I could barely speak.
The forest, for once, was silent.
Not a single twig snapped, and not a single bird dared open its beak or flutter its wings.
I stepped forward, slowly, numbly, and touched the boulder as gently as possible. My hoof jerked away at the slightest contact, but I eventually found the courage to rest it fully on the front surface of the stone. I lifted a second hoof, taking as much effort to place it beside the first. I lifted a tiny bit off the ground, winding up and shoving with all of my strength. Whether by magic or gravity, the rock stuck fast, There was no moving it, not in a million years.
The Doctor stood perfectly still.
I whispered, almost silently and without a trace of emotion, three small words, "Bring him back."
"I can't," came the sullen reply.
I turned to him. "Then what good are you? You made such a huge deal about being a hero and stuff, so why can't you bring him back?!"
"I just... can't."
"Then go away."
"What?"
"You heard me!" I screamed. "Go away! I don't want anything to do with you! This is all your fault!" I sighed, though it came out what a bit of a choking sob. "I thought... I thought this was my chance. I wanted to get away from Ponyville and Cloudsdale and the Wonderbolts. I wanted to stop living in their shadow and actually be somepony."
"I don't understand," The Doctor stated after a short silence.
I scoffed, again letting a small sob escape. "'Course not. Look at you: you're an alien. You've saved the world Celestia knows how many times, and now that it was my turn, I... I screwed up."
"Wait a minute--"
"I was ready to just run away from all my problems and all I did was create a bigger one!"
"Rainbow, I think--"
"I shouldn't have agreed... I should've stayed at home and kept on with my boring old life..." I sat down forcefully, landing with a loud sound on the hard-packed earth.
"I just figured it out. I just figured it out!" The Doctor seemed ecstatic. "Why would he invite six random ponies to bring him down? Why? Why would he do that?"
"Doctor!" I shouted, disgusted. "Don't talk about that now! You just killed my coltfriend!"
He chuckled mysteriously. "Oh, Rainbow. Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow. This isn't the end. Not his end, not your end, and certainly not the end of Slendermane. We've got six hours to go, and watch how fast I'll run."
"Shut up!" I shrieked, giving him a good smack across the face.
This only made him laugh harder. "You're brilliant, you are!" He grabbed me by the cheeks and gave me a peck on the forehead.
"Uh..."
"Think about it! What does a monster like him do?" he was getting excited now, practically bouncing about the clearing as he gestured dramatically.
"K-kill ponies?" I suggested.
"Mess with our heads! Think! Really think!" he tapped my forehead with the tip of his hoof. "All those notes-- all that scary stuff! If he wanted to kill us, we'd be dead! But, no! He's got seven heads out here to mess with, and who's is the most important?"
"Um..."
"Mine! So he brought you along... shadows... memories come to haunt me... but there's something missing... it hasn't finished yet..." he muttered, wandering off.
"Wait up!" I yelled, finally snapping out of my confusion. "I still don't understand. What do you mean by all of this?"
He stopped short in front of me and I smacked into his rump. He turned to face me, grinning wildly from ear to ear. "It means that Soarin is still alive."
"C-can you get him back?" I blurted.
His wild grin turned to a rather cocky one. "Oh, you just watch me, Rainbow Dash. Just watch me."
He trotted off, and I followed eagerly. I still had a chance.
~~~~~
We were very quiet as we walked, but I could that this was because the Doctor was thinking hard. He was trying to piece together the puzzle, but I felt like there was something missing. I mean, why did the Slendermane care so much about the Doctor? If he was only after food, things would be a lot less... hectic. But he was smart. He had purpose and direction behind every move he made, and I wasn't about to believe that he had picked us at random. Something more was going on, but the Doctor didn't seem to want to show it.
He stopped short once more, and I plowed into him again. He shushed me before I could comment, his ears twitching softly.
"What?"
"That sounds like..." he whispered, cutting himself off to listen intently. "It's Rose! That's Rose's voice!"
I breathed a sigh of relief. Being split up like this had taken a toll on the group, but maybe Twilight and the others had run into some luck in their half of the woods.
I galloped forward, stopping before an oddly flat little building. It seemed barely tall enough to fit the average pony, and it was only big enough to have about three rooms. I stared at the structure curiously for a moment before a familiar minty-green head peeked around the corner.
"Lyra?"
"Rainbow?" the unicorn started to run to me, then saw the Doctor a little ways off. "Doctor!"
I cleared my throat, kicked the ground with my hoof as Lyra made a beeline for the stallion and attacked him with a bear-like hug. Rose came out from around the edge of the building after, letting out a short, relieved chuckle as she trotted to me.
"W-where are Twi and Pinkie? Weren't they with you girls?" I asked, waiting for the mares to appear.
Rose stepped away from me.
"Oh, god... don't tell me... no..." I stuttered, stumbling backwards.
The mares said nothing.
The Doctor growled maniacally, throwing his head back. His mane flew with it, making a large brown arc above his head.
"Look-- Pinkie got stuck or something and then Twi--" Rose started to explain.
"You didn't do anything?" I asked, my voice low and almost snarling.
Rose bit her lip.
I whirled about, leaning with my forehead pressed into the wall of the flat building. The full weight of her news didn't sink in, so my lack of pain only allowed for anger. Not at Rose and Lyra, but at the Slendermane. "I have have had just about enough of this." I spat through clenched teeth. "Nopony else is dying tonight! Got it?"
The mares nodded in unison. The Doctor stared at the building.
"Doctor?" I murmured.
"I think... I think we should head inside..." he whispered, wandering toward the door. "Doesn't feel quite right..."
"What the hell does that mean?" Lyra demanded, pushing open the wooden door. She leaned forward, looking inside. "It's just some dingy old hut, why is it special?"
The Doctor offered no response, but instead plunged into the darkness. The three of us galloped to his side, our hooves beating hollowly on the rotten floorboards. Lyra's horn lit up and the doors on either side of us flew open in a flurry of yellow magic. The small light was enough to illuminate the space beyond. Long, winding hallways lay in either direction.
The Doctor smiled knowingly. "Bigger on the inside."
"That's impossible," Lyra stated, knowing fully that it was.
"Only for some. Do you know what this means?"
We shook our heads.
"Slendermane has Time Lord Technology. Do you know what else that means?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Slendermane's a lot more clever than I thought."
"That's bad, is it?" Rose muttered.
"Bad doesn't even begin to cover it..."