Demons

Twilight was grabbing my hoof and leading me away forcefully. She could be quite irritated when she was confused, and you wouldn't like her when she was irritated. She lead me towards some unknown destination, I was practically falling over myself trying to walk on two legs as she lead me, but I managed to stay up long enough for her to lead me towards her house. She went inside, practically dragged me inside, slammed the door, shut it, locked it, and turned towards me sprawled out on the ground with a steely look in her eyes. "Explain," She demanded.

I wasted no time in answering her, "I've got these powers," I started awkwardly, not bothering to stand up.

"Powers," Twilight repeated, as if she was just done with me.

"Apparently so, yes," I nodded.

She brought her hoof to her face, looked this way and that, as if she was searching for some way to voice her thoughts, "Why?" She finally asked.

I simply shrugged, "Beats me,"

Twilight inhaled heavily. She was not amused, "That won't be the only think beating you in a moment."

She just looked so serious I couldn't help but crack a smile. "Look, I really wish I could help you, but I don't understand this anymore than you do."

She just sighed again, put her face in her hoof, and asked around her hoof, "What sort of powers."

"Well," I began after a moment, "abnormal strength, apparently, and, uh, oh! I was struck by lightning the other day, but I was perfectly fine."

Twilight threw her hooves in the air as if to say, "Well what the @#$% man". She then verbally asked, "Do you have any sort of idea what's up with you? Anything at all?" Her voice was stretched thin, as if she was seriously straining to hold it together.

I thought for a moment, "Well, I have been having these dreams..."

"Now you tell me?" Twilight asked disbelievingly. not waiting for a response, she continued, "What about?"

"Well," I began, "They follow the life of this colt, Isaac, but I don't think he's actually me, his mane and eyes are a different color than mine."

Twilight had calmed down a bit by now, and was a bit more interested, "When do these dreams occur?"

"At night," I said obviously, wondering if she was functioning properly.

She just froze for a minute, realizing what she had just asked, then revised her question, "Do you think you'll have any more?"

I hadn't thought about that, "Well, maybe, I don't know."

She rolled her eyes, then said, "Look, I've got other stuff to do today, so just stay here, inside, okay? I can't have you flaunting your superpowers all around town," She then contradicted herself by using magic to pick up her saddlebags, but she didn't even notice the double standard. She instead said, "Why don't you read that journal of yours? Maybe that'll answer some questions of yours." And then she left.

I rolled over and saw the journal just sitting there, mocking me. I wanted nothing more than to know who exactly I was, why I had these abilities, what the heck was just going on in general, but that journal scared me. The first time I looked into it I only caught a glimpse of some poem or song, but it brought back so many memories.

And then I asked myself, why so many? That journal was exceptionally thick, I just now noticed, how long had I had it?

I got up, walked over and picked up the aged book, just looking at it and sighing in defeat. And finally, finally, I managed to get the courage to open it.

The page I found was completely blank, all except for two words, one written on each side of the book:

"Why me?"

Why me.

Why me.

Why me?

I was suddenly somewhere else.

I was in a forest again. Wait, no I wasn't, I was on the edge of a forest, looking in. Turning around, I saw a large stone building, with the word, "Orphanage," written across the front.

There, behind the building, there was a rope made of bed sheets stretching out of one of the windows, with a teenage colt clambering down the side of the building. It was Isaac.

He hadn't made the rope long enough, and hung there a few feet off the ground. He let go and fell with a thud, but quickly picked himself up and dashed across the yard towards the forest.

He was running away, I suddenly realized. He dashed right past me, not even noticing. For a colt, he ran quite fast. I managed to keep up with him, though, following the colt through the forest until he finally reached a small forest clearing, where he collapsed and started panting. I was panting too.

Suddenly, a charming, deep voice spoke from in the forest, "What are you doing all the way out here, little colt?"

I was startled, and so was Isaac. There, from the opposite edge of the clearing, stood a strange stallion. His fur was so black it looked as if it was sucking away all the light from around it. other than that, he had a silvery gray mane and blood red eyes that shone in the dark. He did not step outside the shadows where he stood.

"...w-who are you?" Isaac asked nervously, backing up slowly.

"No one important," He said charmingly, flashing a smile, "I've been watching you, young Isaac."

Isaac's eyes widened.

The pony continued, "I've seen the things you've lost; your parents, your Nana, your adoptive parents..."

Isaac gasped when he said 'Nana'. He started to tear up, then asked furiously, "How do you know about them?"

"Like I said, I've been watching you," He answered, beginning to circle around Isaac, yet still not leaving the shadows, "You don't like it when things are taken from you, I can help you," He offered enticingly, "I can teach you how to protect yourself, and others. I can give you power beyond your wildest dreams." He stopped walking and looked young Isaac in the eye, "wouldn't you like that?"

The moon passed behind a cloud. I don't know why I noticed that, but I did.

"W-what do I have to do?" Isaac asked warily.

What was he, nuts? He was listening to this stranger? Then again, would I have turned down that kind of power if I were in his shoes?

The stranger stepped into the clearing and looked down at Isaac, "Come back tomorrow night, every night, and I'll teach you how to fight, how to do things other ponies can't do."

Isaac backed up slowly, but the stranger matched him step for step, "O-okay," Isaac agreed, "W-what will you teach me?"

The stranger nodded towards an exceptionally thick tree on the opposite side of the clearing, "See that tree over there? Go punch it."

Isaac looked at him, "Punch it?"

"I need to see how good of a fighter you are first," He explained, "Go fight the tree."

Isaac walked over cautiously to the tree, then lifted his hoof and half-heartedly punched the tree.

"no, no," the pony said, walking over to him. "Stand on your hind legs."

Isaac looked at him, "W-what?"

"Just what I said, stand on your hind legs, it'll free your forehooves up so you can fight better." He explained.

I saw Isaac get up and awkwardly try to balance on two legs for the first time. Then he turned back towards the tree, lifted his hooves, and hit the tree with much more force than before. It rang with a resounding thwack. A slight smile crept across Isaac's face. He was right, when you stood on two legs, you had two whole limbs free to use for fighting, or anything, really.

"Good, good," Said the stranger. There was an evil glint in his eyes.

I blinked, and was instantly somewhere else. I was back outside the orphanage, the sun was rising, and there was Isaac, trying to climb back up the bed sheet rope he had made. Finally, he made it to the top, and I scaled the building to follow him. Right when he went inside, another pony, one who must have run the orphanage, threw the door open, sighing when she saw Isaac in there, "There you are, come along! You're almost late for school!" And she took Isaac by the hoof and lead him away.

I blinked again and was instantly somewhere else once more. I was inside a small, one room class, filled with teenaged colts and fillies. There was Isaac, sitting in the back corner of the class, looking bored. I could see it on his face; he didn't want to be here, he wanted to be out in the forest, training again.

Then, a filly came into class, looking as if she didn't want to be noticed, but I noticed her. She silently walked around the class towards the back, then settled down in an empty seat next to Isaac. Isaac didn't seem to notice, or care. The filly was a unicorn, with light purple fur and a darker purple mane. she seemed familiar for some reason.

She turned towards Isaac and said, "Hi," smiling friendlily.

Isaac simply nodded at her, not even bothering to smile, then went back to looking out the window.

The filly sat there awkwardly for a moment, then said, "I'm Rose."

Rose. That name...

Isaac looked over at her and said simply, "I'm Isaac."

"Hello, Isaac!" She said with a smile.

Isaac rolled his eyes.

"Isaac." The filly said, trying to get his attention. He did not respond.

"Isaac."

"Isaac!"

"Isaac!"

I snapped awake in a cold sweat. I was laying down on the floor, and the journal was clutched tightly in my hooves. Twilight stood over me, calling my name, "Isaac! Did you sleep here all day?"

I was in a daze, a web of thoughts and mistmatched memories swam in my head, I couldn't make sense of any of it. Rose...

Twilight just shook her head in amusement, "Come on, sleepy head, let's get you into a proper bed."