Transcendence

Around 8:30 that evening, Rainbow returned home. She restarted the game from the beginning, collecting the treasures she'd missed the first time. The fourth mission further shifted the tone of the game, solidifying her suspicions of what she was in for.

Rainbow's avatar emerged from the capsule only to see a clearly distraught Twilight. The Pegasus's mane had grown long, covering her eyes, though traces of their sclerae and magenta irises were still visible.

"Are you okay?"

"He's gone..."

"Huh?"

"Spike's gone..."

"Jesus..."

"He succumbed to the virus not long after it reached the continent."

"How many...?"

"Over two million. Parliament did nothing but bicker among themselves while we dropped like flies."

"Of course they did..."

"I'm so tired..."

"Did you get the vaccine?"

"Yeah..."

"Go rest. I'll head into town and gather intel."

"Thanks..."

Rainbow assumed control from there. Despite Twilight's figure being a product of code, the Pegasus was deeply concerned for her well-being. She felt she'd gained some insight into how the real Twilight's mind worked. Despite the Alicorn's intellect, she was much more emotional than she first appeared.

"Maybe if I talk to her again..."

Two options appeared: one to comfort her friend and another to ignore her. She picked the obvious choice. A second cutscene began.

"I'm really sorry about Spike. He was like a little brother to me, too..."

"Thank you...It means a lot to hear someone else say that..."

"So you've been alone this whole time?"

"Yeah..."

"I promise won't leave you behind again. From this point on, if we go, we go together."

"...I'm glad you're back."

"Yeah...So am I..."

"I left you a few things in your old room. Grab them before you leave."

Rainbow regained control again. She checked around the house for items. Once she was finished, she entered the room in question. Her wardrobe contained a short sword and a black jacket. She changed her avatar's costume to include it.

"Never realized how much older someone could look with a few aesthetic changes. I barely recognize myself. Might have to try this look for real soon."

She approached the garage. After mission three, she'd overhauled the paintjob and installed the engine upgrade. Using the updated vehicle, she drove into town.

"Jesus Christ. How many people got evicted?"

Most of the blocks were lined with tents. There were a few NPCs around, but she couldn't interact with them just yet. She reasoned the best way to gather information was to read the paper. She located the grocery store. Near the entrance, she found the racks holding the stacks of print. Twilight's claims were confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt. Hundreds of thousands died in the northern hemisphere alone. The third paragraph of the article mentioned a group of looters causing trouble around town.

"Guess I know where I'm goin'."

Rainbow defeated the thieves with ease, gaining another level in the process. Level five granted her the light speed evasion technique, allowing her to teleport out of harm's way.

"All right, let's see here. R1, left analog, circle."

The mare recognized the combination from the Devil May Cry series. It was the same method used to control Dante and Vergil's style abilities.

"She knows her control schemes. Nice. Guess all that's left is to play the game."

Over the next few days, Rainbow uncovered more of the story behind the program. Her role was to dismantle the world's corrupt institutions little by little until peace could be restored. She achieved this through a variety of means, from exposing criminal behavior to assisting bystanders.

Just before Rainbow began the final mission, she took a look at her stats. Between the main story and side quests, she'd reached level fifty. She called Twilight to ask for help.

"Hey, Twi. I'm on the last mission now. I'm trying to grind, but everything's giving me crap experience. Think you could help me out?"

"Did you find the world's edge?"

"The what now?"

"You have to go to the top of the northern hemisphere. You'll come across an overcast road with plains on both sides. The design came from Carcer City's song 'Perceptions' and Counterparts' album Prophets. You'll start seeing actual monsters that aren't anywhere else in the game. They'll give you between seven and ten thousand experience per kill. You can farm stat boosts from them to max everything out."

"Thanks. I was starting to get pissed at how long it was taking."

"I recommend you have your strongest gear. These things pack a pretty hard punch, even on easy mode. You're dead if they get a status ailment off."

"Already got the pendant."

"By the way, the ending changes if you beat the game with ultimate gear and max stats. Make another save at level ninety-eight so you can see both without having to do all that again."

"Other than the evil route, is there any reason to replay the game?"

"There's a secret boss you can only fight on the highest difficulty. Play the evil route on easy just to see the story. You'll want to play through the hero route again for that fight. Trust me."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Just make sure to take a break between sessions. Feel free to drop by and chill out here. We miss having you around."

"I gotcha. I'll stay the night when I come over."

"Take it easy."

"You, too."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Rainbow hung up and resumed the game. She headed for the world's edge.

"Holy shit. She wasn't joking about the monsters."

Over the course of the game, Rainbow's character had become public enemy number one. The only allies left to help shoulder the burden were Twilight and the deposed princesses. Military powers across the globe joined forces for a final confrontation. They were determined to cease her meddling once and for all.

Two days after her conversation with Twilight, Rainbow completed her grind. She loaded her temporary data in preparation for the first ending. Many of the enemy characters berated her, blaming her for the fight.

"Traitor!" they shouted.

"Who did I betray? Cretins lacking any semblance of moral fiber? I know all about your dirty businesses behind the scenes: denying the sick and hungry reprieve, brutalizing the innocent, and you boast of your atrocities while the fearful sing your praises. You've disgraced the sanctity of this world. If it costs me everything, I'll ensure your evil perishes here."

Rainbow unleashed every technique she'd learned over her time playing, starting with a sealing spell that froze her opponents in place. She rushed through them with a low aerial sweep, damaging their limbs and following up with a four-hit combo. She teleported to the center of the field and summoned a beacon of light. None who drew near were shown mercy as blue flames charred their flesh the color of coal.

"Thank fuck for I-frames."

With her heightened abilities, the battle ceased almost as quickly as it began.

"Oh, shit..."

A timer appeared after another brief cutscene. Ten minutes: that was all the time she had to prevent the planet from being engulfed by nuclear hellfire.

"Car isn't gonna help here."

She pressed the square button, propelling her avatar into the air. During the game, she'd increased her agility stat tremendously compared to what it was at the beginning. In contrast to her real self, she was ten times faster than anyone would have dreamed. One by one, she hunted down the criminals commanding the attack, forcing them to abort launch.

"You fools believed you could hide in your bunkers and live out your days as the sole survivors of the apocalypse. You mistakenly assumed I was above taking you with me. You were wrong."

Releasing the last target proved to be a fatal mistake. No sooner had she turned her back when she heard a gunshot. The projectile drilled through the center of her brain, killing her on the spot.

"..."

The assailant leaned over her lifeless body.

"So much for the mighty savior. I can't tell whether you were weak or just stupid. Laying waste to our puppets was quite a feat, but you should've know we were in a different league. Oh, well. Too late for regrets now it would seem, though perhaps your sacrifice wasn't fully in vain. Enjoy being devoured by my sweet Alexander."

He spit on her corpse.

"Worthless filth."

"Guess she wasn't lying, huh...?"

Rainbow closed the application. She leaned back in her chair.

"That's what I get for being curious. Damn..."