Chapter 10: The Bloody Chapel

Fluttershy ran, it followed. She yelled, it stood in silence. She wept, it laughed.

This raven, whatever it really was, was her punishment incarnation. She is slowly being driven mad by this small monstrosity. Devoid of hope, bitter and angry, the raven whispers in her ear, “nevermore.”

Fluttershy wanted to end this, to end the fiend in bird form. She remembered the Bloody Chapel, the place where all of this originated. So many lives lost, so many corrupted and destroyed. Her resolve burned. Fluttershy decided to make a final attempt at righting her wrongs. It was time she went to the chapel.

(???)

Roseluck was on a balcony, eyeing the old bridge that connected the Bloody Chapel Tower to the rest of the manor. All she had to do was cross the ancient stone bridge. But, it was on the opposite side of the bridge that had her giving herself second thoughts.

Ashen was on the other side of the bridge, holding the shredded corpse of Applejack.

He grinned wickedly as he threw her corpse off the bridge, into the fog below.

“It would be rude of me to not let you join in on all the fun,” he said with a demented chuckle.

Roseluck growled in response.

Ashen rolled his eyes. “So… really think that you can take me, eh? That's precious.”

Ashen’s eyes glowed red, “ Lady Fluttershy will reward me for this.”

Roseluck drew Steel Plate’s sword, its ebony blade blending in with the darkness of night. Ashen turned into a black mist, his red eyes glowed within. He rushed at Roseluck, as the latter closed her eyes. She knew that nothing could harm a vampire in mist form, so Ashen would have to take her bait in order to reveal himself.

And he did.

He changed into his physical form and clamped his jaws on her neck, driving his teeth into her flesh. Roseluck took her sword and plunged it into his neck. Ashen let go in a shriek of pain. Seizing the opportunity, Roseluck tackled him, using the sword to pin him to the bridge. Ashen thrashed like an animal caught in a trap, shrieking wildly and ferociously. Roseluck felt a familiar weight on her flank. She looked to see Rosebane. She has never been more thankful for the sword’s magic properties in her life. She drew the sword.

Ashen stopped his squirming to see Roseluck raise her blade.

“You took my hoof, now I take your life!”

She slammed the blade into his neck, slicing off his head. She watched as his head tumbled from his bleeding neck, off the bridge, and into the fog below.

She sheathed her swords, and kicked Ashen’s headless body of the bridge.

Then the throbbing pain began.

In fact, the pain was so sharp, she collapsed in utter pain. It felt as if tiny needles were slowly driving themselves into her bloodstream, tearing at her arteries and veins.

Tears began to slip from her eyes… tears of blood.

With a haunting realization, she was turning a lot faster than Fluttershy did.

A faint ethereal voice laughed from below the fog.

Ashen was still not dead. The vampire outsmarted her.

“I’m coming for you!” Ashen said as his demonic laugh seemed to be getting closer and closer.

Roseluck realized her mistake, she forgot to burn the body and the head.

Terrified, she ran as fast as her pain allowed to the other side of the bridge, her tears forming a trail of scarlet drops as Ashen’s laughter seemed to echo from everywhere.

She smashed down the door that covered the entrance, and went inside.

Roseluck knew that time was short. She knew the corrupting effects of vampirism, she has seen it first hand. She also knew that, despite the accelerated rate of her metamorphosis, she still had time to make things right. She just needed to push on. The ran up the spiral stone staircase as fast as her three hooves allowed, passing macabre paintings of death, lit up with candles. The Plague, monsters rising from their graves, even a pool of blood with struggling ponies was depicted. Thunder crashed outside as the tower shook with the rumblings of the sky. She kept going.

She ran, and ran, and ran up the staircase as she felt her newly formed pointed fangs cut her tongue. Pain in two places erupted from her back, two separate bulges appeared, and were getting larger. She kept running.

Her eyes watered, her throat burned, she kept pushing.

Then, she made it to the door that leads to the room where it all started, and where it shall end. The golden nail was a lot heavier now.

Roseluck opened the door, and went in.

The room was massive. Where stained glass was once was, were empty holes of stone. The pews were nothing but splinters, shattered along the floor. The altar was split in half, bloodstains spattered all over it. The Light Icon, a symbol of the forgotten light, was desecrated with dried organs hanging loosely from it. But, the most eerie part of the room was the dark magic circle that filled the room. Its symbols glowed a shade of crimson, and a body was found in the middle of it.

Suddenly, blood and pain erupted from Roseluck’s back, making her scream in agony. Her legs were shaking from the sudden burst of pain as she dared look behind her.

She now had a set of demonic bat wings, blood dripping off of them.

She looked back at the corpse, and knew who it was.

She went over to the corpse, and kicked his head, to make sure that Discord was really dead. Roseluck then spotted a book next to his corpse that was written in Bitin. She picked up the book and read its cover.

“Quod Sacra Tenebrae.”

She heard stories about this ancient tome. Some say it was made in the pits of Tartarus, others say that the notorious Queen of Blood gave her life to forge the very pagers out of her own blood. It was the epitome of all things considered dark magic. It was once a pure book of primal knowledge, but it was corrupted by vampire blood along the way.

It seems that Discord never changed at all.

But who, or what killed him?

“What happened?”

Roseluck turned to see Fluttershy, a raven perched on her back, standing in the doorway.

Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide as she saw the state of Roseluck.

“What happened to you?!”

Roseluck looked at her wings. “Ashen is what happened.” She said bitterly.

Roseluck expected Fluttershy to charge her and tear her apart, drink her blood and be done with it. Instead, Fluttershy slowly walked into the room and said, “it’s all my fault… isn’t it?”

Now it was Roseluck’s turn to ask, “what happened to you?”

“Luna. She threw a spear from Canterlot at me. It cleansed the corruption of my mind, but my body cannot be cured. She wants me exiled as soon as this is over. If I don’t comply… she’ll kill me.”

Both looked at the corpse of Discord, Fluttershy was strangely unmoved by it, as if she has gotten used to the deaths that have transpired.

“Well, well, well. I guess you’re not my master anymore.”

Both looked up to see Ashen Spectre in the air, his bat wings flapping with great force. He landed on the floor, his hooves echoed off the stone.

“Kinda funny, you know. Now I can end the heirs myself and claim this manor. Celestia and Luna will fall before me!” He said.

Fluttershy then put herself between Ashen and Roseluck. “Now is the time I correct my mistakes. Roseluck, summon the angel. I will keep him busy.”

Roseluck nodded, and began to chant.

“I’ll tear your head off, you filthy whore,” Ashen screamed as he launched himself at Roseluck, only to be knocked away by Fluttershy. Fluttershy released a shriek and attacked him with savagery, biting and kicking, and slashing with her wing claws.

“You killed him, didn’t you?!” she yelled.

“Guilty as charged. It was only a matter of time before I took his blood.” Ashen snarled. He lunged at her and knocked her down, and stomped on her ribs, breaking them, and bit down on her leg. He then threw her into the stone wall, incapacitating her. Thunder crashed, and lightning flashed as the tower shook with the rolling thunder.

“Nothing will stop me. I will wipe both bloodlines from this world.” Ashen proclaimed as he advanced towards Roseluck, who was too absorbed by the chanting to take notice.

Then, the ghosts of the murderous maids appeared behind Ashen, their hollow eyes filled with malice. In the middle of them appeared a tall, regal stallion, holding a two-hoofed sword that leaked a green substance from the blade.

“You… will… not… touch… them.” the stallion said in a raspy voice. Ashen turned to see all the original maids, the ones that gave the Bloody Chapel its name, staring at him, with ethereal knives in their hooves.

“Amen!” Roseluck cried as she lifted the golden nail up, the nail surrounded in an intense aura. Ashen lunged at her, but the ghosts caught him first, and began to swarm him, stabbing at every part of his body.

Roseluck motioned for Fluttershy to come to her, which she did.

“We only got one shot at this. The ghosts can’t kill him, but the angel can. Hold your hoof to the ground.”

Fluttershy did as she was told. Roseluck raised the nail.

Before Fluttershy could of had any second thoughts, Roseluck plunged the nail into her hoof, pinning it to the floor.

The holy relic was burning her flesh, causing the most excruciating pain she had ever felt. Fluttershy screamed in pain as the blood that came from such a wound exploded in a shower of burning light. The ghosts were driven back, but Ashen was blinded. He staggered away as the angel appeared. It appeared as a mass of six wings. One pair of wings covered the upper body, another pair covered the lower body, and the last pair had its wings spread to keep it in the air.

“Who calls the Herald to this world? Who has the courage and might to do so?” it said.

“I do!” Roseluck answered, “I wish for this world to be cleansed of the corrupted darkness that killed millions of innocent ponies, we wish to be free!”

The two pairs of wings opened up, revealing the stallion underneath. He was made of pure light. “You have been judged, and you will be saved, as well as the rest of Equestria!”

The angel floated to the top of the room, its radiance pulsing with power. The feathers on its wings began to glow, and Ashen was held again by the ghosts, screaming and kicking as orbs of raw light formed in a vertical circle around the angel.

The Herald raised its head, its eyes like miniature suns, and yelled:

“Levate in Caelum, Laudo Lucem!”

The orbs fired off its wings and blasted opened the roof of the tower, flying through the sinister fog and air. They went to different locations of Equestria, hovering over cities and towns. One hovered over the tower. The Herald put its forelegs together and said, “AMEN”

The orbs fell from the sky, and detonated on impact.

(...)

Fluttershy woke, and noticed that the moon was out.

Wait, the Moon was out!

Fluttershy got on her hooves and looked around. She saw the ruins of the manor, but no ghosts, no zombies. She didn’t hear the howls of the werewolves, nor hear the whispers of the wisps. She saw Roseluck, unconscious and… normal. No wings, no fangs. Just normal.

Fluttershy looked at her wings, and they had feathers. She bit her tongue, no fangs. Tears slipped from her eyes as pure joy sunk into her being, no blood drops came.

She looked behind herself and saw The Herald, standing over the ashes of what she would only assume was Ashen’s.

The Herald floated over to Fluttershy. Fluttershy kneeled, tears of joy still slipping.

“Before I begin the awakening, I must tell you that I have eradicated most of the evils from this land. One hundred of them still live. When I’m gone, you must lead your friends to destroy them, or the same plague of evils will strike again.”

Fluttershy nodded.

The Herald extended a hoof, and a glowing rod of light formed, and two books formed as well.

“This is the Sacris Tenebris, the tome of pure darkness and seals. This other book is the Sacrum Lumen, the tome of pure light and healing. This rod is known as Vitae, the breaker. These relics will help your kind.”

Fluttershy was handed the relics.

The Herald created another orb of light, and threw it into the ground, causing an earthquake. The ground faintly glowed, and the Herald said “it is done.”

The Herald turned back into a golden nail.

Roseluck, awake and well, said “now what?”

Fluttershy put down the books, and said, “ take them, Luna is bound to come for me soon.”

“What about you?” Roseluck asked.

Fluttershy held the rod, and said “I must atone. I’ve done many evil things during this event, and I doubt the rest of the Mane Six will want to see my face right now.”

Roseluck nodded, “Be careful out there… cousin.”

Fluttershy smiled, then spread her wings and took off.

Roseluck was silent for a while, then heard some rubble shift as she heard five mares stuggle to break free.

“Hello, anypony here? Ah could use some help!”

“Ugh, how did I end up in such dirty rubble?”

“This, is not twenty percent cooler. Ow, my wings.”

“Is this a new party game? Guys? Hello?”

“What kind of magic… just revived me?”

Roseluck chuckled, but turned to see three fillies making their way to her.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Um… what happened?” Scootaloo asked.

Roseluck shook her head, “can’t say. Why don’t you help me get your friends out of this rubble.”

They got to work, digging out the five of the Mane Six.

Author's Note

Man, its finally done.

Thank you all for the support. It has been on hell of a ride.

Thank you all, i'll see you later in an upcoming story

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The Iced Lance.