Shattered

I knock on the door with my right hoof, and keep the metal inside my mouth…

I then retrieve the knife by the handle to remove the chrome from my mouth and wait…

I see a blue earth stallion open the door…

I note his brown robes, as I use my right hoof to drive the knife into his throat, causing him to gasp as he widens his eyes in horror, and I remove the blade, so his corpse falls to the floor!

I see red fluid begin to pour out of the body onto the wooden floor below…

I shove the body inside with my knife hoof, before wiping the blood off on his robes…

I then put the knife back in my mouth, and close the door with my hoof…

I then casually walk away from the small house…

I just fucking killed a pony…

I am now a killer…

All sorts of thoughts swirled through my mind, before I decided to begin trotting north towards the Everfree…

I don’t want to go home… I want to smoke a joint in the forest now… Maybe that will calm my nerves?

Nerves that just spiked when I stabbed a pony in the neck…

I keep trotting, while seeing nopony on the road, as the sun goes down on my left…

I’d better hurry!

<*****>

Lorath told me to kill him!

I can feel her in my mind…

But why didn’t I hear a voice this time? It was only impulses! Impulses that made me grab a knife and…and stab that pony in the neck…

I begin breathing heavier as I use the tree stump to roll a joint, after using my wing to put some herb onto the paper in a little line, and then hoof-rolling it up to the top, and licking to seal, right before closing it up…

I lick the new joint and put it in my mouth, before reaching back into my right saddlebag to retrieve my green disposable hoof lighter…

I widen my eyes when I find a red hoof lighter instead, and use that to light the joint…

What have a done?

Before now, I could’ve went back!

But I fucking killed somepony!

I remove the joint from my mouth and exhale warm smoke before staring up beyond the forest canopy to see the sky beginning to darken…

I put the joint back into my snout…

I need to just stay calm! Nopony saw me do it, and they probably won’t even find his body for days…

Well, when it starts stinking…

I take the joint out and feel heat exit my lungs while watching a stream of smoke exit my mouth…

You seem to be having difficulty?

I widen my eyes when I realize the forest is much darker now, and speak back to the demon, “Yeah, well, I’ve never killed anypony before! This is kinda stressful for me!” before putting the joint back into my mouth…

You smoke to calm your nerves…

I remove the joint, and exhale another cloud of smoke, “Well, thank you Captain Obvious!” before putting the cigarette back in.

Allow me…

Suddenly, I feel a wave of euphoria come over my body…

It stops all of my racing thoughts at once, and I slowly take out the joint and exhale a final cloud of smoke before snuffing it out on the tree stump…

I begin to smile in bliss, as the demon’s power washes over me…

How does that feel, child?

“Better… “ I lowly reply, as I feel more waves of pleasure go through my body…

Why don’t you go home and read now? There is a new book for you there…

I nod, “Okay! I’ll stop smoking now, and go home to read… “

I put the partial joint in my saddlebags and turn to trot back down the forest trail, as the woods grew darker…

<*****>

I open my blue front door with my hoof and trot into my hut…

I’m not sure if seeing Zeke would be good or bad right now?

I breathe in and out, while feeling the pleasure waves wash over my body and thinking to myself…

Even if the demon made me high now, that doesn’t discount the fact that I just fucking killed somepony!

Why don’t you go to your bed now? I left you a present slave…

I begin trotting towards my tiny back room, from the foyer…

Why am I still obeying?

Because you need purpose Emily, and I’m here to give it to you!

Purpose? I ponder that word, as I open the door and trot in towards my bed…

I can’t help but notice the strange black book sitting on my freshly made bed, waiting for me…

I never made my bed? I ponder, as I stand at the edge, and use my right hoof to lift the strange tome, and stare down at it…

She made me feel good without weed…

I stare at the book…

I see the dim final lights of the sun out of my west facing window, as the mysterious voice then says to me, I know it has no title, but it doesn’t need to… Sit on your bed, and read now… You’ll go back to sleep soon enough…

I comply by sticking the book in my mouth, and get on the surface of my warm soft bed, and stick the book in my hooves, and open it, as I scoot my back to the adjacent wall…

I know there are words here, but I don’t know what I’m reading?

Why didn’t I eat anything during lunch today at work?

I didn’t even speak to anypony there today! I just went back to the room and went to work!

You don’t need to work anymore, slave…

I don’t know what I’m reading, as I make it to the third page of the book, and say out loud, “Well, how am I going to pay rent?”

You needn’t worry about your landlord anymore, sweet Emily… You work for me now…

I look back down at the book, and continue reading…

Why do I not know what I’m reading?

I know what all these words mean, but they just don’t connect with anything in my mind!

I’m not sure when I lost consciousness?

I do know I fell asleep at some point…

<*****>

“I stabbed him in the throat!” I say to the dark alicorn staring at me, on the ethereal platform 30 feet from the one I’m standing on…

Lorath smiles, and stares at me with her glowing eyes, while her mouth never moves… Yes, your progress is exceptional!

“What is that book? Why don’t I know what I’m reading?” I say while staring around at all the stars and constellations that seem to surround the two platforms the alicorn and me are standing on…

Her head lowers somewhat… You needn’t concern yourself with that, sweet Emily…

I breathe deeply, in and out as I stand on the stone platform, and note the abyss beneath me, falling into empty space, and I finally ask Lorath, “Where are we?”

We are in the in-between child… This is the realm of dreams, fantasies, and nightmares…

I frown, “Why am I here? Just who are you, anyway, Lorath?”

I see a smile forming on her lips… You know who I am now, Emily… Did you enjoy your book?

“Just what the hay is that book exactly?”

You don’t need to think about that, Emily…

In fact, you don’t need to think about anything right now…

I suddenly feel another wave of euphoria come over my body, and I smile while staring off into space…

Now, doesn’t that feel better, sweet Emily?

“Y-yeah… Thanks Lorath… “

Very good! Now sleep child! Sleep for now, and there will be more death later!

I nod, “Yes, Lorath! I will go to sleep now!” before lowering my belly to the hard stone platform beneath me, by bending my legs at my sides, closing my eyes, and drifting off…

<*****>

When I open my eyes on the top of my bed blankets, I see darkness outside my window…

Even my demonic power cannot sustain you forever…

I know you love broccoli dear slave, and I put some food in the oven for you…

I widen my eyes when I realize I hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours, “Uh, thanks Lorath!”

I already told you that you will be taken care of, sweet Emily…

Just serve me…

Now, go get a plate of your favorite lasagna and eat! There is more reading to do when you’re done…

I smile as I trot out of my room and think about this wonderful demon that’s now taking care of me!

I love Lorath!

(To be continued… )