3. The Diary
“Starlight… please… at least tell me what happened…”
Twilight sat on the cold crystal floor, her back pressed against the wooden door. She looked down, simply waiting.
The air stayed quiet.
Giving up, she sighed and got to her hooves, walking away from the unopened door.
For a moment, she stopped, and talked again.
“Look… it’s been really uneventful lately. If you want to try some spells… I’m available.”
A book floated out of the shelf, and unceremoniously plopped on the table. The lavender mare looked through it uninterested and, after a few seconds, returned it to its place. Another was pulled out, and the cycle repeated.
Twilight was trying to get her head on other things, but it was no use.
The sun had barely risen, only a few faint rays of light entering the library. She normally wasn’t up this early. but the newfound stress that had been accumulating since the start of the week had done a number on her sleep.
She had messed up.
Starlight had isolated herself in her room for the past two days. At first, Twilight thought Starlight was just upset, about the argument they had, but every time she thought about it, she couldn’t shake off the feeling there was something deeper happening to Starlight. She still remembered her disheveled state, her lightless eyes.
That, she thought, was her fault.
She had been so hard on her. She should’ve just said the plain truth, how she wanted to experiment with magic, just not the endangering spells Starlight suggested.
Instead, she just exploded. Like a pressure cooker that was suddenly opened. Maybe it was all the stress of her approaching coronation. She didn’t see it as an excuse though, not even as a valid reason for what she did.
On top of all that, there was the recently surfaced grudge Trixie still seemed to hold against her without her knowledge. She hadn’t really tried to make full amends with Trixie after she had been so unforgiving with her—an apology wasn’t enough—so really it shouldn’t have been a surprise.
She let out a quiet sigh, put the book she had barely read back in place, and rested her head on her hooves atop the table. Thing was, how could she talk to Starlight without forcing things? Moreover, how would she even establish a conversation with Trixie?
You are the Princess of Friendship Twilight, she thought accusingly to herself, you have to figure out something.
Destiny decided she didn’t need to take the first step herself however. The door to the library roared open and startled her straight, she looked over, Trixie gazed back at her with wide, terrified eyes.
They merely stared at each other for a few seconds, until Trixie opened her mouth, seemingly unable to form words. Twilight had to almost guide her to the other side of the table, and tell her to sit, trying to calm her down.
After about half a minute of rubbing the mare’s shivering back, Trixie finally spoke.
“I… I need to… t-tell you something…”
Twilight relocated to her original position, so she could look right at Trixie.
“Okay… it’s… complicated and… I…” she was visibly struggling, fidgeting her hooves and shifting her gaze constantly.
“Deep breaths,” Twilight said, “let the tension out.”
Trixie’s eyes fixated on Twilight’s. “You… you won’t believe me.”
“And what reason do you have to lie?” Twilight countered comfortingly. The poor mare was in so much distress. It was her job to fix it.
“I… heh…” Trixie managed a weak smile. “I guess you’re right.”
Twilight smiled back. “Don’t be scared to tell me anything, okay?”
That seemed to be enough, as Trixie began to talk with more ease, albeit there was still a little shakiness in her tone.
“There’s a lot to see… and it’s very complicated.” Her horn lit up. “It’s better if you see it for yourself. You’re smarter than me after all.”
Twilight was a little surprised at the comment, but she let it flow. Trixie produced a brown hardbound book, leaving it on the table facing Twilight. She immediately recognized it when she saw the obvious cover.
“Starlight’s diary?” she said with a hint of surprise, “I gifted it to her a while ago.” Her gaze shifted slightly upwards. “By the look she gave it, it didn’t seem like she would use it.”
Trixie let out an almost unnoticeable chuckle. “And she didn’t… until now that is.” She put a hoof on the cover and leaned over slightly. “You can make copies of books right?” she said in an uncharacteristically serious tone. “You should make one for yourself,” her eyes shifted to the book fearfully, “Starlight will want it back.”
“Yes I can… Starlight herself showed me the spell for the Friendship Journal…” dubiety rose in Twilight’s mind. “What’s so important about it?”
“Just… trust me on this one, please.”
Twilight stared quizzically at Trixie, but her pleading eyes ended up convincing her not to doubt. She had said it herself, Trixie had no reason to lie in this situation.
Closing her eyes, magic surged from her horn, and a small ray hit the diary. It floated upwards, and from it poured more energy that formed into a spine and covers. The empty bindings opened, and from the original book, duplicates of the pages flew off, filling the mirrored coverings. Twilight’s horn glowed a soft white in the process. Trixie merely stared up, with a small glint of fascination reflecting in her eyes.
The lights faded, and now two even books lay on the table.
“Okay,” Trixie said with wide eyes, “Now just keep it safe, don’t let Starlight find out.”
The dire tone in Trixie’s words confused and chilled Twilight. It was almost as if Trixie had grown afraid of Starlight. Nonetheless, she decided to follow, and with a magenta flash, the copy disappeared, teleported away.
“I put it somewhere safe,” she said simply. “Now, even if it is hard to explain, I need some context. I’m sure you understand.”
Trixie looked down at the table. “Yes… of course.”
Trixie told her the events of the bygone days from her perspective. She told her about the failed show, her convoluted plan to face Starlight alone, and how she found the journal in the middle of the night. It drifted off when Trixie let go and expressed her grudge against Twilight. When she was finally finished, Twilight looked at her with sorry eyes.
“Oh, Trixie…” Twilight tried to solace the show mare, giving her a warm smile. “Don’t feel withdrawn to share your feelings with me, especially if it’s because I’ve made a mistake.” She leaned forward, “I hurt you, and I’m truly sorry. From now on, I promise to be there for you anytime, as your friend.”
Trixie’s eyes were glassy. Liquid was collecting and about to run down her cheeks. She closed them tightly, and nodded with a trembling but genuine smile. When she opened them, all fear seemed to be gone from them, now resolute and bright.
“There’s a few things I can tell you,” she wiped her watery eyes, “about the diary, that is.”
“Go on,” Twilight said
“Well… it’s hard to understand, Starlight wrote it for herself,” Trixie explained, “but you can tie it together if you pay attention.” She shuddered. “It’s… scary. It explains why Starlight has been so distant and where she was when she returned all…”
“I know,” Twilight said, “I guessed she went to the Everfree forest, judging by the leaves and dirt she was covered with.”
“Yes, exactly!” Trixie confirmed nervously. “She found something in there… a temple?” Trixie’s gaze started to shift around again. “It’s not something from the forest. It’s… unnatural.”
Temple…? Twilight thought to herself. She hadn’t considered it before, but now that she remembered, something in Starlight’s eyes suggested it was more than a scare. That something had truly changed in her.
“Before you continue,” Twilight interrupted, “you’ve been talking about Starlight as if you were afraid of her.”
Trixie’s eyes widened. “It had to do with the things. The things she found inside the temple.”
“Things? Like objects or beings?”
“Both maybe?” Trixie said unsure. “It’s really hard to read. You can tie the strings together but Starlight made it so only she can fully understand it so there’s omissions and shortenings and-“
“Trixie,” Twilight soothed. “Calm down. Focus.”
Trixie took a deep breath. “Okay… we need to help Starlight.”
Twilight began to worry. “Are the… things putting her in danger?”
“Not just her,” Trixie’s voice lowered, “It may be all of Equestria.”
Twilight eyes widened. A pit began to open in her stomach.
“But… Starlight does have a special relation, I think,” she said uneasily, “whatever it is, it may have taken hold of-”
Trixie interrupted herself with a small gasp through clenched teeth, as her expression changed with dread, looking past Twilight. The princess turned, and her pupils shrank when she saw Starlight herself standing in the doorway.
“Hi Twilight! Hi Trixie, didn’t expect you here!” she said cheerfully. “Were you two talking about something?” she began to trot towards them, seemingly oblivious of both mares’ expressions.
Twilight got off from her seat. “Hi Starlight!” she said in a slightly nervous tone, “haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Oh, right,” Starlight said, stopping in front of Twilight, “sorry about that… I should’ve probably been more communicative. I was just really occupied with something, you know?” she finished with a sweet smile.
“That’s okay, no hard feelings!” Twilight responded with a forced smile.
Starlight attention drifted to the mare behind Twilight, and in a sudden electric flash, she was right beside Trixie, startling the blue unicorn.
“Sorry! I’m just very excited!” she leaned towards Trixie. “There’s something I…” her words trailed off as she took notice of the book on the table, her smile falling.
Noticing the tension growing in Trixie, Twilight stepped in. “I was going to tell you about that,” she spoke on a surprisingly calm tone. “Trixie found it in one of the hallways when she came looking for you. She brought it to me in confusion. I already explained to her it’s your diary, seems like you lost it.”
Starlight raised an eyebrow. “It has my cutie mark on the cover.”
“Better safe than sorry?” Trixie suddenly spoke up with a sheepish smile.
Starlight seemed to buy it. “I guess…” she said half-rolling her eyes. “But I don’t take it out of my room.”
“Maybe you just don’t remember?” Twilight said, “It happens.”
Starlight narrowed her eyes, looking at her journal. “Eh,” she shrugged, “didn’t have anything important on it anyway.” Her horn lit up, and the book was teleported away. She then turned to Trixie again, her excitement returning. “So, I have something to show you!”
Trixie’s fear had mostly diluted, but she didn’t share Starlight’s feeling. “What kind of thing?”
Starlight winked. “It’s a surprise~!” she grabbed one of Trixie’s hooves. “Come! It’s outside!”
“Um…” As she was pulled out of her seat, Trixie looked sideways at Twilight, as if expecting approval. Twilight didn’t say anything, she merely stared at Trixie, not sure of what to do.
Trixie turned back to Starlight. The sudden cheerful attitude Starlight was displaying seemed to calm her down, as her expression of distrust began to fade. However, there was still a hint of doubt on her, which suggested Twilight the following actions were more of an act than actual trust.
“We’ll go,” Trixie said letting go of Starlight’s hoof, smirking. “But we’ll do it at Trixie’s pace.”
Starlight rolled her eyes fully this time. “As you wish, o great and powerful,” she said as they exited the library. Twilight thought Trixie gave her one last look of dubiety before walking off, but she wasn’t sure if it was real, or the ideas the mare put in her head were already getting to her.
She thought about following them, but with Trixie’s words still in her head, she convinced herself reading the journal’s contents would be best before any confrontation. She turned around and teleported the copy back to the table, but before she could sit down and read it, another creature made itself present.
“Did they leave already?” Spike said with disappointment, peeking into the library. “I thought I heard Starlight…”
“She was here,” Twilight said, trying to cheer up her assistant. “She will come back soon though, so don’t worry.”
“Okay…” Spike accepted, still a little gloomy. “Breakfast’s ready by the way.”
“I guessed,” Twilight said with a smile.
She pushed all the chaotic thoughts back. As Spike had told her many times she studied early in the morning, breakfast always came first.
She followed after him, not without giving the diary one last look of fear. Maybe she should read it first?
No, she said, turning her gaze back forward, I may worry Spike if I skip breakfast. I’ll have something simple and come back to read it in no time.
In one of our many travels looking for land outside of Grogar’s reach, we stumbled upon a wide forested area, filled with tenebrous creatures of all sorts, no wonder the spawn of Grogar’s terrible beasts. It was hard, but we managed to set a camp, hoping to regroup and gain forces. We had to wait for Gusty’s return, since her magic skills were essential for the dark goat’s defeat.
Unfortunately, things did not turn out as we expected. One of our explorers, Runeheart, if memory does not fail me, returned from another routine walk outside. She said that she had found a “great city of pure stone”. Since trust in our circle was of utmost importance, we had no doubt of her words. She guided us through the vegetation, and we confirmed her allegations.
It was a landscape of gray, with different buildings of not too dissimilar architecture from our own, albeit with carvings of unintelligible complexity that should not be ignored. Even then, we fearfully admired the seemingly perfect masonry, as if the awesome cathedrals had been sculpted directly on giant solid rocks.
What we found there, was far from something even the evil Grogar would make. I will not go into detail of our encounter, for the horrors we endured are many and unspeakable, but, after moons of fighting and running, we managed to seal them in their lifeless city, through what we learned from those who made the great sacrifice of sharing their hive-mind through our spells.
We understood the why of their shape and nature, since they came from another realm of what we may call infinity, but I will leave that for the hundreds of pages I shall write soon. The mere memory of those monstrous creatures and their fetidness makes me tremble, and almost wish we had not built our camp in that accursed forest.
A quote from the ‘green book’, rewritten in contemporary ponish, as Starlight had labeled under the excerpt. The first fully understandable writing she had found so far. Left unnamed was the author, if there even was one. There were, supposedly, two other books in Starlight’s possession, one of them was of importance, the other was considered useless.
She recognized the obvious names of the legends of Gusty the Great and Grogar, Father of Monsters, which struck her with a new fear.
Those were just legends, right? She had considered them possibly real, but there were inconsistencies and so much flowery language in their telling that she always saw it as a fairytale with hints of truth. Now, the possibility of it not only being fully real, but that the legends covered a far greater, abominable secret, hit her on her beliefs like a rock hits glass.
She pushed the open book away for a second, and began to look at nowhere in particular, trying to make sense of what she had thus far. It would be better to focus on Starlight’s situation; the possible changes of perspective on ancient pony history would have to be left for later.
This is ridiculous, she thought.
The writings of the diary were jumbled and, as Trixie had said, had many abbreviations and cutoffs of stuff only Starlight knew. There were exotic names and references to things that repeated on them. Masogda, Sagae, the temple, the Everfree, Lugthox, the Red Book, Yog-Sothoth. Diagrams were reduced to random lines and geometric shapes in her lack of understanding. However, the last paragraphs had given her some answers, and her mind began to work, tying the dangling ropes together.
Starlight made constant references to ‘the temple’ in which the ‘Sagae’ resided. She guessed this temple could be one of the buildings on the ‘great city’ the old unicorn tribe had found. In addition, the Sagae could be the ‘monstrous’ beings they sealed, considering how Starlight called them ‘horrid’. She made mentions of ‘revolting smell’ in reference to nameless beings, but the statement itself, and the fact that she wrote she had ‘set them loose’ made a clear connection with the aforementioned paragraphs and the terrifying Sagae.
‘Lugthox’ was probably the realm—maybe another planet or dimension?—from which this Sagae had come. Starlight treated the name as corresponding to a place. It could be the name for the temple or the city, so she wasn’t entirely sure what Lugthox specifically referred to.
For the other three things, she had next to no clues. ‘Masogda’ was only written one time, without any hinting as to what it could be, same went for ‘Yog-Sothoth’. The ‘Red Book’ was said to be ‘written by accursed extremities’. Maybe those extremities were from the Sagae.
She floated the diary towards her again, and flipped the bound sheets until she was back on the starting page to reread the first paragraph.
It made much more sense now.
She flipped through the pages again, back to where the Green Book’s quote was. It was a minor surprise now, but for two days, Starlight had written a lot. Now that she thought about it, it was as if Starlight wrote down as she thought, not really organizing anything.
After the quotation, there were a few paragraphs from Starlight that were more in line with the first one, although what they said and the shaky writing filled Twilight with fear and worry:
Every time I close my eyes I see what they see. I see how they see, a thousand images at a time. They slide and crawl through the leaves and dirt, disgustingly plastic and… they tell me they need me to come back. That I will be given power in Masogda’s reign. But I don’t want to live in a world where nopony can’t think and my friends won’t remember me and
No no no no leave me alone! I won’t go! I won’t curse all races with such a destiny, which would happen if I were to call Yog-Sothoth so he gives power to the Gateway again… Shut up! Just shut up… I didn’t want this… I wanted to change the world for the better not to… I’m a good pony… I was just curious and dumb, how was I supposed to know that
My head hurts. The walls fade. They become grey and aged like… No no no leave me alone leave me be! The eyes, the eyes darker than black, they are opening again. I see the stars and they beckon and mock me. They are tinkling away. Or am I going past them? I can´t tell, but it’s so dark and the gulf is shifting like worms.
The red light. The red light is there, it’s pulsating and dancing around, swirling on itself and burning with desire. It wants to come, it wants to conquer. No malevolence, just desire.
My legs move on their own. They are tugging at my mind. I can’t leave them without something. I need to warn them. The book. I need the book…
Twilight’s eyes were wide. Before the pit on her stomach could swallow her heart, she flipped the page, and read the last paragraph on the diary, another barely legible quote from the Green Book:
Masogda, the Mind Devourer, lives up to its title. Through certain practices it can be called forth from the sphere it inhabits beyond our material world, where things are drastically different, even more than where it spawned its servants, the Sagae. It tricks lesser beings with promises of illumination, and those naïve enough to fall will know the outer frost. It eats at the mind and replaces it with its own essence, making use of the body, like a puppet of meat…
“Twilight?”
She almost jumped on her chair. On reflex, she shut the journal and teleported it away with her magic. She turned to look at Spike, who stared back with concern from the doorway.
“Dinner’s ready, it has been a while ago.” He raised an eyebrow with worry. “Are you ok? You’re sweating.”
“Uh…” Twilight’s mind was still lingering on the diary´s revelations. She shook her head. “No, no… I uh…” she raised her hooves and rubbed her temples with her eyes closed tightly, feeling the coldness that had accumulated from the salty liquid. She let her forelegs fall with a sigh, and managed to smile at Spike. “I’m coming. Just give me a few seconds to… organize what I was reading.”
“Okay…” Spike said with some dubiety, “I was worried you would skip with studying or something.” His expression took a turn with a grin. “Starlight is back for dinner now!”
Twilight froze. “Starlight… is having dinner with us?”
“Of course! Like you said, she came back. Seems like she finally snapped out of whatever she was in the past few days.” Spike turned and walked away. “Don’t take too long if you want to try the cupcakes she brought!”
In his excitement, Spike didn’t notice the expression Twilight was carrying. One that was contorted with a deep, seething fear that seeped through every hair on her coat.
‘It may have taken hold of-’
Her mind.
Trixie had known. Yet she still had gone with Starlight—or what claimed to be Starlight—. She knew it was dangerous, and she decided to follow Starlight’s game.
Was it so she had a chance? A chance to figure out a solution?
‘You’re smarter than me after all.’
She got off the chair. There were still so many questions that surfaced and spun in the maelstrom that were her thoughts, but one had taken great priority. She had to help Starlight, and make sure Trixie was okay. Then, she’d go to the Everfree, and seal back whatever monstrosity Starlight had freed on accident. She couldn’t tell her friends. This was something better buried forever, like it had been millennia ago. The lesser ponies knew, the better.
Nevertheless, what should she do? Restrain Starlight and question her? That would be way too hard, and she wouldn’t be able to do it without calling more attention, or hurting Starlight herself. Spike believed the pony sitting with him at the dinner table was Starlight as she had always been. How could she keep this out of his knowing?
Her eyes widened. A pressure almost painful spread on her torso.
Spike was alone with Starlight. Alone with the monster that used her as a mask.
She sprinted out of the library. She almost opened her wings to fly off, which made her stumble. Her heart pumped with so much force, she could hear it on her ears. Fire and fear ran through her limbs, and they hit the floor with force, echoing throughout the crystal hall that seemed infinitely long, as if she would never reach the dining room. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him. She had sworn she would take care of him. If just one scale on his body was hurt…
Immense relief came over her when she saw him happily munching on a cupcake, sitting on one end of the table. The pressure returned when her gaze shifted and she saw Starlight on the other end, sipping from her cup.
She didn’t say anything. She just averted her gaze and walked over to the table, sitting down in one of the middle chairs, while Starlight levitated a cucumber sandwich in her magic and took a bite out of it.
“Mmm!” Starlight squealed in delight before gulping. “You make the best sandwiches Spike!”
“Aww shucks,” he said waving a claw, “just making what I know you like.”
Starlight giggled. “Well thank you then.” She took another bite out of the bread, her cheeks colored with a soft redness.
Twilight tried her hardest to not even glance at Starlight. There was a feeling of danger if she looked at her. Her eyes chose to look around the table, at the many kinds of nice food besides the cupcakes and sandwiches. Spike had truly gone all out with Starlight returning.
Starlight noticed. She put down her food and raised an eyebrow at Twilight. She smiled.
“Hello,” she said, waving softly at the princess, “have we met before?”
“Huh?” Twilight muttered, her head brusquely turning to Starlight. “Uh…”
Starlight tittered. “Sorry, you just didn’t say hi.”
“Oh…” Twilight said. Her words drifted off as her eyes locked on Starlight’s own.
The interaction had gotten a chuckle from Spike. “Well, she probably forgot with how long you were gone!”
Starlight made a nervous laugh. “Hahaha… yeah…”
Twilight didn’t even hear what they were saying. All her attention went to Starlight, in whose eyes she swore she could see a faint, reddish phosphorescence dance around her pupils and iris.
“Twiliiiight~,” Starlight insisted, “what’s so pretty about my eyes?”
Spike laughed noticeably this time, snapping Twilight out of her trance. “You’re on fire Starlight!”
“Oh, I’m just trying to be more ‘active’ you know?” She responded in a tone that Twilight didn’t consider normal. It was too smug. Too joyous.
“I’m sure you would!” Twilight suddenly said, deciding to follow Starlight’s game. “I mean… you haven’t talked to us in over two days! I’m sure there is a lot of stuff that you’d like to tell us.”
This seemed to catch Starlight off guard, whose expression changed with surprise.
I got you now, thought Twilight, now smiling herself at Starlight.
However, to her surprise, Starlight’s smile returned, and, closing her eyes, she turned her forelegs elbows down, raising her hooves and tapping them together under her muzzle. She let out an uncharacteristically dark chuckle, which made Twilight’s nervousness grow.
“Yeah… I was going to tell you about that in private,” she said in a strange tone. She shrugged. “But I guess I can talk about it now.
“I thought it was something important, but it was a false alarm. I could bore you with the details, but believe me; it’s unnecessary and doesn’t deserve your worry.” She looked at Twilight with a relaxed yet slightly ambivalent stare. “I am sorry I worried you, but I was a little lost and confused those days. All is well now though. I have figured it out. When you least expect it, this will all seem like a fussy dream.”
She turned to look at Spike. “I’m sorry for worrying you too Spike. I should have assured you two I was fine, just concentrated. But, like I said and insist, it was nothing to worry, in the end. I guess I blew things out of proportion due to fear. I was naïve, and I hurt you.
“Now look at us! Sharing a nice dinner together. We don’t have to pressure ourselves with imaginary weights anymore! I promise you, things will get much better from now on. I have taken more control over myself, I have learned from my mistakes in magic and my impulsiveness. Believe me, you are better not knowing all the useless work I did those two days.”
“Uh… okay?” Spike said with a dubitative smile. “I’m just happy you are fine.”
“Yes… we both are.” Twilight followed, looking down at the table, not really focusing on it.
“I’m happy to hear that,” ‘Starlight’ said with a seemingly genuine smile.
The rest of the dinner was ‘Starlight’ exchanging with Spike, since Twilight kept herself on her thoughts. Sometimes Spike would call her attention about whatever he was commenting with the other mare, to which she gave weak smiles and chortles. Spike seemed to get on her case, but whenever he looked about to ask her what was wrong, ‘Starlight’ would change the subject, quickly starting to talk about something else.
Later, plates were left on the sink, leftovers on the refrigerator, and Twilight said she was going to bed early. Closing the door behind her calmly, she sat on her bed, pondering.
She had thought if she drove ‘Starlight’ to a corner, she would try to isolate herself again, or something similar. Instead, she had found out that ‘Starlight’ knew very well what she was doing. It was easy to tell, however, that it wasn’t the same mare she had known. Her tone, her wording… it was all wrong.
Enveloped in magenta magic, the drawer of her desk opened revealing the copied diary inside.
Twilight levitated the book to herself, and merely looked at the cover.
Whatever the Sagae and Masogda were, they had taken hold of Starlight. And, as the Princess of Friendship and Starlight’s tutor, it was her responsibility to cure Starlight before it was too late.
But how?
Her sleepy mind wouldn’t let her think. If she wasted more time, the danger would grow, but if she let herself get weak, ‘Starlight’ would surely take the chance.
Her eyelids began to get heavy, and she yawned. Maybe sleeping was the better option. She wouldn’t get results if she tried to work with a tired mind.
However, this time she dreamt. About a shifting shape that strode and slid in the dark, always hidden. And Twilight merely glanced at it sideways, too afraid to look at it directly for too long. Fortunately for her, the shape never approached, and she wasn’t even sure if there would be a shape to see.
A most ghastly smell stabbed Octavia’s nose, rudely pulling her out of her peaceful sleep.
It ran up her nostrils and, in her drowsy state, shot a sharp pain through her head that went all around her forehead and temples. She clenched her teeth in hurtful surprise, pulling her left hoof out of the bed covers and over to her head.
She groaned softly, her mind still clouded, but when she breathed in again, that horrid scent came in, startling her to full consciousness.
Sitting up, she chose to put her left hoof to her nose and breathe through her mouth. She would not be able to describe the odor exactly. It was strong, acid, and downright unpleasant. Not like the putridness of a dumpster, it was something different.
Reaching out with her unoccupied leg, she turned on the small but potent bedside table lamp. The dark was replaced by the plain brown walls of her room, along with her neatly organized instruments on one side—her favorite violin always prominent—, and music ornaments in their shelves on the other.
She stared right at the door in front of the bed, doubtful. She would probably have to find the source of the smell, since it would be impossible to conceal sleep with it in the air. A tinge of fear was what kept her from going out. Whatever was the source of that aroma, it couldn’t be normal.
Maybe it would go out on its own, or she’d get used to it. She decided to lower her hoof, and inhale through her nose.
Immediately her snout scrunched and she winced, covering her muzzle with both hooves, coughing, as she felt nauseous.
With a sigh close to a groan, she got off her bed and towards the door, her right hoof now on her nose. Opening it, a sudden thickness filled the ambience, which made it harder to breathe. Her lungs filled heavily with a weird, viscous air. Her eyes began to itch, and got teary. At the light coming from her bedroom, which dissipated enough of the black on the living room to see, she saw a pale fume float around.
Trying to fight through it, she stepped into the living room. It surprised her to see that Vinyl was not awake. The DJ had some of the deepest sleep, but there was no way it would’ve been enough to not notice that terrible stench. Nonetheless, she looked around, and her eyes fixated on the door.
She approached it slowly, disgusted at the sight. There was a small, glistening puddle right under the door, bluish lumps like splattered jelly accompanying it.
She had found the source.
Not sure what to do, she slowly lowered her right hoof from her nose, still making sure she breathed through her mouth. The rest of her body seemed to retract while her leg reached out to the substance. Afraid, she hesitated, shivers running through her back, but she took a deep breath, and lightly touched its surface. Her teeth clenched with how cold it was, and the repulse she felt only grew when the sticky liquid trailed after her hoof like slobber.
“Hey.”
Her eyes widened, and her muscles tensed. In less than a second, she turned around to see another pony standing on the hallway that led to the kitchen. By the voice, she could tell they were a mare, but her features were hidden by the darkness. She could only faintly see her hooves, but she couldn’t make out the coat tone.
“Sorry about that, but it couldn’t find another way to enter.”
That voice… she had heard it before.
“What… what are you doing here? Who are you?!” Octavia demanded.
“Does that really matter?” The mare said, not with sarcasm or malice, but in a tone that suggested she genuinely thought her reasons for being here lacked importance.
“It doesn’t matter?!” Octavia’s own tone went from fearful to indignant. She rose her voice defensively. “You… you broke into my house!”
The mare let out a sound of surprise. Then, to Octavia’s fear, she began to laugh shrilly, a laugh not of joy, but of imbalance.
“Sorry… I’ve been a little lost lately,” her voice sounded broken, uneven. “It has been a pretty crazy week! With the visions… the calling… the memories of that temple…”
Octavia didn’t find any words to respond. She merely looked at the veiled face, becoming harder and harder to breathe with the pressure on her chest and the thickening air.
“Don’t bother to scream,” the mare said flatly, “I’ve put on soundproof spells. Not even your friend can hear you… or smell them.”
“T…them…?”
The mare didn’t respond. Instead, the darkness did, releasing more of that thick mist with a hiss, and Octavia’s face contorted in dread. She tried to scream, but all that came out was a weak whimper, as she saw the nightmarish thing emerge from behind the pony. The immense, amorphous, indescribable thing that oozed viscously into the room, a red phosphorescence appearing in the blackness above it all.
Ponyville woke with a scream. A scream from vocal cords most ponies had never heard before.
When the scared residents looked out their windows or stepped through their doors in worry, they saw a familiar white unicorn mare of messy blue mane; her characteristic purple glasses had been replaced with tears and an expression of absolute terror. She was running right towards princess Twilight’s castle, and nopony could call her attention.
“Has anypony seen Lyra?!” were the words that called everypony else’s attention. They came from another mare however, vanilla coat, pink with dark-blue curls, and lacking a horn.
“She wasn’t home for breakfast!” Bon Bon spoke with fear and desperation. “She’s never late! Has anypony seen her?!”
Nopony knew about Lyra’s whereabouts. Panic quickly began to spread. Without much organization, the denizens began a search. A clueless and headless, but determined search. Some went to encourage Bon Bon, but others still remembered DJ Pon-3 and that pungent scream. What happened to her?
Princess Twilight would get the answers. She received Pon-3 in her shaken, crying state. She rambled with a trembling voice, and, in the end, she only managed to ask Twilight to come to her house. Something horrible had happened, the marks were in the living room. Octavia could be in danger.
Twilight agreed to go without doubt. However, fear had also gripped her. The memories, those blasphemous contents on the diary crept slowly into her head, and thoughts began to fly again. As they both walked down the paved street, the sun seemed dimmer, with the sky covered in wispy shapes of black. The shadows looked longer, threatening, like giants of darkness.
Those that had been set loose. The Sagae. What were they? Did they feed? Were they intelligent? Could they be around Ponyville? Could they be under the darkness projected by the houses, watching her and the DJ as they walked? Did they even have a corporeal shape?
The house of the musicians was visible. A fetid odor filled the air.
And when she opened the door, with the wave of foul smell bursting out, weaponizing the disgusting coat of bluish sticky slime that covered the whole room tinted with soft, blood-like red, she had to fight to not faint right at the spot, the first time she would’ve fainted of nothing but horror in her life.
Mustering up all her strength, she told Pon-3 not to worry and to stay in somepony else’s house meanwhile if she could. Pon-3 merely nodded, shutting her eyes and hanging her head down. A few tears fell to the floor. Twilight didn’t notice, since she had begun to make her wobbly walk back towards the castle.
The world began to feel distant. It spun and faded slowly, becoming unreal.
Rainbow Dash suddenly landed in front of Twilight, bringing her back to reality again. The things in the shadows still tittered maliciously.
“Sorry!” Rainbow exclaimed with a sheepish smile. “I was in a rush looking for you.”
Twilight’s eyes shifted, staring at Rainbow. They didn’t focus fully on her.
“I guess you already know what’s going on,” Rainbow continued, “It’s bad, we haven’t found Lyra and we’ve looked over half of Ponyville.”
Twilight didn’t respond. The shadows shifted.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?” upon not getting a response, she waved her hoof in front of Twilight’s face. “Hellooo? Equestria to Twilight?”
Twilight’s eyes widened, and they finally managed to focus on Dash.
The Pegasus frowned. “Have you been staying up late again?”
Trying to clear her brain, Twilight shook her head. “No… I…” She grunted when a sharp pain shot through her head, and she fell to her haunches, rising her hooves to rub her temples.
“Twilight?” Rainbow’s voice echoed far away.
Twilight couldn’t respond. The Ponyville houses seemed to fade, slowly turning dead and gray. The clouds turned toxic, the sun wavered and weakened. The stone towers rose high, and that shape, the formless thing from her dream lurked around again, haunting, but never approaching.
“Twilight!” Rainbow shouted, grabbing Twilight’s shoulders.
Everything returned as it should be. Twilight stared right at Rainbow and nothing else.
“Go get some rest, okay?” she assured, “we’ll take care of the problems.”
Twilight took a few seconds before nodding, and shakily standing up.
“Uh… before you go though,” Rainbow said awkwardly, “did Vinyl tell you what was going on? Uh, DJ Pon-3, I mean.”
“It was something with Octavia,” Twilight said.
“Oh?” Rainbow’s tone turned curious, with a drop of fear. “Is… is she okay?”
She’s dead.
“She’s also missing,” Twilight responded.
“Oh shoot!” Rainbow’s wings opened, “I better tell the rest then!”
With that, Rainbow shot into the sky with a multicolored trail following behind her. Twilight looked until she was out of sight. Then, she simply continued walking, until she reached the castle.
Nobody received her at home. Not Spike, not Starlight.
She went straight to Starlight’s room. She looked under the bed, as well as in, under and behind her furniture. Framed pictures were thrown in frustration, the whole room was almost trashed.
No sight of either of those books, nor the diary.
She entered her room, and opened the drawer on her desk.
The copy was gone.
She threw herself in bed, looking at the roof of the canopy.
Everything was breaking down.
She had to find Trixie. She had to stop Starlight. But all her energy and resolution had vanished, replaced by the sight of those grotesque glimpses, the infernal revelations of the diary. Had she dreamed that? Had something finally snapped in her after years of pressure in saving the world?
She didn’t have time to debate, as her world slowly turned to black, and her eyelids closed over her eyes. And her dreams were plagued again by those dark unshaped things, what she thought could be the Sagae, and their Lord, Masogda, looming in the distance.
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I hate this, literally giving me anxiety reading it late in the night! Still freaking creepy with that reveal, hope Twilight has a chance!
10352443
You almost had me on the first line. Glad you hate it!
Edit: Also, may I ask, what is the part or... characteristic of the story, I guess, that’s made you anxious/scared exactly? Just out of curiosity.
I'm a big fan of build up and pay off, and while I don't think we've quite hit pay off fully yet, the build up has been absolutely phenomenal! We as readers know through Starlights first pov chapter that stuff is wrong, and this chapter is just slowly learning with Twilight just how deep the shit Starlight has unleashed upon both her self and the world. That bit between Starlights last fearful writing transitioned with the dry explanation of what Masogda is a fantastic oh shit moment where your stomach (or at least mine!) drops.
Then the last quarter where we see the actual results of Starlights actions begin to play out in the town along with Twilight's concerning thoughts just leave me super anxious!
10353559
That’s nice to know. It’s really motivating, truly.