Gardens of Babylon

by Chicken Goddess

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Original Character, Mystery, Adventure, Crossover, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 9911

Twilight Sparkle wakes up one morning with a blue screen hovering over her head. "Congratulations, you have been chosen to be [The Gamer]."

Twilight Sparkle, 3 years before she would travel to Ponyville, woke up one morning to a blue box floating over her head.

"Congratulations, you have been chosen to be [The Gamer]!"

Bereft of her normal, mundane life, Twilight decides to utilize her new abilities to their fullest. Her entire view of reality had been shifted to that of a game, her body changed to something reminiscent of a video game character, and she can only wonder why.

Unfortunately, something lurks within the shadows trying to take advantage of her newfound power. The world its garden and the universe its kingdom, The Man in Black knows only one thing: Babylon will fall, and everything else with it.

(Crossover between The Gamer Manhwa and My Little Pony. Elements of Cthulhu mythos).

Published 2017-05-02 03:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2018-07-26 22:16:55 UTC

Chapter 2: The Man in Black

It was a breathtaking sight: gardens of the most beautiful flowers and trees spreading outwards as far as the eye could see underneath a perfect blue sky unmarred by clouds. It seemed frozen in time, an ode to grace, artistically carved as if each flower petal was the result of a master painter’s delicate brushstroke.

There was no breeze, for the world refused to move. It just stood there, picturesque, still and static, each effigy standing vigil on a tapestry of serenity. Even so, the space around her was the perfect temperature, and there was neither too much nor too little light. Her surroundings were perfect in every way, exactly how she loved it. There was no discomfort, there was no fear, there was no despair, all that was left in her was happiness and childlike curiosity.

For the first time in her life she felt strangely in control, as if here she had no equal.

In the very center of the garden there was a castle, neither too large nor too small. Glistening cobblestone walls fortified against nothing, artistically spiraling spires rose up like corkscrews and monoliths, there was nothing but perfection. This world, this garden was hers. She knew as she stood upon the oddly comfortable cobblestone floor of the highest balcony and looked out over the ledge into the infinite distance, the garden fading into the horizon, that here, she would never have to worry. Here, she was king. Here, she was home.

“A [Skill] has been created through a special act. Through continuous observation, the [Observe] skill has been created.

[Observe]: The ability to carefully analyze various objects and individuals.
Lvl 1 (15%/100), shows basic item information”

Twilight shook herself out of her thoughts, forcing herself to look away from the mesmerizing landscape, and walked back inside. She really had no clue where she was, and it was a wonder that she wasn’t panicking. Twilight offhandedly attributed it to [Gamer’s Mind], she was calmly assessing the situation and searching for a rational way out.

She had woken up on a bed several rooms down in what was obviously a splendorous bedroom even more extravagant than the bedchambers she had witnessed in Princess Celestia’s castle. It was almost to the point of being gaudy, but somehow she felt it was perfect. She’d gotten up and immediately looked around, heading to some other bedchambers, a finely furnished restroom, a fully stocked kitchen, an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, an oddly cute torture chamber, several antechambers, some barracks (and weren’t those supposed to be near the front door?), and finally as she was nearing her wit’s end she entered a large circular room with the balcony she was currently in.

The room had tapestries lining the walls featuring various historic events in Equestrian history. Twilight recognized all of the events, having gone over them in some form in school. There were lavish sofas, chairs, and small well-crafted tables occupied by the most exotic flowers (all of which Twilight had always wanted to see but never was able to) and vases near the walls. In the center of the room there was a massive round table surrounded by the most finely crafted chairs Twilight had ever seen. They were made of a dark wood, almost black, with luscious red satin lining parts of them. At the side closest to the balcony, opposite the entrance, sat instead a massive throne-like chair emboldened with a malleable gold thread weaving through it like veins filled with golden blood. It looked like a war room for royalty.

And, as she walked back through the large glass doors separating the balcony from the war room, she was met with the first sign of sapient life she had seen since she’d awoken shortly before. Sitting in the massive throne, she could see the back of something’s head. It was obscured by a pitch black hat which seemed to suck in all the light around it, and she could make out arms and hands like those of a humanoid race’s, except smaller and more delicate. The thing didn’t even bother to acknowledge her presence she was right next to it in cautious curiosity.

It was covered in all black. Its hat was pitch black and had no discernable make, which somehow, even with the perfect lighting, completely obscured its face in shadow. It wore a formal black suit, as black as its hat, each wrinkle too pristine to be natural and almost unnoticeable through the sheer true black of its clothing. There were black gloves covering its hands with a single button near the thumb to hold the gloves on, and shoes which should’ve been shiny but refused to reflect the light.

Whatever skin she could see was pitch black, like charcoal had been rubbed on it or its skin had been burnt until it cracked and shed black flakes, but it was immaculately smooth like black porcelain. It didn’t even look like it was breathing, though she felt like she was being watched despite not being able to make out any eyes behind the cloak of blackness covering its face.

“Hello?” Twilight tentatively asked. “Who are you?”

Twilight got the faint impression it was smiling genially, as if meeting an acquaintance which it didn’t particularly like, but was willing to endure.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Twilight Sparkle,” the thing said. “It has been long since I have spoken with one such as yourself. Please, take a seat.”

The thing, it sounded like a male, didn’t move to accompany its request. There was no movement at all, it didn’t breathe, it didn’t twitch, it just sat there coiled in shadow. Twilight assessed the command for a moment, and when the thing refused to move, she grudgingly moved towards the seat across from it, never quite taking her eyes off the creature sitting on the throne. She took a seat, adjusting herself into a comfortable position, and looked at the thing sitting rigidly and unnaturally still.

“Who are you? ...What are you?”

There were words floating above its head. “Lvl ?????” sat right above the name, “[Man in Black].” From the number of question marks, Twilight could only assume its level was in the ten-thousands, far greater than her own. This was based on her observation of high military officials she’d seen the previous day with levels depicted as “Lvl ??” rather than levels shown with greater numbers of question marks. Currently, the highest level she could actively read was level 58, 54 levels above her own.

“I have desired to meet with you for some time now, but until your potential revealed itself I could not enter this ‘holy’ place,”the Man in Black explained. “But the fated time has come and we may speak of future endeavors.”

“What do you want?” Twilight asked. “You’re avoiding my questions. If you want me to cooperate, you will answer.”

It was a gamble, but it seemed to want something from her. She would press her position until she had a better understanding of her situation.

...Why was she acting like this? She didn’t feel frightened, it was like something muted her emotions and prevented her from feeling anything but objective curiosity. It was… wrong. It was like she was playing a video game, she held an apathy towards everything besides a detached desire for survival and a drive to win.

“This world, do you see it? It’s so peaceful, so calming… so… light. It’s a prison, one created from beauty to enrapture any who enter and keep them here forever,” the creature said. Twilight couldn’t tell exactly where the voice was coming from, as it seemed to come from everywhere. “I wish to destroy this prison and release you from it. You have been captured in it, just as every other creature. We will scorch the fields, waylay the keepers, and free you from this creation. It is... far too beautiful as it is.”

“A [Skill] has been created through a special act. Through being targeted by continuous manipulation, the [Sense Motive] skill has been created.

[Sense Motive]: The ability to determine the motives behind individuals’ actions.
Lvl 1 (20%/100), 1% increased chance to see an individual’s motives”

Another window popped up in front of her and a sudden inexplicable increased feeling of distrust entered her before she even looked at the notification.

“[Man in Black] has ulterior motives.”

“What’s the catch? What do you get out of breaking me out?” Twilight asked.

“I am acting out of the kindness of my own heart.”

“I highly doubt that.”

The creature chuckled. It was a distorted, grating sound. “I care for the continued existence of…” he paused for a moment, as if thinking, though he made no visual indication. He still had not moved, like he was a statue or a puppet with no real life. “...Existence. But believe what you will, it matters naught. You will be free of this garden, free of this world once we grind it to dust together. This kingdom will fall and you and I will rise from the ashes.”

“So, I’m trapped here then? There’s no way out to see my family?” Twilight asked.

“That is incorrect. This prison is one which is incorporeal, it is one which chains your mind and soul, not one of your body. You are free to greet your family as necessary. But until you destroy this world, your life will be forever enslaved to fate’s whims.”

“Why is that so bad? We get our cutie marks, live fulfilling lives, and knowing we were destined to do that: to progress the world and make a difference fills us with happiness. Maybe we were destined to be the ponies we are, but have you considered we’re happy knowing that our actions will impact the world and those around us? I still have free will, I can still choose how to traverse the path fate laid out for me,” Twilight said. “That is, if you’re truly correct in how fate works.”

“Perhaps you are correct, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps following a predestined road will lead you to happiness. Unfortunately, I am not fatalistic,” the Man in Black affirmed. “I cannot sit by, knowing others may be suffering because of these prisons.”

Twilight took a moment to look at the thing. What it was saying was too selfless for its appearance. Though, admittedly, appearance did not necessarily define an individual. Appearance did help one predict the personality of someone when interacting with them, because one dresses or grooms herself according to how she would think she should look.

The creature in front of her… it just looked shady. It felt evil.

“[Observe]” Twilight said. It was experimental, but she figured since her magic could activate both through actively manipulating her magic the way she normally would for a spell as well as using the shortcut of speaking the spell name to automatically use the spell, it would work similarly with her other skills.

A window popped up in front of her face, expected.

“[Name]: The Man in Black
[Level]: ?????
[Description]: A being created at the beginning of the universe. It was sealed by a great force, fated to always be separate from reality, unable to interact with the physical plane despite its incredible power. It is said this being which holds untold knowledge is constantly searching for a way to reenter the material world.”

The Man in Black tilted its head. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle? Is there something you wish for me to see?”

He seemed oblivious to her power, [The Gamer]. That was good, she still had something he didn’t seem to know about, as knowledgeable as he appeared.

“For making a sophisticated deduction, Wisdom has increased by 1.”

It just increased her wisdom for making an educated guess? Did that mean she was right, or…?

“You mentioned I had ‘potential.’ What kind of potential have I unlocked?” Twilight asked. “...And how did it allow you to contact me?”

“There are those blessed by the world, or perhaps blessed by gods, who awaken a power which symbolizes them. Some embody an element, while others can perform feats otherwise impossible to a normal creature of its species. Your awakening was… especially powerful. I have no doubt others have sensed it and are seeking you for their own agendas.”

“And what made mine so powerful?” Twilight asked, trying to milk the being for as much information as she could. “Do you know?”

“That is a conversation for another time. For now, I would like to give you a gift,” the Man in Black said. “This,” he held out a bright red gem, “is a relic of great power. Take it with you, and should you ever find yourself against insurmountable odds, use it to overcome your despair.”

Twilight stared at the stone for a moment. It radiated a thick, oily aura. It was disgusting, no matter how beautiful it looked visually. The stone was similar to someone who had taken feces and put it into a golden and gemstone-bedazzled box: it was beautiful to look at but everything else about it was untouchable. Just looking at it made Twilight feel as if she was being drowned in boiling toxic waste.

“I decline, I’ll find my own power if it’s necessary,” Twilight said.

The Man in Black stood still even now, stuck in its unmoving rigid posture. Move dammit, that’s creepy! “Of course, Twilight Sparkle. Should you ever find yourself in a predicament, the offer shall remain open.”

“Thank you for your understanding, and thank you for your offer,” Twilight excused herself, “but I don’t believe it will be necessary. I will work hard to become strong on my own merits.”

“Yes, it is certainly important to feel as if you’ve earned your merits. Unfortunately, I do not believe you will have that luxury. Beware, Twilight Sparkle. Beware the King, and beware his prophets.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you for the warning, I will keep it in mind.”

“Then go, Twilight Sparkle. Survive to see this prison to its end,” the Man in Black urged. “Do not falter, do not hesitate. Free yourself so this world and many others like it may be saved.

“And remember, always remember--

“You are the key to the survival of us all.”

*******

The video game console was a breakthrough in magical technology. There had been simple mechanical games in the past, ancient items which had simulated what low-end consoles could accomplish but never quite meeting the standards to be considered ‘fun’ or ‘enjoyable’ for more than a few minutes at a time.

Then, when Twilight was three years old, the first magic-run game machine was released. They appeared in arcades--large, towering machines which allowed for various styles of shooting games and survival games like Pacman, Star Fleet, and many others of all shapes and sizes. They captured Twilight Sparkle’s interest immediately, and later they captured her heart.

When she was six, the first consoles released for the public. They were smaller, capable of existing within a home without taking up too much space. The games were pixilated and blocky, and they seemed to have an almost childish appeal to them. Many had little story, or they didn’t have any real story at all, and were designed just to be fun and an enjoyable experience to anyone who was interested.

There was a videogame revolution when Twilight was ten. Videogames grew up. A rating scale was created and many new kinds of games were designed. Graphics got better, games became graphic and gained a semblance of story. No longer were games just some fun thing to do, but they evolved into actual art. There were comprehensible characters, actual strife, and emotion. Unfortunately, there continued to be a stigma that games were childish and a waste of time. Fortunately, that allowed Twilight to obtain much of the more mature and graphic games and she loved them.

By the time Twilight was 16, gaming systems had become smaller and more complex, graphics looked nearly hyper realistic, and most games played at 46 frames per second and were released in 2048 by 2048 pixels. These games were emotional, terrifying, lovely, inspired hope and dread, and made those who played love and hate their characters. Twilight adored it, though most of her friends had moved on from ‘childish games’ to focus on real life.

Twilight refused to move on. She loved games, grew up with games. She refused to just let them go or move on, and she got top grades in school and was accepted as one of Princess Celestia’s students, so why should she stop?

Twilight Sparkle: bookworm, nerd, video game extraordinaire.

That morning, waking up from the dream with the Man in Black, she wasn’t quite sure what to believe. The only evidence that the encounter had been real was the existence of her new skills and stats. She was lost, unsure of how she should proceed.

Video games may be the best way to proceed.

Twilight sat down in front of her system, picked up her controller with her magic, and turned on a game. It was a simple RPG, decently old but still a good on, a classic in fact. Gaming always helped her think, because it cleared her mind like a reset button and allowed her to understand things from a different angle.

Unfortunately, Twilight found herself incapable of getting into the game. Every time she tried, her mind would wander back to her ability as [The Gamer] and she would suddenly find real life more interesting than the game. Ten minutes of attempting to immerse herself in the simple RPG left her wanting, and instead of forcing herself to continue, she decided taking a walk would better help her contemplate everything.

Getting ready only took a few moments. She powered down the console, trotted downstairs, and said goodbye to her mother.

“You’re going outside?” her mother asked. Twilight was almost offended that her mother sounded so shocked at that prospect.

“Yeah,” Twilight responded. “I’m allowed to go outside, aren’t I? It is Saturday, after all.”

“Y-yes, of course!” her mother said. “Be careful and make sure to have lots of fun!”

Twilight stared at her mother for a moment then gave something akin to a smile. “Don’t worry, I will.”

With that, Twilight left the door and went into the city leaving an awkwardly smiling mother behind.

*******

“W-what?” Twilight startled.

She’d been walking for a decent amount of time, lost in her thoughts, when she happened upon what looked like a normal alleyway. It was perfectly normal in almost every way, except instead of a normal alley, this one’s air seemed to be distorting and vibrating in an exceptionally unnatural way. The longer Twilight looked, the more the air vibrated.

Cautiously, Twilight approached the alley and activated her horn ready to perform a cursory analysis spell before realizing she couldn’t (the biggest indicator being that she ended up shooting a beam from her horn instead). With a brief groan of frustration, Twilight realized her best option would be to avoid it for now and come back when she had the ability to analyze it without potentially endangering herself or anyone else. Either that or have someone else analyze it, that would be the most beneficial to everyone at the moment. Yes, that was a good idea, she knew several patrol-stallions who were first-responders to magical disasters and would be trained in these kinds of situations.

“Quest Alert: Magical Mysteries [Mysterious Fog]
Objective: Find someone who may be capable of identifying the phenomenon in an alleyway just off of Strattingham Street
Completion Bonus: 50 experience, [Beginner Divination] skill book
Failure Bonus: None”

Even her new ability agreed with her.

Twilight quickly turned around and sprinted off to find someone who could help, dashing in and out of the crowds trying to find a name she could recognize who could help. She wasn’t the most social individual, but as a result of her work with Princess Celestia she had several connections and was frequently approached by others in various capacities.

“A [Skill] has been created through a special act. Through continuous running, the skill [Sprint] has been created.

[Sprint]: The ability to run faster
Lvl 1 (1%/100), increases running speed by 2%”

Eventually, a name caught her eye. It was a guard in the usual royal military armor patrolling the streets. “LV 18, [Steel Cuirass]” sat next to his head. He was a below-average recruit who slacked off in his duties, but he was fairly competent in defensive tactics and knew some analysis spells. Twilight hesitated to approach him for a moment, knowing his previous advances on her. He thought that because of his recruitment he could score with any mares he came across, or at least that’s what Twilight assumed since he asked every woman and her daughter out on dates. It wasn’t that he was bad looking, but he wasn’t the most subtle or understanding when it came to other ponies. He was a decent guy all things considered, but just… no.

The choice wasn’t left up to her, unfortunately, when he noticed her first. Groan.

“It seems my fair maiden has returned to me, reconsider your rejection towards this fine piece of meat~?”

Stop it… stop talking, please…

“They all come back, eventually,” he continued drammatically. “But alas, I must be the one to reject you this time. I’ve just started dating a fine young mare who truly understands me!”

Twilight paused in her groaning, surprised. “Really? Someone would want to date you? I-I mean that’s great, I’m glad you found someone who could stand you.”

Well, he wasn’t actually that bad, Twilight suspected most of what he said was purposefully embellished for the sake of staying relevant.

“Yes! Someone actually capable of handling me greatness has descended, she is an angel with unparalleled beauty, truly someone who could even match your splendor, who knew such a thing could even exist!”

Twilight refused to blush in front of that moron.

“Aaaaaanyway, I do have a problem,” Twilight interjected, “which is why I’m here to see you. Well, not me, but there’s an odd magical ‘haze’ nearby, would you be able to use your expertise to analyze it?”

“Of course!” Steel said. “Lead me in the direction and I will be sure to find something out about it at least.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said before dashing off. “It’s over here!”

Twilight led Steel through the crowd, right up to the alleyway. It seemed nopony else had taken it upon themselves to report it yet, either. Oddly, there was no crowd of curious pedestrians observing it, either. It was like nopony else even noticed it. Of course, it was hardly noticeable and everypony was fairly busy, so it was somewhat understandable, Twilight guessed…

No, that made too little sense. The street was very crowded at this time of day, there were ponies trotting passed the alley constantly. There was no way nopony had noticed it, the possibility was astronomically low.

“So where is the problem?” Steel Cuirass asked. “Is it close by? ‘Cuz it’s kinda hard to keep up with you in this crowd…”

“Do you not see the foggy magic in the alleyway?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

Steel Cuirass squinted and leaned forward with an almost exaggerated grace. “I see…. I seeeeeee……..” He paused for a moment, before turning back to Twilight with a smirk. “I see a great makeout spot just around the corner that somepony is trying to seduce me with. For shame, even I have standards~”

Twilight groaned. “That’s not what--”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve gotta get back to work. If you want to talk later, just lemme know and we can grab lunch sometime. I’d love to introduce you to my girlfriend.”

“It’s right there!” Twilight yelled. A couple ponies glanced in her direction before continuing on with their business. Was that Golden Rule!? She hoped he didn’t recognize her, that would be so embarassing…

Maybe she should quiet down a little.

“Are you okay, Twilight? Maybe we should get you home so you can relax a bit. You seem a little stressed out…”

“Just… nevermind. I’ll leave you to get back to work, I’m gonna see if I can’t figure this out,” Twilight said.

“Okay, if you’re really sure. I’ll be right over there if you need me,” Steel said, pointing towards where he was before down the street. “Be careful, and I really think you should take it easy...”

Twilight absently nodded, already trying to figure out how to analyze whatever the thing in front of her was. Could it have been some kind of eldritch magic that only she could see because of her new ability? Was it toxic? Perhaps it could be…

Oh…

OH!

“[Observe].”

There was a moment of realization, and then all Twilight could think of was how utterly stupid she was for not thinking of it earlier. Perhaps if she had a higher wisdom score she could’ve thought of that immediately, did the system work like that? Those were thoughts for later.

“Woodland Dungeon Gate

Description: A temporal distortion in the fabric of reality caused by an excessive mass of energy coalescing in a single space. The energy is different enough from Equestria’s magic that it cannot be perceived or interacted with by the current denizens of the nation.”

Well that was… kind of insightful. It seemed to be some kind of gateway to another location, the title ‘dungeon’ indicated that perhaps it was linked to her gamer ability. Twilight briefly wondered if she would be capable of creating dungeons of her own if she could replicate the energy used in the formation of the Gate, but that was a thought for another time. Right now, her main priority was doing research on her abilities and relearning all of the knowledge that she lost, and then some. Perhaps another day she could look into the effects of the Gate.

It was simply too dangerous to do anything with it until she knew more.

Suddenly, Steel Cuirass walked passed her, right through where the Gate was, and looked at her seriously. His eyes squinted and his eyebrows knitted upwards, it was easy to hear the concern in his voice and on his face. “Are you sure you’re okay, Twilight? You’re staring into space, it’s worrying me. I wouldn’t be a good soldier if I let a pony get hurt while I just watched. Come on, let’s get you home.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. Yeah, that was probably a good idea. She’d been out long enough, and it would help Steel feel better if she went along with him. Perhaps she could begin grinding her skills up when she got home so she could regain her previous capabilities and work on understanding the system better.

There was some odd giddiness in the thought of grinding skills. So far it’s been difficult for anything to affect Twilight, she felt unflappable and unaffected by everything, but there was just something that sparked her interest when the concept of improving her skills crossed her mind. It was… odd, and oddly satisfying.

“Yeah, you’re probably right, I should get home. I’m usually not out for this long.”

Steel nodded, “come on, you live near the southern market district, right? I know a shortcut, come on!” he motioned for her to follow him down the alleyway.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Twilight said, glancing dubiously at the Gate. “I could just go the long way…”

“No, I insist! This way is really cool, you’ll die of awe when you see the stuff over here. There’s like this giant stained glass window that was being constructed before the city plans changed, nopony ever really sees it because of the location but it’s literally the best!”

“No, it’s okay. Maybe another time--”

Twilight didn’t get to finish before she was tugged forward by Steel Cuirass, right into the Gate. The world evaporated around them, like shattered glass, and suddenly they found themselves standing in a small field surrounded on all sides by trees larger than anything Twilight had ever seen before. They were beautiful, with flowers blooming on many of them, giant flowers of every color and size.

“Hey,” Twilight heard Steel whisper. “Is it normal for wolves to be six feet tall…?”

With a quick glance, Twilight could confirm that no, wolves were not supposed to be six feet tall. Nor were they supposed to be a deep, blood red.

“I think we should run,” Twilight said. “Maybe if we’re fast enough it won’t bother to follow.”

“On 3. Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“3… 2… 1... Run for your life!” Steel shouted and bolted, Twilight close behind.

Twilight decidedly ignored the “For continuous physical activity, constitution has increased by 1.”

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait for chapter 2. Pestering me about it does, in fact, make me write more frequently. I've been really busy with school and studying for various things, but as promised I'll continue working on this. Hopefully more frequently now.

Enjoy, any criticism is appreciated. I also updated Chapter 1 some. If you have any recommendations on how I can better format the game information, let me know and I'll consider changing it to that style.

Chapter 1: Birth of a New King

When Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes that day, Friday, just before school and a few weeks before her 17th birthday, she was befuddled. She took a moment and tried to analyze the situation, blinking several times to clear away what was obviously the remnants of a dream or a visual illusion, but to no avail. There was simply no way to comprehend the large blue transparent box sitting right in front of her face.

“CONGRATULATIONS! YOU’VE BEEN CHOSEN TO BE [THE GAMER]!”

[ACCEPT]

So, instead of bothering with it, she just waved it away and ignored it. She was a regular purple unicorn, nothing particularly special about her. There was likely a reasonable explanation for such an unnerving hallucination to interrupt her mundane daily routine. Perhaps she was experiencing the initial stages of schizophrenia, though wasn’t schizophrenia primarily auditory in most cases? Odd, though not impossible. Perhaps she should mention it to her parents before it became an issue; there was certainly medication for illnesses like that.

Twilight briefly wondered why she wasn’t reacting more than she was, but brushed it off as grogginess (even though she oddly didn’t feel tired at all since waking up).

“Twily! Breakfast is ready! You’ll be late for school if you don’t hurry!”

“I’ll be down in a minute, mom!” Twilight responded.

There was a terse silence before: “Don’t tell me you were playing your video games this early in the morning!”

“W-what? No! Of course not, I wouldn’t do that!”

Even though that was something she would definitely do.

“If you say so,” her mother said from downstairs.

Twilight rolled her eyes and trotted downstairs. The blue box had all but faded, hanging just out of visibility, and seeming to change opacity based on how interested she was in seeing it. As it was, a faint square outline, almost indiscernible, brushed her periphery every few moments as she sat down to eat her meal. It was vaguely irritating, but nothing she couldn’t ignore.

“What’s happening in school today?” Twilight Velvet asked.

Twilight Sparkle barely glanced up from her meal to respond. “We’re just practicing some basic math formulas again, probably. Oh, I have a reading test in languages, too, but that shouldn’t be difficult.”

“And what about your lessons with the Princess?”

Twilight Sparkle looked up at her mother, more fully this time. “Oh! They’re going…”

There was another hallucination. A number, reminiscent of a modern roleplaying game, floated above her mother’s head as if suspended by invisible wires. It depicted a gaudy “LV 12” right underneath a visual representation of her name “[Twilight Velvet].” It was written in some kind of calligraphy, Times New Roman her mind supplied (Though she had no clue what that was). Each letter and number were exact and measured, drawn out as if copied by a factory or a magic program.

“Twilight, dear, are you okay? Have you been having trouble with your lessons from the Princess? If you want I can try to help in any way I can.”

“I woke up…” Twilight began to say, but stopped herself. The early morning wasn’t an ideal time to bring up an issue which wasn’t chronic or overtly detrimental. The evening would be a more ideal time to discuss the possibility of schizophrenia or whatever similar disorder her hallucinations were originating from. “...And I really, really want to go back to bed.”

“Oh, Twilie, you know you have to go to school. You certainly love the subjects, so don’t worry, you’ll wake up!”

“Can I at least have a little bit of coffee?” Twilight asked.

“Not until you’re older. You’ll go crazy if you have some now, we don’t need a Twilight on caffeine!”

“Ugh, fine.”

“Maybe on your next birthday. I have to warn you, though, it’s quite bitter!” her mother warned with a smile. “Until then, study hard and do well in school! The princess, your father and I have high hopes for you!”

“I know, I know…” Twilight mumbled, shoveling some food into her mouth. “I’m the top of my class, after all! I’ll accept any help, though; the workload is difficult even if the subjects aren’t.”

“I never doubted you, I’m always here to help if you need it. Now you better hurry.”

“Yep! I’ll see you tonight!” Twilight said, finishing the rest of her breakfast. She jumped up, grabbed her bag, and bolted out the door. She barely even registered that the screen in front of her face had faded.

*******

Twilight hadn’t expected her hallucinations to end there, but no matter how much she tried to focus on making the blue panel reappear, it stayed gone. It was as if they were a figment of her imagination (though obviously they were, but the idiom stands metaphorically). There was some kind of surreal quality to thinking about it: how could she be so calm and collected when contemplating a severe psychological issue? In fact, why wasn’t she even considering it to be a problem?

It was as if she had subconsciously accepted that it was a part of her life, and now that she couldn’t interact with it, she was having doubts about her own sanity. Objectively looking at it, the entire situation was awry, though she almost refused to see the situation as any less than normal. It wasn’t normal.

For the first half of the day, all Twilight could really focus on was how she couldn’t see the screen anymore. As much as she tried to focus on the lectures (though they couldn’t be called lectures so much as they were menial depictions of various cultures around the world and gryphonian grammar), she found it to only serve as white noise to fuel her obsession with strange schizophrenic blue boxes.

What was [The Gamer]? Why was she chosen? Why was she even entertaining the notion of being special? She was certainly more learned than other ponies her age, but she didn’t consider herself any more talented or intelligent than them. She found an incredible interest in academic material unlike others, and therefore allocated a significantly larger amount of focus towards higher level material than other ponies in school.

It was during the second half of her day when something surprising happened. It surpassed any concept of causality, as if the cause and effect of choice had been tampered with. Twilight had just sat down in her linear algebra course offered at the local university for lower school students when another blue box had opened in front of her face.

“Quest alert: Pop Quiz [Linear Transformations]
Objective: Pass the test with a 70% or above
Completion Bonus: 20 experience
Failure Bonus: 0 experience”

Twilight felt the barest hints of surprise before they were crushed with doubt. There was no evidence of the professor having planned a quiz, especially considering the professor had not once given a quiz previously and it was beyond halfway into the year. The chances of a quiz were astronomically low. There was no need to worry about preparation, though she would likely be able to pass regardless.

She noticed, finally, looking around, that when she focused on others, their names and levels did appear over their heads. Unless she looked specifically for them, they never showed up, but the moment she was focusing entirely on the blue box, she saw that the other aspects of the illusion manifested around her.

Then, professor Rational Root, contrary to all possibility, walked in with a large stack of papers titled “Quiz 1,” barely distinguishable from her distance. The class stood respectfully as Professor Root took his place at his desk and set the papers down in the corner of the table. Twilight felt a shiver run down her spine, and some pinpricks in her legs. This was wrong, it was so wrong. It had to be a joke--a well-devised prank that somepony had managed to pull.

Denial. She knew she was in denial. She had to observe the facts. Facts were key to a truthful and observant deduction.

She had woken up to a blue screen floating over her which others couldn’t perceive. Perhaps it was illusion magic rather than a mental disorder or… something she didn’t want to contemplate.

Illusion magic was difficult to perform, and even more difficult to dispel, though the signs of illusion magic were more straightforward: The caster or the object the spell is originating from must maintain contact with the recipient of the spell, the length is exponentially proportional with the amount of magic supplied, and area-of-effect illusion magic required significant preparation which couldn’t be done in a single evening.

Twilight shoved her bag away from her and quickly checked herself for any miscellaneous items touching her body.

Nothing.

“Miss Sparkle, is there something the matter?” Professor Root asked. The class was looking at her.

Twilight blushed and gave a nervous giggle. “Everything’s fine, sorry. I thought I misplaced something.”

“Of course,” Professor Root said. “I’m certain you’ll find it. If it’s a writing utensil, I can lend you one of mine, or you can ask a classmate, because today we’re having a pop-quiz!”

The students began vaguely complaining and all Twilight could do was watch helplessly as the quizzes were passed out. It wasn’t illusion magic, or at least any illusion magic that she knew of. How would someone construct a method to show information to another and allow only that one individual to see it?

There was no way…

Twilight looked down at her copy of the quiz. “[The Gamer], huh…”

An ability which manifested in her: something to set her apart from others and allow her to exceed their capabilities in her own unique way. It was an ability which had somehow, impossibly, predicted that a quiz was going to occur. Or, perhaps, even more horrifying: It was an ability which could create an instance where the professor would give a quiz, when the professor had originally never intended to do so.

There was no way to know which it was or how the ability worked without studying it. Even then, it could be an elaborate farce, but without any way to disprove its existence, there was no reason to continue ignoring it.

Twilight quickly finished the quiz and turned it in, watching as a new popup appeared.

“Quest completed: +20 experience!”

“So I passed, after all,” Twilight muttered before sitting back down. “I need to understand how this works. What happened, and what will happen…? Is this… just like my games?”

Everything pointed to her life being modified to fit into a vague concept of a video game. As utterly impossible as it was, there was no denying her perception of the world had drastically changed overnight.

After school, she decided, she would head home and then attempt to interact with the ‘game’ more thoroughly. If this was real and not just a dream, then there was no reason she shouldn’t work to understand it.

After all, knowledge is power.

*******

“[Stats]!” Twilight called, perhaps a bit too loudly. Luckily neither of her parents happened to be home, though her brother could arrive home at any moment. He was at his flugelhorn practice, though that ended early frequently.

A blue box popped up, on cue, right in front of her.

“[Name]: Twilight Sparkle
[Level]: 4 (2%/100)
[Special Talent]: Magic (+100% mana, +50% intelligence)
[Title]: Student of Celestia (+2 wisdom per level while title active)
[Primary Class]: Level 1 Scholar 0%/100
[Secondary Class]: Level 1 Student 15%/100
[Health]: 20/20
[Mana]: 202/202 (base 101)
[Strength]: 7
[Dexterity]: 10
[Constitution]: 5
[Intelligence]: 27 (base 16)
[Wisdom]: 9
[Luck]: 3

Skill points: 0
Available perks: 1

Perks: Scholar;

[Studied]: Adds a small experience burst when learning from skill books

Perks: Misc;

[Gamer’s Mind]: Allows [The Gamer] to view life as if it were a game and makes [The Gamer] immune to all mental status effects

[Gamer’s Body]: Allows [The Gamer]’s body to function as if it were a game character, and allows [The Gamer] to interact with the world on a similar level

[Blessed by Magic]: Doubles effectiveness of all spells, doubles casting speed, doubles magic resistance, and halves chance of spell failure

Perks: Ailments;
(N/A)

Skills:
(N/A)”

“That’s… a lot of intelligence… and what’s [Blessed by Magic] mean? It looks really powerful, but each stat besides the [Gamer’s Body] and [Gamer’s Mind] seem to be based off of my actual capabilities. Is there any way to see what each stat affects?” Twilight asked. She almost expected an answer from the screen, but nothing changed. “Maybe if I touch it?”

Twilight reached out and poked [Intelligence]. Curiously, it actually felt like she had touched something, though it didn’t hold much substance. It was as if the screen was a viscous fluid and the letters were oil, floating on top.

Another screen expanded before her, startling her, with the title [Intelligence].

“[Intelligence]: The measure of one’s retention of information and the ability to understand and process that information. It affects total maximum mana pool as well as the effectiveness of spells. [Global base intelligence average: 22]”

“Well, that was insightful. This may help significantly with my studies! If I can get my intelligence up, I’ll be able to read and understand even more books!”

Twilight quickly, with newfound energy, pressed the rest of the options.

“[Name]: The identity of the individual. It changes based on how the individual views him or herself.”

“Huh… so [Name] can change based on self-perception? How does that work…?”

Twilight read over it again, trying to imagine a concrete example of the concept. Perhaps if someone disguised themselves and went by an alias, then the name would consequently shift to reflect the change in identification? That would make sense. It would require further exploration.

“[Level]: The approximate measure of achievement of an individual. As one increases his or her attributes and accomplishments, one’s level increases. Conversely, as [The Gamer] increases her level, her attributes will increase at her own discretion.”

The concept of one’s skills determining one’s level was a realistic outlook on how reality would work if translated to a game, though it seemed as if her own abilities worked more like the conventional RPG, in which one would level up in order to increase one’s power. It was interesting to observe how her power distinguished herself from other ponies.

“[Special Talent]: The primary directive of an individual. It provides an exponential increase in personal capability when doing activities related to that talent.
Available talents:

Magic (+100% mana, +50% intelligence)”

“[Title]: The active title displays the accomplishments of its wearer. It provides extra bonuses based on the title’s origin.
Available titles:

Student of Celestia (+2 wisdom per level while title active)

Blessed of Magic (Allows the use of all kinds of magic, even if the species requirement is not met. Stat-based requirements still apply)”

Odd… there was [Blessed of Magic] as a title, as well… though, it was different. It looked incredibly overpowered when seen from the perspective of reality, though it would make sense for the protagonist of a game to be able to branch off into whichever playstyle she wanted.

It would make the best method of confirming the capabilities of [The Gamer] ability.

“I wonder… what if I learned some Earth Pony tricks and tried them? That would certainly be a fun experiment which wouldn’t cause any huge issues to the world. I’ll have to set up an experiment in a location where I can’t be monitored, just in case…” Twilight muttered to herself. “But first, I should continue trying to understand the rest of this.”

“[Primary Class]: The occupation the individual currently holds. It allows for specialized abilities and stat bonuses. This can be changed freely and each occupation has different requirements for leveling up.
Discovered classes:

Scholar (Level 1 [0%/100])(+20% intelligence, +20% scholar skill effectiveness, Scholar perks level 1 available [Scholar gains experience with every new skill learned, every successful experiment, and every book read])

Student (Level 1 15%/100”

“[Secondary Class]: The secondary occupation the individual currently holds. It allows for specialized abilities one level below that of the primary class, and half effectiveness of stat bonuses. This can be changed freely and each occupation has different requirements for leveling up.
Discovered classes:

Scholar (Level 1 [0%/100])(+10% intelligence, +10% scholar skill effectiveness, Scholar perks level 0 available [Scholar gains experience with every new skill learned, every successful experiment, and every book read])

Student (Level 1 15%/100”

“[Health]: The total amount of health the individual has as well as the amount of health the individual has left. If health reaches 0, the individual is left in a dying state, and if health reaches half of his or her max health below 0, the individual dies. Because of how [Gamer’s Body] interacts with the world, conventional physics do not apply”

“Interesting…” Twilight said. “It seems, contrary to most game mechanics, if health reaches 0 you don’t die. I… don’t think I’ll test that.”

Twilight shuddered, thinking about testing that on someone. That wasn’t an experience she wanted to have any time soon.

“I… would I even feel regret? [Gamer’s Mind] suggests that I would just see it as I would a death in a video game. That’s… really terrifying.”

For a moment, Twilight simply considered leaving it there and just ignoring the ability. She didn’t want anything to do with death outside of a video game, and the screen was suggesting that fighting would become an integral part of her life. It scared her. It scared her more thinking of the idea that she might not even feel the impact of her possible decision to kill.

“No,” Twilight said. “I shouldn’t think about that right now. I need to understand this power or it could cause some serious problems later. If I understand it, I can both use it to my advantage as well as minimize any issues which stem from it.”

Resolving herself to learning more, she continued reading.

“[Mana]: The total amount of mana available to the individual as well as the amount of mana the individual has left. If mana reaches 0, the individual is left in an exhausted state. For every 10% below 0, the individual receives temporary physical debilitations. Once mana reaches half of his or her max mana below 0, the debilitations become permanent.”

Luckily she had a large reserve of mana, it seemed. It would come in handy.

“[Strength]: The measure of physical prowess. Allows the individual to perform physical feats scaling with the numerical value of this statistic. [Strength] determines physical damage, damage reduction, and effectiveness of heavy weapons. [Global base strength average: 23]”

“[Dexterity]: The measure of limberness. It allows the individual to perform physical feats scaling with the numerical value of this statistic. [Dexterity] determines fluidity of motion, precision of all abilities, and deftness of performing skills. [Global base dexterity average: 17]”

“[Constitution]: The measure of hardiness. It allows the individual to take more hits and perform physical feats scaling with the numerical value of this statistic. [Constitution] determines damage reduction, maximum health, and movement speed. [Global base constitution average: 21]”

“[Intelligence]: The measure of one’s retention of information and the ability to understand and process that information. It affects total maximum mana pool as well as the effectiveness of spells. [Global base intelligence average: 22]”

“[Wisdom]: The measure of one’s ability to perceive the world around them, make educated decisions, and adapt to new situations. It affects health regeneration, mana regeneration, and the strength of almighty, holy, and demonic magics. [Global base wisdom average: 17]”

“[Luck]: The measure of fortune. It allows [The Gamer] to tip the scales of fate in her favor. This statistic is unique to [The Gamer] and has no comparative stat for others. [Luck] affects the chances for rarer item drops, more money drops, enemy misfortune, ally fortune, and various other real-world applications.”

Luck…

“Celestia…” Twilight gasped.

It seemed like a stat which actively altered the space around her. What kind of power was it that she had acquired, to be able to change even the outcome of events so they would fall within her favor?

No, she should think of it as a boon rather as an impossibility. She could test the values in the future to prove authenticity.

The rest of the stats were admirable and necessary, but [Luck] changed everything. What practical uses did it have? No, what practical uses didn’t it have? Luck, Twilight decided, was necessary.

“[Perks]: Special abilities granted based on class or special circumstances. They are passive abilities used to bolster individual capabilities and are always active. Status ailments are listed under Perks: Ailments;”

“[Skills]: Active skills which allow the user to perform great feats. These are learned through performing a special action successively and are leveled up by performing that action continually.”

Twilight finished reading the descriptions on the stats page.

“[Close]” Twilight said on an experimental whim. The page closed, and Twilight looked around her room. Everything suddenly seemed so much bigger and expansive than before, and Twilight felt like she suddenly had the capacity to see it all.

The sound of the front door opening didn’t startle her, but Twilight certainly found herself knocked out of her stupor.

“Hey, you here, Twilight?” her brother, Shining Armor, called.

“Yeah!” Twilight responded. “I’m in my room!”

There were some loud footsteps and then knocks on her door. “You aren’t playing games again, are you? I know you’re smart and all, but that doesn’t excuse you from studying. Well, unless it’s that really cool new shooter that came out yesterday, I might let it slide if you let me play~”

“Oh be quiet, Shining, you know I’ll let you play once I’m done. You’ll just spoil it if I let you play first,” Twilight reprimanded.

“That was once!” Shining groused. “You can’t keep holding that over my head.”

“Yeah, once you spoiled five of the games I was playing. I love you big bro, but I’ll never forgive you for that.”

“Ugh... fine, fine, I’ll just leave you alone. You have fun playing your game, I’ll be busy sitting around all alone over in my room.”

There were footsteps and suddenly Twilight was totally alone again with only her brother several rooms down. It was a comforting silence.

Twilight thought back to her scholar perk. It mentioned skill books. Logically, Twilight supposed, a skill book was similar to skill books in games: books which allowed the user to learn new skills or upgrade skills and attributes by reading them. She wondered how those translated to the real world.

Taking a gamble, Twilight reached for the nearest book. It was hardly difficult to grab--her entire room was littered with various textbooks and reference materials. It was a large book on the theory of transmogrification, intermediate level describing inanimate object modification into entirely different objects.

As soon as she touched it, a message popped up:

“Learn skill [Intermediate Transmogrification]?
[Accept] [Decline]

Twilight hesitated, then hit [Accept]. For a moment nothing happened, then another box appeared.

“Error: Prerequisite [Beginner Transmogrification (LvlMax)] not found”

“W-what? But I already know all the theory and most of the practical applications of beginner transmogrification! I was already halfway through this one!” Twilight screeched. “Nonononono, do I have to learn it all again!?”

“Twilie?” her brother called from down the hall. “Is everything okay?”

“Y-yeah!” Twilight responded. “Everything’s fine!”

“Okay, just checking! I can’t imagine you losing a game, but don’t overreact if you do! It’s not healthy.”

“Yeah, yeah, like I’d ever lose,” Twilight breathed out. “I got it!” she continued, calling out so her brother heard her.

“I’ll never understand how she manages to play so many games and still ace all her tests…” Twilight heard her brother say before he went back to doing whatever he was doing.

“A [Skill] has been created through a special act. Through frequent listening, the [Listen] skill has been created.

[Listen]: The ability to hear further distances.
Lvl 1(0%/100), +10% hearing range”

“Ummm… that’s… useful, I think?”

Twilight realized she could faintly hear her brother playing ‘Sister Dating Simulator 3’ when she couldn’t before. She found it quite funny that he had that game, though she, herself, had played and beaten it while dating all girls simultaneously including unlocking the ‘Secret Sister’ ending. The challenge was enjoyable, if odd.

“No, I gotta see if I can still use my magic. If I can’t, I’m screwed in my magic-based classes!” Twilight said. “Gotta focus, gotta focus… okay, okay, maybe if I try to do something…”

Slowly, Twilight gathered magic into her horn, focusing very hard because it seemed more difficult than usual, as if she’d forgotten how it was supposed to feel like. The energy sparked occasionally, uncontrolled, flowing through the magic veins rampantly but not painfully. It was like a torrent, she hadn’t even realized she had that much magic.

Eventually, she focused the magic into a specific pattern in her horn and after some struggling, she released it onto an empty soda can. Her magic impacted the can, denting it and then changing the texture of half of it into what looked like tin foil.

“No… no, this can’t be…” Twilight lamented. “It’s as if I’ve never done magic before. This is horrible!”

Even as she was saying that, three blue messages had already appeared.

“A [Feat] has been created through a special act. Through harnessing the energy of a unicorn, the [Unicorn Magic] perk has been created.

[Unicorn Magic]: The ability to perform magic feats as a unicorn would

A [Skill] has been created through a special act. Through manipulating the energy of the body, the [Internal Mana Manipulation] skill has been created.

[Internal Mana Manipulation]: Through concentration, one can harness the power of the body and shape it to their whims.
Lvl 1(2%/100), +1% max mana, +1% success rate with magic skills

A [Skill] has been created through a special act. Through changing the form of another object, the [Basic Transmogrification] skill has been created.
Lvl 1(2%/100), +1% success rate with transmogrification skills, +1% duration of changed items”

“It’s true… all my hard work is gone…”

It was as if her body wasn’t her own anymore, and she had to relearn it entirely from scratch. Her body felt borrowed, and when she thought about it, it made sense. Her body, her entire perception of reality, was changed to accept [The Gamer] ability. It was an ability she’d never even asked for, and yet it forced itself on her.

Was this power really a blessing, or was it just a curse? No, she shouldn’t think like that, it wasn’t beneficial. The ability seemed to streamline learning new things and increase her long-term performance. She just needed to grind her skills back up to where they were, and if she managed that, then she could easily accelerate her abilities well beyond what they initially were.

All she knew was that she had to level up her skills and learn as many of her old skills as possible before the next practical examination or everypony would know something was wrong. She couldn’t let that happen. She would be the best. She would impress her wonderful teacher Princess Celestia, her parents, and everyone else. There was no way she couldn’t, not with the power she had.

Twilight went back and began writing down all the theory she remembered from her old books, but suddenly she realized that she remembered all of it. No, that wasn’t quite true, she suddenly found herself able to recall all of the information from her basic transmogrification books perfectly, and beyond that there was even information on the theory of transmogrification that she didn’t remember ever having learned.

It was as if learning the skill shoved the information into her head, she could remember having done spells she knew she’d never used before, she remembered learning theory she’d never heard before. It was wrong, like something fundamental had changed within her mind, and she just knew like an act from some celestial being.

Maybe she could actually do this. It didn’t matter if it felt wrong, it didn’t matter if it screwed with her mind, knowledge was knowledge and that’s all that mattered.

...Why did that sound so ominous?

*******

Somewhere in-between, there was a room. In that room there was a single object, mechanical in origin, which was watched over by a single pony. “Report to us immediately if there are any changes,” were his orders. He was finally able to complete those orders, for after 12 years the object finally opened up.

Inside there was nothing more than an egg, but that didn’t matter. The pony had his orders, and his duty was to fulfil them. Soon, he would finally be able to sleep once more, and this time never wake up. This eternal nightmare would end, and he would be freed of his chains.

That was all that mattered.

For the first time in 12 years, he cracked a bloody smile, and as soon as he sent his message, he finally found rest.

In the shadows, a bipedal creature emerged. It wore a black suit with a black hat. The Man in Black gave an eerie, sharp-toothed grin, as if it had no lips, and uttered three words:

“Babylon will fall.”

********

Author's Note

Did some updating to this, I always liked gamer fics. If anyone knows of any mlp gamer fics, send them my way, I'd love to read them.