//------------------------------//
// Part 4: A Matter of Time 
// Story: The Slender: Harmony and Darkness 
// by Lance Skyes 
//------------------------------//

	I could never remember where it was. After all, I had been searching for the TARDIS in this world for about two years, already. Maybe it was in this strange forest I stood before. I did remember some trees around where I materialized here in her, so it was worth a shot. I pulled out my Sonic Screwdriver, which doubled as a handy flashlight at times, and trotted into the forest.

[TIME TURNER]
I couldn’t sleep, that night. There was something in the air. Something I just couldn’t put my hoof on. Something... sticky, like humidity. These were the kinds of things I used to be more than happy to investigate. More than happy to charge headfirst into. But ever since I lost the TARDIS and my Sonic Screwdriver stopped working correctly, I was little more than another pony here in Ponyville. A lost face in the crowd, a pony with no purpose, and a Time Lord with nowhere to go.
I got out of bed, wondering where Ditzy was right now. Knowing her, she probably wasn’t asleep, either. I looked out the window, up towards Cloudsdale. “A Time Lord should never be alone,” I said out loud, probably thinking Ditzy could hear me. “I need companions... I need the TARDIS back.” I walked back to my bed and collapsed onto it. “But Celestia knows I’m not getting either anytime soon.” I did my best to fall asleep, but no matter what, there was something in the air that kept my eyelids from staying closed for too long. I shot straight up when I suddenly realized that there was literally something in the air keeping my eyelids from staying closed for too long. Something was nearby. Something so familiar yet so unknown.
Static.

[SILPH]
“So...” I said, breaking a silence the four of us had been walking in for the longest time, “how has everyone been since your... encounters?”
Lyra and Big Macintosh just looked at me for a moment. “Well,” Lyra said, “for most of my life, I’ve been plagued by nightmares about the Slender.”
“Really?” Big Macintosh asked. “I haven’t had any of those nightmares. However, I have always heard the Static since I escaped. That hasn’t happened to you, Lyra?”
“No,” Lyra replied. “Perfect silence when I’m awake.”
“Really?” I asked, turning around. “Odd. I wonder what could have caused this?”
“Do you think maybe it was because they were chased by different Slender?” Applejack asked.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I said, hitting my forehead with my hoof. (Nearly breaking my horn.) “That’s an excellent idea, Applejack. Not all Slender are exactly the same. The differences are more than just physical.” I turned around to face Applejack, walking backwards. “You know, when I first saw you, I thought you were just another workhorse, but after spending this past... hour with you, I’ve realized-” I was stopped suddenly when another galloping stallion ran right into me, knocking me into the ground.

[TIME TURNER]
I was galloping as fast as I could. I wasn’t sure whether I was running towards or away from... I wasn’t entirely sure what I was running for. I wasn’t even sure it had anything to do with the Static, anymore. All I knew was that, that night, I had to find some way to live the life I used to have, even if other ponies are sure I’m making it up. With or without Ditzy, I just had to-
BAM!
I ran right into another pony. I wasn’t sure who it was that I ran into, but I knew it was a stallion, and I also knew something else. He was my ticket away from here. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew I was finally going to escape these hooves and be returned to my old life. I looked up, but what I found wasn’t at all what I expected.
It was a Slender.
“Stay back!” I shouted, waving my Sonic Screwdriver in his face. It didn’t work properly, but it still emitted a bright light. “You won’t get me a second time!”
“Ah!” the Slender shouted, turning his head. “Get that out of my face!” He was stunned. This was my chance to run. I galloped as hard as I could, but I didn’t get far before something bound my hooves. It was rope. But how did that Slender even get a rope. How did he even know how to use it? Before I could have even a second to think about this, I started being reeled in towards him. I struggled as hard as I could, but it was useless. I never was good as far as physical strength. I looked up at the pony who caught me with the rope. It wasn’t the Slender at all. It was Applejack.
“Applejack!” I shouted. “What are you doing?”
Applejack was about to respond, but the Slender stopped her. “Leave this one to me, Applejack,” the Slender said. “This one’s a pretty popular case among the Slender.”

[SILPH]
“You must be Time Turner,” I said to the stallion.
“I prefer the name ‘The Doctor’,” Time Turner replied.
“Yes, of course...” I cleared my throat before continuing. “So, ‘Doctor’, you’re pretty popular for all the wrong reasons.”
“Yes, I have made many differences in history and in the future.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean that you... well, you were crazy before you even stepped hoof in the Slender Forest. You actually walked in looking for a blue box that you refered to as the, uh... Tannis, was it?”
“TARDIS. It’s called the TARDIS. It’s stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space.”
“Yeah, that.”
“Wow,” I heard Lyra say on the side to Big Mac. “This guy’s the pinacle of crazyness, huh?”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied.
“But it’s true!” Time Turner shouted. “I just can’t remember where I parked it. It’s happened in the past.”
“Yeah,” I said, still not believing Time Turner. That’s when I realized something. However crazy he was, he was a survivor of the Slender and therefore, important in my mission. “How about this. Do you want come with us on our mission to keep the Equestrians out of the Slender Forest so that no other Equestrians get killed by the Slender?”
“Really?” Time Turner asked. “I knew this would be my ticket back to my old life!” He tried to bounce around happily, but his hooves were still bound, so it looked pretty pathetic.
“Go ahead and untie him, Applejack,” I said. With one swing of her end of the rope, Applejack managed to completely untie Time Turner, allowing him to bounce around freely, cheering and laughing and not caring who sees. (Good thing all of the other Equestrians were asleep.) He then rushed up and hugged me.
“Thank you, Slender,” he said, apparently trying to crush me.
“Again, I have a name. It’s Silph.”
He finally let go of me and said “I suppose I’ve had companions with weirder names. Anyway...” He looked past me to the others. “Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Lyra Heartstrings. Do I have all of your names right? Good. I make it a point to learn all the names of my companions as soon as I meet them. Now, let’s get going. Allons-y, everypony!” He then trotted off, none of us following him.
(“Did he say ‘Allicorns-y?” Lyra asked. “What the hay is that supposed to mean?)
I facehoofed and sighed loudly. “We're heading for the library. It’s the other way.” I pointed in the exact opposite direction from where Time Turner trotted off. He then came back around and started trotting in that direction, the rest of us following.

I was galloping as fast as I could. With a little luck (and four legs) you could sometimes outrun Weeping Angels. After I had put plenty of distance between me and them, I slowed to a trot to examine a piece of paper on a nearby tree. I took it down and examined it with my Sonic Screwdriver. When I finally got the results, my eyes widened in shock and fear. “Well this can’t be right,” I said. “According to this, this page is part of the Cube. But how?” Before I even had a chance to think, I heard a howling noise in the distance, coming straight towards me. “Oh... I don’t think I’m being chased by Weeping Angels, this time...” I was pretty much paralyzed in fear, every part of me except my legs shouting ‘RUN LIKE HELL!’
Then the Static came right towards me, accompanied by growling and snarling.