Graveyard Shift
By TDR
Werewolf of Long-Den
The drip of water was the only constant in the stone room. No light came down this far save the sputtering lantern on the table on the other side of the steel door, the tiny slit at the top admitting the faint glow.
It wasn't as if she needed any light to see, there wasn't anything 'to' see. The cell was three paces from wall to wall, six from door to toilet. A bed had been placed in there was well though the low stone frame was barely a shelf built on the floor with some piled straw and a blanket tossed atop of it.
She'd been here for about a month now. Once it was confirmed that she was cursed any way.
The cold stone cell was the best place to keep her. She had agreed with that, though she hadn't known any cells under the courthouse existed until she was brought down here. Granted she had given them the suggestion, the cage she had made for herself in her home was fairly sturdy, but they didn't trust anything she had set up her self to contain the beast.
She didn't understand why, she had contained herself just fine for the last six years.
Ginger Gold sighed bouncing her head off the hay behind her as she kicked her legs in the air for lack of anything better to do.
She wanted to be out, to be in the woods, that was where she was supposed to be , not stuck in a cell. She was a ranger fer Celestia's sake. She was supposed to be in the woods, keeping the things from Hollow Shades from waltzing into Long-Den and scarfing ponies up like they were popcorn.
Ranger, same thing her da was, same thing her ma was, same thing her brother was. Her da weren't about any more tah see this thankfully, when ma passed he took the long walk.
Supposed tah be a right honorable way for a Ranger tah go. Walk into tha woods and take out all the beasties and critters yah can afore one of them finally gets you. Old tradition that, brought about as a way to make what was in those woods be afraid of what was out here. Mad as a hatter pony walks in and kills all yer big fanged toothy chums and starts screaming about how he's gonna wear yer hide as a hat and most of that blighters in there opt to avoid anything with four hooves for a while. Problem with a Rangers Long Walk is yer not supposed to come back out. Yah keep going until yer done. Permanently done.
Da went in carrying ma's ashes. That was years ago, she'd made her peace with that. She hadn't understood it at the time, but now she was thinking she'd prefer it to staying here.
Her brother was some where else, probably hadn't even heard of her situation yet. Been about three years since she heard from him, blighter'd made her an aunt without letting her even meet the lass. Last she heard he was down near tha Zebra lands all sorts a things tah hunt down there.
Didn't matter much. She had aunts and cousins and uncles everywhere in Equestria. S'what being an Apple was about fer tha most part.
Family.
Course. It was family that got her in this load o trouble. One of her cousins had a foal, and his sister was intent on going tah see tha newborn. Fergit the fact he married a Pear, no one in tha family really gave a crap about it cept tha old fogies. Heck half of um didn't even hear about it until tha second foal was born. This one was tha third.
Given tha mare was a bit on tha older side, she needed an escort, and thus away went Ginger with her dotering and super excited aunt.
Spending seventy percent of tha trip getting hounded about having foals of her own didn't sit well though. Nothing against foals, but she wasn't ready for that yet at tha time.
Still little Applebloom was the cutest thing she had ever seen.
Bright and Pear still weren't slacking on their work though. They had a delivery of their crop to take to down the road a bit along the Everfree. Small delivery, but tha bits would be needed with another mouth tah feed.
Still being tha charitable soul she was, Ginger offered to pull it out there so tha new parents could stay with the new mouth. Talk of not wanting charity was ignored mostly due to being family and demanding a jar of Zap apple jam as payment.
Things went pretty much tits up after that. Something set upon her as the cart rolled down the road. What ever it was probably expected a tired mare or a stallion tied to the yoke that it could take out in a quick attack.
What it got was a young Ranger, who was pretty pissed about being delayed by some beastie.
To say the fight was epic was untrue. She lost hooves down. Nothing she did could hurt the blighter and the road and her weapons got soaked in it's blood and the thing barely seemed to notice.
The cart was destroyed though the crated apples survived, her crossbow smashed,and her sword chipped from blocking the things claws.
She had been clawed an bit a few times bit once though that was barely a nick on her ear where she didn't manage to duck fast enough from the jaws, though she wasn't any where near going down. Still it might have gotten much worse had a Guard patrol not come along.
The thing ran off after a couple of flashy spells from the unicorn in the group and she got taken to a doctor.
Doc found nothing wrong, gave her a couple band aids, and after collecting her aunt and the jam she set off for home not thinking twice on it aside from to warn Bright and Pear to avoid that route.
Wasn't until the middle of the following month that she found the problem.
See most mares when they hit their moon cycle get cranky, have cramps, get all weepy, or if their colt friend is real lucky, randy as a goat.
Ginger Gold found she got much larger , much fuzzier and significantly more wolf like and feral.
It had taken her almost a year to get everything under control again. She mapped her cycle, built a house further into the woods at the guise of protecting the town better, set up a cage in the basement and tried to live her life.
She never knew what was going on after she blacked out. But after the first few times the destruction caused by the beast trying to get out of the cage ceased.
She probably would have lived the rest of her life like that, hiding for a couple days every month in her house out in the woods, but clearly it wasn't meant to be.
Seems there was another thing that could make her change.
An unblemished full moon in the middle of what was supposed to be the day.
She was in town shopping when it happened, what she had heard a few locals call the longest night.
She had transformed in the middle of town, a worst case scenario in her mind and immediately after...
The beast had scared the shit out of every pony and run off into the woods without so much as turning over a cabbage cart.
Of course when it was all over and she returned to normal and went home, the town Guard were there and took her into custody.
This of course started the comedy that her life had become, she hadn't actually done anything as a beast so they couldn't hold her, but they couldn't let her out because word of the transformation got out and now there were a number of 'monster hunters' running around Long-Den looking to make a name for themselves taking out a lycanthrope.
So she simply sat in a cell and waited. She had been in here for a while and had even transformed again, though the beast seemed content to wait as well.
[ Long- den city hall, basement holding cells.]
“Hey Ginger , yah in there?”
“Where else would I be ya daft blighter?” Ginger snorted from the cell. “Out frolicin' in tha tulips?”
“No need tah get snippy, jus makin sure.”” the Guard muttered.
“Steel Plate, ah been rotting in a cell fer over a month now with naught but meself tah keep me company, and whatever idiot yah have that pulls tha short straw. Ah think ah got quite the right tah be a might snippy.”
“Ehh guess so.”
“So hows me cat?”
“What?”
“So help me if'n you lot fergot about me cat ah am gonna bust outta this cell and box all yer ears and then ah'll show you what a real beastie is!”
“Calm down. Yer cats fine. Got Steel Shield going out tah feed 'im. Tha only pony can get near that vicious thing.”
“Apocalypse Meow, is a loving little black bit of soot she is..... wait yah sent Shield!?” Ginger yelped. “ Yah sent yer son out tah my place!? GAH! He'll think ah live like a pig, ah ain't had time tah clean up proper a fore all this, and that dust....”
“Whatcha so freaked out over that for? Steel Plate snorted.” Dun tell me ya were sweet on him too?”
“Yah old daft bastard. every mare in this town is sweet on him. Blokes a wall of solid muscle moving like a dancer almost, yah ken just see it ripple under his silvery fur as he trots, and by tha stars them eyes is like endless pools, tha things I wouldn't do tah mount that one!”
“Hey! That's my son yer fantasizing about there!” Steel Plate snapped.
“ Yeah which makes um all tha more attractive cause even as old a codger as you are yah still ain't hard on the eyes.” Ginger laughed. “Jus think of how he'd look at yer age... woo.”
There was silence for a moment and Ginger thought the old Guard Captain had left after the teasing.
“Yah know he was interested in you right. Was for a couple of years afor he got married tah Belle.”
“Ah know.” Ginger sighed.
“So what happened? Pretty clear yah were interested back.”
“What do yah think happened yah daft idiot. Same thing that's got me sitting in a cell with a leaky shitter.” Ginger sighed. “ Life ain't real fair at times.”
“True that. Sorta brings up why ah'm down here.”Steel Plate explained.
“What not just fer tha charm and wit of mah company?” Ginger gold chuckled.
“Mare ah was friends with yer Da and ah watched yah grow up. Charming an witty are two things that ah'd never use tah describe ya.”
“Oof , there went me last bit o pride.” Ginger smirked.
“So as ah was saying yah got a visitor.”
“Shit, don't tell me my brother finally came around?” Ginger sighed. “Last thing ah need.”
Her response was not an explanation, but the cell door opening. She sat up squinting, as her eyes adjusted to the new influx of light, she could see the armored Steel Plate move back away from the door and a tall dark figure step into the doorway instead. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to take in the regal mare, but she easily noticed the wavy mane the mare had that seemed to be full of stars.