The Slender Mane of Everfree Forest

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, that belongs to Hasbro and Lauren Faust. I also do not own Slender Mane, or Slender Man, and credit to those that made them, because I do not know who you are.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS EPIC USAGE OF MOVIE REFERENCES, FLEXIBILITY THAT WILL MAKE LYRA JEALOUS, AND EPIC SWORD FIGHTING.

VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. SEE IF YOU CAN SPOT ALL OF THE REFERENCES.

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Chapter 3: Talent Show Winning and a Proxy Unmasked

{~Date: Day of the Ponyville Talent Show~}

{~Time: 1500 Military Time~3:00 p.m. Civilian Time~}

{~Location: Ponyville Town Hall~}

{~POV: Third Pony~}

The Talent Show was about to begin. The seating area was packed. She could see Twilight Sparkle and her five friends in the front row. Scootaloo walked up to them, hoping for some last minute comfort.

Rainbow Dash saw her and said, “Hey Scoots! Good luck today!”

The others gave off their own levels of assurance. Suddenly, Angel ran up to Fluttershy and started chattering in his tongue. Fluttershy gave off a look of worry and she said, “I've got to go. One of the younger Blue Jays fell on his wing when he was trying to fly. It might be broken.”

They all gave her a nod and she ran off with Angel hanging on for dear life on her back. The lights started to dim and Scootaloo said, “I've got to get backstage guys. See you after the show.”

She ran backstage in time to see the first performance: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon acting over-dramatic as usual. They were performing an act from one of William Trottingspear's famous plays. It wasn't very good. When it was over, they got very few hoof stomps. The only ones that cheered were their parents. When they were off stage, Snips and Snails went on stage and tried to act out a scene from a book. It was even worse than the previous one.

As they left the stage, Lyra went on stage and danced on her hind legs to a catchy song. During Lyra's performance, Scootaloo got dressed in her outfit: A simple red cape and a belt that held a real steel short sword. She heard hoof steps behind her and she saw Slender Mane's Proxy walking towards her in their usual garb of a mask and black robes covering their body. The only difference was that they too, had a real steel short sword inside it's sheath connected to a belt. They nodded to each other. A temporary truce, one that neither of them rather liked. They had almost managed to kill the other a couple times.

A few minutes later, Slender Mane himself showed up, everypony there stared at him. He was in his suit, again. It was nearing the end of the Talent Show when the mayor gave them their cue. They nodded and Scootaloo and Slender Mane got into their positions: Scootaloo in middle center stage, Slender Mane in middle right. The Proxy was off stage, for now.

{~Play Slender Mane (Instrumental) (Nightmare's Remix) It can be found in my favorites on my YouTube Account~}

When the music that Scootaloo personally made started, the lights on stage dimmed to where Scootaloo and Slender Mane were the focus.

Scootaloo took a breath and said, in a rebellious voice, “I've done what you asked for over a year, Operator. Why can't you tell them I work for you?”

Slender Mane was silent for moment. But he said in a whisper and echoic voice, “Because we, do not exist.”

Scootaloo was silent for moment before she sighed and whispered, “So be it.”

She drew her short sword with her tail and charged at him. The Proxy, seeing their cue, charged in with their sword drawn and blocked Scootaloo's sword from hitting Slender Mane. Scootaloo smiled and said, “I was wondering when this day would come.”

She back flipped through the air and landed a few feet away. The Proxy charged at her and unleashed a series of blows. Most of which Scootaloo dodged or parried. One managed to graze her shoulder. The Proxy thrusted forward with the hilt of their sword, driving it against Scootaloo's stomach, launching her back to the front left stage. Scootaloo quickly got up and threw a bunch of slashes and stabs at the Proxy, all of which they blocked. They gave Scootaloo an uppercut, lifting her a few feet in the air, and put their sword to where Scootaloo would be impaled by it when she fell. Slender Mane just stood there and watched it happen.

Scootaloo rotated while in mid-air and swiped away the Proxy's sword. Scootaloo rolled to the side to avoid a stomp to the face. She stood up and stabbed at the Proxy's chest, which they dodged and actually spoke for once. But their voice was really distorted.

“Tell me something... Have you ever taken a sword through the chest?”

“No.” Scootaloo replied.

“It's about time you find out how it feels.”

The Proxy growled and ran forward. Scootaloo managed to nearly dodge it and she landed on her front hooves. Still on her front hooves, she spun around with the sword going everywhere. She did a back flip with the sword going outwards to block a strike from the Proxy. She landed on her hooves several feet away, breathing heavily. They both saw this and used their final cue. They ran towards each other, swords outstretched, towards the other. They swiped at each other as they neared and stayed still, facing away from each other a few feet away. After a minute they both fell to the ground, pretending to be dead.

Slender Mane stretched out his limbs and brought them to the middle center stage. With the same voice he said, “Such a shame, that these two Agents should have ended their lives so prematurely. They had so much... potential.”

Without another word, Slender Mane enveloped all three of them in his Shadow ability and went off stage. The lights brightened and the whole crowd gave them a cheer and hoof stomps. The mayor went on stage, avoiding a very realistic puddle of blood.

“Well, I think it's very clear who the winner is. Scootaloo and your group, come on stage.” Mayor Mare said.

Only Scootaloo came on stage. Mayor Mare asked, “Uh Scootaloo, where are your two friends?”

Scootaloo said, “They had to catch an early train ride to Trottingham. They only had time to help me out.”

“Shame. Well I guess that you get to take home the blue ribbon. And an all expense paid luxury treatment courtesy of Aloe & Lotus's Spa Resort!”

There were more cheers from the crowd as Scootaloo walked backstage. When she was backstage, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell ran towards her and congratulated her on the performance.

“That was totally wicked!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

Sweetie Bell nodded and said, “I agree. If only our performance was that good!”

They had tried to do a duet, it didn't end well.

6~~~~~~~~~~9

{~Time: 8:00 p.m.~}

{~Location: Edge of Everfree Forest. Near Fluttershy's Cottage~}

Scootaloo was pacing back and forth silently near the edge of the forest, muttering to herself. The sudden strong wind buffeted her against her face, causing her to stop and move it. As she was doing so, she saw the Proxy sitting in front of her, appearing from nowhere. The Proxy took a few steps towards Scootaloo, who did the same.

“You know Slender Mane won't like it if he sees you trying to kill me, again.” Scootaloo deadpanned.

The Proxy said nothing. Scootaloo scoffed and muttered something under her breath. She turned and started to walk into the forest when she heard the Proxy say, “You really have no idea. Do you?”

Scootaloo stopped and asked, “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you have no idea who I really am. I'm surprised that you haven't seen the signs I've quite clearly made.”

Scootaloo shook her head in confusion and said, “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

The Proxy rubbed their temple and said, quite angrily, “Think, Scootaloo think! Who do you think was there since the very beginning, before we even met? The forest!”

The twig snapping and the thing that I saw at the corner of my vision!

“The Hospital!”

The pony that was talking to me!

“The fact that the proper music files was in Vinyl's home!”

She's right!

“The Talent Show!”

Scootaloo remembered something... something important. She gazed out at the crowd as they were cheering. She looked the front row to see one of the seats empty.

Scootaloo growled and leaped onto the Proxy. With the Proxy pinned down and struggling, Scootaloo was able to tear the mask off, revealing...

“Fluttershy?” Scootaloo exclaimed in disbelief. Fluttershy was smirking and there was determination and fire in her eyes.

Fluttershy threw Scootaloo off of her and said, at a normal noise level, “And so the pieces finally fall into place, eh, Scoots.”

Scootaloo stared at her and said, “But why you?”

Fluttershy paced around Scootaloo as she said, “Oh let's just say that my eyes have been opened for long time now, Scootaloo. And now finally, with both of us here alone, my plan can now come to an ultimatum.”

“And you think that Slender Mane didn't plan for this moment?” Scootaloo asked, with the smallest of smirks on her lips.

“Oh no. He gave me the free will to plan and to act on my own. Quite the pleasure might I add. Shame that you won't live to experience it.” Fluttershy suddenly leaped at her, aiming for her neck.

Scootaloo jumped out of the way and ran into the forest, dodging the trees and foliage as if she's done it her entire life. Fluttershy was right behind her, a knife in her mouth that she got from out of nowhere. They ran through the thick underbrush that the forest was famous for. They dodged past tree trunks and ditches, all the while neither of them gaining or losing an inch over the other. They didn't stop running until Scootaloo rounded a sharp turn and disappeared from Fluttershy's sight. Fluttershy slowed down, her knowledge telling her that it was a dead end. She leaped into the only path out to see Scootaloo covered in cuts, most of them bleeding. She was leaning on her front left hoof rather heavily, signaling that her front right was either sprained or broken. Fluttershy smiled wickedly and closed the distance between them a few feet. She stopped when she heard Scootaloo laughing. The thing that made her stop was that the laugh, wasn't normal.

With a closer look, she saw that Scootaloo's eyes were glowing slightly. Her grin was only adding to the rather sadistic expression that now inhabited her face. Fluttershy growled and asked, “What's so funny?”

Scootaloo laughed again, this one was more distorted and dark, “You really think that Slender Mane would congratulate you for killing me? He picked me out of my friends, not you.”

Fluttershy felt a tinge of fear when she heard other, faint laughing seemingly coming from everywhere around her. She looked around quickly, seeing nothing. Despite her lowered emotions and feelings, that still only crept her out even more. Scootaloo's laugh only got more distorted and started to blend with the other laughing, which was steadily getting louder. Fluttershy's eyes widened in horror when she saw her master appear behind Scootaloo.

Scootaloo spoke again, her voice completely unrecognizable, “Despite what you might think, Fluttershy. You are not Slender Mane's favorite.”

Her eyes glowed a blood red. Fluttershy turned tail and started to run in the opposite direction, but she felt something latch onto her. She felt herself get lifted up into the air and turned around. She saw her master's faceless gaze boring a hole into her mind, her deepest fears getting realized.

She heard Scootaloo again, “Despite what you might think, Fluttershy. You are...”

Fluttershy felt searing pain course through her body. She saw a single bloody tendril belonging to her master stinking out of her stomach. A piece of her small intestine on the tip.

As she was fading she heard Scootaloo's muffled and distorted voice say, “You are... expendable.”

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Tell me what you think! Sorry Fluttershy fans!

This has been MrDenim.

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