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Prologue1,534 words
Chapter 1: The Urban Legend3,771 words
Chapter 2: The Eight Pages1,936 words
Chapter 3: Into the Abyss2,416 words
Chapter 4: The Hostages1,552 words
Chapter 5: The Arrival4,591 words

Chapter 4: The Hostages

Chapter 4: The Hostages

Click!

Button Mash bit gently on the glow stick, slightly illuminated the path of the three young ponies through the Everfree Forest.

"What's the point of using those things if we got flashlights?" came Applebloom's southern drawl.

Button turned around and glared at the yellow earth pony seriously. "Because this Hardcore mode!"

"Uhh. . . ." Applebloom said.

Button sighed and rolled his eyes, "The batteries will die! It's a common horror trope."

"Life ain't a game or a movie!" Applebloom complained as she took out her flashlight and clicked it on.

"Don't do that! You'll attract to much attention!" Button shouted as he tackled Applebloom and wrenched the flashlight away from her.

"Give that back!" Applebloom shouted as the she and Button wrestled on the ground.

Sweetie Belle watched her friends wrestle from afar. She shook her head and said, "Oh come on, you two. Did you forget why we snuck out here? Scootaloo. . .? Ring any bells?"

The two earth ponies stopped fighting, and then both quickly got up.

"Sorry, Applebloom," Button said as he adjusted his hat, "I'm just really nervous about this."

"It's alright," Applebloom muttered, "But these glow sticks aren't very bright."

"We don't want to attract the Slendermane!" Button said in a loud whisper.

"Well Ah guess he must be deaf, because your saddle bag is jingling like crazy!" Applebloom complained.

"Firs of all, this is a game satchel!" Button said indignantly as he tapped his bag with the directional pad symbol on it. "And second of all, in here is insurance!" Button opened his stacheld and revealed a pile of bits.

"How is money gonna help us out in the middle of the forest?" Applebloom asked.

"Well, duuuuuhhhhhhh!" Button said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, "Everypony knows that Slendermane will leave you alone if you give him 20 bits."

"Seriously?" Applebloom said in a deadpan tone.

Button moved his face closer to Applebloom's face and said angrily, "Is this the time or the place for joking around?"

Applebloom backed off quickly and stood next to Sweetie Belle. "Okay, okay, Ah believe you. It's serious. Hey wait! What if it's 20 bits per pony?"

Button blinked. "Oh. . .I didn't think of that. . ."

. . . . .

"Button?"

"Yeah, Applebloom?"

"AH AIN'T DYING TONIGHT!"

Button cried out as Applebloom tackled him and reached into Button's saddle bags.

"Applebloom! Stop! You're hurting him!" Sweetie Belle cried out worriedly.

There was the sound of tinkling coins as Applebloom's hoof flicked the money out of the bag.

"NOOO! My only line of defense!" Button shouted as he pushed Applebloom off of him and started gathering the money up as Applebloom did the same thing.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" Sweetie Belle cried out, causing the other two ponies to stop there frantic scrambling. "Look at yourselves! You're acting crazy! When we decided to sneak off into the Everfree and go save Scootaloo, I thought we were gonna focus on saving our friend! But all you're doing is using this whole thing as an excuse to fight with one another! This isn't about us! This is about Scootaloo! Remember!?"

Button and Applebloom looked very ashamed as they stared at the ground.

"Sweetie Belle. . ." Button said, "I didn't want you to come at first, because this is dangerous, and you're my best friend in the world. I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened to you." Button looked up at Sweetie Belle with a smile, "But now, I'm so glad you convince us to let you come with us."

Sweetie Belle sighed and smiled.

Button turned to Applebloom and held his hoof out to her. "Friends?"

Applebloom looked over and nodded to Sweetie Belle, and then turned back to Button and shook hooves with him. "Best!"

Button nodded, "Thanks, Applebloom. I guess I just couldn't help but get a little worried about this. I mean, my fur's the darkest."

"Huh?" Applebloom said.

Button smiled sheepishly, "Horror trope. Right, Sweetie-" Button froze and his heart seemed to skip a beat when he turned to look at Sweetie Belle.

"Oh no. . ." Applebloom whispered as she turned her head to the right. Her fears were soon realized.

Sweetie Belle was gone

"SWEETIE BELLE!!!" Button shouted at the top of his lungs as he took out his own flashlight and shone it around wildly, "SWEETIE BELLE! SAY SOMETHING! PLEASE, TELL US WHERE YOU ARE!"

"Button, clam down! Please-" Applebloom said urgently.

"NO-NO-NO-NO-NOOOOO!" Button cried out as he dropped his flashlight and fell flat on the ground. "SWEETIE BELLE!" Button shouted as he broke down into tears.

"Come on, Button, get it together!"

"N-n-no! She's gone!" Button said in between heavy sobs, "She's gone and it's all my fault!"

SMACK!

Button's head was knocked to one side from the force of Applebloom's slap.

"Now you listen to me," Applebloom said seriously, "We are not gonna fall apart here. We're gonna find her, but first we gotta calm down, alright?"

Button sniffed and nodded tearfully.

"Okay then," Applebloom said, and she shifted her gaze to the bits on the ground, "Maybe. . .if we give him the 20 bits he'll let Sweetie Belle go."

Button growled, "Sweetie Belle is worth tons more than 20 bits!"

Applebloom shrugged and started gathering up the bits, "Well, you said that 20 bits was his price."

Button sighed as the filly tossed in the money into Button's satchel. "Okay. . .let's go."

"Wait!" Applebloom said, "What about Scootaloo?"

Button growled again and said in a dead serious tone, "We - save - Sweetie Belle - FIRST!"

"Okay, okay! Gosh, let's just go," Applebloom said disgruntledly.

Button and Applebloom walked silently through the empty woods. They were looking around the woods, scrutinizing every tree with the hope of spotting the snow colored filly.

"Applebloom?"

"Yeah Button?"

"You know that you're one of my best friends, along with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle right?" Button asked nervously.

Applebloom blinked, but then smiled warmly, and put a foreleg around his shoulder. "Don't worry Button, we're friends for sure."

Button smiled slightly, but it quickly fell back into a frown. "We have to save them. We have to find them."

"We will, Button we will," Applebloom said, "Ah'm sure when everypony realized that we've gone, they'll come out and find us." Applebloom's eyes widened, "Oh my gosh, we are so grounded!"

Button shrugged, "It'll be worth it when we find-" Button suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" Applebloom asked.

Button gulped loudly, "Check that out. . ."

Applebloom followed his gaze and spotted a creepy looking dead tree in front of them. Applebloom let out a sigh of relief and said, "It's just an ugly old-"

A cloaked figure jumped out from the top of the tree and landed in front of Applebloom and Button. Button shrieked and jumped behind Applebloom in fear.

"Uh. . .Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom asked nervously.

The figure raised it's head and snarled through it's filthy skull face.

The two ponies ran screaming as loud as they possibly could as the snarls and shrieks of the Chaser echoed throughout the forest.

Button Mash sat inside a dark tunnel, his legs sore and his body exhausted from running so fast for so long. After managing to catch his breath, Button thought about his situation. He looked around and saw that he was completely alone. His heart sunk down so low that he could've sworn that it was in the Nether.

"My friends. . .they're all. . ." Button Mash said miserably, his lip trembling as tears leaked out of his eyes. But then, something inside him snapped. He jumped up on his hooves with a determined look in his eyes. "I'm gonna end this once and for all." Button Mash scratched at the ground with his left hoof. His eyes spotted a sizeable stone on the ground. He picked it up and tossed it up and down, "I'll smash Slendermane and his skull faced friend!" he said in deadly earnest. Button stood up tall and declared "By the forces of Wisdom, Power, and Courage; in the name of the Wizard Ruler of Arcana; I shall save those fair maidens!"

And then Slendermane was right behind him.

Author's Note:

Tune in next time for the final chapter! The thrilling conclusion to the story! Chapter 5: The Arrival!

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lordofmyth

lordofmyth #1 · Apr 19th, 2014 · · ·

this isn't some super grimdark story is it?

kinda hate what people have done with slenderman. murdering and killing just makes, well, too much sense. if it is supposed tobe an eldritch thing then why would it commit murder? kililng has too many factors that can be comprehended.

dashybrony2012