Chapters It was a normal autumn day in Ponyville, the small hamlet was slowly gearing up for Nightmare Night in a few weeks. On Sweet Apple Acres, Big Mac was bucking apples as Applejack was hitching up to the wagon that held the stand so she could sell sell some apples and apple-based products in town. Outside of town a stallion with a brown coat and a black mane and tail with silver streaks strolled out of the late-morning haze, a hollow and tired expression on his face.
"Talbot?", Applejack asked recognizing her brother's old friend from school. When the stallion acted like he didn't hear the sister of his foalhood friend, she chimed up again, "It is you! How ya been pardner?"
Talbot shied away from the earth pony mare for a second. "Oh...um...hi there uh...sorry I can't remember your name."
"Ah'm Applejack. Remember? Bright Mac's an' Buttercup's oldest daughter? Big Mac's younger sister?"
Talbot looked at the earth pony mare with the blonde mane and tail and the well-worn stetson on her head. "Oh, tight. Last time I saw you, you were..."
"Still a filly who hadn't earned her curie mark an' was still in pigtails an' a snaggletooth smile?", AJ interrupted, "Ya should see Apple Bloom now, she ain't in diapers anymore an' gets intuh crazy hijinks with her friends." Almost as if on cue the three fillies barreled past with loud squealing giggles. "Eeyup! That's them!"
Talbot almost laughed if it weren't for the feeling of foreboding deep within.
"So where ya stayin'?"
Talbot paused, unsure if he wanted to answer. "Um...I'm thinking of seeing if the old hostel is still open, barring that, maybe in a motel or a bed-n-breakfast."
"Pfft!", Applejack scoffed, "'Taint gonna let an old friend gonna stay in Berry Punch's flophouse, y'all can stay at the house back on th' farm. 'Sides Big Mac'll be happier than a green worm inna fresh apple tuh see ya again. 'Taint like ya got any say in th' matter 'cause Ah ain't takin' no fer an answer."
Talbot waffled as AJ closed up the stand and hung a sign that read "be back soon" with a clock on it, she adjusted the little clock on it to two o'clock. "C'mon! Ah bet that Big Mac'll want tuh talk yer ear off catchin' up."
Talbot walked beside AJ as they headed to Sweet Apple Acres. After nearly twenty minutes they reached the farm and they saw the massive red stallion walking up to the barn. "Hey Big Mac!", Applejack shouted, holding a hoof beside her mouth, "C'mere an' see who's back in town!"
Big Mac turned and began walking towards his sister and when he recognized the brown stallion standing by her, he quickened his pace to a fast trot. "Howdy there Talbot!", he said in a chipper tone as he slapped a hoof on the stallion's shoulder, "How in th' hay ya been?"
Talbot was genuinely happy to see his colthood friend. "I've been better, though I've been worse too. I see you're running the farm now."
"Eeyup!", Big Mac exclaimed, but a raised eyebrow from his sister made him change his tune, "Er...well sorta."
That evening after dinner, Talbot still felt uneasy, nearly to the point of dread. As the sun set and the farm began settling down he began walking out in the yard and through the orchards. The hair along his spine and haunches prickled prickled as the moon began to slowly slip above the horizon. He turned to face the celestial orb, seeing it was in its first quarter. The fur along his spine prickled again. From behind the tree a ghostly image of a unicorn mare with a sea foam green coat and a midnight blue mane and tail stepped from behind a nearby tree. Large gashes ran along her barrel and bite mark peppered her neck and forelegs, the flesh of her face hung in ragged strips.
"Just two weeks until you kill again Talbot.", the ghostly unicorn mare said in a voice that sounded as if it was drowning in blood, "Do you think that you'll be able to get away from ponies before the moon shines full again like you did last month?"
Talbot clenched his eyes shut, tears stinging them and turned his head away from the unicorn mare he once loved. "Please leave me alone Bright Star."
"You know I can't.", the apparition of Bright Star said, "You know as well as I that the first pony you kill haunts you for the rest of your existence. It's the burden of the curse."
Talbot took in a deep breath to steel himself, still refusing to look at the apparition. "Maybe this coming full moon will be when I can truly die."
The apparition of Bright Star scoffed. "You know as well as I that the only thing that can kill you is lunar silver or the juice of the wolfsbane flower, both are extremely rare. Where would you even think to find them?"
Talbot refused to answer the question and instead locked his gaze on the rising half moon. "Considering that this town sits next to the Everfree Forest, maybe somepony in town knows where some grows." A rustling of leaves caught his attention and he turned around quickly to challenge it. "Who's there?!"
Applejack walked out of the shadows. "It's jus' me Talbot. Ah was out checking some of th' fences when Ah heard ya. Who were you talking to?"
The apparition of Bright Star walked around AJ assessing her. "She's a pretty one. Think she'll make a good meal?", she mocked.
Talbot purposely refused to acknowledge Bright Star. "Nopony. I was just talking to myself. Tell me something Applejack, have you ever heard of a flower called wolfsbane?"
AJ cocked her head in thought. "Can't say Ah have. What's it for?"
"It's a plant that can keep certain monsters away."
Applejack rubbed her chin with a hoof. "Hmm...well if'n it's somethin' like that, maybe Zecora knows where some is."
"Who's Zecora?", Talbot asked.
"She th' resident zebra who's also a skilled alchemist, mystic and healer. She lives in her hut in th' Everfree Forest.", Applejack replied, "Maybe tumarrah Ah c'n take ya tuh see her."
Talbot nodded before turning to walk back to the farmhouse, not taking his eyes off the moon.
The sun was well above the horizon when Applejack had finished up her morning chores. She gestured to Talbot who was sitting on the porch. "C'mon, Ah'll take ya tuh see Zecora.", she said before putting a hoof to her mouth to holler at her brother who was working on the far side of the orchards, "Me an, Talbot are gonna see Zecora, anythin' ya need from her hut?"
"Nope!", Big Mac shouted from across the orchard.
The two were walking down the path that lead past Fluttershy's as they made their way to the Everfree.
Talbot noticed a butter yellow pegasus with a long pink mane and tail trot down the path from a cottage made from a hollowed out tree.
Fluttershy ducked behind her long mane when she saw Talbot, peeking out through a gap in the strands of hair. "Applejack...um...a-are you going to s-s-see Zecora?"
"Yup!", Applejack replied. "Where's my manners? Fluttershy, this here's an old family friend, Talbot. Talbot, this here's one o' my best fiends Fluttershy.", she said gesturing her hoof between the two.
"How*ahem* how do you do, Fluttershy?", Talbot said extending a hoof.
Fluttershy hemmed and hawed before nervously extending her hoof. "Um...h-h-how...er...uh...ah...oooh...I hope you're having a nice day*squeak*...m-m-mister Talbot?"
"I can say that my day is doing better now that I've seen a lovely mare such as you.", Talbot complimented which made Fluttershy's cheeks turn three shades of red.
"So what brings ya out this way this mornin'?", AJ asked.
"I...was going to see Zecora for some medicine as several of my animal friends have the sniffles.", Fluttershy responded still tucking her face behind her mane.
"Ah hope it's nuthin' catchin', lest Ah need tuh get some o' that medication fer mah livestock?"
Fluttershy brushed her mane away from her face. "Oh no, it's nothing like that. It's just Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel, their kits have a seasonal cold."
"Well would you mind takin' Talbot with ya?", AJ asked, "He said somethin' 'bout a plant called wolfsbane. Said it was somethin' that can keep monsters away. Caint rightly say Ah heard o' it b'fore."
"Oh?", Fluttershy asked as she wracked, somewhere she had heard of it before, but she couldn't quite place it. She looked up at Talbot and her cheeks flushed again, she thought he looked...nice.
Applejack's mouth turned up slightly at the corners at her shy friend. "Ya know what? Why dun ya take Talbot here tuh see Zecora yerself?"
Fulttershy felt as if her whole head was going to going to burst into flames. "Ummm...ahhh...oohh...er.", she stammered.
"C'mon Flutters, ya got business with Zecora already. Why not show him to her place? Ah'm sure he won't bite."
Fluttershy sputtered, trying to get her mouth to sync up with her brain.
"If she doesn't want to show me, it's fine Applejack.", Talbot said, "You can still show me where she lives, right?"
Fluttershy finally was able to find her words as she ducked behind her mane. "No, I'll show him Applejack."
Applejack let the corners of her mouth curl up even more. "Thank ya kindly, Fluttershy. Ah owe ya one."
In the darkness of the Everfree, Talbot and Fluttershy walked on the path that lead to Zecora's in silence. The mangled apparition of Bright Star strode out from behind a bush and walked around the two ponies. "She's beautiful and I think she's sweet on you Talbot.", the apparition mocked, "I wonder if her meat is as sweet as her tone?" Talbot begged in his mind for the apparition of the mare who once loved before she died during that fateful full moon all hose years ago to go away.
Bright Star laughed derisively. "Maybe you don't have to kill her right away, just mangle her hind legs and toy with her before you kill and eat her." Bright Star ran her hoof down her mangled neck. "What do you think? Feel her hot blood run down your wooden throat as you rip her throat out?" This caused Talbot to shoot the apparition a sharp glare.
Fluttershy noticed him shooting a glare and she looked around to see what he was glaring at. "Talbot? What's the matter?"
"Oh! Um...nothing, I thought I just something,", Talbot replied as he turned his face away from the apparition of Bright Star making biting actions and growling sounds.
"Try all you want to ignore me.", Bright Star hissed as she trotted up next to his side.
Talbot walked alongside Fluttershy in silence as he tried to ignore the apparition of the first pony he killed that taunted and tormented him.
"Well we're here.", Fluttershy said softly stopping outside of a small hut made from a hollowed out tree, several large, oval-shaped carved wooden masks laid propped up outside the door.
Talbot felt his flesh crawl as he approached the house and the apparition of Bright Star refused to come any closer. "Oh my, welcome Fluttershy!", Zecora said in a pleased tone as she opened the door, "And the wind was correct when it told me you were bringing a friend."
"Um...yes. Zecora, this is Talbot.", Fluttershy said softly, "I'm here for some medicine because Mr. and Mrs Squirrel's kits are sick. Oh! Um...have you ever heard of something called wolfsbane? Talbot is looking for some. I th-think it's used to keep monsters away."
"Zecora raised an eyebrow st the mention of wolfsbane. "That herb is rare and is hard to find anywhere. It only blooms when the moon shows it full face, even still there are many who would still for it race. Come inside, there is no reason to stand outside."
Inside Zecora ladled tea from her cauldron into some cups and passed them to Talbot and Fluttershy, then turned to the shelves and dug through them until she found a small vial and hoofed it to Fluttershy. "For their sickness, three drops shall cure it with the quickness."
Fluttershy finished the last of her tea and placed the cup on a nearby small table. "Thanks for the medicine and the tea, I'm sure Mr.and Mrs Squirrel will be happy to see their kits get well." She patted a hoof on Talbot's foreleg. "I'm sorry that Zecora couldn't help you find what you were looking for."
As te two poies stood to leave, Zecora called out, "Stay for a moment Mr. Talbot, do no answer with an if, and, or, but." After Talbot turned back around and sat, she continued, "Tell me why you need this flower and do not take an hour."
"I need it to keep a...monster away."
Zecora hummed in her throat and clicked her tongue. "Even the pony who says their prayers at night may become a timberwolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the moone shines bright. There was a time when ponies heeded the warning in that rhyme. I'm not meek, why is it this poisonous flower you seek? Do you know someone who bears this curse or is it something much worse?"
"There is a monster that has stalked my family for generations and just recently it started stalking me. I remembered my grandma saying that wolfsbane would get rid of it."
Zecora rubbed her chin in thought, then she crushed up some leaves and roots in a mortar with a pestle. She poured the crushed herbs on a metal plate sitting on a tripod and placed a lit candle under it, after a moment wispy blue smoke began to curl up from the mixture. "I am no sayer of sooth, but this smoke will reveal the truth." She blew the blue smoke towards Talbot and where the blue wisps curled past his face, they momentarily revealed the image of a timberwolf.
Zecora leapt back in surprise, shouting in her native tongue. She took a breath to steady her nerves and said, "You bear the curse, this much worse." She felt flustered as her normal rhyming fled, "Depart from here now, if you seek your doom the next full moon is on Nightmare Night. Maybe you can find some lunar silver before then."
Talbot nodded and turned to leave. Closing the door behind him, he started walking down the path that lead back to Ponyville, feeling defeated and said to himself, "Maybe this year I will get lucky and find some wolfsbane."
"Or you can pick up a rock and bash that zebra's head in.", the apparition of Bright Star said leaping from behind a fallen tree. "The big question here is that now she knows your not-so-little secret, how will you keep her from talking?"
Talbot glared at the apparition of his dead fiance. "I don't want to kill her or anypony else."
Bright Star laughed derisively. "You could just let yourself go and have fun. Imagine it, all the pony flesh you could eat between your teeth and the feel of their blood as it trickles down your muzzle."
Talbot gritted teeth and grumbled something incoherently under his breath.
Bright Star put a hoof behind her ear. "Pardon? Could you repeat that?"
"I SAID SHUT THE BUCK UP!", Talbot screamed at the apparition at the top of his voice.
Fluttershy was giving some medicine to the sick squirrel kits as her mind ran over why Talbot wanted wolfsbane, she seemed to know it from somewhere, but couldn't quite place it. Her ears perked up when she heard Talbot screaming for somepony to shut up in the Everfree Forest. 'Did he have an argument with Zecora or did he run into somepony and had an argument?', she thought as a shiver ran down her spine. Once she finished tending to the squirrel kits, she went into her cottage and flipped through the few books on herbal lore she owned. She frowned when she found nothing about wolfsbane. "I'll see if Twilight has something on it.", She said to herself.
Reaching Golden Oaks, Fluttershy raised her hoof and gently knocked on the door. She chewed on her lip nervously while waiting on the front stoop of the library and considered leaving when Spike opened the door.
"Oh, hi Fluttershy."
"Is Twilight in, Spike?"
Spike stepped aside to let the yellow pegasus in. "Yeah, she's downstairs working on an experiment. I'll tell her you're here." The purple dragon with green frills scampered to the basement door as the yellow pegasus mare made her way to the shelves, looking several books over.
The door to the basement open ad closed several times as first Fluttershy heard clawed feet walking across the floor, then the clopping of hooves. She turned her head and Twilight walking up to her, wearing a white lab coat around her body and a pair of goggles hanging from her neck.
"Fluttershy, it's good to see you!", Twilight exclaimed as she pulled off the lab coat and goggles before hanging them on a nearby peg, "Is there something you needed or is this a social call?"
"I know it sounds silly, but have you ever heard of something called wolfsbane?", Fluttershy asked before feeling very self conscious, "N-n-nevermind, now that I hear myself say it, it sounds silly. I'll just go now."
Twilight laid a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Nonsense Fluttershy, it's a perfectly valid question." She brushed the tip of her hoof across her lips in thought. "I've heard of wolfsbane. It's supposed to be a really rare herb. I think I have a book on it." She walked over to a shelf and began glancing over the titles. "Ah, here we go! Rare plants and herbs of the world." she flipped through the pages until she found where wolfsbane was listed and read out loud, "Wolfsbane, a rare flowering herb that only grows naturally in three places in the world, the foothills of the Trotsylvanian mountains, in the isolated glades of the Schwartzwald Forest in Germane and in isolated thickets in the Everfree Forest. It's closely related to Monk's cudgel and is highly toxic. Is held by many who live in Trotsylvania to have properties that ward off evil and said to only bloom only once every full moon." She turned the book around to show Fluttershy. "Is there any reason why you want to know about this rare herb?"
Fluttershy looked over the listing for wolfsbane. "There's this pony who is an old friend of Applejack and Big Mac, his name is Talbot, he was asking about wolfsbane. He said it can keep certain monsters away."
Twilight tapped her hoof to her chin, then went back to the bookshelf and pulled out a book on Trotsylvanian myths and legends. "Hmm...it says here that the ponies who live in rural Trotsyvania used to hang up clusters of wolfsbane, garlands of garlic and wreaths of wild roses because they believed that it would keep vamponies, ghosts, evil spirits and those carrying the curse of the timberwolf at bay, they used to look for weapons made of lunar silver to defend themselves, but those superstitions fell out of practice about six hundred years ago." She flipped the book around for her fiend to read.
"Um, what's lunar silver?", Fluttershy asked.
"According to ancient Equestrian legends, lunar silver was supposed to have fallen to the ground from the moon. The legends say that lunar silver is supposed to be rare and was supposed to have stopped falling to the world shortly after Lna was banished to the moon by Celestia a thousand years ago."
Fluttershy considered this before smiling to Twilight. "Thank you for you help. I'm sure he's just a superstitious pony. I'll see you later." She turned and walked to the door of the library."
"Sure thing, Fluttershy. Feel free to stop by any time.", Twilight said in a chipper tone as she escorted her friend to the door.
Applejack had noted that Talbot had become paranoid and jumpy over the past couple of weeks, she even brought it up to Big Mac, who had reassured her that he had always been a bit high strung, like an earth pony version of Twilight, but less of a bookworm.
Applejack was popping the last rivets into her Nightmare Night costume of the tinpony when the soft creaking of the barn door caught her attention. Looking up, she saw Talbot walk in with a nervous and paranoid expression on his face. "What can Ah do ya fer, Talbot?"
"What I'm about to ask you may sound a little weird. What is the most secure place you can lock somepony in?", Talbot asked.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want tuh know?"
"Please Applejack, if I wanted you and Big Mac to lock me in until the morning, what place would that be?"
Applejack sighed, she could tell something was bothering him. "Ah guess if'n we had tuh lock somepony away here on th' farm, that would be th' ol' root cellar under th' barn here. Now Talbot, why do ya want tuh be locked in that place?"
"I don't to go out tonight. Lock me in there, please.", Talbot pleaded.
Applejack chuckled. "Scared o' nightmare Night huh? Maybe you could stay over at Fluttershy's, she scared o' Nightmare Night too, maybe you two can hold each other an' be scared together."
"Applejack please!", Talbot snapped before closing his eyes and taking a breath to calm himself, "For my saftey and everypony else's, please lock me in the root cellar and don't let me out until morning."
Applejack could tell that this was a serious subject and that she may have struck a nerve. "Look, I'm sorry Talbot. If you think you'd feel safer tonight in the root cellar, I'll make sure you're locked in an' even make sure ya got plenty o' food soes y'all don't eat Granny's stash o' zap apple jam, she'd skin both of us alive if's ya did that."
Talbot gave a weary smile. "Thank you Applejack."
"So when did ya want us tuh lock ya in?"
"This evening before the moon rises."
Applejack raised an eyebrow at that, even Fluttershy waited until the sun was down completely before she locked herself in.
As evening came on Ponyville and the shadows began to lengthen, Talbot nervously began to climb down the steps that lead into the root cellar. Applejack and Big Mac passed him a couple canteens of water, a bundle with some food in it, a lantern and a box of matches. "Thank you.", he said softly.
"No problem sugar cube.", Applejack replied, "Ain't that right Mac?" "Eeyup!" Applejack closed the cellar doors and felt sorry for Talbot being left alone in the darkness. "Alright, we're lockin' y'all in fer th' night. Dun worry, ain't nopony or nothin' gon' mess with ya down there.", she said jiggling the heavy iron latch, but couldn't bring herself to actually lock the stallion in. "Ah feel right terrible an' caint bring myself to actually lock him down there.", Applejack whispered to her brother. "Eeyup.", Big Mac whispered back.
Sitting at the bottom of the stair in the root cellar, Talbot looked up at the slowly darkening sky through the gap between the doors. Sweat began to pour down his body as he could feel the full moon just below the horizon.
"Do you think they actually locked you in or that some flimsy wooden door can hold you in?", the apparition of Bright Star mocked as stepping from the shadows.
"Shutupshutupshutupshutup!", Talbot repeated over and over to the apparition as he clenched his eyes tightly while profuse sweat continued to soak his body. Suddenly his eyes snapped open at the familiar creak of wood...it was happening. The last coherent thought that wen through his mind was a prayer to Celestia that tonight would be the night he would die.
Author's Note
The first chapter in the story of the curse of the timberwolf.
Feel free to leave a comments, criticisma, throw shade or pure bane.
Thank you all for reading and I hop you all enjoy.
Attack on Nightmare Night
Twilight Sparkle, dressed in her hoofmade Clover the Clever costume opened the door to Golden Oaks at the behest of excited knocking and giggled at the collection of foals dressed in their various costume. "Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!", the foals shouted. "Alright! Alright!", she chuckled, "Here's one piece of candy for the vampony and one piece for the zompony and one for Frakenpony's monster and one for Nightmare moon!" She chuckled as she closed the door and placed the bowl of candy on the small table by the door.
Spike walked up wearing a knight's costume and reached in the bowl, pulling out a piece of candy. "Looks like we're getting a good crowd tonight.", he said unwrapping the candy and popping it in his mouth. He rolled the candy around on his tongue before reaching back in the bowl and grabbing a clawful of candies. "Looks like the ponies will get a good haul this year."
"Not if you eat it all and leave nothing for anypony else." Twilight said with a chuckle as she levitated the cand out of his clawed hand and dropped it back in the bowl, "Everypony gets one piece of candy, that means you too, Sir Pranceival."
Spike grumbled under his breath before grabbing his treat bag and heading to the door. "I'm heading out to get a might haul!", he called out, reaching for the door.
"Alright, but make sure you have enough for the Ponies of the Roundtable too!", Twilight teased.
As Spike opened the door he was greeted by Applejack in her Tinpony costume, Big Mac in his Pony from the Black Lagoon costume, Rainbow Dash in her Captain Hurricane costume, Pinkie pie in her Ponythulhu costume, Rarity in her Juliet Clopulet costume, Scootaloo in her Rainbow Dash costume, Apple Bloom in her Pony of the Opera costume and Sweetie Belle in her Doctor Pony from Doctor Pony's sing-along. "NIGHTMARE NIGHT! WHAT A FRIGHT! GIVE US SOMETHING SWEET TO BITE!", the tree fillies shouted excitedly, causing all the within earshot to wince in pain and cover their ears.
"What great costumes!", Twilight exclaimed with a chuckle as she dropped candy into the filly's bags.
Pinkie bounced forth and held out a bag in her foreleg. "Gbhhrthhshqthshsgt whhnnntythsdbbg! Nsnhcvnrkkscpp xxzz gbbbgvttrmnbhgggdtsdzzzx! Hhgnnnvhfyyryhtn mmgnnghvt bbfhhhftthrhhnnncbbgs sppkklmnnygtt ttppmmhhggffdfdrrzzzzz!"
All the ponies nearby raised an eyebrow. "Uh...wadja say Pinkie?", Applejack asked.
"She said Nightmare Night. What a fright. Giver her something sweet to bite. But she said it as Ponythulhu.", Maud said stepping up from the shadows.
"Oh!", Twilight said then dropped a piece of candy in Pinkie's bag. "So what are you going as, Maud?", She asked looking over Maud dressed in her usual frock.
"I'm going as a psychopathic killer. They look like everypony else.", Maud replied before giving a slight smile, "Actually I've never dressed up for Nightmare Night."
"Are you doing something for Nightmare Night, darling?", Rarity asked.
"Pinkie has asked me to do the hoof reading tonight. It's an old Pie family tradition dating back to the old country."
"What old country would that be, darling?"
"Qqhhqhggdtnnfnvtthfjjf sttsyhahnncbbcyyrnnjtjkxk hgjbcjbsjcbshjbsdhbsjdbcskjjakhc!"
All the ponies stared at Pinkie in confusion.
"Pinkie said that our family came from the Trotsylvanian Mountains."
"Ooooooh.", all the ponies standing at the door of Golden Oaks, minus Pinkie and Maude, said in unison.
Twilight went to ask Maud something when there was a blue flash of light and a scroll materialized above her head. She caught it in her magic before it hit the floor, rolling it over in her magic, she saw the crescent seal of Luna and opened it. "It looks like Luna can't join us this year.", she said with a frown, "She says that there is an outbreak of parasprites in Mareatonia that needs her intervention."
"Aww!", the CMCs exclaimed.
As the night wore on, ponies had spread out across Ponyville. Rainbow had gathered up some fog and changed her costume a boiler suit, hockey mask and rubber machete to look like the horror movie slasher, Ponehese. She cackled softly to herself as she directed the fog bank, in preparation to prank some ponies. "Ki ki ki mi mi mi shu shu shu!", she whispered sneaking up on a lone pony, as she used her pegasus magic to make the air go still and the fog to spread out. This is going to be hilarious! She walked in a jerky manner seeing a lone pony walking.
Rainbow dispersed the fog and jumped out, preparing to scare the pony. Suddenly the pony turned to face her, wearing its own boiler suit, a mask over its face looking like it was made from pieces of pony hide and holding a revving chainsaw in its hooves. Her eyes became pinprick as the pony reared up in its hind legs and waved the revving chainsaw over its head. "Aaaaaahhhhhhh! Leathermuzzle!", Rainbow shouted before running off.
Pinkie fell over laughing, rolling on the ground as she pulled off the Leathermuzzle mask off her head.
"You an' Dash are somethin' else, ya know that?", Applejack said.
Pinkie quickly sprung back to her feet and slipped the Leathermuzzle mask back on her head. "Be careful or Leathermuzzle will carve you up with her chainsaw and wear your face as a bib.", she said in a scary voice. She then slunk off looking to prank Rainbow again.
In town square, Maud sat in the tent preparing to read pony's hooves while wearing a large gray turban with several strings of pearls and a large jewel hanging from it.
"Go on darling.", Rarity said nudging Twilight, "I have a feeling that your fortune will hold for you...", he tone took on a mysterious waver, "...a tall, dark and mysterious stranger."
"I don't know, Rarity.", Twilight waffled, "I never really believed in fortune telling."
"Nopony does, darling. It's all just for fun.", Rarity said nudging Twilight again.
"Mac, why doncha go first an' show Twi that it's all in good fun.", AJ said bumping her brother in the side.
"Eeyup!", Big Mac said as he pulled the Pony from the Black Lagoon mask off. Trotting in the tent, he saw Maud sitting with her back turned and adjusting the turban on her head.
"Welcome to Madame Maud's fortune telling. Would you like your hoof read?"
Big Mac raised an eyebrow and looked around the tent for a bucket of paint.
"I won't pull such an easy prank.", Maud said in her usual deadpan, to which Big Mac blew out a sigh. "Place your hoof on the table and we can begin."
Big Mac complied and placed his hoof on the table, frog facing up. Maud took his massive hoof in both of her forehooves and began looking it over. Her eyes went wide as her normally stoic expression broke, being replaced by one of fear and shock. "Big Mac!", she exclaimed in a wavering whisper, "You have the mark of the pentagram on your hoof!"
"Eh, what does that mean?"
Maud locked eyes with the massive stallion, her body trembling slightly and her face a mask of fright. "The curse of the timberwolf has chosen you!" Dropping his hoof, she scrambled over to a wooden crate in the corner and kicked the top off. The gray mare fumbled around inside the crate before pulling out a black-lacquered walking cane with a stylized silver timberwolf's head. She placed the cane between her teeth and walked back over to the table, dropping it in the stallion's grip. "This is lunar silver. If you see the timberwolf, do not hesitate, strike it with this until it is dead. And don't let it bite you!"
Big Mac felt a bit confused, nothing ever rattled Maud, she was always calm, cool and collected, even when that disastrous obstacle course nearly killed her sister. Pushing the cane away, he said, "Ah thankee kindly, but Ah dun think Ah c'n..."
Maud pressed her hoof gently to the eldest Apple sibling's lips, cutting him off. "Take the cane, it will help keep you safe. If you see nothing after the full moon passes, you can give it back to me then."
Grabbing the cane in his hoof, Big placed it on his back. "Evenin' Maud." He turned and walked out of the tent.
Maud walked to the tent flap and hung a sign from it that read "be back in fifteen minutes."
As Big Mac walked up to his sisters and their friends, Rarity spoke up, noticing the unsettled look on his face, "What's the matter, darling?"
"Uh...it was weird. Maud got ll freaked out an' scared, sayin' that some sorta curse had chosen me."
"She was probably just getting to the Nightmare Night festivities, right?", Twilight said nervously.
"Uh, Twi...when have ya ever known Maud to act scared?", Applejack asked, "E'en when Pinkie was nearly crushed by that boulder from that crazy-flank obstacle course she made, Maud's face never changed once. If'n somethin's got her shook, it's gotta be bad."
Rarity levitated the cane off Mac's back and studied it with her practiced eye. "Well if nothing else darling, you've got this exquisite antique walking cane."
Twilight walked over and looked the cane over, noting the maker's marks on it. "I'll say this is an antique. These marks on the silver date back nearly eight hundred years ago, to the time of Vlad the trampler."
"Are you sure darling?", Rarity asked, looking closer at the markings on the silver head of the cane, "I thought he was a myth."
"Oh no, he was very real and was a very paranoid and violent dictator that lived in the Trotsylvanian Mountains of Canterpathia.", Twilight stated matter-of-factly.
Big Mac cleared his throat, getting the attention of the two mares. "Oh, right, Sorry Big Mac.", Rarity apologized and levitated the cane back onto his back.
Having shed her costume, Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself that Pinkie had pranked her three times tonight. Said pink mare had walked over to the cyan pegasus, having shed her own costume, draping a foreleg across her friend's withers and chirped happily, "Don't worry Dashie, there's always next year!"
Rainbow begrudgingly in her mind agreed. "Say Pinkie, where did you get that chainsaw from?"
"I borrowed it from Fluttershy a couple of days ago!"
The two mares walked along the road that led past Whitetail Woods, sharing laughs. Pinkie froze dead still in her tracks as her Pinkie sense started twitching.
"Pinkie?", Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow, "What the mmfmmfmf..."
"Shh! There' something out there in the woods!", Pinkie whispered.
Rainbow wiggled her muzzle free from Pinkie's grasp and was about to scold her friend's attempt at pranking her, when she noticed the pink mare's eyes with fright and her ears pivoting around. She in turn began pivoting her ears, only hearing on their breaths, suddenly she heard some disturbing sounds...low growling and the crunching of bones. The clouds that had covered the moon parted, bathing the countryside in soft silvery light and revealing a massive timberwolf tearing away at a body.
Rainbow gave a loud gasp, that seemed to echo in the stillness of the night. A wooden perked up and the timberwolf looked up from its prey with eyes glowing in a hateful red. The creature locked its gaze on the two terrified mares and licked a bark-covered tongue across its lips dripping with fresh blood and ichor. The wooden monster turned to face its new prey and let out a low growl before springing forward in a loping run.
The two mares let out a terrified shriek before running away. Pinkie was able to match Rainbow's speed, who was flapping as hard as her wings could carry her. If Rainbow had had the presence of mind to ask, she would have asked Pinkie how Pinkie was able to keep up with her. Legs pumping hard and breath coming in gasps from a combination of terror and exertion, Pinkie didn't notice the tree root sticking up from the ground, her hoof snagged it and in a staggering run, she tumbled headlong on the ground. "Pinkie!", Rainbow shouted and quickly swooped over to snatch her friend up from the ground. Cyan hooves snatched the pink earth pony off the ground and took off in a blur, a split second later the timberwolf clamped down on the dirt where its prey had once been.
Big Mac, Applejack and Apple Bloom were walking on the rod that lead back to Sweet Apple Acres. "Choo haff a koog nikt?", the yellow filly said around a mouthful of candy. "Dun speak with yer mouth full.", the orange mare scolded her little sister. Apple Bloom quickly chewed up the candy in her mouh, swallowed and asked again, "Did you too have a good night too?" The two elder Apple siblings laughed as they replied simultaneously, "Eeyup!"
Apple Bloom reached into her bag to fish out some more candy and Applejack took the bag from her. "Ah think y'all've had enough candy fer tuhnight." Apple Bloom tried to snatch her candy bag from her sister, who in turn flipped it up onto her back. "Hey! Give it back!" "Eh-nope!" Apple Bloom gave her sister the stink eye. "If'n Granny were out with us yuhnight, she'd let me have all Ah wanted." "Oh really?", Applejack said giving her little sister a scowl, "Ah 'member last year when Granny took yer candy bag sayin' th' same thing an' ya said 'that if'n Ah were out here with you, Ah'd eat ya eat it all'. 'Sides ya got school tumarrah." "Oh horseapples!" "Applebloom! Ya watch yer tongue lil missy or Ah'll tan yer flanks." Applebloom stuck her tongue out at her sister and blew a raspberry. "Is this watching my tongue good enough fer ya?!"
"Alright you two!", Big Mac scolded as he interjected himself between his two sisters, "You two cut it out!" As Apple Bloom laid ger ears back and hung her head low after being scolded and Applejack held her head high in victory, Big Mac reached his hoof into the bag of cand and pulled out one piece. "Ah dun see no problem with ya havin' jus' one more piece...right after Ah eat this'un." He unwrapped the piece of candy and popped it in his mouth, then tossed a piece to his baby sister.
Applejack bumped her brother. "An' that's why she dun wanna listen tuh me half th time." The three Apple siblings began jostling each other while laughing. "C'mere!", Applejack exclaimed as she put her sister in a headlock and gave her a noogie. "Both o' you c'mere!", Big Mac exclaimed as he put both his sister in headlocks and started pushing their snouts together, "Kiss!"
The two Apple sisters wiggled out of their big brother's headlock, knowing that if he wanted to hold them there, then Celestia herself couldn't have pried his forelegs loos and wiped their hooves across their lips while sputtering. "Alright mister, ya done gone an' brought this on yer own head!", Applejack half shouted/half giggled as she put him in a full nelson, "Apple Bloom! Work th' ribs!" "No no no!", Big Mac begged as his baby sister began tickling his ribs.
A cyan and pink blur flew by, causing the three siblings stop what they were doing. "Timberwolf!", a familiar sandy, raspy voice shouted. A few seconds later a menacing growl from the darkness came, followed by a pair of red glowing eyes.
Without even thinking Applejack grabbed Apple Bloom up by the scruff of her neck with her mouth and tossed her on her back. Big Mac took up a defensive stance as his two sister took off, leaving the bag of candy laying on the ground in their wake.
The timberwolf started to lope after the orange mare with the yellow filly on her back, Big Mac lunged forward, throwing his weight into the wooden monster and flipped it over his body. As the beast scrambled back up to its feet, Big Mac snorted as he pawed the ground with a hoof. As the timberwolf pounced, he turned bucking his powerful hind legs into the creature. Instead of shattering, the wooden wolf sailed backwards and a shock wave ran up Macintosh's body as if he just kicked the mightiest tree in the whole of the Everfree.
The timberwolf landed hard on the ground with a loud crunch and quickly rolled up to its feet. In the second that the wooden monster was rising up to its feet, Big Mac mused why it was acting differently than other timberwolves and why was it attacking alone rather than with a pack, he didn't have time to further pursue that line of thought as the monster began a loping charge. Rearing up on his hind legs, the earth pony stallion slammed a hard and powerful hoof into the wooden predator's eye. With a surprised yip, the wooden monstrosity staggered away and Big Mac charged forward, lowering his head in a charge. The red stallion slammed his immense bulk into the wooden abomination, sending it tumbling away.
As the timberwolf tumbled on the ground, Big Mac turned to run away, trying to put as much space between the creature as he could. As the timberwolf struggled back up to its feet, rage and the desire to kill overpowered any predatory instincts that would have told it to find easier prey. The timberwolf set out in a loping charge after the red stallion. As it pounced, Big Mac dove to the left to avoid the snapping jaws, but was a little too slow.
Big Mac cried out in pain as powerful jaws clamped down on his leg and sharp wooden teeth sank into his flesh. The timberwolf shook its head in an attempt to rip the limb off. Summoning up all the strength her could, Big Mac kicked backwards with his free leg, digging a hoof onto the monster's eye with enough force to make a loud crack.
Big Mac sailed through the air as the timberwolf released its hold on his hind leg. All the air rushed out through his lungs as he impacted on the ground. The stallion drug himself to his hooves, ignoring his spasming and burning lungs. Out of the corner of his eye Big Mac could have sworn he saw the timberwolf give a perverse smile as it licked the blood from its lips with its bark-covered tongues.
Limping, Big Mac circled to his tight to keep the monster in front of him and keep it off balance. The timberwolf loped forward and pounced, the red pony rolled on the ground to avoid its snapping jaws. Big Mac rose back to his hooves and planted his three good legs under him. As the monster leapt through the air again and Macintosh ducked to the side, avoiding the creature's bulk. As he turned to put the predator in front of him again, a glint of metal in the moonlight caught his attention for a split second.
As the timberwolf started charging again, Big Mac snatched up the metallic object in his hoof to better defend himself. Instantly he recognized it as the walking cane Maud had given him. Without hesitation, Big Mac swung the head of the cane at the charging wooden apex predator. The monster bayed in pain as the silver wolf-shaped head impacted its cheek and it thrashed about on the ground in pain for a second before regaining its footing and rising up, wiping a wooden paw across its face trying to wipe the pain away.
Big Mac stared stunned as the timberwolf howled in pain before rising to its feet, he further gaped at the visible crack in the wooden wolf's cheek with a wisp of smoke curling up from it. The timberwolf circled Big Mac, as the stallion circled as well to keep the vicious predator in front of him. As the magical beast stared at the pony, a single coherent thought bubbled up in its brain 'I can die. '. The thought was quickly subsumed by rage and the desire to kill.
As the timberwolf charged again, Big Mac raised the cane above his head and brought it down on the monster's head with a shout, the timberwolf slumped to the ground. Big Mac didn't take any chances and continued to bring the head of the walking cane down over and over again until it broke, sending the silver head sailing through the dark night air.
With his tongue hanging out his mouth and panting in exhaustion, Big Mac backed up several paces, keeping his eyes on the creature. His eyes flew open in shock as the timberwolf began shrinking, soon to be replaced by his colthood friend, Talbot. Talbot's vision slowly faded as he saw his old friend staring in disbelief at him, he tried to speak to thank Big Mac, only to find that his strength failed him. The world faded away into darkness for Talbot, only to be replaced by a sun soaked wide open verdant field with Bright Star, the unicorn mare beckoning to him. Talbot found his strength returned to him as he sprung off into the sunlit field after his fiance.
Big Mac stared in horror as the last breath slowly escaped his colthood friend's body and he slumped lifelessly on the ground, wounds from the fight opening up in his body. The world spun around Big Mac from a combination of confusion and his injuries. He felt his eyes roll up in his head and the world vanished into nothingness.
Dreams of the full moon, teeth and blood played through Big Mac's mind, he snapped awake in a room shouting in fright as sunlight poured in through window. Applejack, who was sitting in a corner sleeping, awoke at her brother's shouting with a snort. Big Mac quickly snapped his head around trying to figure out where he was, soon the fog in his head cleared as the smell of antiseptic filled his nostrils, he realized he was in a hospital and he saw his sister walking to him with misty eyes.
Applejack pulled Big Mac in a tight hug. "Good to see yer awake.", she said after a few sniffles. Big Mac wrapped wrapped his forelegs around his sister, hugging her back. After they parted from the hug, she slugged him in the shoulder, "That's fer tryin' tuh fight a timberwolf on yer own." She pulled him back into the hug as her voice cracked, "When Mr. Cake came by the farmhouse last night an' said ya were in th' hospital, Ah assumed th' worst." She began to tremble as tears began to pour forth.
Big Mac wrapped his forelegs around his sister again and gently cradled her head against his shoulder. "It's okay AJ, jus' let it all out." The door opened drawing hiss attention, revealing Apple Bloom and Granny Smith.
"BIG MAC!", Apple Bloom shouted as she sprinted into the room and did a flying leap into the hospital bed with her older sister and brother, hugging him tight while planting kisses on his cheeks.
Big Mac grunted in pain as his baby sister landed on him. "Apple Bloom! My ribs!" Apple Bloom laid her ears flat and slid off the bed, "Ah-Ah'm sorry. Ah was so scared that ya were badly hurt an' jus' so excited that ya were okay."
Big Mac gently pushed Applejack away and mussed up the bright red mane of Apple Bloom. "S'ok sis, jus' a lil banged up is all."
Granny Smith hobbled in the room and hugged her grandson. "Jus' soes ya know, this dun excuse you from doin' yer chores none. Caint have one o' my gan'babies thinkin' theys can get a lazy like on me or else all three will be actin' all lazy like.", she said with a cackle parting from the hug.
"Eh-nope!", Big Mac said with a half chuckle, "Caint have me all actin' all lazy like none, or else AJ here'll think she c'n get away with bein' lazy." Applejack playfully slugged her brother in the shoulder, then the whole Apple clan shared a big hug.
At the door the doctor cleared his throat, interrupting the Apple group hug. "I'm sorry for interrupting this tender moment, but I need to inspect Big Mac's injuries."
The three Apple mares nodded quietly and walked out the room, Granny pausing to give the doctor the "I'm watching you" gesture.
The doctor and Big Mac shared an awkward chuckle as he closed the door. "You're lucky to have such a caring family.", the doctor said. Too whit Big Mac replied, "Eeyup!" The doctor pulled off the covers to better inspect Big Mac's injuries. "Hmm...", he said as he poked around the bite marks on Big Mac's leg, "...everything is looking good so far and you should be out of here in a couple of days."
Big Mac blew out a sigh of relief as the doctor continued, "Now when you get out of here, I want you to take it easy for a few weeks so you can heal properly." "Yup!", Big Mac replied.
It had been weeks since Big Mac got out of the hospital, though his bruised ribs had healed, the wounds on his leg was still healing and it itched like crazy. Walking out on the farm in the crisp morning air, he began working on the light chores that Granny had put him on, if pulling weeds in her gardens, stacking bails of hay, repairing buckets and loading apples in crates or the juicer could qualify as "light". After breaking for lunch, he set out to feed the chickens and pigs.
Walking over to the coup, he began calling, "Here chick-chick-chick!" The chickens his behind the hen house, clucking nervously as they peeked around the corner at him, which he took as chickens being chickens.
That night as Big Mac laid in his bed trying to sleep, sweat drenched his body. "There should be no reason I'm sweatin up a storm.", he muttered to himself as he got up from bed, "Winter starts in a couple o' weeks." Walking over to the window, he opened it to let some air in and laid back down.
Big Mac dreamt that he was running through a red-tinted world, his sense were heightened as he felt the wind fill his lungs. In his dream, he leapt at a hen house and the chickens gave frightened, shrieking clucks. The hot taste of iron filled his mouth and ran down his throat. His continued with him bounding into a wooded area and began chasing a deer, the desire to kill was overwhelming. He tasted the hot splash of iron in his mouth and the loud crunching of bones.
A beam of sunlight struck Big Mac square in the eye, waking hi from his disturbed slumber. Stretching, he smacked his lips, tasting the taste of iron on his lips. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and looked around. He wasn't in his room, or even on the farm, he was in the woods and the half eaten body of a deer was nearby. "Huh? What? Where am I?" He staggered away until he made his way back to the farm, where he heard Applejack calling for him.
"Big Mac?! Where didja go?", AJ asked.
"Ah..uh...Ah dunno. Ah think I was sleepwalkin' last night."
Author's Note
I would have had this out about three days sooner, but I accidentally closed the window, losing nearly three thousand words.
Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoy.
Please feel free to leave a comment, criticism, throw shade or pure bane.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
"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.
