A Slender Chance

by The Young and Free Dragon

Chapter One: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

A SLENDER CHANCE
BY THE YOUNG AND FREE DRAGON

It is by universal misunderstanding that all agree. For if, by ill luck, people understood each other, they would never agree.

~Charles Baudelaire

CHAPTER ONE: LIES, DAMN LIES, AND STATISTICS (July 31st 2012)

Applejack tells me not to take what Granny Smith tells me too seriously. But she hasn't lied to me so far. She might have a silly way of sayin' things but...

~Apple Bloom's Diary
October 31st, 2011

It was, of course, not the first time a filly, or anypony, had come charging through the middle of town, crying out about some sort of emergency that needed immediate attention, but it was the first time any pony had been screaming something along the lines of a missing foal. Everypony came forward to hear Apple Bloom's screams as she ran around in circles, finally falling over in a daze as the camera she had around her neck smacked her in the face. The Ponyville militia (the town didn't even feel a need for a police service) congregated and took her back home where they began their questioning.
“What makes you think somepony took him?” Cloud Kicker asked Apple Bloom.

By this time, the small filly had fallen into an almost state of shock and didn't speak, only produced a photo that had been taken by the instant camera Pipsqueak had been using. The group of five ponies all gather around the photo and studied it for a minute before looking at Apple Bloom questioningly.
“I don't see anything,” said Lucky.
“No pony does,” Thunderlane put in.

Apple Bloom only stared back at them for a moment before snatching the photo back, though hiding the blurry image from her own eyes. They questioned her for awhile longer, but upon obtaining no answers, they gave up and left to search for Pipsqueak before darkness fell.

Apple Bloom found her way to Granny Smith's room, where her elder was sitting in bed, glancing out the window in a strange manner. Apple Bloom thought over what she was going to say before making her presence known. She had not wanted to believe what she now did, but it seemed the photo she had collected was the ultimate testament to what was truly going on.
“Y'all know what's goin' on, don't ya?” She said, getting Granny's attention. “It's that story, ain't it? That old pony tale?”

Granny looked at her for a moment before nodding slightly and looking back towards the window at something invisible. Her gaze consisted of the same combination she had had when the Timber Wolves were coming but she was either much calmer, or scared stiff.
“No pony even tells that story anymore,” Granny mused. “It ain't even as old as ya think.”
“I don't care how old he is,” Apple Bloom said, approaching the hoof of the bed. “I wanna know how we can stop him.”
“Stop him?” Granny scoffed. “There ain't a way to stop him. He'll continue to do what he wants to do.”
“Tell me the story again,” Apple Bloom insisted. “I'm sure there's somethin'.”
“It ain't much of a story,” Granny Smith replied, glancing back at Apple Bloom. “It's more of a warnin'.”
“Just tell me what ya'll know.”

Granny sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She was so stiff and quiet as she thought back to the tale she had told Apple Bloom on her first Nightmare Night, that she caused Apple Bloom to reflect on a disturbing phrase; “When the temperature beings to rise, the elderly begin to die.” Before she could argue with the thought, Granny pushed everything out of her head by beginning with what she knew.
“Some ponies believe he's been around ever since the beginning of Equestrian when he was called; “Der Dünne Pferd”,” She said in her best accent which only gave out more heavily southern. “But his name is the Slendermane. He ain't got a face and is very skinny, skinnier then me. His legs are longer then any you could imagine. He wears a suit and has long legs that come out of his back, like tree limbs. Nopony knows anything about him 'cept he takes children and messes up any electrical stuff that's around him.”
“That's it?” Apple Bloom asked, recalling that the tale was much longer or at least seemed scarier (had it not been for the fact that she was sure she had had a close encounter with him) when she was a filly.
“That's it,” Granny replied.

Apple Bloom left, though her only thought was: “There must be more than that.” How could you have a legend, pony-tale, whatever, without some sort of purpose? Why does Slendermane take fillies and colts? Why does he disrupt electrical appliances? What does he do with the fillies and colts when he takes them? There was nothing to be sure of but one thing; it wasn't good.

[][][]

“You're not serious,” Scootaloo laughed, followed by the chorus of Sweetie Belle's voice.
“I'm as serious as I'm standin' here,” Apple Bloom assured, though she was already starting to question things. Had she jumped to conclusions too soon?
The two fillies in front of her laughed harder at the prospect of her actually meaning what she said, which caused her to blush harder and feel more unsure. It wasn't that silly, was it?
“Apple Bloom, it's a pony-tale. A very stupid one at that,” Scootaloo said finally, gasping for air.
“Yeah. I bet you not even Zecora believes that dumb stuff,” Sweetie Belle chortled.

Zecora. Apple Bloom thought to herself. Even if the zebra didn't believe in it, she would at least know something about it. That was something she needed to look into. But thinking about it now, made her realize that Zecora had to believe in it. She believed in much farther fetched things than Granny Smith, and Granny thought this disappearance was the real deal.
“Girls, it's real,” Apple Bloom hissed, now focusing her attention on convincing them of it. “Pipsqueak even took a picture of him before he got taken.”

Apple Bloom offered the photo, which brought more laughs to the girls who said Pipsqueak had taken a picture of a tree before running off. The image did look like a blurry photo of a tree. But it was what had reminded Apple Bloom of the story and let her know who it was...or who she thought it was. Her confidence continued to slip on whether this was really Slendermane, and if such a creature existed.

She looked down at the picture that had frightened her so badly when she had had her “realization” as to what it was. Four crooked branch-like objects extended towards the top of the picture while four black things that possibly could be roots touched the ground. No they couldn't be roots. They were too stiff and straight. But it was the middle of the photo that had made her sure, and looking back at it, it still looked awfully like what she thought it should be.

The center was merely like a black smudge across the tree limbs (or maybe legs) that extended toward the other tree branches and the stiff black things that were almost like silts. But among that black smudge was a pure white one, that had a sort of shape among the blur effect that had been created by Pipsqueak obviously swinging the camera or flinching as he snapped the photo. She was sure she could make out the contours of a pony's face, or lack of one. At least the head. Surely among it there was the ears sticking up, and the definition of a muzzle, but no mouth, eyes, or nostrils. Simply an unfinished face.

She looked back up at the fillies who were still cackling to themselves and put the photo in her saddle bag, frowning at them and interrupting their laughter.
“I'll take ya'll up on that bet, Sweetie Belle,” She said, firmly.
“What bet?” Sweetie Belle giggled.
“You bet Zecora won't believe in this dumb- believe in this? You're on.”

Comments

[Flutterdash96]

Juicy.

[SpeedyAstro]

no. Applebloom! NO! dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_cry.png

[Doublesims]

Oh this is going to be good keep the chapter coming this is one interesting story.