Hazel Eyes in the Moonlight

by Oddling

5 - Just a Standard Transformation...

The personal garden of the royal Alicorn sisters was an incredible sight. Flowers and plants of every shape and size were on full display, some so dazzling that it was almost beyond imagining how something like it could even exist. It was another reminder to Jim that he truly was in a magical land, and that thought helped to improve his mood greatly. Hell, there was a moment when he actually started to think that his cure was really possible.

A few marble benches dotted the corners of the current location, but they paled in comparison to the lavish cushions that Jim and Luna sat upon. Pegasus down feathering, as it turned out, was very soft and made for one heck of an epic experience. Without a doubt, Jim could easily claim that it was his new favorite thing to lounge on.

Lying on his side, with legs sprawled out like a happy little pup, Jim sighed in content. His ears were focused on the calm breeze that gently brushed through the leaves of a nearby willow tree, which had caught him off guard when he saw it. To his understanding, those trees only grew by large bodies of water. Still, it was a pretty tree, one that had been grown with a lot of care and devotion. Jim’s attention shifted when the songs of a few nearby birds began, their pleasant little chirping bringing a small smile to his face.

“You are enjoying this more than I had expected,” Luna whispered from Jim’s side.

The wolf in human's clothing cracked open an eye with a playful grin. “You were right about this being a nice place. It’s gorgeous, pleasantly aromatic, equipped with the best cushions I’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting on, and it even came with a pretty voice,” he said.

Luna giggled into her hoof quietly, so as to not disturb the small animals drinking from the small pond beneath the willow tree. “It sounds more like you’re describing your ideal mate, but I must agree. This is one of my favorite places within the gardens.”

Jim’s interest peaked a little at that and he lifted his head to get a better look at Luna. “So where is your favorite place, then?” he asked.

A slight look of melancholy crossed over Luna’s face for a moment before a warm smile replaced it. “My favorite place, sadly, no longer exists. It has been lost to time. However, my sister did make a new place here in this garden that comes very close. I would love to show you… but it’s true beauty only shines at night.”

Jim was quiet for a moment, a look of deeper contemplation dancing through his sharp hazel eyes. “Well… if all goes well tonight, then we can go there and see it together. Well, if you’d allow me to accompany you to such an important location. I’d understand… I had a place, back on Earth, that was like my own private sanctuary,” he said and rolled onto his back to stare up into the sky.

His favorite place was a little glen, deep in the heart of a dense forest. A tiny stream, one that sprouted from deep within the earth and tasted so pure it was almost a sin to drink from it, cut through the clearing. Very few things ever entered that place. It was so quiet, so peaceful that Jim had come to truly enjoy it as the one place he could feel like he was no longer connected to the world. He was freed from his burdens while he rested there.

A small smile played on Jim’s lips. Maybe I could take you there one day, he thought.

Luna smiled kindly at Jim and she joined him in gazing at the sky above. The colors had started to change, with sky blue melting into darker shades of the coming evening. She let out a small relaxed sigh and looked back down to the human. “I would enjoy it if you would accompany me, but that will have to wait,” she said and righted her upper body to be in a sitting position. “I would like to go over your transformation once more.”

Jim’s smile vanished like smoke on the wind and he sat up. “You want the summary again, or was there anything specific that you were interested in?” he asked.

“From the top, if you don’t mind,” Luna answered calmly.

Jim took a deeper breath and sighed through his nose, regarding Luna with a look more akin to determined. “So, as soon as the moon reaches above the horizon, my curse will activate (pending on whether or not it acts the same way with your moon’s cycle or not). My body will change from what you see now, to looking like a wolf – a very large one. I won’t be able to talk, but I can still move my body consciously, so I’ll be able to shake or nod my head to any of your questions. However… after a few minutes, I’ll start to lose control over my mind and body. From that moment on, everything is up to you and the others to keep me in line. I apologize for anything I might do…” he said.

Luna shook her head. “Don’t worry, I know full well what it’s like. In your case, there is really no reason for you to apologize. You were born with this curse… you never were given any choice in the matter,” she said reassuringly. “Now, to confirm what you told me before, your new form will have increased strength, speed, agility, and heightened senses, correct?”

“Yes,” Jim replied, “I’ll be capable of head-butting through solid chunks of wood, running faster than anything you’ve ever seen, moving around in ways that would make you dizzy just trying to keep up, and I’ll be fully aware of everything around me – including your breathing and heartbeat. In addition my claws are strong, and sharp enough to cut through metals – my fangs even more so. Not to toot my own horn, but I have little doubt that I’ll be the most dangerous thing to ever exist in this world after I transform.”

Luna nodded and turned her attention to the castle, her ears giving a peculiar twitch. She then returned her gaze to Jim. “It would seem things are nearly ready. Is there anything else you think I should know before we depart?” she asked.

Jim shook his head. “Not really. I’ve pretty much covered everything I could think of.”

“Very well,” Luna said and her horn lit up with a soft glow, her silvery magic drawing Jim’s eye.

“That’s a pretty color,” he idly remarked.

Luna paused in her spell and eyed Jim with a smile. “Thank you. I do believe you’re the first to have ever commented on the color of my magic.”

Jim smiled as well and nodded toward her mane. “The color compliments your stars very well.”

Luna’s smile warmed and she huffed pleasantly. “You really know how to compliment a mare,” she said with a gentle shake of her head. Then she fixed her turquoise gaze onto Jim. “I’m going to teleport us to the chamber. Are you ready, Jim?” she said.

Jim nodded, his expression shifting to more serious. “Yes, Princess. As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Luna nodded and her magic encased both of their forms. Jim’s body tensed and his eyes widened as something stirred within him, but before he could say anything the world around him swirled and contorted for a flicker of an instant. He felt his body lunge during that moment and then he blinked to find he was in a completely new location.

The chamber was comprised of pure white stone with strange red markings along the floor, walls and ceiling. Surprisingly, Jim recognized a few of the marks. He had seen them used in the magic circles that had been used the few times he had encountered mages in the past. As he scanned the room, eyeing the engravings, his sights landed on the backside of the Arch Mage. The hairs on his neck started to rise again. Something about that stallion really rubbed Jim the wrong way.

Suddenly, Jim’s body started to react to something again, and his feet left the ground. “What the?” he said as his head darted around to try and spot what was happening. His gaze drifted over his body and he saw he was covered with a magical aura. His eyes darted around and spotted four unicorns with their horns alight in the same light green hue as the aura around him.

“Calm yourself,” came Luna’s voice as she walked along beside him. “We will be initiating the cycle, where my sister and I move our charges soon. You are simply being placed in position. The Arch Mage and the others will be monitoring you during the process, but Celestia and I will join them once the moon and sun have been aligned properly. This is simply the best way for us to keep you, and us, safe during your change,” she said calmingly.

“Maybe next time you should warn me,” Jim said tensely. “I really don’t like this feeling.”

With a few gentle flaps of her wings, Luna ascended to float with Jim. She softly nuzzled into the crook of his neck, her mane teasing his cheek. “We offer our apologies, but this is something that has been deemed necessary. Please, you must continue to believe in us. We… I want this to work. I will not let anything bad happen.”

Jim sighed, melting under her calming nuzzles. Luna’s fur was soft and smooth. Her body radiated a gentle warmth that seemed to ease away his tension and she smelled good, too (the scent of dark chocolate and raspberries being even stronger from the closeness). “Alright,” Jim said quietly, “I’ll trust in you. But seriously, this feels so weird, being lifted into the air by magic. Hell, it was almost like feeling the start of my transformation when you teleported us here. I really don’t like that sensation.”

Luna pulled her head away slowly and she eyed Jim with slight concern. She opened her mouth to address the matter, but the soft pop and golden flash of her sister’s arrival distracted her.

“Luna, it is time,” Celestia called out.

Luna sighed softly, glancing back to Jim once more. She felt something in her gut, but decided she would see how things played out. Deep down, she started to think that maybe there was more to this than anypony could have predicted. With the gentle flutter of her wings, Luna drifted over to land beside Celestia, who she nuzzled affectionately upon landing.

The two sisters exchanged loving greetings and proceeded to light up their horns to move the sun and moon into position. Meanwhile, Jim could only float in the air and watch the other unicorns in front of him. He did not like them either. The three stallions and one mare looked about as thrilled to be there as a kid watching a boring art teacher try to educate them in mathematics.

Jim’s gaze soon drifted over to where he had seen the Arch Mage. There, standing just outside of the magic circles on the floor, was Mana Spark… smirking at him. An instinctive desire to rush the Arch Mage and pummel him surged through Jim’s body. An all too familiar sensation started to form within his gut as he glared at Spark. Dominance… that was what Jim strove for over that annoying stallion. The need to put Mana Spark under his foot and grind the stallion’s will to dust…

Mana Spark continued to smirk at Jim, even as his horn lit up in a soft pink glow. Jim’s sharp eyes picked up on a similar glow that appeared right beside the ears of the other unicorns of the room. The only ones who did not have the same pink glow were the two guards by the far doors and the two princesses. Jim’s gaze returned to Mana Spark to see the light blue stallion’s lips moving. He tilted his head slightly, trying to hear what was being said, but Jim could only catch a few sounds – no words made it to his sensitive ears.

Just as Jim’s suspicions were about to peak, his heart pulsed firmly within his chest. Fuck… Jim thought. It was time for his body to change once more. His heart pounded again and his breath hitched in his throat. Another pound and his fingers twitched. Again, and his toes began to curl. With each pulsing beat, his body would react to the call and each time his heart would beat faster.

Within a minute, Jim’s breathing had become ragged and his body dripped with sweat. He could see the strain on the lesser mage’s faces as his body fought against their magic, instinctively trying to curl up as his body became something else. Just as his heartbeat reached the peak of it’s rapid beating, Jim turned his head weakly to look at Luna once more. Hazel eyes met turquoise, and time almost seemed to stop as they shared a look. A small smile formed on Jim’s lips just before the transformation took hold in full force.

“GAAAAAAAHHH!!!” Jim bellowed! His entire body pulsed as the curse gripped him again. He continued to yell intermittently as his body changed shape. Bones snapped and reformed as they shifted into a new shape. Joints popped and crunched as his appendages morphed. It was always the same painful experience… and there was nothing he could do to stop it. But this time, this time something was different. He still curled in on himself, he still yelled out in agony with each body modifying alteration, he still hated every excruciatingly hot second of it as his blood boiled… but there was something out of the ordinary happening this time.

Something deeper than before surged forth within Jim. His limbs shot out in all directions and he bellowed in a throaty roar that shook the walls. The magic keeping him aloft flickered out and he fell to the floor, landing on his hands and knees. The hell…?

Jim looked down at his body, still steaming from the heat of his transformation. Something was wrong. Instead of the body of a powerful wolf as he had become countless times in the past, a more humanoid form crouched in its place. His back legs were as they should be. Two powerfully built limbs with two joints descended from his hips. That was where things differed greatly, however.

Aside from the bushy tail, Jim’s body was like that of an excessively fit human from his waist up, though he was covered in thick fur (fur that thinned out to a softer, less dense coating on his chest and abs). Oddly enough, his male organ had also maintained its wolfish nature and remained hidden within a sheath. Jim’s attention drifted to his front paws, or as was the case, his hands. His grip on the floor had been strong, indicated by the dust coating his fingers from the cracking stone, but it was the long obsidian claws that really drew in his attention. The sharp, dagger-like claws had cut into the floor like a knife through a block of soft chalk.

What the hell is going on? Jim thought as he stared at the gouges his claws had made. This isn’t how things were supposed to happen. I’m not supposed to be like one of those things!

Jim’s breathing started to pick up once more as panic began to grip him. Suddenly, he felt something gently land against his back. A feeling of calm accompanied the telltale scent of chocolate and raspberry. “Luna…” Jim said, startling himself. His voice was deep, throaty and rumbled from deep within.

“Jim?” Luna whispered cautiously. “Are you still in control?”

Jim turned his head slightly to look at Luna out of the corner of his eye. Her face said everything he needed to know. She was as shocked as he was, but she was also concerned. He caught a glimpse of Princess Celestia in the back as well, noting the look of calmness. The solar princess still gave away her true intentions with her eyes, though. Celestia was prepared to strike Jim down if he made a single wrong move.

Jim’s bright hazel eyes looked into Luna’s as he slowly stood up, realizing he had become much taller. Though the act was a bit unsteady, it gave Jim a better understanding of his body’s strength. He could feel the muscle in his body tense and move. There was immense power ready to be unleashed at a moment’s notice. “I… I’m not sure yet. This has never happened before. This is more like the other variation of this curse; where the body takes on a mix of wolf and human. That version is just as vicious as my kind, but it’s far more simplistic in how it gets what it wants. My curse has always made our kind seem like real wolves, just with a greater hunger for blood. We’re far more cunning than the other cursed ones,” he rumbled.

Jim’s gaze intensified as he looked deeper into Luna’s eyes. “What happened to me? Why am I like this?” he asked. “This should not have happened.”

Luna stepped back a half step. “We do not know. Your curse definitely gave off magic when it activated. My sister and I could feel… a strange yet familiar magic deep within you. If I were to be so bold, I might even say that the magic felt Equestrian in nature, but that should be impossible,” she said.

Jim’s eyes narrowed as an odd thought occurred to him. “Not unless our worlds have come into contact with each other in the past. Part of human lore includes strange beings, such as unicorns and pegasi. There are even tales of dragons. What if Equestrian magic somehow made it through to Earth in the past?”

Luna considered Jim’s words carefully. “That sounds plausible. Unfortunately, we don’t have any records or rumors of humans in our history. If there had been any such occurrences, then your theory would be a sound one. Alas, I think we’ve drifted off topic. How do you feel?”

Jim paused to focus on his body. He felt fine, surprisingly. By now he would normally be feeling like he was losing his mind, yet his thoughts had not drifted into the usual realm of hunger and thirst for blood. Then again, there was a faint buzzing feeling in the back of his mind, so maybe something else had changed and his previously expected loss of control had been altered. “I feel fine, but there’s an odd sensation at the back of my head. It’s not a feeling I’ve had before, so I don’t know what it means.”

Luna nodded. “I see. If you start to feel anything else, be sure to let us know. I must speak with my sister about this new development. Then we can try to look into breaking your curse. I must admit; it was strange that your roar was powerful enough to break all of our concentration. It might even have more power behind it than the Royal Canterlot voice my sister and I used to use to address our subjects,” she said and smiled at Jim.

Jim’s lips curled up, an odd sensation given he was sure he had an elongated muzzle from the way his face felt. It then occurred to him that he wanted to know what he really looked like. He watched Luna as she turned and walked over to talk with Celestia.

This has become a troublesome development, Jim thought as he patiently waited. I never thought I’d ever look like those weaklings, but something happened to change things. Now that I think about it… I wonder if my curse has been reacting to the magic being used around me. It would make sense if my curse used Equestrian magic. Maybe that was what changed things? Every time they used magic near me it felt like my curse was activating.

It was an interesting idea, one that could have held Jim’s attention for quite some time, but fate decided it was about time to intervene again. Jim felt his ear flick and rotate toward a new sound in the room. It was very quiet, but he could hear a gentle series of whispers from nearby. Jim’s head slowly turned. His hazel gaze landed upon the smirking face of Arch Mage Mana Spark.

As Jim’s eyes met with Spark’s emerald ones the whispers grew louder. It took a few moments, but Jim soon came to realize that the soft voices were actually different tones of Mana Spark’s, yet the stallion’s mouth had not moved. The fur on the back of Jim’s neck and back started to stand on end. Anger started to boil within the werewolf’s veins and a deep growl, vibrated in his throat.

Jim went to ask Spark what the big idea was, but instantly realized that his body would not respond. Something primal took hold of Jim in that moment and his lips curled back to reveal his many sharp fangs. Mana Spark’s expression turned slightly fearful, but his eyes betrayed an ulterior motive. That stallion was grinning like an ecstatic kid on the inside.

That son of a bitch is planning something! I knew he was no good, Jim thought angrily. It then dawned on him that the rest of the room was watching him, but something was off about the way the other unicorns were acting. They slowly backed away from Jim, but there was a distinct lack of fear coming from them. Something was amiss, and it made no sense. If they were not afraid then why back away?

Jim had little time to ponder on it for long. As the seconds ticked by, his body’s aggression skyrocketed to new levels. He wanted to tear into Mana Spark’s chest and rip out his still beating heart, but his body refused to move. To make him even angrier, the whispers continued to weave into the depths of his mind, slowly growing louder and more prominent. At some point, Jim’s thoughts started to shift and the whispers began to make sense to him.

“Hate them… hurt them… maim them… kill them,” repeated over and over in Jim’s mind. Each time he heard those words his anger would grow. Soon he felt anger melt into rage, then rage became fury. His vision turned red and his vicious fangs opened with a guttural snarl. He wanted to yell at Mana Spark, tell him to silence the voices in his head, to grip the stallion by the throat and rip his head from his shoulders, anything if it meant stopping the incessant whispers!

Jim’s body then dropped down, his claws sinking into the stone floor and his body tensed like a coiled spring. The whispers stopped, Luna and Celestia gasped which drew Jim’s attention to them, and two words echoed in Jim’s mind with a tone of finality. “Kill them!”

Jim’s fury ignited and his gaze locked onto Luna. He bared his fanged maw at her and growled savagely. Her eyes widened in shock and her ears stood ramrod strait as fear gripped her. Seeing that expression on her face brought forth an old memory for Jim. Luna’s face was replaced with the image of a young man. The man was afraid, deathly so, and gripped at Jim’s throat frantically. He was fighting for his life, screaming and begging for Jim to hear him. Jim heard each word, knew that he should do everything in his power to save his only friend from what was about to happen – the only person that had ever truly wanted to help him break his curse. But nothing stopped Jim from digging his front paws into the young man’s flesh and forcing his powerful jaws around his prey’s neck.

Jim’s mind sputtered for a moment, fury being replaced with sadness and guilt. He shook his head violently, standing up and gripping his skull with his hands. Claws sunk into his flesh as he fought against whatever it was that Mana Spark had done to him. With a mighty roar of rage, Jim dropped his head down to the stone floor, slamming into it with enough force that it should have turned his cranium into the result of dropping a watermelon. All it accomplished was giving Jim one hell of a throbbing headache and cracking the floor.

A deep growl escaped through Jim’s fangs as he lifted his head to glare at Mana Spark. “You…” he said, voice laced with the ire of an angry god.

Jim went to stomp over to the Arch Mage and demand an explanation, but a golden glow of magic surrounded Jim and forced him to the floor with immense force. His head was then forced around so that he was staring at Princess Celestia. Luna stood beside her sister, a look of shock and confusion on her face.

“Let me go,” Jim growled.

Celestia shook her head. “I think not, Jim. You have shown us that you cannot stay in control of yourself. Therefore we must do what is necessary,” she said sternly.

Jim growled again. “You don’t get it, that wasn’t from my curse! That annoying Arch Mage-”

“Ahem,” Mana Spark cleared his throat, a look of surprise playing across his features. “Your highness, I don’t understand it, but it is clearly evident that this being is far too dangerous.”

“Why you little,” Jim started to say and tried to get up, only to have his body forced to the ground again.

“He even seems to have a strong desire to get to me. I think it would be a wise decision to incapacitate him and place him in a holding cell until his curse has run its course. Maybe we can try to cleanse him again, but we clearly need a better way to restrain him if we are to complete the ritual,” Spark said.

Jim glared in Mana Spark’s general direction. He knew the little shit was stalling and trying to get him placed in a location where he could make sure he never revealed the truth. He had been in a similar situation in the past. In order to ‘negotiate’ with him, a shady group of people placed Jim in a jail cell and shot him. Were it not for his body’s healing powers, and the fact that werewolves were hard to kill in general, Jim would have lost his life that day.

Celestia thought on the matter calmly as she gauged Jim’s reaction. She knew there was something abnormal going on, but the answer eluded her for the moment. After some quiet thought, and a few glances to her younger sister, Celestia reached a conclusion. She held her head high and looked down at Jim with authority. “Jim Douglas, I am truly sorry for this turn of events, but I believe the Arch Mage is correct. It would seem that magic alone will not be possible to cleanse you of your curse. I am going to send you to the dungeon until the sun rises and your curse has been reversed.”

Jim’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Celestia. “No,” he said firmly.

Celestia’s eyes widened slightly. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Jim frowned at her. “I’m not going into a cell. I won’t fall victim again, not to the likes of him,” he stated firmly and braced his hands and clawed feet against the stone floor, claws digging in. “You’re being fooled by him. Honestly, it’s ridiculous that you’d be as old and wise as you are and not realize when you’re being played. I bet you’d even trust his word over mine because you’ve known him for who the fuck cares how long. I’m done here.”

Celestia went to inquire further, but to her shock and horror, Jim started to rise from the floor. She pressed her magic harder against him, but it did virtually nothing to stop him. “Stop this at once!” she commanded.

Jim ignored her. He turned his gaze to Mana Spark and sneered at the surprised stallion. “You’ll get what’s coming to you, Arch Mage. People like you always get their just reward in the end. Pray that our paths never cross again,” he said and growled as he felt another wave of power try to force him to the floor again.

In a brief fit of anger, Jim’s head whipped around and he went to bite at the magic surrounding him. To his surprise, he did feel something tangible in his jaws as he bit down. He snarled and ripped his head away, tearing a chunk of the golden aura around him away. Celestia’s magic failed and dispersed with a fizzling sound, leaving a foul smell of ozone in its wake. A collection of gasps filled the room and Jim’s eyes turned back to the sun princess.

Slight anger smoldered within his piercing hazel gaze for a moment. He then looked to Luna, and his heart softened slightly at the hurt look in her eyes. He knew it, all too well, that she was silently begging him to reconsider. Jim would have stayed to at least talk with her about what had happened, but the sound of Celestia’s horn lighting up with magic once more ended that possibility. Without sparing a second more, Jim launched his body toward the nearest window.

With unbelievable speed, Jim crossed the distance and smashed through the enchanted glass. He flew out of the shattered remains of the window and soared to the ground. The ground boomed with the heavy impact of his large body, sending a minor tremor out that shook the walls of the castle and trees alike. Jim spared a quick glance back to see how far he had fallen, noticing he had exited from the seventh window of one of the towers. Considering his feet and hands only tingled from the impact meant that he could indeed feel impressed from surviving a fall of about a hundred and fifty feet, or so.

Jim turned his attention toward the far horizon and he wasted no time in sprinting out of the castle grounds. He wanted nothing more to do with finding a cure with the aid of the royal sisters. Time was needed… and a nice quiet place to think, if he wanted to consider it again any time soon.

Author's Note:

Awe yeah! Our main character's awesome badassness has finally come out to play! A new twist and some unexpected new friends await us in the next chapter. Look forward to it guys.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the read. Let me know if I missed anything in this chapter... I kind of rushed my editing to make the release for today. Heck, let me know if there's anything in general that you feel I should know about my writing. I like getting feedback since it helps me shape my work.

Comments

[gauthh]

kill this fucking arckmage with fire

[Oddling]

7775731 lol, I think you'll like what happens to him later on.

[Shadow of doubt]

Well I'm sold. I will be sure to recommend this.

[bob1234567]

Fun fact some werewolf cant be harmed by magic. Unless it is in it pure form. But he is more a wolf blood so make sense why it can control him a little.