You Lie
The living room lights gradually lit up as I made my way through the apartment. Curtains moved aside revealing a panoramic view of Los Angeles; rooftops still bathed by the faint pinkish glow of a distant sunset. I was back from my short trip to Ambrosia Gardens, and although the future perspectives were good, I still had quite a few things to solve.
Or should I say... One specific thing.
I may have forgotten to mention a very important fact: that was not the first time I commissioned things related to that specific unicorn.
Dealing with Borealis was a huge leap, but the Chinese corporations... They delivered something five years prior.
"Starlight, I'm home." I said aloud.
"Hey, where have you been anyway?" Her voice filled my earbuds almost instantly.
"Wait a second." I reached for a tiny glass box on the table and retrieved my pair of contact lenses. After blinking a few times until the nano-circuits adjusted themselves to my eyes, I turned around to face Starlight.
The semi-translucent unicorn popped up on the couch; she had her forelegs crossed over her chest in a disgruntled manner and a cute frown stamped on her face. "You turned off your car GPS, I couldn't track you! No phone, no lenses, no nothing. I'm pretty sure that's illegal, you know?"
"It's not illegal to stay out of the radars for a day." I said, having a seat by her side.
"It should be." She rolled her eyes.
"I had a business meeting in Oregon, you know how some of these tech companies are paranoid about hidden cameras and industrial espionage."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Starlight hopped off the couch. "Just... I don't know- tell me next time you're planning to disappear."
She was one of the personal companions Carlyle had mentioned the day before. Not one created by Borealis, but by an older company that was eventually bought and merged with the group. She was with me since the test versions, and with each upgrade the whole thing became more realistic. Realistic enough to show emotions - or what resembled emotions anyway - it was impossible to know.
Dealing with artificial intelligence is tricky.
"Hey, what is this?" She asked, pointing to a side table where I had scattered the contents of my pocket.
"This what-" I stood up, realizing she had found the Ambrosia Gardens card. She couldn't know about that place, could she? I pondered.
"You've been with the Borealis folks... Why haven't you told me?" Starlight asked, looking a little confused.
"Borealis? Why are you even saying that? That's from the hotel I spent the night."
"The microchip says otherwise. I'm not dumb, Pierre." She frowned. Being an holography, Starlight couldn't touch the objects, but the cameras and sensors planted around the apartment gave her enough sensibility to see things that even I couldn't.
"Since when can you read microchips?" I asked, a bit perplexed.
"Since update 7.12, and that was five updates ago if you don't know. These circuits follow a typical Borealis architecture. You're lying to me."
"Whoa, whoa- hold on there; what are you? A robot or Starlight Glimmer?" I sighed, because deep down I knew the answer. "It was supposed to be a surprise. I didn't wanted you to know before I had some solid certainty."
"Surprise? What kind of surprise?" She insisted. "Are you finally going to upload me into an android?" A smile widened on her face.
"No Starlight, I'm not uploading you anywhere... You know I can't."
"Why, of course you can, If only I had a physical body, imagine all the things we could do! I don't see the difference between the clone droids they've been selling and one with my consciousness."
"There- you just said it; your consciousness." I knelt on the floor to stay face to face with her. "Listen... The droids are limited; they are designed to be limited, they don't have fully developed minds - not like you do. You are an AI, and no AI has ever been granted full liberty, that's why your connections are limited to this apartment and me."
"That's not fair..." Her lips started to quiver. "I don't even want to imagine what sort of 'surprise' you'll bring from them. Nothing is enough for you."
"Please don't say that, you know how much you-"
"You lie, Pierre." She stepped back, shaking her head slowly. Before a tear could run down her cheek, Starlight turned away and vanished.
I was left on my knees staring at the empty room.
"It's not my goddamn fault!" I blurted out loud.
That night all the television screens in the apartment turned black, with the phrase "you lie" written in big white letters. It made me feel like shit.
I knew she was there, like a ghost hiding in the corner of my eyesight.
Years had passed, and I failed to notice how my silly Starlight companion had evolved into a complex entanglement of emotions - artificial or not. That was the first thing I should've taken into consideration before commissioning a billion dollar version of her.
Technically, my old companion could be turned off at any time, her processors were right across the room in a compact silver box. But pressing the shutdown button seemed abominable to me. The pink led had been flashing since she was given to me.
It's kinda funny how we grow attached to certain things, how society turned objects into souls, and souls into objects.
I thought It'd be easy.
She spoke like Starlight, looked like Starlight, acted like Starlight. But still, she was just a software build up from scratch by a group of people somewhere else.
What the hell was Starlight anyway? Lines and more lines of code. I knew a few things for sure: I couldn't live with two of them, and a physical version of her would always prevail.
Would she miss me, or would she become a completely different being by the time someone else took care of her? If only brains had usb ports, I'd transfer her to the new Starlight.
It was such an unsettling thought however, to have another version of yourself lodged in your brain, or running free in the vastness of cyberspace. I don't know which one is worse.
"Starlight." I said, staring at the ceiling as I laid down to sleep.
"You'll be fine..."
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0_0 wow did not expect that
Also you updated this right as I finish reading the last chapter funny timing
Will this story have sex in it, implied or otherwise?
8604689 Was this little plot twist too much?
That's crazy!
8604699
No it wasn't too much it just was unexpected, so a good plot twist XD
8604691 Not for the time being, but if in the future people become interested in the idea, I might consider the possibility. Do you personally think it should have?
oh I hope the unicorn will be a gift for star a.i
I like this story. Keep up the great work.
8606786 Thanks, I will.
I like this, have a favourite ;)
8613237 Thank you!
As a Starlight Glimmer fanboy, this is quite the good read, hope there will be a 3rd chapter
8622230 Third chapter is halfway done! Should be finished until Saturday.