The evil AI taking over Earth gave one hundred dissidents a trip to Mars and a century-long head start... on the condition that they upload and become virtual ponies. Maybe that will even help. They have some time to build a new civilization and find a way to resist the AI when she returns.

This was written for a contest using the "Friendship Is Optimal" setting. If the concept of an AI uploading people sounds familiar, it ought to; my "Thousand Tales" world came about loosely based on my fanfic "I Can't Decide" in this story's setting.

This one is weird for me. It's sweeping in its scope, covering a ton of ideas briefly in one story. It is something like a playground for things that could happen in one neglected corner of the Tales setting, over a long timespan. It's possible that some fraction of humanity will have the freedom to build this kind of future for itself, if there's anything that holds the culture together with pride and shared values.