The Burning Wolf

by Ssendam the Masked

I'm not sure how I feel about this

I think that I sat there for maybe about ten minutes, wolf hands tucked in my hoodie and hood up. The hood pressed my new wolf ears down a bit in a slightly unconfortable fashion, but otherwise I felt calmer. There's something about your favourite hoody- no matter how bad the situation is, simply wearing it makes life feel better. Should I have ever been seen trying to enter a convenience store with my slouch and bad attitude, I think that I might have been suspected of being a robber or thug. That is, assuming I ever get home. Wow, morbid train of thought there. Before I could think about my situation in a bit more detail, the door opened. I got up, stretching a bit. God, I hate sitting still for too long. Makes your back really ache.

The... mare? I think it's mare. Term for a female horse, right? Anyway, the mare beckons me in. "Come hither."
If there's some sort of kinky shit happening beyond this door, then royalty or no royalty I am going to freak right the hell out.
"Alright, Princess." I stood up slightly straighter and slouched in. The room was nice- mainly dull grey walls with some tapestries. A large queen-sized bed, with one of those rope-pull things that you often see in old castles, as well as several chairs and a suit of armour. I straightened up a bit, hands still tucked safely away in my hoody. She raised an eyebrow at that, but thankfully didn't comment. As soon as the door was closed and there was no chance of being overheard, she enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug.

"THOU ART THE MOST ADORABLE THING WE HATH EVER SEEN!" Oh dear sweet god I think my rib cage is creaking. I gargled something that might have been words at some point, but my crushed and abused lungs and a copious amount of dark-blue titflesh cut it off into something sounding like 'glarglefashba.' Fortunately, she seemed to realise that she was choking the life out of me and relinquished her grip. I collapsed on the ground like a sack of potatoes, trying to re-inflate my crushed lungs.
"Oh, We-I'M sorry! I didn't mean to do that! It's just, well, Tia and I always hug that tight when we're together and-" I wheezed for a bit, trying to get some air back in my lungs.
"It's... it's not a problem. Really. Just... just don't hug so tight next time, okay?" Blushing slightly, she nodded.

Geez, what was up with this place? First there's all these medieval ponies everywhere, then there's a Princess who's more than strong enough for my bones to start creaking, and then she's all apologetic? If she tries to hug me like that again, I'll have to resist... slightly. She did manage to keep me out of pony prison, or whatever. Plus, I do not want to go to jail for assaulting royalty or something dumb like that.

Now that I'd regained my breath, Princess Luna seemed to realise something about me. Possibly due to the relative mosquito bites that I possessed in comparision to you. "Thou art a ma-" she suddenly remembered that i wasn't exactly a pony and amended it to, "-female, yes?"
No point in denying it, otherwise there would be a very awkward explanation when i had to go to the toilet. "Yeah, I'm female. Name's Ash, by the way." I stuck out a hand and, after a moment's hesitation, she shook it.
She looked me over. "And this... garb? This what females from where you're from wear, yes?"
If she asked me to strip and reveal my bra and stuff then I was going to scream so loudly. "They can if they want, yes."
Luna fingered my hoodie. "And what, exactly, is this?"
I raised a rather shaggy eyebrow, before remembering that I was apparently in some sort of Elizabethan time analogue. "Um, it's a hoody."

"A... hoody?" She rolled the word around for a bit.
"Yeah, a hoody. It's comfortable, that's why I like it. And it's warm as well. It's short for 'hooded jacket,' I think."
She hmmed about that. "Such an... odd article of clothing. And you possess a most unusual dialect."
I shrugged. "Makes sense, I suppose. Given that I'm not really from around here."
Luna nodded. "And what, precisely, are you?"
That was the million dollar question.

I racked my brains, before coming up with the obvious answer. "I'm an interdimensional werewolf."
It was the most accurate answer I could give. Luna raised an eyebrow. "Forgive me, but I'm not sure what that is."
That surprised me. "You don't know what a werewolf is?"
She shook her head. I sighed, and sat down on the chair. This was going to be a long explanation.

"Okay, I'm not from here, or even from this plane of existence. I come from a planet called Earth."
"Right." She focused intently on me.
I continued, feeling self-conscious as I did so. "It's a pretty good place, but there's no such thing as werewolves. We made them up as a legend, and possibly a metaphor for PMS."
Luna regarded that matter with some considerable thought. "So, a myth like the Beyonders?"
"Beyonders?" I was honestly curious about what was mythical to a race of horse-people. I leant forwards as Luna explained a little bit further.
Luna nodded. "Basically, it's when Our little ponies imagine that they've seen small, bipedal figures. They're usually grey and have large black eyes. Apparently, they abduct ponies during the day... and the night." She seemed slightly bitter about that fact. "We've tried to hunt for them, but alas, not a trace of their existence has ever been officially proven."
"Sounds like an alien thing to me." They had aliens here in pony land? And no real explanation? Interesting...

Luna's ears twitched a bit and she frowned. "So, if you're not supposed to be a 'werewolf,' then how come you are?"
I shrugged. "All I know is, this weird old lady gave me this ring and here I am." I waved the finger that had the ring on it. Luna examined it curiously, squinting at it. Her hands lit up in a blue aura, and the ring floated off my finger.

"Mayhaps there is some foul enchantment on this seemingly innocuous ring, and removing it shall be the cure."
We waited for about a minute. I was still a wolf-lady. Luna looked perturbed.
"Methinks I should study this, if that's alright with you."
I shrugged; whatever helped me get home and made me look normal again. "Do whatever you want with it. I'm not going anywhere."

It was at this point that my stomach rumbled. I curled in on myself while Luna just raised an eyebrow. "Methinks a pup is hungry. Wait here, and don't leave this room." With that, she swept on out. Before she left, I saw her features harden, becoming stiff and regal. With the door closed, I had a good, long look at myself in the mirror. At least I still had my eyes- hard and green like emeralds. Maybe they were a bit brighter than normal, but other than that, they were still my eyes.

I tapped my reflection. Was this what I was going to look like for the rest of my life? Sure, I looked badass, but I wanted normality right now, and I wasn't really getting it. For a couple of moments, I stood there, hand against me reflection, then I balled my hand up into a fist. If I was a werewolf lady, then I was going to have to get a handle on my powers. And there was nothing worse than trying to master them. Even if I didn't discover anything, I wasn't going to give it up without a fight.

I concentrated on going back to human form. Nothing seemed to be happening. I shut my eyes, and imagined what, precisely, being human was like. I imagined that I didn't have hair all over my body, that my nose were separate, distinct entities, that my legs were forwards rather than backwards jointed. That sort of stuff. This time, it seemed to be working. I winced as my bones cracked and shifted back into more human proportions and the hair literally went away. As soon as it was done, I opened my eyes.

"Huh." Well, I was back in my human body, but a couple of changes had been retained. I now had some nice muscle lining my arms. Lifting my hoody, I was somewhat relieved to see that I still possessed my girl abs. My hair was somewhat longer and shaggier, and I gave it a brusque shake.
"Huh, seems I'll never really be free of the wolf side then." I shook my new hair about a bit. I kind of liked it as it was now.
Just then, I heard hoofsteps coming. Crap. I'd have preferred to transform in front of Luna so she didn't freak out. I concentrated on the wolf side of me again.

Curiously, the transformation was quicker, and had about half the amount of pain it normally had. When that was done, I was back in wolfy form, just in time for Luna to come back in, carrying a plate in a blue aura.
"Apologies for the somewhat lacklustre meal you're getting, but this was all that we really had on hand. We normally save it for meat-eating diplomats like the griffins. Sorry it isn't heated up."
She lifted it up to reveal a rather large steak, marbled with fat and smelling distinctly aged. About a month old, I'd guess.

Whatever the case, it smelled good. Ever smell a really, really good steak? Well, imagine that with a wolf nose. I quickly took it and had a dainty bite. Then, when that proved to be the damn best thing I had ever tasted, I tore into it with reckless abandon, jaws flashing and undoubtedly offending the Princess's sensibilities. I turned to her guiltily.

She was looking at me with a mildly curious expression. "Dost thou normally eat like that?"
I burped unashamedly. "Dear sweet god that was good." I then looked up. "Uh, not normally. In my defence, though, that was a really good steak. You might not appreciate it, but I can."
Luna nodded distractedly. "Yes, I think I could get an idea from your slobber." She pointed to the edges of my mouth. I quickly wiped it off and stood up.
"Thanks."
She raised an eyebrow. "'Thanks?'"
Okay, this is going to be a bit awkward. "It's just short for 'thank you.' Makes it easier to say quickly."
Luna nodded in understanding. "I had guessed that much."

Just then, there was a polite knock, and Luna turned.
"Who goes there?"
"Surely you can tell it's me, Luna." The voice that came through the door sounded like she was a couple of years older than Luna, and definitely curious. Also rather stern and commanding.
Luna turned and looked at me with a slightly panicked look in her eye. "By the foul, everburning pits of Tartarus, what do we do? I was charged to not take any more pets in after the giant spider was left unattended!"
Wait, I'm just a pet? But I can talk and stuff! "I'm not a pet!" I hissed back. Luna nodded.
"true, true, but that's what my sister shall think!" She suddenly stopped.
"Luna? Art thou alright?" The older mare's voice sounded concerned and she jiggled the handle of the door a bit.
"I have a conceit for thou." A blue aura surrounded me and put me up on top of her bed unceremoniously.
"What's the-"
Luna put a finger to her lips. "I beg thee be quiet and stay hidden!"

She then trotted over to her door. "Coming, sister!"
The mare who was let in was even taller than Luna by about half a head. Wider hips, larger boobs, and even a longer horn and larger wings. Rather than being a dark, midnight blue, she was a pink so pale you could only tell by the very faintest of hints. Her hair-mane-thing was triple toned in pink, turquoise, green and faint blue, sort of like that weird flowy effect you see around the north pole or somewhere. She wore a golden dress unlike her sister's own, with a faint orange flame design. Her purple eyes looked Luna over with worry.

"Luna, art thou hurt in any way?"
Luna shook her head. "Nay, dear sister, I am fine."
Celestia gripped her sister's shoulders slightly tighter. "Thou would'st tell me if anything was the matter with you, right? Right?"
Luna smiled and hugged her sister. "Of course, sister mine."
I watched the scene with a wolfy smile on my face. It was all I could do not to go 'dawww!' Only the fact that it would probably get Luna into a whole heap of trouble.

Celestia smiled with her sister. "That is good. Now," here her face got slightly more serious, "I have heard from mine guard that thou had found a... wolf-being?"
Luna smiled without a hint of lying. "Well, that did happen. However, the beast ran off, into the Everfree, and I did not think to pursue it until it was out of sight."
Ceelstia sighed. "That is good news."

I was distinctly aware that the bed-top was dusty and rather awkward to lie on. Not only that, it seemed to be creaking slightly. My eyes widened. Well, that's just great, isn't it? I'm not even fat?!

I had to muffle my thoughts as Celestia and LUna talked about something or other- Elizabethan politics, who killed who and why he did so. All I really cared about was not falling through the canopy of this bed. I didn't want to get Luna in trouble, after all. Unfortunately, the top of the bed had other ideas. I heard the wood start to give out underneath me, and all I could think as I plumetted down was Shit!

Celestia's head whipped around as the top of Luna's bed collapsed and a wolf-like creature crashed onto her bed in a flurry of rather moldy old wood and sawdust. The curtains enshrouded most of its form, only a rather dazed head sticking out amongst the ruin of the canopy. Celestia turned back to Luna, who was sweating bullets.
"Care to explain, Luna?"
Luna absent-mindedly tapped her fingers. "Er... um... she..."
She searched for a believable excuse. "...snuck into the castle?"
Celestia raised an eyebrow as said wolf-being sneezed. "Indeed, sister. And how would a mere 'wolf' such as that manage to enter your room without invitation?"
Luna paused, before a believable lie came about. "Ah! I thought that it was a guard, and before I could catch her it-"
"-Jumped on top of your bed, where it somehow remained unremoved by you at all." Celestia finished. Luna nodded eagerly.

With a yellow glow forming around her, the wolf was levitated out, struggling. "Please! I don't wanna go to pony prison, or whatever you've got planned for me!"
Luna gripped her sister's arm. "Please, sister? She's really well-behaved! And she's not a pet, she's more like a tennant! Please, can I keep her in my room? Please?"
Celestia sighed. "Dost thou remember Harry the spider? It took twelve guards to take him down!"
Luna kept a firm hold on her sister's arm with a petulant scowl on her face. "This time'll be different!"

Celestia looked at her sister's face, which in hindsight was a huge mistake. Her sister's eyes had gone big and watery, and she looked about to cry. The wolf's expression closely mirrored that of her friend, with large, soulful eyes gazing into Celestia's soul, judging her and finding her lacking. Celestia wrestled with two conflicting emotions- one set telling her to just throw the wolf outside into the Everfree and just be done with it, the other set saying 'just let her have the wolf-lady.' Eventually, she reached a decision.

"Fine. But she must be trained in the guard. I will not have her be your idle lapdog."
Luna squee'd in excitement. "Oh, thank you sister!" She gathered up the wolf in another bone-crushing hug. The wolf turned the eyes on Celestia, who smirked slightly.
"You're choking her, you know." With an 'eep!' Luna relinquished the wolf-lady, who started to pull in deep breaths to cope with it.

"I-I'm sorry, Celesti!"
With a sigh, Celestia hugged her sister. "There, there. It's alright. It really is."
"B-but you mind-"
"I don't mind her being here." She looked into Luna's tear-stained face and wiped them off. "It's just that she should get some form of military training. I don't think that she is a maiden who would stay at home. No, she's got the blood of a warrior in her."

"Really? I don't think that I do." Celestia and Luna turned to the wolf, only to see that she'd changed, into a smaller, less-muscled form. Luna gawked. "W-what have thou done with Ash?"
The strange being chuckled. "I AM Ash." To prove that, she transformed between the two states freely. "See?" SHe started laughing at their gobsmacked expressions.

"By Discord's beard... a creature that can freely go from one form to another..." Celestia stroked the smooth fur on Ash's face. She then smiled widely.
"Well, I think that thou shouldst get prepared- tomorrow night, thou shall train with Luna's own Night Guard."
Ash smiled weakly. "Yaaaayy?"

Comments

[Dubious]

I would refuse, nobody makes me do anything! *Is being irrationally rebellious like dumbshit teenager who doesn't know better*

[ponyclaws]

Nice chapter pretty funny keep up the good work.

[QPaysTaxes]

Oh gods, the double caps at the beginning if the word. And thy English is lacking. I prithee, find one who knoweth that which thou wouldst write. Thy writing it will better and many grimaces shall it prevent from crossing mine amazing face.

Aside from that request, I do now hold
a high opinion of this tale of yours.
I hope to see it update very soon
and cannot long for the next update wait.

[Dragonlover553]

It's a pretty good place, but there's no such thing as werewolves. We made them up as a legend, and possibly a metaphor for PMS.

Excuse me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that belief be called into question when you TURN INTO ONE?!

[Dragonlover553]

Does she have any powers beyond the standard werewolf strength, speed(possibly), healing(if you add it), and shape shifting?

[Switchlock]

I like the story so far, but I honestly think Luna could have come up with a better plan than hiding Ash in her bed. After all, doesn't she have several years of practice at keeping calm? And even if she did actually have the capacity to panic, doesn't she have a closet or something? It'd be more of an effective if cliche hiding place.

These are just my opinions, even if I'm aware of the fact that this is back from before the Nightmare Moon incident. No need to acknowledge them, or correct your story based on my nit-picks.

[Lunar Valkyrie]

Quite an interesting and amusing indeed, so far I quite like this! So keep up the good effort and work, because I'd like to see where this story will be going in the future.

[Failsafe99]

Will this ever be gotten back to? Because this has plenty of potential, and I want to see more of it.