Curse of the timberwolf

by sykko

The first kill

Previous Chapter

It had been two months since Bid Mac had been attacked, fresh powdered snow crunched under his hooves as he walked through the farm, inspecting the slumbering apple trees and marking the ones that would need to come down after Winter Wrap Up in three months. His ear perked up and he snapped around at the sound of snow crunching off to his left. A small cluster of winter birds that had migrated down from the mountains in the north flew into the air causing the stallion to blow a sigh of relief. For some reason he had felt jumpy and on edge this morning, like some impending doom lingered just out of sight. "Get it together, Macintosh!", he grumbled to himself, "'S just a bunch o' birds. Still...sumptin' dun seem..."

"Big Mac!", Applejack called out from the barn, snapping the stallion out of his thoughts. "Ah need ya tuh run some some dried apples tuh Sugar Cube Corner fer th' Cake's an' some millet out tuh Fluttershy's.", she said when he walked up.

"Eeyup!", Big Mac called out as he trotted to the barn. After he and Applejack had loaded up the wagon, he hitched himself up to it and began trotting to town. Trotting down the road, some movement caught his eyes and a pair of white bunnies hopped out from behind some dead shrubbery. He stopped to let them pass and when they looked up at the red stallion they twitched their whiskers nervously, then ran off away from the now confused stallion, he simply shook it off as bunny rabbits being bunny rabbits.

Stopping first at Sugar Cube Corner, Big Mac opens the door carrying the bushel of dried apples. Laying the dried apples on the counter, he rings the bell on the counter.

"Cooommmiiiinnggg!", Cup Cake sings out sings out from the back. Walking to the front, she sees Big Mac and a bright, friendly smile crosses her face. "Good morning Big Mac! Are those the dried apples Carrot ordered?"

"Eeyup!"

Cup Cake lays a sack of bits on the counter and pulls the bushel of dried apples behind the counter. "Would you mind dropping off a couple of deliveries for me? I'd do it, but Pinkie and Carrot both have bad colds and there's nopony to both take care of the shop and watch the twins today." A series of loud sneezes echoed from upstairs, almost as if on cue.

"Eenope!", Big Mac replies, "Where do they gotta go?"

Cup Cake lays three boxes, along with matching receipts on the counter. "A box a cup cakes for Twilight, a box of cinnamon buns for Rarity and a cake for Filthy Rich. Thank you so much for taking these for me."

After Big Mac loaded up the boxes into the back of the wagon, dropped the sack of bits in behind them and finished hitching himself up to it, Cup Cake said, "Thank you again, Big Mac. I appreciate you helping me out. Is there anything I can do to compensate you?"

Big Mac waved it off. "Eenope! Ah was already in town takin' care of some things, soes it's not outa my way."

Spike opened the door to Golden Oaks Library after Big Mac knocked on it. "Oh hey, Big Mac. What can I do for ya?" Big Mac picked up the box along wit the receipt in his teeth and dropped the in the hands of the little purple dragon with green frills. "Oh, thanks for the order!", Spike said happily, "Why didn't Mr. or Mrs. Cake or Pinkie drop them off?" "Mr. Cake an' Pinkie are sick, leavin' the shop an' the twins with Mrs. Cake. Anyways, mornin' Spike an' tell Twilight Ah said hey." The little purple dragon smiled up at the big red stallion. "Will do."

Trotting up to Barnyard Bargains, Big Mac pushed open the door, carrying the bakery box and receipt in his teeth. Dropping the items on the counter, he nodded his head to Filthy, who was working the register this morning. "Mornin' Filthy!"

Filthy Rich looked over to Big Mac, then down at the box and receipt. "Ah, good morning Macintosh! What can I do for you?"

Big Mac smiled at the wealthy stallion who was not only one of the oldest friends of the Apple family, but also one of their best customers and business partners. "Jus' deliverin' sumptin' fer Mrs. Cake."

Filthy walked over to the box and flipped the lip open to confirm their contents. "Ah, very good, very good! So what's the damage?"

"Whatever Mrs. Cake put on th' receipt.", Big Mac replied before tipping his head, "Ah gotta take care of these other orders deliveries."

Filthy smiled at Big Mac. "Tell Granny I said hi."

"Will do!", Big Mac replied as he turned to leave.
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After Big Mac had delivered several things around town, he pulled up to Fluttershy's cottage and knocked on the door. Inside was the clatter of several animals followed by the sound of a soft voice scolding them.

After several minutes the door on the cottage opened a crack and Fluttershy peeked out. "Oh...um...hi, Big Mac. Are you having a good morning?"

"Eeyup!", Big Mac replied in a friendly tone, "I got yer milley ya ordered."

"Oh!", Fluttershy exclaimed softly and opened the door fully, "You can...um...ah...bring it in...if that's okay with you."

Big Mac unhitches from the wagon, fetches the bags of millet and places them on his back. "Where do ya want me tuh put 'em?", he asks walking in the cottage.

Fluttershy points a hoof to the corner by the door."You can...um...place them over there...um...ah...if...if that's okay with you."

Big Mac walks over to the corner, as he starts putting the bags down, several birds start flying around erratically while squawking, making him duck. Harry the bear, who was laying on a large, round padded bed in the corner hibernating was roused by the noise the birds and rose up slightly. The bear looks at Big Mac and starts acting aggressively, stalking forward bearing his teeth and growling. Big Mac starts backing away until he was stuck against the wall, the bear's snout a fraction of an inch from his face.

Fluttershy flaps over, forcing herself between the bear and the stallion. "Shoo! Shoo! Just because some birds woke you up from your hibernation doesn't mean you get to take it out on Big Mac!", she says in a firm tone.

Harry backs up a few steps.giving a grumbling growl.

"You know Big ac has never caused you any problems!", Fluttershy states firmly, scolding the bear, "I want you to apologize to Big Mac, Mister!" When the bear holds his ground and gives more grumbling growls, Fluttershy raises her voice slightly, "I don't want to hear it buster! You know that ponies aren't a threat to you! Now you can either apologize to Big Mac or you can find another place to hibernate this winter!" When the bear balks, she raises her voice to a near-shout, "Don't make me use the stare!"

Harry looks to Big Mac, then back to Fluttershy and gives a defeated sigh. He gives some low grumbles and growls in a defeated tone.

Fluttershy pets Harry with a hoof. "There, was that so hard? Now go on, lay back down and start hibernating again. You know you'll be grumpy all spring if you don't get your full ten weeks."

Harry stomps back over to the round bed in the corner and gives the "I'm watching you" gesture to Big Mac before laying down. Soon he's snoring.

"I'm sorry about that, Big Mac.", Fluttershy apologizes, "Normally Harry isn't so grumpy when he gets woke up from hibernation." She dusts the stallion off and fetches her purse. "This is what I owe you, plus a little extra for Harry acting up like he did."

Big Mac pushes the extra bit back into Fluttershy's hoof. "S'ok. Ah know that Harry dinit mean nuthin by it an' was jus' a lil' grumpy."

Placing the bits back in her purse, Fluttershy replies, "Well that still doesn't excuse him behaving in such a way." Harry rolls over and gives a half-awake grumble. "Harry! Shame on you for using such foul language! Just for that you don't get any extra honey come spring!" The bear sighs and rolls over, going back to sleep.

"See ya 'round Fluttersy.", Big Mac says with a tip of his head. As he walks to the door of the cottage, the butter yellow pegasus opens one of the bags of millet and starts scooping out a few hooffuls and places them in bird feeders.
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As the sun starts going down, Big Mac walks into the barn finishing up the last of the day's chores and puts up the last few tools. Walking out the barn, his attention is pulled up to the sky as the sun starts slipping slowly down behing the horizon. Suddenly starts feeling unwell as the shadows lengthen, sweat starts dripping down his body despite the freezing temperatures of winter and his blood feels like it's on fire.

As the last sliver of the sun slips below the horizon, Big Mac's attention immediately snaps to the eastern horizon, he can feel the full moon slipping up towards the horizon. Waves of pain and nausea wrack his body as the moon slowly inches up towards the horizon. Staggering away from the farmhouse, the world starts spinning as more waves of nausea and pain wrack his body. As the moon barely peeks above the horizon, his ears perk up at the sound of creaking and cracking of wood. He stares in shocked horror as bark starts spreading across his hoof.

"Big Mac!", Apple Bloom calls out as she walks up to her big brother, "Supper's 'bout ready. C'mon..." Her words stop in her throat as she sees bark slowly spreading on the red stallion's barrel.

Big Mac lifts his left forehoof and stares in horror as his pastern starts lengthening and his hoof starts slowly morphing into a wooden wolf's paw. The voice of his baby sister registers distantly in his ears and her turns seeing Apple Bloom standing in stunned silence. As the world starts slowly turning red, he is only able to shout a single word, "RUN!"

Apple Bloom stares in stunned stillness as she sees her brother slowly transforming into wooden monster. Her breath catches in her throat as he turn to look at her, his eyes flickering a malicious red. When he shouts for her to run, her legs seem to move on their own accord, carrying her back to the farmhouse. "Applejack!", she cries out, "Sumptin's wrong with Big Mac!"

"Ngh!", Big Mac cries out in pain as he collapses to the ground and thrashes about. The creaking and cracking of wood drowns out all sound of the world as his mind starts filling with an overwhelming desire for the taste of soft flesh and hot blood. He feels his snout lengthen and sharp wooden teeth fill his mouth.

"What's the matter with Mac?!", Applejack says she enters into the kitchen, seeing the scared look on her sister's face.

"I dunno! He's turnin' intuh some kinda weird wooden creature."

"Stay here, Ah'll go check on him.", Applejack tells her sister. She slaps her stetson on her head and walks out the door.

Apple Bloom runs over to the window and watches her sister walk out into the gloom of the night as the silvery light of the moon slowly fills the yard.

Applejack walks through the gloom of the winter's night as the silvery light of the full moon starts illuminating the farmstead. In the pale silvery light, she sees a massive figure thrashing on the ground, accompanied by the sounds of wood creaking and cracking. Her hooves freeze in place when a massive wolf form rise up to its legs and her breath catches in her throat as she sees the last vestiges of red fur and a blonde mane and tail disappear underneath the bark of a massive wolfen form. "Mac?"

Everypony stay away please! The timberwolf raise its head to the sky and let out a deep howl. Hearing the voice of a pony, it snaps its head around and sees an orange mare wit a blonde mane and tail, wearing a stetson. A bark-covered tongue licks the dripping slaver from its wooden lip as an overwhelming urge to kill and devour this pony fills its mind. With a hungry growl, it slowly stalks forward, then take off in a loping run.

Panic begins to well up inside Applejack and she slowly starts backing away. Every muscle in her body starts trembling as the timberwolf starts stalking towards her and she fights back the urge to run back inside the farmhouse. As the monster starts running at her in a loping charge, she runs towards the orchard to lead it away from her family.

The timberwolf lopes after the fleeing mare who was running fast as her legs could carry her, the urge to rip the pony's flesh apart and feel the hot blood flow through its muzzle is overwhelming. As the wooden wolf pounces, the mare cuts hard to her right and dives into a tumbling roll, causing the monster to bite down on empty air.

Applejack quickly scrambles back up to her hooves and starts running as hard as her legs can carry her, zig-zagging through the apple trees in a desperate hope to slow the wooden monstrosity as much as possible. Behind her, she can hear the beast's wooden paws slamming on the ground. As the wooden monster pounces again, she rolls to her left, letting it careen past her.

Rolling up to her hooves,Applejack turns to face the monster. The timberwolf turns to face the earth pony mare, slaver dripping from its jaws. As it starts loping forward, she grabs up a clump of dirt in her hoof and hurls it into the ligneous abomination's face, causing it to reel up in surprise. Applejack taking advantage of the timberwolf's split second distraction, charges forward and dives into a slide, ducking between its wooden paws, sliding behind it. Quickly springing upright, she bucks into the monster, her powerful rear legs into its wooden hide, her hooves making a loud crack.

Applejack stared in shocked surprise as instead of the usual sensation of the timberwolf flying into pieces, instead it feels like she just bucked into the mightiest tree ever. The timberwolf slide forward several paces and tumbles to the ground. "Buck this!", she exclaims seeing the monster rising back to its paws and she starts running in the direction of the Everfree.

With a growl, the timberwolf takes off after the fleeing mare. Applejack run as hard as her legs can carry her as she bobs and weaves in a serpentine fashion, feeling the wind from the snapping wooden jaws as they come with inches of her hind legs. The cold winter night air makes the earth pony mare's lungs burn as the fence along the Everfree Forest comes into view. Turning hard to her left, she continues serpentining, running at full bore, ignoring the fire in her lungs and legs. The timberwolf lunges and its jaws narrowly miss the pony again, taking a bite out of the ground. Spitting the snow and dirt from its mouth, it takes off again after the pony.

Applejack comes to a stop where the fence blocks off the edge of the cliff where the river flows down below and turns to face the charging beast, "C'mon! C'mon! Jus' a lil' closer big'un!", she shouts in a challenge.

The timberwolf charges forward in a loping run and leaps at the mare. Applejack ducks under the leaping pounce and throws her body up with every last ounce of strength she can muster. Her withers slams into the underbelly of the wooden predator, sending it into an end-over-end tumbling flip as its momentum carries it over the top of the fence and past the lip of the cliff.

Applejack watches as the timberwolf tumbles away into the darkness and hears it body crash into the water below with a loud splash. She sucks in air, trying to get her wind back as the cold air feels like knives in her lungs. The orange mare's muscles trembles as exhaustion saps what little is left of her strength and she collapses to the ground, gasping.

The timberwolf thrashes and howls as its body is carried away in the current of the Canter River. The current carries the wooden predator several leagues downstream before depositing its body onto a sandbar. Climbing from the river, it shakes the water from its body and bounds off into the twisting and winding paths of the Everfree, the smell of pony flesh guiding it back towards civilization.
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It was near midnight when Fluttershy was awoken by the sounds of panicking critters downstairs. Groaning, she rises from beneath the warm blankets of her bed and stretches to get the stiffness from her joints. A shiver runs down the pegasus' body and she throws on a housecoat, before lighting a candle and trotting down stairs. "Shh! Shh! It's okay.", she says softly, trying to calm the critters down. Harry the bear sits up in his bed and grumbles. "It's okay, Harry. Just lay down and go back to sleep."

Fluttershy's attention snaps to her door as she hears a loud snuffling. As she walks to the door, Harry raises to all four paws and growls, the fur along his spine bristling. The yellow pegasus pauses and slowly walks to one of the windows. Pushing back one corner of the curtains, she peeks out and her breath freezes in her chest. Outside pacing back and forth is a massive wolf-shaped form, snuffling at the door and windows.

A pair of red glowing eyes lock on where the corner of the curtains were pushed back and Fluttershy quickly scrambles backwards. "Timberwolf!", she whispers, "Harry! Help me get the critters out!"

As Harry the bear started walking forward to help Fluttershy, the window in the kitchen explodes in a shower of shattered glass as the timberwolf leaps through. Fluttershy screams and falls backwards, the lit candle falling from her hoof and onto the rug. Harry charges forward, raises up to his fuul heigh and slams his powerful forepaws into the wooden monsters, pinning it under him. The bear give a loud growl and Fluttershy nods, gathering up as many critters as she can, placing them on her back. Running upstairs, she flings open the window at the end of the hall and shoves out the critters she was carrying.

From downstairs, loud crashes fills Fluttershy's ears and the smell of smoke fills her nose. Running to the top of the stairs, she hears Harry cry out in pain, followed by wet gurgling and crunches. Peeking around the corner, she sees tongues of flames licking across her rug and up her couch, in the kitchen the timberwolf gives a shake of its head before it rips out the throat of Harry.

Fluttershy trembles as she sees a visible shudder runs up the body of the timberwolf and she swears she sees it grin for a split second. The pegasus sheds a silent tear and slowly backs away, a board creaks loudly under hoof. A pair of red glowing eyes locks on the pegasus mare and the monster starts stalking forward, a low growl rumbling in its throat.

Fluttershy lets out a scream as she runs down the hallway, hearing the wooden monster crashing up the stairs. With a springing leap, she jumps out the open window and spreads her wings, flying away from her cottage. After flying a few body lengths, she turns and gasps in fright seeing a massive snapping wooden muzzle sticking out the window.

The snapping wooden snout withdraws back into the window and a groping wooden paw reaches out, searching for Fluttershy. The paw slides back in and a glowing red eye peers out the window. The butter yellow pegasus mare backs up several flaps. The wooden abomination slams its body into the small window frame, trying to break down the wall and the mare flies away into the night towards Ponyville as fast as her wings can carry her.

Rainbow Dash, sleeping, wrapped up in a cloud, snaps awake as the whoosh of wings goes by. The cyan pegasus mare with the multicolored mane and tail stares in disbelief as the yellow and pink blur flies towards town. "Fluttershy?", she asks wiping the sleep from her eyes and looks back to where her oldest friend flew from, gasping at the flickering light coming from the cottage. "Fire! Fire! Fire!", the rainbow-maned mare cries out, gathering up a cloud and shoving to the stream to soak up water.

Dash shoves the water-soaked cloud over Fluttershy's cottage and starts stomping the water out of it as several other members of the weather team fly out half-awake. A loud slamming on the front door of the cottage draws the attention of the cyan pegasus and she swoops down to open it, thinking there was a trapped critter trying to get out. Her eyes become pinpricks as the door explodes into splinter and a massive wooden wolf leaps out. "Tttttiiiimmmmmbbbbbeeeeerrrrwwwwwoooollllffffff!", the multicolored pegasus mare shouts as she flies to hide in the clouds. She peeks out seeing the wooden apex predator sniff the air a few times and lope off towards town.

Rarity is snapped awake from a dead sleep by a loud clattering on her roof. Pulling the blindfold off her eyes, she stumbles over to the window in a sleepy ahze and opens it. Sticking her head out, she looks around and sees the pink mane of her friend hanging over the edge of the roof. "Fluttershy?" When the ivory unicorn only received a terrified whimper as a reply, she leaned further out the window to get a better look. "What's the matter darling?", she asks seeing the butter yellow pegasus staring into the night with eyes narrow as pinpricks and trembling.

Pulling back in the window, Rarity threw on a thick robe and hurried to her door. In the hallway, Sweetie Belle staggered out rubbing her eyes. "Rarity? What's going on?" "Go lay back down Sweetie." As the ivory unicorn mare with the royal purple mane reached the top of the stairs, she looked over seeing a lily-colored coat and pink and purple mane walking forward. "Stay here, Sweetie!", she hissed at her little sister.

Rarity walked through her shop towards the front door, she paused hearing Fluttershy shout in fright. The ivory unicorn froze in her tracks seeing the shadow of a massive wolf-like creature through the curtains.

Rarity turned her head hearing hooves clop in the stairs, quickly she hissed at Sweetie Belle, gesturing for her sister to go back upstairs. A loud snuffling at her door made her blood run cold and Sweetie gave a frightened whimper. Rarity gestured for her sister to go to the kitchen.

Lighting her horn, Rarity picked up Sweetie in a blue magical field and started quietly carrying her through the dark shop towards the kitchen. Sweetie gave a frightened yelp when both unicorns heard a low growl at the door along with some loud scratching. Rarity hurled her sister into the kitchen when the monster slammed into the front door, its bulk shattering the glass in the small window. using her magic, she opened the back door as quickly and quietly as she could. The ivory unicorn snatched up her sister and hurried out the back door as the monster slammed into the front door again, making it crack.

Applejack woke up shivering. Rising to her hooves slowly as the cold made her joints feel as stiff as rusted hinges, she limped back to the farmhouse as her frozen joints could carry her.

Rainbow flew back to Ponyville as fast as her wings could carry her, the ground and clouds streaking by in a blur. Hovering in midair, she nearly froze in fright, seeing the massive timberwolf slamming its bulk into the front door of Carousel Boutique. She saw Rarity run out the back door of the shop, carrying Sweetie Belle in her magic and saw Fluttershy cowering on top of the shop's roof.

Without thinking, Rainbow took flew towards the massive ligneous wolf at top speed, creating a sonic rainboom and leaving a long rainbow contrail in her wake. "HEY CREEP!", she shouted at the timberwolf a split second before slamming both forehooves into the monster's barrel.

A shock wave traveled up her body as the timberwolf tumbled away with a few bounces and Rainbow tumbled on the ground dazed. Sitting up shaking her head and trying to get her bearings, she slowly turned her head hearing a low growl and saw the wooden monster rising to its paws.

Rarity saw the rainbow contrail and a familiar raspy voice shout, she quickly levitate Sweetie Belle to the butter yellow pegasus tring to hide on the roof and shouted, "Fluttershy! Get Sweetie out of here now!" The ivory unicorn mare hurried around to the front of the shop, seeing the cyan pegasus mare staggering away from the timberwolf, narrowly dodging it attacks.

Applejack limped to the front door of the farmhouse, pushed the door open and collapsed to the floor in exhaustion, the world going dark.

Rarity lit the magic in her horn and grabbed the pouncing timberwolf in a blue aura. "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU GHASTLY BEAST!", she she shouted, hurling away the wooden monster into the gloom of the night.

Rainbow groaned as she she slumped over holding a hoof to her had and Rarity caught her with her magic. "Are you okay darling?" "Just--just knocked myself silly. Just give me a minute, I'll be okay." The ivory unicorn nodded.

Applejack woke up shivering and wrapped in a blanket as Granny Smith wiped her face with a damn cloth. "What in th' world happened darlin'?", the elderly green mare asked. "Ah--Ah'm not sure. But Ah think Big Mac might be a timberwolf!", Applejack replied, not sure if what she saw was real or if she imagined it.

Rarity threw her body into Rainbow, knocking the still dazed pegasus away as the timberwolf leapt out of the darkness and reared up to fight it off. She was just a little too slow as massive wooden jaws clamped down around the mare's ivory neck. As sharp wooden teeth sank into the unicorns flesh, making the bright red blood, staining her white coat, Rainbow stared in shock. "NNNNOOOO!", the cyan pegasus screamed leaping forward, slamming her forehooves into the wooden predator. The rainbow-maned turned and bucked her hind legs into the massive wolf, hooves making a loud crack.

The timberwolf dropped Rarity as it tumbled away. The white unicorn brought her hooves up to her throat and gurgled as bright red blood poured from her mouth and the gaping wounds in her neck, red bubbles formed as she tried to gasp through the red liquid. Glowing red eyes gleamed in the darkness as the monster stalked forward, anticipating the kill as blood and drool dripped from its jaws. Rainbow stood over her friend, preparing to sell her life to protect her friend.

As the timberwolf leapt forward, a white blur flew out of the drakness and a deep, throaty voice shouted, "YEAH!" Massive muscled forelegs slammed white hooves as Bulk Biceps threw his full strength into the wooden beast. The ligneous creature scrambled to its paws and crouched, preparing to pounce when a magenta aura surrounded it. The timberwolf bayed and howled as it was lifted off the ground by the magenta magical field and was hurled through the night sky into the Everfree Forest.

Rainbow quickly ducked down and placed her hooves on the wounds on Rarity's neck, trying to staunch the bleeding. Rarity reached her hoof up and gently brushed the messy rainbow mane from her friend's face, a second later her eyes rolled up in her head as a final raspy gurgle escaped her body. "Nonononono! Don't leave!", Rainbow begged as she desperately tried to revive her friend while attempting to quell the bleeding.

Twilight hurried up next to friends and tried to help revive Rarity. After several minutes of using every spell she knew to close the wounds and revive the ivory unicorn, Twilight gave the body a magical scan. "Rainbow...she's gone.", the lavender unicorn said with tears welling in her eyes and laying a hoof gently on her friend's wither.

"NO!", Rainbow snarled as she shoved Twilight away and desperately tried to revive Rarity's body, "She wouldn't give up on me! I won't give up on her!"

"There's nothing more we can do.", Twilight said around choking sobs, walking back up to her cyan friend, "If I had gotten here sooner, maybe I could have saved her." When Rainbow tried to shove her off again, she wrapped the cyan pegasus in a magenta aura and pulled her away.

"Oh Celestia, NNNOOO! AAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!", Rainbow screamed in sorrow filled horror and Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her friend in a tight hug. The two mare wept loudly as Thunderlane gently closed Rarity's eyes, crossed her forelegs and tipped her shout downwards in an attempt to give the body some semblance of gentle repose.
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The next morning there was no laughter or joy in Ponyville as Rarity's body was wrapped in a traditional unicorn burial shroud and gently placed in a coffin. The whole town gathered in the graveyard as her body was slowly lowered into the ground. Applejack covered her face with her stetson to hide her tears and muffle her sobs, while the other four element bearers, Hondo Flanks, Cookie Crumbles, Sweetie Belle and most of the ponies openly wept.

Mayor Mare stepped next to the grave, wearing a simple black shawl, her eyes red and puffy. Clearing her throat, she began speaking a few words in a wavering voice, "It's never an easy thing to bury a pony before their time. It's even harder when parents must bury their foal.", she sniffled and gave a choked sob, "It hurts when we must say goodbye to a beloved daughter, sister and friend. Let's not remember her death, but how she lived her life as one full of generosity.", tears leaked down her cheeks as she raised a hoof to the sky, "May she await us in the great pasture and guide us to the sweet grasses and the still waters."

Big Mac woke up in the Everfree Forest, his head throbbed and the taste of iron in his mouth. "Wha...what happened?!"

"You don't remember darling?", the specter of Rarity with massive bleeding gashes on her neck said in a gurgling and derisive tone, "You killed me."

"No.", whimpered Big Mac.

"Aw...no more tears darling.", the specter of Rarity said in mock sympathy, "This is just the beginning of some real fun."
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"Wait...tell me that again!", Twilight said, looking across at Applejack as the five surviving friends gathered the kitchen table in Golden Oaks.

"Ah--Ah caint be sure as Ah'm not sure if'n Ah believe it myself.", Applejack said, her eyes still red and swollen from crying, "Ah think Big Mac might be th' timberwolf. Unless Ah've done up an' went crazy, Ah think Ah saw him transform last night."


Author's Note

Big Mac has scored his first kill after bearing the curse and now the specter of rarity is tormenting him.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoy.

Fell free to leave a comment, criticisms, throw shade or pure bane.