Disfigured

It’s over. It’s all over at last. Well. Truth be told, there are still a number of loose ends, but I can only hope that their resolution falls to somepony else. This sounds incredibly selfish I know, especially after everything I’ve done, but I’m tired. I wish nothing more than to wash my hooves of this mess even if all I’m entitled to is swift and callous punishment.

I pen these last few journal entries with Rarity’s help. She has not yet forgiven me, but is sympathetic. Perhaps she will attest to my character in my upcoming trial. Once this final chapter of my story is recorded, this book is to be used as evidence for my crimes. This is immaterial. I intend to plead guilty. I may be facing anything from exile to execution, but after gazing into the eternal abyss of the Gray Domain I have no fear. I apologize. None of this has any bearing on the events that brought me here. I will try to refrain from getting off track.

Rarity, Applejack, Spike and the two guards, Gestalt and Abel were returning to Ponyville after seeing Zecora about the items they’d found in my home. Needless to say, they were apprehensive about the ominous shape that had blocked out much of the sky. Would it continue its trek to earth? Would it touch down, crushing everything they’d held dear? Zecora had confirmed that I had brought the great intruder into our realm, and this did little to allay the party’s fears. While fighting a splitting headache likely caused by the Other God’s presence, Rarity wondered what became of the beast they saw burrowing towards Ponyville. (By this point, the monster that Solitaire identified as Shusteht had withdrawn. Hearsay holds that the creature and two others, Gun Quidwreth among them, awaited on the outskirts of town, preventing the residents from leaving.) Applejack stopped and pointed to the sky.

“Ey, lookit that. Ain’t that… Rainbow Dash?”

A cyan something streaked across the sky followed by a half dozen others. Rainbow Dash had assembled a squadron of pegasi at Cloudsdale with the intention of investigating the vast dark shape in the heavens. Volunteers for the mission were precious few. Most of Cloudsdale was in a state of uproar. Azherkin’s proximity to the floating city inspired much panic and had triggered several terrific thunderstorms across Equestria. Their willingness to go along with the plan was a testament to the winged ponies’ bravery.

The troop began their approach. The surface of the Other God was incredibly hot after breaching our world’s atmosphere. Getting too close would mean death. There were other complications as well. It is understood that as one gets closer to an object of Azherkin’s mass, its perceived gravitational pull becomes more and more intense. One of the less experienced pegasi flew into the God’s gravitational field too quickly and was pulled flailing and screaming to the surface before she had a chance to adapt. As two older fliers dove after their falling comrade, they were grabbed by the abomination’s copious limbs and were likely burned to a crisp. Rainbow’s brief scouting mission was quickly turning into a disaster. As the appendages plucked another pegasus from the air, she signaled for a retreat. Great geysers of acid shot out from below. Rarity and the others held their breath as they watched Rainbow weave through the sickly yellow jets. She was hit before she could pull out of range. The force of the geyser threw her far out of Azherkin’s reach. She fell, struggling to recover, only barely managing to slow her descent. The party sprinted desperately to where they saw her land. The clumps of trees grew thicker, for no reason other than to impede their progress. At last they found her, bruised and bleeding at the foot of a sturdy birch. She was unconscious and covered in chemical burns.

Meanwhile, I had spent several hours simply watching Azherkin’s movements. At last, I’d gotten my fill. Something felt a little off. I was itching badly, and two or three flies were buzzing around me. I tried to shoo them off, but they wouldn’t leave me alone. As I traversed the streets I saw that anarchy had taken the town in its bony clutches. Stores had been broken into and homes, ransacked. This was only to be expected, I supposed. For all they knew, this was their last day alive. Did I really care if these weak fools were wiped out? What difference did it make, in the end? Under the right circumstances they cannibalized each other; they were doomed to die anyway.

On my way back to the library, I met not one soul in the dying city. I could sense that they were watching me from the windows. When I turned to look at these spectators, they drew back from the light, hiding from me. The streets were hushed. The silence seemed to contradict the scenes of destruction and societal decay that greeted me. The body of the otherworldly deity above was ever-present, bearing witness to our once-prosperous wasteland. Walking was becoming increasingly difficult. My eyes drifted downwards and I saw. My frontal left leg was a terrifying knot of tangled tentacles.

I should have been shocked, disgusted even. Fearful. Instead I felt… pleasantly surprised. It was a sin against nature, my body was not meant to change shape like this. But it all felt appropriate. How had I changed so much in the span of maybe three hours at most? Clearly, it was the Other Gods’ influence that affected me. I was the gate, after all. I arrived home at last. At this point I no longer cared if the others found me. Perhaps it was time I departed for Canterlot. I promised the Princess that I would see her, after all.

I spared a few seconds to admire myself in the mirror. It appeared that my flesh was decaying and being slowly replaced by the thick glossy skin of a Goddess. My itching was explained, as were the flies. This was only temporary. I would likely be fully transformed into something truly fantastic by the next morning. The left half of my face had sprouted stubby tendrils of its own. Their movement appeared to be somewhat independent, as though each was developed to the point where it was its own living thing. The sclera of my left eye had turned pitch-black. I was not ashamed of my new form, but moving around had proven to be troublesome. I procured two lengths of twine from the basement and used them to unify the tentacles below into a single ‘limb’. This solution was inelegant to be sure, but I reminded myself that it was only required until the changes were more uniform.

I ran into Pinkie Pie as I left the library. She’d been waiting for me.

“Hi Twi— woah! There’s something different about you. I can’t quite put my hoof on it. Something liiiiiiiiike…”

“Do you need something, Pinkie?” My voice must’ve changed as well. There was a guttural undertone to it, difficult to catch, but definitely present.

“Ponyville’s in trouble! The residents have gone mad as a hatter! And that big black thingy in the sky doesn’t look too friendly, does it? I’ve been running around and I can’t find Applejack or Rarity or Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy anywhere! Do YOU know where they are?”

“Sorry, I don’t… I really have to get going.”

“What? You’re leaving too? Where?”

“Canterlot. I have business with the Princess.”

“Okie-doke… But be careful, Twilight. I’ve been hearing weird noises on the outskirts.”

I thanked her for her concern and we parted ways.

Once more I made my way through the damaged streets. The harsh winds were picking up again, blowing glass and wooden scraps through the town. I heard something indistinct over the howling of the gale. A high pitched whining coming from worlds beyond. Flashes of the Gray Domain continued to haunt me. I’m now told that they were experienced by numerous other ponies as well. Grave omens for Equestria, these were. I made it to the train station at last. The conductor was visibly disturbed by my appearance at the stall. He sold me a ticket, but reluctantly. He didn’t dare ask why I looked as I did. With this task accomplished, I crossed the platform and stepped onto the afternoon train.

“A’right,” Gestalt began. “Abel and I will carry ‘er. You lot need only lead us to the hospital.”

“’Scuse me,” Spike said quietly. “Shouldn’t we wrap her in something? You’ll get the… the stuff on you otherwise.” He was talking about the acid. It had already destroyed patches of Rainbow’s coat and was burning spots of red into her exposed skin. Her wings were quickly losing feathers to the caustic substance.

“That’s moronic,” Gestalt bluntly stated. “Any cover’s just gonna end up hurting her more. Get a move on.”

Spike apologized hastily. He was beginning to suspect that the older stallion didn’t like him very much. Applejack volunteered to carry the sack containing the evidence found in the library. As the party entered Ponyville, they witnessed the extent of the devastation that hit the once-peaceful town.

“Hard to believe all this could happen so quickly…” said Abel.

“That monster really did a number on the place,” Applejack added.

“This don’t look like the work of an oversized mole,” Gestalt observed. “This looks like looters.”

Rarity gasped melodramatically.

“You think… the pony folk did this?” The question was punctuated by a distant sound of breaking glass.

“Probably. Yes. I imagine the guards’ve found ‘emselves stretched pretty thin right about now. What a mess…”

The party arrived to the emergency room of the hospital, which thankfully appeared untouched. It seemed like the facility was having a busy day. Some time passed before a doctor could see Rainbow. The prognosis was grim. Her life wasn’t in danger, but her wings were badly damaged and she’d be lucky to fly ever again. Rarity sighed.

“Well at least…” She stopped. At least Rainbow wouldn’t end up like Fluttershy.

“I’ll stay with her in case she wakes up,” Applejack said. “You fellas should try an’ find Twilight.”

Rarity, Spike and the guards left the hospital in a listless mood. Everything was going wrong at a record-breaking speed. They had little faith that locating me would solve the various issues that afflicted Equestria. In addition to the impending annihilation of the kingdom, Azherkin’s appearance had indirectly triggered a number of problems. I had previously mentioned the freak electrical storms that Cloudsdale struggled to curb. Also, although nowhere near us, the Equestrian coast had flooded severely and settlements had been destroyed. The tectonic plates were likewise affected and several major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions had already occurred. The Other God was clearly visible across the kingdom, and riots were breaking out in the three corners, Trottingham, Fillydelphia and Manehatten. All of Equestria was facing major upheaval.

With nowhere else to go, the group decided to return to the library. They encountered Pinkie on the way.

“Rarity! Yay! I’ve been looking EVERYWHERE for you! And is that..? It IS. Mister guard! I ‘member you! How’s your wing doing?”

Gestalt was the stallion that Pinkie and I helped on the day that the royal carriage was attacked. That seemed so long ago, now…

“Still healin’,” he replied. “I appreciate what you all did for me back then. ‘S a shame about the other mare though.”

“Ya mean Twilight?” Pinkie asked. “Why? What’s up with her?”

“Twilight’s the one who caused all this to happen,” Rarity broke in.

“All this? All what? You mean. ALL THIS?” Pinkie gestured wildly at the Other God and the ruined town. “But. No-no-no-no-NO. That can’t be right.”

“’Fraid it is,” Gestalt answered sadly. “We’re tryin’ to find her now. Mebbe talk some sense into her. I don’ suppose you’ve got any idea where she mighta gone?”

“Well of course I do, silly. I saw her not half an hour ago. She said she was going to Canterlot. Something about… business with Princess Celestia?”

The guards stiffened.

“Are you absolutely sure, Pinkie?” Rarity asked.

“Sure as sugar! You guys gonna chase her? Can I come? Can I?”

“I s’pose it can’t hurt,” Gestalt said. “But we’d best hurry. She’s probably taken the train. We need to leave as soon as possible to even have a prayer of catching up to her. Let’s find a chariot or carriage for you flightless ones.”

At this point, I was lounging on the train to Canterlot. Seeing that the castle was so close to Azherkin’s surface, there weren’t many ponies headed in this direction. The few that were on the train were likely only going to satisfy a morbid sense of curiosity, or to check on relatives. None of them chose to sit in the same train car as me. For some reason. With nothing else to do, I tried my best to get some sleep. For the first time in over a month, my slumber was uninterrupted by nightmares or unsettling visions. Uninterrupted by any ticket inspector, too. For some reason.

I was awakened by a terrible screeching down the line. Everything shook. Then I experienced a sense of smooth, unhindered motion as the train car sailed over and off the tracks. It was stopped by something almost instantly, and I was thrown forward, hitting my head against the hard wooden frame of the seat ahead. My horn left a long gash in the polished wood. I retained consciousness in spite of the trauma and stumbled to the front of the car, where I forced the doors open. I looked at my surroundings in a daze. The engine was a tangled heap of scrap metal. It had pulled the train into the forest on the approach to Canterlot. It was a miracle the whole god-forsaken thing didn’t make it off one of the cliffs that were characteristic of this route.

Several ponies were trapped inside the car up ahead. I ignored their pleas for help and went to inspect the railroad. It was disconnected and bent upwards imperiously. My imagination conjured images of something big taking a bite out of it. I supposed that this was exactly what had happened. It was prudent to leave, lest the guilty individual made a return. I would shortly be very glad that the train had been derailed where it was.

The sun was setting when I arrived at the outer rim of the shield that surrounded Canterlot. As I’d come to expect, soldiers had been posted on this section of the track.

“Halt, monster! Leave this area at once!”

“Hmm. No. No, I don’t think I will. My name is Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia had summoned me to the castle.”

The guards exchanged surprised glances and a few whispers.

“Very well. If you pose no threat to our city, the shield will allow you to pass. Otherwise, we will remove you from these premises by force.”

I met no resistance as I stepped up to the bright pink light and plunged my hoof through it. As I tried to cross it, however, I saw that it would not accept my transformed tissues. Where my right leg effortlessly passed through, my left met a solid wall.

“Confound it,” I whispered as the soldiers drew their weapons and attacked.

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blue_star

blue_star #1 · Jul 15th, 2012 · · ·

wow, that was an awesome chapter, I think perhaps your best yet. Keep up the good work.

Encyclone

Encyclone #2 · Jul 15th, 2012 · · ·

Nice chapter. Very descriptive. But...
"The residents have gone mad as a hatter! And that big black thingy in the sky doesn't look too friendly does it."
It seems to me that there should be a coma before "does it" and a question mark afterwards, unless you did that on purpose for some reason.
"I procured two lengths of twine from the basement and used them to unify the tentacles below into a single ‘limb’."
Which basement???
Yeah, me likey this chapter! Pretty epic, and super exciting! Can't wait for more. Wait, I thought you said you were working on your last chapter! This isn't last! Oh, well. Keep going, then. I sense even more excitement and epicness approaching! XD