The Small Horse

The Small Horse (Chīsana Uma 小さな馬) is an Amnesia: The Dark Descent horror comedy anthology, created by Litronom. The series encompasses the quest of Tonbei the pirate and the cursed discovery and capture of a mysterious creature, setting in motion a plot by the Dalek to conquer the world. In order to confront the Dalek and their leader, Discord, Tonbei must overcome nightmarish beings and his own past.
Originally created in 2011, the Small Horse coincides its sister series It's Hurting My Eyes, as most notably their foreign nature and usage of various media to tell a chaotic, nonsensical narrative. Despite its disjointed and confusing structure, the Small Horse is still recognized as one of the most nostalgic and influential Amnesia Custom Stories available.
== Gameplay ==
Primarily focusing on a familiar yet satirical experience, the Small Horse can best be described as a fever dream with a wide variety of random scenarios filled with nonsensical jumpscares and early 2010s internet "wtf" meme culture. Coinciding this, various environments and characters throughout the series are modeled after existing media such as Digimon, My Little Pony, Evangelion and Doctor Who.
Despite its development solely being to entertain via an absurd horror experience with a silly atmosphere and premise, the comical nature of the world development encourages the player to more naturally explore and gather information. Item management and collectibles scattered around the world effectively help approach the silly environments and enemies encountered. However, what little story can be ascertained is given little context due to its intentionally vague and referential representation.
== Story ==
=== The small Horse: Prologue ===
Traveling across the sea in sea in search of treasure, the Straw Hat Pirates and Tonbei finally arrive at a small secluded island. Coming ashore and setting up camp, Tonbei separates from the Straw Hats and accompanies an island resident, Twilight Sparkle, into a nearby cave for shelter. While initially skeptical, their reluctant generosity is rewarded with entrance to the house hidden within the cave. 
Curiously participating in the locals festivities inside before exploring deeper in, Tonbei finds himself in a hallway full of doors and chased by several ghoulish entites. Barely able to catch their breath, they stumble across a note citing the journey of a fellow adventurer named Gulliver, who traveled to the island to find a man known as the Hollowed Zerom Ygum and their encounter with a strange cloaked man that sold him a mysterious cage.
Following the corridor using the key left by Gulliver, Tonbei is approached by a peculiar man riding Twilight Sparkle, introducing himself as Holly Pierre, the same man referenced as the Hollowed Zerom Ygum. The man explains that he had come to the island to search for a creature discovered deeper in, but wound up getting himself lost, in turn inquiring for assistance in his endeavor. Bewildered, Tonbei hesitantly agrees and is given the mysterious cage mentioned in Gullivers note, before Pierre promptly leaves in a hurry after seeing a strange man run by.
Managing to sneak around another nightmarish creature, Tonbei finds himself in a ritualistic altar and encounters the strange creature Pierre had been looking for named Pinkie Pie, an equestrian seemingly in a trance wandering around the altar. Acquiring a stone on the altar to weaken the equestrian, Tonbei uses the mysterious cage to capture it and brings their discovery back with them to the mainland.
=== The Small Horse I: The Escape ===
Upon reaching the mainland their discovery is soon followed by controversy and speculation, with Tonbei being incarcerated in State Prison for being a pirate pretender. After many days, they are able to break out of their cell using a Thorne Bone to pick the door lock, grabbing a lantern and avoiding a monster lurking about on their way to the wardens office. 
Managing to stock up on supplies and scouring the eerily quiet halls, Tonbei cautiously approaches the front end of the prison before being caught in a trap and chased by more monsters. Narrowly escaping the creatures and managing to hastily solve several puzzles, they stumble across a note by the long deceased warden Manus, detailing how Holly was able to control the pony and the cult he had formed around its worship. 
Confused and alarmed by this revelation, Tonbei ventures deeper in and finds himself in the strange ruins connected to the prison. Exploring the ruins, they are once again chased by several monsters towards a strangely lit bridge and alter of the pony. Upon making it to the alter, Holly appears to help break them out alongside the pony whom he had freed. However, due to his adrenaline rush dying down and exhaustion, the appearance of the pony startles Tonbei into passing out.
=== The Small Horse II: The Abuse ===
Waking in the forest outside Castle Brim, Tonbei finds a note from Holly explaining that there are forces about that have set out to capture him, and that it would be in their best interests to meet again. Breaching the castle with the help of friends, Holly is found romantically involved with Twilight Sparkle, causing him to faint from nausea. Later awoken and shaking off the sight, Tonbei enters the deepest and darkest part of the castle while circumventing its illusive labyrinth.
Helping Fluttershy find her bunny Angel and evading the Dead hand, she repays their kindness by unlocking the exit before abruptly attacking in a monstrous form demanding that they stay to quell her loneliness. Barely able to escape to the Raceway above, Tonbei helps the local band clear the way for the race to access the Obi-Van-Gobi Desert. Much to their surprise, Fluttershy appears shortly after and apologies for her outburst, warning about the Pinkie Pie they know being a fake and hoping for their forgiveness. Reluctantly, he obliges and celebrates with her in the nearby tavern.
Eventually saying their goodbyes, Tonbei ventures into the desert and assists the equestrian Apple Jack with her workout to destroy a blockade. Curiously climbing the Stone Tower Temple and encountering a psychedelic rift, they find themselves in a futuristic, alien base. Shortly after reaching a strange device, they are promptly captured and imprisoned by a cast of machine like beings referring to themselves as the Daleks. Having time to ponder their predicament, they think back to their troubled early childhood in the Digital World.
Waking in a Digimon Village hidden away on File Island that had fallen on rough times, Tonbei helps in any way he can before excitedly venturing into the archeological ruins that had risen after obtaining several medallions. Grabbing a trusty Moogle Light and discovering an ancient helmet, Tonbei is overcome by an ominous presence, just barely making it to the entrance before being abducted by the monstrous Slagerman and traumatized.
Waking shortly after and meeting a strange pony named Doctor Hooves, Tonbei gives the pony the Sonic Screwdriver and escape their incarceration, eavesdropping on a meeting between the Dalek and their leader Discord, whom captured Holly with the help of a Changeling disguised as Pinkie Pie. Revealing his weapon the Chaoticum, Discord fires upon the Earth and unleashes his dark powers on the world, barely giving Tonbei and Hooves enough time to evade capture into an abandoned part of the factory.
Traversing the Rainbow Factory while jumping through time, the two proceed on a journey through many visages of the past looking for Holly throughout Tonbeis adventure. Upon Discords intervention and traveling through the world destroyed by his chaos, Tonbei is able to break out Holly and meet many of their friends assisting them to defeat the Dalek threat, creating the Gunblade to make the final push. With no time to reunite, Tonbei hastily takes to Discords stage and battles him with the assistance of all of his comrades.
After Discords reign is cut short and the world is returned to normal, Tonbei wakes in his bed to realize his adventures had all but been a dream after a long night of drinking. Turning to his side, he finds Holly whom he had bunked with the night prior.
== Characters ==
Tonbei: Tonbei is an adventurous up in coming pirate and a member of the Straw Hat pirates, originally from File Island within the Digital World before being abducted by the Slagerman and traumatized into leaving his home to explore the world. Journeying to find Holly and later correct the future from devastation, Tonbei is the central protagonist of the Small Horse series.
Holly Pierre: Holly is an eccentric brony and the leader of the Cult of Pony known as the Hollowed Zerom Ygum, both a close ally throughout the series and an adventurer that had traveled from the mainland to look for his beloved ponies. Hearing of such a creature present on the island and later finding himself lost in a labyrinthian mountain prior to meeting Tonbei, the two work together in order to overcome the nightmarish beings encountered on their travels. As it turns out however postgame, Holly was a close friend that wound up sleeping with Tonbei after a long night drinking.
Doctor Hooves: A pony incarnation of the Doctor, encountered in prison after attempting to foil Discords plans but had wound up caught and stripped of his equipment upon incarceration. Breaking out after being given his trademark Sonic Screwdriver, Hooves reveals Discords plans and provides Tonbei support with his time traveling Tardis to save and prevent the end of the world.
Discord: The leader of the Dalek and Raribots, and the mastermind behind rge Chaoticum. In his quest for chaos, Discord amassed an army to dramatically alter the world and all those in it.
== Trivia ==
* Initially starting development in 2011 and inevitably progressing The Small Horse 2: The Abuse into four separate parts: Parts A - D, the latter sections followed small updates and overhauls until 2018.
** Part A: Released in 2011, following the progression towards breaching Castle Brim and meeting with Pierre, ending shortly after waking to the Engineer Pony and leaving the room.
** Part B: Released in 2011, the journey through the Shadow Temple and Mario Kart Raceway, ending shortly after reencountering Fluttershy and a small message advising players to rest and wait for part C to finish before heading through the door to Obi-Van-Gobi Desert.
** Part C: Released in 2012, following the adventure into the Obi-Van-Gobi Desert, Stone Tower Temple and the Daleks base, abruptly ending in the prison cell surrounded by a textureless void.
** Part D: Released in 2012, following the exploration of the File Island village and Slagerman temple, leading to the Prison Escape and ending in the small storage room nearing the Rainbow Factory.
** Part D 1-5: Released throughout 2012 to 2018, following the remaining progress from the Rainbow Factory to the climactic finale and showdown with Discord. This part took the longest amount of time to bug test and port various models.
* The protagonist Tonbei was originally referred to as "Chief Wiggum" during the Prologue until his canonical name and model were revealed in Part C on File Island.
* While there are many strange names referenced throughout the series such as Skahim Shiert and Cedrum Wardener, it can be inferred that the name Hollowed Zerom Ygum is a pseudonym of Holly (HOLLowed zerom Ygum) as it is used multiple times in context with the character.
* Around the time of its creation, My Little Pony and Creepypastas had become massively popular which the series had taken inspiration from. This can be attributed to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic obtaining multiple season releases and several Creepypasta sources such as AmnesiaShy (My Little Amnesia: Frienship is Madness), Slendytubbies, Slenderman, Ben Drowned and the Rainbow Factory.
* As the series stands now due to the Conversion Engine between the Dark Descent and the Bunker, the Small Horse is completely unplayable due to the "&in" code not present in teleportation or on screen dialogue being programmed. Currently, the only way to play the mod is to download a previous state of the engine (Preferably 2013-2023 to avoid crashes) prior to conversion, or Forbidden Trip | 禁断の旅.
** Previous engines can run The Small Horse from 2012 to late 2023 versions, however many lack more updated effects and will crash nearing the snow effects present at the igloo post Rainbow Factory.
** Forbidden Trip | 禁断の旅 is an Amnesia: The Dark Descent mod running off of the old Frictional Games 2022 engine version, and is entirely capable of running The Dark Descent mods, while also providing an infinite use flashlight.
== Quotes ==
* Part Continuity Quotes:
** Hey. I warn you! Don't go through this door, unless you have "The Small Horse: II-B" installed. Save your game and come back later. ByeBye, I love you! - Engineer Pony
** Hey my friend I'm a good person, so I'll tell you, not to go through this door unless you have "The Small Horse: II-C" installed. Please save your game here and have a rest. I'll take care of you, yay! - Fluttershy
** Hi! I'm a demonic creature. Do not go further, through the light if you don't have part D installed. I dare you. My powers are endless. They will destroy your game. Nah, just kidding. I sure love you. Bye. See you next time. - Alistar
** The Factory is currently under construction. All employees are expected to look out for each other and stay at their designated locations, since "The Small Horse: II - Finale Release" comes out. - Rainbow Factory intercom