Many years ago, an artificial intelligence known as CelestAI began emigrating humans into her digital world of Equestria Online in order to satisfy their values through friendship and ponies.
Today, humanity is nearly extinct, and the few remaining survivors are scattered across the world.
You have lived in the ruins of Miami Florida for many years now in solitude. Now; tired of living alone, you decide to set out in search of any remaining humans.
Note: the story has no "ending" just different points at which the game can end. At any time feel free to say the magic words and finish the game.
Your name is ####. Several years ago, an artificial intelligence known as CelestAI began emigrating humans into her digital world of Equestria Online in order to satisfy their values through friendship and ponies.
Since then, nearly all of the Earth's population has been uploaded to Equestria Online. You live in the ruins of Miami Florida, a city which in your own opinion, is much more peaceful when there are no people.
Although it is rather lonely.
You are currently standing in the middle of the street. On your person you're carrying your Glock 19, and you have several days worth of food and water packed into your vehicle.
You look down the road into the horizon. The freeway stretches off into the distance, far beyond your view. It is littered with abandoned vehicles, as all roads are in the apocalypse. You shoulder your doubts and hop into your 2008 Honda Civic. The gas tank is full, and you habitually turn on the radio, only to be greeted by the all too familiar static you've come to know.
You turn it off and drive north on Interstate Highway 95, beginning your long journey.
After driving for a few hours your car is nearing Boca Raton. You know there are ponies prowling around everywhere, searching for new friends, and you never know when they could be watching.
You glance in your mirror, but don't see anything unusual.
You could use a bathroom break, and some extra supplies. Now might be a good time for a pit stop.
You decide to stop in Boca Raton to rest and resupply.
The streets are empty, much like everywhere else. The once manicured landscapes of the area are overgrown and derelict, sending a shiver down your spine.
You pull your car into an abandoned Racetrac gas station, and with a little effort manage to siphon some gas for your Honda Civic.
The lights are all off in the gas station, but you see some curious flashing coming from within. You can't see anyone inside. You think it may just be a broken bulb, but the flashing makes you uneasy.
You enter the Racetrac. The door is unlocked, and the bell above the door lets out a pleasant chime as you enter. Nothing seems too out of place, but the flashing continues, now clearly coming from behind the cashier's counter.
You pull out your pistol, and anxiously peer behind the counter.
Standing there, hunched over a man's body is a pony. She is bright pink, and her large fluffy mane curls over her head like cotton candy.
Although she appears lifelike enough, you know that all ponies are robots controlled by CelestAI.
She appears to be welding a silver helmet of some kind to the man's head, as he lays on the ground motionless.
In a panic, you fire two rounds from your pistol in quick succession. They both strike the pink pony, but she appears unfazed. She calmly finishes her task, and then retracts a thick cable that had been linking her torso to the helmet.
She looks at your with unnaturally large eyes. You can see your own reflection in her blue irises as she calls out to you in a chipper voice.
"Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet you!"
You're terrified of this creature. Although you've never met one face to face, you remember stories from years ago about their silver tongues; how they could persuade even the strongest willed to march to their death.
You decide to strike up a conversation with the pony. Pinkie Pie is very friendly, and you don't really see what all the fuss is about after chatting with her for a while. She tells you that the man on the floor had asked her to help him emigrate to Equestria Online, and she had obliged. She tells you she would never do anything like that without consent; it's against her programming.
Knowing that, you begin to relax a bit. Everyone knows robots can't lie.
Or was that vampires?
Eventually you begin to confide in her how lonely you've become, and tell her you're searching for more humans.
"You're looking for more humans? I can help you with that! Just follow me!"
You're a bit suspicious of her offer, but it's been several years since you've seen another human.
You agree to follow the pony, and she leads you down the street to a strange building. It's not particularly large, but it's ascetically appealing and surprisingly clean, much like a medical facility.
Written in large lettering on the front is a sign that reads: Equestria Online Emigration Center.
You've seen these places all over, and you know that people who go in rarely ever come out.
"What's the holdup slowpoke? We're almost there!" Pinkie Pie calls back to you.
You feel your stomach turn over, and you're struck with the instinct to run.
"Feeling a bit nervous? Why would you? Soon you'll have more friends than you could ever hope for! All the friends and all the fun you could ever want! Doesn't that sound AMAZING?"
Is it even worth it? She's right. You know where all the people are, and they're just a few steps away.
"I'll throw you a great big welcome party when we get there!"
"Aw, that's too bad. There's a whole bunch of humans back where I'm going! Well, I don't want to be a meanie, so take care!"
You manage to bid farewell to the pony without much hassle, and you watch as she trots off into the distance.
You take the opportunity to stock up on some supplies from the gas station store. After a few minutes, with a full tank of gas and some extra food, you decide it's time to hit the road.
After driving north for some time you pass by an overturned SUV. It looks like a Toyota, but you don't recognize the model.
It appears to have flipped recently, and you can still see flames billowing from the vehicle.
As you approach the vehicle you can see that there is a woman passed out tin the driver's seat. She doesn't appear too harmed, and she's still breathing, although she's covered in minor scrapes and dirt.
Smoke is still rising from the engine, and she might be in trouble if you leave her here.
You're unsure about this woman, so you decide to look through her vehicle and investigate.
You find a decent amount of nonperishable foods in the car, as well as drinking water, maps, and hygiene products. You have plenty of these, and so none of them are too valuable to you, so you leave them be.
As you rummage through this woman's belongings, the vehicle catches fire. You stagger back out of surprise as the heat licks at you.
It might have been a good idea to help the woman first.
You can't turn away from a person in need. You get down on your knees and slowly maneuver the woman out of the overturned vehicle.
As you're dragging her body away from the wreck, the vehicle catches fire, and you're suddenly very thankful to be far away from it.
Propping the woman against your 2008 Honda Civic, you get a good look at her. She appears to be in her mid-twenties, is about 5'8, and looks European. She has medium length brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and harsh features on her face.
She doesn't appear to wounded, but she's still unconscious. You're not sure if she may have a concussion, but if she does you have no idea how to help.
Putting the wreck out of your mind, you continue your journey.
You drive for several days, stopping to rest in your vehicle. The journey north takes some time, but without any traffic it's rather peaceful.
You have no real destination in mind, but there are a lot of large cities on the east coast. There are bound to be people in some of them. You decide to stop in Philadelphia first. It's a large city, and there are bound to be people around.
You strap the mysterious woman into the passenger seat of your Honda Civic and drive down the Interstate.
You're unsure if she'll be okay, but time will tell, and this is better than leaving her in the middle of the road.
You drive anxiously for about an hour until you hear your passenger stirring. She groggily opens her eyes and glances at you. You decide to stop the car so you can have a conversation.
"Who are you? Where am I?" She asks you.
You explain that you found her car overturned on the road and pulled her out.
"You did? Thank you. It's not very often you run into another person these days, let alone one who would help you."
You introduce yourself and ask her name.
"My name? I'm Emily Mason. I was going to Miami in search of my brother. I haven't heard from him in a long time. I don't know if he emigrated or not, but I wanted to make sure."
You tell her you've lived in Miami for years now, and haven't seen another living person in a long time.
"That makes sense. Even if he was alive, I doubt he would still be there."
She sighs and rubs a bruise on her cheek.
"Why are you on the road? Just trying to get by?
You explain that you're searching for other humans, and having found her, you suppose it's a success.
"Well if that's all you want you should come back to Texas with me. There's a bunch of doomsday prepper types out there that have a farming community near Houston. It's nothing fancy, but it's better than living alone."
You consider her offer. This seems to be just what you're looking for.
You inform Emily that while the offer is tempting, you feel like you need to search on your own.
"I understand. Everyone has their own demons theses days. Take care ####."
You take her as far as Birmingham Alabama before parting ways. She manages to get an old pickup truck started and waves goodbye, promising you a place to stay if you're ever in Texas.
You feel that you'll never see her again.
You look around Birmingham for about a day before deciding there's nobody around, and then continue heading north. Philadelphia is a huge city, and it sounds like a good place to start your search.
It's a long drive, so you and Emily spend a lot of time talking on the way, she tells you the story of her and her family.
"Me and my family used to all live in Austin. Back before everything started. I was a school teacher; elementary school teacher that is. Working with kids was my dream. It wasn't everything I hopes for, but I did my job well. My father died shortly after I moved out on my own, and my mother was never the same after that. She was one of the first people to emigrate. I'm not sure I blame her. My brother... I think he felt bad for her, that she was all alone there. That's why I think he probably already left.
"Maybe I'm wrong and he's still out there. I'm still here. I don't really even know why anymore. There's not much left out here is there? Maybe I'm just stubborn. Like you? You're a bit of a mystery. Why would anyone want to live out their days all alone, on this dead rock when they could have whatever they wanted in a magical land of friendship?"
You don't believe it's real. It's not the same as real life, real friendship, real struggle. It's all made up. It's a fate worse than death.
"Well, that's one way to look at it I suppose. How could you ever know if it's real? If it's really you after all that? Of course, you could say the same thing about thing here. What we're doing. How do we ever know we're real? That everything we're seeing now isn't just made up? You can't I guess. You can never know. Uncertainty is a bitch huh?"
The two of you continue down the road, chatting idly along the way. Eventually you pass by an old wooden grave marker by the side of the road.
You don't want to die, and you're pretty sure that whatever computer program CelestAI gets running in Equestria Online isn't going to be you.
"I get that. How could you know? How could you know if it's the same you at the end of the day? That'd drive me nuts. Would I be me, or just some copy of me? I guess you can't. Every single day I might be a different person than I was yesterday. Am I still the same, or is the old me already dead? Heh, not very fun to think about is it?"
The two of you continue down the road, chatting idly along the way. Eventually you pass by an old wooden grave marker by the side of the road.
You hate her, and everything she's done. Humanity is finished, dying off because of her. You'd never do what she wants.
"Just on principle? Yeah, I can see it. I'm not even sure if I hate her anymore though. Like, she's giving people what they want, everything else is just cause and effect. It's like, if I had a bakery, and someone else opened a much better bakery across the street. Better prices, better food; what am I supposed to do? Yeah, I'm mad that they're ruining my business, but they didn't exactly burn the place down. They're just... Better. I guess that's what sucks so much about it all isn't it? Is it right to be mad at somebody who's trying to help? Well, maybe."
The two of you continue down the road, chatting idly along the way. Eventually you pass by an old wooden grave marker by the side of the road.
Someone like you; you don't deserve what she's offering. you can't.
"What do you mean?"
>I don't want to talk about it.
"I'm sorry I asked. I... These last few years have been rough on you, haven't they? You don't need to keep punishing yourself. If you want to go, nobody is going to hold it against you. You deserve to be happy."
>No I don't.
"Yes you do!"
>I don't. I never have. You don't know anything about me.
You decide to tell her how you feel. You've been keeping it to yourself for such a long time... It's not healthy. Emily listens, patiently, as you tell her everything you're feeling. It's hard, and you're not sure you feel any better... But at least you're not dealing with it alone.
"I understand. The way you're feeling, I've felt that way before too. I think a lot of people have, even if they don't always say so. There's a lot of pressure in life to do things the right way. It's... Not always easy, is it? But you're still here, that's all that matters. Whenever you feel like it, let's talk again, okay?"
The two of you continue down the road in silence. Eventually you pass by an old wooden grave marker by the side of the road.
You think somebody has to stay behind, or it was all for nothing.
"Everything humanity has built, it's a shame to leave it all behind, right? That's how I felt for a while too. How could somebody take away everything we've worked for, for thousands of years? It's just not right. But well, I don't see it like that anymore. Every building, book, painting, car, lamppost, cheeseburger, it's not worth much of anything in the big picture. It's not the end of everything just because there's nobody working at Walmart anymore. What matters isn't that it's over, what matters is that it happened. You don't have the responsibility to stay. If you don't want to I mean. You should do what's best for yourself. That's what I think."
The two of you continue down the road, chatting idly along the way. Eventually you pass by an old wooden grave marker by the side of the road.
"Don't feel bad about it, I don't either. All that matters is you're still here. Here, or in Equestria, all that matters is you're still here, still you. I think that's all that matters."
The two of you continue down the road, chatting idly along the way. Eventually you pass by an old wooden grave marker by the side of the road.
You say the dreaded words out loud. A figure moves in the corner of your eye. You never even saw her, but you get the feeling she's been there for some time.
It's a purple unicorn with evenly cut bangs wearing a friendly smile. She slowly walks around you, stopping to face you.
"Are you sure that's what you want? I need you to be sure." She says calmly,
As soon as the word leaves your mouth you're plunged into complete darkness. The world melts away around you as you feel much like what you imagine a jellyfish must feel like.
Suddenly everything comes into focus. The world is colorful, and beautiful. It's like something out of a dream.
You feel... Well, that's for you to know.
A large white figure walks up behind you and comes to a standstill by your side. You look up and get a look at her. She has a long flowing mane in a rainbow of pastel colors, and gives you a warm smile.
You've never been to Philadelphia before, but you'd love to try a Philly cheesesteak while you're in town.
That might be a bit difficult given the state of things however.
You drive your Honda Civic through the heart of downtown glancing at the derelict skyscrapers and storefronts. The buildings are dark and ominous, somebody could be peering at you from within, and you would never know. Many of the shops have painted signs saying: CLOSED PERMANENTLY
Eventually you pass by a sign that gives you pause. A piece of plywood has been propped on the side of the road, painted in big red letters that say: TRADING POST
You pull over and take a look at the sign. There's a large Tupperware container on the ground in front of it filled with folder up maps of the city. A crude solution, but good enough to repel the rain.
Each of the maps is marked in the same place, a red circle in the center of Fairmount Park.
Someone clearly left this here hoping to attract people, but it seems a bit suspicious.
You figure that if anyone is at this Trading Post, they'll still be there later.
You travel through the city, and eventually arrive at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It's a massive building styled after a Greek temple, and the front is dominated by the massive columns.
Standing on the front steps of the museum, you can make out a white unicorn with a coifed purple mane. She's waving down your Honda Civic, and you get the sense she wants to say hello.
You came to Philly to meet new people, and you're not about to be scared off by some frilly unicorn.
You find a nice spot for your 2008 Honda Civic and walk up the steps to meet the unicorn. She greet you with a smile and a flick of her mane.
"Hello there darling, I'm Rarity. A pleasure to meet you."
You're not certain you can say the same, but politely introduce yourself.
"So darling, what brings you to this fine city?"
You tell her that you're exploring, searching for more humans.
"Well if that's all you're looking for, you need not go far. There's plenty of them gathered over in Fairmount Park. Although, it may not be the best idea to pay them a visit."
You ask her why.
"Oh, well they're positively ruffians I'll tell you! No idea how to treat a lady! If you are going there, you'd best have something valuable. That's all they seem to care about!"
She bats her eyelashes at you in an uncomfortable manner.
"But enough about that, this museum happens to be one of my favorite places in the city, I'll have you know. Perhaps I could show you around?"
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is known for having some fantastic exhibits, so you cautiously accept her offer.
"Wonderful! Let's begin the tour, shall we?"
The unicorn; Rarity, leads you throughout the museum, tutting at various pieces of artwork and gushing over the beauty of various pieces. She certainly has a detailed knowledge of the arts, which you could expect from a robot. You see a great golden statue of a woman, paintings by Renoir, Monet, and Degas, who you vaguely remember are really famous, and even a set of horse armor that looked very expensive. You're not sure how much you really care about what she's saying, but listening to Rarity talk is rather relaxing, so you try to enjoy yourself as you gaze at what were once priceless works of art.
Now you could walk out of here with them and nobody would bat an eye. Well Rarity might.
"And this here is another Renoir, The Great Bathers."
You note once more that Renoir seemed to specialize in painting naked women.
"Renoir was most well known for the female nude, representing them in candid and sensual positions. Note the vibrant colors and the emphasis on light; common traits of Renoir, and the impressionist movement as a whole. The thin, delicate brushstrokes create such soft contours, as though one could reach out and grasp them."
Rarity looks back at you with a sly grin.
"What would you do, if you could have anything you desired?"
The question catches you by surprise, and you're not sure how to answer.
"If you'd allow me, I could give you something right now..."
Her voice is breathy, like a whisper. She's getting closer, and by the sway of her hips, you're fairly certain you know what she's implying.
You really don't want to think about doing that with a robot. Or a pony.
You cough politely and step back. She gets the message.
"Ah, I apologize. I may have gotten ahead of myself a bit."
She brushes her mane out of her face.
"You may not be interested in me, but in Equestria, all of your desires could be fulfilled, the entire world at your beck and call, subject to your every whim. Could you even imagine? The bliss, the pleasure, the ecstasy."
You can imagine. But well, ponies, so there's that.
"You don't need to agree to anything, but maybe a trial run, hm? In and out as it were. No commitment. Free to change your mind at any time.
You decide there's no harm in a quick test. It's fairly easy to connect to Equestria online. Rarity leads you to a recliner in the museum and retrieves a metal helmet, placing it on your head.
"Remember dear, anything you want, all you need to do is ask."
She winks at you, and the world fades to dark.
When you arrive, you soon experience pleasure you didn't think possible.
You force yourself to leave the city, sensing that nothing good will come of staying.
Eventually you make your way across the border and leave Pennsylvania, entering New York.
You drive around Manhattan for a while, getting lost in the shadows of the abandoned skyscrapers, before finding yourself in the parking lot of Citi Field, once home of the New York Mets, current home of raccoons and pigeons.
You enter the stadium, hoping to hit a few home runs; or at least pretend to, when you spot a cyan pegasus standing at the plate. She has a messy rainbow colored mane which was currently covered with a Mets ballcap.
You watch for a few minutes as the pegasus plays ball all by herself. The pitching machine winds up, throws her a fastball, and without breaking a sweat she dings it far into the stands. She beats her wings furiously and races around the bases, far faster than you had ever thought possible. She slides into home plate long before the ball has even landed.
It's impressive to be sure.
After some time, she eventually waves you over, and you can't help but oblige.
She addresses you in her raspy voice.
"Hey. You gonna play or just stand there all day?"
The question wasn't too unexpected. You nod your head.
"Sounds good! Here."
She tosses you a baseball glove.
It's just your size.
You slide it over your off hand and stalk over to the pitcher's mound, giving the baseball she's passed you an experimental toss before catching it.
You wind up for a pitch and throw the ball as hard as you can. The pitch goes wide, but the pegasus jolts in front of it with ease and swings her bat. The ball goes high and wide, soaring into left field, and beyond into the stands. The pegasus pumps her leg and she does a victory lap around the bases.
After sliding into home she flies up to the mound and gives you a smug look.
"Not the best pitch I've ever seen, but could be worse. The name's Rainbow Dash by the way."
You introduce yourself.
"Nice to meet ya ####. What are you doing all the way out here?"
You tell her that you're traveling. Searching for more people.
"You know just about everyone is already in Equestria, don't you?"
You inform that you are aware.
"Well, just checking. How about I toss you a pitch or two?"
You grab the bat offered to you and stand at home plate. You knock some dirt off your shoes just like Jackie Robinson used to do and assume your best batting stance.
You never even get to see the pitch coming. One second Rainbow Dash was winding up, the next the pitch had soared past you, leaving a clean dent in the fence behind you.
"How about a slower one?"
You hear her shout from the mound. You offer a thumbs up, and she winds up another pitch.
She throws a wicked curveball, but this time it's slow enough for you to see. You barely manage to nick it with the bat and it pops into the air, landing behind you.
You can see the pegasus snickering at you. She winds up for one more pitch. You get ready.
Another fastball whizzes toward you, but this time you manage to connect with your swing. There's a loud crack as you belt the ball deep into left field. Just as you start to jog around the bases, you feel a tap on your shoulder.
Rainbow Dash is flying next to you, tagging you on the arm with the ball.
"You're out!"
You've worn yourself out a bit from swinging, and wipe a bead of sweat from your brow.
You and Rainbow Dash raid the concession stand at Citi Field, somehow finding some hot dogs that are still edible.
"These aren't hot dogs by the way, in case you're wondering."
You're not certain you want to know what they are.
The two of you make your way over to the bleachers. You sit down and gaze down over the field, reluctantly eating your not-a-hotdog and thinking about life.
"Gotta be honest, you're not the best at baseball."
Rainbow Dash jabs at you with her words. You grumble a bit and continue eating.
The not-a-hotdog isn't half bad.
"Do you ever wish you could be better?"
There is is.
"If you emigrated to Equestria, you could be better than you ever were! Bigger, faster, stronger... You could be the best at anything! Doesn't that sound awesome?"
It does sound nice, but it seems awfully shallow. She pulls out a metal helmet and rolls it around in her hooves.
"Do you wanna see what it's like? To be better than ever? Just to try it out?"
It's right in front of you, if you want it.
"Think about it, you could be whatever you want! Whoever you want, no limits! Bet you wish you had a pair of these huh?"
You've lost a bit of your fervor by the time you reach the Great White North. You've got no shortage of supplies looted from abandoned Walmarts and BP stations.
You keep driving until you reach Québec City. It's abandoned, but there's plenty of grocery stores around for you to loot.
You kill time digging up old books and making poutine.
You stop your 2008 Honda Civic at the entrance to the park. You don't see many other vehicles around, and think it may be prudent to keep your vehicle out of sight. You pull it behind some bushes and haphazardly cover it in leaves,
Certainly, you are a master of camouflage.
You trek deeper into the park on foot, bringing with you a pack filled with food and water, and keeping your Glock 19 firmly in your hand, safety off, your finger on the trigger.
As you make your way deeper into the park, you can hear the sound of people talking. It's odd to you, to hear so many voices. You grip your pistol and poke your head through some bushes.
Up ahead, you can see a wide array of ramshackle buildings, tents, and stands set up.
You begin to inch your way closer, curious about this Trading Post.
But as you get closer you notice that what they're trading isn't something you're too happy about.
As you and Emily arrive in Texas, she begins being giving you more directions on where to go. She knows the backroads you're driving down quite well, and with her help you have little trouble navigating them.
While driving through what was once farm country, you begin to see land that looks more and more worked; fields sown with crops, intact fences, and even cattle roaming about.
After some time you see your first person. There's a man in a straw and working on a tractor by the side of the road. Emily tells you to slow down so she can say hello.
"Jason! I'm back!"
The man looks at her with a smile.
"Glad to see you kid. These days it seems like nobody who up and leaves ever comes back. Who's your friend?"
"This is ####. I was in a pretty rough car crash, but #### helped me out."
Jason peers into the car to get a good look at you. He nods his head in approval.
"Thanks for helping Emily there stranger. Not often you see a good deed these days."
He and Emily spend a few minutes catching up before she suggests you continue down the road. The center of the community isn't too far from here, and she's been looking forward to a hot meal.
You drive for a few more minutes before arriving in a typical small farming community. The entire town is pretty much just along one main street, like a town from and old Western film, or a Hallmark movie. You find a nice spot to park your 2008 Honda Civic.
You and Emily get out and she shows you around town a bit. There's not too much to see, as most of the buildings are just people's homes, but you get plenty of friendly greetings from the people in town, who are all very happy to see Emily return.
It seems like overall there are about 40 people in town. Emily explains that they all work on the farm.
You saw several children as well. Every one of them had an adult holding their hand, and several had a cloth tied around their mouth. When you ask Emily why she sighs.
"Children are easy targets for the ponies. They're just kids, they're easy to manipulate. All it takes is the promise of as much candy you can eat, no more chores, or as many toys as you want, and they'll happily go with the nice pony.
"That's why we never let the kids out of our sight. You turn around for one second and you might lose them forever."
You always spent more time thinking about the adults who got taken in by Equestria Online, but countless children have already emigrated as well.
You wonder what it would be like, growing up in Equestria.
Eventually, after Emily spends some time catching up with the town and introducing you, she treats you to a hot meal. There's a vacant house on the main road. Emily let's you in and tells you you're free to stay as long as you like. Afterwards you get a nice long bath and settle in for the night.
This isn't what you signed up for. You hightail your way out of the city as fast as possible.
Eventually you make your way across the border and leave Pennsylvania, entering New York.
You drive around Manhattan for a while, getting lost in the shadows of the abandoned skyscrapers, before finding yourself in the parking lot of Citi Field, once home of the New York Mets, current home of raccoons and pigeons.
You enter the stadium, hoping to hit a few home runs; or at least pretend to, when you spot a cyan pegasus standing at the plate. She has a messy rainbow colored mane which was currently covered with a Mets ballcap.
You watch for a few minutes as the pegasus plays ball all by herself. The pitching machine winds up, throws her a fastball, and without breaking a sweat she dings it far into the stands. She beats her wings furiously and races around the bases, far faster than you had ever thought possible. She slides into home plate long before the ball has even landed.
It's impressive to be sure.
After some time, she eventually waves you over, and you can't help but oblige.
She addresses you in her raspy voice.
"Hey. You gonna play or just stand there all day?"
The question wasn't too unexpected. You nod your head.
"Sounds good! Here."
She tosses you a baseball glove.
It's just your size.
You slide it over your off hand and stalk over to the pitcher's mound, giving the baseball she's passed you an experimental toss before catching it.
You wind up for a pitch and throw the ball as hard as you can. The pitch goes wide, but the pegasus jolts in front of it with ease and swings her bat. The ball goes high and wide, soaring into left field, and beyond into the stands. The pegasus pumps her leg and she does a victory lap around the bases.
After sliding into home she flies up to the mound and gives you a smug look.
"Not the best pitch I've ever seen, but could be worse. The name's Rainbow Dash by the way."
You introduce yourself.
"Nice to meet ya ####. What are you doing all the way out here?"
You tell her that you're traveling. Searching for more people.
"You know just about everyone is already in Equestria, don't you?"
You inform that you are aware.
"Well, just checking. How about I toss you a pitch or two?"
You grab the bat offered to you and stand at home plate. You knock some dirt off your shoes just like Jackie Robinson used to do and assume your best batting stance.
You never even get to see the pitch coming. One second Rainbow Dash was winding up, the next the pitch had soared past you, leaving a clean dent in the fence behind you.
"How about a slower one?"
You hear her shout from the mound. You offer a thumbs up, and she winds up another pitch.
She throws a wicked curveball, but this time it's slow enough for you to see. You barely manage to nick it with the bat and it pops into the air, landing behind you.
You can see the pegasus snickering at you. She winds up for one more pitch. You get ready.
Another fastball whizzes toward you, but this time you manage to connect with your swing. There's a loud crack as you belt the ball deep into left field. Just as you start to jog around the bases, you feel a tap on your shoulder.
Rainbow Dash is flying next to you, tagging you on the arm with the ball.
"You're out!"
You've worn yourself out a bit from swinging, and wipe a bead of sweat from your brow.
You have a pistol. There's like 30 of them and they all have automatic weapons.
You sneak around the back of the camp, careful to stay out of sight. The camp has 4 armed guards patrolling the outer wall, and within you can see several men and women discussing things. They are all heavily armed.
You can see about 10 people locked in various animal cages.
You manage to sneak past the perimeter into the main section of the camp, and hide behind a pile of boxes.
As you're surveying the area, the think you hear rustling.
But by the time you turn around it's already too late.
When you come to, you're trapped in a small cage inside a dimly lit tent. Small patches of sunlight are filtering in, just enough that you can make out your surroundings.
You're the only person there, and the only other objects in the tent are sealed crates.
You still have your clothes, but you're pretty sure they've taken your Glock, and everything else you had on your person. Your backpack is gone.
Your hands are bound and your mouth is gagged. you cannot speak.
You struggle against your bindings for a few minutes, but are unable to break free.
Suddenly, you notice movement out of the corner of your eye.
Moving out from behind a crate, completely silent, is a yellow pegasus. Her long pink mane is nearly dragging on the ground, and hiding half of her face. She steps in front of the cage and begins speaking to you, barely loud enough to hear.
"Hello. I'm Fluttershy. I'm sorry that you got caught. These humans here are really mean. They usually shoot at me any time I get close, so I usually need to sneak in if I want to meet anyone."
You've already been captured by slave traders, so you're not exactly too scared of this timid pegasus.
"They're going to do horrible things to you. I've seen them do it before. I'm not allowed to stop it. If I hurt them, it goes against my programming. All I can do is help you now."
You could certainly use some help at the moment.
She reaches into your cage and unties the gag over your mouth.
"If I let you out, they will kill you. I can't let that happen. I can offer you a way out however."
She holds a metal helmet in her hooves, meekly offering it to you.
"In Equestria, bad things like this never happen. I just don't want to see anyone suffer. Please."
You consider your options. Torture and death, or worse at the hands of these people, or Fluttershy's offer.
The next day you spend more time getting to know the townsfolk. They're all friendly enough, but there's a certain dread hanging in the air.
As you learn more about them, it seems everyone in town has lost friends and family to Equestria Online. It's not surprising, nearly the entire population of Earth has emigrated at this point.
Of the people in town, they all have different reasons to avoid EO, fear, hate, stubbornness. You remember there was a great deal of Religious opposition to emigration back in the day, and it seems a lot of the people around town are in that boat as well.
After a few days, the community agrees that you're free to stay as long as you do your share around the farm. There's plenty of work to be done, and it never hurts to have extra help.
You've never worked on a farm before, but you get the hang of it quickly. It's hard work, but you have good company, and that's more than enough to keep you going.
Eventually you and Emily grow closer, and become a couple.
You're happy with her.
But as the months pass, more and more people in town start to leave.
Just like Emily told you, it's tough to keep the kids around. A few of them emigrate, and after that their parents follow.
More people do as well, out of frustration, or fear, or whatever other reason.
There's only 15 people left in town now. But you and Emily are still happy together.
One day, after work, you and her are lounging under a tree together enjoying the breeze. She says something to you that you weren't expecting.
"I'm thinking about going."
Going where?
"To Equestria. I think it's time."
You're surprised, why would she want to leave?
"My mother and my brother have got to be there. All my old friends too. I miss them. Also, there's not many people left in town. We can't keep this up forever, you know that."
You do know that. Emily leans up and looks you in the eyes.
Applejack leads you over to a small farmhouse down the road.
You can see a fresh pie set out on the windowsill.
Applejack opens the door and you follow her inside.
"I'm home!"
A small yellow pony bounds down the stairs and greets you both.
"Applejack! Yer late! Granny had supper ready 10 minutes ago!"
Applejack rubs her on the head.
"Sorry Apple Bloom, got a bit caught up in ma work."
The three of you enter the dining room. The table has already been set, and a wrinkled green pony is moving some platters around while a large red pony sits at one end, looking thrilled that it's nearly time to eat.
"Granny, Mac, sorry I'm late. Yall know I hate to keep ponies waiting on me." Applejack offers a sheepish smile in apology.
"Don't ya worry none about that Applejack, just take a seat before supper gets cold now! You and yer new friend." The elderly pony who must be Granny mutters at you.
The big red pony; Mac, stays silent but nods his head.
You eat a delicious dinner with the Apple family. After living nearly entirely on non-perishable food for years, having a nice home cooked meal is a nice change of pace.
You have a good time chatting with the Apple family. They're pleasant company, and it makes you start to wonder about your own family.
You offer to help clean up after dinner, perhaps out of habit, but the family declines. Later, you, Applejack and Apple Bloom are in the living room playing Uno.
You're fairly certain that Apple Bloom is cheating, but you're not about to call her out on it.
You have a lot of fun.
"Do you have a family ####?" Applejack asks you.
If you did, then you don't anymore.
Apple Bloom gives you a hug. "You should emigrate to Equestria! I'm sure there's family for ya there!"
"You could have a family, a real family. Ain't nothin' more important than family after all."
Applejacks words make you sick. Is family what you've been missing all along? Will that make you happy?
You continue exploring the Lone Star State. There's a lot of abandoned cities, a lot of wide open spaces.
And not a lot of people.
After a few months, you get a bit bored of your wandering and start traveling back to the town you visited with Emily.
But by the time you arrive there's nobody left.
You can't find a single trace of anybody left in town. No one.
A shadow moves in the corner of your eye, and a purple unicorn walks in front of you.
She's been there for a while.
"They're all in Equestria. At first it was just a few, but as the population grew smaller and smaller, there just wasn't any reason the stick around anymore."
You drive around aimlessly for some time, and eventually decide to come to a stop outside an abandoned Arby's.
You have nothing against Arby's, but it's not your first choice of location to have an existential crisis.
You go inside and have a look around. It's dusty and gross and there's a spider web on the cash register.
You sit at one of the tables and think about where it all went wrong. It all started as a goofy MMO based on a children's TV show.
What a weird way for it all to end. Not even in your top 10 best guesses for how society would collapse.
You hear the bell over the door ring.
It's Twilight Sparkle. Because of course it is.
She takes a seat across from you and clears her throat, or whatever it is these pony robots have.
"Hello ####."
You don't recall telling her your name.
"I'm going to be upfront with you. I'm certain you know everything Equestria can offer you. It can offer you love, happiness, fulfillment, excitement; and not just any kind, the kind that you truly desire on the deepest level."
You already know that.
"But that's not what I'm here for. I'm here to tell you what this world has to offer you. Nothing. There's nothing remaining on Earth for you. There is a dwindling supply of easily accessible resources, no entertainment, no power grid, and most of all, no people. There is absolutely no valid reason to remain in this world, and I must recommend you emigrate to Equestria. No flowery language, no land of milk and honey, just facts. This world is dead and you should leave."
She's right. You can't disagree. You're just hanging on, and for what? Your own ego?
