28 Days To Armageddon

The next day was troubling for everypony. Not only did Twilight spend yet another period in the hospital, but she began to show signs of the disease. Her muscles began growing, slightly at first, but then rather noticeably. Her fur started to glitch, turning black, then white, then back to its lustrous purple before repeating the cycle. The purple orbs embedded in her head would flash open, look around desperately, and then close once again. The doctors tried to get her to calm down, but to no avail. Whenever somepony touched her, she’d snap at them.

As for her friends, they could do nothing but stand in a corner helplessly. To say that what was happening crushed their spirits would be an understatement. The tears continued to flow as they watched what was happening to their dear friend. Seeing her in that amount of pain and distress was too much to bear for some, so they left the room. But their friends didn’t judge them. They understood the sheer amount of horror pulsating through their minds. One or two felt like doing the same, but then they remembered the times Twilight had stuck by them. So, they remained, wanting very much to show their support.

Doctors and nurses pooled around Twilight’s bed in an almost constant flow of care. Some brought food, others water. A third group checked the intravenous drip stuck in her foreleg, and a fourth ran a slew of tests. Now that they knew what they were dealing with, they could take somewhat appropriate action. Unfortunately, Lycantropy was such a rare disease that all they could do was slow its progression. They could not fully stop it. The cure that Stethoscope had spoken of was still a few days away from completion. It was imperative that Twilight remain in the room until that time.

But then, as the sun set on that day, something dreadful happened. Twilight suddenly began jerking about in bed. It seemed to be a reaction to Celestia’s lowering of the heavenly body. Her friends leapt on her and tried to restrain her, but to no avail. As soon as the sun set and the full moon was raised, she unleashed her true power. The disease had fully infected her mind. She grew three times her size, and her hooves unveiled horrible claws. Her teeth became as sharp as knives, and two extra horns grew beside her original. Those familiar purple eyes glowed red with anger, and a carnivorous hunger. She was fully awake, and her need was to feed.

She did not recognize the terrified ponies that cowered in a corner. They attempted to reason with her, and some even begged. But it did nothing. Twilight advanced upon them, her claws threatening to slash their throats. They shivered against each other and prayed that it might be a quick and painless death. The modified nails gleamed in the moonlight as Twilight brought her hoof down upon them with crushing force. It was enough to kill anypony, and they suddenly wondered what death would be like.

But then, suddenly, three ponies raced in and grabbed her. One was Stethoscope, and he had two mare nurses with him. They held on for dear life as Twilight thrashed about wildly, destroying most of the medical instruments in the room. A nurse managed to grab hold of Twilight’s mane and pull on it, causing a yelp from the new werepony. But this only served to make her angrier, and she turned on the hapless doctor and his assistants, killing them with one swipe of her mighty hoof. But, thanks to their sacrifice, Twilight’s friends were able to escape to safety as another nurse shut a special door that the werepony couldn’t break through.

The friends dashed out of the hospital and galloped full tilt to the police station. They excitedly told the sergeant and his patrol ponies all that had happened. Of course, the officers were a bit skeptical, but they went and took a look anyway. By that point, Twilight had escaped from her room and was holding that entire wing of the hospital as panicked hostages. The police ponies fired some magic blasts at her, but nothing fazed her. She simply backed off of one potential meal and fell upon the next one. This time, she succeeded, gulping down one of the brave officers as his partners watched in horror.

“Now, see here!” The sergeant yelled, “you’ve just murdered an officer of the law! You’re under arrest!”

“DO TWILIGHT LOOK LIKE TWILIGHT CARES?!” Came the growled response, “TWILIGHT HUNGRY…TWILIGHT MUST FEEEEEEED!”

The ponies stood in shock, not only at the fact that Twilight was communicative, but also at her uptick in violence. She was normally such a peaceful pony, who preferred the company of her friends and a good book. Now, she was a completely different creature. A monster unlike any of them had ever beheld before. Flecks of foam flooded the corners of her mouth like some kind of demonic sea. As she advanced upon them, they were finally able to get a good look and see just how sick she truly was. She growled at them, making her predatory intentions plain, and they raced from the hospital once again.

“Please, sergeant!” Mist yelled as they galloped along, “you must refrain from arresting her! She’s sick! She’s been infected with Lycantropy!”

“Lycantropy?!” The sergeant yelled back, “but…I thought that only existed in legends!”

“It’s true!” Rainbow Dash called, “Twilight has Lycantropy! She was infected by somepony else!”

“Well, who infected her?! We can book ‘em for poisoning your friend!”

“That’s just it!” Applejack shouted, “we have no idea who did this to her! By the time we got to where she was bein’ held hostage, the perp had fled the scene!”

“THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!” Rarity yelled in a dramatic flourish.

“Quick!” The sergeant yelled, “everypony into The Everfree Forest!”

“But, why?!” Fluttershy shrieked.

“Because we can hide and trick Twilight! Now, go!”