Level 1: Equestria Online
A steady rhythm of clacking filled the room I was currently studying in, originating from a boy bent over his computer table completely engrossed in his work. That boy was my 23 year old brother. He buried his face in the computer screen, brushing aside his long black hair every time it fell over his eyes. I couldn’t really make fun of him, though. I was practically situated the same way, although, I held an item of greater sustenance in my hands. Not to mention, I wasn’t dressed in only a white undershirt and some boxers.
“Sonya, come take a look at what I’ve done so far,” my brother said, swiveling around in his computer chair. I did not turn, but continued to read from the large textbook lodged in my palms. I simply nodded and let out a grunt of affirmation, turning the page and continuing on. I laid on his bed as I read, swinging my legs back and forth in the air. I could hear him get up after I refused to, and take a seat right next to my side. He must have slammed down hard, because I felt my body rise into the air for a second.
“Peter, I don’t like it when you do that,” I said, refusing to take my eyes off of the page I was reading. He reached for my blonde hair and tried to undo my ponytail, but I swatted his hand away, glaring at him.
“Oh man, what happened to my sweet little sister,” he sighed, laying backwards. His body fell on my lower half. “Since you entered college, you’ve done nothing but study and ignore your older brother.”
“That’s because I’m working hard, unlike my older brother,” I groaned, my breathing a little strained. I tried to lift my legs, but his body held me down tight. “Get off, my lower half is falling asleep,” I groaned again.
“Not until you take a look at my progress,” he said. He inhaled and let it out in a massive sigh, snuggling into my backside with his. “On second thought, you’re rather comfy… I think I’ll stay here and take a nap.”
“Not on your life,” I shouted, getting up on my hands and knees suddenly. It was difficult, but I mustered enough strength to roll him off and onto the carpeted floor of his bedroom. He fell with a cry, but refused to get up despite this. I guess he was serious about the nap now.
I closed my textbook and sat criss-crossed on his bed, taking a look at his computer screen. Of course, what I saw was no surprise… It was that damned virtual world of his that he was building for what seemed like an eternity. I stepped off of the bed and walked over to the computer, shaking my head at the title of the file.
“What, you got a problem with it?” he suddenly asked, peeking at me with one eye.
“I’m not the one with the problem,” I began, pointing to the screen, “You’re the weirdo who has this unnatural affinity for horses.” My finger prodded at the screen, slightly covering the file name, Equestria Online.
He got up now, storming over to me faster than I could react. I just managed to slide out of the way before he took his seat and shoved me aside, shooting me a large frown. I didn’t care. I gave him one right back, one-upping him by sticking my tongue out.
“It’s not a fetish or anything like that,” he replied, clicking a few things on the screen.
“Your browser history says otherwise,” I replied, opening my book again. He nearly slipped out of his chair, and knocked my book away.
“What the hell are you doing in my room without my permission?!”
I brought my hand in close to his forehead tucked my index finger behind my bent thumb. I released it, striking him in the temple and causing him to grab his forehead screaming. “Idiot, your room is the only one with a computer, I have to use it for school!”
“Grrr… I still don’t like it,” he moaned, rubbing his head.
I blew off some smoke and sighed, motioning down to pick up my textbook. As I leaned over, I noticed a particular document right under the Equestria Online file. It had my name on it. My eyes widened, and I quickly pushed him away. I ignored the obvious objections and ranting Peter was giving me and opened the file, staring at the screen with my mouth slightly agape.
“Peter… What is this?” My whole body was shaking, and my hands began to form tight fists.
“W-well,” he started, stammering a bit, “I figured that… you know, you might want to… I mean—” His yammering faded out. It wasn’t that I wasn’t hearing him, it was just, I was too focused on the image of the cream-colored creature in front of me. Four hooves, a cute little muzzle, a nice blonde flowing mane, and a picture of an open book with a wavy bookmark situated on its thigh.
“I don’t mind if you indulge in your sick fantasies, but leave me out of them!” I shouted, turning the computer screen towards him. “What the hell is this shit?!”
“It’s your personal avatar! The one you’ll use when you enter Equestria!” he argued back, getting in my face now. I had forgotten how tall he was, as he towered over me when he spoke back. It didn’t matter, though. I wasn’t going to have any of this.
“What makes you think I’ll ever have a part in whatever crack you’re working on?!”
“Geez, all I asked for was a simple opinion, not a whole freakin’ review,” he said. “You weren’t even supposed to see that file!”
“Then hide your stuff better, it’s a wonder how Mom and Dad haven’t found your hoard of porn!”
“Ack! You’ve been looking?!”
“We use the same computer you dumb ass!”
“Keep it down up there! I’ll beat the crap out of both of you!” A loud voice sounded from downstairs. This shout was followed by several deep pounds from the floor below.
“Are you trying to get Dad to ground us again? I need to finish this before the semester is over, it’s my final project,” Peter said, backing off. “See, I’m not just foaling around, I’m working too.”
“What… What did you say?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“What, that I’m working on legitimate schoolwork?” He crossed his arms. “C’mon, you’re not the only college student, freshman.”
“No… That word you used… you said you weren’t… Foaling around?”
He blinked once and gave me an awkward smile. “Oh, that,” he chuckled. “It’s… kind of the way the ponies talk in EqO,” he explained. “They say foal instead of fool, and everypony instead of everybody. There’s a bunch of different other words too, like—”
“I’m done here,” I replied, picking up my book and heading towards his door. “If it weren’t for the fact that your room is completely silent when you’re working, I probably wouldn’t even visit you,” I said, opening the door.
“Geez, Sonya, don’t be so cruel,” he said, scratching his arm.
“Me, be cruel? If I didn’t visit your room, you’d never see me, or Mom or Dad for that matter,” I replied. “By the way, Mom says it’s almost time for your check-up.”
“Yeah, I know what time it is,” Peter said, spinning back around in his chair. I waited a moment, and then stepped out.
“Hold on, Sonya,” he said, before I closed the door. I didn’t feel like waiting anymore, but he turned around again and smiled. I looked back, unsure of what to think.
“What,” I finally asked.
“Thanks… for always visiting me,” he said. “Mom… Dad… No one else really understands me like you do.”
“Of course they do,” I said. “You just feel awkward around them because you can’t call them little or sister,” I replied. He chuckled, and then went back to his work, typing away at a document on the computer. I shut the door and turned my back to his room, heading downstairs now. At least I got a little studying in, before he made things weird. I swear… I probably won’t ever understand that obsession of his with freaking horses. “Freak,” I muttered, walking down the stairs.
“Hold on again,” I heard him say from the top of the stairwell. I looked up, and nearly stumbled as I caught the small pamphlet he had dropped down to me.
“What now?” I studied the colorful booklet, grimacing at the crude crayon that Peter had used for the cover.
“It’s the manual for the game. Give it a read, will ya? You’re smart, and you’ll catch all my errors,” he said, giving me another smile.
“What if I say no?” I replied, sticking it between the pages of my other book.
“Aww, come on! Please, little sister?” he begged, clasping his hands together and bowing his head. “I told you it’s for a final project… You wouldn’t want me to disgrace our family name because you were too selfish to help your elder brother!”
I pursed my bottom lip at him and furrowed my brow, but relented after he refused to. “Fine,” I replied, “just know that I’m not doing this because I’m interested. I’m doing this so you don’t make me look bad at school,” I explained.
“Whatever you say, Sonya,” he yelled back, shutting himself back into his room. I sighed. It couldn’t be helped, and I wouldn’t outright say no; I couldn’t outright say no. I examined the booklet again and flipped through the pages. Nothing really stuck with me, except for one word:
RPG
I pulled out my phone and did a quick search online. “Is this… like, Fallout?”
***
Mom and Dad returned home with Peter later that evening. As usual, as soon as he entered the door, he fled upstairs and shut himself in his room. He would be there for the remainder of the night. My parents aren’t too keen on letting me know the details of Peter’s condition, and it doesn’t help that the fool has no idea himself. It’s a little frustrating, but I can’t let that show. I won’t let that show.
“Still studying, eh, like a good little girl,” my father said, sitting on the couch next to me. “I’m so proud of you, Sonya,” he said, grabbing the remote.
“We’re so proud of you, you mean,” my mother said, closing the refrigerator door. She brought out some sodas and a bowl of chips, taking the seat on my other side. I didn’t really feel like answering them, so I just kept on reading.
“So, how’s college going for ya? Do you even see your brother on campus, or what?” Dad asked, channel surfing. Mom handed him a can, and he took it and set it down, grabbing for the bowl of chips immediately.
“I do,” I replied, turning a page.
“I only wish Peter studied more, instead of playing on that computer all day,” Mom said, leaning back into the couch. “Honestly, between his sessions and your after-school activities, I’m not sure how long we can manage.”
What was that supposed to mean?
“Don’t worry, the boy’s about done with his career, then he’ll be moving on. I’m sure he’ll shape up,” Dad said, opening his drink. He took a big sloppy slurp and dove back into the chips.
“He’s working hard,” I said without looking up.
“On what,” My father asked. “All he does is stay in his room, and when we do go on family outings, he’s so distant!”
“Don’t be too harsh on the boy, Sonya’s right,” mother said. “She’s only looking out for her big brother.”
“Big brother who can’t drive, doesn’t have a job, and is taking classes for a subject that won’t make him too much money,” father replied with a scoff. “He’s troubled.”
“How was he today?” I asked, finally setting eyes on my father. “Any improvement?”
“We told you, sweetie,” my mother began, “it’s not that kind of illness.”
“Well, you treat it like one,” I said, looking at her now. They both stared at me, and I blinked a few times, reviewing what I had just said myself. I shut my book and rose from the couch. “I’m tired,” I told them, making my way towards the stairs. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, sweetie,” Mom said.
“Don’t study too late, or you’ll be too tired to do well tomorrow,” my father called out.
It was more than I could handle at the moment, and to be honest, I was a little tired. As I climbed the staircase, my eyes fell over the door of my brother’s room. I made it to the top of the stairs and turned, standing in front of the door silently. I listened to the keys clacking and mouse clickings on the other side, and knocked. The noise stopped, but resumed after a brief pause.
“Goodnight,” I called out, and made my way to the door adjacent from the top of the stairwell. Before I opened my door, I heard a creak from his side of the house.
“Did you read it?” he asked.
I turned around. “I skimmed through it,” I replied, pulling out the little booklet. “Aside from the mechanical errors in your sentence structuring, it was fine.”
“Is… that all?”
I looked at him, and then back at the booklet. “Yes,” I said, and entered my room.
***
In my opinion, it was too early for this, but then again, if I really minded, I guess I wouldn’t be doing this right now. I examined the dual headset in my hands, thumbing over the crudely soldered trimmings and the rough design. It looked a little painful to put on. Peter just gave me a wide grin, holding another set in his hands.
“This is why I kept waking up to your screams last night,” I moaned, tossing the goggles and headset on his bed. I plopped down on his mattress and shut my eyes. I wasn’t even out of my pajamas, and I guess he had just gotten out of bed as well. It was still warm…
“Hey, don’t go back to sleep,” he said. “I need to show you this! I hit a breakthrough with the graphics interface, and just finalized the docking sequence. The DIVE system is fully functional, and the world is generating as we speak!”
“I don’t give a crap about your otaku weebshit,” I groaned, ducking under his covers. “It’s too early, and this is the only day I have scheduled to not study.”
“You’re so mean, Sonya-chan,” he said in his stupid fake Japanese voice. I suddenly felt a warm presence on my back, and a hand gently cover my shoulder. “Why can’t you be nicer to your Onii-san?”
“If I wasn’t so tired…” I replied, trying to nudge him off of me. Rather than reject his obvious jab at making me feel awkward, I instead welcomed it. I closed my eyes and snuggled against him, feeling his relaxed breath roll down my neck. We laid there for a moment, until it suddenly got weirder than it already was. My eyes glanced down and saw the dual headset again, and I sighed, stirring our bodies from the bed.
“Huh… Why’d you move?” Peter asked, yawning.
“Idiot, you actually fell back asleep?!” I said, shoving him off of the bed. He shouted as he hit the floor, rubbing his side after recovering a little. I groaned, picking up the headset again. “Show me how this works, so I can take a shower.”
Peter smiled, laughing a little as he hopped back into his computer chair. I watched as he typed in a few commands and opened his little program, then he took the wires from the headsets and plugged them into the computer tower.
“Keep in mind, this is only a test, and I plan on making these things wireless,” he explained, handing me back mine. “So, are you ready to dive, Sonya?”
“This better not be Swimsuit Simulator,” I said, placing the goggles over my eyes. I covered my ears with the headphones and sat back down on his bed. He relaxed in his computer chair and grinned again, before hovering his finger over the enter button.
“Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Dive!” He shouted, pressing the key.
The device over my eyes lit up, painting the room in a yellow tint. A few command prompts showed up on the visor and displayed a random set of numbers and letters before going blank again. Even the tint vanished. I was about to open my mouth, but then the room went black. I don’t remember when, but it felt like I was falling. As I plummeted into nothing, a swirl of color rushed past my body and filled the void with a flurry of rainbows. My body became wrapped in a neon green wire mesh, and I could feel it shift and morph in completely unnatural ways.
The colors sped past me, but soon vanished, and I found myself still, standing awkwardly in a sunny, green pasture. I could hear clearly the sounds of morning birds, and felt the warmth of the sun across my face. I reached up to touch my face, and noticed the goggles were gone, along with my headset. That wasn’t the only thing that I noticed, however. Where the top of the visor would be, I felt a short, protruded extension jutting out of my head.
“Wha…” I gasped, finding it hard to talk. I wobbled some and fell to my knees… All four of them. I gasped, hyperventilating now, and flailing on the floor, I watched in horror as four frantic hooves tore up the grass and dirt right below me. I was finally able to rise to my feet when I bumped into something, grabbing onto it to try and gain my balance.
“It’ll take a while, but you’ll get used to it,” I heard Peter’s voice say. I looked up at my balancing pole and saw that I had slung my… forehooves over his shoulders.
“P-peter!” I shouted, jumping back. “W-w-what is this?!”
“Don’t freak out,” the brown-haired, white-coated stallion said in front of me. “If it makes you feel any better, you technically don’t even have hooves.”
“You turned me into a horse!” I shouted, stamping my lower limbs. “What the hell?!”
“Sonya, relax,” he said. He walked over to me and came up by my side. “One hoof at a time—”
“Don’t... “ I warned him, giving him a stern glare, “Don’t start with that crock!"
"Okay, one foot at a time, then... Alternate between the adjacent legs, and move them as if you were walking with only two," he said, demonstrating a bit. I observed his light prance and mimicked his movements, catching myself steadily as I came full circle to a stop.
"Like that?"
He nodded. "It's easier to do if you don't even think about it. Technically, those legs aren't even there, so if you wanted, you could make walking as synonymously easy as breathing."
"Seriously, Peter..." I observed my surroundings again. He looked at me and cocked his head to the side. "You designed all of this?"
"Little sister," he started, wrapping his foreleg around me, "welcome to Equestria!"
I took more caution to survey the landscape this time around, seeing past the green expanse and beholding the lush foliage of the dense forest behind us. In front, I could see the jagged ridges of the rolling mountains, their summits laced with snow as their peaks pierced through the cloud line.
The sun shone a powerful beam of light on us, warming our bodies, yet not exceeding a comfortable temperature. Slow drifting clouds painted the blue sky, casting shadows on the ground that danced over the stones and bush of the wild grassland we stood in.
A slight breeze caressed my face, gently weaving it's hand through my mane. I actually closed my eyes in that moment, and smiled. I lifted my nose into the air and inhaled, widening my eyes at the sudden influx of flowery aromas. It was unreal.
"How...?"
"I can't really say," he replied. "At first, as I was designing, I was worried about the textures and the aromas... I didn't think I could emulate the world as I wanted it to be, but...
It was almost like, everything came naturally to me. I was almost as if I had lived here, my entire life," he finished.
I looked over at my brother, and saw a proud white stallion, staring off into the expanse of nature as if he were an accomplished individual. His face teemed with confidence and happiness, and for a moment, it looked like he really was at home.
"So, this is the world of horses you've been obsessing over," I said, slipping out of his grasp.
"Yeah," he said, laying down on his knees. I winced at the posture... It seemed uncomfortable.
"Is this it," I asked, "or there some kind of town or castle nearby? This is a RPG."
Peter nodded, jumping to his hooves and trotting happily next to me again. He pointed between two mountains and squinted his eyes. "See that silhouette on the side of the mountain?"
"Yes," I said.
"That's called Canterlot. That's the home of your pony race," Peter explained.
"My race?" I examined my body again and remembered the extension from my head. "Oh... A horse with a horn, I'm a unicorn," I said, poking the thing.
"Yeah, and I have wings, making me a pegasus, see?" Peter said, flaring his appendages from his sides outward. I didn't even notice them before. They spanned a good distance from his body, but realistically that design would fail a horse of his size, even if he was a pony.
“But, Pegasus wasn’t a race… It was the proper name of one winged-horse,” I replied.
“Sonya… Really?”
“You asked me to critique, I’m also guessing that’s why I’m here right now,” I said, turning away from him. I peered closer at the pointed spires on the side of the mountain, and moved my eye downward. Again, not sure how I hadn’t noticed it before, but there seemed to be the tops of a few buildings reaching above the horizon.
“That’s Ponyville,” Peter said. “The first town in our adventure.”
“One, this isn’t our adventure, it’s your weird final project; Second, Ponyville? Really, you might as well call this Horseland instead of Equestria,” I scoffed.
“Don’t judge my lack of creativity, okay!?” He pushed me to the floor. I screamed as I stumbled, unable to regain my balance for a short while. “I put a lot of time into the environment programming that I was almost dead when I came up with the town names!”
“So, it’s your fault that it’s your fault, basically.”
“Don’t mock me!”
I finally regained my footing and sighed. “Fine, let’s go see this Ponyville, then I’m done. I still have to take a shower.” I started walking towards the town, but suddenly bumped into Peter when he flew down right in front of me.
“Don’t move,” he whispered.
“Peter, what the hell?” I shouted, shoving him aside. As I pushed him away, I saw three pairs of glowing red eyes peer from within some thicket. I backed up at the same time that three wooden canines emerged from the forest, their bodies snapping and cracking as if someone was stepping over a road full of twigs. “P-peter… W-what the… Hell?!”
“Timberwolves,” he growled, picking himself up. “I programmed them to be around this area, but three at once? The A.I. is pretty intuitive,” he chuckled.
“This is not the right time,” I gasped, my eyes darting between the three beasts. They snarled at us and hissed a noxious green mist from their mouths. I nearly choked as the fog rolled over our bodies. “It’s not… real, right?” I gagged.
“Not technically,” Peter said, covering his snout with his wings. “But if they hit you, it will still hurt.”
“What kind of virtual reality are you trying to make?! It’s not virtual if it’s so realistic!” I screamed. My voice must’ve set something off, because the three wolves jumped us then, attacking from all sides.
“Sonya, use your magic to fire a beam of energy!” Peter shouted.
“Magic? I don’t have magic, how do I use magic?!” I panicked, barely avoiding one of the snarling beasts.
“Didn’t you read the manual?” Peter jumped into the air to avoid his attacker.
“I skimmed it,” I replied, trying to keep track of two of the wooden wolves now. They circled me, growling with an intense deep gurgle. I didn’t care if it was fake, if this thing took a bite out me, I was going to feel it apparently…
“No helping it, then, I have to be the hero in this situation!” Peter exclaimed, bounding into the air. His takeoff released a gust of wind that blew away the foul gas around us. The Timberwolves turned their attention to him, and I darted out of their line of sight as quickly as I could, taking cover behind a stone quarry.
“Most brothers offer to make you pancakes, or tease you while you’re brushing your teeth, but no… My brother tries to get me killed in virtual reality!” I hissed, watching from afar.
Peter was soaring around in the air, leading the three wolves’ attacks astray and striking at them with his hooves after each of their failed assaults. Bark and twigs flew off of their bodies with each strike, until eventually one was completely dismantled, whimpering as it exploded into sticks and leaves.
I should be impressed, but he designed the game… Of course he’s going to know their weakness, I thought, watching as he dismantled another one.
“Sonya, are you seeing this?! I’m sticking it to them!” He laughed.
“That pun was in terribad tastes, you moron!”
The final wolf took his attention off of Peter now, and focused on me. Its eyes narrowed into gleaming slits, and it howled a cry, something fierce, before bounding in my direction.
“Ah, Ah! AH!” I started backing away, then turned tail and went into a full gallop, trying to keep the damn thing from taking a bite out of me.
“Sonya, use your magic!” I could hear the dodo say from above.
“I told you, I don’t know how!” I shouted back, slipping on the grass suddenly. The Timberwolf seized the moment, lunging at me with full force and bit into my left hind leg. A burning pain erupted in my thighs, and I let out a vicious scream, striking at the creature with my forehooves.
“Sonya!” Peter shouted, rushing in from the sky. “Think about your goal! Focus on what you want your magic to do, and how you want it to get done!”
“I’m being eaten, you bastard!” I shouted, screaming again as the Timberwolf bit down harder, digging its claws into my sides now. My body jolted from the pain, a hot searing sensation burning across my entire body.
Ow! Fuck, Shit! SHIT! It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not real… But it fucking hurts!
“Sonya, you’re HP is low, if you don’t do something now, you’ll die!” Peter shouted, rushing in again to try to distract the monster. It paid no mind to him, and continued its torment on me.
“Damn you, stupid… AGH!” I couldn’t bear it any longer. I wanted this thing off of me. I needed it off of me. It was going to get off of me. My body started burning hotter, a different sensation trickling around my skin and flooding within my soul. I couldn’t exactly define it, but it felt like power. A lot of power. I wanted to use it against this thing, and I wanted to use it over and over again.
“That’s it, Sonya, like that!” Peter shouted, landing next to me and the wolf. He charged it, and it finally let go, barking at Peter and tackling him now. He could not dodge the attack and was pinned down, the monster’s jaws clamped tight over his neck, and its claws digging into his wings.
His scream echoed throughout the field, and he squirmed under the Timberwolf, but could not break free. Even though the Timberwolf let me go, I could still feel its teeth sinking into my leg. It throbbed so painfully I could feel it all the way through my body. However, the whimsical euphoria that washed over me overpowered that feeling. I rose to my hooves, and directed my attention at the two combating forces in front of me.
I could barely make out anything aside from two misty figures. One was a deep green, completely dominating the light blue creature writhing in the grass. A small bar was present on the side of each of them, though the blue one’s was falling rapidly, changing hues as it slid down the gauge.
“I’ll kill you,” I said, feeling the hot flashes burn up around my body and gather in my brain. My head felt like it was going to explode, but the weird thing was, it didn’t feel unnatural. In fact, it felt completely normal. I could feel the horn on top of my head getting heavier, and the hot feeling in my body rush to that spot with greater intensity,
Suddenly, I felt a release, and aimed my horn at the green creature. Before my very eyes, I saw a wave of colors shoot from my head and consume the yelping beast. Even the branches it broke into were incinerated in the fire. As quickly as it had come, it was gone. I snapped back to reality and I could see again, but my body reminded itself of the damage it received. It convulsed from a different pain, and my limbs pulsated with an excruciating feeling.
Peter was in the grass, breathing heavily, his little bar halfway depleted and changed to yellow. I suddenly noticed one on me when I looked at my hooves. It was way lower than his, and blinking red. I looked back to Peter, who was struggling to make his way towards me. As I saw him limp through the grass, I burst into tears.
He quickened his pace, and bumped into me, covering me in his wings. He wasn’t crying, but I didn’t need to see his tears to feel his guilt. He cradled me as I bawled in his grip, struggling to balance the wet sobs and intense pain I felt all over my body.
“I want to go,” I finally hiccuped. “Take me out, let me leave!”
“Okay, okay,” he said, lifting his hoof into the air. A small floating menu opened up and he scrolled through it until he found a button with an ‘x’ enclosed in a circle. “Do this, and you’ll log out.”
I stifled my cries long enough to mimic his movements and find the button myself. I looked at him, my eyes red and watery, and he looked back, his face completely fallen, and his eyes just as wet. I swallowed some liquid in my throat, and then pushed the button, erasing the world around me, and falling back into darkness.
***
My body sprung up from Peter’s bed, shaky, and sweaty. A frantic scream erupted from my lungs, and I immediately yanked the headset off and chucked it on the floor, wrapping myself in my arms. I was hyperventilating, and shaking like a leaf. Peter woke up with a sharp gasp, and removed his headset too, rushing over to me and grabbing me in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” he said, hugging me tight. I pushed him away and yelled, throwing his pillows at him and storming off of his bed.
“What was all that?!” I shouted, still trying to catch my breath. I couldn’t even stand, resorting to using his nightstand for support. “What the hell are you trying to do, Peter?!”
“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said, sitting on his bed. “Those first two Timberwolves were low enough levels to be killed, but that last one was a pack leader… It was supposed to be an enemy that spawned later on in the game!”
I stammered and stuttered, trying to find the right insults to throw at this moron. I finally settled for a simple hand gesture, with one of my beloved fingers. “Never,” I said, regaining my composure a little.
“Never, what?” he asked.
“I don’t ever want to go in there, again, hear me?!” I was breathing real heavy. My hands ached for something to strangle, and my eyes pierced through Peter’s body like knives. “Keep that sick… shit to yourself, you got that?!”
He nodded, unable to even look me in the eye. I calmed down, sliding down against the wall and rubbing my thighs, my human thighs, and flexing all ten of my toes. I felt my side, and half-winced, but relaxed when I failed to notice any pain.
So… It really was all fake, I thought, staring at the headset on the floor in front of me. But… that bite… those claws! I felt my side again, and almost teared up.
I looked at Peter, who was still looking at the floor, his mind wandering, no doubt. As much as I wanted to hate him for this… As much as I wanted to tell him off and smash this stupid device… I couldn’t bring myself to do it. As I sat there, looking at him with my contorted expression, all I could see was sorrow; defeat.
He moved then, rising to his feet slowly and picking up his headsets, setting them on the computer desk. “Go,” he said, turning his back to me.
“What about—”
“I’m okay, I didn’t take as much damage as you did,” he said, not turning around. He sat back in his computer chair and opened a few pages, typing hastily on the the keyboard. He stopped abruptly and held back a retch, swallowing something and shuddering a little before resuming. “It’ll take a little time for your body to adjust to the jump, not to mention register that the damage you sustained in that world was fake.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t think of anything to say. Even if I did, I wasn’t sure if saying it would be right thing to do at this time. I got up and grabbed the doorknob, my hand shaking a bit as I turned it and opened the door.
“It… It was cool,” I said, not knowing why I had just spoken then. “I mean, the magic,” I rephrased my sentence.
He stopped typing for a little bit, but then resumed as if he hadn’t heard me.
I wiped some sweat from my face and left, shutting the door silently and standing awkwardly in the middle of the hall outside of his room. My feet shuffled for the bathroom, but I tripped, landing on my face. All I wanted was a shower… If I could get just that, then I would be fine. I tried to get up, but found it too difficult to even move now. Sleep was setting in around me, and I could feel my body shutting down, drowning out the world around me.
It was cool… I mean, the magic…
The thought swirled around in my head for a second longer. It was cool… But it didn’t change my mind. I was never going to go back to Equestria Online.
Two years later
Just as Dad had predicted, Peter ended up moving out after he graduated college. I was sad, I won’t lie, but at the same time I felt happy. I was happy that Peter could get away from us. He needed it, and I knew it would be the catalyst towards making him a better person.
Before he finally said goodbye to me, I remember how excited he was when told me that his project was a success, and that he pitched the idea to a small company on the other side of town. It was stupid, I thought, but it made me feel better to see that he had regained that spark of motivation that pushed him through school.
The surprise that covered my face when newscasters and internet bloggers began revealing my brother’s work was entirely genuine. I couldn’t imagine the amount of support, financially and otherwise that Peter was getting for his work. Well, it sure turned Mom and Dad’s opinion of him around. They were gleefully ignorant of the fact that they had inadvertently put him down all these years, and I suppose that’s what irked me the most.
From what I understand, as soon as Peter started working on Equestria Online, his medical visits ceased, and he was able to get a license and even support himself in a small apartment just across town. We visited a few times since then, but he was busy with his work, and we were just in the way it seemed. That night, Peter handed me another booklet, a smile on his face as well as an expression that reeked of confidence.
Equestria Online. It was professionally crafted, bound in neat staples and printed on laminated paper.
“The launch date is two weeks from now. Promise me you’ll come?” His request tugged at my soul, but I pushed the pamphlet away and shook my head. He didn’t relinquish his smile, but lowered his hand and set the booklet down on a table.
“I’m happy for you,” I said, eyeing it with contempt, “but I won’t participate.”
“You don’t have to,” he replied, grabbing my hands with his. “Just be there for me, as I do it, as well as the other beta testers. It would mean the world to me if you showed up.”
I looked away from him and removed my hands from his. “I’ll think about it,” I finally said. “Finals are that week, and I don’t want to sabotage my classes.”
“Heh, studying hard, like always,” he said, patting my head. I chuckled, letting him at least ruffle my hair a bit.
“I hope everything turns out alright,” I said.
“It will,” he replied.
I’m not sure if it did, though. The date of the launch came and went, and I was more concerned with my studies than with anything else. I had heard the launch of the beta was a success, and cheered silently for Peter, a little guilty that I couldn’t be there in person. A few months later, and the game was released to public users worldwide.
In all that time, I didn’t see Peter once. Calls stopped, and visits were a thing of the past, but what really bothered me was that these thoughts came into my head after-the-fact. I gave them little-to-no follow up, and concentrated on the things most important to me in my life. Needless to say, I was quite surprised when that man knocked on our door that afternoon.
“Hello, little girl, are your parents home?”
“Yes,” I replied, studying this man’s strange attire. He was dressed in a brown amari suit, and held a wooden cane in one of his hands. The gentleman was an older fellow, but he didn’t appear too aged. The only thing that seemed to be ancient was the beard over his chin. Snow white, and a bit scraggly.
“Excuse me,” he said, increasing the volume of his voice. I suppose he had been speaking to me already. “May I speak with them?”
“Mom, Dad,” I shouted into the atrium. I opened the door wider so that he could enter, closing it behind him slowly as I made note of the peculiar cane he held in his hand. It was jagged, at the end, and the hilt was adorned with a crest of a winged serpent.
“Sonya, who is this man?” I heard my father say.
“I am Mr. Bolin of Accordion Incorporated, sir. I was a very close colleague with your son, Peter,” Mr. Bolin explained. “Please, may I sit?”
“Of course,” my mother said, rushing to the kitchen and getting a few beverages from the fridge. “Thank you for stopping by, Mr. Bolin… It’s a pleasure to meet one of Peter’s associates, especially with the success of his new computer game!”
“I always knew that boy would do something with computers one day,” my father bragged. “Now look, he’s partners with a big hot-shot like yourself in some major downtown company!”
I took a seat across from Mr. Bolin on the other couch, my mother and father naturally seating themselves closer to the man.
“So, what brings you down here, Mr. Bolin?” my father asked.
“Is it about Peter? How’s he doing?” my mother wondered.
“It is about Peter, however, it pains me to say that the news isn’t as welcoming as you may expect it to be,” he said, taking a glass of water from the tray my mom had brought. My body straightened now. I think I was leaning on the seat.
“Well, what’s happened? Why do you look so upset?” My mother asked.
“It’s complicated,” Mr. Bolin said. He was obviously trying to collect his thoughts. I could see that he was a little hesitant to tell Mom and Dad anything. “Peter has overridden the Equestria Online system, taking control of its servers and locking down the program from the inside,” he finally said.
“What?” Both of my parents looked at him and twisted their faces.
“What do you mean, he took control of the system, what is that supposed to mean?” My father asked, crossing his arms.
Mr. Bolin cleared his throat. “Peter had been acting strange, as of late. When Equestria Online launched, we were all naturally excited; even more so when the game finally became public and was released to the world. Our goal was to create a unique experience inside of a world that would sweep anyone off of their feet once they stepped in.”
That was true… I thought.
“However, Peter wasn’t as ecstatic as the rest of us during this time,” Mr. Bolin continued. “He managed the servers and the system for a while, playing in the world as his own character, but one day, he didn’t log out.”
He finished the water in the next few gulps and grabbed the glass that was meant for my father. “We tried contacting him, but he blocked our requests in and out of the game. We wanted to see if maybe there was a bug with the system, but before we could investigate, Peter activated some sort of program to lock me and my moderators out of Equestria Online’s servers.
He was able to lock every terminal, and restrict access to all ports from within the game, including the emergency shutdown override.”
“Why would you need one of those?” My mom asked, covering her mouth.
“In case there needed to be a mass evacuation of the game, or if there were a maintenance issue that required all users to be logged out for a specific point in time,” he answered. “We can’t understand it, but Peter has locked us out of the game, and has prevented us from doing anything, even logging other players out.”
I gripped the arms of the chair I sat in. This couldn’t be my fault, could it? Would Peter do something that ridiculous because I didn’t show up to his stupid game launch?
“Well, what happens if someone removes the headsets, or if they die in the game?” I asked.
“We don’t know,” Mr. Bolin replied. “We’ve been getting reports that parents and loved ones who try to remove the helmets off of the trapped players receive a warning from the system. It threatens to kill the player if the device is removed, in real life.”
I swallowed a lump in my throat. My parents stared at Mr. Bolin, their mouths stuck agape. My father grabbed him by the collar then, and lifted him up. My mother tried to stop him, but he shoved her aside.
“What do you mean my son is killing innocent people!” he shouted, shaking Mr. Bolin.
“W-we don’t know if he’s actually killed anyone yet,” Mr. Bolin said, raising his hands up. “No one’s tried to remove the helmets yet, a-and we’re not sure what happens to those players who die in the game!”
“How are you not sure?!”
“Please, sir, let me go,” Mr. Bolin asked. My father let him down, and walked away, storming off into the other room.
“What happens to them?” I asked, getting a shaken look from the man.
“We’re not sure,” he said again, “according to the complaints and our own studies, their vital signs remain intact, but the system refuses to release them back into the real world. It’s as if, they’re stuck in some digital limbo.”
“And you say, Peter, my Peter, is doing this?” My mother asked, tears coming down her face.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, nodding.
“Why did you come here, then?” I asked. He looked at me quickly, as if he were surprised at my question. “You need something from us, don’t you?”
“How perceptive,” he uttered, turning his full attention to me. “Peter has locked us out of the system, preventing anyone from logging out, but not from logging in, it seems.”
“How do you know about this?” My dad asked from the other room, standing in the archway.
“We’ve noticed that the DIVE system is still within our control, however, the application is rather limited. It seems as if he left it that way,” Mr. Bolin explained. “When we try logging in a user, it declines the diver and gives us an error message, claiming that the biological signature is invalid.”
“So, he’s trapped all the users currently in the game, and he’s preventing anyone else from logging in,” I repeated, my heart beating a little too quickly for comfort. “That’s why you came here, because of the error message,” I said.
“We think, that, if we try a dive with a family member, the system will allow the user to log in, and they could speak with Peter, considering it would be more advantageous for him to listen to one of you, and not me, or anyone else in the company.”
“That’s ridiculous, “ I said, leaning back in my chair. My parents and Mr. Bolin looked at me. “Peter isn’t that vindictive,” I explained. “It sounds to me like maybe you have a hacker in your system, or one of your associates is trying to sabotage your game.”
“We considered that, Sonya,” Mr. Bolin said, causing me to flinch. “Yes, I know you… Peter often spoke about you, nothing but good, I tell the truth.” He sighed. “Like I said, we considered the possibility of a foreign entity or sabotage, but our diagnosis of the system read loud and clear that Peter was the one calling the shots. It’s all his doing.”
It was a lot to take in. We all sat there, quiet now, mulling over this new revelation with certain trepidation. I didn’t want to admit that my brother was doing something so… devious. It just didn’t fit. He wasn’t spiteful, nor did he hold a grudge. Even so, he wouldn’t take his frustrations out on innocent people. It just wasn’t right.
“I came here to see which one of you I would be taking back with me to our headquarters,” Mr. Bolin said. “The development team is already standing by with a device that will read your DNA and determine if its compatible with the DIVE system. From there, we’ll develop a plan of action.”
“What do we have to do?” My mother asked.
“All you three have to do is stay still, as I scan your biological makeup, and send my results to my team back home,” he explained. “So, you know know the situation, and you know our motives. We have no intention of hiding anything from you, as Peter is our family as much as yours. We only ask that whoever be selected join me in trying to bring him to his senses.”
We all nodded. Mr. Bolin did so as well, taking a deep breath before pulling out a small silver device with a green tip. He pushed a button that released a laser light, and pointed it in Mom’s eye, then her chest. He did the same with my dad, and finally with me.
He finished scanning us and pulled out another device, this one much larger, resembling an Iphone. It beeped three times, and he hastily tapped on the screen, scrolling through the contents of his message with his finger. His face fell further and further as he stood there, silently reading to himself. His thumb moved up one last time, before his expression exploded in the other direction.
“That’s it… We’ve found it,” he said, sitting down. “We can end this nightmare!” He looked at the three of us and laughed, peering back at his device’s screen. “How unfortunate, however…”
“Unfortunate? I thought you said we solved the problem?” My dad was about ready to punch this guy.
“Not for us, for her,” he said, pointing at me. My stomach lurched. My whole body shook and I started to feel sick inside. My parents stared at me, and then back at Mr. Bolin. His smile had faded, and he too was examining me with increased fervor.
“Me…?” I gasped in a barely audible whisper.
“Sonya,” Mr. Bolin said, his voice deepening in severity, “I need you to get your brother, and bring him back to reality. I need you to go to Equestria Online.”