The Legend of Slender Mane

The air was cool on a quiet night in Ponyville. The clouds threatened rain, but all was calm this night. There was a slight breeze that would pass through the sleepy little town every so often. It was one of those nights that made you glad to be alive. Some ponies slipped into their beds for the night, while others stayed awake. One of these ponies happened to be a unicorn. One that lived in a tree with her dragon assistant.

Twilight smiled as Spike tripped trying to carry the vast amount of books she had asked for. The books were covered in swirls and other stange patterns. One of them were titled; The History of Alchemy-By Star Swirl the Bearded. She had planned to show them to Zecora, whom she had not spoken to in some time. Busy with her thoughts, she failed to notice Spike, who was still sprawled out on the floor. Blushing, she hastily levitaded Spike with the books upright, and apologized for her blunder. She attempted to hide a grin on her face, but Spike was not buying it.

"Thanks for caring," he said in a sarcastic tone. "I'm pretty sure you would have cared more if Owlicious had fallen down."

"Oh Spike you know I'm just teasing." "Besides, there's no way that Owlicious could compare to my cute and adorable little dragon."

Spike flustered at Twilight's comment. He had always hated being called cute, especially in front of Rarity. To him, he was known as the strong and brave dragon that protected everypony.

Twilight giggled at Spike who was now fifty shades of red. "Anyways," she said trying to change the subject. "I plan on visiting Zecora this evening and wanted to know if you would come along." I Promise it won't take long."

"Pinkie promise?"

"Pinkie promise." Twilight then did Pinkie Pie's childish promise saying the words to go along with it. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She hit herself in the eye, forgetting to not actually hit herself.

Now it was Spike's turn to laugh, considering this was payback. "Yeah sure," he said in between laughs. "I'll-

There was a soft knock at the front door.

Twilight used her magic to open the door for the unexpected visitor. It was Rarity, who was humming a soft tune to herself as she walked forward.

Spike was the first to greet her.

"Hi Rarity!" "How are you doing? I'm doing fine not that you asked. How's Sweetie Bell? I bet she's fine too. Hey did you know that gems taste great with jelly?"

There was an awkward silence after that last comment. Rarity stood there, dumbfounded, not really knowing what to say. Twilight was the first to speak up.

"Well Spike that was quite, um, interesting." "So Rarity what brings you here?"

"Oh just going on one of my nightly strolls darling." "Would you and Spike like to acompany me?"

"Sorry Rarirty, but me and Spike were just about to-

Without hesitation Spike bolted through the front door out into the night. He eagerly waited for Rarity to come and join him, completely ignoring Twilight's request.

"Well then I guess Spike will be joining you," said Twilight who was a little agitated at Spike's ignorance for her. "Have a lovely trip..."

It had been close to midnight when Twilight finished packing her books together. It had taken her some extra time, for she wanted to oraganize her bookshelves. Spike wasn't back yet, probably still on the walk with Rarity. She almost felt bad for her, as Spike does tend to get rather annoying sometimes. She guessed that Spike will never learn. As this was going through her head, Twilight did a double take on the books she was bringing with her. She used her magic to levitate the books into a small bag that was strapped around her. Smiling from the satisfaction of having everything together, She trotted out the front door and closed it behind her.

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It was now midnight when Twilight had reached the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. By this tme, the temperature would have at least dropped forty degrees. Twilight shivered as a swift breeze passed her. She had to admit; she was a bit terrified. It was bad enough that she was going into the Everfree forest but after dark? Nopony would be that insane. But of course, Twilight was the exception. Brushing this off, she continued foward.

The Everfree Forest couldn't have been more bloodcurdling than it already was. Vines and moss covered the floor and trees of these thick woods. The atmosphere was clouded by a heavy fog, shrouded in darkness. Twilight had to use her horn to create a dimly lit pathway through the treacherous forest. Every sound that Twilight heard made her jump a little, fearing that something was going to pop out. Sweat profusely poured down Twilight's forehead with every step she took.

The trees and bushes continued to grow, as did Twilight's fear while she walked foward. She could not imagine what it would be like to get lost in these woods. How would everypony react if she had not returned? To ease her nerves, she pulled out one of the books she had brought with her and started to read.

After what seemed like an eternity, Twilight finally found Zecora's hut. Only it wasn't what she expected it to look like. The hut was completely wrecked. There were shards of glass and wooden planks all around the hut. It was covered in graffiti, saying stuff like HELP and RUNAWAY. Twilight noticed something on the ground, a note or some sort of letter. She picked it up and read it.

It has come to my concern that there is something out there in these woods. For years, that something has not been seen. For I do not know how much time I have left. All that I know is that it is getting closer. Oh dear Celestia someone please send help. It is right outside my hut. Oh no. The torches, all of them have gone out. OH DEAR CELESTIA IT'S RIGHT-

A shiver went down Twilight's back as she finished up the note. She knew she needed to find help fast. Who knows what could have gotten Zecora.

There was a quick flash out of the corner of Twilight's eye. Without delay, she whipped her head around to see what had arose her attention.

There was nothing there.

Fear struck Twilight immensely as she wondered what in the name of pony that was. Was it a Timber Wolf? No. Timber Wolves weren't that fast and you could smell their breath from a mile away she thought to herself. Her thinking was interrupted by the crunching of leaves.

She abruptly jerked her head towards the sound. As if it were a Coincidence, there was nothing there. Twilight was concerend and decided to leave, in fear of sharing the same fate as Zecora. What ever that was, Twilight did not want to find out. She trotted back the way she came.

The forest was still almost impossible to see through. The density had thickend, if that were possible. Twilight wished Luna's moon could show, but it did not. She still had to rely on her horn. It was not very bright, but it had to do.

After an hour of walking, Twilight had come to a conclusion that she was lost. She didn't understand though. She had taken the same path as before. How could have she have screwed up? Twilight snapped out of, believing that she was just tired. After all, it was past midnight. She just needed some rest. She noted that it was going to be the first thing she would do when she got home.

There was a quick flash of lightning that lit the whole Everfree forest.

Twilight screamed as she quickly hid behind a tree. When she looked around the corner, there was another flash of lightning, revealing a slim like figure out past a couple of trees. When Twilight squinted ahead, there was nothing there. Her pupils widened in horror as she stepped away from the tree.

"What was that?"

Her voiced echoed through the forest, responded by an empty silence. Her hooves were glued to the forest floor, for she could not move them at all. It was the fear that had prevented her from moving. She knew she had to leave, but she did not want to move. Almost forcing herself, she continued forth.

The leaves under Twilight's hooves made a soft crunching noise whenever she moved. Every step she took caused her heart to beat faster. She had never feared anything more deeply in her entire life. Nothing could compare to the amount of horror that had washed over her. She was almost in tears, freightened for her very life. She was hysterical.

There was a soft whispearing noise in the distance.

Twilight turned her head, mortified at what she saw. It was a pony, but not just any pony. It had a white face with no eyes or mouth to show! It wore a black suit on it's slim body. What really scared Twilight was the tenticals showing from the pony's back. It was only a couple of feet away from where she was standing. She shrieked and took off in a gallop.

She galloped past numerous amounts of trees and rocks, with her heart beating a mile a minute. Her magic refused to work, probably cause of the fear. She could not focus at all. Her intentions were galloping as fast as she could, hoping to get away from this creature. While she was galloping, she stumbled over a rock and landed on her face.

She immediatley looked around her. That creature was not there, but Twilight could still here a faint whispearing noise. Not quite relieved, she slowed her pace to a fast trot.

Twilight had never wanted to get away from something so bad in her entire life. Her fear was replaced by determination, for she did not want to die. She planned on never returning to the Everfree forest again. This hellish forest must be dealt with she thought. As she continued walking, she noticed a rather odd structure out in the distance. Poking Twilight's curiosity, the building attracted her like a moth to a light.

The structure was covered in moss and other types of vegetation. It was a temple completely in ruins from what Twilight could tell. It gave a dark essence to go along with it's gloomy apperance. It could provide Twilight Shelter from that horrifying creature of the night. Twilight cautiosly trotted up behind a pillar of the temple. She had decided she would be safe, hoping that somepony would rescue her. But why would they? she thought. How was anypony going to know that she was stuck here?"

There was a loud crash, interrupting Twilight's thoughts.

She quickly poked her head around the corner to see the slender pony watching her from not too far away. She screamed inside her head as her heart started beating faster and faster. When she looked back around she let out a tremendous shriek. The slender pony was only feet away! How could have it gotten there so fast thought Twilight as she took off in another gallop. She did not stop until she was sure she was safe. She stopped to look back around once. Twilight saw the slender pony standing on top of a nearby hill. It just stared at her, watching her every movement. She blinked and it had vanished again off somewhere into the forest...

The forest seemed to stretch for miles as Twilight continued on. She was incredibly cautious, for every tree seemed like that creature to her. She had no idea when or how she was going to escape from these dark woods. What would happen if she didn't? Were her friends and family ever going to find out about this? And what about Zecora? And-

There was a loud clash of thunder.

Twilight jumped and spotted the Slender like pony again. It was to her left, causing Twilight to run in the opposite direction.

Every direction she turned he was always there! It almost seemed hopeless trying to get away. That was when she noticed a small clearing through some trees. It was an exit! Twilight kept pushing towards the edge of the forest. She was stopped when her hoof got caught in some vines.

She cried out but to no avail, she was unheard. She could hear the whispearing gradually getting louder every seconed. She couldn't take it anymore. She turned around getting ready to face this creature, but was surprised when nothing was in sight. The whispearing had also stopped too. Twilight was never more relieved in her life. She quickly untangled her hoof from the vine and turned around, ever so slowly...

To her horror, she was in the presence of a white eyeless faced pony. Only this time, he was right in front of her. That was the last thing she saw before being engulfed in darkness...

The police were baffled as of what happened in the most recent case. Unicorn Twilight Sparkle had just dissapeared out of no where reports were saying. She was last seen heading into the Everfree Forest, then just never heard from again. Some of her belongings were found near the edge of the forest though. It was a bag filled with books. It also had a note attached to the bag. A note that would force the Everfree Forest to be closed to the public forever. This is what it said:

Slender Mane is coming for you...