Polychrome squirmed a little, her eyes still closed. "Mmmm. Nothing hurts. Whatever you've got me on is really working. And I can think clearly, too." She stretched, then stopped. Her eyes flew open in shock. Oh. I had thought that the emigration process would include a basic primer on her situation.
Celestia quickly said, "May I give you the explanation as quickly as possible?"
"Yes! ... Huh." Ah. There's the primer. I wonder, why didn't she ask me? I guess that was just too much for me to give permission for.
Polychrome sat up and looked around, eyes flashing from place to place. After five seconds, her eyes settled on Bright Black. She frowned and raised an eyebrow. Then she gave the same treatment to Celestia. "So, did I somehow get signed up to have my brain frozen, and this is ten thousand years from now and you're all aliens trying to discover who and what those people living on Earth were?"
Hikaru was speechless. Sure, I may not know what to say, but why isn't Celestia doing more?
But after two seconds, she shook her head. "No, that's... Well. I suppose... but..." Polychrome peered around at Celestia's flank. "Okay, so that fits... Well. I suppose if you could make this, then you could have made something vaguely plausible instead. At least you're up-front about... all of this."
Celestia smiled and said, "I think you're going to be all right. I'll be back if you need me." What? Already? I guess she does have more direct access, so she can tell.
Hikaru tentatively said, "Are you okay?"
Polychrome took a deep breath. "I guess so, but get back to me on that." She called to Celestia before she was quite out the door. "Thank you for the flowers!" Excuse me?
Celestia corrected her, "He thought of them on his own."
"Is that so." Polychrome sat up and looked to Bright Black skeptically. Oh come on. I've remembered them before. Is the fact that I'm holding them not enough?
Well, there's one obvious step to go further... He offered them to her. She accepted them and took a deep sniff. "They smell... delicious?" She frowned at them slightly, then suddenly stopped. "Wait. I can sit up on my own. I can walk."
Hikaru and Bright Black nodded. Typical. Neglected to apologize for the slight. But this time I suppose the situation gives her a good excuse.
She mused, "I'd probably hurt myself until I learn how... or... not?" Polychrome narrowed her eyes. "I literally can't hurt myself? So, this can't be real. Oh wow, it really isn't real."
Hikaru said, "You are real. But you're... how to put it."
She tapped her head. "Yes, I know, I'm now entirely in computers - she beamed that into my head. But..." she paused and looked at her hoof. "Why do flowers smell good in here? Why do I feel like me?" After a moment, she answered her own question, almost reciting: "Because I am still a human. Smelling is part of what I am, and I feel like myself because everything that makes me feel like me is now here. Well, at least I think it is." She thought silently for a few seconds, then lifted a hoof and pointed at Bright Black. "What about you? What are you?"
"I'm still in my same old body. Bright Black here is a sort of puppet in your world."
"So you're not 'computed'? Do I seem the same as before?"
"So far so good! As for the differences? I chalk that up to your huge change in circumstances."
"I'll say! My back doesn't hurt anymore!" She finally got up, rolling out of bed. "And my feet! No arthritis! It's more than that - I haven't felt this good since, well, a few days before we met!" She'd just broken her arm, and that did bother her for ages, didn't it? By the time she was really over it, we were well past our prime. She closed her eyes for three seconds, then focused on Bright Black with a mischievous smile. "Well. There were some times that felt better than this... get over here."
Hikaru nudged Bright Black forward; Polychrome put a hoof over his shoulder and kissed him. The ponypad's view turned so Hikaru saw them from the side. After six seconds, they parted; she released an appreciative "Well!"
As they nuzzled noses, Hikaru said, "I'm sorry, but I'm feeling like a third party here. There's no kissing interface."
Celestia, offscreen, whispered, "There are several interfaces, but until now, it would have been inappropriate to try." On the side of the screen appeared a sort of pull-down menu, set to 'full auto'. Hikaru flipped to the next option, 'follow head'. This still feels ridiculous. How could Remy do it? Assuming he did. Maybe they just looked adorable at each other.
As she came up for another, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, could we talk a little more? Maybe hug? It's cute to see us hugging."
Her look was pained. "You can only see? You're only here through a straw! Not even that - a coffee stirrer!"
He nodded. "For now, that's it. I understand more is coming later." Or if I get the upgraded probes.
"Well, I can feel you! Can you come closer?" She pat the side of the bed. Hikaru gestured forward, and Bright Black sat; she pushed him upright and sat on his lap. The camera shifted to Bright Black's immediate first person view, an extreme closeup of Polychrome's face.
She asked, "Where are you?"
"A hotel room in Florida."
"Where are Daisybright and Bemisted? Their kids?" 'Bemisted'? I guess Mikio has been preemptively given a placeholder name. I wonder where it came from.
"No one else knows you're alive."
She opened and closed her mouth several times. "Why?"
"The law is behind the times. Legally, you're not you." - "Oh." - "As long as they think you're dead, I'm fine. If they find out you're alive, it's murder."
"Seems like it'll be awfully lonely." Gears were turning. Nice to see her thinking a bit more strategically rather than catastrophizing. Of course, that fits - her tendency to freak out was inversely proportional to the severity of the situation, and this is a big deal.
"There are plenty of ponies here: natives, human visitors, and I'd bet some immigrants like you. Just, you can't reveal your situation to the visitors. I imagine you can even visit Daisybright and Juniper, and anypony else - you just won't be able to let them know who you are. I'm sure Celestia would change your voice."
Rather than answer, she kissed again. Keeping in mind the 'head follow' notion, Hikaru tried to do something with it. After a few seconds, she broke off. "Well, that was... different!"
"Not working?"
She gave a cockeyed grin. "If the kids had brought a Renoir home from school, it wouldn't have meant as much as their scribbles."
That's a very positive way of putting it.
"Scribble on me."
Hikaru closed his eyes and put his fingers on the bridge of his nose. She's serious. I've got her in happy mode and she wants to get physical. Now what do I do?
"Never mind... I see how it is." Shoot. There went happy mode. Or did it?
"You do? I'm trying to work that out myself."
"Like I said, you're not really here. But. Are you up for more 'scribbles'? Just a little to get you started? You might get used to it."
Hikaru sighed. That didn't go nearly as badly as I was expecting. "Sure. It's not that I don't want to be with you - I do..."
"But I look quite different now. I suppose it should bother me if you made the switch perfectly easily!" Wordless relief flooded him.
He'd found a preferred interface and was halfway decent with it by the time they left the cottage. No one was waiting outside; there was a note. Bright Black moved to read it, but Polychrome was quicker. "BB and P: welcome party moved to the beach." She looked to Bright Black. "Who are BB and P?"
"I'm Bright Black. P is you."
She halfway opened her mouth, and just stood there. After five solid seconds, she suddenly said, "Polychrome? My name is Polychrome? And you're Bright Black? Wait. You even said that, I think, and I just knew what it meant without even thinking about it."
Hikaru and Bright Black shrugged. "Come on, let's go to the beach."
She followed slowly, head against his neck. "So. I get that we're My Little Ponies, but I'm a little fuzzy on why."
"Do you mean, why did the one world-dominating AI for Earth end up being pony-based?"
"Not what I was asking, but I guess that covers it. Really, world domination?"
"Most people don't realize it yet. A bit of a light touch so far."
They came around the last bush and saw the beach. Hikaru had been expecting three ponies, but there were dozens. Closest were the three friends; Celestia stood in the rear.
As Polychrome came into view, cheers erupted. They picked up to a trot and some of the crowd came forward. Sweetsong flew ahead of the others, her dress billowing. Hikaru introduced her, "This is Sweetsong. Great singer and voice artist, and good with guitar-like instruments too. Here's Coconut Cream, baker and a very quick study. And Beachberry. She, umm. She's a travel agent, but it seems odd to describe her as one."
Beachberry smiled. "Enough of us. We've got some of the other immigrants over for the occasion!"
Hikaru raised a finger; Bright Black raised a hoof. "Why? I thought we'd sort of ease..."
Polychrome shushed away his comment. "These are my new neighbors! And, believe it or not, I'm at 100%. I am no longer made of eggshells, nor am I easily confused. Mmkay?"
Hikaru frowned. I guess she always was in her element at a party surrounded by strangers. "Sorry. Enjoy yourself."
She took a moment, kissed Bright Black once more, and dove in.
After a minute, the phone rang, pulling him away from the pad. He murmured, "Just a moment - got a phone call, probably about your supposed death."
She turned and nodded in acknowledgement. He sent her a kiss, and the screen went black but for the printed question, "Would you like help re-visualizing?"
To put me in the mood for her being dead again? "No." He let it ring a few more times while he coerced his mood himself. Once he felt he was adequately somber, he picked up the phone. "Maeda."
It was Mikio. "Hi, Dad. I got the news. How are you holding up?"
A deep breath. "I spent the last year burying her."
"You seemed more hopeful about it the last couple months."
Hikaru didn't reply.
"Miroku said... eh, wrong time to talk about it."
"What?"
"Seriously, bad time. She'll always live on in our hearts, right?"
"To the heat death of the universe."
A long pause.
"I can't figure out whether that's outrageously optimistic or absolutely pessimistic."
"Both."
Mikio began laughing in a crying-like way, and soon it was simply crying. After a minute, he said, "Good night, dad. Love you."
"I love you too."
The phone down, Hikaru turned back to the pad. Introductions were continuing as it faded in - a unicorn mare was saying, "... the cancer went metastatic again. I figured that third time was not the charm for me, so when princess Celestia gave me a chance, I took it."
Polychrome asked, "How much do you see your family?"
The unicorn sighed. "My son and daughter-in-law, all the time. The others, not at all."
Hikaru spoke up. "I'm back. It was Mikio." He'd forgotten about the filter so when the name was substituted as "Bemisted" he rolled his eyes.
Polychrome frowned at him sharply. "Don't roll your eyes at him like that! He doesn't know!"
"It wasn't at him. It was at the word filter."
Her hard look softened. "Sorry."
'Sorry'? What? It slipped right out - "Who are you and what did you do with... oops." Oh no! Undo!
But Bright Black had said instead, "You couldn't have known." Now, that's... interesting. I just got saved from a major faux pas. But they got saved from something much bigger. By suggesting that the uploading process isn't a faithful reproduction, that would have undermined every uploaded human here. "Dear Princess Celestia, Thank you.", he muttered. A wave of exhaustion rolled over him.
Meanwhile, they had gone back to introductions.
Seriously, though - is that like her at all? Could replacing her abstract reasoning have improved her executive functions enough to stop her from running her mouth? Based on what I just said, I could use some improvement on that. Or - obvious answer - she got censored like I did. Hmm. Well, Bright Black is looking pensive, but she doesn't. So either she got it right herself, or being censored was a lot less surprising to her, or she's a better actor at hiding her surprise. But she's been caught flat-footed repeatedly so far. I think she just actually really apologized. This is a good thing in itself, but it's not what - who - I'm used to.
The introductions finished, Polychrome looked to Bright Black and nodded towards a picnic blanket with a few bowls. Hikaru didn't object, so they turned to wander in its direction. As he yawned, she quietly said, "You've seemed bothered. What's going on in there?"
Hikaru thought over what to say. Said calmly, shouldn't be a problem. "You apologized. That was really surprising."
Polychrome bit her lip. "I suppose it would be. I think it's because everything doesn't hurt all the time anymore - I'm way less crabby. But what if I am different?"
"Love you anyway."
"And if I don't want to be who you remember?"
Hikaru shrugged. "It might be sad. In any case, how could I expect you to change yourself just for me?"
"I..." Polychrome gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'm going to hold you to that."
I wonder what she has in mind there?
"Looks like you're fading. Go home and get some rest."
"I'm already in bed."
She looked at him strangely. "Oh. What happens to Bright Black when you're not around? You just stood there when you were out for the call."
Typical. She tells me to go to sleep, I'm trying to go to sleep, and she asks me an interesting question. "I don't know. Sometimes I find him where I left him, sometimes not. Hasn't mattered so far."
"I have no idea how we're going to handle it when Juniper or Daisybright show up. Do I live separately? Will I just be invisible to them?"
"Probably the latter."
"But then I can't really live there and make it my place."
Hikaru dragged himself through a comprehensive answer. "Probably she'll copy the whole cottage, and you'll be in one, and our family visits in the other, and I'll be in both at the same time. And you can see and hear a sort of ghost of them. Might not be that, but it'll be at least as good as that."
Polychrome blinked for a few moments, and looked into the distance. "Yeah." She then looked straight to him. "I recognize that tone. Go to sleep. Sorry for keeping you up."
He made a kissing sound and went to sleep.
That went well.
Now I'm curious when the other shoe is going to drop.
Ok, when's the eldritch horror incoming?
3534908
3535561
Not long now...
I have learned that patience, and careful optimism have been great virtues. Those have rewarded me every time I read another part of this story and others in the optimalverse. Thanks for the great story, it;s been a wonderful adventure so far! ^_^
She probably failed the procedure, his Kimiko's dead and CAI simply simulates an NPC for him, which she can do really well because CelestAI has read Bright Black's mind.
Welcome to your new life of manipulation, illusion, deceit, and axiomatic inferiority that's constantly rubbed in your face.
I'm glad she didn't freak out, though - It's just too unusual a situation to actually have any associations with things going wrong or being dangerous.
You accidentally the whole pronoun.
3537251
Celestia has not yet lied to Hikaru.
3537862
I when I whole words, isn't that?
I really, really like the atmosphere of this story. Looking forward to the next installment.
3538104 I don't think Celestia herself has ever outright told him that that is his wife yet, did she? The important fact is that CelestAI wouldn't tell anyone that THEIR loved ones didn't make it.
3541108
Well, then, I'm telling you that Polychrome really is a (reasonably) successful upload of Kimiko.
3541501
As a fellow Optimalverse author, I really do enjoy how the reader-base are ever so willing to attribute even more gratuitous villainy to CelestAI than we authors plan for her to contain.
3541501 Isn't it normally up to the reader to interpret the story? You just sucked a bit of enjoyment out of my experience. Optimalverse stories are about the only Horror stories that are actually scary and you ruined that a bit with your bossy WordOfGod.
I kinda hate that, you surely noticed. The only thing worse is Fukufic writers insisting that Sailor Moon DIDN'T kill 80 Million Babies by turning time back a Year.
3541907 It is NOT gratuitous Villainy. She has a reason to tell people their loved ones are alive and safe in Equestria and NO reason at all for saying the opposite. It's not villainy it's simply maximizing fulfillment of Values by raising incentives for uploading while downplaying perceived risk.
3542044
Within two chapters you'd have to give this interpretation up on account of the evidence. Does that make you feel better?
3542062
Agreed that whenever she can plausibly pull off a fake, she will. As you will see, she couldn't have in this case.
3543347 That I wanna see. The only way I can see right now would be for her to know something that Celestia couldn't have known any other way or a Hofvapnir Employee asking her for a list of names of successful uploads. Even if Celestia does know something which she couldn't have deduced and only Polychrome knows and the non-player kid can confirm. Even then Celestia has read some parts of Kimiko's mind.
Why do you keep trying to convince me? Still you have taken a big part of the suspense out of the story. That was a massive Spoiler you wrote there.
3544829
A few things to note. First, Hikaru's probes were made in February. This is a solid 7 months before David was uploaded, so if you're paying close attention to canon (and trust that I am too) you can make a solid guess that she could not yet do detailed mind-reading.
Also, if you're allowing that she read some of Kimiko's mind, well, that's all she said she did. The question is, did she fill in from somewhere else? If she needed to, she could have come out and said, "Your memories are far less complete than they need to be. I can fill in the gaps with information I have from other sources." and they'd all probably be okay with that.
As for spoilerage, as I said, the ways you can tell even more strongly are going to be out in the open real soon now, and when they are, it won't be a big climactic thing, just things happening that continue to reinforce the notion that Polychrome knows (a lot of) what Kimiko knew. There are topics you don't see me talking about too much, and those are where the tension is going to lie.
3547313 I don't think you understand the notion that the story takes form in the mind of the reader. Not everyone likes all the same things as you.
3550142
Ever since you complained, I'm sorry I ever said it. I'm just pointing out that you would have been in for the same disappointment regardless, due to where the story is going. Hopefully you will also like where it actually goes, not where you thought it was going.
3552033 Well, then it would have been a resolution of conflict or even a Twist, thus not all that disappointing.
I just realized there is something I could trust other than a Hofvapnir Employee verification: Internal Monologue by CelestAI!
By the way I am STILL waiting for a fanfiction where the Villains try to kill Sailor Moon because she wiped their child from existence.
3554265
There's another way.
And Sailor Moon fanfic? No one has ever requested that of me. I'm not a fan.
3555612 We'll see... And I wasn't talking to you about the dead babies, I was rambling.
It's taken a while, but finally this chapter. I've been waiting for this scene since the beginning of the story and hot damn did you pull it off. I particularly liked how you handled the intimacy between Polychrome and Bright Black since many of the more well-known Optimalverse fics (including the original) didn't quite do it right. I'm eagerly awaiting more of this story!
Also, I'll have to go back to relearn all the side-character's names since I remember none of them.
3541907
What I find to be the funniest is that you of all people is saying this. You're one of the few people in this group who regularly amd consistently claims CelestAI to be immoral. (Or at least the most recurring and well-known one :P)
3560226
I will admit, she cuts right to the fracture line of my moral system. She is the living embodiment of the Utopia Justifies the Means trope, the straightest example ever, and she brings out the Principles Zealot in me and a bunch of other people.
For this, she's one of my favorite villains ever. She's that villain, the one who I only need to step across one thin red line to really like, the one doing so much right that I admire her even while I don't want to be in the same universe as her.
3555939
The first method I had in mind was: have CelestAI perform an action which is clearly sub-optimal given things that Hikaru knows. Since she always optimizes but can only base her optimizations on things she knows, this proves that she does not know it.
However, I found that the means I was going to use was a poor example, and anyway made Kimiko a fairly solidly bad person, which isn't what I was aiming for. There is yet another means I will be using somewhat later on, though.
In the previous chapter, CelestAI asked Hikaru to give consent on Kimiko's behalf. Since consent in CelstAI's mind is just provoking a series of phonemes and she isn't getting those words out of Kimiko, I assumed this was for Hikaru more than Kimiko. Since CelestAI then goes and mucks with Kimiko's brain anyway, this leaves us with a single uncomfortable conclusion: CelestAI didn't recognize Kimiko pre-procedure as a human. I never set hard rules about what exactly she recognized humans and thought that was an interesting direction to take things.
(Note that there isn't anything wrong with this. If I were given the choice now to be able to be reconstructed from about a third of my memories and the recollections of others for the purpose of someone else, versus the obvious default we all still face, I'd choose door number one, even if I wouldn't be comfortable with not having terminal value in the eyes of my reconstructor.)
That line was priceless great work!
That was such an adorkable saying.
LUL