[Twilight’s Journal]
I grabbed this journal, an inkwell and my favorite quill, preparing to run. Spike arrived with our guests in tow, Rarity and Applejack, accompanied by two pegasi guards. There was a long moment of silence as we glared at each other. Rarity looked like she was about to say something, but I wasn’t about to entertain her inquiries. I used a basic teleportation spell and found myself outside. I could only teleport over short distances, so the skill only gave me a mild advantage in escape. I suspected if Rainbow Dash joined the chase I’d be unable to evade her for very long. I lost myself in the crowd and sprinted for the center of town. Thankfully, I was not followed.
I suspected Rarity and the others would search the library in my absence. This was troublesome. I had been forced to leave behind the Volumes of Vehement Vengeance and my translations. And once the party made it to the basement they’d find a wealth of materials whose presence would be difficult to explain away, not the least of which was the dimensional beacon. I was a fugitive now. The Princess would spare no resources in hunting me down. I supposed I should’ve been concerned.
I took shelter in a bustling family restaurant near the town hall. I sipped the hot chocolate I purchased to justify my presence there, and took some time to update my journal and to draw several warding runes on its cover. They wouldn’t be effective without lengthy rituals, but at this point I was simply killing time. I glanced outside absentmindedly. The pillar of violet had disappeared. They must have removed the beacon from the flame. No matter. I was certain I had maintained it long enough to get the Gods’ attention. They were likely almost here. All I had to do was wait.
The sun had reached its zenith when I felt a disturbance in Ponyville. The ground began to vibrate. A few plates and glasses tipped over the edges of their tables and cracked on the floor. Waiters scrambled to pick up the pieces as the quakes intensified. I heard shrieks of terror outside. These screams were drowned out by awful squeals whose like I had not heard before or since. Inside the restaurant, the floorboards bucked upwards, and the furniture flew. The patrons dove out of the way of the tumbling tables and broken glass. One was thrown through a window by the violent force beneath the floor. I dodged the splintering wood and ran outside. The door was thrown from its hinges behind me. A horrible burrowing thing had entered the town. I looked behind me. It appeared to be as large as a house, and it was following me closely. It was far too fast to outrun. I teleported ahead several times, although my panic had made these spells increasingly difficult to cast. The cobblestone was thrown in all directions as the beast dug beneath the street.
I knew that it had to be a Tellurian. It realized that I was working to bring the Other Gods to Equestria, that I was the gate that would bring them here. If I was slain, much of my efforts would have been for naught. I could feel the creature burst through the ground at last, basking in the midday sun. I didn’t turn around again, for fear that the sight of it would somehow slow me down. Buildings collapsed behind me, the crashing of brick on brick urging me onward. I teleported twice more, trying to put some distance between us. As I turned a corner, I ran into five royal guards rushing towards the carnage. They froze when they saw me.
“Halt! Aren’t you Twilight? Twilight Sparkle?”
I tried to catch my breath, and gave them a disapproving look.
“Don’t you gents have more pressing matters to attend to?”
I glanced behind me for emphasis, and saw a glimpse of the Tellurian’s head. It was a large, bone dry, segmented thing with two great mouths sporting a hundred teeth each. The sides of its head were equipped with several long bushy feelers, similar to those of a moth. It let out another terrifying screech. The guard that had spoken took several steps backwards.
“Wha— What is..? How do we fight something like THAT?”
“Beats me, but you’d best get to it. Lives are at stake, and all that.”
Two of the guards brandished dangerous-looking glaives. The talkative guard spoke again.
“F-fine. But you’d better stay here. The Princess had ordered us to—“
“Yes, yes. Rest assured I won’t move a muscle.”
Once the guards all filed past me, I teleported one last time, to the roof of a mansion overlooking the scene. I watched as the stallions were dismembered with a smirk. There was something amusing about their pathetic efforts to fend off the beast. They had valiantly given their lives to the service of Canterlot royalty and to protect their friends and neighbors. They might have had families. And yet their sacrifice would ultimately be worthless.
I remembered my older brother, Shining Armor. He enlisted into the royal guard as early as was permitted, and climbed the ranks faster than most. I supposed he must’ve been at least somewhat patriotic. He must’ve believed the ideals advocated by the Princesses. He was the captain now, after all. I admired him greatly, even if I wasn’t sure about his occupation. Not even Celestia’s closest bodyguards were guaranteed very much. These were the unsung heroes of Equestria, only dimly remembered as stoic, fairly well-groomed guardians of order. Their pay was nothing extravagant, their deaths worth only a footnote in the obituaries section of the newspaper. It was thankless work, but somepony had to do it.
I was addressed by a familiar jumble of offbeat tones and misplaced pauses.
“Feeling a little introspective, are we. Please. Do recall that you are in the company of one of those barbaric Tellurians.”
I had ceased being surprised by Solitaire’s appearances. It almost seemed as though he would not leave me alone. Did he… like me? An involuntary shiver ran down my spine. Way down below, the last of the guard ponies was being messily devoured by the monster. I turned to speak to him.
“Well, now you’re here, so I don’t have to worry.”
He gave me another one of his bizarre chuckles.
“Oh Twilight. There’s just no drama if you think of it in those terms. Besides. Little old me? Against Shusteht, the Duke of Dust? Surely you jest.”
“Then do we run? Maybe warp to a lower layer?”
“I must be terribly out of practice in understanding expressed emotion. I thought I heard a note of concern in that last question.”
The Tellurian began pounding away at the support beams of the mansion. The bottom floors of the building began to collapse.
“Just do something already!” I fought to maintain my balance on the crumbling foundation.
“You’re the one who elected to stop here and admire the view.” He stepped to the side as the tiles he’d been standing on caved in and clattered on the floor below. “Anyway, there’s no need.”
A great shadow fell upon us. I looked up to see what appeared to be a partial solar eclipse. But that was impossible. I would certainly have heard if such an event had been scheduled by the Princesses. The shape obscuring the sun was far from a sphere. It couldn’t have been the moon. Perhaps it was merely my eyes playing tricks on me, but the dark blotch appeared to be spreading, like ink spilled over an expensive piece of stationery. I heard a rumble coming from the horizon. The Tellurian at the foot of the building we’d been standing on burrowed into the ground and made a hasty retreat.
Azherkin, the marvelous arbiter of the Gray Domain, lurched from his throne of entropy and decay. He was here at last, and my efforts had brought Him here. The harbingers that had nested in the surrounding countryside spread their wings and raced to meet Him in the cloudy skies. Solitaire and I watched wordlessly, standing on the ruins of the abandoned building, as the terrifying shape drew closer. He was our fears of the unknown made flesh, a foreboding sultan of a largely uncaring universe. I could not say whether it was contained to my own head, but every few minutes I saw a flash of the lower levels of Equestria. They were visions of a ghost town, populated by bodiless shadows. They were brief, if I blinked I easily missed them, but they were noticeable.
At last, the shape seemed to halt its advances. But although the otherworldly judge had stopped, His limbs would not stay still. Large tendrils and bug-like claws moved restlessly along His uncanny frame. Eyes as large as lakes glared at the city below. His visage was absolutely stunning. I heard screams, possibly of delight, as the ponies below gazed upon their savior. Wonderful, fantastic changes were in the works. When I moved again, I noticed that I felt a little lighter on my hooves. I didn't understand what this meant at the time, but I now realize that the Other God Azherkin was so massive that He exerted His own gravitational pull, like some sort of living planet.
I turned to get a look at Canterlot. There was a shield around the castle once more. Did they expect the God to attack? Did they expect their shield to hold against such an assault? The very idea was laughable.
“I recommend you get a good look. This will be the beginning of the end times. Once Azherkin has determined your worth as a species, He will act accordingly. Your kind will be taken to our timeless plains or cast into oblivion.”
He spun his cane on a single hoof and grinned.
“I hope you’ll stay strong in the meantime. Keep a healthy diet and a regular sleep schedule. Avoid taking too many risks. It is your presence alone that allows us passage into your world, after all. As an individual, you needn’t worry. You have granted these fertile lands to us and I sense that your body has already begun to change under His influence. You will be assimilated regardless of Azherkin’s verdict.”
I was relieved. I knew that I had done the right thing, and the Other Gods saw fit to reward my diligence. But would there be a price for all this? What if Azherkin decided to annihilate the rest of our race? What about my friends?
“My dear Twilight. Are you having second thoughts?”
I wouldn’t meet his gaze. When I spoke again my mouth was dry.
“No.”