My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

The Six Lost Souls

Chapter 6. Twilight Sparkle.

The browser was back on the blog post with the six portraits of the deceased boys staring back at us. I really didn't want to find out what happened the rest of the boys as I was already heartbroken enough. Curiosity got the best of me, and Marty didn't hesitate to click on the fifth portrait. The hyperlinked picture took us to another article on . It was another news article, titled "Young boy's death touched many lives."

To the left of the screen was the boy's picture. He had light tanned skin, with jet black, shiny, spiky hair, and big, black eyes. The caption under his picture stated that his name was Raven Blackwell. Chills ran down my spine as his black eyes hauntingly stared back at me from the monitor. I instantly knew that he was the inspiration of the character, Twilight sparkle.

Raven was always held up to a high standard by his unloving parents. His older brother, Matthew was the smartest boy in his school. Everyday, Raven's parents would congratulate Matthew on his grades, and would always shower him with love and attention. They'd even brag to all their friends and coworkers about having a gifted son in the family.

Matthew was also very popular and had many friends. People never really noticed Raven at all because his brother was so smart and so likeable. Because of this, Raven felt alone and unloved. Eventually, this would lead Raven his tragic fate. But his blood would be on his own hands.

It was a cold January morning. Raven walked down the hallway to get to his second period class. His brother was standing across the hallway surrounded by his friends. Jealousy consumed Raven for a quick moment, but he soon brushed it off and made his way inside the classroom. He was sitting in his assigned seat in the back of the classroom when he was approached by his teacher, Mr. Rendell.

"Excuse me Raven," Mr. Rendell spoke in his polite voice, "How would you like to apply for a school of the gifted?"

Raven couldn't believe what he was hearing. At first, the thought of going to a gifted school disgusted him, but he realized that it was an excellent opportunity to stop being in his brother's shadow.

"Of course!" Raven replied happily, "I'd love too! But what do I need to do?"

Mr. Rendell handed Raven a sheet of paper, "This is your study guide," he replied, "There will also be an essay too. Make sure to study hard. The test is next month, but you'll need to be prepared."

A wide smile stretched across Raven's face, "You got it!" he replied happily.

Every night Raven would study, but it soon got more intense for him. The pressure to pass was getting higher and higher. For hours on end, Raven would be locked in his room studying as hard as he could. No one ever noticed, but the thought of him replacing his brother in the spotlight became his own obsession.

The day finally came. On February 25th Raven took the test in a secluded classroom. He was unsure whether he knew everything, as he could barely concentrate. The thought of him being smarter, popular, and more liked than his brother took over his mind. He then had a boost of confidence and answered every test question. Two weeks later, he found out how well he did.

Raven strutted his way to the principal's office. It was the only time in his whole life that he ever felt proud of himself. Many thoughts rushed through his head. "This is it!" he thought, "I'm going to be successful! I'm going to be better than my brother! I'm going to show all of them how excellent I am!"

He waited in the lobby of the main office, until his principal, who went by name Will, called him back. Raven pranced across the office and into Will's private room. He sat down on the chair across from Will's desk.

"You know what you're here for, right?" Will asked in a serious voice.

"Yes," Raven replied excitedly, "Did I get in? How well did I do?"

Will stared at him with a blank expression on his face. At that point, Raven knew exactly what happened.

"I'm very sorry Raven," Will sighed, "But you didn't pass. You scored a 70%. I'm sorry."

Raven felt his heart sink as he tried his best to hold back the tears in his eyes. He was never the same after that, and he never came back to school either. Everyday he'd be up in his room, laying under his covers. Continually, he'd wallow in his own shame, and his self esteem had dropped very low.

While Raven was up in his room, he could hear his parents congratulating Matthew on all the good grades he was getting. The night before Raven died, he overheard his parents talking about Matthew.

Raven slowly crept out of his room. He pressed his ear against his parent's bedroom door. "I'm so happy for Matthew," Raven heard his dad say, "He's a really smart boy, who has so much life ahead of him."

"I agree with you," Raven's mom replied, "I love him so much. I couldn't ask for a better son than Matthew."

Raven then stormed back to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He laid on his bed, curled up, with tears streaming down his face. The whole night, he cried and blamed himself for everything. His parents never even heard him. Raven truly felt alone. He was tired of being in his own brother's shadow.

The next morning, Matthew woke up and jogged downstairs. His mother was guzzling herself up in front of the mirror, getting ready for work.

"Hey dear," his mother smirked, "Could you please go upstairs and see if Raven is still sick?"

"Mom," Matthew laughed, "He's been sick for more than a week. He's obviously bluffing you."

His mother sighed, "Well, unfortunately not all of my children are motivated in life."

Matthew laughed as he made his way upstairs. He pounded on his brothers door, before rudely barging in. Raven emerged from under the covers with a rage filled look on his face.

"Didn't I tell you to not come into my room until I said you could?!" Raven viciously groaned.

"Quit the act kid," Matthew laughed, "Your going to school today."

"No!" Raven sighed, "I'm still sick. I can't go."

Matthew laughed, "Oh come on dude! Just because you royally fucked up on your test to get into a school for the gifted doesn't mean you have to cut yourself off from civilization."

Raven's mouth dropped open with shock. "How did you know about that!?" He shouted.

Matthew laughed back, "Everyone is talking about it at school. They all know about your shame. Boy, it must suck to be you right now."

Matthew walked of Raven's room, laughing viscously. The laugh echoed in Raven's troubled mind. By the time Matthew made his way downstairs, his mother had already left for work. As he was reaching for the front door knob, he heard a loud bang sound coming from upstairs…

Matthew spun around, startled. The whole house then became quiet. "Raven?" Matthew called. Raven didn't answer… the house stayed quiet… Matthew slowly waked upstairs. He couldn't figure out why, but his heart was pounding with fear.

As Matthew made his way to the second floor, something caught his eye. Raven's bedroom door was wide open, the same way Matthew left it. He quickly ran toward the door and into Raven's room. He soon saw something that he'd never forget. Laying on the bed in a thick puddle of blood, was Raven's lifeless body. Gripped in his right hand was a handgun, and a massive bullet was jammed in his forehead, between his lifeless eyes.

It was very clear that Raven Blackwell was the inspiration for Twilight Sparkle. Both of them were obsessed with knowledge and in a way, they each resembled each other. To make the facts even more chilling, Twilight sparkle was a unicorn, hence the bullet wound in Raven's head.

"Do you want to stop?" Marty asked, staring up at me.

I stood there, trying to decide. "How many more are left?" I asked.

Marty faced the computer and clicked the back arrow on the browser. The browser went back to the blog post. We've already read about five of the boys. Now there was just one more story left.