A Nightmare's Nightmare

Chapters

A Nightmare's Nightmare
In the Garden of Shadows
Reliving the Nightmare
The Game
Cale's Savagery
The Halfway Mark
Fight for Love

A Nightmare's Nightmare

Reminder: Author's Note at the bottom

She has been unconscious for who knows how long. Something ran down her cheek and stroke her chin. Nightmare Moon slowly opened her eyes and moaned. When she came to, her eyes widened. Standing in front of her was a man. He wore a black suit and a red tie. His skin was ghostly white and he had no face nor any hair. Nightmare Moon wanted to scream but she couldn't. She was in a standing position. Her fore hooves were chained over her head, her hind hooves were chained together, a ring was placed on her horn to prevent her from doing magic, and there were several layers of duct tape gagging her. The man approached a little bit closer and placed a hand on his captive's cheek. Nightmare Moon shut her eyes tightly and looked away, a whimper emitted from behind the tape. The man known as Slender, wiped a tear off Nightmare Moon with his thumb. He then turned around and left his captive to cry alone in the dungeon.

As Slender walked down the hall, something was in his way. Actually, someone was standing in his way. He wore a black shirt, a red leather jacket, brown pants, and running shoes. The human clenched his fists, which then engulfed in fire. Slender shrugged and approached the human wordlessly until he was a good 20 feet away. With lightning speed, he quickly charged at the human. Said human evaded the strikes and threw numerous fireballs at his opponent which didn't do damage. Even though he focused on attacking Slender, he kept taking quick glances at the door behind him. What he's here for is right behind the door. But the only way to get to it is to get rid of this fucker. Slender struck him across the face. The human cried out as he skid across the stone floor. He got to his feet and threw several fireballs. Suddenly, long black tendrils sprouted from Slender's back. The human spotted a skeleton leaning against the wall and took the sword from its grasp. When he turned back to face his opponent, he was gone. The human took shallow breaths while gripping tightly onto his sword. From where he was, he could hear noises coming from behind the door. He charged at it and broke it down. In front of him was Nightmare Moon. Was this the right choice? He knew Nightmare Moon is evil. But in reality, this is Princess Celestia's sister. The human steadily approached the villainess with extreme caution. There is knowing what she will do. Nightmare Moon stared at the human pleadingly with her green eyes. Could this be a trap? Or does she really need his help? These questions filled the human's mind. Shaking them off, the human made an incision on the gag and began to unwrap the tape. He felt this is the wrong thing to do, but at the same time, it feels right. After removing the duct tape, he removed the ring placed on Nightmare Moon's horn. To his relief, he watched as Nightmare Moon turn back to the mare he knows most. The human sliced the chains that restrained her. Princess Luna placed a hoof on his cheek and another on his shoulder. She then brought him in for a kiss.

This also isn't right... This human loves Princess Celestia. What will she think if she catches him doing this with her sister? The human didn't care though. He felt like he went to Hell and back to rescue the Ruler of the Night. Suddenly, there was a gushing sound and the kiss broke apart. The two look down and saw a large black spike sticking out of the human's chest. The spike retracted, widening the human's wound. The human fell to the floor, losing consciousness and life rapidly. Princess Luna eyed Slender and saw one of his tendrils soaked with the human's blood. Her eyes glowed white, now with her magic back, she can get rid of the foul being just like she does with her subjects' nightmares. But once she got rid of Slender, the human who was lying in the ground had vanished too. His body wasn't there nor was his blood. Princess Luna glanced around in search of the human, but he was nowhere to be found. She got rid of her own nightmare.

When Princess Luna woke up, the sun was setting, and her time to raise the moon was approaching. She walked towards her window in her Canterlot home. Walking down the streets of the kingdom was the human from her dream, alive and well. "Cale, wait up!" A voice called. Cale turned his head and saw Princess Twilight catching up to him. Princess Luna watched as the two had a friendly conversation but as she did, a strange feeling grew inside. Did she have feelings for this human? Is it possible for everything that happened in that nightmare is what caused her to grow attached to him? Princess Luna watched as Princess Twilight bid goodbye to Cale. The latter, feeling exhausted, sat against a brick wall and leaned his head against it.

It was time. Princess Luna used her magic to turn Equestria night and raised the moon up high. She noticed Cale still sleeping against the wall. She flew down and landed in front of him and watched his peaceful, sleeping form.

This was her chance to get to know him more. This was the perfect time for Princess Luna to go to him and admit her love to him. Only she didn't. She wasn't so sure how this will turn out. For that, she flew up back to the balcony to let him sleep in peace. Not long after she left, Cale woke up, got to his feet, and stretched. He thought for a moment what it was he wanted to do. Shrugging it off, he took a stroll down the streets of Canterlot unaware that the Princess of the Night was watching him from the balcony on which she stood, watching him intently.

She believed that love can happen. What she didn't believe is sometimes love can start from a dream or in her case, a nightmare.

Can it?

Author's Note

Wow. First time I used my OC without using the texts of a first-person fic, not to mention one use of dialogue?!

How did I do on my first try at this?

Poorly? Yeah, maybe.

Oh well...

This story is canon to the story The Four Horsemen of Equestria and happens 2 days before the story New Friends for Lightning Dust.

In the Garden of Shadows

I wasn't aware of the set of eyes gazing down from above on the Canterlot Castle's balcony nor was I aware of the fact that another ruler of Equestria has her desires for me. My only dilemma is what if I wind up having feelings for her? Oh God, what will Princess Celestia think? The more I thought about it, the more my mind screamed for such thoughts to get out. After my nightly walk around Canterlot, I decided to call it a night and made my way back to the castle, and over to my room.

When I entered my room, I removed my red leather jacket and black shirt, and hung them on a chair. Just then, there was a knock on my door. "Come in" I said. A darkish blue aura surrounded the door and it opened. "Oh. Good evening Your Highness" I said, as I got on one knee and bowed. "What brings you here at...." I groaned with embarrassment when the clock on the wall read 8:30 pm. Way too early for my bedtime if you ask me. I got to my feet and cleared my throat. "What brings you here to my room?"

"I wish maybe thou would spend the night with me?" She asked. I don't know where this is going, but then again, why the hell not? I looked at the clock and then back at Princess Luna.

"Ok" I said a little nervously.

When she said 'Spend the night', I thought she meant sleep with her. What she wanted is to have a nightly walk with me under the night sky around Canterlot. She should clarify what she wants. I'm just saying. As the two of us walked through the streets of Canterlot, I took note of how close Princess Luna was next to me. I could feel her wing brush lightly against my side. Luckily I was wearing my shirt so I didn't get that ticklish feeling. I glanced up and gazed at the moon she has made. I feel like our walk is going nowhere so I decided to start a conversation.

"I like what you did with the moon. Big, bright, and mesmerizing." My God, can I sound even more stupider?

"Thank you for thy comment" Princess Luna said, blushing a little. We continued to walk under the night sky, or Princess Luna like to call it, her 'Garden of Shadows'. "Cale?" She asks after awhile?

"Yes?" I respond.

"Doth thou believe love at first sight?"

"I believe it happens, but I don't believe it always works" I answered as I slip my hands into my pants pockets.

"And doth thou believe love happens after a dream?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Lets sayeth that thou dreameth of a special somepony. Doth thou loveth that special somepony after dreaming?" Although this question didn't make much sense, but I got what she was trying to ask.

"Yeah... Actually I did. I once had a dream about this mare. And because of this dream, I couldn't stop thinking about her. So I got my courage to tell her that I love her. To my surprise, she loved me back and we've been together ever since. Until one night, she tells me that our relationship can no longer continue. She feels that it isn't right. She loved me deep down still but not the love she has where she wants to spend the rest of her life with. But the kind of love you share with a friend. She would continue to love me as a friend but not as a special somepony. Do you know what I mean?"

"I doth know. Who is this mare you speaketh of?"

"Your sister, Princess Celestia." She was so intrigued with the answer I gave her, she didn't bother to figure out that I was talking about her sister. She knew she and I were together, but she didn't know that we were just friends. A magic aura stopped me from walking any further. "What--?" I asked. I felt myself being turned around so I was facing Princess Luna who was now standing on her hind legs. Still engulfed in her aura, I was dragged into her outstretched hooves and I felt her hug me for comfort. I'm starting to think she loves me because this is not the kind of hug one would give for comfort. She wasn't rubing my back, with her hooves, she wasn't whispering comforting words, and she didn't even assure me that everything will work out. No, her hug felt tight, as if she hasn't seen me for a long time. It was like being hugged by a girlfriend who was worried sick about me after I was gone and now that I had arrived, she can finally embrace me in a loving hug she's been holding ever since I left. It was that kind of hug. I thought I could hear her muffled rapid heartbeats and soft crying. Well the soft crying was hers. As for the rapid heartbeats? The majority of it were hers. But if I listened closely, I could hear my own. Beating at a pace similar to here, but not as fast. I wasn't so sure if my ears deceived me or not after hearing the words 'I love thou'. If I heard it, I heard it. That's what my grandpa always says every time you ask:

'Did my ears deceive me?'. That's when he responds

'If you heard it, you heard it.'

I returned the hug Princess Luna was giving me and I smiled a little when her back twitched. She outstretched her wings and wrapped them around me as well. While we were in this comfortable position under the night sky. Something was watching from behind the darkest corner of an alleyway. Something dark and sinister. Something that's keeping its focus on the dark blue alicorn close to me.

Something tall, wearing a suit with a black tie, ghostly white skin, and faceless. A creature seen in nightmares is now patrolling Canterlot. But this time, he is no nightmare. So Princess Luna's magic won't have any effect on him at all. He continued to keep his focus on Princess Luna until he retreated deeper into the shadows of the alleyway until he was no longer visible.

Reliving the Nightmare

Reminder: Look at the Author's Note.

After an hour or so walking through her 'Garden of Shadows', Princess Luna and I arrived back to my room. "So this is where I say 'goodnight'?" Princess Luna asked timidly.

"I'm afraid so" I answered as I looked at the clock. I was getting late and I needed to catch on with my sleep. "But we will see each other tomorrow night" I said in an assuring tone. "Count one that."

"Okay..." Princess Luna said. She rose on her hind legs and wrapped her fore hooves around me in which I returned her hug. "Goodnight my Cale" she said.

"Goodnight, Your Highness" I said with a smile. Princess Luna laughed softly.

"Please, you don't have to be formal with me."

"Ok" I said with a laugh. We broke the hug and I watched as Princess Luna used her magic to close my door. I removed my shirt and hung it next to my jacket. I kicked off my shoes, took off my pants, and laid on my back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I had a good time tonight with Princess Luna. That walk tired me out so much, that sleep started to kick in. I relaxed my body and allowed the tiredness to take over.

I don't know how long it's been, but sometime in the middle of the night, I heard the unmistakable soft voice of... Night,are Moon? "Cale... Cale, wake up" she whispers. I moaned tiredly and stirred to the side. "Wake up my Cale" she coos again.

"Nightmare Moon, it's late" I said tiredly. The mare laughs and strokes my face. I opened my eyes, but before I could react, the sight in front of me was something I never expected to see during my time in Equestria. Night,are Moon didn't have her armor on. Her black coat, her horn, and flowing blue mane were still there. However, she was more humanoid. In other words, an anthro. She wore a bra and panties with the similar color of the armor she wears. She straddled my chest and was giving me the most loving smile. I counted five fingers on her hands and five toes on her feet. Her nails were the same color as her mane and tail.

"Nightmare Moon, what's going on?" I asked as I sat up.

"I can't help it Cale" she said. "After bidding you goodnight, I couldn't help but stop thinking about you" she said.

"No, I mean... Your humanoid look. Why not come to my room as the alicorn you were?"

"If I kept my hooves, how can I do this?" My heart nearly jumped when she grasped my hands with hers. I stared with wide eyes as her fingers intertwined with mine. She then removed her hands from mine and wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug, careful that I wouldn't bump into her horn. "And this?" She asked. My heart jumped and a chill ran down my spine as I felt her scratch my back gently. I hope she didn't read my mind while I sleep complaining that I had a 'fucking itch on my back but I'm too tired to scratch it.' Most likely she did. After scratching that itch for several seconds, the hug broke apart and she was now staring at me intently.

"Nightmare Moon..." I began. "I never knew you loved me so much you would change forms to be more close to me" I said. She blushed as I said this.

"I don't have long though" she said. "The effects of this spell will wear off in the morning and I can't perform this spell until I raise the night once again."

"You should've told me about this spell."

"I can't, that is why this is called The Secret Spell. It's so secret, nopony should even know it existed. So please, I beg you, don't mention this to anypony" she begged. I saw a tear fell from her pleading eyes. I placed a hand on the side of her face and wiped the tear away.

"Don't worry, I won't."

"Thank you, Cale."

"My pleasure" I said with a smile. I looked at the clock and grinned. "Well since I'm awake and I highly doubt falling back asleep again will be unlikely, what do, you want to do?" A mischievous smile spread on her face.

"Meet me in my room in one hour. Then we'll talk."

"Sounds good to me" I said. Nightmare Moon climbed off me and shrouded herself with an aura and teleported out of my room. I collapsed back down on my bed. 'One hour? That shouldn't be too bad.'

Nightmare Moon arrived in her room and smiled with relief. The fact that I accepted to meet her in her room in one hour filled her soul with great joy. Excitement grew in her. She was going to take this chance to admit her love to me officially. But all that joy and excitement ended very quickly. Her nightmare, her true, real, no bullshit nightmare begun when a ghostly white hand clamped itself over her mouth, an arm wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her against him, and two long black tendrils placed themselves on her shoulders.

The hour hasn't been up yet so what do I do to pass the time? Walk through the halls of Canterlot Castle. Since I don't know where I was going in particular, I decided to walk as an exercise. As I walked, I wondered what kind of dream Princess Luna..... Nightmare Moon had that in the end, she had a great desire for me to be her 'special somepony.' What I didn't realize is that while I was lost in this particular thought, I walked by Princess Luna's room. Another question is why is there music playing?

Inside, Slender was seated on a chair sharpening his claws. The way he sharpened them was unusual. He sharpened the claws of his left hand with the claws on his right hand and vice versa while the song 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips' played on a record player. Glancing up from his work, he focused his eyeless gaze on Nightmare Moon. He stood up from the chair, turned the record player off, and approached the anthro mare. Her hands were bound together with a black tendril Slender had detached from his body. Another tendril was used to tie her bound hands to the headboard. Her feet were also bound together and another tendril tied them to the foot of the bed. Another tendril was used as a gag as well. Nightmare Moon struggled and whimpered as Slender sat down next to her. He ran his hand up on of her legs. She couldn't tell, but Slender seemed to enjoy the feel of her coat as he brushed his hand against it. A tendril sprouted from his back and it brushed itself against the soles of Nighmare Moon's feet. Nightmare Moon struggled and whimpered with fear. She was being mare-handled by a real version of the entity in her nightmare! After a few more seconds, the tendril removed itself from her feet and retracted back into Slender. The ghoul stood up and walked over to the head of the bed. Nightmare Moon shut her eyes tight and struggled to look away, whimpering and moaning behind her gag. Before Slender could do anything, a conversation coming from the hall interrupted them.

"Cale, what are you doing?" A voice from a royal guard asked.

"What?" I asked. The second my voice sounded, Slender turned his attention to the door. Nightmare Moon opened one eye and made a questioning noise.

"What are you doing in the halls this late at night?"

"I.... Don't..." My voice trailed off.

"I'm sorry? I didn't catch that" the voice of the royal guard said.

"Sleepwalking, I don't know. Go back to your post."

"Whatever you say" the two heard the royal guard trot away.

"The nerve" I muttered. Slender turned his attention back to Nightmare Moon and a really toothy smile appeared on where his mouth should be. With a flash of black, Slender was gone, and Nightmare Moon was held captive in her own room.

I was now a few feet away from Nightmare Moon's room. Looking at the clock, I saw that I had what? 30 minutes or more to spare? What am I suppose to do then? I stopped walking when Slender stood on the opposite end of the hall. Shit.... I've heard of this guy but I never bought the fact that it was true. Slender extended the claws on his ghostly white hands and six black tendrils sprouted from his back. I got into a fighting position. Squinting, I could see a very toothy grin. Damn those teeth look sharp as fuck! 30 minutes or more? I think I can handle that. Or probably not... If I die tonight, oh shit I don't want to think about it. This is one ghostie where giggling won't help at all.

Author's Note

The next few chapters after this will be the main reason why this story is rated M. If you wish to keep track on the chapters, turn on your mature settings because the same time I post the next chapter, I will turn this story from T to M.

(This author's note will be gone once this story is completed)

Thank you.

The Game

I charged at the entity before me. Instead charging at me, Slender remained where he was. The closer I got, the longer he remained on the spot. I got close enough to hit him, but before I could strike, Slender grabbed me and teleported me outside Camterlot. Well, outside Equestria.

I found myself in front of a house. A mansion mind you. I don't know where I was exactly, but all I know is that this place was creepy as fuck. Dead, leafless trees around, sky as dark as night, and a moon visible through the clouds. I approached the mansion with caution. I walked up the porch and saw a note on the door. The paper looked like it was on this door for centuries. The writing was in cursive, due to the way the paper looked now, it was barely readable. But that's not something I can't do. I leaned close to the paper and read what was written. I then noticed that it wasn't a note, warning, or message. They were instructions.

'The key is under the doormat, my subjects inside are placing bets to whether you will live or die. Step inside and face me if you dare!

Oh, and I stopped time in Equestria so you can spend as long as you finding these sheets of paper and no one in Equestria will know you've been gone. You can only go back to Equestria if you beat my game.'

I stepped aside and removed the doormat. I stared down at a small gold key that had the name Slender engraved on it. I picked up the key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it. I pushed the door open and stepped into a dimly lit room. The only lights came from lanterns and candles. I picked up a lantern and walked down the foyer. When I got far enough, the door slowly creaked closed, locking me inside. On a table where two jars. A card had my name written in red. One jar says 'Live' and the other says 'Die'. Most of the coins filled the 'Die' jar, but there were still coins filled in the 'Live' jar. I picked up the card and turned it over.

'Room 1, The Living Room
Weapon: Sledgehammer
Sheets found 0/8'

I turned the card back over and raised the lantern up. Ahead of me was a flight of stairs. Turning to the left, I saw a door that said 'Living Room'. I approached the door and opened. When I stepped inside, I saw a sledgehammer lying on the floor. I approached it and picked it up. I turned around and saw a writing on the wall.

'Anything Goes!'

I turned around fast and faced Slender and his toothy grin. He then blew out the light on the lantern. I dropped said lantern and struck as hard as I could. I heard a loud thud and a groan in pain. I struck again, and again, the loud groan came. I clicked my fingers and a small fireball appeared. Slender was not in front of me anymore. At the corner of my eye, I spotted movement and a black tendril. I looked around the room, searching for Slender. However something caught my eye. In the corner of the room, I saw a drawer with a key sticking out of the lock. I approached the drawer and placed the sledgehammer on the floor. I turned the key and opened it. Inside it was a sheet of paper.

As I turned around, I saw Slender charging full speed at me, mouth wide, teeth bared, and screeching monstrously. I quickly held my fire-lit hand under the paper and burned it. I watched as Slender grasped its head and began shrieking. I saw drawing appear on the back of the paper.

Sledgehammer -> Head

I watched As Slender get on his knees, screeching still. I grabbed the sledgehammer, charged at the entity and struck it across his head with all my might. A splash of blood hit the floor and Slender vanished. As he did, the lights turned on and a writing appeared on the ceiling.

Pages found 1/8

7 More to go

Next to that, another set of instructions began to appear.

Room 2 'The Dining Room

Weapon: Fire poker

After memorizing the instructions, I left the living room and made my way to the dining room. Near the dining room was a lit fireplace. As I approached the fireplace, I reached for the fire poker and pulled it out of its hold. "Are you hear to kill him?" A soft voice asked. I turned around quickly and saw a small girl in a bloodstained gown.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"The house.... His house" another voice said. I turned around and saw a small boy in bloodstained pajamas. "He kidnaps kids who disobeys their parents. Kids like us. He offers us treats and candies and then locks us here for eternity."

"He says he loves us" another child with bloodstained pajamas said. I bent down and reached for the girl but my eyes widened when my hand phased through her.

"He killed you didn't he?" I asked as more ghostly children began appearing. They all nodded in unison. "Did he assign you to kill me?" I asked.

"We betted that you would get out of here alive" a boy said.

"How do I get out of here?" I asked.

"The paper" a child answered.

"It tells you how to weaken him and with what" another added.

"Find the paper, burn it, and follow the instructions" a third continued. So that blow to the head with the sledgehammer weakened him only by a little.

"Please Mr. Please kill Slender."

"If you do..."

"Then we can all go home. Including you ad the others" they all said in unison.

"Others?" I questioned. Suddenly, the doors flew open and Slender stepped inside. The side of his head was bruised and bloodied from my attack with the Sledgehammer. All the ghosts of the kids vanished in fear, except one.

"On the mantle in the gold envelope" the ghostly girl whispered before vanishing. I quickly glanced up and saw a gold envelope on the mantle and quickly grabbed it. Several long black tendrils shot out from Slender's back and lashed at me. I dove to the side and quickly cut the envelope open. I pulled out the piece of paper and quickly got to my feet. Slender screeched and charged after me. I held the paper over a lit candle and watched Slender thrash about. I removed the paper from the candle and watched an inscription appear.

Fire poker => Chest

I raised the fire poker up and threw it like a javelin, impaling the demon. I charged at my opponent and pushed the fire poker deep into his chest and pulled it out with force, blood spilling everywhere. I watched as the ghoul slowly vanished. The fire burned out, and the lights turned on. On the ceiling were the words

Room 3- 'The Kitchen

Weapon: A Kitchen Knife

Pages found- 2/8

I tossed the bloodied fire poker aside and left the dining room.

Cale's Savagery

I opened the doors to the kitchen and saw a large kitchen knife on a chopping board. I walked over to it and picked it up. I gazed at my reflection on the blade. Just then, I heard a noise and looked up. Sitting on a table eating soup was a ghost of a child. I approached him and sat on the opposite end of the table. "I hear you're hunting Slender" he said.

"I am" I answered as I put the knife down.

"Are the questions you want to ask?" He asked as he ate his soup.

"What interests Slender? Who does he like chasing?"

"Young kids mostly."

"What about men like me?"

"Whenever he sees a man that interests him, he goes into the dreams of the ones who loves the man he targets. He then turns those dreams into nightmares."

I noticed a folded piece if paper next to the boy's hand. "What's that?" I asked.

"I drawing I found on the floor. Do you want to see it?" He asked as he slid the paper towards me. I picked it up and unfolded it. I was staring at a drawn picture of the anthro Nightmare Moon.

"Do you know who she is?" The boy asked.

"Yeah. She's my friend" I answered.

"She likes you doesn't she?" He asked. I nodded. "And you love her?"

"Very much. Why are you asking me this?"

"Slender wants to be loved."

"Tough luck for him because going into women's dreams to rape them and get rid of the man they love is a waste of time" as I said this, the boy put his spoon down and glared at me. I folded the picture and stuffed it in my pocket. "I better go hunt Slender" I said as I got up and picked up the knife. When I turned around and walked around the kitchen, the boy rose up from his seat and slowly his face began to disappear. He then started to grow a few feet. His pajamas turned into a black suit and red tie. A bloodied and bruised marking began to appear on the side of his head and a nasty stab wound began to appear on his chest. Slender approached me quietly as two tendrils sprouted from his back. I turned around, only to be backhanded by Slender. I dropped the knife and skid across the kitchen floor. Slender kicked the knife aside and walked towards me, claws extended from his hands. I got to my feet and into a fighting position. "What the fuck is it you want with her?" I asked.

Slender backhanded me with one hand and punched me in the chest with the other, sending me flying across the room. I landed hard on my back on the wooden floor. I got to my feet, only to see Slender standing very close to me. He then slashed me in the chest. I screamed in pain. On my chest were five bloodied slash marks running diagonally across my entire chest. Slender picked me up and threw me across the kitchen again. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the drawing of Nightmare Moon. I clicked my fingers and ignited the paper. Slender screeched again. Instructions began to appear on the paper.

Knife => Stab x5 ANYWHERE

I grabbed the knife and charged at the writhing demon. Although my chest stung like hell, I didn't give a fuck about it. I charged at Slender's midsection and stabbed him five times there, yelling in rage with each stab. I pulled the blood soaked knife out and watched Slender disappear. I tossed the knife aside and looked at the floor. Instructions began to appear.

Room 4- 'The Study'

Weapon: Tomahawks

Pages found: 3/8

I opened a set of double doors and stepped into a large study. Perfect place to have a one-on-one battle with someone. And wide enough to do all sorts of acrobatic tricks. I made my way over to the table and saw four tomahawks just siting there. I picked up one and examined the weight and the blade of the weapon. Before I could start to search for the paper, I heard footsteps. I quickly spun around and threw the tomahawk I had in my hand. The blade embedded itself into the head of Slender. Sure blood oozed and he staggered, but the weapon didnt bring him down. I picked up another tomahawk and threw it on his right shoulder blade. The entity continued to advance towards me. He extended his tendrils and lashed at me. Quick as a flash, I grabbed the last two tomahawks. Holding one in each hand, I hacked away each tendril using superhuman speed. I threw the tomahawk in my right hand horizontally and got him in the leg. Keeping the tomahawk in my left hand, I began to run about, searching for the paper. As Slender dragged himself across the floor, he removed a tomahawk and tossed it aside. With all three tomahawks out him, he was still alive, clearly in pain, and was leaving a rather nasty pool of blood. I crawled under the table and saw the page. I quickly grabbed it and unfolded it.

Suddenly, a ghostly white clawed hand crashed through the table, almost impaling me. I grasped his hand and engulfed it in fire. As a shriek of pain rang through my ears, I lit the paper on fire and watched as an inscription appear.

1 tomahawk to the neck (any side)
1 tomahawk to the leg (any side)
1 tomahawk to the scalp
1 tomahawk to the back

I crumpled up the paper and tossed it aside. I rolled out from under the table and saw that Slender had put out the fire and his left hand was now completely burnt. It no longer had the ghostly white color the rest of his skin has. Seeing that I still had the tomahawk in my left hand, I raised it up and threw it vertically, getting him in the head. The same spot where I got him previously. While he staggered about, I charged at the closest tomahawk which was near a bookshelf. I picked it up, and threw it at his leg, getting him to kneel. I charged at the tomahawk a few feet in front of me and threw it at his left shoulder. I charged at the wounded opponent, removed the tomahawk from his shoulder and embedded it on the left side of his neck. I retrieved the tomahawk on his head and with as much force I could, I embedded it on his scalp. The last tomahawk was next to him. I jumped to the side, retrieved it, and as Slender stood up, I threw the tomahawk at the center of his back, sending him back to the floor. I retrieved all four tomahawks and tossed them aside as Slender slowly began to vanish, leaving lots of blood behind. I glanced down at the slash marks on my chest and saw that the blood has dried. Although it still stung like hell, I can't let that distract me. I noticed the books on the bookshelf were aligned oddly. I tilted to the side and saw a message form from the aligned books.

'4/8! Halfway there, my friend! Now go to the nursery upstairs, find the fifth paper and a pistol.' I smiled after memorizing the information.

The Halfway Mark

I made my way upstairs and approached a door with the word 'Nursery' on it. I grasped the doorknob and turned it. The room had fog all over the floor, rocking horses were rocking by themselves and a music box was playing the children's song 'Skip to My Lou'. I approached the crib and holed back the covers. Lying underneath the baby blanket was a handgun. I picked it up, removed the mag and dumped out a single bullet. "Shit" I whispered. I put the bullet back in the mag, loaded it, and stuffed it in my right pant pocket. I decided to search for the piece of paper. As I looked around, Slender walked up the flight of stairs, leaving a large trail of blood. He approached the room and saw me looking through a toy chest. I dug my hands deep into the chest and felt something past the stuffed animals and baby toys. Before I could pull it out, a pair of hands grasped my shoulder and hauled me away from the trunk. Slender slammed the chest closed and turned to face me. I got to my feet and into a fighting position. Slender charged at me but I swiftly moved to the side and struck him in the rib. Slender backhanded me and punched me to the floor. He picked me up and slammed me against the bookshelf. Pinning me against it, he punched me in the stomach. He released me and watched me slump to the floor, groaning in pain, and coughing. I got to my feet and attempted to throw a punch, but Slender caught my fist in his grasp using his burnt hand. He thrust his hand forward so I got hit with my own fist, backhanded me, and kicked me away. I staggered to my feet as Slender slowly approached me. I dove between his legs and made a dash for the trunk. I quickly opened it and reached inside. I can't believe the music box still played 'Skip to My Lou.' This made my situation creepier. I pulled out a small box and dashed to the corner. I opened the box and unfolded the paper. Using my magic of fire, I burned it and watched Slender writhe in pain. I then saw writing appear as the paper burned.

1 bullet to the head.'

I glanced up and saw Slender stagger out of the room. I pulled out the handgun, cocked it, and pulled my arm back. Flicking arm forward, I pulled the trigger. I never thought I would use the bullet curve. The bullet zoomed out of the room, turned the corner, and drilled through Slender through the back of his head.

Feeling satisfied after hearing the body hit the floor, I tossed the gun aside. A writing appeared on the floor.

'5/8 papers found. Your next room is the basement. You will find six bladed weapons. Use them all. But find paper #6 first.'

I made my way downstairs and approached a door with the word 'Basement' written in red. Definitely blood. I opened the door and made my way down the stairs. The room was cold, dimly lit and smelled like blood. It didn't surprise me because I was in a fucking meat locker! Hanging corpses of cow, pork, and chicken hung on hooks and chains. I wanted to gag so much. I'm so fucking glad I spent two years in Equestria where meat isn't on the menu. I guess getting used to vegetation, sweets, and fruit will do that to you. I saw a piece of paper duct taped to a piece of pork carcass. I tore it and lit it on fire not giving a fuck about how Slender will react.

'1 Meat Cleaver
1 Makeshift Weapon
1 Machete
1 Carving Knife
1 Katana
1 Hatchet

1 blade = cut off a tendril.

So basically I'm temporarily going to be butcher for the night.

After the paper fully got burnt to a crisp, I made my way to a chopping block where an unfinished chopped poultry meat lay. Embedded on the chopping block was a meat cleaver. I picked it up and walked around the basement, searching for Slender. The soft creaks of the wood beneath my feet as well the sways of hanging raw food that's been stuck here for God knows how long made me feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, I heard movement behind me. I quickly spun around and raised the meat cleaver up. Stepping out of the darkness behind me, holding a pickaxe was Slender. He raised his weapon above his head, attempting to embed the blade into my head. I quickly spun around and blocked his attack with my weapon. While our weapons locked together, a tendril slowly sprouted from Slender's back and went from a slithery appendage to a razor sharp blade. I quickly pushed Slender back and moved away, still gripping the cleaver. The spike went back to its original state and lashed at me. I quickly moved to the side and sliced the appendage off. I watched the tendril flop around like a fish while Slender began to make the eeriest howling sound I've ever heard in my life.

I threw the meat cleaver at Slender but he caught it easily and embedded it into a pork carcass. He slowly approached me, extending the claws on his left hand while doing so. I took several steps back while Slender kept on advancing. I ignited my hands and began to throw several fireballs. For the most part, they didn't do any damage, though Slender staggered back from a few of them. Other times, he would swat them away like flies. I backed into a wooden table and felt around for something useful. On my right hand, I felt a screwdriver, and on the other, I felt a carving knife. I grasped both tools and times my attack. I held the tools in a way that when I perform my attack, the blades will be sideways. I watched as Slender approached me, clicking the claws on his fingers together. I charged forward and with a yell, I plunged the screwdriver deep into the side of Slender's leg, and slit his throat with the carving knife. While Slender grasped is bleeding throat, his remaining tendrils sprouted from his back and waved around. I grabbed one of them and began to cut through it with the carving knife. When I was done, I plunged the carving knife in the center of his back so neither he nor his remaining four tendrils can reach it.

As I ran further down the basement, I opened a cupboard and looked around. I found a hatchet, and a machete. I gathered the two blades, closed the cupboard, and ducked into the shadows. Slender walked around with a gash on his neck, looking for me. His hands and suit were soaked with his blood. As he continued to look for me, two of the four remaining tendrils sprouted from his back. In the dark corner, I changed positions so that I was now behind him. Next to me was a piece of wood. Putting the hatchet down, I picked up the wood and tossed it out of my hiding spot. Slender turned around and approached the splinter. He bent down, picked it up and examined. A soft whistling noise got his attention. When he turned his head, a hatchet was thrown out if the dark, getting him square in the forehead. I charged out of my hiding spot and slashed him with the machete. S
Slender staggered to his feet and using his clawed left hand and now sharp tendrils, he began attacking me while the hatchet was embedded into his forehead, causing more blood to drop. Using my superhuman assassin skills, I blocked a lot of his attacks, while some of the attacks slashed me. I slit his legs, causing Slender to fall to his knees, gripping the handle of the hatchet, I removed the blade with force and went behind him. Again, his tendrils writhed about like snakes. I embedded the hatchet into his shoulder blade and sliced tendril #3 off. After tossing the machete aside, I retrieved the hatchet and chopped off tendril #4. For the hell of it, I kicked the butt of the carving knife so deep into his back, the entire blade stuck out of his chest. I turned around to find the last two blades. Slender staggered to his feet. He had so many wounds, that when he walked, he almost looked like a zombie.

I made my way over to another end of the basement and saw a katana lying on a table. I laughed softly and picked up the katana. I picked it up, unsheathed it and admired the blade. I tossed the sheath aside, but when I turned around, Slender was charging at me from out if the dark. "Oh fuck!" I cried out as I quickly blocked it with the katana. Slender threw slashes with clawed hand while I blocked with my katana. The clash went on for several seconds until Slender made the mistake of lashing a tendril at me. I quickly stepped aside and sliced it clean off. Slender disarmed the katana from my grasp and kicked me against the wall. A black tendril lashed out and wrapped itself around my neck. I began choking and gagging as I was lifted off the floor. A toothy grin appeared on Slender's face as he ran a clawed finger across where my heart is. I then remembered seeing 'Makeshift Weapon' on the list of things I have to cut off Slender's tendrils with. I grinned and let out a choked laugh. I raised my right hand up and fire engulfed it. Slender watched as the flame formed into a dagger. I grasped the the tendril with my left hand, and with my right, I sliced through the tendril choking me. Slender staggered back and screeched as I slid down to the floor. With a monstrous voice, he shouted "Fuck you!" And slowly vanished. I got to my feet and took heavy breaths.

Across from me was a ghostly child holding a small wooden box. I slowly approached the child and eyed the box.

"We're counting on you" he said.

" 'We' " I asked. Coming out of the darkened corners and carcasses of the basement were several ghost children and men. These must be the men who had their loved ones raped by Slender. They were all chanting one sentence over and over again.

"Anything goes, finish him. Anything goes, finish him. Anything goes, finish him." While they chanted, I opened the box and picked up two pieces of paper. One had

7/8

The other had

8/8

I ignited a fire with my magic and burned the two papers. A message formed whilst the papers burned.

'Anything goes, finish him. Use what's inside the box!'

Inside the wooden box was a pair of brass knuckles, and an already loaded sawed-off shotgun. I retrieved the weapons and pocketed them.

As I made my way through the basement, the ghosts of Slender's victims followed me chanting continuously.

"Anything goes, finish him. Anything goes, finish him. Anything goes finish him."

Fight for Love

I stepped out of the house and walked down the porch. Back outside on the creepy-ass front lawn. Standing near some trees, bloodied, bruised, and nearly mauled up was Slender. He extended the claws on both his left and right hands and clicked them together. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my brass knuckles. I slipped them on and got into a fighting position. Slender maneuvered himself and began to crack some bones and joints. Although the wounds I gave him during the fights with him in the house, he was now well enough to fight me. Shit, I'd rather fight him in his zombie-like state. As quick as a flash, Slender charged at me. I quickly dove out of the way as Slender attempted to strike me. I threw a punch at his chest, and another to the rib. Slender slashed me in the chest. I cried out in pain. I threw a punch, but Slender evaded the attack,now coming up from behind, he slashed me in the back and kicked me to the ground. He grabbed me by the shoulders and tossed me across the forest-like lawn. I groaned in pain as I landed hard on the ground.

Slender approached me, clicking his claws together. I got to my feet and and began to throw punches and kicks, but the ghoul blocked them all, tripped me to the ground and pinned me down with his foot. It also hurt like hell because he was stepping on a wound from his scratch mark. I raised my fist up and punched him in the patella. Slender groaned and staggered off me. I got up and began to throw numerous punches at him. Slender then backhanded me and kicked me in the chest. The same time he tried to slash me, I used as much momentum as I could to counter him. However, I felt the impact of the brass knuckle collide with his clawed hand. Slender staggered back and shook the pain off his right hand. I decided to turn things up a notch and used my fire magic to burn the brass knuckles. With the weapons now red and burning hot, I charged at my opponent and gave it everything I got. I punched him in the face, legs, and sides. I would punch him in the chest area, but the blade of the carving knife still stuck out like a sore thumb. With every blow I delivered, Slender began to get weaker and weaker. As the attack went on, several ghost children began appearing one by one, including the ghosts of the men from earlier. All watched with the same emotionless expressions. To the naked eye, it may look like they don't care who wins, but deep down, they're rooting for me. It came to a point where the brass knuckles left a very bad burn mark on Slender. The entity fell to his knees as if he was tired out. When he looked up, I roundhouse kicked him and sent him sprawling on the ground. I watched the villain struggled to get up, but he was in too much pain to do so. The wounds, injuries, and burn marks had prevented him to continue to fight. I removed the brass knuckles and tossed them aside.

"Finish him" the ghosts chanted. "Finish him, finish him, finish him, finish him, finish him." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a sawed off shot gun.

"A shepherd I shall be" I said as I opened the gun.
"For Thee, my Lord for Thee (satisfied with the two loaded bullets, I closed it).
Power hath descended forth from Thy hand.
That my feet may swiftly carry out Thy command (I approached Slender).
So I shall flow a river forth onto Thee
And teeming with souls shall it ever be.
In Nomine Patri (I aimed the gun at his head)
Et Fili (I pulled the hammer back)
Spiritus Sancti (I pulled the trigger and watched as the bullet blow a big hole in Slender's head).

I shook my head and planted the second bullet into his head.

Suddenly, the clouds cleared the sky, and a bright light shine down, burning Slender's body until he was gone for good.

A ghost of an elderly man approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I was a little freaked out that I could feel his hand on me. "Thank you. Now that Slender is no more, we can now all go home." As he said this, he glanced up. I'm assuming that they're going to Heaven.

"What about me?" I asked. "I'm still alive." The man gestured to a portal that appeared not too far away from me.

"Your destination awaits" he said as the ghosts of Slender's victims gathered around him. One of the ghost children approached me and wrapped her arms around my waist. Again, being touched by a ghost, not really making me comfortable.

"Many men have died trying to kill Slender" a ghost of a young man said, "It amazes us that you did what the lot of us could not."

"It wasn't a problem" I said as I scratched the back of my head. "But I have a question. If you guys are dead, why aren't you in Heaven?"

"Those who were slain by Slender can't enter Heaven nor Hell. In order for that to work, a man with great talent among the living has to kill Slender by playing his game."

"How long has this been going on?"

"A very long time my friend. Because of you, the Gates of Heaven have opened to us and we are now welcome." The ghost child hugging me release her hold and joined the group.

"Now go, your home awaits" the ghost of the old man said.

"Thank you" I said.

"No, thank you" the old man said. I smiled and turned around. As I walked through the portal back to Equestria, the ghosts of Slender's victims slowly vanished and rose up to the heavens.

I found myself leaning against the halls of Canterlot. Looking at the clock, I saw that I was back to the time where I had 30 minutes or more to spare. "Fuck it" I said as I got up. As I did, I noticed that wounds I got from Slender were still there. What felt like a nightmare felt very much real. I made my way to Nightmare Moon's room and opened the door. She was bound and gagged to her bed with black tendrils. I rushed over to her and checked her pulse.

Alive, breathing, but only sleeping. Oh, thank God! I engulfed my right hand with fire and sliced through the tendrils binding her like butter. Nightmare Moon woke up and gasped. "Cale! What happened to you?!" She asked.

"Long story" I said. It occurred to me that most of the blood on me were Slender's damn blood splatter. "If you'll excuse me, I need to wash up" I said. As I walked away, I wasn't aware of the set of eyes watching me.

I stood under the warm shower thinking about the hell that happened. The note was right, no matter how long I spent in that hellhole, when I come back, the time will be the same before I was grabbed and brought to that realm. The slashes and cuts remained on my body but any loose blood, flowed down my body and down the drain. While I was lost in thought, a blue aura engulfed the door and it slowly opened. Nightmare Moon, still in her anthro form, now nude, made her way into the shower. She crept up behind me, and hugged me tight. What gave her position away was her nude furry body pressed against the bare skin of my back.

"I have a question for you" I said. "Why do you switch from being Princess Luna to Nightmare Moon?"

"I wasn't so sure which one you love, so I followed my instincts which was Nightmare Moon" she answered as she rubbed her face along my bare skin.

"I see" I answered.

"So which do you love?" She asked. I turned to face her. Her flowing mane and tail now wet from the shower made herself looked more mesmerizing than when she is dry.

"Both. Any form will do. Nightmare, Luna, anthro, or pony. Take your pick. Whichever look you present to me, I'll accept it with all my heart. Hell, I don't even care if you change forms every now and then." Nightmare Moon smiled. She was going to ask me a question, but I was so lost in her eyes, that I planted a kiss on her lips. Nightmare Moon wrapped her arms around me and kissed me back. I felt her tongue slither into my mouth and heard soft moans coming from her mouth. Nightmare Moon used her magic to turn the shower off. We remained inside until we were dry.

I was lying on my back now with boxers on. Nightmare Moon was on top of me, nude still. Prior to coming back here, she told me, the effects of the anthro spell is almost wearing off and she wishes to spend time with me like this. I accepted. Nightmare Moon snaked her arms underneath me and hugged me tight, she planted her lips firmly on mine and kissed me passionately. I felt her tail coil itself around my waist and gripped it as if it was a hug. I let out a startled yelp when I felt Nightmare Moon brush her foot lightly against my shin and up my leg. I shrugged it off and continued to make love with the mare I now love. No, that's not how it should be. Nighmare Moon enjoyed being with me, the one human she felt she deserved. Throughout the night, I was making love to an anthro nude pony. Although I wasn't aware just yet, Nighmare Moon/Princess Luna were hoping that someday I would approach her, get down on one knee, holding a box with a ring in it.

The next morning, I sat on the rooftop back in my clothes. "So it's official then" a voice said. I turned my head and saw Princess Celestia hovering behind me. "My sister told me that she and Nightmare Moon loves you and you accepted."

"Yeah" I said glumly.

"Cale, I'm not mad at you" she said assuringly. I'm glad that you accepted my sister's request to be your special somepony."

"I'm glad too" I said. Princess Celestia smiled at me.

"I'm sorry our relationship turned sour, but I didn't feel like that was meant to be."

"I know. I understand."

"Will you be ok on the roof?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'll be fine." Princess Celestia nodded with understanding and teleported back into the castle. It occurred to me that during my fight with Slender, not only did I fight for survival, not only did I fight for the freedom of the trapped souls longing to get out of that hell, but all this time, I had Nightmare Moon/Princess Luna in my mind. I fought knowing that even if I died and never returned to Equestria, I would love with her with all my heart. That being said, I will actually fight for the love of my life if I had to. If I was told to fight alone in the Everfree Forest, so be it! Although I don't really want to think about that happening. So much has happened last night that I can't help but play through it in my head. Sure I still have some wounds (which are slowly healing) to remind me what I've went through, but I'm glad all that was over.

When night arrived, I decided to lie down on my bed for awhile, little did I know, waiting for me on my own bed was an alicorn. Black coat, blue cat-like eyes, and blue flowing mane and tail. I smiled as the now pony Nightmare Moon returned the smile I gave. She lifted a hoof and gestured me to come close to her. I stepped into the room, removed my jacket, my shirt, hung them on a chair and approached the bed. As I climbed on the bed, Nightmare Moon used her magic to close my door and put a spell on it so we won't be disturbed during our moment together.

The End