Burn

They say that it was created in a battle. They say that it was the fault of the Captain of the Royal Guard when his plan went wrong.

As the old story goes, long ago a brave knight went to face a brutal monster. But what he did created a bigger monster that was immortal, could never be wounded and never aged. It was a horrible killer that murdered several ponies, nothing could bring it down.

Here's how the old tale goes...

~~~

One blue hoof hit the planks. The whistle sounded behind him and he leaped off as the train rolled away. Face upon face flashed by, filled with fear and hope.

Hope that this stallion could save them.

The stallion's armor clinked together on his muscled back as he walked, his bleach white fur showing dull. The sky was covered with clouds and a loud wind ran through the town, rattling doors and slamming shutters.

Ponyville was deserted.

Six ponies, one dragon and one griffin had been murdered in the span of five weeks, one pony had gone missing and had been declared dead. All by a mysterious pony who nopony could name. Was it a mare or a stallion? An adult or a filly? The hoof prints in blood were the only hints they had for the identity of this murderer.

The stallion stopped as the wind whistled in his ears. His blue eyes peered out from under his helmet, cold and hardened. A single tear slid down his ivory face and he removed his helmet, highlighted blue mane swishing around a long horn atop his head. His ears pricked and he closed his sapphire eyes, leaning forwards and concentrating. His saddlebags slid from his torso and hit the ground lightly

Scraaaaape

His helmet dropped beside him with a loud clank!

Scraaaaape

A figure slid into view. It was mainly greyish-pink but red was splashed all over it and tiny ships of white dotted it. Something withered and the color of dark flesh hung from its neck and the figure slowly raised its head. Wide eyes, a huge smile and a twitch with each step. The mare sat down and then her face grew dark, a deathly glare and a scowl upon her face. Her flat mane fell like a sheet over her and reached down to her hooves. Ice blue irises burned with hatred and her bloodstained teeth had a hiss running through them.

"Shining Armor."

The mare smiled wickedly again as she said his name, her horrible screeching voice grating at the dead wind.

Shining Armor's face was a mask of hatred. "You murdered my sister." He snarled through gritted teeth. He took a threatening step forwards and he could see, even though she was further away that he was taller than her. "Who the hell do you think you are? It's ponies like you that don't even deserve the cruel fate of burning in Tartarus for all eternity!" His voice boomed as his rage built.

The mare lowered her head, her mane casting shadows on her face and hiding her expression.

"My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie."

She stepped closer and lifted her head, the crazy expression masked on her face.

"And Tartarus is my heaven."

Shining Armor finally got a good luck at her. The red was dry blood, caking her pelt like a second fur. Bone slivers stuck to her in the sticky red. The withered thing on her neck was something taken from the inside of a pony, an intestine. Blood was smeared around her eyes and on her lips like make up, even some light print on her cheeks stood out.

This mare was insane.

Pinkamena turned her head back and pulled something from behind her. A long curved blade. The end was tipped in something light purple, dripping and leaving small drops on the dirt road.

Pinkamena lashed out.

Pinkamena swung her blade.

Shining Armor ducked, swooped under her lunging form and bucked her torso. She stayed still for a fraction of a second before rocketing off and hitting the dirt.

Pinkamena let out a roar of rage and whipped around, only to see that her prey had vanished. She started stalking across the road, into the shadows and she searched for him.

Something crashed into her side and she was bowled over in a tangle of legs, mane and tail. She hissed and felt one front hoof knock against the ivory unicorn. She slapped him again and again, fastening her teeth around what she assumed was a hoof and bucked him in the stomach, again and again until he howled with pain.

When the two broke apart, both were bloody, dirty and gasping for breath.

Pinkamena, now without a weapon, lunged with her hooves outstretched.

Shining Armor aimed a blast of magic at the ground to make it tower up, but the pony landed where he blasted.

The murderer let out a scream as she shot up in hight, the results made her as tall as Princess Luna and about as slender. She cried out in pain as her muscles and bones were pulled on and stretched before she charged at him, knocking him aside with a huge hoof.

Shining Armor rolled with the impact. One of his front hooves clubbed her across the wrist and she came down with him. They resumed fighting until the maniac came out on top. She beat him with her hooves, slapping across his face and across his legs, drawing blood and hers mixed with it and they fought.

Pinkamena leaped away and was gone in the shadows.

Shining Armor was hot on her heels. He slunk through and looked for those eyes and the cold sneer. A constant cackle made him tense his muscles and bolt, but it never ended.

"I can see you."
"You'll never escape me..."
"Run Shining Armor."
"I'm right behind you."

The stallion whipped around and blasted magic at the mare. Screams of agony came from his target and he lifted her, throwing her away and running. The laughter followed him until he was in the light and crashed down beside his things. His armor had been torn off in the scuffle and blood littered his steps.

He took out a vile from his bag and looked at the liquid inside. It was enough to kill the thing, if not permanently scar it. He smiled and then turned around to see her standing in the shadows.

"Come play with me..."

Pinkamena charged. She leaped into the air, complete with her blade and lunged, swinging it down.

At the same moment, the knight flung the substance at her.

Both of them hit their targets.

Pinkamena's blade slashed across his throat and blood spilled everywhere. The poison on the tip seeped into his system and he convulsed wildly, thrashing his limbs. Spell after spell blasted from his horn, beyond his control. He screamed and vomited, curling up and flopping, thrashing and failing. It burned like fire and froze like ice, it felt like he was being torn open from the inside out.

Pinkamena let out blood curdling screams of agony. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" She howled, twitching and shrieking as burning, white hot pain and agony seared her flesh. Her fur started fading, falling out as it burned her. She wailed and whinnied thrashing around as her mane and tail started falling out. Her tears started flowing and blood ran in them as the chemical reached her eyes. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?"

Shining Armor flopped on his side, gasping for breath. "B-Bleach with a bit of acid..." He grunted. His horn blasted her and then he threw up one last time and screamed in agony before he was gone, his body lying there with those wide open eyes. Vomit and blood trickled into a puddle beside him.

The spell that had hit Pinkamena started taking effect. It was a mutation spell and it started changing her bald white body. She screamed and screamed as it began, it was burning and freezing. She ran into the shadows and her screams echoed around the empty town.

~~~

Hours later, a very weak Pinkamean stumbled through the town. She was hideous, not even recognizable as pony. Her fur, mane and tail were gone, leaving bare white flesh. She smashed into a door and staggered into the clothes store. The creature grabbed something off the rack and slipped it onto her naked body.

She then collapsed sobbing as pain overtook her. She was very weak and exhausted and soon she just fainted, screaming occasionally as a spasm shook her.

~~~

Years passed by and Pinkamena had taken to the Everfree Forest. It was hard to hide when you didn't even look like a pony anymore.

She was still white as a sheet, her former pink fur never to grow back. She still had no mane and tail, but that wasn't the disturbing part. She had no face. No mouth, no nose and no eyes. Just the head and a pair of ears, that was it. The day she had been turned into this creature, she had taken a black suit that covered to her torso and to her front hooves, showing the bare flesh of the tips of her legs. Black tentacle grew from her back, tearing through the suit on her back. They hung at her sides much like the way a pegasus with their wings. A new cutie mark was emblazoned on her flank, a ragged black circle with an 'X' in the middle of it.

Ponies ridiculed her, called her a monster. They knew her as one thing, something that suited her. It matched her tall and thin appearance.

Slender Pony

She hunted and killed down the children. Devoured their flesh and littered the forest with their bones. She let the blodo smear her before wiping it off.

She liked it.

Slender Pony didn't care that the ponies thought of her as a monster. So long as Ponyville was full of fillies she could devour, she was happy. She could follow them wherever she went, crush their bones and the air from them with her tentacles and smash their skulls with her hooves. Pinkamena could never have done that. As far as she was concerned, Slender Pony wasn't a bad thing to live by.

To hell with Pinkamena Diane Pie.

~~~

And now you know how the old tale went. How the brave knight created Slender Pony. She still lives to this day, do you want to know how I know?

Because I am Slender Pony. This is the first of many notes you would've found if you'd continued. Want to know how I know?

Look behind you...