No cry could escape the confines of Rainbow Dash's throat before her face was torn from her head, her skull crushed to splinters by the strength of her once friend's bite. Pinkie Pie, for her part, seemed unperturbed by the entire thing. The virus had ravaged her mind, and she no longer recognized the technicolor pegasus as being worth anything more to her than food. She swallowed her first bite without chewing and drank deeply from the crimson fountain before her as Rainbow toppled lifelessly to the ground. Pinkie tore away a large sheet of skin from Rainbow's chest, revealing the glistening red flesh she now perpetually craved.
Big Macintosh could only stare in shock as the brave mare who had led them safely through the remnants of Ponyville was so callously devoured by one of her closest friends. He was by no means any less than bright, but his mind could not make the connection between reality and what he was seeing. That, or it simply refused to. How could Pinkie not realize that she was feeding on someone who had once been so dear to her? Couldn't she see or smell or hear that it was Rainbow Dash? How could she have turned into something so utterly horrible in just a matter of days? How could she- Big Macintosh was jarred out of his thoughts by an insistent tapping on his side. He looked down to see Derpy gazing up at him, frowning. "Dinkyyyyy!" she pleaded urgently. Big Mac blinked at her in surprise. How could she be so calm about what was happening right in front of her? He shook his head clear. No, she was right. There was nothing they could do to save Rainbow Dash. More wendigos were joining in the feeding frenzy by the second, and some were beginning to eye the remaining survivors. They didn't have the time to mourn her right now. Big Macintosh scooped the sobbing Fluttershy onto his back and nodded for Derpy to lead the way. She lifted into the air and flew in the direction of her home, Big Macintosh following her at a gallop.
The sudden flurry of motion dragged the wendigos' attention from their feast. One pony was good, but it wouldn't fill them, and how much better would three fresh ones taste? The outer ring of the crowd broke away and began their pursuit of their fleeing prey. The smell of adrenaline was still fresh in their nostrils, and the copper taste of blood on their tongues drove them into a frenzy.
Big Macintosh glanced behind him at the sound of approaching hoof beats. Buck! he thought to himself. He tried anxiously to get a response from Fluttershy, who continued to weep into his mane as he ran. "Shy? ...Shy... Shy!" Fluttershy's head snapped up at the shouting of her name. "Y-yes?!" she stammered nervously, tears still streaming down her face. Big Mac nodded toward the direction they were running from, and she followed his gaze. Her face blanched as she saw what he was trying to tell her. "Oh! O-okay! I'll try!" She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a stick of dynamite, her hoof trembling at its very touch. She had no idea why Rainbow Dash had made her carry something so dangerous, but she would do whatever she could to help her friends. As pulled the lighter in the side pouch of her bag, however, it began to slip from her hoof. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! She could only watch in despair as her only means of putting her weapon to use fell from her grasp...
...and into the hooves of Derpy Hooves. The bubbly grey pegasus had drawn back as she recognized the early symptoms of the incident (having made the same mistake many times herself) and arrived just in time, much to Fluttershy's relief. Fluttershy smiled weakly and returned her focus to the task at hand. After a few false starts, she managed to ignite the tiny flame of the lighter. "Here we go..." she murmured, pressing it to the fuse. Once it began to spark, she drew back her leg and lobbed the explosive frantically at the approaching beasts. The wendigos, of course, had no idea what was to come.
BOOM!
The fiendish abominations yelped in surprise as the charge detonated just behind them. Blood and rubble pattered against the street. Limbs were pulverized and the wendigos themselves were launched forward and upward by the force of the blast. They landed with a wet thud, and in some cases, a snap. The latter didn't move again. Those who could still move dragged themselves after the fleeing ponies, but it was a pointless gesture. They could never catch up now. The last thing they heard was a harsh pounding, a small voice, and then the shrieking of their brethren that were drawn by the noise. The hunter who could not hunt became prey.