The Element of Fear

by teganaxis


Oblivious

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

-Martin Pony King, Jr.

---

"Aaaaaaah! K-keep it away from me!"

"Hey, stay away from my friend!"

"Eeeeeeeek!!!"

"Hi-ya! Take this!!"

Rainbow Dash flew across the table, front leg extended, poised to strike. Prismatic mane flowing behind her, Dash landed the blow with brutal accuracy, pulverizing the body of the hideous creature she faced in mortal combat.

With a pathetic buzz, the bee floated down to earth, defeated.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you Dashie! You saved my life!" Pinkie Pie leapt onto the table with Rainbow Dash, crushing the blue mare in her patented vice grip of love. Turning a deep shade of purple, the speedster pegasus tapped her friend on the shoulder.

"N-no problem, Pinks. Um, a-air??" she squeaked, gasping.

The sun shined brightly down on Ponyville. Pegasi of all shades and hues flew above the roofs and heads of the ponies below, on the look out for any stray clouds that might ruin the beautiful day. Meanwhile, the earth ponies and the unicorns made due with their hooves as they trotted about the vibrant town square. Vendors sold their wares to passerby as the ponies went about their everyday life.

Smiling brightly, the party pony released her trapped friend in a flourish. "Sorry~" she sang, giggling.

Breathing deeply, the cyan pegasus glared at a few ponies giving the two odd looks. Scratching her head, Dash took her seat. "Yeah... that's a new one, huh? So I guess itchy nose means 'attack by bees'?"

Pinkie Pie remained smiling from her place in the middle of the table. "Oh no, silly! I've known forever that itchy nose means meanie beesies!" she laughed.

"What...? But-"

"You never asked!"

Grinding her teeth, Dash repeated her mantra for dealing with the pink menace, 'Don't think about it, Don't think about it, Don't think about it...' Calming down, Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, okay... forget about it."

"Okie dokie lokie!"

"..."

"Are you going to sit down?" the pegasus rolled her eyes, exasperated. Pinkie gasped.

"Oh! Sorry~" still grinning widely, the party pony sat down right on a plate of lettuce. Rainbow Dash face-hoofed.

"Never mind..." she sighed. You'd think a pony would get used to it, but nopony ever got used to Pinkie Pie. "So, we doing any pranking today? I've got this sick set-up for Twilight..."

"Oh no, I'm sorry Dashie, but I can't today!" the pink pony pouted sadly, raising her hooves. Dash raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" she asked, not realizing her mistake until it was too late.

Pinkie took a deep breath. "Weeeelll you see this morning I'm picking flowers for Cranky because he's, you know, cranky all the time and then I have to run over to Twilight's so I can film my application to be Chairpony of the Grand Galloping Gala because last year really stunk and I want to make it the best party ever and then I have to go babysit Fluttershy's animals for a couple of hours because she is going-" Growling in frustration, Dash placed her hoof over Pinkie's still moving mouth.

"Pinkie?" the flyer asked.

"Yush?" the party pony answered, voice muffled by the blue hoof.

"I get it." The hoof was removed.

"Okie dokie!" the brightly colored mare beamed. Stretching her shoulders, Dash cracked her neck and began flapping her wings.

"Well, if we can't do any pranks today, there's a fluffy cloud out there with my name on it." she yawned. "See ya later, Pinks!"

"See ya!" Pinkie replied brightly. She watched happily as her friend flew away into the distance.

"Er, excuse me, um, miss, but are you done with that lettuce?" the timid voice of her waiter snapped Pinkie out of her little trance. She giggled.

"Hi, Quick Service! You look awesome today!" the pink pony complimented, twisting around on her rump to face him. The plate under the baker trailed lettuce in her wake, causing the waiter to grimace.

"Thank you, miss, but I have a job I must do-" the irked worker began. Gasping, Pinkie leapt ten feet into the air, breaking all laws of physics.

"Oh, you're right! I need to hurry if I want to get those flowers for Cranky! Thank you so much!" the party pony gushed, giving the pony named Quick Service a fast hug that left him desperate for air. Humming a merry tune, Pinkie Pie began bouncing off into town, en route to the edge of the Everfree Forest. All of the best flowers grew there, and nothing but the best was good enough for Pinkie's friends.

---

"One flower, two flower, red flower, blue; Pinkie Pie loves you and you should love her too~" Pinkie sang, bending over to look at a particularly vibrant rose. She stuck her nose in it and sniffed deeply, sighing in pleasure at the flower's scent. Humming to herself, the pink mare picked the rose up with her mouth and carefully separated the top half of the plant from its roots, placing the bulb into her nearly full saddlebags. Daisies, roses, tulips, wildflowers; you name it, she had it.

Pinkie stood in a great, wide open field filled with flowers of every type and size. Ominous and foreboding, the Everfree Forest loomed beyond the peaceful valley, like a terrible guard-dog watching over its beautiful charge. The wind blew softly, and Pinkie gratefully thanked the pegasi for the wave of pleasing fragrances that washed over her. The exotic birds of the Everfree belted out their melodies unabashed, hoping to attract the eye of that one special somepony (somebirdy?).

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie had the strange sensation that she was being watched. Curious, she scanned the tree-line for anything that might've given her the peculiar feeling. Finding nothing, she shrugged and continued to pick her flowers.

"Ow!" the earth pony yelped involuntarily, dropping the colorful flower she had been smelling. Her right foreleg ached from the sudden burst of pain. More specifically, the knee of her right foreleg.

"Oww... pinchy knee? There's nothing scary out here!" she frowned, looking about her peaceful surroundings. Nothing had changed; the day was still perfect. Raising her eyebrow, Pinkie cautiously picked up the lily she had dropped, placing it gingerly into her custom pink saddlebags.

"Something smells fishy, fishy fishy fishy..." Pinkie drawled, scratching her chin with a hoof. The birds stopped singing abruptly, as if on cue. The party pony frowned, swiveling her ears forward. Not only had the birds discontinued their tune, the sounds of the forest had ceased entirely, and the gentle breeze no longer prompted a chorus of rustling amongst the flowers. Where the world had once sounded full of life, there was only silence.

Feeling an impending sense of dread, the pink earth pony's ears flattened against her head. Shivering slightly, Pinkie decided that she had more than enough flowers to please Cranky, and turned to leave post-haste.

"Hey! Who put this... tree... here..." the mare trailed off, finding herself in front of what appeared to be a tall pine. Unconsciously, Pinkie found her eyes drawn upwards.

The pale face of Slendermane met her gaze, its invisible eyes boring hungrily into the small pony. Its suit took on the appearance of an endless black void in the sunlight, devouring all rays that made contact with the mysterious fabric. The creature's alabaster skin did the opposite, reflecting the light like a mirror, forcing Pinkie to squint. An unmistakable aura of danger flowed outwards from the slender pony; the air around it seemed to vibrate in anticipation.

The earth pony's mouth hung open in disbelief. Slendermane stood tall and stoically, watching the pink mare. Pinkie didn't move for almost a solid minute. She gasped mightily.

"Y-you... you..." she began, barely breathing.

"Must be new!!!" Pinkie Pie squealed in delight, muzzle breaking out into a massive grin. Her previous anxiety disappeared without a trace. The party pony began bouncing up and down, looking into the face of the monster at the climax of every jump. Displaying no sign of being surprised at the earth pony's sudden enthusiasm, Slendermane continued to stand quietly. Pinkie continued, unintimidated.

"I mean, I've never met you before so you must be new because I know everypony in Ponyville and I think I would remember somepony so tall!! Have you met Princess Celestia because she's tall too but you're way taller and you would probably make her super jealous and stuff." the chatterbox giggled. "Anyway, my name is Pinkie Pie. What's yours??"

No response.

"You don't talk very much do you? Well that's okay because I talk a lot and usually people tell me to stop but whatever what do they know and wow... you are so thin you should talk to Rarity because she is always talking about losing weight but I tell her she doesn't need to and..." the pink pony trailed off, seemingly deep in thought. Slendermane stayed silent, watching her. Always watching.

"Slendy!!!" Pinkie suddenly screeched, bouncing high into the air. "That's what I'll call you! Oooooooh we are going to have so much fun!! We are going to be super best friends forever and ever and ever!"

The fell creature slowly raised its left leg, inching its hoof closer to the unsuspecting pony. Pinkie continued talking, completely oblivious to her impending doom.

"Oh man, you never talk at all do you? Wait," Pinkie's eyes grew in realization, "Oh my gosh it's not that you won't talk it's that you can't talk, isn't it? I'm so sorry! This must've been really awkward, but don't worry I think I have a solution!"

The monster lunged forward, both legs extending at lightning speed towards the pink pony...

...Only to grasp at air, the earth pony mare having ran off a split second before hand. Having nothing to hold onto and nowhere to go but down, the nightmare fell flat on its face, landing silently onto a clump of flowers. The flowers in contact with Slendermane began to slowly wilt, changing from vibrant and beautiful to grey and sickly. Their petals fell off one by one, forming a wreath of dead flower stalks around the abomination. A butterfly made the mistake of flying too close; the little insect seized up and fell onto the dead ground almost immediately.

Pinkie soon returned, pencil and paper clutched tightly in her mouth. Ignoring the deathly scene, she spit the writing utensils onto the ground in front of Slendermane. "There! Now you can write what you wanna say and, oh!" the party pony giggled, noticing the evil creature's predicament. "You can't eat dirt, silly! It tastes bad and gives you a totally terrible tummy ache!"

Slendermane rose to its hooves in one swift motion, sending the grey petals out in all directions. Pinkie accidentally inhaled one, causing her to cough uncontrollably for a minute or two. Wiping a tear of strain out of her eye, the pink pony grinned apologetically. "Sorry Slendy, I can't remember the last time I coughed like that." Suddenly, Pinkie Pie's eyes widened with an epiphany.

"You're... hungry!! That's why you were trying to eat dirt!! No wonder you're so slender, Slendy!" she giggled, spinning around in a giddy circle. Slendermane began to take silent, menacing steps towards the mare. The earth pony stopped spinning and fixed the tall creature with a smug grin.

"Well don't you worry, Mr. Slendy, cause' Pinkie Pie here is the bestest of the best when it comes to baking delicious treats!" the pink mare bragged, slicking her poofy mane back with a hoof. Knocking the pencil and paper aside, Slendermane drew closer and closer to Pinkie, every flower in its wake turning a depressing shade of grey.

"To Sugarcube Corner!" she declared triumphantly, rearing back on her hind-legs with a whinny. Dust cloud trailing behind her, the party pony zoomed off in the direction of her home, which also doubled as her workplace.

The slender pony, unwilling to give up its quarry a second time, ran after Pinkie as quickly as it could, managing to narrowly catch up with the pink baker. The mare glanced over at the monster and grinned widely.

"Oooh! Are we playing tag? I love tag!!" Giggling madly, the earth pony sped up her pace. "You're it!!"

The two creatures, one a party animal, the other a living nightmare, rocketed over the fields and meadows separating Ponyville from the dreaded Everfree. Unknowingly putting herself in mortal danger, Pinkie Pie often slowed down just enough for Slendermane to almost touch her, only to laugh and speed up again. Hearing her hooves begin to clop onto the stone roads of her hometown, and not hearing her latest "friend's" hoofsteps, the pink pony turned her head to see if she won.

Slendermane was literally inches from Pinkie's panting form, and gaining ground fast. Yelping in surprise, Pinkie poured on the speed until she was an acceptable distance away.

"Wow, Slendy!! You sure are quiet... and fast!! Of course, I'm pretty quick myself!!" Legs on fire and lungs scrambling to take in as much air as possible, the party pony reveled in the thrill of competition.

The streets of Ponyville, at least the ones leading up to Sugarcube Corner, were almost completely deserted. Inspired by a sudden and inexplicable instinct urging them to avoid those roads at all costs, most ponies had migrated to the market in hopes of spending their bits in peace. The few who stayed despite such feelings regarded the tall monster with intense dread; however, upon seeing Pinkie Pie giggling like a foal out in front of it, they insisted to themselves that it meant them no harm. Nevertheless, the ponies quickly retreated into their homes, eager to put the mysterious pony out of mind.

Soon, the delicious-looking gingerbread roof of Sugarcube Corner came into view. Breathing heavily, Pinkie opened the door and entered the sweet shop, stopping to crouch and catch her breath. The smell of freshly baked treats wafted in from the back room, but the front of the shop was strangely deserted. Wiping off the sweat from her forehead, the baker greeted Mrs. Cake, who was whipping up her signature carrot cakes in the kitchen.

"Hi, Mrs. Cake~!" Pinkie called, trotting slowly to the counter. The sound of an oven closing was heard.

"Oh! Hello dear!" came the muffled reply of the store owner. "Come on in! I'm afraid I'm a bit busy right now though, so you're going to have to help yourself!"

Pinkie turned back to the door where her newest friend stood just beyond the threshold, its top half concealed behind the wall. It didn't even look slightly tired as it stood there casually, biding its time. Rolling her eyes, Pinkie Pie chuckled. "Well c'mon, silly! The doors are wide open!"

Slendermane took a hesitant step forward, before bringing its hoof back. The party pony frowned, before coming to a conclusion.

"Oh, I get it. You're too tall." the earth pony snorted in laughter. "Don't worry about it. No stinky door is going stop me from helping my friends!" The mare trotted behind the counter and nudged open the double doors leading to the kitchen. "Wait here; I'll be back in a jiff!" Pinkie left her guest standing in the street as she moved quickly into the next room.

Mrs. Cake was hunched over a tray of mini-carrot cakes, intently moving her icing packet left and right over the rows of baked goods. Pinkie hummed a tune as she rummaged through the stock of muffins they kept on the bottom shelf, looking for something her tall pal would enjoy.

"Hey, Mrs. Cake, what kind of muffins would you like if you were a ten foot tall slender pony?" the young mare asked nonchalantly. Mrs. Cake turned stared at the party pony, bewildered, before shrugging her shoulders. It was Pinkie Pie, after all.

"Oh, I don't know dear. Blueberry?" the frosting-maned mare replied, putting the finishing touches on her cupcakes. Mrs. Cake bent over and opened the oven, releasing a wall of fragrant steam before removing her finished batch and placing the new one in. Pinkie grinned widely.

"Perfect~! I knew I could count on you!" the pink mare scooped up a bunch of muffins with her spare leg, closing the pantry behind her. Raising an eyebrow, the blue earth pony slapped her hooves together, sending a puff of flour into the air.

"Oh yes, no problem dear. Who are they for?" Mrs. Cake questioned. Pinkie Pie squealed in delight.

"My new friend, of course! I call him Slendy~" she answered, bouncing on the tips of her hooves. She pushed open the door with her shoulder, smiling brilliantly. Confused, the older baker tilted her head in question, but the younger pony was already out the door.

"See you later, Mrs. Cake!"

With a sigh, the elder baker gave up. "Bye, dear."

Looking pleased with herself, the party pony moved towards the entrance, daydreaming of her new friend happily eating her hoof-chosen muffins.

"Hey, Slendy! Sorry you had to wait, I-" stopping mid-sentence, the pink mare finally took account of her surroundings. Slendermane was nowhere to be seen.

She looked left.

She looked right.

She looked left again.

Her new friend had vanished. Pouting in disappointment, Pinkie stomped a hoof on the hardwood floor. "Ooh, I didn't know he was a super shy pony too...! I knew I should've kept my eye on him!"

Pinkie Pie stood there for a while, absentmindedly munching on a blueberry muffin. Glancing skywards, the mare sighed. Noon already?

"Oh well... more muffins for me, I suppose!" the pink mare said cheerfully, always the optimist. "We'll meet again, I'm sure of it!" Trotting away merrily, the party pony left her house behind and set course for Twilight's library.

---

Mrs. Cake worked in her kitchen, humming to herself and reflecting on how strange her day had been. She woke up with a terrible feeling that something bad was going to happen, even though nothing ever did. Her shop was deserted, garnering not a single customer all morning. Not to mention how barren the streets were. Then there was Pinkie Pie. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Pinkie was a strangeness the adult mare was quite well acquainted with.

The sound of her children crying snapped Mrs. Cake out of her reverie. Sighing deeply, the mother set off to climb the stairs to the bedroom for the fifth time today. Evidently, she wasn't the only one who felt strangely uneasy. Caring for the children while her husband was away selling their goods to fancy foreign ponies was a much tougher task than she expected.

"Are you sure you'll be fine while I'm gone?"

"Yes, honey, I gave birth to them, I think I can watch them alone for a couple of days."

"Yes, but-"

"No buts, sweetie," she kissed him, "now get out there and make us rich!"

Snorting in amusement, Mrs. Cake shook her head. When her husband got home, she was taking a week-long nap. Reaching the end of the hallway, the blue mare twisted the knob on the ornate wooden door and thrust it open.

Light filtered in through the curtain-covered window on the far side of the bedroom, tinting the sunlight a dark shade of red. Toys littered the floor, strewn about haphazardly from intense play sessions. The two babies, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, were wriggling around and crying in their usual grating manner. The room was normal.

But it felt so wrong.

Uneasily, Mrs. Cake put a hoof over the threshold. She was immediately assailed with the worst anxiety attack she had ever experienced. Almost keeling over, the baker's vision blurred and the world spun as her heart beat faster and faster. She was going to pass out.

Mrs. Cake gritted her teeth and locked her knees, barely managing to stay on her hooves. Her eyes burned with a mother's determination. She had to get her kids out of this room. Even if she didn't understand why, she knew this room was dangerous.

Forcing herself to march forward, the cerulean mare reached the small wooden crib. Sweat dripped down her face. Her legs shook and her breathing was shallow. The store owner craned her neck over the side of the crib and took a closer look at her babies. They were crying alright, but that was normal. She allowed a wave of relief to wash over her.

And that's when she realized they weren't making a sound.

Rubbing her eyes in disbelief, the blue pony did a double take. Yes, their mouths were moving. Yes, they were thrashing and kicking. They should've been making noise. But they didn't.

"W-what... in E-Equestria...?" she breathed, panic returning in spades. In one quick, nervous motion, the mother scooped up both of her bawling children and put them over her right shoulder. Rubbing their shaking backs, she began to whisper to them that everything would be alright; that they would leave the scary room and never come back. Something moved in the corner of her eye.

Is that a... tree root? And was it moving?? Mrs. Cake spun around frantically, desperate to exit the nightmare room.

The door was blocked.

Slendermane crouched in front of the exit, knees bent so that it could stand in the room without hitting its head on the roof. Spindly roots extended out of the black hole that was its suit, twisting and curling in a macabre dance. They clung to the walls and ceiling, as if trying to extract life-giving nutrients out of the dry wall and plaster. The creature's tie stretched behind it like an extra leg and wrapped around the door knob; an audible click momentarily broke the silence that had gripped the small bedroom.

She was trapped.

But so were her children.

"Y-y-you freak! L-leave my children be, y-you bucking monster!!" she hissed with quavering lips, her motherly instincts barely suppressing her uncontrollable urge to jump out of the nearest window. Slendermane tilted its head, contemplating the shivering pony. It stood there in that position, in utter silence, unmoving. What felt like hours passed, and nothing happened.

Mrs. Cake, growing more and more anxious about her mute children, took a hesitant step forward. The baker pony opened her mouth to speak.

"G-get out of my-"

Without warning, Slendermane surged forward with impossible speed, grabbing Mrs. Cake roughly before she even began to register what was happening. The roots collapsed into the center of the room, and the mother with her two children were wrapped into a cocoon darker than night.

She didn't even have time to scream.

---

"Consarnit', why am ah here again?" Applejack grumbled, fumbling with the expensive device held between her teeth. Pinkie laughed.

"You're my film pony, silly!" She declared, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Uh huh, Ah get that" the orange mare deadpanned, "but why'n Equestria did ya ask me to help you? Ah know about as much about this doohickey here as Rainbow knows about bein' modest!"

Pinkie snorted, waving a hoof at the farmer. "It's because you're so dependable, Jackie!"

The orange earth pony pinched her forehead. "Right..."

"Argh! Just let it go, Applejack. It's better that way." Twilight Sparkle spoke up, calling down from upstairs.

The two earth pony mares stood in the center of Twilight's library; Pinkie Pie eagerly waiting to start while Applejack attempted to find the 'record' button on the hand-held camera. Rows of shelves decked out with books lined the walls surrounding the two mares, the collection of knowledge looking well-worn from the number of times it's been accessed. It was obvious, however, that the proprietor of the library treated them with love. Twilight was on the second level, practicing her magic routine for her upcoming assessment. The prodigal unicorn, already stressed out enough by the test, was at her breaking point dealing with her two friends.

"Thanks for letting us use your stuff, Twilight~!" The party pony thanked, calling back.

"It's mighty kind of ya, Twi." Applejack added. There was a loud sigh.

"Yeah, yeah...," the lavender mare conceded. "Just keep it down." Pinkie mimed zipping up her mouth, locking it with a padlock, and throwing away the key. Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Ya'll can talk, Pinkie, just be a little quieter." The pink pony smiled.

"Okie dokie!" She replied. Spike, who had been sitting quietly in a corner of the room chewing a ruby, spoke up.

"Hey, what's this for anyway?" the baby dragon inquired, picking up another ruby and inspecting it with a critical eye. Squinting hard, he found the shape of it to his displeasure and discarded it for a shiny looking sapphire. Pinkie Pie inhaled deeply to reply, but Applejack saved the day by quickly running across the room and placing a hoof over the pink baker's mouth. Pouting, Pinkie sat down and pulled a blueberry muffin out of nowhere, devouring the entire thing in one bite.

"The old Chairpony of the Grand Galloping Gala was fired after last year." Applejack blushed with shame, knowing her and her friends had probably been the cause.

"Harsh." Spike remarked casually, holding his sapphire to the light. Applejack sighed.

"Yeah, well Pinkie here figured she'd make just as good a Chairpony as anypony else. Probl'y better. So we're sendin a video application to the ponies down'n Canterlot."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "You really think they would hire that pink disaster?" The two looked over at their hot pink friend, who was currently in the process of destroying a miniature city she built out of encyclopedias. Making roaring sounds under her breath, she knocked over makeshift skyscrapers and generally terrorized the imaginary inhabitants of Encyclopediaville.

They both blinked, and decided to leave the question unanswered. Returning to her former position a few feet in front of the party pony, Applejack raised her voice in question.

"Hey, Twi? Sorry to bug ya again, but how do Ah start this thing?" A frustrated wail echoed through the library. Hair tangled and messy, the sleep-deprived mare poked her head over the railing.

"You see that green button on the top?? That starts the recording. You press the red one to stop. Any more questions? Anything? No? Does anypony else want to interrupt Twilight's important studying? Anypony??"

Pinkie, head popping up from under the pile of encyclopedias that used to be her glorious city, raised her hoof. "Why is the sky blue?" she asked, eyes bright and sincere.

The honor student's left eye twitched. "Water vapor rising into the atmosphere. The light refracts off of it and gives the sky a bright blue color. Any more questions?"

Pinkie slowly rose her hoof again. Twilight stared at her for a good minute, before simply turning away without a word and heading back to her study desk. Shrugging, the pink mare turned to her country friend.

"Ready then?? Ooooh! I'm so excited~!" she squealed in anticipation.

Checking to see she had the right buttons, Applejack smiled. "Eeyup. Wait for mah cue."

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

"Action!" The orange pony pressed the recording button.

"Hi everypony!!!" Pinkie began, bouncing high in the air. "My name is Pinkie Pie! I live in Ponyville and I love to party!!"

Confetti exploded spontaneously behind the mare, coming from no obvious source.

"I love slumber parties, cutie mark parties, pool parties, party parties... Oooh! And of course dance parties! Those are my favorite!! I know songs to make you shake your grove thing, songs to make you happy, songs to make you sad, even songs to make you dance with your special somepony!" the pink earth pony giggled in delight.

"Sure, I might've wrecked your old party, but that one was boring and dumb and unfun! Why, I-" Applejack made a face of distress and gestured for Pinkie Pie to move on. The baker became quiet, as if debating something in her mind, before suddenly jumping at the camera and putting her face right up next to it.

"Oooh! Please, please, please hire me! I promise I will be the best Chairpony ever!! I will make it the greatest party of all time! Pinkie promise! I would die for this job!!" she begged on her hooves and knees. Applejack, alarmed by the sudden intensity of her plea, took a step back. Pinkie went quiet for a while, and the farmer raised an eyebrow.

"Ya finished?" she inquired. Spike looked upon the scene with amusement, sucking on the tip of his chosen gem.

"Yep~!" Pinkie sang. Sighing, Applejack went to press the 'stop recording' button.

A sudden burst of static and a high pitched wailing noise came out of the small hand-held. Yelping in surprise, the country mare dropped the expensive device onto the floor. Seconds later, the camera went quiet.

"What in tarnation!?" she exclaimed, scratching her head. Pinkie Pie frowned.

"Applejack, you silly pony, you broke it!" she accused, pointing a hoof at the orange earth pony. Distressed, Applejack waved her hooves in a gesture of innocence.

"N-no ah didn't! Ah swear!"

Spike chuckled. "You're in for it now."

"Aaaagh! Why can't a pony get any quiet around here!?" the aggravated voice of Twilight Sparkle echoed down the stairs once more.

"Applejack broke the camera-thingy!"

"No ah didn't!"

The stairwell of the library was filled with angry hoofsteps as the purple pony made her way to the first floor. Twilight kept a poker face as she trotted over to the fallen device. After picking it up and observing it with a critical eye, she nodded to herself and walked over to her projector, which was pushed into a dark corner of the room. Applejack watched the frazzled mare with concern.

"Twi...? Are ya okay?" she asked, a little worried about her lavender friend's sudden change in attitude. Celestia's protege took a deep breath, closing her eyes in a supreme effort to keep calm.

"The way I see it...," she began,"...the sooner I solve your problem, The sooner you can get the hay out of my house and leave me in peace." Applejack laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

"Ah'm mighty sorry, Twi..." she apologized. Twilight dragged the cart with the projector on it to the center of the room and pointed it at a wall.

"Just... don't." The magic student replied. She gestured tiredly to Spike. "Get the screen for me?"

The green and purple dragon nodded in affirmative and leapt to his feet. Dropping his precious sapphire, he brought a ladder over to the wall and climbed to the top. He jumped onto the small metal handle and let gravity pull him and the blank canvass down from the ceiling.

Pinkie Pie bounced up next to Twilight, head tilted in question. "How's this going to fix Mr. Camera? We already had movie night, silly!"

The purple unicorn was surprisingly able to keep her poker face. "It's not for a movie, Pinkie. The camera is fine from what I can tell, but the data might be corrupted. We have to watch your application to make sure it won't corrupt the whole thing."

"Oh~! Okie dokie lokie!"

Sighing in exasperation, the unicorn plugged in the camera and navigated the menus until she found the video in question. Applejack and Spike walked over to watch. It certainly looked fine, so Twilight selected it and pressed 'play'.

Zzzzzrch. An extremely loud wave of white noise bursted from the speakers attached to the projector as the canvas began to display static. Grimacing from the sudden sound, the four friends covered their ears. Twilight reached for the stop button, but a different sound abruptly came from the speakers.

It was evidently Pinkie talking, but unless you knew what the video was ahead of time it was impossible to guess. On the audio, her speech alternated between being so fast that her voice was as high pitched as a mouse, or so slow it was completely incomprehensible. None of the visual portion of the video was left intact; the screen continued to display static. Only three words out of Pinkie's entire plea survived. Looped versions of the words played simultaneously in the background, making it sound like several voices were speaking at once.

"Zztch...somepony...zatch btz...will...brtzz...die..."

The screen suddenly flashed white, the high pitch wailing sound from before pealing out of the camcorder. Abruptly, the video stopped, and the room went quiet. For several seconds, not even Pinkie had anything to say.

"Man, that's creepy." Spike remarked, once again casually munching on his gem. Twilight shook her head and unplugged the camera.

"Well, it's corrupted all right. Sorry Pinkie, but you need to try again another time." The lavender mare levitated the camera beside her, rolling the projector back to its previous position. Pinkie pouted.

"But Twiiiiliiiightt~!"

The unicorn waved her hoof sharply. "Later. I need to delete the corrupted data." Dejectedly, the pink earth pony sat down and cast her eyes to the floor. Applejack trotted over to the sad mare and patted her on the back.

"Don't ya worry none, Pinkie. Ah'm sure Twi will fix that thing up lickety-split." the orange pony comforted, before turning back to Twilight. "Thanks a lot, sugarcube. Anythin' Ah can do to repay ya for your troubles?"

Twilight's poker face cracked for a split second. "Well, you could leave," then, reconsidering, she added, "Actually, there is. I could use your help practicing this spell I'm stuck on." Applejack looked uncomfortable.

"Well, Ah'd be happy to help Twi, but Ah'm afraid Ah don't know much about magic." Twilight smiled, an evil glint in her eye.

"Oh, don't worry. You just have to stand there." The unicorn mare replied.

"So... Ah'm a test subject?"

"Precisely."

"...Great..." Sighing, the orange pony accepted her fate. When the Element of Honesty said she was going to help, she was going to help. Regardless of what said help entailed.

The two mares moved to the stairs before turning back to Pinkie Pie, who was still sitting sadly in the middle of the room. "Come back after my test, Pinkie. I'll fix it and then you can show those ponies in Canterlot your stuff." Twilight said, hoping to cheer her pink friend up. Pinkie brightened.

"Okie dokie. Thanks again for letting us use your stuff. You're my best purple unicorn friend ever~" the party pony gushed, getting back on her feet. Twilight giggled.

"Thanks Pinkie." she said. Raising an eyebrow, the magic student asked a question she had been holding off on for fear of Pinkie's "over-enthusiastic" answers. "By the way, what's with the flowers?"

Pinkie looked puzzled by Twilight's question for a second, until she looked at her own flanks and realized that she had been carrying Cranky's flowers around with her all day, and they were starting to wilt. A distressed look passed over her features.

"Oh my gosh! I completely forgot!!" the party pony exclaimed. Thanking her lavender friend profusely, she rushed to the door and thrust it open, stepping out into the afternoon sun. Remembering something, Pinkie turned back to call out to her friends.

"Oh!! And you guys are totally invited!!" she shouted, cupping her hooves around her mouth so she could be heard.

"To what?" came Applejack's confused reply. Pinkie giggled to herself.

"Slendy's party, of course!! Oh! And bring a mask! Slendy loves those~!" With that, the party pony was off to Cranky's house. Twilight and Applejack looked at each other and shrugged. Pinkie will be Pinkie, after all.

---

The afternoon air was strangely cold when Pinkie arrived at the small residence, which was nestled away in a sparsely populated section of Ponyville. The grey walls of the building seemed strangely foreboding today, and no smoke rose from the small brick chimney attached to the roof top. The light of a candle flickered too and fro in the bedroom window, casting odd shadows on the thin pane of glass. It was the only light in the house, at least from what Pinkie could see in the rays of the now-setting sun. Pinkie got the annoying feeling she was being watched again, and she looked suspiciously at the trees surrounding the abode. They rustled innocently in the breeze, seemingly proclaiming that they had nothing to hide.

Ignoring her feelings of uneasiness, Pinkie Pie put on a happy face and bounced to the old wooden door that marked the entrance to the house. She knocked on it three times.

"Cranky~! Matilda~! I brought you some flowers!!"

There was no answer. Puzzled, Pinkie knocked again.

""C'mon you guys, they're a little wilted but I worked hard to get them for you~!"

Again, a response was not forthcoming. Annoyed that the two donkeys were ignoring her, the pink pony tried the door knob.

"I'm going to give you these flowers whether you want them or not!" She declared, twisting the silver orb in her hoof. The door was unlocked, and it slid open smoothly on oiled hinges.

Stepping into the house felt like diving into a deep pool. The earth pony's ears popped as she crossed the threshold. Heart beating ever faster, Pinkie shakily made her way through the front room towards the living room, where she knew Cranky liked to read a good book from time to time.

Turning left through an ornate archway, Pinkie reached her destination. A large red couch was situated in front of the desolate fireplace, one of its cushions still bearing the indentation of a pony's (or donkey's) behind. A shelf crouched underneath the only window in the entire room, its healthy-looking brown finish contrasting with the dust sifting through the air. Outside, the party pony could see the beginnings of Celestia's sunset, orange and amber bands of color rolling through the sky like waves in an ocean. The floorboards creaked eerily as Pinkie tiptoed to the center of the room.

"C-Cranky? Matilda?" She called, voice breaking. Only the oppressive silence answered her. A small framed photo on top of the shelf caught Pinkie's attention, and she slowly made her way over to it, taking great pains to minimize the amount of noise she was making.

It was a picture of Cranky and Matilda at a beach, frolicking in the waves together. In background she could see little foals in their inner-tubes, their parents reaching out to them in concern for their safety. A tan colored stallion was paddling out into the sea, his stomach to the bottom of a surfboard. On a bad day, this photo might have even cheered Pinkie up, because of how much she liked to see her friends having fun.

The faces of Cranky and Matilda were hidden by some sort of symbol. A circle, intersected by a large X.

Frankly, the picture creeped the baker out. She left the room, intending to head to the bedroom next. She was curious; why would Cranky or his marefriend deface such a nice photo? As she walked through the short hallway leading to her destination, she noticed all of the other portraits or photo's hung on the walls were vandalized in the same way. Photos of Cranky when he still had hair. Pictures of Matilda leaning lovingly on her buckfriend's shoulder. A portrait of the two of them holding hooves, walking down a boardwalk during sunset. All were adorned with the same mysterious symbol.

Along with this disturbing revelation, Pinkie's feelings of dread continued to increase the more she walked down the hall. It was a short walk, but the atmosphere of the home made her feel like she was marching to her own funeral.

Gulping loudly, the pink baker knocked softly on the bedroom door.

"C-Cranky...? M-Matilda...?" She repeated, pressing her ear to the bare wood. Only the creaking of the floorboards answered her. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she opened the door.

The bedroom was empty. The bed, still made but bearing evidence that it had been used recently, sat in the corner of the room, next to a nightstand. The candle continued to flicker on the stand, casting ghastly shadows across the floor and onto the walls. From the window behind the candle, Pinkie could see the road she had traveled to get here, along with a small overhang that was suspended over the entrance. Confused and worried for her two friends, Pinkie began to think of worst case scenarios.

'W-where did they go...?' She thought, walking to the nightstand. 'Were they... taken... by somepony...?' The party pony looked around anxiously as she tried to remember whether or not the two lovebirds told her if they were going on a vacation this week. Shifting nervously, the earth pony accidentally knocked her flank into the nightstand, causing one of the shelves to slide out an inch. Curious and hoping to find a clue, Pinkie Pie opened it all the way and pulled out a small, white pamphlet.

Mount Hoof, it declared in bold letters at the top, the most popular tourist destination in all of Equestria. Come see the site of Celestia and Nightmare Moon's final, epic battle! Witness for yourself the majestic...

Pinkie stopped reading and released a sigh of relief. So they did go on vacation. Looking back at the flowers still in her saddlebags, the pink pony decided to keep them and bring them to Fluttershy's place.

She would pick more flowers for Cranky when he got back. The symbols still made her uneasy, but Pinkie was never one to judge a friend's taste in aesthetics. Maybe it was some kind of feng-shui thing. The baker turned towards the door, eager to leave the oddly nerve-wracking residence. A painful squeezing feeling suddenly made itself known in Pinkie's right foreleg.

Pinchy knee.

Turning around, Pinkie looked out the window to see Slendermane, silently watching her through the glass. The earth pony's spirits lifted at the sight of her new friend.

"Slendy!! Hi-" She began enthusiastically, cutting herself off when the tall creature rose to its hooves and turned away from the window. Frowning, Pinkie raised her voice again. "Hey! Where are you going!?"

The monster passed out of the party pony's line of sight, moving behind the wall towards the woods that surrounded Cranky's house on either side. Frantically trying not to lose her companion a second time, Pinkie Pie rushed through the house and slammed open the entrance, dashing through and out onto the road ahead.

She looked left.

She looked right.

She didn't look left again, because she knew Slendermane was gone. Pawing at the dirt path in frustration, she snorted angrily.

"I just wanted to say hi," she pouted aloud. "He doesn't have to run away like I'm some horrible monster pony! Hmph." Shrugging her shoulders to get her saddlebags adjusted right, she looked up at the sky. There were maybe two or three hours left of daylight; the sunset was only in its infant stages. Huffing one more time in agitation, Pinkie Pie began trotting towards her final destination of the day, Fluttershy's cottage.

---

"Oh, um, welcome Pinkie." The timid voice of the yellow pegasus greeted. The slot where Fluttershy was looking at her friend slid shut, followed by several metallic clicks and the jangle of a chain. Finally, the door opened and Pinkie could walk inside.

Smiling cheerfully, the party pony said hello to the many woodland creatures that rushed from their hiding places to greet their usual pet-sitter. Giggling, the earth pony faced the shy pegasus again. "What's with all the locks, Fluttershy? It's not Nightmare Night yet!" Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her pink mane.

"Um, well... you see, my friends here all seemed so nervous today and... oh, I just simply had to make sure they were safe." She said, smiling lovingly at all her animals. Pinkie Pie jumped up suddenly, forcing a bird that had landed on her back to take flight in agitation. She grinned widely.

"You can trust me, Fluttershy!! I'm the bestest pet-sitter in Ponyville," the pink pony snorted, "Well, except for you, of course."

Fluttershy nodded. "Oh, yes, I'm sure you are Pinkie. Um, just do the usual okay? Spot only eats the green tomatoes, um Brendan has a bad leg, so don't let him run around to much... um, and-"

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. "Raul needs his medicine after dinner, right? C'mon Fluttershy we've done this before. Trust me~" the party pony gave her most winning smile. Wincing, Fluttershy sighed in acknowledgement.

"Yes, of course you do Pinkie, sorry... I'll only be gone for a little while, so you probably won't have to feed them." She said, petting the squirrel that had nuzzled up to her. The earth pony raised an eyebrow.

"Where ya going?"

"...Zecora's hut..." The pink mare's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're going to the forest? But it's almost dark, you silly pony!" She admonished, wagging her hoof at the timid pegasus. Fluttershy scraped at the ground with her hoof.

"As long as I'm back before dark it's not that scary... um, besides, Simba needs his special arthritis medicine and only Zecora can make it so..."

Pinkie stared at her yellow friend for a while before grinning proudly. "You're so brave, Fluttershy~!" She exclaimed, giving her pink-maned friend a big hug. Pinkie released her, and Fluttershy backed up blushing.

"Oh, um, thank you." She said softly, putting on her yellow saddlebags. "I'll be back before sundown so-" A flash of white materialized itself and latched onto the animal lover's leg, planting itself firmly on the ground. Fluttershy frowned. "Now, Angel, we talked about this. I need to go get medicine, so you have to let me go."

The rabbit furiously shook his head, pointing down at the floor of the cottage, then at the locks on the door.

"Angel, please. I'll be fine."

The bunny again shook his head, jumping up and down in frustration. He pointed outside, and then pretended to slit his throat with a finger. The bunny's head went limp for a second, as if he had actually cut himself, and then perked back up with a determined look in his eyes. The yellow pony shook her head firmly, giving her favorite bunny a stern look.

"Thank you for your concern Angel Bunny, but I will be fine. Let go."

The gutsy rabbit refused, stomping his right foot on the ground and pointing again at the locks. Fed up, Fluttershy turned the dreaded Stare on the poor animal.

"Let. Go." She commanded. Unable to resist his owner's command, the bunny's arms went limp and the pegasus, nodding to Pinkie Pie, exited the cottage and closed the door.

Suddenly snapping out of his Stare induced trance, Angel ran at the door and began pounding on it with his little fists, making angry squeaking noises. Pinkie looked at the rabbit with concern.

"Oh, don't worry Angel Bunny, she'll be back soon! Turn that frown upside down!" the pink mare cheered, spinning around in a quick circle. The bunny looked back at Pinkie with intense worry in his eyes before his face contorted into an angry snarl. Stomping his feet, the animal plodded upstairs like a foal being sent to his room. Frowning, Pinkie looked around the room at all the other animals and saw worry in their eyes as well.

Struck by inspiration, the party pony grinned slyly. "Who's up for a game?" She inquired, rubbing her hooves together.

---

It was poker night at Fluttershy's house, and Pinkie Pie was rich. Piled high next to her cards on the dining room table was a massive stack of all sorts of treasures: sunflower seeds, dog treats, and even an embroidered collar she got off a particularly gullible basset hound. Animals of all shapes and sizes were crowded around the table, holding their cards any way they could, giving each other suspicious looks. The shiny aluminum appliances and stocked pantries of Fluttershy's kitchen surrounded the players. To the left of the table was the entrance to the rest of the cottage, where candle light lit the front room in a peaceful orange glow. To the right, the backdoor let the gentle light of the rising moon through its screen window.

"I raise one dog treat, and ten seeds!" Pinkie declared, pushing said objects into the center of the table. Immediately following, at least five sets of cards were folded, the animals holding them moaning in defeat. Only a toucan named Theo and a newfoundland named Washington matched Pinkie's raise. Barking confidently, Washington pushed two more dog treats into the center of the table. Pinkie narrowed her eyes while Theo squawked in outrage; nevertheless, they matched the bet. Passing on the opportunity to raise, Theo gestured with his wing for the only pony attending to flip the final card.

It was a ten of diamonds. The animals around the table watched in anticipation as the players began to lay down their cards. Theo, puffing out his chest with pride, had three kings. Washington slobbered on the table in excitement, laying down his full house with a challenging look at Pinkie. Would they finally beat the king of the table? Keeping her poker face, the dealer glanced around the table, making sure to meet every animal's eye. Grinning widely, she splayed out her cards for all to see.

4 of a kind, ace high. She laughed as the animals all groaned as one. "Better luck next time!" Fluttershy's pets all continued to make sounds of protest as the baker pulled her winnings into her pile.

"Ow!" She yelped, right foreleg acting up again. The animals at the table all went quiet, their eyes wide in fear. Rubbing her leg, Pinkie looked questioningly at them, tilting her head.

"What's wrong?"

Suddenly, as one, every animal in the room bolted out of the kitchen as fast as their limbs could take them, be it their legs, wings, or otherwise. The stampede knocked over cans of spices and expensive vases, the former's contents spilling onto the floor in a messy puff of flavor. The fragile containers shattered onto the shining tile, creating what should've been a cacophony of obnoxiously loud bumps, crashes, and splatters. But, as the confused mare soon realized, they made no sound at all.

A loud creaking sound, the only sound currently audible, echoed through the medium-sized kitchen. Turning towards the backdoor, Pinkie was just in time to see Slendermane poke its head into the room. Strangely unable to find anything to say to her friend, the pink pony watched quietly as the creature ducked its massive body under the door frame and waddled into the room, its legs bent at a comical angle. Once inside, Slendermane stood to almost its full height, towering over Pinkie like a giant over an ant. Crossing her hooves across her chest, the earth pony finally found her voice.

"You meanie! It's impolite to run away from ponies, especially your friends!!" She scolded, unfolding her legs and rising to her hooves. She marched purposefully over to the monster, looking it directly in where she assumed his eyes were under what she assumed was a mask.

Slendermane had had enough. The atmosphere from Cranky's house seeped slowly into the room, only this time it was much, much more intense. The air positively thrummed with murderous energy, and gravity itself seemed to multiply in intensity as Pinkie Pie was forced sputtering to her knees.

"H-huh...?!" She breathed. The sound of blood rushing in her ears was all-consuming. Paralyzed by an unknown fear, it was all she could do to lay there as Slendermane raised its hoof for the final time.

Out of nowhere, a loud, shaky squeak pierced the crushing silence, dispelling the atmosphere as quickly as it came. Looking up at Slendermane, Pinkie began to doubt herself. Was she making a mistake trying to befriend the mysterious pony? Surely the energy she felt before couldn't be coming from it.

Right?

Angel rushed from his hiding place, charging wildly in a frantic attempt to protect his master's friend. Squealing in fury, the rabbit threw itself against the black void of Slendermane's suit, only to careen to the floor when the creature lifted its leg. After contemplating the brave animal momentarily, the slender pony replaced its leg back to its previous position, right on top of the squirming bunny's body.

Angel Bunny convulsed uncontrollably for three seconds, before falling completely still. Absolute silence returned to the room.

Pinkie Pie, refusing to believe her new friend was a bad pony, and always seeing things in a positive light, smiled widely. "Wow, Slendy! You didn't tell me you were a masseuse!" Grinning, the misguided pony poked Angel's unmoving head with a hoof. "Look how relaxed he is~!"

A timid knocking noise reverberated through the house. Happy that her old friend might get to meet her new one, the party pony skipped over to the door and opened it, revealing the shy pegasus and her empty saddlebags.

"How'd it go?" Pinkie asked, eyeing her bags in confusion. Fluttershy sighed.

"Well... I got to Zecora's hut, but when I knocked on the door she just screamed at me to go away... I hope nothing's wrong..." the yellow mare trailed off, noticing her friend's eager look. "Um, whats wrong Pinkie?" Unable to contain her enthusiasm, the pink earth pony bounced high in delight.

"Ooooh, you just gotta meet my new friend," she began happily, turning away from Fluttershy, "He's..."

...Gone?

Again?

"Ooohh!! That pony!! This is the last time he runs away from Pinkie Pie!!!" Roaring in fury, the party pony pushed Fluttershy aside and rushed out onto the road outside, determined to find her friend.

Confused, Fluttershy simply stood in the doorway for a minute, trying to piece together what just transpired. After failing miserably, the pegasus trotted into her home and set down her bags.

"Angel," she called, "mommy's home! I'm sorry I was so mean earlier. How about I make you that nice lettuce sundae you love so much..."

Looking around, the timid pony realized with concern how all of her animals were cowering in a corner on the far side of the room. Panic crept into her voice. "Angel?! Where are you?!" Flapping her wings furiously, she flew to the kitchen.

And stopped dead.

Angel was lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. Through a haze of pure panic, Fluttershy was unable to see his chest moving even slightly.

'My Angel...' Fluttershy's muscles were frozen in place.

'My Angel!!!'

By the time the yellow pegasus's voice caught up to her body, Pinkie Pie was too far away to hear Fluttershy's scream.

---

The moon was still just barely beginning to creep over the Eastern horizon, basking the long trail back to Ponyville in a silver light. Pinkie Pie stomped along the path angrily. She spent ten whole minutes looking for her friend and still came up with nothing. She was becoming fed up with Slendy and his habit of disappearing randomly.

"Oh, If I find that meanie I'll... take away his cupcake privileges for a month!" she grumbled under her breath, kicking a particularly unfortunate stone.

A crying sound echoed through the night. Thoughts jarred by the mournful noise, the pink pony looked up into the dark sky.

A yellow pegasus with a pink mane flew across the moon, her silhouette cutting through the crisp night air, wings beating frantically. "Fluttershy...?"

Pinkie felt a familiar pain in her right foreleg. Learning by now that this feeling signaled the arrival of her newest companion, she spun on her hooves with a pout on her face.

Slendermane walked up the road behind her, keeping a casual, and, as usual, silent pace. Its suit was so black that it actually stood out against the dark of the night. The only easily visible portions of the tall beast were its face and the tips of its hooves, which reflected the moonlight and produced the effect that they were glowing. Pinkie stood her ground and waited for the monster to approach before unloading on him.

"You meanie! Meanie, meanie, meanie! I'm never going to get you another muffin again!! I'm going to-" She blustered, before stopping. Slendermane simply walked right past her.

"H-hey! Wait up!"

The two walked side by side for a while. Pinkie Pie stayed quiet, afraid that if she spoke Slendermane would run away again. No crickets chirped; the only sound was the crunch of Pinkie's hooves on the gravel. Ponyville came into view, and Slendermane stopped.

Turning back, Pinkie frowned as she gazed at her companion. Just who was this strange pony who wears a mask? Who towers over even Celestia herself?

"Not coming?" the pink pony asked, oddly subdued. The events of the day had tired her out. The monster said nothing, as it was wont to do. Sighing, Pinkie held out her hoof.

"I need to get home, Slendy." she began. The tall abomination stared at the hoof in quiet contemplation. "It was nice meeting you though. I hope we can meet again when you don't, you know, disappear every time I wanna hang out with you."

The creature began to walk forward. That's when the feelings began.

Despair.

Fear.

Depression.

Suddenly shaking, the earth pony fell to her knees again. What the buck was going on?

Terror.

Hopelessness.

There was no escape.

Slendermane towered over Pinkie Pie once more. Before, Pinkie Pie saw the monster's height as something different and interesting. Now, it seemed like it was using every inch of it to intimidate the poor pony. She hadn't felt this way when she was with it before. Why now? What was happening?!

"U-ugh, s-stop..." She choked. The creature reached towards Pinkie's shaking hoof, which was still aloft in a gesture of farewell. She couldn't move.

Contact.

Ignorance is bliss.

The illusion was shattered.

The disgusting squish of entrails raining down from above. Cleavers splitting bellies apart, cutting them open like a hot knife through butter, releasing the precious red fluids in a blossom of agony. Poison flowers dissolving the insides of foals. Torture. Rape. Pain. Slicingcuttingkillinglaughingbreakingrippingdyingcrushingpiercing-

Pinkie screamed louder than ever before.

The pink mare ran for her life, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Choking and gasping, sides heaving in fear and exhaustion, her hooves crashed down clumsily on the road. Her lungs were on fire. Her ears heard nothing but the visions.

Squish, squish.

Her friends. She needed her friends. If anyone could save her, it would be Twilight.

"Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease-" she whimpered in agony, the visions still cutting deeply into her mind. Every window was a flat blade, every door, a portal to hell.

It was still behind her, silent as a ghost. How long was it watching her? It was too quiet. Too. bucking. quiet.

The library came into view, and Pinkie fumbled with the knob unsuccessfully for several terrifying seconds before finally forcing it open and stepping into the well-lit tree house.

"Twiligh-"

"Shh!" The horrified earth pony was shushed by a mare she barely recognized through the haze of fear. It was Nurse Redheart. Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, Pinkie frantically looked over the room and was surprised to see almost all of her friends there, minus Rarity. Fluttershy was sobbing in the back of the group while the others were huddled around a grey-coated doctor named Get Well.

"Please!" Pinkie sobbed, throwing herself at the other Elements. They turned to her with faces of concern, which quickly transformed into faces of disgust.

"Pinkie! Can't you see we have an emergency here?!" Twilight said angrily, gesturing a hoof towards the floor in front of the doctor.

Angel lay sprawled on his back. The vet was taking various measurements with his tools. She should've known. This was her fault.

"You don't understand! Slendy-"

Applejack bucked Pinkie Pie in the face, sending her sprawling onto the library floor. The others looked at her in alarm before grim acknowlegement crossed over their features. Sniffing, Pinkie rubbed her face where the hoof had connected.

"Darnit, Pinkie! We don't have time for your bucking games!! Can't you see somepony is hurt?!" The farmer roared, stomping her hoof on the ground.

Pinkie looked at the faces of all her friends. Twilight. Applejack. Rainbow Dash. Spike. Fluttershy...

Sobbing wretchedly in fear and frustration, the pink pony turned and ran out the door, leaving a dejected Applejack behind.

"Ah, shoot..." She mumbled, pulling her hat down over her eyes. Twilight put her hoof on the orange pony's shoulders.

"You did what you had to. We can apologize later, when nopony's in danger." She said, eyes sad. Rainbow Dash bristled.

"Something's wrong. Really wrong. I've never seen Pinkie like that." Her friends turned to her, sorrow etched onto their faces. The cyan pegasus' wings flared outwards. "I'll be right back."

Kicking off in a cloud of dust, Rainbow Dash rushed out of the library and into the open sky. "Where are you Pinkie...?" Continuing to scan the town below, she found her friend in an alleyway not too far from the library.

But... what was that with her?

Rainbow Dash began to cough. Her throat felt like an army of red ants was marching down it. Her lungs began to contract and close up. Her wings, deprived of the air necessary to fuel them, failed her, and she crashed to the ground between Pinkie and whatever she was cornered by. Eyes watering, Dash cast her eyes upward from her fallen position, sizing up her enemy.

She wished she didn't. A tower of pure fear rose above her; wicked tendrils blacker than night whipped around voraciously, searching for a target. The presence of this monster was more powerful than anything speedster had ever felt before.

"D-Dashie...!" Pinkie whispered behind her. Rainbow Dash shook off her fear with pure willpower. She was here to protect, not to cower.

The Element of Loyalty rose to her hooves and took a shaky battle stance.

"B-bucking monster... stay away from my friend!!" She rushed at Slendermane full tilt, front hooves poised to rip the fell creature apart.

Pinkie flashed back to their breakfast that morning. Rainbow Dash was protecting Pinkie again, but this was beyond anything they had fought before. Nightmare Moon was a child. Discord was a weakling. Chrysalis was a joke.

Slendermane was a true nightmare.

"No!!" Pinkie screamed, struggling in place. Try as she might, the earth pony couldn't move a single hoof.

Rainbow Dash connected with a scream of vengeance. Slendermane, for all its supernatural strength, staggered back several paces. But the damage had been done.

Rainbow Dash screamed again, this time in pure agony. She fell to the ground and began to thrash around, head between her hooves as she was assaulted by the visions. The pink pony could only whimper, tears falling down her cheeks, as she watched her friend writhe in pain.

"D-Dashie... please..." She cried, eyes large and afraid.

"Run..."

"Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaa!!!" Dash roared, leaping to her hooves in a flurry of cyan feathers. She screamed towards the still-stunned monster on shaking wings, colliding once more with her opponent. Slendermane fell, long legs buckling under the relentless assault. The loyal pegasus, eyes wild and mouth foaming, reeled from the blow and crashed into a wall , wailing under the influence of fresh visions.

Drowning in bodies, a sea of corpses and blood. Feasting on the flesh of-

'My friend...!'

-still breathing ponies. Foals mourning over-

'...I have to...!'

-the remains of mothers and fathers. The witch doctor and-

'...I will...!'

-his candied poisons, selling them to desperate and sick ponies. Thunderclaps of-

'Protect her!!'

Biting her leg in an attempt to drown out some of the images with physical pain, Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves.

Crack!!

"Aaaaagh!" The rainbow-maned pony screamed, feeling the bones of her wing fracture under the pressure of the sudden and devastating strike. Through crying eyes and a haze of pain, the pegasus barely registered the looming form of Slendermane, tentacles swirling around it like bees around a kicked beehive.

Snap!!

Her right leg was forced into an unnatural angle when the tentacle broke her knee. Visions of bone splinters being driven into her flesh spread across her mind like wildfire.

Snap!! Crack!! Crunch!!

As the blows increased in intensity and ferocity, the images the contact incited became worse and worse. Dash, a broken mind in a broken body, thought she could vaguely hear her friend calling her name. Who was her friend again? The pegasus couldn't remember. All that existed was pain. The lash the tentacle. The fire in her mind. She thought she heard screaming, but whether it was her own or somepony else's mattered little.

"W-why...! I-I-I just w-wanted to b-be your friend!!" Pinkie bawled, collapsing onto her stomach. She couldn't decide. Would she cover her eyes and listen to her best friend's death throes, or close her ears and watch her be torn apart? In the end, she was unable to do either.

Pinkie Pie watched in quivering silence as the roots discontinued their barrage and began to wrap slowly around the thrashing pegasus like an anaconda strangling its prey. Eventually, Rainbow was completely obscured from view, a shell of writhing darkness the only thing left visible. The screaming stopped. For a minute, the only sound was Pinkie's sobbing and the beating of the pink pony's heart. The tentacles retracted.

Rainbow Dash was gone.

Pinkie held her breath as Slendermane directed its attention back towards her, tentacles dancing eagerly in the moonlight. It was hopeless. She killed her friend tonight, and now it was her turn.

As the tendrils slithered around her and her thoughts were consumed with brimstone, she finally understood. The reason it came to Ponyville in the first place.

It was here for them.

It was here for revenge.

---

Get Well smiled gently as the mares surrounding him began to register what he had said.

"Angel.." Twilight started, a grin moving across her face.

"...Is going be okay?" Applejack finished, her own smile quickly gaining ground.

"Sweet!" Spike cheered.

"Ooh!" Fluttershy squealed, latching onto the vet with a crushing hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Nurse Redheart laughed quietly from her position beside the doctor.

"Yes, quite. When the purple pony teleported to me yelling at the top of her lungs about an emergency, I thought somepony was having a heart attack or a stroke." Get Well remarked, casting a sideways glance to the unicorn in question. Twilight blushed in embarrassment. Cracking his neck, the doctor yawned. Fluttershy reluctantly released him. "It seems to me like Angel Bunny here had a fright, that's all. Rabbits are prone to sudden panic attacks because of their nature as a prey animal. He should wake up in a day or two."

The grey pony gathered up his things and, gesturing for Redheart to follow, made his way to the door. Not once ceasing in her endless barrage of thank-you's, Fluttershy saw them out and rushed back to Angel's side as soon as the door closed. Nuzzling her face against her pet's snout, the yellow pegasus hummed contentedly.

The immediate crisis over with, Applejack sat down heavily. "It's been a long day." She stated tiredly, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. Twilight agreed with a lazy nod of her head. The grin slowly faded from the lavender mare's muzzle. "...What are we going to do about Pinkie?" she asked guiltily, thinking back on how they had treated her. Applejack sighed.

"Ah suppose Ah'm just going have to apologize and hope for the best." The orange earth pony admitted, equally guilty.

Spike spoke up. "Speaking of Pinkie, didn't Rainbow Dash go get her? Shouldn't they be back by-" A loud belch interrupted the baby dragon's question, the resulting plume of green fire scorching the floor. A worn scroll fell out of the air, landing on the ground with a soft crumpling sound. It was emblazoned with the seal of Princess Celestia herself.

"A message...? This late?" Twilight pondered out loud, scratching her head.

Suddenly, a strong wind picked up inside the tree. A flash of dark blue light illuminated the center of the library, before fading away to reveal an unexpected guest.

"P-Princess L-Luna?!" Fluttershy exclaimed in disbelief, finally looking up from Angel. True enough, the princess of the night now stood proudly in the middle of the room, her long, sparkling mane and tail flowing in the lunar breeze. Everypony bowed deeply in respect.

Looking over the small group of friends, Luna smiled lightly. "Twilight Sparkle. We meet again. Rise." The alicorn commanded. As the mortal ponies complied, Luna walked briskly to a front window, scanning the outside nervously. They watched as she continued on to a second window, and then finally checked the door to see if the locks worked. Raising an eyebrow, Twilight spoke.

"Excuse me, Princess, but is something the matter?" Luna's own expression mirrored the magical protege's inquisitive one.

"Didn't you read my sister's letter?" she questioned. They all shook their heads.

"We just got it, your Highness." Applejack answered, taking off her hat in respect. Luna snorted impatiently.

"Read it post-haste." She commanded, spreading her wings and flying to the loft. She inspected Twilight's bedroom window the same way she inspected the others. The lavender unicorn levitated the scroll over to herself, casting a curious glance at the Moon Princess. Noticing her look, the dark blue alicorn sighed tiredly.

"I wish I knew the specifics, Twilight Sparkle," The lunar goddess elaborated, "but all I know for sure is that something terrible is happening in Ponyville." Luna stared into the distance, eyes grim.

"And that we are running out of time."