Brotherly Bonding Time

by Sketcha-Holic

22.3--Musings

The rumble of the train car was the only sound that night. It was a sound that its passengers grew used to quickly, and even let rock them to sleep. A few certain passengers, having boarded late that night, certainly needed their sleep to fix a problem at their destination, and most of them took that chance to get comfortable and get their shuteye.

Pinkie Pie couldn't sleep. She kept staring out the window and at the full moon, her mind transfixed on what was happening in Appleloosa that very moment. If anything could put a serious damper on a party, it was the host turning into a monster. She didn't even want to imagine what kind of damage was being done; especially by a good friend of hers. If only they had managed to keep Cheese in Canterlot, so that they could have cured him before he hurt anypony else! She wished that they could just pop over there in a second, but even Twilight had her limits on her teleportation.

She soon realized that she needed to stretch her legs, and since she didn't want to wake up her friends, she settled on pacing. After all, pacing was done with serious thinking, and Pinkie definitely was doing serious thinking. She was gonna go back and forth in the aisle, her mind swirling around all that had to do with the werewolf spell on Cheese.

Being a wolf would definitely ruin a party, she thought. Getting bitten by that would be anything but fun! Why couldn't Cheese make being a werewolf funny? That one time eating the dog kibble should have been hilarious, or maybe he could have been distracted by a frisbee, or he'd chase a cat! Or maybe he would have licked my face because dogs do that to ponies they like, right? Sure, I'd find it yucky, but it's a lot better than being yelled at and told that he wants to forget me because at least I'd know that he still likes me!

She wanted to believe that it was just the spells talking. After all, Cheese was the pony that she inspired to break out of his shell and throw himself into the spotlight, ready for those smiles. He had told her that he always felt different, and she showed him why, as well as how his gifts could be used for good. But at the same time, this was the same pony who resented his brother--said brother having been a lot like Pinkie when he was a colt. What if Cheese really did come to resent her for similar reasons to his resentment of Tomato?

She glanced out the window, seeing that the train hadn't yet reached the desert, if green grass and leafy trees were anything to go by. Rocking herself side to side and humming softly as she paced, there was the sense of we-need-to-be-in-Appleloosa-right-now, with Pinkie hoping that nopony got bitten or even died. But at the same time, she didn't even want to go and face Cheese, lest he decided to outright attack her instead of just saying mean things, even if the mean things hurt enough as it is.

She turned in the aisle, and looked up to notice a magenta glow coming from one of the other seats. Blinking, she quickly galloped to that seat, and then slid to a stop right next to it to find Twilight, who was up and had her nose in a book.

Looking at the emblem on the front cover, which was a full moon surrounded by stars, she asked, "Whatcha reading?"

Twilight's head jolted up on hearing a sudden voice, but when she turned to Pinkie, she relaxed. "Oh, I'm reading Wayer Rune's journal. His words can give us better insight on the nature of both the werewolf and memory removal spells. But, I'm not going to lie, reading about his life is absolutely fascinating."

"Oh?" Pinkie sat down beside her, peeking at the Old Ponish and drawings scribbled within. "Do tell."

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but upon seeing one of the others stir across the aisle, she quickly made a bubble around her and Pinkie. "There, now we can speak as loudly as we need to without waking anypony up. Anyway, one thing I'm sure that you'll like to hear about is Wayer's wife, Jamberry Rune."

"Ooooh, Equestria's greatest jester? Some of the stories my Nana Pinkie told me and my sisters were about her! Like how she jumped right into the job opening when the old one died and made the Princesses laugh, and was accepted despite being just a lowly peasant, or how she went behind everypony's backs to create a giant faire for both noble and peasant, despite party planning not exactly being in the job description." Pinkie frowned. "Why was she married to the werewolf guy, anyway?"

Twilight flipped back a few pages. "Well, according to Wayer himself... 'I have traveled many miles from the city Foreverfree, enough for my hooves to be sore long after my journey has ended. Ponies back home thought I was mad for investigating the rumors of a mysterious earth pony mage, who doth not need potions and alchemy like Mage Meadowbrook did--this strange peasant could summon goods from behind her back, and survive injuries that would be fatal to another, with nary a scratch to be found. Perhaps I am mad, for I was always a curious stallion, and when there is new knowledge to be sought, how can I not seek after it?

"'My arrival to this village was recent, and the mysterious earth pony made herself known to me almost immediately. She was eager to ask me to do a magic trick, as she had never seen a unicorn before. I merely levitated an apple; in exchange, I asked her for one of her magic tricks. She was confused, and argued that earth ponies can't do magic like that. In short, we argued about that for quite some time, until our discussion ended with her drawing a fruit pie from her cloak, which I was certain had nothing in it before, and shoving it in my face. Quite the brave mare, doing that to a unicorn, especially a young mage with promise such as I; even braver for her fellow villagers to laugh. But, shocked as I was, I did get my magic trick, and as penance for losing her temper, the mare, named Jamberry Harvest, offered me a place to stay with her family.'"

Twilight turned to Pinkie. "The next few pages detail how Wayer would attempt to study Jamberry and all the crazy goings-on around her, kind of like the time I tried to investigate Pinkie Sense... and getting hurt. A lot. And yes, Wayer got hurt often, such as when Jamberry threw a beehive to distract a rampaging bear, the bees tried to attack her... only for her to hide and the bees to attack Wayer instead. Ouch." She shuddered. "He tries to soften it by mentioning how amusing it was that the swarm was shaped like an arrow, but I can just sense his frustration over how the heck they even knew to coordinate like that."

Her eyes flicked right and left as she scanned each entry. "He also mentions her sudden teleportation when he looks away, abnormal stretching of her body, her eyes popping out of her sockets before springing back in, how she only ended up covered in ashes after Wayer misfired a fire spell, and much more. Wow, Wayer must have been tenacious to gather all of this."

"He should really stop trying to dissect the joke, because explaining the joke kills it," Pinkie said, crossing her front legs.

"Oh, no, he doesn't quite 'get the joke' until Jamberry's parents die." Twilight flipped forward to said entry. "'Tis been a somber day in this house. Wheat Harvest is now head of the house--'" She paused and looked up. "Wheat is Jamberry's older brother, just so you know. Anyway... '...and we have just buried their parents. With seven younger siblings to feed and protect, I do not envy Wheat's postion. However, I was surprised when he treated me with kindness instead of contempt, and for once did not view me as a scoundrel seeking to steal his sister's virtue.

"'Jamberry was not her usual joyous self. She did not speak in jest, she did not perform any tricks, and she did not use any of her impossible magic. I sought to comfort her, and she said not a word, only holding me all through the night. We merely fell asleep; had Wheat come into the room, tis likely that he would have misunderstood and his wrath would have led him to break off my horn. The family has had enough heartache, and that event would have made down spirits worse.

'After Jamberry's sorrow these past few days, it came to me that her impossible magic was meant for the joy of others, and that it is profoundly affected by her intentions and emotions. Indeed, many did laugh with her when her feats of madness were performed, and I did learn to love and laugh more than I ever did back home. I suppose that's why I hesitated to call it Chaos Magic; Chaos, much like its infamous wielder, Discord, has no rules and no regard for anypony's well-being, being out for its own amusement and rewriting the world into complete madness.

'Jamberry's magic, which I shall now call Jester Magic after those amusing ponies in the Princesses' court, has a certain pattern consistent with promoting mirth among the villagers, and any selfishness on Jamberry's part always led to retribution, as if her own magic was displeased with her. It seems to be profoundly affected by deep sorrow, such as the death of a loved one, or perhaps a troubling event of that nature where laughter is inappropriate. Indeed, it seems that the powers of Harmony may have deemed her worthy to wield this magic, for she is a mare who ultimately seeks the happiness of others, and I love her for it. Even if the finer details on how it works do escape me, that is the conclusion I have made.'"

Twilight lowered the book. "I'm not sure about Jamberry's side of the story, but it's clear that Wayer definitely fell in love with her for being different and her desire to make others smile."

Pinkie beamed. "Oh, I definitely relate to Jamberry! I bet that if I traveled through time and met her, we'd be friends and throw a super big party together! Heck, wouldn't it be amazing if every party pony in history all came together to throw the biggest party ever? How many party ponies would that be? I bet lots of party ponies would be lots of fun!"

Twilight grinned nervously. "I don't know... there is such thing as too much of a good thing..."

Pinkie shrugged. "Eh. Oh, and I totally get why Jammie married Wayer... he sounds like he was a really nice guy, eeeeven if he was a little nosy. But still, it sounds like he's a smart guy... like you! And what crazy pony wouldn't like you?" She frowned, and looked out the window at the moon again. "But none of Nana Pinkie's stories ever mentioned a husband... heh, guess we know why..."

Twilight patted her back. "Are you okay? Knowing that Cheese is..."

Pinkie sighed. "I'm really super nervous, and my heart's still achy from what he said. I don't know if he'll yell again, or bite me again... and if he does bite me, will I turn into a werewolf? What does a werewolf even look like? Is it a Timber Wolf or a regular wolf?" She pulled at her mane. "I don't know, and I don't know if I want to know or not, because I'm really scared of what's happening to my bestest party pony friend!"

"Pinkie!" Twilight exclaimed. "I know you're worried. But I promise, we'll be in Appleloosa tomorrow. Most likely during late morning or early afternoon, but I can cure Cheese and anypony he's bitten before the next moon rises. And since the sorcerer who did this would likely be nearby, we could track the memories and get them back as well."

Pinkie hugged her tail. "I hope the sorcerer pony doesn't dognap Cheese tonight. Why would you want to randomly turn somepony into a werewolf, anyway?"

Twilight shrugged. "For this age, I'm not sure. But I know why and how Wayer Rune invented it in the first place." She opened the journal once again. "Um, spoilers, he used a dire wolf as the base, not a Timber Wolf."

"Why a wolf?"

"Convenience, I guess." Twilight looked in the book again. "Might as well read some more and see what else we find."

---

The rest of the night passed without incident, and those that were bitten were herded into the rodeo arena so that their wounds were all tended to and they could wait for a session with the medicine bison. Cheese Sandwich, back to pony form when the moon had set, was among them; or rather off to the side, leaning on the fence, away from the crowd that eyed him warily. While he'd rather that the stares were because he was currently shirtless, he knew that being 'patient zero' was why all were scooting away. It was just as well.

Naturally, he was the first to be examined, lead away to be inspected in private to a hut outside of town. After getting dusted with some sand and having to bear her hoof waving around him, much to his annoyance, he had to review his summer as well as he could; perhaps he could pinpoint the moment that he could have contracted the spell. He didn't transform on the last full moon, so it had to be sometime during the past month, when he started feeling unusually angry and his magic faded until he couldn't even throw confetti. During his spiel, the medicine bison had a face of stone, listening intently.

It was thinking back to that full moon that he recalled the magic pool that gave him strength, and that elixir that Rooney gave him to stop the headaches. Along with those, the question Tomato had asked one night come to mind: "Don't you think that Rooney guy did something?"

No, Tomato was just being paranoid, he thought. If Rooney had been plotting something, wouldn't he have done something when Cheese had been sick in bed back in that one town where Party Favor lived? Why would he just wait to cast a spell on him? Why would he want to cast a spell on him if Cheese never did anything to him? For that matter, what purpose would turning him into a werewolf serve? And why would he just leave Tomato alone? None of it made any sense!

For now, his best guess was that the mystery sorcerer was some unicorn that he accidentally upstaged one time.

After Cheese finished his story, there was a pang of disappointment as the medicine bison explained that the spell was an unfamiliar ailment to her--she could detect that it was a pony spell, to be cured by pony magic. However, she had continued, she could help with the severe magical disharmony within him, and heal his mind and spirit so that his body may be open to physical healing when the cure arrived.

After some herbal treatments to soothe his anger, he went back to town, with the advice to seek support from friends and family, and to prepare for a ceremony for all the victims for spiritual cleansing. When there, he had barely caught word of somepony having sent for Princess Twilight, much to his surprise, and figured that it was going to be a couple days before her arrival. It wasn't long before everypony noticed him and hastily parted out of the street, staring at him cautiously.

He snorted, and still a little woozy from whatever that bison burned, he didn't burn with anger. Instead, he just strode forward quietly, his hoofsteps quietly patting the dust. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he looked around in hopes of locating Braeburn or Tomato. He noticed a couple of ponies sharpening pitchforks and making sure chunks of wood were dry, or knocking on bottles to test their hardness. He noticed that many foals and their mothers were on the roofs, their eyes on him.

He checked the rodeo arena. That proved to be a mistake.

When Cheese left that morning, the ponies were still acting like ponies; they were right to shy away from the werewolf that bit them, pounding their hooves on the dust to warn him away. They ate their hay cakes and apple tarts for breakfast, and plodded with the swinging gait of a relaxed horse when they paced. Now, revisiting them, it was a little more than startling to see that some of them had started to chew bones that weren't there before, and while those looked tantalizing, Cheese couldn't help but wonder where they came from. There was also a tug-o-war with somepony's hat, with all the snarling and attempted swings of head that only dogs were known for. And seeing Trouble Shoes yelling at Sheriff Silverstar made Cheese realize that during his feral state of mind, he didn't consider that biting a massive Clydesdale would create one of the scariest werewolves of all.

Who had just finished his tirade and was glaring at him.

"You!" Trouble Shoes snarled.

And now all eyes of all the new werewolves were all glaring at him. Though in pony form they may be, they still had the wolf's boring glare, and he felt a knot in his gut knowing that he made them this way. Where was the medicine bison to give them all a mass spiritual cleansing right then and there and make them stop looking savage?

Tail between his legs, Cheese just answered, "Hi... so, uh... have any of you seen Braeburn around?"

One mare snapped, "Oh, why? So you can finish turnin' him like you turned us?!"

Cheese shook his head. "No, the medicine bison told me that I needed the support of a friend..."

One stallion rolled his eyes. "Suuuuuuure... a friend to join your pack. Whose next, that brother of yers?"

Cheese looked away. "No. As far as I'm concerned, he should be going back home to Manehattan, because this is too dangerous for him. I'm too dangerous for him." He hoped they weren't reading his thoughts, because he was well aware that sending Tomato away might be against the medicine bison's advice. But as he saw it, it was the most responsible thing he could do. At least he could feel at peace knowing that his brother was safe.

Now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen Tomato all day. What was it, noon now?

"Oh, you shoulda thought of that before tryin' to throw us a party! Now we ain't nothin' but wild animals thanks to you!" Trouble Shoes yelled. He raised a hoof to smash the fence and narrowed his eyes at Cheese. "How I'd love to smash your head in."

Sheriff Silverstar, who had been watching the exchange, slid in between them. "Settle down! Y'all need to remember that you're still civilized ponies and expected to act like such! I will have no lynchings in my town!"

As the victims starting barking and snarling their protests, Trouble Shoes grabbed Silverstar by the vest and brought him up to face level. "And just how are you gonna stop me? I'm more than two times your height, and I can use my size and strength to bring some real justice!"

He threw the Sheriff aside, and smashed the fence. Trouble Shoes lumbered forward, while others started running out, shouting and barking their protests of their condition. Cheese backed up as much as he could, his tail still between his legs and his eyes avoiding their gaze, though he gauged the numbers. With ten to one, especially with Trouble Shoes on their side, he was as sure as dead.

Just then, it was Braeburn who came in between them, with no regard to the big bruise on his foreleg. He shouted, "Hey! If you so much as lay a hoof on my friend, I'll give y'all a good lickin'!" He stood up straight. "Y'all are bein' unfair. He's as much of a victim as y'all are, and real justice will be finding who did this to him and making 'em answer for it."

The victims backed up and murmured amongst each other, while Trouble Shoes just stared. Braeburn stared back, took off his hat, and said, "Trouble Shoes... I know you wouldn't hurt a fly... on purpose. You were willing to do time for all the rodeos you ruined, and all of those were accidents! I know you're mad, but you know that killin' Cheese wouldn't turn you back."

Trouble Shoes blinked in confusion. "Whaddya mean I ruined rodeos? I don't recall none of that."

Now Braeburn was confused. "It was just earlier this year, remember? My little cousin helped you figure out your mark?"

"Why would I be confused about my cutie mark? I remember watching a lot of rodeos... and wanting to join in... but I never wrecked them! Why in the flamin' hay are you lyin' to me, Braeburn? Are you accusing me of bein' an outlaw?!"

"I'm not! I..." Braeburn scratched his head. "Since when does turnin' into a werewolf cause memory loss?"

Sheriff Silverstar came ambling back, with some cacti stuck onto his back. "All right, enough of this nonsense! No attempted lynchings until after the medicine bison takes a look at all of you! Cheese don't want no trouble, so that's a good sign."

Cheese sighed. "She did say it was a pony ailment to be cured by pony magic. She just helped me control the symptoms."

One of the mares scoffed. "He's lucky the one buffalo he bit wasn't here. That would've been messy."

Sheriff Silverstar sighed. "That so? I hear Princess Twilight's coming; I do believe she's good with magic."

Cheese pinned his ears back. "Can't wait for her to chew me out." He looked at Braeburn. "Can I have lunch? I'm hungry."

Braeburn nodded. "As long as you ain't asking for any meat, I'll feed you." The two turned around, and Braeburn waved at the Sheriff and the victims as they began another trek through town. "I'll see y'all later! Here's hoping y'all are cured soon."

With a nervous chuckle, Braeburn turned back to Cheese, though he could still feel Trouble Shoes' glare. "Cheese, pardner, I'm gettin' more worried about this spell the longer it goes on. I didn't expect ponies to lose their memories when under it!"

Neither did Cheese, who had let the memory thievery thing slip from his mind thanks to his transformation the night before. It was really weird, because if he recalled correctly, weren't his memories being stolen before this werewolf thing was a problem? He could have sworn that they were two different things.

He snorted. "Enough about that... I don't want to think about the others wanting to murder me. How's your leg?"

Braeburn looked at his leg, which had splotches of black and blue marring his yellow color. "Oh, it's easier to walk now than it was last night, but it still hurts like someone's still beatin' me with a hammer. Forget it not breaking the skin, I'm surprised that you didn't break my bone!"

"Yeah, forget I was this close to turning you into a werewolf, I nearly crippled you." Cheese forced a snort, hoping that it sounded as horselike as possible. He kept staring at his hooves, with the single toes they should have. And he licked his teeth, they were as flat as they should be. By all means, it should have been a dream, but the way everyone was acting, there wasn't any way around it.

But now, he had a second question to ask. "So... Tomato left, right?"

Braeburn's face sunk into a deep frown, followed by yet another nervous chuckle.

Cheese instantly realized what that meant. "He's still here?!"

---

While putting in a few hours of sleep in between reading sessions, Twilight and Pinkie spent most of their time on that train reading from Wayer Rune's journal and learning more about his life.

Twilight held much interest in how Wayer was always exploring various ways of using magic, from casting spells using his horn, to trying his hoof at alchemy and potions, to the use of runes, as was apparent in his family name. He liked to experiment with any spells he found or anything he discovered on his own. Any magic that he could not do, such as earth pony and pegasus magic, he'd observe, drawing sketches of how wings and hooves were as potent conduits as unicorn horns--and that for some ponies, tails were a good conduit as well.

"I pitied earth ponies before, having no horn to levitate objects. But, when I accidentally made anti-magic crystals grow on my horn, Wheat Harvest taught me how to channel magic through my hooves so I could carry objects with my hooves more effectively, and how to use tools with my mouth--though Jamberry's efforts to get me to use my tail were fruitless. It was useful for the time I couldn't use my horn, and served me until I created an antidote for my misfortune. But my writing was atrocious! I suppose I learned a lesson in that prejudice does not only manifest by hatred, and that is important to draw wisdom from many sources; keeping to oneself reduces progress."

"I tried out a rune circle to see if I could teleport further than normal. The results were that I indeed did, but I had to make another one to return, and I forgot the book that had the design I needed. Thus, I had to walk all day to return to my lodging. I had to scare off many bears and wolves and bandits--foolish bandits who thought I could be taken down with a rock."

"Memory magic is an odd subject to peruse, but it seems that for all the magic information in the world, there's not that much about it. There's tales of a memory stone, but it appears that it is lost, so I decided to see what unicorn magic could do with it. So far, there was the one that I unintentionally ripped out from Golddrop's mind when he died, and while it's a nice memento of our deceased son, it was also a treasure trove of information. I could create a physical manifestation of the memory and relive it with him, see what was going on in his mind that day, and discover details that I hadn't noticed or have entirely forgotten. Unfortunately, when experimenting with removing a memory from a living being, I discovered that tugging on it led to extreme pain for my wife, and I had to cease before I possibly killed her. It still gives me concern over whether dying just released Golddrop's memory, or the removal killed him. I hesitate to find out for sure."

Pinkie, on the other hoof, liked the entries about his relationship with Jamberry, and how she made everyone's lives more fun.

"When I had left that village to go back home, I intended to go alone, but Jamberry pestered me because she was both curious about where I lived, and because she didn't want me to part. With her brother's blessing, I decided that it wouldn't hurt to show her the capital. I expected to give her a tour and entertain her for a few days before I created a rune circle to send her back home. However, when on our tour, we happened upon a rumor of the court jester's sudden death, and Jamberry turned frighteningly ambitious. I chased her around town but failed to catch her before she broke into the castle, and then I pursued her through the castle until I lost her. By the time I found her, she was in the Princesses' throne room, and the sisters were rolling on the floor with laughter, presumably from something she did. I tried to hurry Jamberry out, but it was too late, the Princesses liked her and invited her to be their new jester. And then Jamberry boldly asked if they could bless us to wed. I had nary a clue of how I was supposed to inform Wheat of this insane event."

"She did it again. At the Gala, she was just expected to juggle and tell jokes for the amusement of the nobility. However, when she overheard from somepony that her marriage to me was a joke and that our foals are mongrels, she decided to overstep her bounds yet again, which Princess Celestia lets her do on a regular basis. She made the fountain gush with custard, she summoned colorful banners from the ceiling, and she kept changing outfits in the blink of an eye in a display of her magic. Most of all, she stretched a rope high between two pillars set in opposite sides of the room, and then proceeded to balance on it, performing a dance and singing a boastful song about how she was powerful at magic, just a different kind of magic, so why shouldn't two ponies matched in magic power be together? And then she threw pies yet again. I wonder why she must throw pies all the time."

"She does not like being confined to the throne room, and thus enjoys the days when she can walk out to a faire and entertain all who attend, no matter their status. Some days, she'll go to the village that her brother built just to throw her own faire, because she was weary of the nobles she had to perform for. All she wanted was for our surviving children to laugh with their cousins, without worry of judgement for mingling with the wrong class. Our youngest, Destiny Star, is not yet aware of the pressure like her elder siblings are, but as I watch Silver Rune, our eldest, teach her some magic tricks, I suppose I could lay down my burdens for a time and just rest."

Over the course of the morning, the others had woken up, and joined them in the reading session. Applejack was first to arise, and on joining the pair, she immediately took to the entries about Wheat Harvest, who somehow scared Wayer into compliance, despite the latter technically being more powerful. Fluttershy was next, and she would delight in the entries about the foals, cooing at the births of the ten foals Wayer and Jamberry had, and nearly crying at the deaths of five of them. Rarity would recoil at everything Jamberry did to spite the nobles, and Rainbow, the last to awake, was just waiting for the part when the whole werewolf thing started, though she laughed at some of Jamberry's antics and the ever exasperated Wayer.

"Are you sure this is the werewolf guy?" Rainbow asked with a laugh. "He's a major dork!"

Twilight giggled. "Well, he had to connect with Jamberry on some level. I was expecting him to be a serious mage focused on his magical studies and figuring out ways to improve upon past spells, or... knowing what happens, be kind of a power-hungry jerk from the get go. But, seeing his thoughts and feelings here, it's like... this is a pony that I would have loved to meet. Not as much as Star Swirl, but still."

"Do you think that if he never made the werewolf, history would have been kinder to him?" Fluttershy asked.

"If he never made the werewolf, Cheese wouldn't be in that mess," Pinkie grumbled. She looked out the window. "Are we there yet?"

Applejack peered out as well, watching as tumbleweeds bounced on the sand and the cacti stood erect. "I can't tell just where we are, but I reckon we should get there before nightfall. Heck, with how long this train's been goin', I think we got an hour or two."

Twilight sighed. "Well, if it wasn't for the war, he wouldn't have created the spell. It's sad, his experiments on memory magic or his stories of Jamberry would have had more focus if his life had gone differently."

"I shudder to think of how he just snapped like that," Rarity said. "That war must've been horrible to push him to create that awful spell!"

Twilight turned the page of the journal. "Well... here we are, I think we're at that part. Ahem... 'Silver Rune is of marrying age--'"

Suddenly, an explosion sounded from ahead, and the train rocked violently. Stomachs lurched as their car quaked, and time slowed down as all six mares were thrown from their seats. They could barely register the slow screams, the tipping of the car, and the shattering glass as they floated through that tumbling car. Their lives flashed before their eyes, and just like that, once the side of the train car hit the ground, time sped up. They all landed in a pile, atop a broken window and among mangled seats, twisted metal, and a lot of dust.

Pinkie was on top of the pile, cracking open a single eye to see her surroundings. What was once welcoming and comfortable was now dark and dusty, save for sparks flicking out of the lamps. She coughed at the sheer amount of dust, and sat up only to nearly hit her head on a hanging seat. With a flinch, she slid her achy body off of the pile and onto a stray cushion. She took a moment to rub her shoulder, and turned to the others.

"Hey! Are you all right, girls?" she asked.

Rainbow forced herself to hover with eyes squeezed shut. She coughed as she rose, up until she hit the dangling seat and had to catch it and toss it aside. She rubbed her eyes. "Ugh, I got dust in my eyes!"

Fluttershy crawled to the cushion, and looked at the scratches on her legs. "Some of the glass got me."

Applejack dragged Rarity to the cushion, and sneezed. "My legs feel like jelly in a summer afternoon."

Rarity shot up. "Oh no! My mane's a complete mess, and my hairbrush and spray are lost in the wreckage! It's bad enough that we are in a train wreck, but now I look like a train wreck too!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow and shook her head. Then she looked behind her. "Twilight? How're you holdin' up?"

Twilight slowly got up, coughing as well. She peeled the journal off her chest, and strode forward. She was grunting and grimacing, holding back tears as she dragged a limp, mangled wing to the cushion where the others sat. Panting, she said, "I think my wing's broken."

Fluttershy gasped. "Oh, no!" She looked around. "Where's the first aid kit?"

Rainbow Dash finally opened her eyes and looked up. "I don't think we'll find it in this mess. Let's just get everyone out of here, Fluttershy."

And so they did. They picked up each of their friends one by one, being extra careful with Twilight, until they were all out and in the sun. Sitting in the sand, all of their eyes scanned the entire length of the train, which was all tipped over on the side from the locomotive to the caboose. Cars had buckled in every direction, with some in the desert dust, and others resting upon the rails. During their scan, they spotted a big gaping hole in the locomotive, charred as if it had been blasted.

Seeing the bloodied engineer crawl out, Rainbow zipped to the pony, and pulled him and another who was unconscious out of the wreckage. She carried them back and set them down, asking the engineer, "What happened?"

The engineer rubbed his head. "It happened so fast... I was just driving the train, I don't know what I did! All I know is that some random blast came right the heck out of nowhere and hit my engine!"

"Random blast?" Twilight narrowed her eyes, and traced an imaginary path from the hole to a nearby mesa. "Looks like somebody doesn't want us to get to Appleloosa before tonight." She winced and grunted, and looked at her wing. "And he's lucky that I can't fly right now."

The engineer started to rock back and forth. "We're nearly forty miles from Appleloosa, I don't know if any of us can get help in time!"

"Hey, easy there, fella! If anypony can get us help faster than a jackrabbit on hot coals, it's her," Applejack said, pointing to Rainbow.

Rainbow smirked. "Psht, yeah! Forty miles is a piece of cake for Equestria's fastest pegasus!" She took to the air. "I'll tell them about the trainwreck."

"If there's anything that can help with first aid, or at least some water, could you bring it?" Fluttershy asked.

"Not a problem."

Twilight furrowed her brow. "And don't forget the reason we were coming to Appleloosa in the first place. Whatever this sorcerer is planning, it can't be good, so tell them that we're going to be there as soon as we can. They should keep an eye on a certain pony."

Rainbow nodded, and finally took off, following the railroad to Appleloosa, as the engineer hollered his thanks.

The remaining five sat and watched as Rainbow disappeared, and then turned to each other. Looking at Twilight's wing, they all looked at each other, thinking the same thing.

"All right, let's get to making a makeshift splint for that," Applejack said. She tilted her head as she stared at the wing. "Anypony know how to splint a broken wing?"

Fluttershy raised her hoof. "I do."

Rarity had trotted back to the train, pulling some curtains out of the wreckage and shaking dust off. "We'll see if these curtains will make good bandages until we get better ones. Pinkie, if you can be a dear and collect more from around here, that would be nice."

Pinkie nodded. "Okey dokey."

While she was hopping to it, putting on a smile so that nopony would get even more distressed, she was inwardly screaming. The longer they were stuck out here, the longer Cheese was a werewolf and was in danger from the scary sorcerer pony. Pulling the first curtain out of the first window, she wondered what he and Tomato were doing right then.

---

It didn't matter that the desert sun was beating down on him. He could sweat, he could sip from that canteen that Braeburn threw onto the roof he sat upon, and he could take off his suit jacket and roll up the sleeves of his white shirt. It didn't matter that most ponies thought he was being lazy and unhelpful by moping on a roof. It wasn't like he could keep the victims in check, perform healing rituals, or even cast a spell to make it all better. And it didn't matter if Cheese wanted him to go home; Tomato did not want the uncertainty of Cheese's fate to agonize him.

He had had been sitting on Braeburn's roof all morning, staring out to the landscape to see if the train with Twilight and friends would pull in soon. Word had spread that somepony had sent for Princess Twilight, though not who did or when the Princess would arrive. Twilight arriving earlier than expected for most would be suspicious and point to the guy who knew the most before the disaster happened, but really, he'd have that over a night of angry werewolves tearing through the town.

His gut tightened, and he didn't want to face anypony in town. He had known that Cheese was under a spell that made him violent, even without knowing what exactly it was, and yet, he pushed him into working on a party, just to keep him there until Twilight arrived. Now about a dozen werewolves were on his head, and if the pattern was correct, they were developing the same nasty temper Cheese had shown for the past month. Knowing his part, they'd decide to tear Tomato limb from limb for letting it happen.

Figures that he'd eventually screw up again. Unfortunately, Tomato wasn't sure what else he could have done. All other options in his head left gaps wide open enough for the mystery sorcerer to come in and get to Cheese before Twilight could.

And then again, he wondered, Why him?

He jumped when a rock smacked just shy of his feet. Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked down to see Cheese glaring at him from the ground, with a concerned Braeburn beside him. Tomato felt his stomach drop right onto his intestines.

Cheese called up, "Hey! I thought I told you to take a train out of here!"

Tomato took a deep breath. "Well... you never made me Pinkie Promise, did you?"

Cheese scoffed and rolled his eyes. "So? Last night should have been reason enough for you to go."

Tomato drummed his hooves on that roof. "I just... I... ugh, I'm still reeling a-and letting it sink in that you're a--"

"Don't say it!" Cheese held a hoof up and looked away, gritting his teeth. "Don't say that word, I don't want to hear it. I don't even want to believe it! But it's real, and what I do want is for you to get out of here before I or some other pony bites you, or worse!"

Braeburn glanced between them. "I hate to say it, but I agree with Cheese. One of them werewolves was like a fox in a henhouse; now we have a pack, and now folks are campin' out on roofs or packin' their bags. Maybe you are safer in Manehattan."

Safer, maybe, but Tomato was not up for listening to Mom's tirade on how his summer vacation was a horrible idea and how she was going to fix him. She was bound to see the news on Kazam's trial and realize not only their involvement in the Las Pegasus incident, but how much more dangerous Cheese had become. She'd freak out over how this trip was a disaster, and demand that he'd never move far from home, close enough that she can make sure he's living his life correctly. Barging into his house and removing any music records that he purchased of his free whim and sang along to? Pushing him more and more by-the-book in how he relates to his talent? Will she start taking away some of the books he loves because their content could spur him to something reckless yet again? Will she meddle in his friendships? Will she meddle in his love life and decide on who he marries? Will she dictate how he should raise his foals--or even raise them for him? If it were anypony else, this would be stretching things, but Tomato knew that his mother hardly trusted his judgement on anything, as if he was a perpetual toddler, and would indeed strive to control his life even more. Any freedom he had would be gone, and that scared him more than any werewolf. The only thing scarier was losing his brother again.

"Tomato!" Cheese shouted. "Are you even listening?"

Tomato decided to look down, seeing what kind of wood the roof was made of. "You're not even worried about the pony that did this to you?"

Cheese pursed his lips. "Maybe I'll get some ear plugs, so we wouldn't have to worry about that whistle you keep talking about."

"Tomato, I'll keep an eye on him," Braeburn said. "It ain't like that sorcerer's gonna attack with all us around to guard them wolves. And if it's a whistle, then'll I'll definitely hear it and whup him out of it."

"Please stop referring to us as 'wolves', Brae, you're really testing how well that herbal and spirit stuff keeps me from getting too angry," Cheese chided. He looked up at Tomato again. "But, I'm serious, you need to get out of here, or else you'll be one of us or maybe even dead. If anything happened to you..."

Tomato crossed his front legs. "I'm surprised that you're feeling guilt this time. Nothing over those kooky kidnappers, or the animals, or a defenseless Kazam, huh? Is it because these guys are innocent, or maybe because transforming is such a shock that you start rethinking yourself?"

Cheese growled. "How would you know?"

Tomato glared for a few seconds more, tempted to hiss back; but, on feeling that urge and feeling the itch on his teeth and his back again, he made himself relax. He sighed. "Las Pegasus, that's how." He looked at a confused Braeburn. "Cheese doesn't remember, but, if you've heard of Las Pegasus, then you can guess what happened to me. And now, the same thing's happening to Cheese... although I envy how he turns back into a normal pony when the moon sets; I had to be stuffed in a trenchcoat."

Braeburn thought for a moment, and then his eyes widened. "You turned into one of them vampires?"

Tomato nodded. "And when Cheese found out--after he initially fainted--he did everything he could to turn me back to normal. He snuck me across town in that trenchcoat just to get the guy who did it to change me back. When that went south and said guy used me to create an army, Cheese faced off against that army to get to me. And when the attack was over, Cheese snuck me to Ponyville to have Twilight cure me. If nothing else, he is a hero. And what do I do when put in a similar situation? Sit here and hope that crazy whistle guy doesn't come before Twilight."

"Aw, don't sell yourself short, pardner! You saved me from turnin' wolf, and you sent Twilight that message!" Braeburn chirped.

Cheese blinked. "Wait, that was you who sent that letter?"

Tomato nodded tentatively. He was sure that once he was all cured from the werewolf spell, Cheese would forgive him for going behind his back and giving Twilight their location when Cheese just wanted to be left alone. Still, he was still a little worried over what his initial reaction would be.

Cheese rubbed a temple. "Look, I appreciate you trying to relate to my situation, but you're not me, so if you don't come down here, I'm going to have to climb up there and drag you all the way to the train station. I don't care for your excuses, you're going home!"

Then, a voice from above said, "Hate to break it to ya, I don't think that's an option."

The trio of stallions looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering above them. She had her front legs crossed, but instead of the expected smirk, her expression was much more serious, her brow furrowed with concern.

"Rainbow Dash?" Cheese asked.

The sky blue pegasus landed in front of him and nodded. "Yep! We got the message." She shoved her face into his and yelled, "Now don't ditch us again!"

"Oh, that's great to hear!" Braeburn said. "And earlier than everypony thought too." He frowned, and lifted up his bruised foreleg. "However... he got some ponies and a buffalo already, and I nearly turned myself. We're trying to keep them in line, but I dunno how long we can do it."

"Medicine bison treatments are surprisingly soothing," Cheese muttered, rubbing his ear. "And what do you mean taking the train's not an option?"

"I just came from a train wreck!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Someone shot us while we were heading here, and now we need help from you guys because a bunch of ponies, my friends included, are stranded in the middle of the desert."

"Oh, no!" Braeburn said. "That's awful! Is anypony all right?"

"Uh... don't know. All I know is that me and my friends were mostly okay, but Twilight broke her wing."

"How far away are you girls?"

"I think it was forty miles."

Tomato slid from his perch down to the edge of the roof. "You think it's crazy whistle guy?"

"If Twilight isn't teleporting that far, what makes you think that guy can?" Cheese rebutted. "Probably some random bandit."

Braeburn then said, "Either way, it's bad. But then, I dunno if Appleloosa can offer her usual hospitality right now, 'cause we are in the middle of a werewolf crisis. Bringin' in injured ponies would just made the poor folks easy pickin's."

Rainbow then smirked. "Maybe... but Twilight's among them, and she can fix your werewolf problem, no sweat! We just need to get her over here, like, ASAP."

Braeburn pursed his lips. "Hmm... well, let's see what Sheriff Silverstar has to say about it. In the meantime, we can pack you extra canteens, some medical supplies, and--"

"Sounds great, let's find the sheriff!" Rainbow whipped herself behind Braeburn, and started pushing him back to main street, much to his alarm.

Cheese watched as the two left the yard and went into town, and groaned. "This is just great... train wrecks leave a mess that other trains shouldn't go through, and now you're stuck. What are we going to do once the moon rises and all of us werewolves end up losing control?"

Tomato rocked on the eaves. "If nothing else, there is hope for the victims."

Author's Note:

Again, buffalo are frustrating.

Nevertheless, here's a slow day in Appleloosa and a train ride gone bad. Yeah, this one was a groaner, and I hope that the next chapter is a little more exciting.

Comments

[redmar]

I really hope that they will manage to arrive in Appleloosa in time. The whole werewolf thing has gone on long enough that it should be nearly finished by now.

[Chromio]

I'm loving this story and can't wait for more of it, really great work! Been here from the start, and I'm going to be here at the end.

[SageBrony07]

Good chapter. It's interesting to see how the memory spell has spread. I wonder, will tommy be able to confront this mage, and get some immunity due to his vampire past.

[Goldfinch142]

Trouble Shoes' lack of memory and the train attack make me wonder if Wayer Rune's already in Appleloosa...but if he is, why not just kidnap Cheese and the other werewolves? Why wait? I suppose we'll find out either way.

Speaking of the train wreck, I guess Twilight's magic doesn't extend too far into medical spells.

And I see Tomato's mother continues to be her charming self.

[RadicalDishonesty]

So, we are starting to get a picture of Wayer Rune.

He seems... so very different than the one we see, who is producing monsters and doesn't appear to particularly care about their well being, and appears to deliberately interfere with jester magic.

But... you can already see the themes of jester magic and bad things happening to people. Did he get delusional and start believing things that are detrimental, that life would be great if only you could forget your miseries? Or is something else going on?

[k88a]

There’s tales of a memory stone, but it appears that it is lost

I see what you did there...

[Godslittleprincess]

Hold on. How is the memory loss spreading with the werewolf curse?