//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Slendy- Just Another Ancient Creature // by Dragonfeith //------------------------------// "Excellent! Well, I shall see you back at the castle!" Celestia said. "I must get back to my duties. I look forward to seeing you, Slenderman." Luna mentioned. "I still don't think you're as intimidating as I expected you to be." Discord expressed. The three went silent for a second, looking at one another as if to say that the other could continue. Eventually, Celestia took charge. "Alright Luna, you can get back to work. I'll go back to Canterlot and begin the preparations for Slenderman's housing and…whatever else it is that he will need. Discord, stay with Slenderman and help him with whatever he needs to move from his current place of rest. Oh Slenderman, by the way, what exactly do you need, besides a bed and place of residing? Are there any types of books you would like, or a fireplace? Perhaps servants or a specific kind of food would be appreciated?" Slendy thought. He had never really had a designated place to reside. He had a few, so that when he was deep in the forest he wouldn't need to be back to a certain place at a certain time. His favorite and most frequented was a cave with an ancient tree growing out of it. As for possessions and needs, Slendy did not need to eat, or rather he had never been hungry before. There was simply no need for food or sustenance as long as he was near darkness. The only possessions that he had were curiosities found in his travels. Other than that, he had no need for comforts or luxuries. Looking directly into the eyes of Celestia, Slendy spoke. "I have no particular needs. A place of relative darkness, preferably one of complete darkness which is sheltered from the elements would be acceptable. Books on ancient artifacts and any other types of information that you could provide for my task would be greatly appreciated." Celestia shivered, as if Slendy's look made her cold. "I will have this for you. Thank you, Slenderman. I will see you soon." With that, Celestia disappeared in a flash of magical light that Slendy found uncomfortable, leaving only Luna and Discord. Luna looked at Slendy. "Once again, I look forward to seeing you, Slenderman. You are always welcome with me." She winked, and disappeared similar to Celestia. Discord was silent for a second, then, he started to talk. "Well, my new friend, this will most certainly be interesting. The god of chaos, the goddess of the sun and the goddess of the moon, and a ancient being of unknowable power living together and ruling over a magical kingdom full of ponies and dangerous ancient artifacts. Ooh, I am sensing chaos coming on!" Discord continued to talk, but Slendy only half listened. He was thinking. If he was going to do as the princesses asked, he would need information on what he was looking for. He would need to speak with those who understood ancient magic's and devices. He would need to speak with the current security chief, which he assumed that the sisters had, about direct threats. Slendy had seen battles before; they were always bloody, full of sadness and death. Oddly enough, most took place on sunny, beautiful days and brightly moonlit nights. He knew and understood strategy after seeing so many battles take place in the Everfree Forest, the armies of Celestia and Luna against those of Discord, the battles between the sister’s armies, the battles between primitive creatures, the battles between ancient tribes and factions of long forgotten religions and tribes. Abruptly, Discords ramblings cut to a stop. This caught Slendy's attention. Turning, he looked at the god of Chaos. The god looked much more serious, for some reason. He looked much more….dangerous. "Slenderman, I've felt the presence that I'm feeling now before, throughout my life. I could never place it, but now I can. It is your presence. I'm not sure how, but you know us more than we know you." Slendy didn't respond. "I will find out where you came from, and I will understand how you know us." The seriousness suddenly left Discord, who went back to his normal, playful self. "Now, shall we go get your stuff?" Slendy nodded. By the time Slendy had collected his belongings, the sun had begun to rise. Slenderman did not mind the sun; it provided a different type of darkness than true darkness: shadows. He could travel and live just as well in shadows as he could in true or partial darkness. His belongings consisted of a piece of paper that he had found in some forgotten language, partially translated by Slendy to "Nuke in San Francisco; UN calls for—", the skull of an Ursa Major, a staff that radiated power, and Fluffy, if Fluffy could be called a possession. Gathering these items had not taken long, but he decided to make Discord leave for an hour to allow Slendy to do something. Discord was not pleased by this. "Slenderman, I will be back in ONE HOUR! Please be ready by then." Then, under his breath, "I wonder what Pinkie and Fluttershy are doing?" before snapping his fingers and disappearing. Slendy quickly let himself fall into the shadows and searched for Discord soul. More accurately, he was searching for the shadow of Discord’s soul. There was nothing that any being could do to mask or hide the shadow of their soul. Slendy saw nothing. Coming back to the physical world, Slendy got to work. First, Slendy spun the surrounding shadows of the cave together to make the cave entrance completely dark. Then, Slendy molded the surrounding trees around the entrance of the cave, blocking it completely from anything. As a final measure of security, Slendy cast a mist around the cave. The mist acted as a deterrent against anything intelligent. It was very simple; the instant an intelligent being entered the mist, a feeling of unease and that of being watched set in. Then, illusions and shadows would begin to appear in the corners of victims eyes. If the victims had not already run, the deepest part of the mist added a primal feeling of terror. This took Slendy about ten minutes; after he was done, he moved on to his next hiding place until all were hidden and safe from unwanted visitors. Just in time, Slendy traveled back to his cave to meet Discord, who was standing just outside the mist, looking more than a little uncomfortable. When Slendy stepped out of the shadows, he screamed. Slendy smiled inwardly, knowing his spells were working, even against the god of chaos. "My apologies, Discord. I did not mean to startle you." Slendy apologized, although knowing that his trap had worked. "Um, o-of course not. You didn't startle me, I just was seeing if I could scream like a little filly. Shall we go?" Discord explained, Slendy clearly not buying it. "Of course," Slendy said, "lead the way, I shall follow." Discord turned and snapped his fingers. Slendy watched, feeling as if Discord was attempting to test him, or more likely get back at him for the startle he had given Discord a few seconds earlier. Slendy fell into the shadows and, pulling Fluffy along with him, and followed Discord's soul. The three beings appeared in the throne room of Celestia. There was only a heavily armored pony and Celestia in the massive room. Slendy appeared right behind the armored pony that was facing Celestia at the moment. Discord appeared next to her. "My princess, I do not think that bringing in an ancient being of power that rivals your own is a good idea!" "Shining Armor, I need another set of eyes and muscle. Your guards are no longer enough for the safety of the Kingdom, at least, when it comes to ancient artifacts and forgotten beings." Celestia retorted. "Your highness, I understand. But bringing a shadow being into Canterlot would be a horrible idea! If they could get by my defenses, magical and otherwise, they are much too powerful to be around you." Shining Armor complained, knowing he was in an argument he could not win. "Why?" Slendy asked. The heavily armored pony, Shining Armor, turned faster than Slendy thought possible for a pony. He found himself looking into Slendy's eyes. The pony didn't say anything, just let out a low scream of utter terror. "Wh- Who are you?" "I am Slenderman. Greetings. I mean you no harm." Shining Armor stopped backing up, and while still looking terrified, stood a little straighter. "You? You're the new one, the head of security?" "No, not yet, I have much to learn and understand before I take that role. But, if you will teach me about threats to the kingdom and the princesses, someday I will fill that role." Shining Armor shook his head, breaking eye contact with Slendy. Almost immediately, whatever had come over him quickly went away. He regained himself before continuing to speak. "Okay, well then. I will— I will train you. As well as I can." Shining Armor gave in. "Good. Then that shall be done." Celestia interjected. "Slenderman, I shall have one of the guard escort you to your room. It is in the tallest tower, if that is alright with you. It overlooks the entirety of the seeable land. It is filled with the books you requested, a fireplace, a carpet, and a bed. There are places for torches, but only if you want them. If you need anything, I will be happy to help. Just tell one of the guards stationed outside your door." Slendy nodded, then felt a nuzzle on his right side. Without looking, he knew it was Fluffy. "IS THAT A TIMBERWOLF?!" Shining Armor exclaimed, finally noticing the creature that had been standing off to the side. "Yes, it is. His name is Fluffy." Slendy said. Shining Armor was startled by that matter of fact reaction. "Oh. Well, uh, um, is he…safe?" "Of course he is. He is trained, and will stay with me, no matter what." Slendy spoke softly, almost offhand. "Alright then; I guess it's okay for him to be here?" Shining Armor said, looking at Celestia for guidance. She nodded. A few minutes later, Slendy was being guided up a long flight of stairs by a pony dressed in golden armor. The guard looked nervous. "Guard, what is your name?" Slendy asked. The guard stiffened and gulped. "Stormcatcher, sir. I'm Lt. Stormcatcher." Slendy nodded. "Greetings, Lt. Stormcatcher. I am Slenderman. Will you be guarding my quarters?" The guard continued to walk, but nodded. "Stormcatcher, are you afraid of the dark?" Slendy questioned. The lights in the area flickered slightly. "Yes sir. Yes, I am." The Lieutenant replied. Slendy was quiet. He felt only sadness for a second. Then, he realized something. "Stormcatcher, you are honest. You admit to fear. This is good. We will change your aversion to the dark. Soon, you will realize its beauty." The guard did not answer; rather he opened a door to a rather darkened area. "Sir, here is your room." Slendy nodded. "Thank you, Stormcatcher. I will speak with Celestia about you." Slendy then walked into his new room, Fluffly along side.