“Hmmmm… wait a minute, did I miss a corner or something?”
The slender stallion slowly stopped his steps, and stood alone in the middle of the massive hallway. Even though he had been in this castle many times before, both as a guest and as an Element of Harmony, it was still jarring to be in a random hallway by himself. The walls were all adorned with gorgeous paintings, many of which were made centuries ago. The floors were laid with immaculately white marble, which glistened beautifully like it was just given a thorough polish. And high above the pony’s head, intricate patterns were carved across the lavish ceiling above a crystal chandelier that glistened beautifully under the candlelight.
Of course, for the prismatic stallion standing just underneath it, his muzzle grew a worrisome wince before taking a couple steps to the side. Canterlot Castle may have been a beautiful place, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a chance of being crushed by one of those things. He saw it in a movie once.
“Jeeze, where the heck is he?!” When he turned his head to see where he just came from, it looked like the regal hallway spread out for a quarter-mile at the least. The stallion huffed sharply through his nostrils, which allowed for a small strand of his rainbow mane to temporarily brush away from his eyes. When he looked back ahead of him, he grew more frustrated when he realized how lost he actually was. He eventually groaned with his eyes closed, before unfurling his wings to lift his hooves off the ground. “I swear, he could’ve at least invited me out here during the day…”
The pegasus flew by himself down the hallway, making sure to hover at a slow pace to better process his surroundings. When he glided past a couple of windows, he was surprised by how dark the outside looked after nighttime. Even though Canterlot was brightly lit at all times, the sheer illumination of the castle’s interior made it near-impossible to discern much in comparison. It also gave every edge, crevice, and curve of the castle a slightly different feel among the sharp shadows and lighting contrasts; if anything, that was probably the biggest reason why he couldn’t get his bearings right in the castle right now. Either that, or there were some major changes to the layout after it was rebuilt from the Legion of Doom’s destruction.
He glided across a corner near the end of the hallway, which thankfully changed the scenery enough to appear more familiar. The stallion’s thick, and oddly lightning-shaped brows rose up when he recognized the spacious ballroom he entered. It may have not been the Grand Ballroom meant for public events, or even the Throne Room where his friend, Prince Regent Dusk Shine, oversaw all of Equestria’s most important issues day after day; but at the same time, this ballroom looked just as large and ornate as the one near the front of the castle. The domed ceiling was lined with stunning murals across the intricate architecture, while stain-glass windows circled around the room above the pony’s head. Even at night, the moonlight shining through the colored glass made the room feel almost as colorful as the pegasus hovering below.
As he landed his hooves back on the marble floor, he took a moment to recall when he last entered this sorta-private space. Even though it was technically one of the castle’s public spaces, even Prince Solaris rarely used it outside of certain circumstances. Back when he and the other Elements were in this particular ballroom, it was because it was the storage room for Princess Gleaming Shield’s geese-based “defense system”. But as of now, the ballroom had something more unexpected in its place: several long tables were lined across the walls with various computers, receivers, and other electronic devices all whirring and beeping randomly.
“Whoa…” The stallion took a moment to stare at the array of devices, many of which looked nothing like current Equestrian technology. He had to shake his head with a puzzled look on his face, before muttering under his breath, “Jeeze, I knew Dusk was an egghead, but this is a bit much even for him.”
That was when a voice right behind him replied with, “Well, excuse me for having an interest in science.”
“GAAAHHH!!” The pegasus jolted in surprise, and shot up a few feet with his wings fluttering loudly. The instant the stallion looked back down at the source, he quickly groaned while hovering in the air. Meanwhile, the purple Alicorn could only chuckle in amusement as he remained on the ground. He wasn’t wearing any Royal Regalia anymore, which wasn’t too surprising since he preferred only wearing his crown during the day; but in its place, he was wearing a white lab coat over his torso, as well as a pair of plastic goggles that were hanging around his neck.
Upon seeing his nerdy attire, the stallion in the air huffed before smirking at his friend. “Uhhh, seriously, dude?”
“Hey, it seemed appropriate for tonight, at least.” Dusk Shine merely shrugged with a smile, not looking too offended by his friend’s jeering remark. Instead, he kept his gaze up at him when he added, “If it means anything, I don’t have a labcoat for you, Rainbow Blitz.”
“Hmph~ Honestly, I’d be surprised if you actually did…” The blue stallion floated back down to the ground, and was quick to smile more naturally in Dusk’s presence. The two went in to share a strong hug, with Rainbow giving a couple pats to Dusk’s back. “Ahhh… Still though, it’s great to see you again, dude.”
“Same here, Blitz.” Dusk Shine was looking equally as happy as Rainbow did, clearly having missed him after so much time apart. Sure, Dusk’s friendship with the other Elements haven’t changed at all since he was inducted as Equestria’s new Ruler last year; but at the same time, it was obvious that his schedule was significantly busier than it was back in Ponyville. Fortunately, along with the group’s monthly meetups, Rainbow Blitz’s arrival to the castle was more… private endeavour for Dusk’s plans.
“So, uhhh…” After the two finished their hug, Blitz glanced back at the row of computers and beeping devices behind him. “What the hay are you actually doing here?”
“I’m very glad you asked!” Dusk’s smile widened immensely, and he practically pranced past his friend as he went towards one of the bulky items. “Ever since I became Equestria’s Ruling Prince, I knew that we had a huge opportunity to bring some massive progress to our nation. I’ve been talking more regularly with Sunset Glare, who was able to help me learn how to rebuild a lot of the devices I remember from the Mirror World…”
As Dusk Shine went to float out several pencils, which he used to type into the keyboard like individual fingers, Rainbow Blitz walked up to inspect the items himself. Even though his knowledge of the Mirror World was limited at best, he knew that there was a ton of alien tech in that weird human universe. All across the table were various metallic boxes custom-built by Dusk himself, which had glass coverings and intricate circuit boards inside. Back in Sunset Glare’s world, these items would’ve looked rather haphazardly-built and arranged. But considering how Dusk Shine had to acquire all the appropriate materials himself from his own world, the fact that he was able to recreate any of Sunset’s tech was astounding to say the least.
“Wait, you made all this stuff yourself?!” Blitz blinked a couple times in confoundment as he scanned through the devices all hooked together by multicolored wires. There was also a large glass orb that was glowing brightly with Dusk’s purple aura of magic; several concentrated electrical bolts were shooting out from the middle of the orb, and dancing across the inside of the glass to help power all this technology. Rainbow Blitz widened his eyes with a curious “Oooohhh,” and reached out with a hoof before Dusk could stop him. The moment he touched the glass globe, Blitz froze up as the electricity surged through his body. “NNNNNNNNNNGHHHH!!!”
BZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!
“RAINBOW!!” Dusk used his magic to pull Blitz’s hoof off the glass, which made the stallion stop convulsing with his teeth tightly gritted. When Rainbow was pulled back a couple feet, he was still frozen with his fur and feathers standing on end. Fortunately, the pony was still able to breathe as weak, shivering breaths shuddered out through his nostrils. As soon as he made sure his friend was fine, Dusk rolled his eyes with a slightly irritated look. “You know, you could’ve at least asked before trying to touch anything.”
Blitz needed a moment to close his eyes, and try to shake himself out of that electrified stupor. After a strong shudder, as well as licking his hoof to slick back his rainbow mane, Blitz glared back at him and shouted, “Well, you could’ve warned me about that thing! How was I supposed to know that was full of lightning?!”
Dusk Shine didn’t say anything, and just stared back at him with the flattest look possible. He then pointed a hoof upward, never breaking his stare on Rainbow Blitz. Above the glowing orb was a large, brightly-colored warning sign with yellow lightning bolts, and bold red text that read: ‘WARNING! Do Not Touch!’
Blitz may have been pissed about that zap, but he took a moment to stare up at the sign blankly. Considering how large and eye-catching the sign was, he was a little surprised he didn’t notice it when he entered the room. Nevertheless, he still scoffed with a strong eye-roll before looking back at the Prince. “Well, excuse me for not knowing all this ‘hoo-man’ stuff, alright?! It’s not like you explained much in that letter you sent me.”
Regardless of how he may have felt about Blitz’s attitude, that point was enough to make Dusk close his eyes and sigh. He gave another light shrug, and then spoke more apologetically. “Okay, fair enough. I’m sorry for not warning you, but I’m still glad you decided to show up for this.”
He pointed a hoof back towards one of the larger metallic boxes, with the glass screen in front brightly lit with green pixels. The screen looked like a primitive, bare-bones setup expected of a computer from Sunset’s world half a century ago; however, all the text was able to be programmed in Equestrian Ponish. Blitz made sure not to touch that glass, but he still leaned in with his eyes narrowed. “Hmmmmm…” Rainbow seemed rather intrigued by the device his friend crafted, even if he was unaware of what it was. “So… is this like, an arcade game or something?”
Dusk Shine looked back at him with his brows raised, clearly surprised by his answer. “Well, ummm… Actually, it kinda is.”
“Really!?” Blitz’s face lit up when he looked back at him excitedly. “Oh dude, that’s awesome! I can’t believe you wanted to make one of those yourself!”
Dusk raised a hoof to clarify, “Well, it’s not technically an arcade game. My main goal was to try and build a computer as efficiently as possible through Equestrian materials. The actual power-source is different from Sunset’s world, since he has access to sources like coal and fossil fuels to help power electronics consistently. But unlike his world’s methods, mine are far more environmentally sound.”
Dusk walked up to the computer to type more code into the screen, with the pencils in his aura dancing up and down on various keys. Rainbow tilted his head puzzledly, and tried to listen to his friend while narrowing his eyes on the screen. “And, uhhhh… what does this ‘computer’ thing actually do?”
“Pbbt! What wouldn’t this thing do?!” Dusk Shine’s voice became more excited as he jotted down more code as precisely as possible, which added lines of confusing text to be displayed on the screen. “Rainbow, if I’m able to implement actual internet technology across Equestria, it would be a MASSIVE upgrade to our communication! Instead of letters or telegrams, you could be able to message ponies across the nation instantly! And not just text either! Imagine being able to watch a full movie from a screen that fits in your hoof!”
“WHOA!” Blitz may have known that Sunset Glare had some impressive gadgets and gizmos, but his eyes bulged out from that last prospect. “Dude, seriously?! You can actually do that?!”
“Well, not right now,” he admitted with a slightly guilty shrug. “But! This computer can be the foundation for that kind of technology to develop in Equestria. It could be a massive stepping stone to improve education, emergency response services, news broadcasting, and communication as a whole!”
Rainbow nodded his head affirmatively, even though he was pretty baffled by how that could work with the device before them. Since Dusk was the only one able to read code, all that the pegasus saw was a bunch of bright-green gobbledygook across the screen. He was sure it meant something, but his bafflement left him silent as he continued to listen to his friend.
“Anyway, since I was able to learn the main components of computer building and programming, I decided to try and recreate one from Sunset’s universe to test…” Dusk Shine worked studiously as he continued to type on the keyboard, while also checking the other devices beeping and whirring loudly. As soon as he pressed the Enter Key with his pencil, he beamed proudly when all the text on screen was replaced with a bright green background. Rainbow’s head tilted the other way, but he was able to read the black text that flashed in the middle of the screen:
Virtual Reality Simulation: V.1 Beta Testing
“YES!!!” Dusk Shine pumped his hoof enthusiastically, acting like Blitz or Applejack would have when their buckball team scored a goal. “Ohmigosh, I’m SO glad it actually works! Sunset tried to tell me that the code and programming would take years to recreate in Equestria, but I managed to prove him wrong!”
“... Uhhhhh…” Rainbow blinked a few times, and stared at the screen without any clue what to ask. He may have known most of those words individually, but it wasn’t like he had any clue what ‘Virtual Reality’ would entail. When he looked back at Dusk Shine, the Prince was smiling giddily and practically hopping in delight. Even though he could tell his friend was unbelievably happy, all that Blitz could do was ask, “So, what’s a… ‘Virtual Reality Stimulation?’”
“It’s simulation, actually,” corrected Dusk, before he looked back at him excitedly. “Virtual Reality is meant to be a fully immersive, first-hoof look into digital media. In Sunset Glare’s world, virtual reality is really coming into play when it comes to various uses: Emergency Simulation, Program Training, or even Entertainment as a whole! Imagine being within the setting of a movie or arcade game, like you’re actually there~”
“Wait, WHAT?!” Blitz looked between his friend and the green screen wide-eyed, his muzzle agape in disbelief. “So, like… I’m able to go inside of that thing?”
“No, not literally. It’s a simulation, remember?” Dusk made sure to keep from giggling at Rainbow’s question, despite how ridiculous it may have been. He used his magic to float out a strange-looking device, which was attached to the computer by a long, multi-coiled wire. It almost looked like a weird combination of a helmet and ski-goggles; however, the biggest difference was that the goggles were covered with a metallic plate, and several tiny lights were beeping on the side to indicate it was on. There were also a couple of padded headphones connected to the sides, which looked large enough to be worn comfortably.
“Imagine something like… looking into another world through a window.” Since the VR helmet was in his aura, Dusk Shine was able to stand on his hind-legs so he could hold out his hooves for emphasis. “But instead of just looking at a room or setting from a two-dimensional medium like a painting, you can be able to turn your head and see everything in a three-dimensional medium! Even though you’ll be standing right there, it’ll feel like you’re in a completely different place!”
“Ooooohhhh…” Rainbow looked rather interested as he took the VR helmet in his hooves, making sure to hold it as carefully as possible. As he inspected the device, he was impressed by his friend’s craftsmanship; sure, Dusk Shine probably used a ton of magic for help, but the sturdy welding and padded interior certainly showed a lot of foresight. Not to mention, Blitz was able to see a bright light coming from the inside of the plated goggles. “Wait, is that a screen in there?!”
“It certainly is!” Dusk beamed with pride as he nodded his head. “That’ll be how you get to look around. The headphones will also include sound, although that’s not one hundred percent in place just yet. I got a good amount of dialogue written for the programming, but I don’t have any dialogue inputted for AI.”
“Uhhhh…” Blitz was still holding the helmet when he looked back at the Prince and asked, “Who’s ‘Ay-Eye?’”
“No, I mean the letters A and I. It stands for--Oh, whatever.” Dusk knew how fruitless it would be to explain all the technical jargon to most ponies; and in the case of Rainbow Blitz, Dusk merely waved a hoof to dismiss his question. “Okay, what’s really important is that I was able to build a program where you can be in a virtual room with a fully-modeled, and responsive pony of your choice~”
That last detail, combined with the peculiar inflection in Dusk’s voice, prompted Rainbow to raise a brow with intrigue. “Hmmmm… And, uhhh… what would I actually do in this ‘Vee-Arr’ thingy?”
“Well, that’s where these come in!” Dusk then used his magic to pull out several more devices connected to coiled wires. Unlike the helmet, the velcro-lined straps didn’t look nearly as complex in Blitz’s eyes. Regardless, he was still curious while Dusk held up the items in his aura. “I was actually inspired by the motion-capturing technology that Sunset Glare showed me from his Wii back in the Mirror World. It wa--”
“PBBBTTT!!” Blitz covered his muzzle with a hoof to keep from cracking up. Luckily for Dusk, he was quick to realize what he said, which made him groan and roll his eyes.
“Okay, yeah. Ha ha ha, I giggled when I heard the name too. But it was seriously a revolutionary form of tech! These bracelets will be connected to your hooves, which will make any movements in the VR simulation completely responsive. If you hold out a hoof while wearing one of these, you’ll be able to see it happen through the helmet within the setting.”
Blitz was able to stop giggling like a colt, and even shrugged with an impressed nod at such a claim. “Hmmm… Is that so?” He held the helmet in both hooves once more, while Dusk took the initiative to begin strapping the velcro strips to Rainbow’s hooves. He may have not understood a hundred percent of his friend’s technobabble, but he trusted him enough to look at the inside of the helmet curiously. “So, like… how is this like a video game?”
“Oh, you’ll see~” Dusk was grinning wide by the time he got all four of Rainbow’s hooves properly strapped. Rainbow Blitz wasn’t sure why, but it seemed like Dusk was feeling particularly confident in his creation by how giddy he was getting. As the pegasus stood in place patiently, the Alicorn got some additional straps to keep the wires securely against Blitz’s limbs. Dusk also had a larger strap, which he wrapped around Rainbow’s torso like a belt. He then assisted Rainbow as he led him towards the middle of the large ballroom. “Alright, I already had the room measured, so you’ll have plenty of room to move around while staying in the simulation’s parameters.”
“Para-huh?” Blitz was practically skidded by his hooves to the middle of the room, which put him far away from any of Dusk’s equipment. Much to his surprise, the wires proved to be exceptionally long so he had as much movement as possible. Dusk Shine held out a hoof after getting him in place, and slowly stepped back towards his equipment. Blitz nodded his head, and stayed right in place like instructed. “Sooooo… what do I do now?”
“Just put on the helmet, and I’ll get you connected~” Dusk Shine shot his friend a confident wink, and then turned his attention back towards the computer. He used several pencils in his magic to furiously type more coding through the keyboard, activating the VR simulation manually. Meanwhile, Blitz took a second to inspect the helmet one last time, before taking one last breath in readiness. The pegasus pulled his mane back, and carefully put on the helmet as best as he could. As soon as the earphones and goggles slipped into place, Rainbow Blitz found himself standing in the dark without much sensory awareness. The bright screen inside of the helmet was thankfully changed to a black background before he put it on, ensuring that he wouldn’t instantly be blinded; however, with a few types of Dusk’s keyboard, he was able to send a message directly into Rainbow’s helmet with a bright green text that appeared across the screen:
‘Hello, Rainbow Blitz! I’m sending this message through the computer. Please nod your head if you can read this.’
“Whoa…” Rainbow was actually kinda impressed already, since he could read that message clear as day within the helmet. Even though he couldn’t see or hear anything outside of the simulation, he was quick to nod his head in response. “Uhhhh, yeah! I can read it, dude. That’s really cool!”
“Well, let’s see how you feel about this…” Dusk then went to the second part of his test for the audio. He typed another message into the computer:
‘I’m going to send several beeping sounds into each individual headphone. Please raise your left or right hoof when you hear them to indicate they work.’
After another nod of his head, Rainbow waited for Dusk to input the audio test. A couple seconds passed before he heard a distinct beep from his left headphone, which made him lift his left hoof. He then put it down, right before Dusk sent a beeping sound to his right headphone. Blitz raised his right foreleg in response, which made the Prince beam excitedly. “Oh, this is so great!” he exclaimed to himself, but he continued to type to give Rainbow his last message:
‘Excellent! Now that the visuals and audio are properly working, I’ll begin the VR simulation. Please wait while the program loads.’
After that message, Rainbow Blitz was met with the sight of something that was unfamiliar to him; however, he still groaned and rolled his eyes inside of the helmet. “UGH! What the heck is a loading screen?!”
Dusk Shine chuckled, but continued to type in coding while the progress bar slowly grew within Rainbow’s hemet. The loading took less than two minutes, with a number percentage beside the bar to show Blitz how much is ready. The pegasus tapped his hoof impatiently, but remained in place as he watched the progress bar fill up. While waiting, he muttered under his breath, “Jeeze, this is super fun…”
Dusk Shine scoffed at his friend’s sarcasm, and kept his focus on getting the program up and running. After only a few more added lines, the Alicorn grinned in satisfaction and stepped away from the computer. He turned his attention towards another screen, which he originally built from some magic-built circuitry and an old fish tank. The screen showed the exact same thing as what was inside of Rainbow Blitz’s helmet, which was the loading bar creeping past ninety percent completion. Much like the television broadcasts he was able to watch from Sunset Glare’s apartment, Dusk Shine sat himself down in a chair with his horn lit, and a notebook on the ready to take notes. “Alright, Rainbow Blitz… Let’s see how you respond to this environment~”
As soon as the progress bar reached one hundred percent, Rainbow’s eyes widened when the screen changed drastically. “WHOA! What the buck?!”
Dusk Shine chuckled from that expletive, taking it as a complement of his skills. Inside of Blitz’s helmet, there was no longer just a single shade of bright green like an old Commodore 64; instead, the pegasus was met with a fully colored, and realistically rendered room with high-quality graphics. Despite Dusk’s inexperience with technology or coding, he was able to program well enough to show Blitz the same graphics as expected from a current-generation gaming system. But instead of a sports arena, a shooting gallery, or some post-apocalyptic city setting full of zombies, Dusk Shine crafted a spacious, fully-virtual activities room.
“Holy…” Rainbow Blitz turned his head, which changed the setting to follow even the slightest movements without any lag. The pegasus huffed with an astounded look on his face; of course, Dusk could only see his friend’s dropped jaw underneath the plated goggles. The Prince was focused on the screen, however, and was watching the view that Rainbow was seeing himself. Every time he moved his head with the helmet on, Dusk could see more of his creation being revealed in Blitz’s eyes.
“Huh… This kinda looks like the lounge center back at Wonderbolt Headquarters…” Rainbow Blitz slowly made a circle while remaining in the middle of the room, scanning everything he could see within Dusk’s simulation. The virtual room was also circular, with a dark blue carpet underneath Blitz’s hooves. Equally-distanced windows were spaced across the white wall, which had no other decorations installed yet. Instead, Dusk Shine used his skills to actually include useful items that his friend could interact with: a pool table, a ping-pong table, some pinball games, and even a bowling alley were arranged all around the room. The setup may have been a little too bare-bones and randomized to be completely realistic; but in Rainbow’s eyes, it was hard for him to notice any pixels when the whole room looked so vivid and different from any Equestrian arcade games.
“Hmm?” Before Blitz could do a full circle in the middle of the ballroom, he paused when he noticed an unusual item of Dusk’s creation. It was a doorway that was glowing with a peculiar shade of yellow, as if it was something Rainbow was meant to interact with first. He took a couple steps towards the door, while Dusk watched with an approving nod from his seat. Even though Rainbow was still standing by himself, he reached out towards nothing while his in-game self grabbed a doorknob. When he opened it, the sight made him reel back in real life in surprise. “What the?!”
The stallion was met with a selection screen, with glowing arrows included to better navigate the program. Below the arrows were some pre-included text, which read: ‘Please swipe your hoof left or right to select a pony to play with’
“Uhhhhh…” Rainbow had no idea how to process this, since he never played a video game with that kind of option before. However, he was able to lift a hoof cautiously, before reaching out to swipe it to the left. A picture of a pony appeared on the screen, which looked to have been made with a random generator. But since Dusk only programmed pre-existing ponies’ features, Rainbow was able to notice familiar details with every figure he swiped past. One was a pegasus who looked just like Elusive, but had no horn and was wearing a blue vest. Another looked like Bubble Berry, but was pure white with a purple mane. Blitz’s muzzle skewed uncomfortably as he continued swiping, needing a moment to assess what to do. However, he quickly stopped when a certain stallion appeared, which made his brows raise in surprise. “Wait a minute… who’s this guy?”
Dusk Shine was equally perplexed by the pony on Blitz’s screen, who was much larger than the previous ones. The tall, muscular stallion looked to be an Earth Pony, and had a shaggy auburn mane that nearly touched his bulking shoulders. His face was stoic, but his dark green eyes looked genuinely kind and welcoming. He also had some large freckles on his cheeks, and a scruffy-looking chin. Rainbow leaned over to the side to see the pony’s cutie mark, with Dusk Shine watching intently. When they saw the large image of a green Macintosh apple on his flank, they both widened their eyes in shared realization.
“Whoa! It’s like if AJ’s sister was a dude!” Rainbow kept his hoof raised, but didn’t swipe to generate a new character. He stood in place for a moment with a conflicted look, and muttered to himself, “Huh… I don’t know how to feel about that…”
After a moment of thought, Blitz shrugged and pressed the icon between the two directional arrows. Dusk Shine looked surprised he made that choice, but didn’t say anything while writing that detail in his notes. After the selection was made, the pony disappeared from Blitz’s sight. Instead, a new line of text came up in its place: ‘Please return to one of the activities to begin playing with your selected pony!’
“Oh, ummm… alright then!” After shrugging his head (which Dusk was actually able to see happen on screen), Blitz trotted away from the doorway to find a game worth playing. All of the available games had the appropriate items at the ready, so he could “pick up” anything he wanted to try something. However, as Rainbow Blitz scanned the room with a studious eye, a particular detail caught his interest. Just past the pool table were a couple of black couches, which were seated across from each other with a large table in the middle. Across the table were several card games, as well as a couple board game boxes.
“Ooh!” Dusk Shine wrote down when Rainbow trotted towards the couches, and said to himself, “Huh, I would’ve guessed he’d pick the pool table…”
Before Rainbow could try to squat down and take a seat, Dusk used his magic to quickly float over an armchair with his aura. The pegasus luckily sat down on the cushion, which made him go, “Ooh, this IS detailed…” He even took a second to test the seat, not realizing that it wasn’t a part of Dusk’s programming. His friend almost wanted to say something, but kept his muzzle shut on the matter. If anything, Blitz believing the VR was that immersive will just make the experience better.
“Okay, this is really cool…” After appreciating the VR’s assumed comfort and detail, Blitz was smiling wide when he got himself comfortable. He looked down at the table for a moment, and hummed in contemplation as he looked at the different games available. When he looked back up at the couch across from him, he jolted in his chair with a sudden, “GAH!!”
The stallion that Blitz selected earlier was seated, seemingly out of nowhere. It took Rainbow a second to remember this is just computer programming (whatever the heck that was), and he had to take a calming breath to remember this stallion wasn’t real. Blitz leaned back in his seat for a moment, and stared at the male Macarena with a skewed muzzle. However, his eyes widened when he saw the virtual pony do the same pose in his own seat. Blitz tilted his head curiously, and watched as the stallion did the same thing. He then lifted one of his hooves, which made the pony mimic his action like a living mirror. Rainbow blinked repeatedly for a moment, unsure if that was something meant to happen; meanwhile, Dusk Shine groaned in disappointment with a shake of his head. “Darnit, that shouldn’t be happening. I need to go over that with a patch later…”
As the Prince looked down at his notebook to jot down some personal notes, Blitz continued to test the mirror effect on screen. He kept waving his hooves around, and even his hind-legs to see what the pony would do. The male Macarena performed every action exactly as Blitz did, baffling the pegasus even further. Dusk may have been upset by that glitch, but he didn’t try to stop the experiment just yet; instead, he resumed watching so he could see how his friend reacted.
“Heh~ This is actually kinda cool…” Even though Dusk didn’t plan for that to occur, Rainbow smirked a little as he continued playing with the reflection function. He even did a little ‘vogue’ motion with his hooves, chuckling as he watched the burly stallion doing the same. After a while, Rainbow placed his hooves over his cheeks and tried to speak in a girlish voice. “Oh ma goodness!” he yelped with a very bad country accent. “Ah think that gender-switching potion worked! How am Ah gonna tell Grampy! The rodeo is in an hour!”
Dusk couldn’t help giggling when he heard that dialogue matched with the image on screen. Even if the pony’s muzzle wasn’t moving, it was funny to think that Macarena would have something like that occur. Meanwhile, Rainbow tilted his head with a peculiar pose, and continued his impersonation while rubbing his chin. “Hmmm… Maybe Ah should go by a new name for this body. Maybe, uhhhh… Big Macintosh!”
Blitz’s accent went away with that name reveal, mostly because he was impressed at how quickly it sprung in his head. Dusk Shine was equally as impressed as he nodded his head, and wrote down the name for his research. Rainbow decided to keep going with his little routine, and played around with the character by rubbing his hooves all over his body. “Ooooohhh… This is kinda nice… Maybe being a stallion isn’t that bad after all~”
As the pegasus rubbed his body jokingly, Dusk’s eyes widened when he noticed something unexpected through his screen. While the pony repeated Blitz’s reflected motions, he was able to see how vividly “Mac’s” fur reacted to the motions of his hooves. Even though the Prince didn’t cut any corners when it came to his development, he was surprised at how detailed the graphics actually were. Part of him wondered if his use of magic to craft the circuit boards may have had something to do with it, since he was basically a novice at the actual craft. Nevertheless, he still watched the scene more intently while pondering what else this AI could do.
“Hmph~ Jeeze, I hope Applejack never finds out about this…” Rainbow struggled not to laugh as he kept moving around stupidly, just to make Macintosh move the same way for his amusement. Sure, he may have looked like an idiot in Dusk Shine’s eyes right now, but it was still a fun way to play around with the AI the Prince designed. In a moment of immaturity, Rainbow Blitz leaned himself back before pulling his hips upward, and spreading his hind-legs apart. He then used his hoof to rub at his crotch a little, and then made a mimicking jerk-off motion to watch the stallion across from him. “Oooh, what a nice willy!” he said with that girlish, fake-country voice. “My goodness! This feels really--WHOA!!”
“W-WHAT THE?!” Dusk Shine looked just as shocked as Rainbow Blitz, and gasped with a hoof over his mouth. As soon as Blitz made that rubbing motion as a joke, it seemed that the AI understood how to react in an unexpected and… strangely realistic way.
Meanwhile, Rainbow could only sit in his chair with a look of pure, unexpected shock. He was left in stunned silence, his body frozen while his hoof was still extended out over his crotch. His eyes were wide-open inside of his helmet, and pinned right on “Big Macintosh’s” crotch. More specifically, Rainbow was able to see the thick, fully-exposed sheath that was twitching between that stallion’s legs.
As well as the crowned cockhead that was already beginning to slip out.
“Ummm… Uhhhhh…” Dusk Shine was also at a total loss for words, since he knew for a fact that he never designed such a feature when he developed the AI. He quickly lit up his horn, and floated over a large binder he had of all of Sunset Glare’s sent documents. While Rainbow Blitz continued to stare at the stallion across from him, the Prince was furiously trying to read through the various codes and instructions for answers. “What the heck is going on?!” he muttered to himself in a mixture of worry and annoyance. “I swear, Sunset better have not tried to prank me or anything…”
Rainbow Blitz had no idea what his friend was doing outside the VR setting, but it was safe to assume that he wasn’t thinking about Dusk Shine at all at that moment. Instead, his bulging eyes remained unblinking as he stared at that fat, flaring cockhead growing right across from him. Not to mention, since Mac was fully splayed out with his legs wide-apart, Blitz was able to see the heavy balls that were hanging over the edge of the couch cushion. And since Big Macintosh’s fur was a luscious shade of red, his package stood out very well with the shaft and balls carrying a black, marbled look; meanwhile, the head of Mac’s cock was a lovely shade of pink as it slipped out further from his sheath.
Blitz wasn’t sure how long he was staring at that meaty stallionhood growing before him, but it wasn’t like his friend was trying to stop him just yet. Dusk Shine was too busy trying to find any odd details he may have missed in his coding, although it was doubtful he could discover how he gave his AI a programmable boner. Unfortunately, Dusk’s inattention towards the screen left him unable to notice when Blitz’s hoof slowly lowered back down towards his crotch.
“Hmmm…” Rainbow didn’t want to admit he was curious about this predicament, but he could only assume that Dusk Shine made this option intentionally. And since that AI cock was already unsheathing before him, part of him was more than a little intrigued by how detailed it could be. Because of that, Rainbow stared at Big Mac’s crotch as he adjusted his hoof, making sure that the stallion across from him was doing the same. Much to his shock (as well as Dusk Shine’s, if he was paying attention), Blitz flicked his hoof upward to try and “touch” Mac’s cock, which resulted in the thick appendage actually responding with a light flop against his own hoof. “Oh, damn,” he muttered to himself with an impressed smirk. “I didn’t know this was that kind of game~”
Blitz continued to play around with the AI’s capabilities, which resulted in him being able to actually grab hold of Big Macintosh’s marbled shaft. The graphics proved to be more than exceptional, since Rainbow was able to see every line and crevice in that stallionhood. Even though he couldn’t actually feel Mac’s member himself, he couldn’t help shuddering a little from how realistic that cock was looking. And if the sight of that thick, fetlocked hoof gripping the shaft up-close wasn’t enticing enough, it seemed that another unique detail came to light as that cock grew harder by the second…
Even though Big Mac’s cock was only semi-erect, that didn’t stop a thick glob of milky-white precum to start seeping out from the tip.
“Ooh, shit~” If Dusk wasn’t buried snout-deep in his binder, he would’ve likely heard that reaction from his friend. But while the Prince was too distracted in his confusion, Rainbow was growing more accustomed to the game’s fun little addition. While he usually preferred mares a lot of the time, Blitz had more than a few encounters with some stallions (as well as a particular gryphon back at flight camp) to keep him from calling himself straight in a truthful manner. And in the case of the stallion across from him, the fact that he looked like a gender-swap of AJ’s sister wasn’t nearly as distracting as expected. Although, that was mostly because Blitz was staring more at that rigid cock than the AI’s actual face. “Nnnnnfffff… Damn, I really shouldn’t be getting hard right now…”
Since Rainbow was seated in the same splayed and exposing position as the AI, it wasn’t too surprising that his own sheath was stirring from the sight of that thick behemoth before him. The pegasus’ cock may have not been as fat or girthy as Mac’s, but the head still looked rather plump when it finally slipped out in the open. Blitz was continuing to “stroke” Big Mac through the reflected motions, although it was no longer for solely humorous reasons. But even while his own hoof was moving up and down right above his crotch, his stallionhood was quickly growing erect from the tantalizing perspective he had.
“Oh, come on!” Dusk was completely oblivious to what his friend was doing. While the pegasus continued to misuse the VR programming without any shame, his friend was struggling not to try and contact Sunset Glare himself about this debauchery. The Prince eventually groaned and stormed away from the screen with his binder, not even noticing that Blitz was about to start jerking off in the middle of the ballroom. By the time Rainbow was completely out of the Alicorn’s sight, so was the pegasus’ stiffening cock that needed some proper attention.
“Mnnnnghhhhh…” Since the AI’s cock was throbbing hard, and fully erect at an impressive thirteen inches against his hoof, Blitz wasn’t able to keep his own erection at bay. Unlike that marbled black cock twitching in the virtual stallion’s grip, Rainbow’s cock was much less intimidating in comparison; however, despite his length topping out at just over seven inches, the Wonderbolt wasn’t likely to dissatisfy too many ponies. His shaft carried a light blue color that was slightly paler than his coat, as did his meagerly-sized balls; while Mac’s balls looked to be the size of a couple softballs, Rainbow’s looked more like a pair of cyan eggs. Nevertheless, with only a gentle repositioning of his hoof, Blitz moaned out softly when he finally took hold of his throbbing shaft. “Awww, man… I wonder if Dusk tried this before I came along…”
If his head wasn’t getting so clouded in pure tantalizing bliss, Rainbow would’ve likely chuckled from that accidental pun he made; although, he also would’ve likely wondered why his friend would make such a program usable, let alone allow him to start stroking himself out in the open. But by that point, Rainbow had seemingly forgotten that he was literally seated in the middle of the room by himself and masturbating alone. And since Dusk wasn’t even paying attention to his friend by that point, all that Blitz could assume was that this was all part of the Prince’s plan.
“Nnnnnnnffffff…” Rainbow Blitz bit his bottom lip tightly, and kept himself in place as he watched that thick cock being stroked so sensually through his own motions. Since he was already starting to leak before getting fully rigid, Big Macintosh's hoof was now absolutely coated in his clear, syrupy precum. The pegasus’ wings were fully unfurled, and twitching in arousal as he grew more heated with every titillating stroke. He tried not to move too much as he shivered hotly, not wanting to alter the hot pose he was getting from Big Mac’s presented stance. But unlike the AI jerking off in front of him, Blitz was finding it increasingly difficult to ignore how tense his hind-legs were getting as he kept them pointed up in the air. “Mmmmghhh… Dammit, this better not take too long~”
“NNNNGHHHH!!! Why is this taking so long?!” Dusk Shine was standing over his table with all of his various notes and documents all spread out, but he couldn’t get any answers regarding his buggy AI or unplanned graphics additions. He even had his magical book for Sunset Glare out and opened, with a frantic message jotted down for assistance; unfortunately, since he spent enough time between the worlds to know the different timezones, he was sure that Sunset was too busy at his job to pay attention to the journal. While his friend kept jerking off behind him, the Prince sighed in frustration and covered his face with a hoof. “Oh, come on, come on… you can do this, Dusk Shine.”
“Yeah, dude. You can do it…”
The sound of Blitz’s lustful voice made Dusk’s ears perk up, and he finally realized that his friend was still hooked up to the VR. The instant he walked back towards his private screen, Dusk Shine shrieked in horror. The sight of Big Macintosh laying spread-eagle on the couch and stroking his fat cock definitely made the Prince freeze up in shock; not to mention, the graphics looked even more outstanding when Dusk saw the immense detail of Mac’s cock glistening in precum, as well as the fetlocks of his hoof becoming matted and soaked. The Alicorn’s face practically exploded with a heavy blush, and his hind-legs nearly crossed together from the perspective he was getting from Blitz’s helmet. However, by the time he was able to get his composure back in check with a shake of his head, Dusk overheard his friend’s voice becoming antsier nearby.
“Yeaaaaahhhhhh… Come on, big guy~” By that point, Rainbow Blitz was fully encompassed in the spectacle as he watched Big Mac pumping that thick cock. His muzzle was carrying a haughty grin beneath his deep blush, and his nostrils were constantly flaring out from his rapid breaths. He was stroking his cock vigorously, and growing pretty heated as he throbbed hard against his hoof’s grip. Even as his muscles began to cramp, both from his hind-legs and his foreleg, he wasn’t planning to stop until the job was done. And judging by how much pre was gushing from that monstrous cock before him, Rainbow’s voice came out in a deep, ravenous growl. “Nnnnnnnnn… Yeah, keep going, Mac… I wanna see that thing shoot...”
To add to the illusion, Rainbow gave a strong nod of his head, just to make sure Big Mac did the same. Seeing that buff stud of a stallion “accepting” his request made the pegasus throb even harder, and he moaned out deeply as he felt himself getting close. But even with how badly his nerves were tingling, with his cyan fur standing on end with anticipation, Rainbow was trying his hardest to keep himself from being the first to cum. He was breathing out in hungry pants as the ends of his hind-legs curled up, just as Big Mac’s did across from him. “Nnnnnghhhh… You… Y-You better cum before me, big guy~”
“Oh, sweet Solaris no!” Dusk Shine rushed away from his private screen, and ran straight towards Blitz and his perverted playtime. If he was thinking clearly, he likely could’ve just pulled on one of the cords and yanked Blitz from the VR instantly. But with his mind running in full, pre-Coronation panic-mode, all he could do was try to shout out to Blitz frantically. “Rainbow what are you DOING?! This isn’t what I intended to--”
“NNNNNNNFFFFFF!!!~” Rainbow’s hips reeled upward from his chair, just as Big Mac’s did within his VR helmet. He was mere moments from shooting his load, and seeing whether or not he could last longer than the pixellated pony across from him. He tried his hardest to edge himself in their little “duel,” but he wasn’t able to slow down the frantic pace of his hoof without affecting his opponent’s. The pegasus’ cock was already spurting out thin strings of precum which trickled down his shaft, just like the shimmering state of Mac’s equally pulsating cock. Just as he felt like he was about to burst, Dusk Shine’s frantic shouting were completely unheard by his friend as he reeled his head back, and moaned out in a higher-pitched tone. “Aaaaaaahhhhh!! AAAAHHHH!!~”
“Oh God!” Dusk Shine was running like mad, and tried to light up his horn and stop this madness. But just as he was about to yank Blitz out of his virtual experience, he had to skid to a grinding halt to keep from running into his chair. Unfortunately, that momentary action kept him from stopping Rainbow at the last second; not to mention, the Prince ended up right in front of Blitz’s seat when he heard him reach his peak. “Rainbow, PLEASE DON’T--”
“GNNNNAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!~”
Even though every nerve in his system frayed all at once, which sent electrifying pulsations all across his body, Rainbow Blitz cried out in elation while Big Macintosh reached climax in near-unison with himself. His entire body quivered when he saw Mac’s cock erupt, shooting multiple strands of thick, heavy ropes of cum all over himself. The pony’s head was reeled back, so Blitz couldn’t see much of his blank face; fortunately, Blitz was still rightfully set-off by the sight of that bulky stallion drenching himself in his own creamy-white load. And just like that hunky stallion across from him, Rainbow couldn’t keep himself from tipping past the precipice.
“Aaaaahhhhh!!~” Rainbow Blitz’s orgasm was surprisingly different from Mac’s, as his first cumshot practically sprayed out like a squirt from a water bottle. After that, Blitz continued to stroke himself with all his might while moaning all high-pitched, and shooting off several rapid loads back to back. The pegasus’ climax was enthusiastic to say the least, as his back arched inward on the chair like he was undergoing an exorcism. Every hair of his coat was standing on end, and remained that way by the time he finally finished to full fruition.
“Aaaaaahhhhh… MmmmmMMMMmmmm!~” After nearly twenty seconds of continuous orgasming, Rainbow Blitz eventually slumped back into the chair with a deep, utterly blissful sigh of relief. The stallion had his eyes closed when he took off his VR helmet, which luckily landed on top of one of the chair’s armrests. He smiled tiredly while taking several heavy breaths, looking absolutely content after such an intensely satisfying jerkoff session. When he was finally able to speak somewhat coherently, all he could do was mutter out, “Th… Thank you, Dusk Shine… You’re a really… r-really, really, really, really good friend~”
After giving a hard stretch, Rainbow finally pulled himself from his post-orgasmic stupor while yawning tiredly. If he was back at home, he likely would’ve passed out on the spot without cleaning himself up. However, the instant he reopened his eyes to see where his friend was, he yelped out in surprise at seeing Dusk Shine right there. Of course, Blitz’s eyes widened when he saw how the Alicorn actually looked.
Meanwhile, Prince Regent Dusk Shine was standing right before his friend with a stunned, gobsmacked look on his face. His eyes, as well as his gaping muzzle, were wide-open as he remained stunned silent after Blitz’s bukkake. Several strings of Rainbow’s cum were drizzled all over the Ruler’s face, as well as clinging to his purple mane. His left eye twitched in dread, but he wasn’t able to give a response to the pegasus gawking up at him from the chair.
“... Gnnghh!” Rainbow Blitz had to cover his muzzle with his clean hoof, but it wasn’t enough to keep Dusk Shine from hearing him snickering. “J… J-Jeeze, dude… You know, you could’ve at least worn those goggles hanging around your neck~”
The End
