//------------------------------// // Crusader // Story: The Best Poker Face // by Chemtest //------------------------------// Three foals look around, making sure nopony can see them as they go into the Forest. Yet, right before they enter, Apple Bloom looks back, “I don’t know about this. What if Applejack found out?” Scootaloo smiles, “Come on, that hasn’t stopped us before. Cutie Mark Crusader Monster Hunters?” Apple Bloom sighs, “Cutie Mark Crusader Monster Hunters.” The three then trudge into the Forest, even if a bit hesitant. Slender sits in the middle of a clearing, focusing his mind entirely upon deciphering the vison’s meaning. Yet his thinking his interrupted as he hears an alert for ponies entering the Forest. He quickly scans their minds, and instantly recognizes them as three foals in the group that freed him. He sighs, and thinks back to what Zecora said. Sweetie Belle looks around her, and sees the trees shift about. She gulps loudly, and sees every possible path filled, except for one. She looks to the others, and nervously laughs, “Well, I guess we’re going this way.” Scootaloo looks down the path, takes a few quick breaths, and sets down the path, “Come on, Rainbow Dash wouldn’t stop because of scary trees!” Apple Bloom looks after her friends as they leave her behind. She looks behind her, still seeing am exit open. She keeps her eyes on Ponyville a moment longer, summoning up the courage to move forward. She takes a deep breath, and forces her hooves forward. Sweetie Belle glances all around as trees shake and bend around them. Leaves russle around, littering the ground with their red forms. Every step releases a loud crunch, usually a welcome sound, but very bad when trying to sneak up on a monster. The crunching seems to get quieter and quieter though. Sweetie Belle looks high up, only to see the trees above them to be perfectly healthy, like it was the middle of summer. And instead of the dead silence of night, the air is filled with the sound of birds and other various animals. The hooves of the foals hit dirt instead of leaves, and they all look forward to see a huge clearing. A place where flowers way outside of season are growing, and creatures of all kinds rush around. They all seem to orbit around the middle of the clearing. Many of them go to a dark object in the center. They use it as a perch, or a playset, or simply something to curl up against to protect from the cold autum wind. The three fillies seem to feel a force of tranquility overtake them as they enter the clearing. An odd peace, making them feel completly at ease. The three fillies all take breaths of relief, glad to be gone from the path. Then they look at the object in the center of the clearing. Then they see the tendrils coming from it, and the back of a blank, white head. Apple Bloom is overcome with terror, the fear fighting the tranquility inside. Scootaloo is filled with enthusiasm and adrenaline, getting ready to charge right at Slender. Sweetie is the only one able to act rationally. She stops Scootaloo before she attacks Slender, and decides to take lead as Apple Bloom seems to be frozen. Sweetie observes how he sits so still, even with all the animals on him. Despite the fact that he was apparently a monster, it seems he can act good. Besides, Rairty once told her to never judge a book by it’s cover. Sweetie Belle takes a step forward, summoning her courage once more, “Uh, hello.” Slender doesn’t move an inch, continuing to maintain his stage of tranquility. “You are brave, filly. You approach me amicably and with an open mind despite the negatives you have heard and seen of me. Why have you come into my Forest?” Sweetie looks all around, “This is your forest?” Slender nods the best he can, “I came here a millenia ago, and found a forest without life. I made a sanctuary, protecting those who came to me, animal or pony. If you were an enemy of Celestia, or anything slightly odd, this was where you fled. When you reached the Forest, you were protected. For something stood in the dark, something stopped the armies knocking on the trees, a Slender Man. You’d find help here, protection. A place where one could be Everfree.” He speaks immediately after, “You didn’t answer my question.” Sweetie shrugs, “Well, uh, we came to defeat the evil monster?” Slender mulls over the tone of her voice, “Hmm... I feel there is something more to it than that. That may be what you told each other, but it’s not the real reason you are here.” Sweetie Belle looks back at Apple Bloom, who is still frozen on the spot. She slowly turns back to face Slender, “Because you traumatized Apple Bloom. All that stuff with the blood... how you looked at us when you broke out. It felt like you were going to... kill us. Right there on the spot.” Slender absorbs the information. He slightly moves his limbs, causing the animals to leave. He stands up, “I might have a way to fix that.” Apple Bloom tries to take a step back, and only stops as she sees Sweetie Belle standing strong. Sweetie Belle looks up at Slender, right where his eyes should be, “Explain it to me. Every detail about it, or I won’t let you get close to her. You may be nice, but I can’t be sure it isn’t an act.” Slender nods, “Don’t worry, I understand. What I’m going to do is connect our minds for a short period of time so I can remove her memory of that. Or, at least, remove the emotion of fear from that memory.” Sweetie raises an eyebrow, “You can do that?” We’re the Spirit of Fear, of course we can do it! Slender nods, “Yes, I can. I am technically the Spirit of Fear, so I can control everything related to fear.” He sighs, “However, it comes at a risk.” Sweetie steps towards him, “What risk?” Slender looks down, “By peering into her mind, she shall also be able to see my own. I... nobody in this world knows about my past. It’s just that... I don’t know. My past is long and full of roadblocks, stuff I don’t want to be reminded of. Vice versa, I will also accidentally see her memories.” The stoning you fool! That’s the risk! We could become trapped again because of your stupid heart! Sweetie nods, “Okay, if it will help her.” Slender steps over to Apple Bloom, even making sure to tie his tendrils around his back. Apple Bloom’s eyes widen, but Sweetie Belle comes up and puts a hoof on her shoulder. Apple Bloom calms down immediately, closing her eyes and focusing on taking deep breaths. Slender reaches out both hands, kneeling down to her level. He puts one hand on either side of her head, and places his forehead against hers. ——— He finds himself in a void, bright and with random lights flickering all around. Surrounding him are doors, each one differently stylized. The brightest door is a red barn door. This indicates that his goal is through this path of memories. He opens the door, and walks on through. He stumbles onto Apple Bloom sitting down to dinner with her family, including one of the Elements he met two days ago. They seem to be chatting about the day, enjoying some apple pies and fried apples. Obviously a different memory than he wants. He looks all around, where different objects around the room glow at varying intensities. He looks to see a cape laying on a table. Red, battered, and a shield with a foal inside of it as a symbol. It glows brightly, causing him to touch it. He now finds himself standing outside of a school house, and a loud rumbling seems to be growing louder from behind him. He looks, and sees the three foals in a wagon pulled by a scooter. They crash into a fence, and all go flying onto the school house’s path. A pink filly walks up to them, with a grey one next to her. She sneers, “Oh, look at this, the blank flanks are rolling around in mud! Guess they learned where they belonged.” Apple Bloom grumbles as she stands, “Shut up, Diamond.” The pink filly turns her nose up, and trots past Apple Bloom with implied superiority. Yet, as she passes, she decides to raise her back hoof up a bit more, and kicks the bags off Apple Bloom’s side. Stuff from the bags go flying everywhere, and the pink filly just laughs as she walks into school. Slender glares at the pink filly as she walks away. But, when she disappears, he turns his attention to the items that fell out. None of the items glow except for an apple that rolled all the way to his feet. He touches it, and goes into another memory. Yet, he just finds himself back at the farmhouse. The same meal, the same conversation. A dead-end. He looks for an item with a stronger glow, and just barely catches something out the corner of his eye. He moves to it, entering into the kitchen. A picture frame sits next to the oven, glowing much brighter than anything else. He picks it up, seeing a stallion and a mare standing together in formal wear. They both look happy. He is transported, finding himself back at the door of the farmhouse. But the scene is different. The paint is nearly fresh. The old mare looks younger. She sits on a couch, and looks at a letter with tears welling in her eyes. The other three are there as well, Applejack no older than an late teenager, and Apple Bloom a toddler. The mare holds up the photo, and forces through her tears, “There... there was an accident in Appleloosa. Buffalo started stampeding... they... they didn’t get out of the way in time.” Apple Bloom looks around with confusion as both Applejack and the teenage stallion both start to tear up as well. She looks up at the older mare, “So, mom and dad got injured? When will they be coming back?” The older mare looks down to her, “Apple Bloom, dearie, they aren’t coming back.” Slender feels damp spots appear all over his face. He turns around, and exits from the barn. This isn’t his place... he shouldn’t have seen that. On the porch of the farmhouse is a pair of saddle bags that glow brightly. He touches them. He finds himself in the middle of Canterlot Garden, where a group of foals face a statue. Slender nods upon finding his target, and prepares to remove all fear from it. Don't do this you fool! We have no idea what the consequences might be! What if we end up frozen again!? Slender sighs, “She has already gone through so much, Slenderman. She grew up without parents.” He scoffs, “You’d never understand. You’re a heartless monster who has felt neither love nor loss! You don’t have any empathy, you don’t have any sympathy, you cannot understand her plight! You are a faceless stalker of the night, a murderer, a kidnapper! And one who does it all without a second thought!” ... The usual response doesn’t come. Slenderman doesn’t have anything to say. He is quiet for once. Slender focuses on the energy present in the memory, and sets to extracting all the fear from it. ——— Apple Bloom opens her eyes, and Slender leans away from her. She looks at him, “You... you were-“ He nods, “Yes. And you were as well.” She shakes her head, “Not like you I ain’t! I have a-“ Slender shakes his head, “Please, I don’t wish to talk about it. My past is my past and yours is yours.” He looks at Sweetie, “Her mind is clear of the fear that once plagued it. You may leave the Forest.” A path in the trees open up. Sweetie looks at Slender, and smiles, “Thank you Mister Slendermane!” Sweetie then walks through the path, and Scootaloo follows after her, “Come on, let’s get back home.” Apple Bloom looks to see her friends walking down the path. But then she looks back into the clearing, and sees Slender sit down to resume meditation. A cold breeze comes through the air, and Apple Bloom can see a little shiver pass over Slender’s form. Slender clears his mind, and tries to go back to thought on the vision. The Forest is silent. But then he hears hooves walk up beside him. He looks over to see Apple Bloom now standing beside him, “Yes?” She looks right at him, “You’re going to come with me back home.” Slender looks back forward, “A kind offer, but I’m afraid I will decline. I am fine out here.” She puts a hoof on his shoulder, “Please, Smith. It’s cold and I’ve got a warm bed and hospitable family.” Slender snaps to look at her upon mention of the name, “How much did you figure out?” Apple Bloom smiles, “I saw what you did, all of what you did.” He scoffs, “You say that like it’s a good thing. I stole, I lied, I cheated!” Apple Bloom nods, “To help them, that’s what you forget. You never stole for yourself, you never lied for yourself, you never cheated for yourself. What I saw there was a friend who was truely Selfless. And I want to extend the same that you gave to others. I’m sure Applejack will be fine with it. In the morning, of course.” Slender looks in her eyes, seeing nothing but honesty within them, “You actually believe that? All that evil I did, you believe it was all selfless?” She smiles, “I don’t believe it, I know it. And you know it as well, you just don’t know that you know it.” He laughs a bit, “You are so confident in your answer. That is what I expected from ponies. No fear, no longer being the shadowy thief in the alley, but a world where people are kind and give the benefit of the doubt.” Apple Bloom nods, “So that’s why you agreed to that weird test? You knew where you were going?” He nods, “I knew that wherever it was, it would be better than there. I actually didn’t know if that was true. Until now.” Apple Bloom motions to the tree path, “Warm bed, good food, hospitable family.” Slender slowly stands up, and wipes the dust off his suit, “Yeah, sure, I’ll go with you.”