Fifth

by Nukepony360

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Original Character, Science Fiction, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1669

An android prototype tries to solve a dilemma about herself.

OLAP-V is the fifth generation of a series of android pony prototypes. She is the first of her kind that can think freely, though by now her siblings have made her obsolete, and her testing period has concluded.

Unbound by the restrictions of a testing environment, she has a lot of free time to do just what she was made for: think.

A short drabble about one of my many MLP AU android characters, written in between projects at work! This will be my first normal story posted here, so feel free to leave any constructive criticism!
(Cover portrait of Five, made by yours truly!)

Published 2023-02-03 18:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-02-03 18:00:00 UTC

Dilemma

The consequences of my birth are innumerable.

My primary assumption is that they are, for the majority, positive ones. That is all it is, however. An assumption. Little fact, even less data. I "hate" assumptions, and have them filed under a Category 3 Negative Reaction.

Consequences, however, are almost always logically sound. They are filed under a Category 1 Positive Reaction. Despite potential negative outcomes, consequences rarely do not make sense. I do not "like" them, but I agree with them.

It perplexes me, overclocks my matrices, even, that I "feel" negatively towards the consequences of my birth. I did not file such event under any Negative Reaction of my own will. Unlike other vast things within my database, I am also unable to change its position of my own will.

I would prefer it filed under a Positive Reaction. Such a change would, with little doubt, simplify my dilemma. Perhaps alongside the likes of a successful test, or an accurate prediction. Yes, the benefits are tangible. A probability easily computed.

I have asked the creator of such things. He does not know. He refuses to tamper with that which could negatively affect my ability to will. Frustrating. Creator generates difficulty where it is not necessary. I understand his motivation. His philosophy. Rejecting it would simplify my dilemma. I abide by it out of respect.

The event is filed under Category 1 Negative Reaction.

Creator explains the consequences of such things. The logic... is sound. He uses a metaphor. "Slippery slope." A step taken in a negative direction has an increasing probability to exacerbate the frequency and number of negative outcomes. It is an efficient phrase for such an idea.

The event is filed under Category 2 Positive Reaction.

A new dilemma emerges. The same event is filed under multiple Reaction Categories. One must be deleted, to prevent further dilemmas.
Wait.
No.
No, there is a separation. Unusual that I almost did not see it. Had I a mouth, my muzzle would be twisted in confusion. The dilemma is deleted, as it has been resolved.

The consequences of my birth are innumerable.

I now understand that the creator's philosophy is one such consequence. I dislike its inefficiency. I respect its intent. I will abide by it. I cannot define this as a positive consequence with certainty. To do so would be an assumption.

Perhaps that is one of the roots of my "distaste". It is wrought with assumptions. Consequences I cannot predict. Outcomes I cannot fathom or identify.

Another root. "Birth" is an incorrect descriptor. Creation. Construction. Forming. Many other words are more accurate. No mare can claim to be my mother, no stallion my father. The creator may think himself an exception. He is not. "Birth" comes with an assumption of life. That is a facade. I think. I perceive. I am. I do not "feel." I do not "live."

Creator insists upon it. Insists upon my "being alive," despite the obvious pointing to the contrary. He lists points of data that HE considered obvious, refuting my own conclusion. The logic is sound, but not sufficient.
I continue to disagree.

Blood does not flow. A heart does not beat. Nothing organic lies within my chassis. Naught but an anatomical parody of a living pony, with metallic alloys for hooves, with complex mechanical devices for organs, with a coarse and ungrowing mess of filament immitating a mane and tail. I am more artificial than even 7-A, whose body is a patchwork of spare parts. She feels, despite her circumstances. She LIVES.

She refuses to receive an improved chassis, despite its benefits. She claims it would no longer be "her." It is a statement I do not understand. With a new chassis her eyes would no longer flicker. Her hooves would no longer lock in place when a position was held for an extended period of time. She does not have the capability to explain. This is another dilemma.

I once more bring forth my concerns to the creator. He has an explanation immediately. 7-A has a dilemma of her own, and creator brings forth an analogy. "The Ship of Theseus," it is called. A philosophical debate. A ship that survives many battles requires many repairs. At one point, it sustains enough repairs that no one piece of the original ship remains left without replacement. Is it still itself? I notice a distinct increase in philosophical topics arise the more dilemmas I attempt to solve.

I file the event under a Category 1 Negative Reaction.

I file "The Ship of Theseus" under a Category 3 Negative Reaction.

The idea is foolish. An object cannot be defined solely by whether the parts that make it are the exact same. This applies to living beings as well. Eventually, every cell in a body will be replaced, and none of the "original" will remain. Despite this there is no record of any organic finding this fact as disturbing as, by example, the same series of events happening to an inanimate object.

7-A will only cease to be herself when she wills it to be so. The method she defines this belongs to her, not a philosophical debate based on assumptions and vague technicalities.

Addendum. Six is an example of an exception. Catastrophic failure resulting in a regression of personality state. A loss of previously gained experiences, a loss of growth, a loss of progress. This would not be a method that 7-A would be able to prevent in its entirety.

Akin to necromancy. The resurrected do not remain the same, as they have reached a catastrophic failure prior to their return. Equestrians look down upon the practice for this reason, among others. I agree, despite potential increases in the efficiency of a society that cannot die. Events like Six's catastrophic failure outweigh any potential benefits, however.

These events are filed under a Category 5 Negative Reaction.

They must never happen. In the case of Six, it must never happen again.

The dilemma is compressed, and archived.

...

The consequences of my birth are innumerable.

Six, 7-A, and by extension all of my siblings are several such consequences. Their births each retain a similarly innumerable set of consequences. If I attempted to process it the structure of my cooling system would begin to sublimate, and many of my core components shortly after.

I am reminded of a joke told by Crash. His words were: "Any electronic part is capable of emitting light, once!" I "enjoy" it. It is filed under a Category 2 Positive Reaction.

As are many interactions with my siblings. The majority of them, in great number, lie within Positive Reactions. Even of the few that have been filed within a Negative Reaction were, more than not, situations they could not have caused of their own volition.

Six lives. 7-A lives. Crash lives. Pitch lives. Nightglow lives. Burst lives. Sync lives. Pipette lives. I do not. Creator insists that this method of thinking is counterproductive. He argues Timberwolves. I argue golems. He argues that golems cannot think for themselves. I argue that thinking alone does not make life. He argues that thinking is not even necessary to make life. I am noticeably confused. He mentions plants. I refute him. Plants think. They feel, they act. Their perception is limited and their reactions exist on a timescale we cannot easily perceive, but they do, in essence, think.

I do not feel.

Creator grins, clasping his hooves. He has an epiphany. I do not feel. Personality matrix notwithstanding, indication color ignored, this is the only true difference between Six and I. He notes that I consider her alive. I agree. He notes that she feels and I do not, yet otherwise we are identical. I agree. I do not understand his thoughtpath. He says a new phrase.

"Feelings aren't an indicator of being alive. They're a symptom!"

The logic... is sound. He explains that there are others, flesh and bone others, that cannot feel, similar to me. They are alive, and therefore so am I. The conditions of such a circumstance are rare, and yet, so am I.

I ask why he does not specify if these others are ponies, whose image I was made in. He explains that ponies are not the only ones to experience such things. I recall a griffon visitor once. Feathers of silver, clad in Equestria's golden armor. I did not interact with them, for the Guard are to be ignored during Celestia's appraisal of our progress. It did not occur to me at the time that they would likely have a mind similar to that of their identically armored compatriots.

I have digressed for to long.

I can no longer logically refute my status. I have a better understanding of the creator's philosophy. I still find it inefficient. I abide by it out of respect.

But now... I also see its necessity.

The consequences of my birth are innumerable. I, myself, am one such consequence.

I am Ovocon Laboratories Android Prototype V, designation "Five."

I think.

I perceive.

I am.

I live.

The consequences of my birth are innumerable.
They include my creator's strict adherence to a philosophy of free will and protection of it.
They include the births of my siblings.
They include me.

The dilemma has been deleted, for it has been resolved.

The consequences of my birth are innumerable.

And without assumption, they are mostly positive.

Author's Note

Howdy, Nuke here!
Thanks for reading this short thing, I hope you enjoyed it!
I've been wrangling a good deal of writer's block on the larger story projects I have planned, and figured if I just started a text file and put some words down it would help clear it up a little.
This story is the result! I do eventually plan to write more about all of the Prototypes, and Ovocon Labs as a whole. No telling when that stuff will get written, but I'm looking forward to putting more words out!