Chapter 1
Dinky Hooves was the first to disappear.
It was days before Derpy was calm enough to tell the investigators any details at all of the events leading up to her daughter's vanishing. She wasn't able to recall any strange ponies hanging around or any strange behavior from the little unicorn. There seemed to be only one clue; a nightmare that Dinky had dreamed three days prior to her disappearance.
The horrible nightmare had caused the normally quiet filly to awaken screaming at the top of her lungs. Once Derpy had calmed her, the crying child had spoken of an impossibly skinny stallion who seemed to have no face on his stark white head. She'd talked about how he’d seemed to be gesturing towards the Everfree Forest... and how he'd reached for her with tentacles that stretched from his black coat.
One week later, Rarity’s parents burst into their eldest daughter’s home in hysterics; Sweetie Belle had received the same dream. The authorities scoffed and said that it was a simple case of the child dreaming things she’d heard the adult ponies discussing. They assured the parents, and Ponyville as a whole, that there was no link and no danger.
Sweetie Belle disappeared three days later.
Snips was the next to have the nightmare, and Twilight Sparkle spearheaded the investigation on orders from Princess Celestia herself. She analyzed Snips’ recollection for clues, but it soon became clear that there were no clues to be found. His dream was the same as Dinky’s, the same as Sweetie Belle’s; the tall, long stallion with no face and a dark coat. Special security was posted at the rotund young colt’s home and everypony in town breathed a sigh of relief when the sun rose after the third night.
Snips’ mother’s screams let everypony know that they had failed once again.
A week passed and Snails was gone, following in the hooves of his closest friend and vanishing into the void.
The populace of Ponyville began to lose it’s collective mind. School was cancelled until further notice and the little ponies were barred from leaving their houses unless accompanied by an adult. Suspicious glances were cast this way and that as neighbor suspected neighbor of the heinous foal-nappings.
Rumors began to spread. Gilda the Griffon was taking her long-anticipated revenge. Oh, it was revenge alright, but it was the Great and Powerful Trixie’s magic at work making the children disappear. What about the Diamond Dogs? Were they spiriting the young ones down into their underground abyss?
The fear and unrest grew, and as it grew an almost tangible shade of darkness began to cast itself across the quaint town. The shade grew and grew and grew, far past the borders of the town proper...
…all the way to the borders of the farm that lay on the town outskirts.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
“Applejack?” Macintosh pushed his way into his little sister’s room without knocking, trusting that she would be decent. There she was, piling supplies into her saddle-bags. “Now what in the hay are you…?”
“I’m going after her, Mac.”
The tone in his sister’s voice gave Macintosh pause. “Like hell you are!” He crossed the room and pushed the saddlebags off the bed and onto the floor. The contents spilled; bottles of water, fresh apples, plenty of rope, oil, a lantern…
She was going into the woods.
She was going after Applebloom.
“AJ, stop. This is crazy.”
“What’s crazy is that you’ve already given up on her. She’s yer kin, yer baby sister fer Celestia’s sake…”
“And it tears me apart that she’s gone. But she’s gone Applejack. Gone. She’s not coming back. The sooner we accept that…”
Applejack sniffed and pushed her supplies back into the saddlebag. “Yeah, you do that. Meanwhile I’m going to get her back.”
“AJ…”
She left him there, still protesting her departure. She passed Granny Smith in her rocker on the porch. The ancient Earth Pony had taken Applebloom’s vanishing especially hard and hadn’t left her chair since. She just sat and stared towards the Everfree Forest in silence. “I’ll bring her back, Granny. I swear.” She took a deep breath and started down the stairs.
“T’ain’t the first time this has happened.”
Granny’s voice stalled her. She turned slowly and found the old mare still looking towards the woods. “What…?”
“Way back when I was a filly, barely more than a baby, I remember my Ma and Pa talking about children havin’ bad dreams. Dreams about a stallion with no face. Few days after the dream, the children vanished. That’s why we kept movin.’ We were tryin’ to get away from that awful spectre. Celestia lead us here, gave us this land, and we thought we’d be safe under her watchful eye.” She sighed sadly. “I guess it found us in the end, though.”
“Granny… what is it?”
“Don’t know. Whatever it is, it’s old. Older than the goddesses. Older than Equestria itself. It has no conscience, no emotions, only an insatiable hunger; a never-ending urge to feed.”
Applejack gulped. “What… what does it eat?”
“Fear. It feeds on fear. And children.”
Applejack shuddered and faced the woods. “Anything else I need to know?”
“Don’t be afraid. Your fear will only make it bolder. And if you see it… run. Run as fast as you can. And most important of all; never, ever look back.”
Applejack nodded and started walking. “I’ll be back, Granny. Just you wait. I’ll be back and I’ll have her with me. I swear.”
Her brisk pace had carried her so far so fast that she never heard Granny Smith’s reply. “Good-bye Applejack. Good-bye.”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Her teeth wrapped around the handle of the lit lantern, the young farmer trod carefully down the beaten path. Night had long since fallen and any available moon-light was silenced by the overgrown branches above her. The only light came from the lantern’s beam. There were no animal noises save crickets, and the only other noise came from the small twigs that snapped beneath her hooves. Exhaustion came for her and she started looking for a clearing in which to set up camp.
She saw the note on the tree.
At first she paid it no mind, thinking it to be some figment of her imagination. The closer she got, however, the clearer it became. What’s more, even in the dim light she recognized the childish scrawl.
Applebloom’s hand-writing.
She ran forward and dropped the lantern to the forest floor. “APPLEBLOOM!” She yelled into the darkness.
No reply.
“APPLEBLOOM!” She called again, louder. Her voice echoed in the quiet of the woods.
Nothing responded… at first.
It was faint, but she heard it; the faint and distant laughter of children.
Were they laughing? Or were they screaming?
The crickets had gone silent but a new sound soon reached her ears. It was quiet at first, but it seemed to grow in pitch and volume. It was a strange, deep pounding that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. It even seemed at one point to be coming from inside her own head. It almost sounded like…
…like footsteps.
Struggling to control her breathing, Applejack grabbed the lantern handle in her chattering teeth and raised the light to examine the note more closely. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the figure in the center of the paper.
It was just as Applebloom had described. Impossibly long legs and neck, a coat of deep black, a red tie so slight it was almost like a drop of blood on the paper…
…No face.
Surrounding the figure were five crudely drawn little ponies. They all seemed to be dancing around the figure. Dancing or worshipping? She couldn’t tell.
One of the figures had a large bow in her hair.
Written at the bottom of the page was a single word written in broad, slashing strokes; RUN.
She felt it’s presence behind her without even turning around. She forced herself to breathe, faced slightly to the right of the tree… and ran.
She ran as hard and fast as she could using all the strength imbued in her legs from years of apple-bucking. The drum-like pounding seemed to follow her, beating at her from all sides. She stared straight ahead, the lantern lighting her path. She ran off the main road and deeper into the forest. She dodged tree after tree, jumped root after root, and still that infernal pounding followed her.
At last her strength began to fade. Her sprinting became a gallop, her gallop a trot. Finally, she had to stop completely. She was panting so hard that the lantern almost fell from her mouth. She felt around herself to check the status of her things.
Her saddlebags were gone, probably ripped off by some wayward branch or tossed off in her sprint. Her hoof came to her head and felt only her mane.
She’d lost her hat.
No, she’d lost Pa’s hat.
The sorrow from her collective losses struck her heart and she let out a single dry sob, her head drooping. Applebloom was gone. There would be no getting her back. And with the way things were going, she wouldn’t be getting home anytime soon either. She raised her head to get her bearings…
…and saw it standing not ten feet away.
She gasped and dropped the lantern to the ground where it struck a rock and shattered. The dreadful figure before her was lost in the darkness, but she’d already slammed her eyes shut. Her breath came out in little terrified gasps as she shuddered in uncontrollable terror. She had no strength left, no will left to run.
All she had left was the childish hope that this was all a bad dream and that she would wake up soon enough. She’d open her eyes and it would be a bright sunny day on the farm. Macintosh would already be out plowing the fields. Applebloom would be wishing Granny Smith a good day as she joined her friends on the way to school. Ponyville would no longer be in a terrified state.
Yes. Everything would be all right.
All she had to do was open her eyes.
Slowly, she raised her eyelids.
She stared at the blank white head inches from her. There was no face.
She opened her mouth to scream.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Applejack’s disappearance was the beginning of the end for Ponyville.
The townsfolk were stunned. Applejack was no mere filly. She was a well-respected citizen, a Bearer of Harmony, a national hero! She’d bravely charged into the Everfree Forest to meet this evil head-on… and was never to be seen again.
What chance, then, did anypony else stand?
Mayor Mare called a town meeting two days later and the decision was nearly unanimous; if this evil would not leave them alone, then they would leave it alone. In a matter of days, the citizens had packed their belongings, boarded up their doors, and set out for new horizons.
Scootaloo, aboard the last train out of Ponyville, watched sadly as the town vanished from sight. Her parents snoozed in the row next to her and she envied them. They still slept peacefully.
She hadn’t the heart to tell them about the dream she’d had the night before.
He’d called to her.
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were with him. They’d called to her as well.
Her time was near.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
It watched from the woods, stoic and silent, as they left. No matter. It would find them again. That was it’s way.
It would stay here a while longer, shaded in the tall trees. The last few chosen could easily be taken, even from here. It’s reach was longer than anypony could possibly imagine.
Here, though, was unfinished business. Somepony who had escaped it long ago...
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Granny Smith stared at the border of the Everfree Forest. Two of her grandchildren had been taken there, never to return. Macintosh was gone, albeit reluctantly. He’d done his best to persuade her to accompany him, but she’d refused. Ponyville was abandoned.
Now there was but to wait. She was done running.
She blinked and it was there, standing just beyond the forest boundary.
She blinked, and it was out of the forest.
She blinked, and it was in the south field.
She blinked, and it was in the garden.
She blinked, and it was at the porch steps.
She blinked.
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Well damn. This was an excellently crafted horror fic. Keep up the good work I say!
This is delicious. /mbison
All to be said.
I seriously pissed my pants in here.
APPLEJACK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Definitely well written.
That was a good ending. THUMBS UP!! Slenderman is pleased.
Alright, alright...I have to curse here.
FUCKING BEAUTIFUL!!!
You are the first writer that I have seen to portray Slender into to what he truly is: Mysterious, Fear-inducing, and Scary as FUCK!
By far the best Slender story I have read, despite being a little over 2000 words long. My only qualm is that AJ died, but hey, that's Slender for you. He doesn't descriminate.
Here, have all of my moustaches.
1527673
5/5 good job!
AHH IT'S SLENDER-MANE!!
Well, this is something right here. A well crafted piece, my friend.
OH MY GLOB, FUCKING SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pretty darn good. I would have enjoyed a happy ending though, I love AppleJack way too much to see her die like that.
On a side note, I also wish you had done the chase scene a bit differently. AppleJack is tougher than that. She didn't even try to maintain composure and fight her fear. AJ would never let fear get the best of her like that.
Plus, even if she was exhausted on the verg of death, I don't believe she would have gone down without a good old fashion brawl.
Wow, man. Just...wow. This is really great and creepy. Just in time for Nightmare Night. Squeee!
Take my moustaches.
That was really good, could be longer and more detailed but it was good over all. 5/5
Had chills running down my back the whole story.
*Before reading*
Ugh... ANOTHER Slendermane fic? This is gonna suck.
*After reading*
Damn! This was actually pretty good. Mad props to you for taking an overused concept and making it something very chilling and fun to read.
My only complaint is Applejack was a TEENY tiny out of character when being chased by Slender. She's tougher than you implied her to be and wouldn't let herself be that scared that easily.
All in all, it's still a great fic! 4/5 Moustaches
Rather excellent, with just the right amount of horror befitting a Slender Man story.
made him sound like a weeping angel
1528327 One does not brawl with the Slender One.
In all seriousness though, I'm chalking up AJ's character in this to both mental and physical exhaustion. As I've said before, the sisterly bond between AJ and AB is one of the best. If anything happened to the silly little filly, it would be AJ who would take it hardest (minus Granny Smith.) With Applebloom gone, AJ wouldn't be in the right state of mind.
Combine that with the pounding noise, the images put in her head by Granny Smith, the picture on the tree, the loss of her father's hat, etc. she'd be pretty near the breaking point. Combine THAT with the exhaustion she must be feeling from wandering in the woods for Luna-knows how long AND sprinting as hard and fast as she could from an unseen evil... Yeah. I think anyone in that position would just be past fighting.
Plus, it's a good old fashioned horror story. It's gotta end with a scream of terror, not a roar of defiance.
1529375 Hee hee hee... Kinda what I was going for.
Good... Good... That wasssssss a good sssstory...
But, too bad Sssssslender doessssn't ssscare me anymore...
Heh... I musssst me be off... Time for adventuressssss...
*Hiss* Have a nicssssse Halloween... Reply if you want...
I'll be waiting... Hesss Hesss Hesss...
well hell, this was great.
have some derpy for a job well done.
SCP-173 will only move if not in a direct line of sight.
1531873 It attacks by snapping at the base of the neck.
1531889
Two personnel must maintain eye contact with the SCP at all times.
1531903 "Send in the class Ds."
Looks like tonight i wont be sleeping, but i know that's what you were going for.
holy shit you made me pis my fuckin pants and i dod get scared very much
i am blown away. that was fantastic and scary I fell bad for pony vile
Holy crap, My heart was pounding, but i could chalk that up to listening to the music from the gaem when you have 7 pages, it fits well, too bad for Big Mac though, all of his family is gone, having died a horrible death
Holy buck.
The horror fic. Doing it right, you are.
*5 seconds later*
Woah! Make more, I love this.
YOU KILLED MY APPLES!!!
DR. WHOOVES!!!
ANTHROPONY CHUCK NORRIS!!!
...
...
We have an eldritch abomination to kill...
(Like and favorite).
Man, that was a freakin' awesome scary fic!
LOVE IT!
It would be funny if slender pony just took them to a never ending party of fun.
Holy CRAP that was scary!
Well, I'm not sleeping tonight! 
NOOOO! Not Dinky!
Perhaps he didn't kill them and he just took them to a magical place in the forest!
Slenderman is one of the most amazing, imaginative creatures to ever be thought up. Slendermane is equally as terrifying. This story is short but sweet, dark and amazing! Loved it.
Okay, I enjoyed this story for what it was, but I have to say.
The delivery here made me laugh out loud. Because it was so tacked on.
It came across as:
"It feeds on fears. Also babies. But mostly that other thing."
Regardless, entertaining story.
So, it looks like our fic has the same name.
2437907 'tis to be expected. It's a common enough title for stories such as this.
Now that was something.
Wow. I'll be honest. The bit with Granny Smith at the end sent shivers up my spine. I don't think it could have rightly ended any better way.
Very good stuff. And great cover art too!
I've been reading some Slender style stories on this site lately and this is the first one I've commented on. This was incredible for a story that was just over 2,000 words.
The opening narrative setting up foals disappearing and the consequences set up the story in a good way. I literally got a shiver when Applejack was reading the note in the forest. That was great imagery and I could imagine it perfectly, very frightening.
The ending was my favorite of any story I've read about Slender yet. Granny Smith took it like a pro.
I went into this thinking I'm not going to get much for the word count, but I've read plenty of stories that just throw in fluff and nonsense. This story didn't mess around. Very nice job.
2782311 Stephen King's 'On Writing' is my biggest influence on my writing style, and the first lesson King teaches is to cut out unnecessary language.
How did Granny escape all those years ago?
Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMgbfFpXZu0
listened to this throughout.