Equestria: The BEN Chronicles

by HylianJuggalo

Chapter VIII: Pre-Existing Conditions

As I lie here in bed, still recovering, there’s not much I can do other than write down my memories and recollection of the events up to this point. As I sit here, trying to put my thoughts to this paper, every wicked thing that’s happened since I got here continues to haunt me day and night. I want to go home. I want to see my mother again, and never let go of her. I want to be back in my apartment playing Assassin's Creed. I want to go back. Why can’t I go back? Well, as long as I’m stuck here putting words down on this parchment, let me tell you a bit about myself, as it seems we’ll be stuck together for a while. Anyone who’s followed me and my story of ‘BEN’ knows of my experience with the haunted cartridge. You know how he tortured me for nearly a week, and how I found the game at a suspicious garage sale, run by an old man. You’ve read my notes, you’ve seen the corrupt gameplay footage, but as a person, you know very little of me, I’m sure, so let me tell you a bit about myself and where I come from.

I had a pretty ordinary life, that, aside from the incident with BEN, wasn’t too special. My father was a marine who fought in the gulf, and, following an incident that occured when I was only a year old, preached self-defense as something I would need to keep sharp in. After the incident occurred, my father started teaching me how to survive in the wild, fight with guns, blades, and my own body. He taught me how to be resourceful and create tools and custom weapons with household junk. He taught me all kinds of things the Corps taught him, but, unlike him, I never honed my skills - though he did indeed teach me how to do all these things, I never bothered to practice as much as my father begged me to, if at all, even though he kept saying it was for my own good. I guess he was right; if I was better trained, better prepared, I probably wouldn’t be in this situation. I probably wouldn’t have lost my eye or my arm. Big Mac would have been taken down in one fell swoop, and Sweetie Belle? She would still be alive. Dad? If you can hear me...

I’m sorry for not keeping sharp in my fighting skills. I love you, and I’ll miss you. And mom? I’m GOING to get home someday, somehow. I promise you. Hold in there for me, okay?

I pulled out my phone, which was plugged into the wall, and opened a NES emulator, activated Zelda II, and began to play. At that, Applejack walked into the room.

“Sugarcube?”

“Yeah?” I asked, looking up see my eye meet the orange mare, who had taken a seat at the edge of the bed.

“Ah wanted to thank ya for savin’ mah sis and... her... friends. You’re a good fella in my book, doin’ what you can.”

“I...”

“Now, ah know that ya weren’t able to help, ya know, poor lil’ Sweetie, but ah know there wasn’t a thing ya could do, honey.”

“Applejack, I just try to survive okay? I’ll help where I can, but my primary concern is goin’ home.”

“Maybe, darlin’, but what you said in the ER back there... ah know ya really care for the Crusaders. It’s sweet, really.”

“Well, when you watch a...” I paused, looking at Applejack, then Twilight, who was sleeping in her bed, next to me. “...show or cartoon long enough, you start to grow attachments to the characters, and...”

“Wacha’ doin, sugar?” AJ asked me, leaning in to look at my phone, which I was still playing with the entire time.

“Playing a game. I’m almost done, but I just can’t beat this last boss...”

“Ya seem pretty darn invested in it, dear. How long ya been fightin’ this enemy?”

“Two years. Dark Link is a pain...”

"Well, ah hope ya..." ***VIDEO***

“Damn it!”

“Aw, he beat ya...”

“Yeah, and he has for the past two years. This damn boss is your shadow, I swear; he knows more about you than you do yourself. As far as I know, there isn’t an easy way to beat him, fuckin’ bastard...” I said, setting the phone down in frustration.

“Ah don’t suppose only playin’ with one hand is th’ problem?”

Nah, that ain’t it; I got butchered even back when I had two.

“Well then, ah wish ya the best of luck in... ‘conquerin’ ya shadow’ sugarcube.” Applejack smugly replied, mildly laughing at her own cheesy joke.

“Fuck, I need a shower...”

I got up out of my bed, my CD playing in a small boombox on the nightstand. The song that was playing was ‘Halls of Illusions’, and as I got up to go to the bathroom to get cleaned up, I couldn’t shake the memory of Carrot, what with the song reminding me of it with every line it said.

“~Back to reality and what you’re about: your wife can’t smile cause you knocked her teeth out!~”

I got to the bathroom, placing my hand on the sink. I stopped for a moment to look at myself, and I could hear the song continue to play in the other room.

“~And she can’t see straight from gettin’ hit, ‘cuz you’re a fat, fuckin’ drunk piece of shit!~”

I continued to look at myself some more, until the lights in the bathroom flickered once. I kept staring at my reflection, but jumped back at what I saw once the lights turned back on.

“~But it’s all good here! Come have a beer! I’ll break the top off it, and shove it in your ear!~”

I was looking at myself. However, my face was darker, with a black, shadowy outline about it. Looking into the mirror, and behind me as well, I saw that my shadow, which should have been perfectly visible on the wall behind me...

...was gone. And in the reflection? Its eye was solid blood red. A quick image of Carrot’s corpse flashed through my head...

...and then, my reflection started laughing at me. It carried with it a vile, demented laugh. I smashed the mirror, screaming, as the song in the other room began to transfer into the hook, and tried to catch my breath as the lights flickered again, watching the glass shatter, forming a weblike pattern that slowly branched out from the contact point with my fist.

“~And your death comes wicked, painful, and slow - at the hands of Milenko!~”

“Sugarcube, you okay in there!?”

“Uh... yeah, Applejack. I- I’m fine.”

Yeah. Sure. I was... fine.

“Darlin’, mind if ah change the music track?

“Uh, go ahead. I’ll be out in a minute...”

*click*

"~...He walks among us as a shadow, void of light. Powered by your own darkness. Strengthened by your own wickedry.~"

“Sugarcube, why in thunderation do ya listen to this music? It’s just creepy...”