An ancient evil escapes from its prison... A familiar story for the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, but against a threat even older and more alien than Discord, victory will be no simple thing. Even so, with friends rallying to their aid and a former rival fighting by their side, in this strange aeon even death may die.
A Cthulhu Mythos crossover.
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I was vacillating on whether I should read this gargantuan work of fiction, when I read the chapter titles. Lord Alfred Tenneyson references? And my favorite of his poems amongst them, no less! You, sir, need type no more. I will give this story the chance it richly deserves.
On through the mouth of hell we go, then!
OH WOW....This is quite a shift from your other stories! XD
Cthulhu in Equestria...that's a new one for me. The writing is excellent, the drama and emotions are really deep and the pacing and characters are amazing. I especially loved the scenes with Rainbow Dash after seeing You Know Who.
I read this straight through and will definitely be eagerly awaiting more. Bravo!!!
Poor Steel-Eye. *Salutes* Man, this is even better this time around. Go, Trixie! Go... all of them! Ditzy was most badass, and so was Big Mac.
Can't wait for more!
Cthulhu? Commence reading sequence...
... Whoa. I wish I had patience.
So, I saw you were writing something that even ffnet won't publish...I am not disappointed at all...
also great
Wow. You don't mess around, do you? From light little dom-com to Cthulhu is a fairly big leap.....perhaps too big for Sethisto to deal with.
Oh, man......if Sethisto wimps out on this, he's missing out on a nifty......
Wow! Loving the story so far. I haven't been this immersed in a story for a while.
What I like is how you've been painting the atmosphere to this point, i.e. with the wing beats while they were in the library. Definitely suspenseful! Can't wait for the next installment.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
I'm just Pinkie Pie the Party Pony. That's basically all I do.
-Between Pinkie Sense and being a reality warper, I suspect that Pinkie will be very useful in this crisis... sorta on her home ground a bit. Or maybe get possessed at the worst possible moment... or both!
"I had a... combo."
"It was horrible. My... My everything clenched. Snout to tail, hoof to scalp. It was like being dunked in ice water."
-Actually good news... means Pinkie Sense still operates against this thing. It isn't so outside the rules of causality as to be immune to prediction by it.
while Opal kept up a good show of not being bothered but shot frequent, hopeful looks towards the door.
-Opal being non-selfishly concerned about something other than fashion? Interesting bit of character development.
Before Twilight could say any more, she was off.
-It was at this point that I realized that her house probably can't be over Ponyville or it would block the Elder Sign (unless there is a big enough gap in the diagram?), so this might not be totally safe... then again the protective effect probably extends a bit beyond the edges.
((Accidentally hit "Post Comment", then my computer had a glitch and I lost my editing... going to try to pick up from where the previous comments left off, but it may be a bit rough.))
The pegasus filly looked up towards Rainbow Dash. "I was kinda hoping you could, you know..."
-I see you are mostly to entirely averting the "Scootaloo is secretly an orphan" thing.
"Are you sure about this?" He nodded.
-Owloysius being braver than Dash? Maybe it is just that he has better night-vision, can't feel the currents to be afraid of them, or maybe he just places a lower value on his life than Dash does (which makes a certain sort of sense from my perpective).
The approach of the kraken appeared to be getting to him as well.
-Well, maybe he can't feel it AS WELL as RD can, or didn't THINK he could.
Applejack's and Rarity's business sense had quickly obliterated the other Maneopoly players,
-Interesting given that a lot of people assume that Applejack doesn't HAVE very good business sense. "Maneopoly" is good lexicon building...
They just got word that the kraken approached Fillydelphia, but was seemingly repelled by the protective symbol.
-Kraken obviously equals Cthulthu (or a MAJOR minion of his that shares his tentacles and wings), but I am wondering if you are going to be mixing in some Squirk from G1.
and eventually requested that Twilight help them sleep with her magic as some were getting too agitated for her to manage.
-Thus demonstrating that Twilight doesn't ALWAYS mess things up when she casts a mind-effecting spell... well, provided they aren't unwake-able or anything. EDIT: Depends on how you count the "recall happy times" spell in "The Return of Harmony, Part 2".
"Mah granny wears a bunny suit an' talks to bees to make jam. Silly don' bother me none."
-Good point. Pinkie Sense also works, but I wouldn't think that would be a productive thing to bring up (especially since you already mentioned it once or twice).
Any other pony could have painted that symbol in the streets,
-Most would not have done nearly so well. If the Kraken knows that the EoH are a threat to it, and can sense the bearers, then the symbol would need to be especially strong in Ponyville perhaps. Also in Canterlot, since that is where the necklaces and tiara are stored, but there you have two Goddess Alicorns to set it up. I do wonder about dirt blowing over the lines in the course of the night or having gotten tracked over it after it dried, but before the alarm got everyone into cover, especially if the Kraken hovers over the town (If it doesn't then that might be Dash's department). It also occurs to me that if Twilight hears it coming she might heroically try to observe it through her telescope (rather than "succumbing to fear" by cowering and taking absolutely no action.) Ponyville roads aren't paved.
I should be relieved that this time, the responsibility isn't ours alone. But I'm not. It's absolutely crazy, but... I'm just not.
-You already know the problems with being on the front lines, welcome to the problems of being the reserve force. I do wonder how long it will be before the Alicorns are ready to attempt a counter-strike (I assume that they will eventually). Might be the next day if they were just wanting to focus on preparations, and can teleport safely. If they have to train the palace gaurd (lead by the Wonderbolts) to fly in formation with a giant Elder Sign (made out of cloud, rainbow, ribbon, or wood) to transport the jewelry to the bearers then it could be a month.
the wingbeats of the kraken slowly growing until the windows began to rattle.
-That would be enough to put at least a light scattering of dust over at least parts of the lines. Dunno my mythos lore well enough to say how much of a difference that would make. If this is a plot-hole you could always put in a few sentences about Twilight spelling it to repel dirt (or Rarity, if her magic is flexible enough to do that). Alternatively if she was using street-marking paint specifically, it might already have that spell on the paint.
Before he could get the words out, the front half of Rainbow's body was already out the window, her forehooves on the sill. A strangled gasp escaped her throat as she went rigid.
-Well, I guessed the action (minus the telescope, although who knows what Pegasus eyes are like... then again she did use it in "Griffon the Brushoff" for a shorter distance than this probably is), but I got the Pony wrong.
The rainbow colors were gone from her mane.
-Pure white I assume?
her mane that was now as white as the clouds she liked to nap on.
-Eeyep... this does explain why the EoH would have trouble working... the bearers wouldn't necessarily be able to get into line of sight while maintaining mental fortitude to activate the effect. I wonder if Celestia and Luna can cast a strong enough anti-fear enchantment on their minds to counter that?
while Pinkie, mane now falling ruler-straight, held her close and tucked her blanket in around her.
-Ouch... can't crack-up at this particular creepy, can she? Might negate her element, but maybe not. Don't think RD's was negated, despite disobeying orders to remain put passed down the chain of command from Celestia. It just seems too minor.
began to contemplate what revenge it would take against these small, frail creatures that dared to think they could stand against it.
-Will be interesting to see how alien its tactics/strategies are. Again, I am not familiar with the Mythos, so I couldn't say how odd the actions of the elder gods are traditionally. Not that varying from that in either direction would be a problem, but I would find it interesting if you really could write the Kraken as not following normal logic about such things, and yet being effective in them.
SPOILER ALERT RESPONSE!!!
219294
"-Between Pinkie Sense and being a reality warper, I suspect that Pinkie will be very useful in this crisis... sorta on her home ground a bit. Or maybe get possessed at the worst possible moment... or both!"
I'm trying to make sure everyone gets their moment, for sure.
"-Actually good news... means Pinkie Sense still operates against this thing. It isn't so outside the rules of causality as to be immune to prediction by it."
I have theories about how her Pinkie Sense works, and how the kraken is still subject to it, but I don't know how pacing-destroying it will be to include them. I have some fanon worldbuilding working in the background, but I don't want to pull a Tolkien and make the story subservient to it.
"-Opal being non-selfishly concerned about something other than fashion? Interesting bit of character development."
Remember how she acted in Sweet and Elite? She was rather disapproving of Rarity's priorities there. I think she cares more than she lets on.
"-It was at this point that I realized that her house probably can't be over Ponyville or it would block the Elder Sign (unless there is a big enough gap in the diagram?), so this might not be totally safe... then again the protective effect probably extends a bit beyond the edges"
It might be as far out of town as Fluttershy's cottage, at least. But Rarity was staying at the library despite her home being in the middle of town, simply because she didn't want to be alone. Neither did Rainbow Dash.
And the kraken was still affected by Trixie's seals after shielding its eyes from them, so visibility alone isn't the issue.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
In case you hadn't figured it out yet, part of the reason I review the way I do is to give the writer insight into the mind of at least one of his readers.
And no one heard any it over the howl of apocalyptic fury crashing down upon them from above,
-Definitely a dust issue here I am thinking... or larger objects. Unless the sign protects itself even from such indirect efforts against it, or is spelled against being covered, or such coverings don't negate it, I am think this might be the strategy, or part of it.
And then it ended, replaced by the frantic beating of colossal wings desperate to distance themselves from the site.
-Well, unless it is resting up for a second pass, then it seems that something negates my guess (or maybe it is just following its own logic, which would be nice).
Pinkie, her mane slowly regaining its curl,
-Temporary negation of Element then, if that.
she mumbled, as her tense eyes relaxed and closed, and her mouth curled into a childlike smile.
-Well, it seems that the spell includes a "good dreams only" clause.
"Ah'm always up jus' before dawn.
-It occurs to me that the real world effects (so leaving out any metaphysical problems) of non-stop solar energy for 72 hours or so might actually be less than the problems the night is causing (although being able to see it better actually might cause MORE problems), Especially if they stop the sun about 10 to 20 degrees above the horizon, rather than high noon, the heating shouldn't be TOO bad, nor the shadows cast by mountains TOO long. Of course, that does have its own morale problems associated with it, and there would have to be some public announcements so that the people didn't start to think that the sisters weren't in harmony with eachother, or that it was the Kraken doing it, in a variation of Discord randomizing the cycle... Dash's conspiracy theories might actually come in handy (not that she would believe those particular rumors, but it lets her understand how Ponies might think about such things).
but he just wrapped his blanket tighter around himself in the way he does when he doesn't want to admit he's awake.
-Tense problem I think. Should probably be "but he just wrapped his blanket tighter around himself in the way he did when he didn't want to admit he was awake.",
She resisted their gentle attempts to rouse her with the determination of a schoolfilly on a Saturday morning until Pinkie nudged a cup of Applejack's coffee and two pieces of cinnamon toast towards her nose.
-That sleep spell is looking better and better in its qualities. Certainly beat most or all real-world medications, unless it doesn't allow waking for the first few hours, even if your bed catches fire, and even then a hypothetical medication that did that would find use in mental wards, and in emergency prescriptions for those who survived horrible things, but are now in a safe place. The only other flaw I can think of is that it might prevent the mind from coming to grips with trauma via dreams etc, merely staving off the problem.
Her limp but wavy mane suddenly sproinging back to normal, Pinkie snuck out of Rainbow's field of view and silently pumped a hoof in the air, miming to the others that she'd gotten a smile.
-Ah, two-stage recovery... Laughter Element a concern, but not in critical condition.
I might need a hoof setting this right, if you don't mind, Rarity."
-At first I thought "wait... RD isn't girly, why is she even worrying about it?" then I realized that RD IS very much about her image, it is just that being mussed up, or temporarily dirty goes along fine with her self-image.
Twilight appeared to be trying very hard not to look at any of it.
-I can see how she would be worried, but since MOST of the animals obey her better than Angel Bunny, i don't think there should be TOO much damage, and I suspect that EVENTUALLY she will be able to expense account any damages. Then again, innocent little Twilight never really seems to have grasped just how much privilege actually goes with being "My Most Faithful Student" and "Leader of the Personal S.M.A.T.* of Celestia Invicta".
*Special Magics And Tactics
"You don't feel depressed or hopeless like you did before?"
-One wonders how much of this is natural recovery, how much is "Good Dreams Only", and how much is a fading of the supernatural aspects of the fear.
Rainbow tensed suddenly. "Do I... have to?"
-Mild Repression(dunno if I am using that psychological term correctly...). In any case it is very natural seeming.
"No... Nothing. I mean, it's kinda scary, but no, it's not freaking me out like it did when I saw it for real."
-Ok, a definite supernatural angle I am thinking. MIGHT just be her mind still shutting out the worst, but I doubt it.
It's not the appearance of the kraken, but the act of perceiving it with your own senses. Like the eyes of a cockatrice."
-This jives with what I was thinking.
"Yes, it does. I think this will help a great deal, actually..."
-So it radiates anti-magic? Anti-friendship not in the sense of animosity, but simply isolation and despair. Yeah, that seems useful.
is that the kraken seems to be putting a lot of effort into convincing us that it's unbeatable.
-This isn't very... alien. Does this fall under "they understand us, but we can never truly understand them"?
"Hey. You're right. It's trying to trick us into giving up without a fight!"
-Looks like what you said about the importance of morale is going to be important (but I may be slightly biased by the comment above me.
"Animals only use one when they need to appear stronger than they really are."
-Well, yes, but that can be almost all the time, since even if you are certain of WINNING a given fight, doing so without any chance of injury is another degree of difficulty beyond that, and injuries can add up, especially over a lifetime.
"it's physically impossible for a pony's mane to instantly turn white from fear alone. Magic had to be involved.
-I knew this was true IRL, but given that the line between magic and mundane gets blurry in Equestria I figured you were stretching a point. I mean we are talking about semi prehensile hair-structures.
It'll be hard to fight if we can't even look at it.
-A very cogent question. RD may have studied military tactics to be thinking this straight (the Wonderbolts are a military organization in all probability, so it makes sense, plus she DOES have a black-belt).
and what I could sense of its magical signature last night, I'm pretty sure I can shield us from it.
-I was going to say that she seems awfully sure she has the necessary raw power... then I remembered that she is probably the third most powerful caster in that regard in all of Equestria, and the other two... well,, in your version Celestia probably can't throw around orbital lazor (sic) strikes, but still.
I think the dreams from her sleep spell helped keep it from really taking root.
-Yeah, that spell is very very useful. Wonder if Luna invented it (or at least laid the groundwork).
I thought we'd make our way to Canterlot, grab the Elements of Harmony, and see what they can do to the kraken.
-I hope she messages ahead... if the Alicorns aren't too tricked (the scientific method may not have been INVENTED when they first established their opinions of this thing, so I could see them having a case of "the oldest fears are the hardest to overcome"), then they might have a welcoming comity, if not a teleport or flying escort in Royal Guard chariots (well except for Dash).
The kraken clearly has a similar aura, except instead of fear, it causes despair.
-Ah! An important clarification.
I can modify the dragonfear ward to protect us; it might not be one hundred percent effective, but if we stick together and remind each other that it's using magic against us, that it's a trick to keep us from standing up to it, I'm confident we can push through whatever gets past the spell.
-Ok, that makes more sense than her being sure she can nullify it.
Unfortunately, it does not appear to be unduly harmed or disadvantaged by the sun, merely displeased with it; I am trying not to take the insult too personally, but of greater importance is that sunlight does not appear to be a weakness we can exploit.
-Ah, I see... that explains why she isn't pulling out the "Sunset happens when WE say it does." card, at least not yet. If they need to put all of Equestria into a "Spirit Bomb", then she might go that far, or if they want to mess with its head to put it off its game.
also realize that it would be pointless to expect you and your friends to adhere to this request, so I have instructed the palace guard to prepare for your arrival should you have the impertinence to defy me.
-Erf? I would think that both Rainbow and Twilight would be very reluctant to "defy" her. I also think that they would discuss it with her via letters a bit in any case. This is regardless of if she had included that part in the letter, or even sent no letter, especially since the latter might imply that Canterlot might be a smoking ruin, which would alter tactics for retrieving the jewelry.
Seeing her sense of humor return was more reassuring to Twilight than any of the information provided.
-Ah, so she was making a joke about "defy me". I wouldn't have expected Twilight to get that necessarily, given "Lesson Zero".
"That is one capable rabbit, 'Shy."
-Indeed... I wonder if he was born that way outside of her influence, or if her having him as her PERSONAL pet has boosted his intelligence (Thinking D&D druid animal companions here...).
It's your livelihood, after all; no less important than AJ's farm.
-Bolts of cloth and sewing machines are more portable, and thus more quickly replaceable, than whole apple trees, but other than that, yes.
"I'll write as soon as we meet with her."
-One wonders if she will need Celestia to handle the transmission, or if she can do it herself in a pinch. Also, do they still call her "the Princess" on the show, or have the main characters gotten through their heads that they now live in a duoarchy? Or has Luna still not gotten around to resuming her full duties as far as running the country in your head-canon?
"How do you mean?" Twilight asked him.
-I wouldn't think they could do much with the books. Not that the library isn't up to the task, but Celestia probably has the entirety of Twilight's Alma Mater on the case, to the exclusion of every other research project, and maybe the classes too. Resourceful the CMC are, but they just don't have the chops to contribute on that front. I am thinking she is going to have them gathering reports from the Ponyvillians on their mental states and otherwise have them in "data collection mode". That is something that can't be duplicated in Canterlot (since the Kraken didn't approach it I don't think, plus more data-points are always good).
Odds aren't great that they'll find anything, but it'll keep them in one place and out of trouble, and they'll feel like they're contributing.
-Ah... I see.
Z-z-z-z-ZECORA! I completely forgot about Zecora!
-To her credit, so did I, and I was specifically wondering about individuals who lived alone, outside towns. Still I think she will be OK. Mare lives in the Ever-free Forest... she knows a thing or two. Might even have bolted for town to warn everyone, then recognized the paint and knocked on a door. I wouldn't put it past her to know how to make her own Elder Seal.
Twilight, she's fine, I'm sure of it.
-Fretful Fluttershy is sure? Then again, I guess reassuring panicky patients is part of her job.
I can't believe she's the one reassuring me for once.
-Twilight shares at least some of my sentiments.
Taking advantage of her unexpected day off, she decided to curl up on the couch with some hot cocoa and a gripping mystery novel.
-CMC wrangler found... "Book reports, to Save All of Equestria"... this may well be her finest hour.
If you need any assistance with your research, I'll be more than happy to help, but I won't make you do any school work.
-Or maybe not...
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SCHOLARS OF FORBIDDEN LORE!"
-Well, at least they don't have GOOD research material, although with their ability for finding trouble I wouldn't put it past them to dig up something nasty if they find a lead in one of the novels.
I know this isn't the first ancient evil you've faced, heck, you're two for two on those, but...
-That is the sort of thing that one only gets the chance to screw up once I think... then again, both NMM and Discord had a preference for less-than-fully-lethal tactics. NMM walked the line (I still say she was so confident that she was going for a fore-leg cripple when Twi and her were charging eachother), but half her attacks in the forest weren't even likely to cause injury directly.
Big Macintosh had come to see them off as well, Ditzy and Dinky in tow,
-What is this a sequal to that Big Macintosh is dating/married to Ditzy?
I know. I felt bad just making that promise to Spike. But I'm not going to make a Pinkie Pie Swear I don't know for sure I can keep.
-Indeed...
Pinkie, if you could know for certain who your combo was about, who was going to get hurt... would you want to?
-Combined with the exchange just before, this makes me think that Twilight thinks that it is going to be her, and that it is fated, and she is wondering if she should tell Pinkie that.
That's our pink little morale officer, she thought to herself as Pinkie started to improvise dance moves for the song. The kraken doesn't stand a chance.
-One suspects she will be highly effective, yes. Wonder if it is going to be her taking the hit, and joking them forward rather than admitting that she has fallen and is bleeding (or whatever). You probably wouldn't have her die (Twilight... MAYBE) but I could see her coming out of this with... say her hindquarters in a cart because the EoH only managed to save her from quadriplegia (and thus suffocation) but couldn't quite repair the nerves far enough down to keep paraplegia from happening. Maybe down an eye and/or an ear.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
"I received another letter from Twilight.
-Well, she did message ahead after all. Very much in character for her I think.
They're on their way, trying to make it here by dusk."
-Worth it to give them a few extra minutes... shoot, I wonder why she doesn't dispatch the chariots to pick them up.
"A good commander must recognize hopeless battles and allocate resources elsewhere."
-I still say that Twilight is obedient enough that she could be restrained with the right words.
Luna blinked for a few moments, thinking. "That... might actually work."
-Wait... Twilight's grasp of the theory of spell-craft has outdone the Alicorns? Maybe there was something to what I said about "old fears"... but then I would have expected one of the professors at the university to come up with that... maybe they haven't gotten around to it or maybe Celestia over-briefed them and imprinted her prejudices on the issue onto them.
She closed her eyes briefly, examining the more brute-force defense, a powerful and indiscriminate psychic shield, both sisters kept ready. Twilight's approach seemed far more elegant and efficient; she began to modify her shield in the same manner, but kept the general protection running on a trickle of power that could, if needed, be boosted with a moment's thought.
-Wise... experimenting, but still keeping the tried and true method ready.
"Nothing it without a weakness, Luna.
-Should be "is" not "it".
"If it reasons, it can be reasoned with. I will not strike the first blow."
-Ah... but I wonder how this would endanger Canterlot... is she going to have the seal their covered or smudged so that she can lure it in for parlay, rather than flying out to it? Actually if a single messenger is indicated, I would think that Luna would be in the running given its activity cycle, but... it may not make much of a difference depending on what you set their abilities as. Certainly Celestia strikes me as the superior diplomat.
"With me in its way? None."
"None to Canterlot, perhaps."
-Indeed...
In a way... I've been itching for something like this."
-Ah yes... "world of cardboard" and all that. This is the first foe in a thousand years that is worthy of her that she is both able (which she knew she wasn't with Discord) and willing (I hold with the view that she surrendered to NMM without a fight as part of her gambit) confront directly.
It's been over a century since I last personally faced a foe that was a legitimate threat.
-Ah... so the bit about "peace and harmony reigned" at the start S1E1 didn't include she herself. Also, I have it that soon after Luna was purified, the sisters were back to their old sparring matches (cover it in my story "Scratching a Diamond" actually).
"Kinda like in the gal in A Prince of Ares?"
-Pony version of "A Princess of Mars"?
Jane Teamster on the Red Planet
-Eeyup.
"Yer kiddin'." Applejack stared at the pegasus in horror, but Rainbow kept her gaze locked on the the city ahead.
-Truly, Dash's guts in the face of physical/magical danger are not to be underestimated. Social problems are another issue.
Two points of light, one bright gold and the other soft blue, rose slowly in the air in front of it.
-Did they disable the seal? Interesting that Celestia wasn't able to talk her sister out of following her. I imagine that having the sun and the moon fall back on the unicorns of Equestria would be... a large burden, not to mention lacking leadership.
"--that you're not to use them until the kraken demonstrates clear and unambiguous hostile intent in case peaceful negotiations are possible, but it sounds like that ship just sailed.
-Given that Luna uses lightning for punctuation (as Sun Tzu said in his WIW thread on the Rpg.net forums), and the Kraken has shown it can manipulate clouds, I don't know where he is getting that conclusion.
As Steely took a pen in his mouth and signed a form on a clipboard,
-Ah, even in the fact of Armageddon, the paperwork must get done... maybe he and/or the Pony behind the grating are from near Trottingham... seems like an English "stiff upper lip" response... or maybe it is just military stuff. I should remember to ask someone I know... they are actually a supply officer.
The sounds of magical battle rang out overhead.
-Ah... now it is confirmed.
The Elements chose us for the job because they knew we were willing to do it."
-Ah... so it isn't just having the given Element in your heart, you ALSO have to have a heroic spirit.
but the crisp, professional salute one gives to a superior officer.
-I don't know if any of them are fit to command in any circumstance that ISN'T focused around the EoH, but it doesn't matter in this case. (Of course, Twilight could get up to speed in record time, and Dash already has a head-start, between her fandom for the Wonderbolts and her leading the weather team).
Pinkie Pie smiled softly at the sergeant. "And may the earth carry you there."
-Sounds like funeral rites...
Manenite farewell
-Ah... even if I had thought of that, it wouldn't have occurred to me that there would be non-earthpony Manenites, or that Earthponies would talk about the stars in a reverent way.
"For a moment my wings felt like they just couldn't hold my weight anymore."
-One wonders if Fluttershy, who could get by pretty well without her wings, or Pinkie Pie, who as I implied wouldn't let paraplegia harsh her groove felt the same things... IE is it striking at their racial gifts, or at their personal sources of power (or rather the image of power)?
dispersing it and forcing Luna to fall back.
-No meteors or refocusing several square miles of sunlight onto a space a pony-length or smaller in radius. But that could just be because they are so close to Canterlot.
As it struggled to rise, the sisters combined their magic, and a lance of golden light sprung from the fading red light in the West, reflected off the bright half of the moon, and pierced the kraken through its back.
-Ah, there we go... just needed it to stay still for a second.
She thought she could hear her own name, but there was something else.
-Kraken has a ranged attack that it is aiming at them? (seems likely... even if it is only throwing a bigger rock than Celestia can catch with TK... (IE something the size of Canterlot Castle). The words rang out again, echoing like thunder, and she realized it was the moon princess speaking,
challenging the kraken in its own tongue.Maybe it absorbs good energy (thus the aura of despair), and will only grow stronger from the blast? (doubtful)
-Fast enough learner to get it in one conversation, or did she actually open her mind to it? Don't know how much vocabulary would be in the books (assuming they got it right, which I could see being the case).
a light like that of the dawn revealed its grotesqueness as never before.
-This confused me a minute, thinking that it was twisting Celestia so her light was an abomination to look upon, and twisting their memories so they thought that there was always something unnerving about Celestia's glow.
"I've got one! This way!"
-Going to TK the sign up and flip it over onto the Kraken? That might be within her abilities.
"but I wonder if your judgment is in full form at the moment. After all, her cutie mark is a wand."
-Ah... well craft illusions can be a lethal force... and in this case, even stuff that looks like neon signs might do the trick if they can be drawn at the right scale and with enough precision... It only takes 4 sides to make a tetrahedron... and an dodecahedron should be fairly tight when made with circles. Twilight + Rarity (see the second fashion show in "Suited for Success") + Trixie + Luna equals one side each for the tetrahedron, or three sides each for the dodecahedron. If it can't burrow through rock very well, then you don't even need a fourth side on the tetrahedron.
Griffons, for example, usually use staves or wands. But the only ponies with the potential for magic don't need any kind of tool; we have one right on our heads, with a direct nerve connection to the brain.
-Interesting world-building. Wonder what she makes of Zecora's potions (or the Love Poison), and illusion dust... which reminds me, I wonder what the dust Zecora gave her will get used for? Might be good to trace out the signs with.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
She looks good... WELL. She looks well.
-Traces of Twixie? Do not want.
her tone cattier than an animal shelter.
-Nice turn of phrase... although Equestrian animal shelters are probably much more mixed-species.
"YOU SHUT YOUR GOD-DAMNED MOUTH, YOU LITTLE BITCH!"
-Wow... let me guess, the Mysterious Midnight was her mentor, now tragically deceased, and Trixie wants to live up to his/her legacy. Might even be one of her parents.
Trixie's eyes held a similar fury, but driven by nothing but cold, murderous hate.
-Or maybe, despite having the poster in her room, she really is just an egomanic...
"Rainbow, The Mysterious Midnight was her MOTHER!"
-Ah, so I was right, but the years turned the driving force nearly completely to evil.
"But I never studied illusions! Nothing advanced, anyway."
-Saving that one for your sixth PhD were you?
while a new sound added to the muffled cacophony outside: Artillery.
-Pie catapults, lightning bolts from clouds, cannons, or unicorns with flames on their flanks/the right sort of TK to throw ballista bolts at gatling-gun speeds? Probably all of the above except the pies.
Either we win, or it kills us, and at the very least I want to make sure this thing remembers how hard it was to take me down.
-That'a girl...
She gasped. "It's Luna!"
-Twisting the stars randomly WOULD make them "not right" for it. Then again, maybe she is going for the big-time and turning the entire sky into an Elder Seal. Sounds Epic enough for an Incarnate Archangel (or as most people prefer to think of her, Goddess).
"The kraken is said to escape from its prison when the stars are right! Princess Luna's trying to make them wrong again."
-Ok, so the first one... at least for the moment.
Things in Ponyville were beginning to return to normal.
-Interesting jump-cut, wonder how it will all tie together... is this going to be an attack by minions? Are the CMC going to find some keep bit of information and Spike-fax it to appear above Celestia's unconscious/dead from (or near Luna?)? Both?
Ditzy Doo and Big Macintosh had taken Dinky and Sparkler
-Ah, finally looked it up and realized there was some set-up for this in "Ditzy Doo's Dismally Derpy Day".
He seemed to be hiding in the shadows of the streetlights, and his voice sounded halting and awkward. "Ditzy... Got minute?"
-Its a trap... he was caught out on the road away from the Seals, and got his mind eaten or something stole his form.
Ditzy started to respond, ready to give directions, but her thoughts stumbled and fell flat. Zecora... Who the hay is Zecora?
-Thought stealer of some sort? Stole Rocky's voice (unlike Luna NOT stealing Fluttershy's voice).
Rocky's eyes turned hard and cruel. "No game. Zecora, where find. Now."
-Oh, so she honestly doesn't know. Also, it may be Zecora who holds the key bit that the Canterlot team will need, and the CMC will only be part of the relay team of messengers that get the information to them in the nick of time.
As her anxiety grew, her eyes diverged; only one pointed at Rocky, the other at a faint shadow he cast in the light of the half-moon overhead.
-In my own fanon, there is a REASON why Ditzy's eyes don't work right, and this is ALMOST an example of the good intentions behind that reason.
I am a pegasus mother, I am protecting my foal, and any attempt to pass will end with your life.
-Agape in ALL its forms is Magic.
Big Mac's powerful rear hooves, shod in iron shoes far heavier than Ditzy's own, crushed the monster's head against the nearby wall.
-Given what we see in "Hearts and Hooves Day" he remembered to hold back so she wouldn't get injured by shrapnel from its skull.
"Celestia's name, Mac...
-Sure you don't mean "mane"? I could see it either way.
You-- You killed him!"
"Not him. It."
-Good acknowledgement of the code of non-lethal combat that Equestrians (at least the non-military personnel?) hold to on an implicit basis. Actually, most humans do too, it takes a LOT to make a human actually follow through with killing no matter what they FEEL like their intent is. Less so with less personal weapons (guns, more-so at greater ranges).
No more than a minute later, the entire market heard Lyra's scream.
-Ouch... horse apples just got real. Celestia was a fighter, wanting to parlay, but welcoming the battle. Rocky... wasn't.
As they'd approached the outer wall, the sounds of cannon-fire had tapered off and eventually ceased; looking out over the grassy plains, they could see ranks of guns left behind by their crews, some of them bent or crushed.
-Right... it makes sense that party canons aren't the only canons in Equestria.
Her words were cut off as a tremendous bolt of electricity shot forth from the gem of Twilight's tiara,
-Emergency-back-up fire-mode engaged...
As high as the kraken and precise to the width of a razor's edge
-You realize that is probably better percentage precision than most atomic weapons, right? In other words you got the level of Epic about right.
As it tried to retreat from the trap, Trixie placed another behind it, and as it tensed to leap upwards, a fifth appeared above it, boxing it in completely.
-Ah... a cube. Not as geometrically elegant, but Trixie probably doesn't have the intuitive understanding of Platonic solids to mess around with anything but the most well-known one in such a critical case, plus she started just trying to ward it back from Canterlot, progressed to countering a flanking maneuver, and only after that did she take it all the way into being a cage. Will be interesting to see what they find to do with it once they have it caged. Maybe once she gets some time to breath Luna can figure out what exactly to do with the stars to put it back into hibernation, or maybe the Rainbow attack can hit it if it doesn't have room to raise a shield. I still wonder about if the cage will need a bottom. Shoot, if it doesn't have room to spread its wings, that might fry it. In either case, stone is hardly a solid enough barrier to keep such a thing contained indefinitely.
Trixie looked dejectedly at the broken cage she had crafted from nothing more that light and geometry.
-Ah, well, it managed to force a retreat... that is GOOD. Especially since she did it almost entirely on her own (she had some critical covering fire from the EoH, but still...).
"Yeah, after you kicked it to the curb!" Rainbow shouted, taking to the air and doing a victory loop.
-One wonders how much of Trixie's dejection is her own pride, and how much is the lingering effects of the aura of despair that leaks through Twilight's shield.
But I didn't have a clear line of sight to the seal behind it, so I couldn't keep it as precise as the others.
-Ah, good explanation.
"What?" asked Trixie. "I read her paper in the ERM." Seeing the blank looks at her answer, she added, "The Equestrian Review of Magic. She was the first grad student they'd published in years, of course I checked it out."
-Professional magician... emphasis on the PROFESSIONAL, or at least somewhat so.
"Um... Where's Celestia?"
-Good point.
Relief struck Twilight like a bucket of ice water.
-Yeah, I THOUGHT that didn't sound like a description of enough of her to be fatal. You would have described a bloody smear if she had gotten crushed.
"... you're a little hoarse."
-And THAT is why Pinkie is the Element of Laughter. Elder god battle to friendly quip in record time.
What does not kill us swiftly had best be far away when we recover, for we surely will.
-Nice... of course, the Kraken seems to have this ability to, but even faster.
You threw the biggest lightning bolt I've ever seen at it, and that was dwarfed by the freaking sunlight laser they bounced of the moon, which was completely epic, by the way. How does that add up to an immunity to magic?"
-I will forgive her for a failure of terminology since it probably wasn't monochromatic, and thus couldn't be phase-locked. But to answer the question, those are electrical flow, and a bunch of photons. Magic may shape them, but they aren't magic any more than a copper-jacketed lead bullet is made of the steel of the barrel that directs it, or the gunpowder that drives it.
"What you felt was the disruption of the Stream's natural flow caused by its presence."
-Let me guess... the stream comes from emotion, from life. It is zero on that scale, or maybe a negative number (imaginary number?). Discord's magic was mighty, but was fed by cruelty and kookiness. Those are emotional forces. The Kraken OTOH, has emotions so bizzare that they don't count, and disrupt any magic that touches it.
Rainbow briefly contemplated getting a sign that said "dumb it down please" and carrying it any time she hung out with unicorns.
-Good choice... maybe on a pendant, like a medic-alert pendant "I am a Pegasus. I do not understand magic. Dumb It Down Please." I'm sure Rarity could even make it look stylish.
It lets pegasi fly and control weather, it gives earth ponies their strength and nourishes the land they work, it even makes our cutie marks appear.
-Right... should have specified... "Magic" in the broad sense, not just what unicorns use.
You said your knees felt weak. Rainbow Dash said the same about her wings. My horn felt the same way.
-Ah, so it is race-specific to an extent... although it may have hit Pinkie in her reality-warping and Pinkie-sense (in fact that could explain the Doozy, since her Pinkie-sense can work at long ranges in space, and goes at least minutes into the future).
Despair, even when natural, is not always rational or warranted.
-So true. Every parachutist experiences this.
"His platoon provided cover fire while the medics retrieved Celestia," said Luna. "His squad covered the retreat of his platoon. He covered the retreat of his squad. My sister, and many others, still live... because of him."
-And he probably did it because if six (or seven if he saw Trixie) Ponies with no formal training in battlefield conduct were going to face this thing, he couldn't do any less as long as there was no longer any purpose to standing (or maybe he stood even when there was no point... possible, but it doesn't do well to speak ill of the dead).
"One would think it should," Luna whispered. "So why doesn't it?"
-...Indeed.
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I interpreted the business in Sweet and Elite as being purely focused on the "You started a dress, and are ignoring it to socialize. Back to work you lazy mare. Fashion for the fashion gods!" Maybe I missed something.
As for the other thing, I hadn't read that part when I wrote about the problems with the sign getting covered. These are my comments as I read, not after having finished what is available to-date. An unusual way of doing things, but I think it has its value to writers. In any case your point is well-taken now that i have gotten that far.
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Holy heck, Draco, are you giving my story the whole "where I read" treatment? Not complaining, but dang.
-I see you are mostly to entirely averting the "Scootaloo is secretly an orphan" thing.
Yeah, no Scootabuse in my fanon. The existence of her family is, I think, a safe assumption, it's just undefined. (Come on, guys, give her a focus episode!) I'm just keeping them offscreen in my fics until they make an appearance.
-Owloysius being braver than Dash? Maybe it is just that he has better night-vision, can't feel the currents to be afraid of them, or maybe he just places a lower value on his life than Dash does (which makes a certain sort of sense from my perpective).
More that Dash had already done plenty.
-Interesting given that a lot of people assume that Applejack doesn't HAVE very good business sense. "Maneopoly" is good lexicon building...
Agriculture is way too economically unpredictable; if she didn't have any business sense, she wouldn't have a farm. Like racing against the Red Queen, it takes all the running you can do to stay in one place.
-Kraken obviously equals Cthulthu (or a MAJOR minion of his that shares his tentacles and wings), but I am wondering if you are going to be mixing in some Squirk from G1.
I have no knowledge of G1, so no. I'm curious enough to look it up now, though.
-Will be interesting to see how alien its tactics/strategies are. Again, I am not familiar with the Mythos, so I couldn't say how odd the actions of the elder gods are traditionally. Not that varying from that in either direction would be a problem, but I would find it interesting if you really could write the Kraken as not following normal logic about such things, and yet being effective in them.
Too problems with that approach: One, I don't think I could come up with "alien logic" that wasn't just crazy or stupid. Two, logic, like math, is something that I think is likely to be pretty much universal.
-Tense problem I think. Should probably be "but he just wrapped his blanket tighter around himself in the way he did when he didn't want to admit he was awake.",
It works for me, as in it's describing something Spike always does and this is just one occurance of it. Using past tense for a statement like that, to me, sounds like saying it's something they used to do but don't anymore.
-That sleep spell is looking better and better in its qualities. Certainly beat most or all real-world medications, unless it doesn't allow waking for the first few hours, even if your bed catches fire, and even then a hypothetical medication that did that would find use in mental wards, and in emergency prescriptions for those who survived horrible things, but are now in a safe place. The only other flaw I can think of is that it might prevent the mind from coming to grips with trauma via dreams etc, merely staving off the problem.
I'm working with a theory along the lines of using Tetris to prevent PTSD (it's a real thing, really, google it). It keeps the experience from making the shift from short-term to long-term memory with its full traumatic impact. No information is lost, but the emotional association is weakened.
-I can see how she would be worried, but since MOST of the animals obey her better than Angel Bunny, i don't think there should be TOO much damage, and I suspect that EVENTUALLY she will be able to expense account any damages. Then again, innocent little Twilight never really seems to have grasped just how much privilege actually goes with being "My Most Faithful Student" and "Leader of the Personal S.M.A.T.* of Celestia Invicta".
*Special Magics And Tactics
It's not so much the damage as it is the mess.
("SMAT"? Love it.)
-This isn't very... alien. Does this fall under "they understand us, but we can never truly understand them"?
Mmmmmmaaayybe...
-A very cogent question. RD may have studied military tactics to be thinking this straight (the Wonderbolts are a military organization in all probability, so it makes sense, plus she DOES have a black-belt).
I sometimes wonder if the Wonderbolts are like the Blue Angels, a military unit that does performances. But it's hard to say. Dash aspires to join them, but there's no mention of her intending to enlist to do so. And their appearance is Secret of My Excess was clearly a King Kong homage.
-Ah, I see... that explains why she isn't pulling out the "Sunset happens when WE say it does." card, at least not yet. If they need to put all of Equestria into a "Spirit Bomb", then she might go that far, or if they want to mess with its head to put it off its game.
Not to mention the huge repercussions for the climate.
-Bolts of cloth and sewing machines are more portable, and thus more quickly replaceable, than whole apple trees, but other than that, yes.
Some of that was reassuring her that she wasn't being selfish for worrying about it. And yes they're not not exact 1:1 analogs, but she does rely on it for income.
-What is this a sequal to that Big Macintosh is dating/married to Ditzy?
I'm kinda using the continuity of my Ditzy Doo stories, yes, but I'm trying to avoid making familiarity with them essential. Besides, DerpyMac is a popular pairing from what I've seen.
-Worth it to give them a few extra minutes... shoot, I wonder why she doesn't dispatch the chariots to pick them up.
Round trip by air vs. one way by ground, might not be much of a savings. Plus vulnerability while airborne, like Twilight said about the balloon.
-Should be "is" not "it".
Noted.
-Ah... so the bit about "peace and harmony reigned" at the start S1E1 didn't include she herself. Also, I have it that soon after Luna was purified, the sisters were back to their old sparring matches (cover it in my story "Scratching a Diamond" actually).
Just because there's been peace in the political sense doesn't mean there's never been an elder dragon or ursa major or some other example of Equestria's kingdom-ending megafauna with it's knickers in a twist.
-Pony version of "A Princess of Mars"?
Bingo. I now realize that this has to take place sometime after Read it and Weep, but whatevs. It also makes sense to me that Dash would be a total Burroughs fan, while Twilight might not be able to stand the scientific inaccuracies.
-Ah, even in the fact of Armageddon, the paperwork must get done... maybe he and/or the Pony behind the grating are from near Trottingham... seems like an English "stiff upper lip" response... or maybe it is just military stuff. I should remember to ask someone I know... they are actually a supply officer.
Definitely a military thing. Administration is a force multiplier.
-I don't know if any of them are fit to command in any circumstance that ISN'T focused around the EoH, but it doesn't matter in this case. (Of course, Twilight could get up to speed in record time, and Dash already has a head-start, between her fandom for the Wonderbolts and her leading the weather team).
None of them are actually officers (I was tempted to make them all battlefield-commissioned warrant officers after the NMM incident, but decided against it), it's just Steely treating them with the same respect because he feels they deserve it.
-This confused me a minute, thinking that it was twisting Celestia so her light was an abomination to look upon, and twisting their memories so they thought that there was always something unnerving about Celestia's glow.
Good point. I'll take a look and maybe edit to make it clearer.
-In my own fanon, there is a REASON why Ditzy's eyes don't work right, and this is ALMOST an example of the good intentions behind that reason.
I'm curious what that is. Mind sharing?
-Sure you don't mean "mane"? I could see it either way.
Nope, I meant name. Like when Dash said "In the name of Celestia" in The Last Rounderp.
-Ah... a cube. Not as geometrically elegant, but Trixie probably doesn't have the intuitive understanding of Platonic solids to mess around with anything but the most well-known one in such a critical case, plus she started just trying to ward it back from Canterlot, progressed to countering a flanking maneuver, and only after that did she take it all the way into being a cage.
A tetrahedron might be more efficient, but in general I think a cube is more intuitive (two faces for each of the x, y and z axes) and right angles are easier to eyeball. Besides, once she had one seal done all she needed was a clone stamp.
-And THAT is why Pinkie is the Element of Laughter. Elder god battle to friendly quip in record time.
It is my sincere hope that every reader groans like a weak floorboard at that line.
-Good choice... maybe on a pendant, like a medic-alert pendant "I am a Pegasus. I do not understand magic. Dumb It Down Please." I'm sure Rarity could even make it look stylish.
That's pretty hilarious.
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Holy heck, Draco, are you giving my story the whole "where I read" treatment? Not complaining, but dang.
-Yeah, I always do "Where I Read" style reviews(Even though I would have had no idea what that was when I started reviewing stuff). It isn't much harder than a shorter review for me (because I always have trouble deciding what to leave out and what to say so if I just say almost everything that comes into my head, it is actually easier). And... well I can't say it is ONLY because of Generosity, because I am ALSO trying to build up favors for when I need feedback to help me fine-tune one of MY stories. And yes, I realize that most people aren't going to be NEARLY as detailed about it as I am.
I sometimes wonder if the Wonderbolts are like the Blue Angels, a military unit that does performances.
-I would guess they are sorta the reverse... an acrobatic group that is also a fast-response reservist unit.
I'm working with a theory along the lines of using Tetris to prevent PTSD (it's a real thing, really, google it). It keeps the experience from making the shift from short-term to long-term memory with its full traumatic impact. No information is lost, but the emotional association is weakened.
-Ah... hadn't heard about that...
Round trip by air vs. one way by ground, might not be much of a savings.
-Meeting them part-way would be a savings of some sort. Bet Fluttershy doesn't have the best endurance for continuous hiking (now pulling 100 hour weeks... she probably could keep up with Twilight on that count, since I imagine every time there is a random spike in animal injuries she doesn't get much sleep).
-In my own fanon, there is a REASON why Ditzy's eyes don't work right, and this is ALMOST an example of the good intentions behind that reason.
I'm curious what that is. Mind sharing?
-I... will Note/PM you, I don't want to give away one of the reveals in one in the longest of my of my stories that I HOPE to finish one of these days ("If Mine Eye Offend Thee..." in case people care).
Besides, once she had one seal done all she needed was a clone stamp.
-It is still just a copy-paste operation, it just has a weird angle to it. Again, Stage Magician in Equestria =/= Geometry Nerd (IRL it might actually help if you are going to be inventing your own tricks). K.I.S.S. principle applies to her (as I basically said before).
Hmm…the Stream reminds me of the Lifestream and Mako from Final Fantasy VII. And as for that lightning attack…I wonder if the other EOH (Elements of Harmony) can do the same thing. And if you'll assign a classical element to each. I based them on personality.
- amplified Magic
- Earth (strong, hardworking, down-to-earth)
- Thunder/Lightning (obvious reasons)
- Fire (beautiful, gives warmth and light)
- Wind/Air (graceful, sweet and light)
- Water (can be wild at times, fun)
Please update, I love Cthulhu Mythos.
Wow, it's sad that this story doesn't receive enough attention.
I do hope you update this soon. This story is amazing. Plus Cthulhu is just an overall badass.
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I haven't been able to work on this as much as I'd have liked to because I've been busy with college (Much of what's up now was written over Winter break). But Spring break just started for me, so even though I've got some actual schoolwork to do (all of my hate, C++, all of it!) I'm hoping to finish and post the next chapter. And get some work done polishing the rest so I can resubmit it to EqD.
Also, FIMfic has stopped emailing me with new comments. That or Gmail's marking them as spam. Grr. Must investigate.
Well, it might have taken a while to get here but I am glad to see this. That being said, I wonder if the mutant lizard people are running around because of the kraken. Also, why did Ditzy blank on Zecora's name? I
>Log in
>View tracked stories
>IT FUCKIN' UPDATED
DOES NOT COMPUTE DOES NOT COMPUTE
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All will be revealed in time.
Also, STILL not getting emails for new comments. This is getting annoying.
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My personal guess is that Zecora knows more than one way to protect herself from the Kraken and everything that comes with it. Although it raises the question why the Valusian was asking about her in the first place?
Twilight's tweezer scene in the bathroom... ow. If you were going for "raw and painful", Clavdivs, you succeeded.
Damn, yeah. Those last bits there were rather powerful, CLAVDIVS. I think you got it right. Twilight would feel that way. And the scene with her cutie mark, I was legit cringing. As for Trixie, good on her there. I think you did her well.
One minor thing, though...
Around the corner Twilight could make out the sound of nurses talking quietly, and a soft snore drew her eye to a sofa in the hallway just outside Celestia's room where the Great and Power Trixie slept like a foal.
I think that's supposed to be 'powerful'.
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It's probably your ISP's fault.
Take a look at the very bottom of Chapter 3. I just added a link to a side vignette about what Zecora's been up to, written by fellow RPGnetter Ithaeur.
EDIT: Known as Lurks-no-More elseweb, including here. Added profile link, too.
Thank you.
Yelling Twilight sounds exactly like yelling Twilight should in my head. Good work.
No contemplation of using the orbital friendship cannon, AKA the Elements of Harmony, against this thing?
Damnit, first DashXColt now this author. Why are the authors disappearing ;-;
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I'm not disappearing, I'm just busy working on a comp sci degree. Most of this story was written over the Winter and Spring breaks. Summer's coming up, but that also means it's crunch time. I've got a good portion of another chapter already done, but finishing it will have to wait till the end of the semester.
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Ha. Silly me. Yeah I know how that goes. Also dang, spring semester is still going for someone? Anyway, luck, etc.
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I couldn't agree more about the last scene with Twilight. One of the reasons it affected me is that she didn't even consciously realize what she was doing to herself, and your writing got so far inside her head that I realized it at the exact same pace of your sentences. You should have seen the horror on my face.
Anyway, I think I recall a comment earlier that Equestria Daily didn't take your submission? If you don't mind sharing, why was that? This is better than a lot of the stories I've read on there.
Wow. So much has happened in just six chapters! How would they ever hope to defeat Cthulhu? Just the name alone translates to "there is no hope, please stop resisting and just submit to my will." I would really like to see the Mane Six and Celestia (once she's recovered) fight an entire army of dark, demonic forces! But I don't know much about Lovecraftian lore, so that's just me saying crap. PLEASE CONTINUE WRITING!
I really liked this chapter. You've done a wonderful job with dialogue and characterization, but then again you always do that. Keep up the good work!
Well, good things cannot be rushed, can they?
There's gonna be tentacle rape right? That's the only reason I would invoke cthulhu.
This a take on Twilight and Trixie that I don't think I've seen before... Very nice! And the deep ponies are surfacing, too...
I'm very much looking forward to the next chapter(s)!
766070 BAD PWNY get your mind out of the gutters
nice chapter also good take on trixie.
It does make me wonder if Nyarlothep is going to make an appearance, or perhaps some Shoggoth's?
Perhaps even Lord Azathoth himself, the Nuclear Chaos?
More please!
Very interesting dynamics between all the characters (even if I think that there's some unnecessary shipping going on) and I'm looking forward to more in the future!
About the only thing I can offer as a critique is that Trixie's vocabulary feels really overblown when she's explaining things. It doesn't feel like natural speech to me. More like she's reading from a textbook or from a script. I think if you tone down her flowery speech a bit, it will feel less awkward.
Other than that, good work!
I like the character interaction.
Seriously, everything was fifteen kinds of awesome here. Poor... everyone. *Hugs*
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Nyarlathotep's been done.
He was voiced by John deLancie. :D
Well, aside from any Lovecraft stuff, this fic did what I never thought a fic would manage to do.
I... I'm gonna go read some Twixie now. Willingly.?
Moodwhiplash much?
Adorkable Twixie
Oh F***, it's Cthullu!
Pinkie Pie is random
Holy Hell, what did Cthulhu do to Canterlot and Celestia?
This. Is. Epic.
So far, you've captured the atmosphere of the initial discovery perfectly--I'm gonna go back and read Call of Cthulhu before I hit up the next chapter as a refresher, but from what I remember this is pretty damn close to par for the Mythos.
I have to say, I was most intrigued by the idea that there's finally a problem that the the Elements of Harmony can't deus ex machina the Mane 6 out of.
If this story didn't have me tracking it before, it certainly does now. WHY is it not on Equestria Daily?