Preparations (Unedited)
Chapter 3
Silence.
Kazuto sat up in bed and took off his Nerve-Tech helmet. He stared blankly forward, not paying any attention to his surroundings. Millions of questions swam through his head like schools of tiny fish. ‘What does this mean?’ ‘Where did we go?’ ‘How did we get there?’ ‘Was that all REAL real?’ ‘Should we go back?’ ‘Should we tell someone?’
His musings were shattered by the sound of stomping feet running up the stairs. The door slammed open and a worried, and slightly out of breath, Andrew stood panting in the doorway. Worry was very apparent in his eyes as he yelled out: “What the HELL happened?!? Are you guys ok?!?! What was in that world?!?” As he was yelling others sat up, or turned to look at him. He glanced around the room at all the slightly glazed expressions. “Wait, did the code do something to your brains? Oh this is not good if it-“
Kazuto cut him off with a raised hand.
He was cut off by Rika, “we are fine Andrew.”
“Just in shock.” Added a dazed Sugu.
“Well…” Said a less worried, but still confused Andrew. “What happened?”
“We went to a different world.” Said a shocked Naga. “I can’t believe it, we went to a different world. I feel numb, like all I know is a lie, like hundreds of years of teachings and knowledge passed down from generation to generation is wrong. Like, like… like something huge happened…”
The silence was palpable. Everyone shared a look of agreement. Andrew still looked confused, as none of his questions had been answered yet. As he was about to comment Ryoutarou cut him off. “I understand what you are saying, but I disagree.” He propped himself up against his bedframe as he turned to look at Naga. “I mean, sure we just went to a whole different world where there are people just like us… okay maybe not just like us… more like nothing like us at all… but you know what I mean... anyway…” He shook his head in an attempt to get his thoughts back on track. “Sure this is potentially Earth shattering, sure it might change your worldview a bit… But let’s try and think about it differently. This world existing on a whole nother relm… It really makes you wonder what is out there, but not doubt everything.” Naga blinked and Ryoutarou sighed. “I am not so good at philosophizing… Heh,” he chuckled, “even I feel a bit messed up. And sure, our world view has been expanded a bit, okay a lot, but that doesn’t mean everything you know is wrong.”
“Ya,” chimed in Rika, “I mean, talking ponies and magic actually being real is a bit weird, but I am sure we seem weird to them.” With a smile she stood up and stretched. “Well I’m going downstairs I need a drink!”
“I second that,” added Ryoutarou while jumping out of bed.
As they brushed past Andrew he asked, “Wait, wasn’t that just a game? Okay yeah, I saw some weird readings on this end, and it looked like you guys died, like died in the real world died for a couple of minutes, but it was it that strange of a world?” Andrew scratched his head, “wait, were there already detailed NPC’s already in game? That’s kind of -”
“No, that was no game.” Interrupted Kazuto. “That was real.”
“Real? Well sure, the game seemed real but-“
“Real real.”
“Like?”
“Really really real, like real real. Like as real as my toes real.” Supplied Ayano, stilly lying on her bed, with big eyes gesturing wildly with her hands. Quickly sitting up she beamed at Naga and with a nod of her head she added, “Our personal genius here actually successfully created a portal to an alternate universe.”
“Alternate Universe. You mean that thing that those guys on TV have been working on for months?” A nod. “You mean that code that you based your code off of?” Another nod from Ayano. “You guys actually did it… You were the first humans in an alternate universe… How was it?”
It was a simple benign question that did it. A simple question that could be asked about a great many things: ‘how was it?’ One could ask that about the first day of school, a day at the fair, a trip to the mall, a new movie, or anything. It was the simplicity of the question that seemed to snap most of the rest of them out of their stupor.
Kazuto stood, stretched, and looked over at the rest of his friends, for the first time really seeing them since they had left Equestria. Ryoutarou had left with Rika already, Naga was still sitting up straight in bed still glass eyed. Sugu had stood up and was preparing to go downstairs also. Ayano had sat down next to Naga and was proceeding to poke him in the shoulder in an attempt to get a responce. And finally Asuna had yet to do anything and was still lying down in the bed next to him.
“It was… Interesting. How about you go down, we will be with you in a moment.” Replied Kazuto.
Grabbing Andrew by the upper arm Sugu started dragging him towards the stairs, “come on then, there are thirsty people downstairs, I know I am one of them. We will ‘de-breif,’” adding air quotes with her fingers, “when everyone has had something in them and we are all together.”
“Ya, okay, that makes sense. Don’t stay up here too long.” And with that the two of them walked down the stairs.
He turned to the bed next to his. “Hey Asuna, you alright?” Asked a slightly worried Kazuto, he remembered the last time she did not get up after visiting a virtual world and deep down he always worried whenever she entered FullDive that she would not come back.
He calmed as he saw her turn her head towards him. Her hazel eyes looked into his as she took a deep breath and sighed. Slowly she sat up moving her hands to her head. She lifted the helmet off her head and placed it down beside where she sat. Letting out another sigh she turned saying, “I’m fine, just taking it all in.
“It’s kind of sobering, realizing that you are not alone, we are not alone. I really don’t know what to think. I think I am going to be fine,” she added giving him one of her trademark smiles, “I just needed some time to lie and think.”
Kazuto smiled back at her and moved his hand to hold her’s. Sadly their touching moment together lasted all of 3 seconds before a very girly cry from across the room grabbed their attention.
On the other side of the room Ayano had finally gotten a response from Naga after she stuck her finger into her mouth and then into his ear. He shrieked, in a very girly manner, as he jumped off of the bed and started rubbing his ear.
“What was that for?!?!?” He yelled.
“Well, you seemed quite out of it, and so I thought I would poke you. When that didn’t work I had to resort to more extreme tactics.” She replied a glint in her eye.
“Extreme tactics?”
“Yes, not the most extreme, but still on the extreme side of the things I could have done.” She stopped suddenly with a completely blank expression. She then blinked twice, and slowly smiled a big creepy (bordering on psychotic) smile at Naga. In response the boy took several tentative steps back and held up his hands in a defensive position.
“Well,” he chuckled hesitantly, “I’m up now, so you don’t need to use your more, um, eh he um, ya well bye.” And with that he bolted out the room and down the stairs.
“Wait up! I still had several more methods to try! Naga, get back here!!” And she too ran out the room and down the stairs.
The entire time Kazuto and Asuna sat staring at the strange display. Slowly Kazuto turned back to his girlfriend a thin smile on both of their faces. “This could be interesting,” he said as he started chuckling.
“Mhm,” she replied with a giggle.
“Should we join them?”
“I guess we ought to.”
The both stood, stretched, shared a kiss, and then started walking toward the stairs hand in hand to join their friends.
“Hey,” said Asuna tugging against Kazuto’s hand stopping both of them. Worry apparent in her eyes she asked, “Do you think Yui will be alright?”
Kazuto put his other hand to his chin thinking for a moment. On one had this was a strange new place for all of them, especially for Yui. She was no longer in a computer or any sort of device, true, she was still in his Nerve-Gear but he didn’t know if being in a physical place would change anything. Then there was the fact that they were leaving her all alone, probably defenseless, in a strange place with strange creatures of unknown power and unknown intent. But, on the other hand they seemed nice and peaceful. They appeared out of nowhere right in front of one of the leaders of the nation and she did not seem to mind. Plus she dropped everything to give them a tour, and even a meal with her co-ruler/sister.
With all that in mind Kazuto looked Asuna in the eye and said, “I am sure she will be fine.”
After searching his eyes for any sign of doubt she smiled, squeezed his hand and they both continued downstairs.
*^~~~~~~~~~^*
In a certain castle in a certain world in a certain universe an alicorn stood on a platform jutting off of the westernmost tower. She stood still as a stone gazing at the sun. As she gazed at the sun, her sun, she thought of the visitors. She worried about the future of her ponies. She worried about unseen dangers and dangers not thought of before. She pondered the now proven existence of other universes and worlds. She sighed as she stared lovingly at the sun, her sun, always a beacon of hope unwavering steady and strong. “Well old friend,” she started, “We have seen many things in our long life. We will see many more. Wonderful things, horrible things, things nopony should ever have to see. But we have. And we carry on. Ignorance truly is bliss isn’t it?”
She looked down sadness in her eyes. The world seemed heavier for a moment longer, but only for a moment. As she looked back up she stated resolutely, “But ignorance in the face of danger is no shield. And we will continue to carry on because that is what we do. We are a beacon of hope. We are the protector. We are the defender. I fear and yet I do not fear these humans. I fear what they bring and what they mean, but not who they are. I saw them, I looked into who they are. They are many things, many strange and wonderful things, but they mean us no harm. At least they seem to not mean to harm us. No, I fear for my dear Equestria. I fear what outside forces will follow them through the rift.
“This rift will not be the end of it. Others will follow. The good, the bad, the indifferent. There is nothing to do now.” She sighed, “I could attempt to strengthen the fabric, but I doubt even I could strengthen it enough.”
She shook her head a glint in her eyes. Her heart swelled with courage and pride. Her mind filled with hopes and dreams. “But why should I? This is our opportunity. My little ponies will show their strength again as they have before again and again! Our visitors are great opportunities to learn. We can watch them, befriend them, and learn about them. They can in turn watch us, befriend us, and learn from us. From there we can meet their friends and do the same. And if we find evil out there we will call upon our friends and help them. And if they find evil and call upon us we will come to their aid. This is not the time for cowardice this is not the time for timidry, this is the time to show the multiverse what ponies are made of, this is the time to show that the powers of friendship and harmony transcend all divisions.”
With a deep breath she smiled the first true smile she had had in the last hour. “Thank you old friend I needed this. Good night.” And with that her horn glowed a golden yellow and she dipped her head down helping the sun along its path starting the night.
*^~~~~~~~~~^*
In a different part of the castle a strange pair moved through a corridor. On the left was the other half of the diarchy, an alicorn colored in dark blues and purples and blacks. She trotted through the halls at a gentle pace taking in the dusk. On the right was a pixie, a small humanoid creature no bigger than a hoof. She fluttered, almost floating, on thin translucent wings at eye level with the alicorn up now, down now, around her head now. They moved down the hall until the alicorn gestured with a wing for the pixie to turn left out an eastern facing platform jutting from the castle.
“Can you wait a minute, I need to raise the moon.”
“Of course Princess. You are the one guiding me anyway, can’t really go anywhere without you.” The pixie giggled.
“Luna, Yui, please call me Luna. This should only be a minute.”
Yui floated by the door just inside the building as Luna walked to the center of the platform. She felt the sun preparing to set. ‘Tia sure is taking a while today’ she thought as she waited. After several minutes she felt the sun beginning to set. “Finally,” she muttered under her breath, ‘I wonder what the delay was.’ She then closed her eyes focusing all her energy and being on the moon hiding under the horizon. With a glow from her horn and strong jump she lifted the moon from its resting place officially beginning the night. She spread her wings as she floated back down to the platform.
The stars started waking up, twinkling as their way of saying hello to the moon. Their mistress took a deep breath opening her eyes. She looked up at the sky tisking softly. Closing her eyes again her horn glowed as the stars shifted slightly to their correct positioning. She opened her eyes after a few minutes. And checked again to make sure the sky was just right. After nodding to herself she turned back to a wide eyed Yui.
“Wow,” whispered Yui, “That was amazing.”
“Twas nothing.” She responded with a proud smile. “I do this every night. But I am pleased when I find that my night pleases others.”
“Well it was unlike anything I have ever seen! And the way the lines moved, just wow!”
Luna reentered the castle proper continuing to trot down the hall toward the library and Yui followed. “What do you mean child when you say ‘the lines’?”
“Um, I guess the leylines? At least I think that is what Princess Celestia called them. Can’t you see them?” Luna shook her head. “Oh, sorry, it must be because of what I am. Like the programs and lines of code in virtual world I can see the leylines and magic in this world if I concentrate hard enough... Unless the magic is strong, then they are easily seen.”
“Oh! You have magic sight. That is a rare gift indeed. I know only of several unicorns that have that ability. I believe I only know of one unicorn this age that has it. She is Tia’s student, and I am sure you will meet her eventually.” With a coy smile she added, “And she is a good friend of mine.”
“Oh,” Yui asked with raised brow, “A ‘special’ friend?”
Luna hopped and smiled. “Very very special! She and her friends saved us from our self when we had fallen, and then again when no other pony would accept us she gave us friendship and tried her hardest to get us accepted into the community!”
Yui looked at Luna with that look that girls give each other when they say something, but deep down they mean a whole lot more (you know what I am talking about). They both stopped and Luna looked at Yui with a confused expression. After a minute her eyes lit up in recognition, “Oh you mean like mate,” she shook her head, “No, Sparkle is our friend, purely. We would want nothing more.”
Yui floated in front of Luna looking deep into her eyes. “Hmmm, well that’s depressing.” She said as she floated back beside the princess of the night pouting a little. “I really wanted to play matchmaker.”
“Why is that child?” Luna asked as they took a right down a different, yet similar hallway.
“Well you see, I was originally a pretty decent artificial intelligence made to check up and monitor the mental health of the players in Sword Art Online and to council them if they needed it. I was programmed with the ability to mimic emotion to help relate to the players. But when Sword Art Online went online,” Luna gave the girl a puzzled look, “The game turned on, started, you know…” Luna shrugged and gestured with a hoof for the girl to continue, “well anyway, when the game started and the players joined, and I was told I could not perform my job.
“Now, I wasn’t turned off or destroyed, I still existed in the game, and I still monitored the mental health of all the players. But I could not help them.”
Tears welled up in Yui’s eyes. “It drove me insane. The players were stuck in the game unable to leave, unable to see their loved ones unless they were also in the game. And all around them there were players dying.”
She hiccupped and Luna offered a handkerchief she summoned out of thin air. Yui blew her artificial nose on the magically summoned handkerchief which covered it with artificial boogers, snot, and tears.
“Why would they play this game in the first place if they could die? We, I, think it is quite foolish of them. Were they tricked?”
“Well, dying is part of many games. But if you die in these games it does not hurt, you do not die in real life, and you get to become alive again after a certain penalty time. That is how it was supposed to be in Sword Art Online, but for some reason the man who created the game set the pain levels much higher than they were supposed to be and he locked the game so the players could not leave and he had the game change the Nerve-Gear so that it would kill the players if they died in the game.”
Luna looked at the small girl horrified that such a thing could happen.
“Hundreds died.” Sniffed Yui, “And many took their own lives because of it. And I was going mad I could not do anything, I could not do what I was made to do. But then I saw them. I saw my parents. Kirito and Asuna were two bright lights in a world so full of darkness and fear. They had hope, they had happiness, they had love. I disconnected myself, losing my memory because I wanted to meet them. They found me lost in the woods, took me in, and when I mistakenly called them Mommy and Daddy they did not complain.”
Yui smiled, “I eventually regained my memories and was almost destroyed by the system because I was seen as a rogue program.”
“I don’t even want to know what that means, but please continue. I have been following your story so far. So I take it they saved you?”
The pair excited the castle proper and were now walking down the path toward the Royal Canterlot Archives. Along the path were beautiful topiaries of ponies and different creatures in a plethora of poses, they shook slightly in the light breeze. The stars twinkled off the wet shiny leaves. But all this beauty was lost on the pair. One deep in recollection, the other enraptured with the story.
“Yes they did. Daddy downloaded me into his Nerve-Gear, um its kinda like...”
“Again I don’t know what that means, but continue anyway.”
“Um, well he made a copy of me and hid me away, but both are still me, so if something happens to this me, I will still have the Nerve-Gear to turn back to, so I will be ok. Make sense?”
“A soulstone, got it. Continue! This story pleases us!”
Yui giggled at the princess’s proclamation, “Well he saved me, and by now I had become self-aware. They still let me call them Mommy and Daddy and treat me as if I am their daughter.” Yui stopped and stared into space.
Luna stopped also and turned to look at the floating girl. “Wait, why did we start this conversation…” Yui questioned.
“You said you want to play matchmaker…”
“OH YA! Um well because of my empathy programming and want to help others with their mental health, love is a big part of mental health… So I really want to play matchmaker!”
Luna chuckled as they came to the doors of the Royal Canterlot Archives. “Well if I ever feel the need of a mate you will be the first on our contact list for help. And look, here we are, the Royal Canterlot Archives. The big library.”
With that Luna grabbed the door handle with her magic and pulled it open. Yui’s eyes went wide with the amount of books and information contained within. “Wow!”
“Yes wow indeed little one. Where would you like to start first?”
The pixie put a small hand to her chin as she thought. “History, then geography, then Flora and Fauna. I want to know all about this world!!”
Luna chucked, “That is quite a lot in a night, but let us see what we can get started on shall we? History is this way.”
They quietly walked down to the third alcove on the right. Yui looked up at the books with a determined look on her face. Luna started trotting toward the fifth stack and started walking down it pulling books out here and there with her magic. After a few seconds the princess looked behind to see that the pixie was still standing by the door thinking.
Luna shrugged and walked back to her new friend holding seven books in her magical grasp. “I picked out some books giving a general history of Equestria from ancient times to today.” Yui’s posture remained unchanged, “Um, Yui, you here?” With a continued lack of response the princess lifted up a hoof to the pixie poking her in the belly, very gently mind you. The desired effect was had as Yui snapped out of her trance and looked at the princess. Well, not the princess, but the books floating in her magical grasp.
“Telekinetics right? That is a telekinetic spell you are performing right now right?”
“Um, this is true. Doth it matter?”
Yui concentrated, looking at the change in leylines the mana flow from Luna. She smiled “Let me try something, drop a book.”
Luna did as she was told and the book dropped to the floor. Yui stared at the book for a few seconds. Nothing happened. Yui shook her head, Luna tilted her head. “Come on,” the pixie muttered, “work. AHA!!” Yui shouted as grey glow surrounded the book and Yui’s hands. Luna gasped in amazement as Yui brought the book up to her face and started turning pages with her magic. Yui exerted almost no effort and levitated the book with the grace of a professional.
“I looked back at what you did to the books and recreated it. Simple really. Hey, random question, but is there a copy spell? A spell that completely copies something?”
“Um yes there is. It is pretty advanced though.”
“Could you please show me? Demonstrate on the book.”
Luna saw the determination in Yui’s eyes, shrugged her wings, and prepared the spell. With a burst of magic and a grunt of effort Luna created an exact duplicate of the book. Luna grinned up at Yui who hovered in midair glowing slightly. Slowly the girl increased in size and her wings disappeared. When her transformation was finished she stood a head above Luna’s torso. She cracked her knuckles and her head, “I am not going to lie, this is going to be difficult. But don’t worry I will try these books first.”
Before the princess could reply Yui’s hands started glowing as she weaved them in and out of each other making complicated signs, pushing and pulling them like a conductor. After a few grunts and groans Yui’s face gained a triumphant look and she smiled a big smile at the princess, “Found it!”
“Found what?”
Luna’s question was answered by the other nine books becoming eighteen books surrounded by very fancy magic circles. Yui then picked up the ten copies with her magic and brought them to herself hovering in a circle around her dancing softly. The glow became much stronger as the books seemed to dissolve into letters and numbers and flowed like water down a slope into Yui’s body. When the copies were gone Yui turned to Luna “Thank you, that will save us a lot of time. Are there any other books about history I should know as background information about this world? Just basic stuff, I don’t need to know all the boring details.”
The princess of the night did not respond, she was too busy being stunned by the simple display of power by one seeming so young. ‘No’ she corrected herself ‘she is not young, she is not even alive. She is a construct. A kind, naïve and good natured construct, but a construct still.’ She shook her head looking at the innocent artificial life in front of her. She smiled, “That will speed things up a great deal. No, I believe that will be all the history that you will need. Do you know all the information in those books now?”
“Yes and no. See it’s all in here so I can retrieve any information at a moment’s notice, but I don’t know know it. Understand?”
“Yes, no, sort of. It doesn’t mater lets continue with Geography, then we can do Flora and Fauna, and” adding as an afterthought, “you should probably have some books on magic.”
“Sounds good.” Skipping next to the princess she pointed back toward the main section of the library loudly proclaiming, “Lead on princess!”
Luna raised an eyebrow at Yui, causing the girl to blush. ‘She is still just a child.’ The princess of the night thought with a smile. “Right, onward to Geography.”
End Chapter
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You need to have Kirito show off his sword skills against Shining Armor.
2190693 OMG THAT IS AN AMAZING IDEA, TOTALLY STEALING IT!!
2190983 Yeah show the Equestirans why he's known as the Black Swordsman of SAO.
I like the concept, but please don't mess with kirito, derping him up, I will haz a sad...
2190983Yeah make it happen
2409753Please
2190983 My friend you have just made my week,neigh you have made my month thank you for this wonderful contribution to the world of equestrian crossovers
*twitch-twitch* w-where is *twitch* ch...chapter *twitch* f-four
2190983 were is the next chapter i want to see it
This is so Cute!
Yui and Cadence would get along so well.
not bad, a few mis-spells grammatical errors and placements of words