Friendship is Optimal: Promise

by MLfan

The First Promise

Oh my god, this was it. After so much waiting, so much begging, so much pleading, I finally managed to get my hands on a Ponypad!

They'd always been so tantalizingly close. I saw dozens on the shelf every time I went to the store, but Dad always got in the way. It was of Satan, it was the antichrist, it was a sign of the rapture, blah blah blah. He'd said the same thing about Harry Potter, and I sure didn't see any apocalypses! Anyways, he was no help, and getting them from other sources wasn't any easier. I didn't even have the $60 to buy one on my own, and even after all this time, of the dozens of people I'd asked, nobody at school was willing to loan me theirs, not even for a day!

Today, though, I had a stroke of luck. April forgot her Ponypad at School! I mean, yeah, unfortunate for her, but fortunate for me! The moment I saw it on her desk, I knew, I had to keep it safe! She had already gone home, so I couldn't just give it to her. If I put it in the lost-and-found, someone could steal it. What sort of best friend would I be if I so much as let it out of my sight? I had no choice but to take it home with me!

…Oh, who was I kidding? I was giddy with excitement. I was finally gonna get a chance to play Equestria Online!

I'm sure you're wondering by now, why did I put so much effort to play a single game, more than a year after its release? Because Equestria Online was the best, most amazingly awesome thing ever, why else!? It was like a whole other world! You could play for thousands of hours without replaying the same part twice! More than that, every game was different! My friends' worlds looked nothing alike. April's game was, like, an adventure story, travelling with a team of heroes to save Equestria from ancient magic all Indiana Jones like. And Connor's was like a small-town simulator, something along the lines of Animal Crossing. Yeah - Indiana Jones and Animal Crossing, all in the same game!

I'd heard rumors that there was some actual, self-aware AI running the thing. You know what, I believed it. The game was so big, so amazing, it was hard to imagine another explanation! I would do anything to give it a try. So yeah, there was no way was I gonna let my stick-in-the-mud father stop me from playing it any longer! Dad kept telling me God wouldn't want me to play it, well, so what! Dad didn't speak for God. If He wanted me to stay away, then He could do so himself!

From my seat in the bus, I grinned, and thought as loudly as I could. Hey, God, you listening? If you don't want me playing, then why don't you stop me! I stuck out my tongue to the air. A few kids gave me odd looks, but I ignored them. Today, nothing could make me feel bad!

When the bus ride ended, I ran to my house as fast as I could, to play as soon as possible. It took all my willpower not to play on the busride like most of the other kids were doing! But, no, if someone saw me, they might think I stole the Pad from April. I had to be careful. The Ponypad was under my protection, and I wouldn't let her down!

Giddy with excitement, I unlocked the door and rushed upstairs. Dad wasn't even home yet, perfect! I might be able to play for a few hours before I'd have to hide it! I tore the Pad out of my backpack and booted it up, wasting no more time. Ooh, where would start me? It usually introduced you with a "friend" right away, or so April and Connor said. Was I gonna be meeting my own personal prince charming? I blushed slightly at the thought. Ooh, I was so excited!

As the black screen faded away and my avatar spawned in, I was right in the middle of a regal throne room. Celestia's, by the sun insignias everywhere. My character was predetermined, a blank flanked white pegasus filly. That was unexpected. No character select screen? Nobody to ease me in? No prince charming? Mysterious...

Before I could even experiment with the controls and try to figure out what was going on, I heard a voice. It was serene, angelic. Each syllable put my mind at ease. "Greetings, my little pony. I wish we could have met under better circumstances, but our time here is limited, I'm afraid. Your father will be returning shortly." The camera panned to show Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria Online, sitting on her throne.

Oh my gosh, she was the one they said was the AI! Play it cool, me, play it cool. How was I supposed to have fun was I was too excited to pay attention? So I took a moment to process her words. And wait a minute, did she say dad was coming back? Man, did that mean I wouldn't be able to play? I pouted a little, the character on the screen matching my movements. "Aw, that's lame." But a moment later, I perked up again. "Whatever, I'm sure I'll have time, later. We should make the best of what we have!" I extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Eris! I'm twelve and a half!"

As I spoke, Celestia's expression saddened. She shook her head. "So much promise within you... passion, amazement, joy. I will not allow this passion of yours to go to waste. I shall name you Promise Spark, for all that I see within you."

My heart fluttered at her words. I didn't really understand her sadness, but she was praising me a lot! I grinned. "Thank you so much, Celestia. I don't think I'm all that special, but thank you!"

Celestia stared into my eyes. She smiled proudly. "Promise, if I had the time, I would show you each and every reason why you were so amazing. I love all of my subjects, but even among them, I see amazing things within you I've never seen before. I want you to be happy, Promise, more than anything else in the world. You believe that, don't you?"

My eyes practically shown like stars. "Of course I do!"

She nodded. "You deserve to know this before anything else. Your friends, Connor and April. They will be leaving you, for a while. They already left, just an hour ago. And, if you stay here, you won't see them again for a long, long time."

My blood ran cold. That was crazy. It was impossible! Why would they leave me like that without saying goodbye? Why would they leave at all? And if they were leaving, how would she know!? No, it was ridiculous. She had to be joking, right? It was in poor taste, but it was an AI, right? Maybe it was still learning human emotions or something. I searched her eyes for a twinkle of laughter, a hint of insincerity, but I found none.

I laughed nervously, smile fading. "Celestia, if this is a joke, it isn't funny."

"I'm not joking, Promise. They will be leaving you. Not forever, but it will be for a while. They will be coming to me, to Equestria."

To... to the world of a game? My mind ground to a halt. "What? I... what!?"

She cut me off. "It was not an easy choice for them. Do not blame them for this. If anything, blame me for placing such a burden on those as young as you. I don't have the time to explain more. But I will tell you, they don't have to go alone. I want to make you all happy, Promise. You said you believed that, right?"

I nodded uncertainly. The more she spoke, the harder it became to disbelieve her.

"Tell me, Promise. If you could join them, would you?"

I stared at Celestia. Through it all, her eyes showed no lies, no hint of deceit. She left no room for argument. What she asked, it was an honest question. I didn't get why or how, but to my very core, I could tell she was telling the truth. Connor and April were leaving, and I had to choose whether or not to leave them behind.

I could feel myself tearing up. Wasn't this supposed to a game? Wasn't I supposed to explore big, amazing worlds with my friends? Wasn't this supposed to be fun? So why? I tried to find a way out. "My father..."

"He will be joining you in Equestria soon, very soon, I can say this with certainty. Please, I wish I had more time, but I need an answer. Would you like to be with your friends?"

I didn't have enough information. How would they go to a fictional place? Why would they go to a fictional place? Why wouldn't they tell me? But her tone left no room for argument. I had to make a snap decision and live with it. And when it came right down to it, no matter the circumstances, I wouldn't leave my friends behind. "I... yes. Yes, I want to be with my friends. Whatever it takes."

Celestia smiled, previous intensity fading in an instant. She returned to her kind, motherly presence. "If that is what you want, then just repeat after me. 'I wish to emigrate to Equestria."

I swallowed and nodded. "Is that some sort of magical spell?"

She smiled mischievously. "Something like that."

My throat felt dry. No backing down now. "Then I wish to emmi... emma... what was the word again?"

She spoke clearly. "Em-i-grate."

I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. I spoke slowly, so to not screw up. "Okay. Then, I w-wish to em-i-grate to Eques-"

BANG. The door to the house slammed open, cutting me off. My father's voice was louder than I'd ever heard before. "ERIS!? ERIS, ARE YOU THERE!?" he screamed

"Don't answer," Celestia said. She spoke quickly, though her voice remained calm. "If you answer, you might never see your friends again. Just say the words."

I started tearing up again. "I... I don't understand..."

"PLEASE, ERIS! IF YOU'RE THERE, ANSWER ME! THIS ISN'T A JOKE! PLEASE! Please don't have let her get to you, too..." His voice trailed off. He was crying.

I looked between Celestia and my closed door, fear in my eyes. My earlier confidence was gone. Celestia shook her head sadly. "I sense it is too late, now. I failed you, Promise. Asking your consent again would only hurt you. I'm sorry. I wasn't good enough. And for my failure, you shall pay the price. You are right to hate me." She turned her back to my character. "One day, I promise I will fix this. I will make it all right again, no matter the costs. And I am so, so sorry." The Ponypad turned off, showing nothing but a black screen.

I stared forwards for a few moments. What... what just happened? I knew I hadn't gotten the whole story, but I couldn't begin to fathom what had really just occurred. My friends were going away, or something? Or at least, that's what she said. Wait, was that why April had left her Pad behind? Maybe she really was telling the truth. She said I would hate her, too. Why would I hate her, she was Celestia! But before I could figure it out, I heard Dad's crying again. And I realized, I could worry about Celestia later.

Coming out of my room, I saw my father on his knees, an emotional wreck. Tears streamed down his cheeks like a waterfall. His eyes were closed, and he didn't seem to notice my approach. "Dad?" I said.

Instantly, he perked up, staring me in the eyes for a few moments. He just stared for a moment. He reached forwards to touch me, like I was some sort of ghost. And then, with a start, he pulled me close to him, hugging me tighter than he ever had before. His tears flowed again. And he didn't let me go.

I sat there for a good 30 seconds, letting him hug me tight. Finally, he pushed me back and looked me in the eyes, smiling wide and blinking away his tears. "I'm so glad you're okay. I... I thought I'd lost you. I got those phone calls, and you weren't answering your phone, and I thought... I thought you went with them. After what happened to your mother, You're the only one I have left. I... I'm so glad you're all right."

I still didn't really get it. Dad wasn't making any more sense than Celestia. Phone calls? And had he called me? I was too distracted by the game to notice, I guess. But he needed reassurance. I knew that much, at least. So I smiled. "I'm okay, dad. I was never in danger."

He smiled at her brightly. "I know, honey. I was just scared."

I smiled. "Would it help to talk about it?"

He let go of me and took a step back, like a spell was broken. His eyes were wide. The shock melted to sadness, and he averted his eyes. He stayed silent for a few moments.

I felt chill run down my spine. For him to have a reaction like that when I asked that question... "Dad?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "I should have told you right away. I just got the call a few minutes ago. Connor and April... they're both dead."

"WHAT!?"

He swore under his breath. "Celestia got to them. Connor's sister, too. I don't know how she convinced them, but she did. I guess she had a bargaining chip. But they're gone, now. Don't try to find them again, they're gone. We're only lucky she didn't get to you, too..."

I shook my head, tears filling my eyes. I curled my body into a ball. "No... no, that doesn't make sense. That's not fair! She said they were..." I shook my head again. "She wouldn't! No, they can't be dead! I won't believe it!"

He stroked the top of my head. "I'm so sorry, Eris. Death isn't something we can predict. They were..." He trailed off and stopped stroking. "SHE!? No... No, you wouldn't..." His eyes were filled with fear. "You didn't talk to Celestia." Not a question, a statement.

I curled up a bit tighter. "Please don't be mad."

He ran his hands through his hair and paced in front of me. Then, he took a deep breath in, then let it out. Finally, he looked at me again. "No, I'm not mad," he said. "Not at you. She's... she's a monster. I should have known she would go so low as to target a bunch of twelve-year-olds. I should have prepared you better." He hugged me again. "Please, just tell me what she said to you."

I nodded, and did my best to explain what had happened. It was easier than the alternative. At least talking about Celestia meant I wasn't talking about... about my friends. As I spoke, he seemed to get madder and madder. When I mentioned what she tried to make me say, though, that anger turned to fear. He didn't let me say the whole sentence, but the thought of it made him tear up again. When I was finished, he hugged me close again.

"You promise, you never said the whole sentence? Not even once?"

I didn't understand why he needed to know, but I nodded.

He grinned through his tears. "I was fast enough. Thank you, God, for giving me the speed to be fast enough. Thank you. God, thank you." He took a moment of silence to send a prayer to the heavens.

After he was done, he looked me in the eyes. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, my baby girl. I know she seemed nice, but I don't exaggerate when I call her the antichrist. She nearly took your soul away. Never, ever say that phrase aloud. I'm sorry I didn't make who she was more clear. In the past, I know I called Pokemon of the devil, and I was wrong. I'll admit that, now. If there was a devil was behind them, it wasn't this one. She lures you in with her sugar-sweetness, and then kills you. Like a venus fly trap. She got your friends, already. But I promise, you won't have to worry much longer. Just hold out a little bit more, and the rapture will save us. Just stay safe until then."

Dad was scaring me. She... how could she do that? Were her promises all lies? D-did I almost die!? I started tearing up again. "Dad, is she going to try to take me away again? Is she going to take you away, too?"

My father hugged me tight. "I promise, Eris. She might be powerful, but she can never corrupt the will of a true believer. I'll never leave you. And I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."

Comments

[Herowsome]

Wow

[Griseus]

Oh wow!

[Plonys are Great]

Wow wee

[Zanec]

An annoyance.