Follow along with your favorite Eldritch Abomination is this Ask Story.
Slendermare is a mare of many talents. She can teleport, speak without a mouth, see without eyes, and can create tendrils from her back. One thing she doesn't have is a face. Or a tolerance for pesky floating boxes invading her forest.
Hello there user. This is an ask fic. The upload rate depends on how many asks I get. If I get no asks or not enough, I will drop the idea of this being an ask fic and will make it a regular fanfiction. Also looking for a cheap art commission. By cheap I mean free because I am flat broke.
Gone again. I crept slowly through the forest, looking for the pony responsible for taking my notes again. It annoyed me to no end at how some ponies think it's perfectly alright to steal my property, and think of it as a.. a game or something. These drawings are near and dear to me, and if somepony thinks this is a game, well then they had best expect to lose. It would be awhile before my sister Dementia could create more for me, and she was running low on art supplies. The clear solution is to get them back myself before that dratted thief left the forest. As I walked, I tried to recall the first time they were stolen, the night Dementia and I were banished.
It was many moons ago, and the dead of night. I was trying to get some well deserved sleep, as I had spent the day in the nearby village working on a cure all. It was a simpler time, before that royal prat Celestia decided I was a danger to society. During this time, I enjoyed alchemy and magic, and the civilians of Ponyville always found my aptitude for magic to be quite fascinating due to my being an earth pony. I had friends and Dementia, who was still a filly, had much fun playing with the other foals who she would often entertain with her magic and flying tricks. Then one day, Celestia sent some of her guard to hunt me down. To her my sister and I her monsters, and I was soon labeled as an Eldritch Abomination. My lab was destroyed and I had only managed to save a few personal belongings before my sister and I were forced to flee into the Everfree Forest.
Snap I was abruptly torn from my memory and turned toward the sound. I caught sight of a fleeting figure heading toward the treeline. Moments later I had the stallion trapped in a tendril. He flapped his wings in an attempt to escape, and I was caught off guard by his strength It took a moment for me to regain a tight hold, making sure to ensnare his wings as well. I pulled him to my level and he started struggling more. I inwardly sighed, and if I had eyes I would have rolled them.
"The notes?" I asked telepathically. He seemed oddly calm about the fact that I had just spoken without a mouth, and for some reason I found this fact to be rather pleasing.
"In my saddlebag," he sighed. With a tendril i emptied the contents of the bags, my notes and other things raining to the forest floor. I gathered my notes and carefully put the rest of his things back into his bag. He cautiously picked up the bag and looked up at me, unsure as to whether I could be trusted. After a moment, he flew back to the town with a speed that could rival my sister's. I then set out to returning the notes to their respective spots. I usually change up the spot each time, but I was feeling lethargic and decided that it could wait for another day. As I walked back to my home, my mind returned to that fateful night.
It was quite late and I had been awoken by a sound. My home had only just been built and still required work, but at this point it had a bathroom, a kitchen and a bedroom. I looked across the room and saw my sister sound asleep, and I crept outside. Earlier that week, Dementia had drawn a few pictures, and since I had no refrigerator at the moment I had temporarily hung them on the trees outside. I peered outside through the archway that would become a door and saw a young mare ripping a note off of a tree. I was absolutely livid and I yanked her over with a tendril.
"What do you think you are doing!"I boomed, and she cowered in fear. I felt a warmth on one of my forelegs, and realized she had wet herself in fear. I snatched the notes and dropped her, and without hesitation she ran off. I looked at my leg with disgust before I teleported to a lake nearby. I worked on cleaning the urine off of my leg, scrubbing harder than was probably necessary. Thinking of it now, I suppose I had been a tad harsh on the mare, she had no way of knowing how much the drawings meant to me. But soon after, others came into the forest, deciding to risk its dangers for the sole purpose of annoying me. I suppose they thought they were being righteous, and when caught some said they had heard that without the notes I would be powerless. When given these excuses, I'd chuckle and tell them that's just an old mare's tale. Nevertheless, all these ponies succeeded in doing was being a nuisance.
"Slendy, please?" I inwardly groaned at the nickname and turned to my sister. "Dementia, you know the rules. If we are seen outside the forest, Celestia will instantly know." The reason for her knowledge of our whereabouts is due to a spell she cast to make sure we never leave the forest. Sometimes a kind pony may leave some things at the treeline, but that's rare. I've grown accustomed to my fate, and the only thing I long for are apples. There's a farm near the forest, with acres of orchard. Occasionally, if I'm lucky, a tree may grow wild by the forest and I'll be able to harvest some. But soon after it withers, as it's not cared for well enough due to its distance from the orchard. Zap Apple season is my favorite, and they grow within the forest, but the season is short and never lasts for long.
My sister looks up at me, lip quivering. Like me she lacked eyes, but she somehow attained a mouth, from our mother I presume. I sighed, defeated. "If you must Dementia, I will try to find a way to undo the spell. But it will take time-" she cuts me off with a hug, which I awkwardly return. Grinning, she runs off to who knows where, and I open a book and begin working on a way to reverse the spell.
As I added yet another crumpled wad of paper to the growing pile on the forest floor, I sighed and slumped forward, my head now resting upon the large tree stump I'd been using as a table. Though I was rather talented with potions, Alicorn magic was at least a tad beyond my reach as of this moment. Taking a new breath of fresh air, I rose from my slump and reached for a fresh sheet of paper, only to discover that I was fresh out and would need to make more before I could try a new idea and test it. Standing from my seat, (another smaller tree stump that was an offshoot of the much larger one) I extended a tendril to a dirty burlap bag hanging from a tree branch. After checking to make sure there were no animals using it as a nest again, I draped it over my back and headed deeper into the woods in search of dead leaves. This time of year there were not particularly many to be found in this part of the forest due in part both the type of trees, and that they had grown to be so tall.
Half an hour of walking later, I had found and plundered several locations, and began heading towards the stream my sister and I got our water from. Though there were several ways to make paper, and several base ingredients that one could use. What little variety to choose from I had access to at the moment thankfully was also the most plentiful; leaves and water. First I fill a pail halfway with water, then, using my tendrils, I shred the leafs and soak them to mush. After a thorough blending, I would pour the mix onto a mostly-flat stone Dementia found some time ago, and build a fire beneath it. From there it was just a matter of pressing it as flat as possible beneath a second stone and then waiting for it to dry. It's not the best quality of paper, but it's what we've got. Making more charcoal-ink will have to wait until the fire's completely gone out, though. Thankfully I don't need that right-
My train of thought was broken when, out of the corner of my vision, I saw a brief flash of white light. Jerking my 'face' to the left, I looked on in puzzlement at an odd white box floating towards me. Unsure if it was a threat or not, I prepared myself should I need to run or fight, but the box did not seem to react, and only continued forward instead. When it came within six feet of distance to me it stopped, and the blank white face of it swirled with specks of black for a few seconds, then re-arranged into lettering, and then again re-arranged in a fashion that made the letters appear to dance, and then finally came to a stop in form of a single sentence phrased as a question.
"If you don't have any facial features...how do you eat anything??"
I moved a bit closer, somewhat taken aback by the mysterious box. What was it, and how was it here? Could it of been a trick by Celestia, who may have realized what I was trying to do? I shook head, discarding the thought as foolish. There was no way the royal prat could know. I went to touch it, and with a bit of trepidation I pressed a hoof to it. In response it only moved away, showing it was not tethered to its spot and seemed to just be floating. I walked around it, inspecting it from every angle in an attempt to figure out what it was. I wrapped a tendril around it and tugged it, and it moved. Unfortunately, I had overestimated its weight and it his me square in the muzzle.
"Buck!" I cried, and this time I pulled the box much gentler, and went home. As I entered, I found my sister on the floor of the living room, watching a spider scuttle across the floor. I inwardly sighed, I really needed to get her a hobby. She looked up and jumped to her feet.
"Slendy, what's that?" She walked over and poked the box, and just as before it moved a bit. She cocked her head in confusion. "Is it one of your experiments?" I glanced at the box. My most recent experiments were based around trying to break this spell. Perhaps this was a side effect? But before I could ponder it any longer, my sister's voice drew me from my thoughts.
"Aren't you going to answer it?" she asked me as she walked around the box. I thought about it for a moment, and concluded that there was no harm in answering a simple question from a complete stranger.
"Well, my tendrils have many uses besides grabbing things." To demonstrate, I grabbed one of the last apples I had off of the counter. In my tendril, it seemed to almost melt, disappearing. "For nourishment, my tendrils can absorb food, much like a cell of the body. My tendrils can excrete a powerful enzyme that breaks down the food quickly, and then absorb it."
The moment I finished answering the question, the box wavered, seeming to shimmer in the light before vanishing in a way similar to how it had appeared.
"That was cool!" cried Dementia, and I chuckled a bit. "Yes, I suppose it was.. cool. Now that that is over with, I suppose I should return to working on breaking the spell." With that, I went to the front door and opened it, only to have my way blocked by yet another mysterious box. As the letters formed themselves into words, I groaned inwardly.
how the fuck are you not banished to the realm of bad guys
Dementia went to retaliate, but I held up a hoof and she begrudgingly remained silent. "Well, if you must know, Celestia wanted to, but I attempted to appeal to her compassion. Unfortunately for me, emotions are not my strong suit and I sounded pathetic. As Celestia was about to banish me, Dementia walked in and started to freak out. The grand throne room started to melt, and the windows started to crack.
Realizing how difficult it would be to contain us both within the realm, she opted to banish us both to the Everfree Forest, casting a spell to ensure we could never leave." Within seconds, this box was gone as well. I turned to my sister and she seemed upset. Was it the fact that I had yet to break the spell? Or the fact that our past had been brought up? I walked outside to dwell on the possible ideas, as well as work on breaking the spell.
I looked down at my paper, and then stand. I read it and concentrated, and I'm soon enveloped in magic, and begin to float off of the ground. Perhaps this time it will work- the moment the idea crosses my mind however, the aura vanishes and I fall onto my flank. Another failure. I angrily rip the page in half, frustrated. What was I missing? As I shoved the useless shreds into my bag to be recycled, I noticed another box nearby. They were getting bothersome, but as there was currently no solution I approached it for a better look. As I approached, words soon formed onto the white box.
*Gives you a book on alicorn spells* This may help. *Hands you a basket of apples*
Suddenly, a large book fell from the sky, and I had to leap backwards to avoid it. With it came a basket of the ripest apples I've seen in awhile. The box vanished, and I inspected the basket as well as the book. The basket itself was nothing special, just wicker. The apples also had no interesting traits to them, beside the fact that they were apples, superior to all fruit. I opened the cover to the book, and if I had eyes they would have widened at the sight, as this was a book straight from Celestia and Luna's private library. It was a deep blue, with the cutie mark's of both sisters branded on the front in gold. I hurriedly scooped up the book and basket with my tendrils and galloped home as fast as I could.
"Slendy? Is something wrong?" my sister inquired, something sounding like worry in her voice. "No no, nothing is wrong. In fact, everything is wonderful!" I opened the book and I heard a small gasp from my sister.
"Is that from the Royal Sisters' Library?" she said breathlessly, leaning forward for a closer look. She ran a hoof over the cover, in awe. "Will it help you break the spell?" She asked hopefully. Just as I was about to answer, another box appeared directly above us. We both stood and stepped back to read it.
What do you guys do for fun?
Dementia smiled softly. "Well, my sister and I both enjoy reading, but books aren't exactly readily available here. Sometimes we'll write stories and have the other read them. Personally, I enjoy drawing and Slendy hangs them up outside."
"I practice my magic when I'm not chasing others out of the forest for trying to steal the drawings Dementia gives me. I also enjoy playing cards, although I'm not very good." I answer, already back to reading the book. In all my years, this was the first time I had held a book from the Princess' library. I skimmed the first the few pages, enraptured by principles I had never even heard of.
Dementia, this one's for you; Why do you want to leave the forest? You've been there for awhile, and surely civilization may be afraid of you.
I glanced at the box, figuring that she could handle it. I returned to reading, and after a minute she spoke. "It isn't about the others, it's about me. I know it's a childish dream, but I have some sliver of hope that maybe ponies have changed, that they may be more tolerant..
"And the house here in the forest is nice, really. Slendy did a good job, but I get lonely out here, and I just feel like I'm missing something. We've been here since I was a young filly, only about 7, and it's been almost 14 years. A lot can change in that much time, and I just want to see what I've missed." She looked down to the ground and started making a noise that sounded like a cross between coughing and gasping, and it took me a moment to realize she was crying.
I got up from the book and awkwardly wrapped her in a hug, gently patting her head. "Um, there there, don't cry, please." I said, trying to comfort her. I felt I was failing, before she started laughing and crying at once. I stepped away, startled. "Dementia, you're confusing me. Are you sad, or happy? Or-" I was cut off as she hugged me and i jumped slightly.
"You're so weird Slendy, but thank you. I know how confusing ponies and emotions can be for you, and that's probably why you've been more comfortable in the forest than me." she said with a half smile. "Well, I promise to get you out of this forest so you can socialize enough for the both of us." I said, wishing I could smile. Dementia looked at me quizzically.
"Did you.. Was that a joke Slendy?" She grinned and I felt a faint blush on my face. "I have read that humor often cheers ponies and other creatures up. Did I.. do it correctly?" I asked, embarrassed about the fact that my joke wasn't obvious enough. She laughed, just as another box appeared.
Slendermare, instead of trying to break the spell, have you tried altering it or moving it to something else, like an animal or tree
I shot up and flipped through the book frantically. "By Star Swill's beard, that may be it!" I exclaimed, and soon found the page. Dementia sat by me as I looked for a spell. Then, on page 428, I found a spell for magic transference.
"Dementia, go find some small woodland creatures! Check by that one mares house, there's bound to be some there." Dementia got up and flew out the door as I continued reading. This spell may just be the way out.
I read over the spell for the hundredth time. I had to get this right, my sister wanted to see the outside more than anything. This spell was in all aspects difficult, but not a difficult as-
"Hey Slendy, how's it going?" Dementia asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I was thankful for the distraction, for I had no desire to mess with those skeletons. I read over the spell once more, then stood. "Dementia, are you sure about this? I haven't cast this spell before, I may get it wrong." I admitted. I abhorred admitting I may be wrong about something, but when it came to her safety, I was willing to swallow my pride.
"I'm ready when you are Slendy." She said with a grin. I looked at the book and began the spell, but before I had gotten even five words in, yet another box appeared between Dementia and I.
what is the weirdest thing you've seen or heard
I was taken aback and faltered, the box startling me. Dementia seemed just as startled as I was, and walked to where I was so she could read the question as well.
"Well, there was this time when I was younger, and I was outside playing. Slendy had to go into a shop and buy something for an experiment, and from this house I heard these weird sounds. It sounded like moaning and kissing, and they kept saying each others names-" I put a hoof over her mouth, cutting her off before she could continue. For her age, she was much too sheltered and I had put off explaining sex for far too long. I lowered my hoof and she stayed quiet, albeit confused. I inwardly sighed, that was a conversation I was not looking forward to.
"The weirdest thing I've 'seen' was when we were in the forest," I began. "It was late and we were out looking for food. At the moment, we had no shelter, and Dementia was getting tired. Soon, I had found a small underground cave for us to rest in. During the night, I had awoken and I swear I saw the moon glow and change, and since then the moon has always seemed different." Dementia grinned as I spoke. For some reason, she had found the story to be amusing when I recounted it.
I picked up the book as the box vanished, Dementia getting back into position. I started to read, and Dementia was surrounded in an aura of red magic. As I read, I picked up the small rabbit in the magical aura as well. Soon, a separate golden aura lifted from my sister, and settled on the rabbit. I slowly lowered them both, and cast a minor containment spell on the rabbit, making it so the rabbit could not leave the forest. My sister was practically shaking with excitement, and handed me the second animal, which was a squirrel. I started to repeat the process, and shivered from the icy cold of the aura leaving my body. As soon as it settled on the squirrel, I lowered us both to the ground. I cast the same spell on the squirrel as I had on the rabbit, and turned towards Dementia, who was beaming with joy.
"I'm so excited! Are you excited? I think you're excited but it's hard to tell with you. You're probably excited at the chance to leave this forest for a change of scenery, and.." She started going on at a mile a minute, and I closed the book. "Come dementia, unless you wish to stay here." Before I had even finished the sentence, she was flying off ahead of me. I chuckled at her enthusiasm and galloped after her. Suddenly she halted, and it took me a moment to see why. She had almost flown straight into one of the boxes.
have you meet Zecora she lives in a hut in the Everfree Forest like you
Dementia and I halted to read it. "Yes." "No." She turned to face me, confused. "Who's Zecora?" she asked and I sighed.
"She's the Zebra that also lives in the Everfree. You've met her before when you were younger. She helps us with supplies sometimes." I explained, and Dementia smiled. "Oh, her! She's cool." She exclaimed. At this, she dashed forward again, and I had a hard time keeping up. "Dementia, wait up!" I cried as galloped after. She saw me and slowed down, and I caught up. Soon, we were at the edge of the forest, looking out. This was the closest she had gotten in awhile. I knew this area, as it was by Sweet Apple Acres, and Dementia rarely gets near the edge, except for today when she got next to the cottage for the animals. She looked to me nervously.
"Is it.. Can I.." She asked timidly. I nodded my head and she took a tentative step forward. She looked around in wonder and stepped out fully. I stood, waiting for Celestia's guard to attack, but nothing happened. I slowly followed her, and looked around. It was early morning, but already bright. Perhaps that's due to the perpetual darkness in the forest, but that didn't matter now. The only thing of importance now was that Dementia was happy. Off in the distance, I saw the town we had lived in before. There were so many questions I had about it, like if the town hall was still in the same building. Or if that young couple ever opened that sweets shop they wanted to run.
Dementia trotted ahead, stopping every so often to examine a plant, or a bug, or some other thing she found to be fascinating. As we walked, I kept wondering about the quaint town from what felt like a lifetime ago. I never had many friends, but there was one mare who was always friendly to me. I wonder if she and her brother still lived in town? I wonder if they'd allow me to work on their farm for some money. Soon we were only about one hundred feet from the town.
Was it still called Ponyville? And would they accept us, or write to Celestia? I swallowed my fear, thankful my emotions weren't obvious. Dementia smiled and looked forward to the town. Due to the time, it wasn't as busy, but there were still many ponies. I started to panic, hoping they wouldn't try to talk to me. Dementia was far more social, and I was incredibly awkward in these sorts of situations. It was one of the reasons I liked the forest, there were no other ponies except for Dementia and Zecora. They were patient and understanding, but I knew others would be frustrated with me, and afraid. I took a step forward with more than a bit of trepidation, and stopped Dementia by touching one of her wings.
"I.. Dementia, can we stop at the farm? I was thinking.. Somepony there may be able to help us." I said quietly. Dementia nodded, understanding, and I led her to Sweet Apple Acres.
I stood nervously at the gate, my mind racing. Would she remember me? Would she help me? What if she turned Dementia and I over to Celestia? I shuddered, not wanting to contemplate the consequences that the Royal Prat would bring down upon us. Dementia waited by the gate and I took a shaky step forward. The walk to the house was a long one, and my nerves were only slowing me down. I thanked Luna that it was still dawn, and that I was fairly well hidden in the shadows. As I walked, I took in my surroundings. I could never quite fathom how many apple trees were in the orchard. I hoped Applejack would let me have a few. Suddenly, I was a few yards from the door. I hadn't realized how close I was and trepidation flowed through my veins. Before I could step forward however, a box appeared before me.
Kill whoever's in Sweet Apple Acres except for the dog and child. I'll explain later.
"I.. What? No!" I was horrified by the request, and my heart was pounding. The box receded, and I stood motionless, shocked. How could this stranger expect me to murder, with no explanation given? After a few minutes, I regained my bearings and took the final steps to the door. I nervously raised a hoof and knocked. Almost immediately, the door swung open. Looking down, I saw a small yellow filly standing in the doorway. She had a red mane, which was held back by a pink bow. She looked up at me fearfully, and I took a step back.
"Please, do not be afraid, I-" She cut me off with a shrill scream and I sighed. She slammed the door in my 'face' and I was hit square in the muzzle. I muttered a string of curses and knocked again. This time, the wait was longer, until the door was just barely open, revealing their face. Instantly, her eyes softened with recognition.
"Slendy? What're you doin' here? Besides just 'bout given Applebloom a heart attack, ah thought you were in the forest with Dementia." She opened the door and stepped out, kicking it shut behind her. "Besides, didn't Celestia cast a spell on you and yer sister so ya couldn't leave?" She narrowed her eyes.
"Well Applejack, it's a bit of a long story, but basically I was able to transfer the spell so it would seem as if Dementia and I were still there, when in reality Celestia is keeping an eye on a couple of woodland creatures." She took a moment to mull over my story, and she stepped aside and opened the door. "What kinda host would ah be if ah just let ya stay out here?" She said with a grin. I took a step forward before remembering Dementia.
"Applejack, I will be right back." I teleported to the gate, startling Dementia who was sitting by a tree. "Holy smokes Slendy, give a mare some warning!" She yelled. I enveloped her in my magic.
"Warning." I said as I teleported us to the house. Dementia collapsed, panting heavily. I helped her up, and Applejack led us into the house. Applebloom was hiding in another room, peeking out from around a corner. Dementia smiled at Applebloom, who looked to Applejack who gave a curt nod. Applebloom slowly stepped out from her hiding spot.
"H-Hi, ah'm Applebloom." She said nervously. Dementia grinned and stepped forward. "I'm Dementia and this is Slendy!" She said, to which I sighed.
"My name is Slendermare." I corrected, and Applebloom cocked her head, an expression of confusion covering her features. "How is it that you can talk without a mouth?" she asked, and Applejack gave her a look,
"Applebloom, ah told you not to ask ponies rude questions." She said, and I waved a hoof dismissively. "It's quite alright Applejack, you asked me the same question at about her age if I'm not mistaken." I said with a chuckle, and Applejack blushed. "I speak telepathically Applebloom, with my mind."
She looked thoughtful before nodding, deeming my answer to be good.
how much do you know about Princess Luna
Applebloom jumped, startled by the box. "What in tarnation?" Applejack asked, taking a step back.
"I don't know what they are or who they're from, all I know is that they won't go away unless answered." I explained. Dementia sat by Applebloom, who seemed uneasy but didn't move.
"Well, she's the princess of the night, and from what I've heard she escaped her imprisonment." I said, and the box vanished. Applejack shook her head. "Ah swear Slendy, weirdness always seems to follow you." She said with a chuckle. Dementia grinned, and Applejack led us to the kitchen.
