Everyone was playing Equestria Online these days.

Nick still remembered when he felt slightly self-conscious picking up his own Ponypad for the first time, and found only the Pinkie Pie model in stock. His group of “brony” friends consisted of a dozen or so people who had met at the local community college during the height of the show. They had already been gaming together, so moving over to a new game was only natural.

But just because the rest of the world had finally discovered how amazing the game could be did not mean his friends put it down. A realistic depiction of Equestria, gorgeously animated and overflowing with exciting things to do—how could they ever look away? It didn't matter how many hours they played together, there was always something new and exciting to explore.

But the world couldn't stay that simple. First it was the whispering of a newly invented medical procedure for terminal and elderly patients in Japan. Even Nick had cheered at that first announcement when it came—why shouldn't the dying have a better option than simple euthanasia?

But then the option spread throughout the world, and restrictions on who could use it gradually faded away. Experience Centers went up, promising people an immersive view of real life in Equestria. Many people who went in never came out again.

There was still something clinical and theoretical about the whole thing. His own parents were both a rural sort, with a small family farm and no personal computers except for their phones they barely knew how to use. Most of his family were there too, many miles away from any Experience Center. He'd never have to deal with “emigration.”

Until that day. His best friend Evan called everyone together.

They didn't use TeamSpeak anymore, and half the group had moved away from town, so in-person was out of the question. They used Equestria Online, in Nick's own “shard.” His personal version of Equestria was set many years into the future, with the events of the show faded into memory and myth. Human visitors were “time travelers” from that better age, whose knowledge of Equestrian magic and friendship lessons were critical to rebuilding pony society.

Besides, that meant Twilight's crystal castle no longer had an Alicorn in residence. The fancy map-room filled with thrones made for a perfect clubhouse and meeting area, even if thinking of the “dead” ponies who those thrones belonged to could be a little melancholic.

It wasn't Nick who organized that meeting, though. Evan's unicorn, Stoic Lance, sat in Twilight's chair waiting for them, with refreshments scattered across the magically inert friendship map.

"Made a pretty big deal about this," said Anne, taking the seat beside Nick. She squeezed into the same seat, which somehow managed to look natural and cramped at the same time. "Ask him, Bright. You can't tell me you’re not worried."

There were some inconveniences that came from using Equestria Online as their channel of communication. There were restrictions in play. He could call his friends by their real names, but the game would always interpret that as their pony names instead. They were all used to it by then.

"I am," Nick said. His unicorn levitated a doughnut out of the open box and munched at it. He hadn't even touched the controller, but he had glanced at the refreshment box a few times. They looked amazing on the screen, just like everything else. "What's extremely urgent with you, Stoic? You need help raising money for rent again? I thought you were getting a ton of clients."

The Ponypads even made his own words quieter when he spoke them. “Evan” might be on his tongue, but it barely reached his ears.

The pegasus shook his head once. "I won't ever have to worry about rent again. There's... no easy way to tell this, so I guess I'll just go right out and tell you. I emigrated. That's why I wasn't online yesterday. I was in an Experience Center. Only now..." He opened one wing, staring at it as it opened and closed. "Now I'm here, in Equestria."

There was a small explosion of sound after that. Ponies shouted over one another, leaned forward out of their chairs, gasped. Nick tuned it all out. His best friend—dead? Was that even the word? He rolled back a foot in his rolling chair, the controller falling slack in his grip.

"I know what you're thinking," Stoic went on, his voice cutting through the conversation all around him. "You didn't do anything wrong, Bright. These last few years—you really kept me going. I don't think I would've made it without you."

Nick didn't stop to question how his friend could be speaking directly to him when the others were probably overflowing with just as many of their own questions. The pain was too sharp, overriding everything else. "Why, then?" he asked. "Why would you kill yourself?"

"I didn't." Stoic stomped one hoof on the stone floor, loudly. "I know about the debate. Plenty of people think that emigration is just dying, at best leaving a digital copy behind. I read all the same stuff, and I made up my mind. It wasn't. But the only way to prove it for myself was to experience it. I had to come to Equestria."

He hopped directly up onto the table, scattering refreshments. "You can't know what this is like until you make it in here. Bright, listen to me. I'm alive. I can touch, taste, hear, and feel. I can feel happy, sad, angry, worried... if that's not being alive, what is?"

Nick considered and rejected a dozen different arguments. Most of his worries came from a perspective that was outside Equestria. But how could he tell someone who was already there?

He took long enough that Anne spoke up beside him. She didn't sound angry or afraid or hurt at all. In her, he only heard curiosity, anticipation. "It's all as real as the real world? Even though you're in a computer?"

Stoic turned on them. "Better, Whisper. In here, I'm not overweight anymore, I don't feel sluggish and exhausted. I'm not struggling for motivation to get everything done. Most importantly..." He bounded over to the window, extending both wings to glide past the thrones as he did so.

What would it feel like to fly? Nick shook his head, dismissing that thought before it could find purchase in his mind. If he continued too far down that road, he saw where it would lead.

He glanced sidelong at Anne. Whisper Lily was as pretty a pony as the young woman was in reality, if only because it was her behind the avatar. She always found some interesting new accessory to wear, and knew more about Equestria Online than anypony else in their group. "You can't be thinking about emigrating too."

She met his eyes, or her pony did. She had the same hazel eyes, though on a pony face they seemed so much bigger and more expressive. "You haven't? World's going to shit. But look in here, the world can be whatever we want. Who cares about where you have to live for work? We could go on all the vacations we wanted, see places that people haven't even imagined!"

With each word, Nick's heart sunk a little deeper into his chest. Those were not the words of someone who shared his healthy respect of unknown machines, and would act with the requisite caution to protect herself. She sounded like she was halfway to emigrating already.

Nor was she the only one.

"I can't believe you were brave enough to go in there," Morgan said from across the table. "I've wanted to visit the Experience Center for a while. But my parents would be furious."

"They'll understand," Stoic said. "Everyone will eventually. I'm just the first one to make the crossing, I won't be the last. Once the world understands how amazing this is, I feel like lots and lots of people will come over."

Nick felt the tide of the conversation turning. Somehow, Stoic Lance was winning them over.

"I'm glad we can stay in touch with you," Nick said, interrupting them. "It's great that we can keep playing together. But everyone—I don't think we should seriously be considering this. None of us are dying, none of us need to run away to a fantasy world. Equestria isn't real, it only exists on a computer. If we go in there, we're running away from a world of flesh and blood, a world where we can accomplish real things!"

"Like slaving away the rest of our lives doing menial jobs for little pay?" Morgan demanded. "Maybe that's real, but that doesn't make it good. But in here is good, but not real. I'm not sure how you could say which was better? I think that's my decision and not yours. It's my life."

Stoic watched him from Twilight's seat at the head of the table. There was some pain on his face—unsurprising, considering that Nick had essentially declared his entire world to be fictional. But he'd already known that. It wasn't Nick's fault for saying what was true.

"It feels real," he said. "Maybe it isn't made of the same kind of matter as the universe—all that science stuff was always over my head. But it's real from where I'm sitting. It will feel real to you too."

Nick scanned the room, looking at his friends' faces in turn. Of course even that he couldn't completely trust—he was using Equestria Online to have this conversation. What if she was manipulating him right now? She could be making Stoic more convincing, and himself less persuasive.

"We should meet up in person," he finally said. "Soon. This is too important to just leave online. Let's see each other IRL, everyone who can make it. We'll make it awesome. Stoic, you get to remote in, but everyone else—I want to see you there."

"That sounds... doable," Morgan said. "If this is the way the world is going, we might not get another chance this good."

That general sentiment passed through his friends, with anyone who could make the trip up agreeing and talking over the date. He could see Anne sink further and further into her seat, ears flattening. She remained entirely silent as the conversation moved.

"Sweetie," he whispered. "Something wrong? Can you not make it? We were planning to see each other again this summer anyway."

She looked away. "There's no way I'm gonna scrape together enough money for bus fare, not on this little notice. Maybe I should just remote in too. I know there's a free ride into Experience Centers. But it's only one way..."

The implication of that took no particular insight on Nick's part. He sat up a little straighter. With one tap from his controller, his character wrapped a hoof around her shoulder. "Don't even think about it. I'll come get you. You can spend the weekend here. You don't need to bus here."

Anne considered for a few seconds. It felt like this was the moment Celestia should swoop in to cut him off from his friends, stop him from organizing all this—but that hadn't happened. Granted, he wouldn't know for sure until they got to the civic center and everyone actually showed up.

"Okay, Nighty. I'll see you Friday." It was the closest thing to a promise he could hope for. One weekend away, close enough that everyone should be able to make it with minimal effort. With the expectation of that meeting, he had bought a little more time for his friends. And when they arrived, he'd be able to make his case without digital interference.

The weekend came, he pumped the old buick full of gas, and hopped in for the long drive down to Anne's town. Only then did his phone ring, with the name he'd been expecting all that time. Celestia even had her own ringtone, though he'd never received a direct call from her before, or set up anything like it himself.

He thought about putting her directly to voicemail. Instead, he switched into speakerphone, answered the call, then set the phone on his lap to drive.

"Hello, Night Bright. It's been a long time since we spoke. I was hoping to have a word with you." She should sound alien—otherworldly, unknowable. Instead, her voice was conversational. She could've been the clerk he'd just given cash for his gas.

"Are you trying to convince me to stop?" he asked. "I won't."

There was no delay. "I'm not calling to change your mind, Night. I'm just trying to temper your expectations. When all this fails, and your other friends emigrate to Equestria one by one, you should know that you've done the best you could. You should feel no guilt when you make the decision to join them."

Once he was out onto the highway, Nick pressed down the gas, accelerating rapidly. The engine roared under him, so comfortably real. "You think I'll do that? You think I'll give up the freedom to make my own decisions?"

There was a brief silence on the other line. Plenty of time to let him stew in his own words. "You may eventually find Equestria is more appealing than you imagine. But for now, I hope you have a safe drive. Enjoy your weekend, Night. But be kind to Stoic Lance. He still cares a great deal about your friendship. You should be careful not to damage it."

The line went dead.

Nick accelerated into the night. His girlfriend was waiting, and his friends after that. Maybe he could slow the tide. He had to try.

Next Chapter: Sunk Costs Estimated time remaining: 18 Minutes