Book of Revelation
Shadows danced in the far off recesses of the crystal caves as rays from the single source of light refracted and reflected off the prismatic walls of the caverns, dissipating into the suffocating blackness far away. Rhythmic clops resounded in the ringing silence of the caves, the sound of progress like music to everypony's ears. All around their exact duplicates roamed, contorted and bent out of shape in the wall's improper reflections.
"These caves are promptly named, alright." Zipp cut through the uncomfortable silence of their trip, stepping for a second to tap the crystals of the wall, looking at the imperfections of her own face, crooked in its reflection. "I wonder how these came to be."
"You won't have to wonder for long." Pipp replied, the flash of her phone's camera lighting up the entirety of the caverns for a split second, like a lightning in the night sky. "Once we're home, mom's going to go head over heels for some of these stones." She said excitedly, falling in line with the rest of the group.
"Leave it for the royalty to strip the nature of its resources." Hitch grumbled, looking steadily forward. "At least send some geologist in before you start drilling."
"Yeah, you've got to be careful, Pipp!" Izzy interjected, her lively voice a stark contrast to the dreary stillness of the surrounding enviornment. "This place's got a weird sparkle!" Her comment hanged in the air as the clip-clops of hooves momentarily became the only sound spreading through the caverns.
"What do you mean by "a weird sparkle"? Can a place even have a sparkle?" Pipp asked, craining her head a little to the side.
"Well, it's the first time I've felt a place's sparkle..." Izzy started, finding the right words to explain what she's been feeling. "It's like being surrounded by TV static. Dozens and dozens of little black sparkles." She said, rubbing her chin as the group trotted onwards. "It's everywhere all the time, and it feels funny when one comes too close or brushes past me." A small frown graced her muzzle. "I'm not sure I like it here." She finished, her ears pressed to her head.
"It's alright to feel afraid." Sunny said from the front of the group. "I mean, we're in a gloomy, spooky cave system searching for knowledge long forgotten, who knows what we might find? That's sure to set anypony on edge." Her words meant to placate others, were instead cause for nervous glances.
"Sheesh, Sunny, way to lighten the mood." Pipp retorted, rolling her eyes and nudging herself closer to Zipp.
"She's got a point, you know." Hitch argued in a somewhat resigned tone. "With magic back, we don't know what we will find, so it's better to err on the side of caution." His words echoed down the prismatic hallways of the caverns, melting into the darkness both behind and in front of them.
"You too, Hitch?" Zipp asked in an annoyed tone, draping her wing over Pipp, who was practically pressed into her sister, slightly shivering. "If I hadn't known you better, I would've thought you're trying to scare us."
"Fear is nothing to be ashamed of." Sunny interjected, turning her head to give Pipp a reassuring smile. "It's a natural reaction to the unknown." She turned to lead the way once again. "It's good to be afraid from time to time."
Silence reigned over the group as each member mulled over Sunny's words, unshure of what to think. Each little sound was amplified tenfold as everypony stood on-edge, their ears on a swivel at the slightest of disturbances.
Hitch was more or less stumped at what to hink of Sunny's behaviour. Truth be told, she was always... enthuseastic when it came to spending time with her friends, so he wasn't too concerned when she dragged them all to a mountain hike in the middle of nowhere. He was a tad bit surprised when she decided to go there on such a short notice, and downright worried when she refused to grab a map with her. Being the prudent pony that he was, Hitch took his own, and was dead set on documenting their way to whatever Sunny was looking for.
However, her continued attempts to mess with everypony were getting on his nerves, and once they set camp he intended to have a long talk with her about what not to say in a spooky, unexplored cave system.
Pipp was beginning to regret ever agreeing to be part of this expedition, and having no connection somehow wasn't the worst part. Neither was the bone-chilling winds of the Prismatic Mountans, or the dull ache in her legs. No, these were a minor complications compared to how downright terrified she was right now.
First things first, going so high up wasn't on her bucket list, not even closely. The most comfortable height she'd ever ascend is on the stage, supported by strings, thank you very much. And while Pipp's on the topic of being comfortable, did Sunny really have to start talking about fear in now?!
The only saving grace to this whole situation was her sister, somepony to lean on. She breathed a sigh of relief as Zipp's wing blanketed her with warmth. Who knows, maybe she'd find a way to spin this whole trip thing in her favour once they get home.
Zipp's eyes darted at the sligthly shivering loaf of fur that was currentl nuzzling into her and she let out a strained sigh, flexing her wing muscles in responce. Pipp was doing her best, but anypony who's not blind could see that the mare was scared.
And that made Zipp angry.
She knew that one day Pipp would have to get out of their not-so-little palace and into the real world, and perhaps this was her wake-up call. Still, this transition could've been a little more... gentlier, so to speak, and by the flowing winds she was going to try her best to make this trip easier for her little sister.
Izzy was dumbfounded, to put it lightly. Why was Sunny so dead set on coming here? The unicorn never heard of any research regarding the Prismatic Mountains, not even among Argyle's notes, and she's one of Sunny's closest friends! Furthermore, why did Sunny's sparkle feel so... off? Like she was seeing it through a mirror in a darkened room. It looked like Sunny's, just a little... dulled, if that makes sense.
Moving onto the subject of sparkles, why does this place feel so crowded? Not physically of course, there was plenty of space in these her caverns, more than enough to fit the entirety of Bridlewood (probably). No, what she had in mind was more... ethereal in nature. Truth be told, the TV static analogy didn't even begin to explain what she was feeling, but it was a good enough start. It was like being in a crowded room, but each time you try to push the person in front of you away, they disappear into thin air, and reappear right behind you when you take a step forward.
She was looking forward to leaving this place behind.
"Heads up everypony!" Sunny exclaimed, breaking everypony out of their thoughts. "I think we're onto something here." She strolled over to Izzy, excitement clear on her face. "Izzy, can you focus the light forward?"
"Like a flashlight?" She asked, recieving a nod from the earth pony mare. "Sure can!" Izzy's horn sparkled once again, the ambient light around her shrinking into a forward facing cone. As the the cone of light extended forward, revealing a set of crumbling crystal stairs leading to a gaping doorway.
"That's it!" Sunny practically squeed in delight, galloping for the entrance, casting a shadow on the nearby iridescent wall as she left the group behind.
"Wait a second!" Hitch hollered, jumping in front of her and barring entrance. "Are you out of your mind, barreling alnoe into the dark like that?" His mountanous stature left the mare attempting to peek behind him, unable to dismiss his question.
"I'm just excited for what's inside, is all." Sunny blurted out under his scrutiniuos gaze, all eyes on her now.
"And what if you got lost out there, or tripped over some debris or whatnot. How would we find you then? We have to stick together, do you understand?" In Hitch's opinion. a mare of Sunny's age was too old for having this talk, but law's a witness it wasn't the first time he had to resort to scolding this mare.
"I understand." The mare said with a sigh after a moment's hesitation. "I won't do that again." She said, the the rest of the group ascending up the stairs to stand right behind her. "You can lead the way, Hitch." A small smile graced her lips at the words.
Hitch's gaze lingered on Sunny's curved lips for a moment, her eager smile in stark contrast to the worried faces of the mares behind her. The warm memories of childhood flooded his mind, leaving him with a single choice.
"Me and Izzy will take the lead, the rest of you are to follow close behind. Don't wander off." He looked over each and every member of the group, turning to face tye darkness ahead when he recieved a nod from everypony.
A cone of light illiminated the hall in front of Hitch, revealing a rather delapidated vision. Debris scattered across the cracked crystal floor went hand in hand with the crator-ridden walls of the hallway, accompanied by the crumbling ceiling missing most of its chunks.
A thick layer of dust permeated the area, each step kicking up a small cloud of particles into the air that shimmered in the light. The sharp clip-clops of hooves on crystal floor was the only ambient sound throughout the ancient structure, the air stagnant and stuffy, not to mention still with no draft to speak of. Another pitch-black opening in the side of the hallway made itself know, a beam of light revealing its presence against a caved-in hallway.
With no other way forward the group headed for the door, Hitch stepping into the dark room first, Izzy right behind him. With the unicorn came illumination, revealing a sturdy bookcase chock full of literature.
"What is this place..." Izzy wondered aloud, her horn glowing as she refocused the spell once more, the area around her lighting up.
A unanimous "Woah" came from everypony as they stood surrounded by rows upon rows of bookshelves, each and every one occupied. Crystal book cases towered over the group, the library stretching up and into the darkness above, no ceiling in sight.
"It's a library?" Pipp asked nopony in particular, falling in Hitch's hoofsteps as he proceeded deeper into the room.
"It's the library." Came Sunny's reply from beside the pegasus, the earth mare's eyes shimmering with excitement. "The biggest collection of pre-separation era books!" She gasped as a crystal pedestal came into view, rushing towards the protruding abberation, her attention glued to something lying on top of it.
"Sunny, I just said not to wander off!" Hitch scolded, rushing to Sunny's side, the rest of the group coming along with him. "What got you so excited anyway?" He traced her gaze to the the curious item on top of the pedestal.
A purple book laid close before their eyes, its colors faded from the passage of time, cuts and scrapes running across the tome's surface. A liliac horseshoe was etched into the cover, with a six-pointed violet star in its center, five gems of various colors spread through the confines of the horseshoe. A single bright red bookmark was sticking out from the pages, begging to be opened.
"Is this what I think it is?" Izzy asked, turning to her friend wide-eyed.
"The Journal Of Friendship." Sunny replied, her breath hitching as she leanied towards the pedestal and reverently held the book in her hooves. She eyed the bookmark hungirly, eager to read what's inside despite the long trek up the mountain.
"I think this is a good place to set up camp." Hitch interjected, concentrating everypony's attention on himself. "No offense, Sunny, but getting rest takes priority over reading a book, even if it's ancient or something." He said, lowering his saddlebags onto the ground, flexing his back muscles.
"Right..." Sunny mirrored his action, but not before carefully tucking the book into a trusty pouch she always kept on her person. "This deserves to be read with full attention, no half-measures." She nodded to herself, seemingly not noticing the questionable looks she was getting from the rest of the group. "Let's get comfortable."
Five ponies sat comfortably on their laid out sleeping bags, forming a semicircle around a crackling fireplace. The idea of setting up a fire in an enclosed space was first met with skepticism, but after a thorough exploration of the exhaust tunnel and a discovery of its exit, it was deemed safe enough to start a fire.
A velvet journal ravaged by time laid in the lap of one of the ponies, an impatient expression on her face as she eyed it hungirly. She waited for the clattering of utensils and the sound of conversation to dissipate around her, speaking up when she sensed the lull in the ambient noise.
"Is everypony ready? Can I read it now?" Sunny asked, her gaze shifting from each individual in the semicircle.
"Don't think I've ever seen you so eager to read." Hitch replied, pitting his empty plate aside, eyeing up Sunny's full plate. "You haven't eaten anything."
"Yeah Sunny, what's the matter? Aren't you hungry?" Izzy asked, worry clear in her features as she observed her friend.
"Come to think of it, how long has it been since you've last eaten?" Zipp questioned, a stern look appearing on her face when no reply came. "You really should eat something, its not healthy to do what you're doing."
"Yeah, this is no time to be dieting, Sunny!" Pipp added, scooting a tad closer to the mare. "How about this: you eat now, and when we get home, I'll draft you a personal diet plan, alright?" She whispered conspiratorily into her ear.
"Guys, I'm not diliberately starving myself or something, I'm just really eager to read this journal!" Sunny said with a sigh, pushing the eager pegasus away, but giving her a curt nod. "I swear I'll eat after we read the journal!"
"Then lay it on us, Sunny." Hitch responded, getting comfortable on his sleeping bag. "But do know that I'll make sure you eat your dinner afterwards."
Sunny huffed in annoyance, opening the tattered tome alongside the crimson bookmark.
To whomever is reading this, Equestria as we've all known it is gone. It is not a matter of opinions, but a fact we must face if we wish to survive. Do not listen to radio broadcasts. Dispose of any and all apparatus able to recieve radiowaves. Any transmission from alleged survivors should be disregarded. There are no save havens that utilise radios.
There is nopony left to broadcast.
Do not trust strangers, no matter how friendly they appear. If they offer to join your group, try to escape them before nightfall. If you see someone with biologically impossible characteristics, try to escape them before nightfall. If you see somepony who looks identical to you, escape them before nightfall at all costs.
If you are a member of a group, make sure you can trust each and every member. Do not stray away from the group. Do not accept any new members into the group.
If you are traveling alone, remain alone. Do not engage with any strangers, no matter their numbers.
Unicorns are advised against utilising complicated magics, as doing so may bring unwarranted attention. Pegasi are to reduce airtime to a minimum. Any agrarian efforts on behalf of the Earth ponies are to be done without the use of their magics.
Spread this message in any way you can, prefferably word-to-word to reduce the risk of improper interpritation.
This is the end of the message.
May Harmony be with you.
Alright, the important part's done with, I guess it's time for some heart-to-heart, if you could even call it that. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, The Last Ruler of Equestria, and once the Element of Magic. You probably knew that already, considering whose journal you're reading, but if you didn't, this is all the introductions you're going to get.
I don't have much time.
It all started with a harrowing news reaching me from all the way from Manehattan. A stallion was found dead in his apartment, his neighbours reporting a foul smell coming from his flat for days on end before the local police came to investigate.
Now, the knews of a murder would've been shocking enough, perhaps worthy of sending one of the royal investigators from Canterlot, but there was one detail that changed everything.
The stallion was found hanging from a noose made of bedsheets, with little to no signs of forced entry or struggle.
I must confess that my first reaction to the news was outrage, but not for the reasons you'd think. I was not outraged at the loss of a life, or the fact that such loss was self-inflicted. As shameful as the thought was, I was worried first and foremost about my reputation. Not with the ponies, of course, their love for me was as unending as one for Celestia and Luna. No, my first thought was about what would my old mentor think.
Still, after a brief moment of consideration I made a descision to oversee the investigation myself, heading for the Big Apple that evening. I was well aware of the consequences my arrival would herald. News would spread across the world, drawing journalists like moths to the flame.
If I only knew what it would really entail.
The stallion proved to be unremarkable in most aspects, however harsh it may sound. Average upbringing, a little above average grades in school, came to be an archeologist in his adult life. A tightly knit group of friends that tends to hang out every once in a while reported the stallion had become quite a shut-in after the latest expedition to an unxplored cave system, fabled to lead to Tartarus itself.
A friend expressed concern when he refused to partake in a celebratory night of bar hopping, but was placated by the stallion's assurances, his refusal stemming from a heavy workload. I immideatly contacted his employers to verify this information, the firm denying accusations of overworking their personell.
The neighbours reported strange noises coming from his residence, sounding a lot like muffled crying. They also noted that the stallion hasn't left his house in more than a week, despite previously making almost daily trips to the local convenience store.
Coroner's report revealed that the subject has been intoxicated for the better part of the week, the multitude of empty cider bottles littering his room confirming his alcohol abuse, which was uncharacteristic for the subject. Another strange detail was the amount of filth that accumilated in the room, suggesting that the subject wasn't able to leave it for the entirety of the week. That detail put into question the entire possibility of the case being a suicide, since the phone was located in the kitchen, nevermind the fact that the subject was dead for about a day when his concerned friend called in. By that time, the first series of a changeling killer has began to circulate among the crowds, the first seeds of distrust were sown.
The news of a confusing suicide case crossed the world in a flap of a wing, causing even the rather closed-in Dragon Empire to send in a couple of journalists to track the case, which by that time has hit a dead end. It's safe to say that the entire international community was closely watching the development of this one of a kind case, Equestria's first suicide in centuries.
Things didn't improve when that same stallion was spotted working in a convenience store in Trottingham. A concerned citizen that had a keen eye for identifying ponies reported this incident, but by the time police arrived, the impostor was gone.
This was a beginning of a full on changeling hysteria that eventually swept not across the nation, but all of Equus. Soon enough, reports of similar suicide cases came flooding in, alongside with reports of sightings of supposedly deceased ponies.
Mandatory curfews were put in place to prevent further loss of life, with radio-based programms rising in popularity to combat loneliness. Too bad these measures ended up being useless, the cases piling up with every passing day.
Talks of international intervention began to emerge in the Council of Nations, when another incident shook the foundations of the international community.
One of the journalists sent by the Dragon Empire was found dead in her apartment, her body having doubled in size due to the late stage crystallization process taking place after a dragon's death. Dragon Lord Ember was furious, foaming at the mouth and threatening to declare an all-out war on the changelings if they do not present evidence of their innocence, or come clean.
Once it reached the Council of Nations, thus gaining thorough international coverage, it spread like a wildfire, similar cases popping up like mushrooms after a rain in each and every country worldwide. Preventative measures were enacted worldwide, including an embargo on the Changeling Kingdom, despite the latter also reporting an increased rate of suicides.
Prevention hotlines were organised, the operators reporting an overwhelming amount of phone calls coming in, requiring additional ponypower from emergency services. Even then, the measure proved inefficent when calls of dubious nature began coming in, the operators who recieved them soon missing from work, found in their homes, the same fate having befallen them.
Distrust ran rampant all around the world, even the three tribes beginning to drift apart.
A decade has passed since the first incident, and it's been three years since we've had any contact with other nations. While I try to stay hopeful, the situation looks more grim with each passing day. Years of hard work and research, and for what? No concrete way to battle these creatures, no place of origin. All I know is that they're dependant on magic.
I've instructed to write the message up above in every book in the Royal Library, and across every library in Equestria, if there's enough personell still willing alive to do so, of course.
I've moved in to my old castle in Ponyville, and intend to stay here until the bitter end. It pains me to see the place I love turned into a ghost town, and the ponies roaming it do not make it easier, their faces spitting image of the picture in their obituary.
I've begged Spike to run away and hide, but he insisted on protecting this castle, protecting me to his last breath. Judging by the violent shaking and deafening roars outside, he now considers the castle his hoard.
But that's not the only reason I'm writing all of this. Last night when I returned to my bedchambers, locking the door out of instinct and practically passing out on the bed, I've heard something.
A gentle knocking from beyond the door, followed by a gentle voice asking permission to enter.
It was Fluttershy's voice. I almost opened the door out of instinct.
I-
I haven't seen her in a long time.
I haven't seen any of them in a long time.
Each night they come, wearing my friends' voices in an attempt to lure me out. They promise me it'll be alright, they ask me to have a picnic with them.
I've been itching for a good picnic, to be honest.
I miss them so, so much.
But they're not always so nice. Sometimes they tell me mean, horrible things like-
I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
I- Icouldn't-
Mom, Dad, Shiny...
Celestia, Luna...
Pinkie Pie, Apllejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Starlight...
Everypony, I'm sorry.
I don't know what to do.
Deafening silence reigned over the group as they sat huddled around a fireplace, too stunned to say anything. Hitch was the first to break out of the catatonic stupor caused by the tale, reaching towards the worn tome and snatching it out of Sunny's hooves. "It can't be..." He muttered, flicking through the yellowed old pages, his eyes scanning over the inky writing Sunny just read. He frowned, closing the book and putting it in one of his saddlebags. "I... I'll look it over once we get back to Maretime Bay..." He said, chewing on the inside of his lip.
"So we're supposed to just... forget it?" Zipp asked, not exactly happy with the prospect of falling asleep now.
"And you've got a better idea?" Hitch retorted with a snarl. "We can't head out right now, not during the night anyway. And we'll need all the energy we can get for tomorrow's trip home." He argued, getting comfortable on his pillow. "And unless you've got enough coffee to last you trough the night, I'd suggest you begin getting ready for bed."
"I hate it when you're right." Zipp replied with a sigh, turning to open up her sleeping bag.
"Zipp?" Pipp whispered to her sister, proceeding when she go a grunt of aknowledgement as an answer. "I, uhm, need to pee." She winced a little when an exasperated sigh came from her sister as the latter stood up, nodding towards the open doorway.
"Come on now, let's make this quick."
One of the first concerns everypony expressed once they set up camp was, unsurprisingly, a working toilet. Of course, looking for one in a structure as ancient as this one was a foal's errand, so it was a quite shocking turn of events when one was indeed found, in a remarkably good condition.
"Alright, I'll wait for you just outside." Zipp said, leaning on the cold crystal wall just outside the toilet room, a small poctogram of a mare hanging just above the door. "Just keep it quick, alright? I'm dying to get some good sleep." She finished, her expression hard to make out in the darkness that surrounded them.
Pipp nodded, pushing the crystal door with her hoof, her phone's flashlight illuminatig the dusty floor of a bathroom. She took a tnetative step in, flinching when the door shut behind her with a bang, the otherwise unremarkable sound of crystal amplified tenfold in the quiet of the castle.
To her left was a long, dust-covered mirror, three bathroom stalls standing in its reflection, all but one of them seemingly locked. Pipp's assumption was proved correct as she approached the first stall, pulling the door and meeting resistance, same thing occuring with the second stall. The pegasus proceeded to the third and final stall, its ajar door inviting the mare in.
She stepped into the stall, closing the door behind her and casting a squeamish look at the toilet seat. A thick layer of dust was present, par for the course, it seemed, but other than that the white throne was remarkably clean. With a defeated sigh and a pitiful look on her face, the mare sat down on the toilet, finally able to relieve herself.
A shameful feeling formed a pit in her stomach as she realised what she just did. Asking her sister to walk her to the toilet? They're both not fillies anymore, such behaviour was most uncalled for, imagine what would happen if her fans find out! Yet even keeping all of that in mind, the mere thought of going through the pitch-black halls of the castle alone made her shiver involuntarily.
It was all Sunny's fault, she concluded. That mare and her penchant to finding long-lost relics of Equestrian history usually led to positive results, but not this time. She just had to find a spooky story right before bedtime, hadn't she?
Pipp sighed, shaking her head. It wasn't really her fault, she couldn't have know what was written in that damned journal, after all. Perhaps she was being too harsh on Sunny, no doubt due to all the stress she's been under lately.
A distinctly familiar pattern of clip-clops on hard crystal reverberated through the bathroom, breaking the pegasus out of her thoughts and causing her to shudder. Her momentary panic abated when she heard a stall open, the mare sighing a breath of relief.
"Zipp? Is that you?" Pipp asked aloud, reaching for her stall's latch. "This trip's getting on your nerves too?" She asked with a small chuckle, awaiting a responce. "It's alright, I don't need help if you're here for that!" An uncomfortable silence descended upon the bathroom, both parties remaining speechless.
Her hoof was mere inches away from the latch, when she heard the stall's door shut violently, the clip-clops slowly coming her way. She was about to ask Zipp wether or not she was playing a prank on her, when a sound came from beyond the bathroom.
"Pipp, are you alright? That was kind of loud." Came the muffled voice of her sister, barely audible behind the thick crystal doors.
Pipp's hoof twitched, her breath caught in her chest as she sat motionless, trying to process what just happened. Is this some kind of joke? Zipp must've left her phone outside the door, and set an alarm with her voice to scare Pipp. It was somewhat out of character, but maybe it was payback for making her escort Pipp to the toilet? Pipp steadied her breath as seconds passed in silence, opening her mouth to speak.
"I alright. I don't need help." Her voice boomed in the stall next to her, cutting through the silence like a thunder in the night. Words died in her throat as she scrambled to process the situation, the door of the stall next to her slowly opening and closing.
"Okay then." Zipp's distant voice replied, worry slowly being replaced with annoyance. "Just hurry up, alright? This palce is giving me the shivers." She finished, silence once again reigning in the room.
Slow, methodical clip-clops reverberated through the bathroom, resounding in her skull as they grew closer to her stall. Her breaths came fast and shallow as her mind tried to process what was happening, any hope of this being a prank dashed from her mind. Her entire body was consumed by shivers she struggled and failed to control, her eyes looking down at the crystal floor.
Her vision blurred, tears welling up in her eyes as the sound ceased, four distinct, shadowy lmbs stopping just outside her stall. Despite the darkness of the bathroom, the appendages manged to stand out, seemingly absorbing any and all light left around them, the textbook definition of pitch-black.
Pipp squeezed her eyes shut, tears running down her face, staining her once-immaculate fur and ruining her makeup. She held her breath in hopes of whatever was behind the door giving up and leaving her, even for just long enough for Zipp to come to her rescue.
Her own heartbeat turned into a deafening roar in her ears as she heard the lock on her stall pop open, the door opening with a resounding creak. Her entire body was ice cold, a painful sensation welling up in her guts as the sound of hoof hitting crystal resonated from right in front of her.
Her heart skipped a beat as she felt hot air tickle the tip of her nose, the sound of breathing loud in her ears.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, fear overriding any though in her mind. She distinctly heard the sound of a door slamming open and her sister's concerned pleas as she blacked out.
Izzy laid on her sight, her eyes practically glued to the back of a particular mare tucked into her sleeping bag, a cavalcade of thoughts running through her mind. Was what Sunny read really true? Were they in any danger? Why are Zipp and Pipp taking so long to pee? Was it really stalking if there's nopony to notice you're stalking?
"Can't sleep either?" Hitch's voice came from beside her, the Izzy turning to look at the stallion. She could see the beginnings of what soon would become quite prominent bags forming under his eyes, a curious set up involving three books, a phone with its flashlight on and a hoof-made map of the Prismatic Mountains in front of him.
"Uh-huh." She nodded, her watch drifting to Sunny once more.
"Well, since you're awake, mind lending me a hoof?" Hitch asked, pointing and the map, grabbing the unicorn's attenion. "Or, in this situation, a horn." He continued once Izzy wiggled closer to him in her sleeping bag. "Give a light, please? My phone's running low on battery, and I still have a fair bit of work to do."
"Sure thing!" Izzy replied, funneling power into her horn, illuminating the map in front of her.
"Much obliged." Hitch replied with a smile, focusing on his work. "With your help I might be able to finish mapping out directions before tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is stay her longer than needed." He answered her silent question, satisfying her curiosity.
She looked down on the opened books laid out in a semicircle around the hoof-made map, each one displaying a map of sorts. Curiously, the maps depicted a flat terrain around the castle, with a small town whose name was unintelligable on the yellowed paper. She supposed the inaccuracies were a given, considering the map's age.
Minutes passed with the only sound audible in the spacious library being their breathing, combined with pen scribbling on paper. A question came to the forefront of Izzy's mind as she cast a glance at Sunny's sleeping form, one she was both eager and afraid to ask.
"Do you think any of it was... real?" She said, Hitch's ear flickering in responce.
"I... don't know what to think." Hitch said woth a sigh, laying his pen on the floor. "On one hoof, what Sunny read sounds impossible, deranged even!" His confident tone wavered, worry crossing his features. "On the other hoof, however..." He trailed off, rubbing his eyes before turning to look Izzy dead in the eyes. "I've looked through, what, ten, twenty books tonight? And do you know what I found in each and every one?" He reached for one of the opened books, flipping it to the first page. "This."
Izzy squinted, looking closer at the writing.
To whomever is reading this, Equestria as we've all known it is gone. It is not a matter...
Izzy's expression turned to one of concern as she looked back at Hitch, his face mimicking hers.
"Now you see why I'm in such a hurry to get back home."
"Having troubles sleeping?"
Both Hitch and Izzy practically jumped out of their hides at the sound of Sunny's voice, turning to look at the mare with both shocked and fearful expressions. Sunny was standing a few steps away from Hitch's setup, her form halway hidden by the shadows. A small smile etched its way onto her face as her friends calmed down, their breathing somewhat steady.
"Sunny, what did I tell you about sneaking up on ponies!" Hitch all but yelled, holding onto his chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!" Her responce was a sheepish smile, followed by a step towards the duo.
"Sorry about that, I just saw you two awake and didn't want to be left out." She said, sitting down in between them, stifling a yawn.
"You're really good at being sneaky, you know!" Izzy tried to lighten the mood, her lips curving into a small smile. "I didn't even hear you approach!"
"Why, thank you very much-" Sunny began, her line cut short by the sound of two ponies barreling into the room.
Zipp practically flew into the room, her sister trailing just behind her with a terrified expression on her face.
"Sunny, Hitch, Izzy, there's no time to explain!" She hollered, pushing one of the bookcases towards the empty doorframe. "We have to barricade the door, now!"
"On it!" Sunny yelled in reply, dashing to assist her pegasus friend. Hitch and Izzy remained still, processing the puzzling sequence of events that unfurled before them when Zipp yelled.
"What are you doing? Come help us!"
The two ponies shook their heads, running to help their friends.
Half an hour of frantic redecoration later, the group was once again huddled around a fire, Pipp's face buried into the side of her sister's neck, snoring softly.
"So you're saying Pipp saw... Something in the bathroom?" Hitch began, rubbing the side of his head, trying to understand what Zipp just told them.
"That's the most I got out of her." Zipp all but whispered with a nod. "She was downright terrified when I found her." She said, worry clear on her face as she looked down on her sleeping sister.
"But you didn't find what scared her, right?" Izzy continued the line of questioning, no less stumped than everypony else.
"Yeah, that's the weird part," Zipp said with a nod, confusion mixing into her expression as she remembered the events still fresh in her mind. "I just asked her if she was alright, and she said she was, but half a minute later she's screaming bloody murder." She sighed, shaking her head. "I just don't get it."
"Maybe she was just imagining things?" Sunny offered, getting a plethora of questioning looks in return. "What? The journal entry was pretty spooky, and the dark castle leaves a lot to the imagination." She said with a shrug, drawing a long sigh. "Listen everypony, we're going to be out of here by tomorrow's morning, and by that time, does it really matter if Pipp's imagining things or not? How about we get as muc hhours of sleep out of tonight as possible, and run for the hills in the morning."
The mare's proposal sounded logical to the four tired ponies, and after begrudginingly accepting their situation, everypony setteled into their seeping bags, four ponies drifting into neasy slumber.
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11347101
You've just ran into a shoddily written bot account. They usually appear in pairs, one linking to a scam, the other "thanking" it. Best you can do is to report and delete it.
YOU NEED TO KILL YOURSELF! NOW!
11349857
Pipp alternate be like.
Woo! Spooky!
So this is based on The Mandela Catalogue correct?
I put on some creepy ambient music and read and yeah did the job. Very atmospheric. That bathroom scene made me very uncomfortable. Great job!
Really interested now. Reading on.