The Susurrations of a Pale Star

by the7Saviors

RIDES Field Report #12265-048

RIDES EXPEDITIONARY ASSIGNMENT #308-B

DIMENSION#: 12265

PLANET: EQUUS-048

VARIANT: Post-Apocalypse

HABITABLE: No

EXPEDITION SQUAD#: 19

MEMBERS

Prof. Arcana Ungula (Squad Leader/Professor of Arcane Studies/Agency Researcher)

Dr. Time Turner (Doctor of Engineering/Agency Researcher)

Prof. Rock Salt (Professor of Archaeology/Agency Researcher)

Winter Pine (Protective Services Detail)

Basil Brickhoof (Protective Services Detail)

MISSION BRIEFING:

This expedition has been officially approved and sanctioned by the Crown and assigned by the Head of the Royal Interdimensional Expedition Squads. The expedition to EQUUS-048 (hereafter referred to as EQ-048) is to be carried out by no less than five members of Expedition Squad 19. As EQ-048 has been deemed an inhospitable post-apocalyptic variant, Squad 19 has been ordered to focus its efforts on research and the retrieval of potential resources only.

Dimensional anchor (drop zone) has been attached to Section A-1 and personnel retrieval beacons have been placed in Sections A-1, A-3, A-4, B-1, B-4 and C-3. Please remember that any ventures beyond predetermined locations of interest are ill-advised and may lead to potential casualties. Protocol 7 is to be enacted should any squad member lose access to their Comms and Liminal Translocation (CoLT) device.

Please note that a RIDES personnel retrieval team will be sent if no contact is received from expedition squad within 14 days of initial deployment.

---

RIDES FIELD REPORT #12265-048

Report written by Prof. Arcana Ungula and reviewed by Director Spin Wave. Please bear in mind that all information held within this document is classified and to be viewed by RIDES personnel only. Breach of information protocol may result in actions up to and including Class 4 reflection deflection and termination of employment with RIDES agency.

Field Report – Day 1

The first thing we noticed upon stepping onto EQ-048 via the dimensional drop zone was the horrendously pervasive heat. The air was so hot, in fact, that we had to cut our first trip short and return to the lab to readjust the temp balancers in our suits before heading back through the warp. The miscalculation on our part nearly cost Dr. Turner his life, but thankfully no lasting harm was done.

Still, the heat remains highly uncomfortable even with the proper adjustments. I've yet to confirm my suspicions, but I believe such penetrative heat may be thaumic in nature. Other potential signs that might point to some great unnatural armageddon can be seen in the environment itself. We saw the images of this Equestria before our deployment, but none of what we saw on those thaumic monitors could compare to the reality of seeing this world with our own eyes.

We were meant to arrive in the heart of what was once Canterlot, but all structures have been worn down nearly to their very foundations. What little of the city that remains is blackened with soot and ash so thick it falls from the sky and covers the ground like winter snow. It's not just the ponymade structures, either. Everything has been scorched black, from the very stone itself to the many charred equine bones Prof. Rock Salt uncovered beneath all the ash.

Horrifying as that discovery might have been, there is more to worry about—particularly where the atmosphere is concerned. Bright white-yellow embers still glow amidst all the ash and soot, and the black sky is blanketed in a kind of wispy, almost blood-red mist or haze of some kind. All of this can be seen in the aforementioned photos taken via the drone Dr. Time Turner sent through, but there is one discovery we seemed to have missed.

Through the dark red haze, barely visible to the naked eye, I noticed what I can only guess was the remains of a planet of some kind. It could also be what was left of the moon, but I have my doubts for a few reasons, the biggest being that the celestial body is far too large in comparison to our own Equestria's moon. I've already taken photos of the potential planet and will send them back to the lab at the first opportunity.

I will continue to refer to the celestial body as a planet going forward, at least until we know more. The planet itself appears to be cracked open right down to the core, with several large fractures marring its surface like glowing lines of magma. It looks almost as if it were struck by another, smaller planet or perhaps a natural satellite like the moon. I have a few theories about what may have happened, but all of it is mere speculation and isn't worth documenting at this stage.

Strangely, the core is much dimmer than what I would have expected, but then I am no astronomer, so I can't say for sure. Perhaps Dr. Bray can make sense of it once I send the photos back. Either way, these are all just my initial observations, and there's still much to be uncovered. At Dr. Turner's suggestion, we will be heading further up the mountain to Section A-3 to investigate whatever is left of Canterlot Castle.

Field Report – Day 2

We've completed our investigation in Canterlot. Unfortunately, though Canterlot Castle withstood whatever calamity befell this land better than the rest of the city, it wasn't by much. It appears any documents or other resources of interest or import were lost, just the same as everything else in Canterlot. Though, Dr. Rock Salt believes he discovered the skeletal remains of an alicorn—charred black like all the others, but intact for the most part.

According to the archaeologist, the dimensions of the skeleton seem to be a perfect match for Subject SELENA (this alternate instance will hereafter be referred to as SLNA-048). At the highest point of Mount Canterhorn, we saw that the landscape far below was much the same as Canterlot. Nothing but ash, embers, and soot as far as the eye can see. It's almost as if the entire world were put to the torch.

On a personal note, I find it all both incredibly unsettling and utterly fascinating. I can't help but wonder what catastrophe could have resulted in such complete devastation.

Beyond Rock Salt's discovery of the alicorn remains, there was nothing more of note to find in Canterlot. Once we consolidated and cataloged our findings, we engaged our CoLT devices and moved our camp to Section B-1, located in what was once central Ponyville. We found the city left in a similar state to Canterlot; however, I took some time to do some personal research back at camp and learned a few things.

As I previously surmised, the heat testing our endurance even now is wholly unnatural. I was correct in my assumption that this was not simple thermal radiation, yet neither is this radiation thaumic in nature. I've determined that the red haze above may be the source of this mysterious energy, but beyond that, I am at a loss.

I've attempted an atmospheric scan, but am unable to get a proper reading due to an exponential increase in temperature at higher altitudes. I've documented the details of my research in full (see Documents EqA-01 through EqA-07), and will continue my investigation into the anomalous energy in greater detail once we return. It's becoming increasingly clear that the atmospheric conditions are more severe than we initially estimated.

A second expedition with Tier 3 or possibly Tier 4 equipment will likely be required. With our temp balancers active, the heat does little to do us any actual harm beyond discomfort, but the same can't be said for our current Tier 2 equipment. At most, we'll only be able to continue this expedition for another day or two before needing to return to the lab for repairs.

On a separate note, both Dr. Rock Salt and Winter Pine have come to me with claims of hearing disembodied voices on the wind. Strange whispers, pained screams, and pitiful sobs that come and go with little warning, the noises faint but clearly audible. The two claim they started to hear the voices as they neared Section B-4.

Dr. Time Turner stayed behind with Brickhoof to investigate, and I chose to regroup, as I wasn't making any headway in my own research at that point. Section B-4 put us right at the edge of the Everfree Forest, which, in this case, was a wasteland of ash and pitch-black stumps of charcoal that still burned bright orange after who knows how long.

I, too, began to hear those same voices as we moved past the southern edge of town and into the Everfree. Though we were all subjected to this paranormal occurrence, we suffered no physical, mental, or spiritual attacks, so we pressed on deeper into the burned out forest. All the while, Dr. Time Turner attempted to extrapolate the audio from the ambient noise to try and make sense of what we were hearing.

His attempts to parse the words were unsuccessful; however, we did learn that the voices carried a thaumic frequency that grew stronger the deeper into the forest we traveled. After roughly an hour of travel, the voices began to grow louder and were now accompanied by a sound akin to a crackling fire. Winter Pine, and I also began to experience stage 1 migraines.

This was likely a direct result of the increase in the strange thaumic frequency. Given that we were both unicorns and thus more sensitive to shifts in thaumic frequency, this was a logical conclusion, though only an educated guess on my part admittedly. The last change we noticed was the steady rise in temperature.

Dr. Turner believes this, along with the increasing thaumic frequency, to be some manner of mental attack, as the temperature readings from our suits remain steady. No change can be seen in the atmospheric temperature or our own internal temperature, yet we can all feel the air growing steadily warmer.

Guessing there might be some kind of major anomaly further up ahead, we shored up our mental resistance and resolved to push on. Our condition held stable for another hour or so until we reached a large gorge, at which point our situation worsened drastically. The heat had grown nigh unbearable and the migraines had moved into the third stage. We could all hear the voices as if surrounded by hundreds of screaming ponies.

Unable to bear the pain any longer, Winter Pine and I were forced to return to camp. However, I was able to pinpoint the source of the thaumic frequency before our retreat. The signal originated from a cave somewhere further down into the gorge. We found a way down, but I would have to leave the rest to Dr. Rock Salt, Dr. Time Turner, and Basil Brickhoof.

Though they suffered the same setbacks, it was to a more endurable extent. So, Winter Pine and I warped back to camp to recover while the rest of the team made their way down to the cave. We didn't have to wait long before they all returned, each pony pale faced and sweating.

At first, I thought the mental assault had grown too strong for them to handle, and perhaps I was right, but there was more. I could see it in their terror-stricken faces. They had seen something in that cave, something that sent them fleeing for their lives. Both Rock Salt and Brickhoof refused to speak of what they saw, and what little I was able to get out of Dr. Turner was baffling to say the least.

All I could glean was something about a withered tree scorched black and the skeletal remains of a pony tangled within its twisted branches. I didn't quite understand, and the Doctor wouldn't explain any further, but his mention of a tree in a cave did stir something in my memory. I'll have to access some files back in the lab, as this may lead to something important.

For now, there's nothing more to be gained here in Ponyville, so we'll all rest and recover before moving on to what will likely be our final destination for this expedition.

Field Report – Day 3

Our gear has had just about all it can take, so we will be returning to the nearest retrieval beacon and heading home once I've finished this final report. I believe I speak for all of us here in Squad 19 when I say that, after what we learned, I'm more than eager to leave this desolate, ashen rock far behind. But before that, I'm glad to say that we had quite a bit more luck in our search for answers today.

We moved our camp a few miles northwest of Ponyville to Section C-3, which consists of what may be the most intact structure we've seen yet. Though it's nothing but ruins now, there's enough of the massive building left to identify it as a castle of some kind. Removing some of the soot revealed that the castle was crystalline in make and very sturdy.

The existence of this castle isn't entirely unknown to me. There have been reports from expeditions to earlier variants regarding the castle and the pony that owns it (see RIDES Field Report #3052-005 for earliest sighting on record) but this is the first time any of Squad 19 has seen the structure in person. Even broken and burnt out as it was, there are still obvious signs that the interior of the castle was well maintained.

We managed to find a library that had only been partially destroyed, however each of the precious tomes held within had all been ruined by time and the hostile atmosphere. This was the case with much of what we found, however, there was one exception. Upon reaching the deeper depths of the castle, we stumbled upon a set of crystalline hatch doors built into the floor at the bottom of a set of stairs.

Realizing we might have struck proverbial oil in finding what could only be a cellar, we tried to enter, only to find the cellar doors sealed by magic. The seal in question was a fiendishly complex construct of runes and sigils laid out like a puzzle to be solved. The theory and spellwork behind the enchantment was a treasure in and of itself where my field of expertise was concerned.

I've made sure to provide a sketch of the spell circle along with my personal notes on the runes and sigils used in its design (see documents SC-01 through SC-04). It took me the better part of two hours to deactivate the seal, but we eventually made it into the cellar. Just as we'd hoped, the cellar itself was completely untouched. There wasn't much to see aside from a few dusty pieces of furniture and some long expired rations.

There were, however, several things that caught our attention immediately. The first was the small skeleton that lay upon the equally small bed in one corner. The skeleton was perfectly preserved, though it and the bed beneath it had suffered the same fate as every other set of bones we'd found. Charred black and likely very brittle. The difference this time was that these weren't the remains of a pony.

According to Dr. Rock Salt, the bones belonged to an infantile dragon. I found it curious that the dragon in question had been affected, but the rest of the cellar remained unmarred. But then we found a shelf full of rolls and rolls of parchment and several books. Most of these had succumbed to the ravages of time and crumbled at a touch, but we did find a set of scrolls (item #048-A through item #048-E) and a black journal (item #048-F), all of which seemed preserved by yet another enchantment.

The journal seems to have suffered some slight burns, but much of the damage is confined to the back and cover. Most of the pages within are still very much legible, and I was able to confirm the journal's owner and its contents with little issue. After a cursory reading of each record, I have come to gain a better understanding of what transpired prior to this variant's destruction.

Even if the journal hadn't mentioned it outright, it's obvious to me that these records were meant to be found. That they'd been preserved for so long is testament to that and to the character of the journal's owner. The mare has nothing but my respect for what she's done, and my sincerest condolences for what she and the rest of the world went through.

That aside, there are still many unanswered questions that remain, but we have neither the time nor the resources to find those answers—at least, not during this particular expedition. I won't go into detail here in this field report, as it's all there in the scrolls and journal, but I feel I must make a correction to my earlier assessment regarding the "planet" in the sky. After reading through the scrolls, I can say with both complete confidence and utter horror, that the thing in the sky is no planet.

If these records are to be believed, that broken "planet" is all that remains of the thing that caused this world ending disaster—an empty shell left behind by whatever X-Class threat crawled out of it.

Needless to say, the rest of the team and I are suitably unnerved by what we've discovered. It's not the worst post-apocalyptic variant I've come across, but it's certainly up there on my list of Equestrian variants I hope never to explore again. By the looks of the rest of my squad, it seems I'm not alone in this sentiment. I'll have a talk with Director Spin Wave and see if we can't get another expedition squad to take care of any additional trips to EQ-048.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why isn't there a tragedy tag?

[the7Saviors]

11592558
Thought I put one on there.

[TheAncientPolitzanian]

"Livin' and lovin' this way
We're with the sun every day
Baby, we all live for the sun."

Quite a curveball of an ending! This mold of FiM horror is a cup of tea that can easily scald me more than anything — through no fault of the stories' own, mind you — but I sipped it in slowly this time around and I'm really glad I did. Consider me chilled to the bone and happily so. Kudos!
:)

[AvoidingFever17]

Yes o5 we do have a suspected varient of 001 SDL in this dimension
...yeah it seems instead of the sun it was a "planet" which hatched something
I suspect it was related to the anomaly AQASHA with the amount of magma that seems to be drained from the core
...yeah i know...look i lost my world recently in currently in hiding I'll get a better signal later
See ya!

[Mix-up]

Well the ride was short but at least fun to say the least would have like to have seen more paranoid conspiracy development, with a on going worshipping of this corrupted sun , but I get that this wasn't supposed to be a long story to beguine with. Great job dude keep it up.

[BleuBlooms]

This was a great chapter and ending!

[Mind Jack]

Excellent work! One of the best-written cosmic horror stories I've come across, even compared to non-fanfics.

[Chaosreverent]

That was a great read, and The Great Pyre seems like a shoo in for Cthurga.

The tapestry, time-worn as it is, doesn't depict the whole image, but what remains is, frankly, hideous. An eldritch amalgamation of flesh and fire and madness.

static.wikia.nocookie.net/lovecraft/images/7/79/Cthugua.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150525011023

[Someoneirrelevant]

I would've loved to see more. The tension could've been cut with a knife. Such a somber ending. What happened to the pyre? What use does this cosmic being have scorching the earth?

[Forcalor]

Cool imagery with the Tree of Harmony!

[TheAncientPolitzanian]

I've already sung my congratulatory praises — or let Rick Henn sing them for me, I suppose — so I figured I'd offer something more analytical.

The existence of this castle isn't entirely unknown to me. There have been reports from expeditions to earlier variants regarding the castle and the pony that owns it (see RIDES Field Report #3052-005 for earliest sighting on record)

Interesting that the Castle of Friendship and possibly even Twilight herself don't exist in RIDES' home reality, especially seeing as the allusions to Canterlot Castle, alicorns, and "Subject SELENA's alternate variants" imply they might at least have their own Celestia. (EDIT: Turns out this was all addressed in another Saviors story I was unaware of. Whoops.) I guess that "Alternate Universe" tag is fulfilling a role even beyond the concept of the Conflagration.

Just as we'd hoped, the cellar itself was completely untouched… The first [thing that caught our attention] was the small skeleton that lay upon the equally small bed in one corner… an infantile dragon.

I inherently have a soft spot for their relationship, so I might be a bit biased in noting this, but it's equal parts touching and saddening that, even when all hope was lost, Twilight did everything in her power to protect Spike. And it didn't even matter. Perhaps there's a way of finding your loved ones amidst the Great Pyre's flames, but I wouldn't be surprised if even that morsel of mercy was denied.

Speaking of the victims:

All I could glean was something about a withered tree scorched black and the skeletal remains of a pony tangled within its twisted branches.

A final piece for the puzzle of what happened between Twilight, Pinkie, and the Tree of Harmony. What exactly the visitors saw/heard remains a bit ambiguous, though given the prior set-up of the screams and crackling fire growing stronger, I'm presuming they got a direct link to the Pyre à la what Luna wrote about seeing in the Dream Realm. Season 9's stabs at world-building indicated that Harmony can endure the destruction of its Tree, so assuming my "direct link" theory is correct, perhaps that unseen scare was it using what little remained of its power to provide its little ponies one last chance to cry for help via the Tree's remains. Perhaps Pinkie played a part in that plan, for that matter, though that's purely speculation. Either way, Equestria's collective cry was indeed heard… though perhaps not heeded. Not that there's much RIDES could really do about it anyway, it would seem.

It also seems pertinent to recall that all of this happened because of a cult that had been dead for almost a millennia. A cult that ultimately damned all its innocent, unknowing non-believers to eternal agony, its members never receiving their karmic "reward" by virtue of dying long before the armageddon they instigated. (I didn't mention it at the time, but I also really love-hated the way Celestia slowly came to — then embraced — the horrifying realization that her entire existence simply served to "fulfill her role". Fuck, man, that hurts.) The Pyre's flames may never brand them, but here's hoping they still got a thousand-year head start burning in Tartarus… or whatever remains of it.

And then you have the implication that there are somehow worlds even worse than all this:

It's not the worst post-apocalyptic variant I've come across

The "greater scope" is a common breed of trope, of course, but the government intervention specifically called Lost Ark to my mind: another box for the warehouse, another apocalypse for the list of Equestrian variants. Consider sending Squad 19 somewhere nicer next time as consolation, Director Spin Wave. :P

Part of me wonders if we'll ever see RIDES return in a future story; this was meant to be a one-off, though, so it could go either way. (EDIT: Also addressed, see above.) You do you, Saviors!

Thanks again for the great story! Sorry for all the country miles of text.

[the7Saviors]

11592981
If you're interested, I think you might be happy to know that I didn't just pull the concept of RIDES out of nowhere (at least, not for this story). RIDES is an existing organization of my own making—one of three that work to keep their own Equestria safe by order of the Crown.

If you'd like to know more about them and about the Equestria they came from, you can give this a look.

[Blood Rarity]

[TheAncientPolitzanian]

11593000
Ah, neat! Shows what I know, don't it?

[Kain26831]

11592958
Sorry for the wall of text but that's the point of lovecraftian horror. The being(s) involved are so far above us we can't understand their motives. Do you worry about stepping on ants while walking around? Now imagine ants summoned you, you might help because it's novel, when's the last time you were summoned by ants? If they ask you something easy like feed us, you might because it's easy, a bag of sugar and the ants are set. But what if they ask something difficult, like kill Antony. The act is easy but all the ants look the same to you so to make sure you kill Antony you kill all the ants to the summoner's horrors. Add to that what these beings know is so far beyond us to understand it invites insanity and death. Imagine is some being showed up and 100% proved to humanity there is an afterlife but it's existing in a state where you can't do, see, or interact with anything until the heat death of the universe. Knowledge like that would cause complete chaos and possibly a species wide suicide to prevent future generations from suffering that fate. Especially because you know no one can do anything about it for the future and untold generations of the past are already trapped basically forever. It would have been better for us to be ignorant of that fact, that's Lovecraft

[eiggengrau]

This was excellent, despite the final chapter being mildly obvious. If anything, a certain amount of inevitability adds the the horror. I have paid actual money for books of Lovecraftian fiction that were not this good.

It also seems that The Pyre might not be the class of entity to be confined to any one parallel dimension... I wonder if anything will be following Squad 19 home.

As an aside, I binge-read the final five chapters on a hot day, sweating my tail off, hiding from the bright circle... kinda appropriate.

[eiggengrau]

11593594
Good job describing the ethos of Lovecraftian Horrors to the neophytes among us.
But in the case of your second example, why would the horror end at the heat death of the universe. If the damned have zero mass (thus their inability to interact) wouldn't their torment continue through the Big Crunch, through the next Big Bang, over and over and over forever accumulating an infinite babbling impotent hord?

[Kain26831]

11593912
I didn't want my rogue paragraph flying through space to get any bigger, you are absolutely correct though a never ending cycle of torment across many repeating universe would be far more lovecraftian, or go balls to the wall and have them scattered across a multiverse to suffer in every possible iteration imaginable.

[SunsetCatto]

I'd love to know what happened with Fluttershy - I know the theory is that Discord whisked her away but I'd still like to know how it played out as I'm guessing Fluttershy wouldn't have wanted to leave her friends and animals behind (and also if discords chaos dimension was affected too)

[Cozy Cottage]

This whole story gave me SCP vibes. Love it!!