//------------------------------//
// Part 1: The Legend 
// Story: The Slender: Bound to the Past 
// by Lance Skyes 
//------------------------------//

	“To the East of Ponyville lies the Everfree Forest, to the South, Sweet Apple Acres, and the North, Canterlot. However, no matter what map you read, nothing seems to exist to the West. Many ponies have tried to map the area to the West, but very few have returned, and those that have returned were never the same as when they left...”
Applebloom put down the book she was reading from and stared at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo expectantly. “So, why did you read this, again?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Duh,” replied Applebloom. “We’re going to be the first ponies to explore and map the area to the West and get our cutie marks in exploration!”
“Yeah!” shouted Scootaloo. “Wait, didn’t that book say that nopony ever returned?”
“No. It said some ponies returned.”
“Still, I think we should get a little more information on this,” added Sweetie Belle. “Let’s go ask Twilight if she has some other book on this ‘unexplored area.’” And with that, the three fillies galloped out of their clubhouse towards the library.

Spike was on his own at the library that day. Twilight was called to Canterlot for some royal duties that he honestly didn’t care much about. He was almost done reshelving when the Cutie Mark Crusaders bursted into the library, knocking Spike off his ladder and causing about a dozen books to fall. “Twilight!” Applebloom called. “Twilight, are you here?” She was answered by a moan from Spike, who was buried under a pile of books. “Spike! Are you okay?” The three fillies galloped over and threw some books off of the baby dragon.
“I’m alright,” Spike said, getting up. “Twilight’s not here,” “She was called off to Canterlot earlier this morning. How can I help you three?”
“Oh, we were looking for a book about the region West of Ponyville,” said Sweetie Belle.
“I know where that book is, and while it’s technically my obligation to let you borrow the book, I need to warn you that it’s a very dangerous topic and suggest that you don’t borrow it.”
“Oh come on, Spike,” said Scootaloo. “How horrible can it be?”
“It’s pretty bad. I’ll show you. Follow me.” The three fillies followed Spike to the back room where he pulled out the book he was looking for. “Here it is. ‘The Legend of Slender.’ I warn you, though, it’s got some scary stuff in it.”
“Thanks, Spike,” said Applebloom, taking the book. The three fillies then excitedly galloped out of the library.

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, the Crusaders were hanging out in Applebloom’s room reading the book that they just got. “Huh,” said Sweetie Belle, “There is some pretty scary stuff in here.”
“Yeah,” added Scootaloo. “Listen to this. ‘This area is said to be inhabited by a tall dark creature with no face who will chase down any trespassers.’”
“Hey!” shouted Applebloom, suddenly. “It shows the names of a few ponies who have tried exploring this area and survived. Let’s see... ‘Time Turner,’ ‘Lyra Heartstrings,’ and... MY BROTHER!?”
“What?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Are you sure you read that right?”
Applebloom re-read the list. “Yup. It says ‘Big Macintosh’ right here.”
“Hey,” said Scootaloo. “Maybe we can ask him about it.”
“Ask me what?” asked Big Macintosh from the doorway.
“Big Mac! What are you doing here?” asked Applebloom.
“You three were making so much noise, so I came to see what was going on.”
“We wanted to ask you something,” said Sweetie Belle, approaching Big Mac. “Have you ever explored the area to the West of Ponyville?”
Just as Sweetie Belle asked this question, all the color instantly drained from Big Mac’s red face. He then shut the door and dashed across the room to close the windows. “How do you three know about that?” he asked in a shaky voice.
“We were reading this book and it said that you explored the area once,” said Applebloom. “We wanted to know what was there and maybe-”
“NOOOOOO!” Mac suddenly began shouting. “I can’t re-live it! I can’t! There’s nothing there! Nothing!” He then collapsed onto the floor in fetal position, repeating, “He doesn’t exist. He doesn’t exist. He doesn’t exist.”
“Who doesn’t exist, Big Macintosh?” asked Scootaloo.
Mac looked up for a moment. His face was already drenched in tears. “S-S-Slender,” he whispered to himself. “He can’t get you, now. You’re safe. He’s far away from you.” He then resumed his sobbing.

A few hours and several cups of tea later, Big Mac was finally done with his sobbing. “Are you okay, big brother?” asked Applebloom.
Big Mac sniffed and set down his cup of tea. “E-yup,” he said in a shaky voice. “I-I think I’m okay.”
“Do you feel like talking about it, yet?” asked Scootaloo.
“Scootaloo!” scolded Applebloom. “Give him a chance to breathe.”
“No, I think I can talk about it, now.” Scootaloo smirked a little and sat down in front of Big Macintosh with the others. “When I was just a little colt, I was so curious about the Western part of Ponyville. I wanted so badly to explore it, but Granny Smith never let me. She told me it was dangerous. But, because I was so young at the time, my curiosity got the best of me. So I snuck out of the farm, one night, to explore the West. I came across this eerie, pitch black forest. Fortunately, I had packed a flashlight so I could see. Good thing too, because without that flashlight, I would have been blind.”
“‘Pack... flashlight...’” Applebloom said aloud as she was writing on a piece of paper. “Go on.”
“Anyway, I went into the forest, not knowing what to expect. I walked for a while before I came across a piece of paper stuck to a tree. I took it down and read it. It said ‘Run.’ I wasn’t sure what to make of it, so I stuffed in my saddle bag and kept going. I was nervously trotting along when I suddenly began hearing this strange noise...” Mac began tearing up a little more when he said this. “I’m sorry. I-I just can’t do this!” He then galloped out of the room, sobbing loudly.
“Well that was a total bust,” said Scootaloo.
“Scootaloo, stop it,” said Applebloom. “Something obviously happened that has him beyond terrified. We need to go check on him.”

The crusaders searched the entire farm for Big Macintosh until they finally found him sitting quietly in the barn. “There’s a reason I don’t always talk,” Mac said when he noticed the fillies, though he never looked up. “It’s because, even though he’s so far away and I know he can’t hear me, it still feels like I can hear him. The noise that invades your ears when he’s near... I haven’t stopped hearing it for years, and talking just makes it louder. The only thing that takes my mind off of it is all the hard work I do around the farm. But I always hear it. It never goes away. It’s his final twisted act of revenge if you escape.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Applebloom.
Big Mac just sighed and still didn’t turn around. “Just promise me one thing. Never make the same mistake I did when I was your age. Never go into that forest. It’s hard enough watching Lyra and Time Turner suffering similar fates... I just couldn’t stand watching any of you ending up the same way.”
“Don’t worry Big Macintosh, we won’t go,” said Applebloom. “I promise.” The others nodded in agreement.
“I’m really sorry about the way I acted. I wish you could understand without ending up the same way.”
“It’s okay.” Applebloom then hugged Big Mac. “We forgive you.”
“Thanks little sis.”
“By the way, how exactly did you escape?”
“I’m actually not entirely sure. I found about seven similar pages in different areas of the forest and was suddenly jumped by the creature. I blacked out and woke up in my bed at home with that noise still in my ears. Why do you ask?”
“No reason.”
After a while, the trio of fillies left the barn. “We’re still going to explore that forest, right?” asked Scootaloo.
“Totally,” replied Applebloom.