The Terror Below Hayseed Manor

by the7Saviors

Chapter 2

As we reached the bottom of the stairs, my questions only continued to pile atop one another. I had yet to lay eyes upon Moon Dancer's basement, and was surprised to see she kept it well maintained—even more so than the rest of her house. It wasn't a large basement by any stretch of the imagination, but the layout made it clear that this was where my friend did much of her research. As above, many of the walls were covered almost entirely by shelves of books. Plenty of writing utensils and various scientific tools were stocked and stacked neatly within, above and below a few shelves of their own.

Amidst it all were three different desks of varying sizes place at different points in the dimly lit room, one to my far left, one to the right, and the largest of them all resting against the back wall opposite the staircase. Though much of the room was tidier than I had expected, each desk was littered with what I could only describe as research material. Books either lay open partially read or closed and stacked atop one another.

Used, blank, and unrolled parchment lay scattered haphazardly about the tabletop and I spotted a few quills and inkwells as well, both spent and seemingly new. The last object I had taken note of was the large blank blackboard fastened to the wall above the desk placed at the back of the room. Though it was small and rather cramped, and admittedly paled in comparison to my own, Moon Dancer had certainly built herself a study to be proud of. I was impressed to be sure, but that did little to detract from my earlier worry and curiosity of what she'd been doing and of what would come next once again rose to the forefront of my mind.

I asked her why she'd chosen to bring me down here and of the small meal we were to share above, to which she responded that there'd be time to share a meal later and that it was best to discuss the tome and its contents now. She explained that she felt far more comfortable down here than above. Her tone had lost that fervent edge I'd heard earlier, but she was no less excited for what was to come. As she spoke, both my eyes and my thoughts were drawn to the tome itself.

We both stood before the the large desk below the blackboard where Moon Dancer had placed the mysterious tome. The book was bound in dark leather and had a distinctly old and worn appearance. Both its spine and the edges had been decorated with a silvery metal lining whose luster had long since rusted away. Age had rendered the title of the tome completely illegible and there was only a hint of the strange and complex sigils that marked the cover.

The apparent age and lack of proper care aside, the tome looked much the same as any other grimoire you'd find in a shop of magical artifacts and tomes, but that was only at a glance. There was something different, something alien about this particular tome, of that I was certain. It drew me in even as it pushed me away, and all this before I'd even had a chance to peruse its contents properly. In my immense curiosity and intrigue I'd forgotten any reservations and made to reach for the tome, to pull it open and lay its secret bare for me to see.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I expected Moon Dancer to stop me, but the mare had gone strangely silent and merely watched me, as if anticipating my reaction. I paid her behavior no mind however, as my attention had been fully drawn to the book, and with great care, I pulled back the cover and began to read.

What greeted my eyes were words I could make neither heads nor tails of, and the images! Just as Moon Dancer had described in her letter, the script was unlike anything I'd ever seen, but it was the many illustrations that seized and shook me. Images of strange and horrifying creatures I couldn't have possibly dreamed of in even my worst nightmares decorated many pages, and that was not nearly the end of it. There were many more illustrations, each seemingly more gruesome and morbid than the last.

I will write no more of what I glimpsed in that horrible book, as the memory of it is beginning to weigh heavily on my mind. What I will say is that, at the time, the dark contents of that tome had sparked something in me; what horrified me had also awakened a need to know, much like it had with Moon Dancer I imagined. Call it a morbid curiosity if you wish, but I nevertheless sought an explanation for what I saw in that book. I needed to understand what it all meant.

After a few minutes or so I was able to collect myself and, with a surprising amount of effort, closed the book before returning my focus to Moon Dancer. I had many questions, first and foremost of which was in regard to the strange stallion and the circumstances surrounding his offering of the tome. I chose to voice my inquiry and Moon Dancer was all too happy to respond.

It was no secret that Moon Dancer was an avid collector of rare books; indeed, it was thanks to her that I had been able to get my hooves on many of the more obscure tomes I possessed in my own library. Having evidently heard about the mare's impressive collection, a stallion calling himself Sound Mind had visited Moon Dancer one afternoon with tome in hoof and an offer to add said tome to that collection.

From what I gathered of Moon Dancer's explanation, he was an odd sort—the mare having described the tan coated earth pony stallion as somepony who'd 'stepped right out of an era long since past'. In her words, the stallion's short mane and thick tail had both been black in hue and kept immaculately maintained. His eyes were well hidden behind dark circular shades and he wore a fine and old fashioned black tailcoat.

All of this combined with his handsome features and amiable smile had left quite an impression on Moon Dancer, who'd regarded Sound Mind with both awe and suspicion. Apparently, when asked exactly who he was and why he'd come to Moon Dancer of all ponies, he'd simply replied that he was a traveling antiquarian who'd run afoul of some bad luck and could no longer care for the tome as he once did. He'd come to Canterlot seeking another collector to look after the book in his stead and upon asking some locals, he'd been directed to Moon Dancer's home.

I found the tale somewhat suspect, as did Moon Dancer at the time, but she nevertheless agreed to look after the tome. Neither of us had a mind to turn down an offered book, especially one in such a horrid state as that tome. I didn't fault Moon Dancer for her decision, as I was fairly sure I'd have done the same and taken the tome were I to be put in her horseshoes. Still, I was wary of the thing and told Moon Dancer as much. She assured me she'd already taken steps in making sure there were no ancient curses or arcane traps placed upon the book, and that it was as safe to read as any of the other books in her library.

I, unable to ignore the ominous aura emanating from the book and the unsettling images therein, remained uncertain, but let the matter rest for the moment. From that point onward we fell into that deep discussion we'd been so eagerly looking forward to. We spoke of the strange script, the monstrous illustrations and much more besides. We crafted several theories, pulling various texts on cultures and creatures from around the world from the shelves for reference. As minutes turned to hours, and Celestia's bright sun gave way to Luna's pale moon, I soon forgot or perhaps abandoned all of my misgiving in mine and Moon Dancer's pursuit of the truth behind this tome and its unfamiliar script.

Eventually I grew lucid enough to realize how late it had gotten and promptly sent a letter to Spike informing him and the rest of my friends that I'd most likely be away for some time, though I was unsure of exactly how long. We researched the tome well into the night, but made little progress in deciphering the odd language with our limited resources. It was clear that this endeavor would take far more effort than either Moon Dancer or I initially thought. It took some time, but in the end I convinced Moon Dancer to call it a night, promising that we'd begin a more thorough study the next day and possibly the next few days after.

Comments

[Moosetasm]

a stallion calling himself Sound Mind

Roffle? Yes, roffle.

[Nevermore777]

Nyarlathotep, perhaps?

[Ali della Morte]

9723215
What?

[the7Saviors]

10150344
They're wondering if the mysterious stallion's identity is the one and only Nyarlathotep.