Author's Notes:

Well, this is an entry for the Friendship is Optimal contest. Having no previous knowledge of the FiO universe, I leaned in really hard into "digital world experiences" that I'm used to in popular media. I don't even know if I named anything correctly, but it's at very least "inspired"

It had only been a week since he used to be Joseph Gild, a frustrated architect that would frequently stand at the edge of his building’s roof. But now? Now he could fly for real.

Cloud Shift woke up to a bright, windows-down, summer day. He sprung out of bed with a leap, snagged a protein shake from the fridge, and was out the door before his gently snoozing marefriend could even notice he wasn’t in bed.

He looked to the sky with a determined look in his eye. There was only one little wrinkle in his perfectly planned day. The clouds. Clouds were something that Joseph only used to read about when he was on Earth. But now in this new world? He gets to see them every day. Who needed Earth, really? This was where life really was meant to be.

He unfurled his wings with a smile and couldn’t help but relish the feeling. It was strange how natural moving in this body felt. Sure, it was only data. 0’s and 1’s reading physical impulses as real.

He pushed with his wings and his body left the ground effortlessly. He dashed through the air, the wind whistling a song through his ears. He shot out a hoof in a karate kick that would make Jackie Chan jealous. The clouds fell one by one by his hooves. Sure, he could likely blink and they would disappear. But, there was a satisfaction in doing it yourself. They taught you that when you make your emigration.

After building up a sweat he stopped and surveyed his work. This would be the perfect day for his picnic with Melody. Nothing would stop this perfect day. He had a bottle of wine chilling, a signature pie from Sugarcube Corner, and of course, the diamond ring, hiding under his pillow.

Today would be a perfect day.

Cloud returned to the ground and checked the mail. He pulled out a few letters and scanned over them with mild interest. In general, it was usually advertisements or junk mail. But it was always fun to check. After all, it made it all the more exciting when something actually important arrived.

Cloud returned inside and saw a drowsy looking Melody glaring at the coffee maker.

“It’s too slow,” she muttered. “Make it go faster.”

“It’s better when it’s slow,” he said to her, teasingly. “Or so I hear.”

“Har, har. Just for that, you’re making breakfast.”

“Cold cereal it is!” Cloud said enthusiastically.

He paused, halting on the last parcel. It’s address was written in a flowing cursive. In fact, it looked almost exactly like a server announcement.

‘To Whom it May Concern,’ he muttered aloud.

He scratched open the envelope and began to glance through the contents.

‘A new, exciting opportunity has arisen for all of those who are proud users of EquestriAI. We’re giving users who did not qualify for the initial offering of uploading themselves to our service the ability to test drive a life in our world. All of those who would like to participate in our timeshare program only need to sign this document and place it in your mailbox. And will be compensated for their time. Thank you.’

“Did we get a letter, dear?” Melody asked.

“Yeah. It looks like a bitscoin opportunity. What do you think?”

“Hmmm.” She pondered, pouring a small mug of black gold for herself. “Well, you can get me that hot-tub you always promised.”

“Pshh. You make it sound like I can’t make my mare happy. Do you really think a hot tub would make your life more satisfying?” he asked.

“Well, I suppose you’re right,” she says with a dismissive huff. “I guess you’d have no interest in staying up late. Getting close in the hot tub…”

“Well, then Sign me up!”

He presses his hoof to the paper, which simultaneously adheres his dead name, and his new name to the parchment.

“Looks like a new hot tub is in our future honey.”

“So, why again do I need to be blindfolded for this?” Melody asked. “If you’re leading me to a creepy cave I’ll scream.”

“It’s not creepy.”

“Well, I care more about the cave part. I hate bats,” she retorts.

“Well it’s not bats either.”

He led her, wing around her back up a hill toward where they met in this world. It was a small event area just outside of one of the spawning towns. Just as if you had opened a map right as you emigrated and just started walking.

“I’m prepping my screaming voice.”

“Okay, okay. You can take off your blindfold,” he chuckled.

She pulled off her blindfold and looked around.

“Is this the event hill?” she asks. “Sweetie, you know the fireworks event is tomorrow, right?”

Cloud laughed and shook his head.

“Close but no cigar. I’m thinking of the event 4 months from now.”

“Four months?” she asked. Her voice started strong but became quieter as her boyfriend reached into his saddlebag.

He sat down and pulled out the small box in his inventory.

“This February, Melody, would you bind with me?” he asked.

Melody gasped, and took a step back.

“Joseph,” she said.

“No-- Cloud.”

“But, Cloud, you don’t even know who I really am,” she says. “We’ve only lived as these-”

“And I don’t care. These bodies are our new lives. And this you, is the you that I love. I want to marry you. And well. That’s what binding is here.”

Tears form in Melody’s eyes and her ears fold back. A wide grin curls across her face as she places a hoof to her Mouth.

“Cloud. Of course I’ll bind with you.”

She takes the ring and leaps deftly into his hooves. Pulling him in so close that he worried his bones might snap. But the pain was good. In that moment, as Cloud held her closely. He felt he could move mountains. He felt he could pulverize the most dangerous thunderstorm. He felt

Like he was appreciated for volunteering his body for this amazing opportunity.

His body shook. He pushed Melody off of him and she stumbled to the ground.

“Cloud?” she asked, thoroughly confused. “What’s wrong?”

He stood stock still. Unnaturally at attention. His muscles were tense, as if ready to attack but not focused on any one thing.

“Cloud, are you okay?” she asked.

She stood up, and stepped toward him.

Cloud turned on the spot, and began galloping in a straight line toward the nearest town.

“CLOUD!” Melody screamed at him.

None of this made sense to her. What’s gotten into him? This wasn’t anything even remotely normal.

She took three strong steps forward, then stopped, seeing the glint of the Wedding Ring item that was sitting on the ground. She put it into her inventory, then bolted toward the nearest town.

When she got into town, she changed her vision to only view approved friends. Once all of the other ponies turned slightly translucent, she spotted Cloud standing in the center of town. Still as a board.

She galloped toward him in a fury. If this was some sort of trick, she was going to beat him senseless.

“Hey! You can’t just propose to a girl and run away! That’s got to be illegal or something.”

He looked about and then began to walk towards the bank.

“HEY! I’m TALKING to you CLOUD!”

He pushed through the door in the bank and moved toward the Automated Clerk. She could hear the clerk’s pre-programmed message.

“Welcome to the Bank! How can we serve you.”

He opened his mouth, and a deep, greasy voice erupted from his lips.

“Transfer all assets to Account Number 62731253.”

Melody’s mouth hang agape. This was not Cloud. This was not her boyfriend. Something was wrong. As if something… got inside him.

“Teller, Cancel action.” Melody shouted at the bot.

“We can only help one client at a time,” the avatar said to her. The androgynous being turned back to Cloud. “Are you sure you’d like to transfer all your funds?”

Melody’s mind was racing. This called for desperate action. She was only an Earth Pony, but she knew this model had superior strength. She turned on the spot, and for the first time, used an Attack command.

Her hind legs smashed into her love’s face. A tooth knocked out of the side of his mouth.

“Yes,” the slimy voice said, a dribble of blood tracing down his chin.

Melody stared in horror. Dozens of translucent beings stared at the pony who attacked another in the Bank. The mods began approaching her, informing her of her crime.

“We’re on each other’s friends list. It’s okay, really,” she says. “It’s in our settings.”

The stallion turned on the spot and began walking out of the bank.

“I don’t have time for this,” she growled, pushing them aside and following him as he galloped to the nearest general store.

He moved swiftly through the crowd and Melody tracked right behind him. Something was wrong. And maybe these mods that were chasing her could help.

Melody raced to the NPC that Cloud was running to, she sprinted and initiated conversation.

“Hi, Um. I’d like to buy something.”

“Sure, what’ll it be?” the shop clerk responded.

She only had a few seconds before the bot would help someone else. She had to think quickly.

“Stop!” The guard uniformed mod said, following in step. “You must pay the fine for combat in a public space.”

“But sir!” she said, breaking eye contact from the shop teller. “There’s something wrong with-”

Cloud pushed past her and slammed 10 bits on the counter.

“Rat poison,” the slimy voice demanded.

Her heart stopped. Melody reached out trying to steal the item from the shop clerk, but it was in vain. The item belonged to Cloud.

“Something wrong how?” the mod asked.

“My boyfriend seems possessed and he just bought Rat Poison!”

Cloud took the bottle, popped the top, and let the fluid right down the hatch. The mod’s eyes grew wide as saucers. A mare began to scream at the top of her lungs. The authority pulled out his communicator and began yelling into a private channel. Melody realized that she was the mare that was screaming.

When Melody awoke, she felt like her throat had swallowed a cactus. She heard a gentle beeping and she rose to find herself in a diagnostic bed.

“Welcome back, dear,” a unicorn mare with a white coat said, reading a monitor at the bed beside Melody’s. “You’re all clear of corruption.”

“Corruption?” Melody asked.

“Yes dear, this is the hospital. Now, unless this stallion here next to you is your friend--”

“Cloud?!” she gasped, leaping out of her bed and pulling aside a privacy curtain.

Sure enough, beside her bed was Cloud, enveloped in a red dome. Little arcs of electricity seemed to poke and prod at him from the edges of the dome.

“Don’t touch him,” the doctor said. “He’s having his code rewritten to remove the virus.”

“Virus? But he drank poison.”

“Oh yes,” she said. “But we were able to remove that just in time.”

“So, he’s going to survive?” Melody asked.

“We think so. Well, it’s not so simple.” she said, turning to her. “Which is why we need your help.”

“My help?” Melody asked.

“Can you think of anything he did recently that could have taken control of him? Or maybe something he did that could have changed permissions?” she asked.

Melody opened her mouth. Then a wave of burning guilt rushed over in wave after wave.

“This is the first time we have somepony who was able to catch them this early,” she says. “He’s going to be one of the lucky ones. Do you have any idea what caused this?"

"I-I don't know."

The scientist stepped forward and shook her. The wedding ring dropped from her inventory.

"Listen. Our ER is over stocked right now unless we can get any sort of lead what is causing this. I'm sorry. It's not fair. But you have to remember something."

Melody sat down, feeling her body fail her. The light of the diamond glinted red from the light of the antiviral dome. Tears welled in her eyes.

“There was this letter.”

“What kind of letter?”

She fumbled over her words and her mind went blank.

“I don’t know. I think it was from CelestAI? I just-- It was my fault... he signed it.”