Eldritch

Chapter Two: Dangers by the Wayside.

En route to Horseshoe Bay

Status: feeling fatigue. Need to rest soon.

I don't want to see Spike like that again, ever. He was so evil and he called me a coward…

Is that what he has always thought of me as?

He wasn't a plague victim, that's for sure. Or else I would of died from the bite he gave me.

Whatever he was, it wasn't natural. I could feel the dark powers trying to get to me when he stared at me. My guess is something Twilight told me about. She called it… hypno-something. Because of that dark power, he bit me just as the lightning flashed. The bite was enough to get me out of the trance and throw Wolfsbane at him. I don't want to kill him, but it seems that he wouldn't hesitate to get me.

This bite is numb, no pain from it whatsoever. It seems infected, so I must clean the wound.

I hope the medicines I brought are enough.

-Fluttershy.

(*^*)

Fluttershy continued to walk the worn path that many ponies have used to get to Baltimare on hoof. The rain went away, but the dark clouds refused to yield to any celestial bodies of the sky. Fluttershy couldn't even tell if it was day or night.

She walked the beaten path, one Wolfsbane near the top of her saddle bag, in case the corpses on the path decided to stop playing dead.

Fluttershy stopped for a moment to check her bite wound. It was wrapped in bandages with some penicillin added to it. She even downed one of her antibiotics to fight the infection.

She continued to trot to her destination, thinking about the good times she has had with the rest of the Mane Six.

That was when she saw movement on the path up ahead.

She could see the outline of a pony stabbing a body repeatedly with a sword, and crying the entire time.

Fluttershy was tempted to flee, but before she could, the figure looked in her direction.

The figure withdrew its sword from the body of whatever it was and began to gallop at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy spread her wings and was about to take off when she was tackled by the figure. Both her and the figure tumbled to the ground, with Fluttershy scrambling to get back on her hooves and fly away.

The figure jumped on her and held her down with its sword raised high in the air.

“No, please, don't hurt me!” Fluttershy said in an attempt to yell, but her words were more like a squeak.

The figure froze. It lowered the sword and said, “there is only one pony in all of Equis that talks like that.”

The figure dropped the sword and embraced Fluttershy in a tight hug, tears running down its face as it said, “I never thought I'd ever see a living pony again!”

The figure pulled away, giving Fluttershy a good look.

The figure was none other than Roseluck. Roseluck looked fine, minus the blood-shot eyes and the bruises and cuts that covered her body. Her mane was a mess, with dried mud and leaves caked into it. She wore an old-styled red coat.

Fluttershy got up and said, “you aren't one of those wisps, are you?”

“No, and thank Celestia that is the case.” Roseluck jumped into the air and said, “Luna said somepony would come to help me, and she said that it would be one of the Mane Six! Thank Celestia that you're hear, otherwise I doubt I would last the entire night.”

“Luna spoke to you too?”

Roseluck nodded, “yep, she sent a lot of ponies to this Blackened Hoof manor she told us about. Thing is…”

“You kinda trailed off…”

Roseluck shook her head, “I know. It's not easy killing the ones you love as soon as they turn.”

Fluttershy quickly looked over to the spot where she saw Roseluck stabbing a body and crying hysterically.

She gulped, “then who was that?”

Rose sheathed her silver sword, “it was Daisy. She was bitten, and she turned and tried to kill me. Lily Valley was lost in the Ruins.”

Rose looked both ways up the path and then turned to Fluttershy and said, “we need to move. It's not safe in this area. We don't want to get caught by the monsters.

Fluttershy frowned, “why is that? The zombies are easy to avoid (as long as you're not scared like me) and I haven't seen a wisp for miles.”

Roseluck picked up her sword and strapped it to her saddle bag, “there are things more deadly than wisps in this part of Equestria. Tell me, do you believe in werewolves?”

Fluttershy began to shake like a leaf in a storm. She quickly glanced at the trees that were beside the worn path and said, “have you s-seen one?”

“Only once, when I saw it devour a baby foal’s corpse.”

Fluttershy looked at the ground as panic set in, “w-we are going to d-d-die!”

“No we are not. They kinda disappeared a bit ago into the woods, so I think we're good. But, to be on the safe side, I think we really need to get going.”

Fluttershy hesitated, then nodded once and both began to trek down the long, winding road.

“If you don't mind me asking, where did you get that coat?” Fluttershy asked.

Rose replied, “what? This three cape coat? From the town hall in Ponyville. I was stuck in there for five days and explored a bit inside. I found this gathering dust in the attic, and it was raining, so I took it.”

“And the sword?”

“It's an old family heirloom named Rosebane. It was created when one of my ancestors, White Rose, went to Blackened Hoof manor”

“He survived?!”

Rose nodded, “He is the only pony to do so. When he returned from that horrid place, he was something else entirely. To kill him, another one of my ancestors named Anvil Break crafted a sword made of silver, and killed him while he was sleeping. Since then, the sword has been named Rosebane. It has been passed down from generation to generation, always coming into possesion of a blood relative of White Rose when they need it the most. So, when The Plague appeared for the first time, I mysteriously found it on my bed one day.”

Fluttershy looked at the silver sword with awe and fear. She then said, “what did White Rose become?”

“Vampire,” Rose replied.

Flutrershy found herself itching to throw a Wolfsbane vial and fly away as fast as she can. She had to know if Rose was anything like that first, so she asked, “are you a v-vampire?”

Rose rolled her eyes, “no. One is not born with vampiric traits. One must be turned. Sure, i'm descended from one, but nopony in my family has ever inherited vampirism. But what we do inherit is White Rose’s knack for growing flowe-”

A haunting howl filled the air.

Rose turned slowly, then quickly said, “Fluttershy, we need to get out of here! That one is not far behind, and I bet you it has our scent!”

“It sounded like a normal timberwolf to me,” Fluttershy said.

Rose shook her head, “I promise you, that's no timberwolf.”

They turned their heads when they heard crashing in tue underbrush, twigs snapping as the beast came closer.

Without another word, both mares galloped away.

The foresr seemed to come alive on either side of the road as the howling grew louder and louder. The trees seemed to move on their own, swarms of bats filled the skies and common woodland creatures began to flee the area, knowing all too well what was coming.

Rose looked behind her and heebeyes widend as a panic-inducing howl pierced the thick night air. Roseluck looked ahead and shouted, “Fluttershy, do not look behind you! Keep galloping, got it?!”

Fluttershy did as she was told and keeped up the pace. She could hear the breathing of the beast behind her, could hear the steps hitting the ground, and could even feel Its hot, putrid breath on her flank.

Then the beast howled right behind her, making her realize just how close it was. Her fear kicked in, and she began to gallop like crazy. She spread her wings and took to the air, hoping she was going to make it.

She looked below and finally saw the creature.

The werewolf was about the size of three Big Macintoshes, with with matted and bloodstained fur. Its claws were the size of bear claws, and it stood on two legs. Its teeth were all srai ned with blood with gore stuck between them.

The beast howled at Fluttershy, causing Roseluck her chance to escape its attention.

Fluttershy stood the in the air, paralyze by fear. She was about to take off when the werewolf ran at a tree. Fluttershy knew what was going to happen, but before she could fly away, the beast hopped onto a tree, scaled it in under a second, then vaulted itself off the tree, flying right at her. Fluttershy was still paralyzed by fear, so she got spiked out of the air. She landed hard on the ground, two of her ribs snapping at inpact. She screamed in agony as the werewolf landed with a thud. She could of sworn that the werewolf smiled. It howled a victory howl and stood over Fluttershy. It raised its claws, ready to tear into her flesh.

In a blur of silver, it lost its claws.

The werewolf roared in agony and staggered away from Fluttershy, revealing Rose with Rosebane in hoof. She slid underneath Fluttershy, putting the element bearer on her back, and took off, leaving the werewolf to wallow in its pain.

Fluttershy could here more howls of the various werewolves that call this stretch of land home. They were all howling, and they were all heading towards the two mares.

“Don't pass out Fluttershy! Stay with me!” Rose said.

“in...my bag...Wolfsbane.” Fluttershy weakly said.

“What was that? I didn't hear it.”

“I got Wolfsbane in my bag!” Fluttershy shouted, which was more like a whisper than a shout. Luckily, Rose heard it that time. She nosded and headed for a bridge that passed over a small stream on the beaten path.

Rose gently let Fluttershy down. She then opened Fluttershy’s saddle bag open and grabbed all four remaining vials. She opened one and poured half a circle around them. She opened another one and poured another circle around them again, completing the circle. She held Rosebane in one hoof and a Wolfsbane vial in the other.

Fluttershy took a good look from the bridge, and wished she hadn't.

Bodies of many ponies were here, and it was obvious who killed them all. Fluttershy even saw corpses of baby fillies and colts, all torn apart and slaughtered like animals, their brains, organs, and blood decorating the grasses around them.

Fluttershy puked, which made Rose puke.

The werewolves emerged from the woods, their eyes looking hungrily at the two mares. Many of them had blood all over them, and one even had one filly alive in its jaws.

“Help me!” the filly cried. The werewolf tighten its jaws around the filly’s head, causing it to explode, brain matter and blood began leaking from the werewolf’s jaws.

This single murder of a filly caused Rose to drop Rosebane in terror as the werewolves circled around them.

One werewolf lunged at the two mares, ready to do the same thing as the werewolf with the filly did.

It touched the circle of Wolfsbane and immediately roared in agony. The werewolf staggered as the poison began to work its way into its bloodstream. In a couple seconds, the werewolf’s eyes popped, and the beast flopped to the ground, steam coming off its now-empty eye sockets and its mouth.

As soon as the werewolves smelled the steam coming from the dead werewolf, they high-tailed it and ran back into the woods, their howls leaving an echo in the two mares’ s hearts and soul.