Following the Changeling Incursion, an effort was made to systematically explore and map the extensive cave network beneath Canterlot, much of which was a disused mine from the early days of the Classical Era. While the mined were abandoned long ago, the presence of official documentation and That Which is Monitored indicates that the Nonrational Service used the caves for at least part of the Modern Era. However, even our predecessors left the caves, likely sometime before Incident Endless Night. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are reluctant to discuss Equestria's past, and that includes a recalcitrance regarding these caves. In addition, even Clover the Clever admits to having only limited knowledge of NRS activities during this time period, as the Service was at that time extremely unwilling to trust a Monitored Entity, even an obviously benign one. Despite the lack of available information, we have been able to re-secure a number of Monitored Items, most of which are still contained within the caves where they were found.
One such cave has been repurposed so serve as the Contact Hazards Vault, and was found with a number of Items already inside. Prominent among its contents is Item 249, Book that Bleeds. The only remaining documentation regarding I249 that we have been able to find are a few crumbling, water-damaged pages from a journal kept by the only member of the NRS to open the book. That pony's name has unfortunately been lost, and he or she never seemed to bother with dates or times when writing in the journal, but the remaining pages tell us all we need to know about the Book. Reproductions of relevant passages will follow. -Captain Shining Armor
The [text missing] Private School burned down last night. There were no survivors, and nopony was aware of the fire, even though the conflagration of such a massive building burning should have been visible for miles in the evening sky. Princess Luna suspects [text missing] Which is Monitored, and so she commanded Captain Stormwalker to investigate. The place was out in the foothills between Fillydelphia and the Foal Mountains, surrounded by a large, stone wall. We [text missing] locals, and apparently the school had a spooky reputation. [text missing] town, strange noises being heard by passers-by, even the occasional alleged disappearance. Typical signs of a haunted building, but this one was inhabited. Ponies usually leave a haunted place if they can possibly help it. The Captain doesn't think we'll get much info just asking questions, she's having us check out what's left of the place ourselves tomorrow.
Nopony has disturbed the ruins at all. Even though the gate isn't locked, [text missing] any attempts to clear out the wreckage, salvage anything valuable, or even look for survivors. That last one worries me the most. Ponies were so scared of this building that when disaster struck, they didn't even check whether if the residents survived. That's not [text missing] What got into the heads of the Fillydelphians about this school?
Stormwalker divided the grounds into sections and set everypony to sifting through the remains. Mostly it's just ashes, with some slag from metal things, broken ceramics, and remnants of support beams. I found something really weird, though. It's a thick book, hardbound, [text missing] title, author, nothing. Why didn't this book burn? I opened it, but every page [text missing] I don't recognize. It looks like some kind of language, but I don't know what it is. Wasn't until after I closed the book and started brushing ashes off the cover that I noticed the blood. There was so much ash on the book, I didn't even feel it. Stormwalker figured [text missing] the lockbox for now, and clean it off later, back at base. She didn't look inside of it, even though I told her the writing doesn't make sense. Something's bugging her. Normally she'd [text missing] a mystery like this and never let go, but this time she didn't seem to care. I think she's still holding out hope that somepony survived, and we'll find them if only we lug enough junk out of the foundation. It's [text missing] haven't found any bodies, for that matter. Even in the heat of the flames, at least skeletons should remain, right? We haven't found a single trace of any [text missing] are the staff and students? Did they leave before the blaze and not come back? Was the fire intentional? Why hasn't [text missing] them?
Now I know how Stormwalker feels. One thing's for sure, that book [text missing] it all off, but more blood oozes from the pages. I locked it away like I was told, I guess we'll have a shot [text missing] at least making it stop bleeding, when we get back to Canterlot.
I had the most demented nightmare last night. I mean, I've had [text missing] come with the job, but this one? This one was jacked up. Not just a little jacked up, like [text missing] this one was jacked all the way up. It was like this: I opened my eyes, and it was the middle of the night, but I could see just fine. I was in a cemetery or something, graves all around. No grass, and [text missing] Iron fences everywhere, spikes sticking up out of the ground, all kinds of stuff like that. Messed up place, I'll tell you what. Then I noticed I was standing on my hind hooves, but I [text missing] that somehow. My coat had turned purple instead of green, my wings [text missing] front hooves had grown into these long red claws. No joints in those claws, and no sharp edges, but the tips looked needle-sharp. Just as I was starting to really freak out, [text missing] two-legged shambling things I don't even have words for. They swung at me with their stretchy front limbs, but I managed to dodge. Moving felt completely natural, and so did stabbing the monsters repeatedly with my new claws. Dang things [text missing] hit them.
Monsters down, I decided (not having realized this is a dream) to go looking for [text missing] what was going on. So I wandered the graveyard, and the further I got, the more it seemed like I was in a cave or something, even though I could see the sky overhead. I [text missing] had to jump over a bunch of pits full of spikes that looked pretty lethal, and finally I found that book that was bleeding. For the life of me, I couldn't [text missing] place, so I tried to pick it up. The moment I laid a claw on it, though, I woke up.
First thing I did was look myself over. I was all green again, except [text missing] that purple color that my whole coat was in the dream. My wings were still around, which was a relief. Then I looked over at the [text missing] bleeding all over. I panicked. I'll admit it, I flipped my dang lid. Everything after that's sort of a blur. I vaguely remember being told my hooves were perfectly green, then looking and seeing that they were, [text missing] a hallucination, maybe an effect of the nightmare? Nopony can figure out how the bloody book [text missing] though. Stormwalker thinks the nightmare and the book are related, since I was the only one who actually opened it. She locked the book back up and we went [text missing] see if we could dig up anything else.
We've gone through everything at that ruin twice over now, thanks to Spark Bolt's [text missing] but not a thing. No signs of anypony either surviving or dying in the fire, no recoverable [text missing] nonrational except that book. Stormwalker says we're going back [text missing] do about the book there.
Had that nightmare again. Took longer [text missing] book this time. Woke up with the book on my nightstand again. Didn't panic this time, [text missing] Can now verify purple front hooves a visual hallucination, dispelled by being told my hooves aren't really purple. Stormwalker's really upset now. [text missing] packing up and making for Canterlot as fast as we can.
Our train arrived in Canterlot arrived just a little while ago. I actually fell asleep [text missing] the nightmare again. [text missing] some spikes, but came back to life and [text missing] book. This time the rest of the NRS saw what happened. The Book that Bleeds (as Stormwalker [text missing] next to me about two minutes before I woke up. It's too bad [text missing] nightmare, or else I might be able to figure out of there's [text missing] dreaming and when the book moves. [text missing] right to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, neither [text missing] seen or heard of the thing. [text missing] even took the book to Entity 513, who just told her to 'get that hateful thing out of here' and disappeared. [text missing] right idea, I think. Finally, Stormwalker chained the thing [text missing] the Contact Hazards Vault down in [text missing] put in a drain for the blood, which opens to a crack deep beneath the surface, where there's [text missing] Spark Bolt isn't too happy with the implications of [text missing] the earth like this, but there isn't much else we can do. Princess Luna [text missing] Vault so that nothing can teleport out of it, we'll see what that does for the nightmares tonight.
[text missing] occurred again, but was different. Kept going through the [text missing] couldn't find the book. Lots of monsters, spikes, [text missing] that. Lost count of [text missing] fought and died, always [text missing] life. Finally woke up when my alarm clock rang, never found the book in the dream. [text missing] was still in the Contact Hazards Vault. Spark Bolt figures Luna's spell worked, and I couldn't [text missing] in the nightmare because it couldn't teleport to me. Luna couldn't [text missing] into my dreams, which I didn't think was [text missing] hoping it'll fade with time.
It's been almost [text missing] still happening, getting worse. [text missing] monsters and hazards every night. Seem to take longer, too. [text missing] getting worse, too. Now my whole coat looks purple to me, even [text missing] still green to everypony else. Being told I'm still green no longer [text missing] that matter. Stormwalker's scared, she thinks I'm losing my mind. I'm [text missing]
I have always taken pride [text missing] highly rational pegasus. I'm the reasonable one here in the Nonrational Service. Me. Have to keep reminding [text missing] Service, afraid I'll forget that otherwise. Or I was the [text missing], until [text missing] mistake: I opened the Book that Bleeds. [text missing] just my coat, now I'm starting to see spikes where there aren't any, other [text missing] starting to look gray, like the [text missing] nightmares. Luna still can't [text missing] dreams, neither Princess can help me. When the Princesses can't [text missing] really scared. Spark Bolt doesn't know what will happen if we try to destroy the Book. It might [text missing] might just burn everything. Stormwalker thinks I might [text missing] if things get worse. No attempts at psychological [text missing] at all, Stormwalker's taken me off [text missing] rotation, wants me to report [text missing] her daily. I think she thinks if [text missing] I'll try to burn the Archives down.
[text missing] final entry. I [text missing] committed today. The nightmares and hallucinations are [text missing] nothing helps. Ponies are looking more and more like [text missing] to me, but clearly I'm still hallucinating, since everypony else thinks they're still normal. At least I'm [text missing] realize that I'm the one who's in the wrong. [text missing] Book is still in the Vault, which is fine with me. They're putting me in a padded room at [text missing] no access to anything flammable, just like I [text missing] don't know where the key to the Book's chains is, don't want [text missing] either. Don't know if Captain Stormwalker will archive [text missing] she does, this is a message to anypony reading [text missing] not read the Book that Bleeds. Do not [text missing] it. Do not even consider the possibility. Lock it away, lock me away, and let [text missing] claim no more victims.
-Lieutenant [text missing] Nonrational Service.
Lieutenant Cherry Cola looked up from the scroll in his hooves to face Captain Shining Armor.
"What do you think?" Shining asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sir, I'm sorry I asked," Cola replied, "but at least now I know why you're so eager to dig up any other Nonrational stuff that's lying around out there."
"I would've made you read it even if you hadn't asked," Shining replied, "for exactly that reason. We need to know what's out there, and we need to protect ponies from it. It was either this or the Incident Endless Five Forty-Eight report, and that one doesn't really get the message across unless you've actually met Entity Five Forty-Eight."
"Entity Five Forty-Eight?"
"Yup. She's a member of my sister's royal retinue, in fact. Her name is Pinkamena Diane Pie. But enough about that, it's time you met Princess Luna."