Apollo Creed felt the sun warming his face as he gradually slipped into wakefulness. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly got out of bed and put on his robe. He strode towards an ornate, full-length mirror and surveyed his appearance. He was glad that Rarity did such a great job at shaving his head; he did not miss the morning tangles of his high school afro.
Turning, he surveyed the room. His king-sized bed took up one corner, and a large, teak dresser occupied another. A window beside his bed gave him a wonderful view of his beloved Ponyville, while a window opposite the first showcased the Whitetail Woods. He loved to watch the Running of the Leaves from this window every year.
Above his bed hung a pair of shining, red boxing gloves. He had commissioned Rarity to make them as a testament to his past. She had offered to make them for free, but Apollo wouldn't hear of it. He paid her full price for all the necessary materials and labor.
Ring! Ring!
Apollo ran down the stairs as fast as he could to answer the phone. Whenever duty called, or even just Pinkie Pie, he never let it go to voicemail.
"Hello?" he said as he picked up the phone.
There was no answer.
"Hello?" Apollo tried again. "Is anypony there?"
"Doo Doo Doo! If you would like to make a call, please hang up and try again."
"Dumb prank calls," grumbled Apollo as he slammed the phone down.
He decided that he would very much enjoy a trip into Ponyville. He could have breakfast, or meet up with the Doctor, with whom he was good friends. He threw on a light t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans (a Rarity original!) and left the house, remembering to lock it. He trusted all the ponies in Ponyville, but sometimes Angel liked to make the long journey from Fluttershy's cottage to his own house, and Apollo certainly didn't trust the cunning bunny.
As Apollo walked, he thought about how he came to be in Ponyville. He remembered that he had closed his eyes on Earth. He opened them to find himself face to face with Morgan Freeman.
"Who are you?" Apollo had asked.
"I am Morgan Freeman," replied Morgan Freeman. "But I am also God."
"So, does that mean that I'm dead?" He had not thought it strange that he was talking to God, let alone that God was Morgan Freeman.
"Yes, Apollo. You are most certainly dead," Morgan Freeman had assured him.
"Does this mean that I get to go to heaven, then?"
"Well, as it turns out," God had said, "You were actually too good for heaven. A man of your caliber deserves better, and I think I have just the place."
Apollo had at first wondered why any sane man would choose to go to a strange place known as "Equestria" rather than ascend into heaven, but once God had explained the beautiful serenity that it held, he knew at once that he would love it. He agreed.
"Farewell, Apollo Creed," called Morgan Freeman as he faded into the distance. "Perhaps we'll meet again someday."
Apollo entered Ponyville at the same instant that he decided upon a plan. He would meet up with the Doctor, and then he would go out for breakfast with him! It was brilliant, and nothing could stand in the way of his soon-to-be wonderful morning.
Nothing, that is, except...
"Apollo!"
Apollo Creed turned his head to see who had called him. Rarity and Applejack were racing towards him, their manes and tails flying in the wind. A cloud of dust rose from the ground as they backpedaled in a comedic attempt to stop. Rarity stopped just a little too fast, and Applejack careened into her from behind, causing them to tumble in a white-and-orange heap.
"Well, hello there, Rarity, Applejack," Apollo greeted them as they extricated themselves from their tangle.
"Apollo! You have to help us! Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are missing, and Applejack and I can't find them anywhere!" Rarity practically screamed at him, abandoning all manners in her terror. Applejack's eyes were wide as she nodded in agreement.
Apollo felt a heavy weight settle into his stomach area. If Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were missing, Scootaloo was probably with them. Over the years, he had grown to love those three, and he didn't know what he would do if they ended up hurt, or worse...
"Calm down, Rarity," said Apollo, attempting to remain calm himself. They couldn't find the fillies if he and everypony panicked. "Tell me exactly what happened, please."
Rarity took a deep, steadying breath and began. "Well, Sweetie Belle and I were in the Boutique filling an order for a dress. Well, I was filling the order, and she was playing with her friends outside. I went out to let her know that I had finished, but they were nowhere to be found! I saw a few little hoofprints leading away from the door, but they ended after a few steps. Naturally, I went to find Applejack to inform her of Apple Bloom's disappearance, and we searched the entire town. We couldn't find them, and then we saw you and thought you might be able to help."
"I see," said Apollo. "Where, exactly, did you search?"
"We checked Twilight's Library, mah farm, Carousel Boutique, Sugar Cube Corner, and darn near every home in Ponyville," replied Applejack. "We didn't check Lyra and Bon Bon's house, on account of an... awkward... situation, but... Let's just say, the fillies weren't there."
"Did you ask anypony if they saw anything?" inquired Apollo.
"Everypony in town," replied Applejack. ""Cept fer Lyra and Bon Bon, but... Ah don't think they woulda seen anything."
"Right..." Apollo nodded. "Have you checked Fluttershy's yet?"
Applejack and Rarity looked at each other.
"Umm... No. We didn't think that the fillies would've made it that far in such a short time," answered Rarity.
Apollo sighed. These ponies clearly underestimated the speediness of a naughty foal. "Well, let's go talk to her."
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Rarity knocked on Fluttershy's door. "Fluttershy! Come out, please! We need to talk to you, darling!"
The door opened just a crack.
"Rarity?" Fluttershy looked terrified. "Wh-What do you want?"
"Well, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom have gone missing," she stated. "We think Scootaloo might be with them. Have you seen them?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "N-no, I haven't seen them... But I did see something that you might want to know about..."
"Well, consarnit, Fluttershy, tell us!" Applejack yelled.
"Umm... Early this morning, I saw a big, black... thing. It was huge and scary and it stood up on its hind legs. I saw it walk towards Ponyville, and then later it came back and went into the Everfree Forest. I, um... I took a picture, if you'd like to see it..." Fluttershy held out a blurry Polaroid.
"Fluttershy," began Apollo Creed, looking at the fuzzy picture. "Do you know what this is?"
"N-no... But it looks scary."
"Well, girls, it looks like we've found the culprit," said Apollo. "The Slenderman has taken the fillies into the forest."
"The Slenderman?" Rarity gasped. "I thought that was just an old mare's tale!"
"No," Apollo replied. "If Fluttershy's blurry photographic evidence is to be believed, the Slenderman is very real."
"Well, how're we ever gonna get the fillies back?" asked Applejack. "If the Slenderman's real, they're deader'n last season's apple crop."
"Don't worry, girls," Apollo said with a commanding air. "I have a plan."
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"Another dimension?" asked Twilight, confused. "I suppose I could... but it would require about ten seconds for the spell to lock on. Where do you need to go, Apollo?"
"It's not for me, Twilight," answered Apollo Creed. "Just be out in the main square in five minutes. If I'm not there, wait. I shouldn't be long."
With that, Apollo took off down Ponyville's streets, heading towards his house.
"So, why does Apollo need to send somepony to another dimension?" Twilight asked Rarity and Applejack.
Rarity began to tell the story, beginning from the point when she had questioned Twilight about the fillies' disappearance. Upon learning of the Slenderman's identification, Twilight gasped.
"The Slenderman!?" she cried. "But... But that's very dangerous! Does Apollo know what he's getting into?"
"Ah don't reckon any of us do, sugarcube," Applejack bowed her head, sending up a silent prayer to Celestia to keep them all safe.
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Apollo Creed ran as fast as he could to his house. He cursed himself for locking the door as he slowed to a halt, pulling out his key to unlock it. He was wasting precious seconds. As soon as the door was open, he ran upstairs, grabbed his boxing gloves, and ran back outside, this time heading for the Everfree Forest.
"Oh, Celestia, don't let me be too late," he muttered under his breath as he ran. "For the sake of everypony, don't let me be late!"
The Everfree Forest loomed in his sight, dark and foreboding. Apollo saw several crows burst through the treeline and make their way to another tree. That must be where the Slenderman is, he thought. He would look there first. Keeping the position of their emergence in sight, he quickened his pace.
Apollo thought he felt the beginnings of a stitch in his side. He did his best to regulate his breathing, and by the time he reached the edge of the forest, it had gone away. Putting on his boxing gloves, Apollo Creed entered the forest.
The Everfree Forest was a cruel misnomer, for nopony or human who entered was ever free from its cold, terrible grasp, even if they did manage to escape. The forest did things to the mind, things which should never be done to the innocent mind of the ponies of Equestria. Why Celestia allowed it to exist was a mystery. The myriad of healing plants within was a pitiful compensation for the pure minds tarnished by the dark trees. Zecora must be a brave, brave soul, thought Apollo, to live in such a horrid place.
Apollo walked slowly through the forest, keeping a watchful eye out for any sign of the fillies or the Slenderman. Darkness surrounded him, obscuring his vision. He could see a few feet ahead of him, but any farther than that and he was as good as blind. The sounds of invisible creatures echoed all around him, causing him to look around for the source of the disturbance. Each time he looked, however, he was rewarded with nothing. Apprehensive, he continued forward.
A pair of red eyes to his left caught his glance. He swiftly spun on his heel to get a better look, but they were gone in an instant, replaced with only blackness. Apollo felt fear rising in his chest as he returned to his path.
Again, on his right this time, he saw the red eyes. And again, they disappeared as he looked. He heard a rustling behind him, but he refused to look, knowing he would find nothing. The rustling grew louder, but still Apollo ignored it.
He slowed his pace, knowing he was approaching the place he had seen the crows fly from. The rustling behind him refused to go away. Growing impatient, Apollo turned to look. It stopped, and he saw nothing. With an aggravated sigh, he turned around, jumping back as he found himself face-to-face with the terrible monster itself.
The Slenderman.
With the body of a well-dressed business man, the faceless monster stood a head taller than Apollo himself. It blended with the black trees of the Everfree all too well, and for a moment, Apollo couldn't think. The creature's head turned to the side, and Apollo knew that, if it had features, it would've been leering at him curiously. Four long, thin arms snaked their way above the Slenderman, their pointed fingers flexing madly as they slowly made their way towards their prey. One arm remained in position above the Slenderman, and Apollo saw that, upon closer inspection, three young fillies were held in its grasp. His heart skipped a beat as he turned and fled back the way he had come.
The Slenderman let out an eerie hiss as it seemed to glide towards him. Apollo looked back to see that the creature was slowly but surely gaining on him, despite its slow pace. He ran as fast as he could around the myriad of near-invisible trees, making his way towards Ponyville. The Slenderman moved gracefully; it seemed as though the trees stepped aside for it, rather than acting as obstacles.
Howls and screeches echoed through the Everfree as Apollo raced through, followed by the faceless creature. He ignored them all, concentrating fully on escaping the forest and setting his plan into motion.
With a cry of exultation, Apollo broke free of the forest and flew past Fluttershy's cottage. He looked back to make sure the Slenderman followed him out. It stood at the edge of the woods, as if deliberating. Apollo stopped and, against all instinct, assumed a fighting stance and walked towards the monster. With a frustrated hiss, the Slenderman glided out and continued the chase.
The streets of Ponyville were empty as Apollo Creed led the Slenderman into Ponyville's main square. He saw Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack hiding in position behind the fountain. Apollo breathed deeply to settle himself, then turned and put up his fists, ready to reclaim his title as World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. The Slenderman cocked its head, as if confused, unused to its prey putting up a fight. It placed the three fillies on the ground behind it as it brought its long arms out, ready to oblige its feisty prey. The fillies didn't move.
Apollo Creed wasn't ready for the lightning-fast attack of the Slenderman. Its four arms shot out like dark pistons, catching him simultaneously in the stomach and knocking him on his back. The monstrosity glided over to him to deliver a final blow, but Apollo was up on his feet in a flash, delivering a quick barrage of blows to the Slenderman's featureless visage before backing away.
"And Apollo is back on his feet! He's rarin' to go, folks, now ain't that just like Apollo?" Spike was hollering into a megaphone from atop a building.
The Slenderman made a grab for Apollo with two of its long arms, but Apollo deftly jumped to the side, lashing out at the arms with all his strength. The creature screamed as one of its arms was broken.
"Ouch! That sure looks like it hurt, folks! Big Scary Monster doesn't look like he liked that, no sirree! He's comin' back! Watch out, Apollo!"
But Apollo didn't hear Spike's warning in time. The Slenderman managed to land two powerful hits directly to Apollo's face. Blood sprayed from his lip as Apollo dodged the third blow, landing one of his own and breaking the Slenderman's second arm.
"Anudda vicious right!" Spike cried. "Apollo Creed is giving this everything he's got, folks! This'll go down in history as the downright scariest fight Ponyville's ever seen!"
Apollo wiped his mouth, spitting out blood as the Slenderman reeled back, its two broken arms hanging limply at its side. But it still had two in tact, and that was enough to knock Apollo back with a quick one-two to the chest. He took a step back to recover. His eyes were steeled as he glared at the Slenderman.
"And it's Apollo, on the offensive this time!" Spike announced.
Sure enough, Apollo was right up against the Slenderman, battering its head as hard as he could. The Slenderman managed to grab Apollo's t-shirt in its two long arms and pull him back, but Apollo turned the focus of his blows to these arms.
"Ooh! Looks like Big Scary Monster might be down for the count, folks! Without the advantage of those arms, there's no way he can take out Apollo Creed, the greatest boxer that Equestria has ever seen!"
Apollo refused to think of the fight as over. He knew all too well that a weakened opponent can be the most dangerous. His guard up, he stepped up to the Slenderman and continued to batter its face.
The Slenderman, it turns out, is one opponent that is not dangerous once weakened. Its normal arms were atrophied from lack of use, and posed no threat to Apollo. Within a moment, Apollo held the monster on the ground in front of the fountain.
"Now, Twilight!" he shouted. Twilight stepped out from behind the fountain and began to focus her magic.
"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!" Spike began counting down.
The Slenderman began to struggle.
"Six! Five! Four!"
It feebly lifted its broken arms, attempting to pull Apollo off.
"Three! Two! One! He's down!"
With a flash of purple light, the Slenderman disappeared. Apollo Creed fell face-first into the dirt.
"Apollo Creed is the winner! And the crowd goes wild!"
Rarity and Applejack raced towards the still-motionless fillies.
"Are they okay?" asked Apollo, face still in the dirt. The fight had exhausted him.
He heard Rarity breathe a sigh of relief as Applejack replied. "They'll be fine, sugarcube, they're just unconscious."
"Oh, thank Celestia," said Apollo. He rolled over and stared into the sky. He had made it in time. All was well.
"That was amazing, Apollo," Twilight said, stepping over to him. "I've never seen anything like it. Would you like me to heal your wounds?"
"That would be great, Twi," replied Apollo. "By the way, where exactly did you send the Slenderman?"
Twilight laughed nervously. "Oh, nowhere in particular."
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The Slenderman awoke to find himself in a dark cage. He slowly rose to his feet and examined his prison. The bars ran vertically and horizontally, removing any possibility of escape. He rose a hand to rub his head and discovered a large bump. He didn't remember getting that in the fight...
Light flooded the room as an iron door opened with a loud creak. A large, shadowed figure stepped in and approached the cage.
"Hello there, my little friend," it said. "We're going to have a lot of fun together, me and you."
"Wh-what kind of fun?" asked the Slenderman in a high, raspy voice. He dreaded the answer before he even heard it.
A massively grinning, gray sheepdog came into view as the room lit up.
"Secret Butt Fun!!"