“I’m sure there’s a chapter on wereponies in The Lost Creatures of Equestria,” Lilymoon said as they walked up Horseshoe Hill.
“Didn’t we tell our sisters we weren’t gonna get into any more monster trouble?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“We aren’t gettin’ into trouble,” Apple Bloom said. “We’re just gatherin’ information.”
Sweetie Belle had a feeling “gathering information” would quickly turn into “getting into trouble.” But she didn’t want them to think she was scared, so she let it go.
As they reached Lilymoon’s house, the front door flew open, and Ambermoon came trotting out. She saw them and rolled her eyes. “Don’t you three have your own homes to go to?” she asked.
“Sure. But if we didn’t come visit, nopony would be around to tell you that you’d be a lot happier if you weren’t so nasty all the time,” Scootaloo shot back. Ambermoon’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Where are you going?” Lilymoon asked quickly, changing the subject.
Ambermoon continued glaring at Scootaloo but answered her sister’s question. “Well, since somepony in this house keeps stealing my candy, I’m going into town to get some more.”
“Ugh!” Lilymoon groaned. “I’ll never borrow anything from you ever again, happy?”
“Happier,” Ambermoon said as she trotted down the hill.
“So?” Apple Bloom asked casually. “Has your sister always liked candy?”
“Yeah… she’s had a sweet tooth for as long as I can…” Lilymoon’s eyes widened. “But… it couldn’t be her! She was at the party with us!”
“She did kinda disappear right before the Timberwolf showed up, though,” Apple Bloom pointed out.
“And you did say she acts weirder during a full moon,” Sweetie Belle reminded her.
“I totally bet it’s her!” Scootaloo said. “That’s why she’s so mean.”
“She’s always that mean.” Lilymoon shrugged. “It doesn’t mean she’s a werepony.”
“Wereponies?” Somepony cackled above them. They all looked up to see Auntie Eclipse trotting down the stairs. “Now, why would such innocent little fillies be talking about wereponies?”
Sweetie Belle glanced nervously at the others. Should they tell Auntie Eclipse what they thought was going on? Lilymoon subtly shook her head. Sweetie Belle sighed. Of course they weren’t gonna do that.
“We just… uh… have a report for class,” Apple Bloom lied.
“Everypony got different creatures,” Scootaloo added. “We got a werepony! So we were just gonna check out a book in your library to see what it said about ponies and Timberwolves and—”
“Timberwolves?” Auntie Eclipse interrupted her. “You want to know about ponies turning into Timberwolves!” The ponies nodded. “Timberwolves aren’t like regular wolves.”
“Duh,” Scootaloo said. “They’re made of timber.” Auntie Eclipse arched an eyebrow at Scootaloo. “Sorry,” she said quickly.
“It’s a rare magic that brings wood to life. In fact, it’s only ever been found in one place in all of Equestria.”
“The Everfree Forest?” Lilymoon asked.
Auntie Eclipse nodded. “Timberwolves have never been spotted anywhere else. And you won’t find any books about ponies turning into Timberwolves because it’s not possible. Not the same way they would turn into a werepony. Seems like a strange assignment to give young fillies.…” Auntie Eclipse let the comment hang in the air. The young ponies all glanced at one another, unsure of what to say next.
“Thanks for your help,” Apple Bloom finally said. “I’m sure we can find the rest of what we need on our own.” She started toward the library.
“Actually,” Auntie Eclipse said, stepping in front of her, “I’ll be needing the library this afternoon. I’m sure you have more than enough information… for a school project.” She strode into the library, the door magically closing behind her.
“Wow,” Scootaloo said. “Guess she really doesn’t want us in there.”
“Great,” Lilymoon said. “Where are we gonna get answers now?”
“Actually,” Apple Bloom said with a grin, “there may be somepony who could help us.…”