The Call of Cthulhu: The Dark Corners of Equestria
I. The Madness of Twilight Sparkle
It is an unfortunate fact that I must tell my tale, and the reasons I have for destroying Ponyville's Golden Oak Library, where the late Twilight Sparkle had lived for some time, and I would be much happier and rest much easier if I could continue to keep the terrible truth that now haunts me to myself. It has been five years now since I first was arrested for destroying the building, five terrible years since I first learned of the terrible things that even now reside in the dark corners of Equestria. I had hoped I would be able to rest in peace despite my supposed guilt of killing Ms. Sparkle, but because of a recent discovery made by the Dash expedition in the Uncharted North, I must now speak. Doubt of the facts as I must reveal them is inevitable, yet if I were to suppress information as extraordinary as this, there would be nothing left.
As some may recall, Ms. Sparkle was a famous and much loved figure in ponykind, saving Equestria alongside the other Elements of Harmony countless times, and acting as an excellent role model to those looking up to her. She spent the first half of her life living in Canterlot as the personal student of Celestia. During this time, she spent countless hours collecting a vast knowledge from the massive amount of books and other documents that she had. By the time she moved to Ponyville, she had risen to the top of her class, and was even congratulated by Sherlock Hooves himself. So when it was announced to the citizens of Equestria that she had been administered to a mental hospital just outside of Canterlot, it was to the shock and horror to all those that knew her, myself included.
She had been administered after she was discovered (by one H.P. Hoofcraft) after a two week absence wandering about the streets of Canterlot muttering strange, and twisted verses of some alien language wholly unknown to ponykind, and attacking anypony who got near her whilst insisting they were members of some obscure and horribly twisted cult that sought her demise. When brought into questioning she refused to speak a word, and would have a fearful look in her eye. It was during this time that I got to properly meet Ms. Sparkle for the first time, having been assigned the role of her personal doctor and psychologist. As such, I met with her several times a week doing regular checkups on her mental condition, and often trying to persuade her to tell me the whole story as to what had happened that had affected her mind so keenly. These attempts were in vain mostly, and I had just about given up ever coaxing the truth (or at least, what she perceived as the truth) out of her when she finally spoke. It was the morning of the fifteenth of June that she spoke, and ever since that fateful day I have understood all to well the horrors that dwelled within her mind until that moment when the merciful hooves of death lifted her.
I had been waiting for her behind a small, wooden desk in my office at the Canterlot Hospital. The office was a small space, with only my desk, a single window that overlooked most of Canterlot and two small bookshelves (filled mostly with medical and psychological books) serving as the rooms only decoration. On my desk sat a nameplate with my name (Doctor Whooves) on it, a small jar filled mostly with pencils and a small black box which contained something which I had recovered from Twilights home in Ponyville. When at last she arrived her eyes were drawn instantly to the box and she held a curious expression on her face as she approached me. "Good evening Ms. Sparkle, and how are we feeling today?" I asked.
"Good evening Mr. Whooves. I'm feeling just fine thank you."
"That's good." I said, smiling compassionately at her. "Well let's begin shall we? I would like to-"
"Er...Mr. Whooves?" I stared at her, blinking a few times out of surprise. Over that past month we had met several times, and during each of our sessions we always allowed each other to talk until they were finished. Not once had I cut her off mid speech, nor she I.
"Yes?" was the only thing I could think to say.
"M..Might I ask what it is that is inside that box over there?" She asked, pointing her hoof at the box on my desk. "I've never seen it here before." I smiled broadly at the mention of the box, despite my small annoyance at being cut off.
"That" said I. "Will be the topic of todays discussion." I leaned over my desk reaching a single hoof out to a small stack of papers and pulled them towards me. "Do you know what these papers are Ms. Sparkle?" She seemed to think about my question a moment before shaking her head slowly. "These are your release forms." I explained, smiling slightly as I did so at the look of shock and joy on her face. "I've spoken with the board recently, and they all agree that you're well enough to go home."
"Oh thank you Mr. Whooves! Thank you thank you thank yo-"
"But!" It was my turn to interrupt her now. "There is one last thing I still wish to discuss with you." Her excitement vanished as quickly as it had arrived, and she lowered her head as if aware of what I wished to talk about. "Ms. Sparkle, we have spent the last few months helping you to escape your madness, but during all that time not once did you reveal to us what caused it in the first place! You are one of the greatest ponies alive today, and I know that a mind such as yours would not snap easily. I beg you tell me what happened, and why it is you disappeared for two weeks before you were found!" She looked up at me suddenly, a firm resolution burning in her eyes.
"No." I nodded, expecting as much, and reached over my desk again this time pulling the lid of the box off revealing the contents it held inside. The result was instantaneous. Twilight leaped from my desk as far as she could, a look of utter terror engraved on her face. The object which I had produced was a cold, clay bas-relief that depicted some sort of monster, or a being representing a monster. The bas-relief was a rough rectangle less than an inch thick and about five by six inches in area with strange and utterly alien symbols or hieroglyphics on the bottom of the thing. It was the figure that sat on top however, that drew most of my attention when first I viewed it. It was a sort of bipedal monster, with a pulpy tentacled head that surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with wings not unlike those of a dragon.
Upon observing Twilights reaction I snatched up the figure instantly, and placed it back within its box so that it could no longer be seen by either of us. Twilight continued to stare at the box for a few minutes, before asking a single question without once looking away. "Where did you get it?"
"We found it in your house at Ponyville about a week or so before you were found." I replied slowly. "The board wanted me to question you about it much earlier, but I refrained from doing so in fear of it affecting your recovery." Her gaze finally met mine, and I could see plainly she was fighting some internal battle before letting out a soft sigh. It was then that she spoke, and as she whispered her tale to me in hushed terror, I shivered again and again despite the warm temperature of the day. When she was done, I did not wonder why her mind had snapped a trifle. I thanked Ms. Sparkle and left without even seeing her out. Later that day I recovered most of my belongings and moved back to my former place of residence in Ponyville. The rest, as they say, is history. Five days later I was discovered in the act of destroying the Golden Oak Library by means of a controlled fire, and as it so happens it was on that same day that Ms. Sparkle had been discovered dead just outside of the hospital, apparently having been strangled to death. The guilt of the crime was instantly placed on me, and I was placed in a small prison cell at Canterlot, where I reside today.
I would have been perfectly happy to continue to take the blame for the death of Twilight Sparkle, as long as it meant the terrible truth would never be discovered. But alas, no more. I must now tell that same horrible tale Twilight told me those five years ago, and hope beyond all hope that there exist enough educated minds who would listen to me that can dissuade any who seek the unknown. As you are doubles aware, the Dash expedition to the Uncharted North made a great discovery lately, a vast and terrible mountain range that they deemed to be mountains of discord. Upon their return, it was clear to all that something terrible had taken place at that nightmarish place, but none of the members of the Dash expedition would speak of what they had found. While I have no concrete proof that my theory is correct, I still believe that I know what the nightmare they found beyond the mountains is, and that is why I now must speak. For if it is what I think it is, then I can only hope nopony ever goes within a hundred feet of that place again. I shall now relate to you in full that which Twilight first told me five years ago, and pray that ponykind accepts the truth in what I have to say.