Chapter 1: The Urban Legend
Chapter 1: The Urban Legend
The Friendship Express pulled into the station in Ponyville. As the doors opened, an elderly yellow pony with white poofy hair walked briskly out of the train, looking very distraught, almost fearful. She looked up and held a hoof over her old eyes to shield them from the bright Sun. She could just make out Sweet Apple Acres in the distance.
"You old fool. You stupid old fool," Goldie Delicious said to herself, "If you're to late. . .oh sweet Celestia, if you're too late. . ." The mare went silently as she jogged over to the farm as fast as her legs could carry her.
3 days. Three long days since Scootaloo vanished without a trace. Three days of frantic searching for the missing orange pegasus. And it had all come up empty. Ghastly Gorge and the nearby mountains were combed, and nothing was found. Sections of the Everfree Forest were looked through, which was difficult due to its danger. Zecora sadly admitted that she hadn't seen the missing filly.
And now, the Mane Six, the rest of the Apple Family, and Scootaloo's four closest friends; Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Button Mash, and Spike were all gathered together at the Apple Farm, worrying, and trying to determine what their next move should be.
"I'll send for some Royal Guards to come and do a more thorough search of the Everfree Forest," Princess Twilight said resolutely.
"Good idea, Twi, maybe they'll have better luck," Applejack said.
Some angry mumbling caught everypony's attention, and they all turned to the pony who had spoken. Rainbow Dash did not look good. At all. Her mane looked even messier than usual, and her face only was now only capable of two expressions: frown or scowl.
"Whatcha say, Dashie? We didn't hear you," Pinkie Pie said in a loud whisper.
"I said, 'why the hay would she have gone in there anyway'," Rainbow Dash said bitterly as she folded her fore legs and turned away from everypony else.
Fluttershy and Rarity exchanged nervous glances. Fluttershy actually looked slightly afraid. Everypony was now slightly afraid of Rainbow Dash now. Especially after she had single hoofedly barged into the Diamond Dog Caves and knocked scores of the canines senseless in her search for Scootaloo. Luckily, the Rover, Spot, and Fido managed to convince the distraught pegasus that her sister wasn't in the caves. The ratty looking dogs looked so pathetic that Rainbow Dash took their word for it.
"Scootaloo isn't stupid," Rainbow Dash said quietly, "There's no way she would've just walked into the Everfree Forest like that. She'd have no reason to. We had an awesome day together before she. . ." Rainbow Dash stopped talking abruptly at that point.
Applejack turned to Scootaloo's friends, "Are you sure ya'll don't know anything that can help us find Scootaloo?"
"No, Applejack. We don't have a clue where Scootaloo could've gone," Applebloom said.
"I don't even know, and I've played the Professor Neighton and Phoenix Wright Immortal Bird Attorney games!" Button exclaimed.
"You're not helping," Sweetie Belle whispered.
Twilight groaned and banged her forehead, "This makes no sense. Scootaloo went to her room, she wasn't seen leaving her room, and yet she's gone! What are we missing! We need some kind of clue!"
BANG!
Goldie Delicious threw open the front door and shouted, "Apples! Are yer all present and accounted for!?"
"Goldie Delicious?" Applejack said in surprise.
Granny Smith got up and walked to Goldie's side, putting a hoof on her back gently as if to steady the yellow elder's labored breathing, "Well, what in the name popping popovers brings you here?"
Goldie turned to Applebloom, and smiled in relief. "Ahh. . .I see Applebloom is just fine."
"Huh?" Applebloom said.
"Well, yeah, she's fine alright," Dash said angrily.
Goldie's smile slipped away. "What's wrong? Is anything the matter?"
"It's Scootaloo. . .Dash's sister," Fluttershy said, "She's missing."
"Oh, sweet Celestia, no!" Goldie gasped as she stumbled backwards, her legs wobbling.
"Hang on there, deary," Granny Smith said consolingly, gently leading Goldie Delicious to the couch.
"What's wrong? What's the matter?" Applejack asked nervously.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," Goldie said, "I'm too late. Too late."
Rainbow Dash turned to Goldie Delicious, suspicion in her eyes. "You know something, don't you."
Goldie looked sadly at Rainbow and said, "I'm so sorry. I truly am. I-."
"WHERE IS SHE?!" Rainbow Dash roared, flying up inches away from Goldie's face, "WHERE'S MY LITTLE SISTER?!"
Applejack and Big Macintosh grabbed Rainbow Dash and pulled him away, holding her tightly as she struggled.
"Hold it right there, Rainbow! Ah won't have you assaulting my kin! Ah know you're worried about Scootaloo, but how about we just listen to what Goldie has to say first!"
Rainbow Dash stopped struggling, "Alright. But I better get some answers."
Goldie hung her head in shame, "I'm so sorry. I should've been more careful."
"Careful about what?" Applejack inquired, starting to become slightly suspicious as well.
Goldie sighed, and she said, "The main reason I lived alone . . .was to keep an eye on something in the nearby woods. . . " she shuddered in fear, "A. . .horrible, horrible creature. . ."
"A creature?" Twilight echoed curiously.
Goldie nodded gravely, "Yes, indeed. I only narrowly escaped it when I was a young un, so I made it my mission to keep tabs on it for as long as I lived. But sometimes, I'm so busy caring for my precious kitties or stacking Apple Family records that I just forget." She turned to Applebloom and said, "If only I wasn't so scatterbrained. I should've known what would happen when you arrived there."
"Me?" Applebloom asked nervously.
Goldie nodded gravely a second time, "This creature I was looking after. .. you see. . .it only goes after children. Little fillies and colts. It's quite clear what happened. I spent weeks back at home trying to track its location and movement, but I couldn't find a trace of him. It was then that I realized that it had followed you." She closed her eyes and shuddered, "I was so frightened, I got here as fast as I could, to show you how to ward it off. If only I had been quicker."
"Um. . ." Twilight said in an unsure tone, "Ms Delicious. I. . .uh. . .don't mean to be rude, but-."
"Why are you just sitting there telling us a ghost story?" Applejack said in disbelief.
"Shut up, you guys!" Rainbow Dash shouted harshly, shocking everypony greatly. She then turned to Goldie and said, "Why did it go after Scootaloo? You just said it followed Applebloom here!"
"It was day when she and the rest of the Apples went home," Goldie said plainly, "And I suppose being amid family was enough to keep it away. And with so many ponies in Ponyville, that would keep it from being able to strike. It doesn't like crowds."
"But Scootaloo was safe at home!" Rainbow Dash said.
Goldie put on a thoughtful expression. "They say. . .it can operate through proxies, other cold hearted ponies as it were. . .in order to bring victims to him."
"Alright, wait a moment," Twilight said, "please forgive my frustration, Ms Delicious, but, about this thing, this creature you keep talking about. What exactly is it?"
Goldie was silent for a moment. Then, she closed her eyes a took a deep, shaky breath. She then reached into her shawl and took out an old photograph. She placed it on the table and pointed at it. "My 9th birthday party," she said. The photo depicted a younger Goldie Delicious participating in a seven legged race. Many young ponies could be seen having fun and smiling. Everyone in the room gathered around as Goldie pointed with her hoof at something that appeared in the background of the photo.
"It. . .has the shape of an Earth Pony stallion. Tall. Thin. Very pale. It wears a plain black suit, as plain as he blank face. A faceless face. No eyes. No mouth. No nose. Looking at it in person will drive you insane. And sprouting from it's back. . . are thin. . .black. . .waving tentacles to grab its victims. . .It's known as-."
"Slendermane."
Everyone looked at Button Mash, who had finished Goldie's sentence. The young colt had a serious look on his face, although his propeller hat was still spinning.
"How did you know?" Goldie said in complete shock.
Button Mash reached into his saddle bag, which he had put down next to him, and took out his laptop.
"I'll show you," he said as he placed the laptop on the coffee table, woke it up from sleep mode, and quickly booted up a game.
"Slender: The Eight Pages," Button said, "It's game based on the Legend of Slendermane. The game designers were friends with a couple of research scientists guys who were looking into the stories of the Headless Horse, the Pony of Shadows, and Slendermane. Anyway, in the game, you're lost in the woods where Slendermane is, and you have to-."
Goldie cut Button off by angrily slamming his laptop shut. "A game?" she said, seething with rage and nearly touching noses with Button Mash, "There are ponies ignorant enough to take something so dark. . .so evil. . .and make it into a game?"
Button whimpered and back away from the angered elder pony, "I didn't make the game! It wasn't me!"
Goldie sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry. This just seems so. . .foolhardy. . ."
"Button, this all sounds really scary. How could you play a game like that?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Button shrugged, "I heard about the game a while ago, and Iwas scared of it at first. But then I thought, 'It's just a game. It's not like I'm really there.' Also, it's not like the game's violent or anything. Slendermane just teleports around and scares you like that. And you just get a quick painless game over if you look at him for too long. He mostly just stands still in the game, with his empty face which I always kinda thought was stupid. So I got used to it. Now I see it as a creepy version of hide and seek plus a scavenger hunt."
"I hope you realize if you were to come across it in reality, you would go through the most horrible torment imaginable as it's blank face catches your eye. Believe me, I should know," Goldie said.
Rarity swallowed down a lump in her throat and said, "Are you sure this thing, this Legend is true? We could just be getting worried over nothing."
"A pony like that could never-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever smile! Ever! That's SCARY!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
Twilight picked up the photograph with her magic and scrutinized the figure in the background. "This. . figure does match Goldie's description. And I may have read something about this Slendermane a while okay during my studies, although I dismissed it without a second though. I assumed it was just a kind of ancient urban legend our ancestors told to make their children behave. Something just made up, and not real-."
"Oh, that thing's real alright," Rainbow Dash said darkly, grinding her teeth angrily, "And it took Scootaloo from us."
Fluttershy had been huddled in a corned in fear the whole time due to the scary story being told. She gulped and said, "H-how do you know for sure?"
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes in thought. Then she opened them and said, "Because Princess Luna told me."
"WHAT!?" everypony exclaimed.
"Princess Luna?" Spike echoed in disbelief.
"Was it in a dream?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Rainbow Dash nodded, "Yeah. It happened last night. I was really beat after ransacking those Diamond Dog Caves. I fell asleep qcuikly. . ."
Rainbow Dash was walking through a dark forest. Was it the Everfree? Dash couldn't tell. Then, she saw a familiar purple tail swinging back and forth ahead of her. She could even make out some orange fur.
"Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash cried out in joy.
However, Scootaloo didn't turn around. In fact, she started running forward.
"Scoots! Wait! It's me, Rainbow Dash! SCOOTALOO!" Rainbow cried out as she began flying after her little sister. However, no matter how hard she flapped her wings, she just couldn't catch up to the little filly. Before long, Scootaloo had disappeared into the darkness.
"NOOOO!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she landed on the ground, allowing tears to fall from her eyes. "It's not fair. I was so close. Why-."
Rainbow was cut off when she looked up for a split second. The thin, towering figure standing over her caused her to yelp in fear and fall over. Rainbow quickly turned around, and to her surprise, saw none other than Princess Luna.
"When I met this creature long, long ago, neither one of us walked away unscathed," she said, "I posses the powers of the Night, but perhaps the Night is not what is needed to stop this creature. What is needed is light. And perhaps it will be an entire spectrum of light that will dispel this creature's darkness."
Rainbow Dash stared up at Luna, not sure what to make of all her words. But then she remembered the figure that had frightened her. Dash assumed that it had left after Luna arrived, so she turned around.
That's when Rainbow Dash got her first good look at Slendermane.
"That settles it," Rainbow Dash said after relating the dream to everypony in the room, "I thought it was all just a crazy dream, but now I know it's real." Rainbow Dash stood up tall, "Slendermane took Scootaloo, and I'm going to save her."
"Save her?"
Rainbow Dash turned to Goldie delicious, who had spoken in what appeared to be confusion.
"Yes, save her! She's my sister! What kind of pony would I be if I let some monster-."
"You don't understand, do you," Goldie said in a grief stricken tone, "How long has it been since she was claimed by it? You have to realize that by now-"
"NO!" Rainbow Dash shouted, stomping the ground with her hoof so hard the wood floor cracked, "I don't wanna even think about that!"
"I won't let you hang on to false hope!" Goldie said, rising from the couch suddenly to look Rainbow Dash in the eye, "To be taken by it means certain doom! And if you make a conscious effort to find it, then it will come after you even though you're not a child! Then you will be gone as well!"
"Scootaloo isn't gone!" Rainbow argued, "Why do you think Luna visited my dream and said what she said! It's up to me to stop that thing and save Scootaloo!"
"Alright!" Goldie said, anger in her eyes, "Maybe you are the one to finally destroy it, but we have no reason at all to believe that filly is still alive. Slendermane took her, and Slendermane brings only death! She could not have survived! Scootaloo is dead, young mare! Do you understand what I'm saying. Scootaloo is dead!"
The whole room went completely silent. Nopony even dared to breathe after that statement. They all were looking straight at Rainbow Dash, who had a horrified expression on her face.
"No. . ." she said, shaking her head, "No. . .you're wrong, you're-."
Everyone could only watch in grief as Rainbow Dash began to break down and cry right in front of them. She looked down and sobbed silently, not wanting to completely loose it in front of her friends.
Goldie's expression softened as she stared at the weeping Pegasus. Regret filled her heart and soul as she looked on. Then, a determined look appeared on her face, and she stepped forward, taking of her saddlebags and placing them on Rainbow Dash's back.
Rainbow Dash looked up in surprised as Goldie gave a her a reassuring smile. "If I had a sister in trouble, I'd hang on to any hope there was too. Maybe. . .I am wrong. Perhaps it is holding her captive for some purpose. She could very well be still alive. But you don't have much time. The items in those bag will help protect you. Look through them later." Goldie pointed to the front door and said, "Now go! Before it's too late!"
"Wait an apple bucking minute!" Applejack shouted as she ran forward. However, Rainbow Dash had already zoomed out the door. "She's gonna git herself killed!" Applejack exclaimed as she ran out the door in hot pursuit. After about a second, everyone else followed except for Granny Smith and Goldie Delicious.
Goldie looked towards Granny Smith and said, "Well, what do you think?"
Granny Smith didn't even need time to think about it. She answered right away, "If it we're Applebloom, Applejack would be doing the same thing. Even that Rarity unicorn would be rushing out like that if it were Sweetie Belle. Heh. No sense trying to stop her. And it's good that you gave her a little help too."
Goldie nodded, "Oh yes. She'll definitely need it." Goldie looked at the window and at the setting Sun, after which the Moon would soon rise. "Oh Luna, I hope it's enough. Please, let this all end well. . ."
Rainbow Dash ran through Sweet Apple Acres. Her tears were now gone, and her soul, heart, and mind were focused on one thing and one thing only. It made her whole body heat up from passionate rage. Her red eyes shone brightly, matching the red light of the sunset that was gracing the Apple farm. Rainbow Dash stopped to lean against an apple tree as she reined in her strong emotions and looked out at the sunset.
My heart was blue in my bedroom last night.
No happiness to be seen
A kingdom of depression,
and it looks like I'm the queen
My sister Scootaloo is nowhere to be found
And to this revenge I am loyal-bound
More tears threatened to spring out, and Rainbow Dash pressed a fore leg over her face.
He took my sis, she could be dead,
Now I'm gonna crush that creature's head!
For what that monster did to me,
You'll see
Rainbow Dash suddenly flew straight up, high above Sweet Apple Acres in the cloudless sky.
Slendermane, Slendermane,
You better prepare to get smashed!
Slendermane, Slendermane,
My name is Rainbow Dash!
I don't care who gets in my way!
I'm gonna save you, sis!
No pony messes with my family
Rainbow Dash landed back onto the ground and started running again, heading in the direction of the Eeverfree Forest.
I'm running out of patience.
This is going much too slow.
If only Luna killed this creature,
1000 years ago!
Come here and see what I can do,
I'll rip that black suit out off of you!
Take off your tie and strangle you!
You're doomed!
Filled with even more passion, Rainbow took to the air again and threw punches and kicks in mid air.
Slendermane, Slendermane,
I know this will sound crash,
Slendermane, Slendermane,
But I'm gonna kick your ass!
Mark my words! You are gonna pay!
I'm gonna save you, sis!
"WAAAAAAAIIIIIIIT!!!!"
Rainbow Dash turned and looked down to see everypony from the farmhouse running over to her, with Applejack leading the way. Button Mash, however, suddenly jumped up, bounded off of Big Macintosh's back, over Applejack, and landed in front of the group. Looking frantically nervous, Button called out urgently to Rainbow Dash.
His tentacles fly out and penetrate your spine!
He'll teleport off-screen then buck you from the other side!
And if you try to counter with your Buccaneer Blaze!
That's when he'll use his "face," to bring his static haze!
Rainbow Dash hovered back down to ground level, and Button Mash got closer as he tried to get his point across.
Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash, (I'm not frightened, I'm not afraid of fighting,)
You can't fight Slendermane! (There's gotta be a chance to rescue Scootaloo.)
Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash, (I don't care what you all say, Slendermane is gonna pay,)
I should know, I've played the game! (My sister's out there somewhere, I gotta rescue her.)
Rainbow Dash flew high into the air and pointed down at the large crowd.
I don't care who gets in my way!
Rainbow Dash then looped in mid air and rocketed off at top speed towards the Everfree Forest while shouting as loud as she could.
I'M GONNA SAVE YOU, SIS!!!!
All the group could do is watch in silence as Rainbow Dash used her unmatched speed to disappear into the distance.
"Hope she at least has 20 bits with her. . ." Button said softly in defeat.
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Slender mane song.
Slender mane is dead.
:
I'm putting together my own Slendermane fic, but it doesn't follow the format of the game -Slender- instead taking it's style more from the Slenderman VLogs. I would really appreciate any advice and perhaps your opinion on the story's concepts, if you have the time. I plan on reading through this story here, to get a few ideas.
Rainbow and Scootaloo both play a major role in my story; but unlike this, the entirety of the C.M.C. are missing and all their respective sisters are on the warpath.
I plan on dividing the story into three parts: the 'Memories', the 'Entries', and the 'Interludes'. Memories are Rainbow and her team, looking for the missing fillies; Entries are the C.M.C., trying to retain their sense of self, while running from Slendermane; Interludes are scenes ripped from the future/past, placed into odd places in the story thanks to Slendermane's unusual powers. These will foreshadow future events, show scene's that happened 'off screen' and give some insight into what brought all the horror about.
Well, that was a text dump... If you find the time; opinions?
-Inkheart
spooky spooks!