//------------------------------//
// The Interview 
// Story: Starlight Alpha 
// by Gray Compass 
//------------------------------//

I expected to meet them somewhere in Tokyo, California, or New York City. But instead, I was sent to a place on the coast of Oregon called Searose Beach.

It wasn't that easy to find my way to Searose, but it was an once in a lifetime opportunity. The beach community was home to several expensive-looking houses and resorts, and to my surprise, the address I received from Borealis would lead me straight to one of those modern luxury spas.

'Welcome to Ambrosia Gardens' Said the white marble monolith carved on the resort's gates.

I parked my car near the entrance, still inspecting the place with a mix of curiosity and perplexity. Ambrosia Gardens was basically a series of rectangular pearl-colored buildings attached to the seafront hills through a series of dark steel beams. All the windows and glass surfaces were also dark and reflective, and many bushes and trees grew in, around, and over the complex.

Except for the distant sound of crashing waves, it was pure silence.

I headed to the main entrance with the only thing Boralis had mailed to me: A small card with a microchip, which I was supposed to use as an identification document.

The glass doors opened before I reached the end of the stairway, and from behind an exotic vine that hanged from the ceiling appeared the figure of a tall black man, dressed immaculately with what seemed to be a grayish robe.

"Mr. Delacroix, I presume." He said with a soothing deep voice. "I am Aleph, it's a pleasure to have you here."

"Oh please; just call me Pierre." I was quick to reply. "Do you work for Borealis?" I asked, shaking hands with him as he leaded me inside.

"No..." Aleph smiled. "But I'll show you the way to them."

As we moved further into the Ambrosia Gardens facilities, I couldn't help but notice the lack of any other guest. People dressed with the same outfit as Aleph were present here and there, but that was all. Everything in there seemed to be made with the intention of bringing inside the buildings all the natural light and atmosphere of a coastal forest. It did looked very calm and serene.

"May I have your identification card, Pierre?" My guide asked as we arrived in a blurred glass door. I handed him the thing, and Aleph made it disappear into a scanner. A beep later, and the doors moved aside, revealing another chamber. My card had reappeared on the other side, near one of those fingerprint sensors.

"This elevator will take you to the Borealis offices, please make sure to insert your fingerprints. It will automatically release your card." 

"Won't you come?" I asked, moving a bit hesitatingly into the elevator.

"I'm sorry Pierre, but from now on you must go by yourself." He said in a reassuring tone. "I'll see you later. Good luck." Aleph nodded slowly as the elevator doors closed, leaving me face to face with my reflex. I realized it wouldn't move until I registered my fingerprints, so I did it. 

By then, I had suddenly remembered that Ambrosia Gardens was a single-story building. The elevator swiftly descended into earth, or whatever was down there, and about half a minute later the doors on the opposite side opened, revealing a place unlike anything on the surface.

I was faced with a very long white corridor with bluish lights lining its walls, giving it a sterile, almost hospital-like look. The air was very cold, and you could feel a faint scent of silicon gloves and some kind of ether-like substance probably used for cleansing.

I checked my card again, and now the words 'Room 01' were engraved on it. There was no guide for me down there, but I moved on until I reached the end of the corridor where it split to both sides like a 'T'. Luckily, the Room 01 was straight ahead, and I only peeked left and right before inserting the card in the door scan. 

I took a very deep breath, tightened my necktie for the tenth time or so, and before I could look for the knob, the door slid to the left.



    

"Pierre Delacroix." Said a man in a dark suit sitting on the opposite side of the table.

That room was another distinct place; distinct from the corridors, and from the surface facility. Firstly, it was huge. The best way to describe what it looked like is some sort of anachronistic blend between a Victorian library and a modern office space.

There was only one huge table in the center, symmetrically arranged with everything else in that place. Two leather chairs, one occupied by the man, and the other one for me. There were long curtains covering the opposite wall, and a faint light escaped from the tiny gaps between the drapery.

It gave the place a more 'humane' atmosphere, but it was still uncanny, considering I was expecting circuits, computers and laboratories.

"My name is Carlyle Lispec, I represent the Borealis Corporation. Please, have a seat." He said, noticing the frozen expression on my face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I would introduce myself but it seems you all already know about me." I smiled a bit awkwardly.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Delacroix." Carlyle said, leaning against the table. "My employers have... peculiar tastes when it comes to decoration; I do too. But please don't mind us, this is a security facility so we decided to avoid certain modern amenities down here. There are no cameras or computers in this room." He explained, while sliding a paper across the table.

"It's been a while since I signed one of these." I said, taking the confidentiality contract in my hands and inspecting it. "Not that I wasn't expecting one." I added, returning the paper with my signature.

"Some of the old ways are always the best." Carlyle stated, locking the contract in a drawer. "Now... to the things that matter." He said, sinking on his chair again. "I must admit we were quite surprised with your patience. Two years ago when you contacted us for the first time, we barely gave your emails any attention. No offense."

"None taken." I said

"But your persistence... It started to caught our attention, in special after we truly understood the investment you were planning to do. It's not everyday we receive this kind of proposal."

"I am indeed a patient person, Carlyle. I've been waiting for the right opportunity for a long time. If I received no reply from Borealis, I'd contact the Chinese. But let's be honest, no one wants to contact them when it comes to this sort of project."

"Understandable..." Carlyle nodded. "But tell me; what exactly do you have in mind, Pierre? We have developed many artificial companions, virtual worlds, androids, and things that don't fit in specific categories; you name it."

Borealis had been in the technology spotlights for quite some time when I reached out for them. They had their mass products like any other company, but if you had enough money, you could convince them to do practically everything. Not that the general public was aware of that, but it wasn't uncommon for a quirky millionaire to request his own customized virtual Equestria. 

"The thing is;" He continued, tapping with a pen on the surface of the table. "You come with nearly one billion dollars, asking for a meeting." He chuckled, seeming a little confused. "What's in this mind of yours, Pierre Delacroix? What can Borealis do for you?"

Now it was my turn to chuckle.

"A unicorn."

"I want this unicorn." I placed an envelope over the table. Carlyle halted for a second but opened it; dozens of pictures and references were scattered around. "Starlight Glimmer." I said. "Long story, I don't think you've ever heard of this series, it has ended many years ago."

For what seemed like minutes he inspected the pictures, some were three-dimensional models I had commissioned directly from the studios.

"Unicorns. That's definitely something else. Curiously, I've heard about these ponies once." He said. "You want an android? I mean, that would be possible, but it wouldn't explain all this investment. Androids rarely cost more than a few dozen millions. We've done one before for a German guy."

"Here's the thing; I don't want an android, or a virtual world..."

"I want it to be real." I replied, pausing for a breath. "I want Borealis to build me an organic, biological unicorn. A Starlight Glimmer of flesh and bones."

Carlyle was mute.

"I..."

"I'm not sure if... I'm not sure if that's even feasible, Pierre." He pinched his chin. "And there's all the ethic barriers preventing us from-"

"I'm offering enough money to cover the company profits for years. I'm pretty sure your employers, whoever they are, wouldn't give a damn about bioethics after doing the math." I leaned over the table. "If this doesn't happen, I'll give the Chinese laboratories a call. And believe me, I don't really want to do that."

Carlyle suppressed a laugh.

"This is insane, Pierre."

"Life is insane. I am just enjoying the ride." I said. "And I want to enjoy it together with my pony."

"There are people I must contact. A lot of people. Something like this won't be easy, and I can give you no guarantee it will work. I'm being realistic here." Carlyle tone suddenly turned serious. "This may end up pretty bad."

"I've been waiting for Starlight since I was sixteen. I'm willing to risk." I insisted.

"Of all the things you could've chosen, why... why a unicorn pony?" He sounded perplexed. "I must admit, this is the most unexpected thing I've ever heard in this room. Why a flesh and bone Starlight Glimmer, if an android would be practically the same thing?" He inquired.

"Androids don't bleed; they don't feel real emotions, they don't think as we do. They are highly advanced toys. And I'm not asking for a toy."

"I'm asking for reality. As illusory as it may be, as fragile as it may seem."

"My Starlight, with all the qualities and flaws."