An American Werewolf in Equestria
Chapter 15 – Brand New Day
(Crystal Empire Castle – Infirmary)
Candace sat next to a recovering Shining Armor. Various cuts and bruises adorned him, but it was the bite mark, a final gift from David, that worried her. She touched his head and felt a fever which was slowly disappearing. His wounds were healing faster than they should, but what bothered her was knowing the price he, Twilight, David, and all of the weres paid for the safety of the Empire.
“I love you,” she said softly as she kissed her husband.
(Crystal Empire – Guard training room – three weeks earlier)
David picked himself up off of the floor. The old Griffin was tougher than he had thought. He hadn’t been lying when he said that there would be broken bones. He could feel cracked ribs already, and if his right arm wasn’t broken it was fractured. Silently he thanked whatever deity was available for being a werewolf. He could hear Jack groaning near him and saw his friend getting back to his feet, or hooves rather.
It surprised him that Jack was still going through with this. Of course during the last few days he noticed his friend putting on more muscle. He didn’t look like a lean pony anymore, but instead he was getting the build of a Clydesdale. Jack stood and rushed toward the griffin, got caught by the right foreleg, and was flipped over into the air and then into a wall.
“Congratulations to both of you. You’re no longer little fillies. You’ve both graduated to being colts. Be proud of that, but know that you’ve still got six months’ worth of work to do in a couple of weeks’ time,” Gild said.
They saluted, and he returned it. The old griffin began walking out and David followed behind him. He heard Jack walking out. He looked back to see his friend favoring his right hind leg.
“Trouble?” David asked.
“I think I over extended it. Maybe I can talk Applejack into giving me a massage later,” he replied.
“So, when did that happen?” David asked.
Jack smiled and rubbed the back of his head with a hoof.
“It started a few weeks ago, and don’t go pulling that acting like Bobby stuff with me. I’m a pony now, so it’s natural to me,” he replied.
David shook his head and soon the light of the sun began to shine on them. Jack took in a breath of air that didn’t smell like sweat and blood and let out a long sigh. He looked to see Applejack talking to Spike, who had been surprisingly quite the entire train trip, before she looked up to see him. She smiled and walked toward him. She nuzzled his neck and then pulled back a little.
“Not that I’m not used to the smell of sweat, but Sugarcube, you could use a bath,” she said.
David watched his friend as he walked off with his girlfriend. He walked toward the castle and could feel the bones in his arm already healing. Fracture, not broken, that was a relief. He got enough broken bones with the transformations. He walked his way into the castle and found himself on the receiving end of a tight hug. The healing ribs cracked again, but he held in the cry of pain. Instead he pulled Twilight into the same hug and squeezed her back.
“How’s training?” she asked once she let go.
“It’s going pretty well. Ironclaw has been trying to see what it takes to break bones, and teach us not to let those things happen,” he replied.
She looked at him, shook her head and then looked over her shoulder toward the throne room.
“I should go have a word with Shining about that,” she said.
“No, Twilight, Shining Armor was right. I need this training. Ironclaw isn’t using lethal force, but he is teaching Jack and I how to fight. I need to learn it,” David said as he grimaced slightly, “It’s teaching me to learn to read my opponents, and I have a feeling that’s something that I’ll need.”
She looked at him and reached her hoof up. He took it and she began to lead him away from the hall. He soon found himself in a large bathroom, larger than the one they had been using, and watched as she ran some hot water. He began to say something, but a soft look from her made him hold his tongue. Once the water was ran she turned to him and her horn began to glow purple. He felt his clothes, torn as they were, removing themselves, and laying down on the small table. He stepped out of his jeans and underwear, lifted his feet again for his socks, and then stood looking at the mare that meant so much to him.
“You need to get into the bath,” she said.
He walked forward, tentatively stepped into the water, and felt the warmth of it spread up through his legs. He slowly sat down into the water and felt his entire body relaxing. Once he was in it a washcloth appeared and began soaking up the water. It began to move around his exposed skin and he let out a satisfied moan. She washed him, every inch of him, and then he felt her magic crawl down his belly. He smiled as he felt her paying special attention to him. She was so lost in what she was doing that she didn’t notice him turning to her and catching her in a kiss. She let out a surprised yelp and the magic appendage disappeared.
He instead pulled her into the water with him. She splashed him for a moment, and he grinned at her. He felt her astride his waist. She began to lower herself, and then the wonderful warmth of her surrounded him.
He wasn’t complaining about her wanting to love him, or make love to him, but for an instant he wondered if he really deserved this, her, everything. He had been doing what he could to protect her, to protect those around him, but deep down the human part of him knew that he had killed in the past. It was hard to get past that. The fact remained that part of him, even if it was more animalistic, had sought out people to kill.
His mind stopped that train of thought when her back arched, her head leaned back and a throaty moan escaped her lips. He pulled her forward, feeling her front legs stretch over his shoulders and grasp onto him. She shivered as he felt his own desire filling her. A gentle kiss was laid on her muzzle, and she responded by kissing him back. He moved slightly and another shiver flowed through her. She gasped, trying to compose herself, and failed miserably. He felt her hips shift slightly and she lay against him, breathing hard.
“Still… going…” she said.
He felt the shivers and trembles slowly reside. Once they had she moved off of him. She climbed out of the tub and two towels floated over to where they were. He began drying as she did the same. A moment later another towel floated to her and she wrapped her mane in it. She walked with him to the bed and took a seat beside him.
“David, it’s taken me some time to realize a few things,” she said as she looked up at him, “I’ve come to realize that I can’t see a future without you in it. I know that not just your wolf side, but what you’ve said before about humans indicates that you prefer to mate for life. I want that. I want to be connected to you like that.”
He smiled at her and pulled her against him.
“It’s not the best time to do this, I know, but I can’t help what I feel, and I want to do this before anything else happens,” she said.
“I would love to marry you Twilight,” he replied.
She blushed and smiled brightly at the same time.
“I need to talk to Rarity, I know she’s going to want to make the clothes, or at least oversee it, and… There’s so much to do!” she exclaimed as she got up.
He watched as a piece of parchment and a quill floated to her. It began writing feverously across the parchment until the entire thing was finished. He waited until she was finished and watched as she read what she had written multiple times. Once it was done she smiled and looked at him.
“Okay, I have a wedding planning checklist made... I had thought reading those books over wedding planning would come in handy!” she squealed as she looked over the list.
“Uh huh, and what do I need to do?” he asked.
“Well, you have to find a best stallion, and you’ll need to find some groomsponies. I know Shining Armor wouldn’t mind filling any of those rolls,” she said.
He thought about it and while he knew some of the guards they weren’t exactly buddies. They respected his authority as an advisor, but none of them really wanted to be overly close to him, with the exception of the other werewolves, but even they kept their distance. Jack was an easy answer for best man. He would ask Shining Armor because he had become a friend, and because he was Twilight’s brother. He tried to think of another person, and while he wouldn’t call him a friend he would admit that he respected Gild Ironclaw. The old griffin had more than proven himself to be a capable instructor, and then there was Spike. He would gladly ask Spike to be in the wedding. Although, he had a feeling that Twilight would want Spike to be the ring bearer.
Once she was dry Twilight stood and looked back at him. She flashed him a happy smile and slowly walked out of the room. He quickly got dressed and followed her. Once out he could see her heading toward the Throne Room. It wouldn’t take her that long to talk to Candace, and he knew that he needed to talk to Shining Armor. It wasn’t just asking him to be the best man. Even if things didn’t work the same way here for everything he still felt that he needed her older brother’s consent.
He found Shining talking to one of the mares that had been infected. The mare had already went through the transformation once, and now she looked a little less stressed, but there was something else.
“Captain Shining… I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” she said.
“Corporal Heart, there was no call for that behavior. I understand these new feelings, emotions, and desires that have been afflicting you and the other guards that we have selected for this, but there was absolutely no call for you to attack another guard!” he shouted, “And the reason for it… She was talking to your coltfriend, just talking to him.”
“No, I could smell the excitement on her!” she exclaimed before she backed down and looked at the floor.
“You are confined to barracks, you will not be given leave, and your coltfriend will be informed that you are not to have interaction with him until you are released. Do you understand me?” he asked.
“Sir… I’m sorry sir,” she said as she turned.
David watched as her wings spread and she lifted herself off of the ground. He knew the feeling all too well. It was hard to bite it down, but he had done it quite a bit. Twilight was a princess, she had to talk to all sorts of people, and on top of that she really was beautiful. He knew that she didn’t think of herself as beautiful, but the stallions that had talked to her thought differently. It had been a fight and a half with the wolf side to keep it in check. He knew that part of him was going to get riled up, but it was just part of who she was. These guards hadn’t had time to adjust to it yet, and it was showing. They just didn’t have the control needed to handle the primal drives and emotions. He couldn’t help but feel bad for any of them. His eyes finally went back to Shining Armor and he studied the captain.
“David,” Shining said looking in the direction the Pegasus guard had flown.
“Shining, I have something to ask you,” he said.
Shining turned around. His face wasn’t filled with anger, or regret, but rather there was a sense of understanding written across it. He walked toward David and nodded.
“I suspect you already know how I feel toward Twilight,” he said.
Shining grumbled, but nodded.
“Shining, one of the things we did where I am from is ask family for their blessing on marrying into their family. I’m asking for your blessing,” David said.
Shining looked at him, took in a deep breath, and let it out.
“It’s not really going to matter what I say at this point. She’s in love with you. Candace has known it for a long time, and I’ve finally accepted it. If you need my blessing then you can have it, but don’t hurt her. If I ever find out that you’ve hurt my baby sister I will find you, and I will make you pay for every, single, tear,” he said poking a hoof into David’s chest.
David nodded and then smiled.
“How do you feel about being a groomsman err.. Groomspony?” he asked.