Chapter 1
Today is a beautiful spring day. May 30, 2058 to be specific. May 30th is also my birthday, my eighty-eighth this year. Yet, despite this being a warm, perfect spring day, I sit on my couch, alone in my house.
My children and grandchildren are off into the world, doing whatever it is they do. We have drifted apart, like so many families. They couldn’t come because they were both on business trips. Both too busy. We skyped for a few minutes. Got to see my grandkids. Before you correct me, I know it’s not been Skype for over twenty years, but old men like me don’t like to change.
I don’t really keep up with technology anymore, except for robotics. And even that is just a mild interest. Since my Ann died seven years ago, I’ve been finding it harder to be engaged with the world. Not much really grabs my interest anymore. There is not much to do around here, the household robots do the normal cleaning, cooking, lawn mowing, and house maintenance. All the routine tasks that would have occupied my time in the past. The house is painfully neat, tidy, organized, and boring.
There is a standing order not to clean, tidy, or organize the god damn basement. My little act of rebellion against living in a somewhat perfect world. And today, I felt like cleaning the basement. Well, rearrange would be a more accurate term. I guess I just wanted to do a little personal archaeology. I’ve always tended to keep stuff rather than throw it out. Once my wife and the kids were gone, I did this to find old happy memories.
It took a few minutes, with the help of the nurse-bot I called her Betty to get down the stairs. Once I’m here, I always feel stronger. Looking at the old things. I reverently pick up the last Marvel comic printed on paper, all kinds of games, geeky collectibles of every kind. Reminders of my youth. Of my friends. Of my beloved.
Today, I take a look at the old electronics, My son’s 3DS. My daughter’s GB4. A stack of old laptops, top tier in their day. Now only of interest to hobbyists and collectors. Consols of every kind. But when I finally stumbled on the old family network drive, I smiled. I excitedly carry them upstairs, pausing several times for breath. I finally relented to Betty’s insistence that she help me.
By modern standards, all this equipment eats power at an alarming rate, but that doesn’t bother me. I’ve done well in life, made smart investments, so I have more money than I need. After an hour of trial and error I finally got the old Mac laptop to fire up. The others resolutely staying dead with their blown power supplies, corrupted OSs, and failed hard drives.
What I found on that old drive was joy. Not only did it have all eight seasons of the fourth generation of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but also the two theatrical releases by Hasbro. I was surprised to also find the entire My Little Pony: Open Source Project (MLP:OSP), including the two hundred fifty seven episodes and twelve feature length films. It even included the PG rated final film.
I had been a fan in the day, but it had, like most hobbies and obsessions, drifted away. Mind you, these days, Bronies were was much a part of the culture as Trekkies, Vampires, sports fans, and so on. Now there’s even official MLP porn, sex bots, even an adult rated MLP series. Rule 34 indeed.
It took me four months to watch it all again. And seeing them after all those years brought tears to my eyes. I had forgotten the joy they had given me. How much those characters came to life. Season after season. How the writers developed and grew the characters. The writers never wrote down to the intended audience, they always respected them and they always threw a bone to the fans. The beloved background ponies each had their episodes. There were even two human teenagers in the last season. But most of all, I remembered why Dash was best pony.
When I had watched the last movie made, I had come to a decision. I knew there were equine form companion robots available. I did some research and found there was an offshoot of the MLP:OSP that had developed hardware and software based on the mane 6. I finally found a local dealer that carried her, and I was driven by my nurse to the shop. It was a small one in an old strip mall.
I walked in, pausing for breath every few steps. “Young lady, do you sell equine form companions? I’m looking to price one out today.”
“Yes, sir. Are you looking for a realistic equine, Pony Pony Happy Friends, My Little Pony generations one to seven inclusive, Doom Pony, My Little Equine, The Adven-”
I quietly interrupted with a smile, “Definitely a generation four Rainbow Dash.” We went through all the myriad options, choosing the open source high end learning AI, WarmSkin(TM) realistic outer covering, a sixty-four core quantum computer, and many other options. I set her basic personality to just before she met Scootaloo’s single dad and got married. I even included the anti-grav thrusters that would allow her to fly. The whole thing would cost more than a luxury car, but it was worth it. She was worth every penny.
It was a week before she delivered herself to my house. There was a knock at the door that was answered by Betty.
I heard that familiar voice, “Hi! I’m Rainbow Dash, Alex Robert’s new friend. Can I come in?”
I called out, my voice quavering slightly. “Over here Dash, I’m in the living room.”
When she came into sight, I was stunned by her beauty. I had seen the holograms when I was buying her, of course, but I didn’t expect her to be so breathtaking. She hovered into the room, her wings flapping at the exact same rate as they did in the old videos.
“Hi Alex, you seem cool. Can we be friends?”
I chuckled, “I wouldn’t say I’m cool, but yes, I would very much like to be your friend.”
She was a wonderful companion, perfect in every way. She would tell me stories based on episodes she was in, and she would create new stories. The more she got to know me, the better conversationalist she became. She would give me to occasional hug and nothing more, even though she had the basic ‘adult’ package installed. I’m too old for that anyway, far too old.
One evening, about a month after she came into my life, we were sitting quietly, listening to a podcast, when she suddenly stood up beside me. She kissed me on the lips then hugged me, “Celestia I missed you Alex. It’s been so long.” She pulled away, looking deeply into into my eyes in a way no machine ever could, then just as suddenly she lay back down. It was as if nothing had just happened.
I stroked her mane, “Dash, why did you just kiss me?”
“I’m sorry, Alex. Did you want me to kiss you?”
“You mean, you didn’t just jump up and kiss me?”
“No. Are you sure you’re remembering correctly? Should I call Betty?
“No, no I feel fine. Must have just been my imagination.”
She looked up with a sultry smile, “Would you like me to kiss you?”
I put my hand on her cheek, and for a moment the eyes changed again, ever so slightly and she kissed my palm. “No, it’s okay Dash. I’m just happy to have you by my side.” Again, for the briefest of moments, I saw a flicker of a smile.
The next morning, after breakfast, “Dash, could you run a full diagnostic on yourself, please.”
With a perky voice, “Sure, anything for a friend.” She proceeded to lay down, and become very still. Tilting her face towards me, her eyes flickered and became displays. I guess the eyes really are a window into the soul. I looked intently at the slowly scrolling list of tests, green dots indicating a passing result. The field of green was suddenly broken by several amber dots and one red. I told her to pause testing. The failing and failed systems were all related to the quantum processor. This is what allows her to be creative.
According to the diagnostics, there were several nodes that were dimensionally locked, and only getting results from a single reality. In a nutshell, the node was not working. I remembered watching a webisode of some science show where some scientists think that locked nodes are actually piercing the veil of different realities and can get information from them.
Total bullshit as far as I was concerned and most of the scientific community shared my opinion. Just more busted ass tech that will eventually clutter my basement. Oh well, may as well enjoy it while it lasts.
“Thank you Dash. Stop diagnostics and reboot.”
It only took moment for her eyes to come to a semblance of life again.
“Alex, do you want me to go back to the shop and get myself repaired? I can do it at night so you wont miss me. It should only cost eight thousand seven hundred twenty two dollars and fifty one cents, with tax.”
“That’s okay Dash. You’re fine just the way you are. Anyway, locked nodes will just make you more one of a kind.” As I said that, her eyes made that subtle, almost imperceptible change for a moment, again. In that moment, her expression changed to one of love, of longing. It startled me, but as soon as I realized what was happening, the eyes became their dull, mechanical, normal selves.
She cheerfully answered, “Okay, Alex. You’re my best friend and you know best.”
“I hope so Dash, I really do.” I patted her spot beside me on the couch, “Come, tell me a story.”
The heart failure was getting worse and I had tossed and turned, dreaming of Ann, her kind face telling me to move on. I dreamed of being young again, living in a small cottage with Dash, my wife, and Scootaloo, my daughter. I was awakened by a soft kiss. I opened my eyes and immediately saw there was something off about her eyes, “Good morning, ya big lug. How’s the man I love feel today?”
“Not bad, my chest is a little sore... wait, you said ‘the man I love’?”
“Come on Alex, you know I’m just a robot. I can’t love. You must have misheard. I’ll let Betty know so she can keep an extra eye on you,” there it was again, that look, then a tiny pause and she added, “sweetheart.”
I’ve been running the diagnostic again, usually about once a week, and each time there have been more locked nodes. She has continued to act strangely, saying and doing things that only a loving wife would say and do.
One day, she snuggled up to me, “Hold me, Alex. I... I’ve missed you so much. Twilight said things are almost ready, and you just have to hang on a little longer, then you can come home. Scoots is really excited to see you again.” I felt a rush of love I had not felt since Ann was alive. It was as if the second love of my life was embodied in this machine.
Then, as quickly as it had started, she changed back, “Did you want to have special snuggle time, Alex? If you do, we have to take it easy because of your heart.”
I pushed her away, a look of horror on my face.
“I’m sorry Alex, did I do something wrong?”
I took my glasses off and rubbed my face with my hand, “No Dash. No. Just a foolish old man. Just a tired, foolish old man.”
The gleam in her eye came back, “I love you, you foolish old man.” She leaned forward to hug me, and with a feeble arm I brushed her away.
“You can’t love me! You’re a machine. You’ve a machine based off of a cartoon. You’re not real. A cartoon’s not real. Your love is just code. You don’t really feel love for me. You’re just, just a simulation.”
Dash looked at me, pleading, “Alex, I’ve waited for you for so long. You, you never came for me and Scoots. I’m not mad, I don’t blame you. Oh Alex, I missed you so much.”
“What do you mean, I never came?”
“A few years ago I was going through a really bad time, feeling really down. Twilight tried a kind of memory spell that puts good memories in your mind, usually from a different reality. It helps with depression. Anyway, the memories I got were of you. In another world, you made me so happy. You made me feel so good about myself, about the world, about everything. You made me joyful, Alex. And I had to find a way to get you for real.”
“It took a while. Twilight finally found a spell that controls probabilities and would let me control-”
Terrified I had a rogue bot in my house, I shoved her away as hard as I could, “Get away from me you crazy machine. Betty! Help!” I stood, and at that moment, a sharp pain in my arm and chest caused me to take a sharp breath. My body became weak. I dropped to the floor, but Dash caught me and lowered me gently.
As I lay dying, my heart slowing, Dash lay beside me. Her hoof stroking my thinning hair, her synthetic lips kissing my forehead, “Don’t worry sweetheart, you’ll live. I love you and I won’t let you die.”
The pain and numbness in my chest and arm were growing, but I still laughed, “I know you love me Dash. I know. I guess I know, deep down, that you’re right. Now, hold me, please, my sky blue angel. I’m very afraid right now.”
As my consciousness fell into the blackness of eternity, the last thing I heard was Dash saying, “I love you.”
POLICE REPORT
Medical crews were unable to retrieve the body of the occupant, Alex Roberts. It was being guarded by an equine body type personal companion with a Rainbow Dash skin and null-grav lift units. We had to destroy the robot as a safety precaution. Even as it was shutting down, it tried to keep in physical contact with the occupant, saying, “I love you” repeatedly. Post incident forensics showed that all the nodes in the quantum processor were dimensionally locked.
And then...
...I was nothing.
I feel warmth on my face. A warm summer breeze. I could feel the blades of grass against my cheek. My body felt young and strong and whole. I took a deep breath and could smell lilacs. Warm soft lips. Real. Not plastic. Not human. But loved and missed, brave and loyal, her lips that whispered warmly in my ear, "I missed you."