A Witch is Born

Dream Weaver had a lot of fond memories from her foalhood.

She remembered playing with her two parents. Her father was a quiet yet kind unicorn stallion, frail compared to the athletic pegasi or earth ponies yet strong to his eager young daughter. Her mother was a stern but loving pegasus mare who valued traditional values above all else. While she didn’t realize it at the time, looking back Dream couldn’t help but realize that her mother had always been a bit of a bigot and a xenophobe, being unfairly fearful and judgmental of anyone or anything out of the ordinary. But while her mother had always tried to instill this same fear into her, Dream instead found herself wondering just how true her mother’s stories of monsters and demons were.

Dream was a pegasus like her mother, and spent most of her foalhood thinking she would grow up to be a weather mare just like her. However, she had dreams of becoming more than that. She wanted a life full of danger and adventures, a life full of the things from her mother’s cautionary tales.

She remembered the day her younger sister Wishing Wand was born. She loved the little unicorn from the moment she first laid eyes on her. She couldn’t wait to watch her grow up and swore that she would always be there for her little sister.

She remembered the day she got her cutie mark, the day that changed everything for her.

She was lying awake in bed in the middle of the night when she heard Wishy whimpering in fear from the room next door. She thought about getting her parents, but something deep inside of her told her to go in on her own. She snuck over into her sister’s bedroom. Her sister lay in her crib, fast asleep and obviously in distress. It was obvious she was having a bad dream and would start crying soon. Dream felt obligated to do something to help her.

Then, it happened. By some instinct, Dream shut her eyes and spread her wings. She didn’t know why she did it, but it felt right. Then, she began to feel something channeling through her wings, filling with an energy she’d never felt before. And then, she opened her eyes.

For the first time, she truly saw. All around the room she saw it: magic. Magic in its purest, most natural state, drifting through the air, shimmering. She saw her sister passively absorbing the magic through her horn, flowing into her body, collecting together as a reservoir of energy within her, ready to be used for spells.

Most importantly though, she saw the dark thread of magic connecting from her sister’s head to something beneath her crib. Dream bent down to look, and was greeted by two big, pure white eyes amidst a whirling sea of darkness. The dark creature let out a noise that seemed to be a mix of a ghastly shriek and a whinny as it bolted out from under the bed, severing its tie with her sister. It leapt onto the wall, taking on an equine shape. Its legs were unusually thin and its chest was rakishly bony. Its coat was an inky black, broken only by the two flickering white eyes on its head. It glared down at her with a hiss before dashing away in a blur, losing all shape as it became like a shadow on the wall, darting out through a crack in the window back into the night.

Dream, in a daze from what she had just witnessed, turned to check on her sister. Wishy was sleeping soundly once again. Dream touched her wings against her sister’s forehead and, by sheer instinct, she forged a better dream for her. She took the magic from the air and she wove it into a spell, a spell for sweet dreams to help her precious little Wishy.

Then Dream was tired, and she shut her eyes. When she opened them, the magic was no longer visible, and she no longer felt like she could control it the same way she had. But Wishy was sleeping happily, and that’s all that mattered to her. She went back to bed and finally fell asleep.

It wasn’t until the next day that she found out she’d discovered her special talent that day. Her mother pointed out to her that she had gotten her cutie mark, a sewing needle threading a waving stream of star dust. Dream was ecstatic! She had dreamed of this day for so long. But then, remembering how she had gotten her talent, she became afraid of what her mother would think of it. What she had done reminded her of stories her mother had used to tell her, stories of evil ponies called witches.

Witches looked like normal ponies, but they had a dark power to use magic that they weren’t supposed to be able to. Pegasi and earth pony witches would cast spells with greater ease than a unicorn could, and this power made them strange and dangerous. Her mother had told her that good ponies had gotten rid of all the witches. But what about her? She did something pegasi weren’t supposed to be able to do. Was she a witch?

She wanted to tell her mother, but knowing how she got about strange things and how defensive she was about her youngest daughter, Dream was afraid she would lash out. She would’ve told her father, as he might have been better help, but then the thought occurred to her that HE would then tell her mother.

It was then that she resolved to hide her talent from everypony. And for some time, it worked. But each night, she could feel it. She could feel ponies having bad dreams. First it was just the family members from time to time, but then, as she tried to repress it more, she began to feel the nightmares of the next-door neighbors, and then the neighbors beyond them, up until the point where she could feel a bad dream from across town. It was unbearable to wait for Princess Luna to come and chase away the creatures. She wanted so badly to help.

The worst part though, was every now and then, one of the black equines, those Nightmares, would slip into her room and watch her. She could see them clearly now, with or without her power. They would just sit there in the corners of her room, sit there and dare her to move, to do something to stop them it seemed. Sometimes it was just one. Sometimes they would flood the room in a sea of darkness and blinking white eyes.

Finally, one night, she could take no more. She could feel them. A hoard of them. All of them right next door, tormenting her sister. She could feel her sister’s fear and anguish. She had to do something.

Dream rushed over, spreading her wings and drawing on her power again. As she dashed in, her eyes and wings flashed with a blinding light that chased away the Nightmares in a shrieking hoard of darkness.

But she was too late. At that moment, her sister screamed out in terror from the terrible dream she’d been having. It wasn’t a minute later that their mother rushed in, only to see her eldest daughter standing by her crying sister’s bedside, eyes and wings glowing with an unnatural white light.

Her mother screamed out, a shriek of terror that would haunt Dream for the rest of her days. She began to scream at Dream to get away from Wishy, to get away from her darling daughter. She called Dream names. Witch. Changeling.

Monster.

Dream fled out into the night, her power fading away, the white glow in her eyes replaced by burning tears as she ran away from home, ran away from her family.

She had a lot of fond memories, memories all tainted by the sadness of that one day.

She ran and ran, running right out of town and into the surrounding forest. She didn’t stop until she was far away from it all, in the middle of that dark, dark forest. She sat crying, crying over the loss of her family, of everything she knew. She felt like a freak. A monster. She would never be loved again. She would never know a family again. At least, that’s what she felt like.

Thankfully for her, fate had other plans.

“Are you okay?” a mare’s voice said from out of the woods. She came forward, a pretty young unicorn looking down at her with concern.

“Stay away from me!” Dream cried out, turning away and covering her face with a wing. “I’m a monster!”

The mare chuckled, almost knowingly.

“Darling, trust me. From personal experience, a real monster would never admit to being a monster.” The mare moved closer, placing a comforting hoof on her back. “I’m Stardust. And this,” she gestures behind her, where a stallion’s silhouette could be seen in the shadows, shyly waving, “is Nightshade. And you are?”

She sniffled, pulled her wing back in, and turned to face her.

“I’m… I… I’m Dream Weaver…”

“Nice to meet you, Dream Weaver! Now, why’s a little filly like you all alone out here?”

“Because… I’m different… I scared momma… she hates me now… she doesn’t want me…” Dream looked down sadly, about to break back into tears.

“Hey now, that can’t be true. There’s nothing wrong with being different. Nightshade and I are different from other ponies too.”

Dream turned and looked back up at her with wide eyes.

“Really? How?”

“Well… Nightshade, you want to come over?”

The stallion shifted uncomfortably before stepping out into the light. His coat was a dusky purple, his cutie mark was a sprig of nightshade, his ears were fluffy, his teeth were fanged, and his wings were bat-like rather than feathered.

He was a bat pony.

The sight of him fascinated her. She’d never seen a bat pony before, and though her mother had tried to convince her that they either weren’t real or were dark minions of Nightmare Moon that had been banished along with her, she had always wanted to see one for herself.

“Cool…” Dream whispered out in awe, her sadness momentarily put aside.

“Uh… hi,” he coughed out in a nervous tone. “I’m uh… I’m Nightshade.”

“Hi Nightshade.”

“Um… Listen… Maybe your parents don’t want you gone. I um… I can take you home. I can take you there without anyone seeing. And if you still want to go, you can leave without them ever knowing.”

Dream thought it over for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay. I’ll… I’ll go.”

The stallion nodded, then motioned for her to move to his side. Once she was next to him, pressed up against his side, he closed his eyes in deep focus. Suddenly, the forest around them seemed a lot darker. He began to move, guiding her along with him. Their hoofsteps were silenced, and as they snuck out of the forest and through the dark alleyways, nopony seemed to notice them. Whatever it was doing, it seemed to make them one with the shadows.

Soon enough, she’d led him to her home. Through the window, she could see her parents arguing. She couldn’t make out a lot of what they were yelling about, as their shouts overlapped so often that it made it difficult to distinguish, but a few choice words from her mother slipped through the clamor.

“That was not our daughter! That was some Changeling devil that replaced her! I swear, if I ever see that monster again, I swear I’ll kill it! I’ll kill it!”

Nightshade took a step back, wincing.

“Oh… Well… That’s not good…”

Dream sniffled, only to be swept into a wing hug by the bat stallion next to her.

“Hey, hey… it’s okay. Star and I… we’ll help you out, okay? Listen, this might sound crazy, but… we’re going to a place. A nice place for ponies like us. Ponies that don’t fit in. You’ll get a good home, a good life, and ponies who’ll treat you like you deserve to be treated. What do you say?”

For a moment, she was silent. Could she really leave the only home she’d ever known? Her family? Her sister? She didn’t want to go. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn’t seem to have a choice. She wasn’t welcome here anymore. She couldn’t think of any other option. She had nowhere else to go. It was clear what she had to do. Looking up to him, fighting back tears, she said the magic words.

“Okay. I’ll come with you.”

Nightshade smiled kindly and stood up, leading her out with his shadow cloak.

The two soon arrived back in the clearing, where Stardust was waiting for them. Nightshade told her everything that had happened, and Stardust gave Dream another hug.

“Well, we’re glad to have you with us.”

“Thank you… by the way, Miss Stardust, you didn’t tell me what’s different about you. Why are you running away?”

The older mare blushed and turned her head.

“Well…”

In that moment, Dream noticed something and got her answer: Stardust’s teeth weren’t flat like a normal pony’s. Instead, on her upper jaw was a pair of sharpened fangs, like Nightshade’s. Dream gasped, realizing what Stardust was.

“You’re a vampony!”

“Well… yes. Although technically I’m a sanguine. Now, don’t be scared, I don’t eat ponies-”

“That is so cool!” Dream exclaimed, cutting off Stardust as she pounced to hug her. Stardust looked down in surprise before returning the hug, smiling down gratefully at the young filly.

“By the way Dream, I don’t think you told us what makes you different either.”

“Oh,” Dream said, slipping back shyly. “Um… well, my thing isn’t all that cool, not like you guys. I can see… stuff. I don’t know what, just… magic-y stuff. In the air. And I can give ponies good dreams.”

The two older ponies looked at each other with wide eyes before turning back to her.

“Do you think you could show us?”

Dream wasn’t sure. After what had happened at home, she never wanted to use her powers again. But then again, she trusted these two. She knew they wouldn’t judge her. So, she steeled herself, focused her mind, and opened her eyes to the magic once again.

She could see Stardust’s unicorn magic, acting just like she’d seen Wishy’s magic, doing what she’d come to recognize as whatever it was unicorn magic did. But there was something else, a dark tainted magic drifting around her, probably from her being a vampony- she meant sanguine.

She looked at Nightshade and that he didn’t have any sort of visible magic around him. Then she noticed them both watching her with wide eyes. At first, she was worried, until she realized that it wasn’t fear in their eyes, but awe.

“Oh my Celestia… You’re a witch!”

“That’s incredible!”

Dream backed up in fear, dispelling her powers as memories of her mother’s stories and fury filled her mind momentarily.

“I’m a… witch? But isn’t that bad?”

“No, no sweetie, that’s amazing! You have a gift, something rare and special! I know ponies like to make witches sound scary and evil, but that’s just because they don’t understand them. It’s the same with thestrals and sanguine.”

“Right! Oh, now we definitely have to get you to Hollow Shades! There are ponies there who can help teach you how to control your powers.”

As the two adults gushed on about how they were going to get to Hollow Shades, Dream couldn’t help but smile. She may have lost one family, and she would always miss them, but it looked like she had found a new one, one who accepted her for who she was.

She was Dream Weaver. She was a witch. And she was okay with that.

Traveling Tales

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The next few days, Dream traveled with Night and Star, making their way north towards Hollow Shades. They spent most of the journey in the woods, away from prying eyes. Occasionally Stardust would slip into a town to buy supplies with the few bits she had, but for the most part they were roughing it. It was hard, but Dream couldn’t help but find it exciting; she’d always wanted to go camping after all, but her mother had always said no.

Dream was still sad about what had happened, but she was starting to accept it. Listening to her travelling companions’ stories helped take her mind off of things.

“So, there I was, trotting down the street, heading home from a long shift at work, when I hear it,” Stardust explained, telling the story of how she got her curse.

“Something in an alleyway, rustling among the trash cans. At first I think it’s just a raccoon, or a stray cat, but then it starts making noises. Weird snarling noises.

“Like a total idiot, I stop and call out, trying to see what was wrong. And then he comes out at me. He looked like a normal stallion, but he was filthy, skinny, like he hadn’t taken care of himself at all. The whites of his eyes were a weird, pale yellow, with slit pupils, and he was baring his teeth at me. I was scared, sure. But then, I saw the fangs, and then I was really scared.

“Anyway, he lunges for me, and I just fall back and scream. He bit me, but I shook him off and shot him with my magic, and that scared him off. I thought that would be the end of it. But then, I started feeling sick and really weak. I was in bed for maybe three days. Then, all of a sudden, I felt great. Really hungry, but otherwise great. I tried eating, but nothing seemed to satisfy this weird craving I suddenly got. All of a sudden, ponies started looking really, really good. I started thinking about sinking my teeth into one of them.

“That’s when I saw the fangs I’d grown. That’s when I realized what had happened to me. I was a vampony.”

She paused in her story to clear her throat and Dream snuggled closer to her, seeing her distress at recounting the story. Star smiled down at her in thanks before she continued.

“So, I don’t know what to do. I’ve just become a monster, something from a foal’s bedtime story. But I didn’t want to hurt anypony. So, I go out one night, because I didn’t feel good during the day anymore, and I see this dying squirrel that some animal had left without finishing. I was so hungry, and that blood smelled so good… Well, needless to say, I found something to eat that wasn’t ponies. So yeah. Ever since, I’ve been trying to live off of small animals, and that’s been keeping me sane. I actually met another pony like me, and they told me about how there were two kinds of sanguine: the sane ones like me, who feed and stay hidden; and the feral ones who denied their hunger to the point where they lost all control, like the one who attacked me.

“This sanguine, they told me about everything I needed to know. They told me about all the secrets that normal ponies fear, witches, lycans, and sanguine. They told me about the new powers I’ve got now, sort of like a weaker version of a witch’s magic. And they told me about how Hollow Shades was a safe haven for ponies like me. I had been scared of being discovered for some time, and there were some ponies who were getting suspicious about my change in habits, so I decided to uproot and move to Hollow Shades.

“Then one night I ran into Nightshade, and when we found out we were heading to the same place, we decided to start traveling together. Safety in numbers and all that. And well, you know the rest.”

Dream hugged Star tight in thanks for telling her tale, and Star returned the hug in thanks for listening.

“Well, I come from one of the ancestral thestral caves, where a lot of my kind have lived for generations. Since a lot of ponies are afraid of us, the only ones who live in pony society are the ones who work for Princess Luna, and from what I hear most ponies assume those are just pegasi under some sort of magical guise. The rest either hide in caves like our ancestors or live in Hollow Shades, which was built to be a town just for us.

“I worked as a herb gatherer for the tribe’s healer. I’m good with herbs, both healing and poisonous. You show me a wild plant, I can tell you its name and what it’s good for. Anyway, life was good, but we all sort of wished for something more, at least the ones in my generation. We knew there was a better life out there, but we also knew that a lot of ponies didn’t trust us, so we were afraid to leave.

“Our only connection to the outside world was the occasional Lunar Guard check-up, or sometimes a visiting merchant who wasn’t picky about his customers. It was through them that we heard tales of Hollow Shades. It sounded like such a great place, but we weren’t ready to leave our home. So a lot of us, we made a promise: If anything ever happened, anything that made it so that we had no other choice, we would go to Hollow Shades. One of those merchants, he sold us a bunch of enchanted maps that would show us the way if we ever had the need to make the journey.”

Nightshade pulled out the map to show her. It looked like a plain, ink drawing map of Equestria at first. But then, he pointed a hoof to an arrow on the map, showing their location. Then he showed her where Hollow Shades was. They still had a good two days’ worth of travelling before they would make it.

“Well, then it happened. One day, while I was out, a pride of Manticores decided they wanted our cave. I came home to find them there, eating away at the ones who hadn’t escaped. I couldn’t find any of the survivors, so I hope they’re making their way to Hollow Shades safely. I had my copy of the map, and so I started on my way.

“It wasn’t a day later that I found Stardust, heading the same way. She said something about trying to follow the lay lines there, some magic thing that sanguine and witches can do I guess. The map makes it a lot easier though, and neither of us liked travelling alone, so we teamed up. And here we are! Oh and uh, I wanted to apologize for being so nervous when I met you. I uh, I wasn’t sure how you were going to react to me being, well me. I’m glad we met you though.”

Dream gave him a beaming smile, hugging tight to him. Stardust came over and joined in, the three companions cuddling tight. Dream let out a yawn, tired from the long trek. Star and Night held her tight as she fell asleep, smiling down at her, each making a silent promise to watch over and protect her.

The next few days of travel were uneventful. Stay in the darkness during the day so that Night and Star could sleep, with Dream spending most of her time keeping watch since she hadn’t fully adapted to the nocturnal lifestyle yet. Get up and travel at night, staying away from any signs of danger.

Slowly but surely, they made their way, until they arrived at the forest surrounding Hollow Shades. As they entered, Dream noticed that there was a strange magic in the air. And despite the fact that it was almost sunrise, the sky looked as though it were midnight.

“Since most of the residents of Hollow Shades are nocturnal, a long time ago Princess Luna enchanted the town and its surroundings with a spell that would make it always night here. It’s really just an illusion, but it works to keep us safe. This means we’re close.”

Dream smiled. She was about to find her new home.

Welcome to Hollow Shades

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As the group of travelers walked through the darkened forest, on their way to Hollow Shades, Dream couldn’t help but beam at what was coming. She’d been looking forward to this since she’d begun traveling with them, and now here it was, their journey’s end. What would her new home hold? What sort of ponies would she meet? What sort of adventures would she have? She could hardly stop herself from running ahead of the group.

In the distance, a howl rang out through the woods. Soon after it was answered by several more.

“Don’t worry, it’s probably some lycans. I hear they make up a lot of the town guard.”

The howls came again, closer this time. Now, Stardust and Nightshade seemed a little less sure. They began to move a little slower, Night moving to the front to scan for danger. With his heightened hearing and night-vision magic, he made the best lookout for the group.

“There’s something coming. A lot of somethings… I hear claws rushing through leaves… I think it’s…”

Suddenly, his eyes went wide, and he turned to Stardust with a shocked expression as the sounds became audible to the rest of the group, accompanied by a foul stench.

“Timberwolves!”

A large, canine creature lunged out of the shadows, darting around to flank the group as more of them followed, circling around the three ponies, working together to surround them. Star and Night pulled Dream in, trying to protect her. Star fixed one of the wolves with a glare. Dream could feel her trying to use magic, but she was holding back. The wooden wolves were watching warily, waiting for any sudden movements. The briefest flash of magic could set them off, and that would spell disaster.

Dream had never known danger, especially not like this. Suddenly this all didn’t seem so fun. She was frozen with fear, watching as the large creatures paced around them, snarling hungrily.

Then, Night whispered lightly to the group, ears darting around. “There’s somepony coming. We need to let them know we’re here.”

Star gave a brief nod, then shut her eyes. She opened them to reveal the white glow of witch-magic. With a cry, she let out a pulse of magic around the group, forcefully pushing the wolves back. Two of them shattered upon striking against the sides of trees, but the rest quickly righted themselves. Still, the group had their opening and quickly began to use it to make their escape, running out through the woods.

Dream began to fall behind the two adults, her small legs unable to keep up. Then she remembered her wings. While she wasn’t a strong flyer, at least she knew the wolves wouldn’t be able to catch her in the air. With a quick beat of her wings she took off, working to gain some height on the wolves.

“Go on without me!” she called out to the group as she flew up into a high tree branch. “Just run!”

She clung to her branch for dear life as one timberwolf broke off from the group to circle her tree, staring up at her. It would occasionally stop to lunge up at her, snapping its jaws and snarling, but then it would give up and go back to circling. She was too tired to fly far. She was trapped.

Then the sound of thundering hooves came, and a large blur bashed against the side of a very surprised timberwolf. In overjoyed awe, she craned her neck to catch a glimpse of her rescuer. There, standing in the midst of a shattered timberwolf, was a young, muscular Earth pony stallion. He smiled up to her.

“C’mon, little lady. Let’s go help yer pals!”

Dream glided down, and the stallion lifted her up with his teeth and planted her firmly on top of his back.

“Hold on tight!”

The stallion thundered off in the direction Star and Night had run, carrying Dream faster than she’d ever traveled before. Curious, Dream tapped into her magic and saw that the stallion seemed to be drawing magic from the ground as he traveled, using it to give him energy. Then, looking up, she saw the signatures she’d come to recognize as Star’s and Night’s auras. They were surrounded, trapped, by a strange magical signal sent out by something big, bigger than the timberwolves had been. She let her savior know, and he quickly changed direction, heading for them.

They came to a clearing by a cliff face where her friends were trapped with their backs to the wall by a giant timberwolf. Dream, still using her power, could now see its strange magic more clearly. There was a single focal point in its chest that held all of the bits of wood together. As she dismounted so that the Earth pony could do his thing, she focused her energy on that one spot, trying to do anything to help the situation.

The point began to glow, clearly showing what seemed to be the thing holding it together. Realizing this, she shouted out to the Earth pony before he could make any other move.

“Hit the glowy bit!”

The stallion turned and gave her a knowing grin, as the giant timberwolf turned to face them. Then, the stallion braced himself, and Dream could see him somehow drawing massive amounts of magic from the earth, building up into a powerful reservoir within him.

The wolf roared and swung down a claw, but the stallion used some of that built up energy to dash to the side faster than a normal stallion should be able to. Then, he released all of that energy in one great motion, propelling himself forward as a hurtling projectile, aimed right for the wolf’s chest. The beast’s eyes went wide as its core was forcefully ripped from its chest by the stallion’s intense attack. With a dying cry, the timberwolf crumbled. They had won.

Star, Night, and Dream all rushed together, grateful that they were all okay. Once everyone was done, they turned to their hero.

“Thank you for saving us mister…” Stardust began, trailing off as she realized she didn’t know how to address the stallion.

“Lance,” he replied with a cocky grin. “Stone Lance, freelancing adventurer, at yer service.”

“Well, Stone Lance, thank you for your help.”

The stallion let out a loud, boisterous laugh. “Now come on, ain’t nothin’ to it! Now if I’m not mistaken, ya’ll ain’t from around here. And ya don’t seem like bandits. So I take it ya’ll ‘re new arrivals?”

The group nodded and the stallion beamed.

“Well, follow me then! Town ain’t far, I’ll give ya the grand welcome!”

Stone turned and began to trot off, leading the group towards town.

“Ya’ll were lucky I was exploring the area, and that it was just timberwolves. Got a lot of worse things out here. Cutthroat bandits, cultists, manticores… gotta be careful in these woods. If ya’ll are gonna live here, we’re gonna have t’ get ya’ll some trainin’, teach ya how to keep safe around here.”

Soon enough, they were stepping out of the forest, and in the clearing, there it was. A modest-sized, quaint town in the middle of the woods, with dark colored buildings framed against a dark night sky, shimmering with a sea of stars. Dream had never seen anything so beautiful.

“Welcome to Hollow Shades!”

The town hall was a large building towards the center of town, and from the looks of it was probably one of the oldest buildings in town. It was also the home of the town registrar, where Dream and her friends would go to register as members of the community.

The stallion in charge was an elderly thestral named Mothlight, who sat at a high desk with a large records book. Quill by his side, he gazed down at the group of newcomers with a bored expression.

“Alright. The mare first. State your name, race, and age for the census.”

“My name is Stardust. I’m a unicorn and a sanguine, and I’m 23 years old.”

“Hm… been a while since we had a new sanguine… Profession? Skills? We like to try and help you find work right away. Can’t have you lazing about now, can we?”

“I don’t really have too many skills. I worked as a waitress before I got cursed. I was studying illusion magic, because that’s my special talent, but I’m not that proficient.”

The stallion grumbled as he scribbled something down. After a moment, he looked back at her.

“Try the inn. I think Grassy Knoll said she needed some help. And perhaps you should join one of the local covens, they might be able to help you with your magic. Next, the stallion.”

“Nightshade. Thestral, age 21.”

“Hrm… Where you from, son?”

“Cravenmoor Cavern tribe, sir. Manticore attack chased everyone away.”

“Ah… always a shame to lose some of the old lands… what did you do for the tribe?”

“I was a gatherer for the local healer. Special talent for identifying wild plants.”

“Well now, seems you’re in luck! One of the apothecaries was looking for a new apprentice. I’m sure you’ll fit in great there. Now, the filly.”

Dream was nervous. What would she tell him? What would happen to her? Now that she was actually here, the full implications of the situation dawned on her. Would she be allowed to stay with Star and Night? They were like family to her! She didn’t think she could be separated from family again…

Star nudged her side with her nose, then gave her a patient, calming smile, that just seemed to make Dream’s worries melt away. She took a deep breath, then faced the waiting stallion.

“I’m Dream Weaver. I’m… 8 years old. And I’m a pegasus… and a witch.”

The stallion raised an eyebrow as he wrote that down.

“A witch you say? Naturally born? Either of your parents a witch as well?”

“Er… yes, I-I think I was born like this. B-but I don’t think my parents were witches.”

“Mm hmm…” he mumbled as he wrote this down. “So what’s your story, missy? It’s obvious these ponies aren’t family. I can guess, but I need to hear it from your mouth for the records.”

And so, with some gentle prodding and help from Stardust and Nightshade, Dream told the tale of how she came to Hollow Shades. When she finished, Mothlight nodded and finished writing, setting aside his quill. Then he steepled his hooves, looking down at the group.

“Given the situation, it would seem to me that you all have grown incredibly close, is that correct?” When the three friends all agreed, the stallion continued, “Well then, I presume you would want to stay together.”

Dream’s heart soared with hope. Could she really stay with them?

“If you two feel you’re up to the responsibility, I can set all three of you up with a room at the inn. I’m sure Grassy will be accommodating. As for the filly, she may stay with you, provided she attend lessons with one of the town covens and that you allow for monthly reviews by the town guard to ensure you’re taking proper care of her. Otherwise, I see no problem with you taking care of her.”

The stallion gave a slight smile before stamping down on a few forms and clearing his throat.

“Well, congratulations. You’re all officially residents of Hollow Shades. Welcome to your new home!”

The three ponies, once strangers but now family, hugged and cheered with joy. Of course none of them were as happy as Dream right now. She had a family that she knew would love her no matter what. She had a new home full of adventure and danger and new ponies to meet.

Her new life began now.

Moving In

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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.

Lessons Over the Years

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Dream sat quietly, focusing her mind to feel the energies of the world around her while surrounded by about a dozen other coven acolytes doing the same. She had to try and unravel the enchantment placed on a book without looking at it. Usually, magic looked like a series of strings to her, with different colors and vibrations displaying their source or the type of magic they represent. An enchantment like this would usually look like a knot of different spells wrapped up within the center of the object. She could feel the knot with her mind, but she was having trouble distinguishing between the different threads without any visual input.

The sounds of other colts and fillies getting up and stretching signaled that they had finished their exercise, while Dream still struggled. She felt around until she found a string she recognized. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the one she needed. She needed to find the keystone spell, the thing holding the different enchantments together. She could have pulled away that spell, but then she would have failed her exercise. She had to find the keystone if she wanted to pass.

As more students left, she began to panic. She didn’t want to be the last pony to figure it out. She felt around more desperately, her frustration only making it harder to distinguish between the different threads.

Realizing her mistake, she stopped and took a few deep, calming breaths to relax herself. Then, she tried again, feeling more carefully. At that moment, she found it, by several other strings that had covered it to hide it from her senses. Letting out a relieved sigh, she tugged on the keystone spell with all of her might, feeling a sense of satisfaction as it slid away. She smiled and opened her eyes in time to see the different magic lines falling away as the enchantment was broken.

Her teacher, Calm Caster, stepped forward with a proud smile.

“Excellent recovery, Dream. Nice work calming yourself down at the end there. You cannot always rely on your eyes to tell you about a spell. Sometimes you must be able to use only your power to deduct the nature of the magic you deal with. Now then, go get some rest. You’ve earned it.”

Dream nodded and stood, looking around for the first time in she didn’t know how long. There were only a hoofful of other students left. While disappointed that she was one of the last ones to finish, she was still glad that she got it done.

Stepping out into the main room of the coven’s home, she met up with Fang. Being a ghoul, Fang didn’t have access to the same sort of powers Dream did. Instead, Fang was only attending the lessons because her mother, the current queen of the local ghoul pack, felt it would be good if her daughter learned to be more like ponies, in hopes that future generations of their race would fit in better in pony society. Accompanying her were two adult male ghouls, the kinds she often saw wandering the town. From what Fang told her, they were a lot less intelligent than her and her mother, being almost completely feral. Evidently no male ghoul had been able to learn to speak yet, though most seemed to have a basic understanding of what ponies said to them as long as they spoke slowly and used simple words.

The ghouls looked down at Dream as she approached Fang, letting out threatening hisses before calming down upon recognizing her. They were very protective of their charge, and tried to chase away any pony they didn’t know, which unfortunately was pretty much every pony.

Fang scampered forward on her long gangly legs, excitement in her blind eyes. “How was your test? Did you do well?”

“Yeah. It was tough, but I got it. Hey, you mind if we get a snack? That really made me hungry.”

“Sure!” Fang exclaimed before turning to her guards. Her eyes began to glow, and soon so did their eyes as well, as she mentally commanded them. The glowing ceased, and they let out short, guttural barks of acknowledgement before rushing out of the room to feed, relieved of their duty for a little while.

Dream trotted over to where her pack was to pull out the lunch Stardust had packed for her. Fang sat with her as she ate, waiting for her own lunch to arrive. At first, she had found Fang’s feeding habits odd, but after spending a month in Hollow Shades, she became a lot more comfortable around carnivores like the ghouls. Soon enough, the two guards returned, one of whom came forward to drop a fat dead rat in front of his princess. With a pleased squeal, Fang dove in, snatching it up in her jaws as she began to tear into it. Dream had to look away as she ate. While she was comfortable with the idea of carnivores, she still wasn’t quite used to seeing it yet.

A few months later, Dream’s training was coming along nicely. She had learned how to master several spells relating to her talent, giving her the ability to send a pony into a deep sleep with little difficulty, as well as the power to cause and dispel nightmares. She was also fairly adept at levitating objects and dispelling simple enchantments, and had a beginners knowledge of how ley lines, moon cycles, and other natural phenomenon enhanced or hindered a witch’s power.

She had also learned a lot about the creatures she’d seen when she first discovered her powers. They were literal Nightmares, beings made of dream magic that fed off of fear in the same way that changelings fed off of love. They slipped into ponies bedrooms and caused bad dreams to feed off of the distress, only to later be chased away by Luna. Evidently, these monsters had grown greatly in numbers during her banishment, meaning they were now a lot bolder and more common than they once were. It would take a long time for Luna to deal with them all.

However, Dream also learned that Nightmares’ had a vital function: the frightening dreams they created helped ponies reflect on their faults, flaws, or doubts. Thus, she shouldn’t be stopping the Nightmares the way she had been doing; when she chased them away prematurely without actually resolving the nightmare, the victim would have no chance to learn from it. She was doing more harm than good. The only way to really help would be to enter the dreams and resolve the issue the same way Luna did. Unfortunately for Dream, the spells used for dream walking were a long forgotten secret, one that seemed only Luna herself remembered.

So it came as quite a surprise to her when, one night, she received a visitor in her dreams.

It was a common nightmare for her. She was trapped in her old home, tormented as a monstrous version of her mother hunted her down while an angry mob with pitchforks and torches sat outside, roaring for her head. Chants of ‘Burn the witch’ rang out through the night as her mad mother cackled, tearing apart the house to get to her.

“Come out you little monster! I’ll make you pay for being born!”

Dream sat crying in a closet, huddled in the corner as she heard her mother growing closer. She curled up tighter, squeezing her eyes shut as she anticipated the worst.

Then the door opened, and all the tumultuous noise stopped. She sniffled and looked up.

Standing there was the most beautiful sight Dream had ever seen. Princess Luna, alicorn of the night, was standing before her, staring down with what seemed to be confusion.

“So you are the one I have felt interfering with the Nightmares. I must say, I am quite surprised that somepony of your age could accomplish such a feat. Tell me your story, young one. I wish to understand how you came to my attention.”

And so, after wiping away her tears, Dream told her tale, from the moment she discovered her true nature to the present. Luna sat and listened attentively throughout the entire telling, and only when Dream was done did she speak.

“Ah yes, Hollow Shades,” she said with a nostalgic sigh. “It has been far too long since I last visited. You are in good hooves there. As for your talent… well, perhaps I should bring back the fine art of dream walking. What do you say? Would you care to learn a thing or two? With the widespread nature of the nightmares, I find myself stretched a bit thin. I believe the time has come to seek help.”

Dream was stunned by this sudden development as the implications of what the Princess had just said. This was an amazing opportunity for her, a chance to help Luna with her sacred duty, to develop her talents further, and maybe even a chance to truly fulfill her talent!

Luna smiled down at her calmly. “If you would like to, I believe that I may be able to make time to train you. I will come for you the next time I visit the town so that I may instruct you in the basics of dream walking and manipulation. If you wish, you could even be my protégé, should you demonstrate the appropriate skill and dedication to the role.”

Dream couldn’t contain her excitement and began to express her gratitude quite vocally, bouncing about the room as she chanted “Yes!” repeatedly. Luna couldn’t help but chuckle at the display.

The rest of the dream went well after that, with Luna calming Dream down to have a serious discussion with her about her issues with her mother. Dream would wake up the next morning well-rested and excited for her future, knowing what she’d learned in the dream was true.

Years passed, and Dream grew. Luna had made good on her promise and had taught Dream the ancient art of dream walking, or at least the basics. After some time it became clear that while she did have a knack for it due to her cutie mark it wasn’t really what she wanted to do with her life. She left Luna’s tutelage, grateful for the opportunity to learn under her. Luna was happy to let her go find her own path, assuring Dream that she would find other talented ponies to enlist to help her.

Now a young mare in her teens, Dream found herself entering an awkward phase of her life: her first estrus cycle. Her body was burning with unfamiliar sensations and desires, as every stallion she saw was suddenly much more appealing to her. However, while her body craved stallions, she found herself able to ignore the urges, as her mind told her something completely different.

She was out on the town that day in particular. She had her estrus mostly under control, and couldn’t stay in her room any way. Night and Star had officially wed last year, and this was their first estrus as a couple. Dream was more than happy to give them some privacy to get intimate and maybe even produce a sibling for her. While she missed Wishy and knew nothing could ever replace her, Dream did want to feel like a big sister again.

She considered going to visit Fang, but remembered that estrus was a particularly bad time to go into the ghoul’s den area. The female ghouls got particularly aggressive during that time from what she remembered. She didn’t want to rub one of them the wrong way by encroaching on their territory, especially since they’d likely all be fiercely mating. On top of that, pretty much all of the other fillies in her class were holed up at home, trying to beat back their own estrus cycles. Dream was alone.

She wandered about the town, looking for something, anything to occupy her and cure her boredom. She happened to be near the inn when she heard it, the familiar howl of one of her favorite ponies in town. She didn’t know why Grassy was behind the inn or why she was howling out, but she found herself excited to learn she was around and in her lycan form.

Dream couldn’t explain it, but she felt happy whenever she saw Grassy Knoll in her strong, confident wolf-like form. Not happy in any way she could normally describe though, it was a strange sort of happiness that she couldn’t compare to anything she’d ever felt. As she trotted closer, she began to hear more sounds. Sounds that made her slow her pace and reconsider. Thumping, bumping sounds. Moans and growls, coming from Grassy and a stallion.

Dream suddenly didn’t feel so happy to hear Grassy as she put two and two together. She felt something else as she turned away to leave her be. She felt jealous. Confused and frustrated, Dream sat down in front of the inn to try and ponder these feelings tumbling around her mind. She wondered why she felt jealous. She wondered why she cared what Grassy did with some stallion. She wondered why she wished that she was that stallion, so close to Grassy in a way that Dream could only imagine.

Her eyes widened as it dawned on her. With a groan, she hung her head, realizing why the lycan mare made her so happy, why she didn’t crave stallions in the same way that other mares did. She had a crush on the older mare, who was like an aunt to her. The mare who always greeted her with a smile no matter what form she took. The mare who was always a caring ear to listen to all of her problems. The strong, dominant mare that Dream looked up to and wanted to grow up to be like.

As Dream tried to sort out these thoughts, Grassy came around the corner, a smug grin on her face. She made her way past Dream, before pausing to look down at her.

“Hey squirt, what’s eatin’ you?” she asked, kneeling down by the distressed looking pegasus’ side. “C’mon, you know you can talk to your Aunt Grassy!”

Dream looked up to her, finding it hard to look her in the eye. She wanted to give her some lie, say everything was fine, but she knew Grassy wouldn’t buy something like that. Steeling herself, she let it out.

“Grassy… I think I’m in love with you.”

There was a brief awkward silence as Grassy seemed to freeze up. Dream was terrified by the lack of response. ‘Oh Celestia, I’ve ruined everything!’ she thought in a panic. Finally though, the older mare broke the quiet with a slight, awkward chuckle.

“Oh wow… jeez kid, I’m flattered, really! But… well…” she coughed, blushing. “Ah hell, I ain’t good with this. Um… lemme get the other me to talk about this…”

Dream was stunned. She’d never seen Grassy’s lycan self be anything other than cocky and self-confident, and she surely had never seen her turn to her meek pony form to solve her problems.

Sure enough, Grassy shrunk down, her body returning to its natural state. Pony Grassy was back, giving Dream an almost motherly smile.

“Now Dream,” she began in her quiet voice, “I’m really sorry, but I don’t feel the same way. I can’t. I’m attracted to stallions. And if I’m guessing right, you aren’t?”

Dream stared at her blushing before giving a slow, unsure nod. She’d grown up thinking that she was supposed to find a nice stallion someday, at least by what her mother had taught her. Now though, she found the idea of settling down with some guy unappealing. She’d much rather spend her life with a mare like Grassy. Well, a mare like the lycan Grassy. While it was hard to grasp, she slowly began to accept that she just wasn’t into stallions the way other mares she knew were. She loved mares.

“And that’s perfectly fine!” Grassy continued. “But I’m afraid it just wouldn’t work between us. I have to be true to myself, the same way that you have to be true to yourself. Someday, you’ll find a mare your own age, somepony perfect for you in every way. I promise.”

It hurt, being told there was no chance of her ever being with Grassy. A part of her wanted to get angry about it and deny that it was hopeless between them. But she already knew it was true. She knew that the difference in age and preferences was a deal breaker. The sooner she accepted it, the sooner she could move on with her life. She gave Grassy a sad smile, and the two were soon hugging it out.

Dream sighed, hoping to high heavens that Grassy’s promise was right, that someday she would find some mare that was just as perfect as she was.

It was a year later when Dream finally began to chase her true passion: Freelancing. She began to train under Stone Lance’s guidance, learning how to fight from him and his teammates, the Lancers.

“Remember darlin’,” Stone had told her on her first day, “A good freelancer never goes into a fight without backup close by. You never know what kind of sticky situation you’ll find yourself in, so it’s a good idea to have a pony or two watchin’ your back. We like to build up a good reserve of members with all sorts of different skills for all sorts of different missions! That way, you can prepare for most anythin’!”

Stone Lance taught her the basics of hoof-to-hoof combat and the rules of running a freelancer team. A slim pegasus stallion named Katana taught her the fine art of fighting in mid-air, using her wings as weapons whether just on their own or covered by bladed wing-guards. A strange plant-like pony, a mandragora from what she was told, named Tulip Vine taught her about wilderness survival, with some home tutoring by Nightshade to help her along. A griffin, Janine, showed her the general area around Hollow Shades, from the lake and swamplands to the north to the castle ruins and deep woods to the south. Psychedelics, a strange unicorn of ambiguous gender, helped her hone her magical skills into combat applications as well as train her in mental defense techniques to protect from mind warping magic.

After months of training, the time came for her final trial. She had to defeat Stone Lance in one-on-one combat, by any non-lethal means necessary. She equipped herself with faux-leather wing guards to replicate her wing blades and cleared her mind to focus on the task at hoof. She stepped into the ring, facing her big, burly mentor. He wore nothing, relying only on his body as his weapon.

“You ready, little lady?”

“You know it, you big lug!”

With that, she lunged forward, breaking into a full gallop straight for him. As he raised up on his hind legs to strike down at her, she darted away just as his hoofs came crashing down where she once was. She swung her wing at his legs with enough force to disable a regular pony, only for him to jump out of the way and turn his back to her, bucking out at her head.

She skidded out of the way before leaping up into the air, winging into the air above him. Stone turned to look up at her, frowning as she hovered out of reach. While in the air, she activated her magic and stared down at her adversary with her other sight. She saw him grounding himself, using the ancient earth pony technique of borrowing magic from the ground to increase his own physical abilities.

She knew that if she waited too long, he would be able to attack her despite the distance using his enhanced strength. She twitched her flapping wings, tugging at the magic strings of his mind. He was too intensely focused on the battle to put to sleep, but she did stagger him with a sudden burst of drowsiness, giving her the opening she needed.

Falling into a dive, she swooped low to strike at him with her wing-guard. Time seemed to slow. If she landed this hit, it would be considered a killing blow. She could see Stone shaking off the drowsiness and look at her diving towards him. She took aim, even as he struck the ground with his hooves, using his grounding for a little bit of geomancy. She spun, swinging her wing for the nape of his neck even as the pillar of stone shot up and struck her in the leg.

Her blow hit home. It only jarred him a little, but if she’d been wearing the actual blades she would have cut deep, fatally wounding her foe. She came out of her spin roughly, tumbling along the ground with a bruised torso and a sprained hind leg. But she had won the fight. Stone Lance popped his neck and laughed out, going over to help her up.

“Great match kid! I’d say that’s all the proof I need to see! I, Stone Lance of the Lancers, proudly award you the prestigious position of a Hollow Shades freelancer captain!”

While Dream wanted to be a freelancer, the unfortunate truth was that none of the town’s teams were taking on new members. In order to become a freelancer, Dream had to start her own team. She’d been urged against it by many, but she wanted this. She wanted to be a freelancer captain.

Two members of the town guard came over, presenting her with her official license as her friends and family gathered to congratulate her. Despite the pain, Dream couldn’t help but beam. She was finally going to live her dream of excitement and adventure!

That day, Dream Weaver’s adventure truly began.

Birth of the Dreamers

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Dream Weaver sat and sighed in her Freelancer team’s ‘Headquarters,’ or in other words her room at the inn. Grassy was kind enough to let her stay at a reduced rate, but this was a far cry from what she’d hoped for out of her experience as a Freelancer Captain.

It would be alright if she actually was getting work. But with no reputation and only one member on the team, town residents didn’t come to her when they needed things. Oh sure, she’d gotten paid to help with a few small projects around the town; a broken fence to repair here, some herb gathering there. All she was given was menial labor from people who felt sorry for her.

Things didn’t look to be getting better either. She couldn’t attract any new members. Any talented ponies looking for Freelancer work would rather wait for an opening in one of the veteran teams than jump in to follow an inexperienced rookie with no serious jobs under her belt. Fang had wanted to help, but evidently her mother drew the line at going out on adventures. She didn’t know anyone else in town who she trusted as much as Fang.

Needless to say, things were not going well.

With another sigh, she rose and went out for a walk through the constant night. Her feathers ruffled as she stepped into the brisk air. She hoped that a long trot around town might help her to clear her thoughts. She’d been warned about all of this. Star, Night, Lance, all of them had warned her to be patient and just wait for an opening. But no. She’d been headstrong and decided that she couldn’t wait, that she had to become a Freelancer captain right away. She had been lucky to pass the test to apply in the first place.

After an hour of slowly pacing through the starlit streets, opportunity came knocking in the form of a town guard coming up to her. The armored thestral approached with a purpose, heading right for her as he called for her attention.

“Ms. Dream Weaver? The town guard would like to hire your services.”

Dream stopped in her tracks, eyes wide as she heard the job offer from the guards of all ponies! They only hired Freelancers for serious matters. Maybe she had to investigate a case of a missing hunter, or raid an encampment of crazed bandits! She gave the stallion her full attention.

“All of the other teams are busy on important missions and can’t spare any members. We’d like you to patrol the roads into town to see if there’s any bandit activity. We’d prefer it if you didn’t get into any fights. We just need a report of any suspicious ponies lurking out there. If there is any trouble, get back to town right away so that somebody with more experience can handle it. Upon giving your report, you will be paid a decent sum of bits for your services. Do you accept the job?”

Dream was disappointed that she was just being given grunt work, but grunt work was still work. She agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly, and headed home to grab her gear, just in case.

An hour into her job and she was almost bored to tears. The woods around the roads were quiet. No highwaymen, no roaming monsters, no bandit gangs. Nothing whatsoever. She flexed her wings, bladed coverings glinting in the streams of moonlight in the dim forest. She desperately wanted some action. Or at least a story to bring home so that the night wasn’t a total loss.

It was then that she heard it. A shout in the distance. Followed by more, along with the growing sounds of a fight. Her eyes widened with excitement as she realized that some poor traveler was being attacked by bandits, and that she had to rescue them! Then it really hit her how serious this would be. This would be life or death.

Gritting her teeth and bracing herself for battle, she charged towards the sound of conflict.

There in the middle of the road was an incredible sight. Three roughed up looking bandit ponies, clad in torn leather armor and wielding rusted blades, surrounded a creature that Dream had certainly heard of but had never seen. He was tall, possibly taller than Luna had been. From the waist down, he had the torso and legs of a lean yet powerfully fit pony. But from the waist up, his body more resembled a flat-faced minotaur, with a broad chest and muscled arms. He bellowed out, two small tusks poking out of his lower jaw, as he swung an old, chipped battle axe at one of the bandits, only for them to deftly dodge out of the way of his clumsy attack.

Tales of Lord Tirek briefly flashed in Dream’s mind before she remembered what she had learned about judging an entire race by the actions of one member. She raced toward the battle, coming to the centaur’s aid. Flaring out with her power, she sent a powerful pulse of sleep spell to one of the distracted bandits. The criminal, not seeing the attack coming, almost instantly dropped, slumbering in the middle of the fight. This caught his companions off guard, giving the centaur an opening to slam one with the broad side of his axe, sending him flying into the side of a thick pine tree, knocking him unconscious. The last bandit looked between the two with a look of fear, slowly backing away. Then his eyes narrowed.

“You’ll pay for this. You and all your little freak friends.” With that, he was gone, running off into the dark forest.

Dream knew what had to be done. Hollow Shades didn’t tolerate bandits like these. If she let them go, they’d only come back. She went over to the first of the two, wincing as she twitched her wing across his throat. She grimaced and tried to hold back the bile that quickly jumped up into her mouth.

Dream Weaver had taken her first life. Hearing the sounds of a falling axe blade, she was only partially relieved that she wouldn’t have to take her second as well.

“Thank you,” the centaur finally said in a low, grumbling tone. “I am not used to fighting such nimble opponents.”

He gave a quick bow before continuing. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Arkus, son of Haktos, of the bloodline Unterrus. Be you of the place known as Hollow Shades?”

Dream, calming her nerves, smiled shakily to the centaur. Now that the fight was over, she could see his features more clearly. His upper half was a light tint of purple, his chest covered by a sleeveless garment made of black cloth. His darker colored mane flowed down to his shoulders behind a pair of short curved horns, curling up like some sort of headpiece. He had a thin jaw, a flat nose, and small squinting eyes. His pony half was fairly unremarkable, with a coat the same purple as his skin and a short tail that matched his mane.

Honestly, compared to what she’d heard about Tirek, he seemed… smaller than she’d expected.

Realizing that she hadn’t actually answered his question, she quickly responded, ashamed of the nervous tone her voice betrayed. “Y-yes, I’m from Hollow Shades. I was actually patrolling for bandits like these guys when I came across you. I’m um… I’m Dream Weaver. Nice to meet you… Arkus, you said?”

She held out a shaking hoof, which Arkus regarded with confusion before apparently remembering something, bending slightly to shake it in his hand. He gave her a somewhat sad smile.

“So I see the hurt my disgraceful former countryman has caused still lingers even here. I should have known better.” He sighed. “I hope you do not judge our people too harshly by his actions… We have been waiting for generations to try and negotiate peaceful trade between our nation and yours. But we always feared that we would be unfairly judged by Tirek’s actions in the past. Then, when we finally felt the hurt had faded, he returns like the plague on our race he truly is!”

Spitting off to the side in disgust, the centaur shouldered his axe. “I was but a guard in training back in my homeland. But when I heard the news that Tirek had returned, that he once again attacked Equestria and abused his gift, I knew I had to do something. That is why I came here. I wish to show that we centaurs should not be judged by his actions! I have heard the tales of Hollow Shades, how it is a safe haven, and I felt it would be the appropriate place to begin my mission of peace. I wish to join the town’s guard and prove my worth!”

Hearing his story put Dream more at ease. She swallowed her fear and smiled much more genuinely this time, offering to lead him into town. Right after she looted these bandits’ corpses for anything of worth.

On the walk back to town, Dream had to convince Arkus that she was not actually a member of the guard, instead explaining the role of the Freelancers. It was difficult for him to grasp, because evidently in his land guards were just as much adventurers and heroes as they were peacekeepers. It sort of made him wary of his goals now, but he stuck to it. They trotted into town, and though there were some odd looks and whispers here and there, no one seemed to mind his presence too much.

She brought him to the registration office so that he could officially move in before going to give her report. The guards, while not fond of the fact that she had to fight on what should have been a simple routine job, commended her on dealing with the
situation properly and helping to integrate a new resident to their community. Not only that, but they were very interested to hear that the newcomer was likely to join their ranks soon, glad to know that Freelancing hadn’t grabbed every skilled fighter’s attention.

Dream took her payment and began to head for home when a familiar voice called out to her. Arkus ran up to her, bowing quickly before speaking. “I am now a member of this town! I am to go to an interview for a position in the guard tomorrow! I just wished to thank you once again, Dream Weaver of Hollow Shades, for helping me. I do not know if I would be here without your assistance.”

Dream smiled wide, then began to lead him to the inn to introduce him and get him set up with a room. However, it soon became clear that there was one problem with that plan.

Arkus didn’t have any bits. He only had the currency of his homeland, which was worthless here. He’d never thought ahead to what he would do when he actually got here, nor did he ever consider that his money would be no good.

That’s when Dream had an idea.

After a month of being roommates, Dream and Arkus got to know each other a lot more. Dream learned that despite his strength and size, he was actually quite younger than she’d thought. In fact, he was almost her age. He actually had a bit more growing to do, which surprised Dream greatly. She also learned that the worn axe he lugged around with him was a family heirloom, forged by his great-great-great grandfather. It even had a name: roughly translated, its centaurian name effectively meant ‘Spine Cleaver.’

Arkus had successfully gotten into the guard, and quickly found himself… disappointed. As he’d feared upon hearing about the Freelancers, the town guard was not at all what he’d expected. He was tired of patrolling the streets for everyone to stare at. He was tired of the chaffing, ill-fitted armor they required him to wear, not at all suited for his frame. Most of all, he was tired of the lack of action.

The obvious solution didn’t come until much, much later than it should have. On that fateful day, Arkus finally found work he could enjoy, and Dream Weaver finally had another member to her team.

Now they just needed a name.

“The Blood Baths!” Arkus eagerly suggested. Dream winced in response.

“No… that’s uh, that’s more of a bandit gang name. We’re the heroes, remember?”

“Ah… fair point… What about the Axers?”

“You’re the only one using an axe, and it sounds too much like the Lancers.”

“Hmm…” He rubbed his chin in thought, staying quiet for a while.

Dream had gone for quite a while without giving her team a name. Before it hadn’t been a big deal since it was just her. But now that she actually had some more muscle around, she needed to be sure her team had a name that could gain a good reputation. Something like the Lancers, or the Misfits, or the Heroes! But unique to them.

Then it hit Dream. The perfect name.

“The Dreamers,” she said in a hushed tone, seeing how it felt to say.

“What?” Arkus asked in surprise, snapped out of his own idea process.

“The Dreamers! That can be our name! Because we dream of making this world a better place! And, you know, because my name is Dream.”

“Hm… I still like the Axers better… but the Dreamers is a fine name as well!”

With that settled, Dream and her new team member shook on it. A life of adventure and excitement awaited them.

Needless to say, things were looking up for the Dreamers.

The Mystery of Kelpie Lake, Part 1: Murder on the Shore

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“You ready, Arkus?” Dream called out, flaring out her bladed wings as she dropped into a fighting stance, ready to lunge forward into their fight.

“I was born ready, ma’am!” Arkus proclaimed as he pawed the ground with one hoof, axe in hand and a confident expression dominating his face.

Having received the go-ahead signal, Dream darted forward, dodging aside from Arkus’ slow, heavy downward strike. She twitched her wing out for his leg, only for him to raise it out of the way to try and slam back down on her. But by the time it crashed down, she was already behind him, lunging onto his back. He reached around to grapple her, flinging her forward. She righted herself in midair, skidding to a safe landing a fair distance away, just in time to evade him as he charged her like a mad bull.

He tried to turn mid-charge, only to stumble and fall over. Seeing a perfect chance, Dream rocketed forward, leaping forward and spinning through the air, wing blades striking his exposed stomach several times in succession as she passed him in her corkscrew maneuver.

If their blades hadn’t been enchanted to be dull for the training exercise, she would have cut his stomach to ribbons, utterly disemboweling him. She landed and shook her head as she began to help him up using her power.

“You’ve got to slow down before you turn, Arkus. You know this!” The young centaur scuffed the ground with a hoof in shame, hanging his head. “You’re getting better though. That was a nice grapple back there. You just need to work on aiming at where I’m going rather than where I am.”

“I know… I have much to learn about fighting such nimble adversaries. We have few such foes in the badlands. Dragons, behemoths, trolls, those I can slay. But you ponies… you are just so tiny and agile. It is like trying to crush a fly with your bare hand!”

“I get it, pal. Just keep practicing,” she fluttered by his shoulder and patted his back comfortingly before landing again, removing her blades. “Let’s take five, maybe see if there are any jobs for us.”

He nodded as he hung his axe back over his back, following her lead as he went over the battle in his head.

Dream and Arkus trotted through town towards the guard station, where there was a bulletin that residents could post any jobs they needed Freelancers to do. Most residents went directly to their desired team, but if they were turned away or just didn’t care who did it, they would post it here. And since the Dreamers had yet to really make a name for themselves yet, this was their best bet for work. They had done a few jobs around town already; from helping with heavy lifting to retrieving lost items in the woods.

But as they stepped up to the board today, they were amazed by what they saw. There weren’t many requests on there, but there was one that caught Dream’s attention. A mare named Riverheart was asking for any Freelancer group to go to kelpie Lake to find out what happened to her husband, Fisher King. It gave no other details aside from the reward, which was more than they’d ever been paid for any job. The two looked to each other, silently agreeing that this mission could be their big break.

With an excited grin from Dream and a more determined one from Arkus, the two partners turned to head for the home of their potential client for more info.

Riverheart was a lovely, somewhat exotic looking mare in her prime, with a sleek, dull blue coat and a flowing sea-green mane. Dream found her eyes particularly entrancing, finding herself growing lost in their amber beauty. Her voice was musical and enchanting, Dream could listen to her talk about her missing husband for hours-

Dream shook her head, snapping out of her trance, to find Arkus staring at her curiously and Miss Riverheart blushing brightly. She began to apologize, before being stopped by their host.

“It is not your fault dear. I forgot to repress my… charms, I suppose you could say.” Now that the haze of adoration was out of her mind, Dream could see that River had very strange pupils, like those of a goat, instantly telling her what was going on her. “You see, I’m a kelpie. I do try to keep that fact under wraps, but sometimes I forget and slip into my old ways. I’m er… flattered you feel that way about me.”

Dream knew about kelpies from her studies. They were a kind of faefolk, pony-like creatures with shape changing abilities of some sort, and were one of the most common varieties alongside changelings. Kelpies were aquatic creatures that came onto shore to lure unsuspecting ponies to their side by taking on attractive pony forms. The only way to tell if a disguised kelpie was a kelpie was by their pupils, along with the fact that they were usually dripping wet with seaweed stuck in their mane. However, the kelpies had one way around being found out: if the pony they targeted was even the slightest bit attracted to their disguise, they would find themselves in a trance, much like what Dream had just experienced.

Once they had their victim, the kelpie’s coat would turn to a glue-like quality so that it could pull the poor pony to a watery doom. In the water, kelpies became their true selves, fearsome looking beasts with greasy dull fur, stringy manes, and flesh-rending teeth.

Most kelpies were feral, preferring their wild lifestyles to the peace and security of town. Then there were those like Riverheart, who gave up their ferocity to live in peace amongst their former prey.

Having forgiven River, Dream politely asked her to repeat herself.

“My husband, Fisher King, as you can probably guess by his name, is a fisher. Probably the best one in town. Nopony brings in as much as he does, and he’s one of the few who dare to fish on the shores of Kelpie Lake.

“Every day he goes out, and every day he returns. But this time, he hasn’t come back. Not for three days now. The other fishers think that he’s just been killed by the local kelpies, that he finally slipped up and wound up in a watery grave. But I know my Fisher. He wouldn’t be swayed by those feral hussies. After all, he wasn’t swayed by me.

“No, I fear something worse has happened to him. Foul play by somepony jealous of him maybe. Or… well, there is one other thing. He had been telling me that lately the kelpies around the lake seemed… restless. They’d been sticking to the shore in much higher numbers than he’d ever seen, and none of them had been trying to seduce him. Instead, they just sat in the water and… watched him. This isn’t something we do. Something’s changed with them, and he’d been worried that something was upsetting the ecosystem, driving them away from the depths and closer to shore. He was actually going to try and hire a Freelancer group to look into it after he returned…”

Dream stepped in as she fell quiet. “Don’t worry ma’am, we’ll find out what happened to him. You can count on the Dreamers!”

River sniffled somewhat as she smiled up at her. “Oh thank you, darlings. Though I’d love it if you found his body… just… try and find out what happened to him. And if you can… maybe find out what it was that he was concerned about in the first place. Good luck to you both.”

As they left her cottage, heading north, Dream turned to Arkus. “What do you think, Arkus? You were kind of quiet in there.”

The centaur looked down at her after a short thoughtful hum. “I do not know much about these kelpies, but what her husband told her reminds me of something… I do not recall what though. My apologies.”

She sighed with a smile as they continued. “It’s alright big guy. Just let me know if you think of anything.”

“Of course.”

The trip to the lake was fairly uneventful, aside from the moment where Dream had to keep Arkus from rushing into the deadly trap of a Mandragora plant. She had to point out to him that the feminine cries for help from the deep, dark woods off the trail were on a repeating loop.

They arrived at the shore within the hour, looking out at the large, shimmering lake and its rocky shores. Dream could barely make out the other side of it as she scanned the surroundings. It quickly dawned on them that there was something subtly wrong with this place. They couldn’t tell right away though, as everything was quiet.

Then it hit them; it was quiet. On their way here, they’d heard the sounds of the forest all around, beasts lurking in the distance and birds in the trees. But now, things were nearly silent. No birds were in the trees. No animals were by the shore. Everything was lonely and quiet.

Dream frowned in concern, gesturing for Arkus to follow her as they began their search. They trod carefully across the rocky beach, eyes wide for whatever may lurk here. They needed to find that body fast.

It was then that a sound broke the silence, a slight gurgling sound from nearby. Dream jumped and flared her wings, activating her power as an undisguised kelpie lunged out of the water with a shriek. Its black pelt was matted and greasy, its body frail and bony. Most disturbing of all was its muzzle, its lipless skeletal muzzle as its jaws swung forward to bite into Dream. The foul creature was cut short by an axe swinging down onto its spine, a sickening crack echoing over the lake as Arkus’ blow hit true.

Dream had no time to think over what happened as she sensed the magical signatures of more kelpies approaching fast, rushing up from the shallows. Three more kelpies came into view as they rushed forth from the water, two darting to the sides to flank them as the third rushed straight forward. Arkus reared up and smashed a hoof down onto the foolish kelpie’s head, crushing it into paste beneath his weight.

Dream spun to the one that was trying to flank her, grunting with effort as she grabbed it in mid-lunge with her power. The monster struggled against the magical hold as Dream winced, focusing all her attention on increasing the pressure of her attack. The struggle to escape turned into agonized writhing as she began to squeeze it from all sides. Finally, she managed to snap its neck, dropping it as she let her power fade. That had taken a lot out of her.

Meanwhile, the final kelpie was lunging onto Arkus’ back, trying to bite at his neck. With a roar of anger, he reached back and wrapped his powerful fist around its head, swinging it forward to slam into the ground as hard as he could. He dropped its limp form with a sigh, wiping the foul slime that covered its coat from his hands.

“Well,” Dream panted out, exhausted from such magical exertion. “That was unexpected.”

“Indeed. I thought you said that kelpies liked to lure ponies? That was decidedly not luring.”

Dream shook her head. “Yeah… that was strange. Though River had said the kelpies were acting strange. They were bold… almost desperate even. And they looked so scrawny. Even more than usual actually. I think… I think these guys are starving. But why? There should be plenty of fish in there for them to eat when they can’t catch ponies.”

Arkus’ eyes went wide. “I remember now! I remember what this reminded me of! Near my home were several Diamond Dog colonies beneath the ground of the Badlands. We had a mostly peaceful relationship with them, aside from the occasional bandit parties they would form to attack our trade routes for gems. But then one day, villages came under attack by a horde of them. We hadn’t seen anything like it! After fending off their attacks and looking into the matter, we learned several things.

“The dogs were not stealing riches like they normally did. Instead, they stole only food. And we began to realize that all of the dogs attacking us seemed severely malnourished, barely able to fight at all. After interrogating some of the ones we’d managed to capture, we learned they were all from the same colony. It turns out the raids were due to a giant wyrm that had burrowed into their settlement and had claimed it as its nesting grounds. With this in mind, we promised to aid them in order to cease the attacks, and sent a party to slay the beast that had disrupted their home.”

“Interesting…” Dream mused as she looked out onto the lake. “So what you’re saying is maybe something is chasing them to the shores where there’s less food, and now they’re getting desperate. That just might be it! We’ll need some proof though…” Dream rubbed her chin in thought, pondering the solution to their problem. While they’d only been hired to find her husband’s body, it would be beneficial to all the fishers of Hollow Shades if they solved this problem.

Dream’s eyes went wide as the answer dawned on her. She turned to Arkus and grinned. “Hey Ark? Think you can wrestle a kelpie and hold it still for me?”

“Probably,” he responded with crossed arms, giving her a quizzical look. “Why?”

“Remember how you learned about the wyrm through interrogation? Well, I think I can do the same. All we need is a live kelpie.”

Dream looked out over the lake with a pleased grin. Time to test out those dream walking skills Luna taught her.

The Hollow Shades Chronicles

by Tomsketchit

A Witch is Born

Traveling Tales

Welcome to Hollow Shades

Moving In

Lessons Over the Years

Birth of the Dreamers

The Mystery of Kelpie Lake, Part 1: Murder on the Shore