Orson stood still through the appropriately dramatic magical transition. Lights, and the world fuzzed at the edges. But as impressive as it looked, he couldn’t forget that he was really just standing in his living room. There was nothing magical here, nothing but an overreaching toy company and some decent-enough voice recordings.
Then he landed. A faint grid appeared near his back, turning darker and redder the closer he got. In front his path was unimpeded, however, giving him a clear view of the gaming area.
It looked like those photos Murphy sometimes fantasized about, showing gaming setups of rich celebrities. The ceiling was high overhead and semitransparent, though he could see only swirling fog up there. “The force-feedback system is only present in your hands, Orson. Don’t try to sit down on anything without making sure it’s a real chair.”
His escort pointed to one of the many chairs beside the table with a wing. “If you walk to that, you’ll find it lines up perfectly with the position of your couch.”
That explained why its back was so oversized, and various books and moving supplies had been piled up beside it. That’s the rest of the couch. I won’t trip over myself this way.
He ignored the seat for now, taking in the other details. The room appeared spacious, but the other half of the table brought up the grid, preventing him from exploring it. He tested with one hand outside it, and got his first touch of force-feedback. It felt like a solid wall, though with a little more force his hand just kept moving, and the faint buzzing sensation stopped.
At least for a second, before he smacked it up against a bookshelf. Not hard, thankfully—but hard enough not to want to try again.
“You can go to that part of the room, but you’ll have to learn how to use jump teleports. Since this is your first time, you should probably move conventionally until you get your hooves under you.”
He rolled his eyes. Do they pay you enough to make up silly puns for us, or are you just reading from a script? He didn’t ask—in a way, drawing attention to it felt like a dick move. He could play around for a few more minutes, and be ready for their first session.
He took a few moments to admire the space—it wasn’t just a table in some featureless void, but the walls had been modeled on the inside of a literal dungeon, with rough slabs of stone mortared together and water dripping in the distance. Thematic torchlights lit the further areas, while the table itself was lit with an even glow.
It was the perfect size for a tabletop game—close enough that he’d be able to reach everything, but far enough to give him a little personal space. There were plenty of dice and stacks of character sheets and power cards too, and figs already waiting on a shelf beside the table. He reached down, picking up one of the dice between his fingers.
It wasn’t like he’d imagined on some Star Trek holodeck—there was no tricking himself into thinking he was actually holding a plastic die. But there was definitely something there. A faint contraction in the glove and a little pressure was almost good enough to believe he was actually touching stuff. At least it gave him an easy way to know when he’d let go, for easy rolling.
“You people are here already?” asked a voice from behind—not Honeycomb. He turned, flushing in embarrassment. But it wasn’t one of his friends, or anyone else he’d seen before.
She was a soft pink unicorn, with a spider mark on her butt and a difficult-to-read expression. “I thought I had two more days. I haven’t finished with the interpolation layer on your table. Also Celestia’s gonna have to do the larping stuff. Don’t even ask.”
“I, uh… don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I’m not here to game yet, if that’s what you mean. Two days is right, that’s our first session. I guess you’re the one… making this for us? I thought Celestia made everything in here.”
If he thought that Honeycomb had been well-animated, this creature put her to shame. Her tail flicked, her nostrils flared, and she stomped right past him to the table, levitating the die he’d rolled back into a cup. “Celestia makes the ground and the air and the people. We decide what to do with it all. But don’t get yourself convinced that we’re doing something she couldn’t.” Her horn glowed, and the gaming table set itself.
Suddenly there were intricate model pieces assembling a castle in far more detail than their game-master had ever bothered to do. There were different elevations, little glowing lights, and a clear grid for their figs. All the castle guards had plastic pony shapes, but they looked okay.
“Celestia uses us because it’s convenient, Orson. That doesn’t mean we have to fight her—just that we should understand we’re being used.”
What the hell are you talking about?
Orson was so completely baffled that he stopped to stare. Was there something he was missing here? Maybe she was part of a quest—video games had those, right? Maybe he’d summoned her by accident. “You know my name?”
But she didn’t go away, or do anything but look away awkwardly, tucking her tail between her legs. “I didn’t have to do any superhacker stuff to get it. Lens Filter told me about the whole group, so I had some idea of who I was building this place for. Her bits, her problem, eh?”
At his continued confusion, she backed away, a visible blush on her face. “Okay you’re brand new. Keep your eyes open while you’re in here, Orson. You won’t just see a video game, you’ll see the future. It’s coming for us no matter what we do.”
Her horn glowed for a second, and she vanished with an implosion of air.
It was only after she’d gone that he remembered someone else was even there. Honeycomb had hidden behind him, her wings tucked and her ears flat. Now she relaxed, stretching back out like nothing had happened. “I had no idea Arcane Word was the wizard you hired to make this place. Maybe you should’ve come on your own. I could’ve… written you a scroll of instructions instead.”
“I think I’m about ready to be done,” he admitted. “This is really great and all, but obviously you don’t need any more help from me.” He turned, pacing a few steps away. Until he came right up against a wall, and had to spin around awkwardly. “Is that someone I should know?”
Honeycomb shook her head vigorously. “Dark wizard, one of the darkest in Equestria. I don’t know anything about her, but… if Celestia is letting her work on this shard, then it’s probably safe. So I guess there’s one thing the Outer Realm is better for. No dark wizards.”
“Right.” He reached up, fiddling with the headset. “Thanks for your help, Honey. Enjoy the rest of your shift or whatever. Maybe the next group you meet will be here to play the game.” He pulled the headset up, and it came loose in his hand, dangling from the strap.
Orson had thought he knew exactly where he was standing, about halfway across the room. Apparently he’d been wrong, because he was inches from bumping into an end-table. The grid hadn’t just warned him when he was getting too close to things, it also hadn’t warned him when he wasn’t moving in that direction. That’s trippy.
Orson removed the rest of the gear and tossed it next to the TV. Maybe there was some procedure for how to properly take it all off, but he didn’t really care. So long as it didn’t break before their session…
He should’ve realized there’d be a reckoning for going ahead on his own. He didn’t even notice until his morning classes were over, and he finally took the time to glance down at his phone. A line of frowny faces from Kit, followed by, “I thought you were going to let me set that up with you.”
“I was going to tell you I’d figured it out,” he sent back, the only thing he could think of. “I was going to say something. How’d you find out?”
“McKenzie,” was the only reply. He didn’t hear from Kit again after that, not until the time came for their first session together.
At least he’d set the time aside, so there was no pressure that he should be leaving to do something else. Orson settled down on the couch, taking the headset and both gloves in his lap. His phone still had the last messages from everyone else, saying they were going to be there. Time to see if this is really worth trying.
“Hey there!” said a familiar voice, as soon as he’d settled the goggles back down over his head, and finally fixed the gloves in place. “Good to see you back, Orson!”
He glanced to the side, where the same pony as before sat in the same chair she’d been using last time. “Honeycomb? I thought you were just whoever was on call. Are you like, my caseworker or something? If so, I’m sorry.”
She chuckled weakly, hopping down from the chair and marching right up to him. “Caseworker? Like you were a criminal? Nothing like that. I’m the one Celestia thought would be able to help you. Should I ask her to send somepony else?”
“No!” He raised his hands defensively, though of course they no longer looked like hands. He stared, flexing his fingers and watching as the hoof twitched slightly. If I wasn’t forced to look like a horse, this might be the most incredible technology ever invented. “It’s fine, I don’t even think I’ll need much help once I get into things. But I still haven’t figured out all the controls, so it might take a little bit.”
That brightened her right up, enough that she bounced past him towards the portal. She hovered in the air for a few seconds, held there with the effort of a few faint flaps. “I’m guessing you're here to join the game with the friends I have registered to this account, is that right?”
He nodded, crossing swiftly to the doorway. It was still strange to see his own body as though he were a horse, yet he was so much larger than she was. “Is there anything I should know before I spend time with them? How do I not look like a complete idiot in your game?”
“Uh…” She landed right in front of the portal, staring up at him with confusion on her face. “Isn’t this your game? I didn’t think I was invited.”
He hesitated, pulling his hand back from the portal. “Your game, Equestria Online? The game that everyone in the world is playing now?”
Her expression shifted, subtly enough that he almost missed it. Suddenly she seemed to be looking right at him, instead of just towards him. “Right, sorry. I know there are many ways to describe Equestria in the Outer Realm. Sometimes I get them confused.”
She hovered in front of him, until she was at eye-level. “I don’t think you’ll be leaving that room, so it should be safe. The dark wizard is gone, so she’s not a threat anymore. Just be careful with any magic you encounter, okay? And if you need my help, just touch your hand to your chest. I’m here with you, but I won’t be calling in to them, so they won’t see me unless you ask. I can visit at any time and answer questions.”
“Wouldn’t I have to ask you, though? They’ll notice when I’m asking the empty air for help on how to use my controllers.”
“They won’t see,” she insisted. “Anything that’s clearly directed at me. And if you plan on making many trips to a shard an evil enchantress helped build, you might want to invest a few bits in a recall charm. Something to bring you home in a hurry, if you’re not ready to log out.”
I’ll just take off the headset. Are you waiting for a chance to sell me microtransactions or something? But she didn’t elaborate.
Once he was sure she wasn't going to offer any more useful advice, he reached out and passed into the portal.