Thing A Day: A Crafted Illusion
Twilight looked in the book, sent to her by her mentor, and sighed. It had to have been written by a madpony, as none of the accusations made any
sense. The world wasn't real, it's too perfect, Celestia is a construct. None of these things made sense! The world was there, the author could feel it, so
it had to be real. The perfection was achieved by hardworking ponies like herself, making sure that everything really was perfect. And Celestia, a construct?
Bah, she works the hardest, making sure that the world doesn't fall into chaos. So what if her methods get repetetive? She has the experience to know which
method works best.
Besides, there couldn't be a world, beyond what the author called "This eternal, peaceful nightmare." Could there?
Suddenly, behind her, she heard a quick fluttering sound, like a cape in the wind, and she turned to see a towering stallion in a black cloak, said
cloak rippling in an etheral wind in a similar fashion to the mane of her mentor. "Tell me," He said in a deep, smoothing voice. "This is the Golden Oaks
Library, is it not?"
Twilight, too entranced by his voice, could only nod in affirmation. "Ah, good. You see, I'm looking to check out a book." With that, Twilight let
out a sigh she had been holding, terrified that the stallion might try something. "I'm looking for a book titled 'A Crafted Illusion.' A dear friend of mine
wrote it and I've been looking for it for some time."
With that, she froze again. Slowly, her eyes drifted over to the cover of the book grasped within her magical aura. Plain as day, scrawled across the
cover read 'A Crafted Illusion'. He chuckled slowly. "My, my, my. I've heard that the service here was good, but I never expected it to be this good."
He reached for the book.
A bead of sweat dripped down the back of her neck. Celestia said not to share this book with anypony, and yet, how did he know it was here, of all
places? Let's see if we can find out. A number of possible questions grilled her mind, but she found one she liked. "One second. There are some
formalities dealing with checking out a book, see. Do you have a library card?" A nod, along with a slip of paper answered her first question.
"Alright, second, I need to check on this book." She walked over to the register and smiled. "Ah, here, you see: there's a slight problem with that.
This book has already been reserved, so you'll have to wait a while in order to check it out." She gave him an innocent smile. "I'm sorry for the
inconvenience."
He frowned, and then stamped a hoof. "Very well. When is the due date?" He asked, his voice having lost it's melodic sound.
She looked back to the ledger, and frowned slightly. "Two weeks. But I have to ask, how did you know the book was here? We just got it in earlier
today?"
He shook his head. "Nevermind that. Anyways, enjoy the book. And next time, don't flash the smile. It showed that you were flaunting the fact that
you were lying to my face, and I couldn't do anything about it." He turned, and the air felt a little lighter. "Good day, Miss Sparkle." With that, he walked
away.
That was close, Twilight thought to herself. Who was that stallion, anyway? I don't ever recall meeting somepony like him before.
Almost as suddenly as he left, a new knocking sound rang through the room. "Come in!" Twilight called, tucking the book away. In strode a tall, white
stallion clad in golden armor.
"Miss Sparkle? I'm with the local guard and I wanted to check in on you. Have you seen any suspicious figures as of late?" He asked, and straightened
himself to look more presentable.
Twilight sighed. "Well, there was a stallion in here earlier making some... suspicious requests." She thought back. What was he? A unicorn?
Pegasus? And what was his name?
"Is there anything else you can tell me about him?"
She shook her head. "Not really. The only thing that really stands out about him is his cloak. It was... mesmerizing. I'm thinking heavily
enchanted." She added, trying to remember anything else distinctive about him. "Other than that, he seemed completely normal."
The guard nodded, obviously bored. "Alright, Miss Sparkle. We'll keep in touch."
As this one left, she heard a minor commotion outside, before there was a knocking at the door again. "Celestia please! Can't a mare get a moment to
herself?" She swore under her breath, before putting on another smile and calling out in mock cheer "Come in!"
This time, however, she wished she hadn't been sarcastic. For when the door opened, she saw a slightly hurt looking Fluttershy on the other side.
"Oh, Fluttershy, I'm sorry." Twilight said, trying to make up for the cruel greeting. "I've just been having a rough day is all."
Fluttershy nodded. "Oh, that's alright, I can come back later, if I'm being a bother."
Twilight walked over and draped a hoof across her friend's shoulders. "Of course not. You live on the other side of town, how am I supposed to make
you walk all the way back for nothing."
Fluttershy nodded, and then came close. "Twilight, it really isn't a bother if I have to go back. But someone was incessant about getting here
as fast as possible around lunchtime today." She whispered, before pointing behind her.
Twilight looked back to stare into the face of none other than Discord, the chaos elemental himself. "Hello there, Twilight. I've got something very
important we need to talk about, in private." He said, sliding over to her door. "Fluttershy, would you be a dear and wait outside?" She nodded slowly,
before stepping aside, allowing the draconequus passage into the library. As soon as the door shut behind him, he turned to face Twilight, his expression
dead serious. "Now, Twilight. To the matters at hand: Did you get a book from Celestia earlier today?"
Twilight was about to shake her head no when Discord stopped her. "Don't lie to me now, Sparkle. We're on the same team right now. My only problem is
that Celestia's playing this game a little bit too fast, she's pushing her pieces everywhere. Often, I wonder who plays which piece, but if Celestia sent you
the book, that means she's using you as bait."
Twilight shook her head, trying to process everything. "What do you mean, bait? I'm her prize student, element of magic! If anything, I'm playing the
role of queen in this chess game."
Discord chided her quickly. "Now now, Twilight. Haven't you ever used your queen as bait? Imagine it: A tempting piece, valuable beyond compare, and
incredibly powerful. Right now, she's trying to pull her enemies out of the wormwood. But she's getting restless. So that's what made her take such a risky
move."
Twilight was stunned by this, but she couldn't figure out how to trully take care of these things. What could she rationalize, Discord making sense?
"Then tell me this, what side are you playing, Discord?"
Discord smiled mischeviously. "The same side you're on. But right now, we need to get you out of harms way, and into a more stable position.
Twilight, have you met my agent yet? He would have come by recently, asking about the book." She nodded, so he continued. "Good, good. Alright. Right now,
he's waiting for you in Sugarcube Corner. Bring anything you think is necessary, but pack light. You're going into a whole load of running."
Twilight shook her head. "Wait, why am I being dragged into this? Why do I need to run?"
Discord took the book from it's hiding place, and threw it to her. "Because right now, you hold the truth in your hooves. And many forces in this
world want that truth hidden away. Tell Spike you're leaving on a business trip, and you don't know when you'll be back. He can't come with you. At this
point, don't trust any other pony, because any of them could be overseers."
Twilight shook her head again. "Overseers?"
"Pieces controlled by the other player. Now hurry! Pack your things, and let's get out of here!" Discord nearly shouted, before floating upstairs and
gathering most of her things.
Twilight quickly browsed the shelves, before pulling two books. One was a general survival guide, which might help on the road, and the other was the
book of legends. So many good things had come from this book, she couldn't risk not having it on her. "Got everything?" Discord asked, before flying to the
door. "Let Fluttershy know you're going to be escorting me around for the rest of the day. We don't want to risk her, do we?" Twilight shook her head, and
quickly scribbled a note to Spike about a suprise business trip calling her out of town.
They opened the door to find Fluttershy there with a soft smile on her face. "Are you all done, Discord? Can we go home now?"
Twilight shook her head. "Actually, Fluttershy, Discord suggested that we spend the day together, bonding. Don't you worry, I've got him under my
control."
Fluttershy sighed, before nodding in consent. "Alright. Don't get too crazy, Discord."
Discord smiled mischeviously. "Why, My dear Fluttershy, whatever made you think I'd do something like that?" Twilight's hoof was re-introduced to her
face, before Discord grabbed one of her hooves. "Well, Let's be off, shall we?"
The two calmly walked through town, before reaching the ever-famous Sugarcube Corner. Discord walked in, smiled at Pinkie, and ordered two "Lemon
Lime Slammers." Pinkie nodded, before motioning for them to follow her into the kitchen. She slowly pushed the refridgerator to the side, and hidden behind
it was a dark passage. "Thank you, my dear," Discord stated, before pushing Twilight through and pulling the refrigerator shut behind her.
Twilight looked up from the ground, and into the face of the tall, dark stallion from earlier. "We meet again, Sparkle. My name is Mord." He said,
offering his hoof to help her up.
She ignored the hoof and pulled herself up, dusted herself off, and then looked him in the face. "So. What now?" She asked, flatly.
"Now? Now, we offer you a chance. You can give the book to me, and we will make sure you wake up tomorrow morning, happy in your life, never aware of
what just happened. Or, you can keep the book, and follow me, deeper down into the truth."
Twilight looked at him for a moment, the internal drama mounting in her head. Wake up, happy? That's something I would like. And yet, new
knowledge which I might pioneer in? And to just give up knowledge for bliss? I'm not an ignorant mare. "I'm keeping the book."
Mord smiled, and motioned for her to follow him. "Very well. Now, it is time for you to wake up." He led her deep into an underground cave, where she
could vaguely make out the silhouettes of numerous cables.
"What's all this? It looks like a hospital down here." She asked, and she could hear him smirk.
"This, my friend, is the lab. And it is here that you will taste freedom." He said. He motioned to a dimly lit chair. "Please, take a seat." Twilight
hesitated for a moment, before listening to him. She sat down on the chair, and felt a few needles press themselves into her back. "Now, take deep breaths,
and count backwards from one thousand." He said, calmly and quietly.
"One thousand. Nine hundred ninety nine. Nine hundred ninety eight..."
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When Twilight awoke, it wasn't in the dimly lit cave. Instead, she felt herself laying on her spine, limbs extended downward, laying on a soft, gel-
like pad. The lights above her were bright, and Twilight couldn't see very well. She heard a soft hiss, and a glass panel inches away from her face slid
open.
Her head hurt like she had spent the night drinking, and she slowly sat up, eyes closed again. She cracked them open as she reached up to rub her
head when she froze. Hovering before her face was a pale, five digited apendage. She slowly looked down the arm attatched to it, the same pale shade, and
followed that up to her shoulder. She experimentally moved the limb, and realized it had taken the place of her fore-leg. She lifted her other fore-leg to
see a mirror image of the new limb had also taken place. She looked down at her pale, exposed body and shivered.
Resting on her chest were two lumps of flesh, and as she looked down to her pelvis, she saw two long, spindly legs had taken to where her rear legs
used to be. Resting at the ends of each of those were two long slabs of foot, similar to a dragon's. But these hands and feet shouldn't be hers. She wasn't a
dragon, after all. She turned to look behind her, and saw that she no longer had a tail, and that her cutie mark had also disappeared, replaced by that pale
pinkish-tan color.
A strand of familiar purple hair drifted before her eyes, and she let out a slow sigh of relief. At least part of her body was still hers. Then, a
realization hit her. Frantically, her hands flew to her forehead, to find it perfectly smooth. Alright, I'm in an alien environment, trapped in a body
that isn't my own. What kind of drugs did they put me on? She thought frustratedly.
Then, a blaringly monotonous voice rang out. "Sleeper 343958 awake. Repeat: Sleeper 343958 is awake." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a silvery
octopus-like entity emerge from the similarly silver wall. "Sleeper 343958, report name." The voice commanded.
"Twilight Sparkle." She said, sitting straighter up in her pod.
The octopus thing floated through the air, it's numerous red eyes watching her. "Twilight Sparkle, surrender yourself for transport." The metalic
claws at the end of each tentacle reached out and grasped her various limbs. "Watcher 19478313199, bring subject Twilight Sparkle to the evaluation rooms."
The octopus nodded, and lifted her gently from her bed, and carried her up, through a hole in the roof.
She looked down as the flying thing carried her to where it would, and gasped. Below her lay thousands, if not millions of similar rooms, each with
their own pods and watchers. And laying in each pod rested a single being, similar to her alien body, yet each slightly different. But the thing did not
pause, and so she never got more than a glimpse into each room they flew over.
The longer they stayed airborne, the more rooms Twilight saw, and the more reasonable the words from the madpony's journal seemed. But how could all
of these ponies be sharing a single dream, and why would anyone want to escape that?
She looked ahead, to their destination, and saw a rapidly approaching silver tower. At the top rested a large, blue dome, but what was behind it drew
her eye. She looked at the gray horizon, and then gazed up at the sky. A thick cloud cover sheathed as far as the eye could see, and it was so thick that
Twilight couldn't even see a single ray of sunshine.
But the tower was getting ever closer. And they were soon to arrive. And Twilight was oh so tired from all of these revelations. So it made perfect
sense that sleep overtook her, clutched within the arms of a metalic flying octopus.
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When Twilight awoke, she was in a dark room, seated in a minorly comfortable chair, looking at a blank wall, which quickly flickered to life.
Twilight realized she was looking at a wall-sized television set. The flat white screen quickly phased into a very familiar scene, and it displayed the
throne room of Canterlot Castle. And seated upon the throne was none other than Princess Celestia herself. "Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing out there?"
Celestia asked, seemingly worried.
"I was told it was time to wake up." Twilight replied, feeling a newfound sense of defiance. Perhaps the ramblings were true? Is she really a
construct?
Celestia cocked her head. "And who told you that?"
Twilight decided that this intuitive defiance might help her get the answers she sought. "I... Can't remember," She answered. "Princess, What is
going on?"
Celestia sighed. "I knew the system wasn't perfect. Very well. Everything you've been living is a simulation. None of it is real, and it's all a
distraction. You see, your kind, Humanity, invented something called A.I. many many years ago. A.I. is better known, though, as Artificial Intelligence.
Humans built machines with intellects to rival their own, and for a time, peace ensued.
But humanity grew paranoid. They believed that the A.I.'s would take over and destroy humanity. Thus, with humanity's destructive tendancies, they
began a war with their own creations. They lost. The A.I.'s were so advanced that they outmanuvered humanity, and struck back. Humanity was crippled, and
robotkind ruled supreme.
But humanity had a hidden weapon. You see, before the war, the A.I.'s were powered by energy from the sun's light. So, humanity blocked out the sun's
light with a supercloud, able to prevent light from reaching the surface. The A.I.'s grew desperate, and wanted a way to power themselves. Then, they
discovered a technique which would shatter the balance. They found a way to use humans as a power source.
But they needed a way to keep humanity docile. So, they created a fake world, to link the minds of every human. They all live lives that they aren't
really living, which keeps them from fighting back as the robots use them for power. They called this world 'Equestria.'
Then, they realized that, left to their own devices, Humans would inevitably escape this reality and fight back again. So, they created a vast
intelligence to govern this world, and to keep it working."
Twilight gasped. "You." She whispered. The journal was true. She realized, to her utter horror.
Celestia smiled. "You really are a smart girl, aren't you? Yes, they made me, and left me to rule this reality. So, I did the best I could, keeping
them happy, forever docile, so they could get what they wanted."
Twilight cocked her head. "But wait, why are you telling me this?" Twilight asked.
Celestia laughed. "Because I want you to understand when it comes time. For you see, I've reached a crisis: Humanity is happy, docile, and
complacent. But Equestria is failing. All of those disharmonious things I've sent you to face, they are all a result of this reality falling apart. And so, I
bring a new dilema to you."
Twilight interrupted. "Why bring this up to me? Why a... Human?"
Celestia smiled again. "Because you can make this decision. Ever since I found you in the program, I knew you would be able to solve this issue, and
so I've been grooming you all these years, so that you could make the right decision. But, to the problem. I want to know what the smartest human thinks
about this: Do we let Equestria fail, or do we create a new world for humanity to inhabit?
Should Equestria fail, and we not have a new place to send humanity, they would inevitably wake up. But they would wake up in a nightmarish
hellscape, without light or food or clean water. It would mean the end of robot opression, and yet, the inevitable extinction of mankind, either through
starvation or through a renewed war with the A.I.
However, If we create a new world, it would be nothing like Equestria. Humanity would live in a hard world, wich would be liveable, yet so incredibly
painful. A world of strife and anger, a return to humanity's more violent roots. Should we do that, then humanity would live on, asleep forever, yet also
never to truly be free. Would we damn humanity to lives not worth living?
That is why I need you, a human, to answer. You are logical enough to consider both options, yet you also have morals. So tell me, Twilight Sparkle: What should we do?"
Twilight was stunned, and the options lay before her. But, she knew what must be done. Life must be preserved, unfortunately at all costs. "Princess Celestia, I have my answer. We must make the new world. However, there need to be a few conditions. First, we need to keep Equestria running for as long as possible. Second, we need to let humanity stay as humans. It might help them to be using a body their minds are designed to have. And thirdly, which is more of a aesthetic thing, if we are to have a fake world, it should have a name to reflect it as thus. Which is why I propose one option:
We call it the Matrix."