My Little Progress:Technology isn't magic.

>It's been 6 months since you mysteriously arrived in Ponnyville
>6 months of waiting for Twilight to find a way back for you.
>Unfortunately There doesn't seem to be anything she can do.
>It's almost impossible to trace the magic back to earth.
>It just fades off onto the aether.
>It was disheartening to hear that.
>Still of all the worlds to end up in this wasn't so bad.
>Thanks to Twilight you have new friends, a new job, and a comfortable place to live.
>Still you always wanted to repay her and her friends for their kindness.
>Until recently you no idea how you could repay them.
>That changed a few days ago when you were helping Applejack with the farm.

>Your work at Sweet Apple Acres mostly consisted of either carrying the apples AJ bucked to the barn or the cart.
>To be stored or sold respectively.
>After you finished loading the last basket on the cart AJ approached you.
>"Thanks for the help Anon, and befor you go can you help me with something else?"
"What do you need?"
>"I need your help with the cart harness so I can take these down to the market"
"Isn't that usually Big Mac's job"
>"Yep, but Big Mac's busy ploughing the corn fields for the next two weeks"
"Two week's? Is he actually pulling the plough?"
>Her head tilited to the side in confusion
>"Of course. We can't afford to hire a unicorn and their tractor"
"Why a unicorn?"
>"Because tractors run on magic"

>That through you for a bit of a loop.
"Wait really?"
>"Didn't Twi tell you? Everything on some level runs off of magic. Ask Twi if you want to learn more"
>Everything runs off of magic.
>I suppose that kinda makes sense.
>Still a few questions remain.
"When I was visiting Applebloom and the others in school there was an earth colt with a tractor cutie mark. How does that work?"
>"His dad's a unicorn and he got his cutie mark helping his dad repair the family tractor."
>The idea began to form

>When you got back to the castle after work youasked Twilight about how magic is used in devices.
>The answer was pretty simple there's a magic battery that's charged up and lets magic flow to certain parts of the device
>The magic the moves the parts directly.
>For more complex machines such as tractors a unicorn is necessary to monitor and control the parts.
>To litte magic and the machine doesn't work, too much and damage it
>To prevent that from happening magic is essentialy burned off using a miniature rain generator to maintain a buffer zone.
>Seeing how much they relied on magic you came up with an ambitious idea on how to repay them
>The Industrial Revolution is coming to Equestria

Based on a prompt from the previous thread. Tell me what you think

>>25656693
nice

>>25656693
please continue

>>25656693
Lets see some more.

>>25657404
>>25657467
>>25657747
thanks for the encouragement. I'll continue writing this story

>>25658014
:D

bamp

I'm back. Expect green in 3 hours. That will give me enough time to think of an idea, prewrite, plan, rewrite, write, and edit before posting 1 sentence of green.

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>she mentioned something interesting
>anon, is perusing new research.
>he claims what he's doing in Canterlot is the missing piece.
>a weapon to surpass Metal Gear.

>>25659555
>>25659555
>>25659555
>a weapon to surpass Metal Gear.
Is it trips?

Continuing >>25637580, story with Rainbow Dash

>For a week after Twilight's outburst, you hardly spoke to Rainbow. She always made herself scarce whenever you were around, coming up with a weak reason to make a quick getaway.
>You didn't realise how much you liked spending time with the mare until she stopped hanging around with you
>It's been a busy week, but not having her around made it seem... longer, somehow.
>Sitting in your living room, you admire the new house Twilight rustled up for you. Apparently misappropriation of public funds wasn't a thing here, because you have no idea how she actually bought it.
>A month here, and you'd already been given the things you needed to get yourself on your feet.
>It was a cosy little number, just the right size to be comfy without being cramped.
>A nice gesture, and a nice house. But it felt... hollow. You hadn't earned this.
>It felt a little like stealing, really. You'd find some way to repay her, to repay the kindness of all the other ponies too.
>None of them were bad, even if they were a little... set in their ways.
>It's pretty chilly out, and you're just considering putting the fire on when there's a knock at the door
>You're pleasantly surprised to find a sheepish Rainbow Dash, wearing a saddlepack
"Oh, hey Dash!"
>"Yeah, hey. I haven't had a chance to visit yet, so I thought I should come check out your new place."
>You grin at her
"Sure, come on in."

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>>25656666
>off by 10k

>>25660273
>You give her the grand tour.
>It's not actually that grand, but it's definitely a tour
>After, you sit her down on the couch with a hot cup of tea.
>Dash seems a bit nervous. Maybe she's worried you're upset with her for not seeing you.
>The two of you make small talk for a while, but it feels forced and eventually the conversation dies.
>Rainbow fidgets nervously before finally speaking again.
>"Listen, Anon. I really needed to talk to you."
>You've never seen her this serious before
"Sure, what's the problem?"
>"The whole thing with Twilight, it kind of threw me. I mean, I enjoy spending time with you, but the science, it's... I don't like... well..."
>She puts her mug down and slips off her bag, rummaging around in it, pulling out a small wooden box, old and battered
>"It's easier to just show you this..."
>She pulls the lid off, and hesitates.
>She takes a deep breath, and hands it to you

>>25660394
>"It's from when I was a foal."
>Dash watches you closely
>It's filled mostly with brik-a-brak, oddly shaped rocks, some feathers and things. There's a worn ruler, some string.
>"This box used to be one of my favourite things."
>Below the junk is a pile of papers, a couple of old polaroid photos sticking out
>Lifting the papers out, you flick through them
>"I used to take this everywhere with me"
>A worn photo catches your eye
"Is this your mum?"
>It's a picture of a beaming Rainbow Dash hugging a smiling, older mare. They're both wearing labcoats.
>Dash doesn't answer for a long moment, and you start to wonder if you've said something wrong
>"Yeah. My mom got me into all this. She was a real boffin. Got a lot of stick for it, but it never bothered her. I was too young to really realise it, but she was determined, never gave up."
>She smiles sadly
>"Heh, that's probably where I get it from. But then, one day, she... she just..."
>Rainbow tails off, clearing her throat after another moment's pause
>"It was just so... normal. She gave me my lunch, and I said bye to her in the morning before I went out to school. I never saw her again. So... mundane. I just came home to an empty house."
>Christ.
>You can't imagine what that must have been like
>You turn your attention away from the photo, and examine some of the papers.
>"It was how I used to remember her, losing myself in this."
>Most of the papers are in a bad state, some of them even torn up and stuck carefully back together.
>"It was like when I was doing this stuff, she was still with me. I shut out everything else. I had no friends, no healthy interests. The other foals, they used to tease me about it, bully me."
>One of the torn up papers is covered in a rough table of values, "size" and "date".

>>25660436
"They tore your things up?"
>A hint of defiance creeps into your friend's voice
>"And I stuck 'em back together."
>The defiance fades again, as Dash's tone lowers
>"The worst thing was my dad, though. I could tell it upset him, reminded him of her. He never said anything, never asked me to stop but... he took it bad. I used to hear him crying, when he thought I was asleep. I had no other way to cope, I'd pushed my friends away and didn't have much in common with the other foals anyway."
>You turn the sheet over
>The back is covered in childish drawings of a filly and mare together, surrounded by leaves
"Why did you stop? What happened?"
>Rainbow gently takes the paper, sniffing as she thinks
>"I learned to fly. And I was /good/ at it. For once, ponies my age started to be interested in me. I made friends and just... they helped me cope with what I was going through better than this did. I had less and less time for it."
>She stares wistfully at the sheet, her eyes moistening
"Science is for foals, Anon. It's sup-"
>Rainbow's voice breaks, and she takes a moment to compose herself
>"It's something you're supposed to grow out of, if you're ever even into it in the first place."
>Dash takes the box off you, putting the paper away
"But you haven't grown out of it."
>It's not a question.
>Why else would she have kept the old box? Why else would she be so curious about your world, and how everything in it worked?
>A quiver of anger runs across her face, and Dash snaps the box closed
>She looks at you, almost accusingly
>"My mom used to say 'Nopony ever got hurt by asking a question'."
>Rainbow snorts
>"She was wrong, Anon, and Twilight was right. Some questions just can't be answered. So why bother trying?"

>>25660447
>Her face is flushed, her breathing short and quick
>What she's sharing with you is personal, it's no surprise she's getting upset.
>You give her a moment to compose herself
"What happened to your mum, Dash?"
>Rainbow's eyes widen, and her mouth begins working as she tries to think of something to say
>Then she stops, her head lowering in defeat
>"I don't know."
>Her voice is small, her hanging mane obscuring her face
>"She just... she just never came home one day from work."
>The two of you stand in silence for a moment
>It's no wonder Dash has been avoiding you, if your tech talk was reminding her of this
>You realise Dash is shaking slightly, her mane still hiding her face. It looks like she's crying.
>Without saying anything, you step toward her, pulling her into a tight hug
>Your friend leans into you, giving a sob

>>25660491
dont read this

>>25660491
>"F-for weeks, when I got back from school I used to wait for her, at the door... I just thought maybe she would walk in and everything would go back to normal. That I'd have my mom back, that dad could be happy and we'd be a family again."
>You don't say anything- what could you possible say? You just stroke her mane as she continues.
>"No pony ever found out what happened to her, Anon. And all the questions in the world couldn't bring her back."
>The two of you stand in silence a while longer
>Eventually, Dash calms down, her breathing normal and her body still
>She pulls away from you, wiping a hoof across her face
>Dash gives you a tired smile
>When she speaks, her voice is a little hoarse.
>"Thanks for listening, Anon. I wanted you to know that I'm not just making up some excuse to not see you."
"Of course, I'm glad you did, Dash."
>"I like spending time with you, I just... I don't know if I can risk getting pulled back into all this."
>She pats her box
>"What Twilight said the other day really hammered it home. Brought back some bad memories. A part of me wants to get drawn back into it, but I can't."
>Maybe you're imagining it, but it there's a certain hesitancy to her words, like she doesn't quite believe what she's saying
>You let it drop. There's time to try to nurture her interest later. Right now, Dash just needs a friend.

>>25660546
That's all for tonight. I'll post some more tomorrow, and that'll probably be all for a little while. I'll also set up a pastebin then, if people want it (I think someone asked about it in the last thread).

Any comments on the story are appreciated.

>>25660514
If you've got the time, I'd really appreciate some criticism. What was done well, what was done badly, what could I do to improve? Getting feedback is the only way I'm going to get better.

>>25660590
i would say that's is a pretty good green, its interesting but its kinda boring you should speed up the story just a tiny little bit

and i hope (as a reader) that anon creates a machine and shove it into bookhorse face
sorr about the grammar

Sorry it's taking a little longer than I expected. I have decided the story will be a CYOA like my prison story. I will write and then post what you guys tell me to do. First thing I want you guys to do:
What age is Anonymous E. Mysterious?
What does he bring with him? ( be reasonable for someone his age)
What happened to him to make him come to Equestria?
How advanced is Equestria in comparison to the human race? (between the stone age to the 1600's is preferable, but that's just me)
Does magic have an affect on Anon? Of course not you guys don't get to decide this :P
Who is Uncle Incognito?
Will Frieza beat the living shit out of gohan?
What happens when you make Fats Mcgee and the Retarded Three go to a school dance?
Will it blend?
Its up to you anons to decide what happens im just the writer.

>>25660757
Also How old is Anon?

>>25660590
Surprisingly sad. I didn't expect RD feels from a progress thread so well done on that.

I am interested to see where this goes.

>>25660776
What age is Anonymous E. Mysterious?
21
What does he bring with him?
a backpack with... stuff
What happened to him to make him come to Equestria?
he was walking in da forest and a portal opened and suck him :D?
How advanced is Equestria in comparison to the human race?
1600's
Who is Uncle Incognito?
anon's uncle
Will Frieza beat the living shit out of gohan
probably

What happens when you make Fats Mcgee and the Retarded Three go to a school dance?
you dont want to know
Will it blend?
yes

>>25660776
How about 27

>>25660645
idk, I think it is paced wonderfully. It just feels slow because the part that relates to the thread just hasn't exactly shown up yet.

>>25656084
Anyone ever consider that the reason ponies have to raise and lower the sun (i.e. rotate their own planet) is because they tried to bring about extended growing seasons to raise more crops, but in doing so they fucked up their rotation and/or orbit enough that it cannot fix itself in their lifetime so now they have to do it manually or else?

>>25661120
we'll see

p8 save
green n a little bit

p7 save

> Your name is...
>Who the fuck are you again?
>Oh yeah you are Anonymous E. Mysterious. You are 27. You work at Anonland University. You are the head of the Mathematics Department
> You decided to go camping over Winter Break because you live close to a camp ground
> Walking through the woods really calms your frayed nerves and makes you more mellow and easier to be around
> It got dark fast in winter and you got lost
> Tripping on a rock and falling into a hole is NOT fun
> You fell for a little while and ended up in front of some kind of castle ruin
"Owwww"
> Standing up is a pain but you do so with your backpack still attached
> The first think you notice about this new place is the distinct lack of frost
> On anything
> No frost anywhere, just LOTS of vines and moss
> Ok anon think...
> Hey Brain?
>Brain: Yes hello this is Brain
> Where are we?!
>Brain: hmmm...
> Don't say it
>Brain: Say what?
> DON'T YOU FUCKING SAY IT!
Brain:...
> ...
>Brain: I have a feeling were not in Kansas anymore, Toto
> Damn it brain!
>Brain: okay I'm sorry
> No you not
>Brain: Your right! Anyways What do you need?
> I have no clue where I am and I need help!
>Brain: Hmm...
> What?
>Brain: Well two options.
> Give them to me!
>Brain: Okay here they are.

A. What would Bear Grylls do?
B. Look in your backpack (what do you find? Typical camping stuff so tell me what he has.)

>>25662651
B. I would imagine he would have something like a sleeping bag, matches/lighter, some food, some clean water, toliet paper, hatchet, phone, and a small tent

>>25660590
>Getting feedback is the only way I'm going to get better.
Nah, practice is more important than input from random people on the internet. Practice is what sticks with you.


Anyway, I think it looks entertaining. I like how Anon isn't an entirely self-absorbed immature douche like he sometimes is. Although his uh, "plan" seems amusingly overly-ambitious. I guess that just means it'll be interesting to see how it all works out.

>>25662777
Trips Confirm Action

>>25662801
Are you referring to !Ci73cxgB4g's anon having a overly-ambitious plan (Which I don't think was mentioned) or did you mean the anon who plans to bring the industrial revolution to Equestria and just forgot to link to that one?

>>25662651
B. Look in backpack

>Brain: Ok look in your backpack for some useful stuff
>...
>Thanks Brain!
> Walking Toward a peice of rubble you begin to wonder what bear Grylls would do in this situation.
> Hey Brain
>Brain: Yeah?
> What would bear Grylls do in this situation?
>Brain: Probably drink his own pee
> Huh...
>Placing the bag down you open up the first zipper and find A sleeping bag and a small one-man tent.
> The next pocket reveals a hatchet, a can opener, some toilet paper, 2 bottles of water and 2 cans of Beans
"oh good. I'm gonna need that toilet paper in a little bit."
> Opening up the last pocket you pull out your cell phone and some waterproof matches.
" Well, I had better get out of these ruins. They are fucking creepy"
"And i also need to stop talking to myself."
>Brain: Damn straight
> Shut up Brain

>>25662968
>Leaving the ruins behind reveals a large and very dense forest.
> A small path leads to a broken bridge on your left
> On the right a way down to the gorge between you and the other side of this forest.
>Brain: "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood"
> Brain!
>Brain: "And I took the road less traveled by."
> Brain! Stop. We might get busted for copyright infringement!
>Brain: "Oh snap! That's right!

>>25663013
>Opening the bag and pulling out your cell phone you turn it on.
> There is no reception...
> Or data...
> In fact, this area is a dead zone...
> You turn around and see, just through the trees, a small city on the side of a mountain
> Looking left, Then right you think to yourself for a moment before coming up with a few solutions
> If you go left you can see the path on the other side but can't make it across
> If you go Right you go into the canyon below
> If you go around the back of the castle you can see a city on the side of a mountain in the distance
>If you stay in the castle...

A. Stay in the castle. Who needs sleep when you can stay up all night?
B. Go left. If your Mario you can jump across to the other side no problem
C. Go right The bottom seems like a good place to camp
D. Go to the City. They have phone reception and shit you can just call your Uncle to come get you

Bump because i want to

>>25663140
D

>>25663381
Wish Granted

>>25663140
D. Go to the City. They have phone reception and shit. You can just call your Uncle to come get you

>Turning towards the city you begin your trek across the forest towards the mountain
> Looking down at your phone you read the number displaying an estimate of your battery life
> 86%
> Hmm... no headphones
> Fuck it, who doesn't like Adam Sandler?
>You go to your music folder and press play on the first song that pops up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLm5oSJRxIU
> You start jogging to the song
> Man this song reminds you that you need to call grandpa and wish him a happy birthday.
> Walking the path you begin to feel drowsy, the call of sleep beckoning you.
> You at your phone and check the time
> It says 10:12 pm
> That can't be right
> You can see the moon directly above you.
> Whatever
>Just keep going at a medium pace

>>25663793
im done for a little bit. keep the thread alive.
criticism is welcome

>>25662891
Yeah, the first one. To quote:
>A plan begins to form in your head.
>It'll take work, but you'll turn the tables. Make her look the ignoramus.
>And all you've got to do is build a reputable scientific academy, get the official endorsement of the Equestrian government and make several notable contributions to the understanding of magic and the physical world.
>That should keep you busy for the next few weeks, at least...

>>25663824
I think his story is coming along nicely.
Anons huge ambitions will take more than a decade and his story will be long but it is possible.

Here is my story
http://pastebin.com/yPJZ91Rt

>>25660590
Well shit, I had a reasonable amount of green to post, but I fucked up with pastebin and lost it. I'll try to rewrite it, but I probably won't be able to do that until tomorrow evening. I guess that's why we use backups.

So sorry, no post this morning

>>25665013
You should get a name, writefriend.

The premise of this entire thread is like Thomas Kuhn's nastiest wet dream.

You've got two inherently incommensurable paradigms that are coming into conflict. Both have their own merits, but their standards of evaluation, data, and even inherent language are completely incomparable.

Actually, I'm suprised no one has written any Kuhn related stories.

>>25665079
I've got one. I can start posting with it if people would like.

Also, thanks to the people who gave criticism/feedback.

In terms of where the story's going, I'd like to stress at this point that this is going to be more philosophical in nature, with Anon trying to teach the ponies the ideas of rational thought and empirical research rather than just giving them amazing tech. It's going to be pretty slow, with quite a lot of reflection on his part. Just a warning in advance, if people are turned off by that sort of thing.

>>25665223
I would prefer if you posted with a name for simplicity. Also I do like that you're planning to go for the philosophical route, it's a nice change in pace

page 8 bump

>>25659555
<3

>>25660394
IS IT A FINGERBOX

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Glorious scientific explosion bump

Bump expect green in a few hours

>>25668102
Yay!

>>25668102
Can't wait for more

sorry, i've arrived home, i will star writing right now.

Dont mind me, just take this as a >7 bump

>>25666666

i will be posting in a little bit
also p8 bump

>>25673637
can we get an eta on when you'll start posting?

>>25675058
30 minutes

>>25663793
>The sky is getting brighter the more you walk
>Looking ahead you see a break in the treeline
>Running forward, the low branches whipping your unprotected skin, you burst from the treeline
>You have made it to the outside of the city
>Looking up reveals that the city is, in fact on the side of a mountain.
>The entire city is just hanging on a platform
>Brain: kinda reminds you of Cloud city from Starwars...
> It does remind me of Cloud City... just ... without clouds
>You look around for a way to get up to the city
"Fuck"
>There is no road, and if there was one it would be on the other side of the mountain.
>Fuck
>Gonna have to climb up
>Fuck!
>You don't have any climbing gear
>FUCK!
>You don't have any finger-less gloves either.
"Well, let's get started"

>>25675393
Ok anon's

What do i do.
Do you want to hear about anons hardships while hauling his unfit body up a mountain?

Or

Do you want me to skip that and get on with the story?

>>25675427
hear about anons hardships while hauling his unfit body up a mountain

>>25675500
agreed, more green is better than less

>>25675393
> Oh god this is so painful..
>Brain: Dude your only 4 feet off the ground
>What
>looking down reveals that you are in fact only 2 feet off the ground.
> Well fuck me sideways
>Brain: Maybe later...
> Fuck you brain!
>Brain: No u
> ...
>Brain: ...
> Did you just...
>Brain: Yeah, I did
> Well then...
>Brain:...
> I'm just gonna... Keep hauling my fat ass up this moutain
>Brain: You do that.

>>25675500
>>25675528
How much does anon weight?

>>25675564
12 stone

>>25675564
I say 190 pounds

>>25675619
>>25675646
ok then 30 stone it is

>>25675542
>>25675542
>Getting back to the task at hand, you continue your way up this godforsaken mountain
>Okay anon, left hand, then right leg, next right hand, finally left leg and repeat
>Your muscles strain at the effort of hauling your healthy 12 stone body up this mountainyou are GREATLY exaggerating it's actually closer to 30 stone
> Continuing up the mountain brings you slowly closer to the city.
*hnnnnnn*
> Nearby birds take to the air at the sound of your panting
*eeehhh...Hnnnnnnnnn*
>Shit!
>You nearly slipped on crap!
>Brain: Hue hue
> Shut it, you!

>>25675729
> Why is this so damn hard!
>Brain: Look down anon
> What why?
>Brain: As a wise man once said "JUST DO IT"!

>You look down and see...
>You are only 12 feet off the ground...
>How the fuck did this happen!
> Getting to the top of this mountain will be hard, especially when you have to climb it.
> Dropping down and falling flat on your fat ass you look around.
> There was a FUCKING road 50 yards to your left this WHOLE FUCKING TIME

What do you do?
a.) keep climbing the mountain even though there is no way you are going to be able to do it
b.) Use the road
>

>>25675753
that is all for tonight.
i need sleep. post your decision and critisize
i will get to it tommorrow

>>25675707
>420 lbs exactly
ayy

Tripping because green

>Be Anon, Bachelor of Science
>You were conducting a bit of research and studying for your PhD on Earth, but there was a mixup in a shipment of oligo primers you had ordered.
>The solution that was in the little vial was actually dimethylmercury, which got through your gloves and kind of killed you a little.
>Fucking Genentech...
>But that's just a bit of digression, now you've been in Ponyville for a few days after your rather horrific and painful death.
>One would have expected a rather rough reception when you had spontaneously materialized out of thin air, but as it turns out, your appearance wasn't the most radical thing that has occurred in this rather quaint village.
>The fact that you spoke the same language as them helped as well.
>You're are digressing again.
>Anyway, right now you're in Twilight Sparkle's library.
>She's been practically interrogating you about Earth for the past few hours.
>But you've been able to glean some information about Equestria off of her as well.
>All was fine and dandy, at least until the conversation was steered toward that topic.
>You know: technology.
Now I hate to sound like a pretentious twat, but Equestria doesn't seem to be very advanced in terms of technology. I mean, sure, you've got magic to make up for the deficiency, but you guys have only got the steam engine for Christ's sake.

>>25676483
>"Are you serious? The steam engine is the very pinnacle of advancement; it is the very pinnacle of the combined utilization of magic and technology!
See, that's the issue, right there. Your people depend on magic as a crutch to--
>Twilight tilted her head in confusion.
>"Wait a minute, are you saying that humans didn't have magic? That's impossible! Even the Griffons, Zebras, and Minotaurs have subtle forms of magic, even if they don't exhibit it as obviously as ponies do. I'm sure that you were all just confused or were unaware of it.
Err, no, I'm 100% certain that we are completely free of magic. I mean, we wrote stories about such a concept, but we were never any inherently magical beings. Instead, to overcome our obstacles, we toiled to advance our technological prowess. The steam engine? Don't make me laugh. On Earth we had metal birds that could transport hundreds of people at once, at a velocity even faster than a -- sorry, what did you call it? A Sonic Rainboom? Yeah, even faster than that.
>"Faster than a Sonic Rainboom? What, are you referring to mass teleportation? Because that seems pretty darn magical to me.
No, I'm talking about actually going from point A to point B in a straight line at an extremely fast rate, not spontaneous disappearance from point A and corresponding reappearance at point B.

>>25676487
>After you finished, she started pacing back and forth.
>Thirty seconds had passed, she then looked at you with incredulity written all over her face.
>"That's... that's simply illogical, Anon. I refuse to believe such silly claims."
>This fucking mare.
Silly? These are completely rational assertions I'm making here, lady. Okay, how about this: let me try to walk you through why such an "impossible" feat is actually feasible. Let's take this piece of technology, the steam engine. It's limited in terms of how much energy you can put into it, thus, it is limited in terms of how quickly it can go. Now, what if one were to develop a similar mechanism, but you could use a substance as an input of energy that was much more efficient in storing energy than coal, which you ponies use? Presuming that this new mechanism were as, or even more, efficient than the previous iteration, this will result in a somewhat faster mode of transport. Now imagine that such a thing has been developed to the point where this engine could transport a metal bird full of individuals at almost twice the speed of a Sonic Rainboom. Doesn't that seem at least somewhat plausible?
>The purple mare stared at you, squinting as she contemplated what you've just said.
>Her eyes widened somewhat, holy shit you've gotten through to--
>"No."
>Fuck.
>"As I've said before, our steam engine is a result of the combination of magic and technology. If you were to develop one aspect of this without its other half, as you were suggesting, the entire mechanism would fall apart. I'm certain that you're just making things up just to annoy me. Has Discord put you up to this?
Discord? Who the fu- Okay, never mind.
>This. Fucking. Mare.
>You rub your temples.
>Now it's your turn to pace back and forth.
>She just refuses to see reason and be a rational.

>>25676493
>It's just so simple and straightforward, but it's almost as though you two were speaking in different languages.
>It's almost as though you two were living in different worlds
>It's almost as though you two were in incommensurable... paradigms...
>Wait just minute. Wait just a fucking minute.
>You remember back to your undergrad years, at the University of X, Y.
>You had to take some silly Philosophy of Science class to fulfill GE requirements.
>Fucking UXY.
>They had lectured about some Thomas Kuhn guy, but he seemed like a crackpot, so you never really agreed with any of his messages.
>You ended up just regurgitating what you read about all over the exam papers and did pretty damn well.
>That damn crackpot might actually have a point here, though.
>You stopped pacing and looked up at Twilight.
I think I know what's going on here, and I can explain how we actually might both be in the right.
>She lets out a dismissive snort and rolls her eyes.
>"Alright. Let's hear it."
Okay, this is going to seem wonky as all hell. But we need to inject a bit of philoso-.
>"Philosophy? That's just all wishy-washy nonsense."
Just bear with me here, Twilight, we're both completely rational individuals, I'm sure. And please don't interrupt me, god damn.
>"Okay, okay, sorry about that."
So, there was this guy, Thomas Kuhn, that wrote a book a while back. He proposed that throughout our history, scientific progress wasn't necessarily in a direction toward the truth about the world. He claimed that in different eras, science was guided by these things called paradigms.
>"What in Equestria is a "paradigm"?
A paradigm is a... well, it's like... a set of overarching rules that people take as a given. Said rules are never questioned by the practitioners of the paradigm.

>>25676499
>"I understand the words coming out of your mouth, and how they string together, but I've never heard of anything like what you're talking about.
Okay, how about this?
>You run up the stairs to her bedroom unf and pick up Spike's bed.
>After jogging back down the stairs, basket in hand, you toss it into the air and it lands and tumbles around, landing in from of Twilight.
How do you explain that?
>She looks at you, deadpanned.
>"That's a bed."
>God damn it.
No, I mean, how do you explain why this bed fell to the floor after I threw it up? It could literally do anything else, float up into the air, spontaneous combust, or just disappear. Why did it drop to the ground?
>"Well that's simple, it's because of Gravity, a force that Neighton discovered.
Yeah, that makes sense, doesn't it? It definitely does to you, I'm sure, but that's only because you're operating in the paradigm of Neightonian mechanics, which you never question becuase, why would you? It's just so obvious, right?
>Twilight nods her head.
But what if I were operating in a different paradigm than you? Let's imagine that I were operating in the paradigm of "Natural Places." You know what I think? I think that the basket that I threw up into air dropped back down because I think that the basket itself is made of "earth" materials, and would thus like to return back to the ground, it's natural place, where all earth materials come from, that makes sense, right?
>The purple pone raises an eyebrow.
>"Err, no, that's completely asinine. hue, ass I'm still fairly certain that this is still the force gravity at work..."

>>25676508
>You start flailing your hands all over the place.
Gravity? Force? What the hell are you talking about you crazy, insane mare? I'm in the paradigm of Natural Places, this is obviously just Earth materials that want to return to its Natural Place. And bird and pegasi are in the air all the time because they have air materials in them! Except for your shy friend, I think she has a lot of earth material in her.
>You stop waving around like the autist you are.
Now, I've studied something called Relativity in my foray into Academia. Relativity is yet another paradigm that was created by a very intelligent man. Let's say I'm entrenched in that paradigm. You know what I see at work when I see that basket drop to the floor? Not forces, psh, that's just primitive crazy talk. What I see is a geodesic going through curved space-time.
>"A geowhat through whatnow?"
Now that I'm in this paradigm, I still seem crazy to you, and you seem crazy to me. But you know what would happen if I were to meet someone else in this paradigm? We would understand each other just fine and be able to discuss whatever we wanted related to it. But you would be able to do the same with someone else in the Neightonian paradigm. All paradigms, even that silly sounding natural places one have their own merits and values.
>"So why would somepony switch paradigms in the first place?"

>>25676514
Well, that's just the thing, people generally don't. Take a professor who's been in paradigm X his whole life. Let's say that paradigm X couldn't explain some anomaly. And this anomaly was so fucking intense that it turned into a crisis. If a new paradigm Y emerges that could rationally explain the anomaly, would he change? Hell no! That would require giving up his life's works. You know what he's going to do? He's going to stay in his comfy old paradigm, arms crossed until the day he dies. So now you might ask, how does a paraidigm shift, then? Well, it's simple, it attracts new students and practitioners because it seems cool as fuck. The paradigm shift completes once all those old coots from the old paradigm die off and can no longer spread it. However, most things about the new paradigm are so different from the old that they are incommensurable with the old, they can't be impartially compared to one another.
>"Then there's no good reason for an individual to switch between to paradigms?"
Exactly! Even though future paradigms may not be able to explain a particular phenomenon that an old paradigm could, a shift still occurs.
>Twilight's eyes widen in comprehension as it dawns on her.
>"Wait a minute, Anon, are you suggesting that..."
Come on Twilight, you're an intelligent mare.
>"We ourselves are in completely different paradigms, in terms of technology? And that we both have good reasons to hold on to them?"

>>25675753
A) :^)

>>25676521
>You smile.
There we go.
>Twilight then frowns, and her eyebrows are furrowed with concern.
>"But you're the only person in your paradigm... What will happen when you die?"
>You smile again.
Oh Twilight, you know exactly what will happen. The paradigm will disappear, poof, gone. Well, normally, it would be mentioned in textbooks as being silly or something, but taking into account that I'm the only human in Equestria, I'd say this is a special case, wouldn't you?
>She envelops you in a hug.
Well shit, I'm glad we were able to come to an understanding...
>The mare looks up at you.
>"Tell me more about the technology in your world."
Wait, what? I already got us to the point where we've agreed to disagree. I know that you're not going to be convinced.
>"Yes, but I wonder, what if there is an... anomaly as you described it that appears that we can't explain? I'd like to be able to have a different point of view, a different... paradigm to be ready to confront such a thing.
>You smile yet again.
Alright.
>Fucking Kuhn.
fin

Critiques would be nice.
I prefer getting criticism about my writing rather than getting my dick sucked thanks

>>25676529
Also, apologies in advance to anyone who has actually studied geodesics, I've only glanced over them superficially

>>25676529
Will you continue this? I like it. I'd like to see him do something mechanically or scientifically which breaks the paradigm of magic guiding everything.
As for critique, I'm not very good at it, but why did she hug him? That seemed a bit weird. IDK.

>>25676545
I like it. Please keep writing.
>>25676586
She hugged him because when Anon dies, he will be quickly forgotten.

>>25676666
Ohhh. I should have realized that. nvm.

>>25676696
No worries.

>>25656084
look i think this thread concept is concieted and ass, but i genuinely would read something purely about twilight arguing about heleocentricism. is there anything like that or is this thread entirely circlejerking about how anon is going to go build his own country with blackjack and hookers?

>>25676717
Well the green right above is sort of like that, with Twilight being implied to wanting to learn more about Anon's tech despite it not matching what she knows so far.

>>25676964
im looking more for conflict if the term argueing wasnt clear.

>>25676523
god damnit..

Alright i will continue he cyoa after I do some morning shit.
See you Nor/mlp/eople soon

Continuing RD story

>>25660546
>You spend a while talking. Nothing heavy, just chit chat.
>Rainbow relaxes as the time passes, becoming more comfortable.
>There's a question that's been on your mind for a while though
>It's not something you think you could ask anyone else, it's not exactly about science, but it still might be a bit too close for Dash's comfort.
>She seems more relaxed now, though. You decide to push your luck.
"I just don't get it, RD. Why is Twilight so convinced that some things can't be explained?"
>Rainbow shifts uncomfortably
>"Ponies tried, Anon. Thousands of years ago, they tried. In the end, nothing they came up with could explain how magic works. It broke every rule they thought of."
>That... actually makes sense. Just from a conservation of energy standpoint, you've seen Twilight do things that would strain heavy machinery, and she didn't even break a sweat. Where was that energy coming from?
>Humans have had hundreds of years of the scientific method to build up an understanding of the world. Even with that, the magic you've seen here defies any obvious explanation.
>It still doesn't seem right, though. Even if it couldn't explain magic, surely there were problems that needed solving that required innovation or invention.
>And surely with invention came understanding of the world? A more innate, intuitive knowledge of how a part of the physical world works must follow from building something that interacts with it.
>Would that not pave the way for more questions, for more inquisitive thinking and investigation?
"So where do your inventions come from? How do you navigate? Sail the seas? How do you irrigate your crops? Where did the ideas for the train come from, or the printing press? How did you develop medicine? Someone must have come up with those things."

>>25680551
>Dash shrugs
>"It's magic, Anon. A lot of those things are powered by unicorn magic, or by how Earth ponies are good at growing stuff. Heck, most of the things you described have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years."
>Magic.
>Of course.
>What else could it have been?
>The ponies' greatest power is the thing holding them back.
>You'd been reading a lot in the month since you'd been here, and the lack of change in Equestria was startling. For two thousands years, there had been almost no changes to the ponies' lifestyles.
>Politically, economically, technologically, they'd achieved about as much progress in two millennia as humans did in a century.
>Heck, their leaders are immortal, literally a constant throughout the whole history of the country.
>Was this stagnation, or stability?
>A world almost static, devoid of change, of curious thought. And why should they want change?
>To any question, the answer was simply magic. Need more food? Earth ponies can do it. Need a power source for a new method of transport? Why invent an expensive, complex machine like a steam engine when you have access to magic? Want long distance communication? There's a spell for that.
>And it wasn't just the practical problems. When you accept the existence of some inexplicable force, any difficult question can be answered with the wave of a hand. Why do the celestial bodies move the way they do? Magic. How do diseases spread? Magic. How is energy transferred from a hot object to a cold one? Magic.
>Magic
>Magic
>Magic
>Your mind reels

>>25680993
>Necessity was the mother of invention. The ponies had no needs or wants that couldn't be fairly easily fulfilled with magic, so what need did they have of invention or innovation?
>Sure, from what you'd seen, magic wasn't a perfect match for science in terms of utility. On a day to day, personal level, it was probably at most as good as modern technology. When it came to industry, though, it was hugely behind, probably comparable with the early industrial revolution. Magic in factories or agriculture needed lots of oversight from individual ponies, who had to personally control the magic, or monitor it.
>It was inefficient, but that didn't matter. It was efficient /enough/. It matched the needs of the ponies, and technology not only /didn't/, but it wouldn't even be able to do so for hundreds of years.
>As a labour-saving device, magic was good enough that it didn't make sense to start working on complex technical solutions to problems, mundane or not.
>In fact, magic would probably make a technical solution laughable. Imagine comparing early irrigation to Earth pony magic, capable of growing whole orchards in the middle of barren desert.
>The more you think about this, the more the outlook on science here makes sense.
>Not only does it not seem to offer a meaningful insight into the world, but it wouldn't even be of any practical use anyway.
>And if the ponies believe magic is inexplicable, then where does that end? Who decides what the cut-off is for what can be explained, or do ponies just assume they're dealing with 'magic' whenever they see something they can't easily understand?
>Do their philosophers not question what existence is? Do they not wonder if we're alone in the universe? Are they curious about what beauty, truth or love are?

>>25681031
>That's not to say the ponies are stupid. You've seen their art, read their poetry, their philosophies. But they focus on social issues, and even then, their arguments aren't based on rationalism but, rather, are empathetic or emotionally driven.
>While their outlooks and arts are still impressive, their understanding of the world is weak, almost childish.
>The more you think, the more Equestria seems not like the utopian paradise it had seemed when you first arrived, but a hollow, vacuous place where intelligent ponies accepted things at face value, never questioning or wondering how things work.
>With a sinking feeling, you start to wonder what this might mean for mankind's development.
>Was a happy, stable society impossible without sacrificing a desire to learn about the world around us?
>Is technological and scientific advancement driven through change and adversity, or is it the other way round?
>Does our constant drive to ask questions and expand our understanding cause the problems in our world that we strive to fix, or are the problems themselves what make us seek better solutions?
>Surely not. Humans lack magic, so have to come up with their own solutions in stead. And since the scientific method was, by its very nature, ever changing, any society based on rationalism must also be in a state of flux, if not socio-politically, then at least intellectually.
>More scary, though, is the possibility that ponies and humans are fundamentally different on some level, that humans are simply incapable of true, society-wide happiness, while ponies naturally formed more stable systems.
>Were humans just unable to find contentment in their situations? Is that why the drive for improvement is constant- has /been/ constant -throughout our history?
>You're not sure what scares you more; that idea, or the possibility that, if humans had access to magic, they too would have given up the search for understanding.

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Damn Pete, you going all out with this one

>>25681071
>Would that even be a bad thing? The ponies were blissfully ignorant, seemingly with no desire or drive to expand their knowledge beyond the superficial.
>It was like a kid watching a puppet show, never questioning what was making the puppets move, fine with just enjoying the story.
>And they were happy, content. It was the status quo, had been for thousands of years. You wanted to share with the ponies a deeper understanding of the world around them...
>But did they even need it?
>"You ok, Anon?"
>Dash's question snaps you back to reality
>Dash. A reminder that not all ponies aren't curious about the world, that they did /try/ to explain the things around them.
>Perhaps it was the framework they lacked, their society looking down on science and discouraging ponies from following the empirical method.
>If you wanted to change things, you'd have to find other like her...
>The was /if/ you even wanted to change things.
>Is that a decision you could even personally make?
>For a second, you just stare at her concerned face
>You groan
"I think I need a drink."

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>>25681103
He is, and I love it.

>>25681120
you go mang.
I'm still writing up the plot of anon climbing a fucking mountain with his 420 pound body.
also i have to go to the store and get somethings cause I'm cooking tonight

>>25681120
That's all for tonight, pastebin here:
http://pastebin.com/9H8f7A0s
And I'll try to have something ready for Tuesday night, if not slightly sooner.

Sorry for the lack of quality of that last bit, I'd written it better, but deleted it and had to rewrite in less time. Any feedback/criticism is greatly appreciated, it'll help me avoid making any mistakes again in the future.

>>25681103
Yup, I've been getting into philosophy recently, and magic vs technology is something I've thought about before. It will definitely get more 'science-y' than it's been so far, but I want to try to keep exploring the principles of science in a bit more depth, too. I was worried it might be too dry, so as long as people are enjoying it, I'm more than happy to carry on.

>>25681264
With Anon weighing that much, it'd probably be easier to bring the mountain down to his level.
I'm looking forward to reading what you got

Jesus christ ok I got a few minutes
>>25675753
>A). Climb the mountain

>Brain: I think you should climb the mountain
> What! Why?
>Brain: Well you have always wanted to get in better shape
> Yeah that's true
>Brain: This is your chance!
> But there is a road right there!
>Brain: JUST DO IT
> Fine

>>25681031
>>who need to control or monitor the magic
so like any industrial erra factory ever?

>>25681773
> Approaching the mountain with a look of determination you crack the knuckles of your baby hands
> Alright Anon, let's do this!
>Grabbing the first ledge you see you put your foot in front of yourself and shift your weight onto your hands and feet.
> Left foot, right hand, then right foot, left hand
>You continue this pattern for a good few minutes
>Brain: Your palms are sweaty
>Brain: Knees weak, arms are heavy
>Brain: There's vomit on his sweater already, Mom's Spaghetti
> Stop it!
>Brain: You're halfway there!
> REALLY?
>Brain: No not really your only a quarter the way there
> Fuck!

>>25681870
> After a good 7 hours you finally made it to the top, just outside the city
> Your phone died a little while ago
> You look up and see the walls of the city
> Wait...
>Doing a double take reveals that the city is surrounded by walls and a large pink bubble
>The bubble has a few cracks here and there and there are many holes in the wall
> How do you get in?

A.) Walk forward. Someone will see you and let you in
B.) Through a hole in the wall. There is at least one you can fit through
C.) Your inner child compels you to BREAK THE FUCKING BUBBLE!

>>25681934
B.) Through a hole in the wall. There is at least one you can fit through

>>25681934
A) there's no need to make pointless enemies

Quick question

What thread is this?
I remember two threads had the robo main-six and the next one had pinkie pie with the mech. so what thread number is this?

>>25682029
The pastebin in the OP hasn't been updated for this thread but going by that this is the 11th thread

>>25682066
alright thank you

Also since no one can decide what to do

first decision to get three people agreeing with them. then the decision will happen

Hey Eyecancer I'm the anon who chose A I don't mind if you write the B option.

>>25682149
>>25682407
an I am the one that chose B, and I dont mind if you choose A

>>25682407
>>25682553
How about we meet halfway and all three choose c
At least that's my choice

>>25683017
I would think meeting halfway on all three would be something like he approaches. He doesn't see anyone so he sneaks in through a crack. The crack is too small for him though and his trying to force his way through the crack causes it to break.

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>>25683017
I think we should pick c as well

>>25683821
>>25683017
Might as well throw my hat in with c as well

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>You are Anon.
>You are not an engineer.
>You really only have an education in general science.
>A bachelor's, no less.
>When Twilight decided that, since she can't comprehend anything outside the scope of "a wizard did it", everything you've ever said about your old world's technology MUST be a lie.
>And on top of that, she's ANGRY at you now because you're suggesting things that she can't immediately explain away with magic.
>Because Princess Twilight Fucking Sparkle is ALWAYS right.
>Cunt.
>You spent a solid two hours arguing about light bulbs and how they work, which really only resulted in swearing never to speak to the mare ever again, and also making Twilight cry.
>Now that you've got that out of your system, you think back on the last few years.
>From the relative peace of your shitty cottage, you've been re-discovering Earth's technology.
>You aren't about to Macgyver together a nuclear reactor, but you can put together light bulbs and steam engines pretty well.
>Stashed somewhere in your basement is a dozen or so boxes FULL of parchment with your notes on it, ranging from half-remembered ideas during your first week, to the calculations necessary for a steam engine not to explode when you use it.
>Oh, your basement!
>You have one now.
>You had a huge basement commissioned with all of your experiments housed within.
>Not long after your intense argument with Twilight (and after you calmed down a bit), you contacted the Princesses and gave them an offer.
>They provide you with funding, and in return you develop tech that will improve the daily lives of ponykind.
>They were understandably hesitant; they'd been alive for thousands of years, and nopony had developed the light bulb.
>But knowing that you were from an entirely different world, they gave you a small amount of bits as an act of faith.
>Two weeks later, you surprised them with a working light bulb and hand-crank generator.
>Needless to say, your funding increased significantly.

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>>25684321
>One other thing you asked in exchange for your work was to keep the newest Princess in the dark.
>You aren't proud of that. It was immature and petty.
>But God only knows that you are more stubborn and spiteful than the average human, and you didn't want Twilight to fuck things up for you.
>She could halt the delivery of your raw materials; spread word that you're a liar to discredit you; straight-up ban production of your goods for "public safety".
>Again; cunt.
>All Twilight knows is that the Princesses are regularly sending in an unusually-large shipment of steel, copper, and other raw materials.
>Princess Celestia told her that the contents were confidential, and Twilight tripped over herself in her effort to obey.
>This is despite the fact that Twilight is on equal grounds (in terms of authority) as the other three Princesses. Or, at least high enough that she is legally allowed to look at the contents of these shipments.
>She's completely in the dark over what you're accomplishing.
>This isn't to imply that you and Twilight haven't spoken to each other in years; you are no longer friends, but you can have a civil conversation when you meet up at the market, and you'll sit at the same table when you're having drinks with your friends.
>The argument was really the straw that broke the camel's back in regards to your relationship with Twilight. You were never really good friends with her to begin with, and her obnoxious "I'm always right" attitude rubbed you the wrong way.
>Don't think you haven't noticed the way she looks at you patronizingly.
>However, today is the day.
>You've already personally delivered prototypes of your inventions (re-inventions?) and demonstrated them in front of the royalty, and they've had their own researchers study your machines for ways to implement them in the future.

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>>25684334
>With a city as small as Canterlot (compared to your old cities, that is) and the ability to control the weather, a few dozen wind stations should be enough to light up all of their capital city.
>And it's all going to be unveiled tonight.
>After this, you can share your business with the world.
>A steam-powered tractor for the Apples; no more firefly or oil lamps for anypony; even a basic combustion engine for the biggest tasks that either magic can't handle, or required dozens of unicorns to provide enough energy to accomplish.

>And so you stand with your five pony friends (and one pony friendly acquaintance) in front of a big podium made of study metal frames.
>Applejack and Rainbow Dash are excited to see what was so important that the Princesses had summoned the Elements of Harmony (as well as most of Canterlot's nobility).
>Twilight was too busy admiring the steelwork that your hard work allowed ponies to produce.
>"Look at it! Everything is so smooth and uniform. I can't imagine how talented the smithy had to be to produce all these. There isn't a single impurity in the metal, either."
>Keep it in your pants, Twilight.
>Princesses Celestia and Luna materialize in front of the heavy red velvet curtains, grabbing everypony's attention.

>>"Hear ye, hear ye! The Princesses of Equestria, that is Luna and I, are proud to present to you inventions that will change the world!"
>"Oh! Oh goodness, whatever do they have to show us?"
>You can barely contain your glee.
>>"But first, I must ask the stallion behind these innovations to join me on-stage."
>Pause for dramatic effect, and.....
>>"Or rather, the MAN behind the innovations."
>Celestia winks at you, and you wink back.

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>>25684345
>Twilight is looking at you in confusion.
>She still remembers the human nomenclature you taught her before your weekly study sessions stopped.
>With a smug, shit-eating grin directed at Twilight, you stand from your seat and stride up the side stairs and onto the platform.
>>"Anonymous the Human requested funding, years ago, so that he could re-discover the marvellous sciences of his civilization and share them with ponykind. In exchange for contributing to the royal effort of improving lives, he asked only to keep his work secret until it was ready to be revealed."
>A glance at the audience shows enraptured (if confused) faces.
>Twilight's looking mighty pale.
>You get a half-chub just from the look on her face.
>Cunt.

>The reveal goes AMAZINGLY. Ponies gasp at all the right times, clap in all the right places, and are generally thrilled that they no longer have to rely on unicorns to get most things done.
>The unicorns in question look relieved that their workload is going to be much, much less back-breaking.
>When you demonstrated how light bulbs work, Twilight practically shat herself in rage and disbelief.
>You practically climaxed when you saw the look of dawning horror when you went through, step by step, how these fucker function.
>That's right, bitch. Who's the moron now?
>(hint: it's you)
>(you're the moron)

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>>25684360
>Your favourite part will always be etched into your memory.
>You got a container of the closest thing you had to petroleum and dumped it into the fuel tank of your combustion engine.
>You tugged on the starter-cord a few times, and watched as even the Princesses jumped a bit at the noise this thing was making.
>The engine (which was really more of a generator) was hooked up to all sorts of lights and stupid devices with moving parts.
>These had been hidden in the dark corners of the room, and had gone unnoticed until now.
>But with the generator powering them, everypony lost their collective minds.
>You aren't sure if Twilight wanted to scan the generator or destroy it, but when she jumped off of her seat and rushed on stage, Princess Celestia didn't let her get close.
>She kept on shouting about how it couldn't work without magic, and how big of a liar you were.
>Yup; full on erection now.
>You pitch a tent in your pants in front of hundreds of ponies, and you don't even care.

>A few days later, once Twilight had calmed down, the two of you had a very long discussion.
>She was super-pissed that you had hidden all of this from her, and nervously denied your accusations that she would have tried to put a stop to your shit.
>You accepted an apology (and a written and signed document admitting that she was wrong) from the youngest Princess, and the two of you parted ways.
>The two of you still meet up for drinks occasionally, and you get a sense of smug satisfaction when you and your collective group of friends sit at a table with an electric bulb hanging from the ceiling.

End.

>>25684371
https://youtu.be/_R6IQfpd7y8?t=48s
How I imagine the conversation where Twilight admits he was right

Ok bump
green in a few minutes

>>25684371
It has a more lighthearted feel than most of these stories. I liked it.

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>>25681934
C.) Your inner child compels you to BREAK THAT FUCKING BUBBLE

>That bubble...
>Unf...
>Walking closer to the wall on your blistered feet you look at the cracks in the pink bubble surrounding the city
> I'm gonna tap that shit
>Brain: Do it faggot
>20 feet
> I'm gonna do it
>Brain: C'mon, C'mon!
>15 feet
> I'm gonna pop it
>Brain: Do it!
>10 feet
>Brain: JUST DO IT
>5 Feet
>Brain: HURRY UP FAGGOT! I'M LOSING MY BONER! Pic related to this sentence
>1 foot
>You reach out your hand and poke the large pink obtrusion
>The fuck...
>Your hand just passed right through it.
>WHAT THE FUCK!
>Your inner child is throwing a temper tantrum that would rival the detonation of the Tsar bomba
>REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>You walk right through that fucking bubble and into the city.

>>25685245
pastebin updated.
http://pastebin.com/yPJZ91Rt
my name is EyeCancer

>>25685245
im done for now.
just keep the thread alive for now

>9

>>25681472
Now that you mention it I can't immediately remember any stories that put a focus on the differing philosophies between humanity and ponies as a result of magic. Does anyone else know any stories where that occurs?

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>>25684371
I see you're not binding yourself to a single general
I'll be watching

>>25684321
pones have steam engines

>>25684345
pones have flashlights.

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>>25689654

>>25690059
jesus christ how horrifying

>>25690059
are those fucking googly eyes
that's amazing

I see that Pete is back with a new green that he will surely finish.

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>>25690059

>>25691823
where is that picture from?

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>>25684371

I miss the story where Anon had his own tinker shop with Time Turner. Does the writer still lurk here?

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>>25693296
It's too bad nobody else used Time Turner in their stories because he seems perfect for this thread

>>25693833
There was one writefag that did, can't remember the name though

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bump

have another bump

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Bump for eye cancer 's (soon) return

Eye Cancers soon return bump. Where are you, write friends ^:(

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Boop

Waiting for PeteQ to continue his story

>>25702793
Writing now. By the way, if anyone disagrees with any of the arguments or points in the last bit, criticise or raise a counter point. I'll try to address them in the story in a future post

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>>25702833
Can't wait.

bumping for peteq's story

>>25681120
>"Wow, that's a pretty heavy load!"
>Twilight's words snap you out of your concentration
>She smiles as you nod sheepishly, surrounded by thick books.
>Your talk with Dash left some serious questions, and the library seemed like the best place to start looking for answers
>As you carefully mark your place in a dusty tome, Twilight levitates a few of the discarded books
>"A Concise History of Equestria, The Essays of Neighcarte, the Encyclopaedia Equestria, On Ethics and Morality... I'm impressed!"
"Heh, yeah. Fancied a little light reading, you know?"
>You grin as Twilight chuckles
>"I can relate."
>With a nod, you stare at Twilight
>There's something you need to ask her.
>Three days ago, you were sure you were going to introduce Equestrian society to the scientific method. Now?
>Well, there were... complications.
>Could you guarantee that a scientific revolution wouldn't destabilise the country, indeed, the whole world?
>Was it better for ponies to live in happy ignorance, or unhappy knowledge?
>It wasn't even like you were sure it would end that way. You ideas may never really take off, or they could even help the quality of life rise even higher.
>After all, what was science if not a way to fulfil the deeper needs of man, giving us knowledge and understanding that made our lives richer.
>Ultimately, you had to make a choice. For almost two days, you've been reading.
>While it's all fascinating, it hasn't answered your questions.
>You'd hoped to find out more about the life outlook of ponies, but the books weren't dealing with the right issues.
>A book can only get you so far. What you really need to do is to talk to a pony.
"Hey, Twilight? Mind if I ask you a couple of questions? They'll be pretty deep, I'm afraid."
>"Well, if that's what you consider light-" she waves a hoof at your books "- then I don't know if I'll be able to answer!"
>She takes a seat opposite you at the library desk
>"What did you want to know?"
>You frown

>>25704863
"Well..."
>Is stability more important than understanding? Is it right to sacrifice understanding for happiness? Intellectual growth for peace? Progress for magic?
"Say a great magician invented a new spell-"
>"-discovered," Twilight corrects you
>You wave a hand dismissively
"Yeah, discovered. Say they discovered a new spell that would put a pony in a deep sleep, forever."
>Twilight furrows her eyebrows as you continue
"For the whole time that pony was asleep, they would be dreaming a dream so realistic, that they thought it was real life. They would forget having the spell cast on them, they wouldn't have any reason to doubt what was going on around them was real."
>You pause, thinking carefully about how to word the next bit
"In this dream, their life would be perfect. They would be fulfilled, happy. There would still be downs, sure, but ultimately everything would end well for them. Anything they set their mind to, they could accomplish. They would go from being sick in real life, to perfectly healthy in the dream. From a failure to a great success. From a lonely outcast to a beloved leader."
>Twilight frowns slightly at the last one
"You following me so far?"
>She nods
"Ok. Then my question is this: If I told you I'd discovered this spell, and that I could cast it on you right now, would you want me to?"
>Twilight looks shocked
>"No, of course not! That would be... that would be terrible!"
>Hmmm.
>You weren't exactly sure what her response would be. A part of you wouldn't have been that surprised if she said she'd want the spell
"Why would it be terrible?"
>"Well, what about my friends? My family? I'd never see them again!"
>You shake your head
"No, no. You've missed the point. You'd see them all the time, exactly as much as you wanted. Everything would seem normal to you."
>"Oh..."
>Twilight looks down in thought, puzzled for a moment
>"But they would all miss /me/! Going into that sleep would hurt others, I couldn't do it."
>You shrug

>>25704997
"Right... but..."
>You're not getting the answers you need. You have to know that it's her personal choice, not something she feels morally obligated to do.
"Ok, forget about your family and friends. Let's say that they all decide they'll do whatever you do, and they'll be happy. What do /you/ want?"
>Twilight fidgets for a moment
>"I... I couldn't. It just seems wrong. I mean, it wouldn't be real, would it? It would be hollow."
"It would /feel/ completely real. You would never know it wasn't."
>Twilight shakes her head
>"It's wrong. It's not the same."
>That's it. The answer you were looking for, or at least the first stage of it.
>A desire for reality rather than complete happiness. For whatever reason, the fact that she has such a deep aversion to the idea is a good sign.
>If ponies really were purely interested in gratification no matter from what source, she'd have wanted the spell cast on her.
>Time for the next question
"Right. So let's say that you decline the spell, and this powerful wizard destroys any evidence of it ever existing. Then he asks you out for a drink."
>Twilight cocks her head in confusion at the sudden shift
"Say, for arguments sake, that you fall in love. You get married, have foals. You're perfectly happy. But say, unbeknown to you, he was having an affair, seeing another mare."
>Twilight's eyebrows crease again. This line of questioning doesn't seem like something she's 100% comfortable with
"Would you want to know?"
>She nods without hesitation
"Even though it would ruin your happiness? Tear your life and the lives of your children apart?"
>"I'd want to know. It's better to know the truth than live a lie."
>You blink
>Shit, that's almost exactly what you wanted to hear
"So you'd want to know the truth, even if it hurt you?"
>She nods again, resolute
>Well. That makes things a bit easier. A clear desire to know the truth rather than live a lie, in both circumstances.

>>25705054
>There are other questions, ones about what the effects of enlightenment might actually be on society, but Twilight isn't going to be able to answer those
>You grin at Twilight
"Excellent. Thanks for answering."
>Standing up, you stretch
>Take a short break, spend a while longer reading. Then start trying to come up with a plan. The first step would-
>"Anon?"
>You glance back to Twilight
"Yeah?"
>"Is everything ok?"
>You're taken aback
"Uh... yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"
>"Those questions, they... is something wrong?"
>Oh
>Maybe those aren't the kind of questions ponies ask. Ponies that are 'ok', anyway
"Nope. I'm good."
>"You know, I'm here for you if you ever need to talk about anything."
>Twilight gives you a sincere look
"Uh... thanks. Same here. But for you, I mean."
>"About /anything/, Anon. Any time."
>You nod
"Yup."
>"I mean, even-"
"I got it, Twi. You're worrying about nothing, I'm fine."
>You give a grin and Twilight returns it
>"I'm just looking out for my friend."
>Her friend.
>It's a pleasant thing to hear.
>And really, apart from the whole science thing, you think of Twilight as a friend too. She's been nothing but kind and caring to you since you first arrived. They all have, in fact.
>Just the other day, Pinkie baked you a "Happy Tuesday" cake. Then there was those kids that found out you didn't have a cutie mark, and invited you to join their club as an honorary member.
>There was Dash, who always brought a smile to your face, putting on airshows for you, or trying to get you into her book series.
>Heck, there wasn't a pony that hadn't tried to make you feel welcome in some way.
>You look at Twilight's concerned face.
>You almost laugh. You thought they'd lose their kindness, their happiness if you introduced technological and scientific change. Somehow, you don't think that's an issue at all.

>>25705081
>Suddenly, things seem like they've fallen back into place.
>A large part of you is excited to see what wonderful things these ponies can achieve if you push them out of their comfort zone. As much as they learn, it's your privilege to learn even more, to see the things humans have built with new eyes.
>You smile at Twilight
"I'm fine Twilight. I really am."
>She gives a relieved sigh
>"Phew. You really had me going there, Anon. What was with those questions? Are they the sort of things human normally ask?"
>You shrug
"We've a curious bunch."
>Twilight bobs her head in agreement
"Well. I'd love to chat, but there are a few things I need to look in to."
>Her face scrunches up slightly, in thought
>You need to start your revolution. First thing to do is get Dash on your side. She's interested in this stuff already, and she'd be a great help in spreading the word, especially since a fair few ponies look up to her.
>The important thing right now is that this is something you're going to commit to, to spend your life working on if needs be.
>You owe it to these ponies who've helped you so readily.
>The best thing you can give them back is this, the chance to grow and develop.
>Twilight's still looking puzzled as you turn to leave
"I'm off. I'll see you around, Twi."
>"Wait..."

>>25705105
>She calls to you almost hesitantly.
>"The first question, about the spell? I was thinking..."
"Yeah?"
>Twilight's face drops slightly, growing a frown
>"... How do I know someone hasn't cast that spell on me already?"
>Huh. That's not the kind of question you were expecting from a pony
>"Is... that the kind of question humans ask?"
>You give her a nod
"That's exactly the kind of question humans ask."
>She perks up slightly, leaning forward in anticipation
>"And what's the answer? How /do/ we know this world is real?"
>You grin, cheerfully.
"We don't. Bye!"
>With that, you leave a bewildered looking Twilight in the library
>Maybe it was a bit mean, but you couldn't help yourself.
>After all, perhaps that'll jolt her into thinking a bit more deeply about the world.
>That or drive her insane. You're not exactly a pony expert
>Either way, today's been a good day.
>Tomorrow's going to be an even better one...

>>25705119
That's all for tonight. Pastebin updated here:
http://pastebin.com/9H8f7A0s

Any feedback/criticism is greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone wants to discuss any of these points, or even argue against them, I'd be more than happy to do so. These are things I've always wanted to talk about with regards to MLP/fantasy in general.

>>25705105
"We've a curious bunch."
Should probably be We're.
>>25705410
That is the only mistake I spotted. Once again thanks for the great green. This Anon seems like he will be a fun one.

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>>25705410
Wow, I'm impressed. Didn't expect one of these prompts to pop up around here. By any chance do you study anthropology or psychology, because those were pretty spot on.

more?

>>25705119
>>"And what's the answer? How /do/ we know this world is real?"
>>You grin, cheerfully.
>"We don't. Bye!

I think this is my favorite part of the update. Get her to question the nature of reality itself before just cheerfully leaving. I just picture Anon leaving with a biggest stupidest looking grin on face as he leaves

>9

>>25707036

>>25705410
Could you list the paste?

>>25676586
Not so sure about continuing. For a paradigm shift to occur, as I wrote, there must be an anomaly that a current paradigm can't explain, which would turn it into a crisis. Actually crises that have occurred are like the perihelion precession of Mercury which through Newtonian physics for a loop. I doubt that I'll be able to come up with one for magical technicolor horses anytime soon.

>>25705119
>>25705410
>dat descartes's evil demon
oh fuck, my dick

I'm assuming that you're going to take this whole concept and run with it till your legs give out, but keeping in mind that Descartes was a noble, yet utter failure in his search for the foundations of knowledge, due to the Cartesian circle, are you still going to keep parity with his writings, or will you attempt to diverge from them? I'm fairly certain that a pone like Twilight would be able to point circular reasoning out rather quickly.

You know what might be interesting?
Instead of science vs. magic, why not science + magic?

I'd think that any Anon who knows even a little bit about science and technology would be able to recognize the potential that magic offers.
Technology without physical limitations? It's basically like getting a science fiction future world dropped into your lap.

>>25705444
>Should probably be We're.
Quite right, fixed it in the pastebin.

>>25705668
>By any chance do you study anthropology or psychology
I study pure mathematics, but I do try to read into other subjects when I get the chance.

>>25708481
I'll list it next time I update: I don't like the way pastebin artificially inflates the number of views on the bin.

>>25709485
Don't have much time to give a full response but:
>utter failure in his search for the foundations of knowledge
The important thing, in the context of this story, is that he searched at all. Was arguably first thinker to argue for use of rationalism in sciences.
>still going to keep parity with his writings
Will mostly be trying to touch on writings from multiple scientists/philosophers/mathematicians. Would rather explore their concepts through arguments/criticisms than through simply recounting them. With that in mind, I'm unlikely to stick fully to any philosopher's works since I wouldn't have time to get too in depth on their whole body of work.
>I'm fairly certain that a pone like Twilight would be able to point circular reasoning out rather quickly
If Anon can get Twilight to do that, he would be v. pleased with himself.
Not sure whether fully relevant, but on a personal level: I consider the cogito argument to be tautological rather than syllogistic in nature. Happy to explore such criticisms, though

>>25709707
>Instead of science vs. magic, why not science + magic?
I think this is pretty much a natural progression. If ponies did work at technology, it would only be a matter of time until they married it with magic. Something I was planning on bringing up in the green

How much deviation from the original prompt is permitted? Are stories generally accepted so long as it's human ingenuity against horse magic?

If I do wind up doing this, it'll probably be shit. I'm pretty green at writing green.

I've been floating an idea based on Factorio for a while, but in all likelihood there would be no dialogue between anon and ponies.

>>25709707
Reminded me of something that I'm not sure has been done here.

There's a short story that is brought up every HFY thread, or it was when /tg/ started doing them. Basic summary-

>Aliens land on Earth
>Ship is reminiscent of 18th Century galleon
>Welcoming delegation arrives to greet them
>Doors open, aliens disembark and form ranks
>Suddenly level muskets and begin rank fire
>Humans respond with automatic weaponry, aliens cut down, survivors captured
>After breaking the language barrier and interrogation, humanity learns the aliens are galactic conquistadors
>They arrive at a planet, make a show of force on any locals who rarely have technology to match them, and claim it as their territory
>Thing is, nobody with space travel has advanced beyond Victorian era technology
>The reason is that anti gravity tech is unexplainable - it's easy to understand and manufacture, yet doesn't match any known science
>All races who develop it end up discarding the scientific method because of it
>Somehow humanity never discovered it themselves, so instead they innovated in other areas
>So now they have the most advanced tech in the galaxy plus easy space flight
>Many 'oh fucks' from the alien prisoners

PeteQs story seems like a more fleshed out version, magic does everything as opposed to just anti grav.

>>25710520
http://i.imgur.com/OM783kE.png

cant post the image, its too large

>>25710303
I managed to put those in the wrong order. My writefagging career is off to a great start.

>>25710243
Take everything I'm saying with a grain of salt, as I'm a bio major that's only having a one night stand with naturalized epistemology and philosophy to fulfill GE requirements.

But here's what I know: Descartes resolved to find the foundation of all knowledge because in his service in the 30 Years War, he noticed that people fought over their differences in belief, which was dictated by whom they surround themselves with. He believes he himself is tainted by his peers, so he begins his quest by assuming that he is being deceived by an evil demon/genius/da matrix or whatever about his entire life, thus, he must doubt everything.

After doing a bit of meditation, he realizes that in order to be deceived, his mind must exist in some form (I think, therefore, I am).

He then reasons that God must exist, as only a perfect being could have created everything, and it is more perfect to exist than to not exist. Because a perfect being must also always tell the truth (it would be imperfect to deceive), Descartes then said that the senses he was given by God must be infallible, as long as he uses them in a manner in which God intended; therefore, Clear and Distinct Perception must be reliable as a method of obtaining knowledge.

The issue of the Cartesian circle is that Descartes uses Clear and Distinct Perception to argue for Clear and Distinct Perception, since he claims that his perception must be reliable due to God, which he claims to Clearly and Distinctly Perceive. Why is this perception of God reasonable? Because God, of course.

>>25710243
>>25710763

From this autistic text I wrote, one can see that due to circular reasoning, Descartes a shit. Also, because of Maier's 1931 Reasoning in Humans experiments, we can see that our senses and assumptions of how we come to our beliefs themselves are dogshit, so all of Descartes's perception argument does come crashing down.

>>25710520
>>25710520
That story was partial inspiration for the green. Well worth a read, as is any sci fi that does something a bit different:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken_(short_story)

>>25710763
>>25710779
Some of his arguments were certainly flawed, but I still think Cogito on its own is a career worthy conclusion. There's an elegant simplicity to it.

But yeah, many of his arguments resort to circular logic. The extent, probably, of his line of reasoning in the story will be the Cogito line, which Anon will try to push Twilight toward reaching on her own, rather than simply telling her outright.

>>25705410
>Any feedback/criticism is greatly appreciated
FINISH IT THIS TIME
Have an ending planned out

pls pete i can't take it anymore

>>25710714
Here's a pastebin version for easier reading (and with the correct author referenced)
http://pastebin.com/aJQfubrK

>>25712276
Eric G. Iverson was actually a pseudonym of Turtledove.

>>25710520
>So now they have the most advanced tech in the galaxy plus easy space flight
>Many 'oh fucks' from the alien prisoners

I got the impression that the aliens were troubled by the idea that they'd actually found a civilization that was able to thrive due to the lack of antigravity tech, but now that they had introduced it, human civilization would probably collapse into the same endless stagnation as everyone else.

>>25712345
I always got the impression they were more scared about what it meant for their society. It was a while ago I read it, but they never gave any indication of thinking highly of cultural achievements. Besides, I think the point was that we could understand the mechanism for FTL travel since our scientific understanding of the universe was deeper. I'll have to reread it, though. Certainly an interesting premise for a story.

>>25710303
>>25710750
Go for it, man. The more the merrier, and the best way to improve is through getting experience.

>>25676586

Broken from either the human or pony perspective perhaps. But the rules of reality and nature cannot be "broken" per say.

Only the interpretations of them by sapient individuals.

>>25714814
Discord might argue otherwise.

>>25705119
>On your way home from the library, you decide to stop by Sugarcube corner
>The treats are just too tempting.
>You step inside, and it takes all of half a second for Pinkie to materialise beside you
>"HEY NONNY!"
>After waiting a moment for your heart to stop fibrillating, you give her mane a tussle
"Hey, Pinks. Didn't expect you to appear so suddenly."
>She grins craftily to herself
>"They never do..."
>The two of you walk over to the counter
>"So, what've you been up to?"
"Thinking."
>"Thinking? About what?"
>You stare wistfully into the distance
"The meaning of life."
>Pinkie give a gigglesnort, and you grin at her
>"Oh, Nonny. You're so silly!"
>Huh, here we go.
"Why?"
>"The meaning of life! I mean, come on!"
>You roll your eyes
"Yup. Magic explains it all, why ask questions. I've heard it before."
>Pinkie gives another giggle
>"No, Nonny. Not /that/. Wait here, it's easier to show you."
>She slips behind the counter, and pulls a tray from underneath it
>It has three identical cupcakes on it, all of them look delicious
>"See these three cupcakes? Take one!"
"For free?"
>You're not sure where she's going with this, but if you're getting a free cupcake you'll go wherever she damn well wants you to
>"On the house!"
>You shrug, and take a cupcake.
>Pinkie cocks her head
>"Why did you take that one?"
"Why this one in particular? I dunno, I just took one."
>"You had no reason? You took it at random?"
>You give a non-committal shrug
>Not really at random, but for the sake of the argument...
"Sure."
>Pinkie squints at the cupcake
>"You could have taken any one, but you took that one. That cupcake will get eaten, but its brother and sister get to live on."
>Uh...
"I guess?"

>>25715066
>"And there was nothing that cupcake could have done to avoid being eaten. It had no choice over being on the tray, on looking so delicious, on even being baked in the first place!"
>Pinkie's grin widens slightly
>"Its whole existence, from the moment it was created to the moment it was destroyed was completely outside of its control."
"You could say that, yeah."
>Pinkie nods sagely
>"It was born into this world alone, with nothing. Its whole existence was leading up to fulfilling a destiny it had no choice in, and then it'll be gone forever. Another couple of days, and we'll both have forgotten all about it!"
>Uh...
>Is Pinkie a nihilist?
"And you think it's like that for us?"
>She smiles
>"Whoa, Anon, you're one smart cookie!"
>...wow.
>"The meaning of life? What even /is/ meaning? You can't touch it, or eat it or snuggle up to it on a cold night! The universe is a cold, empty place, and any order or rules we impose on it are merely our own transient attempts to impose order on chaos."
>You stare at your cupcake
>"Truth, beauty, love... none of those exist beyond our own fragile perceptions. We're born into this world fumbling for meaning, Anon, trying to twist an indifferent world into something that we can bear to face!"
>Pinkie leans in close, a conspirational look in her eye
>"In a hundred years, we'll all be gone, and so will most of the people who remembered us. We come from nothing, and we go back to it. Everything we do is ultimately meaningless, Anon."
"...oh. That's an... interesting outlook."
>"Yep! And that's not even the best bit!"
>She takes a deep breath
>"SinceEverythingIsSubjectiveAndSeemsDifferentByItsPerceptionByIndividualsWe'reNotEvenExperiencingTheSameRealitySoNotOnlyAreWeTrappedInAUniverseThatAtBestDoesn'tKnowWeExistAndAtWorseAbhorsUs-"
>Pinkie sucks in another lungful of air

>>25715123
>"-ButWeCanNeverEverCommunicateAnythingToOthersInAWayThatPerfectlyPreservesMeaningSoInSomeWaysWe'reCompletelyAloneFromTheCradleToTheGraveWhichIsSomethingCompletelyBeyondOurConrolAndNoMatterHowYouLiveYourLifeThere'sNoTellingWhenACartWillRunYouOverOrYou'llBeSmashesToPiecesByAFallingPiano-"
>Again, she takes a deep breath
>"-AndSometimesIWakeUpInTheMorningAndICanBarelyGetOutOfBedBecauseTheWorldSeemsSoBigAndColdAndMyBedIsSoToastyAndWarmThatIJustWantToCurlUpAndSleepForeverButThenIRememberThatThat'sExactlyWhyIShouldGetOutOfBedBecauseMyFriendsAndFamilyAreTrappedInExactlyTheSameWayAndThatIfTheyLoveMeHalfAsMuch-"
>Gasp
"-AsILoveThemThenMyLifeDoesHaveValueAndIOweItToThemToDoMyBestToMakeThemSmileForJustAMomentBecauseIfTheyDoTheUniverseDoesn'tSeemSoSadAndLonelyAndICanAlmostBelieveThatEverythingWillBeAlright!"
>Pinkie finishes with a flourish
>You blink
"Uh... come again?"
>That was fast.
>It's impressive she can just ream things off like that, but you followed about three words she said. Something about a piano, and how toasty her bed is?
>Pinkie just giggles
>"I'll write it down for you next time!"
>You shrug
>Pinkie, huh?
>Still...
"Do you talk about the pointlessness of existence with all of your customers?"
>She shakes her head vigorously
>"Only with the ones that look like they need cheering up!"
>You laugh, and Pinkie joins in
"Still, it's a pretty morbid outlook. How do you cope with something like that?"
>Pinkie grins, and suddenly sweeps the other two cupcakes off the tray, stuffing them into her mouth and swallowing them in one go
>"That's the secret, Anon..."
>She puts the tray away
>"I eat /two/ cupcakes!"
>Pinkie saunters off happily
>Slowly, you take another look at your cupcake
"Sorry."
>You're not sure why you felt compelled to apologise, but it doesn't stop you eating it.
>And it's delicious.
>Free food always tastes better.

>>25715144
That's all for tonight, it's been a long day and I didn't really have time to write much more. I liked the idea of Pinkie being a cheerful Nihilist, so did a shorter thing based on that. Pastebin updated here:
http://pastebin.com/9H8f7A0s

Also, the pastebin's public now, because that's something someone wanted. Tomorrow will be more proper story, with Anon trying to convince RD to join him.

>>25715239
>>25715144
Forgot to put a > mark for the line after ">Gasp".

Also Pinkie's outlook I find puts and interesting spin on the dark and lonely part of "Smile Smile Smile"

>>25715239
>Tomorrow will be more proper story
Good. I don't know about everyone else, but I can't say I'm a fan of off-topic philosophizing.
Or Pinkie Pie talking without spaces.

>>25715239
Don't go too meta. Even though I enjoyed these parts, it's still possible for it to fly over peoples heads.

Also, nothing wrong with a little nihilism, it gets rid of petty inhibitions. For good or bad.

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bump

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>>25716545
what is this a bump image for ants

Wait is this HFY mulp edition?

>>25718555
It can be that depending on the writer

>>25719461
Dare you bring humanity into this? Will Anon get edgy has fuck? I really hope it isn't a fucking nazi based story this time! Find out today..! Tomorrow, maybe. I don't fucking know I got work at 5am

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Previously on: http://pastebin.com/HuM8TczH

>You walk away from that memory and collide with another one.
>[“What’s going on?”] Anonymous asks to a bunch of his people.
>[“Shh!”]
>They are all gathered watching something in a strange box with lights coming out of it.
>Wait, it’s not light alone, but it’s a bunch of moving pictures…and also sounds come from it.
>You see what it appears to be two large buildings, and a lot of smoke is coming from one.
>Maybe a dragon decided to take a nap and it’s bothering everyone in there.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FphTec8I0Xg
>What was that?!
>The memory shuts down by itself.
>You see lots of stuff on multiple thoughts.
>On this particular memory, Anonymous is receiving messages on another square thing, and words appear on a white space.
>Wait, he’s typing the words, but the machine doesn’t make that noise typewriters do.
>Could this strange machine be used for spying?
>Another memory kicks in.
>[“No one cared who I was until I put on the mask…”]
>[“If I pull that off will you die?”]
>Anonymous had access to many things in his home world.
>Those screens that you find Anonymous wasting most of his time seem to have lots of uses.
>Maybe Mythic Crown was right.
>Another memory kicks in.
>https://youtu.be/N9-7uLg-DZU?t=3s
>This one is Anonymous working at what it seems to be a factory.
>Lots of metal and noise are coming from the machines.
>Anonymous gets a square with numbers and punches them in.
>What.
>The numbers. They changed! And the square gave the result incredibly fast.
>Not even the smartest mathematicians in Canterlot can give a fast answer to a large math operation, let alone one that was just done in the blink of an eye.
>Anonymous writes strange formulas on a piece of paper.
>The technology in Anonymous’ world is utterly advanced for ponykind.
>You’ll notify your sister about these findings you just discovered as soon as possible.
>She’ll have second thoughts about granting the human the rights of that land.

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>>25719962

>Wait a second…
>You have seen plenty of things from his past.
>But you haven’t seen what he has done in the Valley of Abundance.
>He probably has ponies held against their will.
>You cast another spell to see his most recent memories.
>[“Ahhh…I’m hurt bad, that thing bit me!”] A pony says.
>Anonymous checks on the wound made by a creature from the Valley of Abundance.
>[“Don’t worry my friend, you’ll be okay.”] He says as he wraps the wound with some bandages.
>[“WATCH OUT!”] A mare yells as another creature jumps at the pony Anonymous is healing.
>Anonymous grabs a large barrel from the ground and aims at the creature.
>The barrel emits a loud sounds and fire comes from the tip.
>The creature falls to the ground…lifeless.
>[“You okay buddy?”]
>[“Yeah…thanks Anon, I thought I was a goner.”]
>Another memory kicks in.
>[“ Well that's about to change, Nova Rohan is a city for those who want to start over. We have eveything to provide for your families as long as you stick to the promise of working like the rest of the citizens, contribute and make your skills useful."] Anonymous says to a bunch of filthy diamond dogs.
>Why would Anonymous let diamond dogs to live with ponies?

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>>25719962
>["it would be extremely painful"]

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>>25719987
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-_c2-kARr4
>This time Anonymous is accompanied by a female diamond dog, they are sitting on a cliff that overlooks the small town they’ve built, looking at the sunset.
>[“Hey, thanks for everything Anon. If it weren’t for you we’d probably be Tatzlwurm food already.”]
>[“Don’t mention it Laika, you all deserve better than living in caves and eating goodness knows what.”]
>The dog rests her head on Anonymous’ shoulder and lets out a giggle.
>[“I wish the Princesses and my father didn’t see each other’s species as enemies, but as friends instead.”]
>[“Don’t worry about such thing Laika, I think we all proved that we can get along just fine, just look at your tribe! They talk to the ponies just fine. And I’m surprised your tribe got along with the ponies so fast because this isn’t possible in my world.”]
>[“How so? Humans don’t get along?”]
>[“Well…let’s just say there are many reasons why many humans can’t get along with each other, sometimes over the most petty and stupid reasons.”]
>Laika laughs.
>[“What’s so funny?”]
>[“Stop lying Anon…if humans are as bad as you say then how come you are the exact opposite of that?”]
>Anonymous lets out a chuckle.
>[“Oh Laika…”]
>You watch many other memories from Anon’s past experiences with Twilight Sparkle and many other ponies.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lapl_25jHI0
>[“Thanks a lot sugarcube! This pump is mighty useful!”]
>[“Thanks to your invention Dodge Junction won’t die of thirst sonny boy!”]
>["You know what Moony? If your dad wants you to be important then he'll soon know her daughter will be in charge of a new country!"]
>He seems to be very infatuated with that mare with the big glasses.
>["Somepony has to make sure you don't get sick, or hungry..."]
>["Aww Moony...you're the best."]
>And she seems to love him back.
>It's strange how much this human is like any other of your subjects.
>He cares for his friends, and develops technology to improve their lives.

>>25720026
Yeah more stuff!

>>25720026
So I assume that's it for tonight. The update feels like it just kinda trails off at the end. Other than that it's another great update

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>>25705119
I hate anon, never the less in this specific instance I feel compelled to say this.

>>she wants the D.

But there was no EyeCancer

I summon thee

I've had to work late tonight, so I haven't had as much time as I need to write. I'll keep going and make a judgement in an hour or so, but it seems unlikely I'll have enough to post. I'll probably have to postpone until the weekend, so don't expect any green from me tonight.

Desolé

>>25724942

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>>25720026
yes I've been waiting forever

>>25726797
NOW I l'FEELING BETTER
https://youtu.be/5vBGOrI6yBk

>>25656084
Why don't you guys just come on over to AiE? You're always welcome...

Bumpity bump bumpity bump.

>>25727282
We're doing well enough on our own so no thanks.

>>25706526
same

Man, loving the green in this thread.

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>>25727282
>AiE

>>25731413

page 9 bump

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Bump

If you could take any one piece of technology with you to Equestria, what would it be?

What's the most impressive thing you could build yourself (or directly instruct someone else to make)?

Let's get some discussion going instead of all these bumps

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>>25740379

>>25740379
>If you could take any one piece of technology with you to Equestria, what would it be?
Easy. Some kind of mobile electronic device with solar charger, filled to the brim with info-graphs, manuals and schematics. Because some things are to broad to memorize.

>What's the most impressive thing you could build yourself (or directly instruct someone else to make)?
With or without literature? If instructions are step-by-step and laid out in simple language, there is no thing I couldn't build myself, if given materials and hardware.

From memory? Dunno man, I'm sorely lacking in that department. Surely nothing that would impress ponies.

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>>25740500
How about a book?

>>25740500
>With or without literature?
Without. Based on the knowledge you have now, and no scientific institution in Equestria. Assume you have a stupid tradesperson to help when needed, e.g a blacksmith or carpenter, but they can do nothing other than follow your direct orders.

>>25740603
Funmily enough I thought about that and i would have said an engineers table, but now I remember the most important stuff about what metals do what and how to alloy them and of course what coolants and lubricants to use and how to get those
I know as well on how to build high speed drill and mill
So i think I would bring presicion instruments and tools to Equestria, and make Money in mass produktion and construction
Assholesteel S235 might finally be usefull to me

>>25740522
>Anon goes to ponyland with just this poster
>Feels satisfied
>Tries out one of the things it says
>Realizes that without detailed instructions, most of the information contained is vague trivia
>oops

You'd probably be better off bringing a novel about time travel or something. They usually go into greater detail about how to actually do stuff.

1.

>>25740379
A gun.

2.

>>25741422
something like 1632 and it's sequels then

Well, I started making a thing. I think it's shit, and that it takes way too long to get started. I'll probably continue for at least a little while even if you hate this part since I've really only set the stage so far.
Since I have no experience writing green, and only some experience writing stories, I'll be asking for input. There will be a few specific questions at the end, but right now it's just advice in general.
plz no bully

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>>25748101
make whatever man

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>>25748101
First post and the character limit is getting in the way. This is going to be annoying.

>You are Anonymous.
>You are preparing for planetfall.
>Your shuttle has been decelerating for some time now, probably a few years..
>Photon thrusters are great for long trips, not actually needing any propellant.
http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/1.32284
>Takes forever to get up to speed though.
>And you need to bring a nuclear reactor with you if you’re going into deep space.

>The vastness of space has proven to be a major obstacle in mankind’s achievements.
>Seems we aren’t going to go faster than light.
>Good news is that wormholes are a thing, if you’ve got enough energy.
>That’s why you’ve been sent to build a gateway.
>It’s a lot easier than it sounds, actually. The brains back home gave you one.
>It would have been to big and clumsy to send assembled though, so you need to put it together.
>Sorta like high tech Ikea.
>Only problem is that you need to get to your destination the slow way, so you had to be frozen for the trip.
>Even with printable organs and gene therapy, odds are everybody you’ve ever met is dead.

“Meh.”

>>25748198
>You once again test all the implants you’ve been fitted with.
>Nearly everybody has a few augments, but only the very richest can get some of the ones you’ve received.
>Odds are it was a waste of money, but it was nothing compared to the cargo of your ship.
>HQ gave you the works “Just in case.”

>Your neural grafts seem to be working. You don’t like using them though. It just feels… weird to suddenly know things you’ve never learned.
>No, ‘know’ is far too strong of a word. Be aware of?
>The prosthetic muscles and tendons are much more fun to test out. Feels like you could lift a truck.
>The surgeons told you that you were as strong as they could possibly make you without replacing your bones.
>Not really an option, nobody’s figured out how to live without bone marrow just yet.
>Your ocular implants seem fine. You barely need any light to see now, which is cool.
>Built in binoculars didn’t seem like a big deal at first, but the digital zoom turned out to be pretty great.
>You could read from several kilometers away now.
>Well, if you could hold still enough. The tiny motions you make all the time really start to make things hard after a certain point.
>Admittedly, you’d mostly used it for "bird watching".
>Your metabolic synthesizer seems to be working fine. Recycling the waste products in your bloodstream into a steady flow of nutrition. You shouldn’t need to eat so long as you can recharge the battery in your chest from time to time.
>Hopefully not a problem, your ship’s reactor is rated up to a megawatt.

>Looks like you’re ready to land…

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>>25748255

Dear Princess Twilight,

I come to you today with a matter of potential urgency.
Earlier today, we received reports of a giant metal bird making a dust storm in the badlands.
While it is my hope that this creature is peaceful, we must know more about it.
I trust that you and your friends will continue your exemplary performance, but must ask that you exercise caution. Do not get too close until you are sure it is safe.

With love,

Her Majesty Celestia Invictus Palominus Crystalius, of the great nation of Equestria and her protectorates, princess, head of the free world, defender of justice.
>You are Rainbow Dash.
>You are annoyed.

“Is that long of a signature really necessary?”

>”But of course! Nobles and dignitaries would feel slighted if they were denied her full title. How would you feel if I were to send you a letter and stop writing my name half-way through?”

>Of course Rarity would defend it. Anything overly complicated or fancy.

>”Actually, she didn’t list all her triumphs. She’s being very informal here.”

>And there’s Twilight, completely missing the point.

“Whatever. More to the point, why did you wait so long to tell us? We’ve been walking for DAYS!”

>”Oh, that’s simple. Since it’s a matter of national security communicated between two princesses, it was a classified document. I can’t just go around telling anypony what’s on those!”

>What.

>”And standard protocol is to give at least one day to consider declassifying any document.”

“But it’s been THREE!”

>”Oh, I don’t do Any paperwork on weekends. ”

>And that’s why you killed Twilight Sparkle.

>A mare can dream…

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>>25748284
>You are Anonymous.
>You really should have read the manual.
>You DID have 800 years to get around to it.
>Granted, most of that was spent in stasis.

“Why couldn’t they number the damn pieces?”

>With a minor exertion of will, you activate the computer grafted into your brain. The circuits quickly come to life, obstructing your eye’s inputs. Nanoseconds pass before the visions of the alien world around you are replaced with ‘visions’ of the gateway being assembled.
>Still feels weird to use the brain chips, but you could get used to watching videos without needing a screen.

>Oh. You had the circuit board backwards.
>Derp.
>With your cybernetically enhanced strength you firmly grasp the offending chip.
>And snap it in half.

“FUCK!”

>It’s actually not that big of a deal.
>You were sent with an adaptable 3d printer and a decent amount of refined materials back on your ship, and you’ve got a massive database of blueprints and schematics in your brain.
>You can easily make another.
>Really, this is only a minor nuisance, you’re just frustrated.
>Long hours, tedious work…
>At least you don’t need to wear your space suit here.
>Using your hands through those bulky gloves is a pain.

“Grr, I need a break. Been working on this damn thing for days.”

>Granted, days are pretty short around here.
>You chuck the ruined chip over your shoulder as you head back to your ship, you really have no way to recycle it anyway.
>Pressing a button on the side of your ship, the nose of the ship flips open, allowing you access..
>Time for a well earned nap.

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>>25748319
>You are Fluttershy.
>You are leading the group.
>Normally you wouldn’t ever do that, you wouldn’t want anypony else to feel rushed!
>But you’re just too nervoucited to see a new kind of bird.
>As you crest yet another hill in the arid land, you finally spot it in the distance.
>It’s one of the most fascinating creatures you’ve ever seen!
>But your attention is diverted by another rare creature…
>One that just walked up to the metal bird…
>And snapped its neck!
>One that you recognise.
>You’ve seen drawings of that thing before.
>You’ve READ about them...

>>25748319
Tell me if youre done for the day, because i wanna sleeeeep

>>25748401
Cunning Ape.
Previously known as Balding or Frail apes, Cunning Apes are thought to be extinct as of 504 years after the founding of Equestria (A.E.) and is the only known species of its genus.
The Cunning Ape is distinguished by its long hind legs, patchy hair, pink lips, and malformed front legs that disallow quadrupedal locomotion.
Cunning Apes are natural born hunters and should be considered extremely dangerous.
Despite being slow, weak, and seemingly lacking in all magical aptitude, they have been known to fell entire legions through trickery and deceit.

Cunning Apes are known to drastically modify their environment to a degree rivalling even civilized species.
Once established, they will even construct permanent shelter, plant and tend crude farms, and craft weapons.
While exceptionally skilled in combat, they are extremely reliant on their infrastructure, being vulnerable to prolonged exposure to nearly all weather conditions, and being almost wholly reliant on farming for sustenance. Any attempts to remove a Cunning Ape infestation should first prioritise destroying their nests and food supply.


To date, only one tribe numbering just under four hundred individuals has been found.
Their apparent peaceful nature quickly proved to be a lie once they starting arming themselves and practicing with weapons.
In a bid to preempt the coming war, five thousand soldiers were dispatched to confiscate their weapons.
The vicious opposition prompted Equestria’s second war…
The character limit is more annoying than expected.

>>25748426

>”Fluttershy, what’s wrong?”

Conservation status: believed to be extinct, kill on sight.

>That thing down there is a violent predator.
>A creature that once waged war on the entirety of Equestria.
>A MONSTER that couldn’t be beat, slaying ponies despite being outnumbered ten to one.
>You’re scared.
>But you need to be brave.
>You aren’t going to let that beast start another war.
>You AREN’T going to let that BEAST hurt your friends!

>”Hello? Fluttershy? Ooh! Are you practicing that ‘Shh!’ game you’re so good at?”

“Girls, we need to destroy that big ring thing down there.”

>“Why in tarnation should we do that?”

“Conservation status: KILL ON SIGHT!”

>>25748426
>You are Anon.
>You were laying down for all of five minutes when you hear an unearthly racket outside.
>The hell?
>You quickly run to the front of your ship and pop it open.
>When you jump out, you find the gateway in ruins.
>And a bunch of horses kicking everything that’s left.
>A purple haze surrounds the wreckage, which then catches fire!

“THE FUCK?”

>The horses look at you, then charge!
>The orange one rams you in the chest, knocking you over.
>The yellow one starts kicking you!
>You strike it with the back of your hand, knocking it prone.
>With a shriek, the yellow one is surrounded by the same purple haze, and starts floating away as all the others retreat.

>Standing up takes way too long.
>You are heavily bruised, and in a lot of pain.
>But you need to get back up before they come back.
>You saw this planet had life on it when you were coming in, but you weren’t expecting to be attacked by a pack of angry aliens out here in the wasteland!
>The gateway…
>It’s completely ruined.
>Everything except the metal is burnt.
>The power supply has been ripped apart.
>The rift generator is cracked.
>You scream in rage as you fall to your knees.

“No no no no NO!”