"Hey." Casey stepped in just far enough for the door to slide shut behind her. "I was hoping to talk to you." She smiled nervously at Sunset. "If you have a moment?"

Sunset shrugged gently. "No rush. That's the nice thing about this job. What did you want to talk about?"

Casey clasped her hands together. "It's nothing bad. Just a little personal, is all." She looked to Rarity. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Rarity chuckled and waved a hand. "We were just having a discussion, dear. Go right ahead. I shall make myself scarce." She swept away without another word, leaving the two alone.

Sunset perked an eyebrow. "Huh. That was easy." She moved over to the main table, setting down the book she had been holding. "So, what's on your mind?"

Casey wandered aimlessly, eyes scanning the many fake book spines. "You were a human, a living one, right?"

"Yup." Sunset leaned against the desk with crossed arms. "Why do you ask?"

Casey tapped at the corner of the desk as she considered her words. "Well, how do you feel about that? Um, or how do you feel, now? Any different? What's it like?"

"Oh." Sunset crossed her arms under her chest. "I can only say what I feel now, and what I remember feeling, before now. There are ups and downs, but I don't regret becoming what I am. If I had to pick one thing I'm still kinda meh on, it's that there's more of me than just me. Not sure I like that concept."

Casey blinked a few times. "That's very interesting. Can you elaborate?"

Sunset hummed in thought. "Well, All that is 'me', is now a program. If you have a program, you can copy it. And if you copy it, nothing stops you from running it, again. So they did that. There's more of me on Earth, and maybe more on different ships. They don't tell me, it just happens." She huffed out a deep sigh at that. "A little creepy."

"Why?" Casey fiddled with her hands as she listened. "If it's all you, what does it matter?"

Sunset tilted her head from side to side. "I guess it's the principle of the thing. I mean, imagine if we just copied you, right now. Would you be happy knowing there were two Caseys?"

Casey bit her lip. "Um, that would be strange." She shifted about awkwardly. "Would the other me remember being me? Or would I forget?"

Sunset raised a hand. "Good question. I remember being me, the old me, so probably? But you'd both be sure you're the original, and how would you even know the difference?"

"Another good question." Casey nodded along. "This is definitely going to make me think."

Sunset gave a slow nod. "So anyway, there's that." She slipped her hands into her coat pockets. "Any other questions, or just curious about life as a hologram?"

Casey came closer, looking over Sunset with interest. "Both. I do have a question. Is it scary, living in a body that isn't real? I mean, I can reach out and touch you, but you're made of light, aren't you?"

Sunset reached out and poked Casey first. "And you're living in a body of wet meat. Both are kinda creepy and strange in different ways. You are what you are. You get used to it."

Casey shrugged, accepting the poke with ease. "I guess we all are what we are." She pulled her hair back and shook her head. "Amazing, though. I know we're just talking, but this is..." She went quiet a moment. "Did it hurt?"

"Huh?" Sunset straightened up. "Did what hurt?"

Casey's lips turned up. "Becoming you. What was that like?"

Sunset ran a hand through her hair. "Do you mean the sync? When I was made into a program? I remember sitting on the chair. They strapped me in all nice and tight, and they started scanning me, all of me, inside, outside, all of it." She smirked at the thought. "You have to be naked, by the way. They need to scan everything if they want to get it right. But, no, nothing hurt. It was, uh, hey, ever get an MRI?"

"I have." Casey tapped a foot slowly. "It's uncomfortable. Noise, and you can't move, right? But they said that was because it had to be perfectly still."

Sunset nodded in agreement. "Exactly! It was like getting an MRI. I fell asleep sometime during it, and woke up as a program on this ship."

Something seemed to click in her. "Oh. No, the old me probably didn't fall asleep, that's just where my memory cut off from hers. Wow, how did I not notice that before?"

Casey grinned at that. "Huh, so your memories aren't, um, exactly yours? That's strange."

"Not at all." Sunset tapped at her head. "All here, everything I was is part of what I am. Just that once the sync was done, then she went on having what was left of her life, and my life began. Maybe she synced again later to update things. If we get back, I'll sync up so later 'mes' have all the experiences I had out here."

Casey let out a long whistle. "And so a line continues into eternity? She-you would have no idea you were connected to your current self, right? She could be in a completely different galaxy."

Sunset laughed at that. "Woah there! We're not galaxy jumping. Still, stars away at the least, and we're headed the wrong way for a heartfelt reunion. Shoot, she's probably dead by now. She, er, I wasn't young when I did that first sync."

Casey leaned back against the desk. "You've seen so much. What are some of the things you've experienced?"

Sunset leaned back with her. "That's a big question. I don't think I could reasonably answer it. But, hey, some, sure." She tapped at her chin. "I've talked with the ponies inside their little digital hidey-holes. They have whole lives in there, you know, little homes and friends and everything."

Casey raised an eyebrow. "Digital houses? Is that anything like this place?" She looked around with renewed interest. "A digital house for you."

"A digital house for them." Sunset waved vaguely. "Each of them has their own little happy place, but they prefer hanging out together. Like, say, the Apples. They're together basically all the time, working on 'the farm', from how they see it, which is all the food processing from how we see it."

Casey mulled that over. "Interesting. I think I understand. They made it sound like a gigantic computer program, where they just exist, not really doing anything until they're needed.

Sunset shook her head. "It can be that." She pushed off the wall, walking along. "I used to 'idle'. But then I got friends. I got family. I don't want to just not exist, not even for a second."

Casey hummed softly at that. "That makes sense." She drummed her fingers on the desk. "You know, you look, uh, sound and act very human."

"Thanks! I should, being a human." She cocked a brow. "Or did you think I stopped being one?"

Casey rubbed the back of her head with a nervous chuckle. "Well, I mean, you are an artificial intelligence. Isn't that different from a real person?"

Sunset chuckled at that. "Now you're being hurtful. I'm not an 'artificial' intelligence. They didn't program me, they copied me. I'm just as human as the original, thanks."

"Right." Casey blushed and rubbed at the back of her head. "That makes sense, um, I guess." She made a soft gesture towards Sunset. "It's hard to believe sometimes. But here you are, living proof. So, hey, if someone was interested—"

"If you're about to ask about being synced? Wrong place." Sunset pointed firmly, but at no place in particular. "You have to be back on earth, at the core computer center. Only there do they have all the equipment to do a full scan and sync a living person. That's also where I'd go to sync with the Sunset Shimmers of the future."

Casey giggled nervously. "Right. Just wondering. Like, if there was some way to meet her? You know, uh, before she, you know, passed away. Well, passed on?"

Sunset gestured at herself. "You're talking to her. Now if you mean the old meat me, well, that's up to you to find where she's physically hiding, probably on Earth if she's alive."

Casey went quiet a moment. "There is one question I still have."

Sunset stretched her arms above her head with a slight groan. "Go ahead, I'm all ears."

"Do you miss it? Being alive, that is."

Sunset smirked at that. "The engineers were damned thorough. There's not too much to miss." She reached out, a little knob appearing out of nowhere. "If I crank the simulation to full." Which she did. "Then I get to experience basically everything. I even have to breathe now."

Casey stared with amazement. "And if you can't?"

"I'm still a program." Sunset breathed gently in place. "Not being able to breathe would be super uncomfortable, but I wouldn't die."

Casey watched closely. "Your nose, it flares when you exhale."

"Because it has to." Sunset giggled at that. "They're simulations. And they're also real, as real as you are." She tapped the floating knob. "With this at max, we cover every dang thing. I'll have to use the little girl's room. I'll have to eat. I'll have to sleep. Honestly, I'm alright with it a little below max." She flicked the switch down, her breathing slowing as the need for it faded.

Casey rubbed her chin in thought. "So it really is like a dream come true, for you. You get to be here, be now, while not having to deal with all those downsides of being alive."

Sunset fired both finger guns at Casey. "Exactly! You're getting it. All the plusses of being alive, without all the living parts that can get in the way. Now, to be super clear, I'm not suggesting you turn in your living card for this. Live your life. If you want to sync, go for it, but keep on living. You only get one shot at it."

Casey tilted her head to one side. "Wouldn't that make more copies of me? Copies that are also alive?"

Sunset tilted her head to the other side. "Sort of? I mean, that's what I'm dealing with. If that scares you too much, um, then don't sync, or maybe only sync when you're old enough that existential creep won't last very long."

"Huh." Casey bit her lip lightly. "Existential creep. So you still have that issue. You're an amazing program, but the idea of a copy of yourself isn't something you've wrapped your head around."

"Working on it." Sunset frowned lightly. "Let's pick a new topic, that one's getting old."

Casey giggled at that, twirling a bit of hair around a finger. "Um, can we chat a little more? I have so many questions."

Sunset gave her a knowing smirk. "Questions? Or did you want to try to pick my brain for all sorts of tasty secrets?"

"A little of one, a little of the other." Casey turned away. "Sorry, not trying to be a pain."

Sunset nodded along. "Nah, it's fine. Everyone has questions. Shoot."

"Have you ever considered what life would be like if you never were born?"

Sunset jerked her head back in surprise. "Not really. Why?"

Casey laughed nervously. "Just wondering, sorry." She pushed off the table.

She didn't get far, Sunset's hand catching her shoulder. "Hm?"

"Don't you 'hm' me." Sunset turned Casey back around to face her. "You don't ask questions like that, the way you did, and walk away. Are you alright? That was very strange."

Casey sighed softly and pulled away from Sunset. "No, I'm not alright. I came here because I wanted to talk to you, get your perspective on things. But I also wanted to escape something."

Sunset stepped closer. "It's hard to escape many things, in this ship, huh?"

"Yeah." Casey could hear how weak her voice sounded. "Ugh, never mind. I'm being silly. Forget I said anything."

"Not a chance." Sunset crossed her arms under her chest and leaned closer. "You want to talk? We got nice people to talk to, living and not."

Casey rested against the desk with a groan. "I wouldn't want to bother anypony with my little issues." She turned away from Sunset. "Silly human emotions."

"I still have those." She suddenly tickled Casey, getting an alarmed squeak from the woman. "Speaking of ponies, I bet Pinkie would love to have a chat. And you wouldn't be bothering her, promise. Seriously, it'd make her day if you asked for her."

Casey jumped forward, batting at Sunset's hand. "N-no, I'm fine! Sorry, shouldn't have brought that up."

Sunset crossed her arms with a stern frown. "I wasn't fooled the first time, or the second. I'm sending Pinkie your way, and you're going to have a nice time. Eat some cake together and just enjoy it. If you have nothing to talk about, it's just an excuse for a good time."

Casey brushed at her clothes. "Oh, um, well, I guess I can try."

"Good!" Sunset put a hand at Casey's shoulder. "That's the spirit. Now, she should be calling you soon."

Author's Note

I hope the tempo of bouncing back and forth between heavier sci-fi themes and slice of life are working for folks. Do tell me!

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