"Your not just family!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she threw herself onto Applejack. " Your best friends!"
Applejack tried to listen to Pinkie Pie as she started running her mouth off, but somehow she couldn't. she had a feeling in her gut, like something was horribly wrong. She had seen somepony in the bushes. It was hard to remember exactly what that pony looked like, but it seemed like he had been wearing a suit. Now who in tarnation would be dressin all fancy like in the middle of the forest? Applejack though to herself. Pinkie Pie continued talking, and Applejack smiled politely, adding her two bits when necessary to keep Pinkie believin that she was listening. But Applejack's mind was elsewhere. Her mind kept wandering to that pony in the bushes, and it was hard to push it out of her mind. The rest of her family hadn't seen anything, and neither had Pinkie. Applejack kept sneaking glances behind her, feeling an increasing sense of paranoia. She felt like running, a feeling she didn't experience very often. Pinkie Pie was entertaining herself by talking to Apple Bloom and Big Mac, while Granny Smith took a nap. The cart that was borrowed by Golden Delicious was bouncing gently along the way, The tree's overhead swung in the fall breeze, the leaves floating off the branches when they felt the vibration from the cart. The brilliant blazing red, orange, and yellow leaves crunched underneath the wheels of the cart, making a sound like paper being crumpled. The air was crisp and spicy in the fall air, along with a breath of winter promising to come. The sun was shining comfortably warm in the afternoon sky, with fall breezes causing goosebumps and shivering. despite the breeze however, it was a nice day. relatively warm with the scent of leaves and the fresh smell a rain leaves behind. In other words, it was a perfect day. so why was AppleJack so worried something might happen?
Applejack was resting her front legs at the back of the cart, thinking deeply to herself about the creature. Usually AppleJack didn't try to see real deep into things. she just accepted that what it is is what it is. But this was something entirely different and it disturbed her on an entirely different level. Suddenly a wave of nausea swept over applejack, and she doubled over as her stomach churned, threatening to empty out its contents.
"OOOhhh... i feel... sick..." AppleJack groaned, holding one hoof to her stomach and the other to her mouth to prevent herself from throwing up. Pinkie Pie immediately bounced over, a concerned look in her bright blue eyes.
" Hey cousin, you feeling alright?" Pinkie Pie asked, wearing a worried expression. Apple Bloom also came to applejack and chimed in.
"Hey sis, you alright? you look like your gonna barf."
"Ah....ah'm fine y'all...don't go worryin bout me." AppleJack stood up and looked towards the end of the cart, past Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom. Apple Jack suddenly gasped out loud in horror and stumbled backwards, an expression of pure terror on her face.
" W-WHAT IN TARNATION WAS THAT!?!?" AppleJack shouted, in hysterics. A faceless,10 foot tall pony had just been standing there, in an elegant black suit and a red tie. Pinkie Pie and Apple bloom looked where applejack had been, and big mac stopped the cart to see too. If Applejack said something was there, then something was there. but when they all looked at the path behind them, there was nothing. AppleJack blinked with dismay.
" AH SAW SOMTHIN THERE! HONEST!" Applejack implored them to believe her, but she sounded crazy and like she was lieing , even to her.Big mac started pulling the cart again, and pinkie and apple bloom gave applejack confused looks.
" Uh.. AppleJack? maybe your hallucinating. Theres nothin there. you must be pretty sick if your hallucinating." AppleBloom looked at her sister, concern in her yellowish orange eyes. AppleJack calmed down and stood back up to see if it was still there. Nothing but empty road. Pinkie and Applebloom went back to talking, easily forgetting about Applejack's outburst. but AppleJack didn't forget. The queasy feeling went away, but AppleJack still felt extremely paranoid. she kept glancing around the path, into the forest, all around, to make sure it wasn't there. They finally arrived back at the barn, but AppleJack was still worried. only one thought came to mind when she wondered what to do. Ask twilight.
"Hey Applejack!!!" Pinkie Pie bounced in front of applejack, causing her to jump." Wow! your reeaally jumpy! I'm jumpy too, but i bounce everywhere! anyways, me and apple bloom were talking and we agreed we should go get twilight and tell her about our family road trip! we should probably put it in our great big friendship diary! is it a diary? or a journal? its not a letter to Celestia, its WAY too big for that! or is it? ya know, i wonder if spike can send something larger than a scroll! can he send a house to Celestia? it could squish her! then who would raise the sun? Luna? ooh! maybe twilight could raise the sun! but then she'd have to go live in canterlot and we couldn't see her for a very very very very very very very very long long long long long long long long time! Anyways, lets go see twilight!"
Apple Jacks head spun from pinkie's run-on talking, and she followed the bouncing pink mare on the road to twilight's tree house. Twilight had to believe applejack. Twilight was the smartest pony AppleJack knew. If anypony could tell her what she had seen, it would be her. Applejack couldn't help feeling like she was being watched. She kept glancing around, expecting the tall pony to appear in all its frightening splendor. AppleJack tipped her hat to the top of her head, and tried relaxing and looking straight ahead. Pinkie's fluffy pink tail was bouncing merrily behind her as she hopped along, a radiant grin on her face. Pinkie didn't seem troubled at all, so AppleJack tried to follow her example. she told herself that if pinky was relaxed, she should be too. AppleJack found herself calming down, and she breathed out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. The sun was shining, the air was still, and the wind whistled quietly, producing an effective calming effect. Twilight's tree house came into view, and AppleJack grew more confident that she had worried over nothing. she hadn't seen anything. Just a trick of the mind. AppleJack thoroughly convinced herself that she was just gonna write in the friendship diary, not ask twilight about some creepy ten-foot-tall pony with no face. She took in a deep breath of fresh air, closing her eyes and feeling the suns gentle warmth on her eyelids. She opened her eyes, a happy content smile on her face, and she glanced to her left.
Her heart stopped, and so did her legs. she froze, fear suddenly engulfing her as her eyes landed on the towering pony with no face in the distance. she couldn't move. couldn't will her legs to move. clouds passed over the sun and a shadow covered ponyville, and the breeze seemed as cold as ice, chilling applejack to the bone. she couldn't speak. couldn't utter a single syllable. It's very aura gave off a sense of impending death, its blank white face was empty of any expression. Applejack stood still as a statue, not daring to move or take her eyes off the menacing creature. sluggishly, repulsive black tentacles emerged from behind the impassive figure, writhing and curling and stretching outward. Somehow AppleJack regained control, and she let out a girly scream that rarity could be proud of. Pinkie pie turned around confused, and saw applejack running towards her, looking as if she'd seen a ghost.
" PINKIE PIE! RUN! RUN! GET TO TWILIGHT'S! HURRY! ITS GOING TO GET ME!"
Pinkie Pie looked around Applejack and saw nothing. going with the flow, pinkie grinned and exclaimed
" oh no! its going to get us! ah! run!" Pinkie pie snorted and giggled as she quickly bounced alongside the terrified farm pony, delighted with playing a game of being scared. Applejack was vaguely aware that pinkie pie was just humoring her, and Applejack became annoyed. However, she knew there wasn't time to be annoyed. only to run. AppleJack poured all her energy and strength into sprinting, and she was galloping at about the speed rainbow dash could fly. Twilight's tree house was approaching at an alarming rate, and AppleJack realized she wouldn't be able to stop in time. Pinkie Pie chortled and laughed out
"My ears are floppy, my eyes are fluttering, and my knee is twitchy!" A few seconds later, AppleJack barreled right through Twilight's door, sending the left side of the door slamming into the wall on the other side, while the other half was obliterated completely, splinters flying everywhere and into Apple Jacks skin. She let out a shout of hurt and surprise, and she tumbled into the library, slamming into a shelf causing all the books to pitch forward and fall off the shelf at once, burying AppleJack under a mountain of books. Pinkie Pie bounced in jovially, a wide grin on her face. She pulled back the rest of twilight's door, and smiled at the purple unicorn plastered into the wall. She pried Twilight off the wall and Twilight flopped onto the hard wooden floor, dazed. Pinkie Pie stuck her muzzle into twilight's face and cheerfully said
"Hey you silly billy willy! This is no time for a nap! we got a friendship entry to write!" Twilight slowly picked herself up from the floor, rubbing the back of her head.
"well, is it so important that you feel the need to break my door open? that good, huh?" Twilight smirked to show she wasn't angry, but you could tell she was mildly annoyed that she hadn't heard pinkies prediction about the door before she came in. Twilight walked over to a pedestal where there was a thick book, originally the diary of the two sisters that ruled Equestria. There was a groan in the corner, and twilight looked over at a pile of books that hadn't been there before. Twilight noticed Applejack's hat on the floor, and levitated it in front of her. then, Applejack's head poked out from under the books. She groaned in pain and exhaustion, and painstakingly pulled herself out of the book pile.
"OH MY CELESTIA! AppleJack, are you OK?" Twilight rushed over to her bruised friend and gave her a hoof to steady herself. Twilight put Applejack's hat back on her hair, with was impaled with splinters. As Twilight looked AppleJack up and down, she realized her friend looked horrible. She looked the way she did when she refused help during a previous applebuck season. Except this time, she looked worse. She had worry lines, little scratches all over her face where splinters had gotten her, blood beading up at the scratches. splinters were in her hair, which looked like a mess. She had bruises all over her from the books, and more than a few rocks stuck in her hooves. And AppleJack looked like she was terrified.
"AppleJack, what happened? why were you running? you look terrible." Twilight levitated a comb over and took out AppleJack's hair tie, then she began methodically combing the splinters out of her mane. AppleJack didn't mind though. She was still deeply afraid of that...that.. thing.
"Twilight..." AppleJack whispered, her voice raspy from running.She sounded genuinely terrified, and that was enough to scare twilight.Usually she was as brave as rainbow dash.If it scared applejack, it must've been bad.
"Twilight... ah need a book. a book on... somepony tall...with no face..." AppleJack shivered at the terrible memory. the horrible, slick, black tentacle like limbs flowing out of it like liquid darkness. The repulsive gut-wrenching feeling it gave off. Its face... empty of any kind of emotion.Twilight could tell this was important to applejack. she went over to her book shelf, using her magic to pull out books and put them back, looking for anything about a tall faceless pony. She finally found the book that Applejack had described, with a grainy and staticy picture of an incredibly tall pony wearing an elegant black suit, long black tentacles twisting in the air, and a white featureless face. Just the picture made shivers go up Twilight's spine. She levitated the book in front of applejack, and lightly set it down in front of her. Twilight looked into Applejack's eyes and said the one word that would forever change Applejack's life.
"Slendermane."
