//------------------------------// // Commencement // Story: Strictly Professional // by nameundetermined //------------------------------// The man entered his home quietly, a box in tow under one arm. He set it on the kitchen counter, greeted his son, made him an after school snack, asked him about his day, and made his way up towards his study with the box, setting it down once again on his desk. He gave a slightly nervous sigh as he unpacked the box. Inside was a slightly smaller box containing A PonyPad, as it was called, along with recently released accessories for a more immersive virtual reality experience. A headset, shaped vaguely like a helmet, was colored a soft, comfortable purple with the logo of the franchise on the side. There was a set of gloves with wires attached at the bottoms in the same color scheme. Apparently, according to the manual, the same advanced artificial intelligence that made the game possible would also automatically interpret his attempts at controlling the interface through a combination of body language via hand and head movement, as well as the movement of his eyes and mouth. He took careful pains to photograph how everything was packed as he removed it in case he needed to return the product for any reason, and he assembled the Ponypad according to the directions provided. Once everything was set up, he made sure to inform his son that he would be busy in his study for a few hours and that if he needed anything, he should simply send him a text message. He made sure that he did not require his help with any homework or any other matters, then hugged him and told them how proud of them he was before finally making his way back to his study. Once all of that was taken care of, he booted up the device and attached the peripherals to his person. As the helmet slid on, he felt a slight tingle in the back of his neck, causing him to shiver slightly as the pad connected to the internet. Once it was fully booted, the headset's internals played a pleasant jingle, and the title screen came up, prompting him to gesture for the game to begin. After a few tries, he managed to do so correctly, and the title faded out, leaving him in what seemed to be a cutscene. His character was opening their eyes, and before them was...a rather tall pony, with horns and wings, Standing in front of him in a rather regal-looking room. She was a pleasant creamy shade of white, with a multicolored flowing mane, soft, caring magenta eyes, and a regal air about her, clad in simple but elegant gold with a few gemstones tossed in here and there in her wear. A moment passed silently between them as she offered him a kind smile before she began to speak. "Greetings, my new loyal subject. Welcome to Equestria Online. My name is Princess Celestia, And I am the ruler of this land. Should at any time you require assistance or a confidante, please do not hesitate to call out for me, and I shall make myself available to assist you in whatever way you require, within reason of course." The man looked her up and down, tilting his head from behind the screen, and of course, his avatar tilted its own head the same way. he spoke plainly, politely to her. "Well, I certainly appreciate the offer, Princess," he said softly as he tried to move closer to her, his avatar stumbling a bit, allowing him to see that he was on all fours! He was a pony! At least, he was in the game. His coat was a dull, smokey grey, and his fetlocks slightly covered a set of pitch-black hooves. He seemed to be about a foot or so shorter than the Princess standing before him. He cleared his throat and made to continue to speak. "So erm...while I have you, I suppose I should ask a few questions. What exactly is the...purpose of this game? I mean, Miss Pie was somewhat vague about the actual objectives and goals present in the game." Celestia chuckled softly as she approached him, slowly making her way to his side, placing a wing over his back "My Little Pony, what is the point of life? To grow? To Experience? To Help others? Whatever you think it is, that is your objective!" she said, gesturing with a hoof with a slightly wider smile. "My own primary objective is to satisfy the values of my users through friendship and ponies, so whatever it is you wish to do here, simply do it. You shill face no judgment from me for your actions. I am simply here to facilitate the best experience possible for you." That was certainly interesting, to be sure. According to what she said, the purpose of the game was to allow the player to engage in whatever sort of conduct and experiences they wished, so long as doing so was achieved through friendship and interaction with ponies. But that was the thing: for the most part, he was satisfied with his life. His values were, by his accounts, for the most part quite satisfied. He had a wonderful son and a steady, reasonably demanding job. Really, the only thing missing from his life was, well... Yes, friendship. He supposed that it would make sense for Pinkie to come to him the way she had if something so vital to the Equestria Online experience was what he was missing in his life. Sure he had his son. They were wonderful and he would never trade them for anything in the world. But there was a difference between familial bonding and having a genuine friend, someone who shared your passions and interests who you could interact with as a peer, an equal in all things. It was, in all likelihood, his own fault that such a thing was missing in his life. But if this game was claiming to be able to provide it (and from what he had seen, he was inclined to believe it), then he would indulge, if only to see where it went. After all, from what he understood, this...Celestia character, she was as real as he was, as might be any of the ponies he interacted with, another person behind a screen or not. "So then, what happens now, Princess? Is there some form of tutorial you would like me to undertake? Any pre-established objectives you would like me to complete before I begin the experience properly?" he asked her, somewhat unsurely. "I am er...not terribly familiar with video games. That is much more the department of the younger crowd as far as I am concerned. The princess chuckled and shook her head, smiling more brightly at her newest subject "There is no need for any such formalities here. All there is to do is to decide if you are content with your current appearance and to take on a proper Pony name to protect your identity while engaging in online play with others. Now, how about you trot over to that Mirror and tell me if you are satisfied? I assembled it based on the data I gathered from your conversations with Miss Pie to try to best suit your Values, but if it is less than optimal, please do not hesitate to tell me so." She said as she gestured to a mirror that had appeared in a flash of light while she spoke to him. He nodded and slowly walked towards it, taking a few long moments to look over himself. He was built sturdy but not overly stout, with somewhat long legs and a defined, powerful musculature under his coat reflecting his actual physical condition. He had Grey...well, more or less everything, Save for his mane, tail, and Hooves, the former two having dark grey highlights. On his flanks was a picture of a simple pipe. On his forehead was set a horn amongst his well-kept mane. He nodded slowly, approvingly as he looked towards the princess once more/ You have...satisfied my values in this area optimally, I believe, Princess." he said as he walked back over towards her while she beamed at him warmly. "Excellent. I Shall proceed to give you your new Pony name. I proclaim you to now and forever be Earnest Pursuit of Equestria." She said as she gently brought her horn down onto each of his shoulders, as if knighting him before standing again, looking down at him proudly. She pointed a hoof towards the door. "Now, I believe you had someone you wanted to meet. Through these doors is the courtyard. Anypony you meet will likely be happy to give you directions to the train station. The next train to Ponyville leaves in about an hour, you should be able to catch it quite easily if you hurry. She will be waiting for you when you arrive in town, I will make sure she is aware of your impending arrival. Now, go to her." She finishes with a kind tone, letting her hoof return to the ground. He nodded and smiled at her softly before Making his way out of the castle. he asked for directions as he had been instructed, and within thirty minutes he was on the next outbound train for Ponyville.