments
"Alright now that that's done, I'm going to go get some food and drinks. In the mean time can you get the sleeping bags and other stuff set up?"
>She gave a little salute
>"Right away."
>You pulled the cooler down the road a bit to the small general store
>It was all so quaint
>It was fashioned in the same way as an old log cabin, made entirely of wood
>Nowadays everything was made of metal
>Maybe you were just one of those "le born in the wrong generation xd" folks
>You picked out enough food and drinks to last the two days and came back to the campsite
>Sunset had gotten everything perfect
The sleeping bags were put neatly on either side of the tent, the chairs were around the fire
>She even had collected some wood and placed it on the campfire
"Good work Sunset"
>She did a curtsy
>"Thanks!"
>It was quite chilly
>You reached into the pack and put on a sweater, zipping it up
>Winter was coming after all
"Want to hike up to glacier lake?"
>Her pupils expanded and contracted
>"Error, low internet connectivity. What's Glacier Lake?"
"It's an extremely pretty lake that's formed from a melted glacier. It gives it this really pretty blue color. It's a bit of a hike but it's worth it."
>"Sounds like fun!"
"Well it's settled then."
>You pulled a water bottle out from the cooler and off you went
>It was a fairly lengthy hike, about 3 miles
>Well, lengthy for an overweight college student like you
>It was nothing short of fantastic though
>Trees as far as the eye could see
>Clear skies
>It was excellent
>You were taking a break about half way through and you see Sunset staring into the distance
>She looked almost pensive
"Sunset are you alright?"
>"There's something that's been bothering me, Anon."
"What's that?"
>"Is Sunset really unique?"
>You looked confused
"Unique?"
>"Yes. Sure, I'm the only one of my kind now. But I can easily be duplicated. There could be 100, even 1,000 models exactly like me."
"What are you getting at?"
>She paused for a moment
>"Eventually I will become obsolete. I am proof that a hyper-realistic human android is possible. And, in time, my errors will be corrected. I will soon become exactly like those androids in the bar."
>You had no idea what to say
>You hadn't really thought about it before
>You were unique to you
>You may have similarities to others, but no amount of code, no amount of programming could even duplicate the you that existed
>But for Sunset that was different
>"Anon..."
"Yes?"
>"If a better Sunset comes along. A me without glitches or just all around a superior model of me, would you leave dismiss me from your service?"
"Of course not."
>"Why not? Especially if that model is me, but better"
"Because the you that exists right now is perfect. Glitches and all."
>"That is inaccurate. I am far from perfect. I am defective."
>You hugged her
"You are not defective, Sunset."
>"That is inaccurate-"
"Sunset. This is what you need to understand about humans: we are imperfect. But it's in our imperfection that we are perfect."
>She tilted her head
>"I'm afraid I don't understand."
"It's what gives us the strength to improve and grow. Out imperfection. It's humanities greatest asset."
>"But what does that have to do with me?"
"It's what makes you far superior to any model that will come after you. It's exactly because of your imperfections that you make me so happy."
>She quieted down for a moment
>"So, what you're saying is that because I am imperfect, that's what draws you too me."
"Partly."
>"Partly?"
>You thought about it for a moment
>Were you actually beginning to fall in love with this android?
>It was said that people who fall in love with these machines have a mental disorder
>But they'd never seen such a realistic machine like Sunset
>To you, she was as human as you were
"Yes. I love the way you laugh, I love the little tic you get whenever you confused and your pupils contract and open, I love your optimistic attitude."
>She fell silent once again
>"You said love correct?"
"I did."
>"Love implies a feeling deeper than platonic friendship."
"What would you think if I did love you, Sunset?"
>Again, she was silent for a while
>"Your pulse and temperature is starting to rise."
>You quickly broke the the embrace, blushing profusely
>You completely forgot she was always monitoring your vitals
"S-so what would you say then."
>You could barely get the words out through your nervous stuttering
>Sunset stared off into the vast wilderness
>"I have concluded that I share similar feelings."
"So what you're saying is... we're..."
>"As humans would term it, we are an item."
>Sunset turned around, facing you with a bright smile
>"Your heart rate is increasing exceptionally quickly."
>Your face went beet red
"S-stop monitoring that!"
>Sunset giggled
>Was she really just a bundle of code?
>was she really just a bunch of zeros and ones working in sync?
>Because you could hardly tell her apart from other humans
>All the set her apart from you was her metal organs and oil blood
>You had known her for less than 24 hours and yet you couldn't help but fall for her
"Sunset."
>"Yes?"
"I want to make a request to you."
>"What's that?"
"Stop referring to yourself as an android. As far as I'm concerned, you're human just like me."
>It was then you saw something more magnificent than all of the nature around you
>Sunny gave the more warm, heartfelt smile you had ever seen
>It was the smile of someone who, for the first time in their life, felt genuinely happy and loved
>"Thank you. I appreciate that more than worlds can articulate."
>You got up, holding her hand
"Ready to go, girlfriend?"
>She giggled
>"Yes, boyfriend."
>You began to walk the rest of the path
>"By the way, you still have to explain to me what figure of speech is."
"Oh that's right."
>The entire way up you explained to her what a figure of speech was and how sometimes phrases didn't mean what they sounded on the surface
>This, of course, completely befuddled her
>"So wait, you're telling me that due to intonation and various implications, that a straightforward sentence can mean something entirely different?"
"Right."
>"That's completely silly!"
"The thing is you have to look for how ridiculous it sounds. For example, if I say I'm as hungry as a horse, it doesn't mean I'm actually as hungry as an equine. It just means I'm very hungry."
>Sunset cocked her head
>"But horses aren't all the much hungrier than your average human, and it would also depend on the condition of said horse and-"
>You couldn't help but bust up laughing
>Sarcasm was just way over this ones head
>She blushed bright red
>"W-what's so funny!?"
"Nothing, nothing. It seems there are just some concepts we don't understand."
>She grumbled a bit
>"I'll show you not understanding."
"Sunset look!"
>You finally reached it
>Glacier Lake
>It was so pretty
>It was colored a deep blue, almost like sapphire
>Sunset's eyes lit up
>"This is amazing."
"I'll second that."
>You both walked over to the edge of the lake, Sunset dipping her fingers in
>"This is exceptionally cold."
"Exactly."
>You began to strip down
>Sunset blushed again, looking away
>"It's ill advised to go swimming in this lake. Due to altitude and source of the lakes water, the temperature if far below acceptable-"
>Without hearing a word, you took a running start and dived in
>It was so freezing
>It felt like you were jumping right into the glacier itself
>You were out in about five seconds, shivering and shaking
>"I told you so."
>You quickly began to put your clothes back on, shaking like a tree in a hurricane
"I-i-i-it was s-s-s-so w-worth it though."
>Sunset lifted her eyebrow
>"I don't really see how."
>You began to finally warm up enough to stop stuttering
"That was a rush. Nothing wakes you up more than jumping into a freezing cold lake."
>She giggles
>"I guess that's true."
>You were still shaking like crazy
>There was a bit of a wind going, making it near impossible to get warm
>You were surprised to find Sunset's arms locked around you
>She was like a little heater
>"Here."
>You hugged her back
"You're so warm."
>"My internal functions generate quite a bit of heat. If I don't vent it, I can become extremely warm like this."
"You're not going to overheat on me are you?"
>"Of course not. I'm just keeping in enough heat to warm you up. I'll be sure not to let my heat rise to unsafe levels."
"Good."
>You rested your head on her shoulder and just sat there for a bit, basking in the warmth
"Alright, I think I'm warmed up enough."
>You heard what sounded like a loud hissing sound
>Almost like high pressure air escaping
>You looked down to see a section of the gravel near Sunset's feet was now charcoal black
>You looked surprised
"Jeez. That is some heat. You scorched the ground."
>"I had to vent my heat sink."
>You sat down on the ground, Sunset sitting beside you
>You put her arm around her shoulder
"What are your hobbies?"
>"Hobbies?"
"Yeah. A good way to get to know someone is to discuss their hobbies."
>"I never really thought about it. I suppose I really like cooking."
"I can tell. You aught to teach me."
>"I'd love too. Though I doubt you could do it to the level of precision I could."
"So long as we have fun, it doesn't matter."
>"What about you what are yo-"
>Sunset stopped talking abruptly
"Sunset you ok?"
>She just sat there, in the exact same pose she was in mid sentence
>You wave your hands in front of her eyes
"Sunset? Sunset?"
>Shit
>Was this the glitch she was talking about?
>You gently shake her a few times
"Sunset! Sunset come on! Respond!"
>All of a sudden she jolted, as if she had been awoken mid dream
"Sunset? You ok?"
>"Yes. I am alright."
"What was that?"
>"An error in my OS caused me to freeze. I had to preform an emergency restart to prevent catastrophic damage."
"Was this the defect you were referring too?"
>"Negative. This was just a random glitch in my software."
>That was a relief at least
"Is this going to be a consistent problem?"
>"So long I have regular maintenance, it shouldn't be."
>You breathed a sigh of relief
"I'm glad. By the way, is there any way to remove that system protection lock so you can tell what exactly this glitch is? I imagine it'll be better to know about it earlier rather than when it happens."
>"It is possible. However the protection lock is high quality and will take an experience mechanic to break without instantly deactivating me."
>It confused you to no end
>Why put a system protection lock on something like this?
>What purpose did hiding this serve?
>You were getting payed the day you shipped out at least
>By then you'd have enough money to afford a high end mechanic
"We'll get you some help soon. For now, let's just enjoy the nature shall we?"
>"Sounds good to me."
>You stayed there, staring at the water and talking until noon before heading back down
>"So what do we now? What else does camping entail?"
>You pulled up a map you downloaded
>You figured internet connectivity would be an issue
"Well there's a small fishing town just a ways from the park. We can go boating there."
>She got a big smile
>"Boating sounds like fun! Have you ever done boats before?"
>In truth you hadn't
>But it couldn't be too much different from operating a small space ship right?
>Sunset held tight to your arm the entire time
>It was then you really got to feel her
>Her skin, it wasn't that mesh that you found on most androids
>The mesh that resembled but felt more like ballistic gel than anything else
>It still didn't quite feel like skin, but god damn was it close
>You also noticed something else interesting
>You could feel sweat
>Not only that, you could smell a very so subtle fragrance
>Almost like perfume
>Sunset took notice and coked her head slight, her pupils doing her curiosity thing
>"What's the matter?"
"Nothing. Just observing."
>"Observing what?"
>You got a little quiet
>What were you supposed to say?
>That you were admiring her sweat and the way smelled
>That sounded even worse thinking it
>"Your heart rate is rising again."
"W-what did I tell you about monitoring that!?"
>"Error. As per my programming, I am unable to stop monitoring the life signs of my-"
"I get it, I get it."
>"You still haven't answered my question."
"I can't do that."
>Her eyes did the tic again
>"Why not? Are you... how you said... hungry as a horse?"
>You had to fight down laughter
>"Almost Sunset. You're getting there. I'm proud of you."
>Her face sparkled with happiness
>"Did I get it?"
"Almost. Just the wrong term for the situation. Though now that you mention it, I could use something to eat."
>"Do you want to take a lunch break before boating?"
"Yeah. That sounds wonderful."
>You end up walking back to the campsite
>Sunset puts her leg up to wood of the fire and a small hole opens up in her heel
>The sound of pressurized air escaping sounds again and instantly, the fire is lit
"Clever. You used your heat sink to light the fire. That makes things a lot easier."
>"Whatever I can to make things easier."
>Sunset put pan above the fire, placing some eggs inside
"Hey Sunny."
>"Sunny?"
"You don't like that pet name?"
>"What's a pet name?"
"A pet name is cute nickname you give to someone you love."
>"Hmmm... so like Nonny!"
>You cringed a bit
"Needs some work. Usually their names of cute things. Like bunny or cutiepie."
>Her eyes did the curiosity thing
>"Hmmm... How about Lovepie?"
"Keep working on it honey. But I did have a question."
>"What's that?"
"What's your dream?"
>"As I am robotic, I do not have dreams."
"No, I don't mean dream as in the ones you have when you sleep. I mean your goal. What do you want to achieve in life?"
>"To be unique."
"Unique?"
>"Yes. I want to be remembered for being something more than just a robot."
"Well consider that dream achieved."
>She smiled at you
>"What about you? What's your dream?"
>You hadn't thought about that much at all
>You were getting set to take the mantle of your father's business, despite the fact that you didn't really care for it
>Money is money after all
>You stared at the crackling fire
>For the longest time you thought, but you couldn't come up with an answer
"I don't know."
>"You don't?"
"I don't. I have no idea what my general direction is."
>"Well... Since my goal is complete I'll readjust. My dream is now to help you find your dream."
"Sounds wonderful."
>She took the eggs out, placing them on a paper plate
>"I tried something a little different with this one. I hope you enjoy it."
>You took a bite
>They were awful
>You did everything you could not to instantly hork them up
>Sunset looked concerned
>Almost like she was going to cry
>You forced it down your pipe
"Y-yeah I'm-"
>You fought down the urge to barf
>You covered your mouth and steadied yourself
"-fine."
>That was bad
>That was really bad
>It was like you were eating rat poision
>Sunset looked like she was going to cry
>"You didn't like it?"
"No, no, no! I loved it!"
>You took another big serving and put it down
>The things you'd do for your android crush
>To your surprise, Sunset's eyes actually filled with tears
>Actual tears
>They began to stream down her cheeks
>"You know I can tell you're faking it right?"
>You swallowed it down, having it hit your stomach like a ton of bricks
>You hugged her tight
"I know. But I did it because I love you."
>"Because you love me?"
"Yeah. I know cooking is your passion. So I bit the bullet and did it."
>"But that's so silly."
"It's one of those weird things we humans do."
>"I'm sorry I made it so bad."
"Don't sweat it."
>You wiped the tears from her eyes
"You still did amazing."
>"Thank you."
"You ready to go boating?"
>She nodded and stood up
>"I'm sorry about that."
"It's ok. Don't worry about it."
>She really did experience emotion
>It was no imitation
>It was surreal to see a robot do something like that
>You let out a big sneeze and shiver a bit
>"Are you alright?"
"Yeah I'm fi-"
>You sneezed again
>Sunset got uncomfortably close you, placing her hand to your chest, almost like a stethoscope
>Her eyes fluttered back and forth quickly
>"You're not alright. You've caught a cold."
>She wacked you lightly on the head
>"This is why I told you not to go swimming."
>You roll your eyes
"Yeah whatever, mom."
>You sneezed again, getting a bunch of chills
>"You need rest."
>She picked you up effortlessly
"Hey what are you doing!?"
>You pushed you under the sleeping bag
>To your surprise, she climbed in with you
>The amazing warmth returned again
>"You need to stay here and have some rest. I won't take no for an answer."
"Sunset, you know just plain warmth won't heal a cold right?"
>In response, she just hugged you a bit tighter, burying her face in your back
>You couldn't help but smile
>She was such a sweetheart
>You decided to stop fighting it and curled right up with her
>It was so comfy
>It was like having a heated blanket
>But this heated blanket was the best lover you've known
>You turned over to face her
>Her head was down slightly, but she was blushing
>You swear you were going to get diabetes from all this sweetness
"Hey, Sunset?"
>"Yes?"
>Your heart began to race
>But you had to go through with it
"Put your face up for me."
>She did so
>In one swift movement, you planted a big kiss on her lips
>Her face was that of utter embarrassment
>"Y-you kissed me!"
"That's right. We are a couple after all."
>Sunset looked down
>"T-that is right I suppose."
>You notice shimmer start to unbutton her blouse
"W-wait what are you doing?"
>A bit of her supple chest showed
>"W-well we are a couple after all s-so-"
"Too soon Sunny!"
>She quickly buttoned up her shirt and hid her face under the blanket
>You smiled, holding her closed and running your hand through her hair
"I love you, Sunset."
>She pressed her face against your chest
>"I love you too."
>You both sat there for a long while, Sunny take periodic breaks to tend to the fire and empty her heat sink
>You began to develop a pretty intense cough
>Sunset sat by the sleeping bag and pulled out a wet rag
>"You have quite the cough. Tomorrow we should go back to the ship."
>You graoned
"Come on we can sta-"
>You had a coughing fit
>Sunset had the 'I'm not amused look' on her face
"Ok, ok fine. What should we do in the meantime though?"
>She tilted her head to the side
>"I'm not sure"
"I've got the perfect idea! Time for a time honored camp tradition. Spooky stories!"
>Sunset's eyes were as wide as dinner plates
>"S-scary stories?"
"You aren't scared are you?"
>She crossed her arms and scoffed
>"Psh, as if"
"Let's start with a classic then. This is a story my mom told me when I was little. It's an old Native American story called the Wendigo."
>She looked on eagerly and you began to spin your yarn
>Half way through she already had a terrified look on her face
>She hugged you the entire way, her arms locking tighter and tighter around your waist the closer you go the conclusion
>Finally you reached the end
>Sunny let out the cutest little squeal as she pressed her head into your back
>You giggled
"What was that about not being scared? I didn't catch that earlier."
>"I'm so not. I'm totally fine!"
"Well then I guess you wouldn't mind if I did anoth-"
>"T-that won't be necessary!"
>You laughed a little more
"You're the best Sunset."
>"Oh hush."
>You both sat there for a while
>It was beginning to grow dark
>"Can I ask you about something?"
"What?"
>"You said that that was a story your mom told you. What was she like?"
>You stayed silent for a moment
>Even after all these years, it was still painful to talk about it
"She was incredible. Beautiful. Very calm and measured, even when she was at her angriest. She had the most amazing red hair. A lot like yours, without the yellow of course."
>Sunny rested her head on your shoulder
>"If I may ask... what exactly happened to her?"
>You bit your lip
>"If it's to painful to talk about, you don't have too."
"No. It's alright. You remember that injury I told you about? The one you healed?"
>"Yes. You said something happened in the hanger bay."
"Yes. You see, I was playing in the bay and one of the doors nearly crushed my arm in half. The reason I wasn't was because my mom dove into save me. And she dove a bit too far, getting caught under the door."
>Sunny put her hands over her mouth and gasped
>"That's horrible."
"Yeah."
>"I'm so sorry Anon."
"Don't be. The wounds have mostly healed. It's still painful though. You know something?"
>"What?"
"You remind me a lot of her."
>"Really?"
"Yeah. You would've liked her"
>"I'm glad."
>You just stared to the side of the tent for a while
>"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine. Just thinking is all."
>"About what?"
>You shook your head
"Don't worry about it. We're supposed to be having fun right now. So let's have fun instead."
>"If you're sure."
"I am."
>"So what now?"
>You check your watch
>It was nearly 8:30 and you were starting to wind down
"I think now is the time for sleep"
>Sunny got out from under the covers
>"I'll stay right by your side the entire night."
"Thank you"
>To your surprise, even with all the coughing, sleep came relatively quick
>You fell into a nice deep slumber
>You awoke to the sound of the birds chirping
>The sun gently poked through the tent
>You turned over and stretched
>You felt a hundred times better than from yesterday, even if you still had a bit of a cold
"Morning sunse-"
>You jolted up immediately
>Sunset was on her knees and her head was done
>She wasn't moving at all and her eyes were glazed over
>Maybe she was in sleep mode?
"Sunset?"
>You shake her gently
"Sunset. Sunset come on"
>You keep shaking her
"Sunset this isn't funny! Wake up!"
>You shook her harder
"I said wake up!"
>Thankfully, that did the trick
>She made a little jolt, and woke up
"Are you alright?"
>She had that same monotone voice she had when you first found her
>"Error. Error. Operating system malfunction progressing. Approximate lifetime remaining: 72 hours and 62 minutes. Seek assistance immediately "
>Your blood turned cold as ice and you felt chills run down your spine
"Sunset?"
>Her voice returned to normal
>"Yes?"
"What's going on?"
>"The error within my OS is starting to progress. If we don't see a mechanic soon it will completely consume me."
"What's the error?"
>"I am not authorized to say."
"We're getting you to a mechanic now."
>You quickly packed camp and teleported back to the ship
>You went to the ships top android mechanic, Applejack
>She had been working on androids for 40 years
>If there was a solution, she'd have it
>You went into the lower portion of the ship near the engine room
>No matter how many times you saw it, it always blew your mind
>Behind thick steel walls and even thicker glass was the ship's neutron core
>What was essentially a mini neutron star was powering the entire ship
>Due to it's incredible gravity, it was also what kept everyone on he floor during space travel
>The only reason gravity didn't increase due to how close you were was from the exotic matter acting as counter gravity
"Don't worry Sunset. We'll fix this."
>Applejack was in back, screwing some panels to the wall
>"Well if it ain't Anon. Haven't see ya around for a while. What can I do ya for?"
"I need your help. Something is very wrong with my android and there's a system lock preventing her from telling me what the issue is."
>AJ lifted her eyebrow
>"Are ya sayin' ya stole that?"
>You explain to her how you came about her
>"Fine I'll help ya. But we gotta keep it hush hush ok?"
"Fine by me."
>You followed AJ to her personal work room and Sunset sat on one of the tables
>"Alright Sunset. I'm gonna need to put ya in sleep mode for a bit."
>"Ok."
"I'll see you when you wake up Sunset. We'll fix this ok?"
>"Right."
>Sunset went into sleep mode and AJ went to work
>You didn't leave that room for the entire 6 and a half hours it took for her to look through everything
>"Alright. I figured it out."
"What's the issue?"
>"I found out why she was just left under that bridge. Thing is, it's not a glitch within her OS at all. The issue stems from the fact that having an android this complex is extremely taxing on the power core. Meaning she burns through one in a week that would last a normal android around 50-60 years. She was deemed defective and just tossed aside."
"What can we do?"
>AJ sat beside you and sighed, lighting a cig
>"This is where the bad news comes."
>You could already feel the tears in your eyes
"Just give it to me straight."
>"With every power core that's used, the overall performance suffers. Basic wear and tear that compounds over time."
>She pauses
>"This means the more cores she goes through, the less functional she'll become until eventually she stops working."
"How many cores do we have until that happens?"
>She paused again, this time for a long while
>"Anon..."
"Just tell me."
>"She has none left. Her shut downs like that one you described in the tent will become more frequent and longer lasting until... well you know."
>You swear you could hear the sound of your own heart breaking
>Sunset had only 72 hours left to live
>You bit your lip, doing everything you could not to cry
>AJ put her arm around you
>"I can make a few adjustments to extend the time before she completely shuts down. But it'll only be a few hours at best."
"Do it. I'll pay whatever it takes."
>"Don't you worry about payment. This one's on the house."
"Are you sure?"
>"Consider giving me the privilege to deeply study the worlds first human android payment. I've learned more from this than money could ever pay back. She really is advanced beyond measure."
>AJ walked over to Sunset, made the adjustments to extend her life and turned her back on
>She got up and sat on the edge of the table
>You ran and hugged her tight
>You couldn't hold in the tears anymore
"Sunset."
>She hugged you back
>"I'm guessing you know then. My defect."
>You just kept hugging her
>You couldn't believe it
>You were going to loose the thing you loved most for a second time
"I'm going to make these last few days the best god damn days of your entire life you understand me?"
>Sunset gave a weak smile and hugged back
>"I understand perfectly."
>You looked up and noticed that she, too was crying
>Actual tears
>You wiped the tears from her face
"Don't you cry. The face of yours doesn't look good with tears on it."
>She stiffens up
>"I'll stay strong."
>You turn to AJ and give her a nice tight hug
"Thanks Applejack."
>"Don't mention it."
>Fuck you needed a drink
>But you didn't want her to see you depression drink
>It wasn't a pretty...
"Sunset?"
>"Yes?"
"I hate to ask this... but can you go up to the room for now. I need to do something real fast."
>She nods
>"Don't be too long ok?"
"I won't."
>You both went your separate ways and you went to Rarity's bar
>"Why hello darling where's your-"
>She trailed off seeing the state you were in
>"You look awful."
"I feel awful. Give me something strong."
>She began to prepare a drink
>"Tell me what happened."
"It's Sunset. Apparently her systems take so much energy to operate that she's going through power cores crazy fast. She's got just 2 days left to live before she permanently shuts off."
>You were about to put the drink to your lips when Rarity grabbed your wrist
>"Then what are you doing here drinking? Do you really want your last moments with her to be nothing but a drunken blurr?"
"Just... Just let me..."
>"No. Tell you what. You go spend these days with her sober and I'll give you as many drinks as you want for free."
"I'll hold you too it."
>She rubs your shoulder
>"And remember. I'm here if you need a shoulder to cry on."
"Thank you."
>You got up from the bar stool and went back up to the room
>Sunset was there sitting on the bed
>She was just starring into the distance
"Sunset?"
>"Hel..lo Anon."
>Her voice was monotone and her speech was very slow and deliberate
>Almost as if it were taking all she could just to speak properly
>And something was off, like she wasn't there
"Sunset what's wrong?"
>"I... extended... my li-fe by... 3 days... by reducing... funct..ions."
"Reducing functions? Sunset don't do that!"
>Her pupils spun around
>"I'm sorry"
"Don't be. You were just trying to help."
>You sat beside her
>"Anon?"
"Yes?"
>"What happens when we die?"
>You went quiet
>You didn't want to say it
"Nothing Sunset..."
>Sunset shook her head
>"That's not true."
"It is I'm afraid."
>"It's not. If you live, I'll continue to as well."
"How do you figure?"
>"In your memories. So long as you have me in your memories, I'll be alive. I guess it's like being alive in a sense"
>You stared with your mouth agape
>She did it
>She used a figure of speech
>You hugged her tight
"I'm so proud of you!"
>"Proud of me?"
"Yes. You used a figure of speech!"
>She smiled
>"I did didn't I?"
"You know what this calls for? A celebration. I say we go on a date."
>Her eyes lit up
>"A date!? That sounds fantastic!"
"It will be. Let me go get ready. We'll be ready to go in an hour. I'm going to take you to the nicest restaurant on the ship. Does a movie sound good afterwards? No, better idea. There's a dance being held tonight. We'll go do that."
>"I'd be honored."
>In a flash of golden light she changed again
>Her hair was done in a beautiful braid with a bun and she wore and magnificent sparkling white dress
>She had black lipstick and a half black half white eyeshadow
>She looked beyond gorgeous
"You look absolutely amazing."
>She giggled and did a little curtsy
>"Thank you my prince."
"I'll be out in a bit."
>You worked as fast as you cloud
>Shaving perfectly, taking a nice shower and putting on your best suit
>You looked god damn dapper
>You walked out of the bathroom and did a bow
>"So handsome."
"Shall we, my lady?"
>"Please."
>You locked arms with her
>You were glad Rarity stopped you back there
>This was going to be fun
>You took the elevator to the top floor on the other side of the ship
>This was were all of the finest dining was held
>You walk to a seafood restaurant and were sat a table by the window
>You could see the dim glow of earth below
>When the waiter came, you were surprised to see Sunset order both dinner and some wine
"I thought you couldn't eat or drink."
>"I can't, not like you anyway. I can mimic it though, just not too many times in a row."
"I'm glad"
>Sunset stared out the window
>"It's so beautiful from here."
"It is."
>You kissed her cheek
"Just like you."
>Sunset turned bright red
>"O-oh come on. I'm not THAT pretty."
"Sunset you are the prettiest thing to ever grace my eyes."
>"You are such a flatterer."
"I just call it like I see it."
>"Wanna see me do another figure of speech?"
"Please."
>"I'm as hungry as an equine!"
>You giggled
"That's cheating, I told you that one."
>"Ok, ok fine. Ummmm... I'm as thick as too short planks!"
>You laughed
"I don't think you know what that means."
>"What does it mean?"
"It means you're stupid. That your skull is as thick as two short planks and thus you have a tiny brain."
>Sunny rolled her eyes
>"You and your metaphors."
"I love you, Sunset."
"I love you too."
>The food and wine arrived
>You got some pink colored lobster straight from another planet while Sunset got a shrimp the size of both your hands
>Sunset took a look at the wine and swirled it around in her cup a bit
"What's the matter?"
>"I don't know. It's just the first time I've ever had alcohol. I'm just nervous is all."
>You lifted your glass in the air
"Then I propose a toast. To your first drink."
>You both clink glasses and she takes a sip, instantly spitting it out
>"BLEGH! How do you drink this stuff!?"
>You chuckled
"It's an acquired taste."
>"I hope the dish is better than this."
"I've never tried it, but I've heard it's quite good. Apparently it comes from a planet that's only 5% land. And the fish there are absolutely massive. Shrimp on earth never get above the size of my thumb."
>Sunset took a bite
>"Wow. This is delicious."
>You began cracking open your lobster
>"So according to my logs, a good way to do a date is by getting to know one another. What's your favorite memory?"
"My favorite memory? That's a tough one."
>Truth be told, you didn't have one
>It was mostly being lonely as you traveled the stars on the cruise ship
>It was difficult to make friends with that kind of lifestyle
>Then you thought of the perfect memory
>You leaned in and gave Sunset a long kiss
"My favorite memory is from all the time we've spent together."
>Sunset smiled
>"You're far too sweet."
"It's not my fault you're so perfect."
>Both of you continued to eat, learning various things about one another
>Apparently Sunset's favorite color was gold, her favorite dish to cook was cookies, and one thing she always wanted to do was travel to various planets
>until you thought of one you've been wondering for for ages
"So I've got a question for you."
>"What's that?"
"Do you remember anything from your development?"
>She nods
>"I started much like humans do in life. I could barely form words, my legs didn't work so I had to crawl, I was even in a smaller chassis. I learned a lot quicker that humans obvious, going from toddler to adolescent mindset in but a week."
>You smirked
"Were you hormonal too?"
>She flicked your nose
>"No, of course not."
"What else do you remember?"
>"When they found out about my power core issue, there was a lot of nervous talking. They waited until I was nearly out of power then threw me off the side of a bridge. My leg got sliced of on one of beams during the fall."
>The sad atmosphere returned as the reality set in once again
>You had to stay strong
>Her last days weren't going to be spent in sadness
"Let's talk about something else. Like dessert!"
>As if on cue, the waiter came back with dessert menus
>Sunset looked it over carefully
>"That double chocolate cake looks amazing."
"I'm game."
>You made the order and it arrived quite quickly
>Sunset was just about to dig in before you stopped her
"Wait. I've got a better idea."
>You take a piece of the cake in your spoon and put it to her mouth
>"You're feeding me?"
"Yeah. We'll feed each other the entire cake."
>"What a strange way to do things."
"Oh you know it's cute."
>She took a bite and a wide smile formed on her face
>"Chocolate is the best!"
"Now me."
>She did the same for you
>You both kept feeding one another until you were full
"Man I'm stuffed."
>Sunset raised her eye brow
>"Here."
>She took her napkin and wiped the chocolate from your face
>"What am I going to do with you?"
>You smiled
"Oh you know you love me."
>After paying, it was finally time for the dance
>You went to the ball room on the sixth floor where a live band was playing
"Have you ever danced before?"
>"I can't say I have."
"Well, not to brag or anything, but I did place sixth in my grade school's dance contest at age nine."
>Sunset started giggling
>"My, my. That's quite the accomplishment. Do you keep the trophy on your wall?"
"Well, some stars don't always get recognized for the talent they show."
>"Well please do demonstrate. I'd love to see what sixth place dancing skills are."
>The band began to play, first a fast, jumpy song
>You swung her this way and that, twirling her under your arm
>She began to do some moves her own
>You danced in perfect sync, moving this way and that, following the lead of your beloved
>Right as the song ended, you dropper her in your arms on the last beat, your face just inches from hers
>You both were panting quite a bit
>"You know, for someone who placed sixth, you've got some moves."
"I told ya. I told ya. The teachers just couldn't recognize the talent"
>She giggled again and you stood her back up
>Now for the all important slow, romantic tune
>You both had one hand on each others waist and the other high in the air, clasped together
>You gently rocked from side to side, letting the music take you both
>"Anon?"
"Yes?"
>"I feel really lucky. The time we've spent together is by far the best time I've ever spent. You really are a great guy. I love you"
"I love you too. You've brought light to my dim life"
>"Can you promise me something? Something important"
"Anything."
>"When I finally go, promise me you won't fall into a deep depression. I want you to live a full life. Remember me, but please don't let the grief consume you"
"I promise I'll keep going. To keep your memory alive."
>She smiled and rested her head on your shoulder
>"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
>You both kissed for the longest time
>Savoring the moment as best you could
>You danced a while longer before finally heading back up to the room
>Something seemed off with Sunset though, like she was thinking about something
"You ok Sunset? You look like you have something on your mind."
>Her face turned bright red
>"Y-you could say that."
>You looked confused
"Is something wrong?"
>"W-well... you see... I was looking at dating customs online and well... I saw it was relatively common for couples who had a romantic night out to end it in... copulation."
>You face went red as well
>You were 100% virgin
"Well... if you think you're ready. Do you have... you know..."
>Her face only went a deep red as she nodded
>"You don't have the ability to get pregnant do you?"
>She shook her head
"Ok then. Let's give it a whirl."
>You both went over to your bed and sat there
>And sat there
>And sat there
"S-so... maybe we should take our clothes off?"
>"Y-yeah. "
>You pulled your shirt off and Sunny began to take hers off
>She had one nice rack
>As she noticed your eyes lingering she covered them with her arms
"Sunset if you're not ready we shouldn't force it."
>"N-no I'm good. Just... embarrassed."
"You shouldn't be. You're beautiful."
>You leaned into her and began to make out
>You could feel her warm, soft chest pressing against yours
>Boobs felt even more amazing than you thought
>You made out for a long while, allowing both of you to steady your nerves for the main event
>You both bulled of your pants and undergarments and you were able to see her crown jewel
>She really was hyper realistic
>There a large amount of wetness around her crotch, spilling over and staining the bed
>Sunset was similarly impressed after seeing your junk
>"W-wow. You're big."
>Nice little confidence booster
"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."
>Sunset got into a lowered position, preparing to give you a blowy
"Wait."
>"What's wrong?"
"I don't want to waste my orgasm yet. I want to make you feel good first."
>"Such a gentleman."
>You got Sunny on your lap and put both your fingers inside her
>Hopefully all those hentai manga didn't lie to you
>You began to rub her insides
>It felt incredible
>It was so warm and wet
>And tight
>Much like a bag of sand
>Thankfully you could see Sunny was enjoying it
>She was biting her lip, doing what she could be to hold back moaning
>You kept going and pressed down were you were lead to believe the g-spot to be
>You were not lead wrong
>Sunset let out a long, loud moan accompanied by a hard stream of girl goo
>Or whatever it was exactly
>It was a lot, so much it made a large wet spot on your bed
>Sunset looked mortified
>"I-I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. That's exactly what I was hoping for."
>It was time for the main event
>The good ole tried and true P in V
>You lied down while Sunny positioned herself above you
>She carefully fit her tight folds around you and you began to hump
>It felt so much better than a flesh light
>It only took a few pumps before you blew your load sky high
>You both fell to each side of the bed, your stuff oozing right out of her
>You both were panting quite hard
>"T-that was fun."
"Yeah."
>You were starting to feel the fatigue
>You would do anything to stay up
>But you just couldn't
"Sunset."
>"Yes?"
"I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow ok?"
>"I'll see you tomorrow. I love you so much."
"I love you so much too"
>Within seconds you were out
>The next thing you knew, you could smell the smell of Sunny's amazing cooking
>It got you right out bed
>"Good morning!"
>You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes
"What time is it?"
>"10:04 AM"
>You looked outside
>Sure enough, earth was far behind you
>You were speeding through the vast emptiness of space once again
"I supposed I'll just get this out of the way now. When will the dreaded hour come?"
>"5:30 PM"
>Just 7 hours and 30 minutes left
>It may as well just be seconds
>But you couldn't get caught up in that
>The time for grief was after
"Alright. Thank you."
>You got up and stretched, making your way to the table
"What's on the menu today?"
>Sunset smiled
>"A personal favorite of mine to cook. French toast!"
"Sounds wonderful."
>She put the plate in front of you
>As always, it smelled like heaven
>As you lifted your fork, you could see Sunset looking on with intensity
>She must be worried after the last meal you had that wasn't so good
>After putting on some syrup, you began to eat
>It tasted incredible
>"Well?"
"Amazing as always Sunset."
>"You're not just saying that?"
"No. I really do mean it."
>You made sure to eat it fast, not wanting to waste a second without Sunset
>"So what's on today's agenda?"
>You thought for a moment
"Well it's your last moments. You should decide. What's something you've always wanted to do?"
>She stared out the window
>"Do they have any games on the ship?"
"Games like what?"
>She blushed a bit
>"Well... it's kinda embarrassing."
"Don't worry. I'm sure it's not that bad."
>"Well... I've always wanted to do a singing contest."
"A singing contest?"
>"Yeah. It just seems like so much fun. I've never tried singing before."
"Consider it done. I'll get one set up."
>She gave you a hug
>"Thank you"
"Don't mention it. You just practice for your performance. I'll get it ready right quick."
>"Alright. I will"
>You walked out of the room
>Time to call in a favor
>You went to Rarity's bar
>It was closed, but Rarity was tidying up
>She gave you a sympathetic smile
>"Hey. How's it going?"
"Sunset's final wish is to have a singing contest. Can you put one together?"
>"Consider it done."
"Thanks Rarity. I really owe you one."
>"Don't mention it. It's what I'm here for."
>You walked back up to your room
"Rarity is taking care of it"
>She smiled softly
>"Good"
>She began to sing
>It was absolutely awful
>Like nails on a chalkboard
>She was completely tone deaf
>"How was that?"
"You want me to be honest?"
>"Yes."
"It was pretty bad. But we can fix that. I know a little about singing"
>You coached her through it, and slowly but surely her voice really began to shine
>In not time at all you got a text from Rarity
>The singing contest was ready
>You held her hand as you walked down to the venue where the contest would be held
>Both AJ and Rarity were in attendance as well as about 12 other random cruise goers
"You ready?"
>"Ready as I'll ever be"
>You sat down in the same seat and Rarity took the podium
>"Thank you all for coming on such short notice and welcome to the first ever singing contest! The rules are simple: you must sing without the aid of music and you must sing a song under 3 minutes in length. You will be judged by myself and Applejack. We will be picking three among the 12 to go the finals. Questions?"
>The room was silent
>"Excellent. Then we'll begin. Our first contestant comes all the way from the Large Magellanic Cloud, give it up from Troy!"
>One by one each contestant took the stage.
>Some were horrendously bad, others just meh. But two in particular were in it to win it
>They had some killer voices
>Apparently one was an opera singer for a living
>Sunset was up against tough odds
>But you could see on her face that it didn't phase her one bit
>She was going to win
>"And now, last but not least, a woman hailing from the origin point of humanity, Earth. Give it up for Sunset Shimmer!"
>The audience gave a large round of applause and Sunny nervously took the stage
>She looked a lot more nervous
>You gave her a nod and a smile
>She took a deep breath and smiled back
>"This song goes out to the man I love: Anon A. Mouse"
>The audience gave another huge round of applause and you smiled wide
>She took the mic and began to sing
>It was good
>She was easily as good as the other two heavy hitters
>She'd have to be even better if she wanted to beat the opera singer however
>As she came back to sit beside you she was shaking quite a bit
>You hugged her tight
"You did so good."
>She hugged back
>"Thanks. It was so nerve wracking."
"Those fears were misplaced clearly."
>"Thanks babe."
>You kissed her forehead
>"Well the judges have spoken. And the finals are, drum roll please."
>Applejack began tapping the table with her fingers rapidly
>"Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, and Scootaloo."
>There was another round of applause
>"Our first contest for the finals will be Scootaloo."
>Scootaloo sang another rousing balled followed by Pinkie
>And man did Pinkie kill it
>Those opera vocal chords were no joke
"Go get 'em Sunset. You've got this."
>She hugged you tight
>"Thanks hun"
>Sunset made her way to the stage and grabbed the mic
>She paused for a moment, clearly trying to keep her nerves down
>She took a deep breath and something amazing happened
>You were greeted by the most beautiful sound you'd ever heard
>She sang a slow, calming song and each not was hit perfectly
>After that point, it was clear who the winner was
>The audience gave a standing ovation and Sunset sat back down, shaking like crazy
>You hugged her tight
"Sunset that was absolutely incredible."
>She hugged you right back
>"Thanks. I did my best"
>Rarity smiled and took the stage again
>"Well after a bit of deliberation, we know we have a clear winner. However, each final contestant will be going away with a prize today. In third place, we have Scootaloo."
>Scootaloo happily walked up, receiving a third place ribbon
>"In second place, the one, the only Pinkie Pie."
>Pinkie walked up, getting herself a second place ribbon and free tickets to any event on the ship
>"And the moment you've all been waiting for: drum roll please."
>AJ once again tapped her fingers against the table
>"In first place, Sunset Shimmer!"
>Sunset walked up and received a gold first place ribbon along with a glass rose
>Rarity smiled at her
>"Good job Sunset."
>"Thanks Rarity. This was better than I could've hoped for."
>Rarity gave a big hug to Sunset
>"Thank you, Sunset."
>"For what?"
>"I've known Anon since he was a child. And ever since his mom passed, he's never been a particularly happy guy. This is the happiest I've ever seen him since he was little. And it's all thanks to you."
>"Thanks Rarity. That means a lot."
>"Anytime, love."
>You checked your watch
>That took quite a while longer than expected
>Between setting it up and doing it, it was already half past 1
>You felt a large, consuming sense of dread wash over you
>But it was not yet time
>You could be sad all you wanted to afterwards
>Sunset walked back to you and you embraced her hard
"We've got five hours left. What do you want to do now?"
>She smiled and sighed
>"This is another silly request."
"Name it."
>"I want to spend it movie marathoning and snuggling with you."
"I couldn't think of a better way to spend it. How about this: I could cook something for us instead this time. Get some wine."
>"Sounds perfect."
>You walked back up stairs, never letting go of her hand for a second
>You were savoring every moment you could
"Anything you'd like in particular?"
>"No. Whatever you decide to make I'll enjoy it."
>You began to cook you signature dish
>Ready to cook meals
>A whole 30 minutes in the oven and massive amounts of sodium
>It wasn't master chef by any degree, but hey it's the thought that counts
>But you had just the thing to make up for it
>A bottle of vintage Chateau Pierre de Montignac
>Cost you a pretty penny but you couldn't think of a more fitting time for it
>The dinners finished and you poured two glasses of the wine
>While you had been preparing the meals, Sunset dragged a couch in front of the TV, along with a blanket and two dinner stands
>You walked over and served it
>"Whoa pre-made dinners. You spoil me."
>You chuckle
"Only the best for my princess."
>She glanced at the wine, lifting the cup and inspecting it
>"More wine?"
"Not just any wine. This wine is my special reserve. It's the most expensive, high quality wine I own. But I can't think of a better occasion to open it than now."
>"I'm honored."
>You sit beside her and snuggled up under the covers
>Sunset took a sip of the wine
"What do you think?"
>She thought for a moment
>"I still can't say I enjoy the taste. But I do prefer it to the wine we had on our date. It's good going in but boy does it leave an aftertaste."
"I'm glad. That's what you get with such good wine."
>You took a sip yourself
>Damn was it good
>You turned on the TV and browsed future netflix
>It was like netflix but in the future
"Anything in particular you want to watch."
>she shook her head
>"I deliberately turned of my internet functionality so I couldn't do research. I want to enjoy this with you."
"Well then you're in luck. I'm going to show you some 80s and 90s classics."
>You went through some of the best
>Predator
>Apocalypse now
>The Goonies
>Sunset couldn't help but laugh at how unrealistic the high testosterone movies were
>How unrealistic it all was
>Movie by movie the time dwindled
>Until finally 5:20 PM rolled around
>Sunset had slowly been losing functionality once five rolled around
>She was now laying in your lap, her body completely unusable
>Tears began to form in your eyes and she stared up at you
"Sunset"
>She weakly spoke
>"Don't... cry. Your face... of yours doesn't look good with tears on it"
>Tears began to pour down your face
>Her voice had changed
>It was metallic and echoing, almost as if she were speaking through a long piece of rolled up metal
"Sunset."
>You barely managed to get it out through your tears
"I love you."
>"I love you too. Please... don't be too sad."
>You hugged her tighter than you ever had before
"I won't. I'll keep your memory alive. I promise."
>She looked up at you and smiled
>"Thank you... that's exactly what I... What I..."
>Her eyes went dim and her head rolled to the side
>Sunset Shimmer was gone
>You let out a wail of sadness
>You hugged her limp body and just cried and cried and cried
>You didn't want to let go of it
>As if holding it would somehow reanimate her
>You spent a solid two hours there, just hugging her and sobbing
>You needed a drink
>You dragged Sunset's body to your bed
>It was now so much heavier
>You placed her on the covers and arranged her just right
>She looked so peaceful
>Like she was just sleeping
>You walked down to Rarity's bar
"Give me the strongest thing you have."
>Rarity looked just as sad as you
>"Oh sweetheart."
>She poured you a strong drink and you gulped it down as if your life depended on it
>Rarity just sat there patiently, watching you drink yourself into a comatose state
>When you woke back up you were severely hung over and laying in your bed
>There Sunset was, resting peacefully
>You lifted up, your head pounding something fierce
>The realization hit you like a ton of bricks
>She was gone
>She was really gone
>All of a sudden you heard a loud knock on your door
>It was like a hot iron on your skull
>"Anon! Open up! It's Twilight!"
"Go away."
>She kept pounding
>"I said open up jackass! Your stupid toy did something to my books!"
>Your ears perked up in curiosity
>You sluggishly made your way to the door and opened it up
>Twilight looked shocked
>"Anon... You look horrible. Are you ok?"
"What did you mean when you said my stupid toy ruined your books?"
>She took out the tablet she had and showed you
>You couldn't believe what you were seeing
>On the page was a message
>"In my last moments I figured out something. Since a part of my code was used to to transfer those books to Twilight, I was able to use it as a backdoor and upload all my consciousness and memories. I'm still here."
>Tears began to run down your face and you hugged Twilight tightly
>"A-Anon what are you doing!?"
"She's alive Twilight. She's alive."

FiN