> Enemies through time: The Rider and The Slender. > by SuperiorSpiderpup45 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: A begining, and a return. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Long has he been hungry. hiding in the Everfree Forest. But now he had no reason to hide. The one mare who had found his weakness was dead. He could finally feed again. He moved through the forest making no sound nearing the opening he paused to check if IT was there. It was gone. At last he was free! He moved along though the town searching for prey. He came at last to the home of his prey. with his long spider like limbs he climbed though the foolishly open window. Standing over his prey he touched her forehead marking her as his. Then he vanished into the night. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mac opened his eyes. The sun was shining in his face. He rolled over and climbed out of his bed. Today was his date with Cherilee, the ponyville school teacher, he had been waiting all week for this. Nothing could go wrong. As he walked down stairs he noticed AppleBloom drawing a picture in the kitchen. "Ya'd better get to school, AppleBloom." he said to her. She nodded and stood up to follow him. The two walked out the door and set out for town. Strangely neither said a word to the other. Normally Applebloom would have chattered away while Big Mac' nodded and said an occasional "Eyup" or "Nope". Big Mac was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice Applebloom's strange silence. His mind was fully on Cherilee. But Applebloom's behavior did not go unnoticed. The Rider awoke inside of Big Mac'. He watched as Applebloom walked along silently. Why is she so quiet? He rarely had seen her like this. The last time he had she was this bad she was longing for her cutiemark, which now shown brightly on her flank, this was unlike her. For the first time in ages the Rider was, worried. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Big Mac' and Cherilee sat on a picnic on top of a hill in Sweet Apple Acres together. Empty plates and cups set for two lay stacked in an old rugged picnic basket. She leaned against him his hoof wrapped around her shoulder. Suddenly The Rider's voice roared through his head: "Your sisters are in DANGER!" He had finally realized the danger Applebloom was in and he knew that they must hurry is they where to save her and AppleJack. Mac leap to his hooves, "The Rider." he said to Cherilee quickly. She nodded understanding his meaning. He had told her of the Rider and how he had come to be possessed by the grin angel of justice. It had happened one year ago. Mac had learned that Granny Smith had be diagnosed with cancer. That news had hit him so hard he had retreated into the orchard to think. There the devil had come to him. He had offered Mac his Grandmother's cure from cancer, in exchange for him to become his bounty hunter. Mac at the time had no idea what the devil had meant and had agreed only to be backstabbed as Granny Smith had died in a fire the next day. Then the devil had come to collect. He forced the unwilling spirit of the Rider in Mac's body, transforming him into the Rider for the first time. Mac and the Rider formed an unlikely friendship and fought the devil sending him running. Ever since The rider has rode out every night to avenge or defend the innocent. And to punish, the Guilty. > Chapter 2: into the woods. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mac rushed towards the large red barn. He barreled though the door and stood there. All was quiet. Too quiet. there was no sound at all besides his breath. He looked down and saw the picture Applebloom had draw that morning. Walking to it, he looked down and saw a pony without a face. Long tentacles protruded from his back. The phrase "LEAVE ME ALONE" written in red crayon was etched at the top of the paper. No. Not again. The Rider's voice echoed through his head. He's returned. "Who? Who has returned?" An ancient evil that feeds on the innocent. He tortures them and relishes in their pain. He is without mercy. Mac's mind suddenly went back to a story. A story Granny Smith had told him. Of a merciless monster called the Slender Mane. He remembered that she had said that if he every noticed any of his family missing to check under the floorboards of her bed, for there lay the secret of how to defeat the Slender Mane. Within an instant Mac was up the stairs and in his deceased Grandmother's room. He push her bed aside and ripped up the floor. There lay a small box. He opened it and found a note: Dear Mac/ AppleJack If you are reading this note I may be dead, or taken by the Slender Mane. Many years ago I stopped him from ever leaving the everfree forest. I lit a huge bonfire the stretched across the entrance to his section of the forest. You probably remember those nights when I dragged you out of bed to help keep it going. The reason I knew when he was coming is because he marked me when I was a filly. And after I was marked I could feel him and could sense when he was coming. The first time he came for me, I panicked and built a huge fire. And watched in fear as he approached. The flames burned him and he was forced to retreat into his dark home. After that day I set a bonfire whenever I sensed his approach Your Grandmother: Granny Smith Mac knew at the instant he finished reading that the Rider would be able to stop this monster. He walked out to the barn and pulled a tarp off a huge black motorcycle. He climb on and revved the motor. It roared loudly and the tires screeched as it took off for the forest. ________________________________________________________________________________ Mac drove like a demon through the dark Everfree Forest. His mind worked feverously as he formed a plan. The Rider directed Mac towards the Slender Mane's hideout. He could sense the evil that lay there. Suddenly a tree trunk fell in front of him, swerving Mac came to a hault in front of it. He looked around and saw the source of he fallen tree. A hideous doglike creature sat on a nearby tree trunk. At the end of his front-legs long rake like claws protruded. Let Me out! That is Rake, he's a slave of the Slender Mane! The Rider roared through mac's head. "Shhh stick to the plan..." Mac hissed. The creature leaped towards him and he turned the bike and rode off with the creature in pursuit. He looked ahead and saw the very thing he didn't need: A gouge, a large wide gouge. The trees perverted Mac from steering away. "hope this works..." Mac muttered as he let the rider's hellfire incase the bike and himself. With a rev that sounded like an explosion the bike rocketed across the gouge and the creature, running to fast to stop, plummeted into it. As he landed The Rider changed back into Mac. "That was to close." He reved the motor drone on. > Chapter 3: A House of Nightmares & A Forest of Horror. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Mac drove deeper into the woods he suddenly found himself driving down a rundown road. Strange, he thought, How long has this been here? A wall appeared and ran along with the road, it was rundown as well and had bricks missing and vines crawling up it. Mac slowed as he approached a rusted gate. "This must be the place.." he said solemnly as he pushed them open and drove through. Dismounting the bike he looked up at the house. It looked ancient like some thing from another time. The windows where broken, in places a bits of glass littered the ground. The weeds where overgrown and dead from lack of sun or water. Mac pushed opened the doors and a blast of chilling air hit him. Be warned, Mac. The Rider said, The Slender Mane is not one to taken lightly. The foyer he entered smelled musty and was fill with cobwebs. An strange chandelier hung from ceiling. He looked at it closer and realized with horror that it was a pony skeleton hanging from a noose. Mac took another look around and saw a skull laying on a small table, it was a skull from young colt or filly. Mac shivered at the sight of the innocent victims of the Slender Mane. Suddenly he heard a voice. He turned to face a young filly who was standing over a small skeleton that was had spear like spikes pinning it to the floor. "You..." she said, "You're him." Mac looked down at her and saw that she was transparent. Then he noticed a tentacle grasping her right hoof it seemed to come from the skeleton behind her. "You're the Ghost Rider...." She hugged Mac's leg and tears ran down her cheek. "You've come to free us." As the words left her mouth more transparent children clambered out of other skeletons. (the one hanging from the noose seemed to float down and he came) They gathered around him hope shining in their eyes. Mac looked at them and felt a overwhelming sense of pity for them. How long had the Slender Mane forced their souls to be trapped in this place. Chained forever to their dead bodies. This was evil at it's worst. Inside him the Rider felt the same. Then a filly cried; "He's coming!" The children scrambled back to their bodies to hide from the demon that kept them prisoner. Mac turned and faced him. "So." He spoke in a calm sarcastic tone. "You've come for your sisters." Mac nodded. "Very well." He turned and walked up the grand staircase, that mac had been to horrified to notice before now. The red carpeting on it was faded other wise it would have been ---- grand. Slender Man was at least to heads taller then Mac, his face had no features at all. His attire was that of a stately gentlecolt and his tie was bright blood red. Mac couldn't help but wonder if he had died it with blood. He shook the thought from his head and followed after the demon pony. Mac felt the Rider seem to shrink inside of him as if he were a lion crouching in the grass watching his prey. As the Slender Mane lead Mac though the house, he saw blood stained walls, pony skeletons laying among bloody torture weapons. And worst of all: AppleJack's hat covered with fresh blood. The Slender Mane noticed his horror. "Oh yes, she did loose that as I dragged her in from the forest." His voice was cold and heartless. "Foolish girl thought she save her sister." He walked on without another word. Tears filled Mac's eyes and he picked up her hat. He set it on a hall table vowing to return for it. ___________________________________________________________________________ "Applebloom get your tail down here!" AppleJack yelled up the stairs. "I need your help with cleaning the dishes!" After a minute of no response she marched up the stairs to fetch her sister. But as she entered Applebloom's room she received a horrible shock. The window was open and the dresser drawers were pulled out with clothing strewn across the floor. The room looked as if Applebloom at fought for her life. And lost. "What in Tarnation....." She muttered. The horror of the situation hit her like a brick and she realized that Applebloom had been kidnapped. or killed. She rushed to the window and noticed a drop of fresh blood. she climbed onto the roof and leaped down to the ground. A vague trail of blood lead towards the Everfree Forest. She wasted no time rushing after it. The forest was darker then it usually was and a light fog was flowing across the forest floor. She had to squint to see the small trail of blood hidden in the thickening mist. AppleJack felt as if she had been following the trail for hours. The deeper in she went the thicker the trees and the mist became. Finally she couldn't even see her own hoof in front of her face. Her vision had began to blur when she saw a patch of yellowish white in the distance. She rushed to it hoping that it was the light from Zecora's hut. Her hopes were dash as she beheld a strange piece of yellowed paper. on it a tall slender pony was crudely draw, he had been circled then crossed with a large X. It bore the legend: "Always watching, no eyes." Applejack shivered at the sight of it. "What in tarnation does that mean....." She turned around and a scream froze in her throat. The tall slender pony from the drawing stood near her. His face blank and emotionless and he seemed to be staring at her. Without thought or reason she turned and ran. Running faster then she had ever before, bumping into trees and rushing through bushes and brush. ahead of her she saw another paper. She ran by it and glanced at it, it read: "Run," which she was already doing. Suddenly the Slender pony appeared before her. This time she did scream, and turned and ran. She rushed by a third note that read: "It's no use!" Her inner instincts took over completely and she ran like an animal. She vision blurred to the point of blindness. At that moment all she wanted to do was die. Die and escape this horrible monster. She would be with Granny Smith again. Happy and safe from this evil demon pony. She was stumbling fighting the urge to curl up and cry. All she could feel was fear. An unnatural fear flowed through her as she passed a fourth note that read: "I want to DIE!!" She ran past note after note until she lost track of their number. Like she cared. She had to find a cliff or a pit to jump into to escape him. She screamed in horror as he appeared in front of her again. She turned and ran from him. A sudden spike of pain stopped her mad dash. A black tentacle had grabbed her and slid up under skin. The pain was unbearable as it dug it's way up her hind leg. More tentacles wrapped around her and pulled her towards the Slender Mane. Pain and fear coursed through her. So much pain. All she wanted was for him to kill him and left her die. "we are going to have so much fun....." The slender pony said an evil tint in his voice. She knew that she wouldn't be dying any time soon.