Chapters Camp Everfree - Main Campground
Once again, the students of CHS are staying at Camp Everfree for a week. Of course, the Rainbooms were there to have wilderness-related fun as well. Right now, they had to meet Timber Spruce and Gloriosa for roll call. Joining them was Trixie and one of her bandmates, Lavender Lace.
"Hey Trixie, how'd you sleep?" Pinkie asked.
"Pretty well, actually. Thanks for recommending that new sleeping bag. I slept like a log," Trixie said with a stretch.
"Say, Trixie, have you seen Fuchsia Blush? I didn't see her when we woke up," Lavender asked.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since last night. Maybe she's in the bathroom or something," Trixie said.
"Fuchsia wasn't there when you woke up?" Sunset asked.
"Last I remember, she said she was going for a stroll around the lake last night," Trixie replied. "I'm sure she'll be around for roll call".
They lined up with the rest of the campers for roll call from the counselors. Timber and Gloriosa walked up to get a roll call of all the campers. The Rainbooms all answered the calls and Trixie and Lavender gave out there answers, but then he called for Fuchsia Blush.
"Fuchsia Blush!" Timber called.
No response. In fact, she wasn't even there. They all looked around in confusion. She wasn't there at all.
"Okay, does anyone know where Fuchsia is?" Timber asked.
"Maybe she's in the bathroom," Trixie suggested.
"Well, can someone go look for her?" Gloriosa asked.
"I can go look for her," Lavender said.
Lavender went off to go look for Fuchsia. She made it all the way to the women's bathroom to look for her.
"Fuchsia! You in here?" she called out.
Nothing. There was no answer. Lavender looked under the stall doors to see a pair of feet under some of them. But there were no feet in any of them. She left the bathroom and rushed back to the others.
"Fuchsia's not in the bathroom! I don't know where she is," Lavender said.
Nervous murmurs spread throughout the campers about their missing friend. Things might've escalated had Timber Spruce not gotten their attention.
"Okay! We've got a missing camper! I'm going to need everyone to look for her!" Timber called out. "Spread out into teams and look for her".
"Where did you see her last?" Gloriosa asked Trixie.
"Last night in our tent. She said she wanted to walk around the lake," Trixie said.
"Alright then that's where we'll search. Everyone! Spread out and find Fuchsia!" Timber said.
All of the campers headed to the lake to search the area. Gloriosa stayed behind.
"I'm going to call the police, just in case," Gloriosa said.
While Gloriosa was doing that, Timber joined the campers in searching for Fuchsia. Once they got to the lake, everyone spread out into teams to search the area. Trixie and Lavender Lace joined Pinkie and Fluttershy in one team, Rarity joined Sunset and Twilight, and Rainbow Dash accompanied Applejack.
The several teams then split up to join the search.
...
With Trixie, Lavender, Pinkie, and Fluttershy
Trixie and Lavender were beside themselves with worry for their friend. Pinkie and Fluttershy tried their best to comfort them.
"I'm sure she's fine," Fluttershy said.
"Yeah, maybe she got lost somewhere on her walk and we'll find her curled up under a tree," Pinkie said.
"You really think so?" Lavender asked.
"Yeah. She'll be fine," Pinkie said. "In fact, I think I'll bake her a special cake when we find her!"
"Besides, the police are coming to assist with the search," Fluttershy reminded them.
That combined with Pinkie's boundless optimism seemed to work to assuage Trixie's and Lavender's worries about their missing friend. They now have the confidence that Fuchsia was fine. Suddenly, Pinkie's attention was drawn to a particular tree.
"Hey, Fluttershy, look over here!" Pinkie said running to the tree.
The others approached the tree to see a set of claw marks scratched along the tree. Fluttershy looked at the claw marks with an analytical look on her face. The others looked at the claw marks with worry.
"What made those? A bear?" Trixie asked.
"I don't think it was a bear," Fluttershy replied. "The spacing between the claws is too big".
"Besides, there are no bears around Canterlot," Pinkie said.
The claw marks ran deep into the tree, indicating the sharpness of the claws. Whatever made these was big and powerful.
Before they could try to figure out what made the marks, a scream echoed out in the distance. The team ran back to the lake to locate the source of the scream.
They won't like what they find there.
Camp Everfree - Late Afternoon
The police were gathered in great numbers to the campground to tend to the situation that had just occurred. What was once a simple search for a missing camper had turned into a homicide investigation. Right now, Sheriff Silverstar was talking to Derpy, the one who found Fuchsia. Lyra and Vinyl Scratch were standing on both sides of her rubbing her arms to calm her.
"Alright my dear, I know this may be difficult for ya to talk about, but if you could, could you please tell me what you saw?" Sheriff Silverstar asked.
It took Derpy a while to respond. Not that anyone could've blamed her. What she saw gave her quite a fright, and the sheriff was not going to rush her.
"Well, we were... searching the area for... our friend Fuchsia. We were looking... around the east part of the lake," Derpy said between sobs. "We got pretty deep... into the woods and then...".
With Sheriff Silverstar
Once the sheriff had gotten everything he needed from the witnesses, he headed to the spot where the body was found. Joining him was his deputy, Deputy Bronze.
"What's the status of the body, Deputy?" Silverstar asked.
"We have the lab techs searching the area, but we didn't touch the body at all," Deputy Bronze replied.
The two officers arrived to a pretty grisly scene. In fact, it took everything for Sheriff Silverstar to keep himself from vomiting all over the ground.
Laying on the ground just twenty feet away from them was to body of Fuchsia. But she was in a wretched state. The poor girl was completely ripped apart. The girl was missing her right arm and left leg. Her organs were missing completely while the remaining arm, leg, and ribs were gnawed to the bone, with visible tooth marks on them. Her face was a frozen mask of fear and her eyes were glazed over and milky eyes.
"Jesus! This is horrible!" Sheriff Silverstar said.
"It is indeed, sir, but at least we know she wasn't killed by another human," Deputy Bronze said.
"Have the lab techs gotten anything from the body or the surrounding area?" Sheriff Silverstar asked.
"Well, we're going to take the body to the medical examiner for the real work, but we're trying to gather as much as we can from the body," Bronze replied.
"Has her family been informed?"
"Not yet. But I have a feeling they're going to find out pretty soon".
"But since we know a human didn't do this to her, call the wildlife agency. Someone there must know something about this".
"Roger that, Sheriff".
The sheriff looked to the body and wracked his brain for what kind of animal could've done this. As far as he knew, there were no large predators near Canterlot apart from coyotes. But still, this didn't look like a coyote attack. Wolves and bears have been extinct in the region for over two hundred years. There were no mountain lions that far east, either. He'd have to wait for the wildlife agency to help him out.
...
With the Rainbooms
Things have really soured for the entire camp once Fuchsia's body was discovered. Right now, the Rainbooms were trying to comfort Trixie and Lavender.
"I can't believe it! Fuchsia's gone!" Trixie cried into Sunset's shoulder.
"She's dead! She's actually dead!" Lavender cried.
"I'm so sorry, girls. I'm truly sorry," Pinkie said.
While that was going on, Timber and Gloriosa were talking to the police for a while. Once they were gone, they all approached the gathered campers.
"Okay, everyone! We've informed your families of what's happened here at the camp and they'll be here to pick you up!" Timber said.
"Until this matter is resolved, we and the police think it we be best if you were not here for your own safety!" Gloriosa said.
"But what will that mean for you?" Octavia asked.
"We'll make it by just fine," Timber replied. "But your safety is our primary concern".
"For now, just gather your things and your families will pick you up later tonight!" Timber said.
The campers all returned to their tents to begin packing up their things. Trixie and Lavender both went back to their tent by themselves. They wanted to be alone.
...
Later That Evening
Trixie was feeling awful. One of her best friends was violently killed and they were leaving the camp. Her tears took a long time to dry, but she managed to get herself packed relatively quickly. Once the final pair of socks were packed, she heard the call of nature.
"Lavender, I'm heading to the bathroom. I'll be back," Trixie said nonchalantly.
"Okay," Lavender replied equally nonchalantly.
Trixie left the tent and took the long path to the bathroom facility. The full moon was rising over the horizon like a watchful eye. The woods were somewhat lit by the light of the moon, giving Trixie a good view of where to go. She arrived at the bathroom and locked herself in a stall.
"Oh Fuchsia. I wish you were still here with us," Trixie said.
The sound of the door crashing open startled Trixie to the point where she let out a short yelp of surprise. Her heart was racing from the scare. She heard what sounded like a dog's feet walking on the tiled bathroom floor. But from the sound of the footsteps, it was walking on two legs.
What the fuck is in here ? Trixie thought.
Whatever it was in the bathroom with her, it started sniffing the air as an animal would when searching for something like prey. When the thing got to the stall Trixie was in, the sniffing sound stopped. It was standing right outside the door. It was a silent stand-off between Trixie and the thing outside the stall until something powerful hit the door.
Trixie screamed in fear as the door started to crack around the hinges until it came off completely. Trixie couldn't see much due to the darkness of the bathroom, but she did make out a tall humanoid silhouette. The thing grabbed Trixie by the neck and threw her out of the stall before she could scream. She hit the door so hard that it too came off its hinges and cushioned her fall.
Her vision swam and she felt like more than a few ribs were broken. Electric pain shot through her entire body. She tried to crawl away and call for help, but her throat was too bruised from the thing grabbing her. From behind her came a low growl. She looked behind her to see the thing that grabbed her standing in the doorway. She still could fully make out what it was except that it was tall and had glowing blue eyes. It charged towards her so fast that it was nothing more than a blur.
A set of razor-sharp teeth sank deeply into Trixie's shoulder where it meets her neck. Trixie tried to scream, but the creature's teeth were blocking her throat. It then thrashed her around violently until it lifted her and threw her across the path a good twenty feet. She heard her attacker approach from behind. Trixie braced herself for a finishing blow.
"Trixie! Are you okay?!" a familiar voice shouted from the distance.
The creature took off at hearing the voice of Lavender approaching. Trixie looked up the path to see Lavender approaching with a flashlight. Upon the light shining on a bleeding and beaten Trixie, Lavender rushed towards her with a gasp.
"Trixie! What happened to you?!" she cried.
The injured Trixie struggled to answer with a punctured lung, but she did manage to smile.
"I'm so... happy you're... here," Trixie said with blood coming from her mouth.
"Stay with me, Trixie! Stay with me! I'll call the cops! There still here!" Lavender said.
But Trixie was already unconscious. Lavender wasn't about to let another friend die if she could help it.
Trixie wasn't sure where she was, exactly. But she did know that it was a dark forest at night. However, it wasn't a normal forest.
Streams of shadows were blowing from the dark trees as if blown by a wind Trixie couldn't feel. She didn't know where she was, but she had a feeling that she was heading towards a desired destination. As she walked, she couldn't help but get the feeling that she was being watched.
She walked out into a large clearing with the same dark trees all around. It felt like she had to be in the clearing for some reason.
Many dark shapes emerged from the trees on the opposite side of where Trixie stood. The shapes took the form of huge wolves with glowing golden eyes. The shadowy wolves parted for another shape emerging from behind them.
The form of a tall bipedal creature emerged from behind the wolves. It was tall and thin, but gave off a sense of great strength. Its head was somewhat wolf-like, with pointed ears and a shortened muzzle. It gazed at Trixie with bright icy-blue eyes and held out a clawed hand to Trixie.
" Come to me," the creature said in an echoed voice.
Trixie woke up with a start. She threw off a set of covers covering her body. A cold sweat poured from her forehead and her heartrate was through the roof.
Now that she was awake, Trixie saw that she was in a hospital room. She looked to the sides of her bed and saw the classic machines one was normally hooked up to. Trixie looked to her arm and saw an IV hooked up to a bag of saline and another one hooked up to a bag of A-positive blood. A nurse walked in and smiled to see Trixie awake.
"Miss Lulamoon, you're awake! That's good!" the nurse said. "I'm Nurse Redheart, you're nurse helping you recover".
"How long have I been asleep?" Trixie asked.
"About a whole day," Nurse Redheart replied. "But that makes sense, given your injuries".
"My injuries?"
"You don't remember? You were attacked by an animal at Camp Everfree. You're lucky to be alive".
"My friends, are they okay?"
"They're fine. They've barely left your side until we had to take you in for surgery. Funny thing, though, some of your wounds seemed to just disappear before we started".
"Well, I strangely feel a lot better".
"Good. Still though, the doctor thinks you should remain here for a while for a few tests. We vaccinated you for rabies while you were unconscious but we want to test your blood for other viruses just in case".
"Fine. Whatever gets me out of here faster".
Trixie laid back in her bed with a slight ache in her throat. Nurse Redheart smiled.
"Is there anything I can get you?" she asked.
"Well, I do feel pretty hungry and thirsty," Trixie said.
"I'll get you food and water right away," Redheart said.
Once Redheart left, Trixie laid back wondering about her dream.
"What the fuck was that dream about?" she asked herself.
A dream about a dark forest, wolves, and a tall monster telling her to go to it. That left Trixie feeling weirded out. Why would she be dreaming about stuff like that? Maybe it had something to do with that thing that attacked her. Her train of thought was interrupted by Nurse Redheart returning to her room with a tray full of food and a small cup of water. The growling in her stomach kicked it up to high-gear at the sight of food.
"Okay, Trixie, I brought you some chicken breast, some mashed potatoes, some applesauce, and water," Redheart said.
As soon as Redheart set the tray down on her bed, Trixie grabbed hold of the food and ate it with her bare hands. She didn't even acknowledge the plastic knife and fork she was given. Nurse Redheart looked at her with surprise.
"Well, it's nice to see you've got an appetite," Redheart said with a smile.
Trixie laid back on the bed with satisfaction. Redheart went to the window next to Trixie's bed.
"It's a bit dark in here. We should let you get some sun," Redheart said before opening the window.
The light suddenly thrust into the room made Trixie's eyes feel like they were on fire. She thrust her hands in front of her eyes and gave a growl.
"Shut the blinds!!" she shouted.
Nurse Redheart shut the blinds quickly. Once she did, Trixie looked around with relief. But as she did, Nurse Redheart noticed that Trixie's eyes had changed. They looked at her with a shining glow, like an animal's eyes at night. She found herself staring intently at Trixie's eyes.
"What's wrong?" Trixie asked.
"N-nothing! I was just surprised by you shouting, that's all," Redheart replied.
"Sorry about that. It's just that my eyes feel sensitive to light," Trixie said.
"Nothing to worry about," Redheart said. "Also, since most of your injuries have healed up nicely, you should be discharged later tonight".
"That's nice to hear. I'm sure my friend Lavender is worried sick about me," Trixie said.
Nurse Redheart left with the mental note of taking some of Trixie's blood for testing. Seeing Trixie's eyes shining made her uneasy. If there was something wrong, her blood would reveal it.
Jawbone Jed's Cabin
In the woods far outside the city of Canterlot was a simple-looking cabin home to Jawbone Jed, the town hermit with a prosthetic leg and scars on his face. He made a decent living making and selling wood carvings and growing beautiful flowers for people. Apart from that, he was an experienced outdoorsman. He was planning to settle down for the night with his two dogs when the news channel came on.
"And this just in: a young teenage camper was found dead on the grounds of Camp Everfree yesterday morning ," the news anchor said. "Authorities believe it to be an animal attack. All the campers have been sent home for there own safety ."
"But that's not the only interesting thing. Apparently, one of the other campers was attacked, but managed to survive ," the second anchor said. "She's now in the hospital receiving treatment for her injuries. But it's weird since there are no large predators in this side of the nation anymore. What's weirder is that the tracks found don't match any known animal ".
Jed's eyes went outside to look at the moon. Once again, the moon was full and bright. It seemed that the beast had resurfaced. One of the victims survived, too. That was even worse for everyone. Jed walked over to a small box on the mantlepiece and pulled out a necklace. The necklace was a simple leather strap with long fangs tied to them. Jed stroked each one of the teeth.
"I'm sorry, guys. It looks like things have gotten bad again," Jed said with his deep Southern accent. "But I may not be able to do much this time. I hope y'all can give me the strength to fight".
Jed had gotten up and went to his dogs next. The two hounds licked at his face in excitement. Jed chuckled slightly. These dogs had been with him forever.
"I hope you two are ready for a hunting trip," Jed said.
Both the dogs barked with excitement. Jed then got up and walked over to the entrance to his basement. He would have to prepare himself for hunting once again. He wouldn't let anyone die on his watch.
Trixie's Dream Forest
Trixie once again found herself in the shadowy forest while she slept in her home. She was once again in the clearing she found before. The sound of howling wolves brought her attention to the trees. She saw the glowing eyes of the wolves as the entered the clearing. Once they were in the clearing, the wolves started singing a lullaby.
"Hush now, dear little lost lamb Run with us through this forested land
The sweet, tender sheep will sleep silent Your fangs will make them go quiet
You now have the wolf's haunting might You are now a lord of the moonlit night"
As soon as the wolves were done singing, the wolfish creature emerged from the forest and pointed a claw at Trixie with a smile full of gleaming fangs.
" You will join us very soon, dear," the creature said.
Canterlot High School - The Next Day
Trixie was more than happy to be out of the hospital. Especially since Nurse Redheart insisted on taking a blood sample for further testing. Trixie didn't really understand why, but it was better than being cooped up in that hospital room. Her wounds had, amazingly, healed up without even barely-visible scars. Even the other doctors said that it was bizarre, but Trixie was happy with it.
Trixie had a strange time going to school to say the least. The entire time she was walking to school, she felt overwhelmed by all the sights, sounds, and smells of her environment. She woke up listening to people having a loud argument from seven houses away, smell car exhaust from two football stadiums away, and her eyes were hurting from the light of the sun. She had to put on a pair of sunglasses and tried to ignore the sensory stimuli.
Once she made it to school, someone glomped onto Trixie from behind. She looked and saw her friend Lavender Lace looking at her with tearful eyes.
"Trix! I'm so glad you're okay! I thought you died that night at camp!" she cried into Trixie's shoulder blade.
"Lav, it's fine. I'm okay. My wounds have healed and despite my senses, I'm feeling great and powerful!" Trixie said.
"Your senses?"
"Ever since I woke up in the hospital, I can see, smell, and hear things better".
"That sounds cool! What can you smell now?"
Trixie took a sniff in the air and smelled something strangely sweet. Like she was smelling a batch of cupcakes. What's more is that she could tell where the scent was coming from. The scent was rapidly approaching her from her right-hand side.
"Hey, Trixie! Glad to see you're okay!" Pinkie said, wrapping Trixie in an anaconda hug.
The rest of the Rainbooms joined their friend in giving Trixie their well-wishes. It warmed Trixie's heart somewhat so see her friends genuinely concerned for her health. But their closeness nearly overwhelmed her nose and Pinkie's voice left her ears ringing. It took everything in Trixie to keep herself from pushing them away.
"Say, Trixie, how about we celebrate your recovery by having a party tonight at my house?" Pinkie asked.
"You know what, that may be a good thing. I could use a bit of cheering right about now," Trixie replied.
"Good! I'll have everything ready by tonight! Be at my place by eight o'clock!" Pinkie said.
Trixie and the others went inside the school to go about their day. But Trixie had to be careful with her senses.
...
Cafeteria
Lunchtime couldn't have come sooner. Trixie was starving. She ate breakfast before she left, but her stomach was acting like she hadn't eaten for two days. Her mouth was visibly watering by the time she got her food from Granny Smith. She went to her usual table and began to eat.
Soon enough, Lavender and the Rainbooms all joined Trixie just as she finished wolfing down her food. They all seemed look at her in shock. As soon as she was finished, she looked away in embarrassment.
"Uh, sorry. I was just really hungry," Trixie said.
"Well, your appetite is a good sign that you're recovering," Twilight said.
"Yes, you certainly seem healthier," Sunset said.
"To tell you guys the truth, I feel great. Even a bit stronger," Trixie said.
"Do you still have the thing with your senses?" Lavender asked.
"Wait, what about your senses?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, ever since I woke up in the hospital, my senses have seemed to sharpen," Trixie said.
"Like sight, hearing, and smell?" Pinkie asked.
"Yeah. In fact, I could smell Pinkie before she hugged me this morning," Trixie replied.
"And is enhanced sight the reason why you're wearing sunglasses?" Twilight asked.
"Yep. And I can hear things a lot better, too," Trixie replied.
"What can you smell right at this moment?" Fluttershy asked.
Trixie leaned towards Fluttershy and took a deep sniff. The scent she caught was something soft, familiar, and slightly earthy. It seemed to form a mental image in her mind's eye in the shape of a rabbit.
"You have the smell of your pet rabbit on you. You cuddled with him this morning before you left, judging from the strength of the scent," Trixie said.
"That... that's right!" Fluttershy said.
"What can you smell on me?" Pinkie asked.
Trixie took another sniff from Pinkie. It was something of a mixture between sweet and hot and bitter. But Trixie was somehow able to determine what it was.
"You forgot to brush your teeth this morning and you ate some raisin and oatmeal cookies for breakfast," Trixie said. "I can smell the morning breath from you".
"That's true!" Pinkie said with an exaggerated look of shock.
"Okay, that's pretty awesome! Me next!" Rainbow said.
Trixie sniffed in Rainbow's direction. She smelled like a combination of something cool and sweet, yet also rank and hot. There was another scent, too. It was something strong and somewhat reminiscent of fish.
"You just came here from gym class, as indicated by the BO I smell," Trixie said. "But you did at least take a shower this morning with vanilla-scented body wash. I can also tell you masturbated recently".
That last sentence had everyone in that group turn towards Rainbow, who looked like she was about to die right then and there. She blushed and looked away.
"That... that's too much info, dude," Rainbow said quietly.
"If it helps, I can tell that you should probably see a gynecologist about that. That smell isn't normal," Trixie said.
Rainbow glared at Trixie with shocked indignance, but she didn't say anything. The rest of the table were quietly giggling to themselves. Trixie thought her new senses were going to be very useful.
"Alright, I'm going to get a drink of water. I'll be back," Trixie said.
While she was making her way to the water fountains, someone bumped into her. Mashed potatoes and gravy got themselves on Trixie's shirt. Trixie looked up to see who she bumped into. It was Fido from the Diamond Dogs gang. And he was not happy about his mashed potatoes.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Fido shouted.
That made Trixie get angry. A hot boiling rage built up inside Trixie's chest until it hurt. She felt heat rising from her body and every muscle in her body clench, her vision becoming red. She grabbed Fido by the neck and lifted him off the ground with one hand and no difficulty. She glared at him with ferocity burning in her eyes. Her eyes switched from violet to golden yellow and black veins became visible around her eyes. Fido struggled against Trixie's grip.
"How about you watch where YOU'RE going?!" she growled at him.
She then threw him all across the cafeteria until he slammed against the opposite wall. He slumped to the ground unconscious. Everyone in the cafeteria looked at Trixie in fear and shock. Trixie was panting rapidly and her hands were flexed in a clawing position. A hand lightly tapped her on the shoulder. Trixie whirled around to strike at the source of the touch, only to see Lavender Lace.
"Trixie! It's me!" Lavender said.
Trixie immediately calmed down at seeing her friend. The veins disappeared and her eyes returned to normal. She placed a hand to her head to calm herself.
"Lavender, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to get so angry," Trixie said shakily.
"Come on, let's get you some water," Lavender said.
As the two left, Trixie looked at her hand to see black veins pulsing under her skin. Maybe the animal that attacked her gave her something nasty, after all. Hopefully, Pinkie's party later will get her mind off of things.
Sheriff Silverstar at the Medical Examiner's Office
Sheriff Silverstar was meeting with the medical examiner and Tree Hugger, the wildlife agent they sent to investigate the matter.
"Well, what have you two discovered?" Silverstar asked.
Dr. Grim, the medical examiner, was the first to speak up.
"The cause of death was a bite to the neck, and there's extensive damage to the body. The missing organs and soft tissue indicates that the body was consumed after she was killed," Grim said. "Apart from that, there wasn't much to do"
Sheriff Silverstar looked to Tree Hugger next. For a wildlife agent working for the state government, she didn't look like one at first glance. She wore a tan poncho, a white T-shirt, green leggings, and leather sandals. And she was awfully young for one in her profession. But she was highly recommended by the wildlife agency, so Silverstar tried not to judge by her appearance.
"What have you found out?" Silverstar asked.
"I looked at any genetic evidence your lab techs could gather and I found something interesting," Tree Hugger replied. "The DNA I found was very similar to wolf DNA, but it was also different from a wolf".
"That's odd. Wolves have been extinct in this region for two-hundred years," Silverstar said.
"If there is a wolf with a taste for people, this town will have lots of bad vibes coming its way," Tree Hugger said.
"Still, I'll gather some other officers and local volunteers to form a hunting party. We need to find it and put it down before someone else is attacked," Silverstar said.
"If it's alright with you all, I'd rather not take part in your hunt," Tree Hugger said. "It's bad for my chakras to kill another living creature".
"I have no idea what 'chakras' are, but fine," Silverstar said. "I've gotta few calls to make".
Canterlot Memorial Hospital
Nurse Redheart was confused by what she was looking at. She had a drop of Trixie's blood under a microscope and was looking for anything out of the ordinary. It didn't take her long to find something.
She saw normal-looking human cells and what looked like a virus body. It was connecting to the normal human cells and changing them into something else entirely. The virus bore a lot of similarities between human papilloma virus and canine parvovirus.
"Maybe it's a DNA virus instead of an RNA virus," Redheart said. "Either way, Trixie does have an unknown virus. I have to contact her and get her to come back".
Before she could get any further with her research, Redheart's stomach began to growl. She got up from her chair and left the lab to get some food. As she made her way through the hospital lobby, someone made his way towards the nurse.
It was Jawbone Jed, the town hermit. Nurse Redheart recognized him since she helped him recover from a heart attack last year. He wore a brown hunting jacket with dark blue jeans and had moccasin shoes on his feet, even his prosthetic right leg. His face had scars across it from a hunting accident. He also said he lost his right leg from a bear attack. His gray hair was long and unkempt and the small beard added character to him. He removed the broadbrimmed hat he wore as he approached Redheart.
"Howdy, dear Redheart!" he said with his kind voice.
"Hello, Jed. Do you need anything?" she asked in greeting.
"Actually, I came to see you about a patient you tended to," Jed replied. "A teen girl who survived an animal attack?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't give out information about my patients without the patient's consent," Redheart said before walking away.
"Did the girl have bizarre symptoms?" he asked after her. "Increased aggression? Sensitivity to light? Heightened senses? Eye shine?"
Redheart stopped in her tracks and turned to face Jed. She walked back to him and spoke in a whisper.
"You know something about this?" Redheart asked. "I know she has an unknown virus, but that's it".
"I've seen this disease before, and what happens when people are infected with it," Jed replied.
"What is it?" Redheart asked.
"It's a plague that turns any infected person into something else," Jed said. "Something hungry and vicious".
"If the infected become violent, we have to find Trixie and quarantine her," Redheart said.
"No. We need to find her... and kill her," Jed said.
Redheart took a step back in shock. "What?! I can't do that! She's just sick!"
Jed's face became one of anger. He glared right into Nurse Redheart's eyes.
"If she reaches the final stage of infection, she and everyone around her will suffer more!" Jed said.
He placed a hand on Redheart's shoulder and looked at her with kind, yet sad eyes.
"Listen, come with me and I'll show you what happens to those infected with the disease," Jed said. "You'll see thing my way".
There was an honesty to Jed's words that caused Redheart to relax. Besides, he looked like he knew what he was talking about.
"Fine, but if I'm right... if she is simply sick, we bring her here for quarantine and treatment," Redheart said.
"If it'll make you believe me, then fine," Jed said before leaning forward. "But if she kills an innocent person, I will not hesitate to put her down".
With Sheriff Silverstar
The sheriff had mustered an impressive force. There were several armed officers as well as local volunteers and hunters to help them hunt this killer wolf. Once everyone was gathered, he got before them and blew his whistle.
"Alright folks! I want to personally thank each and every one of you for coming out here to participate in this hunt!" Silverstar said. "I don't really expect us to find the beast today. But we will find it and kill it before it kills someone else".
The gathered hunters all cheered at the sheriff's speech. The sheriff had a good feeling about this group of hunters. Then Silverstar's phone started to ring. He picked it up to hear the frantic voice of one of his officers still at Camp Everfree on the other end.
"Sheriff! It's horrible! It's horri --!" the officer said before Sheriff Silverstar cut him off.
"Whoa! Easy there, officer! What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's Deputy Bronze, sir! He's dead! He was killed by the wolf !" the officer said.
Sheriff Silverstar dropped his phone to the ground in shock.
Pinkie's House
Trixie had been more than eager to go to Pinkie Pie's house, especially considering what happened later that afternoon. She had never gotten that angry before. And that strength! That was something a person her size should have been able to do, even if she had noticeable biceps. Perhaps Pinkie's famous party prowess was just what she needed to take the edge off.
She walked up to Pinkie's front door and it opened before she could even knock. She was pulled inside without her knowing what was happening until a party hat was placed on her head and a hot dog was shoved in her mouth. Trixie gagged from the hot dog hitting her uvula.
"Hey, Trixie! So happy you could make it here!" Pinkie cheered.
Trixie swallowed the hot dog and breathed heavily to calm down. The rest of the Rainbooms and Lavender Lace were all gathered there as well. Trixie looked around the room and saw the usual party fare: streamers, confetti, balloons, and a table of food and drinks. The tantalizing scent of burgers and hot dogs were enough to make Trixie's stomach growl furiously.
But before Trixie could help herself to some food. Pinkie raised a red SOLO cup full of orange soda up in the air.
"Everyone! I just want make a toast to Trixie's recovery!" Pinkie said. "To Trixie!"
"To Trixie!" they all cheered.
And with that, Trixie finally could get food. Trixie got a paper plate and loaded it the burgers and hot dogs. Once she did, she ate them all with gusto. Thankfully, the others were too busy with their own conversations to notice her eating so much food. She had been eating a lot of food, recently. In fact, she hadn't been this hungry before.
A strange headache caught Trixie completely by surprise. It was like someone hit her in the head with a sledgehammer. Repeatedly.
"Fuck!" she cursed quietly.
Trixie got up and walked towards the backdoor to the backyard. There was nighttime forest beyond the fence in the backyard. A bright full moon was rising in the sky.
As soon as she got outside, the pain spread from her head to her entire body. She tumbled to the ground and began thrashing on the ground in pain. Lavender and the Rainbooms all rushed outside to the sight of a thrashing Trixie.
"Trixie! What's happening?!" Lavender shouted.
"We have to put something in her mouth to keep her from biting her tongue! Next, put her on her side!" Twilight said.
But before they could move to help Trixie, she stood right up staring at the moon. The girls didn't dare move aside from Lavender.
"Trix? Are you--?" she was about to ask before Trixie turned around.
Bright shining golden eyes gazed at the gathered girls. Black veins appeared on Trixie's face as she stared at them. There wasn't any recognition in her eyes.
Her skin started to change right before their very eyes. It was as if ash was falling off of Trixie's skin, followed by her hair. The ash fell away and blew into the girls' faces, but revealed a different creature underneath the ash.
Instead of a normal human girl, the others saw a non-human creature wearing Trixie's ash-covered clothes. It was tall and thin, with dark gray hairless skin. It had digitigrade legs and hands ending with razor claws. The head was a nightmare to behold as well. The creature that was Trixie was bald with pointed ears and a short muzzle filled with sharp canine fangs. It stared at the girls with the same golden eyes. It panted at seeing the girls.
"Trixie? Is that... you?" Lavender asked.
Trixie's lips curled back to give a snarl at her. A loud roar escaped Trixie's lips as she was about the girls, but a loud howl stopped her. The howl in the distance sounded like a combination between a wolf's howl and a human screaming. Trixie responded with the same howl.
Next thing the girls knew, Trixie leapt over the fence from the back porch in a single bound and ran off into the forest with frightening speed. Everyone was absolutely dumbfounded. No one had said anything for a good minute until Spike broke the silence.
"Did... did Trixie just become a werewolf?" he asked.
With Jawbone Jed
Jed was leading Nurse Redheart down the street of Canterlot at night with a singular purpose: to find Trixie and confirm his suspicions. As they walked, Redheart had asked him a few questions.
"You think Trixie is a... werewolf?" Redheart asked.
"I honestly hope I'm wrong," Jed replied. "But if she is, then I'll be prepared to do what I have to do".
"You're actually going to kill her?"
"To save her soul and prevent future victims, yes."
"How have you come across this disease before?"
"A long time ago, me and my family were on a vacation in Michigan to a natural park. That's when we first encountered a werewolf".
"You had a family?"
"Yeah. My wife Sasha and our two boys, Jacob and Zeke. They were all bitten before I managed to scare it off".
"Did they turn?"
"Yeah. Though it was partially my fault. I didn't want to believe they were turnin' into monsters at the time, so I simply locked them up in case they got better. When they turned, I was forced to kill them with my father's silver dagger".
"That must've been hard".
"Oh, it was. But after my mourning, I went back and killed the werewolf responsible for my family's deaths. Ever since, I've dedicated my life to hunting werewolves".
There was no more talking after that. Redheart didn't want to pry any more into his personal life, so she decided to ask about werewolves and his career hunting them.
"So... how many werewolves have you hunted?" she asked.
"I dunno. Hundreds, probably. I never really kept count," he replied.
"What weaknesses to werewolves have?"
"Well, silver is the biggest one. It's the only thing that will truly kill them. Silver bullet or blade will do just fine, and regular weapons won't so much as tickle them. But they can heal like a motherfucker. I once hit a werewolf with my truck and it just got back up like it was nothing. Their noses can be thrown off with with things like mint and bright lights will keep them at bay."
"What about the werewolf that bit Trixie?"
"We'll look for that one after we find Trixie".
"You know, there's a hunting party looking for the wolf that killed Fuchsia".
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah. Officers and hunters will be combing the woods looking for it".
"Damn fools! They're gonna get slaughtered lookin' for it!"
A loud crashing sound came from an alley between two houses, followed by the sound of a hissing raccoon and a loud growling sound. A raccoon came running out of the alley way followed by a large wolfish creature. The creature grabbed the raccoon in its claws and bit down on the animal's neck and tore its head right off. But before it could eat the raccoon, it saw Jed and Redheart. It dropped the headless coon and stood to its full height. Redheart recognized it by the clothes it wore.
"Trixie?" she asked quietly.
Jed pulled out a hidden revolver loaded with silver bullets. He aimed it right at Trixie's heart.
"I'm sorry, dear girl. Forgive me," Jed said.
But before he could pull the trigger, Trixie leapt to the side and rushed towards Redheart. Jed grabbed her and threw her to the side of the road, lifting up his revolver and fired.