The Forest...
Clear Dawn and Maneshot stood in the forest as the fog rolled in. The ground became stale, if it was not already. Dark figures appeared all around them as Maneshot stood guard, holding the bag away from sight.
Then a shadow loomed over them.
Maneshot's eyes widened, Hes here...
The faceless stallion emerged in front of the two ponies, and Maneshot immediately released the contents of the bag in the radius of their stalkers.
Suddenly, everything was still. Clear Dawn, the masked ponies, even the fog was in zero movement. The only thing that seemed to move is the Slender Stallion and Maneshot. The crisp chill was still there, but it was light. It even felt... normal.
He continued to stare at the Slender Stallion, who seemed to take notice of his surroundings. The tall stallion suddenly walked over to Maneshot, observing him with the dented sockets of where it's eyes should be. It didn't seem to show any sign of threat, but it showed curiosity.
A voice suddenly flew by Maneshot's head.
"Why do you disturb the fragments of time?"
The voice was clear and demanding. It sounded like Luna from the Nightmare night a few months back. However, this one seemed calmer, and more curious...
Like the Slender Stallion.
Maneshot swallowed as he asked, "Are you... him?"
The Slender Stallion seemed to face him by these words, then the voice returned, "I am indeed the entity you see now, now please answer my question."
Maneshot's mind was in turmoil. He was speaking to the paranormal figure that has haunted him for less than a week. It's menacing features seemed to become more as an abnormal problem, the tendrils being just another skill set by another pony. He looked towards Dawn. A frozen expression of fear was visible, and would be kept as such for the remainder of this conversation it seems.
Maneshot again faced the tall figure, "Because I have come for answers."
The Slender Stallion seemed to show a sign of surprise, or as much as movements could bring. "I have not spoken to your kind outside of my followers," he had noted, "You are lucky that you have found a way to enter my dimension, as my physical form in your dimension is impossible to reason with, let alone speak." A flash of light suddenly appeared, revealing some passageway into another area. The Slender Stallion gestured a move to be followed. Maneshot hesitated, but then trotted alongside.
They were in what looked like pitch blackness. Maneshot couldn't even see his hoof in front of his face. Then a ball of light suddenly appeared, revealing the contents of their current location.
"This is my sanctuary."
It seemed to be a room, with several screens revealing around it's circular shape. Each moniter seemed to show some pony at some place in equestria. One screen showed a pony writing down odd notes, some with the mark of the Slender Stallion's mark. A device seemed to be at his side, what looked to be a camera. The pony seemed to frequently look out the window of his home, looking for something. Several other screens showed other ponies, who were either doing the same thing the that one pony was doing, or they were going on with there daily lives.
Maneshot continued staring at the glorious array of screens, "Who are these people?"
The Slender Stallion looked upon a view of screens, answering, again telepathically, "These are my subjects, the ones who suffer the same fate as you do. They only grow larger and larger as time goes on. However, I could to do much more if it weren't for Celestia.
Maneshot looked at the tall, mannequin like pony, "But that's absurd, shes the ruler of equestria. She has done us well!" Maneshot could not begin to grasp what this blank faced pony was planning.
The Slender Stallion looked to Maneshot, showing as much anger as it could with it's blank face movements. He stomped his hoof down, "Do you even know who I am?"
Maneshot couldn't bare to say no, see he simply shook his head.
The Slender Stallion returned to his traditional stance, looking towards a screen showing Princess Celestia at her throne.
"This was not always me. I was once one of your kind at some point."
Maneshot looked to the tall stallion, his face looked baffled and disgusted. "You were on of us!? That's impossible. You have to be some paranormal figure or a..." Maneshot took a sudden step back.
The Stallion looked to the colt, God? No. I was never a god. I am just worshiped by my subjects out of pure alliance. He looked towards the screen of the spot where the masked ponies and Clear Dawn were. Do you know what 'paranormal' is?
Maneshot nodded. "It's a term that is used to describe events that go outside the border of normality, or common sense. Like an impossibility." He announced this in a somewhat snobbish fashion.
The Slender Stallion nodded, "Good, you seem to know what you are dealing with. It approached the colt, who took another step back, unsure if this will be threatening gesture. "Do you remember out last conversation?", It asked with a slight tone of concern.
Maneshot was utterly confused by the lean stallion's question. We had a conversation?, he thought.
"Yes, we did before, when I first found you."
Maneshot jumped and squeaked from the ponies words. He can read minds!?
"Yes, I can. No secrets must be kept at this point."
Maneshot looked in at the Slender Stallion, fearful that he knows of his plans. "So you know that..."
The voice chuckled, and the tall stallion went with the movement.
"Yes subject. I know of your plans to try and stop me. I know just about everything my subjects do." The stallion trotted to Maneshot, placing a hoof on his head. However, many have tried to stop me. Most have been proven futile. Your odds are generous, but you still don't face a chance to stop me.
Maneshot moved away from the cold touch of the Slender Stallion's hoof. A glint of anger shown from his eyes, "You are making ponies suffer, just for them to worship your sorry behind!"
The Slender Stallion was quite taken back. It knew that it came across one who was not a believer, but a rebel. It scoffed slightly, and opened another doorway. The tall stallion began to walk through, and turned it's head slightly to relay a message.
We shall speak again, Maneshot. You have decided to combat a battle you surely will not win. My subjects will find a way for you to convert. The Slender Stallion gimmick has become quite common for you, but after this meeting, you will only reference me as the OPERATOR. With that, the stallion entered the passage, and Maneshot saw a bright light form in front of him.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Maneshot awoke on the crisp grass of the Everfree. A soaring headache pounded in his head as we stood up, looking around. Clear Dawn still seemed to be frozen, but all the maskies seemed to have disappeared.
We shall meet again...
Clear Dawn suddenly gasped, returning to the world of equestria. She was shaking, almost as if she was out in the snow without some sort of warmth. She looked towards Maneshot, immediately galloping towards the dazed colt and giving him another one of her gratifying hugs of relief.
Maneshot didn't know what to say. He had spoken to the Slender Stallion for first time, and, fortunately, not the last. The tall mannequin figure seemed to be calm outside of his mystifying state in the world of equestria. A chill ran down his neck, as he slowly guided Dawn back to the main path, towards Ponyville.
As they walked, Dawn had given a slight nudge to Mareshot. She showed a sign of confusion and annoyance.
"What the hay was that."
Maneshot looked back to the spot where he first spoke to the pony. "You heard?"
She only seemed more confused, "Heard what?"
Maneshot regretted his question the second he spoke. He didn't wan't Clear Dawn to get anymore into this as he was now. He was an official contact of the Slender Stallion, not by mind, but by vigilance. He simply shook his head.
"It's nothing. What I can tell you is we are going to be seeing it, and it's friends more often for now, so keep your guard up."
"Maneshot..."
The blue unicorn looked to her friend, who was struggling wtih her next words.
"Is this what we are going to be stuck with for the rest of our lives?"
Maneshot definitely knew that this was question he will have to answer in the future. He looked right into the innocent eyes of the Mare, who he had known for only 3 years. He remembered the day she met her, soaked by the rain, lost and confused, almost like she was now. Only this time, her life depended on it.
The best Maneshot could say was, "It's not over yet. It will not be over until it is dead, or when we are dead. It will stalk us for as long as it wishes, and that will most likely be forever."
The horizon was beautiful. Another day for Celestia to end and get done with.
Celestia...
"Celestia!"
Clear Dawn looked to her friend as if he was insane, "What?"
"Princess Celestia. She knows of the Operator!"
"Operator?"
Maneshot realized his error, and tried to back up the name. "It's just a nickname for whatever that thing is."
Dawn was unsure weather to call that clever, or just plain tacky.
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Yeah, I can't resist. I just like writing this story on a daily basis.
Expect another chapter NOT tomorrow.