My name is Neto Everfree. I am 21 years old and work in a game company. I do not have much free time because of my job, but just a month ago i had no job. Back then it was all about surfing on the net, playing games, watching videos, anime and movies. I am afraid of socializing and i do not like to talk about things i do not really care about or i do not consider as important. In general i act very differently compared to many other people. I think hormones are a problem, alcohol is a weakness and if you ask me what i think about life, i believe it sucks. I have a bad habit of giving a fake smile even when i do not want to. This includes situations where i am made fun of or the situation is simply not good for a smile. I never go to places at my free time, as in concerts, conventions or parties as i do not like the noise and socializing never works for me. I often think, after reading a good story or watching a great movie, that while it looks they are having fun, i could not enjoy same things with people i know. I also want to stop thinking about the problems around me as it only makes me more depressed, so i prefer doing things that keep my concentration at the task at hand.

Progress of gaming has been stuck for a long time, because nobody can come up with original ideas anymore. We are working on a project, that is supposedly going to change gaming as we know it. We have a huge system set up, that is going to create and maintain a virtual world where you feel the environment with all of your senses. People connect when they sleep in one of the gaming pods. So far, all we have generated is a small colorful world based on Equestria. There are no NPC characters yet and i doubt we will ever create pony NPC's, as the Equestria was just a test to see if the machine was working and i had the honor to decide what sort of world we have for the test.

I am at work right now, standing in a very large room, preparing for something i have been waiting for a whole month. We do not have strict rules about clothes, so i can wear my red t-shirt, dark blue jeans and white sneakers. I am as casual as you can get. There are lots of sleeping pods in the room, where you sleep in order to get ingame and in middle of the room is a big machine, that supposedly keeps the world running. As big as it is, i do not see how it will be enough to run what we are planning. There are a lot of people in the room, also preparing to complete the objective we have.

I am working as a game tester and today i will enter the game world for the first time. I will connect first and if everything works fine, 99 other testers will follow. Our goal is to enter the world and then report to our superiors how the game feels and works. The only person who really understands how this works in theory is VoKeR, the guy who built the machine and wrote the code for it. People call him a genius for reason. We have been working on this project for no more than a month, yet it seems like very soon this machine is fully functional. I wish to know more about the machine, but obviously VoKeR has no time to explain everything, so we just have to trust him on this. We can not really complain, because we have seen a lot progress and no problems so far. One could say, that considering what we are dealing with, lack of problems is a miracle.

Jane: "Neto, get ready for the pod.."

Neto: "Ok."

Jane: "You never say much and that worries me".

Neto: "Nothing to say."

Jane: "You are going to be testing something, that most people would consider the biggest thing in gaming and you have nothing to say?"

Neto: "You want me to talk about something you already know about?"

Jane: "I just do not know if you find this interesting."

Neto: "It is interesting, but i do not see what difference it makes."

Jane: "I lost you there. I dont understand why it has to make a difference, but if it makes you feel any better, it makes a difference to me."

Neto: "I just.. sometimes i think we could be doing something else, that could be considered more important. We are working on a game, while there are people out there with real problems. I am not saying i care more than you, because if i did, i would be helping people right now."

Jane: "I.. this is probably not the best time to be discussing things like that."

Neto: "It never really is. We can go on with our lives and completely ignore problems that rarely affect our lives."

Jane: "Right.. Anyway, here is your sleeping pill. Get ready to enter another world in 15 minutes. I really have to go coach the other testers, so they do not fall asleep before entering the pod."

While i act like i am not excited, i actually am. The whole idea seems too good to be true for a gamer or anyone who wished, that fantasy or sci-fi should be real. Preparation is now done and i just ate the pill. Now i wait in the pod. The pill seems to be very effective as i am starting to feel really tired. might as well close my eyes and..

It feels like i am standing. Wait, i am. I opened my eyes-WHOA! This place is amazing. Very bright colors, just like in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but it looks beyond beautiful! Of course watching a video and actually looking this in.. 4D? No wait, what is reality called? Well, i have no idea what i should call this, so all i can really say is "Shit looks bitching". Also everything feels very interesting and unique (It is a cartoon style terrain after all). I am standing on top of a large hill, where i can, conveniently enough, see all around me. Behind me i can see end of the world. It is just pitch blackness after Equestria ends. From this i can conclude, that i am not in middle of Equestria, as else i could see the end at every direction. Once the world is fully functional, it is supposed to be infinite in size. I do not understand what sort of power source can keep an infinite world running, but I will just have to trust VoKeR on that. The world does not really look like Equestria in the show, apart from the colors. There are no familiar places nearby and obviously no villages or towns yet. Right now even the plants and trees are ”fake”. Once the NPC's are created, they are supposed to shape the world themselves. I have no idea how that is going to work, but it sounds awesome! Maybe some sort of randomly generated groups are created (as an example, lets say humans, elves and orcs) and then a time lapse will happen, where time will be forwarded quickly, to create history for the world. Woah, how did i figure out something like that? Well, it might not be accurate, but it seems like a good way to do it! Actually, it feels like i can think faster. Even my memory is.. perfect? It is hard to say where the limit is right now, but i can easily repeat what i said, word by word. This world could be used for far more, than just gaming. I got to mention this to Jane once i get out of here, but right now i have a job to do.

Herald: "You ok there?"

Neto: "Voice in my head, not creepy at all."

Herald: "I see you are just fine"

Neto: "So, what do i need to do?"

Herald: "Just tell me how you feel. Also Try running, jumping and later we might even try dying."

Neto: "Oh, so once i am useless, you get rid of me."

Herald: "Very funny. When you die ingame, you wake up and the avatar you used will be gone forever."

Neto: "I know that much, but the avatars are not enabled yet, so i will simply wake up. That is what Jane told me."

Herald: "Yes, now start running. It is not like you will get tired fast over there."

Neto: "Yea.."

I can run really fast. So fast, that if i could pull it off in real life, my brain would not be able to calculate the leg movement correctly and i would stumble, not to mentioned human body is simply not made for something like this. The speed must be close to 100 mph and the terrain is not exactly made for running and to top it off i am going down a hill. I just can not get enough of these game physics! My way is blocked by a huge boulder, but i am quite sure i can just jump over it. Leg muscles, time to make memories! *hop* I am practically flying right now. The wind feels amazing. Uh.. maybe i overdid the jump as i am still going up! Oh, no worries. Going down now and i will just have to prepare for-OH SHIT THE GROUND! I must be about +200 feet in the air and i am going to hit the ground at high speed!

Neto: "I am falling to my death!"

Herald: "Oh, that is not possible as you can't take any damage right now. Your body is set as immortal-like."

Neto: "Good to know. I was not mentally pre-"

Herald: "Ah, actually might as well change you to a mortal and set you to respawn instead of waking up."

Neto: "Wait, what-WAIT!"

Herald: "Sense of pain is completely disabled right now, so do not worry. When will you hit the ground..? Seems like you already did."

I open my eyes again, full of energy and feeling calm for some reason. I remember very well i just died, but something, part of the game maybe, helps me to not care about it too much. I am at a different place now. I guess the placement might be a bit random.

Neto: "Looks like death works very nicely in this game. I could swear i were screaming just a moment ago, but now it is like witnessing somebody else doing it."

Herald: "Excellent! How about other activities? Oh and test running as a mortal as well! Also what about you in general? Feeling good?"

Neto: "For some reason it feels like i can think far better in this world and i can easily memorize everything. Running and jumping with the immortal-like body is amazing. An experience worth experiencing. Now normal running feels quite boring, to be honest. I do not get tired. At least not yet, but speed is close to what i can run in real life."

Herald: "Oh, ok.. Your brain must work better when you are sleeping or maybe the game helps you to think somehow. It is not like i get much information about the game either, so i am not sure. It looks like the other testers are joining now. Actually i think some of them are already in."

Neto: "I guess they are not near me then.."

Herald: "Yes, the placement is random.. Those who happen to be close to each other, will take care of group tests. Lets do few more tests and then you can return back to reality."

Neto: "If i must.. This place is amazing, so i do not really want to leave!"

Herald: "It might not be too healthy. Please remember, that your real body is starving he-"

...

Neto: "Hello? Herald? Herald!

Communication was cut off. It seems like there are some problems now. Well, it was about time that miracle streak was broken. Oh wait, i hear footsteps! I turn around and see a person wearing a fancy black suit. It looks a bit stupid considering the surroundings. Ah its.. What is he doing here!

Neto: "VoKeR? I didn't know you are participating in the test."

VoKeR looks at Neto and seems displeased. He ignores Neto and looks at his wrist.. watch? No, it is larger than that. It looks like it has a small touchscreen. Must be a way to work while inside the game.

Neto: "Everything is working fine?"

VoKeR: "Yes"

Neto: "So, i guess i have nothing to worry about then."

VoKeR: "That is right. Worrying about it wont change a thing."

VoKeR is smiling now, in somewhat creepy way. He seems to be waiting for something.

Neto: "Do not take this the wrong way, but i do not think this conversation is very nat-"

"What if i told you, that this is not a game", VoKeR interrupted.

Neto: "Not a game? Well.. it is far more than just a game, i agree."

VoKeR: "What this is right at the moment, might seem more like a game, but the next step will take it far beyond that."

Neto: "Really?"

"Sadly you wont be able to see the final product.", VoKeR said, while smiling in a creepy way again.

Neto: "Oh.. Because my testing ends before that?"

VoKeR: "Hahhahaha! Why yes, it will end before that! Let me tell you something..", VoKeR continues, while he pressed the screen on his wrist. A giant cage appears around Neto!

Neto: "What is going on?!"

VoKeR: "Soon there will be 9,999 other testers in here, not counting us. 10,001 counting us. In theory i only need about thousand, but i figured better safe than sorry."

Neto: "How is that possible? There are only hundred pods and hundred testers and i do not see how a greater amount of testers online will change anything."

VoKeR: "I have additional testing facilities, hundred to be exact, with hundred pods each. They are all connected and placed in different locations around the planet. My plan is to create a new world, where i have more power. With this power i can create my ideal world or at least something similar. I am tired of the way our society works. Due to my intelligence, people want to use me in many ways and it felt like such a waste. Smart people use their lives "fixing" problems, while most people are lazy idiots, who want to enjoy themselves and keep creating more problems. Even with my vast intelligence, i can not fix some of the problems anymore. Main problem being the amount of people and another being the fact. that idiots can have an opinion. The world wont work, when problem are kept around. Those fools refuse to get rid of some luxuries and entertainment, even if our future depends on it!"

Neto: "I see.."

VoKeR: "What? Not the response i expected. Are you not going to call me crazy?"

Neto: "Well, there are many things you didn't explain, but i can agree, that our world is very messed up and it has problems we can't fix. Still, creating a world? Is that even possible?"

VoKeR: "As i mentioned, there are hundred machines at different locations all around our ill home planet. The requirement to create a new world will cost us our entire planet. The infinite flat shaped world and life forms will be produced by a unique new energy source. Our intelligence. That brain we can not use to its full potential, has plenty of secrets and i managed to figure out few of them. All of the minds of the testers will create the new world an imagination of its own, that i should be able to alter. Of course many useless parts are restricted, so i should have less problems, that are common on our planet. Sadly i could not restrict the bad energy completely, but the outcome should be near perfect, unless.."

Neto: "Unless..?"

VoKeR: "As i mentioned, human brain has its secrets. There is a chance that something unexpected happens, but i calculated the possibility down to 0,5%."

Neto: "Ok, the chances look good, but if i understood you right, i am going to die unless that 0,5% chance works in my favor."

VoKeR: "I do not understand how you are calmly analyzing the situation, when facing death"

Neto: "Incase you didn't know, my brain works faster and better in this world. And i guess, somehow death doesn't seem too scary to me right now. Maybe because i respawned just a while ago."

VoKeR: "Ah, the afterdeath-effect.. Wait, your brain works faster? I have not noticed any difference. Nevermind that.. Wait time is over. Time to put the plan in action."

VoKeR pressed his touchscreen again, but this time a heavy feeling goes through your body. Apparently VoKeR feels the same thing as you both fall down to your knees.

VoKeR: "We are now separated from our old bodies. Goodbye Neto. No human can survive the transfer, unless they have the right tools."

VoKeR falls unconscious and so do you. Your last thought was, that being a human is a pain anyway. Planet Earth is nowhere to be found.