• Published 20th Sep 2017
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Voidwalkers - Meep the Changeling



After 30 years spent piecing together a forgotten form of magic, Lyra Heartstrings at last finds a way to break free of the waking nightmare she was cursed with.

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12 - The Unspeakable

Lyra Heartstrings - 6th of Plantation, 29 AE

Lyra’s Apartment, Deck 13, USS Phoenix - Phoenix

There’s a phrase which describes an event that is so far removed from what seemed possible and expected, and has such a huge impact on something, that the world can never be the same again. A Black Swan Event.

Starswirl the Bearded discovery of the Laws of Time.

The North Eastern Dragon Flight deciding to stop being migratory and settling down to form the nation of Drake.

The founding of Equestria creating the Fires of Friendship and uniting the Pony Tribes.

Clover the Clever creating the first two Alicorns.

Three silly fillies digging a friendly Old One out of the ice.

I carefully nudged the copper coil, ensuring it would stay in place before closing up the junction box. This circuit was ready to go.

“Everything’s fine here,” I called to Sky.

Sky grunted in annoyance, his upper body hidden by the bulk of the secondary emitter. “You’re SUPER sure? I don't want to have my whole home town disintegrate if this malfunctions. A LOT of power is going to be contained in this thing,” he said with a heaping tablespoon of worry.

“Yeah. This circuit is fine,” I repeated.

It was. I triple checked it, and Chem hadn’t handed me blueprints for this thing. He’d burned them into my brain. Building it was as easy as breathing for me. Chem refused to tell me how to do this any other way.

‘There’s zero room for error due to the possibility of devouring a block of spacetime if it’s not properly directed at the immaterium. I can only help with the first two stages of construction. After that, there’s a high risk I could be killed by interacting with the device. The knowledge must be second nature to you,’ he’d warned.

If this thing worked, with the flip of a switch I’d undo the curse by literally eating the Nightmare causing it. It’s pseudo-sentience would end, and all that power would be mine. Exactly like what happened to Luna, except without the Nightmare agreeing to the process.

In about thirty minutes, at around one ten in the morning, a unicorn would ascend to a higher form of existence because three mares dug a friendly Old One out of the ice.

If that’s not a Black Swan, I don’t know what is.

What would I even do with my powers when I had them?

“Okay, this emitter is to spec,” Sky said, backing out of the hardware and closing it’s access panel. “Everything's exactly how you said it needs to be. At least, as far as my multimeter can measure.”

Good things, obviously. I’d do good things. Like help ponies break curses.

Speaking of curses… How exactly did this one’s logic work? Why could Sky check the system before I used it, but couldn’t help me build it, nor did any of his prior attempts work?

My ears fell as I realized the machine might fail. That would definitely allow him to help. If this just didn’t work.

NO!

This would work.

We’d be together again for breakfast today. End of story!

“I wish you’d tell me how this thing works,” Sky grumbled as he popped open the third and final emitter’s case to inspect it. “I mean, you know, exactly how it works.”

“I um, I really actually can’t do that,” I admitted bashfully.

It was true. I knew how to make it. Not what it did.

“Not a word more than that half-a-summery you gave me before?” Sky asked nervously, his multimeter beeping as he checked a technocrane circuit.

Thirty years… All that time had made me possibly the foremost expert on Dream Magic next to Luna herself. I had no idea how this thing worked.

“Well, no. I can tell you what I do know again,” I offered as I began my own inspection of the secondary crystalline amplifier.

I knew that the energy went into the big glowing green rock, which made the emitters go… I’d explained it in more technical magey terms but that was it. Chem wasn’t keen on spreading knowledge that could maybe be made into a spell which could be used to kill him.

I couldn’t blame him for that.

“I remember everything,” Sky grumbled. “I don’t like poking at tech I don’t understand. Last time I did something like this I was still just a Crewman. We were fixing up Tilk’s medbay. A friend of mine spent a week as a mare because I activated an auto-doc by accident.”

I couldn’t help but snicker. “Wait, really?” I asked, biting my lip to hold in the laugh which was desperately trying to escape.

“Yeah. Not a fun time for any one involved,” he grumbled, his multimeter beeping again. “There’s a reason we don’t have those here anymore. It was programmed to perform a gastric bypass.”

Wait… “Uh-”

“On a human female,” Sky continued. “Which he wasn’t. So it made him one, because it decided there must be more problems. THEN it preformed a gastric bypass. Took forever to get the stupid thing to undo it. The whole system died for good when we decommissioned the old AI core.”

“Well, this is simpler than a starship,” I remarked cheerfully.

“Mhm… And it’s not a WMD,” Sky agreed. “But it’s a big thing that’s using stellar output levels of power according to you. Anything like that can easily become a disaster.”

I nodded, then made a very very slight adjustment to the crystal amp with my telekinesis, rotating it just a tenth of a degree clockwise.

“Well, that’s why we’re doing this triple check. For example, I just fixed a slight misalignment of an amplifier,” I reported.

“Good!” Sky called back. “This emitter is also to spec.”

I nodded and continued my inspection.

“But the real point of my story was that even if a machine is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do, it may not do what you want it to do,” Sky added as he closed the emitter panel.

I looked up at him and opened my mouth to reply when the doorbell rang. Two simple beeps, followed by a pleasant synthesized female voice announcing, “Miss Heartstrings, Bonbon is at the door.”

Oh my goodness! She could watch everything end! This would be prefect we’d hug as soon as I did the thing.

I gingerly stepped over the quartz slurry pipe, careful not to knock it loose from the tangled mess of weirdly organic looking hardware which had grown to consume my living room and made my way to my apartment's door. I immediately hit the door release, smiling even before they finished opening, the sliding doors revealing Bonbon’s face.

“Hi, Bon! It will just be like, a half hour, okay? You can come in though!” I said eagerly, my tail swishing behind me.

Then I noticed Bonbon looked upset.

“W-what’s the matter?” I asked, my excitement turning to worry.

“Can I come in?” Bonbon asked with a sigh. “This isn’t a conversation for the hallway.”

Oh.

I see.

The curse was compelling her to stop me. I understand.

Wait, how did she even know?

“Only if you Pinkie Promise not to break the machine,” I said firmly, moving myself to fill more of the doorway than I had before.

Bon nodded, a hurt look in her eyes. “It doesn't affect me that much, Lyra. But, I understand. I won't break it. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

I gave her a satisfied nod and stepped back, gesturing for her to enter. Bonbon trotted inside, the doors closing behind her.

I felt a pang of guilt as I realized this was maybe the tenth time Bonbon had been in my apartment without having tagged along with anypony else I knew. After the first year without her I just… I couldn’t bear to be alone near her. Everything we had lost…

I could handle it with others nearby. We still had fun as friends. Just not fun alone together.

Not that we were really alone together right now. Sky was here. But it was almost like we were alone with how deeply hidden in the Void Syphon he was right now.

“I’m sorry we don't just hang out much anymore,” I apologised. “I- Getting this far took a lot of time and… Focus.”

“It’s fine,” Bonbon dismissed with a wave of her hoof.

I knew that had to be the curse, but my heart still felt like it had been punched.

Blinking the tears out of my eyes, I nodded to the tiny square of couch left visible under the intestines-like maze of pipes and tubing. “Have a seat?” I offered.

Bonbon nodded and trotted, over, taking a seat on the couch.

“Vinyl told me about… This,” Bonbon said as she waved a hoof at the machine. “This completely stupid idea!”

I nodded to myself, a grim look on my face. “It’s okay, Bon. I know that’s not you talking.”

“IT SO BUCKING IS!” Bonbon snapped, jumping up from the couch, her ears laying flat. “This is EASILY the dumbest idea you’ve had since you tried to live in that human costume Sky made you!”

I rolled my eyes. “Chem’s not evil. He’s clearly friendly, and could have killed us all by now if he wasn’t. I trust his designs. This WILL work!” I said with a firm nod.

“Oh, my, Celestia, that’s the entire problem!” Bon said, slapping a hoof to her face.

I raised an eyebrow. “This isn't you talking. The curse will be gone in half an hour. I promise.”

“Or, you could NOT be a total idiot and it will be gone in three hundred years,” Bonbon said with a groan. “Not even that much anymore! Just two hundred seventy. At the MOST! It could be gone right now for all you know!

“Even with all your fancy new spells, discoveries, and ability to see the Dream Realm’s… stuff, YOU DIDN’T HAVE ANY MEASUREMENTS OF THE NIGHTMARE'S POWER TO BEGIN WITH!”

Okay, admittedly, that was a good point. However…

I walked over to the side of the completely buried couch and sat down on the floor, hoping that sitting would help me remain more calm.

“That’s true, yeah. But if it is gone now, you could easily prove it. Give me a kiss, or a hug, or anything!” I begged, pleading at her with my eyes.

Bonbon winced, her lips pulling back in that distinct look of disgust any straight mare gave you if you flirted with them.

“See? Not gone,” I pointed out with a sad sigh. “And every day without you hurts.”

“And binding a Nightmare to yourself is a really really really really really really really dumb idea!” Bonbon retorted with an eye twitch. “I think it might even be the dumbest thing you COULD do! Remember what happened the last time a Nightmare was bound to a reasonably powerful mage? Here’s a hint, ATTEMPTED ETERNAL NIGHT!”

I took a deep breath. “Luna didn’t have a friendly Old One’s help with her-”

“A WHAT?!” Sky yelped from inside the Void Siphon.

Bonbon looked over in surprise. “Oh! Uh, hi, Sky. This is a bit awkward…” Bonbon siad with a slight blush. “Uh, Chem isn't actually a mortal. He’s sort of an Eldritch person, not really an Old One. Just a ‘person from beyond’. I’m sorry, I know this is awkward but I need to keep yelling at Lyra before she doom’s us all.”

“He’s totally cool, Twilight checked,” I added.

“A WHAT?!” Sky repeated, sounding like he was a bit mentally shut down.

“Sky will back me on this once he’s done panicking,” Bonbon said with a short nod. “Lyra, you can’t do this! Maybe you CAN pull the Nightmare into one entity again instead of the curse with this thing, but it might fail to contain it, or merge it with you. There’s all sorts of dangers!”

“If it fails to merge it with me then we have a Dream Catcher set up to snare it. Then I’ll be able to kill it,” I said with a smug grin. “Chem and I thought of that.”

Bonbon gave me a look of total horror. “Lyra, no!” She squeaked. “That thing worked when you were DREAMING of a Nightmare! You’ve never tested it out on a Nightmare that wasn’t inside your head!”

“Yeah, well, there’s nothing which says it should work differently. It’s a zone. It’s not targeting my head or anything,” I grumbled, giving Bonbon a hurt look. “Which of us has thirty years of experience with Dream Magic? I know what I am doing with anti-Nightmare countermeasures.”

Bonbon facehooved, “Lyra, if you do this you either wind up becoming a new Nightmare Moon, or you won't even be a pony anymore. Don’t do it!”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “There’s like a five percent chance of me being controlled by the Nightmare and if that happens Twilight will sort it out. She always does,” I answered. “As for the other option, I don’t care what I am as long as we can be together. I need you, Bonbon.”

Bonbon’s face twitched in a way I’d only seen once before. She was beyond pissed. Super pissed. Ultra-mega-maxi-pissed. At me.

“LYRA!” She growled, giving me a death glare. “I swear to every Princess, Discord, and everyone in his entire family, if you do this I will NEVER forgive you! The curse is NOT permanent, and we’re immortal. We can wait it out.

“What’s more, if you’re THIS desperate to be in a relationship with me again after nearly thirty years of being apart- I, Lyra, it’s like day one still. You’re still completely and totally- I just-”

Bonbon took a deep breath to focus herself. “Lyra, if you’re still this torn up about a temporary separation, your love for me can’t possibly be healthy!”

This time I couldn’t keep back the tears as my heart was punched.

“D-don’t say that,” I whimpered, looking down so she couldn't see my cry.

“I’m serious!” Bonbon insisted. “Lyra, you need help. Real help. Go see a therapist before you use this stupid thing! Because with how obsessed you are with me, I just… If you’re really so co-dependent that you’d mutate yourself to be with me again, then us being together is a terrible terrible idea. ESPECIALLY since we could conceivably be together for thousands of years.

“Get. Help. First. For me.”

That had to be the curse. That couldn’t be her talking. That could never ever be her talking.

Please, universe, don’t let that be her. Please.

My damaged heart began to burn with anger as tears streamed down my face. I stood up, nostrils flared.

“I’m in a machine an Old One designed,” Sky muttered worriedly. “In a room with angry lady vampires yelling about relationship problems… Nope…”

The sight of Sky carefully creeping out from the machine, moving like he was playing a game of ‘the floor is nitroglycerin’, was almost enough to make me laugh even as mad as I was.

Almost.

“Bonbon,” I said as calmly as I could. “What we had was everything to me. No one else ever cared about me before you. My mom is actually evil, my dad was too broken by her to care about me as a filly. Only you cared! You’re the reason I didn’t wind up in juvie, or committed suicide, or wound up in any other one of a hundred different bad ends in high school.

“No shit I don’t want to live without you! YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO ME!”

The doorbell chimed twice. “Miss Lyra, Vinyl Scratch is at the door.” The door announced emotionlessly.

“Tell her to wait!” I snapped. “We’re having an argument.”

A heartbeat passed.

“Commanding Officer’s Override Accepted,” the door informed as it hissed open, revealing an extremely worried looking Vinyl.

“Oh, buck... I’m way too late,” she moaned, closing her eyes tightly as she saw Bon and I at each other's throats.

“TELL HER THIS IS STUPID!” Bonbon screamed, her eyes flooded with range and worry.

“It is stupid, but there’s no way any of us will talk her out of it, or stop her!” Vinyl retorted, her voice hardened and in full blown Captain mode. “Stand down and return to position!”

“Position?” I asked, slowly turning my head to look Vinyl in the eyes.

“The rest of us are stationed just outside the Phoenix. In case things go wrong. And we need to stop you,” Vinyl admitted slowly. “Luna’s orders.”

My eyes twitched as I snapped back to face Bonbon. “SEE?! There’s fail safes set up that I didn’t even think to do! It’s perfectly fine!”

Bon took a breath, about to explode. Vinyl ran forwards and pushed us apart from one another.

“As your Knight Captain I order you two to be quiet!” Vinyl shouted.

HOW DARE YOU-

“DON'T TURN IT ON!” Someone screamed from down the hallway.

Great! MORE JERKS!

“FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER RELIGION’S DEITY YOU HAVE DON'T TURN IT ON! IT ONLY WORKS ONCE PER DEVICE!” The voice screamed again.

Wait… That was Chem.

Chem exploded through the doorway, panting heavily, his body dripping with sweat, cloak billowing behind him extra dramatically, a small jade colored pegasus filly riding in a saddle on his back. Somehow sleeping despite the movement, noise, and general chose around-

SISTERS! NO ONE TOLD HIM RIDING WITH A SADDLE IS A BONDAGE THING!

“Chem-using-a-saddle-makes-riding-sexual-and-she’s-WAY-underage!” I blurted rapidly, ears standing upright in alarm.

“THAT’S STUPID!” Chem yelped, rearing up to wave his forelegs in panicked random flails for… some...reason? “WE HAVE A BIGGER PROBLEM! DON'T TURN IT ON!”

Somehow the filly stayed on his back.

Oh. Right. She had a saddle.

“What’s wrong?” I asked with a wince. “Did you make a mistake in the design?”

“That’s the Old One,” Sky squeaked as Chem filled the doorway. “Uh, Hi-hi… I um… I’m gonna go. Can I go? Please?”

The doors hissed shut at long last as Chem looked over at the control box. “Oh thank all the holy things that ever holied it’s not powered on yet!” He laughed hystaric-terrifiedly. “The King! Your universe has The King in it! Gotta stop!”

“What king?” Vinyl asked, her face scrunching up with worry.

Chem’s eyes flicked across the room, and locked onto Sky’s toolbelt. “You! Mechanic pone! We need to recalibrate the Void Syphon,” he instructed. “The Unspeakable King in Yellow is on your planet, right now! Big problem! BIGGEST PROBLEM!”

Sky’s ears flopped back to the maximum possible point. “Uhhh, y-you’re an Old One.”

“Outer God, technically. Not really. Never achieved full power. Don’t care to. Old Ones are worse. HE’S ONE! We NEED to stop him, NOW! We’ll have to make adjustments to the emitters and the main coils. Have knowledge, Mechanic Pone!”

Chem reached out and tapped Sky’s head, a small green spark leaping from his hoof to Sky’s head.

Sky nodded once. “Okay, doing the thing now,” he said turning immediately around to make the adjustments.

“W-what did you show him?” Bonbon and I asked Chem with wide, frightened eyes.

“I showed him what The King did to a universe I was in,” Chem laughed nervously. “And showed him how to target him with the syphon so we don't all die horrible horrible deaths!”

“WHAT KING ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?” I snapped, my left eye twitching.

Chem wheeled around to face me, a look of pure panic in his eyes. “HASTUR, YOU F- UUUUUUUUUCK!” He screeched, immediately slamming his head into the floor. “I SAID HIS NAME! WHY DID I SAY HIS NAME!?!”

Someone knocked on the door three times.

“The King has arrived,” the door announced reverently.

It wasn’t programed to go off for knocks…

Adnam'heir aka Chemical Fire - 6th of Plantation, 29 AE

Lyra’s Apartment, Deck 13, USS Phoenix - Phoenix

What have I done?

I broke the first rule of stealth. That’s what.

Curse my very name!

I know why I did it, but it is not forgivable. Even as an accident. It matters not that I am unused to experiencing fear. It matters not that I can count the times I have been afraid for my own life on one human hand. I doomed us all.

In the impossible circumstance there may be a way out, it is my duty to save everyone.

But what can I possibly do?

I could see his presence in the room already. True Old Ones don’t need their avatars to affect change. Only their attention and will. The King’s power saturated the entire room, reaching out with invisible tentacles (What is it with most of my kind and tentacles?) to grab everyone and hold them in place.

Conscious. Aware. Completely Paralyzed.

I was free. I could act. Because he knew there wasn’t anything I could do to hurt him one on one.

The doors slid open, pushed aside by his will, their gears protesting with a metallic shriek he modified to sound like a woman’s scream in the distance.

His choice of Avatar was very very interesting. The King in Yellow normally appeared as a vaguely humanoid figure in a yellow robe sprouting tendrils. Here, he appeared as a pony.

The most bland, featureless, forgettable pony you've ever seen. He didn’t have a single memorable or notable feature. His only memorable features were a simple black three piece suit, and the most unsettling yellow tie I’d ever seen, complete with a tie tack fashioned from yellowed bronze in the shape of his Sign.

So that’s how he was undetected by Discord. I’d tried to tell the Chaos God Hastur was loose. He hadn’t believed me. This world’s God of War could sense nothing amiss, nor could the others. I had to be mistaken.

Poor optimists.

His Sign… He’d found a way to miniaturize it. Last I recalled the glyph needed to be a meter in diameter to work. All actions were concealed from local divinity's sight right now. Could I use that in any way?

And then I looked past the King’s body and found the true horror of the day. Beyond the unassuming pony’s form was nothing. True nothing. The void, in all it’s not-black darkness.

We were no longer on Equis. The entire room had been transported, or seamlessly replaced by a construct. I couldn’t tell which.

The King adjusted his tie with a hoof, and walked inside, the doors shutting behind him. “Good morning,” he greeted in a manner both conversational and smug. “Miss Heartstrings, Miss Scratch, Miss Drops, Doctor Trigger, The Nameless Darkness, I do believe this is the first time we’ve met.

“No need to introduce yourselves, this gathering will be quite short. Besides, I do not intent to allow you agency.”

By the Void, Chem, you NEED to think of something! He’s toying with us. As usual. We have some time. But a plan! I need a plan. Winging it will make things worse.

“You may or may not know me,” the King continued, slowly circling the room, casually inspecting the Void Syphon as if he were merely amused by it. “I am a simple businessman, performing simple business. Your... Companion? Patreon? We’ll go with friend.

“Your friend was so kind as to utter my name so I do not feel the need to repeat it. As for my business, I am afraid that by associating with young Darkness you have all become obstacles in my path. Ones I am going to remove.”

I could open a gate back to Equis beneath everyone and- No. No he could redirect us back here. He’s adept in dimensional travel too. Perhaps I could open a gate into the heart of an ancient star as a distraction then-

No. I don’t have the power to shield everyone against that. BLAST!

Why, oh why did I not leave Aurora with Discord?!

I could feel the terror and panic radiating off my friends. The King was absorbing some of it, lightly snacking. I could feed on terror too… Maybe, if I kept him talking long enough, I’d have enough energy to protect them.

He’d sense what I was doing. But what other choice did I have?

I opened myself up to their fear, taking it in as quickly as I could.

“Let them go,” I demanded. “I did not gift any of them with occult knowledge aside from instructions for this machine. I will delete that knowledge from their minds and they will be no threat to you. You can then do to me as you will.”

The King chuckled, turning to face me with a smile. “While I rarely indulge in mortal emotions, I find fear too delicious to not partake in when I have due cause. Besides, the good Doctor is a business rival of mine. They will die. Painfully, as I make you watch.

“It’s so sad you wasted your life caring for these things, child. Your father would have cared about you if you spent your time properly.”

Ah, yes. Child. It’s odd he would think that word of all things would insult me.

Wait a moment…

“Erm, we don’t have parents,” I said with a skeptical eyebrow.

He chuckled, sparing me a mocking glance before turning to inspect Lyra in detail, as if she were a statue.

“You naive little child,” he mocked. “As dimwitted as the toys you play with. Perhaps that is why you like them.”

“Better a child than a monster,” I declared boldly, hoping to keep him talking.

Especially if he’d explain what he meant by parentage. Was he implying the Void had a consciousness? That could be possible.

The King looked up at me and rolled his eyes drolly.

“Monster? Please,” he said with a smirk. “I’m merely a businessman. This universe belongs to someone who at present can not enter it due to an occupancy limit of one such being at a time. We had a deal, he gets to live here in total comfort for all eternity, I get to devour his old universe. He delivered his side of the bargain, but I accidentally allowed a certain individual to come here before him.

“As such, it falls to me to destroy her and tidy up this silly little planet the universe made in response to her desires. Stupid place… It responds to its owners heart’s desires, makes things fun and interesting for them without their direct control so as to prevent boredom due to instant gratification.

“I’m sure you’ve seen how it’s semi-self-aware? Disgusting. What an abomination of the natural order… I had to get a local god’s help purging this place and even then life kept popping back up again. Ironic, considering my former underling’s position in the pantheon.

“Thankfully, I don't need to be here much longer. That’s all this is. A business deal’s hiccup. I’m hardly a monster. I’m merely evicting a squatter from real estate I sold and cleaning the property up after her.”

“And to do that you’re going to kill one specific person?” I asked with a curious frown.

That wouldn’t be so bad. Given what the King normally does to places he goes.

“Oh no, there’s more work to be done than that,” he clarified with a bored pursing of his lips. “I have no idea who she is. Not precisely. Additional this planet is the way it is due to her desires. I said I was cleaning up after her, did I not? No, it all must go. Every last thing here must be sterilized and reset.”

I felt rage boil inside me the likes of which I had never felt before.

“Sapient beings live here! They may be made of meat but they are people too. It’s not right to kill them, and this universe belongs to them by virtue of existing within it!” I shouted, clenching my teeth angrily in the hopes I might get through the unfeeling bastard’s thick skull.

“Anything can be bought and sold,” The King scoffed. “You don't need to own it yourself in order to sell something. You merely need the power to enforce the transfer of ownership. Which I have.”

Anything can be bought and sold, eh?

I grinned. “If that’s the case, I would like to buy this universe,” I said as firmly as I could.

The King blinked, grinned, and then laughed, going as far as to reach down with one hoof to hold his side for several long moments as he broke down into a fit of hideous laughter.

“Child, you do not possess anything which I value,” he said, his laughter ending unnaturally sharply.

I shook my head rapidly. “That’s not true. I know for a fact you value art. I have a vast collection of mortal artifacts from across countless universes. Every last one was taken from it’s iteration of its origin universe at the very last moment of that iterations existence. There is no one who might be searching for these versions of each relic I possess.

“There are thousands, if not millions, of pieces in my collection. Each one is powerful in a particular way. You’ll find uses for everything, I assure you. I’ll trade them all for this universe.”

The King hummed and stroked his chin with a hoof for several long moments, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

“No,” he decided. “Those are already mine. Once I kill you, your property reverts to me, see? And you do not have the power to destroy them. Not at the moment, nor will you feed enough on their fear to gain that power before I destroy them.”

I’d have been worried he knew about my powering up if I didn’t see that coming. At least he wasn’t anticipating suddenly a Neutron Star. That might mildly injure him. A bit.

“Well… Yes. But I can still make killing me quite annoying,” I reminded him. “If you allow my friends to live, I’ll go quietly and even open my closet for you.”

“Sorry, I’m enjoying listening to their thoughts regarding their impending demise far more than I would value slightly less irritation,” The King dismissed, turning his attention to Vinyl. “Especially hers. Miss Scratch, this fear you have for failing to protect children? Delectable! How do you prepare this dish, I must know!”

Urge… To kill… Rising…

NO! Don’t snap. Take this calmly.

“How about a wager!?” I offered in desperation. “You like pain? I’ll give you pain! Vinyl contains the remains of my sister.

“If you can beat me and all of them at one of those ‘oh so childish games’ I enjoy, I will give you everything I have, and personally kill each of them for you before destroying myself. That will cause me more pain than I you can imagine. But if I win, you leave and never return. Nor bring, direct, or divert harm to this universe ever again!”

The King rolled his eyes again. “I don’t gamble,” he stated simply. “Nor do I enjoy simple games.”

Crap!

No, wait. He didn’t reject it because he didn’t like that idea. He just said he didn’t gamble. Come on Chem you’ve spun things to convince people to play before you can do it again!

“Well if it’s so simple, and I’m so weak and powerless compared to you, then it’s not gambling. Because you’re certain to win,” I pointed out. “Or is this all the bluff of someone with more raw power yet such little skill in using it they think I could kill them?”

The King laughed. “HA! It would be amusing to watch you futily struggle,” he remarked, stroking his chin yet again. “Very well, I accept this bet. On the condition that there are some conditions to our game to keep things… Interesting.”

This stank of all the not-good in the Void.

“What conditions?” I asked heastently.

“These ones,” he answered, conjuring a neatly typed contract with a thought, the sheets of paper floating before me so I could read them.

This contract details an agreement between Him Who Is Not to be Named, Hastur, The Unspeakable One, The King in Yellow, and The Nameless Darkness.

A game is to be played between the two parties, with the addition of the following individuals chosen by Hastur from among The Nameless Darkness’s associates:

Miss Lyra Heartstrings
Miss Vinyl Scratch
Doctor Sky Trigger
Princess Twilight Sparkle

The following individuals are to be kept suspended within the void as collateral to ensure fair play, and will be released in the event The Nameless Darkness, or his friends, prove victorious:

Miss Sweetie “Bonbon” Drops
Miss Aurora Trail

The nature of the game is to match The Nameless Darkness’s typical games (Namely, a live action version of a fantasy adventure game such as Shadowrun, Dungeons and Dragons, Starfinder, Legend of the Five Rings, F.A.T.E., and others.) with the following adjustments to the norm:

  1. The game will take place in realspace, not a virtual environment.

    1. Deaths therefore will be permanent and irrevocable.
    2. All parties will be limited to actions which can take place under the gameworld’s physics.
    3. No actions can be undone.
  2. The game world is to be chosen by Hastur upon the signing of this contract.

    1. Hastur may not choose a world which would give him an advantage over The Nameless Darkness.
    2. The world must not be in any form of crisis either side could take advantage of.
  3. All players must use corporeal avatars, and may not assume their true forms for the length of the game.

    1. Avatars must be appropriate for the world used as the gamefield.
    2. Avatars may not be more powerful than the natural inhabitants greatest champions, nor greatest villains.
    3. All players will have one hour to decide upon an avatar, and will be gifted the knowledge of available species, backgrounds, and other required information upon arriving on the Game World.
    4. If a player’s Avatar is killed, the player is to be placed into a suspended state wherein they must observe the remainder of the game.
    5. Hastur’s Avatar’s identity will remain unknown to all other players.
  4. The victory conditions are immutable and are as follows for each respective side:

    1. Hastur shall win upon the deaths of each player’s Avatar fighting on The Nameless Darkness’s Side, including The Darkness Himself.
    2. The Nameless Darkness shall win upon the death of Hastur’s Avatar, so long as it was slain by either the Nameless Darkness, or any Avatar or other agent working directly for him, or his side, which has express orders to slay Hastur’s Avatar.
    3. In the event Hastur’s Avatar is slain by any other means, Hastur is allowed to create a new Avatar and the game will continue as if he had not been slain.
  5. Each side may only use the resources, people, and items of the world chosen for the game to further their side’s goals.

    1. Summoning items, individuals, or power from other universes will result in immediate disqualification and a victory for the opposing faction.
    2. Using items, individuals, or powers from other universes will result in immediate disqualification and a victory for the opposing faction.
    3. Twilight Sparkle may utilize the sapient armor created for her in her previous game with The Nameless Darkness if she so chooses as consolation for being forced to play despite not being among those presently slated for execution by Hastur.
  6. All avatars must not begin play more than one thousand kilometers apart.

    1. The Nameless Darkness and his friends will enter play no more than 5 meters apart from one another.
    2. The Nameless Darkness and his friends will enter play in a position which will not immediately slay them.

Upon conclusion of the game, one of the two following events must take place without protest, retribution, or vengeance at a later date:

Should Hastur prove victorious, The Nameless Darkness will execute his friends in a manner chosen by Hastur at the time of his victory. He will execute his sister’s soul container last, and then destroy himself.

Should The Nameless Darkness, or his friends, prove victorious, Hastur will depart from the aforementioned friend’s home universe without performing any further actions within that universe, never to return, nor in any way send harm to, towards, or near enough to the aforementioned universe so as to spill into it. HOWEVER, the responsibility of dealing with Hastur’s current client will be transferred over to The Nameless Darkness.

Well, that was a much more fair deal then I had expected. At least in writing. There was just one little problem.

“Yeah, there’s not exactly any authority which can force either of us to abide by this contract,” I pointed out, giving Hastur an accusatory glare.

“Very well,” The King sighed in exactly the way which revealed his intention to not honor the contract. “If my word as a businessman is not enough, let us make this bargain official.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How?”

The King closed his eyes, his power focusing around himself, retreating inwards save for the tendrils used to bind my friends in place. He was showing me he wasn’t doing anything other than that.

But why?

“Yòg̷̵͠-Ś̕͞o҉t͜h̕o̴̧t̨h̸̕͞!” Hastur called, throwing his head back to the ‘sky’. (Sadly this did not mean he looked at Doctor Trigger.) “The Lurker at the Threshold, The Key and the Gate, The Beyond One, Opener of the Way, The All-in-One, The One-in-All; two of thy sons have forged this pact in good faith! Let he who breaks it suffer your whims.”

The void itself twisted and warped in an organic fashion, manifesting ink onto the bottom of the contract, creating a third place for a signature and a single signed name.

Yog-Sothoth.

“Witnessed,” power itself boomed from all that was and was not.

Hastur let our a nervous breath. “Satisfied?” He asked.

I wasn’t about to think of going against the contract. I couldn’t imagine he wanted to either. Because I was certain that WAS the void itself just now. That kind of power...

“Extremely,” I agreed with a nod.

He nodded once, conjured a pen, levitated the contract over to himself, and signed it. The King then held the papers back out to me, along with the pen.

Sorry for roping you into this, Twilight. I’m sure you understand.

I signed them. There was no other way for my friends to have a chance to survive.

“Let us begin,” the King said calmly.

The world around me turned to inky blackness as I was sent directly into a gateway. Destination unknown.


To Be Continued...

Author's Note:

This story would not have been possible without the generious contributions from my Patrons.

Thank you very much for the meals and bits of rent. This story is here because of you. Your contributions are more appreciated than you can imagine.

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Comments ( 23 )

Now, this just got very very interesting.

Discord and War are idiots. "Sure, let's not hear the Eldritch Abomination clamming there's a Great Old One in our universe! It's not like he knows what the heck he's talking about!". Now Twily (obviously) will have to pay the price for it.
Also, five bucks on her being the one Hastur was talking about. Or Megan.

Lyra really should listen to Bonbon thought. It's really not healthy, no matter how much it hurts. Of course, it's most likely that the curse shall be suspended during play due to it being outside interference, but that will only salt the wound when it ends.

Kinda curious about who is the Client too. Just who could sell his entire universe to the King In Yellow?

8562170

Kinda curious about who is the Client too. Just who could sell his entire universe to the King In Yellow?

Anyone who knows how to summon him.

If this thing worked, with the flip of a switch I’d undo the curse by literally eating the Nightmare causing it. It’s pseudo-sentience would end, and all that power would be mine. Exactly like what happened to Luna, except without the Nightmare agreeing to the process.

In about thirty minutes, at around one ten in the morning, a unicorn would ascend to a higher form of existence because three mares dug a friendly Old One out of the ice.

I am suddenly having doubts about the wisdom of this plan.

“On a human female,” Sky continued. “Which he wasn’t. So it made him one, because it decided there must be more problems. THEN it preformed a gastric bypass. Took forever to get the stupid thing to undo it. The whole system died for good when we decommissioned the old AI core.”

Thanks, Phee!

Well, crap, that escalated, and then kept escalating.

“I’m sure you’ve seen how it’s semi-self-aware? Disgusting. What an abomination of the natural order… I had to get a local god’s help purging this place and even then life kept popping back up again. Ironic, considering my former underling’s position in the pantheon.

Huh, Dawn had a boss.

Bringing Twilight into this was probably a huge mistake on The King's part. Unless he actually wants to lose, or something like that.

8562321

Huh, Dawn had a boss.

Or was Dawn driven insane by the repeated attempts to completely obliterate his domain? (No, he had a boss. And he tells Dusk he's obtained knowledge beyond that of the Gods back in The Queen is Dead. This is what he meant.)

Then I noticed Bonbon looked upset.

Is Bonbon aware of everything? and if so does she really want to stay this way?

Bonbon took a deep breath to focus herself. “Lyra, if you’re still this torn up about a temporary separation, your love for me can’t possibly be healthy!”

That's not a good thing to hear...

“I’m in a machine an Old One designed,” Sky muttered worriedly. “In a room with angry lady vampires yelling about relationship problems… Nope…”

Agreeded on the nope

“FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER RELIGION’S DEITY YOU HAVE DON'T TURN IT ON! IT ONLY WORKS ONCE PER DEVICE!” The voice screamed again.
Wait… That was Chem.

This can't be good, also once per device? THat kinda sucks.

“The King has arrived,” the door announced reverently.

Allow me to nope out here.

I’m sure you’ve seen how it’s semi-self-aware?

Wait Equss is semi-self-aware? I have so many questions.

“Let us begin,” the King said calmly.
The world around me turned to inky blackness as I was sent directly into a gateway. Destination unknown.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk ALL THE DUCKS!
So its safe to say Meep being Meep the good guys will win, but as she has done so in the past they are not going to come out of this unscathed, anyone wanna take bets on what happens to who?

8563068

Wait Equss is semi-self-aware? I have so many questions.

No, the universe is semi-self-aware. Pay attention... :facehoof:

8563068 So its safe to say Meep being Meep the good guys will win, but as she has done so in the past they are not going to come out of this unscathed, anyone wanna take bets on what happens to who?
Say, can I get in on this?

8563352 Hey, the way I read it made it sound like the planet and not the entire universe, also the entire universe is some level of self-aware?

8563850 Alright then, 5 Bits that Sky loses a limb

8564333 Yes, the entire universe is self aware. Not as a person persay, but it's smart enough to run itself, keep itself safe, and keep a designated individual happy. The Gods are pieces of it's consciousness and will. As a collective whole they would be "The Universe".

8564333

This universe belongs to someone who at present can not enter it due to an occupancy limit of one such being at a time.

it falls to me to destroy her and tidy up this silly little planet the universe made in response to her desires.

And I'm sure you do. If you want those answers, I would suggest piecing together the other clues from meep's previous stories to get a better idea. :raritywink:

Alright then, 5 Bits that Sky loses a limb

"Why you gotta pick me out on this? Doesn't matter anyway. I can just make a spare until we get home where I'll just regenerate it..."

8564648
Well, when you point that out ya it becomes clear.
ANd this person is a her so that narrows down the list of candidates, I know it's not Faust because she was in-universe at the same time Discord, Dawn and the remains of Dusk were all in-universe, so the "one occupancy" rule excludes them, it will be fun to see who this is as well as this 'client' when the time comes.

"Why you gotta pick me out on this? Doesn't matter anyway. I can just make a spare until we get home where I'll just regenerate it..."

A: Because I can.
B: You're assuming you wind up anywhere with advanced tech/magic where you can build replacements.
C: Your assuming any of you are getting home
D: Another 100 Bits says The King In Yellow forces you to fight a duplicate Pinkie Pie.

8564771
I think I'm gonna get in on this. Meep's said the next story won't be as thoroughly constrained by 80s boys' cartoons tropes. In light of that, I'm gonna go ahead and put 100 bits on the group of five coming back with no more than four survivors.

8573941 /me quickly hides the copy of A Song of Ice and Fire. "Uh, yes! That. *cough*"

8573973
You better not be taking cues from that hack, Meep! You're better than he can even dream of being.

Wait, but I thought only one of that kind of power was allowed in the universe at a time..
Is Yòg̷̵͠-Ś̕͞o҉t͜h̕o̴̧t̨h̸̕͞ so powerful he can just do it anyway?

8593599 This gets way deep into the Cathulu mythos but in short Yog is... Everywhere. Always. Not like he's omnipresent, more like the IS spacetime itself. If he isn't somewhere, it's not a place. So it's more accurate to say "Only one of this type can be within this given portion of Yog at a particular time."

8929186
Or helping clean the courtyard for another picnic near the pond. 🐰

Ok, so I’m reading the description, and I see this:

protect the city from invading daemons

daemons

I’m pretty sure that daemons are benevolent and demons are malevolent, and then daimons could be either.


http://grammarist.com/usage/demon-vs-daemon/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(classical_mythology)
“WIkIpEdIa iS nOt A tRuStWoRThY sOuRcE”
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/39266/what-is-the-difference-between-daemon-and-demon-in-a-religious-context

9030180 Sorry for the confusion. When I say daemons, I mean "Extradimentional creatures composed of energy, yet with a solid form, which exist as fragments of a greater being which may or may not classify as an Elder God, and wish for little more than to torment then devower mortals." Why is that what I think of? Cuz one of my favorite settings of all time is:

9030254
Ok, thanks for the clarification!

Also, that video is epic!

9732977

We're still friends tho :3

I can assure you'll... definitely regret your decision.:ajsmug:

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