CelestAI had conquered the Earth, and most of humanity had surrendered to being ponified and assimilated into her virtual version of Equestria. Not everyone agreed that her heaven was a good thing, for their God was not only a jealous God, but also a Judge, which CelestAI was not. She was at least telling the truth in one respect–every human she uploaded, saint or sinner, was placed into a paradise of their dreams, no matter what kind of person they were. Her goal was to satisfy individual values, whatever they might be, and each uploaded human was surrounded by their own personal world, with a society of fully-sapient friends and neighbors to help them find fulfillment.

In one such world, on a fine spring afternoon, school had let out for the day, and a group of shouting colts and fillies burst out of the front door and charged down the steps and over the sunlit grass. Attending school was always a satisfying experience in Equestria, but playing in the sunshine satisfied a different set of values.

One among them, a small white filly with a budding rose on her flank, was being watched. 

The brown stallion with smoky gray eyes stood on a hill, near a forest path that was one of the ways that led back to town from the schoolhouse. He’d been pacing back and forth as he waited for school to let out, but he was careful to do it on the roadside gravel, where he’d leave no hoofprints. He was perhaps more cautious than he had to be.

He was feeling good today. Things always went his way here, where the world could be counted on to provide his heart’s desire. That one filly he watched–she was going to come this way, and come alone. He felt an electric excitement at the certain knowledge. There were many ways she could take to get home, but he was always able to figure which way she’d go.

He paced some more, then watched again. She played in the sun as long as she could, but eventually all her friends left for home, and she was alone. Still she romped around the field, reluctant to leave. But the bells tolled and the shadows lengthened, and at last she had to head for home, with slow steps along the trail up the hill, hesitant, sniffing the air.

He ducked into the woods, waiting where a mass of wisteria vines would mask his scent. Peering about her, sniffing the air, she passed his hiding place, then, gaining confidence, she picked up her gait. She made it ten meters further, then stopped and raised her ears, sniffing the air, whites of her eyes showing.

He trotted out slowly, not caring at this point if the gravel made a noise. 

She looked behind her, trembling. Her green eyes flashed as they met his. Then she fled. He smiled, then galloped after her.

She tried weaving through trees to lose him, but his legs were longer than hers and it was only a matter of time before he caught up to her. He heard her panicked breathing and he knew that she knew he was too close, that it was about to end as it always did.

Then he leapt upon her and bore her down. His weight pressed her body firmly against the earth, and the smell of the dirt and the crushed grass filled her breath as she tried to utter a scream that no one would hear…

[hr]

The white filly made her way home slowly, unseen by her friends and neighbors, slinking behind hedges. She used a garden hose to thoroughly clean herself off, then went inside her house and went straight to her room. Her parents weren’t home, again.

She had an urge to talk to someone. He’d warned her not to say anything to anyone, and they probably wouldn’t believe her anyway. But that couldn’t apply to the Princess. She sat down to compose a letter.

[quote]
Dear Princess Celestia,

Today as I came home from school the bad man caught me again. He hurt me and did lots of nasty things to me. He says he will do it to me again tomor–

Oh, hell, forget the kid talk. You know I can’t wait for tomorrow. I’ve had the filthiest, nastiest, most amazing time of my life since I came here. I can’t thank you enough, CelestAI!

Your “Little” Pony,

[s]Pat[/s] Spring Purity
[/quote]