*** Mission Log: Sol 5132 ***
*** AOS – undefined ***
*** Message Received (Source: null): Candygram! ***
*** PARSE ERROR: Command not recognized. ***
“What?” Starlight looked up, along with Opportunity which had been watching over her shoulder as she had clacked away at the now, barely, functioning laptop.
Pinkie Pie bounced into the room, hoofing over a pie to Starlight. “Heard you were having computer trouble, so I brought this!”
“Uhm, thanks?”
“It’s a raspberry pie,” Pinkie informed her, wiggling her eyebrows. “Get it?”
“Nooo, not really,” Starlight replied after a moment’s thought.
“Huh. Don’t worry, neither do I. But the readers will. Well, some readers will. The rest will get the joke explained to them in the comments by the computer nerds who do get it.”
“Okay then. Thanks for the pie, I guess … What are you doing, Pinkie?”
The baker giggled. She had begun bouncing around Opportunity in a circle. The rover, finding the bouncing ball of pink fluff extremely interesting, was following her movements with its panoramic camera. “This is fun! We have a new friend, and he’s up and about now. Why won’t you let me throw him a party at Sugarcube Corner?”
“Because it would take him, it,” Starlight corrected herself, “the better part of a week to get to Sugarcube Corner at top speed. And it’s still not clear just how extensive the damage is. So Twilight and I don’t want to put extra stress on it by moving it around too much.”
“Oh, come on! He was clearly built to roam, Starlight. Oppy wants to be free!”
“Oppy?” Starlight asked, turning around and finishing up some key strokes at the laptop.
“Yeah, it sounds much better than what Spike calls him, don’t you think? Opi makes him sound so old. Oppy’s got more pep!”
“Well, I’m not calling it anything until I’ve found out its real name. That just seems wrong.”
“But we gotta call him something until we find out.”
“Well, with any luck, that moment is now,” Starlight said and flicked a switch on a device connected to the computer. Opportunity suddenly stopped all movement and looked up.
*** AOS – BSN ***
*** Message Received (Source: Glimmy-PC-XP): NETSTAT ***
*** Message Sent: MER-B ***
*** Message Received (Source: Glimmy-PC-XP): PING ***
*** Message Sent: ECHO ***
*** Message Received (Source: Glimmy-PC-XP): PING ***
*** Message Sent: ECHO ***
*** Message Received (Source: Glimmy-PC-XP): PING ***
*** Message Sent: ECHO ***
*** Message Received (Source: Glimmy-PC-XP): PING ***
*** Message Sent: ECHO ***
“It worked! It worked! It worked!” Starlight jubilated, having wrapped Pinkie in a bear hug and spinning her around in circles with a huge grin on her face.
“Yay!” Pinkie replied, not bothered in the least that she was being spun around like a top, then added: “Wheee!!! What are we celebrating, by the way? I need to know what to write on the cupcakes later.”
“That!” Starlight stopped her impromptu victory dance and pointed at one of the final lines that had popped up in the console which informed the user that in response to the ping four data packages had been received, each one with a response time of 23 to 26 milliseconds. “It answered!” She wheezed, feeling a little nauseous. Perhaps she’d overdone it on the spinning, or it was just the excitement.
Pinkie didn’t seem to suffer from the same problem. “That’s great! But I thought Oppy was already answering you before.”
“It was,” Starlight replied, entering some more commands and making sure the connection remained stable. “But I couldn’t get the translation spell to work. But when Twilight’s counterpart from the human world gave us an overview on how computers work, we had a breakthrough.”
“Is it because computers communicate with ones and zeroes rather than words?” Pinkie ventured.
“It’s because computers comm … “ Starlight blinked. “Yes, that’s exactly why. How did you know?”
Pinkie laughed nervously. “Heh, heh. Pinkie sense? It’s definitely not because my human counterpart and I regularly switch places through the portal without letting anypony know. Noperoony! Please, go on.”
“Okay,” Starlight continued with a raised eyebrow. “Anyway, translation spells are used to translate from one language to another, but the problem was that it had to go through two layers. So while Twilight was camped out in the human world for the last few days, the Sparkle siblings came up with this.” She pointed at the apparatus connected to the laptop. Magic sparks were intermittently arcing between two aerials protruding from it.
“Shiny.”
“Thank you,” Starlight replied modestly. “Sunset and I actually worked out the practical and engineering part of the setup. It’s based on her ingenious design of converting magic into electrical current to charge the laptops. I realized that I could use the same principle to make magical spikes turn an electric circuit on or off which the computer can then read as ones and zeroes. We’re calling it the Sunset Glimmer Transceiver, the SGT.
It connects to Equestria’s ambient magic field and creates a more localized field that works like a computer network. Our Twilight came up with the spell matrix and human Twilight wrote the network protocols based on ones from Earth. They have dubbed it the Binary Sparkle Network, or BSN for short. The rover can connect to that and send its binary message to the computer.”
“Okay, but that still only gets you ones and zeroes, right?”
“It does. But this computer also reads ones and zeroes and interprets that data internally, then turns it into text. By teaching the translation spell matrix to the computer, it can then translate the binary code into Equestrian!”
Pinkie gasped. “You taught a computer magic?”
“In a manner of speaking. That’s what the two Twilights have been working on for the last few days, writing a parser that can take the input from the SGT and the BSN and translate it into something readable for us.”
“And does it work?”
For the first time since she’d flipped the switch, Starlight’s smile faded. “I … don’t know.”
“Then why don’t we find out?”
Starlight swallowed, casting a furtive glance at the machine. “It’s just that … everything works now. I know it can hear me when I talk directly. But whether or not we can get an answer … it’s all down to the translation spell matrix I wrote in the first place.”
“And?”
“And … what if it doesn’t work?” Or worse, Starlight added silently with a sinking feeling, what if it does work and it’s upset with me? Bringing it here without asking. I thought I was helping, but can I really be sure of that? Everypony else thought I was crazy when I said that it was a call for help. What if I was wrong? What if I brought it here against its will? What if it’s mad at me.
“Oh, come on! Nopony likes a gloomy Glimmy,” Pinkie stated and pushed Starlight towards the laptop. “What have you got to lose? The way I see it, making a friend begins with saying hello.”
Starlight looked at Pinkie, then the rover. It almost seemed as if Opportunity was straining its ears, if it had had any, to listen for any follow-up signal on the BSN.
She took a deep breath, thinking for a moment, before settling on a question she thought she’d gotten an answer to way back when they’d first made contact. Standing up straight, she looked at Opportunity and said: “Hello. My name is Starlight Glimmer. What is your name?”
The rover’s camera eyes swiveled to meet hers, seemingly indicating that it had heard her and even recognized the source of the message.
“Look!” Pinkie shouted, pointing a hoof at the monitor and Starlight turned around to read the lines appearing in the console output.
*** Message Received: Source - MER-B ***
*** Parsing ***
*** Parsing ***
*** Designation: Mars Exploration Rover B – Opportunity ***
The two mares looked at each other, then back to the screen. More came in, Opportunity’s eyes still fixed on the unicorn. She was about to ask another question when, maybe in response to Starlight’s own worry that had been carried along with her message, more lines appeared.
*** Message Received: Source - MER-B ***
*** Parsing ***
*** Parsing ***
*** Parsing ***
*** Sol 5111: My battery is low, and it’s getting dark ***
*** Sol 5132: My battery is full, and it’s warm ***
*** Parsing ***
*** Parsing ***
*** Starlight – save ***
*** Starlight – fix ***
*** Parsing ***
*** Starlight – friend ***
“Look! Look!” Pinkie called out happily, bouncing up and down. “Isn’t that great, Starlight? You can talk to your friend now. Starlight?”
But the unicorn wasn’t listening. She was looking back at the rover and not even trying to hold back the tears.
Pinkie put a hoof on Starlight’s shoulder. “Are you alright? Aren’t you happy?”
“Yes,” Starlight sniffed. “I’m very happy.” She lightly wrapped her hooves around Opportunity’s mast, and for the next few minutes, the only sound in the room was the sobbing of a unicorn crying tears of happiness.
Hey, watch it! The fourth wall is very fragile you know!
Because I have no life and think finding rover facts is fun, this video explains why it'd take so long for Oppy to get there.
Anywho with that out of the way, looks like Opportunity is gaining sentience at a rapid pace Just don't let anypony put cake or punch on the rover during Oppy's welcome party (I doubt Oppy is waterproof )
Raspberry. Only one person I know would dare give me the Raspberry.
Now they can trade the space of a couple images for AI code database. Or Oppy can start using stored images as part of its learning method, like using parts of images taken as keypoints in assembling a whole communication scene?
9497833
Frankly, I hate fourth wall jokes. Specially the blatant ones. They aren't funny and they break immersion in the story.
9497833
Around her its like an abuse victim. Gonna have to join a therapy session or something.
9497892
I'm not really a fan of them, but I mostly think they're simply done too often and too blatantly in the fandom. At least this one I got a good chuckle out of the lead in!
9497892
Agreed.
9497902
And no the problem isn't the frequency, and it's not just you who doesn't particularly enjoy them.
It's pretty much universally agreed that they're not good, especially at this caliber, and that they detract from the story. Frankly, it confounds me when an author seemingly hasn't picked up on this.
Computer nerd I may not be, but I know I've heard of this before.
It's that... it's some kind of computer, right?
Uh... *searches the Internet*
Ah, there it is!
You know, right now I'm on a Kerbal Space Program gaming spree (I've recreated Sputnik with as much accuracy as I can).
I can whip up a rover if someone asks for it. Replicating Oppurtunity has already been done by others, so I'd prefer something new (new as in completely new, not replicas of real-life crafts), if possible. We can make a friend for Oppurtunity!
9497874
On the contrary, Opportunity is waterproof. In order to make it more resistant to the dust storms and higher radiation on Mars, all the joints and panels are properly sealed to prevent contaminants from reaching the sensitive electronics and to keep them from fouling the joints housed within.
I still don't know why you would reference EQG in a first-contact story, it instantly defeats the whole point.
9497892
Agreed. This one is particularly bad. It would have actually worked if it was a raspberry pie just because Pinkie felt like it instead of the over the head bludgeon of a fourth wall joke.
So gllim glam knows oppys name now. On a side note she should hide considering mars is pissed off looking for oppy
9497954
That, the Mar's God thing, and the horrible fourth wall joke are why I grudgingly switched my vote over from green to red.
The story has a lot of potential, but it's slowly losing that good faith.
I love first contact stories and watching two groups puzzle over each other, but authors seem to rarely think this is enough, and so raise the stakes with outside drama.
Edit: I had seen some readers didn't enjoy this one. But I did.
Fourth Wall jokes can be good if done well (happened here in my opinion), but shouldn't be done too often, otherwise they grow stale.
Triple Yay!!
I just want to pitch in and say I didn't mind the 4th wall joke in this instance (normally I'm a bit ugh on them), though I can't particularly say why. Maybe because it passed quickly and nobody pressed Pinkie for the meaning of her words.
I don't blame Starlight, to be honest. If I found Oppy I'd be crying into his mast too
God this story makes me feel so many emotions!
This gives me a stupid idea for a story...
9497954
I think it's refreshing. The EQG universe has always been obviously different from our Earth; what bothers me is when people treat Homo chromo sapiens (as I like to call them) as normal humans, despite obvious differences in biology (skin/hair colors) and culture (naming conventions, the symbolic motifs paralleling cutie marks). The "point" of a first-contact story is civilizations learning about each other; there's no rule about "only one bipedal mammal allowed!".
9498199
I don't see what's refreshing about ponies finding a strange human device and instead of slowly figuring out its secrets they just ask their human friends about it. And you can't tell me that real humans and EQG humans are different enough for the first-contact concept to still work, the reality is that in this scenario ponies already know 99% there is to know about the alleged completely unkown civilization.
9498242
Have you never read a first contact story between two groups of humans?
9498249
In horse fiction?
No, and why would I.
Nice fourth-wall braking joke!
Good move by Starlight and Twilight to use the knowledge from EQG-World to find a way to talk with Opportunity! (I can't wait to see both of them to start develop magitech computers for Equestria! But would not be *Shimmer* Glimmer Transceiver a better name for their device?)
Can't wait to see the rest of the Mane 6 to meet Opportunity! (Maybe Luna can use her Dream Magic so they could access Oppy's memories and see his past in Mars?)
And based on the last chapter... Mars isn't looking forward to let Opportunity go...
9498254
That you insisted on adding an additional condition to my question shows that you understand the point I'm making, but really don't want to admit your complaint is unfounded. Have fun disliking things for no good reason, I guess?
derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/11/19/476066__safe_artist-colon-datbrass_twilight+sparkle_alicorn_eyes+closed_female_frown_magic_magical+unicorn+access+point_mare_nose+wrinkle_-colon-p_pony.png
I got the raspberry pie joke, and I liked it. Know what I liked even more?
I AM SO FING HAPPY RIGHT NOW!
9498262
That's true, I really don't understand the point you're so desperately trying to make.
Which first-contact story between humans that doesn't feature ponies should I have read, a historic document of european settlers meeting with native americans perhaps?
If you haven't noticed it, this site is focused on stories based on My Little Pony and that's why I only care about stories featuring said ponies.
9498293
Okay, I'll hold your hand a little more: The point is that your claim that first contact stories don't work when the creatures on either side look similar is stupid. And no, you don't get to argue that it's about culture and how EQG humans are too similar culturally to Earth humans; Equestria culture is literally copy-pasted human culture with minor technological differences; the difference is all in how they look.
And this story does, indeed, feature said ponies, so I don't see what your problem is. Do you just not like EQG, perhaps, and you're upset that the story was spoiled by incorporating some movies you wish didn't exist?
9498306
Okay, once more for the latecomers.
My claim: first-contact + EQG = bad
because
EQG existing means no new knowledge about humans to gain for ponies, as you even admit yourself
Edit: Or don't, EQG culture is copy-pasted, pony culture is more early 20th century
So first-contact stories are not about cultural differences at all, but should focus solely on differences in appearance?
Good thing that the most popular HiE stories didn't follow your advice then, I don't want to imagine a version of Arrow 18 where the most interesting aspect of Randy is his slightly different skin colour.
9498348
Yeah, at this point it's pretty clear you aren't understanding what I'm saying, so this is for any potential audience.
No, that's not what I "admitted myself". The sentence you quote is me pointing out the essential similarities of real Earth and Equestrian culture, whereas your argument here relies on the idea that real Earth and EQG cultures are the same, but implicitly also requires real Earth and Equestrian culture to be different. It might be that you misinterpreted my saying "Equestria culture" in my previous comment as "EQG culture", but at that point I'm really throwing you a bone, here.
That's essentially your claim, not mine. Short summary:
1. Earth has human people and human culture.
2. EQG has human-like people and human-like culture.
3. Equestria has pony-like people and human-like culture.
Your argument requires that 1. and 2. be substantially the same, 1. and 3. be substantially different, and 2. and 3. be substantially different. Going by culture, these requirements are not satisfied, so your argument fails. Giving you the benefit of the doubt that your argument has any basis at all, then, means referring to their physical forms, where the requirements are satisfied. If your argument is based on culture, it's nonsensical. If it's based on appearance, it can be refuted by reference to human + human first contact stories.
Yeah... I can see that happening and it's now added to my personal head-cannon.
9497892
Yeah. Most fanfic writers tend to get it wrong. With Pinkie in canon, the 4th wall things tend to be a hell of a lot more subtle then what they most fanfic writers do.
Never once has Pinkie ever referred to viewers or readers. And the only blatant thing she ever did was done in a fit of excitement over selling ALL the cakes.
I'd include the mouth incident and the that's what I said, But since those happen when the episodes was technically over, it gets into a grey area where those were more a joke considering Twilight was there and hasn't done anything like that before or since. And still questions the things Pinkie does.
While the cake incident is in the middle of the actual episode.
9498386
It's actually a reference to a "blooper reel" Hasbro released a while back. Not strictly canon, (because that would imply that it's canon for the characters to all know they're in a movie), but still amusing.
9498386
9498394
2:09
9498385
Yes, I misread and then corrected myself.
Other than that, it's apparently impossible to explain to you why, in a story about ponies discovering humans, the existence of quasi-humans that can answer every possible question immediately is a bad idea, even though this simple statement really doesn't need a giant explanation.
It would be nice to have Starlight as a friend. I don't think even Twilight values friends she makes as much as she does. And that is saying something. You could even see it back during her villain days, where both instances were the result of losing all the friends she had or thought she had. It just seems to hit her hard when she loses one. Or how she broke down when she found out Trixie was just using her at first.
And she gets so emotional (like very excited/happy) when she makes a new friend. Like the end of Season 5 or when she made friends with Trixie,
I genuinely shed a tear. That was really sweet
All these people crapping their pants over the wrong part of the story! Oppy can talk now!
Found the first few chapters of this kind of cute and a nice tribute. But some of the 'commands' and stuff Opportunity is doing now while letting the story continue are just too off for me. Writing is pretty solid, but just simply too sentimental for me. Good luck with the story as it goes though.
help i'm in genuine tears what have you done to me
The best part about this is that Starlight upgraded to Windows XP, the ultimately superior Operating System.
If you're gonna make that joke, it's called a Raspberry Pi. No 'e' on the end. Pi, as in 3.1415926, like ACircle = <Pi>r2
9499790
Yes, I know that. But that's not what Pinkie gave her. Pinkie gave her a raspberry-flavored pie.
9499799
Pi = 3.14, 41.3 = Pie. Coincidence? I think not
9499809
derpicdn.net/img/2015/8/13/957101/full.jpg
9498403
If something needs a more detailed explanation than you've given and you refuse to give it in this sort of fashion, odds are you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. I recommend dropping it before this convo becomes prime material for r/quityourbullshit
9498616
Thank you!
9498403
the entire point of the argument you're not seeing is that ponies are already quasi human in culture in all but technology, in which Twilight already had the basics of in her basement way back in S1.