The Doom That Came To Ponyville.

Celestia was having a decent vacation, as far as she could tell. The past few days have been rather uneventful, sans Luna coming back covered in scratches and bruises and asking if she could be excluded from duties regarding Stalliongrad and its respective satellite towns. She, of course, agreed, but was slightly unnerved by her constant mutterings regarding revolutions and silly uprisings against nobility.

Which got her tired, slightly buzzed mind on the topic of Blueblood. Sighing, she decided to give him a few more meaningless titles to make up for his little time-out.

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Gathered in the dark center of the Everfree Forest was a hodge-podge of ponies big and small, all garbed in black cloaks, or at least the closest thing they could get to one in a town that's default color was pink.

Standing on a podium, however, was a figure far smaller than most of the ones that were gathered, yet it seemed to carry a sort of twisted authority over its fellows. The fact the podium was five feet tall helped slightly, but so did its jagged, irregular movements on it, dragging its oversized cloak every which-way.

The figure raised its head, and watched with satisfaction as the sun set. It was time.

It waited for its gathered compatriots to react. There was no excess chanting in sight, or even a modest chorus.

"Gosh darn it yall, I thought we were better than this!" the small figure wailed.

The gathered figures all flinched at her words, but none stepped forward.

Until one did, anyway.

"AB, can't we just try this tomorrow?"

A chorus of agreement erupted from the crowd, followed with confused mutterings involving the lack of refreshments and expectations of fliers explaining why they were there.

The little figure sighed, and nodded dejectedly. The crowd cheered.

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"-And that is how my high priest ended up as a squid obsessed with flooding things." Yog-Sothoth finished.

"You know, I always wondered about that. Explains a lot, actually, especially with the odd stone." Shub-Niggurath said.

"On that note, my dear, I do need to leave. I am heading east for a while." He finally admitted.

"Oh, why? To escape me?" she said, grinning far too widely.

"No, a vacation."

"You? A vacation? Really?"

"Yes, with a..." the other god paused, as if upset.

"A what?" his sister pressed.

"A friend."

"Funny definition of friend."

"Pardon?"

"I read your mind. Orange pony. You live with her. Among other things."

She winked, and the grey pegusi groaned.

"She is a friend."

"That you have incredible-"

"Yes, yes. Still, she is a friend."

"....You, really? I suppose you like her for her mind?" she said tauntingly.

"I do." he said adamantly.

"I never will understand your tastes, always going for the meek ones."

"You wouldn't understand. Frankly, the train is coming soon."

"Really, she doesn't know?"

"The thinks oddly of me, yes, but kindly. I insist that I leave now."

"So soon?"

"We have been standing here for five hours."

"Really?"

"Yes. Twilight Sparkle is still sprawled inside her home, sister, and I suppose you should check on her."

"Speaking of that, she is odd. Is she, well, different that other ponies?"

"...Yes. Very much so."

He grinned. Shub Niggurath raised a eyebrow.

"One of ours?"

"No, no!” He said, raising his hooves in a defensive manner.

” She was one of the one's that banished mother, and put our dear brother into stone. And destroyed Noden's Avatar."

"...Your kidding, right?"

"No. I wish I was. Now you understand my words?"

"I suppose. Your not much of a liar...Wait, Noden's Avatar is dead?" Shub-Niggurath said, astonished.

"Why, yes it is!"

"But you said the place with the crystal ponies wasn't here?"

"Oh, I lied. However, if you go there, you will perish like he did."

"Ah, fair enough." She said, teeth slightly bared.

"Ah, yes. Anyway, I am going now, and I trust you to not make any mischief while I am gone, correct?"

Shub Niggurath began laughing.

"Fair enough." her brother groaned as he flew away.

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"Fluttershy, I think this is far enough from Ponyville."

"A-are you sure?"

"Nope. Still, the weird pony thing that's in Twilight's house probably doesn't know about this dragon cave, so we should be okay. We need to see if the others are alright, though."

"Well, I do hope so."

....

"So, erm, Fluttershy, about last..."

"It's okay with me, if it means anything."

"...That’s...that’s good."

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"Rarity?" Sweetie Bell said quietly to the newly arrived older unicorn.

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Apple Bloom is acting odd."

"Oh, why?"

"She's started a cult."

"Oh. That is odd. Actually, on that note, we are eating at the Apples tonight."

All thoughts of odd behavior pushed out of her mind, Sweetie Bell’s mind was lost in thoughts of apple pie and other apple products.

"Yay!"

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In the perpetually dark and mist shrouded Canterlot Catacombs, two figures were standing in front of a very large gate. Both were clad in dark robes, but while one was caked in a thick layer of clay and was covered in bad stitching, while the other was far glossier and freshly made.

"Ur, I 'ust question why ya whant dis thing opand." The smaller figure shuffled slightly, words muffled over a thick iron key ring.

"I insist, Grave Turner, I am your king. The Blueblood Family Tomb will be opened at my command."

"Air enouf, sire, ut wiy?" he muttered, spitting out the ring after the gate's lock made a clink-clank signeling it's unlocking, "I mean, really, you out of anyone knows that your filthy rich and it's not like your poor pop is in any state to say 'ello."

"Tell me, Grave, what do they say about me?"

The smaller figure put down his hood, and the small green earth pony looked at his currant liege, slightly amused. "You know perfectly well that I, out anyone, could care less about noblepony gossip."

"Do you talk to my aunts like that, Grave?"

"Met the princess once, sir, she gave me a badge and a wish that I understand the sacrifices I made in choosing this job."

"Did you sacrifice anything?"

"Tartarus no, sir. There's always work in the dying business, and it's easy to clock in the overtime."

Blueblood nodded, and underneath his cloak arose a dark purple bag, clinking with bits. He tossed it to the smaller pony's hooves."

"For the missus."

Staring, the green pony looked at his currant king, dumbstruck. "Good gods, you have gone mad."

Blueblood, chuckling, raised another, far smaller object. A ticket stub, lined with silver inlay.

"I suppose you do not make many friends in your work. This is a ticket for the new show arriving next week in the theater."

The earth pony raised a eyebrow, but took it with a hoof. "The one Luna commissioned?"

"Yes, that's the one. Give it to somepony who you hate."

Shrugging, the pony pushed the gate open and pointed a hoof to a shovel set along the wall.

"Well, my king, there you go, full access to your forefather's corpses. Have fun."

Blueblood, after the graveyard manager left, trotted inside and pulled out the Neighcronomicon, turned it to page twelve, and began the rites that could end the world.