1. The Beginning of The End
"Hmm, da, da da, dee da." Twilight smiled, scatting, dusting her shelves, the books neatly stacked in piles, just the way she liked it. As her feather duster moved over shelf E, she noticed something odd engraved on the surface, a strange rune.
"What the? I've never seen this before." She muttered, pressing a hoof over the mark, gasping as a grinding sound was heard. The wall popped back, then lowered to the ground, as a winding staircase leading downward took it's place. "What is this?" Peeking inside, she could barely make out the stairs. Lighting her horn up, she used the glow for light, as she slowly descended the stone steps, cobwebs and dust littering the corridor.
After what seemed like hours, she finally came upon a large door, where some kind of grotesque squid/fish like creature was etched onto the body. "Some kind of...vault?" She asked to herself, straining as she pushed the heavy stone door, with a groan, it opened. On a lit pedestal lay a tome, untouched by dust. Opening it up, Twilight reeled in disgust, the cover and pages appeared to be made of flesh, while the words were written in congealed blood. She retched on the floor. It was true ponies used leather in more-risque clothing, but it was always given willingly or imported. As for blood, supernatural beings, like vamponies, were permitted to drink blood, with permission of the one they were drinking from, or from a blood bank, but this...it was too much.
Wiping her mouth with a hoof, she forced her way back, and looked at the writing. It was, surprisingly enough, written in Equestrian. Scanning the text in the dim light her horn gave, she began reading aloud, "Oh Great Old One, forebear of Ry'leh and the Sleeper Cthulhu, He that Whispers in Darkness, I summon thee now!" She said, before falling back as the book hovered into the air, and a pillar of swirling ebony light rose into the air, and a horrific skull with tendrils wrapped around appeared in the mist, its eyes were like miniature suns, tendrils writhed around its face, and the mouth had fangs, while the inner part was full of fire. It turned towards Twilight, and a twisted grin appeared on its visage.
The young Alicorn shook in terror, the scent of urine wafting from underneath, her heat beated, "W-who are you? What are you?"She whimpered, sweating bullets.
The....thing opened its mouth and spoke. It's voice sounded like millions of beings speaking at once, it had a commanding, ancient tone, like listening to creation itself being replayed over and over. "I HAVE MANY NAMES. YOUR KIND KNOWS ME AS THE NIGHTMARE, TIREK THE ABOMINATION, THE DARKNESS OF THE SOUL, SOVEREIGN I AM HE THAT CREATED! THE NAME I AM COMMONLY KNOWN AS IS AZATHOTH, AND YOU SHALL ADDRESS ME AS SUCH, MORTAL! I MUST THANK YOU TWILIGHT SPARKLE, THANKS TO YOU, MY BRETHREN AND I SHALL CONQUER THIS WORLD! YOUR LEADERS WILL BURN, AND WE SHALL RULE! FAREWELL!" He roared, as his body turned into mist and he vanished in a flock of ravens.
Twilight whimpered, galloping up the stairs and calling her friends, who sped over as quickly as they could. Shaken, she explained her story, starting with the shelf, tears welling in her eyes. "It's all my fault. It's all my fault." She muttered to herself, sipping a cup of tea, "I hope the Princesses can tell me more about this....Azathoth." The Alicorn shuddered in fear, as Fluttershy rubbed her back.
A flash of light surrounded the center of the living room, and dissipated, Celestia, Luna, and a group of their guards appeared. Twilight ran and nuzzled her marefriend and her nocturnal sister. "Have you discovered anything?" She pleaded, desperate for any kind of help.
"Yes, this Azathoth is a member of interstellar, near god-like beings known as the Great Old Ones, an old friend of mine, Love Craft discovered them, and wrote many books about them, trying to warn everyone, unfortunately, they've been dismissed as fiction. Aerial surveillance has discovered a portal underneath the Marelantic Ocean. Our best mages have discovered the portal leads to the city you mention, Ry'leh, and found a slumbering member of their species, Cthulhu. He has grown fond of this world, and has hatred against Azathoth, he will aid us, but only if we leave him alone, and he can come to our realm." Celestia said, panting, the solar demigod stretched her wings. "Cthulhu is gathering his forces as we speak, and the army has been outfitted with enchanted weapons and armor. Twilight, a storm is coming, a war is coming." She sighed, "We must prepare, and we will need your help. Guard Nyx, being made of a former part of Azathoth, she will most likely be his target of possession." She nodded, before the group vanished.
Twilight grabbed her daughter, as the two gathered every able bodied Unicorn, aswell as mages of the other species, and began casting protective wards around Ponyville and the entrances to the Everfree Forest, retreating into their homes afterward. Twilight fortified the door with magic, and locked it, her friends and their immediate family (Alongside Babs who was staying with the Apples while her parents were on vacation), also took shelter. "Alright everypony, if somepony knocks, notify Rarity or I first." She said, taking a rest while Rainbow and her mother, Firefly, took up their shift guarding the door. Nyx was wrapped in her mother's wings. Twilight smiled, sucking her hoof, as she fell asleep.
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Xoth, the outer reaches of space
A group of grotesque beings, the Dark Young, kneeled before a gilded throne shaped like various beings screaming in horror, Azathoth stood before the empty throne. "MY NEPHEWS AND NIECES, I HAVE RETURNED!", a great guttural cheer rose from the ranks, "WITH THE AID OF THE NEWEST PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA, I HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM MY FETID PRISON! RALLY MY BRETHREN! WE SHALL GATHER, THEN, MARCH ON EQUESTRIA!"He yelled, as the Dark Young fled to find the other Great Old Ones, whispering.
Azathoth smirked, sitting on the throne, resting a tendril-formed hand on his chin, or rather where one would be if he had assumed mortal form, much like Nyartholep would occasionally do, a scying pool appeared, where a flickering image of Equiis could be seen "Prepare all you wish, darkness will reign." He slashed the surronding mist into oblivion.
He smiled cruelly as the planet was engulfed in shadows and tendrils.
