Crusaders of Harmony: Tales of Pure Heart

12:30

With a flash of dark magic, Pure Heart, Flash Spark and Priestess Canvas appeared in the temple center. Pure Heart was covered in cuts in her robes and flesh, some blood dripping from her thighs and hooves, and a cut on her cheek.

Pure Heart sighed, a bit sad and disappointed. "Well, at least we tried. What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, Mother Pure Heart. Your talk was perfect." Priestess Canvas said serious.

Pure Heart looked at her with an 'I don't believe you' face, while Flash Spark took off her glasses, showing her green eyes.

Priestess Canvas sighed. "Maybe insulting their leader and speaking of our religion instead of maybe arguing a peace treaty was part of the error."

"Ow, I knew it. I am a horrible speaker!" Pure Heart said more hurt in her feelings than by the wounds in her body.

"No, no, boss! It is their problem. You talk fantastic!~" Flash Spark tried to support her emotionally.

"Maybe trying to talk to them as your friends instead of important ponies is not the best course of action." Priestess Canvas said monotonously and insensibly.

Pure Heart whined and fell to the ground in a ball. Flash Spark looked at Canvas, her green eyes turning to yellow. "Canvas! You are not helping!" She said, before having to rub her eyes frantically and put her sunglasses back on.

Soon, other nuns and monks heard the sounds of their high priest's wailing, and soon a unicorn nun in the uniform of a nurse arrived. "What happened here?! Pure Heart?! What happened to you?!"

The nurse, known as Priestess Nurse Shine, jumped over Pure Heart and used her horn with healing magic to almost instantly close her cut wounds, but still Pure Heart was wailing like a baby.

"What's wrong with her?" Nurse Shine asked confused

"Ugh, the talk went bad, and we all know Pure Heart's feelings are made of paper." Flash Spark said with a bit of annoyance.

"Hey! Sniff. That is not true! I am just sad I couldn't achieve peace!" Pure Heart said, raising a defensive hoof.

Priestess Canvas, as the seemingly more mature one, took the turn of talking. "The Church of Celestia denied any peace negotiations."

"Aw, oh no." Nurse Shine said worried and looked at Pure Heart worried and patted her head. "It's ok, Pure Heart. I'm sure one day they will see to reasoning."

"After 200 years trying?" Pure Heart said angry and stood up. "Maybe they are right. Maybe there is no other end but to massacre them all! Bathe us in their sinner blood! Dance upon their corpses and eat their flesh in front of their followers and families! And so, purify this world of those wrecked-!"

"Ejem" Interrupted a voice in Pure Heart's mind.

Pure Heart stopped and looked around the shocked priestesses and followers. "Um... or we could... not to, if you want~" She said in a nervous tone.

The followers, especially those already with a year in the religion, knew of Pure Heart's antics and simply simultaneously decided it was a fit, and everypony returned to their chores.

The Priestesses stood there one next to the other, not really knowing what to do or say to break the tension. Luckily, another earth pony priestess arrived, one wearing the same white robes, but this one wore a porcelain mask that covered all her face, leaving it in a permanent neutral expression. The priestess walked to Pure Heart and bowed down.

"Ah, Silent Whisper. Just in time. What is it?" Pure Heart said, smiling and returning to her normal tone.

"My Priest, a new recruit arrived in your absence." A Silent Whisper said softly behind her mask, still with her head down.

Pure Heart rolled her eyes at the Priest's respect. She patted her head as a signal of calming down, and Silent Whisper stood up straight.

"Everypony, go do your chores. Canvas and Flash Spark, you can have rest, and it means you can be as gay as you want." Pure Heart said before walking away.

Priestess Canvas and Flash Spark perked up, and they started blushing, especially Canvas.

"Mother Pure Heart! Stop it already! I have no feelings for Sister Flash!" She said it in anger.

"Yeah! That is so not cool, Pure Heart!" Flash Spark pouts and walks away with Priestess Canvas.

Pure Heart walked through the halls of the temple until reaching her office/bedroom. Inside, a pegasus mare, gray fur and silver hair, stood there, wearing the Church of Celestia's nun robes. She gasped the moment she saw Pure Heart, but still she held onto her solar symbol on her necklace.

Pure Heart, always the most friendly, closed the door and stood there to give the mare her space. "Hello! You must be our new want-to-be recruit."

The mare nodded slowly. "Yes. My name is Veil Whisper. I want to hide and escape the Church."

"And why would you want to escape the Church?" Pure Heart asked, waking slowly around her.

"They made... they tried to force me into something horrible." Veil Whisper said, shuddering a bit.

"Something horrible? Can I know what it was?" Pure Heart said, walking past her and standing in front of a table.

"I-I don't... I can't say it." Veil Whisper said, trembling.

Pure Heart stopped herself and closed her eyes to sense into Veil Whisper's soul. "Seems something personal... Ok, I can take you in. But it also means you must break every tie with the church."

Veil Whisper turned slightly scared. "All ties? But the church was my life since I got memory."

"Yes. Even if I respect that religion, it doesn't mean I accept it inside my walls. You see, a buckball player can't bring buckball into, I don't know, archery, right? Incompatible. So are religions." Pure Heart said, walking to Veil Whisper. "So you can either break yourself from it... or take your time. But with doubts, you won't reach far into my teachings."

Veil Whisper felt the pressure of the decision. As much as she wanted to leave the Church, it has been her life since a filly. "I... I think I need to go." She turns to leave.

"And what will happen with your brother?" Pure Heart said it out of nowhere.

Veil Whisper stopped, and her eyes widen. Her knees slightly trembled, and she turned slowly at Pure Heart. "How did you-?"

"The tattoo on your wrist." Pure Heart said, pointing to Veil's wrist, which had a tattoo of a shattered heart. "In the Church, siblings wear that tattoo. I should know; I was there."

Veil Whisper quickly hid it inside her robes in anger. "It is true; you really are a nosy mare."

Pure Heart slowly put on a softer tone and glare. "Look, Veil, I know you have doubts. You are not the first deserter I have dealt with. Surely some of my nuns and monks may help you with entering. But you seem to come for reasons completely different from what we are searching. You want us to save your brother. But as much as I would like to, I cannot do anything."

Veil Whisper looked down with some sadness and seemed to slouch a bit.

Pure Heart shook her head and turned to her desk. "We search for peace and fight back the evil in us and this world. You search to save your family, although totally understandable-"

"My brother is dead." Veil Whisper cut her off.

Pure Heart stopped herself and looked down at the table with a slight shock and wide eyes. "Huh... what was it?"

Veil Whisper shook and teared up. "Because I made a prank to Cross Heart... and the priestess simply..." Veil Whisper broke in tears. "She didn't even give him a chance to speak before using her horn. My brother." The mare fell to her knees and grabbed the solar symbol on her necklace. "Is this what Celestia wanted for my brother? To take the blame from my childish plays?"

Pure Heart turned to her with a sad face. "No... It's what they wanted. They use her name to do horrible actions."

The pegasus mare grabbed her necklace and, with fury, pulled it out and threw it away, tears still falling from her eyes. Pure Hear slowly sat next to her and embraced her into her hooves. The instant the mare was enveloped, she felt an unnatural but still peaceful sensation run through her body.

"It wasn't your fault." Pure Heart said softly.

Veil Whisper shook slightly. "How can I tell that to myself?"

Pure Heart pulled slightly so they could see each other's eyes. And to Veil's shock and surprise, Pure Heart's eyes shone in pure white, and a soft smile was on her face. The eyes were like two glowing gems where she could see something beyond natural, something pure.

"I know you will. Why don't we start again?~ Tell me your name, your real name, not the one that church forced on you." Pure Heart said with a slightly echoing voice and with a soft motherly tone.

Veil Whisper looked at her with a somewhat peaceful manner until her defenses simply vanished. "My name is Lilac Breeze."

18:50

On the training grounds underneath the temple, priestesses Flash Spark and Canvas were training their abilities. Flash Spark was using her wings to propel her and hitting various moving objectives, that were from punching bags, wood and some made of iron, while Priestess Canvas was doing her training in her mind, meditating.

Flash Spark finished her round and put a towel over her neck and drank from a bottle, walking to Priestess Canvas.

"So, when will you really train?~" Flash Sparked teased her friend.

Priestess Canvas on the other hoof ignored her comment and continued her meditation. "Training the mind is as important as training the body. Those who focus on only one are wasting half of their potential, sister."

Flash Spark looked at her in a bored look and opened her bottle and poured the contents over Priestess Canvas' shaved head.

"I just see you being lazy~" Flash Spark smirked with a toothy grin.

Priestess Canvas opened her eyes growled, and suddenly her body marks and tattoos glowed in purple and made a shockwave that sent Flash Spark flying back, but thanks to her agility, she landed safely.

"Oh, Canvy is actually going to move?~ When was the last time, you old hag?" Flash Spark teased.

Priestess Canvas growled, and her tattoos shined brighter and teleported to Flash Spark to start exchanging hooves, standing on their rear legs and making fast and furious barrages. Flash Spark was no novice, and with her incredible speed, she started avoiding and blocking her physical attacks, walking backwards on the training room to keep distance.

"You are as slow as always; Canvy~ can't follow my rhythm!"

Flash Spark made a quick combo of kicks at blinding speed on Priestess Canvas' left side, hitting from her leg to her head, leaving red marks on her white fur.

Priestess Canvas answered by powering her hooves with her magic and throwing quick jabs and straight punches, hitting Flash Spark with small shockwaves and sending her back, scraping her hooves along the floor.

Flash Spark smirked and flies forward besides the small space and placates Priestess Canvas and collides her against a punching bag and starts throwing full speed combos with her hooves, hitting over her torso, legs and face, and even if Priestess Canvas tried to attack she would deviate, block or evade them and throw her harder punches.

After several hits, Priestess Canvas got enough of it and teleported out of the way exactly behind her in a blink. Priestess Canvas growled and with her horn shot a barrage of purple magic at blank point distance, and even with her Speed, Flash Spark received most of them, sending her rolling on the ground and giving Priestess Canvas the opportunity to jump over Flash Spark.

"Is that all you got, you insufferable child?!" Priestess Canvas said furious.

Flash Spark chuckled and took off her sunglasses. "Oh, Canvy~ you wouldn't really hurt old good Flashy, right?"

Canvas growled, and the tattoos on her right hoof glew up, and she delivered a punch, making a loud smack on Flash Spark's face and making it bleed and send some teeth flying off her snout.

Flash Spark was shocked, passing her tongue through the new gaps in her mouth and the taste of iron. She slowly looked up with a surprised face, as if not expecting her friend to actually hit her that hard, almost a hurt expression, but that quickly changed to an angered one; her eyes glowed yellow, and she put her sunglasses back on.

"Ok, you overdid it." Flash Spark said before her body started sparking and a sudden charge of electricity came out of her and shot a ray on Priestess Canvas, sending her flying backwards and against a wall.

Priestess Canvas growled as the residual energy made her body shake and tremble involuntarily. Once the electricity dissipated, she stood up, and so did Flash Spark. Both of them started having their own auras growing, Priestess Canvas's purple magic and Flash Spark's electric, and slowly a fiery one added.

"Em, girls?" Said a third voice from the door.

Both priestesses stopped to turn to the door and see Pure Heart there, looking at them both a bit worried. They immediately dropped their auras and looked ashamed.

"Mother Pure Heart, this wasn't-" Priestess Canvas tried to excuse herself, but Pure Heart raised her hoof to stop her talking.

"Dinner is ready. Bandage up and shower before going to the table." Pure Heart said before turning around and leaving the training room.

Both priestesses looked at each other in shame and anger. "Look what you did." Priestess Canvas said accusingly.

"Me?! I just wanted a small sparring, and you go hard on me! What is wrong with you?!" Flash Spark said in fury.

"You have no right to-" Canvas is once more cut by the loud voice of Pure Heart in their minds.

"STOP ARGUING!"

The priestesses flinched, and Priestess Canvas left the room, while Flash Spark grabbed her fallen teeth before leaving too.

23:15

Priestess Nurse Shine was on the medical wing of the temple, taking care of a few hurt nuns and some other ill. She dealt with Priestess Canvas and Flash Spark, especially the latter, as she had to put her teeth back in place with her magic. But now she had only a small problem in the form of a little filly.

On a bed was a small unicorn filly, her name's Bliss, mint-colored fur and her hair a mix of green and yellow stripes. Next to her was another filly, this one a pegasus named Joy, and exactly equal to Bliss, marking them as twin sisters. Both wore the apprentice robes, which were a simple white tunic without any headwear.

Bliss one day felt sick and instantly fell unconscious, her sister brought her here in fear and panic for her sister.

"How is the little Bliss doing?~" Nurse Shine asked in a cheerful tone, walking to the bed.

Joy was laid next to her sister and looks up with her light blue eyes. "She is still hot, Miss Shine. She hasn't gotten any better." She said, in her young and high-pitched voice, worried by her sister.

"Hum, that can't be right. I gave her the medicine this morning. It has been 3 days." Nurse Shine used her horn to scan Bliss' body for any trail of an illness, and nothing came out. "That's weird."

"Miss Shine, my sister is going to get better, right?" Joy asked with puppy eyes, almost tears appearing on them.

Nurse Shine gave her a small smile and a rubbed her mane. "Do not worry, dear; I will do everything to make your sister wake up again. I just need you to leave us a moment, ok? Can you do that for your sister?"

Joy wasn't very sure of leaving her sister's side, but she trusted the priest, and her methods always worked. With a sigh, she nodded her head. "I'll be in my quarters." She turned to her sister Bliss and kissed her cheek before leaving the medical wing.

Once she was gone, Nurse Shine quickly grabbed the bed's handle and rolled it towards another room of the medical wing, hidden from most nuns. A door that took to another darker room filled with candles and statues.

"Priestess Canvas is occupied now; I need somepony who can read curses." Nurse Shine said, in a bit of panic.

"Until you finally bring her. You took your time." Said a soft voice in the room, and the same mare with the porcelain mask appeared from the shadows like a ghost.

"Silent Whisper? How did you-"

"I felt that filly's curse some days ago. I was waiting for you to notice." Silent Whisper said, muffled by her mask and in a soft, meticulous tone.

"What? Why didn't you say anything?! She has been in coma for three days!" Nurse Shine said, angry and baffled by such information.

"Like our great Mother Pure Heart," she made a small gesture as a prayer when she said that name. "I am only there when my help is needed, but I let others learn from their mistakes, on their time."

"Ugh! Anyway! I need your help! She must be exorcised."

"Here you go." Silent Whisper gave her the Exorcise Manual Book, by Pure Heart.

Nurse Shine went through the pages, reading what kind of possession could be until reaching something that related. "It's a supernatural being. It's Sleep Paralysis Oppression Curse: 'A ghost that maintains the victim in an eternal "sleep" where the victim feels everything around it, sounds, touch and even hunger and pain, but it's in constant paralysis, until the victim gives into madness and the ghost takes control.' Dammit, I should have known."

Nurse Shine went around the room, opening various named boards with ingredients. She picked up some white lilies and put them next to Bliss' head, as it has supernatural properties of attracting spirits. Then she grabbed a blue potion that she used her magic on, chanting, 'Heal her from all Evil, cure all Sickness', and then poured it over the body.

Meanwhile, Silent Whisper readied her weapon, a spear with a long blade tip she had leaned on the wall, and pointed it at Bliss, as if waiting for something to happen.

Once all was ready, Nurse Shine started reading the chanting. "Spirit of the Death, Supernatural being from beyond this world, you are not welcomed in this plane and body! I command you to give this filly, Bliss, back to us and return to the void where you came from!"

Soon, the potion she poured started glowing, and the body started shaking; the light blue eyes of Bliss opened wide, and she seemed to start choking and trying to breathe.

"You are an error of nature, a loosened end from our Harmony's peace, a ghost who couldn't stay dead! Thus, I force you out of here, of this world and send you to the beyond, where you deserve to be! Come out of this body, you fiend!"

Bliss started shaking, and she looked like she was going to die out of asphyxia, as her neck bulged and bulged as if a ball of something was growing on her throat, even making her look more purplish because of the lack of air.

"I, the follower and priestess of Harmony, have the power to expel you! Listen to my voice and words, obey my command and leave! By the power of Harmony and Pure Heart, you are banished! You hear me?! BANISHED!"

Almost instantly, a black cloud came out of Bliss' mouth, forming a monstrous being over the filly, flying over the ponies. "You fools! You have no power over m- Achk!"

The ghost is silenced as Silent Whisper's spear went through him side to side.

"No! Impossible! I am a spirit! No weapon can hurt me!" The dark smoke said angry, trying to break free from the blade.

"But a holy and blessed weapon can, fiend. Die forever." Silent Whisper said softly before pulling out and, at blinding speed, swinging her spear upwards and cutting the ghost in half, and like that, explode in a black mist and disappear in the air.

Little Bliss could finally breathe and cough up, holding her chest, and Nurse Shine came to her and held the little filly on her hooves. "Bliss, are you ok? Can you hear me?"

"Yes. Cough. I can hear you and everything... Wow, that was crazy. I am never visiting abandoned buildings in the forest again. What took you so long?" Bliss said slowly, breathing normally.

"Well, it seems your sister forgot to tell me that detail, it seems." Nurse Shine said with a scolding face. Surely the filly did it for her fear of being grounded. "Anyway, Silent Whisper, take Bliss back to her quarters and put them both into a toilet cleaning chore as punishment."

Silent Whisper grabbed the filly, scooped her up in a hoof, and walked out of the exorcism room. Bliss, despise her gruesome punishment, stayed silent, knowing better than to defy the priest's orders.

Nurse Shine sighed and looked into her calendar. "And we are just on Monday... Sigh, great."