The Neighcronomicon

Twilight gaped at the Neighcronomicon. All her life, knowledge had always been the answer, never the problem. Sometimes having too little knowledge was a problem, but the solution to that had been hitting the books. And now, because she had read just a few chapters from this book, her very voice could cause physical pain to her best friends. None of Twilight's nightmares, panic attacks, or fear filled daydreams had ever presented her with this anything like this scenario. And none of those terrible imaginings could hold a candle to this horrifying reality.

Slowly Twilight's friends recovered from their shock and terror. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both banished their fears first, and moved to comfort Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy respectively. As Applejack drew Pinkie Pie into a hug, the pink earth pony's limp mane and tail snapped back to their naturally poofy states with an audible pop. With the aid of a marshmallow and chocolate cupcake, Pinkie and Applejack coaxed Rarity to leave the bookshelf. Applejack winced when she saw the back of the bookcase; in her terror Rarity had chipped and scratched at the wooden paneling in an effort to flee even further.

After a few more minutes, Rainbow Dash managed to help Fluttershy sit upright, pressing her cyan frame against the yellow pegasus for support. More tea was hastily brewed up, and five pairs of hooves clasped five mugs of the hot drink.

"I heard it." Rainbow Dash muttered after a few of minutes passed. "I heard a voice that wasn't Twilight's, and it told me that I was destined to lose my wings. That no matter what I do, one day, I'll never fly again." Rainbow hung her head, wings twitching in a clear display of nerves. The tears she had forced back with sheer stubborn mindedness shook off her control, and with a steady drip-drop, Rainbow flavored her tea with sadness and angst. Fluttershy flung her hooves around Dash, comforting her oldest friend.

"Well ah heard a 'him', not an 'it'." Applejack set her tea down and patted Rainbow Dashes shoulder. "An he said some right terrible things 'bout how mah farm won't last, an all mah kin will turn to dust an' ash." Applejack glanced down at her cutie mark, the three red apples there a clear sign of her love for that farm and her family as a whole. "Ah could hear the lie though, so what he said didn't bother me near as much as how he said it. I swear the voice was different up at the barn earlier today."

Rarity poured herself another mug of tea. Perhaps because she had already suffered hearing Twilight, Rarity had composed herself very quickly after Pinkie's confectionery skills had broken through to her. "I heard another mare speaking. Not at all sounding like Twilight mind you, but most assuredly a mare's voice. She made some very harsh predictions about my future as a fashionista and how oh sweet Celestia! What on Earth happened to my hooves!?" A brief second of silence followed Rarity's piqued shout before Rainbow Dash began to snicker. With that little bit of laughter, the floodgates were lifted, and soon everypony aside from Rarity was laughing uproariously. "Stop it, this isn't funny at all! I'll have to spend a great deal more time at the spa before these dreadful scratches will come out, mark my words!"

Rainbow Dash gasped for breath, "Oh yeah, he he he, wouldn't that just be, heh, terrible if you had to spend even more time getting pampered at the spa?" A fresh gale of laughter swept through the room; even Rarity let out a dainty little giggle.

"Well when you put it like that Rainbow, I suppose this whole ordeal may just have an upside yet."

"I think it'd be nice to go to the spa" Fluttershy mumbled. "I didn't hear it that distinctly, but I did sort of understand it." Even though all of her friends were, once again, staring at her, Fluttershy only quailed slightly under their combined gaze. "It was like trying to listen to an animal. They don't speak like us, but I often know they're saying even though I don't hear the words."

"If anyone can speak with animals it would be you darling." Rarity admitted airily. "So, what do you think it said?"

"Oh, it was very happy to talk to me. But, oh dear, it was like when I introduced Mr. Rattlesnake to Mr. Mongoose, and Mr. Mongoose was very polite right up until he jumped all over Mr. Rattlesnake and they started fighting and . . ." Fluttershy stopped and shrunk in on herself a bit as looks of confusion were passed between her friends. "Um. . . I guess I don't really know how to explain it very well. Sorry."

"That's okay sugercube, ah'm just happy you didn't get too scared by whatever it is." Applejack said. "So, Pinkie, did you hear anythin'? You looked like you'd seen a ghostie but forgot to giggle at it."

"She. . . She called me a time bomb." Pinkie Pie whispered, mane and tail deflating slightly. "She hissed that it was only a matter of time before the loose screws and faulty wiring in my head stopped working altogether, and I would just be a broken toy." Pinkie looked up and smiled, and it was like the sun breaking through a thunderstorm, more glorious and brighter for all the darkness around it. "But I knew it wasn't Twilight talking, just some big meanie-head using her mouth. So it's not Twilight's fault at all, which means we can help her beat this, and then I can throw a 'Congratulations on being free of that unspeakable, unknowable, cosmic malevolence!' party for her! Right Twilight? . . . Twilight?"

Suddenly it dawned on the five friends that Twilight and the Neighcronomicon were missing.

* * *

Twilight threw up. Her stomach heaved again and again, the torrent of bile soured the air on the small hilltop. Head pounding, throat raw, Twilight staggered back down the hill, her pains fading away as she crested the neighboring height. Nestled among her saddlebags was the Neighcronomicon, the swirling cover resembling nothing but abstract art once more. Pulling Pinkie's notepad and pencil out of the saddlebags, Twilight set about updating her notes in the waning sunlight.

I cannot move more than approximately 50 feet from the Neighcronomicon before being all but incapacitated with physical symptoms like headache, stomach ache, and blurry vision (Further symptoms listed in Index A). These symptoms begin shortly after I am more then roughly 10 feet away, and at the 50 foot mark are almost crippling, usually culminating with a bout of vomiting. There is an abatement of the symptoms if I consider or vocalize the desire to close the distance between myself and the Neighcronomicon. Psychologically, I find myself unnerved if I do not have the Neighcronomicon in my direct possession, and this fear increases if it's out of my sight.

I hypothesize that I have developed a dependency on the tome, and that only by keeping it near myself will I be able to function. If the pains I have as I move away from the book are, somehow, caused by the Neighcronomicon, then this leads to the idea that the book can also 'hear' me in some sense. Otherwise, there would be no abatement of my negative symptoms when I think of returning to the book.

As unpleasant as these realizations are, I cannot leave the Neighcronomicon behind. I fear what will happen if I read more of its secrets, but if I'm to get to the bottom of this, I'll need to have it on hoof in case the lore within is worth the risk. Because my own voice is a source of trauma, I cannot rationalize going on this journey with anypony else, and must make all haste to Saddle Arabia to track down Able Hazard. He sent it to me, so maybe he knows more about this condition I've developed.

Twilight looked at the last sentence, chewing on the pencil eraser thoughtlessly. Who was she trying to convince? Her friends would be so mad once they realized she had slipped away, but surely they'd know it was for their own good? With a heavy sigh, Twilight slipped the notepad, pencil, and Neighcronomicon back into her saddlebags, and set off at a trot toward the railroad. Twilight had gone over her plan in her head. If she caught the next train heading south, even if it didn't go straight to Saddle Arabia, it would give her precious distance from her friends, and hopefully prevent them from catching her.

* * *

"Tarnation! Where did that fool unicorn get herself to?! Err, no offense, Rarity."

Rarity nodded her head at Applejack, "No harm done Applejack. I too am feeling quite out of sorts by Twilight's behavior."

"W-w-w-w-oah!" Pinkie Pie began twitching and shuddering, sure signs of her 'Pinkie Sense' kicking in. Gulping in air as the shivers and shakes abated, Pinkie swayed in place, still feeling all the aftereffects of such a wild sensory input.

"Come on Pinks, don't leave us hangin', what does all that twitching mean?" Rainbow Dash shouted from the upper reaches of the library where she was doing laps.

"Uh . . . I don't really know Dashie. It was like a combo doozie!" Pinkie said nervously. "The only bit I got for sure for sure is that my train is a little bit late, which is really weird because I made sure to turn off the toy train set before I started work this morning and unless the twins learned how to pick locks or Gummy decided to ride the rails then my train is stationary and-"

"Sweet Celestia's mane, Twi's gonna take the train somewhere!" Applejack wheeled around and began galloping for the door, "We gotta hurry, come on girls!"

"Rainbow, be a dear and fetch my emergency travel bags from the boutique. I think this may be quite a trip." Rarity held up some of the discarded wrapping paper that still littered the floor, eyes glued to the return address in Saddle Arabia.

"Aw cripes, so much for an actual vacation this year. I'm on it." Rainbow Dash made good on her name, tearing out of the library so fast her slipstream rattled the windows.

"I'll break open my 'In Case of Sudden Adventure or Road Trip' piggie bank." Rustling through her poofy mane, Pinkie quickly pulled out a pink piggie bank and hammer. "I'm sorry Sir Oinks-a-lot, but we need train tickets." Covering her eyes with one hoof, Pinkie smashed the piggie bank to smithereens, scooping the exposed bits into her wallet.

"I suppose we'll owe Twilight some groceries when we get back. Nevertheless, shall we get going?" Rarity said, borrowed saddlebags full of food slung over her flank. Fluttershy, who nodded anxiously, was similarly equipped, a few rolls of gauze peeking out of her borrowed satchel.

"Okie-dokie-loki!" Pinkie Pie giggled. Flying, hopping, and galloping, the three friends raced after Applejack.

* * *

"Ah, Ms. Sparkle, good to see you. Catching the red eye to Canterlot?" Smoke Stack rasped. Twilight shivered involuntarily. Even though she knew Smoke Stack had a raspy voice from all the smoke he inhaled during his work, it didn't quell the sudden wave of fear that swept through her.

Shaking her head, Twilight began channeling magic through her horn. Frowning in concentration, Twilight really realllly hoped she wasn't about to make a terrible mistake.

"Testing, testing. Smoke Stack, can you hear me?" Twilight had a wild urge to shout "echo", as everything she said was repeated out loud a half beat later, with her horn acting as the "mouth"

Smoke Stack's jaw dropped open with an almost audible clunk, staring dumbfound at the purple unicorn. "That. . . that is not something I ever thought I'd see. . . or hear, come to think of it." Smoke Stack shook his head. "Yeah, I can hear you quite well Ms. Sparkle. If you're not going to Canterlot, what are you doing here?"

"I need to get to Saddle Arabia, the sooner the better." Twilight punctuated her request with a small drawstring purse laden with bits, easily ten times what it would cost to pay for her passage.

Smoke Stack hefted the bag in one hoof, his gaze going from goggle-eyed amazement to a measuring squint as he looked between Twilight and the purse. "This little trip wouldn't happen to be another one of those jaunts where you and your friends run off to save all of Equestria, would it?"

"It's just me this time Smoke Stack. Can you please take me, this is really important." Twilight's self esteem took another hit for the team. By not directly countering the idea that this 'jaunt' was for the safety of Equestria, Twilight could see that notion take root in Smoke Stack as he nodded briskly. But, if it got her moving toward her goal. . .

"I'd be glad to take you Ms. Twilight. Just let me get some provisions stocked and an extra coal car hooked up, and we'll be all set. You can go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the overnight car." Smoke Stack deftly tipped his cap and trotted off, hollering for assistance setting up the train.

Thanks to the train's departure being entirely unscheduled, Twilight had her pick of the overnight cabs. Sliding open a cab door at random, Twilight slung her saddlebags onto one of the two bunks and flopped onto the other. Huffing out a breath, Twilight buried her head in the pillow and let loose a few brief sobs. This whole day had spiraled out of control in a truly dreadful fashion. Glancing up at the dwindling rays of sunshine, Twilight idly wondered which choice would have been more selfish; to take her friends with her and have them risk their sanity to help her, or what she had done. She had refused to even consult them, putting her wishes (however altruistic) above their own and leaving without a word.

The Neighcronomicon had slid out of her bags, and as the last of Celestia's light played across its inky surface, Twilight was treated to another impression of a pony. An old unicorn mare, with thin mane and ragged fur stared back at her with a terrifyingly insane grin. Twilight shuddered with the certainty of the feeling that she was looking into her own future, and blinked back tears as the image faded. The oil lantern set in the wall of her cab was off, and Twilight relished the darkness. At least she didn't have to see the Neighcronomicon mock her anymore.

The clip-clop of several sets of hooves sounded just outside her door, and Twilight felt better still. Smoke Stack must have gotten some extra help rounded up, with luck the train wouldn't have to stop for Smoke Stack to rest.

"I'm all set up here Smoke Stack, ready to go when you are."

The door to her cab slammed open, and Twilight was swarmed by her friends. "An' you thought you could really git away from us, huh sugercube?" Applejack punctuated her clearly hypothetical question with a bone crushing hug while Rarity turned on the lamp.

"HA! I knew she was in here! Pay up Dashie!"

"Crud, take your bits Pinkie. Remind me to take you out gambling sometime, we could make a killing off your Pinkie Sense." Rainbow Dash flicked a trio of bits at Pinkie Pie, only to have them vanish somewhere in the depths of her mane.

"Silly Dashie, I don't gamble," Pinkie Pie giggled. "Ooh, I got a great idea, gangway Fluttershy!" Pinkie shouted as she hopped out of the cab.

"No, no no, you all can't be here! I don't want to hurt any of you!"

"There there Twilight, I don't mind being hurt if it's you." Fluttershy said with a reassuring smile. The yellow pegasus held her serene visage for another second before the alternative implications of her words hit her, and turned her peaceful smile into a terrified gasp. Wings locked to her barrel, Fluttershy would have landed harshly on the floor if Pinkie Pie hadn't returned with a bed from the cab across the hall, shoving it so it wedged firmly between the two already present.

"Masterfully done Pinkie Pie," Rarity chuckled, "and that isn't something I would have expected of you Fluttershy. Maybe that explains why you always ask Aloe to work your back a bit 'rougher' and 'harder' at the spa, hmmm?." Rarity's voice dropped to a throaty purr at the end, and Fluttershy's face turned a brighter red than even Big Macintosh's coat. With a final squeak, the pegasus tipped over and sank into one of the pillows, stiff as a board.

"Girls, I don't want you here." Twilight boomed, feeling her control over the spell unraveling as worries and fears bit deeper and deeper into her.

"Twilight Sparkle, don't you start lyin' to us now," Applejack ordered. "You need our help, even if just to keep you from turnin' to yer new book for entertainment."

"But staying with me is crazy! I don't know what's going to happen, I don't even know how much longer this way to talk will be safe." Twilight whimpered, her mane twanging out of place, purple sparks spitting from her horn.

"Twilight, how can I still claim to be awesome if I left one of my best friends hanging? We all know what we're doing, don't worry your pretty purple egghead about that."

"Yeah! This is gonna be one of the coolest adventures yet! And just imagine the party I'll get to throw when this is over! Your Aunt Pinkie will bring the the roof, no, the whole house, NO! I'll bring all of Ponyville down with it!" Standing on her hind legs, Pinkie pulled a pair of pointy yellow shades out of her mane. "We're with you Twi, and there's nothing we can't do if you believe! If you can't believe in yourself, then you gotta believe in me!" Throwing her arm around Twilight, Pinkie pulled the unicorn up, red cloak flapping in the non-existent breeze. "Believe in the me who believes in you, and use your horn to magic your way through this mess. We'll all be with you, every step of the way. Ain't that right girls?"

"Darn tootin'"

"Undoubtedly."

"Yeah! Uh, Fluttershy agrees too." Rainbow Dash finished lamely, poking her still frozen friend.

". . . Thanks. I- No, WE can do it. Alright, let's go to Saddle Arabia and solve this puzzle!" Twilight said, rallying her spell and her calming her raging emotions.

As if summoned by Twilight's words, the whistle blew, and with a lurch the train began rolling down the tracks, toward the unknown.