• Published 6th Oct 2017
  • 3,721 Views, 84 Comments

Mechanical Soul - Albi



One drunken night of science and magic has led Sunset and Twilight to create an artifical human named Dawn that recognizes both girls as her mothers. But the magic powering her can only last so long.

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γ.

Dawn opened her eyes, processing the beige ceiling above her as she exited sleep mode. She sat up, stretched, and activated her yawn protocol. It wasn’t necessary, but it seemed like fun. She climbed out of her bed, feet touching the carpet of the guest bedroom. Her somatic transmitters registered it as soft. Her internal clock told her it was precisely 6:30 A.M, meaning there was only one hour and thirty minutes until the school day started.

Her short-term organizational planner booted up and created a designated list of activities to complete within the time frame. The first task was to change out of her pajamas and into appropriate school clothes. All of her aunts had contributed to the purchase of clothes for her. Dawn’s pajamas were pink with yellow duck patterns. Wearing them had caused her to come to the realization that she liked ducks. They were cute.

She carefully picked through her bags of assorted clothes, using her fashion protocol to pick something aesthetically pleasing. She settled on a dark purple shirt, jeans and sneakers. Looking in the mirror, she thought she fit the high schooler image.

The second item on her list was to wake up her mother units. Yesterday’s conversation ran back through her processor, and she remembered her new designations for her mother units. Mother Unit Alpha would be shortened to just Mother, while Mother Unit Beta would be called Mom. Dawn thought it redundant to use different variations of the same word, but if that was what her mother units wanted, then so be it.

She exited her room and walked down the hallway, still steeped in the lightless early morning gloom. Her mechanical joints clicked, breaking the silence. She knocked on her mother’s door and waited patiently, standing perfectly still until it opened. Her mother’s hair looked very unkempt.

“Good morning, Dawn,” Twilight said through a yawn.

“Good morning, Mother. School begins in one hour and nineteen minutes. If we are to make it with enough time for me to properly enroll, you and Mom should begin your morning preparations.”

Twilight wearily nodded. “Right. Don’t worry, we’ll make it in time.”

Dawn ran a bioscan of her mother, processing the results within seconds. “Your nutrition level is low after sleeping. Should I make you breakfast?”

Twilight waved her hands. “No, sweetie, it’s fine. Sunset and I should be making you breakfast anyway. Just give us a few minutes. Why don’t you read a book in the meantime?”

“Request acknowledged.” Dawn let her mother prepare for the day and returned to her room. She picked up another astronomy book and began reading through it. The concept of stars, planets, and the ever-expanding universe often created more questions than answers, but Dawn found all of it fascinating. She had been programmed with a basic understanding in all fields but desired to learn more.

She had progressed halfway through the book before her mother units requested that she come downstairs. Upon entering the kitchen, she found a backpack decorated with stars sitting on a chair. Logic dictated it was for her. Inside, she found several notebooks, folders, pens, and pencils. Standard equipment for learning.

“I can’t believe today’s your first day of school!” Twilight gushed. “You’re going to have so much fun and make so many friends! Look how cute she is, Sunset!”

Sunset drummed her fingers on her chin. “She’s missing something. A little flare…” She snapped her fingers. “Duh!” She pulled her leather jacket off the coat rack and handed it down to Dawn. “Here, wear this.”

Dawn took the jacket, feeling the smooth material between her fingers. She slipped it on; the sleeves came halfway down her elbow joints and the coat extended to her navel.

“There! Now you look cute and cool!” Sunset said, crossing her arms in satisfaction.

Researching…. Cool: multiple meanings. Moderate temperature between hot and cold, or, a modern slang term to refer to a person’s calm or collected composure. Logic dictates Mom is using the latter. Cute: attractive in a dainty way, preciously pretty. Dawn found the terms appealing, but thought they had a slight contradiction to them. However, she just smiled at the praise. “Does this mean I am ready for school?”

Twilight opened the fridge. “Do you want anything to eat before you go?”

“I am not programmed to consume edible substances.”

Twilight and Sunset blinked at one another. “Oh,” Twilight said, closing the fridge. “Of course. Well then, let’s go; don’t want you to be late on your first day.”

Dawn hoisted her new backpack over her shoulders and headed outside. Checking her external temperature scans, Dawn found it was a cool sixty degrees, appropriate for early spring. Green lawns and budding flowers greeted her eyes, complemented by the sky above, gaining its blue shine from the rising sun. Sensations whirred within Dawn as she processed everything. One in particular stood out. She had felt it when her mother units smiled at her.

Joy.

Yes. Dawn smiled to herself. The world is a beautiful place.

They borrowed Grandma Velvet’s car again. Dawn gazed out the window, examining the surrounding neighborhood, cataloging the different types of trees and bushes and birds they passed by, and memorizing the path back home, just in case.

“Does this mean I have to trade my motorcycle in?” Sunset asked in a quiet tone. “We can’t keep borrowing your mom’s car.”

“Well, seeing as I don’t want Dawn riding on the back of that thing, yes, I think so,” Twilight said.

“I really don’t like how quickly you answered that.”

“I’m just thinking about Dawn. And you asked!”

“I was hoping you’d at least consider the idea of—”

“My daughter is not riding on the back of a motorcycle!”

“Her mother did it all the time! And her other mother drove it! Besides, think of how cool she’ll look when the other kids see her coming and leaving school.”

“Sunset Shimmer, I swear to science, if I catch Dawn on the back of that bike…”

Something negative sparked in Dawn’s core, and she registered it as concern. “Are mother units fighting?”

Twilight whipped her head back. “No, no, of course not, sweetie! We’re just having a discussion. One that can wait until later.” She glared at Sunset.

They arrived at the three-story construction that was Canterlot High. The sun glinted off its glass dome roof. A white statue base sat in the front courtyard, from which Dawn could detect high traces of magic exuding from it. Students of all shapes, sizes, and colors walked around, talking and laughing. As she stepped out the car and followed her parents up the front steps, she received a few questioning glances. Other students gave greeting to her mother units.

Sunset and Twilight escorted Dawn through the halls and to a door labeled ‘Principal Celestia.’ Both her mother units took a deep breath, and Dawn detected their heart rates increase. Sunset knocked on the door. “Come in,” a voice said from the other side.

Principal Celestia’s office was well lit, with the lights on and the curtains open to welcome the rising sun. She sat behind her desk, her rainbow hair cascading down her back. “Sunset, Twilight! It’s nice to see you again…” Her welcoming smile fell as her eyes homed in on Dawn. “And who is this?”

“Okay, first, let me just remind you that she isn’t the craziest thing you’ve seen,” Sunset said, keeping a hand on Dawn’s shoulder. “Miss Celestia, this is our daughter, Dawn. Dawn, meet Miss Celestia.”

“Salutations, it is nice to meet you,” Dawn said politely.

Celestia stared for but a second. “She’s…” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “When you graduated, I thought it would be the end of all the weird things that happen around here. But here we are again.” She made a short chuckle. “I can’t complain about my life being boring at least.” She opened her eyes and stood from her desk. “It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Dawn. I take it you’re here to enroll?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Wonderful! Let’s head to the registrar's office and get things sorted out.” She led the trio out the door, talking softly to Sunset and Twilight. “Will she be as much trouble as her parents?”

“I hope so,” Sunset said with a smirk. “Wouldn’t want your life to get boring.”

******

Once the registration was complete and Dawn had her list of classes, she stood in the entrance rotunda with her mother units. Twilight brushed her hair while relaying instructions. Many of them were already stored in Dawn’s memory banks, but she supposed a refresher course was not bad.

“Always be polite and use ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ If you know the answer, raise your hand and wait for the teacher to call on you. Sit at the front of the class and pay attention. Don’t let any of the other kids make fun of you—you’re special and perfect just the way you are.”

“And if any of them do, just give them a little jab,” Sunset said, punching her fist forward.

“Affirmative.”

“No!” Twilight stood and smacked Sunset’s hand. “Violence is never the answer!”

“Affirmative.”

“Unless they hit you first, then go all out,” Sunset said, ignoring Twilight’s look of terror.

“Affirmative.”

“Only if talking doesn’t work!”

“Affirmative. Synthesizing information…. Priority list: do not resort to violence unless the aggressor attacks first. Talk the situation out. If the first protocol fails, use offensive parameters and destroy them,” Dawn said, finishing with a smile.

Twilight sighed and cupped a hand over her eye. “Good enough.” She jabbed a finger into Sunset’s shoulder. “We’re going to have a serious talk about your parenting skills.”

Sunset gently waved her off. “Some of your aunts have sisters here: Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They’ll try to find you during lunch. After school, Aunt Rarity will pick you up until your mother and I get out from class.”

“Understood.” She held her arms out. “Is this the part where we hug and say goodbye?”

Twilight pulled her into a hug. “I guess it is. You’re going to have so much fun learning.”

Sunset took over when Twilight finished. “Make sure you make some friends, okay? They’ll help you get through high school. Or, they’ll help you get in trouble. The line gets blurry sometimes.”

With an agitated growl, Twilight pulled Sunset by the back of her shirt. “Have a good first day!” she said, dragging a giggling Sunset away.

My mother units have odd behavioral patterns. The bell beginning school rang, and Dawn looked at her class schedule. This designates I should report to my English class first. She followed the crowd through the hallways, waving and smiling to make a good impression. She continued to receive peculiar looks, but some of the students waved back.

Dawn walked into the classroom, finding many of the seats already filled. Most of the seats in the front remained open. She set her backpack on the middle desk then walked over to the teacher, a mulberry woman with pink hair Dawn could only classify as ‘floofy.’ “Hello, English Teacher Unit, my name is Dawn. I have been assigned to your class.”

The teacher looked down at Dawn, her mouth making a disgruntled flat line. She stared at Dawn for a long minute, then sighed. “Let me guess… Sunset and Twilight built you?”

“They are my mother units!” Dawn said cheerfully.

“Of course they are.” Her mouth broke into a wide smile that showed off her teeth. “Welcome to my class, Dawn! You can call me Miss Cheerilee! Just wait here so I can introduce you to the whole class, okay?”

Dawn detected an odd vocal pattern with Miss Cheerilee and a slight increase in her stress hormones. “Does my presence discomfort you?”

“Don’t be silly! Of course not!” Cheerilee didn’t meet Dawn’s eyes.

Her increased heart rate indicates this is a lie. Dawn stored the behavioral patterns in her memory banks and stood next to Cheerilee until the final bell rang. She looked out at the rows of students staring back at her and felt an odd fluttering feeling from somewhere within her core.

“Class, I would like you to meet our newest student. This is Dawn.” Cheerilee gave her a quick pat on the head. “I hope you’ll all treat her very well.”

The class looked on in silence, blinking and exchanging curious glances with one another. A student in the back raised his hand.

“Yes, Rumble?”

“Are we just supposed to ignore the fact that she’s a robot?”

Cheerilee’s smile widened until Dawn thought it looked rather painful. “Yes, as a matter of fact, you are.”

Dawn frowned. Did she want other kids to ignore the fact that she was a robot? One did not ignore facts. But she did not want to be treated differently. A quick pat on her back returned her attention to Cheerilee who directed her to her seat. The desks on her immediate right and left were both empty. The fluttering feeling left, leaving behind only an emptiness.

******

Upon reaching the cafeteria for the scheduled lunch break, Dawn realized she had made a slight error. Her mother units told her to play with the sisters of her aunts, but Dawn didn’t know what they looked like. She had their names stored in her memory, but it seemed highly illogical to walk to each student to verify their identity.

The large and crowded cafeteria supported her misgivings. Students sat spread out across multiple tables, and as Dawn walked by, many of them stopped to stare or whisper. The emptiness returned, or rather, Dawn became aware of its presence. Maybe it was better if she went somewhere else. She did not even have the need or the ability to eat.

“Hey, do ya think that’s Dawn?”

The audio receptors in her ears tuned in. She turned toward the source of the conversation, finding three girls near the entrance.

“No, it’s her cousin Susan. Of course that’s Dawn!”

“Girls, not to alarm you, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are moving in.”

Dawn swiveled her head, and sure enough, two girls were headed in her direction. The one in front had purple hair with a white streak running through it, blue eyes, and an expensive looking tiara on her head. In fact, her whole outfit, from her gold colored jacket to her boots glittering with rhinestones, looked costly. The second girl had a gray ponytail and purple eyes covered by blue-rimmed glasses. Her clothes looked less expensive, but she wore a string of pearls around her neck.

“Hey there, little freshman,” the first girl said. By the power of deduction, Dawn took her to be Diamond Tiara, making the other girl Silver Spoon. “Having a good first day at CHS?”

“I do not know. Learning is fun, but I feel… lonely?” The word came almost naturally and gave the emptiness in her a form. Yes, this feeling was loneliness, and she did not like it.

Diamond Tiara frowned. “Aww, that’s, okay. Like, it’s only your first day. I’m sure you’ll make plenty of friends.”

Silver Spoon gasped. “Like, I just had a great idea, DT!”

“What is it, Silver?”

“She should come sit with us!”

Diamond gasped. “You’re right, that is a great idea!”

“Oh no you don’t!”

Dawn swiveled her head again, watching the three girls march her way. Two of them had identical facial patterns to her aunts Rarity and Applejack, but the third girl with wavy purple hair did not register any familiarity.

“Excuse you,” Diamond said, putting her hands on her hips, “we’re trying to have a conversation with our new friend.”

The redhead stepped forward, mimicking Diamonds movement. “She’s supposed to be our friend. Ah bet you don’t even know her name.”

“Well, duh. We just met. I would have asked her, but you so rudely interrupted me.” Diamond stuck her hand out. “I’m Diamond Tiara and this is Silver Spoon. What’s your name?”

Dawn happily shook her hand. “I am Dawn. It is nice to meet you.”

“Dawn wait, you can’t be friends with them!” the pale girl with purple and pink curls said. “They’re mean and manipulative!”

“The only ones being mean here are you three,” Silver said. “Trying to stop Dawn from making other friends besides yourselves by spreading lies about us.”

Dawn looked at the trio as they recoiled at the comment. Their hearts were accelerated, but it seemed to be more of a fear-based response than one of lying. However, Diamond and Silver’s words seemed sincere. It appeared these two groups did not trust one another and both believed to be telling the truth.

“Come on, Dawn,” the purple haired one said, holding her hand out. “Don’t you want to come hang out with us instead?”

“But I do not know you yet.”

“I’m Scootaloo! That’s Apple Bloom, and that’s Sweetie Belle! We’re the Crusaders!” she said quickly. “Trust me, we’re way cooler than those two bullies.”

Diamond held a hand to her chest. “And now name calling? Why are you being so mean to us today of all days? We’re just trying to make a new friend.”

“No, you’re trying to get a new lackey,” Sweetie said, her voice cracking.

Dawn looked between both sides. “Can I not be friends with all of you?”

The Crusaders bit their lips and exchanged hesitant glances. “Well, you could I guess,” Sweetie said, “It’s just… Diamond and Silver aren’t really the sharing type.”

“They’re also not the friendly type either,” Scootaloo said with venom.

“You’re one to talk, coming over here and telling little Dawn here she shouldn’t hang out with us,” Silver said.

Silver Spoon raised a rational point. So far, the Crusaders appeared more antagonistic than her and Diamond Tiara. Dawn analyzed the position she was in. The Crusaders wanted to be her friends, but showed open hostility to another party that also wanted to befriend her. Her mother units said to make new friends, but also told her to spend time with the sisters of her aunts. Dawn wanted to be friends with all of them, but present data told her that would create more problems in the future.

She raised her hand, halting the continuing arguments between the parties. “If I may be permitted to speak. I appreciate your interest in being my friend…” She looked at the Crusaders. “But, because Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached me first, I shall delegate my time to them. I believe this is called ‘first come, first serve.’ However, I am sure we can still find time to hang out.”

The crestfallen looks on the Crusaders’ faces dimmed Dawn’s emotional spark. Scootaloo looked ready to speak up, but Apple Bloom put a hand on her shoulder and said, “All right. If that’s what ya want, Ah guess we can’t stop ya. We’ll… see ya later.”

While they turned and walked away, heads bowed, Diamond put an arm around Dawn’s shoulder and led her to an empty table. “You made a good choice. Those girls can be really mean when they want to be.”

Dawn continued to watch them as they left the cafeteria. “They appeared to be nice.”

“That’s high school for you,” Silver said, pulling out a nail file from her purse. “Some kids are really good at pretending to be something they’re not. Stick with us, and we’ll teach you how to tell the phonies from the real kids.”

“That’s right,” Diamond said, extending her hand to let Silver start on her nails. “You’ll be popular in no time. Just do everything we say.”

Real and fake. Dawn looked at her mechanical hands. She didn’t want to be thought of as fake. Perhaps being friends with these two was indeed the right choice. She smiled. Her mother units would be proud that she had made friends on the first day of school.

Comments ( 28 )

Whoa! Beautiful cover art!

And beautiful story too, albi-senpai! I really dig this take on the idea! ^^

Dawn's perspective is really well handled in making it mechanical but also adding in that touch of humanity. Had a good smile throughout this and got in quite a few funny bits. I do worry for Dawn, what with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon getting ready to manipulate her. Hopefully Dawn sees the light before things get too far out of hand.

Plot twist? Hum... Well Dawn is free to make her own friends. I am surprised DT and Silver Spoon want to be friends with her tho. Can't help but think there are ulterior motivos... Welp, let's wait and see.

“Are we just supposed to ignore the fact that she’s a robot?”

Shut up Rumble. Your class is getting a robot as a classmate how come anyone is finding that awesome?

And really Cheerile? Are you that unpleased that Sci-Twi and Sunset built a robo-daughter and that she is going to be your student?

Oh no...those little witches(assuming I am right in thinking they are still evil in this context) are about to learn very quickly you don't try and manipulate a robot who has a soul xD I can smell the chaos unfolding already. Great chapter. Can't wait to read more:twilightsmile:

Loved every comedic moment up until Sunset and Twilight had to leave Dawn at school. Then I felt sad when Dawn was feeling lonely, and now with what happened in the conclusion of the chapter, I feel only apprehension.

Dawn hanging out with two of the meanest girls in school, unsupervised & her mother units are at a different location.... Ohhhh this can't end well...

Wow, Dawn fell in with the wrong crowd in record time! Yikes.

Loving this.

Yay! A story where the mean girls don't go out of the way to antagonize the immensely powerful robot for no reason!

*sideeyes My Life as a Teenage Robot, even though it was a really good show when it didn't do this*

not a fan of having diamond tiara and silver spoon be bullies here as so few stories explore them as nice

also they have shown no signs of being that way in the EG world any ways

She carefully picked through her bags of assorted clothes, using her fashion protocol to pick something aesthetically pleasing. She settled on a dark purple shirt, jeans and sneakers. Looking in the mirror, she thought she fit the high schooler image.

Works well enough for me.

The second item on her list was to wake up her mother units. Yesterday’s conversation ran back through her processor, and she remembered her new designations for her mother units. Mother Unit Alpha would be shortened to just Mother, while Mother Unit Beta would be called Mom. Dawn thought it redundant to use different variations of the same word, but if that was what her mother units wanted, then so be it.

Eh, what can ya do?

Sunset drummed her fingers on her chin. “She’s missing something. A little flare…” She snapped her fingers. “Duh!” She pulled her leather jacket off the coat rack and handed it down to Dawn. “Here, wear this.”

Leather jackets are always a win. *ding*

Yes. Dawn smiled to herself. The world is a beautiful place.

It is.

Something negative sparked in Dawn’s core, and she registered it as concern. “Are mother units fighting?”

Yes. It happens.

Celestia stared for but a second. “She’s…” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “When you graduated, I thought it would be the end of all the weird things that happen around here. But here we are again.”

You shouldn't be surprised at this point.

“Wonderful! Let’s head to the registrar's office and get things sorted out.” She led the trio out the door, talking softly to Sunset and Twilight. “Will she be as much trouble as her parents?”

Registrar?

“Affirmative. Synthesizing information…. Priority list: do not resort to violence unless the aggressor attacks first. Talk the situation out. If the first protocol fails, use offensive parameters and destroy them,” Dawn said, finishing with a smile.

... Minus destroying them.

Sunset took over when Twilight finished. “Make sure you make some friends, okay? They’ll help you get through high school. Or, they’ll help you get in trouble. The line gets blurry sometimes.”

There's little difference.

The teacher looked down at Dawn, her mouth making a disgruntled flat line. She stared at Dawn for a long minute, then sighed. “Let me guess… Sunset and Twilight built you?”

That is correct.

“Of course they are.” Her mouth broke into a wide smile that showed off her teeth. “Welcome to my class, Dawn! You can call me Miss Cheerilee! Just wait here so I can introduce you to the whole class, okay?”

That's a fake teacher smile.

“Are we just supposed to ignore the fact that she’s a robot?”

Cheerilee’s smile widened until Dawn thought it looked rather painful. “Yes, as a matter of fact, you are.”

Fair enough.

“Girls, not to alarm you, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are moving in.”

Oh joy, these 2. Well, guessing by context, they're still bullies, to some extent, anyway. Great.

The redhead stepped forward, mimicking Diamonds movement. “She’s supposed to be our friend. Ah bet you don’t even know her name.”

Who says she can't be friends with all 5 of you?

Dawn looked between both sides. “Can I not be friends with all of you?”

See?

She raised her hand, halting the continuing arguments between the parties. “If I may be permitted to speak. I appreciate your interest in being my friend…” She looked at the Crusaders. “But, because Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached me first, I shall delegate my time to them. I believe this is called ‘first come, first serve.’ However, I am sure we can still find time to hang out.”

Fair enough.

“That’s high school for you,” Silver said, pulling out a nail file from her purse. “Some kids are really good at pretending to be something they’re not. Stick with us, and we’ll teach you how to tell the phonies from the real kids.”

View must be great from that glass house of yours.

I can't accept Cheerile here... She even feel a bit OOC here

What is it with androids and birds?

Oh right, this is taking place a bit further in the future than I thought.

Oh dear. Hopefully Dawn's in-built social protocol and rational logic processes, combined with her mother units' endorsement of the Crusaders, will counterbalance some of the bad influences she's found herself with. Time will tell...

8504243
Did you see her in the first movie? She was wrapped tighter than a piano sting!

Well, this should be intresting.

When we get the next chapter?

I hope we can get a new chapter DX

Oh. This... could get ugly. Well, like mother(s), like daughter. Let's see where this trip over the rainbow goes.

“My daughter is not riding on the back of a motorcycle!”

“Sunset Shimmer, I swear to science, if I catch Dawn on the back of that bike…”

...is this the part where instead of selling the motorcycle, Sunset buys a sidecar for it instead? I mean, that's on the side of a motorcycle, not on the back of it. Totally different. :raritywink:

It took me far too long to get to reading this story, and I enjoyed every word of it. Looking forward to more.

I was engaged with this story from the start, but this chapter was particularly intriguing. Reading things from her perspective was very interesting, I loved seeing her day's ups and downs.

I like it.

This was awesome! A pity it's on hiatus, but I understand how some creative works can get stuck in a state where your don't want to progress them or can't work out how to.

I definitely wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it though! I do enjoy Crydius's Sunlight comics on DA, and this is a great interpretation and elaboration of the Gamma arc. The characters are well written: I love how unbothered Velvet is, how Sunset's parenting advice is distinctly dubious, and Dawn herself is a beautifully realised mixture of deterministic algorithms and unpredictable emotions. The curiosity that characterises her most of all is perfect, and spot on for any creation of Sunset and Twilight. Just lovely.

And then this chapter's final scene took a rather unexpected but very interesting direction with Dawn falling in with an ambiguously mean take on the EqG Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. I would say I'm thoroughly intrigued to see where this goes next, except hiatus. So instead I shall merely say thank you both for an entertaining and thought-provoking start to a story!

Albi #23 · Mar 1st, 2019 · · 1 ·

9482750
I really appreciate your words. I want to get back to this story, really, there just isn't enough time in the day.

Any news?

Albi #25 · Dec 24th, 2019 · · 1 ·

10002142
I want to, but busy with other stories. Thank you for asking instead of just assuming and calling it dead.

10002574
Your welcome and AWW.

This is a really fun story thus far. I'm intrigued to see if Diamond and Silver will get character development as Dawn's friends or only mean to manipulate her.

I suppose objective complete make friends side note making friends would literally the worst people possible to make friends with

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