Hazel Eyes in the Moonlight

by Oddling

22 - Breaking Points

Hazel eyes peered fiercely through the leaves of the tree, eyeing the condition of the young orange pegasus filly in the schoolhouse. Jim was unsure of how much time had passed, but as the minutes ticked by he grew increasingly tense. The longer it took for Rainbow to return with Twilight, the worse Scootaloo’s condition seemed to become. He did not know what was wrong with her just yet, but he knew he did not like seeing her labored breathing and struggle to maintain her focus. By now, Scootaloo’s ears had pinned back to her skull and her wings flexed periodically, as if she was fighting back a cringe of pain. In addition, her coat had darkened in places as her body sweated from its inner battle.

At one point, the teacher of the class had approached Scootaloo to inquire what was wrong, but whatever Scootaloo had said had made the purple mare resume her teaching. Though, much to her credit, the teacher did keep a constant watch for any serious reactions from Scootaloo. Still, Jim was not pleased with the situation, not one bit. Unfortunately for the branch beneath him, his tension had found his claws digging into the bark as he struggled to keep himself from barging into the building. His eyes had never left the filly’s form through the window.

What are you going through, Scootaloo… Jim wondered as his hands squeezed his claws deeper into the branch. Why are you making yourself suffer…? Maybe I should just go and get her. I can’t just sit here and watch her condition grow worse. I need to know what she’s feeling…

Having reached the end of the line for his patience, Jim flexed his arms and let his body drop, his grip on the branch holding firm. His form flipped around, shaking the tree violently before he let go to land on his feet. Jim set his sights on the door of the schoolhouse and he started to step toward it when a gentle popping sound caught his attention.

In a flash of light, Twilight Sparkle appeared. Beside her stood Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Jim swiftly approached them. “Twilight, good, you’re here. I was worried that you wouldn’t arrive in time.”

Twilight instantly focused on Jim, her concerned gaze shifting to serious. “Jim, are you absolutely sure that something is wrong with Scootaloo?”

Jim nodded firmly. “I have no doubt. She’s been steadily getting worse. I just hope that I’m not correct in my idea as to what’s happening. If I’m right, it’ll get serious for everyone around her in a short time. We need to get to her quickly.”

Twilight nodded once and she turned her attention to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, go and find the rest of the girls. Rarity and I will go and retrieve Scootaloo.”

“Wha- but Twilight-”

“No buts, Rainbow. You’re the fastest one of us and I’ll need Rarity’s help to keep things calm.”

Rainbow snorted and looked away. “Fine…”

Jim approached Rainbow before she could spread her wings and he placed his hand on what he assumed would be her shoulder. “Rainbow Dash, please. Don’t worry, I’ll keep that promise… no matter what. She’ll be safe with me by her side.”

Rainbow’s eyes flared with anger for a moment before she melted into his touch. She stepped forward and gently head-butted his stomach. “You’d better keep that promise. I’ll kick your flank three ways to Sunday if you don’t, understand?”

Jim nodded, though it was a pointless action since Rainbow Dash’s head was turned down. “I’ll hold you to it. Now go, we need to get this plan moving if we’re to make it in time.”

Rainbow pulled away, her face laced with raw determination, and nodded. Without another word, the cyan pegasus snapped her wings open and she bolted into the air. Jim watched her leave for a moment before he turned his attention to Twilight and Rarity. The two had watched the scene play out and they seemed to be curious about something, but neither one chose to speak about it just yet. Twilight nodded firmly. “Let’s go get Scootaloo.”

Twilight rushed toward the school with Rarity hot on her hooves. Jim hesitated for a second as he realized that he was about to enter a building filled with young ponies who might panic at the sight of him, but the drive to get to Scootaloo was strong enough to spur him into action. He dropped down onto all fours and quickly bolted forward. It took little effort for him to close the distance between himself and Twilight and he had to force himself not to run ahead of her. The desire to rush past her and barge through the doors of the school was indeed great, but he was smart enough to keep his cool. Rushing into the school would cause unwanted trouble for him and everypony involved.

Fortunately for Jim, it was not long before the three of them skid to a halt just outside of the doors. Twilight glanced over to Rarity and nodded, getting one in return. Then she looked over to Jim. “Wait for a moment before you come in. Rarity will go to Scootaloo’s side and check on her first while I go and talk to Cheerilee. I know you want to see her, but we should make sure that it’s nothing as serious as her transforming early. Please stay here unless we call you in.”

Jim’s jaw clenched in anger, but he nodded all the same. Twilight had a valid plan and he did agree that it would cause fewer problems if he listened and hid outside. Twilight gave him a reassuring smile before she lit her horn to open the door and entered the building.

The sounds of the class grew as the children murmured about Twilight’s arrival, increasing in volume when Rarity entered behind her. The teacher, Cheerilee, was quick to address the two mares who had come into her work place. Jim’s focus went to his hearing as he listened. He could hear Rarity talking quietly, but it was difficult to isolate her words from the cacophony of voices from within the schoolhouse. Annoyance ran rampant within Jim’s body and he finally decided to look in through the window beside the doorway. But just as he lifted his paw, a yell made him react.

“Get away from me!” came Scootaloo’s angry cry.

Jim instantly moved through the open door. He braced his hands on either side of the frame and his head whipped around to spot the young filly. She was midair as he located her and the moment her hooves landed upon the floor she spun around and glared at Rarity. Scootaloo’s wings flared out aggressively and the fur on the back of her neck raised slightly as she bared her teeth, the faint points of new fangs just starting to become visible.

Jim’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he let loose a deep, powerful growl. Scootaloo, as well as every other living creature in the school looked to Jim with varying degrees of shock and fear. However, the fear in the little pegasus’ eyes quickly vanished and she snarled at Jim, her throat emitting a growl of her own. Jim’s eyes locked with Scootaloo’s and the two stared unflinchingly at one another. He watched as her body tensed and lowered closer to the floor, ready to pounce at him. At the same time, Jim could also see the bestial nature of the curse slowly making Scootaloo’s gaze become more predatory.

She’s starting to lose her self-control… he realized. The signs were there, and the rate at which it was happening meant that he needed to get her away from the ponies. Now.

Jim’s expression shifted from intense to calm as he slowly placed one foot in front of the other. However, as his intentions had not been made clear, and fear still lingered in the hearts of everypony present, Twilight took that moment to interfere. Her horn lit and Jim’s body was surrounded by her lavender magic. Jim was stopped by the telekinetic hold, but his eyes never left Scootaloo’s.

“Jim! What are you doing? Get out of here!” Twilight said, slightly panicked.

“No,” was Jim’s simple reply as he flexed his muscles hard in an attempt to break through Twilight’s magic.

The magic holding him in place slowly gave way for a moment, but with a grunt of effort, Twilight managed to regain her hold of him. “Jim, you’re scaring the foals. Please, let Rarity and I handle this.”

“You can’t do anything for her now,” Jim replied calmly. “The curse is stripping her mind of all control. Now let me go so I can fulfill my duty… or I will force you to yield. I need to get her away from you all – now.”

Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but when Jim’s gaze turned to her, she could see there was no idle threat behind Jim’s words. He would make her quit trying to stop him, one way or another. She swallowed thickly and the glow of her horn quickly faded.

Jim’s body suddenly bolted forward and he seized Scootaloo by her barrel. The young filly instantly lashed out at him, swinging her head around to bite his arm. Though her fangs were still short, the force behind the chomp had been enough to show Jim that she was definitely changing on a physical level now. She managed to draw a little blood, something that Jim immediately knew was a big problem. He wasted no time in rushing out of the door, bolting for the Everfree Forest as quickly as he could on three appendages. As he ran, he held Scootaloo tightly to his chest to keep her from falling or flailing about too much.

Within minutes, Jim had managed to find his way into the forest and he had put a sizable distance between himself and the town. He kept running until he found a large enough clearing in which he slid to a stop and he dropped Scootaloo. The instant Scootaloo was free she scrambled to her hooves and glared at Jim fiercely, her little fangs bared and her eyes glazed over slightly.

She’s losing herself quickly… but I’ll try to get her to break through the haze. If I cannot bring her back into control then she will have to be isolated every time she changes… But why did this change happen now – during the day? Jim thought as he held his stare with the little filly. No, that was not correct… she was no longer a mere filly; she was a wolf now. Upon realizing that, Jim also started to notice how much she had changed since they had left the school. Her fangs were more pronounced now and her fur had grown longer, especially along her spine, as evidenced by the ridge of it standing on end as she growled at him. In addition to that, her mane and tail had become wilder, almost spiky, and her wings had grown, the feathers looking considerably longer and ragged.

Over all, Scootaloo still resembled her self, but at the same time she looked different. Though Jim did finally receive his answers as to what she would look like as her curse took hold, he gained no joy or satisfaction from it. Instead, his heart sank further as he watched, feeling helpless for the first time in his life. The possibility of him failing to get through to her was staggeringly close to impossible. He could not even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Scootaloo in this moment. For Jim, losing control had been annoying, at worst. Yet Scootaloo had been free until now, capable of doing as she willed. Now she could only sit, somewhere deep within her own mind, screaming for someone to help her… to stop her. Well, unless she truly wished to be this way, but that was very doubtful.

Narrowing his eyes, Jim crouched down and steeled himself for what he was about to do. “Scootaloo, do you have any control of yourself?” he asked lowly.

Scootaloo’s lips curled back a little more and she growled louder.

I didn’t think so…

“Scootaloo… it’s time to start fighting to get back your control. We are not leaving this clearing until you are yourself again.”

The little werepegasus snarled and dashed toward the edge of the clearing, intent on leaving swiftly. A sudden grinding sound, accompanied by Jim’s body appearing in front of her, halted Scootaloo in her tracks. She looked down, noticing that Jim’s claws had left deep gouges in the ground as he slid to a stop. Her eyes darted back up to Jim for a split second before she jumped up to try and escape above him. Jim’s hand swiftly seized her out of the air as he leapt after her. Again the struggling filly sent her fangs into Jim’s flesh, her bite feeling more painful than last time.

Jim, no stranger to pain, held Scootaloo firmly despite the painful biting. When he landed on solid ground, he used the momentum to slam the young body to the floor. The intent was not so much as to hurt her, but to jolt her and get her attention. Scootaloo’s biting ended abruptly as her body hit the ground and she glared at Jim again. However, her ferocity wavered as she saw the emotionless hazel eyes of her opponent.

As Jim looked down at Scootaloo, he began to feel an all too familiar feeling… one that he had hoped he would never remember, or experience first hand. In that moment he realized that he was treating her the same way his teachers had done back in the village… back in that hell he once called home. Suddenly conflicted, he seemed to lose awareness as he thought back. The harsh treatment of the young was to establish dominance, to show them that they were not fit to be in any position to question or challenge their elders. It was a brutal way of establishing the pecking order, but there was no doubt in its effectiveness. Yet this situation felt wrong. Forcing his authority over Scootaloo would be one way of making her realize she could do nothing to hurt him, but what was she feeling? What was going through her mind, deep within? What if he was scaring her more than he realized, causing her to run from him rather than to him for help? Unlike him, she had not grown up knowing that this was the way of life for werewolves.

Sadness slowly bled into his empty eyes and he lifted the still struggling filly from the ground. He brought her up in front of his face and he looked at her. It took some time, but before long, the little body in his grasp slowly stopped fighting against him to look right back at him. The ferocity of her gaze ever so slowly softened and a faint shimmer of her normal eyes tried to surface. She was afraid… terrified of what she was being forced to do. She wanted to be normal again.

A kind smile barely showed itself on Jim’s face before he gently brought Scootaloo to his chest, hugging her. “Be brave, Scootaloo. You can make it stop… I believe in you. I know it feels impossibly difficult, but you can break free of my curse’s hold on your mind. Don’t fight it. You won’t win if you try to overcome it. This curse… is now as much a part of you as the very lungs you use to breathe. Embrace it, Scootaloo. Accept it as your own, as it has claimed you. Then… find your balance. You can overcome the beast within you if you can find something more important than the need to kill.”

The small body in his grasp began to tremble and Jim started to softly pet Scootaloo’s mane. He had no idea if his idea would work for her, but he trusted that she would find a way to gain her mind back. Though he still held onto the thought that if she could not get herself free in a more peaceful way then he could still fall back on his original option to beat her into submission. He disliked the idea immensely, but knew he had to keep it as an option if he was to break the curse’s drive. The bloodlust would vanish once it became impossible to satisfy it, rendering the cursed person weakened in a manner similar to drug withdrawals. It was not a pleasant experience, but Jim knew that the discomfort would fade with time.

Suddenly, Jim’s gentle embrace was forced to tighten as Scootaloo’s body tensed and she tried to force herself away from him. He gripped her firmly, making sure she could not wriggle free. He quickly learned that that had been a bad decision. He yelped in pain as Scootaloo’s jaws clamped down on his chest, then grit his teeth to bear the pain. As she bit down, Scootaloo screamed in pain and frustration. “It hurts!” she yelled into the flesh between her teeth.

Jim squeezed her a little more, nuzzling the top of her head with the bottom of his jaw. “I know, Scoots, but you must endure it. The pain will go away, but you can’t give in yet. You’ll heal from every wound, but you’ll have to get past the pain that comes with it, just as I have. I know how much you are suffering, Scootaloo… I’ve suffered through this and more. You can, too. You’re doing great, keep going and you’ll be free.”

Scootaloo’s teeth clenched tighter as she screamed in agony. The first transformation was always the hardest, Jim knew, but with things being so different this time he could only hope that she was moving in the right direction. He fought through his own pain of being bitten, doing everything he could to keep holding Scootaloo and petting her again to try assuring her of her progress.

Minutes ticked by as the two struggled through the ordeal. The pain and uncoordinated thrashing were sapping Scootaloo’s strength and the constant tearing of flesh, blood loss, and keeping the volatile young body pressed against him were draining Jim. He may have been more resilient than other life forms, but even he was finding his strength fading too quickly for his liking in his efforts to help Scootaloo. In a way it made sense; after all, she was quickly becoming a smaller version of him.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes just outside of the clearing to the left. Jim’s head spun toward the sound and he glared into the foliage. Jim was silent as he stared unwaveringly, though Scootaloo’s gnashing did threaten to bring forth a whimper. He was starting to wonder if she’d eventually manage to bite a chunk out of his chest at this rate, but withheld such concerns in case the rustling had come from one of the local predators of the forest. He hoped that that was not the case, since he was going to be hard pressed to fight the creature off and keep Scootaloo safe and secure.

Only silence greeted Jim’s ears, but there was an odd scent in the air. He found the smell to be offensive to a degree, but was certain he had caught it faintly while he had walked through Ponyville. Scootaloo suddenly bit down again, the hardest she had done yet, and she screamed into the bite. Jim’s eye shut as he winced and clenched his jaw with a low groan. That one had really hurt. The pain was nearly enough to distract his concentration from both holding the filly and keeping his attention on the location of the rustling.

Oddly enough, due to Jim’s body sagging slightly from the pain, he noticed the shape of the creature as it stood within the shadows of the brush. He narrowed his eyes and swallowed thickly as he fought against kneeling from his struggle against Scootaloo’s chewing. “Who are you and what do you want, pony?”

The figure slowly moved from the shadows. The form was that of a pony, but the coloration was not something that Jim had expected. The grey on white stripes of a zebra greeted Jim’s vision as they stopped just within the clearing. It took a few seconds, but Jim eventually determined that it was a female. She wore golden earrings and had five rings around her neck as well as five around her front left leg. On her hips rested a satchel of some kind, filled with what seemed to be an assortment of herbs and a peculiar staff was strapped to it. In addition, she also sported a sizable mohawk. It was strange that he had not noticed her when she had stood in the shadows. She stared at Jim, though she made sure not to make eye contact with him… or maybe she was curious as to what Scootaloo was doing, her deep cyan eyes peering questionably toward the two. After a very pregnant pause, the zebra finally gave her answer.

“A simple trip through the Everfree has brought me near, and this sight has left me quite unclear. I believe the one in your grasp is young Scootaloo… why is it that she is biting you?” she asked.

Jim sighed internally. He instantly found the rhyming from the zebra to be quite annoying. “What business is it of yours? I don’t know you, or how you know Scootaloo, but I am not in a position to risk her coming to harm. I won’t ask again. What do you want?” Jim growled, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits.

“My name is Zecora, and I am a friend of that young filly. I have helped her and her friends a few times, though their antics were quite silly. What of you though, I must wonder… it is not every day that I see one with the curse you are under.”

Jim’s eyes widen slightly at that. “You’ve gained my attention, Zecora. How do you know about this curse?” he asked, his pain from Scootaloo’s fangs almost forgotten.

Zecora’s gaze softened slightly, but her suspicion remained. “The curse is of little importance, considering. Why is it that you are not feral and menacing?”

Jim went to respond, but his voice was overridden by a whining yelp as Scootaloo finally released the flesh of his chest, her long fangs slowly pulling free. The strength finally left his legs and he dropped to his knees and he threw out his available hand to brace himself up. He quickly looked down to see if she was alright. Scootaloo’s eyes looked up at Jim tiredly as she swallowed the blood in her mouth.

“Scootaloo… how are you feeling?” he asked quietly.

The young werepegasus blinked a few times as she tried to keep her focus. A weak smile slowly spread across her blood covered lips before she nodded gently. “Y-yeah… I… I think I figured it out… Jim…” she said before her eyes lost focus and her body went limp.

Jim quickly readjusted himself so that he could support her with both of his hands. She was fast asleep now, the smallest of smiles gracing her muzzle. Jim sighed in relief and he brought her close to his chest again. “Good going, kid. Good going…”

Zecora took a few tentative steps toward them. “Will Scootaloo be alright?” she asked quietly.

Jim’s small smile slowly faded as he thought about that question. “I cannot say for certain. She has succeeded in regaining her self-control… but I do not know how she will be when she wakes up. I know that this was not the easiest thing for her to go through in her young life.”

“How did she become afflicted by your curse?” Zecora inquired.

Jim looked to her for a brief moment, noticing the mildly burning flame of anger within her eyes. He suppressed the desire to snap at her, though he did nothing to stop the low growl in his throat. “I’d stop whatever train of thought you may be entertaining, zebra. You may be her friend, but I will not tolerate your ignorance. I’m more than aware of what I’ve done to her… but there is nothing I can do to fix it. I was foolish… I made yet another mistake – one more in a long line. Now all I can do is try to help her through this,” he said before he turned to face Zecora.

“Now… why don’t you tell me how much you know about my curse. You’re the first one to know about it, aside from the princesses and I want answers,” Jim stated as he stood to his full height.

Zecora’s body stiffened as she watched Jim rise above her, his size and strength being revealed in an obvious attempt to intimidate. She had held her suspicions, but having made the mistake of showing she knew of his curse had flipped the tables. Now she was the one being suspected and none of her potions would save her if the beast chose to turn aggressive. She was not prepared for this situation. Even if she had been, she doubted anything she knew would work on him… he was not the same as the others.

She sighed lightly as she closed her eyes. “Follow me… cursed one.”

Author's Note:

And here she is! Zecora! Holy hell... I swear, this is the first time my head has hurt so much trying to write anything. Sticking to her character with the rhyming has been difficult for this chapter. I'm not that great with coming up with the proper linguistics for her form of speech, but I'm doing my best to keep true to her. I'm well aware of how poor her lines are, and will be in the next chapter, though I will take suggestions for improving her lines if any of you come up with something good.

Aside from the trouble with Zecora's lines, I enjoyed writing this chapter. I'm finally getting this part finalized. I'm not sure if Scootaloo's new look is enough... but I didn't want to change her drastically.

I hope you all liked this chapter as much, or more than, I did and I'll see you guys in the next one!

Comments

[KOTLCfan]

The Scootawolf transformation! Yay, good job Scootaloo!

[bob1234567]

Do not trust a shaman many of are pack they have killed