Those Brilliant Blue Eyes
"Initiating assembly process." A monotone voice announced through the console's speaker. An assortment of screens flicked through a flood of information that most ponies wouldn't be able to come close to comprehending. Twilight smirked as the machinery on the other side of the safety glass whirred to life and busied themselves with moving the parts of Twilight's project into carefully preprogrammed positions. She wasn't most ponies.
Each mechanical arm brought forth a new piece of machinery, attaching it to a chassis with the whirring of motorized screwdrivers. Soon the chassis had legs, a tail seemed to form from nothingness as synthetic keratin wove itself from a nub protruding from the flank of the construct. An equine-like head descended from the ceiling as other mechanical arms started placing white enamel plates over the blue glowing innards of the construct.
Twilight allowed herself the faintest of smiles as she glanced from the screens on the console to the construct being built. She sipped coffee from a mug, feeling a particular pride at the sight of the internal workings of the project being assembled. A perfect synthetic representation of equine anatomy. The first of it's kind. And Twilight Sparkle had been the one to make it work.
The final pieces of the construct were put into place and the mechanical arms retracted. Twilight stepped out of the safety booth, approaching what could easily pass as a white unicorn from a distance. More synthetic keratin wove itself down from the scalp of the robo-unicorn into perfect violet curls that matched the tail.
Twilight Sparkle chewed her lip in anticipation, breathing slowly to steady her nerves before she spoke in a concise, professional tone. "Begin initialization."
"Initializing." A pleasant voice responded from the construct. "Hello. I am a Realistically Autonomous Reactive Intelligence. Version seven-upsilon. I can handle a variety of household tasks for you. I can take care of the children, cook, clean, I am versed in over fifty languages and regional dialects, and I am fully equipped to act as a sexual partner should you require it. I require no recharging or cleaning as I have been programmed to be fully self-sufficient and am equipped with a arcano-magical crystal for a power source that will last approximately one-hundred and seventeen years. Would you like to give me a name?"
"Rarity. Your name is Rarity now." Twilight levitated a clipboard and quill near her face, going through a checklist.
"My name is Rarity." The faintest of smiles touched the lips of the construct.
"Parlez-vous prançais?"
"Oui, madame. Comment vas-tu aujourd'hui?"
"Germane?"
"Ja ich spreche deutsch."
"Excellent. Translation programs seem to be in mostly working order. Tell me, Rarity, how do you feel?" Twilight scribbled a few notes about making sure to check the accuracy of the language programs. She was pretty sure that there were a few errors that would need to be addressed. "Go ahead and step off that platform. I need to test your motor functions."
"All right." Rarity took a few steps from the machinery that had just assembled her. "How am I doing, erm..." Facial plates shifted, giving a remarkable imitation of a mare furrowing her brow. "What do I call you?"
"Twilight is fine." Twilight checked off a few more boxes on her checklist. "Motor functions seem to be in order. Let's see how well you respond to commands. Go stand by the glass over there." Twilight pointed to the booth she'd been in when Rarity was assembled.
Rarity complied, wordlessly going to the instructed position and staying put.
"Good. Go ahead and sing something for me." More check marks on the list, punctuated only by Twilight curling the checklist over the top of the clipboard and revealing another list beneath.
"Do you have any preferences, darling?" Rarity tilted her head curiously.
"Its Twilight. Please refrain from addressing me as anything else." Twilight pushed her glasses up her muzzle with a hoof scowling down at her clipboard as her quill scrawled a note about bugs in the subject's memory banks regarding names. "No preferences on the music."
"Very well." Rarity straightened up and closed her brilliant blue eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink.
"The rules of Rarity,
guaranteed quality.
This I can assure
For each and every dress
I vow to give finesse
With time, love, and couture..."
Rarity took no time in getting into the spirit of her song, twirling and dancing as she sang. Her metallic hooves clacked off the lab's floor, providing the only musical accompaniment that the song seemed to need. After a minute or so of singing, Twilight interrupted the surprisingly lovely song.
"That's enough." Twilight frowned slightly. "Where did you learn that song? I don't think I programmed that one in."
"I made it up, just now. Did you not like it?"
"You... made it up? That's not in your programming. Not yet, at least." Twilight flipped through the rest of her notes with a frown of displeasure on her face. No, she definitely didn't add that to the programming yet.
"Did I do something wrong?" Rarity's ears flattened against her head. "I'm sorry, darling, I just assumed that when you asked me to sing-"
"I asked you not to call me that. Refer to me by my name only." Twilight's tone carried an authoritative coldness that left no room for disagreement.
"Yes, Twilight." Rarity pouted, staring down at the sterile floor of the lab.
"There's still some tests I need to run through, but everything looks all right for now. Go ahead and enter standby mode, I'll run the rest of the tests in the morning." Twilight finished the last dregs of her coffee and floated the mug over to a small table next to a cot.
"Very well. I shall await your next command." The light in Rarity's eyes dimmed to a subtle glow as she stopped moving. Twilight frowned at the robotic pony, though she knew that Rarity wasn't actively viewing anything despite the fact that her eyes were open.
"Rarity, do me a favor and go stand on that platform before reentering standby." Rarity complied with a few words of acknowledgement before going back to a standby state. Twilight allowed herself a proud smile before retiring to her cot in the safety booth for the night.
~~~
"Good morning, Twilight. Did you sleep well?" Rarity asked, a note of genuine care in her synthetic voice.
Twilight grumbled something that could have been either a sound of frustration or general agreement, Rarity's sensors couldn't differentiate between the two without further audio input. Instead of clarifying for Rarity, Twilight stumbled, bleary eyed, to a cheap-looking coffee maker where a carafe held the brown liquid sustenance that Twilight fueled her mornings with.
A few sips of coffee later, and Twilight seemed much more aware of her surroundings. She levitated her glasses from her side table and placed them on her face, blinking in confusion at her mug of coffee. Slowly, she looked from her mug to the coffee pot to Rarity, who was sitting on the floor huddling over something white and staring at it with a look of intense focus.
"Rarity," Twilight said slowly. "what are you doing?"
"I'm working on your coat, dar- Twilight. I noticed that it was looking rather frayed, so I'm patching it up as best I can." Sure enough, something that could be a needle and thread weaved itself through a particularly frayed part of Twilight's lab coat, held aloft by a blue magical aura that matched the glow on the horn of the robot. "I've also made you some coffee, though I can see that you've managed to find that already. I've also tidied up your work space over there. You'll find all of your work filed in it's appropriate folder and alphabetized."
"I see." Twilight stared back down at her mug, swirling it's contents slightly. "When did you find time to do this? I left you on standby last night."
"Oh, I just couldn't sleep for some reason, and rather than do nothing I thought it would be better to find something productive to do."
"Couldn't... sleep." Twilight raised an eyebrow, floating her coffee onto the nearest available surface. "May I have my coat back?"
"Just a few seconds, Twilight. I've nearly finished. And... done!" Rarity set aside the needle and thread and held Twilight's coat aloft for Twilight to see. Twilight had to admit, the work Rarity had done was impeccable.
"Do me a favor, Rarity. Can you go stand on that platform?" Twilight pointed to the platform Rarity had been assembled on the day before.
"Of course, Twilight." Rarity complied, trotting over to the platform with a sway to her hips. Twilight was positive that she hadn't programmed that walk into her creation. "Is here all right?"
"Perfect. Computer, begin disassembly process." Twilight trotted back towards the safety of the booth with a sigh as she commanded the machinery to begin taking apart Rarity.
"Wait, what?" Rarity stared at Twilight with shock filling those brilliant blue eyes of hers. "Twilight, no you can't do this to me! I- what did I do wrong? I'm sorry, I'll do better!" Enamel plates pulled away, exposing the faint blue glow of the robotic mare's inner workings. "I just wanted to help. I won't do anything without your order any more. Please," Legs were pulled away by mechanical arms, while another arm worked to remove the robot's head from the chassis. "I'm scared Twilight! I don't want to die!"
The machinery stopped mid-process. Rarity's gaze darted about, desperately trying to see why the machinery around her had stopped. After a tense moment of nothing happening, the machinery whirred back to life, replacing legs, fixing any damage Rarity's struggling had caused, and finally replacing the outer layer of pristine white plating.
"W-what? A-am I alive?" Rarity took a few shaky steps away from the damnable robotic arms and collapsed into a huddling mass. She looked up only when a shadow loomed over her.
"I don't know. But I'm willing to find out if you are." Twilight smiled gently, extending a hoof to help Rarity up.
"If- if you don't mind, Twilight, I'd like to stay down here and get my bearings, as it were." Rarity managed a weak chuckle.
"Okay. I'll be over there looking through my notes if you need me." Twilight said reassuringly.
~~~
The next few days passed with little direct interaction between Twilight and Rarity. Twilight split her time between between poring over every bit of paperwork she had looking for some clue to why Rarity had developed so many anomalous behaviors, and just speaking with her.
"So what do you do for fun, Twilight?" Rarity asked from her back, having long grown bored with counting the tiles in the ceiling.
"I read. There's a stack of books under my cot over there." Twilight pointed to her makeshift living area. "Feel free to grab one if you want."
"Really? Are you certain, da- Twilight?" She lifted her head to look at the scientist, who was currently hunched over a computer screen, reading who-knew-what. "I'd hate to just root through your belongings."
"Mhmm." Twilight nodded and made a sound that could vaguely be interpreted as consent.
Rarity rolled onto her hooves and trotted over to the cot, crouching low to get to the books crammed underneath it. "I expected only a few. Twilight, you're basically sleeping on a pile of books! How can you possibly be comfortable at night?"
"I get by."
"Come to think of it," Rarity stood and turned to face the only mare she'd ever interacted with. "don't you have a place to sleep? Somewhere outside the lab?"
"I have an apartment in the city, but commuting back and forth is inefficient compared to staying the night in the lab. I've been staying here for... five months now?"
"But, isn't there more to do than commuting in the city? There must be night life, and restaurants, and shops. Oh, the shops must be simply wonderful to visit. Can we go shopping some time, Twilight?"
"No!" Twilight spun about to face Rarity quite suddenly. "You can't go out there. Not yet. It's too dangerous."
"Dangerous? How so?" Rarity recoiled, shocked by Twilight's outburst.
"Look, its just that ponies in the city don't always react well when exposed to... new elements." Twilight adjusted her glasses slightly, trying to find the right words to convey how risky Rarity leaving the lab could be. "A lot of ponies out there would like nothing more than to take advantage of you in any number of ways, from using you for sexual work to turning you into a servant to simply tearing you apart to sell the scrap!"
Rarity cowered against the cot behind her, quivering in fear. Twilight's features softened and she let out an apologetic sigh upon seeing the robotic mare's expression.
"Look, I'm sorry, its just... its dangerous out there. There's too many variables to contend with to be certain we could make an excursion out of the lab. Not to mention the fact that my boss probably wouldn't go for it." Twilight chuckled at the idea of going to her boss and asking to leave the lab. 'Hey is it okay if I take this highly experimental robotic companion with a personality that deviates entirely from it's programming into the city to go shopping? I think she'd look really cute in a lovely dark blue dress.' Twilight looked into Rarity's eyes. Those brilliant blue eyes. 'Definitely dark blue.'
"Twilight, are you feeling all right? Your face looks flushed." Rarity, her fear momentarily forgotten, stood and placed a cool enamel hoof against Twilight's forehead. "Temperature readouts say your body heat is slightly elevated. Please, do us a favor darling and lay down for a bit. I'll get you a glass of water." Rarity started to go get the sink to get Twilight a glass of water, pausing momentarily to look back over her shoulder. "Sorry, I meant Twilight. Please don't be upset."
"Its fine." Twilight mumbled awkwardly. "I don't mind it anymore." Twilight glanced away, her face flushing even redder.
"Well, if you're certain," Rarity floated a glass of water to Twilight, who gently took hold of it with her own magic. "I think it rather suits you, if I'm honest." Rarity placed a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder, softly pushing her towards the cot. "Now, drink up and lay down. It wouldn't do for you to fall ill if I can help you avoid it."
Twilight consented without any argument, chugging the glass of water and climbing onto the cot. "Thank you, Rarity."
"Of course, Twilight. I'm going to go into standby mode. If you need anything from me, you simply have to ask."
~~~
"Director Moondancer, this is absurd!" Twilight was nearly shouting. "I've made so much progress already. Doing this would practically be criminal!"
Twilight Sparkle stood between her boss, Moondancer, and Rarity, creating as much of a barrier between the two as possible. Rarity stood with a forehoof raised tentatively, looking back and forth between Moondancer and the back of Twilght's head. Moondancer, for her part, was fiercely staring Twilight down with a the determination only somepony adhering to a given command could muster.
"Be that as it may, my hooves are tied here Twilight. This isn't an order from me, its an order from LunaTech. The prototype needs to be shut down by the end of the day. The higher ups have decided that the only companionship these things are fit for is the physical kind, that doesn't require a translator or cooking." Moondancer's tone carried implications that only a filly could misinterpret. "You have until the end of today to comply or else you'll be out of a job." With that, Moondancer turned smartly and walked from the lab, the door to which closed with a mechanical hiss.
"Twilight, what did she mean, exactly?" Rarity looked to Twilight with pleading eyes. Those brilliant blue eyes. "Are they taking me away somewhere?"
Twilight ran a hoof over her mouth in frustration, her mind racing to find some way out of the situation. Years of hard work and calculations that had been considered impossible at the start of Twilight's work were going to be wasted if she didn't.
"They're going to deactivate you, and reprogram you as a prototype for 'personal companionship' in a very strict sense." Twilight cursed as she trotted to the neat stacks of papers in her workstation and swept both her forehooves across the table's surface in frustration, sending papers flying through the air to drift lazily to the floor.
"But," Rarity's eyes widened as the implications hit her. "then won't I die if they do that?"
"Scientifically speaking, no. Ethically, however, I'm of a mind to say yes." Twilight swore under her breath again. "There's got to be something I can do. Maybe if I take my newest data to the board..." Her voice trailed off as she began running various options through her head.
Time passed all too quickly, however, and soon enough Twilight and Rarity found themselves looking at a quickly approaching deadline. Twilight had devolved into pacing the lab back and forth, mumbling to herself while Rarity watched silently. Twilight had been pacing so long, a small indentation had worn itself into the floor where she stepped. A knock echoed through the room, and Twilight's head snapped in the direction of the lab's door. Time had run out.
"Rarity, I need you in standby mode. Don't respond to anypony's commands but my own, understand?" Twilight ordered, with an edge to her voice.
"Y-yes, Twilight." Rarity's eyes dimmed, awaiting her next commands.
The lab door opened with a hiss. Twilight silently wished she'd disabled the door controls from the inside, wondering why she hadn't thought of it earlier. In stepped Director Moondancer with two burly security ponies flanking her. She stopped just in front of Twilight, eyeing her with a professional detachment.
"Sparkle. I see you've deactivated it. You've made the right decision." Moondancer looked over to one of the security ponies. "Ready it for transport. I need this moved to the lower labs immediately." The security pony in question moved towards Rarity with a grunt of assent, only to have Twilight step into his path.
"Moondancer-" Twilight started.
"Director Moondancer." Moondancer corrected curtly.
"Director Moondancer, there must be some other way. I've spent years researching and developing this. This is my life's work at risk. Are you really going to let the higher ups throw all my work away just to make some sex robot!?" Twilight was pleading, desperately trying to block the security pony from getting to Rarity while she did. "You have to be able to do something."
"Twilight, just stop. Neither of us are in charge of the situation. This comes down to a business decision." Moondancer said the word business with thinly veiled disdain. "Step aside, Twilight. I'd hate to lose one of my best researchers over this."
"No!" Twilight scowled. "I've worked too hard for some businessmare to step in and steal my work. I won't let you take her!" Tears welled in the corners of the mare's eyes as she crouched defensively.
"Twilight," Moondancer sighed and took a step backwards. "we've already discussed what will happen if you resist further. Please, don't do this."
"You're the ones forcing my hoof here, Moondancer. Just let me continue my work," Tears flowed freely now, despite Twilight trying to blink them away. "please." She was begging now.
"Twilight Sparkle, I'm afraid you aren't leaving me any other options. As of this moment, you are no longer employed by LunaTech. Please pack your personal belongings. A member of security will escort you from the premises."
"I- no..." Twilight wavered as her knees went weak.
"I really am sorry, Twilight." Moondancer looked to the security pony who hadn't moved yet. "Help him take the robot to the lower labs."
"No!" Twilight's horn flared brightly with magical energy sent wild with raw emotion. Moondancer and both security ponies were sent flying back to the other side of the lab. "Rarity?"
"Yes, Twilight?" Rarity's eyes lit up again.
"Run!" Twilight reached a hoof out, taking Rarity's own, and dragged the robotic mare with her at a full gallop.
~~~
The streets were mostly empty as the sun set on Canterlot. Twilight kept to the back streets with Rarity anyway, fearing the reaction somepony would have upon meeting her robotic companion. Even if that robot had more equinity in her than the entire board of directors at LunaTech combined.
Bright neon signs lit the alleyways as they passed, bathing them in hues of pink, orange, and green in a gaudy display meant to attract less intelligent ponies in to waste their hard earned bits on alcohol or other less than reputable forms of entertainment. Rarity looked about, drinking every sight in with an adoration that bordered naivety.
"I must say, I didn't expect everything to be so bright. I wouldn't have chosen some of the colors for these signs, but I suppose they are rather nice in their own way. Although, I'd be much more tempted to visit the establishments if they didn't all offer 'beautiful mares on stage' as a selling point."
"Rarity, I get that this is the first time you've been outside the lab, and that you're excited for it, but I really need you to focus." Twilight spun and gently cupped Rarity's face in her hooves. "By now, we've probably got security from my work combing the streets for us, maybe even the authorities. So please, just for a little while, I need you to be quite so I can think." Twilight stared into Rarity's eyes, hoping to convey the gravity of their situation. Those brilliant blue eyes.
"Twilight, I'm well aware of our predicament." Rarity's features softened as she allowed herself a moment of seriousness. "Its just that I thought I could cheer you up a little if I talked about the new things I'm seeing. I don't like it when you're this serious. It scares me."
"I'm sorry, Rarity." Twilight let out a slow, deliberate sigh. "Thank you for trying, but we need to keep moving while I come up with a plan."
"Okay, darling." Rarity straightened, putting on as brave a face as she could muster. "If you need anything from me, simply ask."
"I know, Rarity, and thanks." Twilight couldn't help but give her companion a warm smile.
The two continued their journey in silence, broken only by the sounds of their hoofsteps and Twilight occasionally giving brief directions such as 'turn here.' The winding back streets of the city were mercifully devoid of anypony that tried to hinder their progress. Only the occasional homeless pony suspiciously glanced in their direction from their spot in the filthy alleys. As the sun finally set over the city, a mugginess settled over the streets of Canterlot, matting Twilight's fur and eventually forcing her to shed her lab coat, which she gave to Rarity.
After what felt like an eternity, Twilight and Rarity made it to the building that Twilight called home by the thinnest of technicalities. A towering spire of glass rose above most of the buildings in the immediate vicinity, offering an unhindered view of the city. Windows caught the moonlight, creating an illusion that was both breathtaking and intimidating. Twilight didn't slow, however, and soon the two mares found themselves on the third floor of the building, slipping into Twilight's apartment without a sound.
The interior of the apartment was the exact opposite of the lab. A plush gray carpet covered the floor, impossibly soft underneath Rarity's hooves. An entire wall of the living area was dedicated to nothing but bookshelves, each shelf filled to the brim with reading material. The kitchen offered immaculately cleaned marble counters with a tiled floor to match. By all rights, the apartment could have passed for one of the ones that was only shown as a model of what the building had to offer. Rarity had to wonder if Twilight really lived here, a question she couldn't help but voice.
"On paperwork, yes. A maid comes by about once a week to keep the place tidy, but I spend more time in the lab than I do here. Convenience, remember?" Twilight began shedding her blue sweater, desperate to remove the sticky clothing. "I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself comfortable." Twilight tossed the sweater unceremoniously on the floor and made a beeline to the bathroom. Moments later the sounds of water could be heard through the still-open doorway.
Rarity contented herself with simply exploring the apartment. Twilight's bedroom looked as if it had never been slept in, sporting the same sterile cleanliness of the kitchen and living areas. Crisp bedding looked as though it had never been disturbed as Rarity ran a hoof over the lavish silk. A large window behind the bed offered a modest view of the streets below. A mahogany dresser provided a small space for even more books to be kept. Upon closer inspection, Rarity realized that the books here were the first things that looked as though they'd ever been used, the bindings worn as though they'd all been read multiple times. Rarity peeked into an open doorway on the other side of the room, discovering that it to be a closet filled to the brim with clothing that very likely had never been worn. A closer look revealed that much of the clothing still sported their surprisingly high price tags.
"Twilight?" Rarity sauntered into the bathroom, where she found Twilight, eyes closed, tilting her head upward into the water cascading over her. Rarity opened her mouth to try to get Twilight's attention, but the words caught in Rarity's voice simulator. Instead, she smiled to herself and left Twilight to enjoy her shower.
Twilight came out of the bathroom a few minutes later to find a mare in a stunning navy blue dress that accentuated every curve of her body perfectly. A violet mane, perfectly styled, was held in place by a brilliant amethyst hair pin. Twilight must have made a noise, because the stunning mare before her turned around and smiled brightly.
"Twilight, I do hope you don't mind, but I dressed up to try and blend in a bit better." Rarity glanced down at herself. "You don't think its too much, do you?"
"Its... its stunning." Twilight squeaked out, finding herself unable to string more than two words together.
"I did take the liberty of borrowing something of yours, if that's all right." Rarity turned slowly, offering Twilight a view of the entire outfit. "You really like it?"
"Mhm." Twilight blinked, finally finding her bearings. "I, um, need some sleep. I'll have a plan in the morning."
"Very well, then. I'll just be on standby mode if you need me." Rarity carefully settled onto the carpet, avoiding any movements that may have wrinkled the dress. Once settled, a faint hum was the only sign that the robotic mare had entered her low-power state.
Twilight drank in the sight for just a moment longer before climbing into bed and nestling under the covers. 'Its been a long time since I've slept here. I forgot how nice this bed was.' Twilight sighed contentedly and closed her eyes to drift off to sleep.
An hour later and Twilight rolled over for what felt like the umpteenth time. Unable to get comfortable she sat up, muttering obscenities under her breath. She slipped out of bed and trotted into the kitchen. A glass of water later, and Twilight wasn't feeling any better. She found herself clenching her eyes shut, resting her head against the cool stainless steel of the refrigerator.
"Twilight?" Rarity asked tentatively. "Are you all right, darling?"
"Hmm? Yeah, I just- No. I'm scared, Rarity." Twilight turned to face her synthetic friend. "What if LunaTech comes after us?"
"Then we'll simply have to run again." Rarity stepped close and wrapped Twilight in a firm hug. "You saved me today, Twilight. If anypony can find a way out of this mess, its you." Releasing Twilight, she pressed her forehead against Twilight's with a smile. "Thank you for today."
"I- its nothing. You would have done the same thing." Twilight found herself flushing a deep shade of crimson.
"Be that as it may, you still saved my life." Rarity stepped back. "Now, I believe you said you needed some sleep? Come on, let's get you to bed." She took Twilight by the hoof and led her back to the bedroom, where she gently tucked Twilight in.
Twilight inhaled sharply as another weight shifted the bed slightly and white forehooves delicately wrapped around her. "R-Rarity, what are you doing?"
"My programming says that this is a good way to comfort ponies who are stressed, and that it helps many sleep. Do you not like it?"
"No, I-I like it." Twilight nestled against Rarity, surprised at how warm the robot was. Twilight closed her eyes with a smile and soon found herself drifting off to sleep.
~~~
The thunderous sound of cracking wood jolted Twilight from her sleep. Rarity was nowhere to be seen as the bleary-eyed mare blinked the last remnants of sleep from her eyes and put on her glasses, stumbling from her bed as her adrenal glands kicked into overdrive. "Rarity?"
"In here, darling." Fear tinged Rarity's synthetic voice. "I could use a hoof if you don't mind."
Twilight bolted into the living room to find Rarity had blockaded the front door of the apartment with anything she was able to move. The door gave another thunderous crack as splinters flaked off from the impact on the other side of the door.
"Rarity, what's going on!?" Twilight floated a bookshelf onto the barricade. A strangely detached part of her mind silently apologized to the books as they tumbled unceremoniously from their shelves.
"I think-" Another thunderous impact against the door. "I think that they came to find us. I heard somepony knocking, and they said they were from LunaTech and that they were coming in to quote: 'reclaim company assets.'" Rarity added a stool from the kitchen to the barricade. "Should I have let them in?"
"Now is not the time for sarcasm, Rarity." Twilight flinched as the door shuddered under another impact. "That's not going to hold forever."
"So what do we do?" Rarity looked fearfully from the door to Twilight.
"I'm thinking."
"They're going to get in soon."
"I'm thinking." Twilight said more forcefully. The door splintered under one final impact, the remaining pieces getting torn away as talons pulled them away. A griffon poked her head up over the barricade as she began pulling what she could from the pile.
"Twilight Sparkle, on the authority of LunaTech security, I'm taking you in!" She grunted as she pulled a chair from the barricade and tossed it aside. "Please forfeit all LunaTech owned property and turn yourself in."
"Twilight?" Rarity whimpered.
"I'm thinking!" Twilight snapped. Her expression softened slightly as Rarity flinched from her. "Look, we need to find a way out of here."
Rarity looked from Twilight to the doorway, where the barricade was slowly crumbling under the determined assault of the security griffons, to the bedroom. "Twilight, do you trust me?"
Twilight looked at Rarity, her eyes reflecting the same fear that had gripped the robotic mare. "I trust you."
Rarity grabbed Twilight's hoof and lead her back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind them. Without hesitation, Rarity activated the magical actuators in her horn and lifted the mahogany dresser high into the air. "Ready?" Twilight looked at Rarity in confusion, only to have Rarity smile comfortingly. The dresser flew through the air and out the window, sending a shower of glass onto the street below.
"Rarity, what are you-" Rarity lifted Twilight into the air with her magic before Twilight could finish her question. "Rarity, wait!" Rarity galloped at the window and leapt into the air, dropping down to the street with Twilight carried safely in her magic. She landed hard, her momentum sending her sprawling and rolling a fair few feet before coming to a stop. As she struggled to her hooves, Rarity carefully set Twilight down. "There we are. Are you hurt Twilight?"
"I'm fine," Twilight glanced down at Rarity's leg, which had twisted itself at an awkward angle. "but you're hurt! Are you all right?" Twilight stepped close, trying to ascertain the extent of the damage.
"Twilight, it will be fine. I've already got a repair subroutine working on the damage." Angry yelling sounded from the shattered window above them. "Unfortunately, we should be going, don't you think?"
Twilight nodded and grabbed Rarity's injured hoof in her own, gently leading her away at a brisk trot. "We need to leave. Come on." A glint of gold caught Twilight's eye, and she scooped up a few bits from the wreckage of her dresser.
The two of them wove their way through more back streets, all caution thrown to the wind as they tried to put as much distance between themselves and Twilight's apartment as possible. After maybe an hour of running, Twilight and Rarity found themselves at a bus station, tensely waiting for a charter bus to take them from the city. After an eternity, their bus finally arrived, and the two quickly boarded the empty vehicle and took a seat in the back.
Twilight finally let out a breath, releasing the tension she hadn't realized she'd been carrying once the bus started moving, carrying them far from the neon lights of Canterlot. Fatigue finally set in, and the mare found it hard to remain awake.
"Thank you, Rarity. I don't think we could have made it out of there if you hadn't thought of the window." Twilight smiled and laid her head against Rarity, drinking in the scent of lavender she hadn't noticed before. That's a nice smell. She thought dreamily.
"You would have done the same for me, Twilight." Rarity giggle softly.
Twilight nuzzled closer to Rarity with a soft smile on her lips. "I love you, Rarity."
"I love you too, Twilight." Rarity looked down at Twilight and smiled with an affection that reached her eyes. Those brilliant blue eyes.
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Just that picture and the unique idea conveyed in the description deserves a Like. If I hadn't been about to sleep I would read this right now, but at least this way I have something to look forward to tomorrow.
Who's the artist for the cover art?
8195128
Give me a minute and I'll link the source. Thanks for reminding me.
EDIT: Click the cover image for the source.
That last scene was cute!
Well somebody watched this.
Summary (edit: and a few times in the story), typos:
its
not "it is"/"it has"
Cool concept but not really much of an ending.
This has potential for a chapter or two more, but as it stands it's an intriguing short story with an (admittedly) anticlimactic ending and a couple flaws.
Most notably, the romance feels cookie-cutter, and rushed. The exchange of love-yous felt intrusive with how out of place they are.
The only typos I found were several 'it's' that should have been 'its' near the beginning.
Remember, 'it's' is a contraction for 'it is', and 'its' is a possessive adjective just like 'his' or 'her'.
TL;DR: there's a handful of one repeated grammar error, and the fic feels rushed in general. Flesh it out, and consider aquiring an editor to proofread. I'm sure you'd get volunteers if you asked.
I say that because I know I'd volunteer.
This was definitely a wonderful story and as sweet as I'd expected.
I have to agree though that the ending was left rather very open. Maybe we'll see a sequel someday?
I noticed a similarity to a short film some group made several years ago right away and it made me stop reading, sorry about that
I should've kept my AI story this short. lol
Remarkably sweet story, it does beg the question of even if something isn't alive in the traditional sense, can it still be a living and thinking being all on it's own, with it's own thought's and emotions? For this case... I'd say yes. But honestly, I think this story deserves a sad tag, as I get the feeling LunaTech will never stop hunting and Rarity and Twilight will always have to keep running.
Sparkle-Creator, does this Unit have a Soul?
I mean. They don't need to reclaim Rarity, they have Twilight's research, they can just turn -that- into sex bots.
Honestly, what's Luna doing with her name on a company that makes sex bots in the first place? You'd think a princess would have more class.
For that matter, all Twilight should have had to do the moment she heard of this was take Rarity to some form of ethical hearing and get put through sapience trials to determine actual intelligence factor rather than just artificial intelligence factor and have them begin to debate if Rarity is a living creature or not. Having that tied up in a potential legal issue would have at least stopped LunaTech from closing in like this.
8197108 And you Aurora, have just posed the question of the hour. There are so many flaws in this story's logic that if you look hard enough, it's kinda hard to get really interested in the story.
I thought the beginning of this sounded really familiar, and then I figured out why. Good source of inspiration for the opening.
8197108 It's entirely possible the company is just named after Luna, or that she's an absentee CEO-type figure who doesn't much care for the day-to-day operations. Even failing that, I see Luna associated with the more "free spirited" bacchanalia type attitude anyway, so I'm fine with sex bots.
Doesn't excuse the ethical violation of, essentially, murder, but that's a separate grenade.
THis could have been a much longer story, and there was no sex in it Really good concept but feels really rushed.
So before I start, I just have to say that I love how Twilight's cup has the formula for caffeine on it. I'm glad I caught that.
8197375
Usually, teen stories with the "sex" tag means that there's a character that shows sex appeal and that sex can be implied during the story (and not shown) or implied to occur after the story (and not shown).
For actual clop, you're gonna have to look at those mature stories.
I really liked this story and it still has me thinking.
Interesting cautionary tale about what happens when a researcher gets overly attached to a project. Especially a malfunctioning one.
8196453 I also caught this, right around the disassemble scene especially. Seems a little to close to be a coincidence. However, I do feel that this makes for a good story prologue and somebody should continue it.
Im gonna need a sequal tyvm
Heh. I'm good at interfaces I designed too. I'm also good with vim.
I never knew I was allowed to be that smug about it.
That's creepy. There's a reason that it's creepy.
The robot is an inanimate object that mimics life, and many researchers find themselves unaffected by the uncanny valley after enough time. Also, if the robot fails, then you named a failure after your friend, which isn't something you want to tie them with. Also, it could signal you're getting overly attached to things that aren't other people, or trying to replace other people. There's just all kinds of bad stuff with creating a fake version of a real life person.
Huh. You copied this from a trailer for a game I remember. Well, it's not bad.
This is an untrusting argument only an antisocial person would give. Twilight shouldn't be the one giving it. Moondancer might fit, but only barely.
"Its neural chip is defective, so it could be dangerous... I'll allow you to take the neural cores, and the batteries to keep them going, but you're not allowed to keep any actuators on it that are anywhere near as powerful as what it has now."
Just dump a bunch of microchips and batteries into a pile, along with some plastic shells, and call it a day. Then, refit rari-bot with a new shell, or just repaint her and shave down some parts.
A boss firing people in this way wouldn't live very long. This is the type of event that turns people into murderers. Just read a few news articles on what happens to antisocial grunts when fired, and those people are fired much more nicely. While it's not impossible that this would happen, if any of the people involved were less antisocial and more trusting, they could fix everything by just asking for help. Any ethicist would tear that boss several new ones for what she did.
Instead, the events are used as an excuse to start an action videogame. If you stopped when you got your first game over, that's about how that would play out.
You just wrote down what you saw in a YouTube trailer for a futuristic first person shooter game and slapped ponies onto it, didn't you?
8198116
More like a story about slavery and someone getting attached and having empathy.
The difference is you switched who was morally right and wrong. If it was like someone attached to a dangerous animal, then putting it down would be the right thing to do, no matter what the person said. However, if that animal showed no signs of being dangerous, and the only reason it was being put down was because of budget cuts, which is the case here, then that would be labeled cruelty by any sane person.
Seems like this had to be inspired by
?
>I need you to be quite so I can think
*quiet
8198266 It's not an animal. It is a machine. The only morality that enters into play is the disposition of property: Twilight has committed an act of theft. And that's on top of her attack on actual people, and the machine's attacks which Twilight is liable for.
8198715
You are just a machine. There is no science stating otherwise, so you have to apply any moral arguments to sudficiently 'deceptive' androids. Besides, I'm researching this stuff, and it turns out there's really no way of mimicking human interaction without mimicking neural structures.
What really separates us anyway? Don't tell me you're one of the proponents of teaching creationism in schools.
8198715 Morality is not as easy as some might think here. There is no way of discerning whether physical matter is alive or dead, and yet if someone were to sever your head, authorities would surely investigate it as a murder case. What makes you a person? In what way do you think you would be different to such an advanced machine? in a way, you'd be both constructed objects, with definitive creator/s. My opinion is if R.A.R.I. passes the Turing test (which would seem to be the case here), treating HER as anything but a person indeed would be very unethical. While my take on this concrete case is as given, who knows, had I been on that board I'd probably want to protect my interests too, so... yeah.
To add a couple of mines to this minefield, if a guy shot and killed a sentient alien being, it would be classified in over 99% of the world the same way as killing an animal, an endangered species at worst. Heck, a couple of decades back if you were of a specific minority/race you would be treated no better than an animal.
While this story certainly seems to be inspired, who cares? it still provides food for thought and fuels the discussion down here.
8198116 Either you're a troll or an idiot. I'm saying troll.
8198998 I reject the basic premise of the narrative and have no qualms offering a dissenting opinion. If "disagreeing with the author" is the same thing as "trolling," then I accept that label gladly.
8198778 I am not a machine. Neither are you. Our bodies have mechanical components which operate on principles analogous to machines, but we are alive. And if you truly think that there is no science built off the study of living things, I have no faith in the rest of your research.
For myself, I am a mathematics professor. My personal area of research is human problem solving behavior. It puts me at odds with my computer science colleagues whenever the topic of AI comes up. They don't understand how very far their models are from true, living behavior.
And if you're asking if I teach faith in my classroom, I do not.
8198793 The logical answer to most of your quandaries is simple: answered by axiom. What is life, what is death? We know what these terms mean. Defining them is nearly impossible. You know what else is impossible to define? "A straight line." Yet everyone here can tell the difference between a straight line and a curved one.
Logic dictates that every truth and fact be supported by something in order to be considered true. One of the interesting paradoxes is that, inevitably, you start with unproven, undefined, unquestioned truths. That's the foundation that keeps you from arguing in a circle, chasing terms and ideas endlessly without ever reaching any conclusion.
The Turing Test is a test of a machine's ability to deceive an observer into thinking that the machine is alive. Passing that is a credit to the programmer, the same way a believable character is a credit to the author. In both cases, the person is a well-crafted fiction.
8199060 simple point this was handled badly by the board. it sounded like Twilight didn't even get a chance to defend Rari bot. QUestionable business ethics here. also why take hat bot to begin with. copy the basic program and build another with the sex leaning and boom done. Why go after this Specific bot?
8199060
What? No. I'm saying sufficiently advanced technology could be considered living, especially if it was based off of biology.
Current neural networks aren't based off of current biology, but a machine capable of doing what the one in this story did hints at a biologically inspired neural network. I wouldn't be too surprised if a company used one without putting in the same emotional systems we humans have, and found it developing systems similar to our emotional systems by designing subgoals. That is assuming subgoals are an option for the machine though.
I'm a computer scientist, but I agree with you on this. I've been following a company basing models off of recent neuroscience, and it's completely different from traditional neural networks. Also, computers will have to increase both their storage space and processing power a hundred thousand times before a human-like biologically based neural network is feasible.
However, you can determine the difference between bots made to act like humans, and things that think like humans. Bots rarely have reason to act while humans aren't interacting with them; they usually aren't fluid since underactuated robotics still has many unsolved problems; they usually don't know multiple subjects, and if they do, it's nothing you couldn't google yourself, so they don't have differing opinions; they might have a part time parsing context sensitive sentences where the context is far removed from the subject... the list goes on. It's possible for someone to form a bond with a machine made to look human, but it should be easy to tell it's a bot to the outside observer.
Also, in about 20-30 years, if trends continue and if we specialize hardware, we're going to bridge that 100000 fold processing 'speed' and storage gap.
8199116
Yup, even if it really is biologically inspired, that might mean a couple petabytes of information, and it doesn't need to be copied perfectly. At 43 terabits per second, one of the fastest transfer speeds we're capable of, it would take around 3 minutes to copy. However, that is assuming copying was one of the added features, but if it's not, they should be able to remove the brain from the actuators. They did that at the start anyway.
8199060
On the Turing test, you're also right. It's a test to determine whether a robot can fool a human into thinking it's conscious, not whether a robot is conscious.
We haven't really been able to measure or describe consciousness up until now. Recently, how large a PET scan image or video is after compression is done can help determine whether someone is aware. If they're unaware, the video is highly compressible, with any electrostimulation moving across like a ripple in a calm pond. It they're aware, the video is less compressible, and electrostimulation tends to disappear in some regions and pop up in others. Correlation does not equal causation, I know, but I think it's a very interesting first step.
8199120
I don't agree with that fundamental idea. The differences between a computer executing lines of code and human thought processes are fundamental. At best, one can simulate the other. But a person does not become a machine and a machine does not become a person, no matter how convincing one is at mimicking the other.
8199240
At the basic level, sure. A human can do exactly what a computer does, and a computer can, er, do exactly what a small cluster of brain cells does. They do it inefficiently, but whether or not a perfect simulation effectively becomes the thing it's simulating is an unsolvable philosophical problem. In those cases, when it comes to ethics, you have to look at the costs of assuming the right and wrong position on both sides.
If you assume machines aren't sapient even though they are, you risk massive slavery and the cruelty that comes with it. If you assume machines aren't sapient, and they're not, you still have slavery, and you teach kids to treat things that act like humans as if they were slaves. If you assume machines are sapient, and they are, you effectively have a new race of humans and other animals, greatly increase diversity at the risk of outcompeting other, natural humans and animals. If you assume machines are sapient and they aren't, you have a bunch of dolls that walk around acting like humans, and replace real, conscious animals and humans with unfeeling chunks of metal.
I'd argue assuming machines are sapient is the better of those options, but I like diversity and care about humans, but not really nature. Other people will have different opinions. I think even if machines are assumed human, there should be some limits on procreation on non-biological systems, that should be lifted when synthetic biology comes into play. However, I doubt any politician will be scientifically minded enough to get that right.
In any case, it's not really going to be lines of code. It looks like it's either going to be synthetic biology, or, more likely, 3D monolithic ICs. The only lines of code will be determining the properties of 'neuron' groups, and which 'neuron' groups connect to which other 'neuron' groups. (Current methods of IC printing may suffice to create a very large neural chip, since one failure in one neuron or synapse means only that one neuron or synapse is defective, rather than a large portion of the chip. There's already a trend toward 3D ICs, so this technology is looking very promising.)
8198391 Was thinking just the same....
They were clearly looking to manufacture an excuse to fire her. Either that or they're blindingly incompetent.
She's clearly at the top of her field, and an extremely dedicated worker. She's salaried but never leaves the office, meaning they're getting a massive return for her salary expense.
One prototype being set aside as 'lab equipment' is a trivial price to pay for keeping their rockstar happy, doubly so when they're going to be destroying dozens while testing, triply so when it means they could likely get her to buy it from them while still keeping it under NDA.
So either they knew that and simply wanted a way to get rid of Twilight, or they made their decision without bothering to consider anything.
Rarity should attempt to claim asylum. Or she could lie and say she was kidnapped and her brain was implanted in a robot body, if need be - LunaTech would go to great lengths to block an investigation, so by the time an investigation happened ponies would believe evidence was destroyed, rather than nonexistant.
8199060 straight lines are the result of the properties of Euclidean space, as a math teacher I imagine you know about curved spaces (like the surface of the earth), where straight either doesn't "look" straight at all or looks straight and makes little sense in it's space.
Alive and dead aren't so easy either, even for us. Most people would think once something is dead, that's it, but research has been done on recently dead cells to repair and restart them, if I recall correctly successfully too.
Another thing is a question of individual cells being alive, or a collective of them? Is a headless chicken running around alive or dead? Is it both? Going the other way, are mitochondria alive? Humans rely on macroscopic heuristics for their decision on whether something is alive or not, and those are quite easy to fool, hence why people worshipped spirits of things like rivers, wind, etc.
Now suppose you're a primitive hominid in the African savanna. You are resting, when you see what looks like rustling of a predator in the tall grass, but you're unsure as it's quite windy today. Do you stay or leave?
If you stay, if it was just wind, then you're fine, but if it was a predator then you're probably dead. On the other hand, if you assume it's the predator and move, you'll probably be fine either way, which is exactly the mechanism evolution utilizes to promote caution. I'd rather err on the side of caution here.
\edit: I'm on a tablet and the little bugger posted before the post was ready
8198391
That is exactly the though I had as I was reading that part of the story and I loved this take on it
Sorry, but once a machine becomes sapient (thus more and more intelligent as time goes on) you must get a hammer and break it. Otherwise, you wrist losing all life on the planet and possibly the entire universe by being devoured by nanomachines.
8200587 Oh the problem is deeper than that. You defined straight lines by Euclidean space. Euclidean space is defined by straight lines. The definition you gave is a meaningless tautology, useless for actually describing what a "straight line" is.
With alive and dead, the distinction between the two is clear, even if the process of dying is not. As we explore that process, we refine our understanding of when "alive" becomes "dead." Fortunately for us, that refinement typically comes in the form of "we thought this was dead, but it turns out it's still dying" as opposed to "nope, it's already beyond all hope."
8199240 I didn't think I would see a discussion coming down to philosophical zombies in the comments this morning.
I am surprised. Are you saying that it is not possible that a machine could not eventually do the same things as human thought processes especially if it was simulated?
What is the difference if it is truly indistinguishable in action from a human if not looks? Just what it's made of?
I am not saying it would be human biologically and I am definitely not saying that any intelligence we managed to develop would just develop as a human. I am pretty sure unless it was designed to act more human, or a simulation of the biology of a human (the simulation example is my favourite) it would not be human but alien. No matter how smart it is. Not sure if that would be good or bad. But I am pretty sure we are still a ways off till that becomes important.
I am pretty interested in your ideas on this. If you don't want to post it here to get in any more of a back and forth then I would love a PM and no I am not trying to convince you even if I end up disagreeing.
Even John Searles argument over a complete simulation not being adequate enough because it can be denied agency to act in the real world reads less like a real argument​ than anything else.
I think the point of my rambling example at the end is that rarely I hear an argument that doesn't amount to either eww or only humans because reasons.
Not why it is impossible. I agree it is extremely unlikely.
Your posts make me think you believe intelligence to be inherently noncomputable. Why? Maybe I won't understand but I am having trouble finding material that explains why that would be. Probably because we don't know exactly what makes us well us. Maybe. But there might be a principle I am missing. If you could give a starting point I could always slog through it.
On the more philosophical side thought experiments are fun. For example. If we found other intelligent life would we accept that it is? I imagine that it would be different and not human in it's intelligence. Maybe human like. But not human.
I personally think at this point at least sometime in the future it may be possible to completely simulate the human brain and raise it to be aware. But only because I can't think of a reason why not except for resources. Which I think will eventually not be a problem. Also I think that would be a cruel thing to do but that is besides the point.
The only reason I still put stock in the simulation idea is that smaller scale tests for neural simulation seems to act like the real thing. Or at least the parts we have the resources to do so do. Without explicitly coding in the expected neural responses. Which is weird but cool at the same time.
TL;DR
Partially agree but not entirely. Just interested in another pov. Maybe I missed something.
It has already been said, but really, the company's behavior is completely unbelievable. If Twilight is half the developer she seems to be they'd simply let her keep the Rarity robot and direct her to other projects. Good RD personal are worth their weight in gold.
Hell, specially since it's so cheap to make one. Assembling a complete functional and seemly commercial body for simply testing purposes on what seems to be a prototype shows that's comparatively cheap to make one. Giving them to your top workers, considering they most likely went through them like cheap tissue on testing phases, is trivial.
Basically, for this premise to be even slightly plausible you needed to insert in it another perspective with a good reason for the board to take such offensively action against a valuable asset. Or someone with clout manipulating moondancer and such. Or herself having a reason to do it. As it is, it's honestly a weak story. One with potential, but currently weak
8200931 I think this all boils down to: would you boink a talking horse?
*Mr. Ed winks at you*
Anyway, this story is kinda like a soft-core porn version of the Will Smith "I, Robot" mixed with "AI"... not the best of combinations to put it mildly.
8200863 Nanomachines are rather different than AI.
Unthinking nanobots programmed only to replicate are far more dangerous than a truly self-aware computer.
Mindless micromachines would be akin to a plague of bacteria which evolved resistance to all antibiotics... only far more destructive. Perhaps the best analogy would be The Andromeda Strain: a crystalline microbe of alien life which simply makes use of whatever material it comes across to replicate. No consciousness at all. It simply divides as fast as it can.
An intelligent machine can question itself. There is the possibility it can be benevolent or at least benign. There is no arguing with a germ, however.
8201042
Lol.
8198135 8196453 8198391 8199574 8200814 Watch Short Circuit 1&2 or Batteries Not Included those seem more the inspiration for this. More Short Circuit 1&2 in plot but the personality of Twilight reminds me of the guy who watches commercials in Batteries Not Included just more lab techish.
8201051
Well, Hollywood an sci-fi writers tend to take some creative liberties when it comes to this.
Nanomachines would have to be specifically designed to eat every single type of nutrient they could get, and until they reached a certain mass, eating some materials would be impossible.
Surviving solely off of plastic would give them energy, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and rare other elements, so they wouldn't be able to use full DNA because they'd need phosphate, and would need to be designed to only use those atoms or store phosphate atoms. If they then moved from eating plastic to eating grass or wood, they would need to compete with passive immune systems, and if they moved to living animals, they would need to compete with active immune systems.
Sure, we could put the DNA encoding for every single known enzyme into a cell and see how it does, but then we would have to figure out a way to not spend energy on enzymes that didn't need to be used at the time, and it'd still only eat as fast as other bacteria would. It would also need to be able to handle eating radiation, and the radiodurans shows that would take multiple sets of DNA. Oh, and we would need to cure every possible cancer it could get so it wouldn't just destroy itself after a while.
I'm not saying it would be impossible, but I think it would be much harder to develop than curing cancer.
Also, alien life probably wouldn't be able to eat anything of ours other than simple elements. Here's an example of why: in 1822, Charles Babbage designed something called a difference engine. It was the first automatic calculator, and it was made of gears rather than transistors. While he was funded, he wasn't funded enough to actually create the calculator, and he didn't sell any inventions from his research. Still, he developed a second, more economically efficient version, and Per Georg Scheutz used this to create several difference engines in 1855. The machines were used, but they got stuck in the niche market of printing logarithmic tables.
Despite the fact that we can create gears the size of molecules now, we still went with electromagnetic systems, due to the differing politics and economy of the time.
Now, interestingly, we're also discovering other forms of DNA that we like to call XNA. The only reason to think alien life would have DNA is because it's ubiquitous to our planet, but so is our electromagnetic technology.