A strange book written in a script not linked to any known language is given to Moon Dancer by a mysterious stallion with dark spectacles and a charming smile. Wary of what lay within yet curious nonetheless, Moon Dancer enlists the aid of her old friend Twilight Sparkle in deciphering the script and unlocking the truth behind the book's origins.
What follows is a detailed account of the endeavor and its tragic and terrifying conclusion, penned by the broken mare who survived to tell the tale.
Chapters (12)
This isn't going to end well...
Memetic contagion, it's got to be. That's why those books are so dangerous, they're infectious, carriers.
A really good read, good capture of lovecraftian horror. I really wish there was more pony lovecraftian stories out there. Even though I suppose it's meant to do the opposite, it really made my day.
I am enjoying this story after only the first chapter. The style is very Lovecraftian: first person, manner of speech, etc. I look forward to devouring this tome in a manner similar to an ill-fated cake when encountered by Celestia.
Alondro reads the book... without translating it.
"Feh, only the weak are affected by such things. Good riddance to inferior life forms. HAIL HYDRA!!"
Also, what is it with mysterious stallions and weird book-keepers who turn into demons suddenly at the end of the movie (FU "Hellraiser", you're not a scary movie. I LAUGHED at you. Edgy BS with absurd gore, and nothing more.) always handing this stuff out. Frankly, I find that diminishes the impact. Just have your hapless idiots stumble across whatever-the-hell cursed/possessed McGuffin they go insane/die from. At least then it feels organic and not staged as hell from the start.
9720274
But it was staged, to hell and back. There was no small amount of effort invested into getting that book into Moondancer's hooves.
Roffle? Yes, roffle.
9720113
Agreed, Holographic/Fractal Memetics. Even having a small piece of the information causes spontaneous reproduction of the entire data set. Until it fills every last corner of your brain.
9720408
And you know what the vector is? Everything. The cover, the pages, the smell, the arrangement of the inks, everything. Just seeing it is enough to lodge the patterns in a receptive subconscious, and as the corruption intensifies they become able to perceive more and more powerful patterns layered beneath the initializing ones. Patterns made of patterns, you see?
And the best part is, it's completely inert to any kind of magical, technological, or psionic scans, because it's just artistic tics and embellishments. Only those for whom it is intended can even perceive/discover it's secret.
Shoggoths? ... well there’s your problem.
Very well done story. It deserves a Pious quote:
An excellent read, made all the better by the fact that I ended up involuntarily reading the entire thing in the voice of the Ancestor from Darkest Dungeon.
So... Moon Dancer died.
Shit, bro'.
9720891
Death tag ain't there for show, bro.
Lovecraftian (Cosmic) horror.... check
Well done. I thoroughly enjoyed that. Nothing quite like a bit of cosmic horror in the evening.
Also, Shogoths! Seriously, those things are just beyond awful.
As an aside, have you ever read any Algernon Blackwood? If not, I'd recomend his work. The Willows, The Glamour of Snow, and The Man Who The Trees Loved are all some of my favorites of his.
9721522
Heard of him, but haven't read his stuff yet, I'll check him out.
This was great! Definitely a well thought out exploration into this writing style, which I've always enjoyed.
9720553
Yeah, I mean you can summon Gods and their Avatars, but end up with a protoplasmic terminator
9720337 That's my point. It reduces any fear factor for me when there something pulling the strings too obviously.
Then all I care about is finding and brutally slaughtering the perp. (Alondro is the Element of Kicking Villain Plot)
Nyarlathotep, perhaps?
9720553
Yeah, guessing the book was a little outdated, written back when they could be controlled
Which is kinda of funny when you think about it, how even dark tomes of Eldritch lore can be as outdated as any textbook
9723239
Or... it was done that way on purpose. Especially if Sound Mind is Nyarlathotep. I say it’s not Hast—The King in Yellow because... well, no yellow.
9723215
https://m.Not your best but still good.
The story leaves a lot to be answered, but explains a bit by answering the maybe and why it vanished before she went Coo-coo.
I'm guessing the tome was the necronomicon?
9867091
Let's just say that it certainly draws more that a bit of inspiration from the infamous piece of fictional text...
Before I start reading this, a few stories come to mind.
"Jerusalem's Lot" by Stephen King.
"The Rats In the Walls" by H.P. Lovecraft.
"The Terror At Red Hook" by H.P. Lovecraft.
9965183
Think The Case of Charles Dexter Ward mixed with a bit of At the Mountains of Madness. Not entirely accurate, but that's the closest I can think of to describe the story at the moment.
So author has read both "At The Mountains Of Madness" and "The Re-Animator". I'm already giving this story a thumbs up!
9965210
I think the only Lovecraft story I haven't read/listened to an audiobook of at this point is his Red Hook story. Though there might be one or two more out there somewhere.
Good Lovecraftian horror tale. You earned a favorite.
9965319
Thanks, for the favorite. If you enjoyed that, you might consider checking out my other Lovecraftian tale. Though it's a lot more involved—more a full-length (and currently ongoing) novel rather than the standard short novella format.
9965351
That's in my massive "Read It Later" list. I'll get to it one of these days.
9965755
Fair enough, let me know what you think once you get around to reading it.
That was foreboding.
9723215
What?
10150344
They're wondering if the mysterious stallion's identity is the one and only Nyarlathotep.
10151260
Never heard of him before.
Interesting read.
Hi there! I'm writing to let you know that I've picked your story from the My Little Reviews and Feedback group's main folder! Should you wish to request a different reviewer, or if you no longer want this story reviewed, please let me know. Otherwise, I look forwards to reading your story. Deuces!
10215531
That's fine with me. I've been meaning to have this story reviewed anyway, but I didn't know which reviewer would want to tackle it.
Hey there! This was reviewed here. Thanks for submitting, and I hope you find what I have to say useful. Deuces.
Getting some Lovecraftian vibes
Really solid atmosphere all around! There is a lot to like here, and a solid injection of typical Lovecraftian ideas into regular Equestrai. It really works as a story. My biggest issue is the editing. There are tons of comma splices, run-on sentences, and all around poorly structured things. It gets to the point that it starts getting in the way of the overall narrative even, which is a shame.
I couldn't understand what that mare could be gleaning from a book whose text she could no more read than I, yet she continued to pour over its contents as though it alone held all the answers.
Ignore me if I'm wrong, but I think I found a typo. I believe that the highlighted word above ought to be pore. Aside from this tiny detail great work.
The pain abated quickly as before, but it took much long for the fear to die down.
Just another friendly edit, the highlighted word above needs to be longer. Still great work.
Thankfully it wasn't long before an old, but well maintain cabin came into view, and I couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Hello, apologies in advance if I come across as nitpicky as I assure you is not my intention. But I couldn't help but notice another typo the highlighted word above should probably be maintained. Still only three typos in this story thus far speaks highly for your dedication to good fanfiction.
10473144
Thanks, I don't mind if typos are pointed out (so long as you're not a jerk about it obviously) and I do go back through and read my own stories on occasion. I usually try to get the ones that fall through the cracks then but I might sttill miss some.
Everything that had to with that tome and what she did with it, it's all here.
This quote is missing a word,