Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

22.2--The Sandwich Horror

The sun began to set on the town of Appleloosa. Lights were strung above the stage, the chairs and tables, and the dance floor, promising the square a warm glow throughout the night. A long table bore treats of all sorts--aside from the apple pastries, caramel apples, and apple drinks, there were pies of blueberry, blackberry, and cherry among others; there were troughs of water, plates of vegetables, and an ice cream maker. Appleloosans were hauling instruments to the stage for dances and their respective performances, with some mares in gaudy costumes to titillate the stallions and the rodeo clowns in silly attire to make the foals laugh. In an open space outside the dance floor, games such as horseshoe, stick pulling, and several types of races were set up for mare, stallion, and foal alike.

"We really appreciate your help, Mr. Sandwich," Sheriff Silverstar said to the party pony, who just stared at his work disappointedly. The sheriff scratched his chin. "Though I reckon that I don't see none of your signature style here. Usually, when you visit, you've got a--"

"I know!" Cheese snapped.

Silverstar blinked, and then knocked Cheese on the shoulder. "Now, don't get a burr in your saddle! The hoedown don't have to be fancy to be a good party, y'know. As long as we all have fun, it's a success."

Cheese snorted. "I guess. Helps that a lot of ponies pitched in..." He glanced at Tomato, who was busy perusing the food. He whistled, and when Tomato turned to him, he said, "Tommy! Make sure to give me the launcher later, okay?"

Tomato just looked in his jacket, nodded, and then continued scanning his greedy eyes over the table. Not that Cheese could blame him, the food selection looked delicious. After all, much of that was made by Braeburn's kin.

"Eh, what do you mean by launcher?" Sheriff Silverstar asked uncomfortably.

"Oh, we've been carrying around fruit-flavored fireworks since Seaddle," Cheese answered. "Launch those little balls fast enough and they'll explode, and then you can stick your tongue out to catch the fruity goodness. It's been a hit at the last couple of parties."

Sheriff Silverstar raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I'll test your claims yet."

Braeburn, who had been busy fixing up the stage curtains, suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head toward the horizon, he smiled, pointed, and hollered, "Hey! Everypony, the buffalo are here!"

Everypony turned to where Braeburn pointed, and indeed, a tribe of bison--from the big and burly chief to the scrawny young--were parading forth, carrying baskets of their own food. It wasn't long before they were within town boundaries, and one of the younger ones darted forward. Braeburn himself jumped off the stage and galloped forth to greet this particular buffalo.

"Howdy, Little Strongheart!" Braeburn said. "Have you grown since I last saw you? You're lookin' taller!"

Little Strongheart beamed. "It's good to see you, Braeburn. And, yes, I have grown since we've last met."

"Shoot, I was right. Sounds like you've been eatin' well."

Little Strongheart nodded, and then looked around until she spotted Cheese. "Hey, is that your friend Cheese Sandwich?"

Braeburn nodded. "Yup! He dropped by with his brother! I was startin' to get worried that they wouldn't come for this Appleloosa party; I've been wantin' to meet Cheese's kin for the longest time."

When Braeburn pointed Tomato out, Little Strongheart turned, and both buffalo and pony exchanged waves. "Ah, so that's the mysterious brother that he's been telling you about. He's taller than I expected."

As Braeburn and Little Strongheart continued their conversation, the buffalo chief approached Sheriff Silverstar and raised a hoof. "Greetings, Sheriff Silverstar. Words cannot express how happy my tribe is to attend our annual celebration of peace."

Sheriff Silverstar tipped his hat. "And we're happy to have you, Chief Thunderhooves. It's always an honor."

Chief Thunderhooves glanced for a moment at Cheese, and said, "It seems you have the great party planner in your midst. This holds some promise for our event to be exciting and for our good relations to continue."

Cheese smiled confidently. "Well, I'm glad that you--"

He was interrupted by a crash at the stage, and all looked in that direction to see Trouble Shoes with a large hoof stuck in the floorboards, grumbling, "Just my luck."

Cheese scowled, and started marching toward the stage past the buffaloes. "Dang it, you! Now we have to fix those stupid floorboards!"

As he marched past, each of the buffaloes' eyes widened, and they shuddered as if they had felt a winter wind. They looked to Cheese Sandwich, and then to each other in confusion. The ponies were just as confused at the train of shivering.

Tomato, who had been watching the buffaloes with fascination, felt a pit in his gut when they all shuddered. Part of him hoped that it was just some random magical nonsense that was heading their way that had nothing to do with Cheese's condition, that there was some mean thing in buffalo tradition coming to cause trouble. But, as much as he wanted to deny it, what those buffaloes sensed was likely Cheese and the spell he was under.

He leaned over to look at Cheese, who was scolding Trouble Shoes for the accident, and yet also wincing from a headache. Tomato felt in his jacket, right into his 'secret compartment', and touched the medicine bottle, ready to be taken for Cheese's next headache. He considered nagging Cheese about it, but didn't want to be chewed out by Cheese--or prove himself turning into Mom.

After his eyes met Braeburn's and they stared at each other in concern, the cowboy went to stop Cheese's aggressive scolding, being closer to the scene. Tomato was glad that Cheese wasn't being violent, but he still dreaded the possibility that somepony would make him snap. As much as this party was a ploy to keep Cheese here as long as both he and Braeburn could, he was growing more and more unsure if it was a good idea.

Oh, please, let the letter reach Princess Twilight soon, he prayed. She needs to get here as fast as possible!

---

Twilight trotted through the open door of the suite, walking in on her friends packing. With a sigh, she levitated the vial of Cheese's blood out of her saddlebag and to Fluttershy. "Well, good news and bad news, girls. The bad news is that since the magic in our only DNA sample is depleted, Celestia can't get a magic signature and track him. The good news is that she did lend me some valuable books on werewolves, including Wayer Rune's old journal. Whoever's doing this was definitely inspired by him."

"Well, at least it's somethin'," Applejack said, tying her bags.

Fluttershy, who had been brushing Vladimir's fur, gave the vial to the little bat. "To think that Cheese's memory problem transformed into a werewolf problem. I never thought that it would be this complicated."

Rainbow Dash looked at her cutie mark. "And we haven't gotten a Map Call to point us to him."

Pinkie Pie groaned loudly from where she sat. "You know, I do have faith that the answer to our problems is coming... but it's taking such a looooooong time to get here, and we only have until the moon rises to find Cheese and un-werewolf-ify him! Twilight, did you ask Luna not to raise the moon? I don't want my bestest party pony friend to turn into a monster and hurt his brother."

Twilight rubbed the back of her head. "Eh... the princesses say that disrupting the natural order of things will have a major negative impact on the world. It's not worth risking it just because one pony is turning into a werewolf. I'm sorry, Pinkie."

Pinkie just laid on the floor and crossed her front legs. "Come on, universe, just give us a sign already!"

It was then that Twilight heard raspy breathing behind her, and spun around to face a messenger pegasus, with a envelope in hoof. As the others gathered at the doorway, the pegasus said, "Message... for Princess Twilight Sparkle... from Appleloosa...", before he collapsed in a heap.

Fluttershy crouched down and patted him. "Oh, you must be so tired, flying all the way from there."

Pinkie pulled a smoothie out of her mane. "Want a drink?"

Rarity stared at the envelope as Twilight took it. "Appleloosa? I wonder what's so important that they need a princess."

"I sure hope they ain't having a dispute with the buffalo again," Applejack said. "It's their second anniversary, for Pete's sake!"

Twilight opened up the letter, and read aloud:

"Dear Twilight Sparkle,

"I'm writing this in case that tracking spell of yours cannot reach this far, and you need to know where Cheese and I have ended up. Long story short, last night, Cheese got mesmerized by a whistle, I chased him down, and we tumbled down the mountain onto a train. I hit my head and next thing I know we're in the desert just outside of Appleloosa. Now, with a Mr. Braeburn's help, I'm trying to stall him from just wandering into the desert so that you can come and set him straight.

"I don't know if I'll be there when you arrive; Cheese wants me to go back home to Manehattan. But, if anything, I don't want him to be left alone. The mystery sorcerer is still out there, and if we're not careful, Cheese might fall into his clutches.

"Sincerely, Tomato Sandwich."

"Well, isn't that convenient?" Rarity said. "Seems we did get our answer after all, Pinkie."

"Yes!" Pinkie cheered.

"And it looks like he's got Braeburn in on this, too," Applejack said, pursing her lips. "I get that Tomato don't want Cheese to be caught by this mystery sorcerer, but he just put my cousin and the rest of the Appleloosans in danger! I know it's a 'darned if you do, darned if you don't' situation, but he don't know what he's messing with!"

Twilight folded the letter. "Then we have no time to lose! Let's take the next train to Appleloosa and end this once and for all."

Rarity was looking up at the sky. "We might be a little late. Look!"

All the ponies looked where Rarity pointed, and there was the rising moon, a full circle shining in its nightly glory. Its silver glow spilled over the landscape, providing a beautiful night. As much awe as it would have inspired, it was tainted by the knowledge of what was about to transpire in Appleloosa.

The messenger glanced between the horrified mares. "What's wrong?"

---

And so the evening celebration went on, with both pony and buffalo having their fun. The buffaloes had provided some trinkets to hang around to ward off any evil spirits and keep the peace, and so far, it seemed to be working.

Pairs shared plates of fruit pastries, and toasted their mugs of cider. Groups of ponies would prance around in their square dances, swinging around as the song of the fiddles rang out. Many had their moment in the spotlight during a talent show, from a stallion's country croon to a buffalo's spirited dance. Foals and buffalo calves played games together, laughing in their merriment. In between, many were just happy to relax and talk with friends during this small holiday.

However, of all ponies, nopony would expect Cheese Sandwich to be a party pooper.

He didn't know if something was in the food or if it was just the heat, but he felt queasy and needed to sit down. Not helping was the throbbing headache that had emerged, and the music was not helping matters. Weary were his limbs, and he found himself wishing for the ability to sweat, as only panting could relieve his hot feeling. Try as he did at the start of the party, he couldn't enjoy it thanks to his malaise, and had to retire to the side much earlier than he normally would.

Normally, he thought, glaring with envy at the rest of the partygoers. His normal self would have added extra touches for a little more pomp, pizzazz, and party games. His normal self would have whipped out his accordion and performed tricks as he sang onstage, his voice ringing with utter joy. And his normal self would not have been tired this quickly, with others giving him pity.

Braeburn was quickly by him with a mug of water. "Hey, pardner. Want a drink?"

Maybe it was the heat, so Cheese took the mug and started to lap at it, much to Braeburn's confusion. As Cheese drank, Braeburn rubbed the back of his head and said, "I was really hoping that a party would getcha up like the mornin' sun, but you're lookin' all tuckered out instead." He set a hoof on Cheese's forehead. "You alright?"

Cheese paused to rub a temple, balancing the mug in his other hoof. "I don't know... most I can say is, well, I feel kind of dead."

"You sure don't look dead," Braeburn replied with a grin.

Cheese growled. "Not in the mood for jokes, Brae."

Braeburn's smile faded away, and he sighed. "Must be somethin' serious if a joke ain't gettin' you to crack. I don't think I've ever seen you so glum. Heck, I can see Tomato over there, and I don't think he's enjoying himself 'cause he's sick with worry 'bout you."

Cheese set the mug aside and rubbed both his temples. "He better enjoy the party; it's his last before school starts, and I don't want him wasting it pitying me. He should actually participate instead of just wolfing down those fritters and giving me those looks." He cupped his hoofs over his mouth and said loudly, "It's the least he could do to actually try to make me happy like my efforts weren't wasted!"

There was no way that Tomato didn't notice that, and he just responded with a glare that was nothing more than a sarcastic apology. The party had briefly stopped to watch the quiet exchange awkwardly, and then resumed their activities.

Cheese held his head and breathed through his teeth. Maybe yelling wasn't such a good idea, especially since he had felt acid in his throat from that. "Ugh... you know... I think I should go to bed."

As Cheese stood up, Braeburn sighed and said, "Well, I might as well take you back to my house."

Cheese shook his head. "No, no, I can get there myself... nothing's gonna happen, I promise." He started to walk away from the party, walking toward the alley that would take him straight to Braeburn's house. "Good night."

Braeburn waved softly. "G'night."

Switching between normal pants and doglike pants, Cheese ambled through the dim street, further and further away from the lights of the party. His legs trembled with each step, but not nearly enough for his legs to buckle underneath. He felt that bile in his throat and the ache in his stomach, praying that a final push wouldn't have him blowing chunks. The aching wrapped his head like a turban, and part of him wondered if Tomato still had that headache medicine, because he sure needed it right now.

He stumbled through the alley he had aimed for. Barely rounding barrels and nearing tripping over boxes, he questioned how he had come to such a pathetic state--magicless, joyless, and clueless. He wished sleep could wash away all his problems, but it wasn't so.

As he walked out of the alley, he was suddenly struck with a faceful of moonlight. Though it startled him at first, he naturally looked up. It was no wonder that it was so bright tonight, as the full moon rose above desert hills and apple trees in all its glory. A queen it was, surrounded by her twinkling subjects as all decorated the dark blue sky.

He stared in wonder at the queen, his headache and nausea evaporating in his bliss, and instead a newfound strength beginning to run through his veins. If he could stay here, staring at the moon forever, then he would, for it was peace. For a moment, he felt healed, he felt his magic renewed, and he felt like running back to that party and showing those partygoers what he's got.

The moment ended with a sudden sharp pain buzzing through him, and the headache and nausea crashed onto him with full force. His legs buckled under him from the sheer power of that pain, and he breathed through his teeth in a futile effort to stop it. His heart raced, and he had no idea which area to clutch, for all demanded his attention.

"What's... Ergh! What's happening...?" His voice grew deeper and more gravely in that short sentence, before they gave way to agonized groans. He crawled forward, trying to reach the house that seemed so far away, but he could only move inch by inch. His teeth were clenched tightly to keep himself from screaming, but he wasn't sure how long he'd hold out.

His muscles pulsated like balloons ready to pop. His guts felt like someone jabbed a fork in them and twirled them like spaghetti, making colic seem tolerable in comparison. His muzzle felt like it was being pulled forward, and his teeth all felt like they were being yanked out. His heart pounded violently, and in trying to catch his breath, he briefly wondered if he was dying.

Cheese's mind soon grew lost in a a fog made from both his pain and the anger which had vexed him for weeks. While it seemed like he was falling asleep, his front legs and knees still held him up, clutched in that pain and trembling as unequine features grew in.

His height was sacrificed for muscle mass, giving this not-pony a broader build and a distinct hunch, ripping his shirt until it fell into the dirt as torn, yellow rags. His teeth sharpened to fine points, with prominent fangs baring themselves at the edges. Hard hooves grew soft, and his feet sprouted toes, paw pads, and dull claws in their place. His nose blackened, taking in the whiff of the apple-scented air, and the ponies that trotted through it.

Each part of his body morphed until he could hardly be recognized as a pony. Indeed, if one had been there to witness his long minute of suffering, they'd remark that his appearance that was less equine and more canine.

At last, the pain faded. The black-eyed monster rose to its feet, panting heavily and taking in its surroundings. It's stomach free of nausea and now filled with hunger, it caught the whiff and heard the sound of its nearby prey.

It looked up at the moon once more, and howled.

---

As much as Tomato wanted to enjoy the party, he still couldn't help but worry about another incident where Cheese would fall into another fit of fury. Much of his attention was drawn to Trouble Shoes, who was performing silly gags with the other clowns, and came to the conclusion that if Cheese snapped again, it would be because of that pony's destructive pratfall. Already, Tomato pitied him.

As of that moment, Tomato could only try to eat the worry away, something that he couldn't quite do before thanks to limited supplies or little desire to eat too much leftover cake. Pies were much better in his book, especially since he enjoyed the crust.

It took one moment of looking away and looking back to discover that Braeburn and Little Strongheart were in conversation on a nearby wooden walkway, while Cheese was nowhere in sight. Alarmed, Tomato jumped over the table and weaved around other ponies and buffaloes to reach them.

Once they looked up, Tomato asked, "Hey, what's up?"

Little Strongheart just looked down at the dirt. "I want to enjoy the party, put I keep pondering on that chill that my tribe felt." She looked up at some of the buffalo trinkets hanging around. "Even with the precautions that our medicine bison has been taking, Cheese Sandwich did still fall ill."

Braeburn sighed. "I just want my friends to have a good time, but they ain't feelin' too good. Cheese even went to bed."

Tomato blinked, and his tail whipped around. "Uh, Braeburn, you did walk him to the house, right? You know, remembering the thing about not leaving him alone because there's some weirdo after us? The reason we're trying to keep him in Appleloosa until a certain princess shows up?"

Little Strongheart looked between them in confusion, while Braeburn chuckled nervously.

Tomato stomped a hoof. "Oh, for the love of--the guy's not going to care if Cheese is sick, he's alone and he's perfectly snatchable!" Tomato turned and headed to the shortcut alley, snorting hotly all the while. "I'll scold you later, right now I have to make sure he's not been kidnapped!"

Braeburn stood up. "Tomato, I--"

He was interrupted by a loud, deep howl. Tomato stopped in his tracks, and the party stopped at that haunting sound. There was a eerie silence after that. All ponies playing music had paused, some even lowering their instruments. All the dancing had stopped, and several ponies dropped the food they had been eating. Everyone, pony and bison, young and old, male and female, was looking around, trying to pinpoint the direction the howl came from.

Tomato himself stood still, his heart pounding. As the one furthest from the party, save Cheese, he realized that he just painted a big target on himself for this predator. He could only look around, expecting the animal to come out and pounce at him.

Back at the party, a pony asked Sheriff Silverstar, "You think it's one of them coyotes?"

The sheriff didn't answer, instead listening further to try to gain more clues on where the creature might be. The distant yips and howls of distant coyotes were heard, their pitch higher than the one howl from nearby. Pursing his lips, Silverstar answered, "Maybe."

Suddenly, the foals and calves screamed, and everypony snapped around to the game space that they had occupied. Over there, the kids were being scattered by a large canid, growling and snapping at them in its pursuit. It'd flank a group, and nip at the terrified kids to push them where it wanted, and did so again and again, keeping few of the kids from escaping and shoving them to a corner.

"Sweet butter on a biscuit!" Sheriff Silverstar cried. "That ain't no coyote, that's a wolf!"

All the party attendees gasped. Without hesitation, the buffaloes were the first to action, charging at the wolf so that it would stop harassing the youngsters, knocking over chairs and tables in the process. The wolf noticed their charge just in time to jump out of the way, and as the buffaloes surrounded both foal and calf to protect them, the animal darted right into the square.

The lights now revealed the beast's tan color, with brown, matted fringes on its head, neck, and tail, almost like a pony's mane and tail. Its eyes were pitch black, with not even a shimmer of light in them. At the center of the dance floor, the ponies could now see just how big this animal was. Between its bulk and the fangs it bore, it gave them a reason to fear it.

It quickly tackled one of the ponies, who barely missed death by shoving a foreleg in front of her own neck, and kicking it off of herself, even though the bleeding wound left her with a limp. The rest of the ponies started to scatter, galloping around in order to get themselves--and the injured mare--as far away from the beast as possible.

The wolf just had to pick out a loner trying to escape the crowd, and then weave out in order to catch that pony. A swift bite on the back leg took that pony down before he could reach a building, and he'd have been dinner had Trouble Shoes not come and pulled the wolf off of him.

"I got him!" he yelled. "I got the wolf! Now, what do I do--YOWCH!"

The wolf had clamped down on Trouble Shoes' foreleg, hard enough that it was starting to bleed. As the Clydesdale gritted his teeth to bear the pain, the wolf had started to wriggle its way out of his grasp. Trouble Shoes still held on, for he was no stranger to pain.

Sheriff Silverstar whistled. "Come on! Let's get our ropes and wrassle this critter to the ground!"

Tomato had stood on that street, frozen and staring at the scene in shock. It was a miracle that the wolf didn't single him out, and that Braeburn and Little Strongheart had escaped its sights as well, just watching as the stampede had unfolded. Tomato just watched as the other two turned to him, gave him a serious look that told him that they were jumping into the action, and then disappeared within the crowd, off to prepare for a fight should Trouble Shoes lose grip of the wolf.

Tomato knew that he should run for cover, but his mind flashed to the scenario of Cheese encountering this wolf, and he just darted off to make sure that Cheese was still there. There was probably a pack somewhere, but Tomato didn't care; he just wanted to know if his brother was okay.

He galloped through the alley, and skidded to a halt once he saw yellow on the ground. He gasped at the sight of Cheese's shirt, all torn up in the dirt and with its owner nowhere to be seen. Dropping to his knees, he picked up the pieces, staring at them as he tried to envision what had happened. With rapid, shallow breaths, all he could think was, He shouldn't have been alone.

After a moment of fearing Cheese's fate, he took a second look at both the shirt and the ground, and realized that there was not a drop of blood in sight. It struck him as odd, knowing that if Cheese had been killed by the wolf, there would have been blood, there would have been drag marks in the dirt... and the wolf probably wouldn't have bothered attacking the rest of the town with a perfectly good horse taken down. He wondered if the sorcerer had gotten him first, but that just bared the question of why Cheese's shirt was torn off.

He looked up at the full moon. "It's not like Cheese is the..."

Everything suddenly clicked. The aggression, the animalistic behaviors, the taste for meat, the fascination with the moon... it all made sense now. Even his cat collecting in Applewood made sense! He wanted to hit himself for not seeing it before, or even asking that question after the vampire question came up negative. There was no doubt in his mind that Twilight must have figured it out by now, and that it was ever more urgent than before.

But, thanks to a part of him that wanted to resist the idea, Tomato had to double check to see if there was any resemblance between Cheese and the beast. So, Tomato turned around, and galloped back to the square.

When he returned, he came upon the scene of the wolf having broken free of Trouble Shoes' grasp, and was forced to wrestle other ponies and having to dodge headbutts from buffaloes. It was amazing how strong the wolf was--Tomato didn't think that one wolf could throw off several ponies at once; there was a reason they hunted in packs--and how agile it was as well. Still, it didn't help that it was moving around too much for him to take a good look at it.

He hopped onto a barrel, and climbed onto an awning to get a good view of the fight from above. After running forward and then settling on his perch, he could see more clearly what was happening.

One pony foolishly wrestled him to the ground, only to get bitten for his troubles and left with a bleeding leg that he could only limp on. He could see that he wasn't the first to get this idea, if several other mares and stallions with torn and bleeding wounds were to go by. Any stragglers that the wolf targeted had to buck it away in order to escape. He watched as a buffalo charged the wolf, who had the brilliant idea of whipping dust in the buffalo's face and then making him trip. The wolf pounced, and started to rip at the buffalo's hunch before getting kicked off by Little Strongheart and roped by Braeburn. The pained whine from the canine was enough to make one flinch, despite it being the enemy.

As he had watch, Tomato had searched for any telltale markers that it was Cheese. He truly hoped that it wasn't, that the coloring was just too close for comfort, and that it was just too big and bulky to be his lanky brother.The fact that the thing didn't have a cutie mark was a ray of hope. But, the one thing he spotted that left him without any doubt of it being Cheese was that the matted brown fur on its head boasted the family forelock. It drooped, and it was messier than normal, but there was no way any normal wolf would ever have that.

Ache gripped Tomato's heart, and he ran a hoof through his mane. "I can't believe it... Cheese was a werewolf this whole time."

And now he was forced to watch as Braeburn and Little Strongheart had their turn in fighting him. The little buffalo was quite agile compared with her lumbering elders, while Braeburn proved himself a real cowboy with his rope work, lassoing him as his friend distracted the wolf. There were times that Cheese would break free, gnawing the ropes until they snapped and hit Braeburn in the face from the recoil.

As Cheese attacked Braeburn, Little Strongheart would knock him away. As he attacked Little Strongheart, Braeburn would buck him away. At it they went, roping and kicking and punching as much as they could, only to get frustrated by this creature that just won't stay down. Braeburn bit the wolf's tail, resulting in a yelp that told Tomato that Cheese's tail wasn't mostly skirt anymore, there was now more flesh underneath that bushiness.

As he watched the exchange of blows and tackles, Tomato didn't know who to root for. On the one hoof, Braeburn and Little Strongheart were protecting friends, family, neighbors, and tribe from what they saw as a ferocious beast. On the other hoof, that ferocious beast was his brother, and if they decided to kill him, well, Tomato was going to be stupid enough to intervene and spill the beans.

However, at one point, when Little Strongheart was knocked far to the side, unconscious and Braeburn was forced to wrestle the wolf to keep it from getting her. Tomato's heart raced as he watched them wriggle around on the ground, dragging each other through the dirt as Cheese attempted to break free, and Braeburn desperately trying to keep it still. He held his breath, hoping for the moment that Cheese snapped out of it...

...only for Cheese to snap his jaws on Braeburn's foreleg.

With the sound of Braeburn's scream, enough was enough, and Tomato jumped off the awning. Landing on Cheese's tail, the wolf's yelp released Braeburn from the jaws, and while the cowboy limped away, there was no blood, but the beginnings of a bruise. And now, Tomato found himself face to face with a snarling werewolf.

Braeburn limped to Little Strongheart to check her, and breathed a sigh of relief when she began to stir. Then, he looked up, and shouted, "Tomato! What are you doing?!"

Tomato could not break away from Cheese's stare, but still answered, "Stopping Cheese from spreading his curse to you!"

Braeburn blinked. "What?"

Little Strongheart rubbed her head. "Cheese Sandwich is... cursed?"

"Son of a crossbow..." Sheriff Silverstar muttered.

"No wonder we sensed something wrong," Chief Thunderhooves whispered.

Everyone else gasped and muttered to each other about this news. From the ponies who were hiding and watching from the buildings, to the buffaloes guarding the youngsters, and to those who were wounded and what that meant, everypony could not help but gape at the beast that once was Cheese Sandwich. Braeburn looked hurt, more from the revelation than from his bruise, and he didn't know whether or not to continue fighting. Everypony else stared at Tomato, who was now at the mercy of the wolf.

Tomato rummaged in his jacket to try to locate the firework launcher, but Cheese pulled his tail out from under Tomato. The pony stumbled, and then was pounced on by the wolf. As Cheese prepared his jaws to chomp down on the jugular, Tomato gasped, and yelled, "Cheese, stop!"

Almost. The jaws were almost at the throat. Hearing his name directed at him gave Cheese pause, and he drew back in order to look at this pony he pinned down. After a moment of pondering, the werewolf's eyes widened in recognition, and the black eyes turned green. He climbed off, and groaned with a shake of his head.

As Tomato sat up, Cheese rubbed his head and muttered, "Ugh... Tommy? Wha... what's going on...?" He looked around in confusion. "I was going to bed, and I was sick and in pain and... what am I doing here?"

Tomato opened his mouth, but he couldn't speak. He just watched as Cheese kept looking around, going from tired to confused, and from confused to worried when he saw that everypony was staring at him in horror. There was nothing he could say; he just put his hoof to his throat, thinking of how close he was to a gruesome death, and flashing back to that Las Pegasus night, how those innocent ponies must have felt when he sunk his own fangs there as a vampire.

Cheese spun in a circle. "Why are you all looking at me like that? What's going on? Why aren't you saying anything?!" Cheese faced Tomato again, seeing his gesture and deducing why he was doing that. "Tomato! What was I doing? Am I...?"

Cheese felt his back, spreading his toes to make sure he was covering as much back as he could... until he realized he had toes. He whipped his paw forward, seeing that it was indeed a paw, and then looked around frantically before spotting the trough, and zipping toward it. Just one look at his reflection in there, and Cheese jumped and screamed.

He felt the black, wet nose, and wiggled his toes again. He pulled at his ears and ran his paws through his fur, and felt his tail in hopes that it was still mostly skirt, but was promptly disappointed. He felt all those areas again and again, and kept looking at his reflection sporadically. "No, no, no... Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, this can't be happening! It can't be! I can't be a werewolf!"

He spun around to face the townsfolk again, and his eyes fell on those with wounds. Bite wounds. Made by him.

Cheese clutched his head, shaking it and trembling in horror. Instead of anger, for once, Cheese looked ready to cry, and he looked around for a place where he didn't have to be pierced by those terrified eyes. Breathing heavily, Cheese managed to spot a crawl space under one of the building, and darted straight for that. While most of the ponies and buffaloes gasped and braced themselves for another brawl, it didn't happen. Cheese just dug at the crawl space, and then yanked himself through the hole until he was all in, head, tail, and all.

Sheriff Silverstar helped the still stunned Tomato up. "There, boy, you all right? We were sure you were a goner."

He and the chief nodded at each other, and he shouted, "All right, everypony! We need to count who's been bit and round 'em up! Since this spell here is contagious, we need to do what we can to make sure that it don't spread too far!"

"And we'll do all we can to make sure that all ponies and buffaloes are healed!" Chief Thunderhooves bellowed. "Our medicine bison will get to work as soon as possible! Please, make it easier for us!"

As everypony started to organize themselves, Braeburn just limped to Tomato, supported by Little Strongheart. "I have to say, Tomato... what you did was plum stupid. Still... if he didn't go back to his senses, we mighta pulled out the crossbows, and..."

Tomato didn't answer, but just silently stood up, not even making eye contact.

Little Strongheart patted him. "Listen, you realized what was wrong, and you got through to him. That's what stopped the violence." She dolefully looked over to the crawl space where Cheese hid. "Now we just need to heal him and those he wounded."

When Tomato didn't respond, she and Braeburn looked at each other. The latter sighed, and said, "Come on, pardner... maybe you need to go to bed."

Tomato nodded glumly and accompanied them on the trip to Braeburn's house. The streets were dark, with only the moon and stars as a light. Neither were expecting Tomato to want to talk, given what had happened just then, so they just lead him through the street, the alley, and to the house. They let him go alone to the door, with Braeburn reminding him where the guest bedroom was.

Turning back to go back to the plaza, Braeburn looked at his bruised foreleg. "Cheese bit me. Don't that mean I'm a werewolf now?"

Little Strongheart shrugged. "The skin didn't break, so... maybe not?"

Author's Note:

At last! After almost four years of desiring to do it, three years of writing this dang thing, and months fantasizing about how this scene would play out, I finally get to write my "Werewolf Cheese Sandwich" thing! I also have ideas for an AU where Cheese was a werewolf the entire time, but that's for another time (if I ever get to it).

So, now Tomato knows. And Cheese knows. And all of Appleloosa and the buffalo tribe know. Hey, at least Twilight and friends are on their way, even if they're a little late to stop the rampage.

Also, writing the buffalo is kind of frustrating.

Comments

[Chromio]

I can't think of anything but beefalo when I think of buffalo

[Goldfinch142]

That was quite a lot of damage--and that was just the first night. But now that the whole town knows, maybe they can help keep Cheese in a secure place until the Mane 6 get there, assuming Cheese doesn't hide them out.

The fact that Cheese even came to his senses at all speaks well, at least. Sometimes, friendship (and brotherhood) really does trump all.

Of course, there's still the issue of the possibility of Wayer Rune showing up again...

[SageBrony07]

Oh boy. At least Cheese's temper isn't affected right now. To be honest, it would be awesome if Tommy transformed as well.

[ChaoticKindness]

Dang, I enjoyed this chapter! A lot of action

[Godslittleprincess]

Wowie, that was gruesome.