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.

Side Note: Terribly sorry for not updating in so long! With Finals and me working to get enough cash to make my computer less crappy, I've been rather busy. No angry emails?

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Chapter 4: Conclusion

{~Time: 1300 hours Military Time~1:00 p.m. Civilian Time~}

{~Point-of-View: Third-Pony~}

Scootaloo was found 15 miles in Everfree Forest, bloody, beaten, and breathing. She was taken to the Medical Center in Canterlot. It wasn't until three days later that they found Fluttershy's body. It was in a tree, impaled on one of the branches. The autopsy revealed that her internal organs had been taken out and placed inside plastic baggies, then put back in the exact place they were supposed to be. The doctors and nurses of Canterlot were unable to identify what had gone through her small intestine, as the hole was far enough away from any possible stray sticks or branches. The Royal Guard had closed off Everfree Forest to everypony except the Princesses. Even Zecora wasn't allowed to enter her home.

Both of the Princesses had scoured the entirety of the forest, but their efforts were in vain as they had found no evidence as to what had happened or who had caused it. They had asked the best of the best in all of Equestria to help, but they still had found nothing. They had only one option remaining: to ask the only survivor. They dreaded doing this to a filly that had gone through something like that, but they had no choice.

{~Location: Canterlot Medical Center~}

Princess Celestia knocked lightly on the door. She heard a muffled 'Come in' and she and her sister walked into the room. She saw Scootaloo looking at them with slight surprise before she smiled lightly and laid back down on the bed.

Princess Celestia walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down on her haunches. She sighed and asked, “How are you feeling?”

Scootaloo said, “I'm feeling fine. I'm surprised that the first thing you didn't ask was 'why wasn't I praising you when you came in?' Well, when you go through something like I have, not much will scare or surprise you.”

Scootaloo smiled lightly and tried to sit up, but failed.

Princess Celestia said, “I know that you have been through a traumatic experience recently. Something that nopony should ever to have to go through. But both me and my sister have gone through the entire forest and found no evidence as to what had happened or who had done it. So... what I'm asking of you is for you to tell me, what happened?”

Scootaloo closed her eyes and was silent for a few moments. She opened her eyes and nodded.

She turned towards both of them and said, “Here's what happened...” She coughed and cleared her throat and continued, “I was just sitting at the edge of Everfree forest thinking about how me and my friends did in the talent show.”

She nodded towards the first place ribbon and coupon for  a free spa treatment that was laying on the side table next to her bed. Princess Celestia looked at it and smiled then said, “Congratulations.”

Scootaloo said, “Thanks. Anyway, I was thinking about how the talent show went, when suddenly the wind grew heavier for some reason. I was confused because there wasn't any storms scheduled until next week. I went to move my mane from my face. When it was out of my face, Fluttershy was sitting in front of me, as if she appeared from out of nowhere. That alone freaked me out. We had a short conversation and I turned to leave, but I stopped when I realized something. She was talking at a normal conservation level, not her usual one.”

Scootaloo paused and thought for a moment, then continued, “I asked why her voice was louder than normal. She suddenly started muttering wildly trying to come up with an excuse, so I tackled her to get her to snap out of it. She suddenly kicked my off and, growled.”

“Growled?” Celestia asked.

Scootaloo nodded and said, “Yes growled. It wasn't like Pinkie Pie's growls either. It was like an animal's. I started to get scared and ran into the forest. I could hear her chasing me from behind. We ran for a while. I ran into some branches which allowed her catch up to me. She started to...”

Scootaloo started to tear up and her voice started to crack, “She started to beat me. I don't know what had happened to Fluttershy but she was violent. I-I had no choice but to fight back. I kicked her off of me and ran even faster into the forest. I took a wrong turn and ended up at a dead-end. I turned around and saw her standing at my only way out. I walked backwards until I felt the fern walls against my haunches. I closed my eyes... hoping that it would be quick. But I soon heard her screaming and the flap of wings that were much too large for her size. I couldn't help myself but I started to cry for her, hoping that she was safe.”

Scootaloo took a shaky breath and continued, “I opened my eyes and saw nothing in front of me. Except for a single feather from Fluttershy's wing. I took off running back to Ponyville or at least to try and find my way to Zecora's. I heard the sound of wings behind me and I ran faster than before. I ended up in a rather thick part of the forest and I felt what felt like claws against my back. I tripped and they managed to get my hoof. The thing went upward so fast that I felt my carpus break. It carried me up into the air for several meters before  it suddenly dropped my into a ditch where I fainted. Then I woke up here.”

Both of the Princess were silent for a few minutes before Princess Celestia said, “Thank you... and I'm sorry for what you had gone through.”

Scootaloo nodded and said, “I'm just happy that I could help.”

Princess Celestia nodded and left with her sister. When they were out the door, Princess Luna asked, “Sister, what does thou think of the filly's story?”

Princess Celestia was silent before she said, “Something doesn't add up.”

“What does thou mean?” Princess Luna asked quizzically.

“Why would she be outside of Ponyville, near the Everfree Forest, as it was getting dark? She said that she was thinking about how she did in the Talent Show, but why there? Why not with her friends?”

“Thou thinks the filly is lying?”

Celestia sighed and said, “Yes. But would she have any reason to lie to us? Unless...”

“Yes, sister?”

“Somepony threatened her to make her lie.”

Luna gave a look of surprise and asked, for once not in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “But why would somepony do that? Why would anypony even have the coldness to harm a filly in the first place?”

Celestia sighed. She looked at the closed door and said, “I don't know, Luna.”

They both started walking down the hall when Celestia said, “I just don't know...”

{~Date: Three weeks after Scootaloo was found.~}

{~Time: 1:30 a.m.~}

{~Location: Room 1403~}

Scootaloo was rolling over in her sleep when the sound woke her up. Her eyes snapped open and she had a blank expression on her face. She got off the bed and winced lightly when her front right hoof hit the tiled floor. She tore off the patient's coveralls and was about to go out the door when she heard the sounds of hoof falls outside her door. She paused next to the door frame in the darkness until she heard silence for a good minute. She quickly and quietly opened the door and went out into the hall. She took a quick look in both directions before running towards the Emergency Exit. She ran around the door and shut it with a rather loud bang! With her heart skipping beats she wasted no time in running down to the first floor.

She paused a second to catch her breath. She slowly opened the door a crack and peaked out, to find a rather muscled stallion nurse with a needle for a cutie-mark. She groaned to herself and opened the door just enough to where she could squeeze through. She leaped under the closest thing, which happened to be a desk. When the door closed she waited until the stallion walked over and opened it to look inside.

She took the chance and ran for the front exit. She ran down the street and into the city. With only the occasional homeless pony the roadways were empty. She ran straight for the road that would take her to Ponyville...

{~Location: Unknown. Accepted to be near the Inner Depths of Everfree Forest.~}

“... So she made her way to Ponyville and eventually into the Everfree Forest where she continued to serve her Master, The Operator.” The mysterious pony finished from where she was hidden in the shadows, making her appearance unrecognizable.

A young brown stallion with a magnifying glass cutie-mark jumped up and asked, “But-but what happened next. Was the Operator ever found? Was Scootaloo ever seen again? Was-”

The unknown pony raised her hoof and the young stallion was silent. The unknown pony asked, “You know how monsters wait until nighttime to come out and 'play'?”

The young stallion gave a look of confusion and said, “Yeah...? Why?”

“Well, some wait until you turn on the lights.” The unknown pony's voice grew distorted and dark.

The pony walked into the light and revealed in older pony with orange fur and a purple mane. The young stallion gasped in fear and tried to run. He was tackled before he could turn around and felt a blade against his neck. He started to hyperventilate as he saw the knife that was on his throat.

Scootaloo grinned an evil grin and her eyes started glowing a blood red. She started whispering to him as she drove the knife deeper into his neck.

“When words fail, actions speak.” She drew a thin line against the stallions neck which started to draw blood.

“When actions fail, eyes speak.” She cut into the line making it bleed even worse.

“When eyes fail, tears speak.” As if on cue, tears began to streak his face as Scootaloo drove the knife half way into the neck, cutting off his supply of oxygen and shredding his vocal cords.

She brought the knife down all the way to the hilt, killing the young stallion.

“When tears fail, Silence speaks...”

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Tell me what you think!

This has been MrDenim.

Random Quote of the Day: "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." -- Karl, as he stepped behind the computer to reboot it, during a FAT.

Random Question of the Day: What did you think of the ending?