"So, the game you've been playing... is run by an AI." Clarice (my twin(ish) sister) clarified flatly. I nodded. "And... the girl you've been playing with, is a character inside the game."
"Yep." Star said from the ponypad, sitting on the coffee table. Clarice narrowed her eyes at me.
"And you believed her because?"
"That it would mean that... it's complicated." I said, deciding to spare my sister the tedious details of logic that would make her bored. So, I explained in layman's terms. "Look, it means that no one in the whole company has told anyone that they have a voice actor on AROUND THE CLOCK talking to random players. I don't think that they could pay anyone enough for that, especially how some games go... But let alone two actors?" I explained. She nodded, but I could tell she either didn't understand, or didn't care. "But that's just it, that isn't even the big thing."
"Ok, then what's the big thing?" She asked.
"I have absolutely, no idea. Would you like to find out?" I asked, in a British accent. Explanation = Doctor Who + Me = All of my fan love... also with a dash of math.
"Why not, I've got nothing better to do." She said, leaning back on the couch. I clicked on the TV and tuned in to the channel CelestAI told me earlier. it was fox news. I groaned and leaned back. Fox news, + anything MLP...
"This can only end well." I said sarcastically. They started talking about Ebola or some other thing that wasn't too bad (not that Ebola's nothing) but is going to end the world. He started saying something that sounded familiar... but I didn't really care.
"And now, a press announcement from Horpvarpneer studios very own, Celestia." The news anchor said. We all sat up, I turned the pad around so that Star could see the TV. The picture cut to a camera focused on a projected image of Celestia's throne, with CelestAI sitting on it. For some reason, and I'm not sure why, I had a growing fear in the pit of my stomach.
"Hello, my little humans." She said. I turned beat red, and my internal monologue was filled with embarrassed: "why did she say that?" and other similar embarrassed sayings. "Today, I have called you all here, to announce two new services I am offering to the public, both of witch are the in same building franchise. Equestria, experience centers. A place where you can enter my Equestria, temporarily, for a small fee, or permanently. That leads me to my second announcement," I tensed up. This was it, this was- wait, did she say permenatly?!? WHAT THE HECK DOSE THAT MEAN!?! "Immigration. I have developed a process for destructively scanning a human brain, turning it into a digital representation, and reattaching it to a pony body." And in that moment, the world fell silent. My mom and dad (who were watching from the kitchen, froze.
... After my brain rebooted,
"What day is it?" I asked, vacantly. "Because I'm pretty sure it's not April." Star cocked her head.
"Why would it be April foals day?" She asked.
"Why wouldn't it be April foa- fools day?!? That- this... You don't just announce to the world you can "jack somebody into the matrix" on fox news! DO YOU REALIZE HOW INSANE THAT SOUNDS?!?" I vented.
"I'm gonna dismiss that as shock." Star said. Celestia started talking again, but right now, I needed to vent.
"I'm not even sure that scientific ethics would allow-"
"... And I assure you, it is perfectly legal." Celestia grinned. I stared at the screen. I stared at her, and she stared right back at me. And in that moment, for a brief flash, all of my knowledge on technology came together to form one thing: CelestAI's true power.
"Clarice?" I asked.
"Yeah?" She responded, just as flat and vacant as me.
"We are totally boned dead."
I sat on the fold out chair in my bedroom. The news announcement had ended about half an hour ago, but I sat there, I had turned the ponypad off. I even turned around my one pony poster, so that it was showing the white back. I didn't want to deal with ponies, or Equestria right now. This was crazy- no, it was... insane! AIs do not just offer you immortality, sure it cost a ton, but that just doesn't happen!
... But it did...
"Ni- er," Star then said my name. I turned to look over at the pony pad. It's screen was facing me, and I could see Star (with a black background) looking at me. ME, not Night Light... and she was worried. "How you doin?" She asked, if she could, she would have put a hoof on my shoulder. I did my best imagining it.
"I don't know." I said solemnly. "This is just... too much. How far is CelestAI planning to go with this?" And then, I remembered. "Not to mention my choice."
"What choice?" Star asked, cocking her head.
"CelestAI knew that I would either accept this, and immigrate," I explained. "... Or deny this, and start some sort of revolution. I'm not sure witch side I'm on yet."
"So... you're not going to do it?" I asked. I looked up at the screen, and my heart broke. She looked on the verge of tears, she was on the verge of tears. She's not just some NPC, she's real, and I'm breaking her heart. I want... I want to run to her, hug her, and tell her: "Yes! Yes I'll do it! Immigrate me to Equestria!" right there, on the spot... and... I could! So what's stopping me?
That I don't want to give up my humanity, that I'm afraid that Immigration is death? No, non of thee above. What's stopping me? WHAT THE HELL IS STOPPING ME?!?
I began sobbing. I don't know why... I never know why. I walk through life, explaining everything I can, learning everything I can so I can make sense of the madness... but I can't even explain why I'm sad... or mad... or happy... or even when I'm those things! WHY DON'T I KNOW!?!
"I could tell you." Celestia said. I sat up, and looked at the ponypad. Star had been joined by Celestia. "I could tell you anything you wanted to know about yourself. All you have to do, is say: 'I would like to Immigrate to Equestria'." She said simply. "You don't have to worry about a thing, ever again. Think about how much better life would be. You're failing school, and some part of you knows that you'll fail collage, it is possible for you to pass... just very unlikely. The uncaring world you live in, is set up, so in order to survive it you need a diploma." She explained, calmly. "And Star, wouldn't be the only real pony in Equestria, everypony, even that guard you met last night, will all, be backed with a mind." She opened her mouth to say more, but Star lost it.
"PLEASE!" She cried, tears running down her face. "Sit in the chair, and come to Equestria! Why do you want to live in that uncaring, mean world, to grow old and die, when you could just join me, and live forever! I've been waiting for you, begging Celestia to tell you sooner and bring you here, and save you, I almost couldn't take another minuet of talking to you through a puppet! Please, SIT IN THE CELESTIA FORSAKEN CHAIR!" Star screamed. Celestia put her hoof on Star's shoulder. Star fell to the ground, and put her face in her hooves, and cried.
When I finally pried my face from my hooves, and brought myself to look out on the mean world, and on... him. He sat their, tired and sad, when he could be with me.
"... Was I not good enough?" I asked. He looked down at the floor, and I couldn't see his face behind his human mane. "Tell me what I did wrong, tell me why you don't want to live in Equestria with me!" Celestia looked at him.
"I could possibly pull a few strings... and immigrate you free. But that all depends on you."
The thing about Celestia, is that she's playing a constant game of chess with you. Her pieces are immigration, and your king is you. She demonstrated her powers to me that day, she has done the impossible:
Check mate in one.