In the center of Canterlot Park, Sunset and her friends were battling yet another magical threat, this time in the form of an Equestrian timberwolf that had somehow managed to get through to the human world. The girls were finding this particular creature a bit more of a hassle as it evaded every attempt they made at capturing it.
“And I thought I was hyper.” Pinkie said as she hurled handfuls of sprinkles at the creature only for it to evade every shot.
“Can't you get a fix on it?” Sunset asked as she did her best just to get out of the way of the beast.
“Love to, darling but this beast simply won't hold still.” Rarity and Twilight both tried to use their respective powers to contain the timberwolf but again, his speed proving too great.
Twilight tried using her powers to throw debris in its way only for it to leap over or around the objects. “It's too fast!”
“Good thing speed is my game.” Dash said as she used her speed to pursue it.
“Dash! Hold your horses!” Applejack shouted as her friend ignored her calls and raced after the beast. “Dang it!”
Rainbow Dash race next to the timberwolf and punched it several times before it tried to snap at her. “Too slow.” She laughed as she sped out of its reach. It then turned its full attention to her and attempted to chase her down. “Run, run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm Rainbow Dash, man!” She took far too much joy in continuously taunting the wooden construct over several minutes, much to the annoyance of her friends.
“Dash, stop fooling around and lead him this way!” Sunset shouted as Dash rolled her eyes and changed direction. She led the creature toward Applejack.
“Lining him up for you, Jackie!”
“What?!” The farm girl panicked and activated her geode as Dash blitzed passed her with the timberwolf not far behind. She quickly threw a super powered punch and the creature and shattered it to pieces. “Ahh!” she shielded her face as she fell to one knee. The girls rushed to her as Twilight quickly grabbed the shattered pieces of the timberwolf.
“Applejack, are you alright?” Fluttershy asked.
The farm girl stood up, rubbing her left forearm as it was clearly bruised. “I'm fine, just a little scratch.” She saw Rainbow Dash run back around. “Though, if someone hadn't been showboating, maybe we could have handled this a little cleaner.”
Dash chuckled nervously as the others frowned at her. “Um, sorry.” She replied.
“Well, I'd better write to Princess Twilight and let her know I've got a delivery for her.” Sunset noted as she looked over the wooden parts suspended in human Twilight's field.
“I bet I could make something to contain it until you get there.” The bespectacled girl said as she moved the timberwolf parts away.
“Are you certain you're alright, Applejack?” Rarity asked as Applejack dusted herself off.
“I'm fine. Just need to get a good night's sleep is all. See you girls tomorrow for school.” Everyone split up as Applejack made her way home, occasionally scratching her left arm as she walked the streets.
Later that night, Applejack was asleep in her bed. The girl tossed and turned as she moaned, furiously scratching her left arm. Her sharp nails nearly broke the skin as she continued to scratch. Her eyes opened wide as she jolted up in her bed and sweated heavily. The farm girl got up, her body seemingly on fire and went to the bathroom. She grabbed a towel and soaked it in cold water as she washed her face. She pressed the cold towel to her head and slightly unbuttoned her one piece pajamas and ran the cold, wet cloth across her upper chest to cool herself down.
Nothing seemed to help as she felt like she was tied to a roasting spit. “Oh boy, I'm burnin' up. I should...” Her thoughts were cut short as she lost consciousness and toppled over.
She woke up to a dog licking her face as she lay on her back. “Winona, get off of me. You know you aren't supposed to be on the bed unless I...” AJ stopped as she realized it wasn't her dog but a medium breed blue furred dog that sat next to her. “What the...? You ain't Winona and this ain't...my... room.” She looked around as she found herself laying among tall reeds down by a creek. Her eyes trailed off from the dog and down to her body which was somehow, minus her pajamas or anything else for that matter.
“Ember! Ember! Come her girl. Where are you?” Applejack recognized the voice as belonging to Sunny Flare of Crystal Prep. “I can't let her see me like this. I'll never hear the end of it.” Luckily for her, the reeds mostly kept her form hidden and she lay flat on the ground as she softly shooed the dog away and it ran back to Sunny, the two eventually walking off. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. For the moment she was good. Not so much for the long run as she needed to get out of there somehow.
A Short Time Later
Rarity sat at in her workshop, making good progress on her latest dress as she focused on making the pattern on the outfit just perfect under her sowing machine needle. Her phone rang next to her as she, without even turning away, slid it across to answer and then hit the speaker function before answering. “Rarity here.”
“Rarity!”
“Applejack? What is it?”
“I need your help and some clothes and quick!”
“Applejack, darling, I would love to help you update your wardrobe but I'm in the middle of finishing up my latest....”
“I'm in the middle of the park on a payphone in a burlap sack!”
Rarity's jaw almost dropped as she immediately stopped what she was doing and, in the blink of an eye was out the door before Applejack was done talking.
Later
“Applejack, what were you doing out there dressed like that?” Rarity asked as she drove her small dark blue car. AJ sat in the passenger seat in one of Rarity's old school outfits.
“I have no idea. One minute I'm in my house and the next thing I know I'm waking up in the park with nothing but my birthday suit. I've heard of sleep walking but never like this.”
“We need to tell the girls about this.”
“I guess. Can we leave one particular part out, though?” AJ said with a blushed face.
“Of course.”
The two called the other girls as they met at their usual spot at the mall.
“So what you're saying is you felt weird last night and woke up this morning in the park?” Sunset asked as she sipped her drink. “Can you remember anything else?”
“Not really. I just remember being extremely warm. Like I'd wrapped myself in a blanket inside a sauna.”
“That sounds...uncomfortable.” Twilight responded. “There has to be a simple explanation. Did you eat anything strange last night?”
“No, nothing,” Applejack responded as she scratched her left arm. “Granny made her usual spaghetti dinner, then I got ready for bed.”
“Guys!” Everyone turned as Rainbow Dash zipped over to the table with her phone screen pointed to them. “Check this out! You won't believe it!”
The girls gathered around the cellphone screen and looked at the article. “Mysterious Creature Terrorizes Local Park. Ooh, spooky.” Pinkie read the headlines as the others looked at the slightly grainy picture of the creature; glowing green eyes, sharp claws and sharp protrusions coming from its shoulders and head.
Twilight squinted her eyes and pushed her glasses up as she took a closer look. “That looks a lot like...”
“The timberwolf we fought last night?” Sunset finished as her eyes opened wider.
“But we sent that thing packing, in pieces no less, back to Equestria.”
Sunset looked down as she thinks. “Unless there's another one we missed. Maybe that's what happened. It tracked you back to your home, Applejack.”
“Then snatched me up like a bird snatches up a worm.” The farm girl came to the conclusion as Sunset stared back. “But that don't explain why it left me alone.”
“Can't quite figure that out either but the two of you in the same place last night, it's not just coincidence. There is definitely another one out there which means we'll need to keep our eyes out for it.”
“You don't think it'll come after us do you?” A concerned Fluttershy squeaked out.
“If it does, I'll kick it's wooden tail all the way back home.” Dash said confidently. “But let's keep our windows locked and our phones handy just in case.” The others nodded in agreement and split up. As they walked, Dash noticed Applejack scratching furiously at her left arm. “Um, AJ, you okay there?”
“Huh, yeah I'm fine, sugarcube.” She turned back to scratching.
Dash had a look of concern on her face as she stepped toward her. “You sure? Maybe we should take a look at...”
“I said I'm fine!” Applejack lashed out. “Just mind your own business, alright? You almost got me busted up by that varmint the first time. Don't need you fumbling trying to play medicine woman with me.” She stormed off and left a confused Rainbow standing there.
“Sheesh. Touchy.” True to her name, she used her super speed to head home before dark.
Later
After arriving home, Applejack sat out in the barn. Anytime she needed to really be alone, she'd come out here and relax with something she loved. This time it was in the form of reading a book as she had a hanging lantern to illuminate the area. Every few seconds she looked up from the book and over to her phone, half waiting for someone to call to report a sighting of the creature, half wanting to call Dash to apologize for blowing up at her earlier. Eventually, she tossed the book down and grunted as she got up and looked out of the barn doors. She looked up at the full moon that shone brightly in the night sky.
The light from the silver orb was almost hypnotizing as Applejack let her mind relax. Her brief moment of peace ended rather abruptly as a sharp pain seized her left arm. She quickly gripped it as the pain traveled up her arm and into the rest of her body. Applejack looked down to her arm as she saw what looked like wood overtaking her arm as the revelation donned on her. “It's....me...ahhh!” She fought through the pain and scrambled to her phone, hitting the speed dial button to call the first person she hoped would answer.
“Hello? Applejack?” Rainbow Dash answered with a bit of hesitation. “You know, I hope you're calling to apologize. I was just trying to help. After all that happened I was only trying to be more considerate, which is hard for me to do, you realize...” She trailed off only for Applejack to cut her off.
“Rain...bow, remember...I said I was okay?” The farm girl strained to speak as her transformation was in full swing. “I may not...have told...the full truth.”
“Are you saying...you lied...intentionally?” Dash sidetracked herself for a second before AJ snapped her back to the point of the call.
“Dash, listen...I...ahhh!” She dropped the phone as pain locked up her body.
“AJ? Applejack? Oh boy...I gotta get the other girls.” Dash put her phone away and raced off with her super speed. A short while later she had all her friends, minus one, at Sunset's apartment. “I'm telling you, it's true. AJ is the monster.”
Sunset put a hand to her chin as she thought. “It makes sense I suppose. Applejack must have been infected somehow from the timberwolf attack.”
Dash looked away as she contemplated the facts. “It was my fault. If I hadn't been showing off we could have had that thing captured before.”
“Don't beat yourself up, Dash,” Twilight put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “What's important is that we help her now.”
“We need to find her before she hurts anyone.” Rarity added.
Pinkie then noticed something. “Where is Fluttershy? Didn't you drop by her house?”
Dash shrugged. “I would have but tonight's her weekly meeting with...” She stopped before she came up with an idea. “I'm so stupid. Why didn't I think of this before? It's perfect. Come on girls.” She raced off.
“Rainbow Dash, where on earth are you going?” Rarity inquired as the others followed her.
“Coming up with the perfect plan. What's the best way to beat a werewolf?” The girls looked at each other in confusion as they continued to follow Dash to an old building on the outskirts of town.
“What's going on, Dash?” Sunset asked again as Rainbow walked to the back door of the building and knocked once. Soon Fluttershy stuck her head. The others found it odd that she was wearing sunglasses in the dark of the night. “Flutters...”
“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?” Fluttershy whispered in a agitated voice. “You know what tonight is, don't you?”
“We need your help.”
“Can't you come back later? We're in the middle of...”
Fluttershy was cut off as a familiar voice came from the other side of the door as the girl's classmate, the eco-kid Sandalwood appeared behind her, wearing a pair of sunglasses. “Hey Fluttershy, what's keeping you?” He looked out to see the other girls standing outside. “What's up Dash? Good to see ya.” He stepped out and gave her a hug.
“Thanks Sandal. Good to see you too.”
“Not to be rude or anything but we're kind of in the middle of tonight's event.” He said as he rubbed the back of his head.
“I know. That's kind of why we're here. We need your help. It's Applejack...”
“Say no more. I'll take you all to the others and see what we can do. Follow me ladies.” He lead the group as they entered the building and shut the door behind them as a rather annoyed Fluttershy picked up the rear.
“If I may ask,” Rarity asked as they walked. “why the sunglasses at this time of night? They certainly are a bold fashion choice to be sure..”
Sandal turned his head back to her with a smile. “Oh these? Just a little necessity to not draw so much attention at this hour.” He took them off to reveal that his normally green eyes were a crimson red.
Rarity's lips folded in alarm as the others look at each other with concern, with the exception of Rainbow Dash who walked on nonchalantly. They soon arrived in the main room to an alarming scene. The girls witnessed the rest of the eco-kids, all with piercing red eyes, standing in a circle around a table where one of their other classmates was lying asleep on the table.
They all, minus Dash and Fluttershy, screamed in unison as everyone in the room turned to them. “What? Who? Where? Why?!” Twilight shouted in confusion as Dash patted her head.
“Right, you guys might want to explain before all the pleasantries are exchanged.” Dash said calmly.
Sandalwood cleared his throat. “Right. Well, you guys remember when we protested that animal testing lab? Well turns out they were experimenting on bats as well. One of the little guys bit all of us and well...”
“Turns out the little guys had some adverse effects.” Sweetie Drops spoke up as the other kids nodded. “So now we're kind of vampires I guess.”
Sunset was the first to come out of her shock and speak up. “So...what is all this?”
“Right,” Sandal answered as he turned back to the other student on the table. “Most of the time we can operate pretty normally, like you see us everyday, but once a month our other side comes out and we need to do the traditional Dracula bit. Being that we're vegans and all, if we are gonna feed, it has to be all organic.”
“So at the start of every month we convince someone to get on the regulated diet and at this time of month we invite them down here, get our fix and take them home, once we get their blood count stable with some snacks.” Bon Bon finished explaining.
Twilight's eye twitched a bit. “Right. We'll...have to worry about that later. Right now we need your help. Applejack has turned into werewolf and we need your help to track and capture her.”
Before they could answer, Pinkie leaped in front of the collection of vampire students with a crucifix. “Back you unholy abominations! Back from wince ye came!”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes and pushed the item to the side. “Pinkie, that doesn't work. Please stop.”
“Oh well. Worth a shot.” The puffy haired girl tossed it away, only for it to land in Rainbow Dash's hands.
“Huh.” She looked down at it as smoke began to emanate from the parts of her hands that came into contact with the cross. She soon began to scream and fell over. “Ah! It...burns!” The others looked down, than to each other before they shrugged in confusion and headed out.
“Woah,” The group stopped as Trixie was standing in front of the door. “What's with the red eyes and fake fangs? What? Are you guys supposed to be vampires or something?”
Fluttershy and the other eco-kids looked to each other nervously. “She knows too much. Get her!” Sweetie Drops shouted as the group grabbed her and pulled her back into the building as Sunset and the others watched and listened from outside.
“Ouch! Unhand the Great and Powerful Trixie! What are you...? Ouch! Did you just bite me? Cut it out! Hey, Trixie's feeling...woo...zy....” Everything went silent as the Fluttershy and the others emerged and wiped their mouths with napkins before Sandalwood spoke up.
“Okay guys, next time we use our words.”
Rainbow snorted in annoyance as she looked at Fluttershy. “Typical. You never turn into a savage when I want you too. It's always, 'Not now Dash. I have a headache from work.”
“Well excuse me. I bust my butt all day at the shelter while you just kick a ball around.” Fluttershy shot back as they began to argue.
“Oh yeah, you just spending all day with that demon rabbit.”
“You leave Angel out of this!”
“That little monster bit me! He's lucky I didn't turn him into hasenfeffer.”
“How dare you?” Fluttershy's eyes glowed bright red as she stood up to Dash.
“Um, ladies? We kind of have a timetable hear.” Sunset interrupted them as the two folded their arms and turned away from each other.
“We'll talk about this later.” Fluttershy said before Dash responded.
“No, we will fight about this later.”
After resolving this short distraction, the group hopped into Sandalwood's nearby van and prepared to take off. “Fluttershy, aren't you getting in?” Pinkie asked her friend who simply stared up at the sky.
“Uh-uh. I need to track Applejack. Try not to fall behind.” She closed her eyes and the familiar Equestrian magic surrounded her. This time however, her human ears morphed into sharp points and the feathered pegasi wings were replaced by large bat wings. After her transformation she took to the skies and the van full of teenagers did their best to follow her from the road. Fluttershy weaved through the sky and scanned the park grounds where the beast had been spotted before. Soon she caught sight of the timberwolf transformed Applejack chasing a squirrels.
“There you are!” With blinding speed she dove from the sky down on her target.
In the tailing vehicle, Sunset spotted the move. “She must have seen her. Step on it!”
“Hang on, dudes!” Sandalwood made a sharp turn as he raced in the direction Fluttershy had went before the large group hopped out of the van and made their way into the park. They followed the sound of howls, screeches and snapping branches to find the two fighting.
“Oh no,” Pinkie Pie shouted. “It's Flutter-bat versus Timber-Jack!” The others look at her in annoyance. “What?”
“Look out!” Rarity shouted as the group dove to the ground as Applejack crashed into a tree and Fluttershy flew toward her. The timberwolf transformed girl quickly pulled a large branch from the tree and swung it, knocking the bat-girl out of the air and hit the ground. Applejack leaped up and charged at her downed foe. Attacks from Pinkie, Twilight and Rarity all failed to halt her as the beast that was once their friend knocked them away and out of the fight. Before she could sink her teeth into Fluttershy, the other eco-kids all dog-piled her only to be throw in all directions as she reared back and howled.
“Hey Apple-wolf,” Dash shouted as she caught her attention.
“Timber-Jack.” Pinkie said weakly as she was buried under the other girls before passing out.
Dash taunted Applejack throwing rocks at her. “Come here, dog girl. I'm the one you want, right?”
Applejack's green eyes glowed brighter as she squinted and the wolf creature was soon charging full tilt at Rainbow Dash who used her super speed to flee. Her escape was halted as she spun around and ran into a tree, falling back and hitting the ground. “Of course.” She felt something wet hit her head as she looked up to see the Pinkie Pie named “Timber-Jack” looming over her. “AJ, calm down. You don't want to do this. No!” She cried out, shielding her eyes to the inevitable. She waited for several seconds as nothing happened before she opened her eyes to see “Flutter-bat” standing over her, holding “Timber-Jack” by her throat.
Fluttershy hissed loudly with her fang filled mouth wide open and moved in for the kill. “Fluttershy, don't!” Rainbow shouted but it came too late as the bat-girl sunk her teeth into timberwolf. Dash was surprised as Fluttershy's fangs hit the wolf in the left arm briefly before dropping her to the ground. Soon, Applejack had morphed back into her human form, pieces of wood and leaves covering her unconscious body. The bat-winged girl swished something around in her mouth before spitting a small, green glowing sliver to the ground.
Dash sat up in complete disbelief. “Seriously? A splinter? All this over a stupid splinter?!”
One Month Later
Dash and Fluttershy walked down the streets of Canterlot on a Friday night as the two laughed. “Thanks for taking me out to dinner again, Fluttershy.”
“Don't mention it, Rainbow Dash. It's been nice to just relax without having to worry about any magical problems recently.”
“Yeah, a month without magical emergencies has to be a record high. At least we don't have to worry about a ravenous wolf creature anymore. And good news. I was supposed to keep this a surprise but Twilight said she's on the verge of making a cure for your vampire thing. Should be ready by Monday.”
“That's wonderful.” Fluttershy clapped her hands together happily as the two entered a small building. “There's just one more thing I'd like to do before that.”
Dash looked up as she saw the rest of the eco-kids, waiting inside. She turned to Fluttershy who had a mischievous smile on her face. It didn't take long for Dash to realize what was happening. “Oh, I get it. Polite conversation, healthy yet delicious dinners...really should have seen this coming.” The group grab her and close the door. “Careful! Take it easy! Ouch! That pinched a little bit. Hey, watch the fangs, buster!”
“Sorry.”