//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 & 4 
// Story: My Little Wendigo: Mutilation is Fun 
// by Gothic_Novel 
//------------------------------//

	Big Macintosh pushed the makeshift barrier back into place before looking around the dimly lit room. Fluttershy lay in the corner, weeping for her lost friend. Derpy was likewise sobbing and clinging desperately to a small unicorn foal he assumed was her daughter Dinky. The filly gazed up at him, confused by the mares' behavior. He looked back at her sadly and shook his head. Now was not the time to explain. He would let his friends grieve in peace.

Big Mac walked slowly into the next room and began to examine the boards over one of the windows. Despite his calm demeanor, his ears were ringing from the blast and his mind was reeling from the events of the afternoon. He had almost grown used to the violence, the carnage that plagued this new world. It was all around them. Half-eaten ponies lay festering in the summer heat. He had even caused some of the incidents himself, crushing the heads and chests of the beasts that had been foolish enough to try and attack him. As long as they weren't in a pack, they weren't much of a danger to Big Macintosh. But they had been to Rainbow Dash. A cold concrete ball rolled in his stomach as he recalled the horror of the past few minutes. It was bad enough that Rainbow Dash had been killed, but that it was Pinkie Pie who killed her was what truly struck home. Before the outbreak, the two had been the best of friends. He could still remember the times when they had tried to pull a prank on him, and the once or twice they had actually succeeded. They had laughed so very hard, and they were so proud of what their combined efforts had been able to do. And today one had brutally devoured the other in a display that the word 'ghoulish' could not even begin to describe. They had been such good friends, both with each other and with his sister Applejack. And now, Rainbow was dead, Pinkie had turned, and Applejack was...

Big Mac was almost glad when a small tug on his tail jarred him out of his thoughts. He turned and looked down at the little filly who had broken the spell. She was a small lavender unicorn with pale yellow eyes and mane like her mother. She didn't seem to have her cutie mark yet, and he doubted she was capable of magic. His  grim expression softened as he realized just how hard it must be for her. She must have taken this as an invitation of sorts, because it was then she chose to speak up. "Mister? What's wrong? Why is everypony crying?" Big Macintosh averted his eyes. How were you supposed to tell a child that the idle of Ponyville had been ripped to pieces? "Well, little filly, um... somethin'... somethin' bad happened to Rainbow Dash. And we can't see her anymore." Dinky's eyes widened, shimmering brightly in the sparse sunlight streaming through the cracks in the boards. "Was it the monsters?" Big Mac coughed uncomfortably. "...Eeyup." "Oh..." Dinky stepped forward and nuzzled his foreleg apologetically."I'm sorry..." "Muffin!" Derpy called from the other room, having cried herself dry. "Muffins!" The sympathetic filly leaped up and raced to her mother, obviously famished. Big Macintosh followed her, smiling softly. He was glad she wasn't scarred by everything that was going on. Maybe, if they could escape Ponyville, she could have what resembled a normal life. Or, at least, the kind of life he'd had. Was that better or worse than their other options? He'd think on it later.

Hours later. the supplies they'd managed to bring from Sugarcube Corner were stashed away. They had spent the first hour or so in relative silence, continuing to mourn not only the loss of their friend, but the loss of their lifestyle. Things couldn't possibly go back to the way they had been, even if there was a cure for the virus. Too many had been changed, killed and eaten. Most of those who had become wendigos would be physically and mentally scarred for the rest of their lives, even if they could be returned to normal. But as they continued to dwell on the negative, the older, happier times from before the disaster crept into their minds. Jokes they had heard, places they had been, and things they had done with their friends. But the memory that touched them the most was both the most heartwarming and the most tragic. It was Pinkie Pie, and the way she had taught them to face at their fears with smiles on their faces, even in the most dire of situations. If she were still herself, she wouldn't want them moping around forever. They had every right to be sad, but they had finished crying. It was time to move on and to be happy about what their future could hold. This thought broke through the heavy silence, and they wept openly. But they were not tears of despair, as before. They wept at their own foolishness for ever losing hope. And that night, they laughed themselves to sleep.

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Fluttershy was awakened by a peculiar tapping. She'd heard it a few minutes before and had passed it off as rain falling outside. But now it was back, more insistent than before. She frowned. Where had she heard that sound before...? Her eyes widened and she gasped softly as it clicked in her mind. Knocking. Somepony was knocking at the door. She flitted quietly across the room and lightly nudged Big Macintosh. "Excuse me... Um, Big Macintosh?" He didn't even twitch. "...Eeyup?" "Um. I-I think somepony's at the door..." That got his attention. He sat up, taking note of his surroundings. Where was he, again? He looked behind him and saw Derpy and Dinky cuddled together, smiling softly in the caress of their welcome dreams. He hesitated, then motioned for Fluttershy to wake Derpy and trotted faintly to the door. As he reached it, another burst of knocking struck, causing him to wince. "...Hello?" he called. "...Is somepony out there?" A strange voice responded eagerly from beyond the threshold of the Hooves residence."Hello? Yes, I'm here! Thank goodness, I was beginning to think there was nopony left! Please, would you mind letting me in? I will gladly share my supplies if you will allow me to stay with you for the night." Big Macintosh frowned. He'd heard stories of situations like this. Ponies begging for help before turning on their hosts, robbing them blind. "...How do we know ya'll ain't tryin' to pull something?" The stranger's voice dropped so that Big Macintosh had to struggle to hear them. "I understand your concern. I have seen... horrible things this past week. I know what you are thinking, and I have no way to prove to you otherwise. All I can really ask is for you to trust me. Just for one night. Please." Big Macintosh frowned. He was good at telling when ponies were lying, and this stranger sounded sincere. But the choice wasn't his to make. He looked to Derpy, who had come to stand beside him. She wrinkled her nose in concentration for a moment and nodded. 

The elder four of the five little ponies sat around a lamp they had lit in the center of the room. The stranger had thanked them profusely when they had let him in, and he had just now finished. He was a young grey pegasus. His mane and tail were of a dark brown streaked with a grey slightly darker than his coat. A pair of black glasses rested on his nose, and on his head was a black fedora speckled with red diamonds. Cool blue eyes stared out from behind his spectacles. Fluttershy, for once, was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "Um... sir?" she said quietly, clearing her throat. "W-what's your name?" The stranger blinked, obviously surprised by the question. Soon, though, a small, shy smile crossed his face. "My name is Gothic Novel. I moved to Ponyville about a month ago." Derpy cocked her head at him. "Why were you outside? There's monsters out there." "It's a long story, actually..." "Oh..." Fluttershy murmured. "Well, um, we have time... I mean, we can't really leave until morning anyway." Gothic hesitated. "Well... Okay. I'll tell you."

"Just over a week ago, I had gone into Canterlot to try and get my new book published." He pointed to a skull shaped cutie mark on his flank. "I'm a horror writer. My special talent is to spread fear." He snorted. "Some gift, huh? Anyway. While I was there, Princess Celestia became horribly ill. The atmosphere was tense the entire time I was there, but ife continued as always. Goods were still sold and services rendered. I was actually on my way to the train station to return to Ponyville when the... outbreak occurred. It was terrifying! I've never seen so many ponies panicking before. With how close together everypony was, the infection spread like wildfire. Those... those wendigos, they were everywhere. I hid in a dress shop with a few other survivors for the first three days or so. But... we were attacked. One of those beasts had snuck in through the air ducts, and it killed two of our group members in their sleep. Another two were injured in the fight that brought it down. After that, I decided it was time to take my leave. So I flew back to Ponyville. And now I'm here."

The ponies sat in silence for a few moments. "So what do you plan on doin'?" Big Macintosh asked. Gothic cringed and thought a moment. "Well, I can't exactly stay in Ponyville anymore." He shook his head. "Maybe I'll go hide out in the Everfree forest. You never know, there could actually be a perfect place to-" He was suddenly cut off by another voice from outside the building. "Hello? Is there anypony out there? Please, help us!" Fluttershy's eyes widened. "That sounds like Carrot Top... What would she be doing outside at this time of night?" "Please," the voice cried, "Please, somepony help us!" Big Macintosh started to stand, but was held back by their recent guest. "Hold on. Something doesn't feel right."

Gothic Novel crept over to the window and peered through a crack between the boards. He couldn't see anypony outside, as it was blacker than the night had ever been in all of Equestria. "I don't see anypony," he whispered. He turned around. "I can't see a thing."

The moment his sentence ended, Gothic Novel was brought low as a wendigo came barreling through the window behind him, teeth bared.