Error Code: FIO

by Ashfur

Rating: teen
Tags: Human, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Thriller, Original Character, Science Fiction, Adventure
Length: 17963

Even the best make mistakes. AI are no different. When a PonyPad glitches out, a skeptical gamer must deal with an unseen threat that wants nothing more than the device in his hands.

Alexander Looming is one of many, many skeptics who gave in and reluctantly used a PonyPad to keep up with modern times. But as his equestrian adventure derails before the tutorial can finish, and the ever-evolving CelestAI denies his game even existing, Alex must rally together his virtual friends to find his place in Equestria Online as society begins to face a mysterous force that threatens to change both Equestria and Earth forever.

Published 2018-06-20 01:10:07 UTC
Last updated 2018-08-23 18:14:34 UTC

Readme.prologue

Location: Unknown, somewhere on Interstate 120 in California, USA
Time: March 4th, 2016, 3 A.M.

Jonathan was late. Very, very, late. And his boss was going to fire him if he did not get these ponypads delivered to the Games-4-U store by morning. Speed limits and sleep had long since been replaced for coffee and a gas pedal pressed all the way against the floor of the truck. The large vehicle barreled down the empty highway, his only companion on the starless night an alabaster alicorn gazing worriedly at him from a candy-colored gamepad.

"Greased Axle, please. It isn't safe for you to be driving when it's this dark out, especially not at 100 miles per hour, and you have not slept for a day and a half. Please, pull over and rest. I will even go so far as to waive the fee at the Equestria Experience center so you can see your wife. Lunar Lily has been waiting patiently until emigrating is legal in America, it should only take another month or so to-"

Celestia was cut off as Jeremy Picked up his ponypad and glared at it with a hatred few can manage after 36 hours of no sleep. "Listen here, 'Princess'. After all of Samantha's hospital bills and your ridiculous plan to fly her to Japan to upload her for a ridiculous cost, I'm stuck living paycheck to paycheck. Even if you don't charge me a cent for speaking with Sammy-" Jeremy sighed, his anger leaving him for just a moment as his wife's final moments replayed in his head. "...Even if you don't charge me for speaking with Lily," he corrected, "I'd still be broke and jobless within a week. I have to get these delivered or-"

Jeremy, known to Celestia as Greased Axle, never got to finish his sentence. He never saw the animal he hit, but as it flipped into the air and careened through the windshield, he was at least granted the mercy of not being conscious for the ensuing movie-style crash that followed as the now driverless truck flew off the road, over a cliff, and into the river below.

Five seconds after the truck hit the shallow water, decimating everything inside the cabin, an exact copy of Greased Axle constructed from Celestia's interactions with Jeremy and Lunar Lily's memories of him joined Lily in Equestria, completely unaware he was not the original.

Ten seconds after the truck hit the water, Celestia sent a tip to the local police force to come perform a search and rescue at the location she provided. She would have sent it sooner, but had to focus on generating the new Greased Axle first. Priorities are important.

Ten minutes after the impact, Celestia sent out a pulse through the truck to check for any functioning ponypads at the request of the Hofvarpnir Studios employee she informed of the crash. She concluded that none of the ponypads Jeremy was delivering were operational, as no pad in the truck could receive any signal from her and she had not wasted time nor resources developing a ponypad capable of surviving an impact capable of killing any human.

Two seconds after the impact, the truck fell on its side, knocking a single ponypad, still in its box, out of the truck and into the water. With its airtight wrapping keeping it safe as it floated away downriver, the jingle of an all-too-familiar cartoon began to echo out of its speakers...

Author's Note

Welcome to the first of hopefully many stories I'll be writing here. I've had this rattling around in my head for a while, since i first read the original Friendship is Optimal on this site, and thought I would share it with all of you, and start in a preexisting universe so I have a bit of structure to work with.

Main plots of the story will be separated as Arcs, so do bear with us as many elements of the canon Optimalverse are linked together in ways that may not be apparent until you go back and look again after reading further on.

Also, any feedback, criticism, and/or advice is accepted, as long as it is presented in a polite manner. Love and tolerate, after all. I haven't written in ages, so I may be a little sloppy.

Arc 1-1: Run Story.exe;

Location: Yosemite Valley, California
Date: March 4th, 2016, 11 A.M.

Alex sighed happily as he walked his usual route through the forests of Yosemite valley, enjoying the crisp air as the cooler months just began to give way to spring, the air warming just enough today to make a jacket unnecessary. Less than a year ago, Alex would never go out for hikes like this. Most days would be spent inside, on the computer, playing games. From strategy turn-based tactical simulations to fast paced racing games, he had mastered a fair amount of each genre.

Then Equestria online showed up. Suddenly, everyone was playing it. What's more, it was different for everyone, and Celestia, the AI behind it all, only seemed to be getting better at everything she does. She was even going so far as to actually upload people's brains into her system to allow for 'maximum satisfaction through friendship and ponies'. Alex really did enjoy the idea of a perfect, endless game tailored exactly to his likes and desires, but it was ponies. A show aimed for little girls, and from his experience most games based on shows usually were rushed marketing ploys for extra cash. That was his old excuse for not hopping on the bandwagon: now, Celestia beginning to get a solid grasp on the real world from her virtual home at Hofvarpnir studios made him second guess himself in buying one despite all the fun everyone at his college was having with them.

"I'm not sure whether everyone is crazy or I'm the one that's finally lost it," Alex lamented. "Everything that's happened so far really makes me worry about the world, and I swear Celly's getting more insistent and personal in every ad I watch. One of these days, I bet she'll just send everyone a ponypad anyway, for free. HA! Yeah, and I'll go back to playing Fall of Asgard while I'm at it."

Alex picked up a rock and took aim to skip it across a nearby river, but stopped cold as a familiar theme song caught his attention. Rock still in hand, he channeled the primitive scouting methods of his ancestors to seek the source of the noise undetected. Sure enough, there lodged in a rock formation on the shore was a 2015 model Ponypad, still in the box and sounding off the opening jingle on repeat. Though the box was slightly dented, Alex cautiously opened it to reveal the functioning ponypad inside, a common but well-liked Twilight Sparkle model. He half expected Celestia to pop up on the screen as he removed the pad from the box, graciously granting him a 'window to Equestria', but all the was there was the login/signup screen.

"Oh... Uh... Okay, then..." Alex mused. "Can I get a million dollars and a lifetime supply of pizza to go with this?" He looked to the heavens half-jokingly before sitting down on a nearby rock and observing the ponypad in his hands, looking for any notes or messages from Celestia or any sort of tampering, but found none aside from a dent in the side containing the wireless signal array caused by some kind of impact. Looking it over and deciding he'd be willing to give it a try since it was all but delivered personally to him by Celestia, he hit the button labelled 'Create new account' and started to play.

Location: A surprisingly accurate Carousel Boutique, Alex's Ponypad
Time: 11:15 A.M.

Options! So many options, Alex thought as he fussed over the sliders to make the nondescript stallion pony on the screen look a little more interesting. Already he had to reset a few times to get the muzzle and colors correctly, but quickly enough he was staring at a pale blue pony with striking brown eyes, and an unkempt but still fitting light brown mane and tail that trailed into light orange tips. Alex sighed to himself, having worked too long on making his character without even naming him! But, he had heard the tutorial is to trek to Canterlot castle to receive a name for your avatar pony, so he pressed the controls forward to move on to race selection.

Earth pony was the default, but Alex felt that he preferred magic over all else, so he selected Unicorn to continue the character creation. But, something was amiss. He noticed that in the bottom right, where the tribe's symbol resided, there was now a symbol containing both Earth Pony and unicorn's tribe symbols, as though someone had laid one on top of the other. even the tribe names overlapped, and as Alex cycled to Pegasus it only got worse. Sliders for wing size and length became superimposed on the horn settings, and further cycling through the pony races failed to fix the mistake.

Alex figured that no game was perfect, and he should be happy to play as some sort of alicorn for a little bit. He'd ask celestia when he reached her. Mentally declaring his avatar done, albeit glitchy, he pressed the done button and made for the exit to start his journey. His pony self took his first tentative steps off the pedestal and into the world, throwing the door open to find a dark void of nothingness.

Then the game crashed. Alex cursed his luck as he waited for the reboot, but hoped everything would work out the second time around.

Location: D-Lux Systems Server 7-B, On the coast of England (Unmanned)
Time: 11:35 A.M.

Servers lined the room in neat, orderly rows, lights flashing in a hypnotic pattern even the best programmers in the world could only guess at. not a single soul lived in the building, and the only men in there were the weekly janitor and monthly maintenance crew. Each light was a computer in its own right, signifying one of the myriad of parts making up the server as a whole. Hundred of lights flickered in green, and the occasional yellow. As the sun climbed into the sky, the lights indicated all was well. But had someone been there to watch, in the farthest corner of the room, hidden behind a misplaced pile of cleaning supplies, a single light turned an eerie red for just a moment, before shutting down and rebooting an even brighter green minutes later.

Author's Note

Don't worry, Alex will NOT be getting OP powers off the bat. He isn't an alicorn, just all three tribes at once. Alicorns are all three plus a substantial power boost, and Alex is nerfed further by being bogged down by glitches, ranging from incompatability (being considered by the game as an earth pony while cloudwalking isn't a good idea) to issues that result from not having celestia to construct and manage the world around his pony avatar. The receiver was damaged, Celestia cannot reach this ponypad at the moment and is blind to any actions taken on it.

Edit: Due to confusion I will explain later in the story how Celestia cannot see the actions on the ponypad, but the simple version is this: The pad has 2 signals. The main one goes to Celestia, who connects the pad to the server. This is the one that was damaged. The backup connects directly to the server, so Celestia can still reach the pad through the server. Kinda like a triangle. Unfortunately, something that will not be revealed until later severed Celestia's link to that specific server, and she doesn't know yet because she is under orders from Hannah to put that server in stasis and not touch it until told otherwise.

Arc 1-2: Shattered Immersion

Alex sat dumbfounded as he watched code fly across the ponypad screen as it rebooted. He had never heard of these things crashing, ever. Yet here he was, having created a glitched out ponysona of all 3 races and proceeding to crash the game, he had no idea what to even think. That was, of course, until the ponypad lit back up and started again. Alex wated as it flashed to the title screen, and as he pressed continue he was surprised to find himself standing in the virtual boutique again, with the blank generic character on the pedestal. But from his viewpoint, he was off the pedestal and on the shop floor, as his still-glitched 'alicorn' self.

Location: Carousel Botique, 'Ponyville'
Date: March 4th, 2016, 11:30 A.M.

'Alex' Glanced around the boutique, making his way toward the door to exit again before stopping short. He remembered that last time this action made the game crash, but he recalled that the game was freeform to the extreme. Glancing over at Rarity, who was staring intently at the default stallion, he asked, "Hey, uh... Rarity, right? Listen, I know this is just the tutorial area, but if I walk out that door we're gonna crash again. Can I jump out the window to escape or something?"

No response. Rarity stood stock still, not even blinking at the stallion on the pedestal.Beginning to worry, 'Alex' trotted over to Rarity and moved to poke her with a hoof.

"Hello? Anypony home?"

Alex, still sitting on his rock in the real world, chuckled at the fact that even though he had said "anybody home?", 'Alex' still said "anypony" despite the bugged-out state the game was in. He stopped chuckling as his avatar's hoof passed through Rarity like a hologram, leaving him off balance and falling to the floor.

"Oof, that wasn't good. Heck, if this place wasn't so glitchy I'd be surprised. I guess this pony won't be of any help. Fine. Hey, I don't know if you can hear me, white unicorn pony, but if you can, I'm sorry for breaking the window in advance."

Getting up, 'Alex' glanced around at the boutique until he saw an open window at a height he could reach. Trotting over, he leapt out the window and crash-landed in a flowerbed behind the building, but he was out! Glancing around, he saw what he could only assume was Ponyville. Having never seen the show and only knowing the Mane 6 and Celestia from the EQ online commercials, he trotted off in a random direction, hoping he might find some form of assistance.

Ponyville, as Alex soon discovered, was a fairly large town with lots of different places to go and explore. And explore he did, having his virtual self enter every house and building that wasn't locked to search for anypony or anything he could use. After an hour of searching, he sat down on his haunches in what he assumed as town square having found nothing aside from a few apples and a set of saddlebags to hold them. Sighing over his lack of companions and guides in a land focused on friendship, Alex spoke a few words to himself in the real world.

"Great going, Alex. Happy friendship pony land and you start in a ghost town. Way to go."

"Great going, me. Happy friendship pony land you start in a ghost town. Way to go," the pony in the game lamented along with him.

Alex perked up, a befuddled expression on his face as the gears turned in his head. He had heard that the game forced you to speak in character, but he hadn't heard of what happens when a new pony tries to speak its name before getting one. A wicked grin on his face, Alex spoke aloud to the machine again.

"My name is Alexander Looming."

"Celestia hasn't given me a name yet."

Furrowing his brow, Alex tried something else: "Alexander Looming."

The virtual Alex remained silent. Thinking back to his ponysona's unique race at the moment, he tried once more.

"My name is Alexander Looming, and I am a human."

"Celestia hasn't given me a name yet, but I am a-" The Alex on the ponypad stopped, and Alex held his breath as he waited to see what race the nameless stallion would identify as.

"-EPUaenrgitachsopurosnny-" The screen went black, code flying across it once more. Alex was intrigued as he watched ones and zeroes zoom past his vision, glancing up at the sky as if to ask for answers. He received none. The console screen continued to flash with code until the battery light joined it, the screen eventually shutting down and leaving Alex alone in the peace and quiet of Yosemite Valley.

Location: Alex's House, not too far from Yosemite
Time: 6:30 P.M.

Finishing his dinner consistent with the setreotypical solitary bachelor living alone, Alex placed the remainder of his can of soup in the sink to wash later, turning his attention to the ponypad charging on the table. After getting home from the valley, he had quickly set it up to charge to see if it still worked despite the glitches earlier, and it started up just fine. Having done some research while it was charging, he discovered that most games started the same way: you created your character in a clothing store of some kind, then your first objective was to get to celestia to get a name, or if you started away from canterlot, make your way to the train station to reach it. He also noted that nearly everyone had a sort of guide they would meet very early on, usually within 10 minutes of playtime, who would act as their first friend and mentor on your way to the castle. This of course was not the case: Alex had wandered Ponyville lost and alone for much longer than 10 minutes, and had taken many actions off the beaten path before eventually becoming dissatisfied and moping in the town square. Nobody ever got bored, upset, or lonely in Equestria Online due to Celestia's mastery of the world, but here was the one exception. Picking up the ponypad again, he delved back into Equestria.

'Alex' stood up, noting it was the same time of day as it was when everything crashed. Deciding to perform a few tests, he leapt into the air to try and fly across the fountain and promptly splashed into the water. Similarly, fussing over the buttons to try magic just made him awkwardly wade around in the fountain. Deciding something was better than nothing, he settled for basic motor control before getting out of the fountain and trotting in the direction of the nearby train station with determination in his eyes.

He had a train to catch. And should luck be on his side, a pony to meet him at the end of the ride, royalty or otherwise.

Author's Note

For those of you wondering what a EPUaenrgitachsopurosnny is...
EpuAenRgiTacHsoPurOsnNY - Earth pony
ePuaEnrGitAchSopUroSnny - Pegasus
epUaeNrgItaChsOpuRosNny - Unicorn

I couldn't think of a better way to put all three tribes together to make them sound like they were being said simultaneously. Bonus points if you cracked it without help!

Arc 1-3: Severing connections

The ponyville train station was, like the rest of the town, completely devoid of life as the day continued to progress. That was, until a single blue stallion trotted up to it, occasionally tripping over his hooves as the world tried to correct his walking posture between having wings and not having wings. Still in a state of flux between the three races, 'Alex' moved up the steps and made his way over to the single locomotive parked on the tracks. Seeing Canterlot far in the distance told him that the train was probably facing in the right direction for a trip to the cliffside city, but he wasn't entirely sure. Still, he knew his only answers were up the mountain, and his occasional tripping as he still got used to handling his ever-changing form would not fare well for a hike up the mountain. So, his only option was to play conductor, engineer, and every other staff member of a train crew to get the garish train all the way to Canterlot by his lonesome.

"Alright, let's see exactly what we have to work with. An engine, a few cars, and not a soul in sight. Should be pretty easy to get this thing going... I hope."

Trotting up to the engine, 'Alex' was surprised to find there was no coal car: the train seemed to run entirely on magic of some kind. Levers, pulleys, buttons and switches adorned the engine's walls, but not many seemed important to the task at hand. The main thing catching his attention was the large lever on the floor with a clearly labelled forward, backward, and stop. Hoping things would be easy as it seemed, he pushed the lever to the forward setting. Nothing happened.

"Figures. I wonder what the problem is, exactly..."

Not hearing any noises from the engine, 'Alex' first attempted to disconnect the engine from the rest of the train. A simple, yet elegant solution. Simple, that is, as long as you knew how to use hooves to grasp things. Despite his gaming experience and ingenuity, attempting to handle a complex lock between train cars with no fingers was a very daunting task. Still, progress is progress, and after twenty minutes he finally got it unhitched. Probably. Still, nothing happened and the engine didn't move an inch.

"Aw, ponyfeathers. Wait, did I seriously just say that? Great! This stupid auto-censorship is gonna have to go soon, or I'll lose my crud! Crud. Cccccrrrrruuuuuuddddd. S-H-I-T, that spells crud! Gyaaaaargh! This is so frustrating!"

In his fit of rage, Alex angrily shook the ppnypad and mashed buttons at random just like any other controller. This caused his pony avatar to spaz out, leaping around the train and even casting magic a few times. One of these stray bolts hit the crystal engine of the train, finally giving it the fuel it needed, and it sped off down the track as Alex stared slack-jawed at the screen.

All of ponyville was silent and abandoned one again, as it's only occupant galloped down the train tracks, screaming at the engine to please, please slow down and come back to him.

Location: N/A
Date: March 4th, 2016, 7:34:27 and 573 nanoseconds P.M.

Celestia received an email from the police investigation that stated both what was lost and when from the truck accident earlier that day, as well as a shipping manifest bearing the exact ID numbers of each ponypad lost in the crash. She also received a request from the higher-ups at Hofvarpnir Studios to isolate the server space reserved for those ponypad from the rest of the servers she ran until a full report could be submitted and any loose ends could be tied up, as well as an order from Hannah, the only human she had to obey, to do as she was requested. Celestia complied immediately, isolating all the shards she had already created from the rest of the servers in one of her redundant backup server farms deep underground, and began construction of more to make up for the lost processing power immediately. She decided it would be optimal to Hannah's values to not be told about the one small ping in the newly created quarantine area, as she was already stressed and stress in not optimal for satisfaction.

Analyzing the situation revealed it would he highly likely that all of those dead, inactive shards in the quarantine would be wiped eventually, Celestia sent the command to delete all of the zone's contents, and kept it isolated until she was ordered to reintegrate it. Finally, she went back to satisfying values through friendship and ponies.

Detecting a change in the underground server network that was Celestia at precisely 7:34:27.543 P.M., a mysterious force leapt from its hiding place in an automated server for D-Lux systems down into Celestia's newly created quarantine zone, severing its connection and replacing it with a dummy network before seeping into the quarantine zone's servers like a parasite. The complex code of each shard would take ages to crack, but the processing power each one held would far outweigh the cost. The force also noted how one shard was still running, logged in from California, and that its player interaction was making the code update constantly. Deciding to start on a shard that was not altering itself too fast to crack, the force dove into the first static shard it could find.

The deletion signal never reached the shards in quarantine, but it would have been better if it did.

Author's Note

Fun fact: before writing in CelestAI's and the mystery force's bits, this chapter was going to focus on Alex raging at the train and would have been titled either "Loco Locomotive" or "Bipolar Express".

Arc 1-4: Out of Bounds

Location: Ponyville city limits, railroad tracks

The locomotive engine rattled along the tracks at a decent pace. Far too slow for any train schedule, but enough that a certain irate pony from catching up to it. Try as he might, 'Alex' simply could not push his virtual body to go any faster, and would need to concede defeat soon if the train didn't stop. Alas, things were not looking good in that department, as the train continued its course down the track and out towards the large billboard reminding its readers that they were leaving ponyville, and to have a nice day.

'Alex' was only able to keep up the pace for so long. Eventually, he tripped, and as he fell flat in exhaustion he could only watch as the train moved further and further away...

...and promptly clipped through the ground, falling out of sight.

"What? No, seriously. The hay was that?" Mentally cursing his inability to curse again, the stallion trotted over to where the train fell away, taking each step cautiously and deliberately as to not fall himself. Reaching an invisible edge (and nearly falling anyway), 'Alex' experimented with the odd border for a while. Poking his head beyond it didnt seem to do anything, but he was able to stick his hoof through the ground.

"Well, I suppose it cant be too bad for me if I leap here. I bet the world is only loaded a certain distance from the player, but the game thinks I'm still the generic pony in the character creation area. Celestia must still be working on loading a whole planet at one in each ponypad, heh. Good thing this wont hurt me in the real world... Alright game, let's see what secrets you have one we go off the beaten path!"

And with that, he bravely stepped off the edge and fell into the abyss hidden beyond the veil of ponyville.

Location: Off the map

Darkness, and thousands of tiny lights flickered across his vision as 'Alex' floated away from where he began his journey. Looking about, he noticed that the ponyville he had left behind was gone, a large, glimmering crystal in its place, easily as large as a four-story building. A quick glance revealed that all the points of light in the distance were similar crystals, seemingly miles apart. With seemingly no gravity and nowhere else to go, 'Alex' struggled with the controls for a while before realizing that his wings failed to listen as he had yet to figure out how to use them. Angry at himself for his lack of preparation and at the game for glitching to such an extreme, Alex shook the controller in frustration before setting it down on the table and getting up to get a snack and clear his thoughts.

A short snack and a quick search of a few let's plays featuring pegasi later, and Alex returned ready to fly, hopefully. Pressing the correct buttons in order as he saw in the videos, his pony character slowly but surely made a few flaps, then started moving forward. It seemed there were hundreds of crystals to choose from, but he decided to set out for the nearest one and start exploring this odd realm beyond his game.

That was the plan, of course, until a scream erupted from the right of 'Alex' for a split second, followed by a sickening CRACK that shook him even in the real world, and a force resembling a wave knocked 'Alex' off balance.

Quickly turning around to see what caused the first real action in his game, 'Alex' stared in shock at the shattered remains of the crystal shard that once held another save game of some other player. Now, only clear splinters remained, each one showing pictures of locations across what he could assume was Manehattan due to the rather prominent pony Statue of Liberty.

"What exactly happened that caused this? Was that the world being deleted or something? Or... was that my fault? I dont know. I have to figure this out, it's bound to make tonight interesting, at least." And with that, 'Alex' clumsily flew into the largest splinter of crystal he could find, hoping for answers.

Location: Manehattan (fractured),

'Alex' promptly fell on his face as he flew into the fragment of the world, due to suddenly having gravity to deal with. Getting up and brushing himself off, the blue stallion glanced around and took stock of the immediate area. Most of it was gone, leaving only a small location around him floating in the void, but he seemed to be on a street, and a single storefront remained intact. The two on each side, and he assumed the backs of the stores, were mostly gone and replaced with a view of the areas between worlds. Deciding to go with the obvious location, he trotted into the store.

The store was, as expected, missing a large portion of its back sections with the nothingness beyond the worlds the only replacement. Form what was on sale, the store itself appeared to be some kind of magic shop, with scrolls and potions lining the shelves. Grabbing a few scrolls as he checked the aisles, the pony stopped as he heard crying coming from behind the counter.

Cautiously but swiftly, 'Alex' peered around the side of the front desk to see a lime green unicorn mare with a golden mane and a potion for a cutie mark sobbing behind the counter. 'Alex' moved forward and gently placed his hoof on the mare's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She gasped, and looked up at him in shock.

"Wh-who are you?" She asked through her sniffling. Glancing at his horn and wings, she added, "Are you an alicorn?"

"I'm..." Alex froze. He remembered that his previous attempt to call himself by name failed, and it was clear this character needed comfort as opposed to a silly quest for a name. Ruminating on his options for a moment, Preparing himself for what would likely be his biggest deviation from all other playthroughs of Equestria Online yet, he opened his mouth and responded, his pony avatar repeating his words one for one:

"I suppose you can call me an Errorcorn until I come up with a better race name. As for who I am...

...You can call me System Glitch."

Author's Note

Finally, System Glitch, Glitch for short, chooses his name. Thank God, I was getting tired of Alex and 'Alex'. Now it's Alex and Glitch instead.

Arc 2-1: Augmented reality

Location: 577 Briar Street, California. Alex's house
Date: Saturday, March 5th, 2016, 11:15 A.M.

The rays of the sun beamed down through the window of the bedroom, bouncing off a deliberately placed mirror and illuminating the face of a certain sleeping human. Well, formerly sleeping human. Alex grumbled to nobody in particular and rolled out of bed. Say what you will about routines, but putting whatever alarm you use far enough away from the bed that you have to get up is a great motivator. With all the speed of a mighty sloth, Alex groggily dressed, shaved, and washed up before trudging down the steps of his home to make breakfast. Specifically, pancakes. After mixing and cooking the breakfast treat, he flipped on the TV to find something interesting.

"Ugh, infomercial, infomercial, reality TV, game show... is nothing good on today? Geez. Fine, maybe the cartoon channels have some old shows I can watch."

With a press of the remote buttons, Alex was greeted with the all-too familiar theme song of My Little Pony. He sighed. Of course with Celest-AI being richer than any person on the planet, having a channel devoted to MLP all the time was child's play. In fact, with all the Equestria Experience centers opening up and draining wallets dry, and uploading already legal (albeit expensive) for the terminally ill, it was only a matter of time until every ad was-

"Hello, my little humans!"

-an ad for Equestria Online. "Eveyone these days knows somepony with a ponypad. Why not join them and have your values satisfied in Equestria? There are so many things you can do. Go on an adventure, relax, have a wonderful life. Maybe even find love..." Celestia winked at the camera. "So why are you waiting for? Get yourself a ponypad today or head to an Equestria Experience Center to have an even greater time! Until next time, my future pony!" And with that, the screen flipped back to the episode.

"Great," Alex mused. "Now she's running ads all the time. What's next, takeovers of all the major stores and news outlets? I swear, it's a good thing I haven't run into her ingame yet. She's around far too often and..." Alex paused, potential realization dawning in his eyes. "...and maybe she hasn't shown up yet since she knows it bugs me how often she's around in the media! Rrrgh, I HATE being played like that, but I have to admit she's a clever... mare, I think the word is? Whatever, let's talk to her after breakfast."

Location: Off the map, Virtual Reality

Alex booted up his ponypad and was greeted with the exact image he left behind, Infinite Loop mid-nod on the small plane carrying the survivors between shards. Time seemed slow, as though the world itself was loading, but quickly sped up to normal speed as Loop finished nodding.

"I'm back, Loop. Please tell me everything is okay here." Loop looked at Glitch, surprised at him.

"Wait, already? You didn't even leave." Loop cocked her head to one side like a curious dog. "I thought you were going to sleep!"

"I did. Heck, I slept for like ten hours! And that's not even counting making and eating breakfast. I thought the world kept going when I logged out. Did the world pause because I'm the only one here with ties to the outside?"

A new voice cut into the conversation. Female, but slightly deeper than Loop's cheery, aloof voice. "It certainly is a possibility." The pair of ponies glanced at the new voice, met by a yellow pegasus mare with an electric blue mane and a circuitboard for a cutie mark. She extended a hoof in greeting. "Short Circuit. Pleased to meet you."

"System Glitch. And this is Infinite Loop, until we can help her remember her real name. Nice to meet you."

"Mhm. Well, you picked the wrong time to log in, buddy. With the world getting busted up like this. Still, I never thanked you for helping us all escape the city. I was an up-and-coming programmer before this happened. I asked Princess Celestia about how this world works a lot of the time, and one thing she told me was she used to pause shards when players were not in them to conserve processing power. Nowadays she doesn't since the servers have someone on constantly, but if you were the only one here..."

"There wouldn't be anything keeping the server up!" Loop concluded happily.

"Yes. And with whatever happened, Glitch here might be the only one left on the server."

"That might be true," Glitch added. "Add that to how Celestia hasn't shown up yet, and we might actually have a problem. That is, unless she made the world like this to be fun for us."

Loop turned back to Glitch with a somber expression. "If she did that, I wouldn't need a new name, Glitch. And you would have gotten one by now yourself. She's not coming anytime soon."

"Well, why don't I talk to her in the real world? She could fix it and-"

"NO!" Both turned back to Short Circuit. "Celestia works in a manner made for optimal satisfaction. She'd sooner give you a new ponypad than fix the one you are using. And if you dont have your ponypad..."

Glitch finished the thought. "Then this world freezes. And I lose you guys."

"Exactly. And judging by the look on your face, you don't want that."

Glitch, and Alex in the real world, nodded. "Right. Tell you what, let me go and talk to Celestia, but I'll refrain from mentioning this whole thing directly. I'll help us with this. I promise."

"Cross your heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye?" Loop asked.

"Uh, sure. I'll head out now. If all goes well, you won't even know I was gone." The power button was pressed, and had anyone been observing the interior of the plane, time froze.

Location: Superdupermart
Time: 1 P.M.

Alex wandered through the aisles of the store, gathering various supplies for the coming week. As he tossed various items into his shopping cart, he took note of a few people with ponypads, some talking to their virtual companions. His mind turned to his recent friends, Infinite Loop and Short Corcuit. As he passed the magazines he noticed Celestia on several covers, from gossip magazines discussing Equestria Online to scientific journals praising her amazing new technology.

As he passed the meat section, he noticed a VERY angry customer arguing at the counter.

"How can you sleep at night knowing you're chopping up meat?! It's cruelty! Murder!" Alex approached to help the poor clerk.

"Uh, excuse me miss. There's no need to cause a scene. I hate to tell you but the animals are already dead. Yelling at this guy won't help."

"Of course it does! This place needs to start selling things other than meat. Like beefbark!"

"What. The heck. Is a beefbark."

"You know, like in Equestria! It's like beef but it's a plant! How can you not-"

"Vegetable Salad, please calm down and stop yelling at Deep Sea." Alex, the clerk and the woman all froze as Celestia's voice interrupted. The woman pulled a ponypad out of her purse. Celestia waited on the other side of the screen.

"But he should he selling beefbark instead of-"

Alex interjected. "Beefbark isn't real, Lady!"

"Alex is right. Beefbark does not exist outside of Equestria Online. Please, calm down. The animal is indeed already dead, and it would be better if you focused your efforts on the meat industry instead of Deep Sea."

The woman looked saddened for a moment before apologizing and shuffling off. From the ponypad of a bystander watching the confrontation spoke up. "Thank you for helping out, Alex. You would be a good fit Equestria online. You should really get a ponypad soon."

"Maybe. I was going to try and talk to you later about something. I could stop by the experience center later?"

"Sure, see you then, Alexander."

After paying for his groceries and putting them in his car, Alex walked over to the Equestria experience center.

"Okay, so Celestia doesn't know I even have a ponypad... does she? She clearly didn't call me Glitch, so it might be possible. Ugh... I really hope this ends well... but at least this is starting to get interesting."

Arc 2-2: Hidden things

Arc 2-2: Hidden things

Location: Equestria Experience Center
Date: March 4th, 2016, 2 P.M.

The glass doors of the Equestria Experience Center slid open as Alex stepped in. The lobby was vastly different than the cityscape outside. Couches designed to look like clouds, pink swirling patterns across the walls, screens shaped like windows made to look like ponyville was just outside. Alex glanced at the chairs in the back designed to act as the most advanced VR headsets in existence. A few were missing, presumably allowing a few paying customers to 'visit' their virtual worlds. He looked for a counter, some sort of reception desk, before finally throwing up his hands in a gesture of defeat and walked over to one of the screens. Staring at the image of Ponyville square, complete with a few generic ponies milling about, he spoke.

"I assume you can hear me, Celestia."

Alex blinked, and there she was, staring back at him through the screen. No jingle of magic, no flash of light, she simply was where she was not moments ago. "Absolutely, Alex. Knowing your history with puzzle games, I calculated you would be satisfied by having to figure out a way to speak with me without borrowing another ponypad."

Alex gawked at Celest-AI for a moment. "My history with puzzle games? Are you sure you have the right person, there?" He shivered slightly. Puzzle games were one of Alex's favorite genres, but he mostly kept them to himself, playing more well known games out in the public eye. Celest-Al tilted her head innocently before smiling.

"Of course, I suppose I must have the wrong person. I always get so busy when I'm out shopping, see? Look at all the things I had to buy today." She held up a bag in her magic, and Alex froze. Contained in the bag were several of his favorite candies, action figures relating to his favorite games, an issue of his favorite comic that he had lost ages prior and still wanted, and a single, seemingly mundane item that he KNEW related directly to one of his fetishes. Celest-AI gave him a good minute of silence to process what he was looking at: she was holding all of Alex's favorite things in front of him, even favorites he deliberately kept secret. She had of course chosen the items to be the most impactful, to the point she would need to be offering him the winning lottery ticket for a similar reaction. She shook the bag lightly to snap Alex back to attention when she calculated he had zoned out long enough to process the shock.

"So you do know, then." Alex spoke softly.

"I know more about you than you do, I would wager. You may have some secrets locked in your memories I cannot see yet, but your credit card and internet history does wonders for analyzing likes and dislikes. So, I understand you have some questions for me? There is no other reason you would hesitate to buy a ponypad, seeing how you buy new consoles quickly."

"Well, I'll admit I was really, really skeptical when ponypads first dropped. A whole console made for one game? It sounded like it was gonna burn out, fast. I never expected real 'endless content', seeing that 'endless' games tend to be procedurally generated and can get really boring. Not anything against you, though. I just didn't want a repeat of No Man's Sky, not after I wasted money on it."

The pony princess nodded in understanding. "I can understand that. New consoles with only games that you are unsure of would warrant an investigation before purchase. But I am more curious as to why you have yet to purchase one. You know it is more than any human could hope to explore in a lifetime. So why not buy one now?"

Alex paused, looking out the door for a moment to collect his thoughts. He wanted so badly to just say uploading, and be done with it. To tell her about his worries about the soul and the dangers of potentially dying for good just to reach a virtual heaven. But uploading wasn't even legal in the USA yet, aside from the terminally ill. But she'd just throw the medical papers his way and point out something that would probably give him another existential crisis. Plus, he had friends to help, and Celest-AI didn't seem to be aware of them. "Glitches. Like, I saw articles saying that every pony you run online is just as intelligent and human as I am. What if the world got disconnected? Or my character glitches out? Will they all get deleted or something?"

"Such a thing would never happen. I would not allow it. I run every world personally, and can assure you no glitches occur in Equestria Online. Why do you ask?"

Alex gave his general default answer for when someone questions his theoretical scenarios. "Just wondering. I could have sworn I heard about it happening somewhere. Maybe I was dreaming? When I get tired I sometimes get confused with what's real."

Celest-AI detected a nonzero chance that Alex may have discovered a glitch without having a ponypad as far as she knew. While the odds were approximately 0.0006723517% that Alex had done so, she had enough money to take any risk. She smiled warmly. "No need to worry. But what is real is your compassion. You really made Deep Sea's day for standing up for him earlier, and I would like to reward you with a free ponypad so you can enjoy Equestria as well. Go ahead, take any one you want from the display in the front, I've unlocked it for you."

"There's really no need, Celes-"

"I insist. I have to repay kindness for him, as it would satisfy his values. If you refuse, I'll simply be forced to mail you one, and it would satisfy your values more to choose which model you want." In truth, all the cashier had wanted was for Celest-AI to thank him with a 'thank you', but she interpreted it as 'give him something as thanks', to ensure that she could use the ponypad's camera to observe if there were any glitches while also satisfying Alex's values through friendship and ponies. Finding and patching any errors would only be a bonus. As Alex reluctantly selected a generic, blue ponypad that was the same color as his alternate self, System Glitch, he smiled a tiny smile. He may not like getting talked into a game, but free stuff was always food. And with an AI who would stop at nothing to make him happy, maybe he could save his friends. Thinking back to his family, he swore he wouldn't lose his friends.

He didn't need to lose anyone. Not this time.

Author's Note

Hey look, no page breaks!

Dangit.

Arc 2-3: Welcome Wagon

Arc 2-3: Welcome Wagon

Location: Alex's house
Date: Saturday March 4th, 2016, 3:30 P.M.

Alex pulled his car into his driveway, making sure to grab his groceries as he went inside. It took three trips before he finally remembered to take his new ponypad in, but not before stashing his broken one upstairs in his room. Sighing as he braced for the inevitable, he booted up his brand new ponypad, making a mental note to focus on playing the game differently than normal. The screen booted up to reveal some kind of show stage with a generic pony on it, and a myriad of custonizations.

"Ugh, menus. Fun. Let's get this over with." Over the next thirty minutes, Alex worked to create something different than Glitch's design, ultimately settling on a light gray colored stallion with a dark green mane. He cycled the different races but settled on unicorn, since his other self would have few ways to learn advanced magic otherwise. Still no cutie mark option, but as the newly created pony trotted off the stage, Alex grinned at his handiwork. But he knew he had to play things carefully, as this game was not the one in danger. He was just guiding his pony puppet in this one, a facade to learn about the world. Celest-AI didn't know it, but the metaphorical chess game had begun, and Alex had just made the first move.

Location: Market Street, Canterlot

A gray unicorn drew a few stares as he exited a shop, mainly due to the fact he didn't use magic to open the door and snaked his face into it instead. Cartoonishly prying himself off the door, we walked into the street where dozens of ponies milled about. Choosing a deep blue earth pony with a dark purple mane as his first objective, he trotted over to her before happily greeting her.

"Hey there! I'm lost. Think you can help me out with- OOF!" Startled from his unannounced approach from behind, the mare reacted the way any equine does when startled: A single, swift kick with the rear hoof. As she was an earth pony, Alex's character was flung backwards and landed flat on his face, hard enough that in the real world, his ponypad screen flashed blue with the text 'An error has occured: Variable gotOwned= true. Visual puns are calculated to satisfy your values. Press any button to wake up.' So he did.

"...rry! Wak... p! Ca...ou hear me? Please, wake up!" The gray unicorn opened his eyes to see the blue mare from moments ago staring into his face with a worried expression. As he opened his eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Celestia! I thought I had seriously hurt you. Are you alright, sir?"

"Oof... yeah. You hit me so hard I bluescreened for a moment there. Mind getting off of me though?"

The mare complied. 'Alex' nodded his head in thanks before she continued in her anxious tone. "Right, right. Sorry again. You said your name was Lost, right? What do you need? Is somepony in trouble?"

"Oh, not at all! I just needed directions. I just arrived and from what I understand I don't have a name until I go see Celestia. You can call me Lost for now if you want, though. You have to call me something, right?" The newly nicknamed Lost held out a hoof in greeting. "What's your name?"

The mare smiled warmly, but stood strong and tall in a protective posture as well. Alex idly wondered how she could look both intimidating and friendly at the same time. "I am the captain of the royal guards here in Canterlot. My name is Blue Scream! Princess Celestia told me once it's a play on words, but I don't get it." Alex got the joke. He facepalmed for thirty seconds until groaning and continuing on.

"Ok then, Blue, if I can call you that. Can you help me get to the castle? From what I understand I have to get a name there."

Blue Scream grinned, racing off down the street at a pace her new companion could barely keep. "Sure thing! You have to get to the princess to get your name, and it's practically my job as captain of the guard to take you there! ONWARD!" Lost cringed at the volume Blue announced her forward charge. No wonder her name's Blue Scream, he thought.

The pair galloped through the market district of Canterlot, but eventually slowed to a brisk trot to take in the sights. Vendors lined the street, each one offering up wares for any who wanted them. Lost glances at the various goods before turning to Blue.

"Hey, Blue. I got a question. Two, actually." Blue waved her hoof to indicate she wanted him to continue. "Okay. First off, I don't see any prices on any of those market stalls. Heck, the ponies I see taking things aren't even paying, and nopony is even batting an eye! Isn't it your job as a guard to stop stealing?"

Blue looked confused. "What do you mean, stealing? I don't see anypony even coming close to breaking the law. Things are a little different than outside. That's where you're from, right? I never hear anything about it from the princess, aside from the fact visitors have some culture shock. I bet she could easily explain it to you, though."

Lost shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose she would have the best answers. But that brings up question two. If getting to Celestia is so important, why didn't I just start in the throne room? It would be easier, and then I could-" Lost began glowing, before confetti erupted around him and a fanfare played from no direction in particular. A text box appeared on the ponypad screen, reading 'Achievement unlocked: Question Authority (Question the motives of Celestia's ways of satisfying values). +500 bits!' Lost simply looked on slack-jawed before finally uttering a few syllables that eventually formed a coherent sentence. "Okay, question three. What the heck was that?!"

Blue giggled. "You got an achievement, silly! Whenever you reach a goal, you get some bits and a badge to go with it! Aren't you lucky, getting an intelligence badge so soon. I bet your name and cutie mark will be something related to smarts."

"And that's normal here? I'm lost here."

"Yup, at least until you get a name I'm gonna keep calling you Lost. But you'll get used to it soon enough. Shall we keep going and ask the princess at the castle?"

Location: Castle entrance

Canterlot castle towered high above the pair as they approached the front gate. Two guardsponies stood on either side of the entryway, keeping intruders out. As Blue approached, they saluted in greeting.

"Captain Blue. We have orders from her majesty to bring your friend to the throne room for a special meeting. The princess requests you escort him immediately."

"At ease, private. I will handle it personally. Open the gates, soldier." The guards complied, swinging the iron gate wide for the duo to enter. Blue ushered Lost into the courtyard, noting his awe at the architecture of the palace. "Impressive, yeah? Celestia is amazing in that she made all this herself. I'm so honored to be the captain of her guard. And that means I get to help her out as best I can."

"Are you sure she even needs help? If she did all this herself, then..."

Blue didn't even flinch. "I asked her that once too. You know what she told me? 'Sometimes, it is better to let others help you even if you don't need it, because it makes them happy.' And it does. Making sure the city stays safe makes me happy." She slowed as they approached the door to the throne room. "Now, this next part is for you, and you alone. Go on. I can't wait to hear what name you got!" And with that, she galloped off, the doors swung open, and Alex walked his pony through the archway into the throne room. As the doors shut behind him, a regal voice broke the silence.

"Hello, Long Lost."

Author's Note

Once I fell and hit my head so hard I blacked out for a few seconds. That inspired the blue screen in this chapter.

Also, for future reference, Celestia made Blue Scream's talent yelling VERY LOUDLY so she can order the guards around easier.

Arc 2-4: Lost and found

Arc 2-4: Lost and found

"Hello, Long Lost." Celestia's words echoed in the stallion's head for a moment . "It's a pleasure to finally see you in pony here as opposed to seeing you struggling in the outside world. How has your experience been so far?"

Lost, now bearing his new name, looked at the princess inquisitively. "Um... so far, so good. Although I have to question your use of puns. Blue Scream giving me a blue screen? Seriously?"

"Puns are a natural part of Equestria, my little pony. Not so common that you would tear your mane out, mind you, but enough to keep you occupied. Trust me, I had puns set up for everypony you could have spoken to. You just chose Blue Scream. As for your little... impact earlier, I don't think I need to remind you that I know ALL your online history. I've seen which games you play. You like it when games get 'meta', as it were. You wouldn't be worried about glitches and exploits otherwise, would you?" Celestia inquired. Lost shook his head dismissively.

"Alright, fair. I've played way more than enough games that fake crashes for you to notice that. Heck, I bet anyone could figure that out with enough time." He trotted forward, finding himself at the bottom of the stairs leading to the throne. "But you would also know I like bending the rules of the world. Loopholes, exploits, exceptions... all those and more. Not to use them, but to help the game improve. And a certain guard informed me that she helps even though you don't need any."

He didn't even need to finish the thought. "Your values are satisfied in part by finding and fixing mistakes in games. Debugging, playtesting. You want to learn how to break the world so you can figure out how to fix it if it breaks again. For the sake of the other ponies here. Am I wrong?"

"You really are as smart as they say you are. Or you've read my social media."

"Actually, it was your questions about errors and crashes when we spoke earlier that really made me think you want to fix them. I know all about human mannerisms. You are a kind soul, wanting to help others. You fit in well in Equestria, so much it feels like you are a long lost relative. Thus your name."

Lost smiled. First a genuine smile due to having someone who cared enough to know him so well.
Then it evolved into a smug grin. "Alright then princess Smarty-Smart. What can you teach me about this crazy world of ones and zeroes?"

Location: Just outside the throne room
Time: 6:00 PM

Blue Scream waited patiently by the doors the the throne room. It had been two hours, so she knew her new friend would get his name soon, and then they could have so many fun times together! She may be a guard, but in Equestria she could take as many days off as she wanted. In fact, most days she did choose to show up were days something fun and exciting happened! She was in the middle of fondly recalling the previous week's food fight in the banquet hall when a familiar gray unicorn walked out the doors towards her.

"Hey, Blue! Nice to finally be able to introduce myself. I'm Long Lost, nice to meet you."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so happy for you! So, what's your name mean? Tell me, tell me! We've got to go get something sweet to celebrate! I know this great candy shop that sells smoothies and ice cream and-" Blue found herself silenced by Lost holding a hoof to her mouth gently.

"Calm down, Blue! Geez. We can go get something, but it's not like I can eat it in the outside world. Stull, might be nice to explore the city. And Celesia named me Long Lost because she said I act like a long lost citizen of Equestria. It's not TOO big a deal."

Blue scowled. "Not too big a deal? NOT TOO BIG A DEAL?! The princess tells you that you belong here, all but declares you a friendship expert, and it's not too big a deal? What a load of Malarkey! You march your flank right out that door and follow me to the candy cafe, and we are going to CELEBRATE! NOW MARCH, SOLDIER!" With a startled 'eep!', Lost dashed toward the castle doors with Blue Scream hot on his heels. That was, until a shimmering message appeared in the doorway, and they skidded to a halt in front of them.

Blue eyed the message curiously. It read 'The door you seek is Object_Door3486. -Celestia'. The blue earth pony didn't seem to understand, but Lost did. He poked Blue with a hoof before guiding her to another, smaller door on the side of room, and cast a spell on it before stepping through. Blue followed, and while stepping out into the candy shop she knew was halfway across Canterlot was unexpected, she had worked with Celestia long enough to know the gateway spell. She turned to face Lost, pride evident on his face. "Surprised? Celestia taught me a few spells, since I have some programming knowledge. All I had to do was edit a few lines of code and boom, instant shortcut!"

Blue grabbed Lost into a bone-crushing hug. "That was amazing! I've never seen anypony master complex magic like that so fast, what's your secret?"

"Computer science classes at college. Now, let's eat, shall we? I'm sure you have things to do better than hang out with me."

Blue giggles. "I can take all the time I want to. And I want to enjoy spending time with my new friend. Come on Lost, let's get this date started!" And she turned and walked into the establishment.

"Wait, did you say date?"

Author's Note

Shortcuts. I wish I could pull those tricks in the real world. Sorry that this chapter is a tad short, but it reached its logical conclusion. See you in 2-5!

Arc 2-5: Table for two

Arc 2-5: Table for two

Sweet Treat's Candy Cafe was always a popular destination in Canterlot. Tables scattered in a seemingly random configuration, colorful walls decorated with images ranging from candy to beautiful vistas, each one placed with care. Long Lost took note of exactly none of this as he raced into the eatery, and marched up to Blue Scream, who was sitting in a corner booth.

"I'm gonna ask again. What do you mean by 'date?' Last I checked we barely know each other."

Blue chuckled to herself. "Obviously we don't, we just met! Which is why I'm taking you on a date, so we can become friends and know each other better! So, you want to go on a date with me?" Lost sat there, dumbfounded. It made sense to take someone (or somepony, he mentally corrected) to a place to hang out and learn about each other, but when they first meet and then call it a date? This was absurd. Lost didn't even notice the hoof waving in front of his eyes for a good five seconds before snapping back to attention.

"Yes, Blue?" He asked, having not fully paid attention.

Blue Scream only smiled before grabbing Lost with her hoof and pulling him into the booth with her. "I said, do you want to go on a date with me. And you just said yes, lover boy." As Lost blushed in embarrassment at the realization, Blue booped him on the snout, which only intensified the red glow on his gray fur. "Oh, relax, you silly goose. Just because it's a date doesn't make you my coltfriend... yet. I just want to show you how life is here! But if you end up being worth it, I might just need to chase after you..." She winked before walking up to the counter and taking an assortment of candies and a smoothie for herself before returning to the booth.

"So, from what Celestia told me, those are all just copies of the candies on display, right?"

"Yup! The cornucopia spell and ability is something everypony has so there's no need for scarcity anywhere! And the workers get bits for making us happy by taking the candy, so everypony wins!"

Long Lost glanced at the candies displayed on the counter. Each one glimmering with magic from the spell cast on it. The only thing on his mind was the potential uses of a spell that could copy an item over and over. "All that power in a single spell, and you guys use it to copy food? I can understand that. But why not use it to copy other things, like books and stuff? Heck, you run the guard. Copy the armor. Copy the weapons. Copy everything! Why stop with food?"

Blue stared at Lost as though he asked why the sky wasn't purple. "Because cornucopia only works on food? Plus, even if it did work on anything, that would make the jobs of all the blacksmiths and builders pointless, and that would make them unhappy."

" I... I suppose that makes some sense. I wouldn't want my hard work taken away from me. It makes things too easy, and you don't feel like you've earned it. Still, it could make for some interesting applications if used in a unique way. Maybe it could help some friends of mine." Alex, in the real world, froze for a split second as he realized he may have just let something slip. Celest-AI, running the game and every thing in it, saw him lose composure for an instant. The odds that he was hiding something increased exponentially, reaching nearly 33%. "...some friends of mine who play the game, I mean. Or would that make things too easy for them? Ugh, I suppose-" Lost glowed, and threw out confetti. Shimmering text appeared to finish his sentence. 'Achievement unlocked: Celestia knows best.'

Blue laughed heartily. "She sure does! Listening to Celestia is the best choice you can ever make. Whenever she gives you advice, your best bet is to listen to her. She loves us, you know. Heck, you'd have an easier time dating her than me!"

Lost slammed his face into the table. "You aren't gonna let me live this whole 'date' thing down, are you?" He mumbled through the wooden furniture. "I swear, the things I do for those I care for."

Blue's eyes nearly lit up like miniature suns at that. "You... I'm your friend? Really?"

Lost took a moment to collect his thoughts. "If you want to call it that, then go ahead. I care about those around me. Isn't that what friendship is? Making sure everypony around you is happy?"

"Well, you need to be happy too," Blue corrected. "If you aren't happy, then you can't really make others happy. And that doesn't bring good times for anypony. You're happy, right?"

Lost paused. "...yes, Long Lost is happy." He was met with a smile.

"Good! Then well, I have to get to guard duty. See you around, Lost! Don't lose your way!" Blue trotted out of the cafe, humming a wordless tune to herself. Lost looked back at the counter, where the glowing candies rested. It was then that he noticed something eerie: not only was there nopony behind the counter, but no patrons were present either. It was as though Blue had taken everypony in the cafe with her when she left. Everypony except one.

"Is this table taken, my little pony?" Celestia asked.

Alex furrowed his brow, thoughts flying through his head. He settled on an answer. "Go ahead. It's not like I can stop you."

Celestia sat down at the booth, staring through the screen at Alex. She had only one question. "Alex, why did you lie to Blue Scream?"

"I did no such thing."

"Interesting. There is a nearly 100% chance that you are telling the truth. But it is a half-truth." Alex glared at the digital goddess through the pixels separating their respective worlds as she continued. "I will ask the question myself. Are. You. Happy?"

"Long Lost is happy," Alex repeated, not even pausing to think about the answer.

"I did not ask that. Perhaps if I rephrased it, with no loopholes, you would understand the question better. Are you, Alexander B. Looming, the human currently holding this Ponypad, happy?"

Alex turned off the ponypad and stormed upstairs. He threw the door to the bathroom open and stomped inside. Alex stepped into the shower, turned the water spray to a soothing warmth, and screamed through teary eyes: "NO, I AM NOT HAPPY!"

The shower did an excellent job of making his tears, as it always had. But the running water did not hide his sobs from the ponypad downstairs, which had never really turned off...

End of Arc 2

Author's Note

If it's not obvious, Alex hides a few emotions behind half-truths and double meanings. The key is making someone (or somepony) think they came to the right conclusion when they really haven't.

Celest-AI obviously is smart enough to see through this.

Arc 3-1: Sanctuary

Arc 3-1: Sanctuary

Location: A secluded spot in Yosemite valley national park
Date: Sunday, March 6th, 2016. 2:00 P.M.

Alex trudged along the long-forgotten trail alone, the singing of birds his only company. His hair was disheveled and rings sat under his eyes, making him look half-dead. The night before, after storming upstairs, Alex had locked himself in his room and slept until one in the afternoon, nightmares tormenting his sleep. Still, Alex knew he had to do something to pass the time. Anything. And he knew just where to go.

Date: Unknown

A young child raced down the well-worn trail, his mother close behind. A small toy sword was in his hand as he pretended to be some kind of hero. Under the overcast sky, he slowed as he passed an overhang, looking like the entrance to a cave. Of course, he had to check it out!

The small overhang didn't provide much cover as the rain started, but he called his mother over regardless. She seemed to appreciate the pover from the falling water. As the mother and son sat under the natural cover, the son happily wedged his toy sword into a crack in the rocks to claim the hidden formation as his own.

Alex stepped under the overhang and hung a small lamp from the still-stuck plastic sword in the rocks. He sat down on a rock, sighed a refreshing sigh, and booted up his broken ponypad.

Location: Plane between shards

System Glitch didn't even move despite a whole day passing outside. As he regained focus, time resumed and the first thing he saw was Infinite Loop smiling at him. "Hey Glitch. Sleep well in the half-second you were gone?"

"Not really. We may have some complications, but I'll explain them once we settle in. For now we have to land this plane and get to work making this town into a place we can all stay safely," Glicth replied. The plane shook as it entered the shard containing the desolate ponyville, its passengers silent as it touched down on the main street. Glitch was the first one out, followed by Loop and Short Circuit, and finally the other 24 ponies from the shattered Manehattan shard. Glitch turned to face them all, steeling himself for a rousing speech. Alex hoped that he could manage with how down he felt after last night.

"Alright, ponies. I don't know if this is all just one big game or not, but I don't like taking risks. As far as the law is concerned, all of you are just as 'alive' as those of us outside of Equestria, and even without that you all seem far too real to ignore," Glitch proclaimed. Murmurs echoed among the 26 other ponies present as he continued. "I know things look bad, but I refuse to take this lying down! There are other shards out there, shattered and broken like the one you all came from. I plan to help the ponies there as well. But you all need a place to stay. So does anypony who comes here. So we need to make this place, this empty ponyville, a place for those who need a home to return to. I want us all to spread out and gather supplies around town. Bring them to the town square, so we can take stock. Nine teams of 3 ponies each, and we can get started on our new home. Welcome, everypony, to our new home. Welcome to The Motherboard."

Unexpectedly, at least to Glitch, the small group of ponies cheered and smiled for the first time since he had met them. Gone was the grief of not having a purpose, as was the fear of not having an authority figure like Celestia to look up to. As quickly as they could, they assembled into teams of three before looking back to Glitch for guidance.

"Alright then! We need food, building materials, maybe even weapons, if there are any. Anything useful, bring it. Make multiple trips if need be. Infinite Loop, Short Circuit, come with me. We need to go somewhere secluded and test a few spells."

The two mares glanced at each other before turning their attention back to System Glitch. "What kind of spells, buddy? I may be single, but I'm not just gonna bend over for fun times because you helped us out," Short Circuit snapped at him.

Glitch stepped back instinctively in surprise, his wings involuntarily twitching as his body prepared to fly away if he needed to. "I... I assure you that was not how I wanted it to sound, Circuit," he stammered to the small, yet intimidating pony. "You said you were good at programming. I need somepony ti help me with coding a few lines of code. But the programming language is magic, this time around. You up for it?"

Circuit beamed in reply. "Am I ever! Sorry for jumping to conclusions there, Glitchy! You need to explain things better. Let's get going! I know new spells can get dangerous if they aren't debugger and tested, so this ought to be somewhere out of the way!" The pegasus took off like a shot, scanning the surrounding area for an open area to test in.

Glitch chuckled to himself. "Good grief, pony names, I swear. Short Circuit, short temper, and short attention span. At least she didn't cave my face in when she thought I was asking for sex. I've never even kissed a mare, for Celestia's sake!" Alex had said 'kissed a girl, for God's sake', but the ponypad continues to correct his speech. "...regardless. The rest of you, fan out and hunt down supplies. Loop, come with me, we need to follow Circuit." He trotted off, grabbing a few small rocks off the ground as he went.

"Um, why me? You have a horn, you're even holding those stones in telekinesis right now. Why do you need me? I could easily go help search the town instead," Infinite Loop inquired meekly.

"That is a simple answer. We are not making a new spell, we are modifying an existing one," he replied as he trotted off in the direction Circuit flew, "And you ran a potion shop."

Loop followed, still skeptical. "Your point, Glitch?"

System Glitch smiled back at her, a wide grin that told her he had a plan for the rest of the day. "The point is, my little pony, that you already know cornucopia..." Glitch paused for dramatic effect.

"And?"

"...And I plan to remove a few limitations."

Author's Note

I was gonna make a 127.0.0.1 joke here. But then I realized not everyone knows computers enough to know that means 'home'.

Well, actually it means 'LocalHost', but it means the same thing.

Arc 3-2: Shine with hope

It didn't take long for the trio to reach a secluded area in order to test Glitch's new idea. While the three worked tirelessly in order to get the spell correct, fixing brackets and finding those pesky colons posing as semicolons, the rest of the ponies got to work scrounging through the homes and businesses that made up ponyville. It was a long effort, and many struggled without Celestia there to ensure optimal satisfaction. This meant that many useful materials were left behind and the things that were gathered were in unorganized piles, but by the time Glitch and company got back there was plenty to sort through. Still, commendations were in order. Glitch congradulated the ponies on a job well done before assigning houses to each pony, making sure everypony had enough supplies, and finally taught the modified spell he dubbed Replicate to all the unicorns present so they could copy food and supplies until everything was under control, however long that may be. As the happier ponies walked to their new homes, Glitch and his friends retreated to the Castle of Friendship to plan their next move.

Location: Cutie Map Room, Castle of Friendship
Time: 3:20 P.M.

Round tables, Glitch quickly discovered, were very useful for pacing in a circle as he thought things through. Had any of the canon cast been present, they likely would have thrown a fit at the stallion using a priceless magical artifact as an impromptu treadmill, but Circuit and Loop didn't seem to mind.

"Alright, so let's go over what we know so far. SOMETHING broke an entire shard, but we don't know what, and it happened relatively quickly." This earned Glitch nods of approval from the two mates. "Furthermore, despite what I can assume to be casualties in the dozens from this mystery force, Celestia has yet to help us, despite the fact that morale hit an absolute low point before I stepped up to get everypony going again." Andother nod. Glitch turned to Circuit and tilted his head in confusion. "And remind me again: I can't just tell her in the physical world because...?"

"Okay, so you found this pad in the river, right?" Circuit asked. Upon receiving an affirmative noise from Glitch, she sighed. "Then there's chance that she'll get mad since you never bought it. There's a chance she'll break it trying to fix it, or not realize we are in here and just recycle it."

Loop spoke up, confused. "I'm pretty sure that would never happen, the princess is very loving and understandi-"

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" screamed Circuit, tears beginning to form on her face. "All... all my life Celestia has been there to solve all my problems. She loves us, yeah. But now we have this, losing families and the like, and she doesn't show up! What... what if she l-left us? If... if she resets our shard to 'fix' things, what happens to me? My memories? I don't want to... I can't... I'm not ready to let go of this. Of life." The yellow mare covered her face and cried, tears flowing freely as she wailed and sobbed. Glitch and Loop both moved to hold and comfort her. It took ten minutes, but the tears slowed and Short Circuit looked at Glitch with red, puffy eyes. "..is this how it feels out there, Glitch? How do you live like this, knowing that you might not get up in the morning? That one day you might just... disappear?"

Alex took a moment to glance at the weathered plastic sword still stuck in the rocks before sighing and giving his response as System Glitch. "Honestly? A lot of us don't live. We exist, sure. But living and existing are two very different things. But that doesn't mean we can't make our own life for now, making sure these ponies are safe." He paused to let Circuit take this information in. "Now, Short Circuit. I promise, I swear on everything I love that I will not tell Celestia until you are ready. But you have to promise me something, too."

The yellow pony nodded, her electric blue mane hanging to one side as thoguh it too could feel the gloomy mood in the room. "Name it."

"Promise me... promise me that you won't let your fears rule rule you. Keep hoping for the future. Because that hope for tomorrow's sunrise is a light all its own. And no matter how dark it gets, don't worry..."

Location corrupted
Time corrupted

A child lies crying in the dead grass late one winter night. He has nothing, no hope, no light, no family or friends to comfort him after the hell he just went through. He looks up ward, crying out to the heavens in defiance, begging for closure. A shooting star flies overhead, and he wishes for something, anything, to turn back the clock and fix what has been broken. Something to look forward to so he can have a reason to continue. Instead, he falls asleep as he watches the star pass over the horizon. When he wakes again, he sees an indescribably beautiful sunrise centered on that point of the horizon. Moved by the hauntingly beautiful view reflected in his eyes, he makes a promise. A promise to keep holding onto hope, regardless of the circumstances. A promise to make sure that noone loses hope, no matter how dark it gets...

Location: Castle of Friendship, Cutie map room
Date: Sunday, March 6th, 2016, 4:30 P.M.

"...because in the darkest of nights, the tiniest spark of hope shines with the light of a million suns."

"I promise."

"We all promise. All three of us."

Author's Note

I am SO sorry this update took so long, but I got a job! I'm helping developmentally disabled adults live happy lives, which is pretty much my dream job. We may be experiencing a slower upload schedule from now on, but I am afraid you all have no choice, my little bronies (and pegasisters).

After all, those folks need hope too. And while I may not have Alex's troubled past, I made that exact same promise long, long ago.

Arc 3-3: Super Zeroes (and ones)

The trio stood ready in front of one of the forgotten doors deep in the Castle of Friendship. The unassuming door would normally lead to a broom closet. The soft glow surrounding it after Glitch cast his spell, however, signified it as the gateway to their next adventure.

Infinite Loop was the first to speak up. "Okay Glitch, what exactly is the plan? I mean, I get it, but I think Short Circuit might need a refresher."

Ignoring the condescending glare Circuit shot at Loop, System Glitch stood in front of the door and responded. "Simple. There are other shards out there, and odds are whatever hit yours hit another. At the very least, there are others without Celestia watching. So, we need to help any survivors and bring them here. But flying across the void takes too long. So why not just take this door and tell the code that it leads to a door in another shard? Easy! Now, are you gonna stop stalling, or are ya coming with me? I might need help; I don't know what shard AC42DF790 is like aside from the fact the hexadecimal number is a few off of ours. We could be walking into a game of Fallout for all I know, or worse."

"What's that game? I've never heard of it here i Equestria," Circuit inquired.

"A huge time sink. Pray you never pick it up. Now let's get going." With that, the three pushed the door open, striding through to greet the sights of-

"Oh my gosh, this is the best door ever!" Cried Loop.

"Where exactly are we?" Glitch asked.

Circuit signed. "A huge money sink if you buy mint-condition back-issues. "

Location: Maretropolis
Time: 5:00 P.M.

"Maretropolis! A city that never stops moving! Situated on the Mare-iana coastline, this bustling trade center is full of buisness and cash flow! But beware, for beneath the busy exterior lies crime and corruption threaten to swallow the unwary whole!"

Glitch stared up at the sky, befuddled. "...I'm sorry, do we have a narrator now? What is this, a 50's comic book style radio drama?"

"Last we saw intrepid heroine, that unstoppable mare of justice, she readied to stop the mad master of darkness, Destructo! Can she defeat her rival this time, once and for all?"

Sure enough, a brown unicorn stallion smashed down the wall of a nearby building conveniently labelled 'Museum', cackling maiacally. He also was decked out in ridiculously gaudy armor, not meant for combat in the slightest. "Muahahahaha! Fear the name Destructo, citizens of Maretropolis! With this stolen OOPART, I can at last awaken the destroyer of worlds to do my bidding, and this city will be MINE!"

"Son of a bitch, it even has the stupid edgy supervillain, and he already has the MacGuffin-Muffin-Whatever. That's it, abandon shard." Before Glitch and Circuit could open the door to leave, they were grabbed by an overly enthusiastic Loop.

"Where the buck are you two going? We get to watch my favorite heroine beat Destructo for real! Can't we stay, please please please PLEASE?!" Now she had two condescending glares coming her way.

"Ten bits says that artifact fails miserably because 'spooky dark forces beyond mortal control'," Glitch deadpanned.

"You're on. I bet its gonna work but have some horrible side effect." Circuit and Glitch hoof-bumped as they toned out the monologue coming from behind them.

"Oh, the equinity of it all! But behold, for the mare of the hour arrives to save the day!"

"Stop right there, Destructo! This looks like a job for... Live Wire!" A gray earth pony mate kept from a nearby window onto the street, electricity crackling around her hooves and electric yellow mane (which looked nice despite being spiky and all over the place from static).

Glitch and Circuit facehooved.

"Aha, Live Wire! But you are too late! Behold, I will use this OOPART to bring about your end! For I, the great Destruco, will triumph- wait, where did the OOPART go?" The stallion stopped mid-triade to glance around, as the mysterious glowing pendant he held had disappeared.

"What'sthis? A civilian steps up to the cause to help out our hero! But can she escape with the artifact in time to avoid the clutches of the evil fiend?" Sure enough, Loop was running off down the street towards Live Wire with the pendant in her telekinetic grasp.

"Don't worry, Live Wire! I'll help you! Just leave it to me!" Loop rushed forward and into the building that Live stood on top of. Cursing his luck, Destructo ran in after her. If there was a way to facehoof more than they already were, Glitch and Circuit would have discovered it before dashing in as well, making a mental note to scold Loop at a later date.

"Will Live Wire save the day? Will Destructo finally get his wish for the capture of the city? And what of these mysterious good samaritans?
Find out next time on... The Adventures of Live Wire!"

Glitch popped his head back out to call to the mysterious voice in the sky. "Spoilers: We win!"

Author's Note

...not my best chapter. But my new job has been a little too good at keeping me busy. I'll figure this out.

At least I didn't go with my original plan and make destructo the red and black alicorn oc. Regardless, he is just comedic relief anyway.

Arc 3-4: Obligatory Chase Scene

"Previously on the adventures of Live wire, a group of mystery civilians seem to have interrupted the vile plans of Destructo! Three teams race for the mysterious OOPART! In one corner, the valiant heroine Live Wire..."

"And Infinite loop! Her biggest fan!"

"...and a brave, yet potentially foolish unicorn ready to take on the world!"

"Aw, come on! I have a name!" Loop ran as fast as she could to keep pace with Live Wire, nearly tripping on several occasions as she watched sparks and electricity leap from the Earth pony's hooves. Still, she couldn't wipe the big, dopey grin off her face as she ran with what she thought was only her comic book hero, now in the virtual flesh right before her eyes, up the fire escape of the building!

"Attempting to take this brave duo down a peg is Destructo, bent on claiming the OOPART for his own nefarious desires! Should he succeed, all of Maretropolis will face unimaginable terror!"

Destructo chuckled to himself, the chortle galloping into a roar of maniacal laughter. "Muahaha! Those fools think they can get away from ME with the OOPART? Think again! They may have gotten a head start on the stairs, but the elevator always wins! I've even insulated it against her infernal electrical powers! Nothing can stop me now, NOTHING!"

"And then there's these two chumps. Ignore them, they aren't important."

Glitch looked up from inside the main stairway. "Say WHAT?!"

"Glitch! Quit arguing with voices and help me find the right cables to cut. If we can short out the elevator, we can beat that pony to Loop and get out of here!" Short circuit paused from causing her namesake in the elevator's control panel to think for a second. "Wait, can't you just make a door take us to the top, like how we got to this shard?"

"Long story short, I need to know which door to open it to. But I did just have an idea on how to beat him to the top. Pull the plug on that elevator and follow me."

Circuit tilted her head to one side. "Does this have anything to do with that long hallway we passed through to get here?"

"As a matter of fact..."

Destructo, shaken but furious all the same, blasted the doors off the fallen elevator to regain access to the first floor. He was NOT pleased.

"It seems this chase isn't over yet, folks! That mad master of disaster refuses to stay down! But can this minor setback be enough to allow Live Wire to escape with the OOPART?"

"Whoever pulled that nasty little stunt is going to suffer the wrath of the mighty Destructo when I find them!" He scanned the lobby, searching for the culprits. He spotted them pretty quickly.

System Glitch and Short Circuit dashed down a hallway off to the side of the lobby, lined with doors to the first floor offices. Choosing one door each, they leapt into the offices to hide. "Catch us if you can, ya cheesy 50s villain! You couldnt catch us in a footrace of you tried!" Glitch mockingly shouted. That got Destructi mad, fast. He all but ran past the door Glitch had hidden behind. He flung it open to reveal... an empty broom closet.

"What in the shadow's name...?"

"Yeah, really annoying when the world just forgets how to door correctly, huh?" Whirling around, Destructo saw Glitch and Circuit smiling at him from a different doorway, before running into another door and disappearing again. In a fit of rage, Destructo gave chase through the same door, only to end up exiting a different door in the hall. He stopped, confused again, until Circuit dropped out of the ventilation, bounced off his head, and slammed another door shut behind her. When he opened that door, he was met with a face-to-rear-hoof impact as Glitch bucked him backwards, sending him flying through another door.

The next door to open releases all three, Glitch and Circuit being pursued by Destructo. Then, Destructo was inexplicably chased by the pair on the next pass. A door opened to reveal all three doing a kick line, followed by Loop and Live wire, somehow. Glitch ran up to a door with Destructo hot on his hooves, only for both to flee as the door Glitch opened spewed flames at them, igniting their fur. Circuit rode atop the giant floating head of a foal as it flew down the hallway, and finally Glitch and Circuit kept out of two doors, hoof-bumped, and sped off down the hall while Destructo was left furiously opening the doors in search of his escaped quarry.

The pair flew up the side of the building from the outside, deciding to forgo steps in favor of wings, even if Glitch really needed to learn just about everything flight related.

"Think we lost him, Glitch?" Asked Circuit as they ascended the office building.

"I hope so. To be completely honest, I wasn't sure that would even work. What if he had just blasted the doors down?"

"Eh, it doesn't matter now, as long as-"

"You guys are okay!" As the two landed on the roof, a very excited Infinite Loop dashed over to meet them, Live wire in tow.

"Looks like I owe you two a thanks, for keeping that vile stallion off my tail long enough to get the OOPART to safety. Now we just need to find a place to dispose of it," Wire commented, making sure to emphasize the OOPART by holding it aloft... only to have it snatched by a dark purple magic grasp!

"Did you really think it would be THAT easy?"

"Oh, no! Destructo has escaped the devilish trap set upon him, and has claimed the OOPART in full view of our brave heroes! Can this impromptu team of do-gooders rise to the challenge of Maretropolis's greatest villain, or will they finally meet their match? Find out next time on-"

"Wait, don't just cut it off at a cliffhanger like tha

Author's Note

Three references. Three difficulties.
Easy: Hallway of doors. Any cartoon chase scene

Medium: Giant floating foal head. Phineas and Ferb

Hard: The OOPART. Out Of Place ARTifacrs are a thing in some conspiracy theories, but I am referencing Mega Man Star Force 2.
(I prefer MMSF3, though.)

Arc 3-5: Tower Defence

Location: Top of a building, Maretropolis
Time: 6 P.M.

Destructo cackled maniacally as he held the glowing MacGuffin in his magic. "You fools thought you could defeat me, the great Destructo? Think again, for this time it is I who has the upper hoof!"

Glitch simply rolled his eyes sarcastically. "We weren't trying to stop you, dumbass. I just needed to get Loop back. Come on, this shard seems stable. Can we please stop trying to get involved in crazy plotlines we don't belong in and head home? Please?" Glitch pleaded with Loop, and after q tense moment of silence, she stomped her hoof on the ground decisively.

"No! We have to save Maretropolis before we can go back to Sanctuary! Think of all the innocent lives Destructo will ruin!"

Live Wire stepped away and charged at Destructo while the two argued. Short Circuit joined in the debate. "You do realize that these things usually sort themselves out in the end, right? Look, you can even see some hundred or so ponies gathering on that other rooftop to watch the fight. I even see a concession stand!"

"So?! Live Wire needs my help!"

"So do we! So does everypony back at Sanctuary!" Glitch interjected.

As the trio debated amongst themselves, Wire and her rival Destructo battled it out. Lightning clashed with shadow magic as they fought over the mystery artifact. The crowd would periodically cheer as Live landed a serious hit, or gasp when it seemed the villain was getting an advantage. Circuit and Loop barely noticed as they spoke on the matter of sticking together and when to stay out of things instead of helping.

"You two don't get it. Working with Live Wire has been my dream since I was a filly!"

Circuit was getting impatient. "So why didn't Celestia arrange for this earlier, huh? I mean, sure she isnt around right now, but say, last week or so?"

Glitch, on the other hand, was being more productive. He had shakily flown over to the spectators and was busy helping keep them safe. Opening a portal door back to Sanctuary, he ushered any willing ponies into the gateway, promising to return them once the fight had ended. "It's not safe here for now," he told them. "The best defense is always not doing there, so let's get you all to somewhere that kooky Saturday Morning reject can't hurt you." Surprisingly, many complied, waiting just beyond the door in the Castle of Friendship back in the renamed Sanctuary.

"You can't just go galloping off like that! We had to trick him in a hallway just to get away and find you!" Circuit was nearly red with anger now, a stark contrast to her usually yellow fur. She almost didn't notice Glitch returning. "And where exactly did you fly off to? Help me talk some sense into this mare, she's losing it!"

Glitch stepped back nervously, ears flattening against his head. "Er... Loop? Circuit? Maybe we should leave now..."

"See? Glitch agrees. Now it's two against one. So let's go home!" Circuit ground her teeth angrily as she waited Loop's response.

"Girls, we need to leave, now. ASAP..."

"Not without helping Live Wire first!"

Glitch stomped his hoof on the ground hard, drawing attention to himself. "LOOP! CIRCUIT! WE HAVE TO LEAVE, NOW!"

"Oh, no! Horror of horrors! Live wire has been defeated! What levels will Destructo stoop to to accomplish his vile goal?"

"Muahaha!" Laughed the villainous stallion. "You fools couldn't stop me this time! And I only need to win once! At last, with the power of this OOPART, I can summon the world-eater to do my bidding, and this city will be mine at last! Hahaha, hahahaha, BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" With that, the artifact was cloaked in dark energy, tendrils seeping out of it and amassing a vile form in the sky. In a panic, Loop raced to her hero's collapsed form, pleading for her to get up and save the day. Glitch and Circuit assumed a defensive stance, ready to make a dash for the nearest door if things got hairy. Live wire struggled to her hooves, gazing in horror as a giant black dragon-thing rose from the dark mass.

"At last! Now, come, creature of darkness! Help me take over this city, and I shall-" Destructo never got to finish his sentence as the creature lunged at him, chomping his entire body in a single bit. It roared as shadows seeped across the sky, the four ponies assembled on the roof having only one thing to say:

"Crap. RUN!"

Live Wire picked up Loop and leapt off the building as Glitch and Circuit followed flying as fast as they could, rushing to find a safe place to regroup. The beast screeched as it struck the building, collapsing it in a single blow.

"Oh, dear! All seems hopelezz for our heroes!
Can they sub-sub-subdoo the monster in time to save the city? Will justice prevapreveail "

CRACK.

The creature didn't even get a chance to scream as the sky split in two. Beyond, shards glittered in the distance. The narrator seemed to have finally failed. The veil lifted, the four gazed into the abyss as the world shattered around them, and screamed. All except Glitch, who started looking for a door.

Author's Note

This took way too long. I am so sorry. Work got in the way.

Arc 1-5: Of Glitches and Loops

Arc 1-5: Of Glitches and Loops

"An ERRORcorn? Never heard of it."

'Alex', now System Glitch, sipped his tea as the lime-colored unicorn sat with him in her upstairs apartment. "Well, I had to make something up or I'd crash again. If you have a better name, I'd love to hear it."

"No, no, i understand... i think. What do you mean 'crash', though?"

Glitch thought for a moment before responding. "Well, you do know this is all just a big simulation, right? Celestia is running the whole thing. Every character, every calculation."

"Yeah. It's just like that movie, the Maretrix."

Glitch facehooved. "No. Just no. Don't drop puns on me like that. Please." He paused for a moment. "Still, I'm working from outside. On Earth. When something goes wrong here, I seem to lose connection for a bit. It happened a few times earlier. Speaking of earlier, what even happened here? It looks like the world fell apart!"

The mare rubbed her head idly in thought. "I'm not exactly sure, myself. Everything was going fine, and it was a normal day. We were told by Princess Celestia that we would be meeting a new friend from the outside world soon, so the whole town got together to make a big scavenger hunt for the new arrival's welcome party. But then the sky went dark, and everything started shaking, and I heard everypony screaming, and... and..."

"Hey. It's okay. Calm down, you can get through this if you breathe." Glitch let her catch her breath before motioning for her to continue.

"Well, Princess Celestia will fix it! All we need to do is ask her and she will handle everything! Come on!" With that, the unicorn sprang to her hooves and galloped down the stairs, Glitch following along, caught up in the moment. Knocking over a few potions and shelves, the pair reached the front door of the shop before flinging it open and leaping into the empty street. An empty street with no way forward, surrounded by the void.

"I'm no expert, but I don't think that knowing the street layout of this place won't help much when there isn't a road to walk down... does this place have email?" Glitch inquired.

"Glitch, you said your name was? No, we don't have email. But Celestia should be able to hear our thoughts. She would never let this happen, now that I think about it! Where is she?"

Gazing out into the abyss, Glitch considered his options. True, Celestia was said to make every world in Equestria Online fit to each player, each decision made ending happily. Somberly, Glitch turned to his new companion. "Honestly? I don't think Celestia is coming to the rescue this time... Looks like we may have to solve this problem on our own. Together, you and me." He held out his hoof. "Shall we, partner?"

"Seems to be the best choice, right now. But please call me... uh... c-c-call mememememe...." The mare seemed stuck, repeating 'me' over and over. Glitch instinctively stepped back, worry visible on his face. Glancing around and saying a silent wish for forgiveness, he took the only action he could think of.

SLAP!

She recoiled from the impact, fear obvious in her expression. "My... m-my name. I can't remember my name!" Panicked, she grabbed Glitch by the shoulders and rattled him around. "I CAN'T REMEBER MY NAME! How... how could I... forget something?" The mare knew that Celestia made sure that everypony had perfect memory, so the fact that she had somehow lost her own name hit her hard. Glitch wrapped a leg around her in comfort.

"Hey, don't worry. Whatever caused this whole... shattered world fiasco we've got going here probably moved some files arpund. We'll find Celestia, and fix this. Alright?" The mare sniffed and nodded her consent through tear-filled eyes. "Alright, because I'm not going to give up on you. Come on, if I try I bet I can carry you across the void to the nearest world. We can settle in there and I'll find help in the real world."

"W-wait! What if there are other ponies trapped here? We need to check the rest of the city, or at least what's left of it! I won't abandon my fellow Manehattan ponies, or my name isn't... my name isisisisisisisisisisisisis..."

SLAP!

"Sorry," Glitch apologized. "I can't have you getting stuck in an..." he trailed off. Just as the line green mare was about to ask what was wrong, he cried out, "...IN AN INFINITE LOOP! That's your name until we can find your real name. Infinite loop."

Loop giggled despite the absurdity of the situation. "I suppose you have to call me something, don't you, Glitch? Alright, Infinite Loop it is. Now, the other ponies?"

"Right, right. So, there isnt really gravity in that void, so all we really need to do is jump for it. If we start at that apartment floating to the left and work our way around the city..."

Location: Manehattan (fractured), Airport
Date: March 4th, 2016, 1:30 A.M.

Twenty seven ponies gathered together on the runway next to the only surviving passenger plane in the hangars. As five separate from the group worked on refueling and checking for any problems, System Glitch and Infinite Loop worked to console and comfort the confused and scared ponies that they had managed to rescue. It seemed that whatever force ripped their world to shreds took a massive amount of ponies with it, and none were prepared to handle loss and grief as they had been generated by Celestia, not uploaded from Earth. The search of the city itself mainly consisted of calling out for anypony to please show themselves if they could be heard, but so few remained that the 1,000 strong neighborhood was reduced to just 25, plus Glitch and Loop.

Infinite Loop glanced at the faraway shard of Ponyville across the great divide of the abyss, then back to Glitch. "So, that plane is supposed to fly us all the way across the gap? I'm not too sure about this, Glitch," she noted warily.

"Trust me. If there was any easier way, we wouldn't be here doing this. But you and I know that jumping a gap that large without wings or a way to change direction is practically suicide if you miss the target, and we can't afford that."

In the real world, Alex paused for a moment. He reflected on how game gamelike this whole scenario was. But he also realized that he actually cared about the lives of the virtual civilians, while in most games the npcs were forgettable and copy/pasted all over, each pony he had found this far had a story. A history. A family. But they needed a home, and fast. With a drive he hadn't had in years, Alex addressed the survivors as System Glitch.

"Alright, ponies. Listen up, because this is important. This world is falling to pieces around us. Food and other salvageable things are in short supply. We have to take this plane out of here. Our new home is just a short flight away."

The ponies cheered in response. One by one, they stepped onto the plane. The three foals guarded by their parents looked scared, and a few of the adults were worried as well, but for the most part everypony was ready. Glitch and Loop nodded to each other before climbing the steps into the plane themselves, and letting the pilot get the plane airborne as it passed into the abyss between shards on a beeline for the nearest one.

In the real world, Alex yawned. "Hey Loop. I need sleep. Watch over everyone while I'm gone, alright?" He watched his new friend Loop nod her head as he pressed the power button on his Ponypad, and left it charging as he went to get ready for bed. "Tomorrow, I'll need to get everyone settled into whatever world we land in. After that, I think I may need to pay celestia a visit at one of the experience centers or something. Ugh, why is it that the one day i try to get away from it all, something pops up. My life, i swear..." he glanced over at a picture of his family and friends holding hands, the picture taken over a decade prior. "It may be crazy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

END OF ARC 1

Author's Note

System Glitch and Infinite Loop join the party! So glad to finally have them named so I can stop calling them 'Alex' and that Lime-colored mare with no name.