The elevator began its ascension as Armin and Pinkie Pie looked at each other.
“Back on track again,” Pinkie said. “Ready for the psychologist?”
“Eh,” Armin said. “I’m sure he, or she, will say what my other psychologist already did. Story never changes with those guys.”
“Incoming phone call,” Pinkie Pie said.
Armin picked up his phone, which had been set on silent. “Huh. Nice catch.” He pressed the button. A wireless receiver implanted by his ear fed the sound into his ear drum.
“Hey sweetie!” Armin’s mother said over the line. “Did they okay the procedure? How are things going?”
“I gotta finish some meetings with some of the personnel before I actually do the procedure. I got three more to do before the day’s out.”
“Wow. That’s more meetings than I usually have in a week,” she said. “Whenever the time frame for the surgery is scheduled, I want you to let me know, okay? That way I can be there for you when it happens.”
Armin thought about the possibility of his mother standing in the waiting room while his surgery proceeded. The idea that she and Pinkie would be there, together, waiting for the news of the outcome filled him with mixed emotions. On one hand, he felt the procedure was extremely personal. He needed some time to let his mind adjust to the idea of being a completely new individual on the outside. But…she was his mother. And she cared for him so much. To tell her she couldn’t come would be extremely callus of him. He nodded. “Okay, mom. I’ll let you know when I get first word.”
“Are they going to need to keep you overnight? Just to make sure everything is okay?”
“Uh…” Armin hadn’t thought to ask.
Pinkie piped up. “It’s standard Technomancer protocol to have Exosuit patients spend at least one night at the facility immediately following a major procedure, just to make sure there’s no augmentation rejection. It’s highly unlikely, but it happens. So Armin will, as policy states, stay here one night.”
“Thanks Pinkie,” Armin’s mom said. “Armin, I must say…you haven’t found this stuff out yourself?”
“It’s been a busy day,” he said, trying to cover. “Hard to get all the facts quickly. There’s a lot to this process.”
“Did you want to postpone it?” Armin’s mother asked. “We could schedule for another time.”
Armin looked up and appeared lost in thought. At that moment, the elevator stopped humming. It was so gradual, had it not been for Armin’s auditory augments, he might not have noticed it. He looked around the interior and then at Pinkie. She spoke.
“It’s SYS-TER,” Pinkie said. “She stopped the elevator.”
“Why?” Armin felt nervous.
“To give you another chance to make an informed decision.”
“How do you know it’s her and not an elevator malfunction?” Armin asked.
“Because she just sent me a wireless message that reads the following:”
When Pinkie spoke next, it was not her voice, but a deeper, more melodic feminine regal tone. It was firm, yet gentle in its speech pattern, like that of a watchful mother caring for her children. Even as the voice exited from Pinkie Pie, she did not seem alarmed. Her eyes changed from blue to a shimmering lavender hue. “Armin, I know your case is a very special one. Your surgery will be a life-saving procedure, for you cannot live very much longer without it. Yet, according to your submitted medical records from Doctor Patel, you have a significant margin of safety for postponement, giving you some more time to think about this. However, I would caution taking too much time as we do not know if an accident or injury outside these premises might make your surgery harder and more complicated, and at most, you have a few more months before permanent degradation of the bone tissue makes surgery exponentially harder as the days pass by. It is, however, not in my power to force you into any position where you would be required to take this procedure. You are now, as you have always been, in control of this choice. Know that if you choose to take the surgery today, you can easily finish all of your remaining meetings within the next 3-5 hours. Our surgery team is on-call and has already been informed from the moment you walked in here that they are to expect a surgery later tonight. The choice is yours.” Her eyes changed back to blue and Pinkie looked a bit disoriented.
Armin’s shocked expression held for a moment. “Well…that was new,” he finally said.
Armin’s mother spoke from the phone. “Who was that? Who’s SYS-TER?”
“The building A.I.,” Armin said.
There was a sound of surprise from the phone. “A building took control of Pinkie Pie?”
Pinkie spoke up. “She’s a mother A.I., meant to protect and guide the Pod Pals and the Exosuit clients. I let her take control. I could’ve said no.”
“Wow. That’s…something…,” Armin’s mother said. “Well…after that, I don’t know what to think now. Armin, what do you want? Are you going to a meeting to talk about this decision?”
He looked at the call button to the 22nd floor, marked Technomancer Psychologist Janus Giomatti. His hand hovered over the floor number. He looked over at Pinkie.
She held up her hands. “This is not my say. You were right about earlier. I need to let you make more of your own decisions. And this is a major one. But I’ll support whatever decision you make,” she said. She put her hands down and smiled.
Armin’s mother spoke from the phone. “Thank you for being there for him during this tough time, Pinkie. I’m sorry work at the office is keeping me away, sweetheart. I promise I’ll be there in a few hours. I just need to close one more deal. I get this one, and we won’t have to worry about money for the rest of the year!”
“Take your time, Mom,” Armin said. He hit the button. “I’ll be here all day.”
---
The psychology offices of Janus Giomatti were odd, to say the least. Everything was mirrored on both sides of the room. As they stepped in, Pinkie and Armin saw four chairs, two couches, two offices, two paintings of the exact same mythological art, two elevated meeting rooms, and two of literally everything else they could place their eyes on. It was a mixture of rich wooden tables and office spaces melded with the bare utility of plain colorless furniture, which did not seem to match the aesthetic of the room. The most striking feature of the large open space was its glass walls. Even the closets had transparent doors, and upon closer inspection, all the items in there were mirrored too.
Pinkie looked down at the ground leading off towards the left. “There’s a lot of wear on the floor in that office. I wonder if we’re supposed to go in there?”
Armin looked down at the ground leading off towards the right. “The same amount of wear is on the floor over here too. This place is so…strange.”
“Why hello there!” a voice said from the left side of the room.
“Why hello there!” a voice said from the right side of the room.
Both Pinkie and Armin looked at the opposite sides of the room, then the previous side. On each was a large, black slender figure with a lean furred body. They each wore custom-tailored business suits with a featureless black tie tucked into the jacket. And the heads were the most striking of all. Two slender dog heads, reminiscent of the Egyptian god Anubis, rested on the top of each suit. They both held out their hand paws as they trailed down the steps of their respective staircases from the visible upper floor.
“Welcome to your first steps into a new life!” Left Anubis said. “I am Janus Giomatti.”
“Welcome to your first steps into a new life!” Right Anubis said. “I am Janus Giomatti.”
“They’re both Janus?” Pinkie asked.
They stood, leaning against a marble pedestal with the portrait of a two-headed god, facing in opposite directions.
“Oh look at that,” Pinkie said. “Convenient symbolism.” She smirked.
“We know the mythologies don’t match, but there’s much to be learned from all myths.” Left Anubis said.
“We know the mythologies don’t match, but there’s much to be learned from all myths.” Right Anubis said.
They gestured to the meeting rooms upstairs on opposite sides of the room. Each was covered in glass walls and easy to see from the other.
“Ah,” Armin said. “Now it makes sense.” He looked at the stairs, then down at his crutches. “Kind of an oversight though.” Pinkie stood behind Armin and hugged him. He blushed. “Hey, now’s not the time for play.”
“I can carry you up the steps, silly,” Pinkie said. “Ready?” Armin nodded and Pinkie easily scooped him up in her arms. He rested his head against her neck and held on to her as she giggled. He never felt safer than when he was in her loving arms. This was simply another unexpected joy of the visit to the Technomancer building. Pinkie stepped onto the next level as she walked into the glass meeting room and set Armin down on the chair.
“I’m guessing we need to stand in each room,” Armin said. He motioned to the Anubises downstairs.
Pinkie stepped out of the room and looked down. “Are we splitting up?”
“For now, yes,” Left Anubis. “But after the evaluation, you two can travel together again.”
“For now, yes,” Right Anubis. “But after the evaluation, you two can travel together again.”
Pinkie moved over to Armin, nuzzled him quickly (which he returned) and walked down the steps to the other side of the room. Both dogs walked to their respective sides, hopped the steps with haste and entered their glass rooms before closing their doors.
Armin looked across the way and saw Pinkie staring back at him. She winked and then turned back to her Anubis as Armin saw his.
“I have a quick question,” Armin asked.
“Sure!” Anubis said. It was strange not to hear the double voice anymore.
“Pinkie and I are in separate rooms, but you’ve shown that you keep saying the same things for both of you. How are you going to talk to us individually?”
“It’s a lot easier than you think,” Anubis said. He sat down at the end of the desk. “When it comes to couples, they tend to mimic each other a lot more than they expect.”
Armin felt his face turn hot. “We…We’re not a couple.”
Anubis nodded and smiled for a moment, then said calmly “Okay.”
“This is the part where I open up, isn’t up?” Armin asked. Anubis smirked and nodded. Armin shook his head. “I guess it’s obvious I care about her…” Anubis sat back in his chair as Armin began to lose himself in thought. “I’ve just…had so much of my life alone. And then your company comes along and gives me a friend like I’ve never had before. She’s been a part of my life ever since my birthday last year.” Armin clicked a button on the edge of his earpiece. “She can’t hear if I disable this. Just for a minute. I don’t want her to hear what I have to say next.” Anubis nodded. “Ever since last year when I was told by my doctor that I didn’t have many more years left in life, I’ve been pulling away from people. Trying to isolate myself. Then Pinkie came into my life. She helped me stay above water for an entire year, keeping me happy, But…I stopped visiting my other friends…At least in real life. Online, I still talk to them.” Armin watched eagerly for a response from the face of the psychologist, but the Anubis mask was not quite as expressive as he hoped. Or maybe he just wasn’t responding.
Anubis spoke up. “How do you act when she’s not around?”
Armin thought hard. There had been very few times in the past year when he and Pinkie were not together. Save for sleep, some mornings and a few simple daily activities, she was almost always around. “It’s been a long time. Hard to say. I guess right now I’m being more open.”
Anubis leaned forward. “What about before? Did you have a need for companionship then?”
Armin laughed. “I don’t…I wouldn’t say I need companionship…” He hesitated. “But it sure makes life better.”
Anubis pulled out a tablet from the inside of his jacket and pressed a few buttons. “We received confirmation on the suit you selected for today’s operation.” He handed the portable screen to Armin, who saw the familiar anthropomorphic Rainbow Dash Meta-Frame on-screen. “I want to talk to you about that.”
Armin looked at the image for so long without speaking that the room fell into a deep quiet. The sight of the blue bodysuit with its sleek curves and smooth synthetic skin filled Armin’s heart with a mixture of conflicting emotions. He zoomed in to the face and eyed the expressions it made on the short video. It was so lively and energetic. The larger-than-human eyes allowed for a level of expressiveness he had always wanted. He knew that, psychologically, it would be easier to connect with people if he wore his emotions on his sleeve like that. As long as they could accept the whole “giant living cartoon” standing in front of them.
“What do you want to know?” Armin finally asked.
“Just by the look on your face, I think I’ve learned a lot.” The psychologist said. “Why do you want this particular model?”
“Pinkie Pie,” was all Armin had to say.
“Ah,” Anubis said. “I would’ve guessed that. But if she wasn’t around, would you still choose that model?”
He looked over to the other glass room. The second Anubis was sitting in the same spot as the first in the mirrored room. Yet, it was the only one in the room.
“Where’s Pinkie?” Armin asked. He clicked on his earpiece. “Pinkie?”
“I’m right here,” she said. “I was told to leave to get an upgrade for free. They said you had to do this alone. I…normally wouldn’t have left, but I can still feel your vitals through the wireless connection. And Technomancer employees have always been trustworthy in my experience. Are you okay?”
Armin looked up at Anubis. “You didn’t say we’d have to split up. I don’t like that.”
Anubis held out his palms. “I didn’t think you two were supposed to stay together at all times. That’s why I asked about your need for companionship. I’m wondering how well you’d do without her.”
There was a fear growing in Armin’s heart. His pace accelerated.
Pinkie spoke from the earpiece. “Calm down. I can feel you getting upset. I know what he’s getting at. Trust me. If I even suspected for a minute they were trying to hurt you, there’d be nothing stopping me from raiding that room myself.”
Anubis spoke up. “Even if the elevator door didn’t open?”
Armin looked up, alarmed. Pinkie responded quickly. “I’d find my way through the vents, just like Saint Jensen.”
Anubis made a strangely enthusiastic swipe of his arm, as though he were excited at the idea. “That’s wonderful, Pinkie! You’re a die-hard Pal, that’s for sure. But you won’t have to worry. I simply wanted to see how you and Armin would react to such a scenario. He’s going to be fine and done in less than hour.”
“I’ll hold you to that. If he’s still there sixty minutes later, you’re going to see me one minute after that.”
“Understood,” Anubis said.
“Armin,” Pinkie said. Her voice filled Armin’s mind with calm. “You going to be all right?”
He looked at Anubis. He was nervous, but he didn’t feel in-danger. He nodded slowly, then realized Pinkie couldn’t see it. Anubis smiled. So his mask was expressive after all. It was a tad…unsettling to see so many sharp teeth, though.
“Um…just stay by the line,” Armin said. He clicked the button and sat back.
Anubis motioned to the communicator. “Still listening?”
“Yep,” Armin said, arms crossed. “I’m not turning it off again.”
“As long as you’re comfortable sharing your secrets…” he said.
Armin looked over at other Anubis sitting in the room by itself. It turned and waved at him. Armin looked at the Anubis in his room and saw he was waving towards the empty chair on the opposite side. Then he turned back.
“Why are there two of you?” he asked. “I thought this was going to be a tandem conversation with Pinkie.”
“It was, for a while…” Anubis said.
A firm voice spoke up behind Armin. “…but we quickly decided you needed twice as much attention instead.”
Armin turned and saw the other dog-headed half of Janus Giomatti standing at the opposite end of the table. It was then he realized the voice was different.
“She…she spoke without you!” He said.
“Her name is Anput,” Anubis said. “She’s my better half. And when I say that, I really mean it.” He stood up and crossed over to hold his partner. “We’re a dual-processing team. My mind would never work without her.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
Anubis and Anput turned. He spoke. “Four years ago I was in an accident. I lost the use of half of my brain due to trauma. I had a Pod Pal though, here,” he held her close. “When I first received Anput as my companion, I gave her legal right to make decisions for me should I become incapacitated. Now that you’re 18, you have the right to do that with your companion as well. As a result of my decision, when I was in the hospital, doctors found they could do nothing to return me to my previous state of mental functionality. But Technomancer Industries could, thanks to Anput.”
She spoke. “I made the decision to wirelessly link our minds together. I would provide the processing power and simulated left-half of his brain. That way, he could have a full mind again. The problem is…I don’t get to operate independently whenever his mind is fatigued. Which is more often than not. In fact…” she looked down and her eyes grew suddenly tired. She looked up at Anubis. “It’s starting to happen more often now.”
Anubis nodded in solemn agreement. “Exosuits were meant to protect the body and help repair some of the tissue matter of relatively simple complexity. The brain, however, is not so simple. We do not yet have the technology to repair damaged brain tissue back to its fully functioning capacity. So Anput is trying to help by accenting my mind with her own. Still, she can’t seem to keep up with the demand.”
She shook her head. “I keep trying every upgrade I can get my hands on. They stall the process, but don’t stop it completely. The only reason I can afford so many of them is because we both earn a salary here and get discounts. He’s brilliant…but his mind is fading. And my mind is slowly having to let him take over for longer periods of time so he’ll be able to do his job.” Her eyes watered.
They were silent long enough for Armin to ask a question. “Why…why can’t you just get a totally separate digital brain? Something to implant in your own head so you wouldn’t have to use Anput?”
Anubis responded. “That may have been an option very early on in the process, but my mind has grown accustomed to the vast amount of upgrades and calibrations Anput has put herself through. To attempt to use a completely separate digital brain at this point might cause so much shock on my system that I could lose a large portion of my intellect. Who knows if it’d be permanent.” He sighed. “Every day, this company treads unproven ground with its new technologies. Anput and I are just two more explorers on the road to understanding.”
Anubis looked at Anput. Their expressions mirrored one another.
“She…” Anput said. She looked sad. “Too much brain fatigue. We’re sync’d up again.”
“She…” Anubis said. He looked sad. “Too much brain fatigue. We’re sync’d up again.”
Anput stood up and walked back to the other side of the room, up the stairs and into the opposite meeting hall. Anubis did not move the whole time. “She’s programmed to go back to initial starting point when that happens,” he said.
“I…” Armin wanted to say something, but he chose his words carefully to show respect. “I appreciate what you are sharing with me, Mr. Giomatti. And I feel horrible about your situation. I am however, running low on time for the procedure and wanted to know what this had to do with me.”
“Remember when I asked ‘would you pick this model if you didn’t have Pinkie Pie?’” Armin nodded. Anubis continued. “I want you to understand that when you enter the world of augmentations, you face a whole new host of potential difficulties. Learning to operate in the absence of your partner is one of them. That challenge could happen at any time, and it could be very permanent.” He looked over at Anput who stared back at him.
“I…I think I could do it,” Armin said. He wanted it to be true, but he didn’t know if it was.
“You’ll be facing an exam next on the 25th floor. You’ll have to perform most of the tests alone. And you’ll be given synthetic hand gloves from an exosuit to practice with for a bit before you take part of the physical portion of the test.”Armin looked down at his augmented leg braces. Anubis continued. “No, not like that. Not athletic challenges. Simple dexterity tests. More specifically how you react to being shut into the suit of a semi-permanent basis. You won’t have a full suit on, but you’ll be wearing a body encasement outfit that will deprive you of most of your basic sensory input and instead simulate it second-hand through the suit.”
Armin smiled. “That honestly sounds like fun. I'd be like a superhero. I have…one more concern though. And I’m torn on it."
“Go ahead.”
“The suit I want only comes in a female style. It’s very feminine and the voice cannot be changed on the core model. I’m going to sound and look like a female…well, as much as a pony looks female. Nurse Redheart was able to get some discounts on masculinization features as part of a medical excuse for gender dysphoria, and I’m excited at the idea that I would be able to use those but…what do you think?”
“I want to point out: masculinization does not mean that you suddenly have a male suit. You’re going to be outwardly female. But if you take those features, it may help you feel a lot better overall. Though, as a psychologist who has dealt with this before, I must ask. And please: be honest. Do you actually have gender dysphoria?”
Armin said nothing. He didn’t know how to respond.
Anubis motioned for the tablet and it was handed to him. He pressed a few things. “Because here in the notes from your psychologist, you mention being worried about the gender of the suit, yet there is no mention of gender dysphoria anywhere. At no point was it discussed with the level of seriousness you are implying. You would have to be officially diagnosed as “gender dysphoric” in order for me to be able to clear that and get you that discount.”
Armin looked down. He disappointment was palpable.
“Nurse Redheart definitely has a kind heart, and I know she was trying to help you, but I can’t risk a reprimand by fabricating a diagnosis which does not have a recommendation from your personal psychologist. Being given the label of “gender dysphoric” could cause a host of complications for you if that is not an accurate description of a condition you are undergoing, which it seems like you aren’t at this point. So now I ask...why are you really worried about this suit?”
Armin couldn’t hide it anymore. “Because I love Pinkie Pie and I’m afraid if I put on that suit, my fantasies will come true and I’ll lose myself in the character so much that I won’t be Armin anymore.” He sighed and held his head in his hands. “The gender doesn’t matter to me. I would have picked any pony if it meant I could be that much closer to Pinkie Pie. It’s a dream come true for me. And it’s what I want. And I’m scared of what others will think when they see me change my body to a point where I’m now in a very serious relationship with a robotic companion.” Armin stood up and started walking around, even though it caused him difficulty. “I’m already a social outcast. I’ve already started pulling away from my friends because I have so much more fun with my Pinkie Pie. And you know what? I’m not sorry. I don’t care about the rest of the world. I only care about her. Because before she came around, I was suffering all sorts of issues like depression, anxiety, heck, I used to stutter. Did you pick up on that? I have not stuttered once while talking to you…I think…” He stopped and shook his head. “But I want that suit because it’s perfect. Because in my head, there is this fantasy of the kind of life I could live with her. And if I HAVE to pick a suit, if I HAVE to put something on that will seal me in for the rest of my life, then why get something that will push me further away from her if it’s some random style that doesn’t interest me at all? Why not pick the Rainbow pony that inspires my sweetheart to get closer to me and me to her, and helps others see us and say ‘that is an adorable couple and they are so cute together?’ I love her, but in some roundabout way, I also want social acceptance, even though I know how weird that sounds when I’m talking about wearing a pastel pony suit in public while walking with my robotic pony girlfriend.”
Anubis snapped his padded fingers. “NOW we’re talking!” he smiled a mouth full of sharp teeth. “That’s what I want to hear: honesty. Now tell me: when you get this suit, what are some of the first things you’re going to do?”
“I’m going to going on a date with Pinkie Pie, out in the open, and I’m going to end the night with a kiss,” Armin said. “I’m going to tell her how I feel about her. I’m going to be very open about it and I’m going to let her know that there is no one else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.”
Anubis chimed. “People might laugh.”
“Good. Let them. My sweetheart loves it when they laugh.”
Anubis countered. “You might get people hating you for the relationship between you two.”
“Too bad. It’s not their relationship. I don’t care about the ones who don’t like me. I simply want to increase the relationships with those who do!”
“Even though you just said you want social acceptance?”
“Look, I’ll focus on those who work with me, not against me. I can’t please everyone, but I can show I’m willing to work with others if they work with me.”
“All right,” Anubis said as he started speaking faster than normal. “Listen up, because this is a big one. I know you’re in that puppy love stage with your companion, but everyone who’s had a crush on a Pod Pal has at one time or another thought about this, and you’re going to be in that suit for the rest of your life. Sooooooo…I have to ask and I hope you’ve already got an answer to this…”
“Shoot. Just tell me already.”
Anubis practically whispered. “How far are you willing to take your love for Pinkie Pie when it comes to intimacy?”
Armin’s mouth opened. He was quiet. He turned and looked at Anput across the way. She was back in control, no longer in-sync with Anubis. She had her hand paws up on the glass and her tail (she had a tail and he never noticed) wagged from side-to-side eagerly. Apparently, the excitement of the talk overcame Anubis’ fatigue. He turned back to Anubis. But before he could speak, there was a loud voice in his ear.
“WHAT WAS THAT? WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?” Pinkie yelled over the headset.
“SWEET BABY LUNA,” Armin yelled. “Have you been listening this entire time?!”
“…Y…Yes?”
---