An American Werewolf in Equestria

by Ron Jeremy Pony

Battle Lines

An American Werewolf in Equestria
Chapter 10 – Battle Lines

(Sweet Apple Acres – three hours later)

Applejack sat on her haunches with her ears folded back. She had received a talking to from Granny Smith before, but this time the old Mare was pacing back and forth. She stopped, looked up at the two ponies and then shook her head. Applejack looked over at Jack who wasn’t showing any signs of being even the slightest bit afraid. She wondered if maybe he was a little touched in the head or something.

“How long y’all been doing this?” Granny Smith asked.

“Ma’am, first I’m going to be honest this entire thing is my fault. We went out drinking with Big Macintosh last night. I had a bit too much to drink, and so did your granddaughter. I should have had enough sense and wits about me, but I didn’t,” he said.

Granny Smith looked at him and cocked an eyebrow.

“So, yer taking all the reasonability of this huh?” she asked.

“Like I said, it’s my fault. I should have had more wits about me when we came home,” he said.

“Well, if’n yer gonna be responsible then I don’t see any other course of action…” she said turning around.

Neither of them could see her grin as she started to walk down the stairs.

“Welcome to the family son. Celestia help ya, ‘cause yer gonna need it. I expect you to make a honest mare of my granddaughter before the end of the season,” Granny Smith said.

“What?!” Applejack shouted.

Granny Smith turned around with a smile and looked at her granddaughter.

“Ah seen ya floating around like milk weed in the breeze around ‘im Applejack, so what has got you all riled up ‘bout this?” she asked.

“Ah… Ah… Ah hoped that we would date a little longer!” Applejack exclaimed.

Granny Smith’s expression became far more serious.

“Yer Momma and Daddy did this same stunt Applejack. In fact yer older brother came around ‘bout ten months after they pulled it. So, I want ya to be an honest mare before that can happen,” Granny Smith said.

Applejack looked at the floor for a second and then nodded.

“Besides, Ah want yer little sister to think that this only happens when two young’ns are planning on getting married,” Granny Smith said as she turned around and headed down the stairs.

Applejack turned toward Jack who sat there slack jawed. She began to giggle, and fell over laughing at his expression.

(Crystal Empire – The Castle – Main Hall)

“So Twilight, you seem, happier,” Candace said as they walked.

“I know that you know,” Twilight said.

Candace looked toward her and could see the slight blush on her younger sister-in-law. She grinned and nodded.

“Yes, I know what you’ve done, but I don’t know how it made you feel, what you feel right now, and how you view things to come,” she said.

Twilight smiled and looked toward her.

“I… I love him. Celestia help me I love him so much. He was so gentle, and it was… No book ever, ever had that it would feel like that in it,” she said.

“They wouldn’t. It’s different for everypony. What you experienced is something that belongs to you and you only, but that’s what makes it so special,” Candace said.

They shared a comfortable silence for a moment before Candace stopped in front of a large open archway. Twilight looked at the Archway and then at Candace who gave her a soft smile.

“I am uncertain of the time or day that you will want to go the next step with David, but I, and your brother, would be honored if you would allow us to hold the ceremony here,” she said.

Twilight looked at the splendor of the room. The way the sun hit the archway it appeared to give off nearly every single color of the rainbow. It was breathtaking, and Twilight marveled at it for a while.

“Thank you. I don’t know when we will, but I would love to have it here,” she said.

“You know, to part of him, if not all of him, you are already at that stage,” Candace said as they began to walk back.

Twilight looked at her questioningly.

“The wolf part of him mates for life Twilight. He mated with you. Gentle or not, he has accepted you as his mate,” she looked at her and gave a gentle smile, “Little sister I do not want to worry you by saying this. It’s not something that you should worry over.”

Twilight stopped and looked at Candace as the older Alicorn turned around.

“How do I keep him happy? What do I need to do in order to make sure that he made the right choice?” she asked.

“Simply be yourself. He choose you because of who you are Twilight,” Candace said.

They walked back into the throne room and noticed that both David and Shining Armor was still gone.

“Let us go and find them shall we?” Candace asked.

(The Guard’s building – Shining Armor’s office)

David looked at bits of cloth and held them up. He could smell something off. It smelled… sweet. It smelled like something had been eating massive amounts of sugar. It wasn’t just a few sweets from Sugarcube corner, but rather whatever this thing was had been eating nothing but sugar. He looked at Shining Armor and nodded.

“According to what intelligence we have King Sombra may have sent a changeling into the Crystal Empire already. If he has then we need to find them,” Shining Armor said.

“I understand, but there’s something else,” David said as he smelled the bits of cloth again.

It was off putting. He couldn’t explain it, but it smelled like something had been doused with oil or kerosene. He took a deeper breath and then the connection hit him. He had smelled it at the train station before. It wasn’t any normal oil. It was lamp oil that was coming off of the station lamps.

“Check the train station. Someone who is near the platform lamps, maybe working on them,” he said.

Shining looked at him questioningly, and David shook his head.

“If you were going to invade would you come in through the front door, or would you find a better way in?” he asked.

Shining thought about it and nodded.

“David, when the time comes, are you going to be willing to transform?” Shining asked.

He looked at the stallion and then at the door.

“To protect her, to protect all of you, I’ll do it, but don’t ask me again to infect anyone else,” he said.

“It may come to that,” Shining Armor said.

“No, it won’t,” David said.

“David, we may have no other choice. There is every chance that we will need to have more than just one werewolf. The fact that werebeasts are so difficult to kill, so resistant to normal methods death would make them invaluable on the battlefield. It could be the deciding factor between us and King Sombra,” Shining said.

“And at the same time you will be cursing several of your own ponies. They will have to live with the pain, and with seeing the undead they’ve made. Do you really want to do that to them? Is it worth that to you?” David asked.

“I do not want it to be that way, but the good of the many will outweigh the good of the few,” Shining said.

The door opened and Shining prepared to chew out the guard who opened it early when Twilight and Candace stepped through. He smiled and walked toward his wife, kissing her muzzle.

“Sweetheart, I thought you and Twily were visiting in the castle,” he said.

“We decided to see what the both of you were up to,” she replied.

Twilight walked over to David and smiled. She felt him pull her into a hug that she happily returned. The two of them held each other there for a while. Shining cleared his throat, but it didn’t seem to work.

“Leave them alone Shining,” Candace said.

He grumbled when the sound of the alarm horn sounded. His eyes shot open and he ran outside to see a crazed beast running through the streets. David walked out and smelled the air. His eyes widened as he realized what it was. It looked like a Timber Wolf, but it smelled like a Pony. The Timber Wolf looked toward them and howled. David looked at Twilight.

“Wolf’s bane,” he said.

She looked at him concerned, but focused her mind. For a moment nothing happened, and then a spark erupted from her horn and the air filled with electricity. When it cleared there was a small flower. David looked at the plant, the purest form of Wolf’s bane, deadly to humans and wolves, and he hoped that what Shining had discovered was true. He bit into one of the pettles of the flower and felt the headache start. It began spreading, moving faster than it had before. His claws shredded his clothes and he jumped out in front of them before he was completely transformed.

The two different kinds of wolves slammed into each other. The Timber Wolf growled and snapped at David, but his wolf form bit back grabbing the Timber Wolf by the back leg and slamming it hard into the building. It yelped out. Twilight watched as it jumped back and landed on David. The two of them fought hard, and she could see places where David was getting hurt. This thing wasn’t a mere animal. It was a pony. It could think abstractly and attack at weak spots.

But that wasn’t the only problem. Whoever this was had more experience fighting than David did. David was about speed and power. His attacks were completely from the wolf’s instinct. This other Timber Wolf seemed to know when to attack, and she could already see David slowing down.

“Shining help him!” Twilight shouted.

A multitude of crossbow wielding Pegasi began to exit out of the building.

“David throw it away from you!” Shining shouted.

The Timber Wolf jumped toward David and he fell on his back. When he did he kicked his legs up throwing the Timber over him. A moment later the twang of three dozen crossbows filled the air. The Timber Wolf whimpered and David slowly stood. He whined as he walked. Twilight ran to him as he collapsed. She touched his head and watched as he slowly began to turn back into his human form.

Once he was back to being in his natural form she could see hundreds of cuts and bruises on him. She gently stroked his hair as she held him.

“The Dark King will rise!” a green Earth Pony shouted.

Like David he was hurt, but his own wounds seemed to be healing differently. Shining looked at his guards and motioned toward the downed Earth Pony.

“Take her prisoner. We are going to find out everything she knows about Sombra,” he said.

He walked toward David and looked at the weakened werewolf.

“David, I’m sorry, but the second option may have to happen regardless,” he said.

“Shining, sweetheart?” Candace asked.

“I won’t fail my ponies. I won’t let anything in here to hurt them,” Shining said.

“Sir, what about him?” one of the Pegasi asked.

“Take him to the infirmary,” Shining said.

Twilight followed them as they carried David.

“What is the second option?” Candace asked.

“Candace..” he began before she glared at him.

He sighed and looked at her.

“We need to have guards and soldiers who have the strength to match werebeasts, and the only way that will happen is if..” he began before she shook her head.

“Shining no, you can’t be serious!” she exclaimed.

“I can think of no other way. We need superior strength, and this may be the only way to get it,” he said.

“No, this isn’t right,” she said.

Author's Note:

(And Chapter ten done. I do hope that everyone is enjoying it.
LF)

Comments

[Boss_Hoss1]

Hopefully for Cadence, it wont come to Shining pulling a "Don't give an order you would not carry out yourself!" stunt and being bitten himself. Honestly, anything in the human aresenal is a far nicer option than making weres. It is the "gift that keeps on giving" like Agent Orange, long after the war they are used in. (My parents were contaminated so all my ills are one of those gifts...)

Unfortunately, since the enemy seem to be using weres, all bets are off, and hooves er, hands untied...

[JourneymanChronicler]

“Yer Momma and Daddy did this same stunt Applejack. In fact ya came around ‘bout ten months after they pulled it. So, I want ya to be an honest mare before that can happen,” Granny Smith said.

I believe there may be a tiny little error in continuity here. I think you mean Applejack's older brother came about. Sorry to be anal attentive about that. Those are just the sorts of things I happen to catch.

Great story so far. You manage to paint a clear picture in much less words than I take, however that's likely due to a differences in style. Keep up the good work!