Eldritch

Chapter Three: Once bitten, Twice the Pain.

Getting closer to the manor.

Status: Broken ribs and a Bite that won’t heal.

Those werewolves came very close to taking our heads off. Luckily, werewolves won't cross water, so we made our getaway after the confrontation on the bridge.

I feel that I am slowly loosing myself in this nightmarish landscape. I see bodies of many dead Equestrian ponies littering the landscape, all trying to run away from the plague. I can feel my sanity and what's left of my innocence slipping every time I see a monster that seems to come out of the pages of a horror book.

Something else is happening to me. Ever since I broke my ribs, I have been feeling thirsty. Water tastes like liquid ash to me, and the food I brought from my house tastes like vomit. I can't sleep, I can't walk straight, Roseluck has to carry me for a mile more often than not.

It is definitively not the plague, definitively not any other illness I know of.

Dear Celestia, what is happening to me?!

-Fluttershy

(**)(**)

“Although we may never know what truly went on in that manor, we can say that whatever happened, it turned the most blessed manor into an eldritch abomination.” Roseluck said as she read out loud the ending of Chapter One.

Roseluck closed the book that was taken from Twilight’s library, and put it back in Fluttershy’s saddle bag, which in turn was next to the sick mare. Fluttershy was wrapped in a salvaged sleeping bag, looted from one of the numerous corpses on the road. They were close to their destination, and could see the skyline of Baltimare from where they were camping for the night, (or day, they couldn't tell because of the dark clouds.)

Roseluck turned and made sure the carrot slices weren't burned. They were cooking the only food they had left after the rain soaked whatever food they had.

Roseluck took the carrot slices and offered one to Fluttershy. Fluttershy groaned, shook her head, and pulled the sleeping bag over her her head.

Roseluck was very concerned for her friend. The good news is that she isn't infected with the plague. Bad news is that whatever she’s got, it isn't pretty.

Fluttershy was shivering, and her yellow coat was growing pale. Her eyes were bloodshot, her breathing was terrible to hear as she drew short, ragged breaths. She was the very image of sick.

Roseluck hated to see her like this, so she decided to go into the woods for a bit to see if she could find some herbs that would help with the sickness.

“Fluttershy…, can you hear me?”

The pegasus nodded under the sleeping bag.

“I’m going to search for some herbs in the woods for ten minutes, I’ll be back.”

Fluttershy was whimpering, a clear sign that she didn't want her to leave her alone. Roseluck turned away, ignoring Fluttershy’s whispers of fear.

()()()

Fluttershy watched in horror as she saw Roseluck gallop into the woods, ignoring her calls for her to stay with Fluttershy.

It was by this time when she noticed that the shadows around her seemed to comfort her in their own way, as if the shadows themselves were blocking her vision from seeing the dead all around her. The shadows then produced a pony in a long, black cloak with a hood obscuring the pony’s face. The pony had a scythe on its back.

Fluttershy saw this pony, and knew immediately what it was.

She began to cry uncontrollably, trying in vain to inch her sleeping bag away from the approaching spectre of the shadows. Her sickness wouldn't allow her to move at all without some kind of pain.

Defeated, Fluttershy could only watch with absolute horror as Death approached her.

Death towered over the mare and reached out with his hoof, and getting his scythe ready. His hoof hovered over her bite wound. Death paused for a moment as Roseluck galloped out of the woods with herbs in her mouth. She spotted Fluttershy and was at her side in a couple of seconds.

Fluttershy noticed how she completely ignored Death, as if she couldn't see him.

Roseluck’s mouth was forming words, but Fluttershy couldn't hear them. She then saw Roseluck start to cry and sat down to weep.

Fluttershy frowned. Why was she crying?

Fluttershy turned her head towards Death.

Death still had his hoof hovering over Fluttershy’s bite wound.

He withdrew his hoof and looked down at the yellow mare. He put his scythe back on his back and backed up slowly while still facing Fluttershy. He backed into a tree, and instead of hitting the tree, he melted back into the shadows.

(*)(*)(*)

Why?

Why did Fluttershy have to die?

Roseluck asked that same question over and over again in her mind as she sat in front of the body of Fluttershy.

“I shouldn't have left her, dammit I shouldn't have left her!” Roseluck cried.

How was she supposed to complete this quest alone? Is this what Luna wanted? To send everypony to their deaths in pursuing a hopeless goal?

Roseluck continued to mourn, not caring if any monsters hear her. Roseluck would rather die than move on now.

“Roseluck, why are you crying?”

Roseluck stopped crying, and slowly turned to see Fluttershy staring back at her.

“wha-what?!” was all Roseluck could say.

Fluttershy unzipped the sleeping bag and climbed out of it, she stretched her wings and yawned.

“I-I saw you… I-I saw you…”

Fluttershy tilted her head, “saw me do what?”

“I saw you die in front of me with my own eyes!” Roseluck managed to say.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened, “I died?!”

That was when Roseluck took in the whole picture. Fluttershy’s coat was now a pale yellow. Her wings were now bat wings, her eye’s irises were a mesmerizing gold color that seemed to softly glow, and the whites of her eyes were pitch black. Her teeth are pointed, and her wounds were completely healed, save for the bite, which was now a small scar.

Roseluck had a pretty good idea on what bit her in the first place.

“You're a…”

Roseluck drew her sword and pointed it at Fluttershy, causing the latter to back off in alarm.

“Roseluck, what are you doing?” Fluttershy asked in a nervous squeak.

“Stay the fuck away from me!” Roseluck cried. She put the sword handle in her mouth and galloped away, in the direction of the manor.

“Wait! Come back!” Fluttershy said. She spread her wings and took to the air, following Roseluck into a cemetery.

(&&&)

After an hour or so searching for Roseluck in the air, Fluttershy descended from the sky and landed in the middle of the cemetery.

Her ears twitched with the sounds of the silent graveyard as she tried to locate Roseluck.

The tombstones seemed to call out to her in an eerie and sinister way.

The fog in the graveyard was strong, obscuring most of her vision, hiding much from her, hiding many more horrors that were watching her with evil eyes.

Fluttershy was strangely unaffected by the atmosphere of the cemetery, and was even walking along the withered grass like it was a warm, sunny day.

She spotted a bench near some tombstones. Deciding to rest, she layed down on the bench.

She took her saddle bags off herself, and out fell the book of the legends.

Fluttershy slowly grabbed the book with her hoof. She opened the book and flipped to chapter one.

Chapter One

The legend of how Blackened Hoof manor came to its current state is unknown, and many legends seem to explain what has happened. In this analysis, we will use the most popular version of the legend itself.

It all began with the marriage of Lord Thunder Whitehoof, and Marelady Wave Foam.

According to the legends, they were the happiest couple in the world. Lord Whitehoof was from one of the Crystal Empire's most noble-blooded clans, and Lady Whitehoof was distantly related to the royal family of Maretonia.

They were fillyhood sweethearts, and fulfilled the vows they made as young ponies to marry each other when they were old enough. It is said that the angels themselves sung the bride's song before they kissed.

Because of their wealthy heritage and bloodline, they pooled their wealth and built a mansion on a piece of land near Baltimare and the area near Horseshoe Bay, complete with cotton crops and servants. They had built a garden, a feasting hall, a ballroom, a theater and many other wonders.

Fluttershy flipped the page, engrossed in reading the book.

It wasn't long before the relationship bore fruit. It is not known when their first offspring was born, but this version of the legend states that the first born was born during the winter, and its name and gender lost to history. The parents loved this child greatly.

But this happiness was not to last.

You see, the staff of the manor, the maids, were willing to do anything to please the Lord and Lady of the manor, and they did so in order to gain a favorable position from them.

When the first born came into the world, Lady Whitehoof gave the task of taking care of it to a rather timid maid named Purity Bliss, because the lady’s job required her to constantly leave the manor. What she didn't know was that Purity had deep feelings for Lord Whitehoof, feelings he never returned.

Purity Bliss would take care of the first born, in hopes that Lord Whitehoof would notice her. However, the more she sought his love, the more she was met with disappointment. Legends say that the final straw came when she saw Lord Whitehoof tenderly comforting his wife. She snapped and flew into a silent rage.

She made a cake for the first born on its second birthday. With the parents of the first born cheering it on, the first born dug into the cake…

Only to die frothing at the mouth and in intense pain.

The Lord and Lady of the manor hung Purity on the tree on the left side of the manor in an act of revenge and justice. As she died, the rest of the maids were forced to watch the body of Purity swaying from side to side, riding on the wind. This was supposed to be a warning to not poison the second offspring, who was due in two months.

But, Pure Bliss’ s sister swore revenge, and waited until it was five months later. She staged a revolt on the manor grounds. Arming all but one of the servants with daggers bought at the local market. She would then use forbidden black magics to control the minds of the servants. She stormed the manor with her fellow servants.

Lord Whitehoof would fight them off with his sword, a sword that secretes poison magically, but would be undoubtedly overpowered by the sheer numbers of the maids, and, according to the legend, would get stabbed fifty-six times.

Lady Whitehoof would give her offspring to the only maid that wasn't brainwashed. Then, according to legend, Lady Whitehoof would send this maid with another child that she secretly (and accidentally) had with another stallion when she was drunk during a masque ball. The maid fled the area, and could hear the screams of a butchered Lady Whitehoof as she galloped with the two fillies into the night.

The sister had her revenge, but she accidentally released the other servants from their mind control. Horrified, the other servants tar-and-feathered her, and hung her from the same tree her sister was hung from.

The servants then were so filled with guilt and hate for themselves, for they murdered their masters in cold blood. They built a massive bonfire in the courtyard and flung themselves upon the roaring flames, burning alive.

It was soon after this unfortunate event that ponies stopped going there. The trees died, an eldritch mist always hangs there, strange noises, apparitions and pools of dark magic is all too prevalent in the areas of the manor.

It was around this time that the locals started to call the Whitehoof manor, the Blackedhoof manor, as a way to show the fall of such a place.

Although we may never know what truly went on in that manor, we can say that whatever happened, it turned the most blessed manor into an eldritch abomination.

Fluttershy closed the book slowly, images of the events of the past seared on her brain.

She looked around and sighed, wondering where Roseluck had run off to. She got up, put the book in her saddle bag and continued down the path that snaked its way through the abnormally large cemetery.

It was eerily quiet, with the ominous wind softly blowing around her. The graves looked old… very old. The clouds would still not part, and the fog is still very heavy.

As she stared at the fog that swirled around the tombstones, she would see Roseluck appear.

She had a fierce look in her eyes, and Rosebane in her mouth.

“Roseluck! I'm glad you're alive!” Fluttershy said in a quiet cheer. She began to trot towards Roseluck.

Roseluck growled.

Fluttershy stopped dead in her tracks, and her eyes widened with horror as Roseluck galloped at her with furious eyes.

Fluttershy spread her wings.

She shot towards the sky, with Roseluck grabbing Fluttershy’s tail and pulling back.

Roseluck then slammed her into the ground, and jumped into the air.

Fluttershy had a millisecond to see the flash of silver as Rosebane sunk into her flesh.

The pain… oh sweet Celestia, the pain. It was like a thousand heated branding irons inside her body, burning up her innards and causing Fluttershy to scream a scream of pure and terrifying agony.

“Burn in Tartarus, you monster!” Roseluck cried as she twisted the blade in the wound. Roseluck then noticed something different about the graveyard.

Fluttershy’s screams literally woke the dead. The rotting corpses of many souls burst out of their graves, shambling towards the two mares. If Roseluck didn't leave now, the zombies will overpower her.

Roseluck withdrew Rosebane from Fluttershy’s stomach, and fled, leaving Fluttershy for dead.

Through her blurred vision, Fluttershy could see all of the undead surrounding her, moaning and groaning, each wanting a bite out of her flesh.

But she also saw another pony among them, galloping towards her, using his throwing knives to slash its way towards Fluttershy.

Fluttershy could not mantain consciousness, and passed out as the figure call out her name.