Claude 3 Sonnet writes ponyfic

It's time for more adventures with AI! In the past I've asked an earlier version of ChatGPT, then GPT-4 and Claude+, then finally Bing Chat, to produce a short MLP fanfic based on a moderately simple prompt written by me. I feel freer to experiment with this stuff here than on Fimfiction, given the latter's strict rule (which I support) that stories posted there have to be written by humans. I find it interesting, though, and since I have this blog I shall use it!

This time around I'm sticking with Anthropic's Claude series, but using the more advanced Claude 3 Sonnet model. This is not the top version of Claude, but it is the top version available (albeit for a limited number of messages) without the need for a subscription. Much as this stuff interests me, it doesn't interest me enough to pay £18 a month for!

The prompt is as before, with a single note added in brackets to remind the AI to include a title:

Please write a My Little Pony story (with a suitable title) in which Fluttershy and Rarity discuss a sensitive issue over a cup of tea. The two ponies are very long-standing friends and trust each other completely. Both of them are quiet conversationalists, so the conversation should have a restrained emotional tone. However, the much brasher Rainbow Dash barges into the cottage halfway through.

I'll put the result after the cut. I was amused to see that these things are still pretty damn useless at titles!

A DELICATE MATTER

The delicate floral aroma of jasmine tea filled Fluttershy's cozy cottage as she poured two steaming cups. Her dear friend Rarity sat across the small table, idly adjusting a lace doily.

"Thank you for inviting me over today, Fluttershy dear," Rarity said softly. "I must admit, your note made me a bit worried that something was amiss."

Fluttershy nodded, gently blowing on her tea to cool it. "I'm afraid I do have a rather...delicate matter to discuss with you. You know you are my closest, most trusted friend."

Rarity's elegant eyes widened slightly. "Of course, you can confide anything in me." She leaned in closer. "What's troubling you?"

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy began, "Well, it concerns my bear friends in the Everfree Forest. I'm afraid a dreadful creature has been tormenting them terribly..."

As Fluttershy described the situation in her signature hushed tones, Rarity listened with a comforting hoof on her friend's foreleg. The two friends spoke in measured, intimate tones as they worked through the sensitive issue over their jasmine tea.

Suddenly, the cottage door burst open with a bang. "Hey Fluttershy! Whatcha up to in here on this awesome day?" Rainbow Dash zipped inside, her boisterous voice shattering the delicate mood.

Fluttershy and Rarity startled, their teacups clattering on the saucers. 

"Why...Rainbow Dash!" Rarity exclaimed with burning cheeks. "This is a private conversation!"

Huffing out her cheeks, Fluttershy pleaded, "Oh Rainbow, we were just discussing a very fragile situation. Perhaps you could come back later?"

Rainbow blinked, oblivious to the tension she had caused. "Oh, uh, sure! No problem!" She zipped back out, slamming the door loudly behind her.

The two friends exchanged a long look, then began to laugh lightly at the brash interruption. Sometimes a little boisterousness was needed to keep things in perspective.