//------------------------------// // 17 - Together Again // Story: Hazel Eyes in the Moonlight // by Oddling //------------------------------// Jim’s ears splayed back and he looked away from the door, Luna’s expression of hurt flashing before his eyes again. He knew he had to answer… and she knew he was there. She was simply waiting patiently on the other side of the gem-infused door. Her tone of voice had been formal, though there was definitely a hint of trepidation within. The dark-coated werewolf took in a slow, deep breath before releasing it through his nostrils. There was no point in avoiding the inevitable…   “I’ll be right there, Princess Luna,” Jim finally answered, his tone as calm as he could make it.   Jim’s ears picked up the faint sound of a small sigh of relief as he shifted to stand from his place on the bed. He did not share that feeling. There was too much at stake in his mind, and he would not allow himself to relax until everything had been revealed and settled. Should things go the way he expected them to, Jim would have plenty of time to unwind in his dungeon cell. He steadily approached the door, only to pause and eye the window across the room. If he moved swiftly enough, he could avoid the entire ordeal. There would be nothing to stop him or to keep him in Ponyville, much less Equestria. But what would happen to Scoots? How much more pain would he cause to Luna? To Fluttershy? No… he had to face this now and see it through to the end. His large, clawed hand slowly reached forward and gripped the handle with two digits.   The door opened smoothly to reveal the regal form of the Princess of the Night. Hazel eyes met with turquoise. Luna and Jim stared silently at one another as their emotions stirred. Jim did everything in his power to hold his expression as stony as the most rugged of royal guards while Luna struggled not to let her ears fold back as joy and sadness battled within her. As time slowly passed for them, tension slowly built up inside of Jim’s chest. The silence was deafening and he wanted to say something, anything, if it meant he could make everything right again between himself and Luna. But what could he say? There were many things going through his head at that moment, but none of them seemed sufficient. In the end, Jim averted his gaze down the hall and clenched his fist subtly.   “Princess Luna… you wished to speak with me?”   Luna blinked, the formal address catching her off guard slightly. Her jaw worked a few times before she found her voice. “Yes… I wanted you to come with me to Twilight Sparkle’s study. My sister is there, waiting for us.”   “I see.” Jim turned back to Luna and bowed his head lightly. “I will follow you there.”   Luna opened her mouth to inquire why Jim was being so formal with her, but stopped when she noticed the telltale signs that he was currently struggling with something, as evidenced by the almost unnoticeable tremble in his gaze. She could only guess as to what it was, though she did suspect it had to do with how they had parted ways. The urge to talk to him about it grew stronger, but she knew better than to stir that pot with more pressing matters to attend to. With strengthening resolve, Luna nodded her head and proceeded to walk down the hallway toward the study.   Jim followed right behind her, only stopping to close the door behind him. They walked on in utter silence all the way to the door that Spike had exited through earlier in the day. Luna’s silvery magic took hold of the door and opened it. She looked over her shoulder to see if Jim would enter first, but he nodded his head for her to go in first instead. She nodded and calmly slipped through the opening. Jim hesitated for a moment. He could smell Celestia’s scent coming from within the room, as well as Twilight’s. The phantom sensation of added weight on his back slowly started to press down on him as he recalled that event of his first night in his new form.   Time to face the music… or however one would look at this situation, he sighed and swallowed, steeling himself before stepping through the open door.   On the other side of the metaphorical portal to his doom stood the three Alicorn Princesses, all of whom were seated around a table of blue-ish purple crystal. Jim walked over to stand in the open space beside the table and he locked gazes with Celestia, waiting for her to begin. Twilight gulped a little nervously as she noticed her mentor’s eyes narrow slightly and her ethereal mane slow down in its flow. Luna merely glanced to her sister before closing her eyes.   A few tense moments passed before the firmness in Celestia’s eyes softened slightly. “Jim Douglas, it is pleasant to see you are in good health. From the damage caused by your landing near the garden I had expected you to have been injured.”   Jim crossed his arms, his ire steadily burning brighter behind his eyes. He hated it when anyone wasted his time by beating around the bush. “Forgive me for being blunt, but I didn’t come here to listen to empty pleasantries. Let’s just get right to the heart of the matter, if you would.”   Celestia’s wings twitched and she took in a calming breath. Her eyes closed. “I see… very well, Jim. You were asked to join us so that we may discuss the events from the time you arrived in Equestria up to now. We would like to hear your point of view. You may begin whenever you are ready.” Celestia’s eyes opened and the firm gaze of an aged ruler glared at Jim.   The werewolf suppressed a smirk. He had to admit; even now her gaze was quite the useful tool in getting her point across without fail. Were it not for the fact that he was sure he could stand a chance against her in a fight, Jim might have given in to such a stare. He shifted his weight onto his left foot and closed his eyes as he thought back. There really wasn’t much that he had not already told them during his time before, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to start from the moment he opened his eyes after the light from the summoning circle had faded.       ~~***~~       His recap of the events from when he arrived to the present point in time had been as expected; strait forward and detailed to the point that the princesses could grasp his side of things fairly easily. Nopony interrupted him during his explanation, though Twilight did write everything down on a number of scrolls. There were, however, immediate reactions from either Celestia or Luna, depending on the subject matter. Celestia seemed to narrow her eyes at the mention of the Arch Mage in particular, Luna’s eyes deepened contemplatively as well, the two clearly not pleased with what had transpired in the castle. After that, Celestia seemed to simply take in every following detail calmly. Luna, on the other hoof, increased her focus on Jim’s words, going as far as to spare a small glare toward Twilight at the mention of some of the things that had happened. At the end, with the mention of what could have possibly been discovered about Jim’s curse and its potential new victim, both royal sisters’ eyes widened.   “So, you mean to say that the young filly could possibly change as well?” Celestia inquired.   Jim nodded, his ears splayed back in frustration and his tail limp in shame. “Yes. The requirements were met for my curse to be passed on. I do not know if she has truly been infected yet… but Twilight and I were hoping that you could scan her for traces of it. The two of you felt it when I changed. Only you would know for sure if the same magic lies within the young pegasus.”   Luna looked to her sister with a silent inquiry. Celestia returned the look before she became thoughtful. Eventually, the two returned their attention back to the werewolf. “We will certainly examine young Scootaloo.”   Jim nodded calmly. “Thank you. But, before we get any further, I want you to know that I will accept any punishment for what I’ve done. However, I want to request that I be the one to be beside Scootaloo if she has indeed been infected by me… it’s only right that I be there to help her with the changes. There’s no one in this world that knows more about being a beast, than me.”   “That… is a fair point,” Luna conceded thoughtfully. She looked to her sister.   Celestia simply closed her eyes as she thought on the matter. The air seemed to thicken as the seconds ticked by in silence while the solar princess pondered. Feeling a little more nervous than she had any right to, Twilight gently cleared her throat and looked to Celestia. “Um, Princess? In my opinion I would have to agree that Jim would be the best suited to accompanying Scootaloo. He’s lived with his curse since birth. There’s nopony better to help her get through the ordeal.”   Celestia’s eyes slowly opened and she looked to Twilight. “And what would you have me do if his curse has not been passed on, Twilight? Surely you are aware of the crimes he has committed.”   Twilight swallowed with a nervous chuckle. “Oh, uh… well it’s true that he broke three of the laws for visitors from Earth, but I’m sure we could make an exception for him… right? I mean, his situation isn’t normal, and you can’t really blame him for some of the things he did… can you?”   Celestia’s unyielding gaze slowly bored into her former student, making Twilight steadily shrink, before the ruler of the sun smiled softly. “I suppose I have to agree. Now that we know what Jim went through it’s not difficult for me to forgive his actions. Though I still feel he could have at least chosen different methods, I cannot in good conscience fault him for preserving himself. However… should Scootaloo be uninfected by the curse, Jim will have to endure a light sentence. Luna and I shall discuss those details later on. For now, I think a break is in order while we all process what we’ve learned. I will see you all here tomorrow, with young Scootaloo present as well. She needs to be made aware of this development.”   Jim nodded in agreement. “She does. Should I be the one to tell her?”   “Perhaps,” Celestia replied.   “Alright then,” Jim said before turning toward the exit. “I take it this meeting is over?”   Celestia nodded. “It is. Thank you for coming, Jim Douglas.”   Jim nodded without a word and left. Twilight and Celestia looked to one another, slightly unsure how to interpret the seemingly sudden exit. Luna, on the other hoof, knew that her chance had come. She bid her sister and Twilight a brief goodbye before swiftly going after Jim.   Jim had barely gotten to the corner when he heard Luna’s silver-shod hoofsteps approaching him quickly. He stopped and turned to look at her over his shoulder. He knew, even before his eyes met with hers once more, the reason she was there now had to do with their unfinished business. His hands slowly curled into fists as he fought to stay composed, even as he wondered why what was about to come was such a big deal.   Luna came to a halt just beside Jim and her ears folded back as she opened her mouth to speak. Along the way she had been formulating a proper request, but the thought up words never made it to her lips. Instead, she stumbled a bit and said the first thing that came to her. “I, uh… Jim, um… may I – could we speak… in private? Please?”   Jim stared at her calmly… on the outside at least. Inside was another story altogether as his heart started to beat faster in anticipation of what she wanted to talk about. He had no real good reasons for what he had done, aside from it being his natural reaction to such a situation as being betrayed by those he sought help from, but that did not excuse his actions as they had hurt his first friend in this new land. That thought gave him pause. His heart steadily stilled as he turned his body to face her. Luna was, in all honesty, the only one whom he felt he could call a friend and mean it. Despite the fact that they had interacted with one another for a mere afternoon, Jim could not see Luna in a different light than that. She was a friend.   A gentle smile spread across his muzzle, though there was the faint trace of hesitation in his eyes. His body screamed at him to move, to run through the window just beside them and escape from this stress-invoking situation, if only so that he could feel something resembling normality again, but he chose to give this friendship a chance. He would never forgive himself if he left Luna like that a second time. Just picturing the hurt in her face the last time was enough to make his chest tighten in deep regret all over again. He nodded. “We can… and I would like that, actually. Unfortunately, I don’t think the inside of this castle is private enough for us. Twilight cast a spell to keep track of me within this place… there might be a chance that she also wanted to listen in on anything I might say when I thought myself alone. I don’t know much about magic, but I’d imagine that she could manage something to that effect if she wanted to.”   Luna’s features softened and she nodded in understanding. “It would make sense, given the contents of the letter that she had sent to Celestia and myself. Shall I teleport us to a more secluded location?”   Jim’s smile widened a bit more and he nodded again, gesturing for her to do so with his hand. Luna smiled softly as well and her horn lit with a gentle silvery light. She closed her eyes and Jim felt the sensation of her magic coating his body. A moment later and the walls and warmth of the castle hallway were replaced by darkness and a gentle breeze of the night air. Jim blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the change. He cast his gaze around to take in the scenery around him.   The two had been transported to a medium sized clearing in a seemingly normal forest. There was nothing that stood out, for the most part… until Jim turned around. His attention instantly drew itself to a strange Alicorn statue. A slender looking mare with a misty mane similar to Celestia and Luna’s, only more rounded, stood on her hind legs. Her body was lightly armored and she seemed to be quite intimidating with her sinister grin.   “That… is what I became when the darkness won over my mind.”   Jim glanced to Luna, who wore an expression of regret as she looked up to the moon. His gaze returned to the statue. “So that is what you meant when you said you could understand what I was going through. You were transformed, too…”   Luna sighed and closed her eyes. “Yes… there was a time when my sister and I were equals. There existed an unrivaled balance between us and nothing could come between us. That was a very long time ago. Sadly… it was when we came out into the world to help the ponies that the first steps of our separation began. At first things were pleasant; we gained the trust and love of our subjects and all was harmonious. Sure there were those who came out of the shadows to try and take away the peace that my sister and I formed, but it was through our combined power, our deep connection, and eventually the Elements of Harmony, that we managed to thwart their attempts to ravage our world.”   “However… after a few hundred years, our dear little ponies began to show their favoritism for my sister. I… I did not take it very well. We were still both young, though a thousand years may seem old to those short-lived, and neither of us were wizened enough to cope with such a cruel reality. By the time that my internalized anger reached its boiling point, Tia and I were at each other’s throats. I hated her for being so loved by our subjects. It was not fair that nopony showed me the same kind smiles for my moonlit nights that they did for her. It was heartless of them to actually look at me with disdain for being responsible for the very source of their nightmares; by bringing my night and drowning out the light.”   “One day… I could stay my hoof no longer, and I unleashed all of my ire upon Tia. I was not ready for what my raw emotion and unbridled power could do in combination with each other. I lost control almost instantly and I attacked my sister. The battle was short, but the damage I caused would take many years to repair. But during my imprisonment on the moon I had time to think, though the first years spent I was still very bitter with Tia. Eventually I gained enough sanity to realize what I had truly done and I spiraled into a deep depression where I hated myself. I lost track of time shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, my alter-self continued to fester and rage, all the while building up the required magic to free ourselves from the moon. We eventually broke free and returned to Equestria… but at the time it all just seemed nothing more than some dream. In the end, it was Twilight and her friends that saved me by finding and utilizing the Elements of Harmony and purifying my mind and body.”   Luna’s eyes slowly opened and she looked to Jim. Jim’s hazel eyes met with hers and in them she could see his empathy. He understood what she had gone through, more than anypony had before. They shared a commonality that was extremely rare, and in that bond came understanding and companionship. Without a single word being spoken, Jim closed the distance between them and embraced Luna. She gratefully returned the gesture, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. They stayed like that for some time, both simply enjoying the shared warmth and the bonding experience.   “Shortly after my first transformation… I became self aware,” Jim slowly began. “The first few months were as anyone would expect for an infant. Unfortunately, with a more rapid growth rate, I did not get a chance to enjoy my early years of childhood. As soon as I was eight months old my life changed… and not for the better. I joined my brothers, as well as the other children around my age, in the village’s training program. We were taught about our home, the world outside, and all of the dangers that could end our lives. We were also shown how to survive… or rather, how to kill.” Jim gently broke the embrace and stepped away from Luna. By the look on his face, it was all too clear just how his history would not be filled with sunshine and rainbows.   “Our first lesson of survival was to fight our classmates until half of the group had been eliminated. After spending a month with them, it had not been an easy thing for me to do, since I had bonded with them. But I had little choice when almost everyone in the group turned against each other. I don’t know how, but I somehow managed to fight until the adults used a whistle to hurt our ears and make the surviving children stop. Even then I couldn’t believe what had happened, or what I had done. I was so focused on the blood on my hands, and the dead body of who I used to call my friend, that I failed to hear the next set of directions. My father did not approve and I received the first of many disciplinary actions. After being lashed a few times, he told me that it was necessary to weed out the weak and that I would either get used to killing or that I would be killed instead.”   “My hatred for my father began from that day on. In the end, the group of twenty children became four. I, along with my two brothers and the last kid, were the only ones to make it to the end of the training. I was commended for my fighting capability, but I wanted nothing more to do with the village by that point in time. I said as much and ran to the only person I could believe in… my mother. Father did not like that. Not one bit. He followed me home… saw who I had run to… and he grew furious with both of us. My mother had not been one to approve of the ways of my father, so she had been the only one to comfort me after each day of training. Father knew that I relied on her for a great deal, and he knew she was my weakness. Without any mercy… my father yanked me away from her and struck my mother down. He then proceeded to break her leg so she could not escape.”   Jim’s eyes became filled with deep sadness and tears slowly fell from them to soak into his fur. “My father beat me senseless… but made sure I could still remain conscious enough to witness what he did next. He grabbed my mother by her head, yanked her up, and brought her in front of my battered form before he stomped on her other leg. I could only watch as her face filled with agony and she screamed. She was in so much pain… yet her eyes showed no fear. She looked me in the eyes and smiled gently before father ripped her back and tossed her on the ground. He got in my face and told me that I was weak… that I was the reason why he had to do what he was about to do. He hit me again and told me to watch the results of my actions against him and the village. Father… he looked at my mother as she stared up at him. They didn’t move at all for what seemed like forever. Then, without warning, he lunged at her throat. She fought back as best she could, but there was nothing she could do… she was only human. Father’s grip on her tightened and I saw her life slowly slip away. Then father surprised me. He let go of her throat and she started gasping for air… until he came down and bit into her throat. She screamed and clawed at him violently, but he overpowered her. Eventually, whether it was due to blood loss or the fact that he had ripped out half of her neck, she died.”   Luna placed her hoof on Jim’s cheek as her tears fell from her eyes to join with his upon the ground. “I am so sorry you had such a horrible thing happen to you…”   Jim shook his head gently while softly taking hold of her hoof, though he did not try to remove it. “That was only the start of things. I was punished for her death afterwards and spent what felt like an eternity in isolation, a small room with no light. When I was released, father decided that I needed more intensive training. Needless to say, the next two years were a living hell for me. My brothers contributed to some of my daily difficulties, but since I was the smarter one, as well as the most deadly, despite being the middle child, most of my troubles came from father. That is… until I left the village.”   Jim’s hand slowly lowered Luna’s hoof as he took a step away from her. His eyes broke away from hers to look at the moon above. “The day I left was the day I confronted my father. I had grown strong, all thanks to his strict training, and he had high expectations of me… but he never knew the hate I held for him. I hid my emotions well enough, making him think that all of his teachings had born fruit. In reality, I was simply biding my time. Waiting for the day that I could make him pay. I played the part of his ideal son just so that I could find out his weakness… and one day he let that slip. He admitted that he was proud of my strength, especially when I was transformed… that I was the strongest one out of everyone in the village, even more so than himself. He expected me to be a great leader for the village.”   Jim’s maw slowly opened up into a vicious grin as he turned a wide hazel eye toward Luna. The sudden expression made the lunar princess’ blood run cold for a moment. “Thanks to that single mistake, I managed to take all of my father’s hopes and dreams for the village… and crush them. On the first night of the full moon, I used all of my pent up hatred for my brothers to influence my curse and I hunted them down while they were out hunting their own prey. Oddly enough, the news of their deaths in the morning had actually saddened my father. Of course, none knew it was my doing and I found it difficult not to smile knowing that fact, but I managed to play the part of the upset brother to keep them off my trail. I still had more to do.” The evil grin on his face slowly bled away into a frown, his mind recalling just how much he truly despised his father.   “On the second night of that full moon I hunted down a few of the others. I couldn’t find them all, but most of my father’s council members lost their lives to my fangs that night. The next day found my father swearing his head off, believing that another pack, or maybe even some human hunters had found out about the village. Again, I played the part to keep him from even thinking that I knew something. On the last night of the full moon, I waited to let my hatred fuel my transformation. Everyone in the village had gathered for my father’s orders on how we would sweep through the forests around the village to find those responsible. It was during that meeting, right in front of the entire gathering of my brethren, that I let my hatred be unleashed. I lunged for my father and sank my fangs into his neck, ripping into him swiftly and viciously.”   Jim’s expression shifted from upset to melancholy. His face slowly drifted down and he looked into Luna’s eyes once more, regret clearly showing through the reflecting rays of the moon above. “I revealed everything to him as he stared up at me. When transformed, werewolves communicate through a form of telepathy, though it’s closer to subtle movements of the eyes and body. I told him how I was the one who killed everyone else from our village and why I had done it. Then I told him what my aim was; to destroy everything he had worked for and do it right in front of his eyes… because he was weak. Everything that had happened was his fault. He made me into the very thing that would crush him. Then, just as the realization hit him, I ripped his throat out… then I bit into it again and ripped more of it out. I didn’t stop until his head had fallen from his shoulders. The next thing I saw was his face… I wish I could say that killing him had been worth it… but that damned smile he had on his face just proved one thing. It took me years to figure it out, but in the end I knew… he had been proud of me. I had met, and exceeded, everything he had ever planned for me. What happened after that… was just one mistake being made after another… until I came here, to Equestria.”   With tear-filled eyes, Luna stepped closer to Jim. “Why was coming here different? So far you’ve only been put through more unfortunate events…”   A small chuckle slipped through Jim’s lips and he smiled warmly, an act that still seemed strange on the face of a wolf. “Because it led me to you. I’ve made very few friends in my life, but I can honestly admit that you’ve become… the best of them. And… I’d like to continue this relationship with you… if you’d have me as a friend, too.”   Luna stared at Jim for a long moment before a wide smile engulfed her muzzle and she leapt onto the big werewolf in front of her, hugging him tightly. “Of course I would! Let us spend many many years together!” she said happily.   Jim’s smile widened and he hugged Luna a little tighter, making sure he didn’t squish her. It appeared that all those times he had heard it said in the past, people had been right; it was a good feeling to get hurtful experiences off of your chest with someone to listen to them… and it was a relief to let Luna know about his past. Maybe now he could improve himself and learn to be trusting again. He had been distrusting of so many, mainly due to being betrayed by nearly as many, but now he felt that he could change for the better and become something more. No, he had to.   Neither one paid any mind to how long they held each other. In fact, nothing really mattered in that moment. It was merely that they finally felt that progress had been made with each other and they had grown so much closer than either could have imagined in such a short time. Eventually they did end their hug to smile at the other. “Well… looks like we made a breakthrough, Doctor Luna,” Jim said playfully.   Luna giggled and shook her head in good humor. “‘It would appear so. Shall we set up your next appointment?”   Jim chuckled. “Yes, please. I think future sessions would be a great help. You’re a miracle worker, doc.”   Luna burst into laughter, followed by Jim. It was a welcome distraction to the somber tone of their conversation and served to further better their moods. Luna shook her head, causing her mane to flutter about. “I’m glad we had this talk, Jim.”   “As am I,” Jim replied. “And… I’m sorry for how I acted back in Canterlot.”   “Oh, please do not worry about that. It is perfectly understandable, especially now. All is forgiven… well, at least on your part. I have quite a few propositions to make to my sister in regards to the fate of the good Arch Mage,” Luna assured, a predatory glint flashing in her eyes as she conjured up a few of the things she had planned in her mind.   Jim grinned toothily as well and nodded. “Would it be alright if I added a few ideas to the mix as well?”   “Oh, although that would be quite entertaining, I do believe that my current set of ideas are plenty,” Luna chuckled. “But I do appreciate your willingness to help. No, instead I think we should call it a night and return to the Castle of Friendship. By now, Twilight would probably be getting nervous of how long we’ve been gone.”   “True,” Jim agreed with a small sigh. “She’s quite the interesting young mare. So, you may teleport us at your leisure, Luna.”   Luna smiled and nodded as her horn lit once more, and with a gentle flash, the two were teleported back to the castle.