Knock. Knock.

by Arreis Of Avalon

T̶́͜҉ḩ̴̛̀́è̢͘͞O҉͟t̵̸̢͢͠h̸̨͘͠͞ę̶̛͏͜ŗ́͘͠S͘҉̴̢͡i̸̕d̵̷̨͡͝ȩ̷

Even as I stand, I know something is wrong. There is light in the windows, a green, sick light. The world feels new and perverse, diseased. Is that due to me? Is this my disease? Or is this the Mare’s doing? Or the God’s?

I glance out the windows. There is nothing but a green sky and blank moon and dark, black trees. But my ears can hear the grimness, the watchfullness. Something watches. Something stirs.

I know those eyes.

I begin to move, quickly. I feel if I stay in this state of being for too long, I will break. I am so terribly scared. I start to open the door, with 2 big questions on my mind.

Why does my mind feel so blank?

And why can’t I seem to remember anything?

“I have nightmares constantly!” I remember that much. “The same dream haunts me every night. A dream where I lose something… or someone?” I shake my head. “Every time, I forget the dream the moment I wake up. Thank goodness for that much.”

I walk into the next room and twist the light. It flickers on. There are pictures of ponies I don’t know across the walls. I pay the pictures little mind. I don’t want to remember - I just want out!

I go upstairs and get the next light quickly. Click, creeeak… The sounds make my ears twitch. They’re louder than I remember - not that I remember much.

What do I remember? I try to review as I walk.

My name is… What’s my name?...

I twist the next light. It flashes on. Books appear in piles that I own.

Twilight! Twilight Sparkle! I say the name in my mind as I walk to the next location quickly. I don’t want to forget my own name again.

I get to the next room and quickly start to twist. Cli-click-cli-creea-eeaa-

Knockknockknockknockknock!

I scream, startled. The knocking was so loud, so real, so frightening. But I do not stop turning the light. It must come on. I need to see. To set things in order. No matter what. That is the only way to escape.

I blink between doorways. Two clocks appear. I wind those to get to dawn - I remember. But I am not ready for dawn yet. The house is not in order… I… No. I want it to be dawn, but I need my house to be in order first. That is the most important aspect of this all. The Mare told me as much through my notes.

Next room. The clicking of the light as I turn it makes me feel as though cockroaches are crawling up my neck. I shudder and keep twisting, ignoring the sensation. The light flashes on. The room is empty.

Next room. It’s upstairs. I go up quickly and start to twist, ignoring the creaking in the house as it settles. It’s not the door opening. I have been thorough. There are no cracks in the house for guests to come through. I will not restart tonight.

I walk to the next door and begin to unlock it, ignoring the drawn eyes on the ceiling. Why should those concern me? I want out of this house. I don’t care about it. I don’t care about the forest. I just want to leave.

I go into the next room and twist the light on. I blink after the lights flash and another clock appears. I start to unlock the next door. After it creaks open, I start to wind and backtrack. I dart through the house quickly. Now that dawn is getting closer, he would-

Lightning strikes. There is a breach. He is watching - the God. What was his name? I don’t recall. He is watching me. He knows that I remember. He is trying to make me go insane before I break free. Is he unhappy?

I run. I wind as I pass a clock, letting it do the work. I run as fast as I can to the breach before any surprise guests stop in, and then I work on the light. He blinks, watching me. I can feel his grin. I shake my head and fix the light. The world shakes, the light flickers on, and the eye is gone. Hoofsteps are on the ground.

He knows I have help. I can only hope he hasn’t found her yet.

I go back downstairs and pass another clock. I wind it. Dawn is getting closer.

I unlock another door and cross into the room, twisting the light as soon as I reach it. It flickers on after a moment, and after I blink, another clock appears. No breaches this time. I wind quickly. Will I be alone for the rest of the night?

I go upstairs and twist a light on. I blink and a noose appears. He’s getting predictable.

On the other side of the house, I feel a breach. Lightning strikes. I sigh. No way to reach it in time.

I go upstairs and fix a light instead. As I twist it, another breach occurs. It is of no matter. Dawn is very close now. I mutter my name under my breath. I am Twilight Sparkle. I will not forget. I cannot forget.

But what else have I forgotten?

I blink. There is knocking on the door to the room below me. They are close. I glance to the left. A clock.

I wind. Light streams through the windows. It is dawn. I glance outside. I see… houses. I remember a town… Happy ponies. A bakery. A farm. A boutique. A cottage. A cloud home with rainbows. A library with many gems.

A home.

The world goes dark as I close my eyes.

I sleep.

Author's Note:

This is how to play the game. They are only visible in the dark. First you turn off the light in your home and open all the doors. As soon as one of the doors slams shut, close your eyes and say: "I'm glad to see you. Thank you for coming." If you did everything correctly, for a second, you will see a fully set table with a round loaf of bread in the center. At the table there will be people staring back at you. Remember their faces. Recall their voices. These are the Invisibles that you brought to live in your home.