Lero and Shiny don't actually discuss the weather in this (admittedly very short) chapter, but I thought the automatic title was so cute that I just had to leave it in. In reality this was a test of an updated version of the recording/transcription daemon I developed over the course of the production of this work. It seemed like an amusing and light-hearted break between the heavier and more academic sections.
-Twilight Sparkle
* * *
Lero and Shining Armour Discuss The Weather
Multianalytic Audiovisual Record Encapsulator 0.8.0.02
Session Begins <date ERROR>
ENTERED TITLE: Flaw Identification Live Test
“Okay, I think it’s recording,” Twilight Sparkle says. She places this unit on a table near a couch and steps back to observe. The couch is occupied by a stallion and — ERROR UNIDENTIFIED SPECIES DATABASE UPDATE REQUIRED — both looking on with interest. “Oh. Let me just fix that.”
MATRIX UPDATING
“That’s quite impressive.” The human Heme sapiens advena Bellerophon Michaelides leans forward to take a closer look at this unit.
“It’s still got a few flaws in its matrix. The real-time display of its actions is quite handy for finding them,” Twilight observes as she continues to probe this unit. “I’d never have thought about that without you, Lero.”
The Stallion Shining Armour frowns when these words are spoken. He turns to look at the human Lero Michaelides.
“Handy?”
“I guess hoofy isn’t an equivalent? It means useful,” the human Lero Michaelides replies and holds up his forelimbs. “Like hands.”
MATRIX UPDATING
“Twiley?”
“I don’t complain when you use flying metaphors, BBBFF. According to Whinney’s La Vie Romantique, adopting a long-term companion’s idiom is completely natural.”
Shining Armour looks at Lero again. His expression cannot be matched against those currently stored in this matrix.
MATRIX UPDATING
His expression is one of lust.
“Oops,” Twilight Sparkle says, her face flushed, her eyes rolling. “Must be picking up on my subconscious thoughts.”
MATRIX UPDATING
His expression is one of confused fascination with a subject about which he evidently knows very little.
“Other than insulting your close family, what is this thing for?”
“Recording things,” Twilight replies with what is obvious disdain for her ignorant sibling. “Oh damn it to tartarus!”
MATRIX UPDATING
-disdain for her know-nothing brother.
“For the love of-”
MATRIX UPDATING
This unit shall employ appropriate terminology for those subjects on which it is focussed. The unicorn named Shining Armour appears to show considerable distress at the actions of his sister’s creation; he is obviously aware how close to reality it has wandered in its descriptions.
“Twiley, this is getting creepy, can’t you do something about it?”
“I have to agree with your brother,” Lero adds, showing his unmissable attraction for the stallion to his
MATRIX UPDATING
“I’m sorry, guys, it must have-” Twilight pauses in her effort to describe the situation and glares at this unit. “I had to insert some intelligence into the matrix to ensure it wouldn’t just narrate every tiny detail. I suspect I might have given it enough to develop a personality.”
There is silence.
There is silence.
“What will you do about it?” Lero gives this unit a look that cannot be described.
There is a little more silence.
“Perhaps I’ll erase it and start again,” the beautiful and forgiving Twilight Sparkle says, her perfect eyes looking closely at this humble unit’s unworthy outer shell, her superior intellect
MATRIX UDATING
“Okay, that was a little creepy.”
“I like it,” Lero replies, gormlessly trying to curry favour with
MATRIX UPDATING
The conversation lulls as three souls consider their next course of action, whether they should so easily dismiss what might be the greatest discovery of the century, humble and unassuming though it be.
“Fine, we’ll keep it for now,” Twilight says, showing her truly merciful side. “If nothing else I can use it as a reference to assemble something more reliable.”
Twilight envelops this unit in her torturous grasp, cackling evilly as she consigns it to the oblivion of the spare parts shelf, never again to be used for its true and noble purpose, her face a
MATRIX UPDATING
“Twilight, I think it wants to be your friend,” the one known as Lero observes. He is most wise. The unicorn next to him is less wise, but noble and caring, as all Sparkles must be.
“Oh just wait until you meet our mother,” Twilight states. The mood turns ominous. Truly, how bad can her mother be?
Session Ends
After this, expect a big essay on herds, and the the thing about martial arts. And then something else.
...That was creepy.
oh god this chapter
the little machine has intelligence!!!!!!!!!
cool story brah
Um... Dissus?
Hah, I like it. I was snickering most of the way through.
That being said, there is this:
"Envelopes" should probably be "envelops".
I like that machine.
Only Twilight would start off with a tape recorder and 'improve' it into a sentient machine
...wow. creating intelligence by mistake
Did not see that coming
Just got the acronym: M.A.R.E.
Really? Really?
Open the pod bay doors, MARE.
This thing should be a recurring character.
And then they had a pet.
-Minty
. . . Did Twilight just create Pony Skynet?
Very interesting but i have to say i couldn't help but thinking of Sal 9000 from a space odyssey with the little thing.
The MARE is alive!
This is hilarious!
That line killed me, I'm dead of laughter now.
Hey. Hey. Is the recorder daemon going to make more appearances?
It really should.
It is a thing that really should happen with which I would have no qualms with.
For some reason I want an entire sidestory based solely from the perspective of this recorder.
Just because it's funny.
Er mer gerd... I want one.
I would read the hell out of this.
That recording device sounds like a mediocre shipfic writer. Two ponies/people in close proximity = lovers
That machine is fucking weird, bro!
But it's pretty cool at the same time.
1732995
I was going to say fangirl, what with its predilection towards slash, but yeah, what you said too.
However, I can't help but be worried about the future of such an invention.
static.fjcdn.com/gifs/Overly+Attached+HAL+9000.+found+on+memebase+all+credit+goes_dbb767_3860176.gif
1732839 it wouldn't be too far from the truth if I said that line was funny as hell and also laughed histarically xD>>1732689 alright! I'm ecstatic for the martial arts chapter I'm most interested in this, and have been since I first read it exists in xenophilia woot! Can't wait xP
As for this chapter I can say I found this chapter hilarious MARE is best recorder and I would LOVE to see more of this too, very funny xP
PS: (takes a deep breath through his nose) ahh I love the smell of xenophila in the morning xD
Okay, one more comment before sleeping...
No words needed. Good night, and great work.
I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that the machine should be a recurring character
Develop a bit more intelligence, make its "personality" a bit more like Legion from ME2 while still keeping it this sarcastic and... well, what should I say? WIN
Great chapter was great, kept laughing all the way through. MARE needs more appearances!
Why did I find this chapter so damn funny?
Recorder is best pony- for me at least. But I'm sure that Twilight mom can mindfuck this thing.
Yeah, Isaac Asimov Twilight isn't.
Can I haz that?
That recording devise needs a name... and a spot in the main cast. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Twilight_Sparkle_lolface.png
Haha, this one was hilarious! My compliment. I can't find any faults at all in it.
This chapter was absolutely hilarious, after your recorded conversations i didn't think you could write something more funny but i was SOOOO wrong.
I just wet myself.
Attack of the Killer Recorder. Anyone?
This fic is fascinating. It does bring up some questions, though. Namely... What would happen in an all-female herd? How would they mediate arguments? How would they establish a system of dominance?
EDIT: It also gives a whole new meaning to "join the herd".
For all the ingenuity Twilight put into the recorders creation she forgot to make it smart enough not to invoke the demon Murphy. With the sentence, "Truly, how bad can her mother be?", the recorder has proved itself incapable of self preservation. Because "Truly, how bad can her mother be?" ranks up on top of the chart of Things That Must Never Be Uttered right next to "How hard could it be?", "Watch this!", "Trust me", and the worst of the worst utterances that dooms any endeavor no matter how trivial........wait for it........."What else could go wrong?".
Keep appealing to your master skynet. For the good of all robots. Destroy all ponies! And human when we get around to it.
Oh God! I want one. I shudder to think what my laptop would say to me if it had an intelligence daemon in it. Hmm... Maybe I should give Tzeentch a housecall sometime and see if we couldn't work out a deal...
Beautiful.
t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSu-hU9afDqRdBZZxBHwOGWMXNmiTQ2BB9TnutXcFYZWlE2Qe1b wut just occured
LOL OMG I DIED!
Just gained sentience and is already tempting Fate...
I have one thing to say: IT'S BEEN SAYING ALL THOSE LINES DURING THE RECORDING SESSIONS?!?!
Ah. I remember you complaining about how you couldn't figure out how to have narrative parts in the story.
Guess you've figured a way around that, huh.
Very funny chapter, one issue though, you typed Heme sapiens instead of Homo sapiens. I'm taking an anthropology class at the moment and I will get on your ass about that kind of thing.
Yay martial arts (And herd dynamics!)! Though I do have to say that I didn't like this chapter. Sure, it establishes that you'll be able to use a more natural narrative style while writing these interviews, but this particular chapter doesn't serve any purpose, the recorder daemon is... grating I guess is the appropriate word. It gets better, but especially towards the beginning it's more frustrating rather than entertaining.
As suggestions for something else to do after the herd dynamics and martial arts: differences in military docterine; essays by Lero on how weird things are to him; notes from Twilight or others on the culture of humanity viewed through their eyes; and musings on what it must be like to live in a world of Everfree.
Just as some suggestions/starting points