//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 - Unpacking 
// Story: Ask Roseate Grimsbane, the Witch 
// by Robipony 
//------------------------------//


"There is a barrier between our world and the dimensions outside, where eldritch beasts tread in planes of chaos and impossibility. Most of these beings choose to ignore us while others look through the glass barrier into our world.

"We call this barrier the Fifth Veil and it is what keeps us safe from the monsters outside, however, on occasion, it will crack and the dangers of entropy leak through. Fear the day that the glass shatters and our peaceful world comes to an end."

Quote from the Outsiders, by M.R. Amorcolt.






The door slammed loudly as Roseate Grimsbane stepped into her quiet sanctuary. Not only had she just moved into her new home last night, but today was her first day teaching at the Muleport School and already she felt exhausted. If she had to separate another pair of fighting colts, clean gum out of a young filly's mane, or hear another foal ask her about her Cutie Mark for the one-millionth time, Roseate would scream.

The town of Muleport was a small community located just west of the Whitetail Forest, a location that attracted many ponies that wanted to explore the outdoors or to get away from the rest of pony society. There was even an annual race, the Running of the Leaves, that many ponies enjoyed participating in. Somewhere in Equestria's history, some pony had come up with the bright idea of establishing a village of sorts that could appeal to tourism. This settlement grew into Muleport and, as it grew, so did the number of ponies that lived here, married, and had children who asked way too many questions.

Fortunately, she was safe at home now with no students in sight. Tired from the first day of class, Roseate rested her body against the door, slouching down to a sitting position, as she caught her breath.

Roseate Grimsbane was a unicorn mare with a dark teal coat, along with a vivid fuchsia mane and tail, both with powder blue highlights. Roseate's mane was tied back into a bun with a black hair band and resting on the tip of her nose was a pair of bifocal reading glasses that framed her lime green eyes.

Once her heart and lungs had finally caught up with her, Roseate pulled herself off the floor and made her way to the kitchen. While she and her husband hadn't finished unpacking, they had managed to fill the refrigerator with some food.

Her horn glowed a deep turquoise as she placed the satchel containing her school supplies into an empty chair next to the kitchen table. Roseate walked over to the refrigerator, opened the door, before reaching inside to pull out a tomato. As she bit into it, some of the juice dripped down the corners of her mouth. Using her tongue, Roseate licked up the small seeds back into her mouth, not wanting it to go to waste.

Much of the house consisted of wooden floors and green wallpaper with wavy patterns that reminded Roseate of lake water. The refrigerator was itself old, covered in a yellowing plastic and metal hinges that fortunately hadn't rusted over the years. It had come included with the rest of the house when Roseate moved in.

After grabbing a second tomato from the fridge and putting it on a plate, Roseate walked over to the wooden table and sat down in a chair. While she proceeded to take another bite out of the first tomato, Roseate could feel a tendril rubbing the back of her neck. Simultaneously, two other dark green tentacles began to rub Roseate's sore shoulders, causing her to almost purr.

'Rough day?' a masculine voice inquired as it touched her mind.

"Yeah," Roseate moaned as a few more tendrils joined in massaging the tension out of her back, "it was the first day of school so naturally all the foals decided to harass their teacher about her Cutie Mark."

The Cutie Mark in question consisted of an old tome with three green eyes looking down at it. It wasn't the worst Cutie Mark out there. Roseate could recall seeing a pony with a skull for her Cutie Mark and another with some sort of explosive. Still, it was one of those marks that made ponies ask questions, which ultimately just annoyed Roseate, especially since she wasn't really sure how to answer them.

As Roseate took a third bite out of the red fruit, a green eye appeared in front of her, almost as if some invisible creature was looking at her.

'I think it's fine.'

"Of course you do," Roseate raised her voice, "I received it after I summoned you the first time. However, it's not like I can tell my students that I'm a witch with some eldritch power. What if they tell their parents?"

Witchcraft wasn’t something ponies joked about in Equestria. Just mentioning witches could hush an entire room and if you were caught chances were that the Solar Guard would be sent after you.

In a magical kingdom like Equestria, most magics were considered safe. The act of witchery was not the act of magic itself, but the means by which one obtained access to it. Gaining magical powers from alien intelligences, eldritch lords, or beings from Tartarus was forbidden in Equestria, punishable by life in prison or even death. However, due to it being so difficult to obtain such knowledge, the crime of witchcraft was rarely seen.

Still, just the concept of a pony becoming a conduit for an otherworldly being made ponies feel uneasy.

Despite her outburst, the tentacles continued to massage Roseate's tired body.

"I'm sorry, Arsthotua," Roseate said calmly, "it's just been kind of a long day."

'I have a treatment that can help relieve the tension if you want.' A few of Arsthotua's tendrils shifted lower down Roseate's body, warranting a deep sigh from the mare.

With all the stress she had been feeling this day, Roseate would just love to throw herself into her husband's embrace. Sadly there was work that needed to be done first.

"Thanks, but I still need to finish unpacking," Roseate said as she finished eating the first tomato, "already I had to turn down a few stallions that tried to volunteer to come over to help."

A growl echoed through Roseate's mind as her eldritch husband grew irritated at the statement. Arsthotua was a very jealous creature and didn't like anypony messing with his wife, especially considering her past.

"Perhaps when we don't have so many boxes stacked about," Roseate spoke in a seductive tone, "you and I can have some fun trying out the new bed."

Many of the green tentacles seemed to squirm excitedly, while Roseate pulled herself out of the chair and made her way to the living room. At least, that was the plan once everything was cleaned up. Numerous cardboard boxes filled the room, an indication of the daunting task she had ahead of her. With a sigh, Roseate approached one of the boxes and began to unpack.





Two Hours Later...

Wiping some sweat from her brow, Roseate was pleased to see that she had managed to unpack all but two boxes. All her clothing was up in the bedroom, her alchemic supplies were tucked away safely in a secure room, and all the decorations were set up to make the house look normal and cozy. All that was left were a few artifacts she had collected over the years and for Arsthotua to finish securing the catacombs underneath the house. Everything was going so well.

"I'm almost done, honey." Roseate said with a smile, "How are the catacombs coming along?"

A green eye appeared in front of her.

'These diamond dogs are so easily manipulated,' Arsthotua answered, 'they are weak-minded and their greed makes them rather easy to control.'

As she was about to open one of the last two boxes, the sound of the doorbell resonated through the house, its chime like an eerie warning. Roseate's ears twitched, who could be visiting her home at a time like this? Carefully Roseate walked over to the front door and peeked through the peephole at the top. On the other side of the door was a pegasus mare with a wooden basket beside her. Using her eldritch magic, Roseate scanned the mare’s surface emotions to see if she carried any ill intent. Thankfully, it seemed that the mare was rather happy and content.

Putting a smile on her face, Roseate opened the door.

"Hello there," Roseate smiled, "what can I do for you?"

The mare's own smile brightened. She was a pegasus mare with a violet coat with an azure blue mane with yellow highlights. One of her eyes was blue while the other was completely white.

"Hello," the mare replied, "my name is Bell Flower. Usually, the only time we have an addition to our town is when somepony is born here, so it is quite a treat to have somepony new move in, which is why I brought you a pie."

Reaching into her basket with a hoof, Bell Flower pulled out a beautiful pie and presented it to Roseate. A turquoise aura enveloped the pie as Roseate took it with her magic.

"That is very kind of you," Roseate grinned, "thank you."

Sniffing the air, Roseate noticed a strange scent in the air. It wasn't the pie.

"Rumor has it that you and your husband moved in," Bell Flower inquired.

"That is true," Roseate tried to contain her nervousness, "however, he isn't feeling well. We are hoping the clean outdoor air will help."

"I'm sure it will," Bell Flower giggled, "In a few weeks the town will be having a Nightmare Night celebration. I hope both of you will be able to participate."

"We'll see."

"Well, I best be off." Bell Flower said, “Welcome to Muleport!"

Taking her basket in her mouth, Bell Flower turned around and trotted down the hill toward the town.

'She seems nice, but I would suggest being cautious around her. There is something ominous about her scent.'

"Indeed," Roseate answered, "she might have some monster blood in her or maybe some residual magic from when that draconequus was running amok last week."

Closing the door, Roseate took the pie into the kitchen, the scent of plums wafting into her nose. With the pie placed safely inside the refrigerator, Roseate walked back to the living room and examined the boxes.

"I think I might put some of these upstairs," Roseate said as she lifted both of the boxes and made her way upstairs.

At the top of the stairs there was a hallway with five doors, two on the right, two on the left and one at the end of the hall. Walking past all the other rooms, Roseate stood in front of the last door. After putting down the box, she placed her hoof against the door and channeled her magic into the lock, the only true key to the door.

The sounds of metal could be heard twisting and turning as the door opened. Unlike the rest of the rooms in the house, this room lacked the green wallpaper, instead consisting of plain wooden boards. A few cobwebs adorned the corners of the room.

If organized properly, this room could look like it was used for storage instead of magical purposes. Perhaps she could install a fake wall with a sliding panel to hide a secret room. When it came to a witch's secrets, it was always best to have more than one hidden room, to spread the eggs out into multiple baskets, so to speak. Already a few ideas of how she could accomplish this began to fill Roseate's head, but for now she needed to finish unpacking.

Opening the box, Roseate examined its contents. There were a few old tribal masks crafted by locals in the Hayseed Swamp, a manticore paw still possessing its three cursed wishes, the tooth of a dragon chiseled to serve as a flute, an old tome that was very precious to her, and a silver mirror. The mirror was round with silver metal wrapping around the edges like thorny vines. At the bottom was a green orb built into the mirror's thorny frame. On the back of the mirror was a silver string from which it could be hung.

However this wasn't any ordinary mirror, it was a Scryial, or Void Window created by the ancient Bicorns of old so that they could see out into the cosmos from their underground cities.

Careful, Roseate removed the mirror from the box and proceeded to find a location on the wall to mount it. She would need a hammer and a few nails to hang it, but that didn't mean she couldn't find the perfect spot in the meantime.

As soon as Roseate had found the perfect place, the sound of the doorbell interrupted her. Great, it was probably another pony wishing to welcome her to Muleport. With an annoyed sigh, Roseate placed the mirror against the wall as she proceeded to return to the main floor. The wooden steps groaned as she descended. Good, there was no chance any intruders would be able to ascend to the upper floors without either Roseate or Arsthotua hearing it.

The light outside was growing dim as the day slowly drew to an end.

Reaching the front door, Roseate looked through the peephole to see a familiar face on the other side. Roseate opened the door to greet the pony.

"Mrs. Cake," Roseate smiled, "It is good to see you here. What brings you here from Ponyville?"

The baker hurried inside with a worried look on her face. Glancing over Mrs. Cake, Roseate noticed a sort of glow to the mare's coat. Over her head, she wore a pink bandana.

"I need your help," Mrs. Cake said urgently, "the potion you gave me isn't working!"

"I see," Roseate answered motioning toward the living room, "please have a seat."

Mrs. Cake sat down on the couch and Roseate sat on a loveseat across from her, positioning herself in an authoritative posture. The only thing between the two of them was a wooden coffee table with a few coasters. Mrs. Cake looked down at her hooves nervously.

"I take it by this meeting that your horns have returned," Roseate said pointing at the bandana on Cake's head.

Silently, Mrs. Cake used her hooves to remove the bandana from her head revealing two small horns on her forehead. A sign that any pony would recognize as a trait belonging to a succubus. So there was something going on. Roseate nodded.

"Have you been taking the potion three times a day like I told you to?" Roseate asked.

"Y-yes," Mrs. Cake stuttered, "I followed your instructions to the letter to ensure nopony would see them. I didn't even notice that it had stopped working until our assistant Pinkie Pie pointed out the horns today. Thankfully I was able to convince her that they were merely part of a Nightmare Night costume I was working on."

If Mrs. Cake was being honest, this could mean that either the mare's body had developed a resistance to the potion, or...

"I might have something that can help," Roseate's tone changing from a friendly one to a more serious one, "however I need your complete honesty."

"I'll do anything!" Mrs. Cake said kneeling submissively, "I don't want to lose Carrot Cake, not because of these... things!"

Smiling Roseate leaned back into her chair, "Very well then, how long have you been pregnant?"

Mrs. Cake's eyes shot open, "Wha— how?"

"How do I know?" Roseate grinned, "Mare's intuition."

The truth of the matter was that the potion contained ingredients that could cause birth defects or even kill the fetus, which was why Roseate had enchanted the potion to ensure that the ingredients would be neutralized once the birth hormones began to appear. Wouldn't want somepony coming to her door with a torch and a pitchfork after such difficulties with the baby.

"I think it might have been about a week," Mrs. Cake answered.

"I see," Roseate stood up, "I have something that should work. Please stay here, I will return shortly."

Roseate made her way upstairs toward her alchemy room. It wasn't illegal to have a room dedicated to the storing of herbs, so as long as the more magical ingredients were hidden a room such as this was fine.

Opening one of the boxes, Roseate pulled out some mushrooms and a clove of garlic before grinding the contents with a mortar and pestle. Then, using her magic, Roseate carefully pulled some Poison Joke from another container and added it to the concoction.

"How is our guest doing?" Roseate asked the invisible entity in the room.

'Aside from a little fidgeting, she is waiting patiently for you.'

After adding a few portions of cornstarch and water, Roseate mixed the ingredients together until it was a fine paste. After depositing the mixture into a small, circular case Roseate made her way back downstairs to Mrs. Cake.

Mrs. Cake looked very anxious as Roseate approached.

"Take this," Roseate gave the container to Mrs. Cake, "now, it's going to smell, but you need to apply this to your head around the horns early in the morning and leave it there for a half hour before washing it off. After you give birth you may resume using the potion as usual."

A wide smile grew on Mrs. Cake's face, "Thank you so much! I truly owe you a favor!"

"About that," Roseate's mood nearly dimmed, "you still owe me for the potion. I think it is about time you paid up."

A shocked look appeared on Mrs. Cake's face, which changed to horror when she noticed Roseate looking at her belly.

"Y-you don't mean?"

It was then that Roseate realized her eyes had wandered.

Roseate shook her head, "Don't be absurd! What would I want with a baby? Perhaps you could have some... cupcakes sent over when you return home. I think that will work to pay for the cream."

A sigh of relief escaped Mrs. Cake's lips after hearing Roseate's demands, "Of course. I'll have Pinkie Pie bring you a dozen tomorrow."

"Thank you," Roseate said graciously as she directed Mrs. Cake to the door, "do take care."

"Before I go, are there any side effects I should worry about?" Mrs. Cake asked.

Roseate pondered the question before shaking her head, "At the very most some normally repressed genetic traits may become prominent, but nothing serious."

After she finished re-securing her bandana, Mrs. Cake was out the door and on her way back to Ponyville. It was nearly dark out, but Roseate doubted that would be an issue for the succubus.

"Arsthotua!" Roseate called out, "I’m going to have something for dinner! Do you want anything?"

'No thank you,' Arsthotua answered, 'I think I will hunt for some prey in the Eldar Realm.'

"Suit yourself." Roseate said as she walked into the kitchen, the scent of Bell Flower's plum pie still in the air. After pulling a plate out of a cabinet, Roseate cut a slice out of the pie and put it on her plate.

Returning to the refrigerator, Roseate grabbed a bin of whipped cream and dabbed some onto the top of the slice. Sitting down at the table, Roseate prepared to eat.

By the time Arsthotua had finished his hunt, Roseate would have consumed her meal and finished putting up the mirror. Using a fork, Roseate broke off a piece of pie and ate it. Judging by the flavor, Bell Flower had worked really hard to make the best plum pie she could. Roseate could also taste a hint of nutmeg and lemon zest.

After savoring the last bite, Roseate placed the plate into the sink and washed it before heading upstairs, stopping in one of the guest rooms to pick up a hammer and some nails. Arriving in the mirror room, Roseate was pleased to see the Scryial sitting where she had left it.

With her magic holding the hammer and a nail, Roseate walked over to what she thought was the perfect location for the mirror. On the wall in the back of the room was a wooden beam that served to support the house like a spinal column. Yes, this would be the spot. Setting the steel nail against the wood, Roseate hit it twice with the hammer.

Once the nail was in place, Roseate set the hammer down and picked up the mirror and hung it on the wall. After adjusting the mirror for a bit, Roseate stepped back and examined it. 

Pleased at its positioning, she returned to the box and pulled out the old tome.

The tome's cover was covered with dark purplish scales, with bronze bindings and a lime green gem in the center of the cover. Upon opening the book, only blank pages awaited her, however, after Roseate channeled more eldritch magic into her horn, words began to appear. Like small black worms, the ink began to move across the page forming words in an alien language that only the most studied unicorn might understand. Even then, any pony that could recognize this unworldly tongue would struggle against the alluring song of madness. Fortunately, Roseate wasn't any ordinary pony, for what is cracked is already broken.

Known as the Isidria, this tome was the exact same book in Roseate's Cutie Mark, which made sense seeing how reading the ancient text had earned her the mark. The document possessed numerous authors, some from before the unification of the pony tribes. There were rumors that the first author was a sphinx, which would explain why some sections of the Isidria were written like riddles.

Finding the page she was looking for, Roseate walked over to the mirror and began to chant, "Kamorrah, morrah mor mel t'tadhe peth't yog hpmer warld'tuth. Yog lend't dier ngi gani, kav yel mey 'eo tos thasi ph'bl t'taph gles't ngi f’t tos meliph."

As the witch finished her incantation, the surface of the mirror began to shift and change, giving way to a black void. Slowly, lights emerged from the darkness, like the eyes of numerous deep-sea creatures peering out into the world. Though technically those eyes could also belong to ponies in other dimensions with their own Void Windows. A wide smile stretched across Roseate's face.

"Hello beings from beyond the veil," Roseate called out to the creatures in the void, "Your writhing, shapeless forms precede you. I am certain many of you are curious about this world, as well as the inhabitants that reside here. Therefore, feel free to ask questions and offer advice."

The eyes blinked like those of a diamond dog enticed by gems. She had their attention.

"Today my question for all of you is very simple," Roseate said, "I need a familiar for my studies and I was thinking of a form to give it, but I can't decide. What form do you think I should shape it into? I was thinking a raven at one point, you also can't go wrong with a cat, then I thought a parasprite might be kind of cute. Or maybe in your forbidden wisdom you have another idea entirely. What do you think?"

Only whispers seem to respond. No doubt it would take a while for the voices to pass through the void to reach her beloved mirror.

"Don't worry," Roseate smiled, "I have a special gem built into this mirror that will record your messages for me to respond to. I can also receive gifts, however, the interdimensional postal service isn't what it used to be, so don't be too surprised if something goes missing. Well, I guess that's it for now. See you all tomorrow!"

With her introduction finished, Roseate placed an old blanket over the mirror, ensuring that the relic was safe and that no random pony would stumble upon it. As for the other box, she could worry about unpacking it tomorrow.

Stepping out into the hall, Roseate closed the door to the mirror room and locked it before making her way to the bedroom.

No doubt Arsthotua would return from his hunt soon. Once inside her bedroom, Roseate untied her mane allowing her hair to fall flat against the back of her neck.

Unlike the rest of the house, the walls here were covered in a dark purple wallpaper. In the center of the bedroom was a round bed covered in purple bed sheets and a few purple pillows. The room lacked any windows, but Roseate was okay with that. The last thing either she or her husband would want was the possibility that they would be peeped on from outside.

On one side of the room was a walk-in closet, which stored some of Roseate's clothes and jewelry. There was also a small section for Arsthotua's clothes, though there weren't very many of those. Next to the closet door was a small wooden table made of a dark oak. A small digital clock rested on the surface, serving as the only source to indicate time outside of the dark room.

Roseate took off her reading glasses and set them along with the black hairband on the table, where they would be undisturbed for the evening.

With the room securely locked, Roseate walked over to the bed and pulled herself up on top. The soft silk sheets gently caressing her body as she lay on the bed.

The room grew dark as a black smoke began to cover the walls, floor, and ceiling. Shadowy fingers stretched outward like the roots of a great tree. Glowing eyes and dark green tendrils emerged from the smoke looming over Roseate. One of the tendrils stretched forward and rubbed the side of her cheek.

'That was a fine meal.'

Long tendrils soothed Roseate's limbs. One tentacle twirled part of her mane. A large eye drew close to her face.

'Now I think it is time for dessert.'

Roseate smiled seductively. Tonight was going to be a long night.






Beyel kedoshtu jelu'ri nefl gib barbly mari ‘sub nyurb ses’h akeyadhe. Beyel gahluyng fond jelueter.