Chapters Author's Note
Fluttershy's Inventory
Apparel:
Green cloth: A stylised green cloth given to Fluttershy as a gift from Rarity Belle. The cloth serves the purpose of a scarf, keeping the wearers neck warm. These are not uncommon with wanderers and adventurers as such unique pieces are a good way of showing identity.
Dark cape: A cape gifted to Fluttershy from Rarity Belle. This thick cape is very comfy and provides a good balance between warmth and maneuverability.
Enchanted Saddle-bag: A gift from the Regal Sisters themselves, this saddle-bag is enchanted with extra space. It's bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside, and can conjure up any items held within on a thought from it's wearer.
Items:
Fire Rune: A gift from Twilight Sparkle, a rune-stone that slowly ignites when crushed. Great for keeping warm on a night time.
Flare Rune: Recommended by Rainbow Dash, this rune-stone begins to burn with an incredible intensity a short time after being crushed.
High quality apple-based lunch: Trust Apple Jack to provide a lunch made purely of apple products. This lunch is full of essential nutrients to keep a pony's body from withering away too quickly.
Rock Candy: A single piece of rock candy gifted from Pinkie Pie. Good for breaking the consumer's teeth, but little else.
Bottled water: A two litre bottle of water. Enough to last a couple of days before being completely emptied.
Blood
*Clunk*
Fluttershy gently pushed the door shut and breathed a slow sigh of relief, as she was finally out of the rain. She was glad she had decided to take the clothing Rarity had offered her for the travel, the black cowl lined with green and yellow embroidery had sheltered her from the falling water. Though some had dripped off the hood and onto her snout, she rubbed it with a hoof to remove the cold tickling sensation atop her nose.
Pulling down the hood onto her back, she gently rocked her body to shake some of the remaining water free of her cape and pulled up the large piece of styled green cloth over her back. She turned her head to the hallway before her, noticing the interior before her was very dark for a so called 'medical establishment'. She at least expected some more light. Besides, what sort of doctor could operate in such dim light?
"Um... hello?" She called in a moderately loud voice, wincing as the echo pierced the veil of still and empty air. From the room at the end of the hall shuffling could be heard, like someone was trying to clamber over loose objects. A figure limped into view and stared warmly back at her. It's large but worn folded wings, chipped beak and claws immediately told her this was a Griffon.
"Hello, my dear. Come, sit down." The voice was old and gruff, definitely masculine. She descended a small set of stairs and walked her way over to the mouth of the hallway, where it opened up into another room. Peeking out from behind the walls she observed what looked to have been a doctor's surgery in the past, but was now in tatters. Books lay scattered across the floor as they seemed to have fallen from their shelves and were never picked up. And pieces of medical equipment sat among them, obviously dis-used due to the change in traditional treatment method's in Yharnam.
The old griffon hobbled over to a wheelchair in the corner, where he placed himself. He sat down with a sigh and gestured to another chair beside an operating table. Fluttershy slowly headed into the decrepit room and sat herself down on the chair. She looked at some equipment rigged up to the operating table, what looked to be a needle and some piping connected to...
She gulped.
"-Blood.-" She realised, looking at the bag filled with the dark red liquid. Yharnam was famous for it's 'blood'. A substance known to be able to cure any ailment, minor or terminal in her case. The cancer affecting her body had slowly been growing un-announced for years until she had been diagnosed just a mere month ago. She bore a small lump just behind her shoulder where the tumor lay. Her friends and family were distraught when she was given only four years to live, and for so long she hid away unable to face the truth. But when the suggestion was made, that she could risk a perilous journey to the legendary city of blood. A place that could heal any wound, any virus, any disease with on single and simple treatment, she made the decision to travel there and be cured.
"So... What brings you to my humble abode..."
"Fluttershy." She added in her distinct gentle and hushed tone. The griffon smiled at her as she continued. "I came here f-for treatment."
"Aye, most do nowadays. Tell me, dear Fluttershy. What is it that plagues you so bad you come to Yharnam, hmm?" He leaned forward on a cane to move closer to her.
"I... I have cancer." The griffon's eye's lit up in acknowledgement.
"Ah! Cancer. The incurable disease that grows lumps of bad flesh on the body, yes?" He said, pointing to the small area of raised hide behind her shoulder. Fluttershy nodded weakly. "Well, incurable it is no longer. Yharnam's Old Blood can destroy that lump from the inside out before it destroys you. I take it you are ready for your treatment today?"
"Yes." The butter yellow pegasus answered, giving the old griffon a strangely mad grin.
"Good. It'll give me something else other to do than re-read all these books for the hundredth time again." He said before breaking into a small fit of laughter. "Okay, dear. Lay yourself down on the table and we'll begin." Fluttershy complied. She climbed up onto the operating table and lay herself down on her belly. The griffon pushed the wheels of his chair and scooted over to the blood bag and equipment before starting to perform a few checks on the simple apparatus. When he was done he ran his blunt talons all the way down to the thin hollow needle used to inject a dose of the bag's contents into a patient.
"Before we begin I must ask you to sign something... a contract." He started. Flutershy looked up at him, confused. "It is just a simple contract, is all. A legal document." He presented a scroll with a space at the bottom and a quill. "I need you to sign so I can begin." With a sigh, she took the quill in her mouth and signed her name in the space at the bottom before laying the quill down on the table. "Good!" The griffon said, just a little too happy for it to not be odd. He rolled up the scroll, tucking it under his wheelchair before doing the same with the quill.
"Can you give me a leg?" He asked, and Fluttershy offered up her right foreleg to the griffon while trying her best not to squirm and pull away at the thought of being injected with an ancient liquid. Blood. The griffon took her leg in his talons and gently pushed the needle through Fluttershy's skin. She scrunched up her nose at the pain, as the needle did not feel like it was new. It had obviously been used many times before and had blunted a little over time. Once he was done, he pulled his talons away with a small chuckle.
"The blood is not a gentle cure, dear. Patients can sometimes... see some things they would rather not. 'Tis a side affect, that's all. Whatever happens you may think it all merely a bad dream." He said as he began the injecting process. Fluttershy felt the thick liquid mix with her own blood and run cold through her veins. She felt all feeling in her body evade her as the world began to fade away into blackness. Around her, the sound of maniacal laughter rattled off the walls and through her bones, chilling her body to the core. Then suddenly... all was dark.
Fluttershy was cold, like she had spent the night out in the rain. She opened her eyes to look around. The griffon was no longer in the room, in fact only his wheel chair remained in the corner of the room. Everything was much darker now, like all the lights had been turned off after she had blacked out. She heard an odd noise rising from her left and she turned her head over to see what was making the strange sound.
A pool of blood was forming on the floor before her very eyes, like a never ending leak of the liquid was pouring out from somewhere underneath. She reeled back in shock, and for a moment it was like she was paralysed. But the worst was yet to come. From the pool a twisted group of claws emerged, rising from the depths of blood like some grotesque pheonix. Another set of claws rose up and gripped the floor, tensing like it was lifting a weight below.
Fluttershy's shock had more than set in, and she tried her best to move, wriggling and writhing in an attempt to remove herself from the table and run. But no matter what she did, she could not move. Through fear or through paralysis she was like a statue. A head emerged from the red pool, like a wolf's head but... turned into some sort of monster! It was fleshy like it had no skin, and it's eyes burned red with mindless rage. The legs pulled more of it's body out of the pool until Fluttershy saw something she recognised. a lump sat behind the beast's shoulders and a pair of ruined featherless wings sprouted from the creature's back.
Was this supposed to be her!?
The beast pulled out it's hind legs and stretched it's body, making a collection of disgusting cracks and pops before it turned it's head and eyes to her. Fluttershy would have hid behind her wings and her hooves, but unable to move, she found herself only able to watch as the horrific thing slowly lumbered her way. It got closer and closer until she could feel it's reeking breath bounce along her face. It smelled of rot and death, like it had been left to fall apart in a coffin for centuries. It reached out to her, it's lethal claws stretching out and brushing the fur on her chin for a brief moment. She was petrified, and certain the thing was going to kill her.
The suddenly the beast burst into flames. Embers and sparks erupting from it's body like fireworks as it shrieked in pain. It thrashed in the air, trying desperately to rid itself of the searing flames before it reached up into the air, attempting to grab some non-existent object. Then it collapsed in a heap on the ground.
What had she just wtnessed? Words rang out in her head. "-...you may think it all merely a bad dream...-" Maybe this was just in her head? Before she could ponder on the horror she had seen any longer, she felt a touch at her thigh. A tiny pale white hand had crawled up onto her body, pulling up a thin skeletal body with it, including a deformed head with toothless jaws and small eyes. She gulped and watched as the creature pulled itself onto her back. More touches along her body told her she was being mobbed by the small creatures. All over her the creatures made their way toward her face until they crowded around her and curiously inspected her.
"-It's just a bad dream...-" She told herself in her thoughts as her consciousness escaped from her. All things turned black once more.
Fluttershy jolted awake, inspecting her body for the odd pale creatures, but found nothing. She whirled around, her breathing becoming erratic as she expected to find the corpse of a giant cancerous werepony laid in a giant pool of blood. But once again, there was nothing. She was still laid on the operating table in the dark room with no sign of the old griffon anywhere. His wheelchair sat silently in the corner but that was it. Silence.
She let her head fall back to the table in relief, letting out a huge sigh as she did so. There she allowed her breaths to become more normal before she slid from the table. She landed with a light 'thud' on the ground, her cape following her and coming to rest. Taking a short wander, she walked around the room to see where the old griffon had gone. A new passage had opened up, a door hanging open to a set of reversing stairs leading to the ground floor of the building. She turned right and saw the hallway she entered through was still unchanged.
Then she remembered! The lump! Reaching over to the spot behind her shoulders, she fumbled around on her own body, searching for signs of the cancer that infected her. And... it wasn't there... her cancer is gone! She gasped and stood still for a moment before a smile crept across her face and she performed a small leap, her wings holding her in the air as she hugged herself in glee."-I can live! I can live!-" She screamed inwardly over and over until the sentence began t lose all meaning. She had been cured, now she could finally return home to her friends and enjoy the rest of her life. She began walking back to the door when she remembered her manners.
"Um... thank you!" She tried to call out, her voice never really reaching a shout. She walked over to the door, thinking of all the things she would do and say when she got back home. It was like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She had so much left to do, so much left to say that she could now think about without the shadow of impending doom hanging over her every action. She reached out to the handle and turned...
Nothing. It didn't budge. She tried again, and still the handle would not turn. Confused, she turned around and looked down the hallway, past the room and through to the stairs. Had the old griffon locked her in? Did he want her to come downstairs? She walked over to the stairs, ignoring the operation room and going straight to the ground floor. She was in too much of a good mood to concern herself with the details of the building after her revelation.
She headed down the stairs, and began to notice an odd noise... she knew it. The sound of eating. More like devouring. She remembered how Angel used to eat his food far to quickly and he would make this awful munching sound. That was it. After pausing for a moment, she headed through the next room, thinking about Angel. "-Ooh, I hope he's okay. Him and my animal friends must have been so worried for me. I'll make sure to...-" She stopped when she saw the source of the noise.
A large creature with black fur like a giant wolf crouched in a pool of blood, eating... eating a corpse. She let her mouth hang wide open. The wolf happily chomped away at it's meal, tearing flesh and bone with it's claws and teeth while the pegasus paled at the sight. A sickly feeling began to burn in her stomach just looking at the sight. Even her breathing stopped for that split second. After a moment her legs began to feel weak too, and with a lot of wobbling she dropped into a sit.
The wolf's ears perked up at the noise and it's head rose up, before turning to face her. Fluttershy realised her mistake all too late as the wolf began to turn about and make it's way towards her, snarling and dripping toxic saliva all the way. This snapped her out of her stupor, and in a blind panic, she flew up to her hooves in an attempt to escape. She tried to run, but her hooves lost traction on the floor and she fell down onto her haunches. She snapped a quick glance of what she had slipped on.
Blood . Lots and lots of blood. How had she not noticed it before? A snarl turned her full attention back to the beast, that was now almost on top of her. She crawl back, trembling in pure primal fear of the predator. She tried her hardest to regain proper grip on something, anything as she made her way away from the beast. She crawled and crawled until...
*Thwunk* She collided with some piece of furniture, smacking the back of her head on something hard and round. There was no way out, she was cornered. The beast loomed over her as she whimpered in a pathetic and fruitless attempt to plead for mercy. She even shut her eyes as tears began to stream from them like rivers from a mountain. That was until she was hit by a sudden amount of pressure on her neck.
She opened her eyes to see the beast had clamped it's left set of claws around her neck and was beginning to press down hard, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Then she was lifted up into the air, her hind legs scrambling and waving frantically. She kicked to try and release the vice grip from her throat as her fore-hooves came up to slap the monsters powerful forelegs away. She was then pressed against the wall with a considerable amount of force, the blow shocking her and rattling her oxygen starved brain inside her skull.
"Gah- guh p-ple!" Fluttershy spluttered as she tried to make out words against the beast's cold heartless grip. Crying streams, she tried to wail in pure terror but all that came out were tiny exhalations of air. Her eyes suddenly went wide inside her darkening face as she noticed the monster's other set of claws rising up to take a blow. They then clenched shut and she held the minuscule amount of breath she had left as her body tensed up in preparation.
*Thwuf- CRACK*
...
...
"My, my, look what the cat dragged in."
Author's Note
Surprise chapter!
The Dream
"AAAAAAHH!"
Fluttershy jolted awake and jumped into the air in a blind panic, flailing like a fish out of water. She bolted to a nearby piece of cover, skidding along the ground and whirling round the corner to hide from the monster she had fallen prey to. her breath caught in her throat and all of a sudden she became deathly silent, as for all she knew her life depended on it.
"Seems like I startled you." A gruff voice stated before descending into a small burst of chuckles. "Hahaha, there's no need to be worried miss. There's not much I can do to harm anypony anymore. Not in this state, not here ..." He breathed a slow sigh. Then his head raised to gaze at the barrier between him and Fluttershy. "Or maybe it wasn't me who put you into such a position."
Fluttershy looked around her in a confused silence, her mouth agape at the scene before her. She had just been in the clinic, had she not? There was the old griffon, the beast... and the blood. Had she died? Was this the next life?
"You're sure to be in a fine haze right now, but there's no need to be worried about danger here." The voice re-assured her. Fluttershy looked behind her, to see a vast plain of mist behind a black metal fence extending infinitely into the distance with great spires of... something, that rose up to extraordinary heights. They too were dotted here and there for as far as the ye could see, the further away ones appearing dark and shadowy. She looked down at the floor, a white flower fluttered in the breeze, it's pristine petals created a gorgeous and somehow soothing sight.
Taking a deep breath, she peered around the solid grey blockade to see a withered old stallion sitting comfortably in a wheelchair, giving a her a warming smile. Behind him was a building at the top of a short set of stairs, gothic in stature and sized like a small workshop. She sighed, releasing the breath she was holding as she saw the wolf beast was nowhere to be seen. Fluttershy pulled away from her cover, looking back with a frown as she noticed it was actually a gravestone. She turned her gaze to the old pony.
"There's no bodies buried here, the graves are... merely symbolic." He said, looking to a place behind the mare. Fluttershy turned her head to see a row of graves lining a tree, noticing the lack of any notes or even a 'RIP'. There were only names.
She turned back to the old stallion and walked slowly past him, as he turned the wheelchair to follow her. She walked out of the tiny orchard and stopped as she came to a crossroad: One way went left and up a small incline to presumably a garden over a crest, the path was lined with headstones which looked to have arcane words scrabbled into their surfaces. The stairs led up to the building and they too had a set of headstones lining one side. And inbetween was a small path to a bird-bath with one of the small pale creatures in it. It looked over to her, like it was awaiting her arrival. And finally, on a small ledge beside the stairs, a plain doll sat motionless and still. It's eyes staring endlessly forward.
"Hnarl..." An odd sound vibrated at her hooves and she looked down to notice another of the creatures looking back up at her, holding what appeared to be a weapon of some sorts. A deep sawblade hinged onto a long handle with wrappings serving as a grip. It held it out like she was supposed to take it.
"Nrurh..." Another of the little creature arose from the ground offering a... was that a pistol?
Fluttershy wanted to question but she could barely think, her mind was clouded with thoughts of the beast. How it strangled her and hurt her. The smell and feel of the blood pooling on the floor below her hooves. It filled her mind and the fear had not quite worn away, her hooves trembled and she still felt a little weak. How could an animal be so cruel, so heartless as to slaughter ponies like that?
"You look unwell, miss. Do you need time to think?" The stallion asked, leaning forwards and waiting for an answer. Fluttershy just nodded and the stallion sat back in his wheelchair again. "Hmm... very well miss. There is a garden out the back, just head up the-" He stopped as he realised Fluttershy had already begun to make her way up the curved path. His jaws slowly clamped shut and he peered down at the little white skinned creatures still beckoning the mare to them.
"Hmph. How... Un-kind. "
Fluttershy sat in the small garden behind the large dark building, looking out over a sea of mist which stretched out into an infinity. Luna's moon hung low and pale on the horizon, shining down upon the collection of chopped tree stumps, weeds and white flowers. A gentle breeze passed through her mane. Something about the place seemed... peaceful. Almost unnaturally so.
It gave her ample time to think about her situation. Her friends were not with her, how could they be? They had lives to get on with. Fluttershy was in this by herself, a fact she never thought would matter when she set off to Yharnam. Of course the road was perilous and at times it felt like she was being watched, however it seemed safe enough.
The stories of curses and ancient celestial beings were merely the fictitious rumours of a superstitious populous, weren't they?
Weren't they?
What she had seen led her to believe otherwise. She had never seen... in fact she had never even heard of an animal so ferocious outside of said stories. It was like the creature had no desire other than death, a predator with nothing on it's mind other than slaughter and murder. That was not an animal... that was a beast. Just like the stories say.
But what if that was just a one off? Maybe it was just a coincidence...
However as she gazed up at the moon something told her it wasn't so simple, or true for that matter.
"Miss?" The voice came from behind her. She turned her head to face the old earth pony.
"Yes?"
"I couldn't help but notice your attire... you're not from Yharnam, are you? That is a style I have not seen for a long time." He said, almost lamenting.
"I'm not from Yharnam, no. I hail from Equestria." The stallion's eyes lit up and his lips curved into a smile.
"Aah... Equestria. Ponyville, I suspect." He said lifting an eyebrow.
"Yes..." Fluttershy pivoted her body around to fully face him. "How did you guess?"
"Hmm... the gentle colours and the subtle style hidden behind practicality. You ponyvillians were very practical from what I remember. Though you maintained a certain sense of style about you. I happen to be from Equestria myself..." He trailed off before leading to a stop, his content smile fading away as if he remembered something he would much rather not. He let his head fall to face the floor and he let out a sigh. "Enough about me. I'm too old to chat about myself. What about you, why did you come to Yharnam?"
"I came here for the healing. I... I had cancer..." She grew quiet, seeming to deflate a little. The old stallion leaned back into his wheelchair, preparing for a story he had heard many times. "But after it was cured the minister disappeared. The door was locked so I went to look for him. Downstairs was... there was..." She sighed and took a deep breath. "A beast . Not an animal... a beast."
"Aye... I see." The stallion replied. He pushed his weight onto his walking stick. "I guess that's how you ended up here? You signed the contract afterall."
"Wha-" Fluttershy looked up. How did he know this much? "H-how do you know?" The old stallion laughed to himself and leaned back again.
"How? Well... how else could you have gotten here. The Dream only houses those who sign the contract..." He paused, a moment of clarification washing over his features as he watched the mare's shocked face. "Wait... you mean you didn't know?"
Fluttershy remained silent.
"Did you even read the contract?" He asked quizzically.
"I thought it was simply legal terms of treatment for the ministration. Was there something I missed?" Fluttershy asked shyly.
The old stallion slowly grew a smile and his maw opened up into a moment of laughter before he calmed down and the smile faded away once more.
"No... It's not funny. It's just, 'was there something you missed'? My dear mare... you have no idea what you have signed up for." He tapped a peg hind leg on the hoof rest of his chair. "You may have some warming up to do..." He nodded to himself.
"What was the condition?" Fluttershy asked, almost scared of what she had missed. The old stallion made a long sigh before speaking.
"You have heard the tales, yes? Of beasts and gods in Yharnam?"
"Y-yes..." Fluttershy stammered. "What of them?"
"Let's just say they're not just tales, miss. The beasts are very real, and as good ponies do, we try our best to eradicate them." The stallion's words shocked Fluttershy. So the stories were true...
"The condition was that you join the Hunt. As a beast hunter."
Silence.
"Look, I know that in your situation this may feel-"
"A BEAST HUNTER!?" Fluttershy blurted out. She had to hunt those terrifying, flesh eating, soulless creatures to fill her end of the bargain? Thoughts raced through her head of horrifying monsters, blood and danger. She couldn't hunt, she couldn't kill, she... she...
"-Ok, Fluttershy... calm down...-" She thought to herself. She took a deep breath.
"W-what is the binding factor? What's stopping me from refusing to hunt?" That word almost made her sick.
"Well miss, there are other powers involved in the hunt." He looked up toward the moon. It's pale visage was mesmorising to behold. "Let's just say there is a purpose each hunter of the Dream must serve, and one can only leave Yharnam and it's blood crazed madness behind if that goal is realised. I'm sorry. But you cannot leave for Ponyville yet. You must hunt until your purpose is served."
Fluttershy looked down at the ground in a chaotic mix of emotions. The old stallion began speaking once more.
"I am... Gehrman." he said like he struggled to remember his own name. "I am a lantern for Hunters. I guide them through their vicious time in Yharnam. Should you need help you can talk to me. You can find me out here in the garden, or in the workshop. Hunters used to come here to enhance both their weapons, and their flesh. The best thing for you to do is to just go out there and kill a few beasts. You know, it's just what hunters do."
For a second Fluttershy continued to stare at the ground, before she slowly picked up her head to take a second and gaze at the moon. She thought of how close she had come to ending it herself, ending her pain before it could hurt anypony else. She remembered her friends voices as they discussed Yharnam, the only alternative left.
"Sometimes, Flutters. Extreme situations require extreme solutions, right Twilight?"
"Of course!"
"Ooh! Like when I accidentally set my oven one notch too high for cupcakes and..."
"What they're trying to say is that you can live on happily if you simply travel to Yharnam and get the treatment. Simple as that, darling!"
"This 'Yharnam' place might be 'yer only option lef' to survive Fluttershy. You can survive if ya' make the trip."
"Sometimes extreme situations do require extreme solutions..." Fluttershy mumbled to herself. She clenched her teeth together and took a second to fill her lungs with fresh air.
"Where do I start?" She asked the old stallion, who smiled and notioned behind him.
"The messengers seemed very eager to offer you the tools you need. Take them and walk into Yharnam Headstone, the grey one with gothic styling. It'll take you to where you need to go." Fluttershy set off and walked past Gherman where he placed a hoof on her shoulder, making her stop and look to him. "If you ever need to use the workshop... well. We don't have as many tools as we once did, but you're welcome to use whatever you find." Fluttershy continued on her way to the messengers. "Even the doll, should it please you." He finished as he went back to staring at the moon.
"They're heartless beasts anyway." She told herself. "I don't care what I have to do...
"I will see my friends again."
Author's Note
This chapter got a little more graphic than I intended. Lemme' mention now this story is not for the faint hearted.
Hunter Meets Prey
Fluttershy's eyes opened slowly to the familiar site of the clinic as she awoke feeling a little heavier with the added weight of a pistol and a saw cleaver attached to her body. Pushing herself to her hooves she bounced and rotated her hips and shoulders in an attempt to make the new accessories sit more comfortably on her body. Fact is, carrying a pistol and a saw cleaver around added a lot of weight. Looking around she noticed something a little out of place in the room.
A lantern sprouted from the ground, a small squad of the little white skinned messenger crowded at it's base. They rubbed their hands together near it like it provided some sort of warmth for them. Fluttershy walked over and flicked a small piece of rubble against a shard of flint on the frame. The spark ignited a shred of cloth nearby and the flame travelled up into the centre where it continued to burn. She noticed it didn't provide much light, however when lit it seemed to radiate with the feeling of magic. Fluttershy was no unicorn, but she knew the arcane when she saw it.
"Hmm. That must lead back to the dream." She said quietly to herself. "Handy."
Fluttershy unclipped the cleaver attached to her garb and looked it over. It's design was... made largely with function in mind over any sort of fancy adornment. A curved handle using ripped cloth as a grip led down to a lever operated hinge where a thick double edged saw-blade was connected. She brought the weapon up, ready to give it test before sending it back down with a small amount of pressure on the lever. The hinge split and the cleaver opened up. This transformation put most of the weapon's weight in-front of her, so she guesses it was used for larger opponents. She shuddered at the thought. That something more monstrous than the thing that had killed her could exist. She put the thought aside for then and flung the cleaver back in the same motion, using the lever to pull back the cleaver. It did as designed and folded back up into it's more compact mode, before it was clipped back onto her body.
Then she made a mere glance at the pistol. A pistol was a pistol, and besides, she had no bullets to fire so why use it? Equestria had never been fond of pistols, though Fluttershy never knew why. All that mattered to her before she came to Yharnam was that it caused death when fired at somepony. Why the Day Guard preferred crossbows instead was never in her interest. Though she wondered if Twilight knew?
Turning to the doorway which once led her to her demise, or so she thought, she inhaled in preparation. The lowering sun projected a faintly orange glow through heavily dirtied glass, barely illuminating anything. She began her walk down the stairs, her heart beginning to pick up a pace, slowly. Reaching the bottom, she peered around the corner at the blood puddle in which she had slipped on before. How could she have missed it? It was huge! That and the sounds of ripping flesh. She must have been so filled with joy she zoned out of reality completely.
The thoughts led her to the beast. It was still in the next room, feasting on some poor pony who had run afoul of it's lethal jaws. And she was going to kill it, her first beast. She strode out into the landing and looked at her surroundings. There was nothing in the way of cover, there was no way of ambushing it from the side or behind. If she was going to hunt the thing it had to be in the open. Taking another deep breath she wandered to a nearby wall, as quiet as a mouse. Her stealth and light hooves was something she was used to, as her shy nature had brought her up to have. Though she found that nature degrading not only as her friends brought her out of her shell, but as she realised not everything could be solved by waiting in the background.
"-On the count of three...-" She steeled herself. "-One... two... three!-"
She rounded the corner like a filly into a playground, quickly but noisily. She pulled out the cleaver and raised it high, being careful not to slip on the pool of blood. The beast's ears pricked up and then it's head rose to follow, only to see a familiar pony ready to bring the smack down on it. The saw teeth ripped through it's skin as it dodged back, tearing into it's muzzle and causing it to hiss in pain. It backed itself up into the wall behind it, before looking upon the mare in confusion.Had it not just killed this one before?
Fluttershy found herself at a loss, her mind gone blank. She had no clue how to react, now her advantage has gone. She stood on her hinds grasping the saw cleaver tightly, ready for a comeback she couldn't build up.
"Well... now what?" She asked herself. The question dissipated as another forced it's way to the top of her priorities. The beast was retaliating, all claws blazing. It swung wildly at her head and she ducked in response, letting out an 'eep' as she dropped to the floor. Seeing the beast was still recovering from the force of it's missed swing, she took her chance.
Fluttershy leaped at her adversary and brought her cleaver down upon it's body. The saw hacked into the beast's body and it let out a screech of pain. But Fluttershy wasn't done. Adrenaline still fresh in her arteries she slashed once more at the same spot and cut through the beast again, causing it to pull away and flail it's claws wildly. The butter yellow pegasus was catapulted off and onto her back, forcing her to roll back onto her hooves. As she regained stability, she noticed the beast screaming in agony and thrashing around in a panic, this was her chance. She jumped up and walked slowly towards toward the unaware creature.
*Crank*
Fluttershy engaged the hinge of her weapon and it transformed into it's intimidating cleaver form. She jumped forward and swung her weapon diagonally at her foe who was still trying to manage it's injuries. It couldn't avoid the blade descending on it's neck, and it was too late to dodge out of the way. The sickly sound of flesh being split and vertebrae cracking apart resonated through the room as the once reluctant mare took her first beast. The force of her blow pulling the beast to the ground as one final breath escaped it's lungs.
Then there was silence.
Fluttershy stood there, leaning her weight onto her weapon as the anger inducing hormones wore away. Her breath was drawn raggedly and she stared down at the lifeless corpse below her. All of a sudden she felt her blood introduce her to a feeling of elation, the Echoes of souls being transferred from prey to hunter. This brought a new sensation onto her body. It was like a feeling of pleasure... some form of content flowing through her. It was... was...
Vengeance.
She raised her cleaver, eyes looking down on the already dead and gone beast that once tried to prevent her from seeing her home and friends ever again. She smashed her weapon down onto the former beast again... and again... and again. She began to laugh maniacally as if she had lost her mind.
"Hahahaha... hahaha! Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahaa!" She couldn't stop herself from enjoying the moment, as if it were some sort of twisted fantasy. Cold and sweet, revenge fuelled her wrath as she mashed and mutilated the corpse into pulp.
Eventually though, her muscles grew weary and her breath short, forcing her to stop her motions. And with her final hack, the laughing died away.
What replaced it was a continuous sob, growing in volume. The manic laughter turned quickly into tears of confusion and sorrow. She used the last of her strength to pull the cleaver away from her prey. It's weight dragged her back and she began to stumble, before she hit one of the clinic's walls. Staring at what was left of the beast, she slid down the wall and slumped over against it, drowned in tears.
She had just killed something... taken a life. What would her friends think of her now? Questions she could not answer flowed through her as she sat in her bloodied garb, crying away. And if this was to continue... she didn't know what it might do to her. What it might mould her to be.
"C-Celestia h-help me..." She managed to rasp out between sobs.
The sun lay low in the skies of Yharnam, as the night of the hunt began. Ponies, griffons, donkeys and all sorts of creatures wandered the streets. Their deformed bodies moulting away all their colour and replacing it with greys and blacks. They patrolled back and forth, hoping they could hunt their path to a redemption before it was too late.
The night was going to be long, this time.
An old griffon pulled back from the window, her aged body still retaining some form of agility and stealth. Her cloak of crow feathers rustled down her body as she turned away from the mare sobbing on the floor below. Then she gazed down upon the denizens of Yharnam wandering aimlessly among the gothic streets.
"I may not have been born here..." She started. "But if this is what I'll be working with on this night, I might just end up dyin' here." Her foreign accent was, along with her unique garb, a signature sign of her profession. A warped blade attached to a belt around her waist. She looked back to the mare. She was no longer sobbing, but she sat in silence. She couldn't tell if she was sleeping or if she was just deep in thought, but one thing was for sure. She was either going to be the worst hunter Yharnam had ever seen.
Or the best.
Pain is Eternal
BONG BONG BONG
The sound of the great bell gonged out the marker, as meaningless as it had become. As the huge bell continued to shift, it's keeper held up a small ornate gold dial to catch the light. After a few seconds, the sound of the bell stopped, and the clock-faces began to rotate onto another rune before settling.
KACHUNK The faces locked together, signalling the end of the procedure. The keeper sighed, settling back down on her chair, the small table next to her holding only a small book and a chalice.
"Another year in this forsaken place, hmm?" She said quietly to herself. If it were not for the great clock, she would lose all track of time, not that it mattered though. By her blood she was so long lived some may consider her immortal, and in her prison time was irrelevant anyway. She spent a moment looking down at the object in her lap. Taking in it's sick glory for hopefully the last time. Maybe the ritual would work... maybe this time she could end it.
"Curse the fiends..." She grabbed the scabbard in her left hoof and she lifted herself from her seating to her full height. "and their children too. And their children forever, true..." She clasped the handle and slowly began to draw, until she continued the rite. "I call to the bloodless, wherever they may be." The object was drawn from it's scabbard, the shining metal sharpened to a razor's edge on on side and it's structure curving like a gentle wave. "So ignorant of the rotten secrets. Look and the only thing you'll see..." She rotated the blade around, carefully minding the cleaver-like dagger attached to the hilt. She raised it above her head, ready to plunge it deep into her own flesh.
"Broken pieces, and painful misery."
She ran herself through with the blade mercilessly, like she had little care for her own life. Her body convulsed in pain as the weapon sank through her body as if it were butter. She growled in pain and her hoof went limp on the handle as she gritted her teeth in an attempt to stave off her flamed nerves. Suddenly she gripped the handle once more, and without further hesitation, ripped the blade from her abdomen, an arc of blood cascading from the metal. The sword's design incorporated an arcane effect which gathers blood at it's edge to form an extended blade of solidified and sharpened blood. Putting her pain to one side, she grabbed the stained chalice and pushed the hardened blood into it, grinding it off and allowing it to liquefy once more as it escaped the arcane effects.
As the chalice was filled with blood, she set it down on the table again and slumped heavily back into her chair. The messy blade no longer had it's grotesque extension but was stained an orange/red. As she felt the familiar faintness come upon her body, she gazed aside to the chalice and observed.
...
...
Nothing.
She let 'sleep' claim her once more, as she went back to waiting. Waiting for it all to end.
The sound of hooves clopping against the hard wood floor of the clinic turned suddenly more harsh, as their owner walked out from the clinic and into what seemed to be a small grave yard. Fluttershy wiped the lingering tears from her eyes as she looked around. She had started now, made her first impression as a hunter, there was no going back.
Stepping out into the yard, she noticed the sound of lumbering. Looking up to the streets above, there was a huge deformed pony with an executioner's axe patrolling back and forth through an alley. Luckily between it and her there was metal fencing and a sizeable drop, it wouldn't be able to get to her if it wanted to.
To her right, a locked gate awaited opening. Beyond looked like an alley leading behind the clinic, who knew where it went? The only option for her was an unlocked gate straight to her left. She headed on over and pushed it open, it's old hinges making life difficult for her. Once she had pushed the gates aside, she gazed upon the sight before her.
A great bridge spanned across a valley which was filled with what appeared to be burnt and half collapsed buildings. The valley continued forward out into open plains, the setting sun casting it's redish orange glow across the country side beyond. She eyed the great bridge. It stood across the valley, horizontal in her point of view and connecting to an area of humongous buildings to her left.
Turning away from the spectacle, she began walking up the wide road to her right as she noticed there was a crashed carriage at a crossroads further on. As she reached the crossroad, she could hear the sounds of breathing and hoofsteps. There was somepony to the left turnoff. Fluttershy peeked around the carriage to see another pony patrolling up and down the short road, carrying and axe and a torch. He turned as he reached the end of his patrol to come back, and he spotted the yellow fur and pink mane visible just around the corner. As he squinted to get a closer look at her, his trained beastly eyes picked out the odd foreign garb and un-Yharnam-like bright colours.
"Foreigner..." He whispered under his breath.
"Um... hello?" Fluttershy tried to act friendly, seeing nothing immediately threatening about him. Suddenly he began running at her, axe held high in the air. "Eep!" Fluttershy backed away from the upturned carriage as the weapon was readied for a swing.
"It's all your fault!" He yelled as the axe was brought down upon the tow bar where Fluttershy's head used to be, carving part of the carriage off like it was nothing.
"-Ok, Fluttershy...-" She began to think to herself "-It's obvious he's not in his right mind. And look at his legs, they're all long and the fur is going rough and grey like the... the... he's turning to a beast. You can do this.-"
Taking a deep breath, she stepped out in front of the beast-pony and his eyes darted up to meet her. His clawed elongated foreleg carrying his torch pulled back, ready to thrust the flaming weapon deep into her flesh.
"Burn..." He said quietly and sadistically as he began to wave the torch at Fluttershy. She ducked under, the flames catching the top of her mane. It took a moment for her to realise the stallion was still recovering from his attack, and she leaped at him, swinging her weapon wildly. The saw serrated it's way through his flesh and he flinched, staggering backwards before quickly regaining his composure. As Fluttershy approached him again he began to swing the axe from side to side, growling in a low in-equine voice. The attack was based on the assumption Fluttershy would walk into it, but she was paying far too much attention to simply walk into it. She waited until he stopped, as he realised his attempt to catch her off-guard had failed.
Which left him open for a counter attack. Fluttershy slashed at him, her attacks connecting and causing him to recoil in pain. He dropped his weapons to the ground as he staggered back, before dropping to his belly in agony. He reached out, as if trying to grasp at her one last time, before collapsing dead.
She stared at the stallion's body for a moment, in disbelief that she was doing this... but still, it had to be done. Didn't it?
Unfortunately, she had no time to contemplate. Two more deformed earth ponies at the far end of the road not far away had heard the commotion, and were climbing to their beastly legs. Both were wielding what looked to be large knives, like bayonets of some sort. Fluttershy was out of her element with just a single enemy, two was out of the question. Too much too fast.
She wasn't prepared to face two opponents at once. She looked around for a quick exit. The gate behind her which lead out onto the main street was locked shut, and if she headed back to the clinic they would just follow her and plan their attack. She had to get used to thinking fast on her hooves.
She noticed a lever in front of her, just poking out of a part of wall which jutted out. She then looked nearby, it had to work something close to it, surely...
"-Aha!-" She thought to herself, seeing a ladder held up on the wall about three times her height from the floor. Following it up, she saw it lead to a ledge at the top of the building. Wasted no time and spread her wings before taking off clumsily and heavily into the air, the blades of the converging half-beasts barely missing her hooves.
She noticed immediately how difficult it was to fly when weighed down by so many large metal and wooden items, and she strained her muscles to take her higher into the air. She was never a strong pony, and she could never fly very quickly. With all her equipment she struggled to fly in general. She went higher and higher as her energy was drained, eventually reaching the altitude of the roof. She lunged forward as her wings gave out, landing heavily and knocking air from her lungs.
"Get down here you coward!" She heard a mare shout from behind her, a comment which was promptly followed by a beastly snarls coming from a pony's body. Taking a few deep breaths, she picked her self up from the floor atop the building and tried to stretch her wings once more, noting they felt too tired from the exertion.
"Hmm. Maybe they would be better for making fast movements, like dodging. I'm too heavily loaded for flying." She said to herself.
Ahead of her was another lantern, useful. She walked over toward it and struck a pebble against the flint on it's frame. The spark ignited a flame inside and the lantern began to emit light. She felt the magic glow over her body as she took a moment to rest.
"Hello?" A masculine voice called out from seemingly nowhere. Fluttershy's head picked up like a bullet. "Is someone there? Are you a hunter?"
She didn't recognise the accent, but it certainly wasn't a Yharnam accent. The voice seemed to be coming from the building ahead of her, so she walked up to investigate. One of the windows, caged up in protection against the beast, had light streaming out from inside of it. And just outside of it, on the wall beside, was a small lantern which burned an incense. Fluttershy peered through the window, but couldn't see anypony inside.
"Hello?" She greeted anypony who could possibly be inside. She could hear the scuffling of movement, very close to her. It was definitely inside the building. She jumped back a little when a sickly looking stallion pushed himself up into view. Apparently he was leaning up against the wall below the window.
"Hehe, no need to be alarmed. It's just little ol' me, hehe." He said lightly, before beginning to splutter painfully. Being naturally caring, at least for those who haven't lost their minds and morals, she immediately took interest.
"Ooh, are you ok?" She asked, clipping her saw cleaver to her belt. The pony, who as she looked closer appeared to be a fellow pegasus, flipped up his ears and turned toward her with curiosity.
"My, my. Are you Equestrian?" He coughed. "Nice to see a fellow outsider every once in a while. And you're a hunter too... Never known a hunter as kind as you. To take interest in the sick in a way that doesn't involve trying to kill them." Fluttershy's eyes widened, shocked by the implications.
"But... hunters kill the beasts, don't they? Why would they kill a sick pony?"
Her question caused the pegasus to laugh, before descending into another short coughing fit.
"Ha! You must be new to the job, hmm?" He smiled as Fluttershy nodded. "Well, I should introduce myself. My name is Gilbert."
"Gilbert? That's more of a Yharnamite name, isn't it?" Fluttershy asked, confused to what to think of the accent and name combination.
"Aye, it is. See, I may have been born here, but I was moved away before I reached three. I lived in another country most of my life. I can see why my mother wanted to get away, maybe she saw this crap coming and decided to move out. Haha!" He laughed at his own joke. "Anyway, what about you?"
"I'm... Fluttershy. I came here to be cured of my cancer. I signed a contract that made me a hunter, though I didn't know that's what it was for..." She lamented on her own idiocy. Who signs a legal document without reading the print? She did. Apparently. "Now I'm stuck here."
"Ah. I too came here for the blood healing, though I never got the chance to visit a clinic. The hunt kicked in and I had to barricade myself in this dump. Can't be skulking around with those heavens prowling the streets." Gilbert coughed, breaking his sentence. "However until my illness takes me, I can be of informational use to a fellow outsider. Knowledge is power, as they say."
"Why don't we travel together?" Fluttershy suggested. "It might not be safe, but maybe we can find a safe refuge where you can stay."
"Hmm, I would Fluttershy. But I'd rather not risk catching a slither of the beast blood myself, as a hunter you are more resilient, but I fear I might fall to beasthood much sooner than you. I'd hate to burden you with my life, you have enough on your plate as it is. Besides this way I not only get to help you live another day, but I can die with my sanity and equinity intact."
Fluttershy nodded sadly, but in understanding of the stallion's choice.
"So... anything you want to know?"
Healing Church:
"Then they became the most powerful group for miles, as they were the ones producing and distributing more and more of the blood. Nopony knows exactly how they produced so much of the stuff, but we do know they did have blood 'Saints'. Ponies, usually mares, who had been infected with the old blood. Once infected, the blood becomes your own, meaning your body produces it alongside your normal blood. Blood Saints were used on a small scale, usually by members of the Church."
"After the first reports of beasts in Yharnam, it was discovered that the Old Blood was causing the spread of the condition know as 'Ashen Blood', which led to the 'Scourge of the Beasts'. The Church knew this, and created a special sub-section of members known as the Hunters of the Workshop. These were the first of your line of work, and worked by night to eradicate the beasts quickly and quietly. Though eventually the Ashen Blood spread the beasts to numbers to large for the Hunters to keep a secret any longer. Sightings of beasts, along with the blood-stained corpses of their victims became commonplace."
"Many were angry at the Church, blaming them and the blood for the outbreaks. The Church dealt with this well, disbanding the original Hunter's Workshop and setting up a brand new Workshop. A more official, publically known one, the Healing Church Workshop. The chief hunter, an earth pony Yharnamite named Ludwig, began employing other Yharnamites as hunters. This smart move removed most of the blame from the Church, as it looked like they were opposed to the scourge and did not intend for it to happen. It also increased their numbers, and for a long time the nightly Hunts kept the beasts at bay..."
"But after a while, the beasts grew stronger, faster, and those that used the elements grew more potent abilities. The Healing Church Hunters could no longer stop the spread of the scourge. All Tartarus broke loose. Beasts ran rampant, and whole families were being slaughtered by the hundreds. The Church decided Yharnam could no longer be saved and set it alight, gathering their hunters inside their home-base of Cathedral Ward and shutting Yharnam out, abandoning it. They cowered in their fort, leaving what is now called Old Yharnam to burn to the ground on that moonlit night."
"And since then, Yharnam has been what you see now." Gilbert pondered for a moment, searching his mind for any more information that could be useful. "That's it, I think. All I have to share." Fluttershy nodded, knowing their time to separate was close. "Oh!" He said, descending below the window as he began to rummage around in a bag. The metal 'chinks' echoed around the room as he discarded random objects. "Aha!" He suddenly exclaimed, as the rummaging stopped. There was a small coughing fit before his head re-emerged.
"What is it?" Fluttershy asked, curious. Gilbert brought up a bronze object, a small canister with a handle and trigger. On the opposite side to the handle was a pipe leading up to a muzzle, where some sort of lighter connected with the pipe.
"This is a Flamesprayer. One of the weapons the Healing Church gave their more experienced hunters. It sprays a cloud of flame wherever it's pointed." He offered it to her, and with gratitude, she took it and clipped it to her belt beside her pistol. "Some advice. A lot of beasts are deathly afraid of flame, and for good reason. All that thick fur's gotta' make them pretty flammable if you think about it. They burn like they were made to, so don't be afraid to set some of the larger ones alight if you need to."
"Thank you." Fluttershy said, short and sweet. Gilbert just laughed.
"Go on then, get outta' here. Good hunting Fluttershy." He said, twisting to put his back against the wall. He slid down to rest on the floor again as Fluttershy thanked him and walked away.
Taking in her surroundings, she noted the gate directly ahead of her. Like the one in the clinic graveyard, it was locked. Though for this gate she could see a lever on the other side which no doubt operated the gate. Her wings still hurt some, so she thought it best to avoid flying unless absolutely necessary. She turned around and headed back out to the lantern. There was another way at the other side of Gilbert's resting building. and it seemed to lead to a small bridge over a narrow street below.
She headed down a small set of stairs and turned right over the bridge. Looking out over the street she could see a huge bonfire at the far end where a beast was burning. Already dead by the looks of it.
She continued onward, coming to a rooftop with a gap in the left side fencing which led down to another bonfire. The drop was too far for her not to glide, however she didn't want to strain her wings anymore than she had to so she turned to head the opposite way to a selection of wooden boxes.
The boxes shattered as she approached them and splinters were sent flying her way. She covered her face until the last of the shrapnel had dispersed. Through it all she could hear stumbling and the 'swoosh'ing of a blade being swung through the air, giving her the impression of an ambush. She was right.
Another pony similar to the two she had fled from before talking to Gilbert finished swinging her knife for long enough that Fluttershy could get a good look at her. Seeing no difference, she assumed similar to what she had already seen. Not wasting any time, she thrust her wings back to propel herself forward into a dash, using the momentum as she came to a halt to swing faster. The attack was enough to kill the half-beast right out as the saw ripped through it's abdomen.
The beast-pony cried out with her final breath in dying agony as she collapsed to the floor. Fluttershy decided she could search the pony for anything useful, and find something she did. A small pouch of Quicksilver bullets which she put in her enchanted saddle bags. This way she could store any bullets she found and summon them at a thought if she had to. By the size of the bag she guessed she could fit around twenty bullets in it's total space. She also found two small vials of a dark red liquid. She immediately recollected the sight of the blood for the first time, figuring out it could be used as a method of healing as well as curing. She dropped the vials into her saddlebags.
Keeping that in mind she took out a bullet and loaded it into her pistol, so that it was ready for use at a moment's notice. She headed down a set of stairs behind where the boxes where to a right turn led to another area. There she spied two once sleeping half-beasts who both started to pick themselves up from the floor as she approached.
As much as she hated the thought of trying to fight two enemies, it seemed here there was no alternative. The only ways out were behind her and down a second set of stairs behind her opponents. Stairs which lead down onto the main street, where there were likely to be many more beasts waiting for her.
Taking a deep breath, she dashed forth with her saw-cleaver held high. She slashed down with her hoof pressuring the hinge's lever to allow the blade to flip up and extend the size of the weapon. The slash connected with the first, a knife wielder, the force of the blow staggering them and leaving them open. Though she was unable to finish her assault as the second half-beast charged forward with a shield covering their body.
Fluttershy dashed backwards to evade the charging foe, and as they realised she was out of reach they stopped to get a second's rest. She noted their lack of defence without the shield and thrust the transformed cleaver forward to slice into them some. They staggered back so that they were side by side with their compatriot. The two half-beasts gave each other a short glance before charging forward in an attempt to outnumber their attacker.
Fluttershy was at a loss as to what she should do. And in a blind panic she raised her pistol and fired at the shield user. The shield user was knocked back with the shot and collapsed weakly into a sitting position, almost begging to be counter-attacked. Fluttershy realised she could use this to her advantage all too late as a knife was slashed across her chest. She gasped at the sudden burst of pain and retaliated with a vertical lunge onto her attacker, leaning all her weight into the weapon as she fell forward. The mare was killed outright as the cleaver sliced through her shoulder and severed a number of arteries.
Fluttershy dropped her cleaver to the ground with a loud clatter as she fell into her own sitting position, clutching her chest wound and whimpering in pain.
"-...They say the 'Old Blood', as they call it, cures anything!-"
"-Hmm... I have to say darling, as disgusting as it sounds it might just be what you need.-"
"-Agreed. Hey Twi', ya' think it heals injuries too?-"
"-Huh? Don't be ridiculous! That's a difficult task even for magic, I highly doubt it can simply 'heal injuries'.-"
"-'Doubt', egghead. How do you know it doesn't?-"
"-I-It... just can't, okay? I've studied science for a long time, long enough to know that any sort of liquid straight up closing wounds is pretty much impossible!-"
"-Hey Fluttershy! You should bring back a couple samples, see if we can prove Twilight wrong for once, eh? Hahaha!-"
"Guh..." Fluttershy grunted as she conjured up a vial of blood from her enchanted bags. The vial had a syringe on one side, a tell tale sign of blood treatment. "Even if I didn't... I'd just bleed out anyway..." She held the vial syringe down over her thigh and prepared herself. "Here goes..." She stabbed herself with the needle and injected the fluid into her bloodstream, feeling the familiar cold sensation travel through her body. Looking at her chest, she noticed something startling.
The wound was actually closing! Blood stopped escaping her body as the skin and flesh healed up, even the fur was growing back. It had left a giant teat in her garb though, the cloak rarity had made obviously wasn't cut out for dealing with blades. She caught her breath and picked herself up, taking her saw-cleaver from it's resting place on the ground. She transformed it back to it's saw form for easy carrying and clipped it to her belt.
Fluttershy walked up to the railing at the side of the next set of stairs and peered around to see the main street a little better, her blood stained clothing hanging from her loosely at her chest. What she saw made her gulp in fear. She only just survived two enemies...
This looked more like an army.
It was obvious the main bulk of Yharnam's wandering half-beasts were patrolling through the main streets, and now she was seeing just how many there were. She suddenly got the feeling she might be needing a few more of those vials.
Fluttershy whirled around the corner to catch her breath. The first group of ponies shambling through the streets were proving to be tough, and she had been struck into her side by a pitch fork, a wound which was bleeding quite profousely. She knew the half-beasts would follow her, but she needed some time to take a short rest, even if only for a few seconds as any rest at all was preferable over none. Summoning a blood vial from her saddle-bags, she wasted no time in stabbing it into her thigh.
She felt the warming tingle on her ribs as the wounds closed and her body was healed as good as new. After flipping the bag closed, she took a moment to breathe before she heard the battle-cries of her final few foes closing in.
"-... No rest for the weary.-" She told herself before rounding the corner once more, ready to face the horde a second time.
Fluttershy had defeated the first six half-beasts with some difficulty as she headed on through the street. In the process she gained another few vials, coming to a grand total of four blood vials and five bullets. She approached a carriage which sat stationary on her right, waiting for a patrol ahead of her to carry on forwards, out of sight. Once they rounded a bend in the street she decided to press forward to the bend herself to see what was ahead of her.
She took cover behind a wall and peered around. From her spot she could see the huge bonfire, a gigantic beast burning on the giant cross. Around the fire she counted a group of twelve half-beats, mainly comprised of ponies wielding pitch-forks or old combat knives. But as she looked she noticed something new, two griffons, each with a short rifle slung slung over their backs. Griffons were always known for their strength, sharp eye-sight and quick reflexes, not many could match them in the field of battle.
But these griffons looked deformed like their equine counterparts. Their feathers were much larger then normal and darker in colour, and their fur was much thicker in their feline half, also taking on a similar dark grey tone. Their brightly coloured amber eyes shone in the great fire they had set up to burn the beast. But the thing that looked scariest about them were their jaws. Their beaks were sharper and larger, giving their already intimidating stature something scary to boot.
As she pulled back to think of her next moved, she gasped as she saw a griffon who looked like he had been hiding behind the carriage behind her, was aiming a rifle at her chest. Fluttershy raised her pistol and with only a brief moment to aim, took her shot. Unfortunately the half-griffon had already pulled the trigger too, and the yellow pegasus felt the force of a bullet slam into her ribs. The weight of the round stopped as it cracker her ribs, transferring it's force into her chest and winding her. For a moment she curled up into a fetal position on the ground and cried out in pain as a burning sensation added to the pain, spreading across her entire upper body.
"-Here we go again...-" She thought as her shaking hoof clipped the top of her saddle-bag open, so that she could summon yet another blood vial.
"Gah..."
Fluttershy dropped down into a sit, overlooking the square. When she arrived it had been filled with half-beasts, ponies and griffins all surrounding the great fire, still burning as fierce as it ever had. Though it didn't seem to bother her when she was hacking them apart...
She could barely bring herself to gaze over the carpet of corpses lining the cobbled floor, as just the mere thought that she did it brought her to some feeling of sickness. Not just over the gore and the blood, but over herself. She could keep telling herself it was for their own good, and as a matter of fact it was. Because of her the ponies and griffons who perished under her clumsily swung blade had died with their sanity still intact. She'd rather that than let them become monsters.
Maybe she just had to... think about it less. The more she pondered on why she had to kill, why she had to snuff out those lives, the sadder she felt about it. It was tragic, really. Many of those she had put down had likely lost everything, and hunted in an attempt for redemption. Like there was some way they could save themselves.
Though if what Gilbert had told her was true, which it probably was... she guessed it was better for them to die with some sanity still lingering in their skulls.
*THUMP-THUMP-THUMP*
Fluttershy's ears perked up as she looked behind her to a large gate. The sound of grunting and shuffling came from beyond with the monstrous beating noises.
*THUMP-THUMP-THUMP* "NRRAAARGH!"
Fluttershy stumbled up to the top of a set of stairs, blood dripping from her side. She slumped down against a railing, whimpering in pain. She had been seriously injured several times since she had set out on her hunt, each time the blood vials she had picked from the corpses she left behind had saved her. She had managed to get by up until where she was now. She had past a fountain where the brute pounding on the gate was, hoping to avoid him. But as she moved past to a square with a well, the brute came up behind her while she fought and ambushed her.
She was lucky to get away with her life still intact, but had almost drained her blood reserves already. She took another vial from her bags and stabbed her thigh, wincing as the numbing feeling travelled up her body. Her wounds were closing and she stopped losing blood, but she still felt just as tired.
Truth was, she was exhausted. After all the fighting and being shot, stabbed, smashed over the head with a wooden shield, she was starting to feel the effects that the blood vials delayed. She had to stay awake though, she couldn't let her guard down... could she? Maybe she could just have a little rest at the top of the stairs. Besides, she was on the Great Bridge now, the structure leading her to the Cathedral Ward. She might need her strength...
As her eyes drifted slowly closed she began to hear the 'pitter-patter' of paws and the scraping of claws in the background that she neglected to pay attention to before. Perhaps the pain of her wounds blotted it out.
The hunter forced herself to her hooves, her weak body complaining as she pushed it up. Taking a deep breath, she peered around the corner and onto the bridge. What she saw frightened her.
Scourge Beasts ... The wolf-like beasts that had been responsible for killing her the first time... two patrolled across the bridge at a narrow gap where a crashed carriage spanned the road.
"Mmmrf..." Fluttershy stabilised herself. She could see another pathway leading down a set of identical stairs at the other side of the bridge. Judging by their positioning, she suspected they led down to a rooftop where she saw a corpse teetering on the edge of the roof. Taking a moment to contemplate, she decided she would much rather take a brake to take everything in and give some more thought to her hunt.
With her next goal in mind, she turned around and limped back down the stairs to head back to the lamp near Gilbert's abode. Maybe she could scavenge on the way back.
Fluttershy inspected the coagulation of crates near a tree outside of a house. Happy laughter and an almost... unnaturally ignorant vibe eminated from the building. Ignoring the survivors and leaving them to their activities, she continued to scour the collection of structures. She peeked around them to notice there was a break in the fence that the boxes were stacked against. And it lead to a small drop-off and another area.
Smiling, she clambered over the boxes, maybe it could lead her to the area behind the gate at Gilbert's? She dropped down heavily onto the cobbles at the bottom, her tired body having to recover from the small fall. The weapons she were carrying didn't help with anything, just adding to her momentum as she fell. She landed in a small area with several turn-offs. One large one to her right leading over a small bridge to a dark hallway which seemed to drop off. Maybe stairs to an underground are? Sewers or waterlines?
And another pathway directly ahead, and turned off left to go under the bridge.
"GRAHR!" Fluttershy jumped back in shock as the sound of a rabid dog snapping and barking at her arose from her left. She backpeddled a few steps to look over the animals, locked in cages. They snapped and growled savagely, like beasts...
"So... even the poor innocent animals are also affected?" Fluttershy's head drooped massively and she sighed, before walking over to a left turn-off that lead underneath the great bridge. Before heading around the corner, she looked back at the rabid dog with a certain sorrow for the animal lost to the scourge. Sad that not even the most innocent of creatures could escape the gruesome and awful fate. She sighed again and continued on.
The dog barged at it's cage, the hinges on it's door growing ever weaker...
Fluttershy walked under the bridge to see a doorway leading into somepony's house. She paused for a moment, wondering if she should intrude... But judging from the direction she was headed, and how much space there was between her and where she remembered Gilbert's house being, there should be a way to the other side of the building before her. A way which would lead her straight back to the gate which she could unlock.
Some part of her wanted her to smile for the how clever she was to figure out a town she had never been in before. But the dark gloom and doom of Yharnam struck even the smallest happiness from her heart. She continued on until she reached the door.
Fluttershy peered through the dusty window. The house was dark, but sure enough another door led to the other side of the building. After a deep breath, she grabbed the handle of the door and poked her head through.
"...Erm..." She said aloud, half expecting somepony to be there. And sure enough, a half-beast holding an ornamental sword looked to her lazily, before muttering some incomprehensible gibberish under his breath and turning to her. "Hello?" She said to the ex-pony, who ignored her greeting and stumbled forward, thrusting his blade at her head.
"Eep!" Fluttershy pulled back from the door like lightning and slammed it shut, jamming the blade between the frame and the door. Fluttershy's breathing increased dramatically, her gentle heart automatically going into overdrive like it knew it was needed. "Here we go again..." She said to herself breathily. She opened the door and paced back to give herself some space, before swinging her saw cleaver and releasing the hinge, sparks flying into the air.
The half beast rushed at her swinging wildly, like all it's other bretherin had done. Fluttershy waited out his attack, and when he was done she raised the cleaver into the air and swung down onto the half beast. She sliced through his body, crippling it before pulling back up along the same axis and finishing him off. The half beast collapsed backwards with the force of her swings, dead.
Fluttershy looked at the corpse for a moment. Something seemed... off, that was much easier than the first beasts she had killed. Were the half beasts getting weaker? Or... maybe something else, perhaps? Fluttershy remained still in thought for a moment, before sapping out of it. She was just in combat! From what she had seen, the half beasts seemed to fight in groups of at least two or three, never alone. There were likely more inside the house.
She walked in cautiously. The ground floor was dark even with the door open. But that was likely due to the bridge blocking light from entering. Some stairs immediately to her left led up to an even darker first floor where another door led up onto the great bridge. Even though light poured through the door, the top floor still looked darker. Deciding to stick to her first problems first, she walked to the other side of the room where the final door lay in wait.
She grabbed the door handle, making a mental note to come back to the building later on. There could be something worth finding in the house that the half beasts were keeping. Something that could be worth coming back for when she was less exhausted. She opened the door and light streamed into the house, partially illuminating the ground floor.
There was no time to indulge however, as a half beast stood atop a set stairs, another set of stairs turning off right behind him to a gate. A gate that a contraption seemed to connect to, likely the opening mechanism. By what she could remember, the stairs definitely led up to Gilbert's.
"Okay, Fluttershy. One last half beast and we're done for now." She said quietly to herself. She approached the first set of stairs, the half beast hearing her hoof steps and turning his attention to her. Her was a unicorn, holding a torch and an axe in his weak telekinetic grasp. Fluttershy, knowing her end goal was close, decided to attack him early. She grabbed her extended saw cleaver in both hooves and thrust forward, skewering the half beast. He staggered back, pulling himself off the weapon.
He recovered in time to see Fluttershy approaching.
"Aah, help! B-beast!" He shouted in a confused and fearful voice. Fluttershy cringed at his voice, as her instincts told her a voice like that belonged to somepony who needed help... Though, there was no help she could give him. For beasthood, there was only one remedy. Her eyes went wide as he pushed his torch at her, the burning flame skimming her mane as she halted to avoid walking into the crude device. Immediately after he raised his axe to try and bring it crashing down on her skull.
Fluttershy raised her pistol and fired at him before he could complete his attack, and he was knocked down into a vulnerable sitting position. Seeing her opportunity, Fluttershy mustered all the remaining strength she had and pushed forward with her weapon. Her attack impaled the half beast, the wide blade running right through him.
Fluttershy panted to herself as she felt the dead weight on the end of her extended weapon, knowing her prey to finally be free from torment. She stopped for a breather as she knew that was the last time she would have to kill on her hunt until she had some rest. After all, she was exhausted. Her body ached and burned, even with the old blood keeping her strong, it appeared she still had limits. They were just greatly increased from her usual physical capabilities.
Finally, she liberated the cleaver and snapped it shut with a half hearted swing. She made her way up the stairs, eventually coming the opening mechanism. She grabbed the large lever and pulled it open, the gate followed suit, springs moving into action as two gothic structures were pulled apart. Now she could see the glow of the lamp, her way back to the dream was right there.
She walked past the lit up window where Gilbert was last time they spoke.
"Hello?" She said, deciding to check on him while she was there. There was some rustling before the sickly figure of Gilbert arose from the floor.
"Aah! Fluttershy!" He coughed, before staring her up and down. He grimaced at the sheer amount of blood coating her attire. Even her mane had begun to become cottered. "You look... Well. You're okay, that's good. Being alive is always nice, I guess."
"You okay?" She asked, clipping her weapons to her belt. Gilbert chuckled.
"I haven't been okay for ages... but I'm still holding out." Fluttershy nodded. "Your hunt go well?"
"I... Killed a lot of ponies. Some griffons. But somehow it helps knowing I'm doing them a favour." Gilbert nodded in agreement at her conclusion. "Besides, this way they don't have to suffer any longer." She added.
"Keep doing what you're doing, Fluttershy. Take a break whenever you need. A tired hunter is a dead hunter, if you want to see your home again you want to be at your best." Fluttershy smiled at the thought. She actually smiled. When she was alone, the prospect of killing filled her with guilt. But talking about it with another sane pony seemed to put things in the right perspective. Once again, she was filled with hope. Though it didn't make her any less tired, she struggled to stifle a yawn. Gilbert laughed light heartedly before spluttering heavily.
"Go on, go back to your dream thingy. Get some kip, you'll need it." Fluttershy smiled and nodded before continuing on to the lamp. Though, before she could escape Gilbert's sight, she heard him speak again.
"Thank you, Fluttershy. For talking to me." He smiled at her warmly. "It's nice to know you have a friend amongst all the despair. It makes my death on the horizon look just that little bit less harrowing, ya' know?" Fluttershy gave her best smile back.
"Everypony deserves a little kindness, Gilbert. I'll see you later." She waved at her friend and he waved back, glad he'd made a friend in all the turmoil of Yharnam. He then let himself collapse into his building and let out a pained yelp.
"Argh! *Cough* Damn floor, why are so so hard?"
Fluttershy giggled as she leaned down to her lamp, letting it's magical warmth run through her blood drenched body. She could feel her consciousness being pulled away somewhere else as it took her. But as the world slipped into darkness she heard what must have been the most terrifying sound she had ever heard, coming from across the valley in Cathedral Ward.
*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*
Fluttershy was already half slipped away when it finished, but the screech still managed to fill her with a crippling, petrifying fear. A fear which followed her into unconsciousness.
Visions of Home and Weapon Improvement 101
Fluttershy trotted up to her door, a smile on her face as she pushed it open. She had just returned from a trip to the town so that she could buy food for her animal friends. She went inside and closed the door behind her. She stood still and closed her eyes, taking a breath of the familiar scent of her home.
"Angel!" She called angelically. "I'm home!" As if on cue, Angel's head peeked around the corner with a smile as he saw the bags she was carrying. She had bought his favourite food today, a rare thing as she usually only has enough spare money to buy the basics for all the animals she cared for. Today was going to be so special...
He darted around the corner again and rushed over to his bowl, patiently awaiting his next meal. Fluttershy trotted to the kitchen humming a gentle tune before placing the bags on the side. There, she unloaded the contents until she arrived at his food. She opened the small pouch and poured it into his bowl. He dove into the delicacy without hesitation and began devouring it as quickly as he could. Fluttershy smiled down at him.
"Oh, aren't you just adorable!" She cooed, her hooves up at her cheeks. She went back to unpacking as she put everything where it needed to be. Food for the deer, rabbits, foxes, squirrels and otters... the list went on. She expertly placed everything in it's respective position perfectly barely without thought.
Once she had finished she put the bags into a cupboard where she kept them for re-use or to await recycling. Fluttershy was very passionate about the environment, and would do almost anything if it meant bettering it. Then she went into her living room to relax for a while. She walked in and jumped up onto her favourite chair before letting out a long sigh and closing her eyes. Darkness rolled in.
The sounds of scuttling were emitted from the kitchen, and as time went by the noises began to sound more like scratching. Fluttershy thought nothing of it, it was likely just Angel accidentally pushing his bowl under the cupboards again, he always did that when he was eating. She giggled to herself, picturing a scene of Angel with his snout trapped between the cupboard's underside and the bowl.
"-He's such a silly thing... he'll sort it out, he's a good boy.-" She thought to her herself. Then a period of heavy breathing could be heard. Fluttershy snapped out of her happy thoughts immediately, her mind wandering to images of Angel choking on his food. It was plausible, he was eating very quickly after-all.
"Ooh, hold on Angel. I'll be right there!" She called out. She slid of her chair and hastily trotted out of the living room and into the kitchen...
Fluttershy jolted awake, visions of her very first encounter with a beast fresh in her imagination, it's claws wrapped around her neck. Her hooves were at her own throat, and after a moment of recuperation she realised she was choking herself. With a sharp intake of breath she fell backwards into a sit and began to hyperventilate as she stared at her hooves. The blood she was coated in after coming back to the Hunter's Dream had vanished and she was now clean as a whistle. However her clothes were still torn where she had been repeatedly shot, stabbed and cut. She let her face fall into her hooves as she calmed herself down and collected her thoughts.
She could feel the cooling wind of the dream on her fur and the perfect air temperature, the peace of the dream was certainly divine in comparison to the frantic streets of Yharnam. Her breathing finally rested at it's normal rate and she let her hooves drop down to her sides. Looking up she beheld the dream. The imposing workshop's doors swung wide open to welcome her in, the headstones and the foliage dotting the small area made it look serene.
She picked herself up.
The doll was still laid there, motionless as it was before. She headed up the stairs to the workshop and through the doors which she recalled as being previously locked. Inside was a single well lit room, the left wall was filled with books and there were two tables which both housed their own book pile. The ground was adorned with a dark green plain carpet which only partially covered the wooden plank floor. The first thing on her right was a selection of shelves, houses varies jars of dubious liquids. Some appeared to be oils of some sort but others looked remarkably blood-like.
Then there was a fireplace, which had it's own chimney. The fires raged enough to heat metal, and a pulley system was rigged to hold weapons in place over it. ad after the fire was a table with even more pulleys situated above. On the table was numerous drawers and tools.
"This must be where I can 'improve' my weapons..." She said to herself. Now she had a place to work on her items, this was great. Other than the fact she had no clue how to forge or work with materials of any kind. She stood there in silence until she had an idea. Looking over to her left, she wondered if there were any books on weapon improvement...
Fluttershy put down her second book on weapon improvement. She had read up on basic blood stone fortification and blood gems. The processes involved kneading these items into the weapon in order to improve it's properties and/or give it new ones, and simply upgrading the efficacy of the weapon. It sounded utterly disgusting, but by the sounds of it it was the way to go if she wanted to survive. Blood stones were used to increase the sharpness and durability of the weapon, and blood gems could give it magical properties or further increase it's efficacy to ridiculous levels.
On the table fluttershy had two blood stones she had collected from corpses around Yharnam. Apparently they form when blood crystallises, and usually the level of one's madness can contribute to the size and quality of the stone too. Ranging from simple stones, to twin stones and chunks. Chunks were some of the largest and were quite rare. The book stated they can be found in the bodies of large completely deformed beasts or truly insane beings who had died with not only great insight, but the beast-blood as well. And then there were the rocks.
Apparently only one had ever been found, and it was none other than Ludwig the chief church hunter who had found it, kneading it into his legendary weapon which he apparently saw as his mentor.
"A weapon as a 'mentor'? Hmm, must have taken one too many blood vials..." She mumbled to herself. She placed her saw-cleaver on the table and the two stones next to it. According to the book the levels of improvement on a weapon was classified in stages, and most weapons required a certain mass of blood stones before they could be significantly improved. The first stage required two blood stones.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself over the awful materials on the bench before beginning the process. Blood stones were like dough, they were much more difficult to work with at the start of the procedure than by the end. Fluttershy wasn't very strong, but thankfully the stone's small size made it much easier to knead. She pushed it onto the sharpened edge and spread it along, the saw-teeth were much trickier than the blade. Though both sides were equally as good at making her accidentally cut herself. Luckily though, the traces of old blood in her blood vessels made the minor wounds heal without much pain.
She stood back to observe her hoofywork. The blade was a gory mess but as she looked down it's edges it did appear like it bore a much cleaner edge. Not that it was the sharpest thing she had ever seen, and the blade was still a little uneven. So, she began to knead in the second stone. It went in much easier than her first, as she knew how to handle it much better than before. She completed her second kneading in half the time as the first, her confidence in weapon improvement growing. She looked over the weapon with a proud smile.
"Now I can kill things deader!" She exclaimed in glee, before she paused. A confused expression suddenly washed over her face. "That, uhh... sounded less sadistic in my head..." She sighed before swiping the newly improved cleaver off the table and clipping it back to her belt. She had no blood gems so it would simply have to be a normal cleaver for now. Her dreams of having a flaming death saw would have to wait.
Fluttershy walked out into the garden where she could see Gehrman sleeping in his wheelchair, looking out over the infinite expanse. Sighing, she turned to walk away when suddenly she heard his voice.
"But what of... Lo- Logarius... Lawrence..." He mumbled to himself. His breathing then suddenly became ragged and increased in pace. Fluttershy rushed over to him. He was having a nightmare inside a dream... His head suddenly flew into the headrest of his wheelchair and he glanced around with heavy breathing.
"Oh! It's only you..." He smiled, breathing returning to normal as he seemingly shrugged off his nightmare. "Are you well? Settling in?" He looked down at her bloodied cleaver. Seeing signs of blood stones his eyes lit up "Oh! Learning how to upgrade your arms are we?" He smiled, leaning over to her. Fluttershy giggled.
"Yes, I can't believe you devised such a disgusting way to improve things..." She joked. Gehrman laughed.
"Well, Yharnam is a very bloody place..." He winked. Fluttershy winced at his joke. "I'm guessing that wasn't as funny as I thought it was, eh?" He asked in response to her reaction. Fluttershy shook her head. "Ugh! I've been here so long even my jokes have gone bad!" Fluttershy laughed at that, causing Gehrman to relax in his chair with a smile.
"So... You're ready to head out again, eh? Don't forget to drop by the messengers in the bath and see if they have anything to offer you. You never know what you might need..." He suggested. Fluttershy contemplated the idea before nodding her head.
"Okay." She said. "I'll be heading out again, thanks for the advice. Sleep well." She said before turning to head off, hearing Gehrman huff behind her as he rested his head back on it's it's rest. She headed down to the bath messenger who was holding a small bag. She went up to it as it offered the item. Taking it she checked inside to see it was a collection of bullets. She counted ten in total. "Oh, thank you so much... I needed these." She poured the bullets into her pouch that she dedicated to it. She was just about to eave when the little creature re-appeared with something else...
Fluttershy puffed out her chest and spread her wings, admiring her new look. The hunter attire provided matched the descriptions of the female hunter attire the workshop used to provide it's new recruits, it was in one of the books on hunters she read when learning how to use blood stones. The garb was heavier than her clothes which rarity had made for her, and she was hesitant to take it. But all in all she felt much safer in actual professionally designed hunting gear than her normal cloths. She still had her scarf, as roughed up as it was. She read that Hunters often kept valuable items on them as they reminded them of who they were and what they had to go back to, which helped greatly to ward off beasthood.
Standing proudly in her new outfit she walked to the Yharnam headstone and knelt down at the messengers ready to take her to Yharnam once more.
Author's Note
Sorry this took so long to release, I'm not really as driven as I used to be. Hope you all like it.
