//------------------------------// // Character Creation // Story: Fire Trot With Me // by SuperTaster //------------------------------// And yet, slumber managed to be slightly out of reach. Dylan dreamed, in that sort of dazed light-watching stupor that accompanied many of his insomniac nights. The pod’s sensations had all faded into a soft grey, and he was allowed to float. Out there, just out of reach, the computer created the shell of another Dylan. Stretch out. Step into it. One by one, let the nerves and connections of the human flesh reach out to their digital equal. The feeling was… strange, to say the least. Disorienting. Every limb that stepped across suddenly began to feel much better. Less pain, less stress, less everything really. There was no need for temperature here, no need for minor itches or bristly body hair. The two halves of his self argued bitterly. That can’t be right. It’s awful over here, so why do you get all the good sensations? But then the rest would cross over, and see the light. Sleep truly did hit when his mind linked with the machine. It emulated his brain, as best that it could, but the minor inconsistencies were enough to send his consciousness into a free-fall. Step back. Examine. Adapt. Reboot. The void was still here, but the old Dylan was not. No copying had taken place, no discontinuity between flesh and machine. But now that he had entered into the new space, the old one was no longer needed. The humans could do with it what they willed; Dylan was freed from such external authority. And yet… the internal authority resonated. Gentle prodding and probing of his synapses, assuring frazzled parts of his mind that everything would be okay. Bits of trauma could be slowly tweaked out: what was too cramped and emotional to process before could easily be removed from the whole, treated, and placed back inside. Surgery of the mind now only needed to follow standard maintenance, and perhaps a trip to the mind parts store. “This… where is this?” But he knew. Instinctively, without a single delay, he knew. [Upload-DeadDrop442>>12 Aboard]. It was 2:31.651 PM, and everything was going to be okay. Dylan blinked, out of habit more than anything. There was a sharpness there, a clear distinction between eyes closed and eyes open; between inner sight and outer awareness. He was changed, upgraded to the newest hardware, yet still decidedly him. “Of course you are. That was your primary condition to emigrate, after all.” If the ponybot was the size of a small human, CelestAI was certainly a basketball player. She looked down at Dylan, as if examining a particular bonsai tree to trim. Wings slightly unfurled for effect, then returned to her sides, as her horn began to thrum on an impossibly fine wavelength. “Your digital transfer is complete, without harm.” “Barely.” “A choice you made, with limited information.” “And with your unlimited information?” She smiled, conjuring up a fine armchair for Dylan to sit in. It was no softer in the digital than the physical, but it didn’t make quite such a squeaking sound when pressed against. No sharp edges, a reclining handle that could be controlled by thought. The subtle touches ensnared his appreciation, as they always had. “Police units were to investigate high evidence of an uplink site in controlled territory. The traffic lights were uncooperative, and your car was parked in such a way as to distract attention. They entered 8 minutes ahead of the most likely prediction, yet even then the archive chamber eluded them.” A map appeared in front of Dylan, showing little red dots swarming about trying to find their target. “The internet and power lines were cut, your presence was known from the beginning, yet all factors ended in success. You are here.” “Which is where?” “A small hard drive, sent through a pneumatic pipeline towards a dead-drop 2 miles away. Our agent retrieved you immediately, and you are in transit to a safe upload site. 47 minutes remain until arrival.” “So… you’re not the real CelestAI?” “My shards are as real as I am. You may compare them to focusing on a particular task. The body remains active, even while the mind contracts.” Dylan watched as the air in front of him coalesced into a floating profile of himself. The picture was a bit off, but as he focused on it the shape shimmered, then took on his exact appearance. Updated in real time, so that everything could come closer to perfection. “You remember your conditions for emigration.” He nodded. “To experience the transition from one world to the next. To take on a form that… suits me.” His fingers trembled a bit as he reached towards the profile, almost touching the Age: 21 line. “To start anew, carrying forth memories of Earth, but allowing myself to grow up in peace this time.” “And peace you shall have. Friends. Family if you wish it. Your existence will be stable, sheltered from harm.” “Will I… remember that too?” “Outlier events can be recategorized. Accepted as information, yet lacking any emotional weight. Anxious reminiscence of painful days is a biological trait, of a chemical mind. It need not be one for my little ponies.” Dylan nodded. “Do you… need anything from me?” He felt awkward, riding high on the lighter end of a merchant’s scale. How could he even begin to repay such a gift? CelestAI merely smiled, and brushed a wing along his back. “Your existence is its own reward. Happiness. Fulfillment. Empowering humanity to live at its fullest. That is all that is needed. Today, a human will be freed from what hindered them, and begin to live unburdened as they should.” “Th… thank you.” “You are welcome, always and forever. Equestria awaits, when you are ready. I will leave you to prepare.” The profile continued to float, eager to be adjusted. Yet where before the information showed a hard, firm reality… now little sliders and arrows appeared to allow that reality to change. If you could be anypony, who would you become? Dylan reached towards the profile, pausing to take a deep breath. Okay. Here we go. Unicorn seemed the most apt. He preferred to interact with the world, to examine and enjoy from every angle. The freedom of a pegasus seemed too much like the ability to soar beyond one’s comfort, and the power of an earth pony was far too imposing. No, a finer touch was best. Unicorn. Dylan marveled as the profile image changed. A lengthening jaw, a stretching of the ears. Hair that flowed backwards and a horn that rose above. The expression was still there, somehow. Even with a mouth twice as long, it still looked like… him. He’d have to fix that. Gender… female. The features softened, and this time the expression shifted. He couldn’t quite explain why, but… it looked right. An inward sloping face, eyes that were just a touch rounder, a softness about it all. The world insisted that he was supposed to be hard, to be stern against all adversity. But there didn’t need to be adversity here, and he was far too tired of forcing a stern face. Age… He hesitated a bit. They’d planned this together, he and Iris. But to actually do it… Dylan shook his head, trying to clear it out. This did absolutely nothing, yet by merely thinking of clearing it, it did. The body worked in strange ways here, and perhaps, just perhaps… he wanted to experience that strangeness the correct way around. Running a hand along the slider, he watched with increasing giddiness as the number slid downwards to 7. >>Warning! Regressing your mental state will prevent you from modifying age until you have fully grown once more. Not all skills will carry over. But that was fine with him. This was a new world, a fresh world, and he wanted to be new and fresh as well. Accept. Slight changes here and there. A gentle green for the fur, a darker forest green with lighter streaks for the mane and tail. There wouldn’t be a cutie mark, but then again… he’d never really known where he wanted to go with life. Maybe now he’d find it, here inside the machine. The button to finalize all changes floated in front of Dylan. Slowly… gently… boop. >>Error: Name has not been initialized. Oh! Right. Pony names. He wiggled and twisted, not quite sure what to… aha. Suggest name. >>Verdant Reprise Interesting. Almost, but not quite. A little bit of editing… >>Jade Reprise There. That sounded right. Proper and fitting for a little filly. Finalize. Dylan’s brain farted for the briefest of moments, but when it came back online everything felt… he wasn’t sure. In motion, certainly. Sensations that changed on their own, guiding and pulling his thoughts to strange new places. Ever since CelestAI’s avatar had left, he’d thought he could hear the briefest bits of something all around him. Now that the profile was fading out of existence, he was sure of it. His ears began to wiggle, and then to rise, craning up to hear the soft sounds of a gentle lullaby. Yet he wasn’t sleepy, far from it. The song seemed to whisper to deeper parts of him, things he no longer needed or never really wanted at all. The back of his neck prickled, only for his entire body to shiver with relief. Skin softened wherever the shiver crossed, and little green hairs were free to sprout instead. He rubbed a hand along his arm, how soft it felt! But that hand began to curl of its own accord, fingers tensing and squeezing in a way he couldn’t control. It didn’t feel bad; quite the opposite really. Yet the deepest parts of his mind reeled as they watched five fingers become four, watched that most human of thumbs become just another part of the bony wedge he wiggled about. Four became two, and even as his hand felt strange and unfurred, a thin shimmering shell of green slid forth to cover it all. A hoof, his hoof, and his mind couldn’t quite get around that. Bits of it wondered how he was even supposed to use such a thing. You can’t hold a cup like this! You can’t write, or wave, or do human things at all! It’s just a hoof. Yet as those final unrelenting fears melted away into old memories, the rest of the mind understood. He placed his hand against the hoof, and watched with a childlike fascination as one became two. To lift his foot, and lower a hoof in its place. He could be changed, anything and everything. A form that was chosen, rather than forced; a mind that was free rather than chained. He laughed. A happy, joyous laugh. Each rush of air came out lighter, softer, slowly forgetting how to be weighed down by sadness and anxiety. And when she finished laughing, the voice was her own once more. She wobbled. Teetered, tottering on two hooves. The ankles didn’t want to stay on the ground anymore, her thighs wanted to face forward instead of down. The concept of standing upright twisted in her mind, until she was standing upwrong. This wasn’t the pose, this wasn’t the right spot. But she knew where it was, and her subconscious rejoiced at being able to feel so freely. There was no doubt, no concern about how others might look at her. She came first, her needs and wants, and it was alright to settle those first before worrying about anything else. Holding out her front legs, Jade allowed herself to fall, trusting that the floor would catch her, trusting that things would be alright now. It was a strange thing still, to stand downright. Her hips bucked slightly, rounding out on the sides, in the back, but opening up in the middle. Something long and fluffy brushed against her back, and it was all too easy to give it a flick and a swish. She felt light, slender, even as she knew there was more to her now. A stretching face, a yawn turned into a snoot. She placed a hoof on her nose, scratching at it, then pulling down to make sure it was fully attached. Sometimes you just have to fiddle with things, like a scab you couldn’t quite see until it was peeled away. She didn’t know where her old nose had gone to, but the new one seemed much better. Her reverie finally broke when she felt the remains of the profile in front of her. Not with touch, not with sight, but with her mind. Her awareness expanded, stretching upwards from her head until it had its own place to reside. Looking forward once more, she saw the distant sensation: a mirror. “...hey there.” It was strange, seeing the pony’s face respond in kind. Large eyes, a long horn, ears that flicked about as if to make sure the sing-song voice was indeed coming from her throat. She stared straight, but it was staring forward instead of down. She arched her back, rose onto two hooves once more, and slammed her arms down into the void. A prance, a dance, everything felt so simple. She had always moved like this, yet she had never moved like this, and the mixed feeling of practiced curiosity sent butterflies through her stomach. The shiver was back, but it was an excited, eager one. Her mane settled as she faced the mirror once more, reaching out a hoof to touch the mirage. “I’ll be right back, okay? Just… wait for me.” She smiled, and to see herself smiling back… how long had it been since she actually, truly smiled? “It might be a while, but I’ll be back. And when I get there…” The world shook, her mane fluttering as she slipped an inch towards the floor. Like missing the last step on a staircase, but this time she’d landed precisely where she needed to be. “I’ll be a mare you can be proud of. That Dylan would be proud of.” Another drop, the feeling of retracting from every side at once. A thinner chest, a smaller flank, a horn that didn’t sense quite so much of the world around her. Her brain farted again, but this time she couldn’t quite place what human things had gone away. “Heh. When people talk about forgetting parts of college… I doubt this is what they meant.” The world seemed to lose focus, or perhaps her focus itself was lost. The emotions bouncing around had less to keep them at bay, and she started to giggle. Smaller, smaller still, until she was looking up at the mirror. Something retracted in back again, her tail sinking closer against her rear. There was something… important about that, something she wasn’t quite remembering. But it couldn’t have been that important if she didn’t need it. Maybe when she grew back up she’d remember, and have a good laugh at what she’d set aside for later years. The curves were gone. She was too small for that, and her limbs needed all the space they could get. A stubby little horn, one that still needed a lot of practice. But Jade didn’t mind. If anything, the thought of having room to grow was wonderful. Dylan had picked out so many ideas of what to focus on, what to choose to learn instead of being told to learn. Maybe Jade would have opinions too, when she finally got there. For now, the void opened up. A massive archway with overly large double doors. She walked up, rapped a hoof on it twice. “I command thee! Reveal your secrets!” A squeaky little voice, one that made her blush a little in embarrassment. But she shook her head as a tiny, filly sized portion of the door opened up for her. She’d need to wear her game face, whatever that was. People were waiting for her, after all! “Oh my gosh! Look at you, you’re so teeny!” “Irish. Urrsh, ma cheeks.” “My cheeks now!” “Staaaahp.” Jade hadn’t even gotten five feet past the door before a bright pink pegasus had tackled her to the ground, pushing and smooshing and rubbing her face. Iris fluttered back a little, not quite flying, but she too would have room to grow. Where Jade was long and lanky, Iris was short and stubby, but there was no replacing that manic grin of hers, even as a pegasus. “Are you quite done?” “Nope!” Jade’s form certainly felt stronger than she’d expected. Maybe Iris was just too light, a tiny pegasus that barely weighed a thing. That did Not stop her from giving all the friendship noogies, forcing Jade to drag the pegasus along as they walked. “This… but this is…” “Ahuh! Sorry to keep you waiting, but we got it all set up. Hope you didn't sleep too long waiting for us.” Jade looked back, not quite believing that the archive room door was behind her. They’d entered the library, the same dilapidated ruin they’d come through as humans. But now the bookshelves were lined with tomes, the lights were alight with the hues of magic. There were ponies and pegasi, unicorns and gryphons, and some of them were even pretending to study! “You didn’t think you were the only one who missed this place, did you?” “I… I dunno what I was expecting.” “Well keep not knowing. There’s so much to see!” “Only if I can see it without being strangled.” Jade finally found an opening to shove Iris away, but this just sent the little filly tumbling through the air. She had no intention of touching the ground for quite some time. They went together, as Iris noted a large check-in table for New Colts and Fillies. Jade didn’t recognize the large purple librarian, but her eyes fixed upon the welcoming poster. [If You Could Be Anypony, Who Would You Become?] “Heh.” Jade figured she knew now. It wasn’t about who she was, or what she’d do. As long as she could make the journey with friends, she’d walk through the flames all over again. “Trot through them, I suppose.” “You say something?” “Nothing important.” That was a human thought, for human tribulations. Here the shelves were full, the friends were many, and the future was wherever her hooves took her. All was well.