> Encounters with the Slendermane > by magicman123 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Fluttershy > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A nest was cradled in the branches of a tall tree high up in the Everfree Forest. Inside the nest were a mother bird and her chicks. It was finally the day that momma bird would teach her two chicks to fly. She carefully pushed the first chick, which was also the biggest chick, with her beak towards the edge of the nest. The chicks tiny talons were over the edge of the nest just as the momma bird delivered one final push. The chick fell a few feet downwards before finally opening its wings and flapping with all it's might, gliding downwards a bit before soaring up and back into the nest. The second chick was a little smaller compared to the other chick. As it was pushed to the edge it looked back at it's mother before looking down. It looked like a really long fall for the little chick. As the little bird finally got ready, it looked back at its sibling and parent one more time before it was pushed. The wind blew through its tiny feathers and it's eyes watered in fright as it opened up its wings and flapped like its life depended on it. Which it did. However, it still continued to fall and tumble. The flapping only seemed to have ever so slightly slowed the fall. Its wings we're just too small! The momma bird looked down in terror as her little chick fell with such speed. There was no way that she would be able to save him! Suddenly, a long black tendril appeared out from the nearby bushes in a swift fluid motion, catching and wrapping up the bird. Out of the bushes stepped out a tall alicorn sized pony. He wore a suit and a red tie. His coat was pale white and his face was featureless. No eyes or mouth could be seen. And out of its back came the long black tentacle that had caught the little chick. The momma bird stared at the pony in panic as to what it had possibly done to its baby. But it was all for naught as the balled up tentacle reached up into the nest, unfurled itself and out came the chick safe and sound with not a scratch on it. The suited pony reeled its tentacle back into his body and just as he was about to turn around and walk away, the little bird he had just saved popped out of the nest and chirped at him in thanks along with its mother. The suited pony waved at the chick with a hoof just before disappearing back into the bushes. As the well dressed pony came out of the other side of the bush, he was surprised to hear a feminine voice shout out the words, "Angel come back!". The voice spoke softly yet loud enough for him to hear from where he was. The voice had come from the direction of a fallen tree just a few meters ahead of him. A small white fluffy being jumped out from behind the tree and scurried passed his legs and back to where the bird nest had been. It had seemingly not seen him. With utmost curiosity of wanting to know what had just passed by him he followed the small creature back into the bushes and out the other side. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Angel burst out of the bush and landed on his paws. He got up on his hind legs and quickly looked back at him and lifted a paw up to one of his long ears. Nothing. He let out a sigh of relief but was caught halfway when the bushes he had just came out of shook. At first he thought it could have been his caretaker but eliminated the possibility as, if it WAS her, she would be calling out for him. No, this was something else. Something bigger. The rustling of the leaves grew closer and closer and finally, the faceless white head of a pony peaked out of the leaves. Nope. Definitely wasn't her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When our friendly neighbourhood Slendermane poked his head out of the bushes, he saw the white creature looking at him with its black beady eyes. Suddenly, it jumped backwards a couple feet and stood itself in a defensive position. Slendermane just stared at the little bunny rabbit in confusion before turning and heading in another direction, not wanting to start anything with the rabbit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- However, unbeknownst to him he HAD started something. When he had decided to walk away a vein popped in Angels head. All Angel could think was 'What? Just because I'm a rabbit you not gonna fight me?! Ah beat yo flank mother bucker!'. He readied himself and was about to pounce on our protagonist. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The suited pony heard a small screech from behind and turned around. Only to have the rabbit jump onto his faceless face. He just stood there, unmoving as the rabbit seemed to stare into his soul whilst holding onto his ears. Then the rabbit bit onto his snout. He continued to stay still for a few more seconds before he launched himself into the nearest tree. Just as his head neared the trunk of the tree, the rabbit bounced off of his face and onto his back. He couldn't stop himself from hitting the tree in time and thus, his head crashed right into it. Angel jumped off of the suited ponies back and onto the ground. A smug grin grew on his face as he saw the pony struggling to get his head out of the tree. Wiping his hands together in success he turned around. Only to come face to face with said pony. A look of shock replaced his smugness. He turned his head back to see the hole in the tree but no pony stuck in it. He turned forward again to see the suited pony looking down at him in what seemed like frustration, but he couldn't tell cause, well, he had no face. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slendermane stared down at the rabbit. Why did this rabbit want to fight?! All he wanted to do was walk away and mind his own business but 'Noooooo'. If it was a fight the little rabbit wanted then a fight is what it was going to get. He raised his head up swiftly as four tentacles shot out of his back and took on a menacing stance that could have made even the biggest and scariest creatures wet themselves in fear. But lucky for them, he was a passive pony. Except when little buggers like this rabbit came along. When he looked back down to face the rabbit, he was surprised to see the little creature yawning at him like it had just been told a boring joke. Usually this was the time when an attacker would split and run away calling for its mommy, but it didn't seem like it would happen this time. He had sorely underestimated this rabbit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A small ways away, Fluttershy worriedly searched for the missing rabbit. "Angel!", she ,quote unquote, shouted. "Oh dear, Angel where are you?". Then she heard the sound of the stomping of hooves and a loud crash. Her head twisted to the direction of the noise and then she began to head towards the ruckus. A few seconds later, she grew closer and closer towards the noise. She burst through a bush and was shocked to see Angel facing down a tall white pony in a suit. But what really shocked her was that said pony had no face and that long black tentacles were potruding out of its back. She quickly leapt behind a tree and rested her back against it with both hooves clinging onto the sides of the tree. She started to breath violently as perspiration began to form on her head. 'Who is that pony?! Why did it have no face?! Why was Angel fighting it?! Why was it wearing a suit?! Where did it get the suit?! I'm sure Rarity would be interested to make suits for it! If it didn't mind that is!' Those were all the questions that ran through her head. Then she heard the sound of dirt being kicked and something tumbling over. 'Oh no! What happened? Did Angel get hurt?!', she thought to herself in panic. She needed to know. She needed to be there for him. She sucked in a deep breath and put on 'The Stare'. She jumped out from behind the tree. Ready to protect her little Angel and face the pony. However, when she saw had happened, her confidence turned to surprise. The tall faceless pony laid on the ground with its tentacles wrapped around in a neat little bow. On top of the pony was Angel standing with a proud expression on his face with his paws crossed together. Fluttershy sighed in relief and had began heading towards Angel but stopped as three birds fell from the top of the canopies above and began pecking at Angel. He started throwing his arms about trying to defend himself against the birds. Fluttershy ran towards Angel to help him. "Wait stop! What are you doing?!", she asked. The birds stopped their barrage of beaks and looked angrily at the yellow pony and began chirping at her loudly. "What? What do you m-... Uh huh uh huh..." When the birds were done, Fluttershy looked at Angel sternly. He just looked at her cheekily. "Angel". She trotted over to where the suited pony lay tied up and asked "Are you okay Mister?". He just looked up at her and nodded in response. Fluttershy looked over at his tied up tentacles and carefully untied them. When he got up he brushed off some of the dirt off of him with a tendril before withdrawing them back into his body. "I'm sorry Mister- ummmm..." The suited pony brought a hoof up to his chin in thought before he began writing into the dirt below. Fluttershy looked at what he was doing in confusion before realizing what he was doing. "Okay, Mister Slendermane. I'm sorry for all the trouble that Angel cau-", a long pause appeared before her pupils turned to the size of pinpricks. She thought to herself, 'Slendermane. Slendermane! SLENDERMANE!' She gasped in horror at the pony that stood before her. He just looked at her in confusion. "Y- yo- you- your Slendermane! The tall pony that takes other ponies away! The pony who haunts the Everfree forest! Y-You- your... Not a bad pony are you?" He looked at her a bit before shaking his head. "So all of those stories weren't true" Another shake of the head. "Oh, okay then". Out of the corner of her eye she saw a white dot. She turned her head to see Angel trying to sneak away carefully. "Angel. Get back here this instant.", she said sternly like a parent would to a child. The rabbit flinched as he heard his name being called before turning around and walking back to his caretaker. "I'm sorry Mister Slendermane for all the trouble he caused but Angel here needs to take his bath. If you don't mind we really need to go." He nodded once again in return. "If you need anything Mister Slendermane don't hesitate to find me. If you don't mind that is..." She gave a final wave to the tall suited pony, which he returned, before they both parted ways. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Fluttershy returned to her cottage with Angel on her back, she heard a familiar voice call out to her. "Oh hello Raindow Dash", she said cheerfully. "Sup Shy. What were you doing in the Everfree Forest? It's not like you to go in there willingly." "Oh! Angel here ran away when I told him that it was time for his bath and ran in there. But, I managed to get him back along with a little help". "Really? Who helped you?", Rainbow asked surprised. Not many ponies were willing to go into the dreaded Everfree Forest. "Just someone I met". Rainbow then raised her hooves up in a menacing manner and said "Was it, the Slendermane", before she burst out in giggles. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow and said, "How did you know?". Rainbow abruptly stopped her giggle fit and stared at her. Not sure if she was joking or not. "Wait, what?". > Rainbow Dash > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Wait, what?". "Huh?", was Fluttershy's only response. "What do you mean how did I know that you met the Slendermane?". "I'm asking how did you know that I met the Slendermane." "I-I-I didn't... It was a joke....." Fluttershy just stared blankly at Rainbow Dash for a moment. "Ooooooohhh..." The yellow pony just scratched at her left hoof in awkwardness. Rainbow Dash broke the silence. "Wait, so you're telling me that you met the Slendermane." She received a nod in response. "The real Slendermane." Another nod. "The Slendermane that was told to have foalnapped hundreds of ponies." "Well, yes but he's actually really nice! He likes helping animals and helped me find Angel!", Fluttershy said excitedly. Rainbow looked at her suspiciously before asking, "Did you bump you're head when you went out searching for the little guy?", she said as she pointed a hoof at the little white rabbit that laid on Fluttershy's back. "No... You don't believe me do you?", the pink haired pony said with a small pout. "Uuuhhh... Do you have any proof?", the Rainbow said. She didn't want to upset her friend by doubting her best friends word but this was sounding really far-fetched to her. Fluttershy raised a hoof up to her chin and thought for a moment. "Well I could you to him. But I don't really wanna trouble him, after all I did just see him..." "Aww come on Fluttershy! Don't just leave me here and make me think that you've gone bonkers!" A long silence took place as Fluttershy thought about it in her head. "Oh alright but let me give Angel a bath first" Angel turned to look at her in horrifying shock before he had to be dragged into Fluttershy's cottage with the help of the colorful pony. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rainbow Dash followed Fluttershy warily from behind looking around and making sure nothing would pop up from somewhere and think that they would be their next meal. Fluttershy, surprisingly to Rainbow, looked much calmer then her. The yellow pony did not look anywhere near as tensed as she did. "Hey Fluttershy", Rainbow called out. "Yes?" "Why aren't you afraid of this place? I mean, no offence but you were shaking up pretty bad the last time we were here''. "That's cause we're near the border between Ponyville and the forest, so I guess I don't find it as scary". Rainbow seemed to be satisfied with the answer. "Besides, I'm sure Mister Slendermane would help us if we ever got into trouble!". Fluttershy hadn't noticed her friend giving her a skeptical look. "Whatever you say Fluttershy". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a few minutes later before they had reached the area where Fluttershy had encountered the Slendermane. Rainbow looked at the damage that surrounded the area that was cause by the little spat that Angel had with the suited pony. "Woah, what happened here?", asked Rainbow. "Angel had a little misunderstanding with Mister Slendermane". Rainbow Dash surveyed the damage again before looking around and asking, "So, uuhhh, where's this Slendermane you've been talking about?". Fluttershy, too looked around. "I'm not really sure". Rainbow gave her a deadpan look. "Well Fluttershy, it was nice listening to your craziness but I think I'll be leaving now". "Hey look!", Fluttershy called out to Rainbow. "There he is!". She pointed a hoof behind Rainbow. "Suuure...", Rainbow said without looking behind her. "Is Bighoof behind me too? Ooh, and the Moth-Stallion and the Ra-". Before she could finish her sentence, she turned around to see the front of a very well tailored black suit. She slowly looked up to see a blank pale white face staring at her. A few seconds of staring passed by before Rainbow Dash launched herself backwards towards Fluttershy. She took up a defensive stance with her back facing her yellow friend. She looked at the suited pony with shock. "St-stay back Fluttershy! It's the Slendermane!". Fluttershy looked at her in confusion. "Of course it is silly, who else would it be?". When Fluttershy tried to step forward Rainbow pushed her back in fear that the monster that stood before her would hurt her best friend. "No don't! He's dangerous!", Rainbow shouted. Meanwhile, Slendermane was looking at the rainbow colored pony in confusion. His head tilted to his right to emphasys the confusion. The pale pony took a step forward before Rainbow started shouting at him. "Don't come any closer you freak!", was all Rainbow could say before a shout came from behind her. "RAINBOW DASH THAT IS ENOUGH!". Fluttershy gently pushed Rainbow aside before walking towards the suited pony. "I'm sorry Mister Slendermane. I didn't think that my friend would be so rude to you", Fluttershy said sheepishly. All the tall pony did in return was wave at her bash fully. Telling her that he took no insult from it. She smiled graciously at him before turning around and scowling at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow. Come over here and apologize to Mister Slendermane at once!". "W-Wh-Why?! I didn't do anything wrong!", Rainbow said, puzzled at why her best friend would side against such a monstrous being. Fluttershy's scowl grew bigger. Her sharp eyes pierced into Rainbo's soul. The cyan pony's heart rate grew faster and sweat dripped feverishly from her brow. Rainbow Dash felt... Frightened. Not because of the Monster that stood beside her friend. It was Fluttershy that made her feel this way. The kindest, most gentle of ponies scared her. So this was what it was like, being the one at the end of "The Stare". Not wanting to face it anymore, Rainbow dashed forward and stopped just two feet from the suited pony and quickly spat out an apology. "I'msorryIcalledyouafreakpleaseforgiveme!". She twisted her head quickly to look at Fluttershy and see if her fast apology was acceptable. It wasn't. Fluttershy looked at her with disapproval. Rainbow sighed before apologizing again, but slower this time. "I'm sorry I called you a freak. Could you please forgive me?". The tall pony before her nodded. Rainbow turned to look at Fluttershy again and saw her smiling at her. "Thank you Rainbow Dash", Fluttershy said before giving her a apologetic look. "I just wish I didn't have to give you "The Stare"." Rainbow stumble a bit with her words before replying. "U-uh, i-i-it's fine. No harm done!". She lied. The image of Fluttershy giving her "The Stare" would scar her for life. She would have to make sure that she never angered Fluttershy again. Rainbow Dash looked at the tall faceless pony again. He didn't look all too horrifying. Other than the fact that he had no face of course. Since the legend himself was standing right in front of her, she might as well ask him some questions about all the stories and rumors of him. "Hey, mister uuhhh... Slendermane", she called to him. "So are all the stories about you true? Like, do you foalnap people and steal their organs?". Slendermane just shook his head in reply. He thought to himself, 'Why would anyone think that?'. "Hmm. Okay, do you have tentacles that come out of your back?" Suddenly, to Dashs' surprise, four pitch black tentacles shot out from his back. They waved in the air slightly and curled around. "Wooaaahhhhh...", she said in awe before the four appendages were sucked back into his body. "That is SO cool! Also creepy" Slendermane waved a hoof at her in flattery. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy just stood back and watched the two converse with one another. Happy that Rainbow Dash had seemed to put her fear aside and befriend the mythical pony. "Hey! Are you fast? Do you think you could beat me in a race?", Rainbow challenged the tall pony. He just shrugged in response, having not raced anyone before he wasn't sure how well or bad he could do. "Wanna race?", the colourful mare said with a smirk. He nodded in reply, accepting the challenge to his first ever race. She pumped a hoof in the air. She picked up a stick with her teeth and trotted over near Fluttershy and drew a straight line across the dirt to signify a starting line. "Okay! Get behind the line. First one to reach that tree over there wins!", Rainbow said whilst pointing a hoof at a rather large tree about a hundred meters ahead. Slendermane got behind the line and copied the stance that Rainbow made. "I'll have you warned! I'm the fastest flyer in Ponyville! So don't get too sad about losing!" "Alright Fluttershy! You count us down!" Fluttershy nodded and began counting down. "3" Rainbow looked at the pony beside her with a challenging glare before facing ahead again. "2" Rainbow quickly stretched her wings. "1" They both bent their heads down in near synchronization. "Go!", Fluttershy said as loud as she could. Which wasn't very loud. Rainbow Dash burst from the starting line. Leaving behind a cloud of rainbow dust. As she got a quarter way through the race she turned behind to see Slendermane walking slowly. She beamed a smile and glared at him. 'Wow! He's a lot slower than I thought he would be', she thought to herself. However, when she faced her head forward again, she saw Slendermane right at the finish line. Her mouth opened wide in shock and when she got to the finish line all she could muster up was. "Wh-What? How? I was in front of yo-! What?!" When she finally calmed herself down Slendermane prodded at her shoulder with a hoof. When he finally got her attention, he motioned for her to watch him. She stood there watching him for a few seconds before he motioned for her to blink. So she did. And when she opened her eyes again he was no longer at the spot he was before. She looked to her side and then behind her but it just seemed like he disappeared. When she looked back at the spot he was before, there he was. She looked at him in confusion then rubbed her eyes and looked at him again, perplexed at the situation. He then pointed behind her and when she turned around, there he was. Her mouth once again opened in shock. She looked at the spot he was before again and found that he wasn't there anymore. When she turned to face him again all she could say was, "WHAT" > The Cutie Mark Crusaders > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside of the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse one late night. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootalo sat cuddled with each other with their eyes glued onto the big leather book that stood in front of them. A flashlight was taped onto Scootaloo's head as she read the book to her two best friends with the deepest voice she could possibly do as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle listened to her excitedly. "But just as the dark figure appeared, he quickly grabbed for his camera on the cupboard next to his bed and snapped a picture at the horrifying creature that stood over him", Scootaloo exclaimed. "The flash that emitted from the camera gave him a quick clear look at the thing that continued to stare at him. The thing looked like a stallion, but it wore a blue mask and a black jacket, and where it's eyes should be were two dark holes with a black liquid dripping from each orifice." "However, the second the flash went away. The monster was no where to be seen. The end," Scootaloo finished. A moment of silence filled the treehouse before Sweetie Belle said, "What? Was that it? That wasn't even scary at all!" Apple Bloom nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that story doesn't make sense at all! Ah mean, what pony in their right mind would reach for their camera when a monster appears right in front of them!" "Yeah you guys are right," Scootalo said, "That story sucked. Seriously, why didn't the monster just kill the guy right then and there?! He had such a great chance to! But nooooo, he gave the guy like a whole minute to grab his camera, turn the camera on, turn the flash on and then take a picture!" "What a dinky story", Sweetie said. "This book kinda stinks as a whole to be honest", Apple Bloom continued, "We've gone through, what, four stories so far and only one of them was kinda scary." "The one with the colt who smiles a lot?", Scootaloo asked, to which Apple Bloom nodded. "I guess, but that one was really badly written though," Sweetie added. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom agreed. They all sighed in boredom. Another moment of silenced passed before Apple Bloom piped up. "So, wanna keep readin?" Sweetie looked at a clock that sat near them before saying, "Eh, it's not really that late. So why not?" "Let's see...", Scootaloo began as she flipped to the next page and read the title. "Haunt of the Slendermane." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It was too late. The Slendermane appeared from behind him and swung a tentacle at him, knocking him to the ground. Hornets looked up in a dazed horror as he was struck again by a tentacle with a large force. Then again he was pounded on. This continued on for several moments until Hornets finally lost consciousness", Scootalo gulped before continuing. "B-blood leaked from his nose and mouth as he laid on the hard marble floor. Then seconds later as the little bit of light in the room faded out and came back, his body was gone. And so was the Slendermane." The three fillies stared at the book silently for a few seconds before Scootalo said in amazement, "Woah." Apple Bloom too said, "Woah." Then Sweetie Belle. "WOAH." A couple more seconds passed. "That. Was. AWESOME!", Scootaloo shouted in excitement. "Yeah that was real spooky!", Sweetie said. "Ah really wish we hadn't read those other ones and just read this!", said Apple Bloom. "Yeah that was great!", Scootaloo said before yawning. As she rubbed her eyes with a hoof she asked, "What time is it?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both turned to the clock. "It's getting pretty late, we should really hit the hay", Apple Bloom advised. They all nodded at each other before tucking themselves into their sleeping bags. They all wished each other a goodnight before Scootaloo switched the flashlight on her head off, enveloping the treehouse in darkness. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!", the trio screamed as they ran. "The Slendermane! He's gonna get us!", Sweetie Belle screamed in fright. The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran from their clubhouse as fast as they could. However, unbeknownst to them they had stumbled into the Everfree Forest in their panic. They maneuvered around trees and ducked under low branches as quickly as they could. Though not without missing a few times, giving them small cuts and bruises around their bodies. After a few more moments of running, they burst through a thick brush of leaves. Each of them tripped on sets of roots that stuck up from the ground, causing them to tumble over onto each other into a pile. When the dust from their fall settled, they were all laying on one another wheezing in exhaustion. Sweetie Belle coughed up a leaf in the process, Apple Bloom pulled a twig out of her bow and Scootaloo rubbed off some dirt and muck that had gotten on her face. Apple Bloom pushed herself off of Sweetie and Sweetie pushed herself off of Scootaloo. Then they all laid on the grassy earth for a few moments to catch their breath. That was when Apple Bloom realized something was wrong. She lifted her head up and began to look around tensely. "Uhh, guys." "... What?", the pegasus and unicorn said. "I-I-I think we're in the Everfree", she said in fear. "WHAT?" Scoots and Sweetie shot up and scanned the area around them before they squeaked in fear. "Oh no", Scootaloo said. "Oh no is right", Apple Bloom agreed. They stopped talking for a moment. Save for the sounds of crickets and cicadas ringing throughout the forest, nothing else could be heard. The trio slowly cuddled together, fear rippling through their bodies. The coldness of the night didn't help their situation in the least. "Wh-What do we do?", Sweetie Belle piped up. "I dunno Sweets", Scootaloo responded. "We could try finding a way outta here", the red maned filly suggested. With a quick nod from the other two, they then began heading towards the direction they had come from. At leanst... They hoped it was the way. Every once in a while one of them would step on a leaf or a stick causing them to tense up and panic. But after a bit they had gotten used to the noise pretty quickly. "We shouldn't have read that stupid book", Scootaloo said. "Yeah", Apple Bloom said. That was when Sweetie Belle tried to get their attention. "Guys..." "I mean, whose bright idea was it anyway?!", Scoots said in frustration. Apple Bloom looked deadpanned at Scootaloo. "Yours", she said in return. "Oh". "Guys.", Sweetie called put again. "Welp, looks like we'll be getting out of here in a bit anyway." "Yeah, hopefully ma family di'nt hear all our screamin''. "Guys!", Sweetie Belle shouted quickly. They both turned to her and asked, "What?" "Listen." And they did. "What? There's nothi-", that was when Apple Bloom shushed her. After a few seconds, Apple Bloom whispered, "Exactly." Puzzled, Scootaloo asked, "What do you mean?" "Ah mean where are all the bugs?" It took a moment for Scootaoo to register what she had heard. Then she looked at her friends fearfully. "What's going on?", she said. Cold sweat dripping from her brow. Then they heard a growl. The three of them spun their heads towards the direction that they heard the sound come from. It had come from a bush just about ten feet away from where they stood. Just then, a pair of glowing yellow eyes opened up from the bush. The Cutie Mark Crusaders backed away slightly. Then another growl sounded out before a head broke through the surface of the brush. It was a Timberwolf. "RUN!", Scootaloo shouted. The three of them sped out from the scene as fast as they could. As they got a bit of distance, the Timberwolf had burst out from its hiding place and began chasing after them. As they ran, they tried tricking the Timberwolf by weaving around trees and other obstacles to try and lose the wolf. But it always caught up with them. After cutting through a rather large tree, they found themselves cornered by two large boulders that stood in the way. As they turned around to try and get to another path, the Timberwolf had already blocked off their escape. "We could try heading off to the side over there!", Sweetie Belle said. "There's no way! He's too fast for us!", Scootaloo replied. Sweetie Belle began tearing up as the wooden creature slowly drew nearer. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo too began doing the same. The quickly cuddled up together and clung to each other. It would only be a few more moments before the Timberwolf would be on them. As the Timberwolf prepared to pounce, the three fillies closed their eyes and hugged each other even harder than before. "I love you guys!", Scootaloo cried out. Sweetie Belle only whimpered in response and Apple Bloom just hugged harder. Then the Timberwolf pounced. After a few moments of nothing happening, the trio slowly opened their eyes. "Are we dead yet?", Scootaloo whispered. "Ah... Ah don't think so?", Apple Bloom said in confusion. "Guys", Sweetie Belle as she poked both of them before pointing a hoof at what stood before them. In front of them stood a tall pony in a black suit with a white coat. The pony stood just as tall as Princess Celestia. Maybe even taller. Out of his back were four tentacles. Three of them waved around slowly and in unsettling motions. Wrapped around in the remaining tendril was the Timberwolf, struggling to escape its capture. "M-Mister?", Sweetie called out softly. The stallions ears pricked up before turning his head slightly to face their direction. To the trios surprise, the pony had no face. No eyes, no nose, not even a mouth. Well, not having anything would've still been better than just having a mouth. That would be horrifying. "It's the Slendermane", Scootaloo said before repeating. "It's the Slendermane!" She wasn't sure if she should be excited or scared or both at this point. She was just glad to still be alive. The Slendermane just nodded in response before turning back to face the Timberwolf. Another tentacle wrapped around the creature, making it harder for the wolf to struggle. The Slendermane then brought the wrapped Timberwolf high up into the air. It was about twenty feet in the air before he slammed it down onto the ground. The Timberwolf exploded into a quick shower of sticks, twigs and leaves. The three fillies just stared at the scene. A mix of horrified, gratitude and fear swam around their thought process. The tentacles were then sucked back into his form. It felt like a full minute had passed before the Slendermane had turned to face the three Cutie Mark Crusaders. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had taken a few steps back. Unsure of how to feel about their savior. Sweetie Belle remained where she has stood. "Sweetie Belle! Get over here!", Scootaloo said softly. To their surprise, Sweetie Belle had taken a step forward. She looked up at the faceless stallion in wonder before tearing up, causing her face to crumple slightly. Then to increase their surprise factor, Sweetie Belle leaped forward and hugged at the stallions right hoof. "Sweetie Belle!", her two friends shouted. But Sweetie just ignored them. Unknown to them, Sweetie Belle was repeating a couple word over and over again to the stallion and she tugged harder at his hoof. "Thank you". A tentacle then appeared out from his back again and wrapped itself slightly around Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle no!, they shouted. She was too tired to care. Then he lifted Sweetie Belle up to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's horror before place her on his back. She then went to hugging his back instead. The earth pony and pegasus sighed in relief before a couple more tendrils appeared before them. They looked at them, unsure of what to do before looking at the stallions face. He nodded slightly. Apple Bloom then slowly and carefully grabbed hold of a tentacle before being carried up and laid onto his back, behind Sweetie Belle. Then Scootaloo followed. When they all were stable, he turned around and began walking. Apple Blooms ears perked up. "Hey! The crickets r' back!", she said. "Hey you're right!", Sweetie Belle said with a smile on her face. After a few minutes, the group could see the exterior of the forest growing nearer. And within a few moments, they were out of the Everfree. The fillies all breathed a sigh of relief and could see the farm from where they were. As they continued riding the Slendermane's back, Apple Bloom cleared her throat before saying, "Thanks for savin us there mister Slendermane". "Yeah thanks", Scootaloo said. Once again, he nodded in reply. Before they knew it, they had reached their clubhouse. A loose branch hung from the top of the tree the clubhouse was built on. It was clinging on with a few bits of bark. The slight wind was causing it to sway about and knock against the side of the clubhouse. "Are you kidding me?! THAT was what scared the socks off of us?!", Scootaloo shouted in irritation before crossing her hooves and pouted. Slendermane carefully lifted the three off of his back and into the clubhouse before ripping off the branch and tossing it away from the area. Just as he was about to leave, he heard the three call out to him. "Hey Slendermane!" He turned around and stuck his head back into the clubhouse. Then he was attacked with hugs by the three fillies. They clung onto his neck and affectionately nuzzled their savior. In response to the hugs, he slowly brought up a hoof and hugged them back. The hug lasted for about a minute before they all released. Then he turned and began walking away. Behind him, he could them shouting their goodbyes. "Bye mister Slendermane!", Sweetie Belle shouted. "Yeah! Bye mister!", Apple Bloom said. "You're SO cool! Thanks for saving us!", Scootaloo shouted. The Slendermane turned around for a moment and waved back at them before disappearing into the darkness . The three Cutie Mark Crusaders stared at where he had previously been for a moment before turning to each other. "That was so coooooooool! He's almost as cool as Rainbow Dash! Maybe just as cool!" "Yeah! Who'd a thunk that we'd get to meet the Slendermane!", Sweetie Belle said excitedly. "Who knew he'd be such a nice fella!", Apple Bloom joined in. "Yeah...", Sweetie and Scoots agreed. A moment of silence passed by before Scootaloo spoke up. "I'm tired." "Yeah, me too", Sweetie Belle said. "Me three", Apple Bloom said. Then they all fell over and went to sleep. > Ditzy Doo > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A grey streak flew clumsily through the air. In front of the blur of grey was a thin white envelope being blown by the wind, continously escaping the grasp of a grey hoof. That hoof was connected to non other than Ponyvilles resident mailmare otherwise known as Ditzy Doo. The letter had been blown out of her saddlebag by a huge gust of wind that was created by a colorful friend of hers. After a few more seconds of chasing the letter, she grew tired and glided slowly to the ground. Looking forward, she saw the letter fly between the path of a group of trees. Looking up into the sky, Ditzy sighed as she saw Luna's moon slowly rising higher into the sky. Looking back to the path in which the letter had gone through, she saw a wooden sign near the edge of the trees. Heading towards it she read the sign. As she finished reading the sign she gulped in fear. She was right at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Scared, she contemplated on whether or not to leave the letter behind, but decided against it, as even-though she was recognized as a very clumsy pony, she had never once not delivered a letter. Okay maybe a couple times but still. "I-it can't be all bad", she said as she stared into the the Everfree. " All I have to do is get in, get the letter and get out. Easy peasy..." Just then, a murder of crows burst out from the forest just twenty feet away from her right. The loud cawing of the black birds startling her. "Yup. Easy peasy..." Sucking in some air she bounded slowly into the forest. Inside the forest, the dim light made it hard for Ditzy to see. Only the remaining sunlight slipping through the cracks in the canopies above her were there to help guide her. The constant rustling of leaves being blown by the natural wind surrounded her, causing her to breath harder than she already was. Ditzy winced as she heard the sound of a stick breaking beneath her. Suddenly, the wind just stopped. An unnatural silence she had never felt before filled her ears. Nothing could be heard other than her heavy breathing. She scanned the area around for a moment before heading back to the way she was going to. A few seconds passed by before she started fluttering her wings. Her hooves leaving the hard feeling of the earth. Then she sped up and flew as fast as she could. Sweat dripping from her head as she flew. As she flew further into the dark forest, she twisted her body around and began flying backwards. She looked around her in panic, afraid that she may have drawn some unwanted attention. Turning around, she realized she was about to crash into a large boulder. Luckily, she caught it early and swerved to the left. As she steadied herself, laughed awkwardly at how close she came to seriously injuring herself. Turning around once again, she looked at the boulder and thought to herself, "Wow, that would have really hurt if I-" Then she smashed back first into a large tree. As she slid down the trunk of the tree and landed onto the ground, she felt a sharp pain rise from her back. She winced and looked at her wing. It didn't look broken. But when she tried to move them she winced in pain. All she could guess was that it was probably fractured. She turned to look up at the tree that she had hit. It wasn't like any of the other trees in the forest. It was different. It was tall and black, almost charred looking and its long branches grew at different angles. No leaves were growing from it, which wasn't surprising with how the tree had looked. She reached out and touched at the tree with a hoof. The bark of the tree felt surprisingly smooth , barely any cracks were visible on the thin trunk of the tree. It had two large roots that dug into the ground and the tip of the tree was strangely rounded. "Weird", was all Ditzy could say about the tree. Just then, she heard the sound of paper flapping on top of her. Ditzy looked above into the branches of the tree. It was the envelope. She looked at the piece of paper in annoyance. "Stupid letter", she said to no one as she glared at the envelope. She turned back and leaned against the strange tree and folded her arms together and pouted. "Go through all that trouble...", she grumbled. "Hurt my wings and now I can't even fly up to get you" Rubbing at her eyes as they grew heavy, she had just realized how tired she actually was. It was probably because she had been delivering mail all day. Sighing in defeat, she decided to rest for a bit before going back to getting that stupid letter. Not caring anymore that she was in the Everfree Forest. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sound of shuffling woke her up. She opened her eyes slowly and came face to face with the chest of a pony. A tall pony. Ditzy smiled as she began to think that someone had found her and came to help her out. Her vision was still blurry so she rubbed at her eyes to get a better look at her savior. As she got a clearer view, her eyes widened and her pupils dilated as she saw who it was. The pony had a white coat and wore a black suit and a red tie that hung from its neck. Also it had no face. Kinda hard to miss that. She could tell by the pony's structure that it was a stallion. What looked like a tentacle was poking out of his back and reaching at something above her. She was in too much shock to look at what it was he was reaching for. She screamed at the being that stood before her for a second. The white pony shook slightly in shock and looked down at Ditzy, realizing that she had woken up. The grey mare just stared back in horror at the pony in front of her. Then from her point of view, she saw the tentacle moved towards her. Ditzy closed her eyes and held her face with her front hooves. Shaking in fear at what he was going to do. "P-please! I j-just got l-lost! Don't hurt m-me!", she said to the stallion. She waited for something to happen. But nothing did. After a few more moments, she slowly peeked an eye open and shifted her hooves to let her see what was going on. What she saw in front of her confused her. Wrapped in the pony's tentacle was the letter. With an eyebrow raised she stared perplexed at the letter, then at the tall pony, then back to the letter. He just jiggled the letter in his tentacle for a second. Motioning for her to take it. She reached out and slowly gripped onto the envelope and gently slipped it out of of the tendril. "... T-thanks?" He nodded in reply before turning around to walk away. But just as he stepped a foot forward he heard the grey mare call out to him and stopped to turn around. "Do you know the way back to Ponyville?" Once again he nodded. "Could you take me there? Just up till the edge? I can't fly out cause I hurt my wings." He brought up a hoof and motioned at her to follow him. "T-thank you". The stallion in reply nodded. While they had been walking, Ditzy had gotten a proper look at her savior. He was much taller then she though he was. He maybe a few inches taller than Celestia. It was a few minutes later before they got to the opening of the forest in which she had gotten in through earlier. Ditzy smiled brightly and sighed a breath of relief. It would probably have taken her much much longer before she would find her way back. All the spinning around that she did sure didn't help her cause. She turned to face the suited pony and gave him a light hug. "Thanks a lot bringing me back home mister!" She pulled away from the hug looked back at Ponyville. "I really couldn't thank you eno-" She turned around to find an empty space from where the pony had just been at a second ago. She didn't even hear him go. She shrugged and said, "Ah, oh well. Time to go deliver this stupid letter." She readied herself to fly off when she winced in pain. "But first I'd better get to the hospital." Then she began walking towards the direction of the local hospital, smiling to herself as she thought about who that strange pony was. But little did she know just behind a bush a white hoof waved at her goodbye before heading back into the forest.