> The Demon > by Flying Fantasy Horse > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Demon > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- There once was a filly. Her name was Scootaloo. She had no cutie mark, but she looked for it along with her friends who also did not have any cutie marks. Every day, they embarked on a new adventure. They learned how to use magic, how to read a map, how to care for animals and many other things. Even though they did not find their cutie marks at the end of the day, they were all happy that they spent time together as friends. Scootaloo could not fly. Her wings were far too weak and she could only hover above the ground for a few seconds. But she had a scooter. Scootaloo used the scooter to make her feel that she was flying, even though she was not. Her dream was that one day she would fly just as fast as her hero, Rainbow Dash. She was amazed at how fast she sped through the sky and left behind a trail of rainbows. One day, something started to follow her. It was not a wild animal. It was not a pony. It was a horrible, disgusting demon. This demon had no shape, nor did it have any form. It was not a gas, a vapour or a solid. It did not breathe, it did not eat and it did not talk. Yet this demon still existed. And it started following Scootaloo everywhere. Scootaloo started to not like herself. She was constantly bullied by the other kids because she could not fly. They called her names like 'blank flank' and 'chicken' and much more. Soon, Scootaloo started to listen to them. She thought that she was a chicken. She was a blank flank. She could not fly, and for that Scootaloo did not like herself. The demon grew stronger as Scootaloo's hatred for herself grew as well. She started to forget about her two friends and stay inside, looking up at the ceiling of her bedroom. She did not do anything. She did not eat. She did not talk. She did not play. She did not do any of the things that a normal filly usually does. That was because Scootaloo thought that she was not a regular filly. She was a weird filly, and that made the demon grow stronger. Soon, she stopped going to school altogether. Her parents were hardly ever there, so they never minded if Scootaloo skipped a few days. But soon days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Scootaloo had isolated herself from everypony else and she had lost contact with her crusading friends. They were long gone, but the demon was still there. Day after day after day the demon would taunt her. Scootaloo did not object to its verbal beatings because she knew that the demon was right. The demon said all sorts of mean and awful things, some even worse than what the bullies would say. She was worthless. She was useless. She was a waste of space. She never should have existed. Why was there a point of going on, Scootaloo asked herself constantly. There was no longer a point. There was no longer a way to escape the evil clutches of the demon, and its grasp on her only grew tighter and tighter as Scootaloo entirely dropped out of school. Soon, she was not in her home anymore. She drifted away and started to sleep on the concrete ground that was the streets. And the demon followed her. There was nowhere that she could go. The demon would infiltrate her mind and say more awful things. She lost sleep. She did not eat. She starved for the entire day until a passerby would give her the necessary bits to buy something in the marketplace. Soon, there was no longer a point in staying in the small town of Ponyville. She had grown tired of it. She needed to go somewhere else. The demon followed her tracks as she made her way to the train station. She hoped that there would be a cargo train that had an empty car. She waited for the train to come and in the crack of midnight the blow of the whistle announcing its arrival alerted her to take a car. She leaped inside and found herself in the dark with the white outlines of outside illuminating parts of the empty car. But she knew that the demon was in the car with her. The next day, Scootaloo found that she had arrived in Fillydelphia. She had heard stories about it being the highest in crime. But she no longer cared. There could not be anything worse than what she had already endured. The bleak grey weather was something that was all too familiar to her. She noted that it was almost going to be winter. The streets would soon be filled with white fluffy snow. It was a simple pleasure that fillies that were her age took for granted. Now all that Scootaloo wanted was those moments back. But she knew they would never come again. She roamed the streets and soon blended in with the endless crowd. She was just another pony. Another citizen in Equestria. She fit in, yet somehow she did not. Somepony had somepony to be with together. They were friends and if it was strong enough, they loved each other. Scootaloo had nopony. She was alone, even with the endless amounts of ponies in Fillydelphia. It was about ten minutes before dawn. She drew a breath. Her fur was cold and her heart raced. She knew it had to be done. There was no other way. Her entire life was ruined by the hideous disgusting demon. There was only one way that she could silence the demon. There was only one way that she could end the torment that she had known for the past few years. She spread her wings. Maybe she could feel the wind blow through her mane when she falls to the ground. One step. Another step. One more. A yell. She faintly remembered who it came from. She didn't take the last step. She turned around. It was her. Apple Bloom. She looked so different. Her hair was longer. She was taller than before. Her face had changed shape slightly. Apple Bloom ran to Scootaloo. They both embraced. Scootaloo could not believe it. She remembered her. She came to Fillydelphia, looking for her. She had remembered that she had a friend from long ago and she tried to find in her in the streets of the mean city. Scootaloo fell to the ground and cried tears of joy. She had remembered. And the demon disappeared as the sun rose to the sky, replacing the moon.