Stone Lance was outside the building waiting for them with a big, welcoming grin on his face. Dream was happy to see the heroic stallion again, rushing forward to greet him. With a booming laugh, he bent low to meet her.

“Well hello again, little lady! Y’know, I never did thank ya for your help with that Alpha Timberwolf back there. That was quite a doozy back there, huh?”

“Yeah, you said it! I’m Dream Weaver, by the way! Thanks again for helping us mister Lance!”

Star and Night came up beside her, both nodding along gratefully. Stone stood up to his full height, letting out another laugh.

“Ah, t’weren’t nothing folks! Just doin’ my job as a freelancer!”

“I’m sorry sir,” Nightshade began, tilting his head in confusion, “But what’s a freelancer?”

“Why, freelancers are the backbone of survival here in Hollow Shades! We’re adventurers, explorers, heroes, you name it! We take care of anythin’ the people of the town need, whether it’s chasin’ off parasprites or bustin’ up cultist groups! We do things that the guards can’t do since they gotta stay in town to keep folks safe! We venture out where no sane pony dares to, to fight off the dangers of the wild! It’s a risky business, but it helps keep us all safe! Plus, it’s darn good fun bustin’ heads like earlier!”

With yet another thunderous laugh, he turned and trotted off, giving a parting wave to the adopted family as he made his way off towards the town’s marketplace. Dream stared after him in awe, moved by his speech. A part of her wanted nothing more than to do just what he did, go out on adventures and help ponies! But right now, she had more pressing matters. Namely, moving into her new home.

The group trotted towards the town’s only inn, a large building sitting between the residential area and the marketplace. On their way, Dream was amazed by all the different ponies she saw. She saw the usual pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies of course, as well as the thestrals, who seemed to make up most of the population. But then there were other, more exotic creatures, some she knew only from stories, some she didn’t even have names for! There were griffons and diamond dogs and even a minotaur or two.

There were strange ponies with cloven hooves and lion-like tails, with a single horn, like a unicorn’s, yet shaped like a branching antler. There were ponies who looked normal, but their manes were dripping wet, and their teeth were sharpened. There were rakishly thin ponies without a hint of hair on their grotesque bodies, with strange tendrils wriggling from their shoulders and claws on their hooves. So many different and bizarre creatures…

Dream couldn’t wait to meet them all!

Her sightseeing was cut short as they arrived at the Hollow Shades Inn. While the name certainly wasn’t creative, it did seem to make up for it by having a cozy atmosphere.

“Fuck you, asswipe!”

“Hey, you first, shit for brains!”

Well, it looked cozy. Some of the patrons didn’t seem keen on keeping with that appearance though. A large portion of the Inn’s ground floor was a restaurant and bar combo, and it seemed that two stallions had drank one too many, and were loudly fighting off in the corner.

The building’s owner, Grassy Knoll, came over to greet Dream and her family. She was a demure little mare with big rimmed glasses and a meek demeanor. She gave them a shy smile as she cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Hello, and welcome to our-”

Her greeting was cut short by another round of shouting from the two rowdy customers. She glanced over her shoulder back into the room, her muzzle scrunching slightly before she turned back, giving them another, slightly more tired smile.

“Hello, and welcome to our humble little-”

Again she was interrupted, as the sound of a glass being smashed across the room rang out. She didn’t look back this time, instead staring forward with a slight twitch to her eye. With a deep breath, she tried one more time.

“Hello. And welcome, to our humble, little, I-”

Shouts rang out as the two stallions broke out into an all-out brawl, accompanied by the screams of ponies racing to get out of the way. Grassy Knoll frowned and let out a frustrated sigh.

“Excuse me. I didn’t want it to come to this, but I believe these gentlecolts need to be taught a lesson in manners.”

She reached up and took off her glasses, slowly folding them as she held her eyes shut tight. She then passed them over to a confused Star, before opening her eyes, revealing bright yellow irises and pinprick pupils, and letting out a feral growl. Her bared teeth sprouted canine fangs as her pale brown coat began to grow out longer. She began to grow in size, muscles suddenly rippling in her body. Claws erupted from her hooves. She had transformed from a shy little mare into a fearsome, powerful wolf-pony hybrid.

Grassy Knoll was a lycan.

And she was pissed.

The wolf mare turned and bounded into the dining room, leaping over the drunken brawlers and landing on their table with a pounce. She raised her head high and howled out. Dream could feel magic behind it, magic that brought out some instinctual terror within her that caused her to become paralyzed with fear. It had the same effect on everyone in the room, including the two fighters, who now stopped to look up at the snarling lycan with the respect she deserved.

She prowled down off of the table with a swift, agile motion. She stood just as tall as both of them, and they were certainly not small stallions. Gazing into their eyes with her piercing stare, she grinned a wolfish grin.

“So boys~. Looks like you too like to play rough, eh? Well now, I’ve got no problem with that. But how about you take it outside…” she leaned in close to stage whisper into one of their ears, “… or I’ll show you just how rough I can be.”

“Y-yes ma’am…”

“S-sorry ma’am, won’t happened again ma’am…”

“Good boys~! Now…” she leaned back and growled out one last thing to her unwelcome guests. “Get out of my friggin’ Inn!”

The two stallions ran out yelping, tails tucked between their legs as they fled the scene. Grassy glared after them until they were long gone. Then, she strutted over to the bar, where the bartender was already pouring her a strong drink. She swiped it up and gulped it down in what looked like a single, swift motion, before letting out a satisfied howl.

“Damn it feels good to cut loose!” she exclaimed before turning back to Dream’s family, who all except for Dream herself were standing stunned from the display. Dream was practically starry-eyed from yet another epic display. The lycan mare trotted over with a confident grin.

“Sorry about that folks! Not the best way to welcome you, I know, but what can I say? Now then, I take it you all are new in town? I’ll set you up with a nice room, first month is complementary, completely on me, no worries about anything. Now, I hear that the mare here wants a job. Great! Get back there and show my staff what you got while I show these two your new digs!”

With that, Grassy Knoll prowled up the stairs. As Night and Dream followed her to their room, Dream couldn’t tear her eyes off of her. She was so powerful and awesome and confident! Dream wished she could grow up to be as half as amazing as Grassy was.

There room was fairly large, with two beds, a bathroom, a large table in the middle, and a small kitchen area in the corner. It wasn’t much, but Dream knew it would be a good enough home.

“Here you are folks! Here’s your keys,” she stated as she tossed Nightshade three room keys, “And you should be all set! You all need anything, you come find me, whether I’m letting out my wild side or not. Enjoy your stay!”

With that, she turned and strutted off, casting a lidded gaze in Night’s direction that Dream didn’t quite understand. She shrugged it off, turning to pounce on her new bed, testing it out. It wasn’t quite as soft as her old one, but it would do. Certainly better than the floor of a tiny, dank cave in the middle of the woods!

“Alright. Well, that was… something,” Night said, sitting down on the other bed while rubbing his head, seeming slightly uncomfortable. “Well, here we are… how do you feel, Dream?”

Dream beamed at him, then began to gush about how much she loved this place, how much she loved all the excitement and all the new things she kept seeing and more and more and more. Night sat listening to her for almost half an hour, a patient smile on his face as he listened to her express her love for this town. When she was finally done, she let out a yawn, realizing how tired she was after so much adventure in one day. Star came in soon, smiling wider than she had all day.

“I’ve gotten a job as a waitress. It’s not great, but it’s a start. And I’ve already been introduced to a coven that might be willing to teach us, Dream. Tomorrow, we find you a place to learn how to control and fully utilize that wonderful gift of yours.”

Dream smiled happily as she yawned again, nestling into her new bed as her two new adoptive parents kept close, Star stroking her mane as Night hummed a lullaby to her. It wasn’t long before she’d drifted to sleep.

Tomorrow was a new day, and she wanted to embrace it full on.

After a long night’s sleep, Dream awoke to the sound of the room’s door opening and the smell of freshly cooked hay bacon. She leaned forward, momentarily forgetting where she was, about to mumble that she didn’t want to go to school today, mother. Then she opened her eyes and saw the inn room, and remembered what had happened to her. She looked to see Star in the doorway, smiling down at her.

“Morning, sleepy! I made breakfast. I was going to go scout out the covens, see what would be a good fit for us, but since you’re up that can wait.”

Dream sleepily nodded, yawning and stretching out her sore legs before climbing out of her bed. She moved over to the dining table, helping herself to some of the hay bacon happily. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a real meal.

“Night’s gone out to start on that apothecary job, so it’s just you and me for now. Eat up!”

Dream smiled as she tasted the sweet, succulent hay bacon in her mouth. At her old home, it was reserved only for special occasions, so she had rarely ever had it. It was a rare treat, and she was enjoying every blissful second of it.

After she had eaten her fill, Dream pushed off and scrambled up to Stardust’s waiting side, eager to get started. She was going to finally start learning about what made her so special! Not only that, but she was going to be meeting ponies like her, ponies who were different, ponies who were unique! It was like the start of a grand adventure for her!

At least, that’s what she told herself to try and forget the fact that she was basically signing up for school all over again.

The two girls set out soon after, passing by Grassy as she flirted with some male customers, one of her employees desperately trying to convince her to return to her pony form. Dream giggled as they left the building, where an older thestral mare wearing a cloaked robe was waiting for them.

“Hello again, Miss Stardust. This must be Dream Weaver.” She bowed her head briefly before smiling at them. “I am Mist Mother, of the Nocturne Coven. We specialize in night-based magic: sleep spells, darkness spells, enchantments fueled by the moon, and more! We believe we would be the best fit for you, Dream. And Stardust, since you’re magic as a sanguine is more general than a witch’s, we can help you as well as any other coven. Plus, we have some illusion experts as well to help you with your unicorn magic.”

Stardust and Dream nodded before turning away to discuss.

“This does seem to be a good fit for us. Should we just go for it?”

“Yeah! She seems nice, and that sounds like a great place!”

“Alright, if you’re sure.” Stardust turned to Mist Mother, smiling as she nodded. Mist returned the smile before turning to lead them away.

The group trotted into the residential district, a long double row of houses for more wealthy members, as well as important members of the community. She lead them to one house with a sign out front, featuring an ornate symbol of the moon amongst a starry background. The Nocturne Coven had grown out of a branch of a disbanded church that had once been dedicated to Princess Luna, worshipping her as a goddess of the night. Now though, they did not worship any particular being, though they did still revel in all things relating to the night.

Inside the home were several thestrals, alongside a few unicorns, some other pegasi, an earth pony or two, as well as some other creatures. Stardust went to go talk to the coven’s leader, Moon Matron, leaving Dream to meet the colts and fillies of her class.

Most of her classmates were thestrals, along with a few young unicorns. She seemed to be the only gifted pegasus in her class, and there weren’t any earth ponies either. There was one strange looking pony, with a hard black skin, big blue eyes, and wings like a bug, a changeling if her mother’s stories were right. While she was sure it was nice, the stories her mother told of changelings were the most terrifying, some of the only stories to actually have a lasting impression.

However, there was one member of her class that Dream felt drawn to. It was one of the bizarre hairless ponies she’d seen around town. The foal was easily the tallest pony in their class, standing a good head above the rest of them. Four stubby, fleshy tendrils extended from its shoulders, and weird clawed toes sprouted from the sides of its hooves. Dream couldn’t tell its gender, but she wanted to learn more about it. And so, she trotted over to the lone creature, a friendly smile on her face.

“Hi there!” she asked it happily. The creature seemed lonely, as none of the other students were talking to it. It looked up at her, causing Dream to see that the creature had four eyes, each one the same blank, blood red color.

“Hhhh…” the creature rasped out in a hissing voice. “Hhhhhiiii…”

It seemed like it wasn’t sure if what it had said was right, as though it hadn’t had much practice talking before. Dream gave it a patient smile.

“I’m Dream Weaver. Who are you?”

The question seemed to confuse the creature, as it folded its ears back and looked around, as if the answer to the simple question would be lying on the ground. Then, it looked to her, and tilted its head.

“Mm-mmmaaagggiiic… uuuussse… onnn… p-pooonnn-nneee…”

“You… want to use magic… on me?” The creature nodded. “Will that help me understand you?” It nodded again. “Okay… if that’s what you need… I trust you.”

The hairless equine seemed to smile, showing off rows of yellowed, sharp teeth. Then it closed its eyes, and Dream felt something probing her mind. Suddenly, the world around them seemed to slow, as Dream’s consciousness blended with the creature’s.

“Hello pony who is named Dream Weaver,” came a strange, young female voice from within Dream’s head. It was oddly generic and monotone, and it took a minute for Dream to figure out that it was the creature talking to her through her mind.

“I am what the ponies call a ‘Ghoul,’” the ghoul, as it were, continued. “Others of my kind call me ‘Princess’ because my mother is called the ‘Queen’ of my kind. We do not have names like ponies do.”

“Oh,” Dream thought back. “That’s kind of sad. Well, I can’t just call you ghoul, or princess… how about I give you a name?”

“… I think I would like that. I have been wanting to know what it is like to have a name for a long time now.”

“Let’s see… what about… hm…” Dream pondered this over. She wasn’t exactly the most creative when it came to names, and it didn’t need to be anything complicated. Just something to call her by. Then it hit her. “Fang. I’ll call you Fang!”

“Fang. Princess Fang. Queen Fang. I have a name. I like having a name. Thank you pony named Dream Weaver.”

“Hey,” Dream responded, feeling the connection between them growing weaker. “What are friends for?”

Then, they were separate again. Dream felt as though she had seen into some of Fang’s mind in that brief moment. She felt the instinct to hunt prey and control and protect her subjects. She felt the instinct to feed on dead meat, even the meat of her family if necessary. But she also felt a desire to grow past those instincts, to become like the ponies that had helped her family become more than monsters in the dark. She felt the desire for…

“Fr-friieend… Friend. Po-… Drream… Weaver… friend?” Dream was snapped out of her thoughts by Fang, looking at her with surprise.

Dream smiled in response. “Yeah! I’ll be your friend, Fang!”

“Fffang. I… am Fang. IamFang. I’m Fang! Hell-o, I’m Fang!” she hissed excitedly, bouncing slightly as her Equish seemed to suddenly improve. Dream realized that Fang probably took some stuff with her from her mind too, including things about how to talk right.

Laughing, Dream hugged Fang’s squishy, hairless form. And while it felt strange, she didn’t regret it at all, especially not when Fang got over her surprise and hugged her back.

All in all, this looked like the start of something great.

Author's Note

Going to be a while before I can get another chapter up. Exams are starting, college is ending for the summer, and that means it's time to go back to work.

Hopefully by the time of the next update, I will have the cover art done.

Until then, thank you for sticking with this meager beginning, let us hope that my schedule allows me to work on this more, and once again a big thanks to my editor Requiem17.

Also, for those who have read it, Fang is of my original race, Ghouls, as seen in my moderately successful horror story, Ghouls.