Chapter six.
Fluttershy was just standing there with two thoughts in her mind, either the creature had killed Applejack or the creature was Applejack. The thought of that was just painful to even think about but she couldn't get the it out of her head. Until she heard that familiar howl again. She shot straight up and stopped staring at the stetson hat, and she finally realized she was alone in the forest, she slowly started to freak out hearing all the noises of the critters and the howls that could possibly be from her friend. She heard her friends yell.
"Rainbow Dash!"
And then soon after she heard a yelp, not sure of what to do she ran straight towards the noise, when she arrived to where she heard it she saw Rainbow had pinned the creature in a cave where it couldn't run. All that was going through Fluttershy's mind was.
Oh my I can't let Rainbow Dash hurt her if it is Applejack, but what if it isn't and I ruin everything.
She was standing there debating with herself, when she looked over to look at the creature and it looked back, she saw its eyes and it saw her eyes, then Fluttershy let out a big.
"Stop it!" she yelled.
Twilight turned to look at Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" Twilight asked.
Rainbow Dash turned to look at what was going on.
"Is there something wrong?" Rartiy said with a worried tone.
"Yes.... You can't hurt that creature." Flutershy replied.
"What! Not hurt it, it took Applejack whatever punishment I have it deserves!" Rainbow Dash said turning around. "Great it got away nice going Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy put her head down looking at the ground while Rainbow flew off to find the creature once again.
"We will talk about this later Fluttershy." Twilight said in disappointment before chasing after Rainbow Dash, Rarity followed after.
Fluttershy had no idea of what to do now, she was now standing in the forest alone once again with her friends chasing down what she was sure was her other friend.
Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were still trying to and the creature in the night they wandered the forest all night searching for it with no luck, soon the sun was going to start rising,
"See Rainbow if we had that crazy contraption we could have caught that thing by now." Twilight said.
"Hold on do you hear that?" Rarity said placing a hoof o Twilight.
"Hear wha-" Twiight said getting cut off by Rainbow Dash.
"Shh, I hear it too." Rainbow said quietly placing one hoof over Twilights mouth. "There it is!" she said flying towards a dark shadow in the trees.
Rarity and Twilight sighed because of Rainbow Dash running off again they put their ears low and slowly walked towards the direction Rainbow Dash was headed. Soon Twilight and Rarity heard a huge thud, they started charging towards the sound, when they got to it they saw Rainbow Dash on top of the wolf like creature.
"You're not getting away again! Now, where is our friend Applejack!" Rainbow Dash said yelling at the beast right in its face.
"Rainbow, be careful!" Twilight yelled.
"Oh dear! I can't watch!" Rarity said turning the other way.
The creature kicked Rainbow Dash off and got into low crouch, Rainbow did a back flip in the air and got into mirrored the creatures stance, they were standing a few feet away staring at each other waiting for the other to make the first move, but neither of them would strike, Rainbow Dash was standing there starting to get impatient. Suddenly the creature lunged towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow dogged it and jumped to the side, the creature flew past her and dug its claws in the ground, shifting its momentum, and lunged towards Rainbows back with its claws in the air. Rainbow Dash couldn't turn around fast enough and soon the creature was on her. Rainbow rolled backwards kicking the creature off her, but it had a tight grip with its claws latched around her body, they rolled across the ground with dust flying up around them both. The creature was trying to bite Rainbow Dash, so Rainbow bit back, she bit the creature's ear making it yelp and loosen its grip, Rainbow kicked it off her and leapt away from the creature and fell into a defensive stance, the two fighters were breathing heavily with dirt and srcatches all over their bodies. Twilight Sparkle was just standing there unsure of how to help, Rairty wasn't watching she couldn't bare to see her friend get hurt. Rainbow looked like she was about to pass out when she yelled.
"Come on you want some more! Come on, come on!"
Rainbow lunged towards the creature when it turned around and kicked Rainbow in the face with its hind legs. Rainbow Dash flew towards a tree and slammed against it.
"Rainbow!" Twilight yelled rushing towards her friend.
Rarity heard Twilight yell and turned around and also ran towards her friend.
The creature stood behind them shaking its head again and again, until it howled, the howling woke Rainbow Dash up and she got up rubbing her head, she soon saw the creature behind Twilight and Rarity, she immediately jumped up and quickly jumped over to. IT didn't attack her but gave her sorrowful look and looked at the ground and put her ears down, Rainbow didn't seem to even care she wasn't attacking her, she turned around and used the rest of the strength she had and kicked the beast off a small nearby cliff. The creature flew and landed on a rather bendy tree, which bent like a catapult and she flew straight into the air flying quiet aways, away.
"Rainbow... You just made what we have been looking for hours fly who knows where." Twilight said giving Rainbow Dash a not amused look.
"It got what it deserved, that's all I can say." Rainbow Dashsaid breathing heavily.
"Maybe we should just look for Applejack instead of the creature, If it had her we would have seen her by now, am I not correct?" Rarity asked.
"She has a point, lets look for Applejack instead." Twilight suggested.
"All right." Rainbow agreed. She wasn't in the mood to argue.
...
Fluttershy wasn't sure of what to do now, she could follow her friends again, or head back to camp, her friends were not going to listen to her, but she couldn't let Applejack get hurt. She just decided to head back to camp, she had no power against her friends. Except there was one problem with that, which way was back to camp. Once again Fluttershy was lost. She took a deep breath and used her courage and went the way that she felt was the right way. She didn't know how long she was walking but the sun rose telling her she was lost for a few hours. She could start to see a lot better but was still jumping and squealing to every little sound she herd until she heard growling not too far away from her. She wasn't sure if she should go towards the sound or if she should go the other direction. Suddenly a familiar voice came from the direction of the sounds.
"Ugh!" the voice groaned.
Fluttershy went over to the sound and looked around for the noise that was coming from a ditch in the ground. She slowly walked over to the ditch and peeked over and saw an orange and yellow pony laying there, her mane was a mess and her coat was completely ruined. She took a closer look leaning over the edge a bit more, she saw a cuite mark that was three red apples, Fluttershy gasped and started sliding down the ditch to help her friend.
"Applejack are you ok!?" Fluttershy asked completely worried.
Applejacks eyes opened and she turned her head to look straight at her friend Fluttershy, once they locked eyes Applejack jumped straight up.
"Fluttershy what are what are you doin' here!?" Applejack said with sweat going down her chin.
"I came to see if you were ok, why else?" Fluttershy said.
"Well thanks fer checkin up on me, well y'all should just head back to the campsite." Applejack said pushing the yellow Pegasus away.
"Applejack are you feeling okay?" Fluttershy asked tilting her head in confusion.
"Yes. Well kinda. Maybe. No." Applejack replied hanging her head low with her ears down.
"Was that, creature, you?" Fluttershy asked in a worried tone.
"I-I don't know I can't remember a lot from last night." Applejack replied.
"What do you remember?" Fluttershy asked.
"I just remember bein in the tent and then there was gray hair and claws, then it was just blank." Applejack replied.
"Are you sure that's it, you don't remember anything else?" Fluttershy said in disappointment.
"It's hard fer me to remember Fluttershy and even if ah did I don't think I want to." Applejack replied rather sadly.
"I know its though Applejack but you need to remember, it's very important." Fluttershy said putting a hoof on Applejacks shoulder.
"Well I'll try," Applejack said trying to smile. She closed her eyes and started to think. "I remember, I remember," Applejack opened her eyes and saw Fluttershy looking at her with hope, she started at Fluttershy's eyes which brought back one memory. "I-I remember seeing you, you were sittn there starin at me."
Fluttershy stood there in silence, with a look on her face that Applejack has never seen before. It didn't look worried or happy or fearful.
"Fluttershy, I'm so sorry I don't know what happen to me, I hope ya ain't mad." Applejack said taking a step back.
Fluttershy still stood there, just staring off into space until she decided to respond. "Of course not Applejack, It wasn't your fault, but I have just one question.
"What's that?"
"What happened to you?"
They stood there thinking about what could have happened when Rainbow Dash's Werewolf story came their minds.
"You don't think?" Fluttershy asked timidly.
"Ah hope not." Applejack replied. "Do ya think Twi' brought a book about it?" They knew Twilight had books on fictional creatures and that she brought a lot of books camping with her, maybe just maybe she happened to bring that book along with her. They headed back to the camp, they could finally find their way back to camp because of the sun, and its light shining down.
"Applejack!" Applebloom yelled running towards her sister.
"Oh uh, hey Applebloom." Applejack said.
"Sis what happened to you?" asked the little filly staring up at her sister.
"Well you see, uh, Ah um-" Applejack started to answer nervously, when she got cut off by Scootaloo.
"Did you get in a fight with that creature!" Scootaloo said fighting the air.
"You could say that." Fluttershy said.
"AJ! Your back! This calls for a party, oh where is everypony?" Pinkie Pie asked giving Applejack a hug.
...
"Rainbow Dash, maybe she is already at camp." Rarity said.
"Yeah, maybe she got away or didn't even get captured at all, we have been searching all night!" Twilight explained
"Hmm, maybe but, what if she didn't?" Rainbow said trying not to look sad at the thought
"Well there's only one way to find out." Twilight said.
They started to head back to camp Rainbow Dash flew up in the sky to lead them back to camp when she saw the camp she noticed an orange mare sitting on a log.
"Applejack!" Rainbow Dash shouted nose diving towards her friends.
Rainbow Dash land next to her friends, Twilight and Rarity were running out of the forest with their last burst of energy from being up all night, but Applejack was worth it.
"Applejack I'm so glad to see you're ok." Twilight said, with a sigh of relief.
"Ok!? Just look at her mane, forget a hospital you need to get to the spa!" Rarity said gesturing at her beat up friend. Her friends just started at her trying to ignore that comment.
"Forget a makeover, where the hay were you last night!" Rainbow shouted.
"Oh well you know, I thought I would go fer a little run." Applejack said not trying to lie.
"Oh yeah, then why are you beat up like you got in a fight with a wolf?" Rainbow continued.
"More like a pony...." Applejack mumbled to herself..
"What was that?" Twilight asked.
"Oh oh I fell, in a ditch, of dirt." Applejack answered.
"You fell, in a ditch!" Rainbow continued.
"Eeyup, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it." Applejack finished.
"But that can't be-" Rainbow started getting cut off by Twilight.
"Rainbow Dash, she's the element of honesty she wouldn't lie to us." Twilight said.
"I guess...." Rainbow said walking over to her tent. "But I'm still not sure."
Applejack sighed with relief, she just couldn't tell her friends what happened to her and she couldn't tell her friends what she did to Rainbow Dash, not even Fluttershy. But what Twilight just said put a spike in Applejacks heart for not being completely honest with her friends.
"Fluttershy!" Twillight shouted.
"Yes Twilight?" Fluttershy said walking over to her purple friend.
"What was that!" Twilight yelled.
"What was what?" Fluttershy said looking at her friend confused.
"Last night, with that creature, you let it get away, why?" Twilight said.
"Oh you know how I love animals." she said looking back at Applejack.
"But you have to understand this animal can't be tamed." Twilight continued.
"I wouldn't say that maybe she-" Fluttershy said catching herself. "It just needs to be shown a little kindness."
"I don't think so." Twilight said, not noticing the pauses in Fluttershy's sentence.
"Well did you try showing it kindness?" Fluttershy continued.
"Well no but-."
"Then you can't be sure."
''But it attacked Rainbow Dash and I don't think it showed any kindness."
"What!" Fluttershy yelled in her small voice looking back at Applejack.
"It's true, why do you think Rainbow Dash is all beat up like that?"
Fluttershy didn't want to talk about the creature anymore. Thankfully Pinkie Pie was there.
"Who wants pancakes!" Pinkie yelled flipping pancakes in a pan.
"Pancakes!" yelled the three fillies running towards PInkie.
The nine ponies sat on a picnic blanket, getting ready to eat their yummy pancakes.
"Applejack, you say you fell in a ditch but you told me you fought that creature." Scootaloo said before taking a bite of her food.
Applejacks heart skipped a beat. She didn't want to talk about herself anymore but she had to come up with something to say that wasn't a complete lie.
"Well how do yall think I got in the ditch, if it weren't fer the creature I wouldn't have fallen in there." Applejack replied.
"Wow! What was it like to come face to face with that thing again?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Wait you fought the creature you said you just fell in a ditch!" Rainbow said starting to stand up.
"I didn't want yall to worry about me." AJ said putting her ears down.
"Applejack, next time you should tell us the whole story." Twilight said in disappointment.
"I'm sorry Twi..." Applejack said.
"Now what did it look like did we fight the same one?!" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.
"Ya know it was a long night, I think I'm goin to go eat my pancakes inside mah tent." Applejack said walking over to her broken tent she crawled in the down leaving her food right outside her tent, she quickly stuck her leg out and grabbed her plate and pulled it inside.
"What's her problem, I fought that thing face to face and I don't mind talking about it." Rainbow said.
"Well Applejack isn't you!" Fluttershy burst out. Her friends immediately looked at her. "Sorry......" she squeaked. The pressure was really getting to Fluttershy.
Applejack was laying in her broken tent slowly eating her breakfast, she was really tired yet she couldn't sleep, there are too many thoughts going through her head, she wanted to know more about Werewolves but if she asked Twilight after last night she would get suspicious. She wanted to tell her friends but she didn't want to ruin their friendship. She started to look at her hoof, that used to be a paw, and there was no longer any pain in her leg but she still had bite marks on her. She didn't want to hurt her friends, but at night she would turn into the very thing that wil, she thought when it was night fall the beast would awaken once again, at least that's what she thought. Fluttershy started to crawl through the small entry hole in the tent with her was a book.
"Fluttershy what are ya doin', and what's that ya got there?" Applejack asked
"Its Twilight's werewolf book, I thought you might want to look at it." Fluttershy said handing Applejack the book
"Thanks Fluttershy...." AJ said.
Fluttershy left the tent leaving Applejack with her thoughts again, but now she had a book to look at, She didn't want to read it just yet, she still had thoughts on her mind she wanted to get clear. She thought if Fluttershy was loyal and still her friend, even after what happened, then why wouldn't the rest of her friends, but she didn't want to take the risk. After a while of thinking, decided to take a look at the book.
Applejack opened to the book and started to read. This is a book covering what is known about the beast known as the Werewolf. Werewolves, (also known as lycans) are half pony half wolf creatures. It has been confirmed that their kind is created through a magical diease that is spread through the saliva. This disease is the cause their tranformation when hit by moonlight. ''Of course that's how Ah' changed, the moonlight hit me." Applejack said to herself. Applejack continued to read but none of it was that important she knew what she wanted to know, and that was good enough. But she put the book under her pillow in case she needed it again.