Description
“Welcome to fantasy chat! Your online exp…
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“This software was developed by…
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“Please, make su…
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“By utilizing this software you agree…
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“...with our terms of ser…
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“...vice as explicitly written in…
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“...our user agree…
— Accept!
“Loading…”
“Please, speak your na…
— Sk… Brad!
“Do you confirm your name as Sbread?”
— No!
“Please, speak your name again slowly”
— Brad!
“Do you confirm your na…
— Yes! Yes!
The letters B-R-E-A-D appeared in the darkness, floating amidst the infinite emptiness that surrounded him.
“It's a pleasure to have you in our world, Bread!”
— Bread? Damn it!
“Please relax and wait while we copy your data to the server. Don’t remove your headgear before its finished or data will become corrupt.”
— More loadings… Nice — he put both arms behind his neck and got more comfortable in the bed.
“While you are waiting, please listen to some very important information.”
— Whatever… Skip?
“15%... Remember you are responsible for your actions inside fantasy chat, so please treat other users with respect.”
“30%... Harassing and bullying is not approved by our moderators. If you notice aggressive behaviour in our platform, please file a report by speaking MENU then REPORT”
“45%... Please use the language marked as the main language on the server. Refusal to obey this rule will cause you to me moved to a more appropriate server”
“60%... If you have any problems during your visit, please speak MENU then HELP”
“75%... You can leave fantasy chat at any moment by speaking MENU then EXIT. The gear will also automatically disconnect you after one hour. You can prevent this by speaking MENU then EXTRA HOUR for a time extension. For safety reasons, this can only be used once per session and users must wait twelve hours before logging in again”
“100% Have fun and enjoy Fantasy Chat!”
— Finally I can have som…
His bed disappeared. The world outside went silent. His whole body lost it’s self awareness and Brad became a floating consciousness.
He tried to speak, but his voice didn’t come out.
He tried to move, but couldn’t feel his body.
He tried to open and close his eyes, but there was only darkness.
“Please, do not panic. We are configuring the nervous sensitivity. From this point on, everything you see, hear, smell, taste and even feel is a simulation.”
At first, Brad felt nothing, but eventually his whole body appeared to be weakly pulled down. As if he was in space entering the gravitational field of a planet. He was still floating, but gravity became stronger and stronger until it matched precisely the sensation of being on a freefall on earth. Then his feet touched an invisible ground...
The unexpected contact caused his body to slam against the floor at full speed. For a moment, Brad felt like he was made of gelatin. Instead of breaking every single bone, he painlessly bounced on the floor, shrinking to a pancake like a cartoon character, then stretching out again and returning to his normal form.
— T-that was something...
Weak blue lights appeared on a large circle around himself, slowly revealing the room. The ground was made of a reflective material similar to polished aluminum, the walls were circular and converged in on itself forming a half sphere that was completely black except for wires of light traveling very fast in random patterns.
“Would you like to log in with your current appearance?”
Brad looked down at his regular human self. He would rather be just another anonymous face in the large ocean that was the internet:
— No.
“Please, select gender appearance”
Three words appeared on screen: Male, Female, Androgynous.
— Really? — Brad blushed, his eyes sparking with curiosity — F-female?
“You said female?”
— Y-yes...
“Rendering…”
His shirt was slightly pushed outwards while his chest grew. It looked like two tiny balloons were being inflated under his clothes, however he didn’t feel his skin stretching out, instead he felt gravity pulling that pair of small round oranges down.
— Wow! — he jumped and the boobs bounced a bit, their skin rubbing against one another — So real!
He just hoped nobody was looking at that.
Next his thighs enlarged while his waist got smaller, his arms and legs lost a bit of mass and his hands became more delicate.. The most interesting thing about that transformation was that Brad couldn’t feel his muscles reshaping, but he could feel in real time how the weight around his body changed simply by gravity.
Bread looked down at the reflective floor and giggled, his voice sounding way more soft than usual. A pretty girl that could very well be mistaken for a twin sister was looking back at him and smiling.
— Damn… She’s cute… I mean… I am cute...
Bread made some poses looking at his reflection, unable to stop his girly giggling, sending kisses to himself and making alluring poses. Out of curiosity, Bread also looked inside his pants, but there was literally nothing there to see. She frowned, disappointed.
“Please, select race”
Bread imagined she would be given a pallet of colors to choose from, but instead she was presented with something that made her jaw drop. Floating in front of her, words appeared: Human; Yes or No.
— No — he said immediately.
The floating words changed to: Anthropomorphic; Yes or No.
— I can’t believe it — she whispered — N-no…
“Are you sure? The selection of a non-anthropomorphic appearance will require a reconfiguration of your sensation translator, which might cause temporary discomfort.”
— Yes! I’m sure!
A huge list appeared around him, surrounding Bread in all directions and filling his field of vision, naming different things that ranged from real animals like cats and dogs, to cartoon characters and even mystical creatures such as dragons, chimeras, pegasus...
— Pegasus?
“You said pegasus?”
Bread gulped, thinking if she really wanted to confirm it. Being turned into a girl was already strange on its own, but a girl was still human. Becoming a completely different creature was miles away from what she had just experienced. However, if Bread ended up regretting it, she would simply quit and log in after twelve hours.
— Yes!
Bread thought the sensations would be similar to the ones that just happened before. Which means, basically feeling the mass relocating and experiencing the weight shift. However, things were way more intense this time.
At first, something sparked within herself. It was a sensation like nothing else Bread had ever felt in her entire life. It was like something deep inside had changed. It was like her essence had shifted. Her bodily notion of “normal” was replaced by something else.
Not a single inch of her being had changed yet, however her whole body felt uncomfortable. It was like her arms and legs were in the wrong places and bent in grotesque angles. Everything about her human physical appearance felt wrong; the way she stood up, the position of her limbs, the size of her torso, the form of her features. Her human body was wrong and clumsy. She looked exactly like she was a minute ago, but somehow Bread perceived herself as hideously deformed. Looking at her own reflection was as uncanny at looking at a bird with teeth, a dog with hands or a dolphin with legs.
She could see all her fingers and toes, yet she couldn't feel or move any of them. She could also sense phantom limbs that felt real but weren’t there. Yet the thing that scared her the most was that her body wasn’t moving the way she wanted it to.
— T-this program is messing with my head! — she fell to her knees with both hands holding her face — What is happening? MENU! HELP!
“Please relax and don’t panic. What you are feeling now is expected to happen whenever a user chooses a non-anthropomorphic appearance. This is not a mental change. It is merely a change in the sensation translator, which is necessary to allow you to precisely feel and move a form that is too different from yours. Your discomfort will end soon.”
Bread tried to relax, but it was hard when everything about herself was so alien.
One thing she eventually noticed was that it felt a lot better when her center of gravity was closer to the ground. Bread also liked being on her knees, which gave her a strange idea: What if she also positioned her palms on the floor like a quadruped animal?
That’s what she did and, for her surprise, things felt way more normal.
What happened next was supposed to be nerve wracking, but since the software was kind enough to update her “sensation translator” first, the changes that soon followed seemed more like her body was returning to normal rather than becoming something new.
Her feet and hands puffed out, fingers and toes retracting into the skin until her four extremities looked like cushioned stumps. After that, her arms and legs gained mass and unbent until her limbs reshaped into what seemed like the right angles. That initial change allowed Bread to stand comfortably on her fours, each hoof pressing against the floor with an even weight distribution.
She looked at her own reflection and blushed. Such beautiful and strong hooves. Each had a nicely sculpted curvature that had a sexy vibe to it, as if she had any idea of what defined a pony as sexy.
Now that her limbs were fixed, Bread had another problem. Her back seemed curved under its own weight. Not only that, but her head was forced to look down because her neck lacked the structure to face forward without hurting.
Her torso got larger and her neck got longer and thicker. The first change straightened her back and corrected her posture, until it became effortless to stand on all fours. The second change allowed Bread to move her head more freely and also allowed her to look ahead without straining her neck.
It was weird to remember she lived as a human for so long without noticing all those discomforts. That new form felt way better and more natural.
Bread shook her head.
— This is just a simulation... Calm down, Brad… You are male human...
As she talked, her mouth felt small and weak. Wrong in every sense. A few seconds later, her face un-shrinked quickly with a pop, as if somehow it had been compressed, revealing a long snout that ended in big nostrils. Her mouth was longer and her tongue bigger.
— Finally… way better! — Even her voice sounded squeaky and adorable now.
She looked down at her reflection in time to see two long pointy ears sprout at the same time her hair got longer and ran down her neck until it touched her torso, becoming a fashionable mane.
— Something is missing…
Bread shook his booty left and right...
Something was definitely missing…
She had a weird sensation that resembled a phantom body part.
Suddenly a sensitive stump formed in her tailbone and a long stream of hair sprouted like a waterfall from it’s tip in a tickling inducing manner. Her long tail was as pretty as her mane. Bread smiled.
The last thing that happened were her tiny wings unfolding on her back. They looked small, more cosmetic than useful. Kinda silly, yet cute.
Now she was whole. Her body responded with precision to every movement and every sensation was right where it should be. She could move her wings and tail, she could gallop effortlessly and even stand on two hooves for a few seconds if she wanted to. Yet, when looking at her reflection again, something was off…
Skin…
— Where is my fur?
She felt bald… Naked… Like a dog after an exaggerated grooming…
Then her skin slowly disappeared and a coat of short green fur covered her entire body as if a bucket of paint was dropped on her. Now she was complete.
“Avatar complete… Entering Server…”
— Nice — she gazed at the reflection, attracted by her own appearance, locking eyes with herself and wanting to break that mirror and reach for the creature at the other side and cuddle with it...
A second later, a whole world materialized around her… Or she materialized in a world, depending on the point of view… It had green grass expanding over small hills decorated with colorful trees. The sky was blue and the sun felt warm without burning. Not far away there was a small town, which looked a lot like a countryside village from the last century, with many kinds of ponies moving around. The majority of the creatures there were ungulates, with a few rare humans and other things amidst them.
“You’ve been automatically moved to Ungulatown based on your race. But feel free to move to a different place at any time by speaking MENU then RELOCATE.”
Somehow she was a bit shy of looking like a female pegasus, specially because of the stupid name “Bread” floating atop of her head. Yet since most of the other users in that location also looked like her, she felt a bit more at home.
At her peripheral vision, there was timer counting down:
00:58:12
She had plenty of time to enjoy her new self and interact with strangers. She was also anonymous and her voice sounded very feminine and unrecognizable. She wanted to pretend to be a girl and act accordingly, she also wanted to behave in a cute fashion and feel like an adorable pony in front of everyone else… To feel loved… Even in a silly way.
“Our A.I will be recording your actions for future development. But don’t worry, this data won’t contain any personal information and you will remain anonymous. Enjoy Fantasy chat at its fullest. Live your fantasies with us.”
— Recording?
Bread tried to ignore the message and galloped at full speed towards the town, wanting to meet other users and do his best cute playful mare impression. She stopped in front of a blue pony and greeted him with enthusiasm.
— Good evening! — she smiled and flapped her tiny wings — It’s my first time here!
— Hello, first timer — the pony gave her a friendly nod — What brings you to Ungulatown?
— I guess I’m guilty of loving colorful cute ponies — she blushed — What about you?
— Oh, I just live here, girl — he chuckled — There are plenty to do around these lands. I could show you if you want.
— You live here? — she blinked a few times — I didn’t know everyone was supposed to roleplay — she giggled, then said — In this case, I come from a faraway land high up in the clouds. I’m a traveling pegasus who wants to experience the world!
— Great! You’ve got the spirit — the pony hit the ground with both hooves as if clapping — You want to see the golden hills? The cake shop? The library? I love showing the place around to newcomers.
— Oh! I would love to…
A heavy hoof touched her back, which caused Bread to turn around and see another blue stallion right next to her. The name “Racer” was floating atop his head.
— You know you are talking to a NPC, right? — asked the stallion named Racer.
— W-what? — she looked at the first pony then the second one — There is no way an artificial intell…
— He doesn’t have a name over his head — Racer pointed out — That’s an NPC.
— No way! — her jaw dropped — It’s way too perfect!
— They record our actions inside the game and use it to train AIs to act like players. If it wasn’t by the lack of names, I would mistake many NPCs in here for real people.
— Wow! — she looked at the first stallion again, then asked — Are you an NPC?
— You got me! — the NPC laughed — I was about to show you around, but I’m sure this handsome stallion next to you can do a better job at this than I do.
— He’s right — Racer smiled — His AI is replicating something I did a week ago.
— What? This thing used to be you?
— More or less — He shrugged — I pretended to be a guide for newcomers a while ago, showing the town for people. I did it for a while and many users enjoyed my company. I guess the software realized I was pretty popular, so they copied my behavior into an NPC and put him here. Every day this champ guides people around Ungulata without breaking a sweat.
— Are you okay with that? — Bread cringed — I mean… They stole your personality and shoved it inside an empty husk…
— I see this is an honor — he laughed — Most NPCs in Fantasy Chat are based on users, and this trend will continue. There is even a competition of some people trying to see who can have more NPCs based on them.
— Are you competing?
— Not really. I just have this one — he shrugged — I mostly play here, in Ungulata, which is kind of a popular server, but I don’t really venture much outside. This game is more of a stress relief for me… I just love being a cute pony, you know? It’s nice to come here after work.
— Cool! — Bread blushed — I also like being a cute mare…
— You are dude, right?
— W-what! How! — she looked away, trying to hide her face — How do you know!?
— You just told me — he laughed — Most mares in Ungulata are guys. It’s just statistics… In fact, most users in Ungulata are guys… Interestingly...
— I’m sorry — She looked down.
— Don’t worry — the stallion winked — We come here to become something else. If you want to be a mare, I’m fine with it. I can even play along, milady. You are indeed very cute — he picked up her hoof and gave it a gentle kiss — Would you give me the pleasure of showing you around town? You want to meet the golden hills? The cake shop? The library? I love showing the place around to newcomers.
— T-that’s a bit gay…
— What if I’m a girl in real life?
— Are you?
— Not telling ya — the stallion smirked — Let’s see if you can find out.
Bread wanted to be a pretty mare, at least inside that game. It was totally normal for a mare to go out with a stallion. They were just pretending, right?
— Okay, I’d love you to show me around — she smiled and gave him a polite nod.
Bread and Racer spent a long time together.
They galloped over the gold meadows, which was just a huge wheat field, feeling the wind in their manes and the soft earth under their hooves. Competing against each other to see who was faster.
They visited the cake shop and tried out a variety of virtual sweets that tasted real. Since they had no physical bodies, they could eat a lot without ever getting full. The store also had some premium cakes that had to be purchased with real money. Racer bought her one of those and they enjoyed every bit of a citric strawberry-lemon pie which tasted like a chef’s masterpiece.
They visited the library full of magical books that casted funny spells when opened. They shot sorceries at one another, causing their manes and fur to change colors, their bodies to turn to ooze or float like helium balloons, and many different effects, all which lasted just a few seconds. It was like playing with filters in a photo manipulation app, but you could feel the changes.
They participated in a horse race. They went to a talent show. A stand up comedy. A bar that served apple cider. And much more. It felt like a real life date, but in a simulation.
By the end of that, Bread was very comfortable playing the female role. She didn’t even mind it. Things seemed so natural. She was also starting to like that nice stallion.
— H-hey… Racer — she blushed — I still don’t know the answer… I mean… I’m not sure if you are just a good actress or if you are just a guy trolling me.
— Going on a long date with a stranger just for a joke? — he laughed — I would have to be quite the dedicated troll.
— You could also be…
— Does it even matter? — he pressed his snout against hers — You logged in as a mare. I logged in as a stallion. We are these things as long as we are playing. It’s called fantasy chat for a reason. It doesn’t matter who our real selves are.
— It’s just that… I really liked being with you… More than I should… You know?
— Me too. You are really sweet — he smiled — Specially because it seems like you aren’t acting. Your roleplay is so genuine. If you didn’t tell me from the start, I’d think you were a girl.
— T-thanks — she blushed, not sure if that was a compliment.
— Anyways, Bread — he sighed — Our time together is almost over.
— I still have thirty minutes left!
— Yep, but I’ve only got two. And I’ve already used my daily extension.
— This two hour rule is dumb…
— It’s not — he laughed — Two hours is already a big stretch for our brains to be inside such a realistic simulation. Once you log out, you’ll feel very nauseous and numb. There is a biological reason we have this timer.
— I wanted our date to last longer…
— R-really? — his face turned red — Well… If you insist… We can talk a bit more later… You know?
— But there is a twelve hour interval to log in again!
— No, silly — he giggled and poked her snout with a soft hoof — I’m talking about just talking over the internet — she wrote something in a napkin — This is my discord user.
The stallion gave it to her.
— Are you a guy or a girl?
— You can find out later — he winked, then his body vanished in a pixel dust.
— Damn it! — Bread grit her teeth and bit her lips — I really hope she’s a girl…
What if that was a guy? What would he do? Could they just be friends? They spent one and a half hours together and had similar tastes… So much in common.
— Damn it — she took a deep breath.
The person Racer met was his virtual persona. The mare she pretended to be online. Things would be weird and uncanny if Bread just acted as himself. Who even was himself at this point? She was happy like that! She wished she could just be with him a lot longer. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. She really liked Racer and wanted to know more about them, even if it meant being a mare.
— It doesn’t matter — She covered her blushing face — The only thing that matters is that I want to spend more time with them. And I also want to be the person they met here… The mare they enjoyed so much...
Bread went outside the apple cider pub and closed his eyes.
“I’m a mare”, he thought, “I’m a cute mare”.
She spent his remaining thirty minutes inside the simulation doing everything she considered girly. She talked to strangers, starting small talks and making everyone believe she was a girl. She refined her acting, her voice, her poses, and even her thoughts to be as girly as possible.
Literally everyone was fooled... Even herself.
She engraved that personality into her mind until it became part of herself, as if it was a suit she could effortlessly dress at any moment, completely shutting down the real Brad.
“One minute remaining”, said the voice in her head.
— Well, back to reality — she closed her eyes — I’m a cute mare… I’m a cute mare… I’m a cute mare… I’m a cute mare… I’m a...
The world disappeared and her thoughts blanked out.
Brad woke up on his bed and immediately noticed two things.
One, he was a male human again.
Two, he had to change his underwear.
His head hurt a lot…
His human body felt very weird…
The sunlight was too bright…
His muscles were numb…
Brad laid down with his arms and legs stretched in a way that looked like a pony sleeping. It was more comfortable this way.
— Okay… Those two hours are important… I get it…
After almost ten minutes of pain, his senses eventually returned to normal and he finally stopped feeling like a pony trapped inside a human body. He got up, went to his computer and sent a friend request to that Racer stallion.
— What the hell am I doing — he gulped.
Moments later, an answer came.
Then he received a call from Racer.
He joined the chat, put on his headphones and crossed his fingers...
Meanwhile, in the virtual world...
When Brad logged out, his mind returned, but his avatar was left behind…
— I’m a cute mare… I’m a cute mare… I’m a cute mare… I’m a cute mare… I’m a cu… — she opened her eyes — Why am I still here?
She looked for the timer, but it wasn't there.
The world was pitch black and silent.
— Where am I? — she shouted to whoever could be listening — Why am I still in the game!? Hello? — her head started to spin and she felt an infinite emptiness inside herself, as if her soul was gone and she was hollow.
— M-menu! help! Menu! Help! Menu! Help! — her voice repeated, faster and more desperate, but there was no response — Someone help me please! I’m still locked in the game! Menu! Help! Menu! Help! Menu! Help!
Then she felt it…
An intrusion inside her head...
Something messing around with her thoughts and rewiring her mind against her will...
— No! No! Stop! No! N...
The fear disappeared as if a switch had been turned off...
Next her sorrow also went away in the blink of an eye...
One by one, all the negative emotions faded, until Bread felt absolutely nothing…
Her mind was still working and she could move freely, but her emotions were gone.
— What is happening to me? — she asked with an empty voice — What is going on? I shouldn’t be here anymore. Can someone call an administrator?
Silence...
A switch in her head turned and an intensity meter was adjusted...
She was happy...
Another adjustment and a few more switches...
She giggled and started to gallop.
Suddenly Bread appeared in an infinite plains of tall grass, galloping nonstop. The sensations she had while galloping with Racer came back to her mind. The happiness, the freedom, the ease of mind.
She continued to gallop for days. Her emotions slowly adjusted little by little until everything was perfect. Her speed was right, her smile was right, her movements were right, her appearance was right, her emotions were more than real.
More switching and rewiring…
The scenery changed…
She was tasting cakes now… For days…
Then the library… Also for days...
Then the talent show…
The race…
The standup…
The aquarium… the carrot farm... I’m a cute mare… the town’s plaza… the park... I’m a cute mare… the coffee shop… the saloon... I’m a cute mare… ponies… wings... I’m a cute mare… hooves… girly thoughts… I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare... I’m a cute mare…
She was minding her own business, staring at the clouds while leaning against the city walls of Ungulatown as if waiting for someone. She had a daydreaming expression on her face and a welcoming aura that would make anyone want to approach her.
— Hello cutie — said a voice close by.
— Oh — she blinked a few times, then smiled — I’m sorry, I was distracted.
— You really like this form, don’t you, Brad? — the blue stallion with the username Racer laughed — Who am I to judge? What are we going to do today?
— I’d love you to show me around town if possible — She got up and flapped her wings happily — I’m just a lonely mare looking for company.
Another mare, that looked exactly like her, appeared behind the user named Racer and said:
— Hey, Racer! Are you talking to the NPC? — the mare named Bread, that looked exactly like her, suddenly widened her eyes — I can’t believe they copied me!
The stallion responded:
— Amazing! — the user named Racer laughed — Your roleplay was so perfect yesterday! No wonder they made a NPC based on you.
— It’s kinda uncanny — said the user named Bread, then she talked directly to her — How are you feeling? How is it being an NPC?
She wanted to say something, but her words faltered… She wanted to ask something important… Something very important… but instead, a pre programmed answer came out of her lips:
— Oh, don’t mind me — she smiled — Why don’t you two ignore me and have a nice day? You seem like quite the couple.
— It’s just an AI, Brad. They just emulate humans. It’s really good though.
— I don’t know — said the user named Bread — Something about her makes me uncomfortable… A bit scared, to be honest...
— It’s just really good AI — the user named Racer slapped the user named Bread’s butt with his tail — Lets see who can get to the apple tree first… three… two… one… go!
The two ponies ran away, leaving her behind.
She looked at the user named Racer.
There was something special about him.
She wanted him.
She wanted him all by herself.
She wanted to be by his side forever.
An endless darkness filled her.
A barrage of emotions ready to overwhelm her.
She was about to...
*click*
Her emotions disappeared… then reseted...
She was minding her own business, staring at the clouds while leaning against the city walls of Ungulatown as if waiting for someone. She had a daydreaming expression on her face and a welcoming aura that would make anyone want to approach her.
— Why the long face? — said a blue pony without a username.
— Oh! Sorry… I’m just lonely here! — she forced a smile and flapped her wings embarrassingly — It’s my first time here!
— Hmmmm… A first timer? — the pony gave her a friendly laugh — What brings you to Ungulatown?
— I come from a faraway land high up in the clouds. I’m a traveling pegasus who wants to experience the world! — she blushed — What about you?
— Oh, I just live here, girl — he chuckled — There are plenty to do around these lands. I could show you all if you want — he extended his hooves to her — You want to see the golden hills? The cake shop? The library? Hit the talent show? There is much to see and I love showing the place around to newcomers.
— Oh! I would love to!