Daemons, Vampires, and Werewolves, Oh My!
The sound of hooves crunched on fallen leaves in the dense forests of Equestrian wilderness, as three figures trekked through the overflowing vegetation of the forest floor. The figures traveled as quickly as the thick foliage would allow them, in the bright daylight and fresh smell of morning. Although, one could probably reason that taking a pre-constructed path through this forest would’ve yielded better results, since that’s what the road through the forest had been made for.
While that may be true, these three equines were on the run from a possible mob. But who are these equines?
Well, that would be me and my siblings.
Hello, my name is Razor Horn, or rather, that’s the name my family calls me. Nobody else I’ve met knows it, though I’ve made it a priority to not meet any ponies outside of my family, save for perhaps a shopkeeper or two. I have my reasons, I assure you, but I’ll address that later.
Judging from my name, you can probably guess that I’m a unicorn. You’d be correct. I’m a brown unicorn stallion, with a grey mane that I hardly groom, which usually ends up falling down either sides of my head and around my ears. My tail is of the same style, but it’s not like I care about it anyways. I’m 28 years old, almost ten years older than both of my siblings, so I’m the largest built one out of the three of us. My cutie mark is a jagged shield; not quite fearsome, but yet not quite… usual to normal ponies. I usually keep it hidden whenever I can; again, I have my reasons.
Naturally, I’m the head of the family, and also, at the moment, the head of our little runaway party. Right behind me, staying consistent in their efforts to keep up with me in the dense trees, is my sister, Velvet Wing, and behind her, my little brother, Fang.
Velvet, or Vel for short, is a maroon colored pegasus mare, her coloring similar to that of a red velvet cupcake (her favorite treat, ironically enough). Her mane and tail are a deep gray, almost a full black, which she loves to curl loosely on day to day occasion. Her cutie mark depicts a small robin, covered with brighter colors than Velvet’s natural tones, wings spread in flight. Though she is actually older than she looks, Fang and I have a long standing joke that Velvet is actually 19 years old, both from her appearance and her maturity. I swear, after years of living with her, she hasn’t changed one bit.
The last member of my family, Fang, is a dimly-hued olive green, earth pony. His coloring is sort of odd, I admit, having not seen anything quite like it before I first met him, but it more or less reminded me of the color of pistachio ice cream. Fang’s mane is light brown color, similar to the color of my own coat, and both his tail and mane were always kept short and wildly groomed in their respective places. The symbol of his cutie mark resembles a moon, a half-moon to be exact; the moon’s phase directly between a full and a new moon. Even though Fang is going on 18 years old, he’s still just about as childish as colt who just went into a comic store, but thankfully he can still be responsible when I need him to be.
Now that you know who my family is, I suppose you’re wondering why we’re fleeing for our lives through the middle of a dense forest, in broad daylight, no less. Well, let’s just say our past residence in the town of Hollow Shades had been… er, revoked, to put it lightly.
Fang sighed from his place at the rear of our trek, “Never thought we’d get chased out of town after ten years.”
“Nine years, actually.” I corrected him, “Nine years, and ten months.”
Fang rolled his eyes, “Yeesh, you don’t have to keep track of every single detail, you know?”
Velvet laughed at the comment, speaking in an old Baltimare accent, the kind that you would’ve heard about 200 years ago, “Sorry, Razor, but I have to admit, he’s got a point.” Her expression drooped a bit afterwards, though, “But I agree with Fang. After nearly ten years of living in that town, I didn’t think anybody would figure us out…”
“…even though we all knew getting run out of town was a very likely possibility.” I finished. I had to sigh as well. Hollow Shades had served as a nice hideaway from the rest of Equestria. It was a small town, hidden in the middle of a dense forest, with a very little population, most of which were as superstitious as children after a horror film. That superstition was probably the only reason we had been able to hide there for so long. It was easy to manipulate ponies who are ready to believe anything, and even more so when you have more means to do it than the average pony.
We easily hid ourselves inside Hollow Shades, making minimal contact with anypony and surviving mostly off of the land…
But now that was gone, because the town had learned the truth about us; the truth that my family and I are dangerous around normal ponies. Now we were homeless, without anywhere to hide. We were walking in plain sight, and if we happened across the wrong pony, and new mob would be after us in a minute or two, and whether we could outrun them all depended on when they found us. In the day, we needed to keep to ourselves at all costs.
But at night, we are like smoke, uncatchable, but everywhere at the same time.
It was inevitable, fleeing our home, which had been so good to us for the last 10 years, but I was at least grateful that we had stayed hidden for this long. Now the only task at hoof was to find a new home, someplace where the three of us could live in peace.
________________________
Velvet Wing
Blasted nunnery of Tartarus! Travelling through these woods was just as difficult as walking through a marsh, though thankfully not as messy. It seemed like every branch and root wanted to cling to our hooves and hold us there. It didn’t help the fact that each of us were carrying saddlebags that easily caught on loose branches.
But we couldn’t afford to lose the saddle bags, because they were filled with what belongings we managed to grab from the old house before that mob showed up.
Another branch snagged onto my bags, provoking a groan from me. There’s a reason why I like being a pegasus, and that includes the benefit of being able to fly over any hard places like this. But I was grounded at the moment, since I wasn’t going to leave Razor’s or Fang’s sides while we ran for our lives from a mob of crazed, superstitious ponies.
Of course, I shouldn’t be one to complain. We all needed to keep hidden, because of said mob. Honestly, those ponies in Hollow Shades could be so dense. I mean, it was just so absurd living around them. Every other day, some poor fool or another would go around town, ranting on about some ghost in the forest that didn’t exist. Ironically, the town wasn’t haunted at all, and the only supernatural beings in the whole forest were living right under their noses for the last ten years… though they did have some good cupcakes… hm, I’m going to miss those.
Oh wait, I’m getting off topic. Sorry about my rambling. My brothers say that I tend to do that often, but I think that could be because I don’t get to talk to other ponies very much. What do you expect? I’m just a mare who likes to socialize, not sit around between some trees all day.
Anyways, my name is Velvet Wing. Yes, I admit, it’s not the name I was born with, but it’s still mine. Tartarus, only Celestia knows that I’d even be able to remember my birth name. Oh well, two hundred and sixty-seven years of living will do that to you when you live a life of seclusion.
Yes, I said my age, even though I hear it’s just as uncommon these days for a lady to tell her age. I am two hundred-sixty-seven years old, but that doesn’t mean much to me anymore. It just means that I’ve seen more than the average pony.
Although, as far as Razor or Fang are concerned, I’m still nineteen, but that’s mostly because old habits die hard. I never really matured physically or mentally since my nineteenth birthday, right after the time I was…
…
Oh, sorry again, just a little bit of a flashback. It happens a lot when I don’t want to remember a bad memory. You’d be surprised how often it happens. One minute I’ll be just fine, then my mind will wander, then the next thing you know, I’m as still as a statue, sometimes crying even. It’s not that bad, since I think I started doing it as a kind of coping mechanism to get over my past.
But I’m not the only one who’s like this. Bad memories haunt each member of my family. Razor has his, Fang has his own, and so do I. We all know each other’s stories, and though we don’t talk about what happened anymore, we’re all still there for each other when the memories come back and someone needs a shoulder to cry on.
As a family, we’re all that we have, together and bonded forever because we all can relate with each other. We’re outcasts, and that’ the cold, unmistakable truth.
Just saying that reminds me why I’m trudging through weeds; it reminds me who we are and what we’ll always be.
Fang quietly muttered, “The moon’s about to rise.” From his place behind me, I could hear his fur bristle in anticipation as his heartbeat accelerated slightly. I’ve had acute hearing like this for over two hundred years, and experience with it told me that this signaled that Fang was nervous. He had every reason to be. This was the first time in ten years he’d have to transform away from any sort of safe home. That was sure to bring back a bad memory tonight.
I glanced up into the sky above the forest’s canopy, only to see the orange and pink lights of twilight. We’d been walking all day, and we’d be nearing the end of the forest, just in time for the night to cover us.
I looked back towards Fang, “What phase is the moon in tonight? I keep forgetting.” What, It’s true! I might be old and experienced, but that doesn’t mean I can’t forget things.
Fang rolled his eyes at that, “It’s three nights before a full moon. I’m going need my potion tonight if we want to get anywhere before dawn.”
Razor nodded as he stopped and sat down on a tree root, while Fang and I did the same, “Okay, let’s take a break here and wait for mine and Fang’s shift to finish, then we’ll keep moving.” He looked to me, “Did you grab Fang’s potions?”
I nodded, picking a glass bottle full of white liquid out of my saddlebag, “Yup, one Wolf’s-bane potion, coming up.”
I hoofed the potion over to Fang, who uncorked the bottle and downed the liquid in a flash. From what he’d told me, the potion really tasted horrible, but after having to depend on it for days whenever the full moon drew close, he had learned to deal with the taste.
With Fang’s potion safely down his gullet, the three of us gazed at the sky above the treetops, quietly watching as the sky began turning dark.
Any traveler would wait until morning to travel through a forest, in case he got lost in the darkness. But not my family, because at night,
The darkness is our domain.
As soon as the colorful sight of dusk was gone and began fading into the violet, Equestrian night sky, Razor let out a sharp gasp as his curse took ahold of him. He grabbed his chest with a hoof, out of reflex rather than pain, as he groaned loudly. His mane and tail began to wave in the nonexistent wind, like smoke coming from a fire. His fur instantly grew into a darker shade of murky brown, changing his cutie mark in the process. The mark of the jagged shield faded, only to be quickly replaced by the picture of a knife, the mark of a killer. Out of his mouth, a pair of fangs grew out of his mouth, as did the rest of his mouth, making him a carnivore. His horn was the final change. Like rubber, it curved upwards into a shape like a knife’s blade, changing color from a dark brown to a burning red.
Once the change was finished, Razor looked back up at me and Fang, coughing slightly, “I always hate that last part.” His voice, usually calm and firm, was now like a distorted form of speech that would’ve been better suited for a giant. Any pony would’ve stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of it.
Fang gave a tiny chuckle, “Don’t sweat it. At least you don’t have to grow paws.” He glanced up at the sky, frowning slightly, “Speaking of which…”
I glanced up as well, only to see the top of the moon beginning to rise over the horizon, which signaled it to be Fang’s turn to shift.
Upon seeing the moon, Fang doubled over forward and collapsed onto the forest floor on his stomach. He cried out with closed eyes and clenched teeth, which were now growing into fangs, like Razor’s. His hooves flailed about against the dirt, clawing at the ground as tiny stubs began growing out of their hard, bony surfaces. It wasn’t long until Fang’s hooves became two pairs of pale green paws, raking at the ground with sharp claws as the painful change continued.
Fang’s fur grew rapidly and wildly, becoming bristly clumps of hair across his body, much like a wolf’s. His cutie mark became a blurred form underneath the mass of fur, and his mane and tail became disheveled as they grew furry as well. The transformation finally ended as Fang’s muzzle stretched out into a narrow snout, with which he instinctually let out a long, skyward howl to the moon, the signal that the transformation was complete.
Fang shook his head as his senses came back to him, his new canine features flapping about as he stretched them out. The lycan yawned a tiny bit as he did, “Well, looks like the potions in effect. I don’t have any preemptive urges to kill anything, so it looks like I’m in control.”
Razor nodded, speaking in is otherworldly baritone voice, “Good. Velvet, you’re up next.”
I shrugged, “I know, I know. But you also know how I am. Since you guys don’t have a say in the matter of when you can change, I like to wait for you guys before I shift.”
Fang pawed the ground anxiously, “Yeah, we get it. Now come on, Vel! This wolf wants to start running!”
I rolled my eyes at him and allowed myself to change.
The familiar feeling of my transformation soon overtook me, as it had for countless times before. It started with my wings, with my feathers that suddenly contracted against my limbs until they were all one solid mass. My wings then turned to leather as they became a pair of scarlet bat wings. Next my front teeth grew into fangs, two of which stuck out of my mouth like my brothers’ did. My ears grew a little longer and furry, resembling a thestral’s ears. My fur and mane/tail grew paler in color, and for the final part of the shift, my cutie mark changed from a robin in flight, to a red bat, with its wings spread out in the same manner.
After that, our little clearing in the forest no longer held a unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony. Now all that remained was a daemon, a vampire, and a werewolf.
Spreading my bat wings out, I glanced towards Fang, “Happy now, wolfie?”
He only shrugged, “Not until we get going.”
“I agree.” Razor added.
I nodded, just about to take to the sky, but then I noticed something. My saddlebag seemed a bit… light. Granted, I get a bit more physical strength in my vampire form, but my bags seemed too feather-weighted.
“Wait, hold on a moment, please.” I started leafing through my bags, only to look back at Razor and Fang with a worried look.
Razor, being a half-demon, instantly picked up on what tiny amount of fear I’d accidentally leaked. “What’s wrong?” He asked.
I groaned slightly, “It seems that I only grabbed four Wolf’s-bane potions back home before we left, and that’s including the one Fang just drank.” I swear I grabbed more than that. But then again, we were in a hurry at the time.
Fang and Razor knew what they meant, and since I had been the only one to grab the potions back home, neither of them had any on their person. That wasn’t good, not good at all.
Fang frowned in annoyance, “Oh, that’s just great. The full moon’s in three nights! We have enough potions for the night of the full moon, but I’m going to need more for the rest of the nights until half-moon comes again.”
“Don’t worry.” Razor replied, pulling out a map from his bags, “We only need to find a wormwood tree in order for me to make more potions.”
The bark of the wormwood tree is the main ingredient for the Wolf’s-bane potions, but they’re not easy to make. For one thing, the bark will spoil if taken off the tree for too long, which means it has to be close to the cauldron used to make it with. Our last home in Hollow Shades had a wormwood tree right beside it, so we didn’t need to worry too much about having enough potions to control Fang’s werewolf side. But then we lost our home to a mob and the rest is history.
“Wormwood trees are typically found in dense forests like this one.” I added, “Though, when we find one, will that be our new home?”
“Perhaps.” Razor answered as he unrolled a map of Equestria onto the ground, “That will depend on whether or not the place is safe enough for us.”
“But what if we really like a place nearby and want to stay?” Fang asked, his tail wagging slightly.
Razor shook his head, “No. If it’s too risky that someone might discover us, we aren’t staying there, even if we like the place.” He chuckled darkly, “Of course, when we bunkered down in Hollow Shades, you didn’t exactly have a say back then, Fang, since you were only eight at the time.”
“So where should we go first to look for a worm-wood tree?” I asked as I looked down at Razor’s map, “Do we stay and search the forest here or search another one.”
Razor frowned as he looked at the map too, “Hm… Well, after all the time we’ve spent here, we know of a few wormwood trees, but they’re too close to town for us to use without somebody potentially stumbling across us. For our safety, but mostly theirs, I suggest we move to the next closest forest where wormwood can grow and search there. We have three more nights at most, which leaves us plenty of time to scout out a tree to use for Fang’s potions.”
Fang peered over Razor’s shoulder at the map, “And that forest would be…?”
Razor pointed a green blot of forest on the map, “The Everfree Forest.”
I frowned, “But that is right beside Ponyville, isn’t it?”
Razor nodded, “Yes, but from what rumors I’ve heard about the town and the forest, nopony dares go in there. It’s more dangerous and magic-ridden than the forest around Hollow Shades, which means we should be able to navigate through the Everfree easily, assuming nopony sees us before we reach it.”
Fang used a paw to measure the distance, perking up a bit when he got a result, “Hey, what do you know about that? If we run now, we can probably make it to the edge of the Everfree before the sun comes up.” His tail wagged furiously, “Come on! Come on! I’ve been itching for a long run like this for months!”
I giggled playfully, “Alright, Fido. Just hold your horses for a bit and we’ll-“
Bu-bum Bu-bum
I froze as my ears twitched at the sound. It was faint, but I could still hear that sound anywhere, even if I were standing on the other side of a brick wall from it.
Bu-bum Bu-bum
That… was the sound of another pony’s heartbeat. True, Razor and Fang were standing right in front of me, but I knew the sound wasn’t coming from either of them. For one thing, Razor’s heartbeat was muffled, due to the demonic blood in his veins, and Fang’s heart beat faster than the regular pony’s.
This new heartbeat was a familiar tempo of an ordinary pony, and they were close by. I relayed the new presence to my brothers, and they fell silent.
Fang lifted his snout to the air, sniffing it for any scent. A moment later, he announced, “Yeah, someone’s out there. The smell isn’t all that strong, but it’s still there. In fact,” He took another whiff, scrunching his nose in mock disgust as he did, “Oh, phew! I thought I recognized that scent. It’s old pony Hedger, and I think he rolled around in a dung pile to mask his scent.” Fang laughed a bit, “Not the best combination in the world for a nose this strong.”
So a pony had followed us this far into the forest? Tartarus, and Mr. Hedger was a gardener for Celestia’s sake. That stallion was always stubborn about doing jobs he couldn’t handle.
I wasn’t the only one who was mildly impressed though. Razor let out a half-hearted chuckle, “He certainly is persistent, I’ll give him that.” The daemon looked out into the dark forest, “And he apparently knows what he’s up against. I can taste his fear from here… it’s…”
Razor’s mouth began watering at the sides as his features began twisting into a cruel grin, “It’s delicious… I must… I want mor-“ Thwack!
Razor flinched as Fang gave him a quick slap to the back of the head with his paw, bringing the half-demon out of his trance before he went into a fear-feeding frenzy, like a shark in bloody water.
Razor quickly shook himself back into the present, smiling sheepishly, “Oh, that was a close one. The fear was a bit more than I am accustomed to, considering it was coming from a Hollow Shades pony.”
I couldn’t argue there. The ponies in Hollow Shades were always fearful of one thing or another, but it was just below the point that drove Razor into a fear-lust state, where his daemon nature took over. But now that everypony knew we weren’t like them, their fears were basically realized, and now they were feeling the fear in nearly full force.
Shaking my head, I replied, “It’s fine. Let’s just get going. If a gardener has made it this far into the forest, then it’s safe to assume the real hunters could be anywhere nearby.”
Razor nodded, “I agree, let’s head out for the Everfree.”
Fang pumped a paw to the air, “Oh, yeah! Finally!” With that, the green werewolf turned paw and shot off like a bullet through the forest, thankfully in the right direction.
Rolling my eyes, Razor and I shared a similar look. No matter what his age, Fang was always going to be that little eight year old colt we found out in the cold. He hadn’t changed a bit since then, but then again, I haven’t really changed for the past two hundred years either. Either way, all of us knew our family wouldn’t change either, and I was grateful for that.
Razor sighed, though he wore a smile that betrayed his current, demonic appearance, “Let’s go, Vel, before Fang gets himself stuck between two trees again.”
I giggled, “That happened five years ago, Razor. Are you ever going to let him hear the end of it?”
Razor merely shrugged, “I am his older brother. Hanging embarrassing moments over his head is a perk I deserve to benefit from.”
I rolled my eyes, “Alright. Just don’t expect me to be as playful when you mention something embarrassing about me.”
Razor smirked, “You mean like that time you-“
“Never again!” I cried as I quickly flapped my wings, taking to the sky in a flash with the speed that could literally match the Wonderbolts’. I took off into the night, following after Fang.
Behind me, I heard Razor’s chuckle in the wind, before his body dissolved into wispy, black smoke, which took off into the sky after me as well.
At last, we were on our way to start our journey for a new home. Though I had to wonder, how long would it take before we found another place where we could live in peace?
Author's Note
Yes, the first chapter of almost every story, the only time when the author can be vague about everything!
Hey, everypony, or everybody if that's what you prefer. I'm glad to finally have started on this idea for a story, but before I continue, I would like some things to be known.
First, I realize that it would be highly unlikely that a werewolf, a vampire, and a half demon could live together as a family, or at least, without having their claws and fangs at each other's throats all of the time by nature. But if that were to be true in this setting, I think the story would end quickly next chapter with one of them killing the other two. But where's the fun, great story in that? Besides, from what I know, people like reading the extraordinary things, or the comical mundane things. This story, Outcasts: Of Monsters and Equines, is supposed to be a bit of both.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading. If you want to see this story keep going in an awesome way, remember to go ahead and click that like button and favorite the story for updates on following chapters, because that would be much appreciated.
Thanks for reading,
-Shadowflame
Baked Goods and a Warm Encounter
Fang
Ah, boy do I love running. I’d go as far as to say it was my special talent, but I think we all know that isn’t true. After all, what kind of a runner has a half moon as a cutie mark? Nope, just a pony on the run, but not a runner.
But oh well, I'm not complaining. There's no sense in complaining about a condition I've lived with for over ten years, right? That doesn't even include the scars from that time a werewolf mauled me nearly to death. Want to see 'em? Ha ha ha… er, yeah...
Anyways, my name is Fang, though you probably already heard that from Razor and Vel, my adopted family. I will admit, my family is a bit strange. Razor’s a daemon, a half-demon for any of you technical colts, Velvet’s a vampire, and I’m a werewolf. All three of our species are the most terrifying creatures in Equestrian fantasy, though they’re mostly myths to everypony else.
Heh, I guess it was just our luck that most ponies don’t believe in us, ‘cause I know none of my family would like the attention. You know, torches and pitchforks are a nice sight and all, but seeing them once is enough for me at least.
Ironically, that sight was what turned my family into a band of runners, fleeing whenever we were suspected to be who we really were. No matter where we hid, there was always someone who’d want nothing to do with us, much less affiliate themselves with us ‘killers’.
That was the very first lesson Razor and Vel taught me when they took me in ten years ago. In everypony else’s eyes, we were nothing but monsters; savages who were too dangerous to be around normal ponies.
Outcasts, the half-way point between monsters and equines.
You know, come to think of it, this was the first time that’d I’d been chased out of a town with Razor and Vel. It’d been ten years since we’d made our home in Hollow Shades, and after that amount of time, it was weird to know we no longer had a home there.
What do you think those torches I told you about were used for?
But hey, we were finally off to find a new place to live, but first, we needed to get some wolf’s-bane potions brewed from the bark of a wormwood tree. You know, so the next time I shifted to my night form, I wouldn’t attack the first pony on sight.
Heh, yup, that’s me; my family’s little brother and part-time, killer pet. Just a day in the life of a werewolf.
It took more than the whole night to reach the edge of the Everfree Forest, but we’d still made it early in the morning. Everyone in Ponyville would still be asleep in bed at this hour… hopefully…
That, or they’re a town of weirdo early-birds. I joked to myself, as I watched the rest of the sun break over the horizon. It had been only a half hour since the moon had disappeared and the sun had started to show, which had reverted me back into a semi-normal earth pony.
Just below the horizon, the sun’s rays were beginning to dawn down onto the town below. Ponyville slept peacefully, though they would be up and about soon. Heh, at least this quiet little town wouldn’t grab the pitchforks and torches at the first sight of us, but that meant we’d have to move quickly in order to not be seen. We wouldn’t want Hollow Shades catching wind of where we’d ran off to, otherwise they just might make a surprise visit for us, angry mob and all.
Putting that cheerful image out of my mind, I looked back at the entrance of the Everfree Forest. I saw Razor and Vel looking into the woods, both of them back in their ‘day forms’ since the bright day was coming. Both of them were still carrying their saddlebags, with everything we still owned laying inside their pouches. I had mine on too, but the weight wasn’t bothering me yet. Razor had his map out, looking towards the forest, as he tried to figure out how we were going to go about looking for a wormwood tree.
Razor turned to Vel and me, “It appears that the Everfree is more massive than I thought. We’ll need to split up if we’re going to find a wormwood tree by the time night falls.” He then frowned, “From what I’ve heard over the years, the Everfree is home to many magical beasts, most of which only come out at night. I’m not sure if we could handle them by ourselves, even with our night forms, so we best exercise caution.”
Razor looked to me, “Fang, you search the southern part of the forest, closest to town. Don’t stay too close to the forest’s edge, unless you want to be seen by somepony.” He turned to Vel, “Velvet, you take the middle section of the forest. From what I remember, there should be a ruined castle around that area, known as the Castle of the Two Sisters. I want you to search that area the most before moving on.”
Both Vel and I nodded. Razor then turned towards the forest, “I’ll take the northern section. Whether you find a tree or not, we’ll meet back here before sunset. Remember exactly where the tree is, so we can proceed to brew Fang’s potions tomorrow morning.”
The unicorn was about to walk into the forest, but he stopped to glance back at me, “And Fang?”
“Yeah?”
Razor sighed, “Please, don’t get distracted like you always do.”
I scoffed in mock offense, “What? I’d never do that!” I chuckled as nodded to Razor, “Alright, alright, I won’t. But you know how it is, being part dog gives you their attention span too.”
Razor rolled his eyes, while Vel giggled, before the two of them took off into the forest in their separate ways, leaving me by my own lonesome.
I sighed as I glanced towards the direction of the forest I was supposed to search. Sure, I liked exploring and all, but I was kind of getting sick of forests. Not to mention-
My stomach growled at that moment. I groaned as I felt the rumbling monster with a hoof, “Ugh, I never got breakfast this morning.” I sighed, “Man, it wouldn’t kill Razor to stop for a meal before we started.”
I looked glumly at my saddlebags, which painfully reminded me that I didn’t even grab a bit of food from our house back in Hollow Shades. Heck, the only edible thing in there was one of the wolf’s-bane potions Vel had thought to bring; my supply for tonight’s transformation.
Sighing, I trudged towards the forest, “Oh well, better get going. Hope I can find some tiny rabbit or something edible while I sear-“
That’s when my nose caught whiff of something. No normal pony would've smelled it, because it was so faint. But just in case you've forgotten, I ain't no normal pony, even when I look like it. From just the scent, I could tell whatever was giving off the aroma was warm, baked with sugar, and slightly hinted with strawberries, which meant either somebody was roasting strawberries on a skillet, or… somepony was baking a cake.
I turned my head towards the scent’s trail, noticing that it was coming from Ponyville below. But before I could react, more scents just like the first one assailed my nose, each one coming from a different variety of cake, muffins, and even cupcakes. All of them seemed to be coming from one place alone, so that meant…
I felt my mouth drool, “Ooh, they have a bakery! And from the smell of it, they’re opening up shop…” Ah, man. How I love bakeries! Razor and Velvet can vouch for me when I say I love sweets just as much as my werewolf side loves meat, which is saying something, since bacon is probably one of my most favorite foods in the world.
But if I could smell that bakery, with all its sweets and goodies, all the way outside of town, that meant either I was standing right next to it, or it was a hell of a lot better than the bakery in Hollow Shades, and I flippin’ loved that place!
The thought made my stomach growl earnestly, as if it were actually prodding me to go to the bakery, and I almost immediately took off from where I stood to indulge on the sweet delights that awaited me. But I wouldn’t budge a muscle, not while I was still sane.
I still held my ground, not even moving a single hoof forwards. Going into a town was dangerous enough as it was, even when I wasn’t a full werewolf. In fact, I was just as bad as an actual werewolf during the days when the full moon drew close.
There’ve been times when I’d strolled through Hollow Shades in broad daylight, and still had the thoughts of a werewolf go through my head. I once saw a tiny little filly playing alone in the grass, right in the middle of the day. She was completely ignorant of me back then, but my mouth had started to water, as if I were considering the little foal as food. I had to run away from that filly, before my wolf nature started to plan out the easiest way to dispatch the foal and devour her.
I cringed as I looked down at the town from my hilltop, stomach growling and mouth drooling for something to eat from the scents still filling my nose. “Should I really risk it?” I wondered.
I knew Razor would be angry with me if he ever found out I went into town alone, but… it was still early in the morning, and there weren’t many ponies who would wake up at this time of day.
But still, the scent of delicious, moist cakes were like hooks in my nostrils, pulling me towards the scent. I winced, before taking another step forward, “Ah, screw it. I can’t focus on an empty stomach, and I’ll be back before anybody else sees me, not even Razor.”
With a justification in mind, I let my resistance go and allowed my nose to guide me through town to the bakery I smelled. Although, along the way, I couldn’t help but wonder if this one bakery was worth the risk.
_______________________________
Well, let’s just say that my hopes were met with great satisfaction when I reached the source of the delicious smells. After trotting through about a third of the small town, I came face to face with one of the most amazing buildings I’ve ever seen in my whole life.
My jaw dropped and my tongue rolled out of my mouth, drooling at the sight of it. The bakery was, in fact, a giant gingerbread house, with decorative frosting and candy all over it. My nose told me that none of it was real, but still, I just couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like something that had come out of a sugar-coated dream.
I spotted a sign hanging from the building’s roof beams, which read:
Sugarcube Corner
Alright, if the smell of their food didn’t already do it, the mere appearance of this bakery would’ve me sold me over to buying their stuff. Speaking of which, I still needed to actually buy something to eat. Good thing I thought to bring my own bits with me from back home.
I walked up to Sugarcube Corner’s door and let myself in.
The inside of the shop was just as rural as the rest of the town; random bits of pink everywhere, alongside the usual wooden interior of a house. A few tables stood around the shop, as well as a few booths, and the serving counter where the cash register laid.
I walked up to the counter, noticing that nopony was there. But thankfully there happened to be a bell on the counter, so I rang it.
I swear, as soon as my hoof hit the bell and the little thing went ‘ding!’, a blur of pink shot right in front of my face behind the counter.
I stumbled back a bit from shock, because honestly, who wouldn’t? Being part wolf made it even worse, as my predatory instincts thought the pink blur to be some kind of threat to flee from, since I wasn’t sure how to protect myself from it. But I wasn’t willing to leave until I got some kind of food.
By the time I managed to get my heart rate back down to normal levels, I realized that the pink blur had actually been another pony, who had apparently ran straight from the back room to the front counter in under a second. No wonder my wolf instincts told me to run, ‘cause that’s just ridiculously fast!
She was a pink earth pony mare, and when I say pink, I mean really pink. Her fur was a bright, solid pink, and her mane was a solid mess of tangles, extremely poofy, and yes, pink also. She had light blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a trio of yellow and blue balloons. My nose also told me she smelled of flour and sugar, just like a nice sugar cookie.
She smiled at me with a huge grin, practically shouting, “Hiya! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! I’m Pinkie Pie! What can I getcha’?” Yikes, she talked fast!
Huh, her name was Pinkie Pie. Gee, I wonder how her parents ever came up with that name. Oh, well, I can’t be one to talk. I named myself after my teeth, which I never really cared for anyways; just ask my dentist.
Although… even though I knew I was going to order something for the go, I found that I couldn’t keep my eyes off Pinkie’s face. Her features were both smooth and curvy, like that of a filly between her teenage years and full adulthood. Her big eyes seemed just as bright as her smile, and her lashes just complimented those sky blue irises. She looked… cute… really cute.
“Oh, I’ve never seen you around here before!” Pinkie’s grin widened so much that it threatened to crack her face right open, “I love meeting new ponies, ‘cause then I can have so many more friends. Plus everyone needs a friend, right? I mean, who wouldn’t want one, ‘cause that would be really lonely! I’m not lonely, are you lonely?” The whole while she spoke, her whole body wouldn’t stop moving, as if she were on a sugar high.
I blinked in response as my mind caught up with her fast speech pattern, “Uh… no, I’m not…”
Pinkie smiled, as if she weren’t already doing that anyways, “Hi, my name is Pinkie Pie, and I love parties! What’s yours?”
“Um… I’m Fang.” I raised an eyebrow at her, “And you kind of already told me your name before.”
Pinkie paused for a very brief moment, “Oh, right. I did, didn’t I?” She giggled, “Well, you can never say your name too many times right? See, look how fast I can say my name!” The pink pony suddenly began bouncing at an impossible speed, in rhythmic count with her name, “PinkiePiePinkiePiePinkiePiePinkiePiePinkiePiePinkiePie! Say, do you want something to eat?”
I shook myself out of bewilderment as I realized she had asked me a question, “Uh, what?”
“Well, you’re here to order something, right?” Pinkie asked, “It’s breakfast time and I just finished baking a huge batch of muffins! They’re really yummy, and brought right out of the oven!”
At the mention of food, my stomach growled again. Unfortunately, Pinkie heard it too.
“Oh, wow! You must be starving if your tummy sounds like that!” She giggled.
I smiled sheepishly, “Um, yeah, kind of. I just came into town a few minutes ago. I never ate breakfast this morning.” Or dinner last night I silently added. I chuckled a bit, “Yeah, I could go for a muffin.”
“Okie Dokie! That’ll be two bits!” I hoofed the bits over to her, and she replied, “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll bring your muffin out to you in a jiffy!” With that she zoomed back into the backroom in the blink of an eye.
I stood there for a good few seconds, frowning in confusion, “Well… that was… uh, something.” Although, the more I thought about what Pinkie had done in the past few seconds, my frown started to slip away as I actually started to smile, “Actually, in hindsight, she’s pretty funny.”
Well, what do you know about that? She’s both cute and funny, both of which you hardly find in Hollow Shades.
Chuckling a bit, I made my way over to a table and waited for my muffin to come.
Of course, it didn’t take long for Pinkie to return to my table, bringing along a tray with her. On it was a muffin, but it also came with… a cupcake?
I quirked an eyebrow at Pinkie, “Wait, hold on a sec. I didn’t order a cupcake…”
Pinkie only smiled wider, “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ve never seen you in town before, which means you’ve probably never been in Ponyville before, ‘cause I know just about everyone who lives and visits here. So, I decided to give you a super-yummy-Welcome-to-Ponyville-party-cupcake!”
I blinked, “A what now?”
“See watch!” Pinkie tapped the side of the cupcake with a hoof, and instantly a shot of confetti burst out of the top of the treat, and then a tiny flag extended out of it, saying ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ on it.
Talk about one bizarre cupcake, but that’s what made me burst out laughing at it, “Oh my Celestia, that is the coolest thing I’ve seen!”
Pinkie giggled with me, “I know, right? I mean, come on, putting a confetti flag cannon inside a cupcake is a genius idea! All you gotta worry about is to not eat the whole thing with the cannon inside, otherwise you’d be sneezing confetti all week, but that was still fun when I tried it the first time!”
The first time? She’s sneezed confetti before? Oh well.
I chuckled, “Well, thanks Pinkie. That was awesome!”
Pinkie giggled bashfully, “Ah, naw. Don’t mention it!” She started to turn away from the table, “I’ve got to check the ovens again, so I’ll see ya later, Fang!” She then bounced away from the table towards the back room, “Hope you enjoy your cupcake, new friend!”
I laughed quietly as Pinkie disappeared into the back of the bakery, leaving me to my breakfast. I turned back to my muffin and party cupcake, both of which were covered in confetti and streamers now. Well, all I had to do was brush off the paper and the two would still be edible. Plus, I got free dessert with breakfast! How cool is that?
Deciding to eat dessert before breakfast, I blew the confetti of the cupcake and took the first bite out of the top of it, though making sure to not eat the tiny flag sticking out of the top.
Once the frosting and cake hit my tongue, I felt my eyes roll back into my skull as the sweetness of it overpowered my tongue in the best way possible. Oh, the moist, sugary treat, hot and fresh from the oven, felt like a choir of angels in my mouth. Just from the first bite, I felt like I could die happy, because I had just found the Ark of the Covenant (from Daring Do and the Lost Ark; One of the best books ever in my opinion).
Yeah, it was official. Sugarcube Corner’s cupcakes trumped the ones from Hollow Shades at 10 to 1 in the giant gingerbread house's favor.
I was going to have to thank Pinkie for the free cupcake, because it was just as delicious as it had smelled… although, now that I think about it, why did she give it to me? I know she’d said it was to welcome me to town, but I mean, why had she really given it to me?
It probably wasn’t because she’d been put up to it, because I couldn’t smell anyone else in the back room. The upstairs portion of the shop smelled of other ponies, probably living up there, and it reeked of… blech! Baby diapers. Disgusting!
No, there wasn’t anyone who could’ve put Pinkie up to giving me free stuff, so that wasn’t why. I seriously doubted it was because she thought I looked good, cause I had patches of fur ruffled up in random places, leftover from last night’s shift.
Then what was it? Honestly, back in Hollow Shades, you could expect that no one would give you stuff for free, not even the tiniest of crumbs. Heck, no one would even care about your name, unless you had information concerning werewolves or vampires. No, Hollow Shades had never been very friendly or nice, but it’d still been my home for the past ten years so I can’t blame ‘em willingly.
But here, in Sugarcube Corner, with Pinkie Pie… she’d done the complete opposite. She’d wanted to know my name, she’d made me laugh, and she’d given me a Welcome-to-Ponyville cupcake with my breakfast, something she’d made herself. Pinkie had been… nice. She’d actually been nice to me.
Her words echoed through my head, Hope you enjoy your cupcake, new friend!
I stared at the half eaten cupcake in my hoof, lost in thought, “New friend? We only met two minutes ago and you think of me as a friend?”
I frowned. I never really had any friends, besides Razor and Vel, but they were family so they didn’t count. Looking back, I never tried to make any friends when I was a kid, not since I was turned into a werewolf. Partly that was because Razor had told me not to, to keep our secret more secure by not letting anybody get close to me. But it was also partly because…
I did have friends once, back when I was still normal… but once the transformations happened… my friends… they…
I shook myself out of my thoughts, before those memories could resurface again. I couldn’t afford to break down in tears here, or else that would’ve attracted more attention towards me. But still…
Looking back at my cupcake, I wondered, Could I really have another friend again, someone besides my family? Would I really be able to keep them safe from me?
A bell ringed in the bakery, making me jump slightly as I was jerked from my thoughts. I turned my eyes towards the front counter, where I found another pony ordering something from Pinkie.
I silently cursed to myself. I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed them come in. I was going to have to leave soon, before they got a good look at me…
I sighed, before shoving the last of the party cupcake down into my muzzle, excluding the confetti cannon inside. Honestly, there was no way I could have another friend, not even Pinkie Pie. I was a werewolf. I was an Outcast. There was no way I could even have a friend in this town if I wanted to, because we were leaving after we had stockpiled enough potions for me.
But a pony’s laughter twitched in my ears, and I glanced to the side to see the customer pony from before giggling up a storm with Pinkie, probably from her crazy antics. Even from here, I couldn’t help but smile when I looked at Pinkie. She was just so… alive. Man, what would’ve given to stay here in town and remain as friends with her…
As soon as the thought came, a tiny light bulb flickered to life in my head. Within seconds, I got an idea, one that I thought could actually work, one that could change my life for the better, even.
Smiling, I grabbed my breakfast muffin in my mouth, got up from my table, and ran to the exit. But as I raced out the door, I heard Pinkie shout, “Oh, have a nice day, Fang! See ya later!”
Sugarcube Corner was long gone behind me by the time Pinkie’s mouth uttered that last word, but my ears still easily picked it up. Grinning to myself, I steered towards the Everfree Forest, silently replying, Yeah, I’ll see you later, Pinkie; even if it’s the last thing I do. All I had to do was figure out how to convince Razor and Vel.
That was going to be the hard part, but I knew I was going to be able to convince them to stay here. I was going to convince them to make our new home here in Ponyville, because we needed a new place to live, and I needed a friend.
Author's Note
Now we are beginning to see a bit more of an explanation for that information dump in the first chapter. If you've thought of something you disagree with this whole story, feel free to comment it. Trust me when I say, I know what I'm doing with this.
Thanks for reading,
-Shadowflame
