Traped in 'The Game'

I stumbled back. I saw someone I knew. Only... it couldn't be her. She was dead. "Dawn?" I asked. "Is that you?" Dawn, or should I say Misty Dawn, the earth pony named for her gray-blue coat trotted towards me in surprise. "Celestia raise the moon, it’s you! I'm so glad you're here. I need help with this room." I looked around the room and saw nothing. "What is it?" There was nothing but a table with an injection on it. "Taking that shot-" She pointed to the table. "Would show you your worst fear. You have to overcome it... but I'm too scared. You were always so brave." She looked at me. "Can you do it?" Dawn was always a timid pony, so I nodded. "But one question... how long have you been here? Everyone thought you were..." I left it hanging. "Dead?" She asked. "I.. I know." She looked down. "The Puppetmaster told me... Everyone here never makes it out. So they all think that we're dead." That means... everyone thinks I'M dead. Everything crushes inside me, but I grit my teeth and take the shot. "Good luck..." I hear Dawn say, before everything starts to fade.

I wake up in a bank. I realize that I’m in my fear, it’s just I don’t even know what I’m afraid of! I go through in my head the things I fear the most so I can learn to overcome them in here

“alright” I muttered under my breath.

I took me a while to think about it but I found my fear- watching my family die- I know my fear sounds stupid, but the way I had to experience my family did was awful.  When I was a little foal, my mom, sister and I went to the bank to get some money withdrawn. My mom was next in line when a bunch of stallions marched in with guns. At first I thought the police were here, but it turned out this was a robbery. There were three stallions; one was around 21 and the other in their late thirties. The oldest one yelled at every one “GET ON THE GROUND!” and so my mom shoved us to the ground and said keep quiet. My sister started crying because she was sacred, and the youngest of the burglars yelled at my mom “Get her to shut up or I will!”  I watched in fear as my mom pleaded at my sister to be quiet but she kept on crying, and so the man grabbed my sister and pointed a gun at her head. My mom begged the man to let her go but he didn’t do it, he just laughed at my mom. He kept on saying “Come on I dare you! Come and get her!” my mom was so worried and frightened on what to do. The two older stallions loaded the money in their bags and were also telling the young stallion to let her go. The young stallion was having too much fun playing with my mom. I wasn’t thinking what I was about to do I just did it. I lunged forward to my sister’s rescue, and with the stallion so shocked at my actions, shot his gun killing my sister. My mom screamed and punched the man square in the jaw. The man was furious and hit my mom in the back of her head with the gun, killing her too. I was just about to cry when the robber walked up to me and said “Shut up you worthless pile of trash.” Then shot me in the head too. I and all the others who were shot were rushed to the hospital ,where my sister and my mom were declared dead, and I only had a 5% chance to survive what I did. I walked out of that hospital all alone with no one to comfort me. Everyone I loved and cared for was dead, all because of me.

I shook my head, trying to forget about my memory. I was never more terrified then I was at that moment at the bank. I realized what I had to do to overcome my fear: watch my family die and not feel anything. I was outside the bank with two other older men, both looked very familiar, but then I realized what was going on- I was the man who was going to kill my family!-

Walking inside, I surveyed the bank. There was me- filly me, and my even smaller little sister. My tired, weary looking mom, but in light of that, she still smiled. I had to remind my self that this was all fake. This was all fake. A gun was levitating- levitating? Right. The stallion was a unicorn. Anyways, it was levitating at my side. How weird it is, to use magic. As I was thinking that, one of my comrades- one who I instantly recognized as my older brother, for some reason, yelled "GET ON THE GROUND!"

Mother shoved the filly me and my sister to the ground, and my sister started crying. I realized that I was gonna have to do it the exact same way the stallion did it. I looked to my mom, and glared at her menacingly.

"G-get her to shut up." I said, with a lump in my throat. "Or I will."

Mother begged and pleaded to my sister to please stop crying, and I wished so bad I could drop my gun and hug, her, saying sweetly, "Silly Rose Petal! I was just playing, it's me! Your sister!" But I knew that I couldn't do that, I couldn't I couldn't I couldn't. Instead I took her roughly by the scruff and aimed the gun towards her head, tears in my eyes that I was detremined to not let out.

"Let her go! Please! I'll give you anything!" Mother pleaded.

"Come on! I dare you! Come and get her!" I said through gritted teeth, as Rose squirmed and wailed. My older brothers, loading the money bags, said to let her go, but I couldn't. I had to do exactly as he did. Then, filly me went up suddenly to save Rose, and as much as I wanted to let me save her, I couldn't. I shot my sister and was so, so close to crying. I had to stay strong. Mother screamed and punched me in the jaw, pain spreading it's fingers around my face. Instinctively, I hit her with the butt of the gun, and she collapsed. Horrified, I turned to mini me, who stared at me with hatred and tears pooling up in her eyes and one falling down her cheek.

"Shut up, you w-worthless... pile of trash." I shot myself in the head, and as everything faded black, I let a few tears pour down my cheek. Hastily wiping it up as the scene brightened again,  I realized I was inside of the bank, and everything was a little larger. My sister, Rose, smiled. "Look at what I can do!" She said brightly, never having been able to say my name. I realized I had to go through that again, only this time, I was myself as a filly. I decided to enjoy what little time I had with my sister and mother.

Rose then flittered up to mom's neck, and I clapped appreciatively. "Good job Rose! You'll join the Wonderbolts one day!" I Hugged my mother's leg. "I love you mama." I said, as the doors banged open and I heard the men trot in.

"GET ON THE GROUND!" They yelled. Mother shoved us both down to the ground and Rose started to cry. "Rose!" I whispered, terrified. "Stop crying!"

The man came up to us. "Get her to shut up, or I will." He said. Mother begged Rose to stop, but the more she begged, the herder she'd cry. Eventually, the man took her by the scruff and aimed the gun. "Nonononono stop! STOP!" I thought desperately.

"Come on, I dare you! Come and get her!" I couldn't help it. I lunged up to help my sister and he shot her, blood splettering on to both of our coats. I stared limp at her lifeless body as he killed mother too. He then came to me, and tears were falling down my cheek and he said something and I didn't know what was happening and then.

Everything was black.

I woke up out of the serum and burst out in tears.

Holly! Holly Leaf are you okay?” Dawn asked

“Holly-Leaf?” I said in a tearful voice

“Yeah that’s your name! Don’t you remember?” Dawn questioned

“I don’t quite remember anything, but things are coming back to my mind” I muttered as I thought about my family that I lost.

“Oh, Anyway what happened in their! You started crying halfway through the serum” Dawn said in a warming voice

“M-My fear” I stuttered “My fear was my family.”

“What do you mean Holly? Your fear your family?”

“No, remember back when we were fillies and the news did a report about the robbery on St. Hooves street?”

“Yeah, a family of 3 were shot and two were declared dead.”

“well that family of three just happened to be MY family!”

Dawn’s jaw dropped.

“How come you never told me that your family died? I could have been there for you! You know I would let you stay at my place!”

“I didn’t know what to do, the police kept me away from every pony because they thought I was in shock of what I had to experience.’

“what happened after that?” Dawn asked to caught up in what I was saying to notice that I was in pain.

“They sent me to live with my uncle and aunt, who never really liked me, but both died when I was eighteen from the disease that was flowing through the town.” I answered

About an hour of talking and comforting me, The Puppetmaster came on the radio.

“Hello Holly! I’m glad to hear that you have made it through your fear! I guess now you can continue on to the next room, but-“The Puppetmaster was cut off

“But WHAT?!?!?” Dawn and I shouted

“Dawn you never passed your fear! Either you face all 20 fears you have or stay here and stare” The Puppetmaster said in a taunting voice

dawn looked at me with a frightened expression; I knew that everyone of these fears are actually phobias, ones that Dawn will never be able to face.

“I can’t do it…” Dawn squealed and began to cry at the thought of being stuck here

“If she isn’t leaving- I gulped- I’m not either!” I said

“Oh how nice you two are both going to stay! Alright have it your way!” The Puppetmaster laughed and hung up.

“Holly I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were going to stay too!” Dawn cried out

“Its alright, I found a friend and I’m not about to leave her, and besides it’s not like the Puppetmaster can do anything about it.” I said confidently

“INCOMING” I flinched at the voice, the Puppetmaster was back on the radio.

“What?” I responded, and then I heard a click.

“The doors are opening!” Dawn shouted happily

Something seemed a little off -but then I saw it- a hoof stepped into the door.

“BITERS!” I shouted!