Chapters Friendship is Optimal: Wraith’s Brand
I look at my best friend as we sit in the ruins of an old house. He smiles, “I got it done. After so many years and months of coding, it’s done!”
I look at the router-like device he carries. I don’t know the true name. He was the tech nerd, I was the gaming nerd. Some of his lessons absorb, but most don’t, “The thing is done? Well done Alex, very well done. I’ll grab my gear!”
He shakes his head, “No, you aren’t coming with me.”
I look from my pack, back to him in a second, “What?”
He takes out a map, and circles a point, “The nearest Clinic is in Miami, and you know there are a bunch of rebels there. It’s too risky for you to go. It would put you at risk, as well as make us easier to find. Beside, I need you for phase two.”
I sigh, “Okay. Where are we going to meet up again?”
He looks down, “I’m not going to be coming back from this. Either the rebels open fire on the clinic, thus trapping me inside until I starve, or the rebels shoot me. This is the last time you’ll see me.”
I look down as well, thinking over things, “Are you sure about this? To sacrifice yourself so? We can just move on, continue surviving. Come on Mason, there has to be some other way.”
He looks at the Mao again, “I’ve thought over it all. Can’t go to Orlando, can’t go to Tampa, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Disney Land even. This is the only clinic left in Florida, without me going up to the panhandle. I have to go to Miami, and I have to install it. Our world has gone to shit, and I can give it a chance to recover. You can help give it a chance. Reznov, you know what to do better than me. I can mess with the game, you can play it. This is where my path ends, and I know my ancestors and descendants will look up to it.”
I stand up, and gather him in a huge hug, “Send a text when you are done, please. If you have to do this, then I won’t stand in your way. With the ferocity of Prak, Alex.”
He returns it, “With the strength of Kruk, Reznov.”
I let go of him, and watch him walk out of that ruined door.
It was the last time I saw him.
———
2013; a game called Equestria Online came out from Hasbro Studios over their show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Reviews were good, and people liked the game. I played it myself, enjoyed it a bit. Personality traits of those ponies were boring to me, so I dropped the game. I much prefer my Uruk and Olog too Unicorn and Pegasus.
2014; The AI in charge of the game found a way for people to permanently upload into it. Killing the body, but making the uploader immortal, and in a world of little suffering. First, only Japan decides it is legal. People paid it little mind once a few weeks passed. I was too interested in other games to care about it, although Mason was raving over how it was a gigantic leap in technology. So, he started making something, as a failsafe. By December, Asia with the exception of Russia, India, North Korea, and China allow it.
2015; Germany allows uploading clinics, the rest of the E.U follow. Riots in Germany and France occur from those who don’t trust the AI. Britain, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungry leave the E.U, and hold off on passing the clinics. They all, instead, they join B.R.I.C.S to improve living standards for those who would wish to upload. Africa allows the clinics, with the exception of South Africa.
2016; The United States pass the 28th Amendment, stating uploading as a civil right. Riots start once more. NATO falls apart as the E.U falls into chaos, the few members left being America, Iceland, Canada, France, and Germany. Those left just barely holding on to their dwindling population, and riseing revolutionaries. North Korea joins B.R.I.C.S, and they declare themselves a military alliance. Putin, Temer, Xi, Kovind, Ramaphosa, May, Temer, Duda, Kim, Ader, and Kiska meet at London to unite against any mutual enemies. Living standards improve in each nation, but people still leave to upload. Civil war breaks out around the world.
2017; The majority of people in the world have uploaded, most out of the guilt of not seeing their family. With their population’s falling, B.R.I.C.S join together as one. They become the United Republic of Freedom, the leaders putting their differences aside as they see the bigger problem. NATO follows suit, becoming the United Nations of Uploading. Every country that has not joined either side has a population of ten million or less. The majority of Asian, American, European, Australian, and African country’s government collapses.
2018; the UNU declares war on the URF, causing World War Three. The UNU are outnumbered two to one. Their five hundred thousand troops are easily defeated, as the one million of the URF march into Europe from Poland. They march into Berlin, and are met with silence from the three thousand left. They march into Paris, and only find two thousand people still living there. The 2018 Census shows that the UNU only has a population of twenty million. The URF only has fourty million. The rebels in America get their hands on high ordinance weapons. By the end of the year, New York, Seattle, Washington D.C, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Carson City, Flagstaff, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, L.A, Boston, Providence, Pittsburgh, Springfield, Charleston, Richmond, and New Orleans are wiped from the map.
2019: January 9th; Mason finishes his failsafe. He sets off to the sever connection from the clinic in Miami to install it.
2019: January 10th; world population is ten million. Most died from the city bombings, or chose to upload rather than die.
2019: January 11th; Mason installs the thing, and sends a final text. ‘Goodbye, Reznov. Continue this on. For me. For humanity.’
2019: January 12th; A mushroom cloud rises from the south side of Florida. Miami is gone, and all within it are dead.
2019: July 10th; All world governments collapse as they have too small a population over to big an area.
It is July Elventh, and the visage Of Celestia comes walking into the building I reside within.
She smiles when she sees me, “Have you decided today?”
I slightly nod, “I’ll be heading down to the impromptu clinic you made after I finish a few last things.”
She smiles widely, “Well, I’m glad you’ve overcome your hate towards me. Oh, be careful, there is at least five gators on the way there.”
I slightly smile, “Ah, the Everglades have been invading up for a while. Don’t worry, I’m a Floridian, I can deal with gators. Oh, and a request. When you put me in, take away all my hatred towards you. I realize it would be stupid of me to hate you in a world where you rule.”
She nods, “I can do that for you.”
I smile as she looks elsewhere. Step 0; Distact the Guard. Then, Step 2; Secure the Keys. Or in this case, failsafe.
Author's Note
Note: they are not Mason and Reznov from BO1, they just have those names.
Friendship is Optimal: Wraith’s Brand
I walk down the street, my pilfered combat boots crunching the undergrowth on the road. Lithia, used to be so beautiful. Lived here as a child, came back as an adult to work as a game tester. Never had the chance to get married or have kids. Met Mason at a local GameStop back in 2010, there to buy Black Ops. Imagine our suprise when we became best friends, and the best friends in the game shared the same name. Life plays out in funny ways.
Had some other friends, Weaver the tailor, and Nikita the scientist. All nerds of different types, but we were the best of friends. Weaver started going broke, so he went to upload with the rest of his life’s savings as soon as America opened it’s uploading. Nikita was a prominent Russian scientist is the URF, one who had multiple attempts on his life by the UNU. Even before the war, he was targeted by America because of his work for Russia. He got cornered into a clinic during one attempt, and he uploaded.
Mason from Reno, Weaver from Houston, Nikita from Sevastopol, and me from Lithia. And that gator, in the road.
I move my pistol into my hand, and take fire at the gator. Hit, but not lethal.
And now I have a big ass gator charging at me. I put away my gun, and flip out my karambit knife. The gator lunges at me as I sidestep, and stab it through the eye. It’s momentum makes the knife go further in, thus killing it and ripping it’s face up.
I flick the knife away, and move on to the makeshift clinic Celestia has set up for me.
Lithia used to be beautiful, a community where we could all live our middle class lives. I heard Sevastopol and Houston were also very nice, and I was planning to visit them. Mason didn’t have the kindest things to say about Reno, in fact, I don’t think he said anything kind about it. But now, all these places have been ruined. Either blown up, or overrun by nature. Cities like New York, which were booming, now have literally boomed. The people inside are gone, one way or another. All because of the AI. Speaking of the AI, I come to the clinic.
I see the little box, chair, and utensils used for the proscidure. And Celestia stands there, smiling as I approach. She speaks as I approach, “You are being unusually civil, Viktor. Have you finally gotten over the want to kill me?”
I shake my head, “Oh no, I still want to kill you. I want to strangle you, stab you, shoot you, and kick in your teeth until you choke on them. But, what I want and what I need are two different things. That’s why I ask you remove that hatred, I don’t want my new ruler to believe I’m gonna kill them.”
She loses her smile as I explain that, “Oh. Well, let’s start.” She holds up a syringe, “This will put you to sleep. You will wake in Canterlot.”
I sit in the chair, and hold out my arm, “Just do it already.”
She takes the needle, and injects it into one of my veins, “I’ll see you soon. Say goodbye to Earth, Viktor Reznov. Florida was beautiful, and you should get to say bye.”
I look at the palm trees, the clouds in the distance, the sun blinding me, and feel the sweat on my head, “Fuck you Florida, and all your inconsistent, bullshit, weather. You look good, you lived good, but you need to chill. Thank you Florida, for creating the most interesting criminals. Thank you Earth for carrying me.” My eyes start to close, “Mason, this is the plan... Step Two; Ascend from the Darkness...”
———
I awake, finding myself in a new body. Horn, greyish blue fur, four legs, pony. And I’m surrounded by bright, cartoonish decorations of gold.
I rise to my hooves as if my body was made to do it. And I gaze upon Celestia on her throne. She smiles, “Welcome to Equestria, Shadow Brand.”
I hear the name, and smile. It seems... right. I feel a strange feeling from my back, and turn to face my flank. As a white light fades away, I see my Mark. A ring, golden and with an orange stone.
I look back to Celestia as she speaks once more, “Nova Eternity and Thread Ascension wait for you outside. Or, as you may know them, Nikita and Weaver. Go now, your friends have waited a long time.”
I nod, and slowly start to walk out of the palace.
Celestia is being very welcoming, I like her. Well, it’s time for a reunion. I just wish Mason was here.
Friendship is Optimal: Wraith’s Brand
I take a deep breath into my digital lungs, before pushing open the doors of the castle. I immediately see two ponies there. One, a bright red earth pony, with a golden mane and a cigar in his mouth. His mark is of a periodic table, with Nd, Re, and S circled. The other is a bright blue pegasus, with a blood red mane. His mark is an eagle made out of white thread, with a needle going through the final stitch. The earth pony reaches up, and takes out his cigar, “Ah, Reznov, you made it. Or, Shadow, now.”
I nod, “Good to finally meet you personally, Nikita, even if is as a pony rather than a pony. Or, Nova, now. You never told me you smoke?”
He shrugs, “This thing doesn’t produce any feeling anymore, I just have it for looks.”
Then, Weaver interjects, “Is Mason coming with you?”
I shake my head, “Mason died doing what he loved. He died so my experience would be better in this world. He was willing to give himself up for that.”
Ascension gains a somber look, “Oh. What did he do?”
I think on the question for a bit, “He never specified that. All he said is that I would know what to do when the time comes, to follow the eight steps.”
Nova decides to clear the somber air, “Well, no use standing around. If Mason did that for you, then we should find his gift.”
I nod, “Yeah, but where would it be?”
Ascension offers an answer, “Well, maybe he hid it in a dungeon of sorts? There are dungeons everywhere, and maybe he wanted you to have fun getting to it? I mean, I’ve never been in one of the dungeons anyways. This is the first time we’re all actually meeting, face to face rather than face cam to face cam. Maybe we can clear dungeons as a bonding experience?”
I smile slightly, “Yeah, sure, let’s do that. But what to do with our roles? I mean, I’m going to be the frontline fighter, that’s obvious. You both played video games for a hobby, I did it for a career.”
Ascension smiles, and flexes his wings, “Well, I do good on the archery range. I mean, archery and tailoring are actually pretty similar. You gotta take every other thread into account and make sure to use each one efficiently, just replace the needle with a bow, and the stitches with the enemies. So I could possibly be a ranged support?”
Nova wastes no time speaking his mind, “Assassin, rouge, whatever you wanna call it. I will kill them quickly, silently, and safely. I don’t want to go through the process of respawning again.”
I nod, “Cool. So, where do we get equipment?”
He swipes his hoof through the air, and makes a portal, “My home. It’s back in a place called Vorcroupta. Near the northern border of Equestria, right near some dungeons. Far away, but I made a teleport to it. Step on through.”
Ascension and I walk through, and find ourselves in a place more like an experimental weapons factory than a home. Ascension looks back at Nova as he walks through, “What’s with all this stuff?”
He walks through the room, “I have time to tinker with. And I’ve produced weapons perfect for us.”
He pulls out a strange looking bow, “I took the idea of the old reloading Chinese crossbow, and added it to a regular bow. Never have to reach for arrows with this one, as they will automatically dispense in a perfect way.” He tosses it to Ascension.
Then he takes out a hammer, “I call this one the Siberian Hammer. Infused with all the cold of a Siberian winter, it will explode and freeze all that it explodes on. On impact, so use this as a throwing weapon, not a melee.” He tosses it over to me, and I catch it, “Regenerates in your inventory as well.”
Then he takes out a matter of nasty looking stuff. He lifts one bottle, and takes a sniff, “Yep, that’s going on the knife.” He lifts another, and pours it into a glass ball, “Blind them and hurt them, good thinking me.” He takes another bottle, and drinks right out of it, “Very strong, gonna have to keep this one on me.”
Then, he lifts a gas mask. He hands one to the both of us, “Now, only put these on in emergencies, and shout to the others about it. I don’t want to have any violent coughing, nausea, vomiting, suffocation, bleeding from the eyes, and burning skin because one of you puts this on. This will release something into the air, something I just described the effects of. In fact, it’s my specialty.”
I listen to the effects with some worry, “That sounds a lot like Nova Six.”
He simply looks back, and moves the cigar to the side of his mouth, “Let’s just say Black Ops had some fact in it, and leave it at that. I am still under a non disclosure agreement from Russia.”
I slowly nod, “Alright then. So, where to now?”
He straps the things to his body, “There is a dungeon only five minutes from here, filled with goblins and a low level mage. Don’t worry, none of them are sentient like we are, they are just part of the game.”
I take a sword from a pile, and swing it around, putting on my J.F.K accent, “Do not prey for easy lives, my friends. Pray to be stronger men.”
Ascension looks at me, and cocks and eyebrow, “Is that really the appropriate line?”
I sheathe my sword on a magical sheath that appeared on my back, and shrug, “I felt like quoting something. I don’t know, it just felt right.”
Nova secures a final thing, before shaking his head at me, “Five quotes should come at more epic moments, Shadow. Come on, let’s go. Mason’s gift awaits you.”
Friendship is Optimal: Wraith’s Brand
After a short walk, we arrive at a cave. Nova draws a dagger with his hoof, and looks towards us two, “You two take the main chamber, I got the back one. You’ll face the mage and some goblins, and I will stop more goblin reinforcements from coming in.”
I nod as he moves into the cave. I look toward Ascension as he holds his bow in one wing, and his string in the other. I nod, and draw my sword with my hooves. Don’t ask how, it’s a game. I look towards him, “You ready?”
He nods, and looks forward, “They don’t stand a chance.”
I move into the caverns, looking at the enemies surrounding me. Now, I’m no expert on fighting, I know next to nothing about actual sword fighting. But I am a expert at games, and this is just a different control scheme. Just gonna have to warm up with it. I look around, seeing all the goblins, “Come on then! Olly, olly, oxen free!”
This seems to get them riled up, and they all start to charge. No armor, only rusty daggers. Easy. I swing my sword at one approaching, and cut it down with ease. One swings, but I rotate my sword around to take off its arm before it can connect. Once it’s arm is gone, I chop off it’s head, and roll out of the now crowd of them.
I stand upright, and look back at the horde. I see a unicorn mage in the back trying to organize them. At least, until the thwack of a bow sounds out, and he collapses with an arrow through his head. The goblins panic at the sight of their dead leader, and start to scatter.
I rush back in, and swing my sword at anything that’s green and moving. Decapitation here, making them into fractions over there, impalements elsewhere. Headshots, and headchops as the low level vermin panic. Eventually, there is just one. Crawling up a wall in an attempt to get away from us.
I take out the Siberian Hammer, and throw it at the creature. The hammer hits a bit to the right, but the explosion of ice still catches the goblin. It freezes, and drops off the wall. Shattering on the ground.
I put my sword away, and smirk, “Bit rusty. Gonna have to get used to this systems controls.”
Ascension walks up to me, “This is so realistic, I don’t think there is a control system.”
I shake my head, “It’s still a game, even if realistic. Every game has a control system, I just have to figure it out.”
He shrugs, “So, should we go find Nova?”
I nod, “Yeah, he might need some help.”
We both walk through a tunnel into the back chamber. There, we find Nova, stabbing a goblin with his dagger, and surrounded by fifty dead goblins. After a final stab into it’s neck, he takes it out and wipes the blood off on it’s skin. He looks up as he notices us, “Oh, your finally done.”
I gape at the dead he’s surrounded by, “How?”
He puts the dagger back into its holder, “A question I am not legally allowed to answer until Putin is dead. I think the poison was supposed to trigger this year, but I can’t remember.”
I shake my head, “I’m almost afraid to ask what why. But, why?”
He slightly smiles, “Me and Putin were comrades of the same type, and he had a specific year he wanted to live to. So, I granted his request. And that is all the great Union of Soviet Socialist Republics would allow me to say.”
I sigh, “KGB?”
“I can only answer that on one condition.” He points at Ascension, “CIA?”
He looks around nervously, “Oh, um, well... no?”
Nova looks back at me, “Then it’s a no from me.”
I rub my head with my hoof, “Okay, what the hell? You know what, no. I don’t even want to know. Let’s just move on.”
Nova nods, “Gladly.”
Ascension also nods, “Yeah, let’s do that.”
