“Okay.” The light blue mare was breathing heavily, as if running or having a hard time traversing the forest. She shook her dark green mane out of her eyes before speaking again. “I’ve decided to venture into the Everfree Forest to try to find, and document The Pale One. Also known as Slendermane or Slenderpony. It is now... 11:37 PM. It is Tuesday, September 28th, 2010. I am Aqua Myths, I am 19 years old, and I work at the General Store in Ponyville. Rumors have it that The Pale One stalks his victims before killing them in odd ways. I’m going to find him and prove to everypony that he is real, and that we have to do something about him.”
Aqua shouldered her camera and began walking forward, the night vision filter gave everything a green tint to it. She moved carefully through the forest, climbing over fallen trees and maneuvering around obstacles.
The clock in the upper left of the screen showed 12:47 AM. Aqua Myths let out a gasp and looked into her camera.
“Did you see that?” She aimed the camera in a seemingly random direction. The video cut out for a second and only a few feet from her stood an absurdly tall pure white pony in a black suit with a red tie. He had neither mane nor tail. The strangest part was that where his face should be, there was nothing. He cocked his head and the video turned to static for a moment. Afterwards, the pony was gone.
Aqua Myths was panting and looking around. “That was him, that was Slendermane!” She turned the camera back towards herself. “This is amazing! I can’t believe I found him!” The video turned to static for a little longer than before, and behind her stood the pony of myths. A long, black... thing... wrapped itself around her waist and hoisted her off the ground. She dropped her camera and a crack reached across the lens. The Slendermane was holding Aqua up by her waist with a tentacle protruding from his back. The young mare was paralyzed with fear. He moved her closer to his face and she simply stared. Her body started to quake and her face turned to one of pure terror. She tried to let out a scream but no noise emanated from her mouth. It was almost as if her throat was clenched shut from fear, a fear that radiated from the creature staring blankly at her.
The battery in the top right corner of the screen flashed red.
And the video cut out.
~~~~~~~~~~
Freshly Baked was going through his routine checklist for closing down the restaurant. Most of this list took place in the kitchen, where he had to make sure supplies were ready for the next day and all the stoves were turned off. The lanky red unicorn began storing pots and pans away, as well as the spices. His magical aura was the same dark blue as his mane. The lights began to flicker in the kitchen, leaving it pitch black for a few moments.
“Need to call an electrician...” The stallion sighed and continued with his checklist. The lights flickered once more and Freshly Baked looked all around him.
“Jeez, I hope that freaky pony isn’t here...” He had caught some strange pony following him every night when he left the restaurant. “I don’t see how anypony can be that tall. He had to have been wearing stilts under that suit. Some kind of circus performer maybe?”
He continued his work and heard a click. He quickly spun around to see an extremely tall white stallion with no mane, tail, or face turning one of the gas stoves on. The strange pony extinguished the flame so just the gas was flowing. The chef grabbed a large knife from the block a few feet away and aimed the blade at the mysterious pony’s chest.
“What are you?!” Freshly Baked screamed, half out of anger, half out of fear. The lights flickered and when they came back on, the Slendermane was only about two feet from the chef. Freshly Baked dropped the knife and ran from the tall pony. The Slendermane watched him run to the other side of the kitchen. A tentacle wriggled its way out of the Slendermane’s back and started looking through cupboards. It found a fairly large bottle of vegetable oil and removed it. Another tentacle came forth, followed by a few more. They reached forward and grabbed the chef, lifting him up and over the counter separating the two bodies. Chef Freshly Baked was struggling, trying to escape the tentacles’ grasp. The Slendermane lifted the terrified pony to his face, making him look into nothing. The captive pony then stopped struggling and stared, shaking and trying to scream. One of the many tentacles opened the bottle of vegetable oil and the Slendermane then began to force Freshly Baked to drink the entire bottle.
The empty bottle was cast aside as two tentacles began forcing their way into the chef’s mouth, down his throat and into his stomach. He could feel his stomach being distorted by the fleshy appendages, stretching as more and more forced its way into his stomach. He then felt an immense pain, and a slight sloshing feeling as he knew what happened. His stomach had burst, but he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t scream, he couldn’t cry, he couldn’t even move. He just sat there and died slowly.
But the Slendermane wasn’t finished yet. He forced a pair of tentacles up the chef’s nose and they moved their way into his lungs. He couldn’t breathe anymore. He could simply wait as the tentacles continued to fill his lungs until they burst. The moment came and he gagged a little, the pain causing him to black out. The chef died only moments later, before he even hit the ground.
The Slendermane’s tentacles free, he lit another burner on a stove and cocked his head. There was another flicker from the lights and he was gone.
The flame from the stove found the gas floating in the air. And the gas caught.
~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight turned on her television and the first thing she saw was the charred remains of a building. In front of the remains stood News Flash, Ponyville’s number one news reporter.
“-uilding seems to have caught fire close to midnight. There were no ponies inside except for the owner, Freshly Baked. He unfortunately did not make it out of the restaurant before it caught fire. What is strangest, though, is that he did not die from the fire. His autopsy reports indicate that he died from what the doctors call ‘organ failure’.”
Twilight shrugged and turned off her T.V. and left the library. She had decided to go visit Zecora the day before to get a potion to help Spike recover faster from a cold. She pressed on and broke the line of trees that began the Everfree Forest.
An hour of traveling passed before Twilight’s hoof hit something hard, harder than a root. She winced and looked down, trying to find what she had hit. This can’t be right... There, lying on the ground in front of her was a perfectly good video camera.
“Who would leave this out here...? Can’t let it go to waste...” She lifted the camera with her magic and looked it over. She popped it open and saw the tape inside. Her curiosity got the better of her and she turned around to go back to her home. She had to find out what was on the tape.
~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight sat in front of her television, mouth open in shock. Aqua Myths had presumably died from... whatever that thing was. Twilight then did what she did best. She started reading. She read every book in the library pertaining to mythology and old mare’s tales. She found snippets of information here and there. This mysterious pony has many names, Slendermane, Slenderpony, The Pale One, Him, The Operator, Der Ritter, Der Großmann, Bundle, The Tall Pony, The Thin Pony, Fear Dubh, Schlankwald, Tree Pony, Slendy, Slender, The White King, and Master.
He’s been sighted many times, but not many ponies have lived. That explains why so little information is given. Just like Aqua said, he stalks his victims before killing them in very strange ways. And in his... “messier” situations, he burns down the building.
“A creature like that is real...? I wonder if that’s what happened to Freshly Baked...”
Twilight closed the book she was reading and walked over to her writing desk.
”Dear Princess Celestia...”
~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight received her reply from the princes only a few hours after she sent her own.
”Twilight,”
“Celestia never starts her letters off like this...”
”I advise you to end your research on The Pale One immediately, lest something awful happen to you. If you wish to continue your research, I suggest you pack your things and join me in Canterlot Castle. The added security may just save your life.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia.”
“That’s..... unnerving to say the least....”
Twilight looked around her library and her gaze fell upon her television once more. In the reflection of the glass she could see something outside her window. She quickly turned but saw nothing. She immediately ran upstairs and started packing her things.
“Spike, get ready to go to Canterlot.”
“Why..? What’s the rush..?”
Spike was still sick. Twilight figured they could find some help with the princess, and continued to pack.
“No time, pack your things, Spike.”
The lights in the tree house flickered but never completely went out. Twilight’s pupils shrank and she started packing faster, throwing books and supplies into her suitcase without any form of organization. She was scared. Panic started to sweep over her as she remembered something she had read.
The Pale One has a certain ability where it warps time and space. It has the power of teleportation without the use of magic. Whenever he teleports, there is a strong electromagnetic pulse that interferes with all electronics.
Twilight began to hyperventilate. She ran back downstairs to grab a few more supplies: parchment, quills, and a few wells of ink. When she returned upstairs, Spike was nowhere to be seen.
Twilight nearly screamed. She flung open the drawer on her nightstand and retrieved a few batteries. She replaced the ones in the video camera that once belonged to Aqua Myths and started recording.
The time in the top left corner of the screen read 11:49 AM.
~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight was sitting in a carriage on the road to Canterlot. She had the camera facing her so she could document everything that’s happening to her. Her mane was disheveled and her pupils were little more than pinpricks.
“S-spike is gone... There’s nowhere he could have gone from upstairs. I’m assuming Der Ritter took him.” She chose the name Der Ritter because it felt more natural than Slendermane or The Pale One.
“I’m on my way to Canterlot to seek refuge with the Princess. Maybe she can hold him back. Y-yeah! Princess Celestia will be able to keep him away from me. I know he’s after me because everypony who has survived said that their lights flickered or went out when Der Ritter showed up. I chose to leave without looking for Spike because moments before I left him alone upstairs, the lights flickered.”
Twilight ran a hoof through her mane and looked out the window. She quickly jumped to the other side of the carriage. She turned the camera to look outside and just at the edge of the treeline stood the absurdly tall, pure white pony. The carriage passed by him without any difficulty, he just stood there and watched them pass.
The time in the top left corner of the screen read 12:14 PM.
~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight’s condition had worsened. Her paranoia made her jump and scramble at every little thing that seemed out of place. She was constantly looking around and running a hoof through her mane.
The time in the top left corner of the screen read 12:28 PM.
A pair of black lines appeared behind twilight and stretched across the roof of the carriage. The roof was ripped off and Twilight shrieked. The pony driving the carriage was disconnected from his harness and he took off. Twilight lay there on her back, looking up at Der Ritter who was using his tentacles to lift himself over the carriage.
A heavy tree branch found its way into the side of His head.
Twilight looked towards the forest and she turned the camera that way, as well. There stood a red pegasus with a dark green mane that matched Aqua Myths.
“Run!” She yelled at Twilight who sat in the wreckage of the overturned carriage. She dropped the camera and ran towards Canterlot, which was not far at all.
The time in the top left corner of the screen read 12:32 PM.
~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight threw herself into the Royal Hall of Canterlot Castle.
“Celestia! Help me! I was in the carriage on my way here when Der Ritter ripped the roof off and was about to kill me! This pegasus mare threw a tree branch at him and gave me time to run! And I... I just left her there....”
Twilight fell to the floor and started sobbing uncontrollably. She was in a worse state than before. On her way to Canterlot, she had stumbled and tripped numerous times, scraping up her legs and chest.
Celestia walked up to her pupil’s side and wrapped a comforting hoof around her shoulders.
“I-I dropped the camera, too.... I want to go back and get it... So nopony else will have to be ill informed....”
“I can send a few guards to retrieve it if you want.” The sun goddess looked down on her favorite student with a small smile.
Twilight looked up at her and smiled back. Celestia led Twilight to a room with a very thick metal door. A pair of guards were stationed in front of it and stepped aside as the Princess approached. One opened the door and allowed them inside.
Celestia stepped away from Twilight.
“Twilight, my most faithful student. This room is the most secure in all of Canterlot Castle. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe.”
Twilight sniffed and smiled at the Princess. “But what about his ability to teleport...?”
Celestia smiled once more. “Do not fear, I will guard this room with my magic, nopony will be able to get in or out without my permission. I promise.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Celestia put the tape into the player. She pressed play and skipped the parts with Twilight simply riding in the carriage. She skipped up until the mysterious pegasus appeared. She saw Twilight run by the camera and continued to watch.
The faceless pony then sprouted several more black tentacles from his back. These tentacles seemed to have a will of their own as they advanced upon the mare in view of the camera. She was standing her ground until the tentacles were close. She screamed and ran, but was quickly followed by the tentacles. She soon came into view once more, the appendages wrapped around each of her legs.
The white pony approached her, one more tentacle appearing and forcing her to look into his blank face. She screamed and writhed in his grasp, trying to escape as a look of pure terror consumed her face.
The struggle continued for several minutes until the screaming stopped and the mare stopped struggling, she was still alive but looked to be in a state of shock.
The tentacles tightened their grip on her legs and began to pull away from her body.
One by one, each of her legs were ripped away from her body until she was just a torso and head.
The white pony dropped her, a slowly dying young mare, blood pouring from where her limbs should be.
She looked into the lens of the camera, eyes quivering and tears staining her coat. The video cut out for a moment and the Slendermane was only inches away from the camera. He picked it up and looked into it, cocking his head to the side before the video cut out again and the camera crashed to the ground, ending the recording.
Celestia stared at her blank television screen in disgust.
She was alone in her chambers with her thoughts.
Every light in Canterlot Castle went out for a few seconds before coming back on.
~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight had herself backed against the wall. Der Ritter was standing in front of her, staring at her. She was trembling and looking like she may crawl right out of her own skin. The Slendermane stepped forward and a tentacle slithered out of his back. It wrapped itself around Twilight’s throat and lifted her into the air. Der Ritter sprouted several more tentacles which began to make lacerations all around Twilight’s body. Each tentacle then pulled the flesh away from her muscles.
Twilight wanted to scream from the intense pain, but couldn’t due to Der Ritter’s strange aura. Every single little touch, or gust of air burned the unicorn’s exposed muscles. Tears streamed down her face as she realized she was about to die. She looked at her flesh being held in front of her, blood dripping onto the carpet.
Der Ritter moved the tentacles holding Twilight Sparkle’s flesh closer towards her, and began to force the scraps of skin down her throat. She gagged and closed her eyes. The taste of her own skin was horrible.
He finally finished forcing Twilight to eat herself and a single tentacle forced itself into her ear. Her vision faded to black. The last image was that of the pure white pony standing before her.
~~~~~~~~~~
Celestia rushed to the room she left Twilight in. She flung open the door after releasing the barrier and her pupils shrank at the sight. Twilight lay in a heap on the floor, her muscles exposed and a grey fluid leaking from her ears.
She quickly closed the door and held back her vomit. She walked down the many flights of stairs to the Royal Hall and took a seat on her throne. She pondered what to do about this creature. It obviously defied the laws of nature and could not be killed.
The lights flickered once more and Celestia rose from her throne. She stared across the room at the figure standing a few feet inside the doors. She stood tall, with as much authority as she could muster and finally spoke.
“What is it you want from us? What did we ever do to you to deserve death? What is it that you seek?”
The Slendermane and Celestia were standing across from each other in the Royal Hall. Neither were wavering, each standing tall and staring at the other. The Slendermane cocked his head and the lights went out.
