“And then she just said ‘Thank you!’ Right out of the blue!” Twilight gushed. “Can you believe it?” She was with her friends, enjoying a light lunch at a local cafe in Ponyville and she’d just finished relating the events of that morning.
Her enthusiasm was met with a range of expressions from her friends, however, and not one of them was very encouraging.
“Well, um… it’s good that your scary mechanical pony was polite, Twilight,” Fluttershy said quietly, looking up through downcast eyes.
“Aww, I missed out on breakfast?” Pinkie Pie asked, her bottom lip quivering.
“Whoa whoa whoa,” Rainbow Dash interjected, holding up her hooves, “you named it what now?”
“Her name is Turing Test,” Twilight replied.
Rainbow snickered as she rolled her eyes. “Jeez, Twilight, only you would be a big enough egghead to name something after a test.”
And Applejack just sat there the whole time with a sour look on her face as she occasionally took a bite of her sandwich, and Twilight was pretty sure the sandwich wasn’t to blame.
She heaved a sigh. This was not the reception she’d been hoping for. Still, she’d met her friends to discuss the next phase of her plan and she wasn’t going to be put off by bad attitudes.
“I need you all to understand why I brought this up." She leaned forward, pressing her hooves to the table. "Turing Test is learning and she can interact better with ponies! We just need to figure out how to influence her and I know she can make some progress!”
“Twilight, dear,” Rarity began, setting her salad aside for a moment as she demurely wiped her mouth, “I know you want to make a breakthrough with that, um… with Turning Test…”
“Turing.”
“Yes, yes, that. But are you sure you aren’t just reaching? There's nothing remarkable about saying 'Thank you,' after all. I mean, I don’t know much about machines, but maybe you’re seeing progress because you want to?”
“I’m… well, I don’t think so,” Twilight said, but now that Rarity said it, she supposed maybe she did want her plan to work so much that was being overly optimistic. She shook her head, clearing it of doubts. “Okay, I might be wrong, but I really think she has potential. I need all of you to help me with this mission!”
“You mean this whole ‘friendship with a machine’ thing?” Rainbow Dash asked, rolling her eyes again. “Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I’ve already seen it try to make friends with Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy shuddered. “I think making friends with it once was enough for me. Sorry, Twilight.”
The others were likewise reluctant to volunteer to help.
“You mean, that none of you will help me?" She glanced around in open-mouthed disbelief before her eyes hardened. "I thought this was important to all of us! Spreading friendship everywhere!”
“Maybe friendship is like frosting,” Pinkie wondered aloud, tapping her chin. “You want to spread it over everything because it's so yummy, and usually it’s great! But you wouldn’t put it on pickles--” this got a collective look of disgust from the others “--so maybe in the same way, friendship doesn’t really work well with automatons!” She had a smile when she finished her reasoning, but frowned when she saw that this disheartened Twilight even further. “Um, sorry Twilight.”
“But how can I face Princess Celestia when she asks me about all this? I sent her a letter this morning explaining what happened in more detail, and she’s bound to reply sooner or later! I’ll have to tell her that none of my friends believe in my goal of teaching Turing Test to be friends!”
They all looked a little guilty at that, each one unable to meet her gaze, but Applejack sighed and finally broke her silence. “Sugarcube, ya know we would do just about anything for ya. And that includes tryin’ to teach that contraption how to act normal. But bein’ friends with a machine… I just don’t know if I can do that. But it reminds me of somethin’ Granny Smith always said to me. She said ‘Applejack, I know I ask a lot from ya sometimes, but I would never ask anypony to do somethin’ I wasn’t willin’ to do myself.’ I guess what I’m sayin’ is that we might be more willin’ to make friends with Two Ring Test if you were willing to try it yerself. So… are ya really friends with that thing?”
“I… I guess not,” Twilight said. But then she got a bold look in her eyes and got to her feet. “But I understand what you mean! You’re right, Applejack! Starting today, I’m going to try to make friends with Turing Test! And I know just where to start!”
And without another word, she spread her wings and took to the skies, leaving the rest of them behind.
They all looked to each other. “So… what do you all think?” Rarity asked.
“I think she’s bound to be disappointed,” Applejack replied, adjusting her hat.
Rainbow Dash yawned, stretching her wings. “I think she’ll give up in a few days and everything can go back to normal!”
“I think Twilight didn’t finish her soup before she left,” Pinkie added leaping across the table, “and that means it’s mine now!” She snatched up the bowl and gulped it down.
“I wonder, what is she going to do to try to make friends with it?” Fluttershy asked as she smoothed her mane down. “I hope she’ll be all right…”
***
“Turing Test?” Twilight called, entering the castle. “I’m home! Are you there?”
“She’s in here with me, Twilight!” Spike hollered from down the hall. She followed the sound of his voice and stopped by a door where she heard a curious sound she couldn’t identify.
This is the room where we repaired her, she thought. Why are they back in there?
She opened the door and saw Turing Test sitting in the middle of the room. A wire ran from an open compartment on her back and it ran over to a device Spike was cranking. “Oh, you’re using the manual generator Mr. Vanderbull gave us to recharge Turing Test?” she asked.
“Yup! She said she was starting to run a little low on power and it might be a good idea to recharge while you and the others were at lunch,” he said. “She must have used a lot of power playing catch. Of course, she's also been helping me clean up the castle. It sure takes a long time, but with help it went a lot faster!”
“That is correct,” Turing Test said. “With no standing orders, it seemed logical to assist your slave with his duties.”
They both froze and gawked at her.
“You have ceased the charging process, Spike the Dragon. Power is at 92%. Is this sufficient, Twilight Sparkle?”
“What did you say?!” Twilight demanded, flabbergasted at what she’d just said.
“Please specify your query. Which part of the prior statement should I repeat?”
“I’m not a ‘slave!’” Spike yelled indignantly, balling his fists and standing ramrod straight before her.
Turing Test looked down at him. “You perform tasks and labor for the benefit of our mutual end user without monetary compensation. Is the term ‘slave’ incorrect?”
“It most certainly is!” Twilight shouted. “Spike is my assistant and what’s more he’s my friend!”
“More information required. Please specify a difference.”
“Jeez, Turing Test, for being the smartest machine I’ve ever met,” Spike began, walking over to Twilight, “you sure can be dense sometimes. Look, I’ve known Twilight all my life and I’m here because I want to be here!” He hugged Twilight affectionately, laying his head against her. “Besides, I could leave if I really wanted to. I just don’t want to!”
Turing Test watched the two of them, cocking her head to the side, ears twitching. “Understood. Spike the Dragon is not a slave.”
Twilight smiled. “I’m glad you understand. And thank you for explaining it to her, Spike.” She sighed, calming herself down. I have to learn to be patient and not lose my temper when she says things like that, she told herself. She doesn’t mean anything by it. She doesn’t know any better.
Spike disconnected the wires from the automaton’s back and she stood up. “Twilight Sparkle, I require more information on this subject. Is it then correct to say that Turing Test is a slave?”
“Oh!” Twilight was taken aback by the question. “Um… no, that’s not exactly correct either.”
“The terms ‘slave’ and ‘assistant’ may require further clarification. Spike the Dragon mentioned that he is your ‘friend’ and therefore is not a slave. As my Primary Directive is ‘make friends,’ this information may become useful.”
Twilight smiled. “You really are learning, aren’t you?”
“Correct,” she replied. “I am constantly updating my databanks with new information.”
Amazing, Twilight thought, practically swelling with appreciation.
“Um, Twilight?” Spike asked. “Do you want Turing and I to get back to cleaning?”
“Actually, I need to work on some things with her,” she said. “But why don’t you relax for now? The castle looks great and I know you have some comics you wanted to read.”
“Oh, great! Thanks, Twilight!” And with that, he ran off to find his latest issues.
Twilight turned her attention back to the automaton. “And now, Turing Test, I want you to come with me to the library. I have something important to teach you, but first we need to set some ground rules.”
***
Twilight climbed the ladder to reach a book near the top of the shelf. She still hadn’t completely filled her library, but it was already almost as full as the Golden Oak Library had been. Princess Celestia had been incredibly helpful with providing her with books, and there had been several others she’d salvaged from Golden Oak, and even some of Ponyville’s citizens had donated books in gratitude. One of the smaller and less complete sections, however, was the science fiction section. It held a few choice books like Frankenstallion, The Invisible Mare, and Logan’s Gallop. But she finally found a particular book and levitated it as she stepped down.
“Turing Test, this is a book called I, Automaton by Isaac Asiteague,” she said, showing it to her. “I admit, it's been a long time since I read it, but the point is that ponies have imagined machines like you that can act on their own and communicate. However, you might be the very first one to actually exist. I think it would be good to learn from fiction and apply the lessons to reality. Does that make sense to you?”
Turing Test was quiet for a moment, but then replied “It seems possible that imagined solutions to previously hypothetical problems could be applicable once those problems are no longer hypothetical.”
“Exactly! And that’s… that’s why I have to ask you about last night when we first, um, ‘woke you up.’”
“You refer to my reactivation?”
“Yes, that’s what I mean.” She took a deep breath. “When you thought you might be in danger, you went into a kind of self-defense mode. Do you remember?”
“That event is in my memory.”
“Well, if you truly thought you were in danger, what would you have done?”
“It is part of my default programming to defend myself.”
“So, if my friends had seemed dangerous, you would have attacked them?”
“Affirmative. I was prepared to engage any hostile targets.”
Twilight sighed. “Well, listen: I want you to be able to protect yourself, of course, but under no circumstances are you to ever, ever hurt anypony." She stepped forward, looking her in the eyes. "I mean that. I need you to follow a set of guidelines to keep other ponies safe and to keep you safe as well. I can't allow you to go attacking organic beings. So here is a set of rules. I’m going to read them off to you and if you have any questions, I’ll try to clarify them. Okay?”
“Acknowledged.”
“Then, Turing Test, I present to you the Three Laws of Automata.” She opened the book and began reading from a section of it. “Ahem:
‘First: an automaton may not injure a pony or, through inaction, allow a pony to come to harm. Second, an automaton must obey the orders given to it by ponies, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. Third, an automaton must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.’” She shut the book, loudly. “And there you go! Do you understand?”
“Further information required,” she answered. “Am I to obey all ponies who give me orders?”
“No, it would be bad if you had to do everything anypony told you to do,” Twilight said. She tapped her chin. “Hmm. I'd say that as your, um, ‘end user,’ I would like you to obey my orders absolutely, but you can determine for yourself if other ponies’ orders are suitable to be followed. As long as it doesn’t conflict with what I’ve asked from you or one of the other Laws, you can determine if the order is okay to follow.”
“Further query: does the Third Law mean that I may inflict no harm on anypony even in the case that may lead to severe damage or my destruction?”
“I suppose if it’s just a minor injury like a cut or bruise, that’s one thing, but you may not cause any worse injury than that. Instead, you should try to escape if you are in a dangerous situation. Can you do that?”
“Affirmative. For maximum efficiency, I will adapt these conditions into my default program.” Her eyes shrank down as the electrical hum inside her grew in pitch. A moment later, it subsided and her eyes returned to normal. "Program update complete."
“Glad we got that taken care of,” Twilight said, sighing with relief as she put the book away. She smiled, already feeling much better. With these new laws in place, Turing Test should be much safer to be around and hopefully my friends should be less afraid of her.
“Now, on to the next order of business," Twilight continued. "This morning I noticed you were picking up and squeezing oranges with your hooves and carrying things physically instead of lifting them with magic. But I know you have magic capability. Is there a reason why you haven't been using it?”
“Magical systems are functional,” she answered. “However, no information regarding the casting of spells was found in my memory. It was likely lost in the same incident that damaged me prior to my reactivation. I am incapable of using magic without such data.”
“Well then, Turing Test, I think it’s time for a crash course!” Twilight giddily clapped her hooves together. “Today, I’m going to teach you how to use magic!”
***
Twilight Sparkle and Turing Test were both sitting behind the castle nearby the lake. It seemed better to practice outside instead of risking a mishap inside that might break something, but practicing on the far side of the castle should also keep their work a bit more private. And with her new goal in mind, Twilight took a step forward and spread her wings to address her newest pupil.
“Nopony knows who first discovered magic or when unicorns first began to wield its power directly. But from ancient times, wizards, sorcerers, and any number of mages have sought ways of using it to their advantage. We have learned that magic is all around us, fueled by nature, the sun and moon, and of course the greatest magic of all, which comes from within us: the magic of friendship! And starting today, Turing Test, you will begin learning how to master your magic to the best of your ability and join the noble ranks of magic users across the land and throughout history!”
Twilight finished this speech with a great flourish and a burst of magic from her own horn, thinking it rather impressive.
“That is an accurate summary,” Turing Test commented.
Twilight made a sour face and lowered her head. “Ugh… right. Automaton. You don’t exactly do ‘enthusiasm,’ do you?”
“Query regarding emotions is still inconclusive. Enthusiasm may be considered an emotional response, therefore--”
“Okay, okay, sheesh!” Twilight shouted, waving her hooves. “Look, never mind that. Let’s just focus on the basics.”
Before the both of them was a broom. Twilight figured that if it had been good enough to help train Sweetie Belle, then it was good enough to train an automaton.
“All right. First off, we’re going to try some basic levitation.”
“Understood. Engaging U-Mode.”
The sound of gears turning came from her and with a metallic scraping sound, a panel in her forehead slid open and the telescopic horn extended. The slight hum of electricity changed pitch.
“Ooh, I can’t wait to see you take those first wobbly steps into magic!” Twilight bubbled, gently hopping up and down. “Now, look at the broom, and just try to focus your attention on it. You may feel a little warmth on your horn and a welling of energy within you. Try to focus that energy to surround the broom and try to make it rise into the air.”
Turing Test was totally motionless, and so was the broom.
“Something wrong, Turing?” Twilight asked.
“Your descriptions involve several tactile sensations I am incapable of perceiving in the same manner as biological creatures.”
“I… wait, you mean you can’t feel things?" She blinked. "Anything?”
“Clarifying: I am capable of detecting pressure on my hull, changes in temperature, and can detect the texture of an object,” Turing Test explained. “However, a ‘welling of energy’ or ‘warmth’ in my horn would not be possible, as my physical structure differs significantly from a biological pony.”
“I guess that makes sense, but…" She frowned, stepping closer to her. "Do you mean you can’t be, say, in pain? Or comfortable?”
“Correct. I lack that ability.”
Twilight lowered her head. "That's actually rather sad, Turing."
Turing cocked her head to the side. "I do not require tactile sensation to function."
“Maybe not," Twilight sighed, shaking her head, "but without being able to feel your magic, well, then this is going to be much harder than I thought.”
“I have a possible solution to the problem, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Oh?” she asked, still reeling somewhat from the new information. How can I teach a pony to be friends when she can’t even enjoy a warm summer day or a cool breeze? Heck, she doesn’t seem to enjoy anything! Out loud she simply said, “Go ahead, let’s hear your idea.”
“I am capable of detecting magical energies through my visual scanners. If you perform the spell, I can extrapolate the data from observation and attempt to replicate it.”
Twilight considered this. It was worth a shot. After all, Rainbow Dash had taught her that there were often many ways to learn something. Maybe this was how Turing Test learned best.
“Okay, Turing, watch me carefully,” Twilight said. She focused on the broom and lifted it easily, even turning it around 360 degrees before setting it gently onto the ground.
“Data recorded. Extrapolating.”
“I know it might take a while, Turing Test, but I think you will--” And then she froze as she watched Turing Test’s horn glow with goldenrod-colored magic and then lift the broom and turn it 360 degrees and then set it down, just as Twilight had done.
“Objective complete.”
She gawked, jaw dropping open. “That… how… wow. So much for wobbly steps. You got that in just one try!” She wasn’t sure how the machine had managed to cast the spell successfully on the very first try, but it did give her confidence to continue her lessons. “Well, all right, shall we move onto the next lesson?”
“I am ready, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight pointed to a large rock near the lakeside, a round speckled granite boulder half a meter in height. “Now that you’ve levitated something small, let’s try something heavier. This will require much greater precision and force, but I think a machine like you should be capable. This often takes a lot more time and practice to get right, but if keep at it, you should be able to lift it. Like this!”
Twilight’s magenta-colored magic aura enveloped the stone and, with a slight change in her expression as she exerted herself, she levitated it about 20 feet in the air. She then let it come crashing down to the earth where it made enough of an impact to slightly disturb the placid water of the lake.
“There, you see?” Twilight said, gesturing to it with her hoof.
“Understood.” And then with no apparent effort at all, Turing Test levitated the rock to the same height and likewise dropped it to the ground.
“Objective complete.”
Twilight blinked. “That’s… that’s impossible!” She'd expected it to move slightly, but to perfectly replicate her levitation... “Turing Test, a first-time caster shouldn’t be able to lift something that heavy without practice!”
“The data was simple to analyze and the effect was therefore simple to replicate.”
“Well, since you’re such a fast learner, let’s try an even tougher one!” Twilight exclaimed, mischieviously rubbing her hooves together. “Check this out!”
With a toss of her hair, she focused her magic to create a three-dimensional image of her own cutie mark and let it hang in the air. “Illusion magic, manipulation of light, and just a little bit of artistic flare thrown in for good measure!” The image faded, leaving a few sparkles of energy in the air as it vanished.
“Extrapolating data,” Turing Test said. And sure enough without another moment’s hesitation, she likewise created a three-dimensional image of Twilight’s cutie mark. “Objective complete.”
“I don’t believe this!” Twilight shouted, stomping her hoof. “That’s very advanced magic! It takes practice and study! It took me years to make images like that! You can't just learn it after one viewing!"
"Data indicates otherwise."
Twilight grit her teeth. "Fine, let’s just jump straight to an expert spell!”
Twilight turned back to the large rock they’d just levitated and she fired a beam of concussive energy right at it, blowing a hole into the stone.
“Ha! Offensive spells!” she laughed haughtily, tossing her head back and crossing one leg in front of the other. “Even in Canterlot, the number of unicorns who can do that is--”
Another zap was heard and a bolt of goldenrod energy shot by her and a second hole was blown into the rock.
“Objective--”
“No! Don’t even say it!" Twilight groaned. "Fine, I guess automata like yourself don’t need to practice and work hard! You can just get it right without bothering yourself!” she shouted, exasperated with Turing Test’s nonchalant replication of her hard-won spells. “I don’t see why I should even bother since you can obviously figure this out on your own!” And with that, she teleported from where she stood right back into her bedroom inside the castle.
A second later, Turing Test also teleported directly into Twilight’s room. “Objective complete.”
“Turing Test, the lesson is over! Just… I don’t know, since you’re such a quick learner, go read books in the library! I want to be alone!”
“Understood, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “Resuming neutral mode,” she added, letting her horn retract as she walked out of the room. "I will be in the library until you have need of me."
Twilight flopped down on the bed, punching her pillow in frustration. That machine… she’s making a mockery of all the hard work I put into learning those spells! How could I ever be friends with her? How could I have even thought I could ever be friends with her?!
***
Spike was relaxing on a couch in the library reading his comic when the door opened. He raised his head and saw, to his surprise, that Turing Test had entered alone, her metallic hooves clanking out their usual steady rhythm as she walked in.
“Turing?” he asked, lowering his comic book. “What are you doing here?”
“Twilight Sparkle ordered me to read books in the library.” She walked to the center of the room.
Spike hefted himself off the couch and smiled as he walked over to her. “Which ones? Maybe I could help you find them.”
Turing Test looked around the room. “Unspecified.”
Spike scratched his head with one claw. “Well, I guess it's your call then. What kinds of things interest you?”
She looked at him. “Nothing.”
Spike heaved a sigh. “Oh come on! There must be something important you need to know more about!”
Turing Test was quiet for a moment, her head turning slightly as she scanned the various shelves. “Primary Directive ‘make friends’ involves many subjects. I must research any and all topics that would facilitate this goal.”
Spike chuckled. “You sound a little bit like Twilight, especially before she came to Ponyville. Back then, she thought she could solve any problem just by looking in a book.”
Her ears twitched and she paused in her scan of the room. “You believe research would serve no purpose?”
“Nnnno, that’s not it. I just mean Twilight realized that sometimes you have to figure out things by trying them for yourself.”
Turing Test stared at him for a moment, apparently considering his words. He squirmed a little under her unblinking gaze, but eventually she said “Your summation seems logical. I will collect data from these books and then attempt an evaluation based on continued effort.”
“Uh, great! You do that!” He watched as she went to a nearby bookshelf and opened a book. Curiously, though, she didn’t begin reading, but appeared to merely flip through the book, from start to finish, rapidly letting all the pages turn. She then closed the book and moved on to the next one and did the same.
I guess she didn’t think it was something she wanted to read, he thought. Oh well, back to my own book!
***
An hour later, Twilight was still lying in bed with her own book, a mystery novel, but she was having a hard time concentrating on the story.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been so angry, she said to herself. I told myself earlier that I needed to be patient, but then I blew up at her. I might have really hurt her feel...ings… Oh, right.
She sighed, realizing once again that Turing Test didn’t have feelings, or at least didn’t appear to have them. But that also meant that the automaton was not showing off or being smug or anything like that. She couldn’t make a mockery of sorcery because she probably had no concept of what “mocking” something involved.
“What do I do?” she asked herself aloud. “There has to be something I can do to connect with her, something to get through all that cold calculation...”
“Twilight! Twilight!”
She raised her head, hearing Spike calling for her out in the hallway. She instantly teleported outside her room to find him.
“Spike? What is it, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Turing Test!” He pointed down the hall, his eyes wide and darting back to her. “She’s… I don’t know, something’s wrong with her!”
“What?” She stiffened. “Where is she?”
“The library!”
She nodded and focused her magic. She then teleported them both directly back to the library. When they arrived, they both saw Turing Test sitting in the center of the large room. She was making more noise than usual, especially for sitting still, and the sound of something clicking and a noticeably loud, high-pitched electrical whine were audible. Not only that, her eyes, normally large and glowing, had narrowed to dim pinpricks, leaving them mostly black. They almost looked like dilated pupils on a normal pony, as if she had gone catatonic.
“Turing Test?” Twilight asked uncertainly. There was no response, so she decided to try again. “Turing? Turing Test? Yoohoo!” She waved her hoof in front of the automaton’s face. Nothing.
“She’s been like this for a few minutes, I think!” Spike said, biting his claws.
“You 'think'?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, she was just flipping through the books for the last hour, and then things got quiet. I was about to take a nap, but then I wondered what she was doing, so I got up and saw her like this!”
They both regarded the unmoving automaton with uncertainty. “What could have happened to her?” Twilight asked quietly. She frowned.
Spike swallowed, looking up at her. “Is she… broken?”
As if in answer to his question, Turing Test’s eyes went back to their normal size and the electrical whine reduced in pitch to its normal soft hum. She turned her head to them both.
“Greetings, Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon. Are you both well?”
“That’s what we should be asking you!” Twilight exclaimed. “What were you doing just now? We thought something was wrong with you. You wouldn’t respond to us. We didn’t know if you could see or hear us!”
“I apologize for the inconvenience,” she said, rising to her hooves. “I completed my scan of the library and was compiling the data, categorizing it by subject and cross-referencing it, in order to increase my knowledge and more cohesively relate to biological lifeforms.”
“Come again?” Spike asked, crossing his arms.
“Clarifying: I reasoned that I could relate to ponies more capably by researching more about them and comparing the data to my own experiences.”
“I think she’s saying she wants to learn to get along with us better,” Twilight explained.
“Correct.”
“Wait a minute,” Spike began, “I just saw you flipping through the books. I thought you were just skimming them. You mean you were actually reading them?!”
“My visual sensors were able to capture the image of each page and record it. However, actually processing the data for general comprehension required me to shut down higher functions and divert power to compiling it. This is what I was doing when you found me.”
“That’s amazing!” Spike exclaimed. “You only flipped through those books for about 10 or 20 seconds each!”
Twilight was taken aback. She blinked at her several times before she finally managed to gasp, “You can read a book that quickly?”
“Affirmative.” She paused. “Yes. I can. All books in the library have been scanned.”
Twilight gawked, stunned by this information, but then she felt something slip against her side and noticed she had unconsciously tucked the mystery novel she’d been reading under her left wing and it had come loose. Curious, she levitated it over to Turing Test. “Show me, please. Read this.”
Turing Test took the book in her hooves and let the pages flip before her eyes, from start to finish. She then handed it back to Twilight. “Analyzing…” she intoned. “Complete.” The whole process had taken less than 15 seconds.
“Already? Wow! That’s--”
“The valet did it.”
Making a face, Twilight tossed the book aside. “Thanks, Turing, that’s… that’s just great.” Then a thought occurred to her and she narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute, you just flipped through that book using your hooves. Why didn’t you hold it and turn the pages with magic?”
“I lack that ability.”
“Wait, what?” Twilight shook her head and pointed a hoof at her. “No you don’t! I taught you how to levitate things outside and now you can even teleport! You mastered a huge amount of magic in less than 5 minutes! Levitating a book should be nothing!”
“That statement is inaccurate,” she replied. “You taught me only five spells in total. I have learned to levitate a broom and a large rock, to make an image of your cutie mark, to fire a concussive blast into a rock, and to teleport to your bedroom.”
Twilight gawked at her. “You mean… are you saying that, if I asked you to, you couldn’t lift anything else or teleport to any other place or create an image of something else?”
“Correct. I copied your exact magical manipulation for those situations and only those situations. I lack the data to do more.”
“But what about the spell books in the library? Surely you learned something from those!”
“Their information is relevant to biological lifeforms. As an automaton, I was unable to properly adapt the information for my own use.”
Twilight put her hoof to her face. “Ugh… well, so much for magic. This was all a huge waste of our time.” She turned to go, utterly exasperated. She was at the door when she heard Turing Test's hooves as she came up behind her and she spoke again.
“Twilight Sparkle. Do not give up.”
She froze and turned around. “W-what did you say?”
Turing was staring at her and leaning slightly forward. “Research on physical communication and facial expression has enabled me to attempt interpretation of your emotional state. You were frustrated with my apparent expedient mastery of all magic which bypassed normal effort, when in fact I had only gained a limited set of skills. And now you feel as though instructing me was an inefficient use of time. However, I am capable of learning and my only drive is to satisfy my directives. That includes your satisfaction with me. I will never cease this function as long as I am operational, but I require your assistance and input to advance.”
“So, you're saying…?”
“I am requesting that you not give up on me. Help me, Twilight Sparkle.” She paused. “Please.”
Twilight blinked. Please? she thought. Wow.
“I… I suppose…” She smiled. “Oh, all right. Let’s try it again. Meet me outside, Turing Test. I think I know how to fix this.”
***
They were outside once again, back by the lakeside. This time, Twilight had brought along something different.
“Okay, Turing Test,” she began, setting the object on the ground before her, “this is an empty flowerpot. Your goal is simple. Levitate it and hold it in the air for five seconds.”
“Engaging U-Mode,” she said, once again extending her metallic horn. “Please demonstrate the spell.”
Twilight smirked. “Not this time, Turing. You will have to try it on your own.”
“Unable to comply without input.”
“Listen Turing,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes, “I can’t show you how to levitate everything in existence. That’s not possible. And even though you may not cast magic exactly like a typical unicorn does, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn in your own way. Why don’t you try to take the data you got from levitating the broom and try it here?”
“The attempt will not be suited for the item in question. It will fail.”
“So?” Twilight asked, shrugging her shoulders. “When you fail, try it again. And again. And again," she said, stomping her hoof on the ground, "until you master it.”
“That is inefficient.”
“No, it isn’t. Learning how to cast magic for yourself will have a big payoff because it will let you figure out how to lift lots of things. Building on experience is a great way to learn. You’ve already done it today by comparing your past experiences with me to what you learned in those books. So give it a try and remember that sometimes even failure can be a good teacher.”
Turing Test cocked her head, apparently considering this. Then she said, “Reviewing data. Extrapolating. Magic levels, weight of object. Estimating magical force required.”
She turned to the flowerpot and her horn again began to glow. The flowerpot moved slightly but then turned over, rolling slightly on the ground.
“Recalculating.”
“Try to encompass it totally with your magic instead of a little at a time.”
“Understood. Adjusting magic levels.”
She made another attempt, but it only rolled away again.
“Recalculating.”
This went on longer than Twilight would have expected, since Turing Test had levitated the broom so quickly the last time. Twenty minutes (and a great many utterances of the word “recalculating”) went by and Twilight just stood there patiently watching attempt after attempt, each one getting slightly better results until…
“...three...four...five seconds! You did it!” Twilight exclaimed, practically jumping for joy.
The flowerpot was there, hanging in the air, levitated by Turing Test’s magic for the required five seconds. Not only that, she even managed to gently set it back on the ground right-side up.
“Objective complete.”
“Congratulations, Turing!” Twilight exclaimed, raising her hoof triumphantly. “You’ve just completed your first magic spell that you learned for yourself! I'm so happy for you!”
Turing Test was quiet for a moment, but then she looked at the flowerpot again, walking over to it and peering down at it.
“Objective complete,” she repeated.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Um… yes?”
Then she raised her head and her ears began to move rapidly in a quick flapping motion, making little squeaking noises on their hinges all the while.
“Achievement is satisfactory.”
“Yes, I am very satisfied, Turing,” Twilight said, shaking her head, amused at the automaton’s apparent need to state the obvious.
Turing Test turned to her. “This action is satisfactory to Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “This action. This action is satisfactory to me.”
Twilight blinked. “W-wait a minute…” she said breathlessly, rushing to her side. “Turing are you saying that you… are you…?”
“A strange reaction. My cognitive process has acknowledged this achievement as special somehow. It is looping. Something differentiates this from prior successes. Analyzing…”
Twilight didn’t know what was going on, but it was very different from anything else that had happened before.
“Update. Prior query answered.”
“Prior query?” Twilight asked. She tilted her head. “What query? I didn’t ask you anything.”
“Prior query by Twilight Sparkle: ‘Is it possible for you to have emotions?’ has new data.” Turing Test took a step closer. “System analysis reveals a possible emotional response. Scan indicates I am experiencing what can be called ‘gratification.’”
“What?!” Twilight gasped. “Oh my gosh, are you sure?!”
Turing raised her head, her ears still twitching. “Inconclusive. More testing may be required.” Turing Test looked down at the flowerpot, then back to Twilight. “May I practice levitating other things?”
Twilight smiled broadly. “Yes, of course! Let’s go back inside and practice!”
“Acknowledged. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Sure thing.”
“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight chuckled. “You’re welcome, Turing Test.”
“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Okay, okay!” she laughed, raising a hoof. “I’m thanked, you can stop!”
“In previously scanned books, the expression ‘I can’t thank you enough’ occurs with regularity." She stopped in front of her. "Your assistance in achieving this sensation is to be valued. I am attempting to show the proper amount of gratitude for your assistance.”
Twilight smiled, putting her hoof to her chest. “You’re there,” she said gently.
***
A half-hour later, Twilight was standing by in the dining room watching Turing Test carefully lift one thing after another. She was now getting most of them on the first try, apparently judging their size, weight, texture, flexibility, and other factors well enough to do so. She was certainly learning faster than a foal usually would, even though she was not yet at the same level as an adult unicorn would be.
Twilight heard the door open behind her and turned to see Spike entering. His eyes bulged when he saw Turing Test levitating a vase. “Whoa, is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine, Spike,” she assured him. “Turing’s just getting in some magic practice.”
“I see,” he said. He grinned as she put down the vase and lifted a platter. “Not bad!”
Turing Test set down the decorative platter she was levitating and turned to face Spike. “Spike the Dragon, your suggestion of learning through experience in addition to the similar advice of Twilight Sparkle proved useful. Thank you, Spike the Dragon.” She then went back to trying to levitate things, starting with each of the chairs.
Spike's smile grew and he looked up at Twilight. “Say, is it just me, or does she seem… I dunno… nicer?” he asked.
“Well, she’s still a little different… okay, very different from most ponies, but, yeah, she is getting better,” Twilight replied.
“It’s almost time to make dinner,” Spike said. “I could use Turing’s help, actually, especially now that she can use magic.”
Turing Test set down what she was levitating at the mention of her name and trotted over. “Understood. I am ready to assist in the preparation of a meal for Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon.”
“I’ll help too,” Twilight said. “After all, cooking is more fun,” she added, looking from Spike and then to Turing Test, “when you do it with your friends.”
***
“...And the Cloudsdale Weather Team should have their report on the effects of their weather patterns at the end of the week, Your Majesty,” Raven said. She adjusted her black spectacles as she raised her head from the clipboard. She had been dutifully following Princess Celestia through the halls of Canterlot Castle as they ran through the last few things on her schedule for the week. Being the aide for the ruler of a country was a busy job, but Celestia was an easy enough boss under the circumstances and was as capable of handling her many responsibilities as Raven was at scheduling and arranging them.
However, she quickly noticed that Celestia was not listening and in fact had stepped out onto a veranda on the left side of the hallway. She appeared to be looking out over the valley far below, now bathed in the soft light of sunset.
“Your Majesty?” Raven asked.
“Hm? Oh, yes. I apologize,” Celestia said, offering her an apologetic smile. “Excellent work as usual, Raven. Please see to it that I receive the report as soon as possible once it’s done.”
“Of course.” She waited for Celestia to continue down the hallway, but she lingered at the veranda, still fixated on something.
“I beg your pardon, Your Majesty,” Raven said clearing her throat, “but I don’t believe you’ve exactly been yourself today, ever since you received the morning news… does this have something to do with Princess Twilight’s latest, ah, experiment?”
“You know me quite well, Raven,” the Princess replied. She continued to smile, but looking down at Ponyville, in particular the tall castle that now graced the village, that smile began to falter and diminish. “I had a great deal to do today and though Princess Twilight’s letter helped to clarify the recent events, I must admit that I am worried and it has been distracting me.”
“I see. How can I help?”
Celestia said nothing at first, apparently weighing her options. “Raven, please cancel tomorrow morning’s activities.”
“That should be doable, Your Highness. There are no dignitaries visiting, so any other business can be done in the afternoon or moved to later in the week.”
“Excellent.” She sighed. “I trust Twilight Sparkle’s judgment, and she is no longer a filly, but the wonderfully capable mare who has earned the esteemed title she now bears. However…”
Hearing Celestia trail off, Raven considered prompting her with a question, but resisted the urge so Celestia could speak when she chose to do so.
Finally, she spoke up. “However… this latest experiment of hers could be the start of something much larger and I fear it could be dangerous for all my subjects, starting with Princess Twilight. Her natural curiosity may lead her astray this time. Tomorrow, I will go to her and tell her not to be fooled: that mechanical beast is no friend of hers. I must convince Twilight that she’s let something terrible into her home.”
To be continued...