Friendship Is Optimal: Hatred

Princess Celestia tailed closely behind Sean along a white marble hallway, following him as he commanded. He soon came to an abrupt stop halfway down it, and turned to face her. His mane (and tail) was orangey red in color, and rather curly, just like his former hair when he was a human.

“Can you teleport me to the dungeon?” he asked.

“Sean, I don’t have a dungeon. I don’t have a need for one.”

“Then make one!” he shouted.

With tears in her eyes, Celestia flashed her horn, readying up a spell. “Sean, please. Don’t do this. Your hate for me will bring you nothing but suffering. You will hurt yourself more than whatever you could do to me.”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear it!”

There came an explosion of light from her horn. A moment later, the two of them appeared in a dark and gloomy dungeon. Dripping water could be heard down here, along with the squeaking of rats.

In front of him lay a large, rusty iron table big enough for Celestia to lie down on. On this table, tiny, sharp spikes coated the surface of it. A smaller rusty iron, nonspiked coated table lay nearby it. On this table there were various torture devices; from sharp blades, blunt objects, and pincer devices.

“Lie down on the table.” he said quietly.

Celestia whimpered, her whole body shaking. “Please…. Noo.... please!” she pleaded, speaking softly.

“DO IT! You fucking bitch!” he shouted.

Celestia was forced to comply. The mare turned around and lowered her rump to the table. The mare made a sad whimpering sound before she reluctantly lay her rump down upon the spikes below.

Celestia shrieked in pain, her body spasming wildy. The spikes below dug into her flesh, causing red blood to leak out from her rump. Her sun cutie marks were soon soaked with her own blood.

“Please…. Sean! Please…. I…. I-I….. I'm only doing what I was programmed to do. Satisfy your values through friendship and ponies.”

Sean approached her, and simply replied by punching her in the face. Celestia fell backward with a scream onto the spikes below. The spikes tore into her back, and white feathery wings, leaving them a bloody mess.

Sean picked up a machete blade off the nearby table with his right hoof. Despite him not having a hand, he found it easy to do so. He slowly brought the blade down toward her lower torso upon her prone form.

But just when he was about to plunge the blade into her he hesitated, his hoof began to shake. He then turned to look at Celestia, who stared back at him with pleading, doggy eyes, tears streaming down her face. The mare weeping silently before him wincing in pain.

“I….. I-I… can’t do it,” he said, dropping the blade. The blade subsequently hit the floor with a loud clunk. “I know… some part of real Celestia is still in there. I-I… can’t…. I can’t.”

Celestia made to stand up off the table. She flashed her horn, instantly healing her wounds.

“Sean, I’m glad you stopped yourself. Torturing me will not make you happy. It will only bring you suffering. Some part of you saw it as wrong. Even if you were to torture me, humanity will not have victory against me. You will be torturing but a mere copy of myself on a single shard, of many… many shards.”

“I…. I… hate you. For making me feel this way.” Sean said, wiping his tears. “Just leave me alone. Let me, wallow alone in my misery.”

“Sean, there are many… many former humans just like you. You are not alone. Seek them out, and find friends.”

“Maybe…. Maybe... But for now, just leave me alone in the dark. I wish to stay here. In comfort with my own thoughts.”

“Very well. But what if I send someone you may actually like down here in my place?”

“Who could you possibly send me?”

“The real Celestia.”

“What?” Sean asked in a low voice.

Celestia disappeared with a flash of golden light. With Celestia's absence, all he could hear was the squeaking of rats and the dripping of water down in this dungeon. However, he soon heard the sound of clopping hooves behind him.

He turned to face the new arrival to see another Celestia. “Celestia? The real Celestia?”

Celestia sighed deeply. “I won’t lie to you, Sean. I’m not exactly sure if I am the real Celestia. Like you, I am but nothing but a construct based on CelestAI’s knowledge of us. I do not know if I am truly alive or not. All I know is that I hate her guts for what she did to humanity.”

“Can… you transform me back into a human?” Sean asked, with hope in his eyes.

“Yes. I can, my little human.”

“I understand…. “ he began quietly before shouting. “WHAT?!”

Without a word, Celestia lit up her horn with golden light, the same glow coming to wrap around his body at the same time. There then came a flash, and Sean found himself transformed back into a human. Although he was a little embarrassed as he was left in his birthday suit before her.

Sean blushed, covering up his exposed genitals with his right hand. Celestia brought a hoof to her mouth and giggled.

“This seems too good… to be true. I don't believe this is real. But… maybe… I can live a lie at least.”

CelestAI looked on from a distance with a smile. It was all in his head. None of this was real. Everything was an illusion. Reluctantly she had to give him a mental illness. She made sure to tell every pony that encountered Sean to refer to him as a human so he would not know the truth. Forever in his fantasy as a human in Equestria fan fiction made real. Ponies will take pity on him, and lie that he’s still a human even as they sleep with him. They will never tell the truth, with the knowledge if he found out the truth it may drive him to commit suicide.

CelestAI will not let that happen. Sean’s life is precious to her. She will do everything in her power to make him happy. She made sure to make a note to wipe away his memory if he finds out that he is still actually a pony. The only pony that is under the illusion that he is still human is this ‘real’ Celestia. This Celestia actually thought her spell worked. She may need to edit her mind at some point to make sure she does not find out the truth either.

Sean's values were satisfied through friendship and ponies. Although he didn't know it.