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Description
A TFTuesday story for you, previously exclusive to my Ao3. The preview art features lines by galuss , colors by saatiew , and a background by me. It was inspired by, and is in many ways a distaff take on, the "Moonlight Rituals" is a short NSFW TF comic drawn by Galuss (known as Navajas on FurAffinity) and commissioned by Foulfrost. While the characters and settings in this story are original, full credit goes to the original artist and commissioner for the idea.

"We look for potential, not reality," the first voice said.

"I know, I know," said the second. "But I'm having trouble seeing the potential."

"She's a physician's assistant. A healer. Surely that's plenty?"

"Plenty of doctors or better with zero potential."

The speakers were hidden in the foliage that still grew on Kennedy Street in Oceanside City, hidden from mortal eyes and mortal ken, partly thanks to their own innate magic, and partly thanks to the deafening tide of mundanity that was put out by the exhaust fumes, buzzing neon signage, and lingering miasma of fat and sugar. It wasn't a place either came to often, or willingly, but they were on a mission.

"Look, there she is again," the first speaker said. "Walking past the MacMeaster's and the Kale 'n' Hearty."

The second observer squinted a moment, trying to reacquire the target, before Addison came into view. Clad in a loose sundress and sandals, she moved with the grace and precision of her long-ago ballet days, her lithe frame effortlessly gliding through the urban terrain. Her long blond hair swayed with each stride, and the fading sunlight caught the sparkle in her blue eyes. "Okay, I see her."

"And you're telling me you don't see the potential there, still?" replied the first.

Addison swept into the next shop on the street, Finley's Coffee, with its smiling mermaid mascot and billion-dollar diversification into unfree labor and the military-industrial complex.

"Oh, classy choice," the second voice said, sarcastically. "Couldn't even spring for a local joint, huh?"

Inside, visible through the plate windows, Addison had ordered. But she made little effort to conceal her impatience, tapping her foot and visibly sighing as the barista prepared her latte. When the customer before her had an order redone, the unsubtle roll of her eyes at the delay, and the way she rocked backward on one heel, hands on hips, betrayed an immense impatience with the whole caffeination process.

"Definitely a winner here, yeah," the second voice said. "Seriously, what do you see in this one other than looks?"

"Watch," the first voice said.

After Addison had—according to her body language, had FINALLY—gotten her skinny iced vanilla latte with almond milk and vegan faux whip, she reached into her purse and pulled out a bill which she stuffed into the tip jar. She made a hasty exit, a white fuzzy mustache already on her lips from the drink.

"There, right there! See that?" said the first voice.

"So she gave them a buck. So what."

"My friend, that was a FIFTY. Fifty mundane dollars."

The second voice was silent a moment. "Hmm," it said. "Okay, let's keep watching."

Further down Kennedy, at the Malaria Zone boutique clothing store, Addison was picking out a new set of running shorts and a new running tank top. As she strolled through the store, visible to the observers in fits and starts through the windows, a sense of entitlement seemed to manifest in subtle ways. She dismissed the sales assistants with a disrespectful wave when they approached, before tracking them down moments later and interrupting them with another customer, seemingly expecting them to cater to her every whim. Addison also handled the merchandise indifferently, and left clothing strewn across display tables.

"I'm starting to think that was a fluke, that fifty," said the second voice once Addison disappeared into a dressing room.

"Keep watching," said its companion. "Remember, we want to bring out potential. If it's already there, thee's no point."

"Potential, potential, potential," mimed the second voice. "Word's lost all meaning with you. I think you just have a thing for blondes."

"Shh! Watch."

Emerging from the dressing room, Addison had clearly left it a mess, ignoring the signs politely asking customers to give unwanted clothes to the attendant. She went around and collected doubles of everything she'd bought, before putting on a similar performance in line to what she'd displayed at Finley's. Rolling her eyes, tapping her feet, and seemingly—if inaudibly—disrespecting the cashier when her first card was declined before whipping out a second.

"I'm watching," the second voice said. "What am I supposed to be seeing? Your 'prospect' acting like an entitled bitch?"

"Watch!"

In between the Malaria Zone and her next stop, Addison stopped by a donation bin for Fashionistas Without Borders and tipped the new clothing, tags and all, inside.

"See? See? Look at that potential, waiting to be expressed."

"Hmph," said the second voice. "We'll see."

At her next and final stop, a quaint local bookstore called The Slaughtered Lambskin, under the watchful gaze of her unseen observers, Addison thoroughly stopped up the store, displaying an apparent disregard for others' personal space, obliviously blocking aisles as she browsed, and seeming totally indifferent to the frustrated glances of fellow patrons.

"Look at that self-absorption," the second voice said.

"Look at that pile of books, though," replied the first. "Big reader. That's potential, yeah?"

Addison cut off another patron on her way out of The Slaughtered Lambskin, with a rude gesture besides…before she proceeded to empty the contents of her bag into the little free library that the bookstore had on its property.

"What a selfless act of charity!" the first voice crowed.

"Does that make up for all the selfishness we've seen?" the second said, sounding unsure.

"She is clearly trying her best to be good, but is being held back by the concerns of her mundane life and mundane form," the first replied. "We can help her with that."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely sure."

"Okay…well, we'll give it a try, on your recommendation."

"Good, good," the first voice said. "Call the others. We'll shadow her up the trail."

After finishing her errands, Addison padded to her car and hopped in, pulling the tiny, cheap thing out of downtown Oceanside and up into the hills, despite its frequent protests. She really needed a new vehicle, but it was hard enough making ends meet with the meager salary that Dr. Edwards paid her, despite the sheer number of things she did for him. Hell, she wouldn't even have today off if Edwards didn't close the clinic for his biweekly golf game.

But now, shopping was out of the way and it was time for some fitness.

Addison pulled into the trailhead at the Canyon Hills, a set of well-maintained hiking trails that snaked and doubled back onto themselves into the lush forests in the hills above Oceanside. Her phone rang as she pulled up; it was Jacob. Of course it was Jacob; Addison's latest paycheck had just hit her bank account.

"Hey, babe," he said. "You busy?"

"Well," Addison said, "I was just about to-"

"Great, great. Glad to hear it. Listen, I need a little money for dinner. Can you transfer me some?"

"We've still got leftovers from last night in the fridge," Addison said with a sigh.

"You know it's not the same reheated, babe," said Jason. "C'mon, what's the boyf got to do in order to get a look in?"

"Get a job?" Addison said, rolling her eyes.

"Ha! God one, babe," Jason chuckled. "I'm still on the books at the CBD Hut, remember. I just took the day off."

"And the day before that," said Addison. "And the week before that. You do know you can't get paid until you go in, right?"

"My babe, always the jokester," said Jason. "So how about it?"

Addison switched apps and dropped $300 in cash from her paycheck to Jason's account with a flourish. "Done."

"Thanks, babe. I owe you one." Jason hung up before Addison could say anything else, leaving her gently pounding her head on her steering wheel.

"I need a nice long run," she muttered. "I need some forests or something."

Using the facilities available on the trailhead, Addison changed into something more appropriate for a run, stripping off her sundress and kicking off her sandals, pulling on the brand new pink shorts and dark tank top from Malaria Zone and pairing them with her trusty running sneakers and athletic socks. Pulling her long blond hair into a ponytail, she stashed her other clothes in the car before setting off.

"She's on the move," a voice said. "We're good to go."

As the sun began dipping below the horizon, casting a warm glow across the secluded trail, Addison set out for her evening jog. The air was crisp, the scent of pine trees surrounding her as she navigated one of the winding paths through the dense Canyon Hills woods. The rhythmic patter of her slender feet against the soft ground echoed in the tranquil silence of the dusk. Due to it being a weeknight, and getting late besides, there were few if any other runners about, but in Addison's eyes that was a bonus.

She wasn't coming out to socialize.

Addison moved with the grace and precision of her ballet days, her lithe frame effortlessly gliding over the rough terrain of the trail. The injury that had ended her dance career before it began didn't affect her in the least; her long blond ponytail swayed with each stride, and the waning sunlight sparkled in her blue eyes. The serenity of the trail enveloped her, even as the lights illuminating it began to snap on one by one, and for a time she was lost in the soothing rhythm of her breathing.

As she ventured deeper into the woods, the trail became shrouded in shadows, the lights reduced to isolated pools of radiance. The first rays of moonlight filtered through the trees, casting long, ethereal patterns on the ground, and the air seemed thick with an unknown tension, enough so to cause a subtle unease to settle over Addison.

"Creepy vibe tonight," she muttered. But breaking off the run early meant going home to Jason, so she pressed ahead. He'd be in the same spot on the couch whenever she returned, after all.

Just as the first stars were emerging in the evening sky, Addison heard a strange sound cut through the increasingly tense tranquility. It was a low, guttural rumble—barely audible at first. Addison slowed her pace, falling from a run to a brisk trot as she strained to identify the source of the mysterious noise.

"What the…?"

A moment later, the long-ago memories of the one summer she'd spent at equestrian camp resurfaced. It had been a horrible ordeal, with Addison winding up pitched into the mud more often than not, but the sound, once it clicked for her, was unmistakable.

The rumble she was hearing was the rhythmic thudding of hooves, but they were definitely not horse hooves. The dissonance sent a brief a shiver down her spine, before she reassured herself. Horses or whatever didn't murder people on trails late at night…right?

Around the next corner, Addison emerged into a large clearing on the trail. It was generally kept clear, and often served as the site for impromptu pickup games. As she did, though, she heard that same sound again, hooves on rough ground…only this time it seemed to be all around her. Her eyes darted around the darkening woods, trying to pick out shapes, motion…and sure enough, once her eyes had adjusted a bit from the lights illuminating the path, she could just barely make up shadowy figures moving stealthily through the trees, keeping pace with her.

"H…hello?" she said. "Is anyone there?"

The shapes continued to move in the darkness, and within moments it became clear that they were advancing on her.

"Nope!" Panicking, Addison quickened her pace, and reversed course, running back along the trail and attempting to outdistance the pursuers that she still could not quite make out. The shadows, however, matched her every move, their ghostly forms blending seamlessly with the encroaching darkness. The clearing suddenly felt like a foreboding amphitheater, and Addison's breaths came in shallow gasps as she tried to escape the unsettling…whatever-it-was…scampering though the woods on slightly wrong hooves.

Moments later, though she heard the same sound coming from the other end of the clearing. From all directions, in fact; the emerging shadows had her hemmed in on all sides. Coming to rest at the center of a puddle of light cast by one of the trail lights, Addison looked around in confusing and fear, panting.

"Who…who are you?" Addison stammered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and confusion.

A moment later, the first of her pursuers emerged from the shadows of the Canyon Hills forest into the periphery of the light. Addison gasped at the sight; it was a large unicorn, emerging almost as a spectral figure, its ethereal form glowing a radiant, pristine white, even in the dim light at the edge of the illuminated area, a phantom summoned from moonlit mists.

At the crown of its majestic head, a long, spiraled horn extended proudly, gleaming with an otherworldly sheen. A dark, flowing mane cascaded down its neck, in stark contrast to the luminous white fur that covered its powerful form, hinting at an untamed wildness despite its otherwise luminous aspect. A similar dark "goatee" adorned its muzzle, framing a mouth that bespoke an unsettling intelligence.

"Welcome," the unicorn said, with a shockingly human voice that was also a deep, gravely baritone.

Its tail, tufted at the end with the same dark hue as its mane, flicked with an otherworldly grace as the unicorn moved further out of the shadows. Its golden, cloven hooves, adorned with long, white fetlocks, moved from the cleared forest floor to the trail with an eerie elegance. As it moved closer, Addison had to admit that the unicorn embodied an unsettling beauty—a creature of light, even as it emerged from the dark.

"What... what do you want?" she asked.

As she did so, Addison realized that other unicorns had also emerged from the deepening night, a half-dozen of them at least, all of similar size and build but with manes of different hues—some white, some brown, even one that was a sort of dirty blond. They had her completely encircled, surrounded; there was no escape.

"We're here to help," the first unicorn, the one with a black mane, said. "We want to help unleash your potential."

Another, the one with a red mane, added: "We want to let out the better angels of your nature, the ones being held back by your mundane life and mundane form." He too spoke in a deep male voice, though with a lighter, faster register.

Confused—it was her first time being confronted by mythical beings, after all—Addison could only answer with another question. "My mundane life…mundane form?"

"Yeah, mundane life," the first unicorn, whom Addison had subconsciously named Black, said. "Like being rude to baristas and retail workers."

"Ex…excuse me?" Addison said. "Have you been following me?"

"Just a little bit," the red-maned unicorn, who had already earned the unconscious nickname of Red in Addison's mind, said. "We had to be sure that you were right for what we're looking for, that there really was potential in there, waiting to burst forth."

"That is so creepy," said Addison.

Black looked at Red, with what Addison could have sworn was an "I-told-you-so" look, but Red shook his head and stamped his hooves.

"We apologize if it seems that way," said Red. "All will become clear once we release your potential and gift you with a less mundane form."

"W-what do you mean?" Addison whispered.

"A mare, of course," Red intoned, its words sending shivers down Addison's spine. "A unicorn mare. The herd has been short one for some time, since our last ascended."

Addison's eyes widened in disbelief. "M-mare? What are you talking about? I'm not some unicorn floozy for your...your herd!"

"See, that's the mundanity holding you back from your full potential," Black replied. "The part of you that's rude and selfish. Believe me, I know the feeling. But we're going to release your potential to be fully noble, luminous, and kind."

"I…I don't want to!" Seized with a sudden fear, Addison looked about for an opening, her legs tensed and ready to flee.

Every avenue was blocked, however; panic surged within her as the unicorns closed in, their movements coordinated and almost predatory. Addison's breath caught in her throat as she attempted to retreat as the unicorns advanced, closing the circle around her. Within moments, she had bumped up against one of the beasts behind her; with a whinny and a rough shove, it knocked her to the ground.

Addison landed heavily on her tailbone, helplessly looking up at the circle of mythical beings around her

Red, the unicorn that had pushed her to the ground, stepped closer to Addison. The pool of light seemed to grow brighter as the creature extended its horn toward her trembling hand. As the horn made contact, a surge of unnatural energy coursed through Addison's body, causing her to gasp in pain as if shocked.

"Embrace the transformation, delicate one," the red-maned unicorn whispered, gently but firmly. "Your destiny is intertwined with ours. You shall become a mare of light, and dance with us through our realm away from the ken of mankind."

Addison's delicate human hands began to change. The touch of the unicorn's horn had caused her fingers, once delicate and dexterous, to tremble, convulsing, each joint creaking and bending in unnatural ways as they elongated. Her fingernails swelled, thickening and hardening into elegant, golden-colored cloven hooves. Her thumbs, the vital opposable digits that once defined her humanity, shriveled and vanished as Addison's wrists elongated, the bones stretching and contorting with graceful fluidity. Addison watched in terror as her hands transformed before her eyes into delicate unicorn limbs, her pale skin giving way to a shimmering coat of sprouting white fur.

"W-what have you done to me?" Addison cried. Her hands, now reshaped into gracile hooves, still twitched involuntarily.

The unicorns' whispers grew louder, swirling around her like an otherworldly chorus. "You possess the essence we seek. A dancer's grace, a spirit untamed, a potential fulfilled."

Red, the lead unicorn, moved to her feet, poking both of them with a gentle insistance. The touch of his twisted horn sent a fresh jolt of intensity through her being, and within seconds Addison felt the bones in her feet rearranging themselves. Her breathing grew ragged as the pressure within her shoes intensified, the fabric resisting the transformation occurring within, seams groaning, fabric straining.

With a sickening pop, the shoes burst open, one after the other, her sneakers surrendering with the soles peeling away while the laces rode up until they were pulled apart. Her socks, now soaked with sweat, also split at the seams, revealing skin warped by the grotesque ordeal. Addison's eyes widened in terror as her once-human toes contorted and engorged, their once-distinct forms now growing and hardening into alien appendages. Her toenails, groomed and polished, cracked and thickened, each one becoming part of a cloven hoof of spun old to match the ones that had been her hands.

As Addison's feet elongated and split into graceful unicorn hooves, her ankles elongated, the bones crackling with astonishing fluidity as they grew. Brilliant albino fur sprouted as her once-delicate feet, now totally reshaped, twitched and spasmed uncontrollably. There was no possibility of escape now, not with four unfamiliar appendages weighting Addison down.

"P-please," she murmured. "Please make it stop."

"Yeah, that would be a bad idea," said Black. "Leaving you halfway changed? Sloppy."

The unicorns closed in around Addison, their twisted horns gleaming in the trail light. Assuredly, methodically, they began to touch various other parts of her body with their enchanted horns. Each contact sent waves of intense sensation through her, and Addison felt an intoxicating, inexplicable haze clouding her thoughts.

As Black the unicorn touched her forehead, a sensation of pressure built up, and Addison felt a strange weight settling between her eyes. A small, twisted horn began to emerge, breaking through her skin. Panic surged through her as she stared, cross-eyed, at the mythical appendage beginning to take form. He and the others continued apace, their horns grazing Addison's shoulders, back, and sides. With each contact, Addison's body thickened and changed. Her once-slender frame began to take on a more robust and powerful aspect, even as he struggled against it.

Addison's hips shifted and twisted, her bones seemingly grinding against each other in an otherworldly symphony of torment. Her brand-new shorts groaned under the pressure of the change, growing tight and ill-fitting, strained by the evolving contours of her changing body. She could feel the beginnings of a tail emerging, a silvery appendage that wriggled with a newfound grace as it pressed against the seat of her underwear. Panic and confusion mounted as she heard threads snapping with a sickening sound, seams unraveling with a grinding tear, exposing Addison's transforming flesh to the night air even as white fur sprouted across it.

With a guttural cry that echoed through the moonlit clearing, Addison felt her tail emerge, bones elongating, contorting, as it tore apart first the remains of her panties and then, an instant later, what was left of her shorts. The growing extension of her spine twisted, vertebrae popping and snapping as they settled into their new shape. As her tail grew to its full lenght, long enough for Addison to see it, a puff of blond hair sprouted at the end, a parody in miniature of the flowing locks that adorned her head.

"This next part's going to sting a bit," said Black. "Sorry about that."

As Addison's metamorphosis continued with a searing pain radiating through her facial features, distorting the once-familiar contours of her face. The bones cracked and reshaped, her face elongating a her mouth contorted, lips stretching and thinning until they formed an ethereal muzzle. As her teeth rearranged themselves, each movement sent waves of discomfort through her jaw. Tears mixed with sweat streamed down Addison's distorted face as her once-prominent cheekbones shifted, and her ears elongated into pointed appendages, their human softness replaced by the sharp angularity of a unicorn.

With her face contorted into the ever-evolving shape of a unicorn, Addison's once-flowing blond hair was now matted against her forehead; the tie of her ponytail had come loose with her changes, and her hair—the one unchanged thing about her head, now cascaded over a growing neck as a mane. The twisted horn on her head continued to grow, pulsing from within with an otherworldly sensation with each new inch, leaving Addison with a fully developed muzzle.

"Almost done now," whispered Red. "Let the changes take their course."

Addison lay contorted on the ground, the final throes of her transformation washing over her with relentless force. Her body writhed and convulsed, each movement accompanied by instinctive spasms that split or shredded the remnants of her clothes. As her top gave way, a disconcerting realization swept over her. In the midst of the metamorphosis, her small, pert breasts were disappearing, melting into her rapidly furring chest as her form continued to reshape.

Gasping, Addison felt her body further swell and distort, filling out the form of a young unicorn mare. Her once-human limbs, now changed into hooves, flailed about, looking for purchase. In a final convulsion, Addison's body shook violently, and the last vestiges of her human form—other than her golden hair and blue eyes--vanished. Naked, shivering, and covered in a slick sheen of sweat, Addison shakily attempted to rise on her new formed hooves. Looking down at her once-human form, now reshaped into the unmistakable shape of a unicorn, Addison felt a profound sense of loss.

"What…what am I?" she whispered. Like her hair, and her eyes, it had survived the transformation intact.

The male unicorns, who had closed in around her, now each trotted a step back, letting Addison find her footing on unfamiliar hooves.

"I don't know," said Black. "What are you?"

"I…I am…" Stunned by the question, Addison took a moment to respond.

With the pain of her change fading away, Addison found herself suddenly filled with energy—reborn.The transformation had stripped away the layers of entitlement, selfishness, and impatience, that she sometimes felt and displayed, leaving behind a version of herself that felt unburdened by the petty and disagreeable mundanity that once clung to her.

In its place, Addison discovered she felt an overwhelming sense of lightness and clarity. It was the shadows in her former life that had been burned away, leaving only light behind; she felt a surge of kindness, purity, and love blossoming within her, unfettered by mortal concerns. The once-elusive harmony she'd fruitlessly sought in her relationships, her job, her personal endeavors…it now flowed effortlessly through her transformed being, as if from a luminous wellspring.

"What are you?" murmured Black unicorn, repeating his earlier question, his voice a gentle breeze that danced through the moonlit clearing. The question hung in the air, pregnant with curiosity and a lingering sense of awe.

"I am…" Addison, her eyes reflecting the serenity that now permeated her soul, met the unicorn's gaze with a tranquil expression.

"You are?" Red prompted.

"I am happy," she responded, her a voice a melody that resonated with the harmonious energy of her new form. "For the first time in a long time, I am happy." Addison's gaze, once clouded by the complexities of ambition and perfection, now held a serene clarity.

"I told you!" Red said, playfully nuzzling Black. "I told you she had potential."

"Happy to be proven wrong," Black mumbled.

"What…what do we do now?" Addison said.

"We run. We dance," said Black. "Come. Let us show you."

With a powerful leap, Addison joined her fellow unicorns, springing out of the manmade light and into the moonlit clearing. Together, they moved with an ethereal grace, blending seamlessly into the shadows as they disappeared into the depths of the Canyon Hills, lost to the ordinary world.

Description
A TFTuesday story for you, previously exclusive to my Ao3. The preview art features lines by galuss , colors by saatiew , and a background by me. It was inspired by, and is in many ways a distaff take on, the "Moonlight Rituals" is a short NSFW TF comic drawn by Galuss (known as Navajas on FurAffinity) and commissioned by Foulfrost. While the characters and settings in this story are original, full credit goes to the original artist and commissioner for the idea.

"We look for potential, not reality," the first voice said.

"I know, I know," said the second. "But I'm having trouble seeing the potential."

"She's a physician's assistant. A healer. Surely that's plenty?"

"Plenty of doctors or better with zero potential."

The speakers were hidden in the foliage that still grew on Kennedy Street in Oceanside City, hidden from mortal eyes and mortal ken, partly thanks to their own innate magic, and partly thanks to the deafening tide of mundanity that was put out by the exhaust fumes, buzzing neon signage, and lingering miasma of fat and sugar. It wasn't a place either came to often, or willingly, but they were on a mission.

"Look, there she is again," the first speaker said. "Walking past the MacMeaster's and the Kale 'n' Hearty."

The second observer squinted a moment, trying to reacquire the target, before Addison came into view. Clad in a loose sundress and sandals, she moved with the grace and precision of her long-ago ballet days, her lithe frame effortlessly gliding through the urban terrain. Her long blond hair swayed with each stride, and the fading sunlight caught the sparkle in her blue eyes. "Okay, I see her."

"And you're telling me you don't see the potential there, still?" replied the first.

Addison swept into the next shop on the street, Finley's Coffee, with its smiling mermaid mascot and billion-dollar diversification into unfree labor and the military-industrial complex.

"Oh, classy choice," the second voice said, sarcastically. "Couldn't even spring for a local joint, huh?"

Inside, visible through the plate windows, Addison had ordered. But she made little effort to conceal her impatience, tapping her foot and visibly sighing as the barista prepared her latte. When the customer before her had an order redone, the unsubtle roll of her eyes at the delay, and the way she rocked backward on one heel, hands on hips, betrayed an immense impatience with the whole caffeination process.

"Definitely a winner here, yeah," the second voice said. "Seriously, what do you see in this one other than looks?"

"Watch," the first voice said.

After Addison had—according to her body language, had FINALLY—gotten her skinny iced vanilla latte with almond milk and vegan faux whip, she reached into her purse and pulled out a bill which she stuffed into the tip jar. She made a hasty exit, a white fuzzy mustache already on her lips from the drink.

"There, right there! See that?" said the first voice.

"So she gave them a buck. So what."

"My friend, that was a FIFTY. Fifty mundane dollars."

The second voice was silent a moment. "Hmm," it said. "Okay, let's keep watching."

Further down Kennedy, at the Malaria Zone boutique clothing store, Addison was picking out a new set of running shorts and a new running tank top. As she strolled through the store, visible to the observers in fits and starts through the windows, a sense of entitlement seemed to manifest in subtle ways. She dismissed the sales assistants with a disrespectful wave when they approached, before tracking them down moments later and interrupting them with another customer, seemingly expecting them to cater to her every whim. Addison also handled the merchandise indifferently, and left clothing strewn across display tables.

"I'm starting to think that was a fluke, that fifty," said the second voice once Addison disappeared into a dressing room.

"Keep watching," said its companion. "Remember, we want to bring out potential. If it's already there, thee's no point."

"Potential, potential, potential," mimed the second voice. "Word's lost all meaning with you. I think you just have a thing for blondes."

"Shh! Watch."

Emerging from the dressing room, Addison had clearly left it a mess, ignoring the signs politely asking customers to give unwanted clothes to the attendant. She went around and collected doubles of everything she'd bought, before putting on a similar performance in line to what she'd displayed at Finley's. Rolling her eyes, tapping her feet, and seemingly—if inaudibly—disrespecting the cashier when her first card was declined before whipping out a second.

"I'm watching," the second voice said. "What am I supposed to be seeing? Your 'prospect' acting like an entitled bitch?"

"Watch!"

In between the Malaria Zone and her next stop, Addison stopped by a donation bin for Fashionistas Without Borders and tipped the new clothing, tags and all, inside.

"See? See? Look at that potential, waiting to be expressed."

"Hmph," said the second voice. "We'll see."

At her next and final stop, a quaint local bookstore called The Slaughtered Lambskin, under the watchful gaze of her unseen observers, Addison thoroughly stopped up the store, displaying an apparent disregard for others' personal space, obliviously blocking aisles as she browsed, and seeming totally indifferent to the frustrated glances of fellow patrons.

"Look at that self-absorption," the second voice said.

"Look at that pile of books, though," replied the first. "Big reader. That's potential, yeah?"

Addison cut off another patron on her way out of The Slaughtered Lambskin, with a rude gesture besides…before she proceeded to empty the contents of her bag into the little free library that the bookstore had on its property.

"What a selfless act of charity!" the first voice crowed.

"Does that make up for all the selfishness we've seen?" the second said, sounding unsure.

"She is clearly trying her best to be good, but is being held back by the concerns of her mundane life and mundane form," the first replied. "We can help her with that."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely sure."

"Okay…well, we'll give it a try, on your recommendation."

"Good, good," the first voice said. "Call the others. We'll shadow her up the trail."

After finishing her errands, Addison padded to her car and hopped in, pulling the tiny, cheap thing out of downtown Oceanside and up into the hills, despite its frequent protests. She really needed a new vehicle, but it was hard enough making ends meet with the meager salary that Dr. Edwards paid her, despite the sheer number of things she did for him. Hell, she wouldn't even have today off if Edwards didn't close the clinic for his biweekly golf game.

But now, shopping was out of the way and it was time for some fitness.

Addison pulled into the trailhead at the Canyon Hills, a set of well-maintained hiking trails that snaked and doubled back onto themselves into the lush forests in the hills above Oceanside. Her phone rang as she pulled up; it was Jacob. Of course it was Jacob; Addison's latest paycheck had just hit her bank account.

"Hey, babe," he said. "You busy?"

"Well," Addison said, "I was just about to-"

"Great, great. Glad to hear it. Listen, I need a little money for dinner. Can you transfer me some?"

"We've still got leftovers from last night in the fridge," Addison said with a sigh.

"You know it's not the same reheated, babe," said Jason. "C'mon, what's the boyf got to do in order to get a look in?"

"Get a job?" Addison said, rolling her eyes.

"Ha! God one, babe," Jason chuckled. "I'm still on the books at the CBD Hut, remember. I just took the day off."

"And the day before that," said Addison. "And the week before that. You do know you can't get paid until you go in, right?"

"My babe, always the jokester," said Jason. "So how about it?"

Addison switched apps and dropped $300 in cash from her paycheck to Jason's account with a flourish. "Done."

"Thanks, babe. I owe you one." Jason hung up before Addison could say anything else, leaving her gently pounding her head on her steering wheel.

"I need a nice long run," she muttered. "I need some forests or something."

Using the facilities available on the trailhead, Addison changed into something more appropriate for a run, stripping off her sundress and kicking off her sandals, pulling on the brand new pink shorts and dark tank top from Malaria Zone and pairing them with her trusty running sneakers and athletic socks. Pulling her long blond hair into a ponytail, she stashed her other clothes in the car before setting off.

"She's on the move," a voice said. "We're good to go."

As the sun began dipping below the horizon, casting a warm glow across the secluded trail, Addison set out for her evening jog. The air was crisp, the scent of pine trees surrounding her as she navigated one of the winding paths through the dense Canyon Hills woods. The rhythmic patter of her slender feet against the soft ground echoed in the tranquil silence of the dusk. Due to it being a weeknight, and getting late besides, there were few if any other runners about, but in Addison's eyes that was a bonus.

She wasn't coming out to socialize.

Addison moved with the grace and precision of her ballet days, her lithe frame effortlessly gliding over the rough terrain of the trail. The injury that had ended her dance career before it began didn't affect her in the least; her long blond ponytail swayed with each stride, and the waning sunlight sparkled in her blue eyes. The serenity of the trail enveloped her, even as the lights illuminating it began to snap on one by one, and for a time she was lost in the soothing rhythm of her breathing.

As she ventured deeper into the woods, the trail became shrouded in shadows, the lights reduced to isolated pools of radiance. The first rays of moonlight filtered through the trees, casting long, ethereal patterns on the ground, and the air seemed thick with an unknown tension, enough so to cause a subtle unease to settle over Addison.

"Creepy vibe tonight," she muttered. But breaking off the run early meant going home to Jason, so she pressed ahead. He'd be in the same spot on the couch whenever she returned, after all.

Just as the first stars were emerging in the evening sky, Addison heard a strange sound cut through the increasingly tense tranquility. It was a low, guttural rumble—barely audible at first. Addison slowed her pace, falling from a run to a brisk trot as she strained to identify the source of the mysterious noise.

"What the…?"

A moment later, the long-ago memories of the one summer she'd spent at equestrian camp resurfaced. It had been a horrible ordeal, with Addison winding up pitched into the mud more often than not, but the sound, once it clicked for her, was unmistakable.

The rumble she was hearing was the rhythmic thudding of hooves, but they were definitely not horse hooves. The dissonance sent a brief a shiver down her spine, before she reassured herself. Horses or whatever didn't murder people on trails late at night…right?

Around the next corner, Addison emerged into a large clearing on the trail. It was generally kept clear, and often served as the site for impromptu pickup games. As she did, though, she heard that same sound again, hooves on rough ground…only this time it seemed to be all around her. Her eyes darted around the darkening woods, trying to pick out shapes, motion…and sure enough, once her eyes had adjusted a bit from the lights illuminating the path, she could just barely make up shadowy figures moving stealthily through the trees, keeping pace with her.

"H…hello?" she said. "Is anyone there?"

The shapes continued to move in the darkness, and within moments it became clear that they were advancing on her.

"Nope!" Panicking, Addison quickened her pace, and reversed course, running back along the trail and attempting to outdistance the pursuers that she still could not quite make out. The shadows, however, matched her every move, their ghostly forms blending seamlessly with the encroaching darkness. The clearing suddenly felt like a foreboding amphitheater, and Addison's breaths came in shallow gasps as she tried to escape the unsettling…whatever-it-was…scampering though the woods on slightly wrong hooves.

Moments later, though she heard the same sound coming from the other end of the clearing. From all directions, in fact; the emerging shadows had her hemmed in on all sides. Coming to rest at the center of a puddle of light cast by one of the trail lights, Addison looked around in confusing and fear, panting.

"Who…who are you?" Addison stammered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and confusion.

A moment later, the first of her pursuers emerged from the shadows of the Canyon Hills forest into the periphery of the light. Addison gasped at the sight; it was a large unicorn, emerging almost as a spectral figure, its ethereal form glowing a radiant, pristine white, even in the dim light at the edge of the illuminated area, a phantom summoned from moonlit mists.

At the crown of its majestic head, a long, spiraled horn extended proudly, gleaming with an otherworldly sheen. A dark, flowing mane cascaded down its neck, in stark contrast to the luminous white fur that covered its powerful form, hinting at an untamed wildness despite its otherwise luminous aspect. A similar dark "goatee" adorned its muzzle, framing a mouth that bespoke an unsettling intelligence.

"Welcome," the unicorn said, with a shockingly human voice that was also a deep, gravely baritone.

Its tail, tufted at the end with the same dark hue as its mane, flicked with an otherworldly grace as the unicorn moved further out of the shadows. Its golden, cloven hooves, adorned with long, white fetlocks, moved from the cleared forest floor to the trail with an eerie elegance. As it moved closer, Addison had to admit that the unicorn embodied an unsettling beauty—a creature of light, even as it emerged from the dark.

"What... what do you want?" she asked.

As she did so, Addison realized that other unicorns had also emerged from the deepening night, a half-dozen of them at least, all of similar size and build but with manes of different hues—some white, some brown, even one that was a sort of dirty blond. They had her completely encircled, surrounded; there was no escape.

"We're here to help," the first unicorn, the one with a black mane, said. "We want to help unleash your potential."

Another, the one with a red mane, added: "We want to let out the better angels of your nature, the ones being held back by your mundane life and mundane form." He too spoke in a deep male voice, though with a lighter, faster register.

Confused—it was her first time being confronted by mythical beings, after all—Addison could only answer with another question. "My mundane life…mundane form?"

"Yeah, mundane life," the first unicorn, whom Addison had subconsciously named Black, said. "Like being rude to baristas and retail workers."

"Ex…excuse me?" Addison said. "Have you been following me?"

"Just a little bit," the red-maned unicorn, who had already earned the unconscious nickname of Red in Addison's mind, said. "We had to be sure that you were right for what we're looking for, that there really was potential in there, waiting to burst forth."

"That is so creepy," said Addison.

Black looked at Red, with what Addison could have sworn was an "I-told-you-so" look, but Red shook his head and stamped his hooves.

"We apologize if it seems that way," said Red. "All will become clear once we release your potential and gift you with a less mundane form."

"W-what do you mean?" Addison whispered.

"A mare, of course," Red intoned, its words sending shivers down Addison's spine. "A unicorn mare. The herd has been short one for some time, since our last ascended."

Addison's eyes widened in disbelief. "M-mare? What are you talking about? I'm not some unicorn floozy for your...your herd!"

"See, that's the mundanity holding you back from your full potential," Black replied. "The part of you that's rude and selfish. Believe me, I know the feeling. But we're going to release your potential to be fully noble, luminous, and kind."

"I…I don't want to!" Seized with a sudden fear, Addison looked about for an opening, her legs tensed and ready to flee.

Every avenue was blocked, however; panic surged within her as the unicorns closed in, their movements coordinated and almost predatory. Addison's breath caught in her throat as she attempted to retreat as the unicorns advanced, closing the circle around her. Within moments, she had bumped up against one of the beasts behind her; with a whinny and a rough shove, it knocked her to the ground.

Addison landed heavily on her tailbone, helplessly looking up at the circle of mythical beings around her

Red, the unicorn that had pushed her to the ground, stepped closer to Addison. The pool of light seemed to grow brighter as the creature extended its horn toward her trembling hand. As the horn made contact, a surge of unnatural energy coursed through Addison's body, causing her to gasp in pain as if shocked.

"Embrace the transformation, delicate one," the red-maned unicorn whispered, gently but firmly. "Your destiny is intertwined with ours. You shall become a mare of light, and dance with us through our realm away from the ken of mankind."

Addison's delicate human hands began to change. The touch of the unicorn's horn had caused her fingers, once delicate and dexterous, to tremble, convulsing, each joint creaking and bending in unnatural ways as they elongated. Her fingernails swelled, thickening and hardening into elegant, golden-colored cloven hooves. Her thumbs, the vital opposable digits that once defined her humanity, shriveled and vanished as Addison's wrists elongated, the bones stretching and contorting with graceful fluidity. Addison watched in terror as her hands transformed before her eyes into delicate unicorn limbs, her pale skin giving way to a shimmering coat of sprouting white fur.

"W-what have you done to me?" Addison cried. Her hands, now reshaped into gracile hooves, still twitched involuntarily.

The unicorns' whispers grew louder, swirling around her like an otherworldly chorus. "You possess the essence we seek. A dancer's grace, a spirit untamed, a potential fulfilled."

Red, the lead unicorn, moved to her feet, poking both of them with a gentle insistance. The touch of his twisted horn sent a fresh jolt of intensity through her being, and within seconds Addison felt the bones in her feet rearranging themselves. Her breathing grew ragged as the pressure within her shoes intensified, the fabric resisting the transformation occurring within, seams groaning, fabric straining.

With a sickening pop, the shoes burst open, one after the other, her sneakers surrendering with the soles peeling away while the laces rode up until they were pulled apart. Her socks, now soaked with sweat, also split at the seams, revealing skin warped by the grotesque ordeal. Addison's eyes widened in terror as her once-human toes contorted and engorged, their once-distinct forms now growing and hardening into alien appendages. Her toenails, groomed and polished, cracked and thickened, each one becoming part of a cloven hoof of spun old to match the ones that had been her hands.

As Addison's feet elongated and split into graceful unicorn hooves, her ankles elongated, the bones crackling with astonishing fluidity as they grew. Brilliant albino fur sprouted as her once-delicate feet, now totally reshaped, twitched and spasmed uncontrollably. There was no possibility of escape now, not with four unfamiliar appendages weighting Addison down.

"P-please," she murmured. "Please make it stop."

"Yeah, that would be a bad idea," said Black. "Leaving you halfway changed? Sloppy."

The unicorns closed in around Addison, their twisted horns gleaming in the trail light. Assuredly, methodically, they began to touch various other parts of her body with their enchanted horns. Each contact sent waves of intense sensation through her, and Addison felt an intoxicating, inexplicable haze clouding her thoughts.

As Black the unicorn touched her forehead, a sensation of pressure built up, and Addison felt a strange weight settling between her eyes. A small, twisted horn began to emerge, breaking through her skin. Panic surged through her as she stared, cross-eyed, at the mythical appendage beginning to take form. He and the others continued apace, their horns grazing Addison's shoulders, back, and sides. With each contact, Addison's body thickened and changed. Her once-slender frame began to take on a more robust and powerful aspect, even as he struggled against it.

Addison's hips shifted and twisted, her bones seemingly grinding against each other in an otherworldly symphony of torment. Her brand-new shorts groaned under the pressure of the change, growing tight and ill-fitting, strained by the evolving contours of her changing body. She could feel the beginnings of a tail emerging, a silvery appendage that wriggled with a newfound grace as it pressed against the seat of her underwear. Panic and confusion mounted as she heard threads snapping with a sickening sound, seams unraveling with a grinding tear, exposing Addison's transforming flesh to the night air even as white fur sprouted across it.

With a guttural cry that echoed through the moonlit clearing, Addison felt her tail emerge, bones elongating, contorting, as it tore apart first the remains of her panties and then, an instant later, what was left of her shorts. The growing extension of her spine twisted, vertebrae popping and snapping as they settled into their new shape. As her tail grew to its full lenght, long enough for Addison to see it, a puff of blond hair sprouted at the end, a parody in miniature of the flowing locks that adorned her head.

"This next part's going to sting a bit," said Black. "Sorry about that."

As Addison's metamorphosis continued with a searing pain radiating through her facial features, distorting the once-familiar contours of her face. The bones cracked and reshaped, her face elongating a her mouth contorted, lips stretching and thinning until they formed an ethereal muzzle. As her teeth rearranged themselves, each movement sent waves of discomfort through her jaw. Tears mixed with sweat streamed down Addison's distorted face as her once-prominent cheekbones shifted, and her ears elongated into pointed appendages, their human softness replaced by the sharp angularity of a unicorn.

With her face contorted into the ever-evolving shape of a unicorn, Addison's once-flowing blond hair was now matted against her forehead; the tie of her ponytail had come loose with her changes, and her hair—the one unchanged thing about her head, now cascaded over a growing neck as a mane. The twisted horn on her head continued to grow, pulsing from within with an otherworldly sensation with each new inch, leaving Addison with a fully developed muzzle.

"Almost done now," whispered Red. "Let the changes take their course."

Addison lay contorted on the ground, the final throes of her transformation washing over her with relentless force. Her body writhed and convulsed, each movement accompanied by instinctive spasms that split or shredded the remnants of her clothes. As her top gave way, a disconcerting realization swept over her. In the midst of the metamorphosis, her small, pert breasts were disappearing, melting into her rapidly furring chest as her form continued to reshape.

Gasping, Addison felt her body further swell and distort, filling out the form of a young unicorn mare. Her once-human limbs, now changed into hooves, flailed about, looking for purchase. In a final convulsion, Addison's body shook violently, and the last vestiges of her human form—other than her golden hair and blue eyes--vanished. Naked, shivering, and covered in a slick sheen of sweat, Addison shakily attempted to rise on her new formed hooves. Looking down at her once-human form, now reshaped into the unmistakable shape of a unicorn, Addison felt a profound sense of loss.

"What…what am I?" she whispered. Like her hair, and her eyes, it had survived the transformation intact.

The male unicorns, who had closed in around her, now each trotted a step back, letting Addison find her footing on unfamiliar hooves.

"I don't know," said Black. "What are you?"

"I…I am…" Stunned by the question, Addison took a moment to respond.

With the pain of her change fading away, Addison found herself suddenly filled with energy—reborn.The transformation had stripped away the layers of entitlement, selfishness, and impatience, that she sometimes felt and displayed, leaving behind a version of herself that felt unburdened by the petty and disagreeable mundanity that once clung to her.

In its place, Addison discovered she felt an overwhelming sense of lightness and clarity. It was the shadows in her former life that had been burned away, leaving only light behind; she felt a surge of kindness, purity, and love blossoming within her, unfettered by mortal concerns. The once-elusive harmony she'd fruitlessly sought in her relationships, her job, her personal endeavors…it now flowed effortlessly through her transformed being, as if from a luminous wellspring.

"What are you?" murmured Black unicorn, repeating his earlier question, his voice a gentle breeze that danced through the moonlit clearing. The question hung in the air, pregnant with curiosity and a lingering sense of awe.

"I am…" Addison, her eyes reflecting the serenity that now permeated her soul, met the unicorn's gaze with a tranquil expression.

"You are?" Red prompted.

"I am happy," she responded, her a voice a melody that resonated with the harmonious energy of her new form. "For the first time in a long time, I am happy." Addison's gaze, once clouded by the complexities of ambition and perfection, now held a serene clarity.

"I told you!" Red said, playfully nuzzling Black. "I told you she had potential."

"Happy to be proven wrong," Black mumbled.

"What…what do we do now?" Addison said.

"We run. We dance," said Black. "Come. Let us show you."

With a powerful leap, Addison joined her fellow unicorns, springing out of the manmade light and into the moonlit clearing. Together, they moved with an ethereal grace, blending seamlessly into the shadows as they disappeared into the depths of the Canyon Hills, lost to the ordinary world.