//------------------------------//
// (Drawing) 
// Story: The legend of Slendermane, the tragic guardian of The Everfree 
// by MidnightFMare 
//------------------------------//

	



The trip to Manehatten was a long one, one I wish I could have slept through. Bio however did not have any problem, snoring silently the entire time

I look across the cart to Quick, who has been staring at Bio for a few minutes now "Why Ponyville? Why at the exact place he was hiding? Why?"

I cough, grabbing her attention "Can... can you tell me what Bio was before he came to Ponyville? Every time I ask he dodges the question"

She sighs "Well, as you probably know from last night, he was the captain of the guard until 5 years ago. He was made captain because of his impressive magic and his cunning mind. But he is also ruthless when he gets riled up and that made him a wild card that Princess Celestia wanted close to watch.

He was an impressive fighter, never admitting defeat and always playing fair, holding back to draw out the battle so that he and his sparring partner could have more fun. When he fought in battle though, it mattered if his opponent was strong or not. if they were weak or scared then he would pass over them or outright incapacitate them, if they were strong, he would focus only on them, drawing it out because he enjoyed fighting, a thing that let him rise in the ranks. I was his lieutenant for most of my career so I know him really well. He doesn't see species or anything. All he wants to know is if he can trust you, if you're strong, and if you want to fight for a reason.

This is why Celestia wanted him close, he was a wild fighter that had a merciless streak and yet never killed. He never wanted any relationships outside of brotherhood and friendship which made it hard to get ponies close to him.

I stare at her, obvious sadness in her features "What happened?"

I happened. I wasn't even supposed to be a guard! I was a scribe that got used as bait to get close to him. I didn't have the slightest clue why I was there, or why he ignored me.

But what happened next was that I got fed up with being ignored and threw a quill at him. He caught it in his hoof and looked over to me in surprise "How long have you been sitting there?"

Quick laughs "He hadn't noticed me in 2 weeks!"

Sounds like Bio, he can barely remember names or notices somepony right in front of him I think to myself, chuckling with her

I had told him that I had been assigned to assist him and he stared at me for a few seconds before returning my quill "Sorry I didn't notice you. Bad habit of mine"

So then I helped him whatever he needed which was mostly following him around, reminding him of things, and keeping him on schedule. It was basically my job before except that he was both incredibly sharp and a complete and utter idiot at the same time, which was annoying to say the least.

One night Princess Celestia called for me. I was overjoyed to get to talk to the princess. But after pleasantries, she asked me if I had gleaned any insights as to Bio's deeper personality.

All I told her were obvious things and what she already knew, so she asked me to start a conversation with him, try to get something from him. At the time I thought it was because he was being investigated or something...

After that night, I tried to get something from him but he never gave me anything but useless information or answered with a question of his own which led him to learn about me instead of the other way around. I got tired of this and asked the princess to give me another job, the only thing he cared about being his friends and fighting.

I regret those words every morning.

She gave me another job, but as his direct under officer. I hadn't fought a day in my life, heck, I could barely lift a spear! But he still let me do my original job, either because he knew that I couldn't fight or didn't notice. But after a recruit tried to get too "intimate" with me, Bio clocked him so hard my ears rung. He turned to me, looking worried "Are you okay?"

I told him I was and then I asked if he could teach me to defend myself. after staring at me for a few minutes he nodded and before actual work started, he would take me out to the training grounds and teach me. But like I said, I had no ability but he was patient... ish. Whenever he got tired of me tripping and missing the targets he would sit on the ground and fall silent for a few seconds before standing up.

Eventually I gained almost minimum level skill and he said that he had a mission that he had to do in a diamond dog mining town. I said I wanted to come to help and he agreed.

I regret that every day

After getting there we went to a large cave filled with pony prisoners. I remember how it went down because it was my first time seeing him fight.

He stomped his hoof "I wish to speak with the alpha!"

A large Diamond dog the size of a house lumbered out of the cave, its large under bite giving the illusion of tusks "What do you want with me pony?"

Bio bowed his head, clapping his horseshoes twice, the Diamond dog doing the same "I wish to negotiate for the release of the miners you have imprisoned for trespassing" 

The alpha laughed, staring down at us "Why should I even consider such a thing? I am a giant compared to you and judging from the smell in the air, there are only two of you here... so what do you think you two can do against me and my pack?"

Bio smiled "I will make you submit to me in unarmed combat provided you and your pack do not attack my companion. I know from the stories about you, you are a dog of honor. Should I win, you release the miners and keep the mine. Should I lose, you can take me and my friend as prisoners for challenging you. Do we have a deal?

The dog smiled wide, blocky teeth and tusks gleaming yellow "Yes, I accept this challenge"

Bio's whole being seemed to change, his eyes turned scarlet, his pupils turning into X's and his usually emotionless face turned into that of a wild beast. He threw off his armor and weapons, cracking his neck as he prepared to fight.

I had heard rumors about how he gets when he fights outside of the castle. The state he was in was called "Frenzy", his whole being focused on ending the fight quickly.

He leapt into the air, seeming to sail towards the dog and pounds his shoulder into him, the dog coughing out air before batting him away with surprising speed "Nice attack, but not enough!"

Bio landed on his hooves, a bruise on his side, a grin on his face "Not too bad yourself" he shot towards the dog's legs, the dog moving to bat him away but Bio seemed to change direction instantly, ramming into the dog's other leg, leaving a sizable bruise on it before jumping away to avoid another punch

It looked like he jumped off the air, landing a kick on the dog's neck, making him wheeze and fall on his bruised leg before falling face-first onto the hard ground

As if summoned by the defeat of their leader, 30 or 40 smaller Diamond dogs appear, all at least twice the height of a normal pony. Without warning they all rushed towards Bio, who didn't even flinch

The wave of Diamond dogs were less than 3 feet away on all sides when, and I am not exaggerating, Bio seemed to split into copies of himself, one for each dog. All the Bios either counter attacked or outright clocked the dogs, all of them falling down in less than 10 seconds; and just as they appeared, the copies were gone.

Slowly the Alpha rose and shook his head "You... have beaten me and my pack. I must honor our agreement"

"Before I knew it, we were leading the miners away, Bio having returned to normal in the time it took me to blink" Quick says in a hushed tone, as if fearing that their sleeping companion had been listening 

"So... he's some kind of crazy warrior?" I ask, impressed by the story

"Yes, but after I reported what happened to Princess Celestia, she gave him an obvious suicide mission... but things didn't go as planned"

"It failed?"

She smile weakly "No, he accomplished his mission... that mission was to expose the a cult of the moon hiding in Canterlot, and he succeeded, even though there was absolutely nothing to go on. He infiltrated seamlessly and had a group of others he befriended help him overthrow the leader at that time. I was so glad to know that my teacher was okay, but the princess... not so much. She was furious"

I give her a look "How does that work? He did what she asked, shouldn't she be proud?"

Quick snorts "you'd assume that, but no. She sent him on his last mission, one where he was to lead a platoon of guards to evict a half-dozen full-grown dragons from a cave. She knew that his sense of honor would not allow him to do something underhoofed... so he set out in the middle of the day, and told them that they were going to have to leave. They didn't like that and he... took them down"

I stare at her "That can't be possible, how does one bicorn take down 6 dragons?" 

She shakes her head "I know what happened, because I saw it happen with my own two eyes. I flew back to Princess Celestia, telling her of his feat. She smiled and thanked me... when he got back, he found a notice on his door saying that he was relieved of his duties for life. He was drummed out, all of his possessions boxed up and on his back, the armor he never wore nailed to his door in warning to those who would defy orders. Princess Celestia is strict, and holds rules in the highest priority"

I gulp "She... she set him up... that's... that's..."

"You only think it's bad because you know context. She never told anyone why he was discharged besides not following orders. Only she and I knew the truth... and honestly, she scares me even now. I never told anypony this until now... and if Bio is listening, I thought I was doing my job... to report"

"I know that, I let you follow me to that cave. I knew that was her plan, and all you did was just confirm my suspicions. But there is another reason why I was able to enter the cult, I was the vice-leader of the Canterlot chapter back then. I came to Ponyville because it's the origin of the very cult I led. I wasn't a spy for either side, I just believed what they said. Honor, Mercy, Compassion, Hope, and Equality to name a few. Because the moment I saw Princess Celestia, I knew that she was the enemy even before I joined. She exuded intense malice, hatred, and loathing for whom I would soon call my brothers and sisters. 

"She is not honorable, she always wanted to do cloak and dagger tactics that I ignored to protect my friends. She is not merciful, her orders were always to kill with extreme prejudice. She is not compassionate, she cares only for her crown and her image, nothing more. She is not hope, she is willing to throw countless lives into battle, knowing that they will fail, so that she can act as if she has hope for them. And she does not view anypony as her equal, otherwise she wouldn't cry dry, fake tears at the funerals of my brothers and sisters in the forces, she would lead the battles, getting to know us, fighting alongside us, proving that she is more than a face that we look to for help"

Bio grits his teeth "But I didn't know that Iron would do something like making the slender... He was directly below me in ranking, and I had thought that he was an overzealous pony. I was too generous with that, he was a supremacist and saw my saving the group as betrayal against our cause..."

He lifts the sealed jar "At least once we get to his house, we can destroy the notes and be done with this once and for all"

The carriage stops suddenly, Bio catching the jar in his magic

"What happened?" Quick asks, leaving the carriage

Bio groans and teleports out, leaving me alone with the jar

The carriage rocks again, a bunch of monsters from the forest jumping out of the forest

"Animal ambush!" Quick yells, grabbing her sword as Bio cackles, his eyes switching from dark green to scarlet 

I duck onto the floor of the carriage, clutching the jar to my chest, wondering if I should've stayed on the farm

the sound of a sword slashing through the air, wood splintering, and whimpers fill the otherwise silent path. I can feel my heart trying to burst out of my chest, the slender... I can feel it squirming inside the jar, as if trying to see the fight

I don't know how much time passed until the carriage door opened again, Bio looking down at me with a bruise on his foreleg "You gonna get up some time, or are we going to have to just walk around you?"

I slowly sit up, still scared "Are... are they gone?"

Bio nods and nudges past me "Yeah, we got a little bruised but otherwise we're good"

Quick enters behind him, her armor dented in several places "That was... unexpected. We aren't even near Timberwolf territory. If anything, we should've seen a manticore or two"

I shiver at the thought "That doesn't sound pleasant"

Quick shrugs "Manticores don't have magic that makes it hard to fight"

Bio hums in thought "If this isn't Timberwolf territory... then something must have forced them out. But what? Timberwolves and manticores are both the Apex predators of the Everfree... nothing short of a monster would force them out..." his gaze goes to the jar "Something like The Slender... but that can't be why they attacked us, timberwolves don't ambush, they're opportunistic... so we intruded on their territory, but how?" he pauses and the left side of his face scowls "Logical explanations for this: they were forced out by manticores"

I laugh "He's going to argue with himself again"

Quick rolls her eyes "Seems so, might as well let him"

"Counter point, manticores don't band together unless they are being attacked, not the other way around. Explanation number 2: something that isn't a manticore forced them out. Counterpoint: there are no other apex predators in the Everfree besides those two. Meaning that a new species has been introduced to its ecosystem. Elucidation: something not naturally occurring in this region is now present. But who would introduce it? And what is it?" he pauses "Quick, the timberwolves' wooden bodies, how did they seem to you?"

She blinks and shakes her head "Light and dry, why?"

"Because that is how they adapt to prey and enemies. If they made themselves lighter and dried out their bodies, they'd be dealing with something that relies on something besides weight or power... what besides a magical, poisonous, and immaterial predator is there? This excludes The Slender because it relied on its large size and power to fight. So that means something like a basilisk, wyvern, elemental sprite, or non-acidic venom possessing snakes and other reptiles..."

"... Giant mutant plants?" I suggest

He pauses again "Possibly, why?"

"Because ah think that flower just moved closer to the carriage" I say, ducking down

"Don't be- MANDRAKES!!" Bio gasps, his horns lighting

Quick snorts "Mandrakes? They live in Scoltland and Neighpon, not here"

"I wasn't saying it because I figured it out, I was saying it as a warning..." Bio whispers

"War- whoa!" the whole carriage shakes, dark green vines pushing against it

Bio growls "Iron had several Mandrakes in his employ. They would protect him by using their vines to not only enter the bodies of the enemy, but also suck all the moisture and nutrients from their bodies, leaving them weak enough to be carried away and spend several days recuperating... I don't think that his lab is in Manehatten. I think it's in the Everfree"

One of the vines reaches through the window and shoots towards me "Oh bu-"

Quick throws her helmet and intercepts it "Bio! What are you doing?!"

"This!" a stream of magic connects both of his horns and a column of fire shoots out from it, burning the helmet and vines, carving a hole through the mass of vines coming from the forest "Fire... they hate fire..."

Quick and I stare at him, stunned 

"I read books on this kind of stuff" he replies, jumping through the hole

"Where are you going?!" Quick calls 

"The lab. Mandrakes are sedentary hunters and we have a large window of time to get there by following the vines back to the source"

She pauses and nods "Makes sense, lead the way. Come on (KKKKZZZZSSHSHSHSH!!!!!!)"

I nod slowly and leave the carriage, the jar in my saddlebags





Bio pauses and sniffs the air "... Oh that's clever, very clever... Quick?"

She salutes back at him "Yes?"

"The lab is at the top of this tree. Only you can fly up there and let down a rope so that we can climb it"

She nods and takes flight, leaving me alone with him "So... what makes you think it's in the tree?"

"Look at it, there are vines draping from the branches but none on the trunk, these are mandrake vines that would carry Iron Key up and also act as ways to defend the lab itself. But my attack earlier stunned them and they're busy photosynthesizing and absorbing nutrients from whatever they can find in order to repair. That's why I said we had a large window of time, otherwise the vines would've just gone back onto the tree and we wouldn't know that this one is the origin and therefor, the lab"

I nod in understanding "So it's a livin' castle?"

"More akin to a fortress, but yes, basically"

The rope drops down in front of us and he grins "Let's go"

I gulp and follow him up the rope, the slender seems to get more and more restless the closer we get





Bio looks around, his horn glowing yellow "Okay, we have about 5 hours to get in and get out with the research. Quick, you're on protection duty. I'll take point"

Quick salutes and walks beside me "How you holding up?"

"P-pretty shaken... two days ago ah was bucking apple trees an' now ah'm following my best friend into the lab of a dead anarchist..." I answer weakly

She puts her arm over my shoulders "Trust me, I know the feeling. Let's just hope that Bio is right about how much time we have"

Bio stares up at the vine covered building "The Mandrakes took over the lab itself. These vines are protective and immune to magic and most force... hard as stone"

Quick sighs "So we came all this way for nothing?"

He shakes his head "I have an idea of how to solve this problem. Quick, do you have the quill I gave you?"

She nods and pulls a vibrant red quill out of her saddlebags "Yes, why?"

He takes it and his horn glows, the tip radiating the same magic "Because while this is a pen, it is also a magic knife"

With three quick slashes, the door is freed of vines "Thanks Quick, I really need to get another one of those..."

She accepts the quill "Does everything you've given me have a multiple uses?"

"Just a few. Anyways, we're wasting time chatting out here" Bio says, walking through the door

Quick starts to fidget "Are you as scared as ah am?" I whisper

"Y-es... I'm just a former scribe turned soldier! The scariest thing I've ever seen was when one of the new recruit's frog split!" she whispers back

I put one of my arms over her shoulder like she did for me "Bio an' I are here, though ah can't say ah'll be much help, but ah'll give it my best"

She smiles and kisses my cheek "Thanks (KKKKZZZZSSHSHSHSH!!!!!!)"

Bio stops and sniffs the air "Quick, read the air if you will"

She nods and steps away, spreading her wings "... Draft from behind us... updraft from the floor consistent with the height we're at... static charges... static?"

Bio stiffens as a swarm of glowing insects swarm moves towards us "TWITTER-MITES!!"

I cock my head "Ah can deal wit' Twitter-mites." I inhale and whistle, the swarm flocking towards me "Good thing my Pa taught me how to do this..."

Bio blinks "One, how in Luna's infinite wisdom can you do that? You have a (KKKKZZZZSSHSHSHSH!!!!!!) cutie mark, not a pest pony mark... neither did your father. Two, why aren't they shocking you?"

"Ah can soothe 'em with a whistle, an' they only have a charge when far apart. Keep 'em close, an' you keep the shock off. Make pretty good light too"

Quick pulls out a notepad and starts writing "This is superb information! Hardly anypony knows anything about Twitter-mites! I was right, gather information from those who know how to deal with them that aren't profession-mmph!"

Bio summons a muzzle "Silent. Mandrakes have ears and while weak, if you keep screaming they'll wake up!" he hisses

"Does... that mean ah have to get rid of th' Twitter-mites?"

He shakes his head and starts walking ahead "Mandrakes possess only one sense; touch. They distinguish intruders from friends by their unique electro-magnetic signature. Twitter-mites are insectiod lightning sprites, meaning that they release electro-magnetic energy constantly, can you ask them to form a ring around us?"

I nod and whistle again, the swarm forming a ring around us "Uh... so why do they need to make a ring?"

"Simple, the discharges may make our fur stand up but it also makes us invisible because the electricity is confusing the mandrakes' sense of touch. Simple application of a hampering coincidence and turning it into an incredible boon. Anypony could do it, honestly"

Quick rolls her eyes "Or only you..."

Bio ignores her and walks away "Come on! Being in a ring is amplifying the voltage and amperes, touch them and you might not be able to get a 'I harnessed the power of nature and all I got was this lousy T-shirt' T-shirt... but I'll put 'I harnessed the power of nature and all I got was this lousy epitaph' on your tombstone"

"Only you have such a grim sense of humor Bio..." Quick mutters, following

I check the jar and follow them, still scared





Bio motions for us to stop "Okay, slowly now, we're at the lab itself... and the mandrakes"

I swallow and look around the room "Uh... ah can't see anything..."

Quick picks up a leaf and blows it towards the twitter-mites, the leaf burning to cinders "And the mites are overcharged. Do you know of any ways to safely discharge it?"

Bio pauses "Uhhhh... no, I hadn't thought of how to undo it, I was hoping that either of you two would figure it out..."

"Hey, what is immune to electricity? Like a... 'ground' or something?" I ask, an idea forming in my head

"Uh, a few. Rubber, rocks, ceramics... no, you can't be thinking about doing that"

Quick stares at both of us "I know I'm new to this group, but I have no idea what either of you are implying we do"

"Use the Slender's jar to absorb the energy. That discharge would burn the seal off and then it'd be free! There has to be another solution I haven't thought of yet!"

"Ah want to get home as fast as ah can so that ah can forget that all this happened!" I pull the jar out and throw it towards the twitter-mites

Bio's magic grabs it mid-air "No! I just need some time to think! I'm not going to let that thing out in its own backyard! For all you know, it isn't the only one and when it's free, it'll release the others! I say that we don't risk that and come up with a better plan"

Quick shakes her head "No, we don't have anything else to use unless you can use dented armor, my pen, or... whatever it is that you have."

Bio sighs "I do possess something that might solve the problem but it also might make the situation worse" he reaches into his saddle bags and pulls a rusted sword out "This is the blade that is said to have been wielded by Princess Luna, it's one of the many artifacts I was given by the cult right before I left..."

I sit down, the jar sitting right next to Bio "Can ah have th' jar back?"

Bio shakes his head "Sorry, (KKKKZZZZSSHSHSHSH!!!!!!), you threw it once, who's to say that you won't again?"

Quick groans "I'll watch the jar!"

Bio levitates it to her "Can I use your helmet and pen?"

She nods and slides them to him 

I look at the ring of Twitter-mites and shiver "Uhhh... is it jus' me, or is th' buzzing gettin' louder?"

Guick and Bio's ears flick "Yeah, sounds like a cloud with too much lightning... I hope what ever you have planned doesn't take too long to do Bio..."

Bio grunts, lifting some kind of new blade, the pen sticking out as the point "Okay, I charge my horns with opposing frequencies and stab the ring. Three possible outcomes now folks; one, the pen, and sword's magic cooperate and my horns disperse the charge. Two, the magics reject each other and I get knocked back into the other side of the ring, electrocuting me dead. Third, Ka-boom"

me and quick turn to each other then back at him "'Ka-boom'?"

He nods "Yup, a mix of outcomes one and two. They work together, the reverse polarities of my horns send the magic and charge right into my brains and kill me dead, knocking me into a number of mites and because they're getting farther away from the others, they'll build a charge that will shock me and light my corpse on fire, which will light the slumbering mandrakes and then everything will burn to ashes as the Everfree is consumed by flames..." he shrugs "Best case scenario anyways."

"That's the best case scenario?!" Quick yells

"Worst is shorter, I just explode into a bloody mess" he says "Well, I'm not getting any less trepidatious so let's see what it'll be!" He swings the blade into the ring, the whole room filling with brilliant blue-white and dark magenta-navy light, the mites' buzzing deafening us

It was breath taking and horrifying as I saw Bio's fur stand on end and catch fire before suddenly everything is black and silent

"B-bio?" I whisper

A cough answers me "Owww... oh my Luna, I can taste static..."

Quick and I run over to him when he holds up a hoof "Wait... I'm still holding some charge... Who turned out the ligh- oh right, me... hahaha- OW! It hurts to laugh..."

Quick snorts "You had us scared to death! What the hay is wrong with you?"

Bio stands and several arcs of blue static shoot around his coat "Two brains, both of them brilliant and impulsive. Or was that rhetorical?"

I grin "Ya survived somehow, thought ah might lose ya, ya stupid galoot."

He snorts "Heck of a way to thank somepony who just saved you from being electrocuted from 180 degrees. Anyways, let's see if we can't shed some light on this situation... does anypony have a wooden stick or two?"

I reach grab some burnt vines "These should work right?"

He shrugs "Worth a shot" he sticks them on his still burning tail and they catch instantly 

Quick grabs one and Bio passes another to me "Okay, spread out and look for any books, journals, anything that might be related to the creation of The Slender. Once we have them and sealed away where nopony will ever find them, we all go our separate ways. I'll go to another town, possibly Heartsdale. Quick will go back to Canterlot and play the loyal captain. And you, (KKKKZZZZSSHSHSHSH!!!!!!), are going to go home and we never speak of this so long as we live, nor if we are reanimated. This never happened."

We nod "But what about th' Slender? Ya never said what we were gonna do wit' it."

Bio sighs "I gave my word to it, I will let it free once the notes are collected and what happens after, is up to it. It may be an abomination, but I honor-bound to keep my word."

Quick nods and walks to a corner of the large room, Bio going to the opposite side and I sit next to the jar "What happened to the twitter-mites?"

"They're basically lightning bolts, so when Bio absorbed the energy they lost shape. Wait for a stray thunderstorm to sit for a while and it'll turn into a swarm of them. That's pretty much all that's known about them anyways." Quick replies, picking up a book "'Cartomancy'?"

"The practice of using cards to divine fortunes, the future, the past, anything really so long as you have the right formation." Bio says, levitating a pestle "This is just some moss..."





Both of them walk back to the center of the room "Nothing. Not a single bit of information. I highly doubt that Iron would have been able to do something like making the Slender from just memory."

Quick nods "The only thing that even seems related is this hole-ridden copy of the memo you sent out"

Bio sighs then jerks his head towards the walls "Wait, If this is the center of the lab, shouldn't the mandrake bodies be here too?"

Quick nods "Yes... but from what I saw flying up here this is as high up as the lab goes"

"'Look up, look around, but don't forget to look down'" I whisper

They both stare at me "What did you say?"

"Well, my Pa said that when he was chasin' critters off th' farm... don't know why ah thought of that, but ah did"

Both of them slap themselves "The tree is hollow! The real lab is inside!"

Bio's horns light up and the whole floor glows "The floor is a door... so where's the knob?"

Quick scans it and grins "Right here!"

She stamps her hoof and the whole floor disappears 

Bio glares at her, gravity not yet affecting him "Have I ever told you how much of an idiot you are Quick Write?"

She flaps her wings and grabs us "Yes you have, at least once a week back in Canterlot"





Quick lowers us onto the floor, Bio's horns glowing brighter "Okay, if he hadn't been a complete loon, I'd give him an accolade for this set-up."

"Oh... I'm sure he'd... like that..." someone whispers

The whole room lights up and sitting in the middle of a huge flower is a pony the color of wood, glowing moss covering parts of her body "Hello... ponies..."

Bio frowns "Hello mandrake"

She waves slowly "Are... you here for... the notes...?"

Quick nods "Yes, where are the others?"

"Just... me here... a hybrid..."

Bio walks up to her and looks her over "Well, I see that you're the result of that hybridization project he was always ranting about... a pony-mandrake homunculus..."

She nods "Yes... an artificial pony... I'm guessing... my brother... is in the jar?"

I nod and bring it over to her, tearing the seal off "Yeh, ya can go free Slender"

The mass of black, white, and red slithers out of the jar and coils around the mandrake-pony "Thank... you..."

Bio sighs "Please, give us the notes and we'll leave you alone. I want to make sure that nopony can make another like you two... no offence"

She nods "I take... none. Thank you... for bringing... my brother... home"

Quick bows "I'm sorry about your..." she blushes "N-never mind..."

A thick vine places several books and notes in our bags "Please-"

We all nod "Tell nopony. We know."

Bio looks up the walls of the hollow tree "Quick, you carry me up and I'll levitate (KKKKZZZZSSHSHSHSH!!!!!!), sound like a plan?"

"Ah have a question... what are you two goin' to do now?"

The mandrake shrugs "I don't... know. We are... together again..."

The Slender nods "I am... no longer a... killer... so we shall... live here..."

I nod slowly "Well, all right... bye"

Bio grabs me in his magic and Quick carries him up, the dying light of the moss fading as the distance grows, the last thing to fade away was the head of the Slender, staring up at me





Bio pulls the cart forward "Well... if you don't want this back, I'll take it..."

Quick nods "You can have it. It's not even mine anyways"

Bio turns around to me "Are you okay? You seem... down"

"Jus'... ah feel sorry for them. Born as monsters and dyin' as monsters... doesn't seem fair" I sigh

Bio and quick sigh in unison "Life often isn't, trust me (KKKKZZZZSSHSHSHSH!!!!!!), I know."

"Yes... I lacked the foresight to stop myself from getting you discharged... I'm sorr-"

Bio snorts "Trust me, I don't hold a grudge Quick. I never had any animosity and like I said, I knew what her plan was. So no need to beat yourself up over it. It does nopony good if you do"

Quick nods "I know... so you're going to another town?"

"Yeah, the locals know that I know the captain of the guard and a bicorn. Time for me to disappear" he looks back at me "I mean it when I say you're my best friend (KKKKZZZZSSHSHSHSH!!!!!!)"

I swallow my sadness and nod silently

The rest of the ride goes on quietly, an unspoken consensus for silent thinking

Arriving back in town, Quick jumps off the cart and salutes before joining her fellow guards

I start to dread going home, because that means losing my best friend "Bio?"

"I'm not stopping. I'm too obvious here and I need to disappear. But don't worry, we'll always be connected by our friendship, and nothing can break that."

I grin "You are th' biggest sap ah've ever known Bio Lateral"

He laughs "If I'm a sap, you're a hayseed"

"Ah guess ah am..." I look towards the Everfree, and I swear I saw the Slender looking at me from its edge of the forest.