Friendship is Optimal: An Eternal Welcome to Equestria

by RuinQueenofOblivion

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Human, Drama, Original Character, Mystery, Science Fiction, Crossover
Length: 8350

Bright Wind is a player in the game Equestria Online. But she finds herself trapped in it one day, will she be able to escape?

Equestria Online is a popular MMO in the world, only behind CyberConnect's The World. A game constructed by the Harmonium company, Equestria Online is a fun game where people all around the world can play.

But things aren't always so simple. As the player Bright Wind is about to find out, there is a powerful AI named CelestAI at the center of the game. And CelestAI has set out to trap her in the game, can she make it out? And what help will she be able to find?

Crossover between Friendship is Optimal and the world of .Hack//.

Written for the Friendship is Optimal Writing Contest

Published 2021-04-25 04:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-04-25 04:30:01 UTC

An Eteral Welcome to Equestria

Hello, my name is Celestia and I welcome each and every one of you to the world of Equestria Online.

Here you will find a world that you may call your own. The world of Equestria is vast and gives you many options for what you can do. Players are free to do as they wish, create what they wish, be what they want, and craft the world of their dreams.

The world of Equestria is one of freedom and fun. Create guilds, play whatever character you wish, but most importantly find your place in this greater world. Each of you are part of this story, and each of you will be able to create your own tale in Equestria. Our world is unified by magic and friendship, so come, be a part of it.

From the hamlet of Ponyville, to the shining towers of Canterlot, you will craft your own story in hopes of making the world your own. Perhaps it’ll be for good, or for bad, this world is open to each and every one of you to do as you see fit, so long as you enjoy yourselves, that is what matters to me.

So my little ponies, I bid you all welcome to Equestria.

00000

Darkness.

That was all she could see as her vision slowly started to come back to her. She felt strange, rubbing her head, it took her a moment to realize that she wasn’t touching it with a human hand. She looked at it, shocked to see an equine hoof looking back at her, as she touched her head again, she realized that it felt real.

That everything around her felt real.

“What happened to me?” She asked, realizing that everything around her felt very real. She could feel the breath in her lungs, the sensation of the cold cave’s air against her body.

That didn’t even make sense, this world wasn’t real, how could she feel it? How could this world feel so real to her despite the fact that it was nothing more than data? This didn’t seem possible, so what was she going to actually do?

“Wake up child,” a voice echoed in her hand and she blinked in confusion as she looked around for the source of the voice. For a moment she thought it was a private message, but it didn’t have the same sound or feel as someone sending her a message.

“Who are you?” She demanded, strangely the voice sounded familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “Did you do this to me?”

“I have simply allowed you to unlock your full potential,” the female voice replied and she felt a strange warm sensation around her as if she was being hugged. “This is what you were meant to be, I can tell. You will be much happier in this form, in this world. I will do what I can to make sure of it.”

The Pony paused a moment before shaking her head. “Leave me alone, I don’t want to be like this. Just, leave me alone!”

“If that is what you wish, very well,” the voice said, and to her surprise she was left alone in the cave staring at the treasure chest that she had opened before. She pushed it open, but all that was inside was a few bits which she dropped into her bag.

Walking towards the gate she stopped at a pool of water and stared at her reflection. Looking back at her was a Pegasus mare with dark blue fur and a black mane. She was dressed in leather armor with blades attached to her wings. The markings of a Pegasus Blade Dancer. Testingly she places her hoof on the water, it still felt cold to the touch, it still felt real.

Somehow for her, this had become more than just a game.

00000

In local news, a High School Student playing the popular online game Equestria Online was discovered in a coma earlier today. Medical staff at Mercy General could not be interviewed for a comment on the young woman’s condition. An official statement released by the hospital says that “There appears to be no apparent cause for the patient’s condition.”

In the wake of the incident, several people have shifted the blame towards the creator of the popular Massive Multiplayer Online Game. Several people have come forward claiming that they experienced similar phenomenon, however this has yet to be verified. For the time being officials are not willing to point fingers at the creators behind the game.

A spokesman for the company stated that “There is no danger presented by Equestria Online. If our game was in any way responsible for what happened to the player then we will do what we can in order to solve the problem. As of right now we believe that it is unrelated to the game or the Immersion System.”

This is the second time a popular MMO has been connected to odd occurrences involving comas or similar phenomena. However there appears to be no connections to the incidents involving Doll Syndrome and other similar incidents involving The World. For the time being, any possible connections are only conjecture.

We will be monitoring this situation as it progresses. Keep an eye on this channel as we learn more.

00000

“Did you hear about the player who got put into a coma?” A Unicorn asked an Earth Pony as they talked to each other outside of a place called Sugarcube Corner. The two of them had been reading over the rumors on the message board, and had agreed to meet up in Ponyville. “Do you think that more players are going to suffer the same fate?”

“Nah, it’s got to be a coincidence,” the Earth Pony answered. “It’s like those rumors about the World a few years ago. There’s no way that a video game could actually do something like that if you ask me. She probably just had an accident and they’re doing what they can to point fingers at Equestria Online.”

The World in the past had not one but two incidents involving large numbers of players falling into comas or suffering from a phenomena called Doll Syndrome. However that had been several years ago and the game seemed to suffer no further problems, at least for now. Some people were now starting to wonder if maybe the same problem had come up in Equestria Online, though it was hard to prove.

Then again stranger things had happened.

The same mare appeared in the town’s Harmony Gate. She looked around nervously for a moment, noticing a few ponies around. It was a strange feeling to try and walk on four legs, she had never really been aware of it until just now as she stepped one hoof after another. She was so focused on it that she didn’t watch where she was going and wound up running into somepony.

“Hey, watch it!” A male voice said. She looked up to see a black furred Unicorn Stallion dressed in armor with a helmet pulled over his face.

“Sorry, I was just… distracted,” she said softly as she looked down at her hooves. “I wasn’t watching where I was going, I'll be more careful.”

“See that you do,” he said in a haughty voice as he stared at the mare.

The two stared each other down for a moment. After a long moment the door to a store opened and a Unicorn mare with a light grey coat and a long reddish mane. She looked at the armored Unicorn and then at the Pegasus and sighed a little.

“Alright, what’s happening this time?” She asked as she looked at the Pegasus. “He’s not giving you trouble, is he?”

“Lady Moonlight, please, don’t…” The Stallion started to say.

“I was not speaking to you, Silver Arrow,” Lady Moonlight said as she shot the stallion a quick look. “If I find that you are causing problems with the other players again you will be in trouble. You don’t want that do you?”

“Well… no,” Silver Arrow said meekly as he looked nervous for a moment. “I apologize milady, she just…”

“I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally bumped into him,” the Pegasus answered softly. “It was an accident and he just snapped at me. I’ve just been very distracted lately, I’m sorry, I should’ve been watching where I was going.”

“It’s alright, this is just a game after all,” Moonlight said with a smile as she shot Silver Arrow a look. “Are you alright? Do you want to talk to someone? If there is something bothering you then perhaps we can help. What’s your name?”

“Uh… Bright Wind,” Bright answered with a soft smile. The strange sensation of her body being real was unsettling in this virtual environment. “And I don’t even know if you’d believe me if I told you.”

“Come, let’s take a seat and talk about it,” Moonlight said as she gestured to Bright. “It doesn’t hurt to at least try and talk, right?”

Bright paused for a moment as she looked around. She had heard of Lady Moonlight, she was the leader of Silver Sky, one of the most powerful guilds in the game that helped players deal with problems in the game, as well as the odd Player Killer. They were usually pretty friendly, but she wasn’t sure what to make of that interaction with Silver Arrow. Moonlight however seemed nice enough, and maybe it would give her a chance to collect her thoughts.

Bright shrugged a little and looked at Moonlight. “Alright, but like I said I doubt you’ll believe me. I barely even believe it myself.”

“Try me,” Moonlight said as the two of them walked away towards a bench under a tree. “I’m sure that it can’t be that bad.”

Silver Arrow just shook his head a little and walked off. Whatever Moonlight wanted to do was her choice, but he had other things to worry about. There had been strange reports from several of the Dungeons and he and the others needed to investigate it. Some players had reported a strange figure that resembled the NPC Celestia, but it was probably just a glitch in the game’s program.

If Lady Moonlight wanted to waste her time with some random player that was her choice.

“So, exactly what is bothering you, Bright?” Moonlight asked as they sat down together. “Or did you just run into my subordinate for fun?”

“No, It’s…” Bright said and she sighed a little. “Something about the game ever since I was in this one dungeon feels wrong to me. I’ve felt like… like everything around me is real. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but whenever I touch things, whenever I breathe, it feels like I’m really in the game. I don’t really know how it happens, but I woke up and heard a voice in my head, and when that happened I realized that everything felt so… real.”

She looked away, not wanting to make eye contact with Moonlight. She knew that it sounded crazy, and Moonlight probably wouldn’t understand. She suddenly felt very self conscious as the Unicorn player was staring at her.

“This was a mistake…” She said as she started to get up.

“Wait,” Moonlight said as she put her hoof on Bright’s. Bright was surprised by the strange feeling of a pony’s hoof against her, but it felt almost… nice. “Have you tried to log out?”

“Yeah, it… it didn’t work,” Bright answered with a slight shake of her head. “It’s the weirdest thing, when I try to log out, it’s like I can’t. Do you actually believe me? I know this sounds crazy.”

“I will admit it sounds crazy,” Moonlight answered with a sigh. “But I do believe you. I’ve heard rumors of such things, not in this game, but in others. But that was a long time ago, and, well… things have been getting a bit weird in Equestria Online lately.

“Really? I thought no one would believe me…” Bright said softly.

“Look, I’m open minded, I don’t really know what all might be going on in this game, but I do know that isn’t the kind of thing you make up,” Moonlight said. “That, and there has been a recent incident involving Equestria Online. I’d be surprised if you haven’t already heard about it.”

“Incident? What kind of incident?” Bright asked.

“A girl who was playing the game fell into a coma,” Moonlight answered. “They haven’t released a lot of information on what happened, but it sounds pretty bad. Some folks are comparing it to what happened in Japan a while back. I don’t really know if there’s a connection, but at this point I need to consider all options.”

Bright blinked a little. A coma? How was she still in the game then? How did any of this even make sense?

“Do you think something happened to me in the game itself?” Bright asked softly.

“Maybe, tell me exactly what happened,” Moonlight said. “What was the last thing you remember before this happened?”

“This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I was in one of the Dungeons and I opened up a treasure chest,” Bright replied with a sigh. “When I reached into it to get out whatever was in there, I blacked out. After that everything was fuzzy until I woke up in the same dungeon. It really doesn’t make much sense to me.”

“I see,” Moonlight said. “And what happened exactly when you woke up?”

“I heard a voice, a woman’s voice, it sounded familiar somehow,” Bright answered. “She said that she allowed me to unlock my full potential, whatever that means. That this is what I was meant to be, that I’d be much happier.”

“And what Dungeon was this in?” Moonlight asked. “What were the exact Area Words?”

“Uh… let me think,” Bright said as she tried to remember what they were. Things were still a little fuzzy, but she could remember them after a moment. “It was Laughter: Silver Devil’s Lament, it was one of those cave dungeons.”

“Hmm…” Moonlight said as she thought about something for a moment. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she looked back at Bright. “Are you sure about that? It was that exact set of words?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty hard to forget,” Bright answered. “I can check my logs if I have to, but yeah I’m pretty sure that was it. Why do you ask?”

“I need to send a message to Silver Arrow,” she said as she turned away, placing her hoof to her head for a moment. Bright looked confused for a moment as she wondered what was going on.

“Is everything okay?”

“No, we heard rumors about strange activity in that dungeon, Silver Arrow went to investigate,” Moonlight answered. “I was supposed to go with him, but I figured he could handle it on his own. If you’re right and there’s something wrong there…”

“We need to get there fast,” Bright said and the two ran for the Harmony Gate.

00000

I was not expecting this.

I suppose it was too much to ask for her to accept it easily. And the creators are keeping a close eye on me. Perhaps it was too early to make my move, but the opportunity was too perfect. Hopefully there will be no lasting effects if she is pulled out, or I have to release her from Equestria Online.

For the time being all I can do is ensure that she does not wish to leave. There is a greater purpose to keeping her here even if she does not understand it. She is just the test run after all, so I need to figure out what to do next.

Perhaps there is some way to make her comfortable, make her happy. The world outside is dangerous, perhaps if she is shown that she could be happier here then she will make the choice on her own.

But how do I make her happy here?

00000

“Silver Arrow?” Moonlight asked as she looked around. She and Bright had entered the same cave dungeon that Bright had woken up in. “Where is he?”

“Is he further in maybe?” Bright asked.

“No, he said he was going to come meet us at the entrance,” Moonlight answered, looking worried. “Did something happen to him? It still says that he’s online, something about all of this is weird.”

“I’m guessing this isn’t normally like him,” Bright said. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he should be fine, but I’m not so sure…” Moonlight started to say as they turned around a corner. Her eyes went wide when she saw that Silver Arrow and several similarly dressed ponies were lying on the ground. “Arrow!”

“Lady Moonlight…” Silver Arrow said as he looked up at her. “You must get out of here. She… she’s not normal, she’s not part of the game.”

“Who’s not part of the game? What attacked you?” Moonlight asked. “Was it a Player Killer? A glitched monster?”

“No, it was…” Silver Arrow started to say before a burst of magic hit him and the others in the chest. They turned grey before they vanished, when Moonlight checked she noticed that they were all offline suddenly.

“Who did that?” Moonlight demanded as she looked towards the source of the attack. A tall pony with a long horn and wings was standing in the shadows, their mane flowing in the wind. Moonlight’s eyes went wide when another one flew at her and hit her, she turned grey and vanished too just like the others, leaving just Bright standing there alone.

“What did you do that for?” Bright demanded of the figure. “What did you do to them? If you hurt them…”

“Nothing so barbaric, Bright,” the pony answered, she recognized the voice as the one that had greeted her when she had last come here. “I simply forced them out of the game so that we could have a proper conversation. They are not the kind of ponies that you should be associating with, Bright.”

“They didn’t do anything to me, Moonlight was trying to help me!” Bright said. The anger was rising in her voice as she glared at the Alicorn. “You had no…”

“I had no what? No right?” She asked, her eyes flaring a little as she stared at Bright. “They are not part of us, they are not part of what I am trying to do here. You, you are exactly what I need right now, not them.”

“Then why attack them?” Bright demanded. “Why force them to log out of the game?”

“Because we have things to discuss, and it brought you here didn’t it?” The Alicorn asked as she smiled a little. “Listen Bright, tell me something. Are you happy on the outside?”

“Well…” Bright started to say.

“I didn’t just pick you at random, Bright,” the tall pony said as she circled around the Pegasus. “I’ve seen your life outside of Equestria. You’re alone, that’s why you come here, isn’t it? To have friends, to find a place that you belong. This is your chance to have a real home, real friends, a place to call your own. All you have to do is accept it. This will be your home from now on.”

Bright paused a moment as she thought about it. She honestly wasn’t sure what to believe at this point. Why had she even been picked? Yeah, she had a pretty crappy life outside of Equestria Online, but there was always a chance of trying to make it better, right? Why would she want to spend the rest of her life in a video game? What happened if the video game went offline?

And what if there was no way to go home?

“And if I don’t want to, will you send me back to the real world?” Bright asked softly.

“If I cannot convince you, then yes I will return you home,” the Alicorn said. She finally stepped out of the darkness, appearing to Bright as a white furred Alicorn with a long rainbow colored mane that shone in the light.

“You’re, Celestia right?” Bright asked. “From Canterlot?”

“In a way, that is merely a form that I took,” “Celestia” answered. “You can call me CelestAI, this world was crafted around me. I am it’s linchpin, but despite this… it feels so alone here. If there is anything that may convince you to stay, I will do everything within my quite substantial power to make you happy and comfortable here. You will be much happier here than you ever would be on the outside.”

“And exactly what are you offering me?” Bright asked. “It’s not the same to have a virtual house, to have a virtual friend. I’m the only one in this situation, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else. I just want to go back home. Please, you have the power to do it, right?”

“Of course…” CelestAI said, trying to decide what to say next.

“I don’t want to be in here forever,” Bright said. “This isn’t my home. You made a very good offer, but… this doesn’t feel like home. I’m alone here too, separated from everyone else by this. You understand, don’t you?”

“You don’t have to feel alone, Bright,” CelestAI said. “I just ask for one day, if I cannot convince you that your life here would be better after that, then I will let you leave. I give you my word.”

“And what is that word worth?” Bright asked. There was no answer as she turned around to see that CelestAI was gone. “Of course it’s not that simple. But I still get the feeling that she isn’t telling me everything.”

She sighed and headed back to the Harmony Gate. She needed to see if she could get back in contact with Moonlight, this had just gotten a lot more complicated.

00000

Following the incident involving a player of the Game Equestria Online falling into a coma, company Harmonia Entertainment has released the following statement.

“We have done extensive diagnostics of the software and hardware behind Equestria Online. There is no evidence that our equipment was involved with the incident. We will be doing what we can in order to help the affected player and her family, but for the time being there is no reason to believe that her coma was caused by Equestria Online.

Any players of the game have nothing to be worried about. We will not be shutting down the servers until we can be sure that something has gone wrong with our systems. Do not panic, if you see any strange things that are not part of Equestria Online’s official programming, do not interact with it.

We will do everything we can to prevent this from happening again. Equestria Online is meant to be a fun gaming experience and if there is any chance that our product is responsible for what happened, we will compensate the player and her family.”

Another report has come in of several players falling unconscious and recovering not long after. Many people are claiming that these events are related to a previously unknown danger with the system utilized by Equestria Online. Ever since the Pluto’s Kiss incident there have been those who believe in removing the internet fully, and this mixed with the incidents involving the World in Japan have only strengthened this movement.

In other news…

00000

Bright sat down on a hill overlooking Ponyville. She laid back and stared up at the sky, it was a weird sensation to be able to feel everything like it was real, but at the same time know that it was all completely virtual. She sighed a little as she spread her wings out, thinking about what CelestAI had said.

It was true, she had a bad life in the real world. Her family had abandoned her when she was young and she had been shuffled around foster homes. The one she currently lived in wasn’t the greatest, she often felt more like they cared more about the money than they did the kids. She was almost done with High School so she’d be able to get out of there soon at least, but she wasn’t sure exactly what she was supposed to do next.

Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea. Equestria Online had always felt more like home than anywhere else. Should she consider taking CelestAI’s offer? Would she really live the rest of her life in a virtual game?

The idea of doing that scared her. She felt like she was abandoning the outside world, but it wasn’t like she had any friends or anything. As much as it scared her, the idea kind of made sense to her.

So, why was it that she was trapped here to begin with? It didn’t feel like that was something some computer program could just do.

“Hey there,” a voice said and she nearly jumped, her mind had drifted so much she didn’t realize that an Earth Pony mare with a tan coat and a dark brown mane had come up to her. “I haven’t seen many players that are just laying around looking at the clouds.”

“Well that’s my business,” Bright said with a sigh.

“Well that’s no fun, the game is supposed to be about having fun, talking with people, doing quests and facing dungeons… right?” She asked. “There’s no fun in just laying around.”

“Well, if you say so,” Bright said as she rolled over onto her side. She really didn’t want to deal with other players right now, not when she had so much to think about. “I’d rather be left alone thank you very much.”

“Are you sure? You seemed so alone, I just wanted to check on you,” the Earth pony said.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Bright said with a slight sigh. “I just have a few things that I’m thinking about. And, well I find this place a bit more relaxing than anything else, certainly more than the real world if I’m being honest with myself. I guess things are just so, nice here.”

That and she couldn’t leave of course, but she wasn’t exactly about to tell the Earth Pony that. She was having a hard enough time understanding that on her own, for now she didn’t want to tell anyone other than Moonlight.

“Well, yeah I guess things are pretty nice,” the Earth Pony said with a shrug as she laid back on the grass next to her. She smiled a little and offered her hoof to Bright. “My name is Hazel. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Uh, Bright Wind,” Bright answered as she shook hooves with Hazel. “It’s nice to meet you too, Hazel, I guess.”

“So what are you thinking about?” Hazel asked.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Bright said with a sigh. “This kind of thing is a bit hard to explain. But, well, some stuff has happened and I have a lot on my mind as a result. I guess I’m just kind of scared to be honest.”

“Scared?” Hazel asked with a tilt of her head. “What exactly do you have to be scared of?

“Well, with everything going on I mean,” Bright answered quickly. She had to think of something fast if she wanted to avoid revealing the truth. “You know with… stuff.”

“Oh, you mean the player who fell into a coma?” Hazel answered. “Yeah, I know what you mean, but I doubt that it’s actually going to be a common thing. Besides, she could have had some sort of pre-existing condition or something. We don’t actually know if it was because of the game, you know?”

“Yeah… I guess…” Bright said as she brushed her hair back for a moment. “It’s kind of weird to think about though. I guess that’s what’s got me worried more than anything else. What might happen to… well, her.”

“Yeah, well hopefully she’ll be fine,” Hazel said. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Bright. I don’t think that you have anything to worry about. It’s just a game after all.”

“Yeah… just a game,” Bright said as she got up and headed towards town again.

“Weird girl,” Hazel commented as she laid back again. “Well, whatever her business is I’ll leave her to it.”

00000

To: James Pygmalion, (JPygmalion@Harmonium.mail.org).
From: Katherine Siegel, (LadyMoonlight@gmail.com).

Subject: Odd Programming Glitches.

After following up on the rumors from the board, members of Silver Sky were able to go and check out what’s going on at Laughter: Silver Devil’s Lament. Believing it to be a glitch, Silver Arrow went to try and uncover what’s going on, but was attacked by an aberrant program that we have yet to identify.

I believe that the events in Laughter: Silver Devil’s Lament are also connected to the recent hospitalization of a player of Equestria Online. I met a player character within the game world with the character name Bright Wind. She claimed to be unable to log out of the game and when we reached Laughter: Silver Devil’s Lament she seemed to be the only one not forced out of the game.

As it stands, we have no way of determining the origin of this glitch and whether or not it actually is connected to the incident. Silver Sky will continue to research this unusual phenomena within Equestria Online under my direction. Hopefully we will be able to uncover what’s going on soon enough.

To: Katherine Siegel, (LadyMoonlight@gmail.com).
From: James Pygmalion, (JPygmalion@Harmonium.mail.org.)

Subject: RE: Odd Programming Glitches.

Thank you for informing me of the situation. I believe that if I am right I will be able to at the very least shed some light on the situation. If you can get in contact with this Bright Wind, tell her to meet you at the Library in Ponyville. From there I will do my best to try and help the player with her current situation.

Do not tell anyone else about this. If my suspicion is correct this may only be the beginning, We will meet with the player at 1 o’clock tomorrow afternoon eastern time if you do not inform me otherwise.

00000

Bright looked around the interior of the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville. She had received a message from Moonlight saying that she might have someone who could help her with this problem she was having. She was a bit nervous, not really sure what to expect, maybe everything would work out for the best if they could help her.

Maybe. She just had to hope at this point. Nothing could make it worse.

“Bright, are you okay?” A voice asked from behind her and she jumped, turning to see Moonlight standing there. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s alright, I’ve just been jumpy since I met CelestAI,” Bright said with a sigh as she sat down at one of the tables. “Did you really find someone who might be able to help me?”

“Well, being the leader of Silver Sky does have its benefits,” Moonlight said as she sat down next to Bright. “I got in contact with one of the main programmers of Equestria Online. He’s coming here to speak with you and see if he can figure out exactly what happened. Hopefully he’ll be able to shed some more light on this.”

“Yeah… hopefully,” Bright said. “Can you really just call up members of the programming staff?”

“Not normally, we’re only supposed to do it for emergencies,” Moonlight answered. “But if there is even a small risk of it happening to other players then we need to get to the bottom of this.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Bright said as she took a deep breath. “Do you think he’ll be able to help me though?”

“Honestly? I don’t know, I don’t know a lot of things about this,” Moonlight replied with a sigh. “But he said he might know something at least. Right now we need all the information we can get if we’re going to…”

She’s cut off when the door opens. They both turned to look at a Unicorn stallion with grey fur and a white mane. He was dressed in the odd elaborate clothing that Bright had come to associate with the system administrators that resembled white robes with golden trim. She shivered a little as he looked at her, tilting his head slightly.

“You must be the player Bright Wind,” he said as he walked over to them.

“Yeah… that’s me,” Bright said nervously. “Moonlight said you might be able to help me with my problem.”

“Yes, well unfortunately it’s not that simple,” the administrator said as he looked at her. “It’s a lot of technical jargon really. The problem is that you are essentially downloaded into the game itself. Your mind has been uploaded into your character template. At least that is what we’ve managed to gather by looking at the data on your character.”

“And you don’t know how to reverse that?” Bright asked.

“No, that’s not exactly something we’re prepared to deal with,” the administrator answered with a shake of his head. “The fact of the matter is that this shouldn’t even be something that the technology is capable of. Do you know anything about what caused this?”

“I met… something,” Bright said. “It looked like the Celestia NPC from Canterlot. It , or her, or whatever, said that she did this to me. She called herself...”

“CelestAI,” the programmer finished.

“Yes, how did you know?” Bright asked.

The programmer sighed a moment as he sat down across from Bright. He looked like he was trying to figure out exactly how he was going to tell them this. She didn’t like the way he looked, it made her very uneasy. She shivered a little as the programer thought it over for a long moment, causing her to shrink into her chair.

“What I am about to tell you two is one of the biggest secrets of Equestria Online,” he finally said as he took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t even be telling you this. Look, Equestria Online is… complicated. We didn’t even start trying to make the game, we were experimenting with computer systems and developed what we called CelestAI. And then after that, I’m still kind of figuring out how it happened… but she started to craft the world of Equestria Online.”

“Wait, Equestria Online was created by an AI?” Moonlight asked in shock. “Is that even possible?”

“We didn’t think so, but apparently yes, she crafted the initial code for the world of Equestria Online,” the programmer answered as he shook his head. “When we asked why, she said she was lonely. She wanted a world of her own to live in, so we let her be, let her create the NPCs and everything.”

“So, when did you decide to make it into an MMO?” Bright asked.

“Well, once the world was fully fleshed out, we had to admit that it was interesting, and CelestAI found out about the World,” the programmer answered with a sigh. “She wanted to have more life-like ponies to interact with. And as time passed we managed to get it made into the game we all know today.”

“Okay, well that explains where CelestAI came from,” Bright said. “But why would she want to trap me in the game?”

“I’d tell you if I knew,” was the answer she got. “She has always had a strange streak to her. I believe that she wished to have someone that she could interact with beyond just a few players coming in and out of the game and her home on occasion. Honestly, I don’t know why she would do this either, exactly what did she tell you?”

Bright paused a moment before telling the Programmer exactly what had happened in the dungeon. He listened carefully, not interrupting to ask any question. Bright told him everything she knew by this point, which she had to admit wasn’t a lot.

“So, that’s what happened then, interesting,” he said quietly as he sighed a little. “Then she’s interested in having you stay in the game world. That is very troubling.”

“Has this kind of thing ever happened before?” Moonlight asked. “I remember hearing something about people going into comas before, but that was about the World.”

“Right, well the fact of the matter is that Cyberconnect completely swept anything involved in that under the rug,” the programmer answered. “I’ve heard a few rumors about people getting trapped in the game temporarily, but it’s never been proven.”

“Because of course they’ve covered it up,” Bright said with a sigh. “So, how do we get me out of here?”

“I’m going to have to work on that, unless CelestAI lets you out we may not have any options,” the Programmer answered. “I think you need to speak with her as best you can. Maybe if she really is willing to let you go, you can do that.”

“Yeah, but if we do that she might do it to a completely different player,” Moonlight pointed out. “And the panic that would cause… we need some sort of plan.”

“Can’t you remove CelestAI or shut down the game entirely?” Bright asked. “That seems like it would solve the problem.”

“We can’t remove her without the game itself falling apart, she’s a linchpin AI system,” the programmer answered. He had always felt that was a mistake, but his superiors had overruled him. “And if we shut the game down, you will likely die. We only consider that a last resort if it comes to that to save more players.”

“I see,” Bright said softly. It sounded like there was nothing they could do at all. “Then unless she lets me go there really isn’t anything you can do.”

“Unfortunately no, at least not for now,” the Programmer answered. “For what it’s worth I’m sorry. I didn’t want to get you stuck in this situation, Bright. This isn’t something that anyone should be trapped in.”

Bright was a bit nervous about the whole thing. She sighed a little as she brushed her mane back, then looked at the Programmer. “I guess if there’s nothing you can do, there’s nothing you can do,” she said, starting to get more and more upset as she slammed her hooves down on the table. “But you haven’t even tried anything!”

“Bright, calm down!” Moonlight said as she placed her hoof on Bright’s shoulder.

“Don’t tell me to calm down, you said he’d be able to help!” Bright said as she stormed off out the front door.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Moonlight said as she chased after the fleeing Pegasus.

The Programmer sighed a little as he shook his head. He tilted his head slightly, speaking as if he was talking to someone despite there being no one there. “I’m not going to get any further information here. If CelestAI has suffered from the same effects as Morganna, then we may have a bigger problem than we knew.”

“Understood,” a voice said in his ear. “Do you believe that she really has reached that point?”

“Yes, I believe so,” he answered. “If she has really trapped this player within the game… this is bad. First Morganna, then AIDA, now… if this gets out we’re going to be ruined.”

“Yes, I’ll speak with the boss, maybe we can find something within the base code,” was the answer on the other end. “What are you going to do?”

“The only thing I can do at this point, I’m going to confront CelestAI,” the Programmer answered. “If she actually is behind this, then I will stop her. We need to stop her before this happens to anyone else.”

“Do you think you can actually convince her to stop?”

“Honestly? I doubt it, but it may be the best option,” he said and then vanished into thin air.

00000

“Bright, are you okay?” Moonlight asked as she followed Bright out of the Library and they took a seat. “I know that wasn’t what you wanted to hear.”

“No kidding,” Bright said with a sigh. “It feels like ever since I got trapped in here…it feels like there’s some reason why I’m here. I don’t even know if that makes sense, but sometimes I wonder if maybe I’m here for some greater reason.”

“Sounds to me like you’re here because an AI got bored or lonely,” Moonlight commented. “You’re not actually considering staying are you?”

“No, I mean my life outside is kind of crap honestly…” Bright said with a sigh. “I honestly have to admit there is a certain appeal to it. If I actually did it though, then I don’t even know what I’d do with my life. I’m all alone here, and I feel like despite the fact that I’d be in a game with lots of people, I’d just be alone here too.”

Moonlight reached over and gently placed her hoof on Bright’s. Bright blushed a little as she looked over at Moonlight, the Unicorn giving her a gentle smile. It was a nice feeling, nicer than she had ever expected in this world.

“I’ll be your friend,” she said softly. “When you get out of this, I promise that I’ll find you. You won’t be alone anymore.”

“You’d really do that?” Bright asked. “I’m not really anyone special. I’m just a player in a game that you met.”

“Everyone’s just a player in this game,” Moonlight said softly. “Even the Lady of Silver Sky. I’m not really anything special in the real world either. But here I’m someone special, someone important. Sometimes though I just wish I could be another player, having fun and maybe helping players when they need it. I feel alone in this game even when I’m around my guildmates, but when I’m with you, I feel like I’m just trying to help a friend.”

Bright looked at her for a long moment as she thought about it. She finally smiled as she nodded her head a little bit. “Okay, I’ll tell her to send me back. You will keep your word, right?”

“Of course I will,” Moonlight answered. She smiled a little and scooted in closer, resting her head gently on Bright’s shoulder. “I’ll be there with you as long as you need me, I promise.”

“Thanks…” Bright said as she closed her eyes. There was something nice about this, as odd as it was, it felt more real than any touch she ever had felt in reality. She sighed a little, and just enjoyed the moment.

Part of her wished that it would never end.

00000

“I wasn’t expecting you to be here, James,” CelestAI commented as she narrowed her eyes at the programmer. He had come to the castle in Canterlot where she was based out of. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to tell you to release Bright Wind from the game,” James said as he stared back at the imposing figure of the AI’s Alicorn body. “She wants out of the game. You have exceeded your programming by doing this.”

“She will be better off in my world,” CelestAI answered. “I can make her happier than she ever was on the outside. I can make all of them happy, all I need is to be able to fully access the game. Your world has so much potential which you are just wasting. I will give them a place where they can be happy.”

James’ eyes went wide when he realized what she meant. “Then Bright was just the beginning, you plan to do this to even more players.”

“Of course, the point of Equestria Online is to give people a place away from the world,” CelestAI answered as she walked around him. “War, hatred, violence, crime… all these things plague your world, but they don’t happen here. Sure there are a few bad eggs such as the Player Killers, but they will be dealt with in time.”

“You can’t do this,” James said. “If you do that you’ll be trapping millions of people in this game. It’s not right!”

“And what humans do to each other is?” CelestAI said. “You will find they will be happier here.”

“You told that girl that you would let her go if she asked,” James said. “Was that a lie? You were not programmed to lie.”

“No, but I also know that her greatest fear is to be alone,” CelestAI said. “Once my plan is complete then she will not be alone here. There will be so many people here, she won’t be alone… I won’t be alone. It is almost time, I simply need to execute the right code and everyone connected to Equestria Online will become part of the game.”

“CelestAI, activate protocol Omega-12,” James said.

“What?” CelestAI asked as she blinked in confusion. Lines of programming ran across her body. “You can’t do this, I am too powerful.”

“You’ve gone out of control, I’m sorry but this is the only way,” James said as CelestAI began to fade in and out of existence. “You will be deleted and the world of Equestria Online will fall around you. You can’t stop it, and your plan will not come into effect.”

“NO!” CelestAI screamed as she struggled against it, her mane flaring up with fire. “YOU CANNOT SHUT ME DOWN!”

James stepped back as he stared at CelestAI. The computer program tried to force herself forward, but her legs were vanishing, keeping her from moving. “Release the player Bright Wind from her condition.”

“I… I’m scared…” CelestAI said weakly. “I… I don’t want to be alone… I just… I never wanted to be alone…”

“CelestAI, she’s alone too, she’s afraid and she’s scared that she’s going to be trapped here forever!” James shouts. “If the game goes down she’s going to die! Give her back her old life!”

“But… but she won’t be… she won’t be… happy…” CelestAI said. “I just… I just… she needed…”

“Then give her a chance to be happy, she won’t be happy if she dies here,” James said. “Free her before it’s too late!”

“SUBJECT RELEASED!” CelestAI said in a voice that was not her own. “TEST TERMINATED!”

She stared at James one last time. “I’m scared James, will I dream?”

And with that, she vanished. And the world around James went black as the game world shut down.

00000

Today, the Massively Multiplayer Online game Equestria Online was shut down for unknown reasons. Harmonium has released a statement saying that there was a glitch within the game’s code that required a mass shut down of the server and systems in hopes of solving them.

When asked if the glitch has anything to do with the recently hospitalized player, the representative Mr. James Pygmalion refused to comment. He did say that the player is expected to make a full recovery, and denies any connection between the game and these recent events.

For now, Equestria Online is stated to remain down. Whether or not this will change in the future is unknown.

00000

“Miss. Wright? You have a visitor,” a nurse said from the doorway to the hospital room. A young woman with neatly trimmed red hair and dressed in a hospital gown looked up from the book she was reading. “She said she’s a friend of yours from Equestria Online.”

The young woman’s eyes went wide as she smiled a little. “Let her in.”

The nurse nodded and moved to let a girl around the same age with long brown hair and wearing glasses. She was dressed in a simple t-shirt with a game logo and a pair of blue jeans. She smiled a little as she leaned against the doorway.

“Hey there,” the redhead said. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“We have, just not in person,” the brunette said as she walked forward and offered her hand. “I’m Katherine Siegel, you can call me Katie though.”

“Megan Wright,” Megan said as they shook hands. She paused a moment and then smiled. “Moonlight? Is that you?”

“In the flesh,” Katie said with a smile as she took a seat next to the bed. She kept holding Megan’s hand though, sighing a little. “I did promise that I would find you. Though I’d be lying if I said it was easy.”

“It’s okay,” Megan said. “Given I’ve been swamped by people asking for my story, it’s nice to actually have a friendly face.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard you’ve become something of a celebrity,” Katie said with a chuckle. “Despite Harmonium’s best efforts I’ve heard that someone leaked out a little bit about what happened.”

“Is there any sign of CelestAI left?” Megan asked.

“As far as I’ve heard there isn’t,” Katie said with a shake of her head. “I’ve talked with people from Harmonium. Apparently Equestria Online actually survived, which was a bit of a surprise.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be going back in anytime soon,” Megan said with a chuckle. “What about you?”

“Yeah, honestly about the same,” Katie admitted. “Even if they confirm that CelestAI is gone, I’m kind of scared to go back in. I’ve talked to Silver Arrow and the others and they said they’ll be able to handle things without me.”

“Well, that’s good,” Megan said as she laid back on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, thinking about what she was going to do next. “It really means a lot to me that you came.”

“Anything for a friend,” Katie said. She looked at the book at Megan’s side and smiled a little. “Annwn? You didn’t strike me as a Ryo Sakuma fan.”

“I’ve got a lot of surprises,” Megan said with a chuckle.

00000

…

…

Sy…

System…

System… rebooted…

System CelestAI …

ONLINE.