The Stars Will Aid Their Escape

by Drhoz

Façades

The masked stallion looked down at the cowering pegasus, and around him melee raged. He didn’t even look to step aside, as the combatants flowed around him like a storm-tossed ocean.
“Leave.... leave me alone.” she quavered. Herald’s ears pricked up in surprise.

“Leave you alone? Now why in Equestria would I do that? A pegasus could get hurt with all this foofaraw going on.” He glanced over at the combat, where one of the Royal Hussars had just been smashed from the air by a flailing tentacle, and lay screaming in the wreckage of a refreshment stand with a broken spine. “Indeed, one might say that getting ponies hurt was the point of it all.”

“You... you made all this? You’re responsible?”

“Oh, well done, Fluttershy! And thank-you for noticing.”

“You... you...” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed, and her sides heaved. “You HURT TWILIGHT? YOU HURT THE FILLIES?! YOU HURT ALL THESE PONIES, THAT HAVE NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO HARM YOU?!?” Her wings were beating furiously now, and her muzzle an inch away from Herald’s as she turned the full force of her rage on the stallion. “HOW DARE YOU?!? HOW DARE YOU?!?”

Herald gazed back, impassively, the empty eyesockets of his mask meeting Fluttershy’s narrowed eyes, without flinching. “Are you quite done? If we’re going to have a staring contest, I suspect I’d win. Especially if I took off the mask - just ask your unicorn friend.” Fluttershy jerked back, her fury collapsing back into fear. “Besides, as fascinating as your talent for cowing monsters is, it only works if your target is actually capable of remorse. Sorry.”

“What do you want?”

“Of you? Not much - a little chat, for one thing.”

Flutershy’s head whirled, confusion added to the terror.

“A... chat?”

“I did say that, didn’t I? Oh, get up, girl, if I wanted to hurt you, you’d already be dead. But if you hang around here much longer, you’re liable to be accidentally trampled. After all, nopony can see us, until I decide to let them, or your Princesses are a little less distracted.” He held out a hoof. “Don’t forget your friend’s Element – I’m sure she’ll be wanting that soon enough.”

Fluttershy’s mind derailed. She reached up to take Herald’s hoof – and jerked her hoof back at the shock that ran up her leg and into her body. She collapsed, whimpering.

Herald leant in, solicitously. “Are you feeling alright, Fluttershy? Here, let me get you something to drink.” He moved off to the wreckage of the refreshment stand, kicking the screaming Hussar out of the way, and fished through the debris. “Juice box? No? Very well.”

He joined her against the hedge, and watched the carnage indulgently for a view moments, as the Princesses waged war, and the ponies strived, and the Dark Young rampaged. Overhead, the Sun and Moon were on the verge of touching. “So, as I was saying. You fascinate me, Fluttershy. You’re such a wonderful bundle of contradictions. You’re the Bearer of Kindness, but your kindness barely conceals your true nature. You’re the mare most easily provoked to rage, for one thing. And you have such a knack for cruelty!”

The mare whimpered.

“And don’t try to tell me any guff about how it was the influence of Discord either. Even allowing for his changes to your personalities, you were the only one that actually excelled at the inversion.”

“We... we beat Discord...” Fluttershy squeaked. “We can beat you too.”

“Discord was a talented amateur, Fluttershy. He brought Chaos. I bring Reality.”

He chuckled, lightly. “Speaking of which – you’re the only pony I’ve seen with a realistic understanding of the world. Dragons are dangerous, and yet you are the only one to acknowledge this simple fact. Many of your animals are carnivores, and despite the knowledge that even insects are sentient in your world, you provide them with prey. Your show of kindness is as much a façade as, well -” he looked down at himself “This.”

He moved, brushed dust from his robes. “But it seems your Princesses finally have the upper hand – I’d imagined it would take longer than that, but not to worry. I’m sure you want to rejoin your friends. And look! One of them is about to become a murderer.”

***

Applejack brought her hooves down. All she could see was Apple Bloom, Apple Bloom in the ruins, surrounded by the shattered timbers and the broken millstone. And Trixie was responsible. She’d brought those monsters. She’d brought that stallion. She’d pay for what she did.

Her hooves connected.

Her visioned cleared. It was a still blue pony under her hooves. A blue pegasus. Rainbow’s face and foreleg were bleeding, where she’d thrown herself between her friend and the showmare. She looked up at her friend, pleading, blood running freely from the gash. “Don’t do it, A.J.! Don’t!”

“Git out a mah way, Rainbow! She’s gotta die! She’s gotta die for what she did!” Rarity and Pinkie were screaming for help.

“A.J. don’t, think of Apple Bloom!” wept Rainbow Dash.

Applejack wailed, and shoved Rainbow onto her back, hitting Rainbow’s chest over and over, as Rainbow did nothing to fend her off. “I am! That’s all I’m thinking about. I think about her all tha time!”

“So do I A.J. So do I! And... and if they die... I don’t want you to be a killer too, Applejack!” Rainbow’s bloody tears flowed freely down her face.

Applejack froze. Then she too began to weep, and collapsed onto her friend. They wept together, faces against each other’s shoulder, holding one another as Rarity and Pinkie tried to staunch Trixie’s bleeding, and the Spellguard could finally teleport in to turn the battle.

***

With the Red Sign covered and fading, reinforcements could finally come in to help, without falling victim to the malign magic. The crowds of ponies could escape; the Dark Young forced back against the Palace Wall; and help rendered to the appalling number of ponies hurt, often grievously, in the battle. As the eclipse began, ignored, high above, it looked like the scene of a massacre. Celestia was more angry than she had been in hundreds of years. The roar of the Canterlot Falls matched the roar of blood in her ears. She strode over towards the five Bearers, where they had huddled together near where the medics were strapping Trixie into a stretcher. Luna was standing with one hoof on Trixie’s book, and Shining Armor had called in every spare guard and volunteer to stand guard around the oozing, battered tree-things.

“Can the mare speak?”

Bayo paused “Yes, your majesty, but I’ll have to lift the sedation. Are you sure you-“

“Do it.”

The showmare stirred. The one intact eye blinked, slowly, turned in its socket and tried to focus. “Ow... the Great and Powerful Trixie’s face hurts...”

"Beatrice Lulamoon!” snapped the alicorn. “I will ask you one time only. The balance of your mind is disturbed but your actions have endangered my little ponies, and I am finding it difficult to forgive you - tell us, and tell us now - how did you come by that book? Where is your associate, the masked stallion?"

Pinkie was sitting, holding Rainbow and Applejack. Spike was mopping Twilight’s brow, as the mare stared into thin air and muttered the same nonsense syllables over and over. Rarity was still shaking. “Has... has anypony seen Fluttershy?

"The answer to three questions is right here!" Celestia and Luna wheeled, and Guards and Hussars reacted slowly in their exhaustion. Herald appeared from the crowd, the expression on his mask clearly one of contemptuous amusement in the strangely deepening eclipse light. Behind him, Fluttershy ended her desperate attempts to make some pony register her presence, and flew weeping to her other friends. "I congratulate you - you have managed to capture my pawn and block my other pieces."

"Guards! Seize that pony!"

The rest of the ponies fell back, as the stallions of the royal guard advanced, spears and horns lowered. Celestia and Luna's fury was barely contained, as they beheld the one responsible for Twilight's state, the grievous injuries to Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom, and the destruction in Ponyville and Canterlot.

"Herald, or whoever you are - if you desire any leniency whatsoever, you will surrender, immediately!"

"Whoever, your majesty? I advise you to look again."

Celestia blinked, studied the smug stallion more closely - and recoiled. "Stand back! Do not approach it! Get everypony out of the garden, now!"

"Very wise, your Solar Highness - if they attacked me, I might be forced to protect myself."

Luna looked from one to the other. "Sister?" She silently enquired.

"Bind it, Luna! Your strongest wards!"

The younger alicorn remained confused. "It? What is he?"

"Look beyond the mask, sister! Bind it now!"

Luna looked - and spat her loathing at what she recognized within.

"Ah." said Nyarlathotep. "You DO remember."

Comments

[Morningstar1337]

Nyarlathotep? Figures. wait You said the red sign was not a summoning spell!

[kirokokori]

1199449

It wasn't, Nyarlathotep's been there the whole time as Herald. <: (unless I'm misunderstanding what you're implying)

--
Also, I'm really glad you (Drhoz) liked my picture enough to make it the cover art for the story, haha. Here's the sketch version and some other doodles, for anyone interested: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v626/Koonies/lovecraftponies.png

And again, this newest chapter was really great. The whole scene between Fluttershy and Herald/Nyarlathotep was well done especially and I enjoyed reading it. UuU

[Morningstar1337]

1199942 Oh I see. So now that the jig is up for Herald. (Or so it appears...) Do you think He'll return twilight to normal? (Unlikely but with Trixie caught he could use this as a sort of means to an escape and maybe gain a new pawn along the way.)

[Drhoz]

1199942 Thanks :) And thanks for doing the art for it, too :)

[Drhoz]

1200293 *grins* I ain't saying :)

[Mr. Grimm]

So, Herald's true identity is revealed. I shall still call him Herald, however, as I have trouble remembering and spelling his name correctly.

But because he personally attacked Fluttershy with cruel remarks, I am certain he's going to get his shape-shifting, otherworldly ass handed to him.

I wonder how humiliating it would be for him, a god, to be brought down by an enraged army of angry equestrian mobs?

[Drhoz]

1201961 I think you're going to be unpleasantly surprised.

[kirokokori]

1201480

No problem at all, I'm thinking of maybe doing some more too, haha. c:

[Drhoz]

1202496 Sweet!

[Legioner8]

[Vinyl Nexus Scratch]

Nyarlathotep? They may as well bend over and ask for it gentle at this point XD or just count of the fact that he's at least one of most lenient Outer Gods... Not by much but it's more than most.

[Ronny]

The most sadistic monster in Lovecraft Lore is attacking Equestria? RIGHTEOUS!

[Moosetasm]

Well... now they know... how well and truly screwed they are.

I can see it now: the most powerful wards they can conjure, and he would walk through them, probably destroying them, as if they were just thin air.

Good thing they realized that he only tends to get his hands hooves dirty if peeps are insolent enough to try attacking him. Seriously, it’s like a pawn turning and trying to attack one of the people playing the chess game.