Chapters It was a sorrowful night, as thunder rumbled through Equestria and rain poured from the heavens. A young stallion in a brown cloak ran through the town built on the swamp, hooves kicking up mud and water as he ran. He made his way to the sheriff's office at the end of the road, opposite the side of town as the entrance. As he approached the front steps, he slipped and fell flat on his face.
His name is Penny Packer, a young stallion. He's Ammyville's deputy. Penny got up from the puddle of mud in a clumsy manner and ascended the stairs of the sheriff's office. He kicked open the door with his back hooves and then put his front hoof on his chest, assuming a dutiful pose.
"SIR." Penny stated in a formal tone, trying too hard. "There's been another!"
The sheriff looked up from his desk and at the Deputy.
"Take me there." The sheriff said in a raspy voice.
Together the sheriff and deputy trotted out to a barn just outside of town, the rain poured. Inside laid a gruesome scene. A young filly had been torn in half, her guts strewn across the barn; blood splattered everywhere. A mare sobbed at the entrance of the barn, just inside was a stallion, the mares husband, who the sheriff began conversing with.
"When did it happen?" The sheriff asked.
The stallion was aptly shaken up. "J-just after dark...". He could barely come up with the words. "She... She said she was just going out playing... B-but when she didn't return home, we got worried something happened..." The stallion began getting extremely emotional.
"Take yer time..." The sheriff reassured in a sympathetic voice.
"We came out to the barn to c-check if she was there... And we... We saw the murderer." The stallion stated.
The sheriff pulled out a pen and paper. "Describe them."
"It ain't a pony... It ain't a timberwolf nor a changeling." The stallion stated, his demeanor turning serious. "Was bigger then you and I, sheriff. Mean bastard had bloody claws and sharp teeth."
"You sure 'bout that?" The sheriff asked.
The stallion got up in the sheriff's face. "With all due respect, sheriff, I saw that fucker with my own eyeballs. Ain't nothin' else in Equestria quite like it, but I can say with all certainty that I know what I saw." he said confidently.
"By all means," The sheriff said. "Continue."
"He had the sharpest teeth y'all ever seen, looked like a wolf..."
The sheriff sketched a picture of a wolf onto his notepad, and showed it to the stallion.
"Like that," the stallion stated. "But bigger. And meaner."
The sheriff took a deep breath and put the notepad in his satchel. "Deputy!" He called.
The deputy was consoling the mare outside the barn. "YES SIR!" He said, now saluting the sheriff.
"Don't... do that." The sheriff said, slightly annoyed.
"Yes sir!" The deputy said. "Right away sir!"
"Call the funeral services. We got another murder on our hooves."
The sheriff approached the body of the filly to investigate it. He observed deep cuts in the filly's flesh. Her organs were stretched halfway across the barn. Her back hooves, missing. Likely eaten. The body had a look of terror on her face, this filly died in complete shock. The sheriff knew whoever did this was going to pay.
The sheriff trotted back to the office, thinking about the sketch on the way. The rain was not going to let up anytime soon, he had plenty of time to think about what the stallion said, and mourn the loss of yet another community member. This was the second murder, the last one occurring exactly 29 days ago. A mare, savagely murdered in her own home. The culprit was never found, but was suspected of being a cannibal due to the fact that a large portion of the corpse was devoured.
As the sheriff ascended the porch stairs, he thought about what his next move would be. He ain't never heard of no big-ass murderin' wolves, but the stallion is well respected in the community and would have no reason to lie; especially at the loss of his very own daughter. The sheriff entered his office and pinned the sketch in the middle of a wooden board on the wall. If one things certain, it's that Ammyville is in danger.
Come dawn, the rain had cleared up and the rooftops and plants were damp and dripping with rain water. The sheriff sat at his desk, trying to enjoy his cup of coffee.
"S-sir..." Deputy Penny Packer said nervously. "Everypony needs your response on the matter." Outside, the entire village had gathered in front of the sheriffs office, awaiting Sheriff Rusty Boots response.
The sheriff let out an exhausted sigh, got up from his desk and exited the building onto the front porch overlooking the townsponies. Immediately the crowd began bustling with questions, all being asked at once.
"NOW, NOW, EVERYPONY." The sheriff shouted. The crowd fell silent. "A young filly was brutally murdered in her own barn last night."
The crowd gasped.
One mare in the crowd spoke up. "How are we supposed to feel safe in our own homes?"
Another stallion agreed. "I've got fillies and colts at home! How will I know they're not next?"
"We have the situation under control." The sheriff reassured.
"OH REALLY? " One voice spoke above the rest. "A situation that's under control is one where nopony dies!" Said a mare in a red coat. She began ascending the steps to the sheriff's office. "Among us is a killer. A deranged murderer who's troubled naught with friendship. Two ponies die, and you say you have the situation under control?"
"And just who do you think you are?" The sheriff scoffed.
"I am Sketched Hope, a journalist."
The sheriff rolled his eyes.
"This community has lost two ponies to this crazed killer!" Sketched Hope announced. "Make it known that you won't tolerate anymore losses! The sheriff WILL crack this case, won't he?"
The sheriff sighed. "We're lookin' at the evidence. and-"
Sketched Hope cut the sheriff off. "So you have a suspect?"
"I can't disclose that."
"Hmph. I'll get that info somehow." Sketched Hope snidely remarked with a smug expression, before descending the steps and back into the crowd.
"I can assure each and every pony in this community," The sheriff said, addressing the crowd. "Deputy Penny Packer and I will work tirelessly until we get to the bottom of this here case. Now I'll advise y'all to return to your daily lives, the longer I'm out here addressing it, the less time is spent going over evidence."
The crowd began to grumble and chat amongst themselves, and then dissipated. Returning to their homes and daily chores.
Several days had passed since the murder of the filly. A young stallion named Daffy Dill had awoken from his slumber in his cabin just outside of town, on the swamp. He stepped out of his cabin on the muddy grass, into heavy and humid air, swarms of flies hovering above the murky waters of the swamp. Daffy stretched his wings, his coat a soft yellow color. He was the only Pegasus in the village, the rest were Earth ponies aside from the doctor who was a unicorn.
Daffy had put his leather saddlebags on his back, and trotted into the nearby village of Ammyville to stock up on fishing supplies; fishing is his passion. Daffy is the new pony in town, he hadn't even lived there for a year. And everypony in the community made it exceptionally clear that he was unwelcome. Because of this, Daffy was unfazed that everypony was giving him looks as he trotted to the general store in the town square.
Daffy entered the store, the grumpy storeowner not even welcoming him. Daffy had filled his bags with fishing lines, bait, and various types of hooks and bobbers, and then noticed silver hooks. They had been there before, but this day, Daffy decided to try out the silver hooks as opposed to the iron hooks he buys normally. Daffy then made his way to the store counter.
The elderly clerk lazily looked over the supplies Daffy had picked out. "100 bits." He said with clear disapproval.
"What!?" Daffy said, throwing his hoof in the air. "Last month I bought the same supplies and it only cost me half as much!"
"Hmm..." The elderly clerk rubbed his chin with his hoof. "It's tax." The clerk said with a smug smile.
"Hmph." Daffy grunted, pulling a staggering 100 bits from his saddle bags and carelessly tossing them over the counter.
The clerk put on a devious smile. "Thank you for yer service young'un!"
Daffy simply rolled his eyes as he exited the store. This was strange behavior for the clerk, Daffy stops in there once, sometimes twice a month for supplies before returning to the swamps to continue fishing. The clerk, although weary, has always been an honest business man, very conscious of his prices, never ripping anybody off. Something strange was definitely going on. As Daffy trotted back through Ammyville to his cabin, The townsponies began looking at him and whispering amongst themselves, gossip, perhaps? Rumors? Did he do something wrong?
As Daffy approached his cabin, he noticed Sketched Hope in her red coat standing just outside his door. Her face lit up, and she was all too eager when she approached him.
"You must be Daffy Dill!" She said, putting on a light smile.
Daffy squinted, turning his head slightly to the side but keeping his eyes on her. "...Yeah?"
"I'm Sketched Hope!" She said, striking a super hero pose with her hoof in the air. "I'm a journalist for the Manehattan Times! I have some questions for you."
"Questions?" Daffy asked, setting his head straight. "For me? Why?"
"Did you hear a filly was torn to shreds in a barn a few nights ago?" Sketched said, almost eager to announce the fact.
Daffy was taken aback. "Really???" He stopped for a second, before squinting his eyes suspiciously. He then pointed at Sketched with his hoof. "Oh, I see how it is. You think I did it!"
Sketched put her hoof on her chest. "Whaaaat!?" She remarked snidely. "I would neeeever!" She then pulled out a pen and notepad. "Anyway!" She said, completely switching her demeanor to one of pride. "Where were you on the night of the murder?"
"Uh..." Daffy couldn't quite recall, "Fishing...?" He assumed, scratching his head.
"Yeah, okay." Sketched responded carelessly. "Can you prove that alibi?"
"Doesn't Ammyville already have a sheriff?" Daffy said in a accusatory tone.
"Ammyville's sheriff isn't doing his job properly, so I'm picking up the slack."
"Hmm." Daffy thought for a moment. "I'm not answering anymore of your questions. I don't have to prove anything to the likes of you."
Sketched sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Your lack of co-operation has been noted." She said while jotting it down on her notepad before putting it away. "All the townsponies have decided your guilt, they think you did it."
Daffy pointed at himself with his hoof. "Me!? Why!?"
"The witness at the crime scene said the murderer was werewolf, and you're an outsider, like me. That means they have decided you are the root of all their problems." Sketched stated before simply trotting back towards the village.
The sun was high in the sky, beaming down relentless heat onto the swamp. A house right on the edge of Ammyville. Empty alligator skins hang on a clothes line, gently swaying in the warm swamp breeze. A bloody bucket of decapitated chicken heads sat directly beside it. The butcher exits his home on his lunch break, his apron covered in animal blood. His name was Steely Dam.
Steely sat down by the swampside with his lunch, a sandwich, and a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Sketched Hope approached him, who reared his head towards her and simply made a disappointed face.
"Ahem," Sketched cleared her throat. "I am-"
"I know who ya are." Steely said, putting out his cigarette in the damp grass.
"Ah!" Sketched smiled and exclaimed "Frankly I'm getting tired of introducing myself, so it all works out!"
"Uh-huh." Steely said, turning his head back towards the swamp. He seemed exhausted.
"You must also know why I'm here then." Sketched said.
Steely Anticipated her line of questions. "Yes, I wuz home that night. No, I didn't know the victim personally. Yes, I'm sad about the loss. No, I don't know who did it." Steely looked back at Sketched. "Does that cover it?"
"...That just about does, yes." Sketched said with mixed feelings of offense and awe.
"Go on, then." Steely shooed Sketched away.
"Not quite!" Sketched exclaimed. "I have more questions!"
Steely simply sighed in response.
Sketched sat down beside Steely on the water's edge. "The rumor is that a werewolf is responsible, do you believe it?"
Steely looked Sketched in the eye. "All's I know is that some poor bastard is killin' innocent ponies. And that brings annoyin' city slickers like you to our private communities."
Sketched eyes widen, her face began to look frustrated and she looked at Steely. "Yeah, Okay. I see how it is."
"Can you let me sit in peace?" Steely groaned.
Sketched got up and trotted off to other parts of town, most likely to harass more bystanders. On the surface, Steely seemed exhausted and indifferent to the situation, but what nopony could have known is that deep down he felt a rage burning hotter than a thousand suns. The murder of not just a mare in her home, but now an innocent filly struck the community hard. And word of the murders travelled as far as Manehattan. Steely felt as though it was his personal duty to avenge his community, but he also knew the Sheriff was doing his best to do just that.
29 days had passed since the murder of the filly. The moon had completed its cycle and was full once more, it shone a dim silver glow across Equestria. The sheriff examined the sketch of the wolf, he felt a deep sense of failure that not a single clue had come up since the initial murder. No leads, nothing linking anypony to the crime. The case was, by all accounts, cold.
The deputy took a glance at the sketch as well, then turned his head towards the sheriff with worry in his eyes, "Sir, what if we never crack this case?"
"Every day that passes," The sheriff declared. "That seems more and more likely." The sheriff took his ten gallon hat off. "I think the bastard's gonna get away with it."
The front door to the sheriff's office swung open, and there stood a panicked mare. "OFFICER!!!" She shouted.
The sheriff turned towards the mare. "What-"
"QUICK! WHAT'S THE SITUATION!" The deputy interjected, saluting for no particular reason. "THE AMMYVILLE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT IS AT YOUR DISPOSAL!"
"The-The werewolf!!" The mare stated, trembling in fear. "It killed my brother!" The mare began sobbing.
The sheriff and deputy looked at each other with shocked expressions, and then turned their heads back towards the mare. The sheriff approached her.
"Slow down," The sheriff consoled the mare. "Tell me what happened."
"Well..." The mare explained...
The mare's name is Purple Hue. She lives with her brother, Orange Hue. Both own the Ammyville bakery. It was just past midnight, the siblings had returned home after a long shift, both covered in flour stains. Orange was especially exhausted and continued to his bedroom, closing the door behind himself. Purple had opted to stay up late that night, as she was almost done reading a book she liked.
Purple sat in the living room reading the book for only a few minutes before she heard a ruckus coming from Orange's bedroom. Initially Purple didn't think anything was out of the ordinary. "Orange simply fell out of bed." She thought, blissfully ignorant. Purple set her book down on the end table beside the couch she sat on, and got up to check on Orange.
Purple made her way down the hallway, to Orange's bedroom door which was on the left side. As Purple approached the door, she heard a light growl coming from within. Purple stopped for a moment, she didn't know what she had heard.
"Orange...?" Purple asked, putting her hoof on the door. There was no response. Purple pushed the door open until it was ajar, and stuck her head through to see if everything was alright. Nothing could have prepared Purple for what she saw inside.
Blood was pooling on the bed, pouring over onto the hardwood floor beneath, seeping into the cracks. Orange's dead body sat on the bed, mutilated beyond recognition. His face was torn from his skull, and his eyes were nowhere to be seen. Various chunks of flesh and bones were strewn about the room, as if tossed aside carelessly. But that was only half of it.
Stood above the corpse on the bed was a massive wolf, its thick black fur stained a crimson color from blood. Orange's guts were strung up in its claws like they were crochet needles. Its eyes glowed a neon green. And it had become aware of Purples presence. It slowly reared its head in her direction, letting out an ugly snarl as it did so.
"And then..." Purple tried to explain, sobbing so hard she could barely speak. "And then I ran as fast as I could... And c-came here..."
The sheriff looked at the deputy confidently. "Did you get all that?" He asked.
"Yes sir Mr. Rusty sir!" The deputy replied as he jotted down the final words of the account.
"Please!" Purple pleaded, "You have to do something!"
"Don't worry ma'am," Reassured the sheriff, putting his ten gallon hat back on his head. "The deputy and I will head over there right away!"
The deputy hurried over to a safe on the wall, input the combination, and opened it up to reveal its contents: Two revolvers and ammunition. The deputy and sheriff both loaded their guns and put them in the holsters attached to their back hooves.
The sheriff had a dutiful expression, "Let's go kill that sick bastard!"
The deputy and sheriff quickly made their way to the Hue household. The full moon sat directly behind it, the house's shadow being free of any moonlight. The sheriff and deputy stood just on the edge of the front lawn, and examined the home's exterior from a distance.
"W-wow..." The deputy remarked, "The house is eerily quiet... Isn't it?" The deputy began tugging at his uniform collar. "M-maybe someone should stay out here, you-you know," The sheriff turned his head towards the deputy with a deadpan expression, draining the deputy of his confidence. "To make sure... nothing... bad... happens...?"
The sheriff simply glared at the deputy.
"...Okay." The deputy said quietly.
The sheriff and the deputy both readied their guns, then slowly crossed the lawn towards the front door of the house. The sheriff and deputy began leaning against the wall on either side of the door, guns in hoof. The deputy began making various signals with his hooves.
"...What?" The sheriff loudly whispered, confused.
The deputy made an irritated face and glared at the sheriff, putting his hoof over his mouth to signal the sheriff to hush. The deputy then pointed towards the door.
The sheriff rolled his eyes, and then kicked the door open. Both the sheriff and the deputy rushed inside. They stood in the living room, the house was silent and dark. The floorboards beneath their hooves creaked.
"Check the kitchen." The sheriff ordered. "I'll take the bedroom."
The deputy nodded in response.
"Hey." The sheriff added. "Shoot anything that moves." The sheriff said as an order.
The sheriff slowly made his way down the hallway, to Orange's bedroom, the door still ajar. He leaned against the wall right beside the door, he began speaking to whomever was inside.
"Now, you have one chance to surrender!" The sheriff stated. "Or else im'na come in there and blow your brains out!"
There was no response.
"Last chance!" The sheriff urged.
Silence.
"Don't say I didn't warn ya!" The sheriff shouted, as he busted the door open, ready to fire. But the room was empty. There was blood splattered everywhere, even the ceiling, but the body, and alleged werewolf, were nowhere to be seen. Then something on the floor caught the sheriff's eyes. Bloody paw prints leading out of the bedroom and into the hallway.
The deputy entered the kitchen, the lights were off. It was pitch black. The deputy was fairly new to the field of law enforcement. He signed up only a week before the first murder, and he had no way of knowing what was in store when he signed on to be Ammyville's deputy. The deputy could not shake a strong feeling of fear, being in the house, with a werewolf skulking around. He feared for his life.
The deputy noticed something was off in the kitchen. The sink was pooling with blood. Then the deputy noticed Orange's dead body, or what was left of it, in the sink. The deputy gasped, took a step back, visibly sweating and hyperventilating.
"H-holy fuck..." The deputy whispered just under his breath. The deputy gulped and took a step forward. "The body..." The deputy wondered. "...How did it get there? And what's with that weird statue above the sink?"
It was at that exact moment, the deputy froze dead in his tracks. It wasn't a statue.
The wolf's eyes began glowing green as they opened up. It bared its teeth and began growling. The deputy stood in the wolf's monstrous shadow, the full moon visible from the window behind the wolf, backlighting its terrible form. The deputy stood frozen for a solid three seconds.
"SHERIFF!" The deputy yelled as loud as he could. Almost as soon as the deputy opened his mouth the wolf lunged at him with a horrifying growl. A loud gunshot was heard, the wolf's ankle was shot. The wolf let out a whimper, and then a growl as it narrowly missed tearing the deputy to shreds.
The deputy rushed behind the sheriff in a full on panic, and continued to shoot at the wolf. However, the wolf was moving too quickly, and smashed through the window above the sink, and leaped outside. The sheriff followed in hot pursuit and leaped out the window as well. But the wolf was too fast, and disappeared within the vast swamp.
"GODDAMMIT!" The sheriff shouted as he stomped his hoof into the moist grass. The deputy then poked his head out of the broken window.
"S-sir! You saved my li-" The deputy attempted to remark, but was promptly cut off by the sheriff.
"I told you to shoot anything that moved!" The sheriff shouted.
The deputy went silent, and looked down briefly, before looking back at the sheriff. "We should probably clean up this body..."
It was the morning after Orange's murder. The sun was still rising over the horizon, cool air suspended between the land and the sky, temporary until the afternoon sun brought heat and humidity. Daffy trotted through Ammyville, taking note of the fact that everypony was rushing towards the town hall. Daffy took note, that was strange, Ammyville was usually a bustling town, albeit small. Daffy couldn't help but be curious as to what was occurring.
Daffy trotted to the town hall, everypony was there; talking amongst themselves. Daffy noticed a familiar face in the crowd however, her red coat stuck out to Daffy. It was Sketched Hope.
"Sketched!" Daffy shouted, waving his hoof in the air to get her attention.
Sketched turned to face Daffy, and then trotted over to him. "Oh?" Sketched smugly remarked, "I thought you had nothing to say to the likes of me. What changed?"
"Ugh." Daffy groaned, "You're the only pony here that will talk to me."
Sketched smiled in response. "Oh, so now you're the one asking questions."
"I just want to know what's going on." Daffy stated, his patience running thin.
"Sheriff Rusty Boot called a town meeting." Sketched explained, "If I had to guess, another murder."
Daffy looked towards the elevated podium, opposite the side of the hall as the entrance. "I sure hope not." Daffy said with a worried expression.
Sketched turned to face the podium as well. "I hope so." Sketched said with a light smile, "It'll make a juicy story, for sure!"
The sheriff, deputy, and mayor exited the back rooms of the town hall. The crowd fell silent as the mayor ascended onto the elevated podium.
"Fillies and gentlecolts," Mayor Soaring Bit announced, "In these trying times, it is absolutely imperative that we stick together." The mayor pulled out some papers from his suit pocket, and began reading them. "Another member of our community has been found to be dead. And the killer is still at large."
The crowd gasped.
The mayor continued reading off of the papers. "A stallion by the name of Orange Hue. Some of you may know him as one of the bakery siblings. Now, a statement from our sheriff, Rusty Boot." The mayor stepped down from the podium, allowing the sheriff to take his place.
"I've seen the killer." The sheriff announced. The crowd visibly became more invested in the speech. "The rumors are true." The sheriff stated, "There is a werewolf among us." The sheriff stepped down from the podium and began pacing through the crowd, looking at ponies and examining their fetlocks, attempting to spot the wound he left on the beast the previous night.
"Somepony in this here room," The sheriff explained, "Is responsible for the murder of a mare in her home. A filly in her barn. And now, Orange. And you could be next."
A mare stepped forward and directly addressed the sheriff. "Sir, how do we know it's a werewolf? Could it have been something else?"
The sheriff turned towards the mare. "I can confirm," The sheriff said, taking his ten gallon hat off and holding it against his chest, "I've seen the furry bastard with my own two eyes. Shot that fucker right in the ankle."
"It's true!" Purple Hue claimed. "I saw it too! It tore my brother to shreds!"
"Now," The sheriff ordered, "Before any of y'all ponies leave this building, you are to show your fetlocks to the deputy and I so we can confirm that you ain't a werewolf."
"Hold on a sec!" Daffy shouted, "Yeah, it was a wolf. If that's what you saw, but what makes you think it was a werewolf specifically?"
The sheriff put his ten gallon hat back on his head. "No wolf," The sheriff condescended, "Attacks with such speed and ferocity. This mongrel's bigger than any wild wolf, and it ain't made of timber."
"Hmm." Daffy thought for a moment, before speaking once more. "I just don't think we have enough proof yet."
"Well," Steely Dam said as he approached Daffy, "Nopony asked you. " Steely began slowly pacing back and forth in front of Daffy, keeping his eyes fixated on him. "Yer just an outsider. An alien."
Daffy's expression turned sour. "And you're nothing but a butcher!" Daffy spread his wings and assumed an aggressive posture.
"Yeah?" Steely replied, "Well yer-"
"ENOUGH YOU TWO!" The sheriff intervened, cutting Steely off before he could finish, "This is a crisis! The last thing we need to be is divided!"
Steely looked towards the sheriff. "With all due respect," Steely said with an attitude, "This here winged fisher ain't one of us."
"Steely," The mayor reasoned, "Although Daffy is not an Ammyville resident, he lives in close proximity. And he too is in danger of the werewolf."
Steely made a disgusted noise in response, and left the town hall building entirely.
"Sheriff," Sketched spoke up. "What are you intending to actually do about the werewolf? Make speeches?" Sketched sarcastically suggested, "Hope you bore it to death?"
The sheriff was visibly irritated. "I'm gonna kill it," The sheriff said confidently, "Or die trying."
"Ha!" Sketched laughed, "You're trying to play the hero, aren't you?"
"Sketched." The sheriff said calmly.
Sketched continued, "You think you're gonna save the day, kill the werewolf once and for all!"
"Sketched." The sheriff repeated, speaking through his teeth.
Sketched didn't stop, "All we need to do is rally behind the sheriff! He'll save us all!"
The sheriff lifted his hoof and decked Sketched right on the snout. Sketched fell backwards.
"HEY!" The mayor shouted, "Remove her from the building!" The mayor ordered. Nopony budged.
"...Oh!" The deputy realized, "Right away!" He said. The deputy hurried over to Sketched and escorted her out of the town hall, her snout lightly bleeding. The deputy and Sketched had made it outside the building, they stood on the damp grass in the building's shadow.
"Hey..." The deputy expressed, "I'm sorry... About that."
Sketched had her hoof over her snout where she was punched. She looked at the deputy with rage in her eyes. "Fuck you." She stated, looking away from the deputy. Sketched trotted off to some other part of town. Deputy Penny Packer wasn't angry at Sketched Hope, he sympathized with her despite how she had been harassing the townsponies since the second murder.
The deputy re-entered the town hall, just as the sheriff was finishing up his speech - without interruptions.
"...And nopony is to enter or leave," the sheriff announced, "Until that oversized furry piece of shit-" The mayor loudly cleared his throat, and lightly nudged the sheriff. "Right," the sheriff said, "Until the werewolf is dead."
"Thank you, sheriff." The mayor added, "To motivate our beautiful community to do what they can to catch the werewolf, I have subsequently put a reward of over 10,000 bits to whichever pony can kill the werewolf."
"Until then," the mayor urged, "I encourage you all to return to your normal lives."
Hours had passed. The townsponies of Ammyville had returned to their lives, with the knowledge that somepony among them was a werewolf. The deputy stood on the porch of the sheriff's office overlooking the town. Seeing everypony down there going about their lives made the deputy feel a deep sense of responsibility. He could have killed the werewolf back in that kitchen, but was so paralyzed with fear he didn't even think to reach for his gun.
"Never again..." The deputy thought, in complete confidence.
The sheriff exited the building and stood next to the deputy, both now looking over the town.
"How're you holdin' up, Penny?" The sheriff asked the deputy in a calm tone of voice.
The deputy looked down at the ground, thinking for a moment, and then looked back towards the town. "I almost died..." The deputy responded hollowly.
"I'm sorry," the sheriff apologized, "I shouldn't have yelled at you."
"No, no," The deputy insisted, "I could have reached for my gun. I could have killed it!" The deputy became emotional.
The sheriff nudged the deputy. "You did your best. Truth is anypony else would have done the same." The sheriff reassured.
The deputy turned his head towards the sheriff with a serious expression. "I'm a police officer." The deputy remarked, "If I won't risk my life to save others, who will?"
The sheriff thought for a moment, "Maybe a... Journalist?" The sheriff laughed.
The deputy chuckled as well.
"Tell ya what," The sheriff promised, "Next time we see that filly murderin' son of a bitch," The sheriff turned to face the deputy with a dutiful expression. "We'll kill em'."
The deputy smiled, confidence shining in his eyes, "Yeah!" The deputy agreed, and then saluted for some reason.
It had been weeks since Orange was murdered. Once again, the case fell cold. No evidence of werewolf activity had surfaced, no new murders, nothing. It was the last day before the next full moon was upon Equestria, and the sun was setting over the humid swampland, with a brilliant orange band stretching across the sky behind the sun. A lit fire burned in front of Daffy's fishing hut, three fish of varying species suspended above, lightly roasting as they awaited to be eaten.
Daffy trotted out the front door of his cabin, stretching his wings as he did so. Daffy sat down by the fire, "Just a little longer..." He mumbled, observing the roasting fish. Daffy felt calm in the moment. Then he heard a twig snap from around the corner of his cabin. Daffy turned his head over to look, but saw nothing. He stood up and slowly trotted over to the side of the cabin, suspicious and frightened. As he rounded the corner, he was greeted by the scariest monster he had ever seen - A journalist.
But not just any journalist, it was Sketched Hope.
"Why are you sneaking around my cabin?" Daffy asked, visibly irritated. "I thought you were the werewolf for a second!"
Sketched was lacking in her usual smug and sarcastic demeanor. "Turns out," Sketched explained, "I'm not welcome in Ammyville anymore. The innkeeper kicked me out this morning."
"Typical." Daffy added.
"So," Sketched continued, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof. "I was... wondering if I could stay here? With you?"
Daffy raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just go back to Manehattan?"
"The stories just getting good!" Sketched reasoned, putting her hoof back on the warm grass. "I'm not leaving until that werewolf is dead!"
Daffy thought about it for a moment, before coming to a decision. "Alright," Daffy permitted, "You can stay, dinner's almost done."
Sketched and Daffy trotted towards the fire and both sat on opposite sides, seeing each other across the orange glow and loose embers. Things were awkward, at first. But Daffy spoke up and broke the silence.
"So..." Daffy awkwardly said, "How do you find Ammyville?"
Sketched looked at Daffy with a concerned expression. "Why do you care?"
"Just trying to make conversation." Daffy explained.
"Well," Sketched began to open up, "This town is full of ponies, none of them are interesting."
"Ouch." Daffy remarked.
"You and I," Sketched said, "We're the outsiders. We're not welcome here. This town doesn't want strangers like us corrupting their secluded little dwelling."
"For me," Daffy related, "They didn't mind me at first. I stay out here, fishing, minding my own business, and even giving the general store business. It wasn't until the attacks started that they decided I wasn't welcome."
"We're the scapegoats." Sketched huffed, "Just something to blame all the town's troubles on until they just, I don't know, go away or something."
"Yeah," Daffy agreed, "You could say that again."
Sketched pointed at Daffy with her hoof. "What about you? " Sketched asked, "What are you doing out here?"
Daffy turned his head, looking out into the swamp. "My dad left when I was young." Daffy said solemnly, "My mom was abusive. So as soon as I could I packed my bags and came here." Daffy revealed, still looking over the swamp, deep in thought.
"Oh..." Sketched sympathized, "I'm sorry."
Daffy snapped out of it and looked back towards sketched. "It's fine!" Daffy insisted. "Besides, I like it here. It's quiet, and there's plenty of fish to keep me busy!"
"I suppose..." Sketched added.
"So..." Daffy awkwardly attempted to continue the chat, "How's the story going?"
"Three dead!" Sketched gleefully stated, "This is thrilling stuff! My peers are gonna be so jealous!"
"You know," said Daffy, cranking his head to the side, "Those were real ponies with real lives, right?"
"I know." Sketched responded, "I just don't care. But, hey!" Sketched changed the subject, "I have a theory. About the werewolf."
"Oh?" Daffy's curiosity was piqued.
"The first murder," Sketched explained, "Happened in May. Then, exactly 1 month later, in June, another murder. And then, one month later, in July, the third murder. I have a theory that the werewolf transforms on the same day, every month. But not just any day, on a full moon."
"Why a full moon specifically?" Daffy asked, setting his head straight.
"All three murders happened on a full moon night. And tonight's another full moon, so if my theory is correct - We're in for some news tomorrow morning."
"Well, at least we're out here." Daffy said in a worried tone of voice.
"We'll see what the night holds!" Sketched said as she looked at the sky.
An hour passed. The sun had set below the horizon; Princess Luna had raised the moon up high, full again. Clouds choked out the moonlight this night, a silver glow of moonlight shone through wherever the clouds barricades were broken or thin. Sketched and Daffy had finished eating the fish that were roasting above the fire, and were chatting about various topics.
As they chatted, Daffy glanced over at the swamp, and noticed a pair of two, glowing green eyes in the tree line across the water. Daffy did a double take, and this time could confirm what he was seeing.
"Sketched!" Daffy interrupted Sketched as she was speaking. Before Daffy could get Sketched's attention though, the green eyes retreated off into the swamp. "Did you see that!?" Daffy asked with a wide-eyed expression, pointing at the tree line across the swamp.
Sketched looked over to the tree line across the swamp, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. "No...?" Sketched responded with a puzzled face,
"I saw what looked like a pair of glowing green eyes across the swamp." Daffy explained.
Sketched chuckled. "Afraid the big bad wolf is gonna get'cha?" Sketched replied sarcastically, beginning to laugh.
"Sketched, I'm being serious." Daffy looked back in Sketched's direction, Daffy's fishing cabin was located directly behind her. As Daffy looked in her direction, he noticed a tall, hulking figure standing on the roof of his cabin. Daffy's eyes widened, as the color drained from his face.
Sketched continued to laugh, but took note of Daffy's change in expression. "What?" She sarcastically asked. "Did you see a werewolf?"
Daffy simply raised his hoof and pointed at the roof.
Sketched's laughter persisted as she turned her head around, and as soon as the black silhouette with glowing green eyes came into view, her entire demeanor changed to one of fear, and she stopped laughing. The werewolf let out a nasty growl as it leapt from the roof, directly at Sketched.
"HOLY SHIT!" Sketched shouted right before she rolled out of the way, causing the werewolf to miss its target. The werewolf landed in the fire, kicking up smoke, ash, and embers as it did so. Daffy quickly jumped away from the fire and rushed over by Sketched's side. The werewolf continued to stand in the fire, as if unbothered by the searing flames. It took its right claw off the ground and let out a howl that echoed through the heavens, the clouds parted and allowed the full moon to shine down once more in all its glory.
The werewolf finished howling, and then turned its gaze towards Daffy and Sketched, its eyes instilled a heavy dread into the hearts of those who were unfortunate enough to cross its path. The werewolf stepped out of the fire and began slowly pacing around Sketched and Daffy, attempting to cut off their path from running into the swamp. Daffy and Sketched slowly stepped back, away from the werewolf which responded by letting out an ugly snarl.
Daffy looked at the werewolf's ankle, and noticed there wasn't a wound there as the sheriff had described, but there was a small area in which no fur was present, a scar. Sketched took a brief moment to glance at the front door of the cabin, formulating a plan on the fly. Sketched then made a sudden movement and ran for the cabin door, the werewolf pursuing her. Sketched opened the cabin door but stopped right outside of it, looking behind herself. The werewolf ran directly towards her and then lunged. Sketched aptly jumped out of the way, the werewolf missed and landed inside the cabin. Sketched slammed the door shut, locking the werewolf inside.
Sketched was panting and had a fearful expression, backing up from the cabin to Daffy's position.
"H-holy shit..." Daffy remarked in awe.
"I can't believe..." Sketched confessed, out of breath. "...That worked."
A loud ruckus could be heard inside the cabin, the werewolf trying anything it could to escape. Glass could be heard breaking as well as various snarls and growls.
"That's gonna make one hell of a story!" Daffy vocalized.
"Y-yeah, it will..." Sketched agreed, still panting.
The ruckus abruptly stopped, and the night fell silent. Then, the werewolf burst through the thin wooden walls of the cabin, causing it to collapse in on itself. It lunged at Sketched, and this time, it didn't miss. It pinned Sketched on the ground and she let out a terrified shriek. The werewolf began clawing at her flesh, ripping her red coat up.
Daffy began to panic, Rushing towards the edge of the swamp water on instinct. Daffy opened up his tackle box which was just on the shores, and pulled out the massive silver hook he had purchased prior, which was attached to one of his fishing poles.
"TAKE THIS YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING LYCAN!" Daffy shouted, casting the line at the werewolf. The silver hook pierced the wolf on the back, its skin began smoking and sizzling as soon as the hook made contact. It stopped attacking Sketched and howled in pain, promptly running off into the forest and disappearing into the darkness. The hook was yanked out of it's back and pulled out a chunk of the werewolf's flesh when it ran away.
"Sk-sk-sketched!!!" Daffy shouted, dropping the pole and running over to Sketched, who was lying on the ground. She was hurt - badly - but not dead. She had deep cuts in her flesh and was suffering from blood loss, but she was alive, albeit barely, and unresponsive.
Daffy put Sketched on his back and rushed into Ammyville for help.
It was the morning after, The full moon had fallen beyond the horizon and the sun shone down brilliant rays onto Equestria as it rose in the distance. The sky was a soft shade of yellow before the afternoon sun brought blue skies. The fire in front of Daffy's cabin had gone out due to neglect, only smoke rose from the pit and ashes sat still. The front wall of Daffy's cabin had been severely damaged. The roof had cracked down the middle and collapsed into the structure.
The Ammyville clinic, a small building seldom used for serious purposes as urgent accidents were few and far between in Ammyville, but this morning was different. Sketched Hope laid unconscious in the one and only bed in the building. A unicorn mare with a dull pink coat stood beside, lifting a pen and clipboard with her magic, a blue hue. The mare who stood next to her was none other than Ammyville's doctor, Blue Vessel.
The doctor looked back towards Daffy, who was sitting on a chair by the front entrance, waiting for the doctor's report. He had his saddlebags on, however they looked as though they only had a lone, singular object inside them.
"She'll live." The doctor told, dull in her tone of voice.
Daffy sighed in relief. "Thank Celestia."
"Credit where it's due, she came face to face with the werewolf. And lived." The doctor confessed, monotone in her speech.
"Sketched is tough," said Daffy. "She'll do anything to get her story complete."
The doctor turned back towards an unconscious Sketched. "Heh, yeah. Like harass innocent townspeople." The doctor mocked.
The front door to the clinic burst open, and there stood the deputy and sheriff.
"AMMYVILLE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT REPORTING FOR DUTY! MA'AM!" The deputy eagerly shouted.
"Ha ha!" The sheriff laughed, "That's the spirit!"
"WHAT'S THE SITUATION! MA'AM!" The deputy shouted once more.
"A mare," The doctor calmly explained. "Attacked by the werewolf, but this one survived."
"Who is she?" The sheriff asked.
"The journalist," The doctor explained, "The one from Manehattan."
"Is she conscious?" Asked the sheriff, raising an eyebrow.
"No, and by the looks of it, it's gonna stay that way for at least a few more days." The doctor said.
"Did she crawl over here herself!?" The deputy asked in disbelief.
"That stallion right over there brought her in." The doctor told, pointing her hoof at Daffy.
The sheriff looked over in Daffy's direction and said, with a surprised expression, "You?"
Daffy hopped up from his seat with a serious expression. "We were attacked by the werewolf." Daffy explained. "It ambushed us from the woods. And nearly killed Sketched, destroying my home in the process, BUT." Daffy opened up his bag and pulled out a big silver hook with a chunk of the werewolf's flesh attached to it. "I found the weakness."
"Weakness?" The sheriff asked in confusion, "Can't we just shoot it dead?"
"No." Daffy proclaimed, "There was a scar on it's ankle, where you said you shot it, but no wound. But that's not all, when I managed to hook it's back, it's skin began to smoke and sizzle, and it immediately retreated."
"Huh." The sheriff was impressed, but too prideful to admit it outright.
"If you want it dead," Daffy explained, "Use silver."
"We don't know when the werewolf will attack next, though!" The deputy panicked.
"Actually," Daffy reassured, "Sketched figured it out. Every full moon."
The sheriff and deputy looked at each other. "All these attacks have been happenin' exactly one month apart..." The sheriff reasoned. The sheriff looked over at Sketched, unconscious, and laying in the bed, "You did something useful after all." The sheriff mumbled under his breath.
"I've been working on a plan." Daffy stated.
The deputy and sheriff both looked at Daffy. "We'll return to the office and you can tell us all about it." The sheriff said.
Daffy nodded in response.
Inside the Sheriff's office. The sheriff took off his ten gallon hat and hung it on a peg on the wall right by the entrance. "So," the sheriff began speaking, "Let's hear this plan of yours."
The sheriff, deputy, and Daffy all gathered around a table that was set in the middle of the room. Daffy began to speak. "The werewolf is weak to silver, although it comes out on a full moon night. That means we have 29 days from now to make sure this plan is foolproof. First," Daffy explained, "We're going to need silver weapons."
"Sheriff," The deputy spoke up, "The bullets we've been using are iron!"
"Which is why they barely damaged that son of a bitch." The sheriff responded.
"Right!" Daffy added with a smile on his face, "We're going to need silver bullets."
"Ah!" The deputy's eyes lit up, "I think the shop sells them!"
"So we know how to kill it," The sheriff commented, "But how do we know who it'll attack next?"
"Bait." Daffy smugly replied.
The sheriff and deputy looked at each other. "Steely Dam." They both reasoned, "He's the butcher."
"If my hunch is correct, then the werewolf has an acute sense of smell, which means it may hunt for blood." Guessed Daffy. "Which means we can use raw meat to lure it where we want it to go."
"Then we'll use the silver bullets and shoot it in it's ugly face." The sheriff finished.
"Precisely!" Said daffy, gleefully. "You two, head over to the shop and pick up as many steel bullets as you can afford. I'll get the meat from Steely."
Daffy entered the butchers shop. Various knives hung on the wall, gleaming in the ray of sun that shone through a skylight window. Steely entered the front of shop from a back room, where the butchering happened. Steely looked at Daffy and was silent for a moment, before speaking up and saying "You!?"
"Steely-" Daffy attempted to reason, but was cut off.
"Outsiders like you ain't allowed in my shop! Get out!" Steely ordered.
"Steely, Listen!" Daffy exclaimed, "We need your help!"
"We?" Steely mockingly asked.
"I'm working with the sheriff and deputy. We're going to kill the werewolf." Daffy explained.
"Hm." Steely scoffed, "And you think you can kill the werewolf?"
"I'm sure of it." Daffy affirmed.
"The beast is faster than you." Steely tried to impress upon Daffy, "It will always be one step ahead, there's no point in even tryin'."
Daffy assumed a suspicious expression. "You seem awfully sure that we won't succeed, are you hiding something?"
Steely raised an eyebrow. "Are you accusin' me of bein' a lycan, outsider?"
"I wouldn't without good reason, butcher." Daffy said in a low tone, eyeing Steely suspiciously.
"Hmph." Steely grunted, "Outsiders are always sticking their snout where it doesn't belong. But if you're so sure about killin' it, I'd be a traitor to my town if I didn't help."
"Thank y-" Daffy attempted to confess, but was cut off.
"Don't think I'm doin' this for you, though. The only reason I'm agreeing is out of respect for our sheriff and his hard work."
"Noted." Daffy replied. "The werewolf will strike on the next full moon. We need bait to lure it. Can you do that?"
Steely mocked Daffy's voice, ""Can you do that?" Of course I can. On one condition."
Daffy rolled his eyes, "What is it now?"
"I get to be the one who puts a bullet in it's head." Steely stated.
"Fine," Daffy agreed, visibly irritated, "Whatever gets you to help."
Steely smiled. "Let's kill ourselves a lycanthrope."
It was the evening before the full moon. The sun was setting over the swamp, the air began to cool as the sun lowered slowly. The night was going to be an eventful one. Daffy's cabin sat destroyed, this was the site chosen to lay the trap, as to not alarm the town any longer. Daffy Dill, Deputy Penny Packer, and Sheriff Rusty Boot, and Steely Dam gathered and began laying preparations for the night inbound...
Steely dumped a bucket of raw meat into what used to be the firepit, smiling as he did so. Steely knew the werewolf wouldn't be able to resist.
The sheriff opened the rotating cylinder of his revolver and loaded six silver bullets inside of it, deputy Penny Packer observed the sheriff's actions and did the same, clearly trying to live up to the sheriff's standards.
"You got a weapon?" The sheriff asked Steely with a raised eyebrow.
"Ha!" Steely laughed, "What kind of question is that?" Steely pulled out a machete made of pure silver from his saddlebags. "I don't need no guns; I'm doin' things the old fashioned way."
"I like your style!" The sheriff said in approval.
Daffy approached the sheriff. "The plan will work."
"Of course it will." The sheriff responded, steadfast.
The deputy took a deep breath, "I'm coming face to face with that monster... I won't let it get away this time."
"This furry bastard has escaped it's fate long enough." The sheriff stated, "This is where it ends."
The four gathered in a circle around the vacant firepit, stretching their hooves above it and putting them together.
"Tonight, the son of a bitch dies for nearly killing Sketched!" Announced Daffy Dill.
"This rabid wannabe wolf killed an innocent filly, that ain't right. And for that, it dies." Added Steely Dam.
"It's my civic duty to contribute in the werewolf's demise. I could have killed it, but failed to do so. Never again." Deputy Penny said confidently.
"It ends tonight." The sheriff finished, "We'll kill this mean motherfucker or die trying."
"FOR AMMYVILLE!" The four confidently shouted.
The sun had dropped below the horizon, midnight approached. The full moon sat in a clear sky, shining brightly as stars twinkled around it. The raw meat sat in the empty firepit, attracting flies it had been there so long. Daffy Dill, Steely Dam, Sheriff Rusty Boot, and Deputy Penny Packer all assumed positions around the firepit, hiding and waiting for the werewolf to arrive.
The sheriff and deputy Penny hid in tall grass by the swamp, on the opposite side near the destroyed cabin, Steely and Daffy hid in tall grass as well.
"Did'ja hear that?" Steely asked Daffy.
Daffy listened for a moment, "No...?"
"Let me go investigate." Steely responded with a suspicious look on his face.
"Wait, Steely we need to-" Daffy attempted to reason, but gave up as Steely was already trotting off into the woods, ignoring Daffy.
"Great..." Daffy mumbled to himself.
Deputy Penny looked through a pair of binoculars. "It's quiet tonight..." Deputy Penny whispered to the sheriff.
"Be patient," The sheriff whispered back, "The werewolf always sneaks up on people. The last thing you should do is let your guard down."
Deputy Penny pulled the binoculars from his eyes and looked at the sheriff with a dutiful expression, he then saluted. "Right!"
Then all three of them heard a large twig snap, followed by a loud snarl in the distance. The werewolf, green glowing eyes and all, had come forth from the darkness in the swamp, standing on its hind legs. It then dropped to all fours and slowly approached the meat in the firepit, it's eyes glowing a vivid green. The werewolf approached the meat and sniffed it, and immediately it periscoped it's head and began to pan around the site, it new something wasn't right.
The sheriff then stood up from inside the bushes. "TAKE THIS YOU MEAN OL' PRICK!"
The sheriff raised his gun and aimed it at the werewolf, and took a shot, however the werewolf was too quick and ducked - the bullet flying above the werewolf and hitting the destroyed cabin behind.
"Shit!" The sheriff shouted. The werewolf jumped towards the deputy, and scratched him across the face sending him flying back. His gun falling out of his hoof and landing somewhere in the bushes. The werewolf and sheriff stood uncomfortably close together, the sheriff close enough to see the werewolf's jet black fur.
Daffy observed the scene from a distance. As the sheriff and werewolf had a standoff, Daffy noticed The werewolf began to ball it's right claw and slowly but surely raise it, the sheriff did not see this as his eyes were locked with the werewolf's.
"LOOK OUT! IT'S GONNA STRIKE WITH IT'S RIGHT CLAW!" Daffy shouted at the sheriff.
"Huh!?" The sheriff grunted, turning his head towards Daffy. In that exact second, the werewolf knew it had just won the standoff. Before the sheriff could even finish grunting, the werewolf raised it's claw and dug it into the side of the sheriff's face, ripping it off half of his flesh. The werewolf pounced the sheriff, the sheriff's eye hanging from the socket. Before his wound even had a chance to heal, the werewolf took a nasty bite out of the sheriff's skull, the sheriff died instantly.
The werewolf ripped off the sheriff's left hoof, blood began running from the wounds. But the werewolf wasn't done. It put it's claws on the sheriff's chin and ripped his head off, pulling the spine out with it. Deputy Penny watched in horror as the events unfolded. After the initial shock, he attempted to reach for his gun but it was nowhere to be found.
"Goddammit!" Daffy shouted, "Where the fuck is Steely!?"
The werewolf ceased mauling the sheriff and then turned it's wicked eyes in Daffy's direction.
"Uh oh..." Daffy said as the color drained from his face. The werewolf began taking slow steps towards Daffy.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Daffy began to panic. "Why didn't I have a gun!?"
The werewolf leapt towards Daffy, who, on pure instinct, swiftly jumped out of the werewolf's way. The werewolf landed, and then once again turned towards Daffy, this time growling, but continuing the pattern of slow steps leading up to a pounce. Daffy stepped back as the werewolf stepped forward, trying to keep the distance between them equal. Daffy then pulled the silver hook out of his saddlebags.
"Ah ha!" Daffy's expression turned to one of confidence. "Take this!" Daffy shouted, chucking the hook at the werewolf.
The hook hit the werewolf's face on it's side, failing to pierce it's skin. The hook simply dropped onto the floor. The werewolf was unharmed, and simply looked at the hook at the ground, and then back up at daffy with a deadpan expression. It then continued taking slow steps towards Daffy, who still looked incredibly confident.
The werewolf stopped in it's tracks and looked at Daffy, curious as to why he was still confident. It began aggressively barking at Daffy, attempting to scare him. Daffy simply had a smug expression.
"You know," Daffy snidely remarked. "You're not as smart as you think you are."
The werewolf's expression turned to one of confusion, and then a silver bullet entered into it's back. It howled in pain and then turned around back in the direction of the sheriff's body, where the bullet came from. There stood deputy Penny Packer, with the sheriff's own gun. A large scratch across his face, bleeding still. "That one's for the innocent mare, your first murder." Deputy Penny told the werewolf.
The werewolf snarled as the bullet wound smoked, it's flesh melting around the bullet. The werewolf attempted to retreat, but deputy Penny shot both it's ankles, which melted and detached from it's body. The werewolf let out a painful grunt and began to weep.
"Those two are for the innocent filly, and Orange Hue." the deputy began to approach the werewolf, who was on the ground writhing in pain. Deputy Penny shot another shot, this time in the right claw of the werewolf. "That's for Sketched." The deputy put his hoof down on the werewolf's last remaining claw, ensuring it didn't try to attack once more.
"And this one," The deputy confidently stated, "Is for the sheriff." The werewolf looked up at Penny and whimpered. A final shot was fired, at point blank range, directly between the eyes of the werewolf. The back of it's head blew open as chunks of flesh, skull, and brain scattered behind the werewolf. The green glow of the werewolf's eyes faded to nothing, and it was well and truly dead. All five of it's wounds smoked and the skin around them was sizzling, and the blood that pooled was boiling.
"Damn..." Daffy awefully said, fully impressed at Penny's performance.
Penny holstered the gun, now empty of bullets and walked over to the sheriff's body. "I... I did it. It's over..."
"Hell yeah you did!" Daffy cheered on.
The werewolf's body began to morph and shift, back into it's pony form. Penny and Daffy approached the body to observe. The werewolf reverted; it was mayor soaring bit.
"The mayor!?" They both shouted, in shock.
"That... was unexpected." Daffy confessed.
"Wait... Then where's Steely?" Penny asked.
"That's a good question." Daffy responded, confused as well.
The sun sat high in the sky, shining down rays of light onto Equestria. One town enjoyed it more then others: Ammyville. Several days had passed since the last full moon, the werewolf was dead. The town rejoiced. A funeral was held for the sheriff, who died heroically defending his hometown, and the ponies in it. A callous individual, but his heart was in the right place.
Sketched sat in the bed in the clinic, her wounds were patched up, but she still had some healing to do before she could leave. The front door opened, and in Daffy Dill, wearing the deputies uniform.
"Sketched!" Deputy Daffy gleefully called out her name.
"Daffy!" Sketched responded, equally excited.
"How have you been?" Daffy asked, trotting to the bedside.
"The doctor said I had to stay for a few more days before I could leave." Sketched explained.
"Oh," Daffy responded in a disappointed voice, "You're leaving?"
"Ammyville's nice-ish," Sketched said to Daffy, "But I need to finish my story. The world has to hear about this."
"I guess..." Daffy reluctantly agreed.
"This town..." Sketched said, turning her head out the window and observing some commotion outside, "When I first arrived here, All I saw was a bunch of rabble... I'd been so desensitized to the struggles of others that I didn't think of these citizens as ponies... Just characters in my story." Sketched turned her head and looked at Daffy. "But then I became one of them. I was a victim of the werewolf, but the difference is... I survived. Somepony, somewhere, is gonna want to hear about my face-to-face encounter with a real life werewolf. It's better if I write it down now, to save me the hassle later."
"You know what?" Daffy said, his disappointed expression fading, "I fully support your decision. I want you to succeed. Besides, the residents of Ammyville have had their heads so far up their asses for so long... A little outside attention couldn't hurt."
"Yeah!" Sketched agreed, with a smile on her face. "So... You're the deputy now!"
"Oh!" Daffy realized, looking at his badge. "Yeah! Turns out Ammyville hates outsiders, except when you kill a werewolf for them. Then they love you, they practically just beg you to let them kiss your hooves."
Sketched let out a loud laughter in response.
"Penny's the one who laid the killing blow, though." Daffy explained, "Due to the death of Rusty Boot, Ammyville had no sheriff. So Penny stepped up, determined to carry Rusty's legacy on."
"Oh, that's sappy as hell. Haha!" Sketched responded lightheartedly. "How is he, though?"
"Penny?" Daffy responded, "He's mourning the loss of Rusty... Penny really looked up to him, but otherwise, he's doing good. Heh, we started using exclusively silver bullets."
Sketched chuckled, "Gotta keep those nasty werewolves in check somehow!"
"That's the spirit!"
The chat fell silent for a couple of seconds, before Sketched spoke up. "Did you ever find Steely?"
"No." Daffy answered, "He wasn't the werewolf, but the timing of his disappearance... We thought he was the werewolf, until we killed it and learned it was the mayor. It's so strange though, he just vanished."
"Maybe he got killed," Sketched offered a theory, "Dragged off to someplace before the werewolf came for you guys?"
"It's possible." Daffy responded, "If so, the werewolf really didn't want anybody to find his body though."
"You never know with lycans." Sketched jokingly added.
"So many ponies died to the claws of that beast," Daffy said sorrowfully, "Penny and I will ensure nothing like this ever happens again here."
"What happened to the victims families?" Sketched asked.
"Purple Hue went on to take sole ownership of the bakery, she's fairly decent at it, although it just isn't the same without Orange's special pastries." Daffy explained, "The mayor's nephew rode in from Baltimare and immediately took ownership of the town, at first Ammyville was weary but they quickly eased up. The mayor says he wants to be more open to outsiders and got mixed feelings. Some agree, some don't. But I think eventually, everypony will learn to open up." Daffy continued on, "The parents of the poor filly who was murdered moved to Ponyville, the events of that night were so traumatizing they opted to simply up and leave, never to return."
The doctor entered the clinic. "Visiting hours up." She said, deadpan.
"Well, heh, it was nice seeing you again." Daffy confessed.
Sketched smiled, "You too..."
For the time being, Ammyville was safe. Everypony returned to their lives, taking comfort in the knowledge that the werewolf was dead. Eventually, Ammyville would become something of a tourist hotspot. The older folk of Ammyville despised it, the younger folk were curious to interact with ponies from across Equestria. A museum opened up in Ammyville simply known as "Lycanrock museum" which displayed a variety of werewolf models, detailed the events, and sold a lot of werewolf themed merchandise.
A small hotel also opened up, as amateur paranormal investigators and werewolf enthusiasts were often tourists in the town that was terrorized by a real werewolf. The wolf population in the region began to thin, however, as Ammyville residents - with the horrors fresh in their minds - began to despise all caninekind, and drove the wolves out of the area, either by famine, disease, or death.
Some still say, however, that out in the swamps surrounding Ammyville, loathed is one to see a pair of green glowing eyes - because if you see them, they see you.
It was the evening before the next full moon. Sketched still had a bandaid or two, but she was healed enough to be able to catch a train back to Manehattan. As she boarded, she looked back at Ammyville one last time - remembering bittersweet memories as Daffy waved goodbye at her from the platform. She moved to her seat and sat down, the train began moving for a 12 hour ride back to Manehattan, but many questions still stirred in her mind.
Where did Steely go? Why was the mayor a werewolf? Was he aware of his actions, or was he just as lost as the rest of us? How did he become a werewolf? Are there more? Sadly, Sketched knew these questions would lay forever unanswered. The mayor died before he could explain. And besides, every good story has a bit of mystery to it.
An attendant wearing a fancy suit approached Sketched in her seat. "Allow me," He said as he grabbed her luggage.
Sketched nodded and jokingly said "Don't lose it!"
The attendant chuckled and continued to carry her luggage to the back car. As the door slid open, he could see various luggage stacked to the ceiling - and a foul odor. The attendant was confused, it didn't smell this bad earlier. He flipped on the lights and in front of him laid a horrific scene - a rotting corpse. The attendant didn't know this, but it was Steely Dam, torn to shreds.
The attendant saw 6 pairs of glowing green eyes emerge from beneath the luggage - they were werewolves. All of them. A wave of terror passed through the attendants body, he knew his life in Equestria was about to end...
