//------------------------------// // 10: Two of them // Story: Safer in open hooves // by Elemental Fury //------------------------------// That night I went to sleep with a heavy heart along with so much confusion and fear. I collapsed onto the bed in Rarities house and before I know it I was off into the dreamscape. “Troy, look around.” A sinister unearthly voice whispered in my ears. With fear taking hold I complied with its instructions, my eyes opening slightly to see nothing but complete darkness. “This is the reality of magic, all that it leads to this in the end.” “Who the hell?” I muttered. “Well, if you must know I am everything. And I am nothing.” "..." “Well you’re no fun. Come on, get up.” The voice told me and I open my eyes completely yet before I could get out the bed…no, it wasn’t a bed, it was too hard to be a bed. “Too slow!” The voice shouted with what sounded like glee as I felt a hand grab my shirt and lift me into the air. I was greeted by a horrific sight. This thing, god knows what it actually is, had the body of a human but the head of a pony. Funnily enough, that wasn’t the creepy part about its appearance, it was the fact that the head looked like it had been stitched on. “Welcome, you disgusting waste of space, to the closest thing to an afterlife there is. Nothing except some floating stone platforms, complete darkness…and me!” it said cheerfully yet it sounded somewhat threatening as well, kinda of like a what I would imagine an evil Pinkie Pie would sound like. “Oh please do stop referring to me as ‘it’, I have a name.” It told me. “Troy…” “What’s….your name?” I asked hesitantly, it could read my thoughts and it was honestly terrifying. “My name is Hell, Your Hell.” It told me. “Though you can just call me Haley if you want.” “Haley?” I raised my eyebrows at the name, it had not been what I was expecting. “What, what's wrong with my name? Say what's wrong with my name!” “I…What?” was all I could say to that. I surveyed my surrounding once more, however, they seemed to have changed though that could be me being confused by the darkness. “Well, all you need to know is this,” ‘Haley’s’ eyes went from the normal pupils to tiny black slits. “There isn’t an escape.” Suddenly, the hand holding me aloft shot forward and let go of my shirt, which launched me into the cold air. I tumbled down the abyss for a good minute at least before my back collided with a stone platform. “Owwwwww…” was all I managed to let escape from my lips. That fall should have broken my back yet all I felt was a dull pain. “I’M COMING FOR YOU!” The voice had yelled and yet it had also sounded like he was whispering right in my ear. I looked up and to my horror saw ‘Haley’ descending from the air with a blade that was set to hit my stomach. I tried to escape but it was all in vain as I seemed to be stuck to the ground. I looked back and at that moment I felt the blade cleave into me. “AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed as my vision slowly started to fade until I only saw blackness that taunted me. *** “AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed as I sat bolt up in my bed. My hand shot to the cover and lifted the sheets. Fortunately, there was no evidence that I had been stabbed, it had just been a dream. BRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGG BRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGG My alarm went off, scaring me half to death. My hand slammed down on it to stop the infernal racket it was making. I stepped out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to start the day. As I wandered the halls of Carousel Boutique, my thoughts wandered to the nightmare I had experienced. As I pondered the dream, my thoughts slowly turned to Princess Luna who I had been told could enter ponies’ dreams. I smirked a little at the thought, it was just a one-off, though, I wouldn’t need her help. I reached the bathroom and itched my side, expecting to feel the usual odd sensation of my finger ran across my odd scar I received upon coming into Equestria, however it was not there. I lifted my shirt and saw the scar was still there but had moved. It was now near my left arm and some of it didn’t seem to be scarring anymore but rather a mark similar to the ones the majority of ponies seem to have on their flanks. This was a small section, however, the majority of it was still scarring. My eyes traveled to its original location and I felt my blood run cold. There was still a scar but this was new. It was a message that had been torn into my flesh. ‘IT WASN’T A DREAM. YOU WON’T GET HELP. H.’ It didn't take long to figure out what the H stood for. I slowly lowered my T-shirt and simply stood there in the bathroom, thoughts racing about what to do. I had yet to tell anyone about the dreams because I thought they had been just that, dreams though now I’m starting to worry. “Hello? Anyone in here?” I heard Rarity’s voice after there was a knock on the door. “Yeah, just a moment please.” I shouted through the door, deciding with all the insane stuff happening that I should really get help. I stared at my reflection and my mind wandered to the fact that even though I wasn’t in bed I was still in a nightmare. “I’m so screwed.” “That you are.” A disturbingly familiar sinister voice said. “Do not turn around.” “Why?! What do you people want from me?!” I said as quietly as I could so that Rarity didn’t hear me and assume I’m crazy. “Oh Troy, have you already forgotten our last encounter, I’m still impressed by that right hook. For someone who never learned how to fight others, your fist sure seemed to say otherwise. Regardless, I suppose I should be sure, has your dreams dissolved into something more hellish?” “Yeah….yeah, I guess you could say that.” I told it, breathing shallow breaths. “Good to know. I’m afraid I have news. Good or maybe bad or even somewhere between the two. My brother, Haley, as he revealed himself to you, is a fiend. Admittedly I am fairly unpleasant myself at times as is how we were made but Haley is something else. “I brought you here as I made a vow, so many years passed that once every decade I would do something good as penance for something I regret to this day. I brought you here as my most recent act of goodwill but my brother has different ideas. It is Haley’s wish to torment all. He has chosen you as his new plaything due to your unique disposition. My brother has always had an interest in this world. You are right to be horrified by his head, I am afraid that he took it by force from an unfortunate stallion long ago in the dark age of Equestria.” “Was the whole magic that’s going to kill me thing done by him?” I asked as calmly as I could. Despite his admittance to being less than wholesome, he seemed to be more agreeable than his brother. “Ah yes, that. I gave a second gift to you, a mark that shall only appear as scarring for now. I told you to enjoy my gift last time, I meant the mark. I also said I wouldn’t talk to you again yet that proved to be false for reasons beyond my control. “I think you’ll find your biggest challenge to be the nobles of Canterlot. I have to give the lout Blueblood and his family credit, even with my brothers help their deception towards the princesses until now has been impressive.” “What?!” I exclaimed, shocked at the revelation and also worried about what I would mean for me if what he was saying was true. “Oh right, I should probably explain. Actually, better to show you.” He said as is started seeing black spots in my vision until everything was darkness. *** My eyes fluttered open and I looked down to see that I was surrounded by a weird blue glow. “That glow is your spirit. We can observe time like this.” The voice explained as a gray unicorn with a blonde mane and blue eyes wandered past us. I looked around and saw that we were in a cavern yet there was something off. There were lit candles along the walls and the cave was cut far to clean, it wasn’t natural. The unicorn was moving further into the cavern, yet instead of continuing on into darkness, the cave stopped abruptly at some kind of shrine. “Oh great trickster, show yourself to me, I come seeking your aid!” The unicorn said, his tone demanding, as he reached the shrine. “What is it, I was in the middle of something!” The voice of Haley said behind the unicorn. The sight that greeted us was Haley as I had seen him except one or two differences like the fact that Haley didn’t have fresh blood specks on him when I saw him. “Trickster, I shall cut to the chase, I need help. I need your great power!” The unicorn told Haley, who seemed to be amused by the unicorn. “Really? And what could you possibly need help with? You are a man of wealth and power!” Haley told the unicorn. “Make sure your request isn’t a waste of my precious time.” “I assure you it isn’t. I need your help for my power doesn’t reach as far as the princess!” The unicorn explained to the demon. “The princess? Please do tell me more!” Haley suddenly seemed far more interested in what the unicorn had to say. “The princess has forgotten the ways we are supposed to act. She is spreading false, sickening notions that we are all equal! She is convincing the rest of the nobility in Canterlot and I can’t allow that! We must stay true so that Equestria stays on top” “Perhaps I CAN help after all!” *** Suddenly, we were back in rarity’s bathroom. I was still facing away from the demon behind me. "That was Bluebloods ancestor?" I asked the demon. “Yes. My brother helped because it helped him accomplish a goal he has long had in mind, however, his plans for chaos have been a slow path that, until now, I have ignored. Yet this world is part of my debt that I may not ever repay. I knew I would have to step in at some point, yet I had hoped to indulge his twisted plan just a little longer. We made a truce when we realized about our conflict of interest. Of course, I don’t worry about IF he will break it but WHEN he will break it.” “Haven’t you already done that?” I asked. “Turn around Troy.” He told me, so I turned around to see a man with dead eyes that lacked pupils. He had short well-kempt black hair and dark skin. “My brother shows everyone he confronts his real form as a scare tactic, however, I am the opposite, no other mortal has laid eyes upon me in my real form. I am only allowing this because I need you to understand this. You are lucky, for all you have been given. Do NOT waste it. “Like I was saying, he made Blueblood’s family extremely influential and those who allow themselves to listen to the arguments made seem to find that the arguments are unbreakable.” “So I’m screwed?!” I asked, after witnessing the protest that had occurred I was worried about what it would mean if they would be so adamant about getting rid of me. “No, I said they seem unbreakable, not that they are unbreakable. I can see so many things from my position, and I can tell how everything will play out for everyone…Except you, you’re an enigma, my dear Troy. Your future isn’t set, I don’t know how you will break my brother’s spell but you have to. This is the mission I present to you, complete it and the rest will all fall into place.” With that he disappeared into a swirling black mist, however, I spied some parchment floating to the ground, upon inspection I saw it said ‘That Fancy Pants would be a good start, he seems immune to Bluebloods charms for reasons unknown to me.’ I rolled up the parchment and stuffed it into my pockets. I headed out of the bathroom and walked downstairs into the kitchen of Carousel Boutique where Rarity already was. “Ah, Troy, are you okay? You were in there an awfully long time.” Rarity asked with a furrowed brow. “Was I really in there long? I didn’t realize. I’m fine, just contemplating.” I told her, sitting down. She gave me a pitiful look that made me sick. “Okay then, I have to go relieve myself, as it were. Excuse me, Troy.” Rarity said, getting up from the table and leaving to go to the bathroom. I was left with my thoughts. I had so many questions going through my head. Who are these two demons? Why was I chosen to come here? What did the demon mean by ‘everything else will fall into place.’? And most importantly… What kind of demon calls themselves Haley?