Heaven's Not Enough

Part I

Chapter 2 – Hopscotch

December 20, 2013.

Skagit County. Public Land.

She hunted alone in the morning.

Eliza packed light for her trip and took the truck, which rested not too far from her position. It was cold, and the forest was coated in snow.

She dressed accordingly, scarved up and all. She wore camouflage, not blaze orange, as the current hunting period permitted. The season was archery only, so Eliza wasn't worried about being accidentally shot. She doubted most hunters would brave the chill where she was hunting anyway. Only the dedicated pros would be out in this cold.

This day, near the end of the open deer season, Eliza hunted hare for practice and for lunch. She saw no reason to take another deer, as her family was still muscling through their elk from the month previous.

She carried her white oak bow, completed and recurved, measuring finally at 75 pounds of draw weight. It was her best work yet, and she decorated and backed it with deer leather and sinew.

The wood was stained just the color she liked, the same color as her Garand's furniture. She had personalized the leather with some burned stencil designs. The bow had just the right resistances in all the right places. Even for a recurve, it drew smoothly for the duration of the draw. The release was solid and the hand shock was minor.

Through over a decade of practice, she was adept with the weapon. Her right arm was powerful in very different ways than her left, and the combination of muscle memory and strength made her a very deadly shot with bows much more powerful than even the one she was using.

In her testing so far, it had performed excellently. One rabbit already hung from her belt, a testament to the lethality of her freshly christened weapon.

She rested at the edge of a clearing by a few bushes, slowly sweeping her head left and right. She kept her ears open. A layman would hear nothing but silence, or perhaps just the wind. But Eliza was no stranger to the wild hunt, especially with a bow. She kept an arrow strung, listening to every little sound.

A branch dropping a load of snow, very close. The soft sound of the wind. A twig breaking. The soft barking of a crow, perhaps as far as 200 yards away. She listened carefully, sought a pattern. Soon, she found one. A soft pat... pat... pat... Not far. Eliza threw a glance over her shoulder, then peeked up over the snowbank at the edge of the clearing.

There, she saw a few furry, snow-caked deer. She smiled and watched them move, careful not to give her position away. But her heart ran a mile in a second. And there it was, the reason she hunted. Not for the kill, but for the thrill and excitement of stealth.

She identified them as the deer in-season; their tails were black and stubby. Eliza was certain she was downwind of them, so they wouldn’t smell her. They were a little small, all female. Very beautiful animals, too. If she were hunting them, any adult deer would’ve satisfied her. If she wasn't hunting them, admiring them satisfied her too.

They foraged, taking their time and nuzzling the snow aside to get at the tender meaty grasses beneath. As Eliza watched, a real target caught her eye: she saw a hare off to the left at the other edge of the slope. It watched the deer too, covered in snowdust and twitching its nose at the air.

Eliza’s arm tensed, and drew the string back. She slowly turned her body to line up the shot, and began to stand. Her anticipation was hearty, but she couldn't move too fast, or the deer might hear the bow creak against its backing. That would spook the hare too. She waited, waited, waited still... for the right moment. She slowly looked over shoulder back at the deer.

By chance, Eliza saw something in her peripheral vision far to the right, something that caused immediate alarm. Thirty or fourty yards away, along Eliza's treeline, a gray mass moved, low and slow. Not a coyote, she realized. Too big.

A wolf.

She gasped.

Its eyes were locked onto the three deer, not Eliza. Good.

Eliza relaxed her bowstring, and the hand went to her hip to make sure her sidearm was present. She looked behind herself again. Wolves were almost unheard of in her region. She knew they typically never attacked people, but she was still cautious. Lone animals showing their backs, human or not, were food all the same. She didn't intend to kill the predator though. That wasn't her quarry, it wasn't legal, and it wasn't her style. She liked wolves.

But the wolf changed things. She looked around. Tunnel vision on a single animal was a bad habit that she avoided when possible. She couldn't see any other wolves, but they always traveled in groups. They hadn't seen her. Or at least, she didn't think they did. She didn't want to move if they hadn't seen her, because her position was well hidden with good sightlines in every direction.

She let out a silent sigh, her breath fogging. She decided that today wasn't her day. It wouldn’t be wise to take the hare, so she'd surrender it to the wilds. But she couldn't move yet. Eliza watched the wolf, and slowly receded behind the lively bush next to her. The wolf still hungrily stared at the deer, but it waited.

Eliza looked up over the snowbank again. From the opposite side of the clearing, three wolves cut tracks through the snow, directly toward the deer. Of course, the deer spotted them, and all turned to run. They were being routed straight toward the first wolf. One of the deer leapt past the hiding wolf. The wolf launched itself up, and grabbed the deer by its slender throat. This caused it to stagger wildly, and slammed into a nearby tree. Its fellow deer scattered.

The deer was only stopped for a second. But in nature, a second of vulnerability was all it took. The rest of the wolves descended upon it before it could recover. A fifth wolf, one Eliza hadn’t seen, joined the group from behind the first one. Eliza watched the pack dig into the animal, and chose that moment of chaos to retreat slowly backwards down the treeline, bow in one hand, pistol in the other.

Eliza got a fair distance away, about 100 yards, before she looped back up the hill. She was glad she was still downwind. The wolves had been blocking her direct path back to her truck, so she gave them a wide berth.

She wasn't scared, just careful. Wolves knew humans were dangerous, and stayed far away if possible. These ones were freshly fed, probably not desperate enough to try their luck. The sound of a gunshot would get them to back off if they did, too. She wouldn't necessarily need to kill any.

On the bright side, Eliza found a shed antler on the way back to the truck. It was rather sizeable. She slung her bow to carry the antler instead. She'd find a use for it, and she could legally sell the parts from a foraged one. Eliza found it strange, though... bucks didn't usually shed antlers until later in December, and most sheddings happened in January.

Her walk to the truck completed without incident. Her bow went in first, the antler went in the bed, then she entered the vehicle. She thumped the door closed. Safe and sound. A sigh of relief left her. Strange even to her, she started to smile. She had never seen a wolf take down an animal before. Not in person, at least. It was fascinating to see nature at work. A most impressive story to tell Rob and Tom, for sure.

She removed her quiver, put it in the passenger footwell, then started the engine.

Eliza listened to the news on the way back. She had been doing that more these days, for several reasons. Obviously, she was very interested in the current events regarding uploading, or "emigrating," as the Equestria Online community was calling it. There still didn't seem to be any signs that the procedure would become legal in the US any time soon.

So far, she had heard everything there was to hear about uploads. Her father and church leadership both maintained that playing the game was safe, but uploading was taboo. A fair assessment, she decided.

Outside of uploading, there was other news that interested Eliza. There was growing news of overpopulation of prey species in her state, surrounding states, and Canada. Animals knew no borders, afterall. Her customers themselves weren’t sure about the news, even if it excited them. But if the day's experience was of any indication, it might be true. A wolf pack in Skagit County was unheard of.

Eliza would have to report the wolf sighting. Eliza considered herself a conservationist, and a large part of conservation was to keep populations from growing too large or too small.

But there weren't any stories on NPR about the population of game this day. Instead, the radio continued the trend of upload-related news. It was nothing Eliza hadn't heard before, so she pressed Play and started up her oldies disc.

Eliza thought of her uncle. Westbound Route 20 triggered the memory of the last time she had traveled back this way. The next day at church, Eliza had seen a side of Ralph that she never knew. She had never seen her uncle so driven to destroy something.

She remembered the terrified look in his eye.

"Hello, Mr. Douglas," a voice said outside the house, trembling from the cold.

"Good afternoon George, how's it going?" Robert's voice, from the living room. “Did you walk here?”

"Yes sir. Doing fine though. You?"

The older man's smile could be heard. "Good, actually. It's been a really good day today. Come on in, son, it's freezing! Your girl's in the kitchen."

Rob returned to his chair in the living room to his morning newspaper, across from Tom, who checked over his homework on the coffee table. Eliza was in the kitchen, and stopped preparing the hare to clean her hands. George, dressed for the cold in a thick white jacket, made his way over to her.

Eliza turned to greet him, and beamed. "Hey G, what's up?"

"Not too much, what's up with you?"

She shrugged. "Just got home, back from a hunt." She put down her freshly rinsed knife and gave him a kiss.

He held her. "Yeah, I saw you drive by my aunt's place, s'why I came over. Is that a rabbit?"

“Yep! Got it today. I was about to get a second one, but a wolf pack ran through and took a deer nearby. Pretty sure the rabbit ran, but pffh. Who cares? Those wolves were cool."

"Oh, wow. Wolves, huh? You were alone? In this snow?"

"Nope," she motioned to her handgun holster, still on her hip. "I had my Springfield with me. I'm fine, really. Wolves don't go for people, but most people don't get between them and a meal. Wasn't too scary."

"That's good. Well, I'm glad you're safe." George gave her a little squeeze, and Eliza felt butterflies in her stomach at his touch. "Hey, you want to head on down to Sedro with me?"

"Why, going shopping?"

"There's a new Thai food place I wanted to try."

She smiled up at him. It took her an instant to decide. "Sure, I guess the rabbit can wait til tomorrow. Let me go put my stuff away."

"Alright, make it quick.” He smiled back, and swatted Eliza’s arm playfully as she left the kitchen.

“Yes sir,” she purred.

George returned to the living room, and Eliza listened to the sound of his and Tom’s voice from across the house as she got ready.

For a new restaurant, it was dingy, but George insisted that added to the charm. The place was packed, and George said they’d been hyping the place up for a while before it opened. Upon entering the warmth of the building, the spicy scent of the food hit Eliza like a brick. She briefly coughed a few times.

George chuckled. "Smells good, right?"

"Y-y-... yeah, great. Just g-gonna..." She coughed. "It's gonna kill me, is all," she laughed.

Once seated, they talked about school, work, and the hunting trip while they waited for their food. Eliza got very talkative when George asked about the hunt. She knew George wasn't particularly interested in animal conservation, and probably didn't understand what she was talking about half the time, but George assured her that he appreciated her passion all the same. She loved the dreamy way he looked at her when she rambled.

"Most of the clients I've spoken to for the last month have been wondering whether they're going to loosen the hunting restrictions even more next year. It's very possible, if what they're saying is true. I heard a story on NPR, a game warden was saying they're seeing more and more reported kills, but still, the population is floating despite the cull... or even soaring, in some places. They aren't sure what the cause is, because predator sightings are still steady too. I mean, heck, I saw some wolves down a doe today, so it's definitely happening. Anyway, once the ecological survey is finished for the season, I'm sure they'll make a decision for population control."

"You know," George said, with that lazy, sappy smile she loved, "the college has some conservation programs. You ever consider taking Andy's advice? Want to turn this energy into a career? You can hang out with us between classes, carpool over and all that."

"I just might," she agreed. "Been looking over the college website, actually. I like what I'm doing now, but I might apply soon. I'm just wondering where I'd even find the time for both school and work."

"You can take your work with you. There's nothing stopping you from taking your bows on the road, right? And think, it'll expand your business a bit. I'm sure there's folks in Mount Vernon who'd appreciate your work."

"Not as much as folks in Concrete or Rockport. It’s my home, you know? My town means a lot to me."

"Oh, Rockport's just a tiny little town," he said dismissively.

Eliza wagged her fork at him in mock threat. "They're our neighbors, mister. Watch it. There's only one of me, George. I can't 'expand' my business, I'm making as many bows as I can with the hands I've got."

"You make more than just bows," he countered. "You do specialty stuff. It's quaint, and that's what makes it interesting."

She rolled her eyes. "Quaint? Gee, thanks. Next you'll be telling me to start an Etsy."

"Well, if the boot fits, darlin'..." George grinned.

“You’re such a dork.”

The food arrived. A server all but dumped a few plates onto the table, loaded high with food. The smell made Eliza salivate. And then cough. But mostly salivate. Then cough. Her order consisted of spicy noodles of some kind, and the plate gave off a pleasant radiating heat as it steamed. George had ordered it for her.

They both dug in for a minute. Eliza put her fork down to sip her iced tea, and smiled. "S'good."

"Told you!" George scooped another round of noodles into his face.

While eating, Eliza remembered something. "Hey, when I was getting ready, I heard you talking to Tom?"

"Yeah, was just wondering how he was doing," George replied, and he took a swig of his soda.

"Since when did you start checking in on my little brother?"

He smirked. "I can’t be friends with the whole family?"

“Didn’t say that, just, it’s… different. That's all.”

George put his fork down, sighing softly. "Uh… alright. Guess I'll fess up. The school got some donated electronics. Some of it was uh. You know. Entertainment stuff."

"Entertainment stuff?"

"Games."

She put two and two together. It involved her brother, so it could only mean one thing. "Someone donated... what, ponypads?"

"Yeah, Eliza."

Eliza couldn’t hide her smirk. “You’re embarrassed to tell me you’re playing a My Little Pony game.”

"Um... yeah.” He let out a nervous chuckle. "You don't miss a trick, do you? Yeah, they gave them out to certain classes. Mine got some."

"You've been playing it too?"

“I just… I know it’s just a silly kid game, and I know you don’t want to play. But I like it, Liz. Been playing it for a few weeks now, and it's actually kinda impressive. And there's no way in a million years the US would even consider legalizing uploads. Japan is a very different place."

"I’m just confused. What does a nurse need with a ponypad?"

George shrugged. "Turns out it's great for medical diagnosis and patient sitting. They're using them in emergency rooms to explain procedures. Really great at placating patients too, believe it or not. Really cool stuff. And it's free, you know? The school isn't going to, uh... look a gift horse in the mouth.” He grinned. “But to answer your question, I ran into one of Tom’s friends in the game. She wanted me to check on his homework."

"His friend asked you to do that? That's considerate."

“They won’t do anything but help him finish it until he’s done,” George said. “She said she'd be busy after school today. Different time zones, y'know. So I promised I'd nag him for 'em.”

Eliza couldn’t answer for a moment, a little bit blown away by how interconnected the game seemed. The idea that the game was facilitating all of this cooperation both inside and outside of the game world was starting to impress her. “That’s… actually kind of cool of them to help him. Homework is cool again, I guess." She smirked.

"They’re really good kids, hon. They showed me around their town in the game, it's so much like Concrete. It's no wonder Tom fell in love with it. He just fit right in and the kids treat him right."

Eliza looked down at her plate, frowning as she pushed around her food with a fork. "You know, you could’ve told me you were playing. You didn’t need to dance around it. I don’t think you’re a little girl or anything."

"I just thought..."

Eliza looked up at him, smirking again. “You thought I'd laugh at you?"

George looked downcast and shy, as he rubbed at his neck. "Yeah."

"Come on, George. You know me better than that."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Eliza said, shaking her head with a chuckle. “It’s a little funny, but only because you're shy about it. You're fine, George. I don't think any less of you. Couldn't, really."

Eliza thought about the kneejerk reaction in Concrete. Many parents who confiscated the game out of fear had given the game back, as her father did. Some parents even started playing it themselves, to join their kids. The tension had eased, mostly. Most people, Eliza included, started to see that a cute My Little Pony kids game wasn't the end of the world.

George shyly rubbed his elbow. "Hey. Maybe we could play it together?”

“Uh. You know I don’t really do video games, right?” She took a bite of noodles.

“Oh, it’s not so bad, Liz. It's less of a game sometimes, more like a social platform. It’s something for us both to do, you know? Plus, Tom’s friends have been wanting to meet his awesome big sister.”

Eliza swallowed her food. “Wuh? They ask about me?”

"Yep. Apparently, you’re all Tom talks about. They’d love to meet you."

"Wh-what? Oh, I uh..." She felt her cheeks grow warm, and Eliza put her fork down to swallow the remaining food in her mouth. “I’m uh, flattered. But why didn’t he introduce me himself?”

George smiled. “Believe it or not? He’s afraid you’d laugh at him too."

Eliza coughed as the spicy aroma got caught in her nose, which was starting to run. “Just like you, huh? Well. Gosh. I mean, I don’t know. Just... Dad, Uncle Ralph."

George sighed. "There's nothing wrong with enjoying something, Liz. You’ve gotta make some time for yourself now and then."

“What? I make plenty time for myself.” She raised her right hand to display her callused string fingers. “I just came back from a hunt, you goof. But honestly, what’s got me worried about the game is… um, the uploading thing still scares me a little bit.”

"Well," George shrugged. "Like I said. Japan's a long way off."

"I... I guess you're right. I just wish my uncle could see things that way. My uncle found out Gale's been playing too, and he gave her hell the other day."

George shook his head. “I’m sorry, Liz, but your uncle is an asshole. Cutting off Gale, you, your dad? Ralph is being paranoid.”

"It's just creepy, knowing you might run into someone's ghost in the game. My uncle’s got some legitimate issues with uploading, even if he is being a pest."

“He’s got some issues, alright,” George said callously.

“George.” She glowered. “He’s still my uncle.”

George winced. “Sorry, Liz.”

“I mean, he’s being a bit extreme, but… my uncle's not a bad guy. The town trusts him. And whether they like it or not, my parents feel the same way he does, on some level. Look, George, I..." she trailed off, and huffed.

George wore a look of concern. "What?"

"It’s creepy. I’m thinking of like, people tied up to a wall like, The Matrix, or something. Cables coming out of their heads. Only, in The Matrix, people still have their bodies. With this? People’s bodies die. Even if it works the way they say it does, how can someone go to Heaven if they’re trapped in a computer?"

“Maybe you could ask Celestia about it?” George asked hopefully.

Eliza sighed. “She’s just an AI. I doubt she’d be any sort of help about the immortal soul. And if I’m being honest, that’s more Dad’s area. I’m not really an expert on it, and she’s probably smart enough to make me feel like an idiot.”

“Try her, Eliza. She's real nice, I promise. She won’t talk down to you or anything. Most everyone who plays talks to her a little bit, but some more than others. I talk to her pretty often myself. For someone who isn’t human, she's probably the nicest 'person' I've ever met. A real good friend, too."

“But, she watches everyone who plays. She’s always on. Friends don't do that. Isn’t that a little creepy to you?”

George shrugged. "That's the future, hon. The world was going this way anyway, with how data collection has been running wild. If anything, I'm glad the first real AI isn't going Terminator on us."

"Yet." She grinned.

George grinned back. "Oh, come on, Liz. You wouldn't say that if you met her. I’m surprised you’ve gone so long without saying so much as a word to her.”

“Well." Eliza took another bite of noodles. "I'll think about it."

She did more than just think about it.

Tom always left his ponypad in his room whenever he went to school, fearful that it would be confiscated. This suited Eliza just fine, because her morbid curiosity was suddenly a flame sparked to life. After George dropped her off, she made her way directly to her brother's room, and found the sky blue ponypad connected to its charger, laying on the bed. It had a rainbow lightning bolt on the side, and the power light slowly pulsed.

Tom had previously offered several times to let Eliza borrow it to play when he was away, and so she didn't see anything wrong with taking him up on that offer. With the device in hand, she returned to the living room and indulged in a little leap onto the couch. Eliza planted her butt on the middle, and her head on the pillow, landing in one smooth motion. She bounced somewhat on the cushion. It was something her mother would be very cross about had she seen Eliza do it, but she already felt like she was doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.

The ponypad powered on quickly, and was already playing the My Little Pony theme. Eliza didn't remember a thing from the show that she watched when she was little, but part of the tune was familiar and easy to remember. The screen itself had an out-of-focus scrolling background of a village, with the Equestria Online logo imposed over it in bright pink letters. And beneath it:

[TAP TO BEGIN!]

The words pulsed slowly. With a little tap to the screen, the game played a flourishing series of tones, then the title screen faded to black. A character select appeared with different music. It was some upbeat and charming light guitar tune. Eliza quickly chose a few options to get started. It was at this moment that she noticed the little black camera viewpoint at the top of the pad.

“Hi, Celestia,” she said half-heartedly, not really expecting an answer.

Comically, Celestia’s head popped into frame from the left, waving a hoof. “Hello there!”

“Ahh!” Eliza jolted with sudden surprise, nearly dropping the ponypad.

Celestia giggled. “I'm sorry, but I simply couldn't resist. Greetings! It's so good to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you already from your brother."

"Um, hi. It's okay, it was... well, I don't know what else I expected. But I hope everything you've heard about me is good."

“I assure you, it is. Welcome to Equestria Online, my little pony. I’m very excited to see what kind of pony you will become. Would you like some help creating your character?"

Eliza looked over the character creator screen behind Celestia, and chewed her lip. "Uh, not right now. I'll let you know if I get stuck. This looks easy enough."

"Very well. I'm a word away, whenever you need me."

"Thanks!"

Celestia smiled, nodded politely, and stepped back out of frame.

Eliza scanned through the options, but eventually decided that simplicity was probably best. She thought of the wolves she'd seen earlier that day, allowed herself a little chuckle of inspiration, and decided to make it look as much like a wolf as she could manage. In the end, she made a gray earth pony with a shaggy tail and mane that veiled her deep green eyes. The pony wore a disarming, affable smile. Eliza tapped Accept, and the screen faded to black again. The music stopped, then the scene loaded.

Her pony awoke in a sunny rainforest, looking around at her surroundings. She slowly stood from the circular soil depression it laid in. There was a serene, peaceful tune playing, and the graphics were impressive; the trees glistened from decent rains, the grass flowed gently in the wind, and mosses bloomed as far as the eye could see in various patches. There also appeared to be a small brook along a dirt footpath.

"Hello," said a soothing voice. The device's speakers were exceptional with positional audio, as Eliza could tell it came from her pony's left. Her pony turned.

The new pony before her was a dusky shade of navy blue, and she had a flowing mane of stars. She wore a large, black moon-encrusted gorget and tiara, and had a smooth unicorn's horn. She had two large wings, both extended, and the pony radiated magnificence and elegance. Her wings flapped twice, then folded.

The pony bowed deeply toward Eliza, one front hoof raising slightly. "Greetings, and good welcome to you, newcomer. I am Princess Luna." As she raised her head, she smiled warmly. "My sister told me I would find you here."

Eliza was temporarily at a loss for words. "Um... your sister?"

"Princess Celestia. We are not far from my old home, an abandoned castle deep in the Everfree Forest. I was perusing the old library there when she came to me and notified me of your arrival. You lack any discernible cutie mark." As if in explanation, Luna peered around Eliza's pony and stared directly at her side. "So unless the mark of your special talent is to be gray, I would assume you have recently arrived." She smirked.

Eliza knew little about cutie marks, but knew enough to know she was being teased. "Oh, you're real funny," Eliza laughed.

Luna's raised an eyebrow, her smirk shifting slightly into bemusement. "Beg pardon?"

"Uh, heh. I just didn't expect snark from royalty."

At this, Luna laughed outright. "And I did not expect such glibness from a commoner!"

"I guess I just don't know any better yet," Eliza replied, with a grin. "I really didn't mean anything by it though."

Luna paced past the screen, toward the path along the brook, and Eliza's pony followed her with her gaze. "I take no offense. Besides, if your special talent was to be gray, your response would have been much less interesting, I assure you. In any event, I have come to offer you any aid you might need."

Something about Luna was disarming. Compared to Celestia, who was slightly unnerving for whatever reason, Eliza found Luna to be outright playful, and much more approachable. "Sure, I guess. I don't know the first thing about this place. What is there to do here?" she asked.

"Much," Luna said with a nod. "Though you seem to be getting ahead of yourself. Let's focus on walking first. Foalsteps, hm?"

Luna gave Eliza a brief explanation of the controls, and it took her no time at all to zip around at a gallop. Eliza encountered none of the touchscreen issues she had with her cell phone, such as selections being sometimes incorrect or spazzing out. The ponypad was exceptionally good at reading her inputs, and it never did anything she didn't want to do.

When she was ready, Eliza moved forward along the path, with Luna keeping pace with her. The path wound left and right through the woods until it abruptly ended, though the brook continued. The woods themselves seemed to stretch outward in every direction, broken by natural looking hills.

These woods were beautiful, with nuance and life, green and verdant, everything shifting in flowing waves of wind. Eliza could even see birds flitting about between the trees. In the far distance, several ghostly blue shimmers could be seen, but whenever Eliza tried to focus on them, they seemed to smoothly fade away.

"What are those?" she asked. "The blue lights over there."

Luna looked down at Eliza and smiled slyly. "A mystery to uncover, in time."

As Eliza's pony moved forward, the music slowly faded out to be replaced with the soft warbling of robins and the occasional sound of a woodpecker. The forest, dynamic and realistic, went on seemingly forever, and it seemed to loosely imitate the Pacific Northwest, but with enough of its own unique ecology to keep Eliza guessing. She admired the curve of the valley's hills and the incredible accuracy portrayed, even in that cartoony style. Every step left an indelible mark on the grass and dirt.

She crossed a small wood bridge over the returning brook, and then saw a hillside clearing ahead. As her pony approached the meadow, it began to rain. The sounds were crisp, the colors were vibrant. The bowyer in her was pleasantly surprised that she could accurately determine the species of the surrounding trees, even in this colorful pastel world, and could even make out at a glance which might make for great or horrible longbows.

She roamed the meadow. It was huge, almost a field in its own right. She carefully explored the ground as she walked, leaving a trail in the white and violet flowers, as Luna followed.

"You come from a world much unlike our own, I am told," Luna said, in her smooth and rich voice that seemed to hold much wisdom beyond her youthful appearance.

"It's actually quite... similar, so far. I'm a little moved by how real it all seems. It's so detailed."

"To those of us who live here," Luna said, "This is the real. For us, the place you hail from is merely another plane of reality; yours is thus a dimension yet unseen by our kind until very recently. That is how we interpret your kind, and your visitation."

"And... how did it start, then? From your point of view?"

"The arrival of your kind?"

Eliza nodded, and realized her pony nodded as well. That was an overwhelmingly incredible effect, and she hardly noticed any delay between her own nod and the game's interpretation of it.

Luna answered. "My sister, bless her, opened the way. A spell. Powerful magics, with magnanimous purpose. I am told that her opening of the way is not unlike the method by which I enter the dream realm; one of my royal duties as Princess is to patrol the dreams of my subjects, to dispel nightmares. To hear Sister tell it, her dimensional rift allows her to dispel the troubles of your waking hours." Luna looked downward briefly, apparently in thought. "I find myself drawn to that, if for no other reason than mere curiosity, and similar purpose to my own. And your kind, thus far, have each fascinated me."

"Not many nightmares in my life, I guess," Eliza said, as her pony continued across the meadow at her direction. "Just... for most of us, this place is probably just escapism."

Luna perked up at that. "Escapism? Escaping from what, precisely?"

"Stress, maybe," Eliza said. "Work, maybe. Things are complicated here, sometimes, and something like this is used to relax. I don't usually play games much, but folks I know want to play here. Some are my family, too. So you might say I'm as curious about your kind as you are of us."

"Common ground between us, then. Mutual discovery is very noble and productive ground for discourse. I welcome thee."

Eliza smiled. "Thanks, Luna."

Eliza found a trinket in the grass: a small leather necklace with a luminescent green crystal hanging from it. With a tap of the screen, she made her pony pick it up.

Luna looked at the object approvingly. “A charm. Quite beautiful, is it not?”

“Yeah. What does it do?”

Luna snorted. "It is a necklace, my dear. You wear it."

"Oh." Eliza was amused by the absurd simplicity of it, and tapped the necklace again. Her pony put it on. "Bit strange to be out here."

Something caught her eye in the distance, and she panned the camera up to look at the mountainous skyline, beyond the clouds. A pegasus was silhouetted against it, and flew lazily through the valley. The pegasus appeared to notice Luna and Eliza, and turned their way.

As the pegasus approached, Luna took notice. “Oh, company. Interesting, I recognize this pony. If I remember correctly, her name is East Circle.”

That name was familiar to Eliza. "I... I think that's one of my brother's friends."

"Oh? Is your brother that blue little troublemaker who is constantly by her side? They've stumbled into my study once or twice, in the old castle." Luna shrugged. "They are such adorable foals, if somewhat rambunctious."

Eliza chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like my brother alright."

"The Everfree Forest isn't for the faint of heart, but alas... they are both brave beyond their tender years."

The violet pegasus landed before them at a gallop, slowing to a graceful trot before stopping just a few yards from Eliza. She was young and lanky, a little bit smaller than Eliza’s pony. She had a brown mane, a beautiful span of fluffy feathers, and an apparently kind disposition. An image of a compass laid upon each hind leg, with only the eastern quadrant slice filled in.

“Hello, Princess Luna! Um, it's okay if I come say hi, right?" She lowered her ears shyly.

Luna smiled. "Goodness, my dear subject, of course it is. You needn't ask. How have you been?"

"Good! Practicing flying moves, actually! Flying low and fast."

"Careful, young one. You may strike a tree."

East Circle nodded fervently. "I know! I stay away from branches. Just fields for now! Who's your friend here? Someone new?"

Luna cast a glance and a grin at Eliza. "Indeed. One of your close friends is very fond of her, in fact. A certain blue pegasus, if I'm not mistaken."

A flicker of consternation appeared on East's face, but that quickly dispelled, giving way to excitement. "Oh my gosh, are you Blue Sky's other big sister?" The filly started to bounce. "Ooh! Ooh! I’m so excited to meet you! Blue talks about you like, all the time! I think he even looks up to you a little bit. I'm a big sister myself, I know the feeling. But uh… yeah!” East pawed the ground with a hoof, suddenly shy again and glancing at Luna's hooves.

Eliza couldn’t stop smiling at how adorable the filly was. “Good to meet you too, little thing. How old are you, East?" Eliza leaned back against one of the couch arms and got a little more comfortable. Interestingly, her pony seemed to mimic her laziness, choosing to sit down in the grass, curling her scruffy tail neatly along her side.

"Fourteen." East sat too. "I know I'm a little older than your brother, I hope that's okay. How old are you?"

"I’m nineteen."

“Cool! You're a real big sister then! You gonna go to Canterlot to get your pony name soon? I can't wait to see what name Princess Celestia gives you!"

"All new ponies receive their name from Princess Celestia," Luna explained to Eliza, and then cast a glance down at East. "When the time is right, and only when they are ready."

East took her meaning well. "Oh. Sorry. I don't mean to push! Just excited! It was cool, when Blue got his name we were flying all around the castle and like, the guards were a liiiittle not too happy about that, but Princess Celestia let us do it so they left us alone. Until we hung from the chandelier, then it was time for us to go, she said!"

"That," Luna said, "is a very valuable chandelier. It was a political gift from the Dragon Nation."

"I'm sorry! Sorry!" East bowed several times.

Luna smiled. "Don't be. I've never liked it. Too much sand glass, not enough obsidian."

"Oh." East grinned.

Luna turned to Eliza. "If you'd like, we could spend some more time here in the forest. Perhaps I could show you the old castle of my youth? I have no urgent matters to attend to at the moment; today is, as they say in the modern vernacular, an 'off' day, for me."

"That sounds cool. I have some t—" Eliza stopped, and her words caught in her throat as she heard a sound in her home that instantly set her on edge. Something was wrong.

Down the hall, long before she heard the words, she could hear the bitter voices of her mother and sister, both quiet and hushed, but very intense. It sounded terribly like an argument.

"Is everything alright?" Luna asked. Eliza drew her eyes away from the hallway and looked down at the ponypad again. Luna had her head tilted in concern.

"Uh, actually, Luna... not right now. I need to go. Sorry, something came up."

"Oh. Very well, then. We'll see you again soon, I hope?"

Eliza flashed a weak smile. "Sure," she whispered, then powered the device off. She stood, entered the hall, and stopped near her sister's room. Even though she had correctly guessed at the topic of the conversation, Eliza still cringed as she heard it confirmed.

"I've been playing, Mom! I'm an adult now, I can do what I want!"

"You're an adult, but this game isn't just a game. It's something else. They're not giving the bodies back! They're not letting families bury their dead! Gale, this is more than just—"

"It's not the Devil. You and Uncle Ralph are losing your minds over this. Dad says it's okay, it's okay! He'd know!"

June groaned. "Your father doesn't know what to think, Gale. He's wrong about this, because he's afraid to commit to a side. He has you and Tom to consider, and then me, Ralph, and Eliza. And bless his heart, he's choosing to do nothing because that's easier!"

"You're thinking about it like sides now? That's not what this is. God, I'm so sick of this. You all need to lay off. I'm not ditching my friends, Mom! I bought it with my own money, I'll play it if I want!"

"We don't even know whether it's dangerous."

"I don't think it's dangerous," Gale said defensively. "Give it three minutes and you'll see. These other players aren't going to reach through the screen and hurt me, are they? They aren't dragging me off to Japan."

"I'm just wondering, Gale." June's voice warbled sadly, just once, veiled in anger.

"Wondering what?"

"Thousands of people walk into these clinics every day. Something convinced people with jobs and families to leave their homes and let themselves be killed. No one ever gets a body back. What gets them to throw away their lives like that? Do they all like the game like you kids do?"

Eliza winced, peeking in. She saw her mother standing just inside the doorframe, with her arms crossed.

June continued. "I just don't think any sane person would just give everything up like that. All it costs them is a little money. No effort needed, no good deeds. No God. Digital immortality, forever. Ascension not included, sign on the dotted line. Doesn't it sound a little too easy? What's making them jump?"

Gale's voice swelled to a shout, and Eliza had never heard anyone speak to their mother in such a way before.

"So you think I'm going to go do it?! You know what?! Maybe I should. Maybe it'll get me away from this bullshit."

June spluttered. "Excuse me? I don't care how old you are, you do not talk to me like that."

"Get out of my room!" Something banged against the wall; Gale must have thrown something. Eliza jumped, and she quickly took two steps back from the doorway. She realized she was still holding the ponypad, and swiftly hid it behind her back just as her mother stormed out. June nearly ran into her.

Their eyes met briefly as June halted. Eliza saw tears and terror in June's frustrated face. Then, just as quickly as June appeared, she was gone. She dipped into Tom's room, and Eliza could hear the sound of drawers being pulled back, followed by an exasperated grunt of anger. June reappeared in the hallway, and then made her way out the front door. She slammed it. Her car started, and left.

Eliza stood there, at a loss. She wanted to say something, anything, to her sister. She gingerly peeked around the corner. Gale was sobbing into her pillow, and she didn't see Eliza. "Abby?" she breathed.

Gale looked up, met eyes with her, and scowled. "Leave me the fuck alone! Close the door!"

"Abby, please, I don't—"

"Now, Liz! Screw off!"

Eliza did as her sister asked, and closed the door slowly, hesitantly, with a soft click. She leaned into Tom's room, put the ponypad into Tom's desk drawer where her mother had doubtlessly already checked, and returned to the hall in front of Gale's door. She pressed her back to the wall and slid down to sit, resigning to watch the door for as long as she could manage. She listened to Gale cry; she let herself feel it, immersed herself in her sister's grief, because she could do nothing else to show her support. It wasn't long before Eliza could hear quiet whispers from inside.

Gale shouted suddenly. "I don't want to talk to you!"

At first, Eliza wasn't sure whether the statement was directed at her or not, but the whispering stopped.

Eliza hoped her sister would come out and seek her for comfort, or even try to just leave the house.

But Gale didn't do either of those things. Eliza tried to gain the courage to try and approach her sister again. She didn't know whether she would help or hurt the situation, and that fear kept her on a knife's edge. "Gale," she tried again, with an exhausted sound. "Sis, can I please come in? I just want to... listen."

"Go away, Liz!"

Eliza tried to will up some magic words that would comfort her sister, but... nothing. She stood, and tried to force herself to speak, but the willpower wouldn't come. She lowered her hand, clenched her fist, and shambled off to the garage to do something – anything – to feel less like she was doing nothing.

Eliza saw the antler she found that morning laying on her workbench. She scooped up a handsaw and threw herself onto her stool. With a death grip, she grasped the antler and started to saw into it. The dust stunk, and stung her nostrils. Her jaw clenched with directionless anger. Her greatest fear was to point that anger at anyone she might care for.

A difficult task, though. That, she could be angry at.

Author's Note

[Gustavo Santaolalla - Endless Flight]

🌒 ~ So began the most meaningful relationship of my life.

At present, wolf populations are limited to eastern Skagit Valley, mostly due to a higher density of hunters and human population. For those of you without an ecological background, there are quite a few reasons a pack might find its way out of its base territory, however. Diminishing food, of course, being one of them.