Well...where should I start? My name is Robin. I used to be a brony, and my favorite pony was Twilight Sparkle. I'm also a gamer, one who liked to search the internet to find different flash games and independently made .exe files. I'm especially thrilled when I find games about My Little Pony. I loved The Lost Element, Rise of the Clockwork Ponies, and Story of the Blanks scared me a bit. But I was still always on the lookout for new games.
One day, while google searching "Sparkle Games" (and wading through all the girly dressup sites and unholy homages to that movie about fruitcake vampires) I came across one "twilitesparkle.exe" on a really obscure website. I was ecstatic, and immediately downloaded it. I ran a virus scan on it while I looked on Equestria Gaming to see if they caught wind of it. They hadn't, and neither had Equestria Daily. Chances are, I was playing a completely new game, and I felt honored to be the first to play a new Twilight Sparkle game. Granted, the creator got the name wrong, but hey, that didn't bother me at all. After all, it was a game about Best Pony. How could I refuse?
The virus scan was complete, and didn't turn up anything, but I did a google search for the program, because I wanted to make sure I was the first person to ever play it. Sure enough, the only thing that turned up was the website where I downloaded it. That in mind, I gave twilitesparkle.exe a special folder, and ran it. Immediately, I was granted a black screen, as the game booted up, a red loading bar quickly filling up. When it was loaded, the screen cut immediately to the inside of Golden Oaks Library. The graphics reminded me of one of those old Monkey Island games. You know the game, the one with with Guybrush Threepwood as the main hero?
Twilight was at a table in the center of the room, reading a book. I noticed that my mouse was on the screen, so I concluded it must be one of those point and click type games. Eager to progress in the game, the first thing I did was click on Twilight. The book shut, and her pixel art face turned to the screen. A text box appeared below.
Oh, hello there! My name is Twilite Sparkle.
The name was wrong, but I didn't care. I thought it was pretty cool that the developer made the Twilight interact with the player. Another text box appeared, soon after.
What's your name?
_
It must be important to the game if it wants me to give my name. So, I typed in my name, and pressed 'enter.'
Robin? That's a nice name.
Will you help me study?
_
Twilight wants me to help her study? I'm not sure how I can help, I mean, I'm not the most academically smart, but hey, it was just a game, right? So, I typed 'yes.' Another text box appeared.
Oh, thank you! Let's get started! Where should I study first?
1 - Carousel Boutique
2 - Fluttershy's Cottage
3 - Sugarcube Corner
4 - Sweet Apple Acres
5 - Rainbow's Cloudhouse.
_
Twilight wanted to study a location? Or maybe she wanted to study at the location. 'Either way, it's a win-win.' I thought. 'I either get a new scene, or some information on one of the other ponies.' I didn't know much about Carousel Boutique, so I decided to press '1' and see what happened. I immediately saw a building layout of Carousel Boutique. This was cool! I could see the exact specifications of the Boutique! I was just so caught up in my excitement. I could easily imagine how the Boutique was built! Though I found something a little strange when I saw the floor plans had numbers on it. Another text box appeared.
It's going to be a surprise! Where should I enter?
1 - Front Door
2 - Back Door
3 - Upstairs Window
A surprise? Was she gonna throw a surprise study party? I snickered to myself. Only Twilight would come up with something like that. Maybe Pinkie would, too. Well, if it was gonna be a surprise, she couldn't go in the front door. Going in the back door, while practical, could tip someone off. I remembered she can teleport at the drop of a hat, so I picked '3.' Twilight replied with a text box.
Great! What should I bring?
1 - Seam Ripper
2 - Thread
3 - Sewing Scissors
How thoughtful! Twilight was gonna surprise Rarity with a gift! Well, I didn't know my sewing supplies, so I just pressed '1.'
Alright! I'll go right over!
When the text box closed, I watched as Twilight walked out of the library. As soon as she left, an error message popped up. "twilitesparkle.exe has encountered an error and needs to close." It said. I sighed, bringing a palm into my face. 'It must still be in beta.' I thought. 'I guess I should wait for the update.' Well, that just ruined my weekend. I didn't have work, and classes were over, so I decided to check around other websites. I must have browsed ponychan, derpibooru, and fimfiction for about three hours. I felt pretty bummed out. The new game I had just discovered was incomplete, and left me unsatisfied.
I was scrolling down on one of my chapters when a system message appeared.
I'm back!
I blinked. The header said "Message from Twilite." I was surprised. Maybe the game was supposed to crash? If so, then why? I closed out of the text box, and brought up twilitesparkle.exe. Something in my gut was telling me not to open the file. I felt that if I did, I wouldn't like it. This was all too creepy, but I chalked it up to an overactive imagination. I opened the file.
The same black screen loaded up, prompting the loading bar. I saw the same Golden Oaks Library that I had seen earlier, when I first opened the game. And Twilight was reading the same book at her table in the center of the room. Instead of waiting for me to click something, this time, Twilight immediately faced me, and a text box appeared.
Oh, hi, Robin! I'm glad you decided to come back! I thought you might've gotten cold hooves.
Something haunted me about the text in the box. Why was she glad? Why would I get cold hooves, erm, feet?
...What happened?
When the text box disappeared, I noticed that I could click on things again. And the first thing I noticed was that there was some sort of tool on the table where there wasn't before. I moused over it, and clicked.
What I saw made my heart skip a beat.
A close-up image of a seam ripper appeared, very detailed, despite the Monkey Island pixel art. It had a brown handle, and the shaft was grey. But what disturbed me about it...it had red on the tip, going up the shaft. A text box appeared, giving me a haunting message.
Good call on the seam ripper, Robin! Rarity screamed like a siren during the first few stabs, but she didn't suffer long.
My eyes were wide with shock. My mouth trembled. I...I didn't know what...it was all so...I hesitantly clicked the text box closed. A moment later, another one appeared.
Studying is fun, isn't it? Want to help me again?
'You sick bitch.' I thought. I immediately typed 'no' and pressed 'enter.'
Oh, well, that's too bad. If you change your mind, you know where to find me!
The text box closed, Twilight returned to reading her book, and the program exited. I thought this was just some sort of sick joke. Who the hell would make a game like this? The experience left me a little shell shocked, and feeling quite drained. I had enough of my laptop for one day, so I decided to shut down, and maybe take a drive to calm my nerves.
***
I drove over to my friend, Matt's house. He's been a pretty cool guy. He always seems to know a way to get someone to forget about their problems, and he happened to be home for the weekend, as well. I drove over, and we hung out for a while. Matt wasn't a brony like I was, so I couldn't exactly talk pony with him. We had a snack, shot the breeze, and generally just hung out.
As I got ready to leave, I was constantly looking over my shoulder, and fumbling around with whatever was in my hands. Matt noticed this, and got curious. "Robin, man, you look like you've seen a ghost. Somethin' up?"
I shook my head quickly. "No. I'm fine." I lied. A lie which Matt saw right through.
"You ain't fine, bro." He told me, looking concerned. "What's eatin' ya?"
I was scared to tell him. But when I thought about it, it was just a game. Worst case scenario, I told him, and he'd ridicule me for being scared of a game. So, I decided to tell him. "It's just this stupid game I played."
Matt looked at me strangely. "You're shittin' yourself over a game?"
"No." I replied indignantly, before sighing. "...Maybe. It's just..." I struggled to find the words. "The game was really creepy. It was about My Little Pony, and-"
"Wait, a My Little Pony game scared you?" He asked with a coy smile. "That's hilarious!" He started laughing.
"Dude, don't laugh!" I chastised him. "It really was scary!"
He continued to laugh. "Sorry, Robin. But you have no idea how pathetic it sounds." He let out a chuckle, before laughing loudly.
"Yeah, it's really pathetic to be scared of a pony that murders other ponies." I deadpanned.
His laughter stopped abruptly, as he looked at me in an expression of disbelief. "Wait, run that by me again?"
I told him about the game, and about what happened in it. The choices I made, and what resulted from those choices. And when I was finished, he nodded, seeing why I was so distressed. "Dude, that's fucked up."
"I know." I replied. "I mean, it's just a game, but I've never played anything like it. Whoever programmed it is sick, and twisted."
"Well, there's nothing to worry about, man." He told me. "Like you said, it's just a game." He thought about it for a second. "Hey, if you want, I can come over tomorrow, and play it, too."
I cocked an eyebrow at him. "And what exactly would that accomplish?" I asked.
"Well, I think maybe if I played the game too, then I could get a better sense of how you're feeling." He told me. "I mean, I don't like My Little Pony, but maybe it'll help you rest easier if you knew someone who went through what you did."
I nodded. He had a good point. "Alright. I'd appreciate it." On that note, I left.
***
Matt came over the next day, and we exchanged a quick conversation, before I brought up my computer. With Matt there, I clicked on "twilitesparkle.exe," and opened it up. The screen loaded up, and there was Twilight, reading in the library. I noticed the seam ripper was gone, and I thought that maybe the game reset. It looked exactly as it did when I first booted it up, so I clicked on Twilight. She faced the screen, and a text box appeared.
Oh! Hi, Robin! I see you brought a friend.
At that moment, I nearly loaded my pants with bricks. "Dude..." I muttered. "She knows you're there." I looked over to Matt, to see that he had the same shocked expression on his face as I did.
For a moment, all he did was stare. Then, he started chuckling. "Dude, think about it." He told me. "The game's probably using your webcam. Of course 'she' can see us."
I nodded. That made sense. I clicked on the text box, making it disappear. A new one opened up.
Well? Aren't you going to introduce me?
_
I decided, if only to calm my nerves, to have a bit of fun. I faced Matt, and said, "Matt, this is Twilight. Twilight, Matt."
Matt and I shared a laugh, as I entered his name.
Matt? A pleasure to meet you. I'm Twilite Sparkle.
"The game spelled the word 'twilight' wrong." Matt noted.
"I know." I replied.
So Matt, Will you help me study?
_
I looked over to Matt, who took my laptop, and typed 'Yes.'
Oh, thank you! Let's get started! Where should I study?
1 - Fluttershy's Cottage
2 - Sugarcube Corner
3 - Sweet Apple Acres
4 - Rainbow's Cloudhouse.
_
I noticed that Carousel Boutique had been taken off the list, and my heart leapt in my throat. I inexplicably felt guilty, for some reason. I pushed it to the back of my mind. I was just being silly. Matt had made it to another text box. This one was different.
There are many places I can study at Sweet Apple Acres! Where should I study, there?
1 - The barn
2 - The house
3 - The clubhouse
_
'Oh, no.' I thought. 'I can't let him go there.' I grabbed Matt's shoulder, as he went to type in his answer. "Dude, whatever you do, don't choose the clubhouse." I said, as seriously as I could. I couldn't live with the possibility of having caused one of the Crusaders' deaths, even if it was just a game.
Matt, understanding that I wasn't in any mood to joke around, decided to type '1.'
Good plan! The sooner this is done, the better! What should I bring?
1 - Pitch fork
2 - Rope
3 - Sledgehammer
"Now if I choose one of these," Matt said to me. "A pony is gonna die in the game. Right?"
I nodded. "That's what happened to Rarity. I didn't know it was gonna happen."
"Rarity's one of the ponies, right?" Matt asked.
"Yes." I confirmed, looking over at him. "You sure you wanna do this?" I asked him. He nodded, choosing the rope.
Great choice! I'll be back in a bit!
Twilight left the library, and again, the game crashed. Matt looked over at me. "Does that normally happen?"
I nodded. "It happened last time. Give it a couple hours, and she'll be back."
***
Me and Matt spent the rest of the time playing some Xbox games on co-op. The computer was silent for more than four hours this time around. I looked over, and no system messages had been brought up. I decided to bring it up to Matt.
"Maybe the program's glitchy." He suggested.
I nodded. "That would make sense." I told him. "The game crashed last time. Do you think-"
A beep from my computer signaled a new system message. I looked over to discover what I expected. A message from Twilight.
I'm back...
The fact that Twilight wasn't excited to be back sent a shiver down my spine for some reason. Again, my gut told me not to open the game, and this time, I listened. "I'm not clicking that file." I told Matt, who looked at me, smirking.
"What's the matter?" He teased. "Afraid there's a pony out to get ya?"
I waved him off. "Hey, if you wanna play that game, go ahead."
Matt opened up the file, and Golden Oaks Library was on the screen again. Looking over Matt’s shoulder, I saw Twilight. She looked like she had been wounded, her hair was a mess, and she wasn’t reading her book this time. In fact, it looked like she was glaring at me and Matt. A text box immediately popped up.
Do you know how difficult it is to hang a clydesdale like Big Mac?! The stallion was so big, I had to counterweight him with a few bales of hay! You should’ve chose something else, so he couldn’t fight back!
_
Twilight tapped her hoof, as if waiting for one of us to say something. Matt started typing. ‘So what if he fought back? Aren’t you trying to kill him? It’s not my fault you can’t use the tools I suggest, you psychotic bitch.’
Matt pressed enter. I put a hand on his shoulder. “Dude, don’t antagonize her.” I told him.
Matt looked back at me, rolling his eyes. “Man it’s just a motherfucking game. It’s not gonna hurt you. It probably wasn’t programmed to respond to that, anyway.”
Another text box appeared. I read it over his shoulder, and let out a small gasp.
You’re my accomplice. You’re supposed to suggest the right studying tools. When you agreed to help me study, we entered a verbal contract. If you try to get me killed, I’m coming after you, next.
_
Matt followed my gaze, and I saw a grin form on his face. I recognized that grin. It was the same one he got whenever he wanted to mess with someone. “Dude, don’t.” I pleaded.
“This game’s getting snippy with me. It’s on, now.” He said, throwing my hand off his shoulder. ‘And what the fuck are you gonna do, bitch? You ain’t nothing but a pile of code on a computer screen. Oh, I’m soooo scared of the fucked up little pony bitch who wants to kill her friends. You can’t do shit, ho! I ain’t your friend!’ As soon as he pressed enter, I saw Twilight narrow her eyes.
I don’t think I like your attitude, Matt.
We barely had time to register what the textbox had said, before the game crashed. I was shaking like a leaf, as I turned to him. I felt a strange foreboding feeling, like this was the last time I was ever gonna see him. “I don’t think you should’ve done that.” I told him.
He turned to me with a big smile, and laughed. “Man, you’re still freaking out over this? It’s just a game, dude. Seriously, what’s it gonna do? Give me a computer virus? You downloaded it, and I played on your computer.”
I saw that there was no talking to him over this, so I just conceded. We spent the remainder of the day just hanging out and talking, but eventually, he had to leave. As I escorted him to the door, I told him to be careful. He told me not to worry, and left. I shook my head, and it was getting late, so I went to bed.
***
The next morning, I awoke the same time I usually do. I got up, had breakfast, and went about my daily routine. I thought that today was gonna be a normal day. I glanced over to my computer, and thought about that game. A shudder ran up my spine. I contemplated deleting it, but I thought back on Matt’s words yesterday. “It’s just a game…” I said to myself. That’s all it was at the time. I was really worried about Matt yesterday, but looking back, I didn’t see any reason to be. After all. it was just a game.
...Right?
I shook my head, committing myself to call him after my morning shower was done. I went about my morning as normal. I was in my bedroom, getting dressed after drying off, when I heard a knock at the door. I tentatively stepped over to the door, and looking through the window, I saw two police officers standing on my porch with their hats off. I opened the door. “Can I help you guys?” I asked.
“Sir…” One of them began. “Is your name Robin?”
I was defensive, I admit. I never liked dealing with cops, but I said “Yes, I’m Robin.”
“Sir, this may come as a shock, but your friend, Matt, was found murdered in his home last night.” He told me. A wave of shock ran over me. Yesterday, he had insulted Twilight, and now, he had been murdered? I couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible, and greatly scared. “Take a moment to compose yourself, sir. You were the last one to see him alive, so we have a few questions to ask. Can we come in?”
I invited the police in, and answered their questions. I had thought about telling them about the game, but I knew they’d never believe me. I knew who the murderer was, but there was no way these cops would even go after Twilight. As far as they were concerned, she didn’t exist. I kept glancing nervously over at my computer the entire time they were questioning me. Eventually, they left, after I said about three different times that all we did was hang out. After they left, I faced my computer.
A determined rage took me, stemming from the overall fear I felt. I rushed over to my computer, and opened it. Immediately, I found the program, twilitesparkle.exe and dragged it to the recycle bin. I dropped it there, but it didn’t get deleted. The popup wasn’t the one you get for deleting a large file. It was another message from Twilite.
‘What. Are. You. Doing?’
In a panic, I tried to shut down my computer, but the game popped up, causing the screen to go black. ‘Oh, fuck me.’ I thought, as I watched that red loading bar progress. The screen flashed, and I was staring right into Twilight’s face. She was glaring at me angrily, her pixelated face taking up the entire screen of my laptop. I could see now that this wasn’t the Twilight I knew from the show. This Twilite had red irises, and her sclera had black veins instead of red. The text box popped up below.
You aren’t going back on your agreement, are you?
_
That’s right. I said I’d help her study, as well. I immediately began typing. ‘I don’t want to do this any more! Leave me alone!’
Her glare became more intense.
We had a deal, Robin. You agreed to help me study.
‘This isn’t studying!’ I typed. ‘This is murder! I refuse to help you!’
Not even waiting for a response, I shut my laptop, and took it around back. Throwing it on the lawn, I went determinedly to the shed, and grabbed an axe. I ran out, and swung the axe downward, hearing the crunch of metal and plastic as I destroyed the computer. I wasn’t thinking at the time, though if I was I would’ve probably thought of Office Space. Again and again, I brought my axe down on the laptop, not stopping until it was a pile of broken junk. And what a perfect analogy. There were shards of plastic, glass, and metal where there was once a computer. I sighed in relief. The nightmare was over.
I went back inside, not bothering to throw the wreckage away. Not knowing what else to do, I relaxed, grabbing a cup of coffee. The rest of my day went on normally, though I was quite solemn the entire time. I sighed again. It was over. When a full day of relaxing was done, I took my evening shower, shuddering only once from the experience, despite the warmth of the water. I got in my PJs, laid down in my bed, and slept. It was finally over.
***
I awoke to a shift in the weight on my bed. Thinking it was my imagination, I almost went back to sleep, but instinct told me to look up. I let out a loud gasp.
There was a butcher knife hovering over me, held in place only by a menacing red aura. My panicked breath sounded, as I glanced downward to see a similarly glowing horn and red eyes. She was here.
It wasn’t over.
The knife raised high in the air, and my life flashed before my eyes. I held up my hands as the knife came down, shouting “I’ll help!” The knife stopped a mere inch from between my eyes. “I-I’ll help you study!” I shouted.
The knife raised, before dropping on the bed next to me. I looked at the red eyes that were still glowing to me. A large cheshire grin took it’s place underneath them. There was suddenly a bright flash, and I was alone again. I didn’t get any sleep for the rest of the night.
***
The morning rays shone in my room. I sat up from my bed, trembling. My head swiveled, as I looked around my room. It felt so alien, like something had changed with it. My eyes settled on my desk. There was my laptop, fully assembled, as if nothing had happened to it. Slowly, I walked over to it, and sat down, opening it up.
There was no operating system on it. It went straight to the twilitesparkle.exe file. I double clicked the program. The screen went black, and there was that red loading bar. That dreaded fucking loading bar that I came to loathe and fear. Golden Oaks Library popped up on my screen, and I breathed manually through my mouth. Twilite looked up from her book, and a text box appeared below the screen.
Hi, Robin! Did you sleep well?
_
‘Fucking funny, bitch.’ I thought, before typing ‘no.’
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. We have a big day of planning ahead of us, though. You know you can’t escape, right?
_
I typed ‘yes.’
I’m glad we’re on the same page.
So, will you help me study?
_
What else could I do? I typed ‘yes.’
Great! Let's get started!