FiE 2: The Elder Six

>you are Anon
>by day you are a simple freak doing odd jobs for the ponies of Ponyville
>by night you are Anonymous, Grand Priest of the Singing Chaos and Chosen Hand of the Queen in Pink
>sweet title, eh?
>too bad the cult you preside over only has three adherents
>namely the Cakes and a mare locked up in the psych ward of Ponyville Hospital
>you've never seen the third one, but the Cakes have made it quite clear she is batshit insane
>not that they're the sanest ponies around, either. They're just better at hiding it
>and yet despite your small numbers, the Queen in Pink seems content with your worship
>in fact, she is particularly drawn to you and feeds off you exclusively
>sometimes she takes too much, and you are left a shambling, gaunt shadow of a man
>but you don't mind
>anything for your beautiful, mad, eldritch waifu

>and tonight is a perfect night for the worship of an eldritch deity
>the Moon is full and bright in the starry sky
>you are walking through Ponyville, alone in the night as your feet lead you to Sugarcube Corner
>the Cakes are surely waiting for their Priest
>and your waifu will be there
>hungry
>you begin to skip and dance as the song of the Void plays in your mind
>but there's something interfering with the sweet song
>you cease your dancing and stop, squinting perplexedly at the darkened street and houses
>a familiar shiver creeps down your spine
>you feel watched
>you whirl around, your eyes trying to pierce the darkness
>but you see nothing, only a quiet street and sleeping houses
>and yet...
>a shiver in the darkness. A shadow darker than the night seems to flit across your vision
>you stand unmoving, gazing off into the night
>a stray dog maybe?
>bah, whatever
>but despite your nonchalance, you can't help but hasten your walk to Sugarcube Corner

>when you reach the familiar shape of the bakery, you find the Cakes waiting for you at the door.
>they see you and bow to you
>"Welcome, O Priest" says Mr Cake
>"The stars are right and our Queen hungers" adds Mrs Cake
>Christ those two are weird sometimes
"Let us join the dance, then. The song of the Void is already playing in my mind."
>preceded by the Cakes you enter the bakery, the air of which is saturated with the rich scent of incense and grease
>you glance at the innumerable candles lining the floor, shelves and stairs of the room, their white wax dribbling and pooling on the wooden surfaces
>animal fat
>'tis only the Cakes' fancy. They are only cultists, and their feeble minds are still shackled to their limited pony senses and conceptions

>welp, might as well start the ceremony
>you spread your arms wide, almost knocking over one of the reeking candles
>your eyes sting from the incense smoke and the stench of animal fat
"Iä! Iä! Fn'a flui'thnar rakh'tegoth Azathoth!
>the Cakes begin to rock back and forth, an unearthly ullulation issuing from their parted lips
"Hear us, O Dancer at the Edge of the Void!
>"Hear us!"
"We beseech You, O Queen in Pink! Deign grace us mortals with Your presence, that we may convulse in the most unimaginable of dances and stare into the infinity of the Void!"
>the room quivers and your senses reel
>you turn your gaze upwards, and your mind is transpierced by unearthly angles. The ceiling is no more, instead there is only a gaping black eternity filled with innumerable lights
>and there she is
>your waifu
>an immense force sucks you off your feet and draws you into the Void
>and yet before you even leave the floor of Sugarcube Corner, you are already before your waifu
>time and space are her playthings
>and so are you

>you focus on the tentacled Pinkie before you, ignoring the mad infinity of the abyss around you, and the indescribable Things that swim in its depths
"My love."
>"Hi Nonny" says Ponkathoth
>the intonations are Pinkie, but the voice is not
>it's the voice of echoes in a million bottomless wells
>and her voice is music to your ears
>you gaze into her eyes and find yourself almost lost in the neverending dance of the Void
>dear darling Eldritch Pinkie
"I am ready to feed you, my love. The sight of you makes my happiness burn brighter than the Sun, and my cock's as hard as granite."
>with both hands you gesture to the tell-tale tent in the lower half of your robes, but to your surprise, Pinkie looks away
>"There are more important things for you to do, Nonny" she says, "Besides, the last feeding was enough to last for a while."
>you nod, slightly disappointed you won't be getting any hot non-euclidian eldritch sex
>but only slightly
>the simple act of serving your waifu is enough
>"I have a super important mission for you, Nonny" says Eldritch Pinkie, "I can't cross into your world. Something is keeping me out."

>you stare wordlessly
>Something?
>what kind of Something is powerful enough to hold your precious waifu away from Equestria?
>dread squirms within you
>nothing is more powerful than Ponkathoth
>nothing save for another similar entity
>sweet merciful Jeebus
"What should I do?"
>"I..."
>Pinkie hesitates, and something crosses her face, and no matter how indescribable the shapes of it are, you recognise the expression
>perplexity and doubt, with some truly eldritch frustration
>"I can't remember. I'm not sure!" Cries Eldritch Pinkie
>the Void trembles with the cosmic distress of it, and your mind freezes as the sheer weight of it hits you
>impossible!
>Ponkathoth can't be unsure, it's not in her nature
"But why?"
>your voice is filled with concern for your loved one, although a snarky part of you wonders if your beloved eldritch abomination has even an ounce of care to spare for you
>shhh
>she loves you, Anon
>after all she is your waifu

>"Long ago there were Six of us" says Pinkie
>"Six who ruled the land you now know as Equestria. There was me, the chaos at the center of everything. Then there was the All-Knowing One, keeper of the universe's secrets. The Ivory Witch, the undying spark that dwells within every creator. The Mare in the Woods, great giver of life and death with the innumerable spawn...and I can't remember the last three. The...the Usurpers took them."
"The Usurpers?"
>"Beings from the depths of the Outer Space. They hunger for power and order, they refuse the beautiful chaos of the Void. Me and my sisters fought them aeons ago and lost. I was shattered and imprisoned in the Outer Space. They made me forget everything, all until the Polychrome Event allowed me to cross into Equestria."
>you shiver
>as Pinkie speaks you also see sights from aeons long gone
>a primeval planet wracked with the tremors of a great war
>pony cultists slaughtering one another in jungles where no light ever shines
>blood on stone, twisted runes
>cities of incredible proportions crumbling in flames
>monstrous, shapeless black and white beings twisting through the heavens
>"Go Nonny" comes the voice of your beloved, "Go out and find the other Six, free them from their prisons and wake them from their slumber! Then we shall rise against the Usurpers and reclaim what is ours!"
>the visions dissipate, cascading away from you as water spirals down a drain
>you fall
>and Pinkie whispers: "But don't forget your gift, Nonny! Once you've crossed the threshold, anything is possible! You just need to look and see!"

>"You just need to look and see!"
>with a gasp you awake from the deep trance you'd fallen into
>the stench of incense and melting animal fat floods your nostrils
>combined with the fading eternity of the Void it makes your stomach lurch
>"Anon!" You hear Mrs Cake say, "Our Queen didn't manifest herself! What happened?"
"Guuuaaaah."
>that's all you manage before you bend over and vomit onto the floor
>ah, that's better
>you blink and gaze up at the Cakes. Their eyes are filled with the worry of those who fear their god has gone deaf
"Don't worry guys. I saw the Queen in a vision."
>"Praised be the Queen!" Cries Mr Cake.
"She gave me an important mission. I must find and wake the five other gods. The only trouble is I've no idea where those gods could be hiding..."
>you scratch your head, perplexed. You do love your waifu, but sometimes she isn't entirely clear in her instructions
>damn it Ponkathoth
>how can you save her when you don't even know where to look?

>"Five gods" murmurs Mr Cake, frowning in thought, "Six in all with our Queen."
"Yes, but where can I find them?"
>"They are the Elder Six" says Mr Cake, "and if the stories are true, they were imprisoned or banished after a terrible conflict. Our former priestess was well-versed in the lore of Elder Things..."
"And where can I find this priestess?"
>"Oh Anon!" Exclaims Mrs Cake, "The mare before you was lost to the Void and was locked up in Ponyville Hospital!"
>well shit
>so that's who the third adherent is
>"But there is another way!" Says Mr Cake, a gleam of triumph in his eyes, "Before Pound and Pumpkin were born, we tried our best to have foals. But nothing could be done. The doctors said we were both barren. We were desperate then, but light came in the form of our priestess. She initiated us into the dance of the Void, and turned us away from the weak laws of Celestia and Luna. We told her about our problem, and she told us to go to the woods beside Sweet Apple Acres."
>you listen intently. Ever since you fell in love with Ponkathoth, Equestria has been a world of secrets and shadows you would never have imagined before
>"And in those woods we lit a fire, and we were visited by the Spirit of the Woods. We coupled with her, and she planted her seed within us, the seed of life. After that we tried again, and we had foals! Two beautiful foals for us to love and cherish."
>okay.png
>so what Cake Dude is saying is that he and his wife went and boned some kind of spirit near the Apple property
>and Pound and Pumpkin are the adorable spawn of some unknown entity
>yep, that works

>"The Spirit might know the answers to your questions, Anon." Said Mrs Cake with a nod and a smile.
>right then
>time for you to go to Sweet Apple Acres
"Excellent. I'll go see this spirit right away! You, uh, do whatever it is cultists do with their spare time."
>you leave the Cakes in their suffocating cocoon of animal fat and incense and step out of the door
>the cool air of the night embraces you, and your mind clears
>the Void starts to sing in your mind again
>such a sweet melody
>the eternal insanity of the universe and life, thundering on through the Void
>it's the best ride ever
>as you head in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, you feel a change in the air
>you shiver and look warily around you
>again that sense of lurking dread!
>but you don't stop this time. There's no time to waste chasing shadows
>your waifu is counting on you
>with a brisk walk you traverse Ponyville's main square, the only sound the soft chuckle of the fountain
>the Moon shines down on you
>the cold stars twinkle
>an indistinct shadow lurks atop the fountain

>wait what?!
>your head snaps in the direction of the fountain, and for a heartbeat you're convinced that some abominable thing of the night is there, staring at you eyelessly
>but there's nothing there
>just the fountain
>the trickle of water
>and your panicked breathing
>your heart is thumping in your chest
>shit, Anon, for someone who worships, loves and fucks an eldritch abomination you sure are an easy scare
>shrugging uncomfortably in your robes you leave the square, throwing furtive glances over your shoulder
>but the night remains still
>you soon reach the outskirts of Ponyville, and the quaint pony houses scatter apart
>as you walk along the road, you reach the top of a small hill and you stop
>you turn back towards the sleeping town and admire its quiet dark rooftops
>and your mind questions
>what could possibly hold Ponkathoth in check?
>as you ponder the question, you see something move out of the corner of your eye

>with a frown you look in that direction, and see nothing but hedges shrouded in shadow
>you be seein' shit, Anon, you be goin' funny in tha head
>but no. You stand and look intently at that section of hedge
>just as you're about to give up, you spot a furtive movement
>you freeze
>it's as if a shadow is sliding along the hedge, the leaves shaking softly as it passes
>the sense of lurking dread you experienced earlier is back, and your instinct screams at you to run
>you turn around and start walking towards Sweet Apple Acres again
>then you start to jog
>the bushes rustle
>ohgodno.png
>you start running
>the bushes crash as something erupts from them
>you glance over your shoulder
>and a frozen hand closes around your gut

>a shapeless shadow is rolling along the road
>and as you look at it it twists and warps into the shape of timber-wolf
>THIS IS NOT A DRILL
>your run turns into a mad sprint, your breath comes in ragged gasps
>you can feel the thing...the Lurking Dread chasing you
>and you dare not think what it'll do to you if it catches you
>you gasp:
"Oh Pinkie, save me!"
>Sweet Apple Acres is only a few meters away now
>and you can see the small wood Mr Cake told you about
>something runs across your back, something cold and gut wrenching
>you scream
>with one final effort you dash to the wood
>the Lurking Dread is right behind you, you're sure of it
>the fence separating you from the copse is only an arm's length away!
>you hurl yourself over it, and crash into the leafy ground on the other side of the fence
>idiot
>of course a fence won't stop a shadow monster thing!
>you lie, waiting for the Lurking Dread to tear you to shreds
>but nothing happens
>slowly you rise and look back at the fence
>the Thing is out there, beyond the frail wooden fence
>it slides up and down it, like a caged animal looking for an escape
>it simply cannot get through!

"Whoo! Eat that, shadow thing!"
>you flip the Lurking Dread the bird and watch it is at gives up the chase and slinks away
>weird
>and a close call
>you were sure you were dead Anon meat there
>but what could stop such a terrible being? And why would such a thing chase you in the first place?
>you cautiously make your way to the fence, keeping an eye out for any suspicious shadow movement
>not entirely sure what you're looking for, you examine the fence
>and find a strange symbol carved into the back of the wood
"Interesting..."
>you kneel and examine it
>it's a strange branch-like shape within a crudely carved six-pointed star
>some kind of ward, maybe?
>your thoughts are interrupted by a quiet, rhythmic chant coming from behind you
>you turn around and gaze into the dark copse. The singing is growing louder, and the primal beat of slow drums rises with it
>you cautiously make your way into the copse, pushing low-hanging branches away and wading through thickets
>the singing grows closer
>it's a mad, primal howl, the abject appeal of primitive beings to an ancient and fickle god
>up ahead you see the faint flicker of flames reflected off trees and grass
>the singing and the drums are coming from a hollow in which you make out the flickering tongues of flames and the twisted shadows of dancing ponies

>well, this must be it
>the chant rises and falls, wild and incomprehensible
>you suddenly feel hot
>a strange fever burns your mind and makes your body restless
>you must join the dance
>you must sing the song
>the earth is calling you
>and the song of the Void is pushing you forth
>your arms and legs begin to move of their own accord, and you begin to dance
>a wild disordered dance, all flailing limbs, thrusting pelvis and spinning head
>and with this ancient blasphemous dance you make your way into the hollow