//------------------------------// // Chapter4: Winter of the Wendigo. // Story: Monster-bumps // by Napalm monster //------------------------------// “Nooo!” Aiden cried. “Don’t open it! don't open that boo-" Before she could stop her, Sunset picked up the book by its flap, opening it slightly by accident. But just enough for a blast of high pressure wind to blow it out of her hands onto the floor. A blue light emanated from the book, filling the entire room with blue flashing lights. They felt a rush of cold air burst from it, causing their skin to erupt in shivers. The room flashed wildly, like lightning crashing its way from the clouds and onto the earth. Sunset watched as the ink began to peel itself freely off of the pages, beginning to form a shape on the floor. The light was too blinding to see the shape's details. “Nooooo!” Aiden uttered a scream as everyone toppled backward into the wall. The shape soon became more clearer as a ten foot tall creature emerged, litterally off the pages of the book. It let out a roar. As the creature was white, had a snout just like a wolf, long grey horns protruding from his head, curled up, it was covered in white fur, had blue claws, and finally a long slender tail swinging wildly around. The girls just stared in disbelief at the creature that emerged from the books. Taking in its surrounding it looked at the overhead light, and seemed drawn towards it. He lightly used the tip of his claw to tap it, which accidentally sent it swinging back before hitting its snout. Making the creature recoil, it's interest shifted to the lamp on the desk, completely ignoring the petrified girls laying on the floor watching him interact with the lamp. It gave the lamp a light sniff before using it claw to gently tap the chain on the lamp. It swung back and forth, much to the creatures interest as it stared, fixated on it. Like a toy. "Nobody move,” Aiden whispered, staring at the monster. Fluttershy opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Fluttershy stood up and accidentally put too much pressure on her weight making the floorboards creak, very loudly. The Wendigos ears perked up and swiveled its head to face Fluttershy. The monster’s deafening roar made the floor tremble beneath them. The shelves shook. Manuscripts tumbled to the floor. She backed away from the monster, back and back and back The beast then charged towards her. “Get down!” Sunset screamed, tugging Shy out of the way as the monster hurtled towards them and then straight past them. Crashing through the window with wood and glass blowing out. The gigantic Wendigo landed on the lawn with a loud thump and stormed into the night. Everyone stared at the hole in the wall where the window used to be. Still to stunned to move a muscle or an inch Aiden glared at the Rainbooms, she ran over to the manuscript that read "Winter of the Windigo" and began run towards the exit of the house while the Rainbooms were still sprawled on the ground. “Ralph is gonna kill me,” she said under her breath, sounding more annoyed than scared. Then she ran outside, after the monster. The Rainbooms ran outside, and saw a path of destruction through the neighborhood the Wendigo made, blaring car alarms, smashed fences, crumpled garbage cans. There were dogs going nuts, their owners looking totally panicked. The Rainbooms figured they could track both Aiden and the Wendigo by following the monster trail of destruction. "So let me guess this straight," Rainbow paused and looked at Sunset, "We're running towards the danger. "Hasn't ever stopped us before sugarcube." Applejack said. "We have to help Aiden and make sure that 'thing' doesn't hurt anyone." Sunset answered, running forward, following the sound of car alarms and dog barking madly. The Rainbooms ran together through the deserted streets, and pick up more increasing signs of destruction everywhere they looked. It was like a tornado had ripped its way through the town. A big, white, furry, tornado with fangs, horns, a tail, and a really bad attitude. "It doesn't look like anyone was hurt." Fluttershy examined, seeing no one on the streets at this time. "For now." Sunset replied softly. The girls ran and came up to the park which was thankfully empty of a signs of life. Except the Wendigo and Aiden. Aiden held the book as she tried getting closer to the Wendigo, the Wendigo swiped at her but knocked the book out of her grasp instead. It went flying across the park, much to her utter dismay. The Wendgio turned to Aiden and raised its claws about to swipe her with them, Aiden panted and backed away until she lost her footing and fell to the ground. "Hey!" Both the Wendigo and Aiden turned to see the Rainbooms waving their arms trying to lure the Wendigo away from the helpless Aiden. "Over here you big white hairball!" Sunset yelled, waving her arms frantically in the air. The Wendigo growled and didn't seem to appreciate the name calling. He targeted Sunset. The girls all scattered, trying to see who would be the lucky winner with a monster chasing them. It was Sunset. Sunset sprinted away, she tried to rush past the savage Wendigo, only for to get caught by her jacket and being pulled up and meet the wendigo face to face as it growled in her face. The temperature in Sunsets face dropped at a critical rate when the beast blasted her with a rush of cold wind from its mouth. "Sunset!" The girls cried. "Put 'er down ya big galoot!" AppleJack cried before running over and stomping the heel of her boot on the Wendigos tail. It roared in pain. While it was distracted, Sunset quickly pushed her arms within her jacket and fell down, leaving the wendigo to only hold up her jacket. "Get the book!" Aiden yelled. "Why?" Sunset asked. "Just do it!" Aiden urged her, "Trust me!" The wendigo whipped its tail to the left and knocked Applejack away as she crashed against a tree. Once the farmer was taken care of the wendigo looked at where the human was a moment ago. Now in her place was just its jacket, it let out a confused grunt and turned to see Sunset sprinting away toward its manuscript. It tossed the jacket aside and began chasing after her. The wendigo took a big inhale and exhaled a large blast of ice in Sunsets direction, she dodged successfully, but the ice spreaded to the ground making it slippery. Sunsets balance was compromised, she struggled to keep from falling. Sunset fell and slides towards the book, much to the Wendigos frustration. The wendigo leaped into the air and crashed in front of Sunsets way as she stood back up. Sunset used the Wendigos height to her advantage and dodged every attack that was thrown at her. She rolled between the wendigo legs, before it could strike her. Sunset ran towards the book hoping Aiden knew what she was doing. Unfortunately, the Wendigo leaped in the air one last time and next to the book and grabbed it in between his mouth before scurrying away with the book. "No!" Aiden yelled. “Aiden! Wait!” Sunset yelled. “Go home!” she called over her shoulder without even slowing down. “You’re all in over your heads.” Sunset sped up and managed to catch her, jogging by her side. “You want to tell us what’s going on?” “Can’t explain. Gotta go.” The Rainboom tracked the monster and Aiden all the way to the ice rink. 'Of course! Where else would a snow monster go but the coldest place in town?' Sunset thought to herself. He had torn an entire section of fence off its hinges and shattered the nearest window. Aiden was already there, climbing through. The girls hoisted themselves up to the window and helped each other climb through it. They squeezed through successfully, trying to avoid the jagged glass. The ice rink was deserted or at least it seemed that way. But the monster had clearly been there. Smashed arcade games lay on their sides, crushed benches littered the ice, spilled food laid on the ground, along with empty cup, broken glass crunched beneath every footstep the Rainboom took further. Claw marks had shredded the walls. But there was no Wendigo and no Aiden. “Shouldnt we call the cops,” Fluttershy asked her group in a low voice as they crept toward the ice. "Well we have beaten demons and sirens before haven't we?" Rainbow asked rhetorically, "If we can beat both Sunset and the Dazzlings, we can take... Whatever that was." She then turned to Susnet who was giving her a small side glare. "Uh, no offense..." Rainbow said sheepishly. Sunset sighed, bowing her head slightly. "None taken." "Though Rainbow has a point," Rarity interrupted, "We've always had Twilight with us during each of those scenarios." "Oh!" Rainbow muttered, realization dawing over her. Rainbow sighed. “Fair enough.” The girls quickly and spotted Aiden standing dead center on the ice. She was spinning slowly in place, looking around for the Wendigo and the book. They slip-slid their way toward her, feet skidding out from under them every few steps. Once again, Aiden didn’t look very pleased to see them all. Sunset was starting to think she wasn’t exactly the getting-rescued type. “What’s happening?” Sunset asked her. “How did that thing just pop out of a book?” “Shhh!” she hissed. “It’s in here.” "No kidding" Rainbow replied. "What was that thing?" Fluttershy asked. "It's a Wendigo." Aiden replied. Sunset raised a brow, according to the Equestrian books she read in the past, Windigos looked like horse winter spirits that feed off fighting and hatred. "Windigos don't look like that." Sunset said. Aiden just gave her skeptical look, "Yes they do, they're large beast who canabilize on other people." “In that case we should get a gun,” Applejack suggested. “A gun? Guns aren't fun. We need a flamethrower!” Pinkie said, almost sadistcally, "those are super fun!" “Shhh!” Aiden said again. “It can’t be killed. We need the book." Rainbow snorted, "What are you gonna do? Read it to sleep?" In the unhappy silence that followed, something dropped on the ice with a tiny ping. Flutterhsy knelt, trying not to fall, and picked it up. “An M&M?” She asked, confused. "Ooo!" Pinkie said and plucked from her, "I'll take that!" She said before eating it. Another one dropped. Then another. Suddenly it was raining M&M’s. And Snickers? And Kit Kats? “Uh … guys?” Rainbow said They all looked up just in time to see a vending machine hurtling through the air straight down on them. “Looook out!” Applejack yelled They dove in three directions, skidding across the rink as the huge machine slammed into the ice. The gigantic Wendigo followed, landing with a crash on the vending machine. Then he scrabbled through the heap of candy like he was digging for treasure. He kept rifling through the candy, ignoring the girls. Too encompasses with the sweets to pay much attention. “Come on,” Sunset said “It’s distracted.” Aiden didn’t move. She looked around and spotted the book behind the Wendigo, curled up in its tail like it was a third hand. She needed to get that book. Rainbow suddenly took her arm, Sunset took the other, and they yanked her away. “You don’t understand!” she protested as they dragged her to safety. “The only way to stop him is to suck him back into the book.” The girls didn't listen and continued moving towards safety. “No!” Aiden pulled herself out of their grasp. "I need that book!” She stepped forward, accidentally stomping on the ice, generating a loud crack. Too loud. The Wendigo turned in their direction, growling at the sight of Aiden. Standing up from its perch Then he came for them. Aiden gulped and took a few steps back. Pinkie gasped when she saw Aiden in trouble she then spotted a pile of hockey sticks and hockey pucks. She ran and grabbed the closest one. As the monster approached her, it then raised his giant, hairy arm the size of a construction girder ready to slam it down over the oldest Shiverriba. Until... The Wendigo growled in pain as a hockey puck sailed through the air and smacked him in the face. Knocking the spit out of him. He recoiled and looked to see Rainbow and Pinkie Pie with hockey sticks and a bunch hockey pucks on the ground. "Hey you meanie!" Pinkie called out, and raised her hockey stick before sending another puck its way. The hockey puck zipped through the air and hit the book coiled up in its prehensile tail. Knocking it out of its grasp. It went flying across the rink, skidding on the ice. Aiden hurled towards the book, the Wendigo saw this, and went after her again. The Wendigo raised both his arms over its head and they came crashing down against the ice, making a mini earthquake. The rink shuddered, as Aiden lost her balance and tumble. While Aiden was down, the Wendigo raced to the book. Until Pinkie skidded towards it first and knocked it away with her hockey stick as far across the rink as she could. The Wendigo lunged towards it and accidentally snagged itself in the goal net. While the monster disentangled himself, Sunset and Rarity helped pull Aiden off the ice, and they ran towards the penalty box. The Wendigo disentangled himself he shrugged off the goal and stomped toward the girl “Run!” Rarity cried. All the girls skidded across the ice, trying not to look back, but they didn’t have to look back to know the monster was close by the loud stomping sounds behind them. “In here!” Pinkie shouted, waving wildly from the penalty box. Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Applejack made it there to the safety within the confines. Last was Sunset Rarity and Aiden running towards them. The winter beast was closing in. There was no way they could outrun him. But maybe. Sunset yanked on Rarity and Aidens arms, hard, and they both dropped to the ice. Using their momentum to carry them forward in a swift slide, they traveled and slammed straight into the penalty box, behind the thick plexiglas door. They closed the doors and huddled against the wall as the Wendigo charged towards them at an alarming speed. Seconds later, the Wendigo crashed toward them, slamming his head into the door. He unleashed a deafening roar of pain then shook it off. And he looked angry. “RAAAAAAAAH!” he roared. “AAAAAAAAAH!” The girls screamed. The monster pounded his fists against the Plexiglas, which couldn’t stand up to his impossible might. Tiny cracks spider-webbed their way across the door. It was only a matter of second, and they had nowhere left to run. The girls huddled together. Until... “Stop!” a voice boomed. It was Ralph. Ralph was standing there holding "The Winter of The Wendigo" manuscript in his hands. He opened it wide. A tornado of wind suddenly erupted from the pages with a giant sucking sound, pulling the snarling spirit of famine towards it. The monster dug his claws into the ice, desperately trying to avoid being sucked back in its own book, but it was no use. The vacuum of the book was stronger than him. The Rainbooms gaped in disbelief, as they watched the snarling white beast being slowly inhaled by the book. The closer the Wendigo got to the book, the more he seemed to be turning into black liquid, almost like he was melting into … ink? Fur and fangs faded out, his horns followed. He slowly turned into letter back into the empty pages of the book. He let out one last roar before he was gone. Once all the ink was restored back on the pages, Ralph slammed the book shut. And locked it tight. Every muscle in in the Rainboom's body unclenched as soon as the Wendigo disappeared. Everyone let out a loud, long sigh in relief. The danger was over, everyone was safe, they thought. That is, until they saw the look Ralph was shooting at them. Then they thought for a second the Wendigo was a better trade than the death glare Ralph was giving them. “All of you,” Ralph growled in a murderous tone. “In the car. Now.”