Working As Intended · 1:40am Apr 3rd, 2015
Prosperity Mountains, Restricted Area
Stable 5 Sublevel 4- FIST Research Lab
Interior Surveillance Camera #2, (Overheard Conversation) Recording 31A approx. 8:02p.m.
Unauthorized User Detected! Access Denied
Security Clearance Revoked(Reason: Too Low)! Access Denied
…
Administrative Override Accepted, Beginning Playback…
"-which is why I'm handling the problem personally. Now, is there any other reason you've decided to barge into my lab this late?"
"You gave them ALL an artificial intelligence. You realize how much that puts our operation in danger, correct?"
"It's not something I can help."
"Explain."
"You know about this already. You've BEEN there, you KNOW how things are there."
"…what does my past have to do with anything?"
"Maybe if you told me a little bit more about yourself, other than your preference in titles."
"We've been over this, Vice."
"Of course, of course we have. How silly of me to forget."
"The A.I, Vice Grip. What do you mean it couldn't be helped?"
"Look, on Earth… you ever notice how sometimes you can just hit something and it starts working? For no explicable reason?"
"I've witnessed this phenomenon, yes. It's curious at times, I'll admit."
"Yes, almost too curious, isn't it?"
"What are you getting at?"
"It's magic."
"What?"
"Magic. It exists on Earth, too. We didn't think it did but there's clearly a latent background aura just as there is here. But it's like the ones we use; it's controllable."
"And this explains your addition of A.I how?"
"It's another form of magic, something that exists within tools and in tech and everything we think that doesn't think. Somehow, sometimes, in some rare cases… it does. And there's a similar form here in Equestria."
"We have the same phenomenon in Equestria, too. Gadgets, gizmos, sometimes malfunction and you hit them and all of a sudden they work. Are you trying to say magic is dumb luck?"
"It doesn't work the same way as it does in Equestria that it does on Earth. They're similar types of 'animate magic' but not the same."
"So, you're saying your Magic Gears suddenly just magically gained intelligence? Is that it?"
"More or less. The A.I and programming was our addition after Luna's modifications but there's evidence to suggest there would've been a latent intelligence anyway. It's not the A.I really; it's the personalities. Each one acquires its own personality through this form of magic."
"Quite a theory. But it doesn't explain how the knockoffs didn't magically become intelligent."
"It's more complicated than that. Apparently, in Equestria, if you put enough effort, enough of yourself into anything, it inherits a bit of your personality, kind of like a child inheriting the traits of its parents."
"Well, congratulations. You have an army of your own giant, metal foals. How does it feel?"
"It doesn't end there. Have you noticed the way some trees somehow have expressions?"
"So anything with a face could potentially come to life?"
"I'm just saying it may exhibit some qualities of individuality IF you put enough effort into designing it. It can apparently happen spontaneously, like in the case of the trees but it's more of an Equestrian phenomenon. The magic simply gives lifelike qualities to things that can exhibit them, it seems and the extent appears to depend on the amount of capability whatever lifelike thing has inherently possesses. The Gears can exhibit quite a lot of animation so they are more prone to gaining lives of their own."
"Fantastic. I'll draw a face on my pet rock tomorrow and just start talking to it until we can have a conversation. Sound fun?"
"It might not ever talk back to you but don't be surprised if its expression changes."
"I'll keep that in mind. But I guess you have a point about the A.I and it may be better that you gave it to them in the first place. This just means you'll have to take better care in case any of your 'children' malfunction again."
"I told you already- they're not malfunctioning. They're all… working as intended."
"…"
End Playback, Recording 31A
Recording 31A copied to: private source(mobile device001/location:?)
Huh... Y'know what? I think I should finally get to actually reading this story now...
~ Neon "Procrastination" Lights
2938629 There's a lot of subtlety in it, that's for sure. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!