Creature [Changeling] Shadow [Final]

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Roleplay Type: Crossovers

Name: Shadow, formerly Blackberry Bramble

Sex: Female

Age: Mare

Species: Changeling

Eye Color: Green, the iris' fading from dark to light.

Coat Color: Black

Mane/Tail/Markings Color & Style: Shadow's hair is lengthy and rather flat (much like Chrysalis'), its color being silver. The consistency of the strands is like that of synthetic plastic.

Physique: Her body, like all Changeling's, is black. Her wings are solid, not holey, and much in the shape of bay leaves. They are still a filmy clear color, and curve slightly around the edges. Average, for a Changeling. Her back plating is tan, matching her other dull and light colors. Her legs, like all Changelings, are littered with holes. She even has a 3/4 heart shaped hole on the edge of her right foreleg. It is her signature mark. She stands just slightly taller than the average Changeling, but not nearly as tall as Chrysalis.

Cutie Mark: N/A

Origin/Residence: Formerly Changeling country, then Canterlot, now a wanderer.

Occupation: N/A

Motivation: To find a better purpose in life.

Likes: Warmth, summer, night, the moon

Dislikes: Cold, winter, caves

Character Summary: Born in the land of the Changelings, Shadow rose in the ranks to become Chrysalis' second in command. She was a key part in the plan to take over Canterlot, infiltrating Equestria before Chrysalis permanently arrived.

Shadow was never unhappy with her life. She liked being a Changeling. Feeding off of others was just a way for her to eat. Some creatures were born predators, and they had to get nourishment somehow. Ponies were just prey.

There were a few like Shadow who were sent into the city. They'd pose as somepony's lover, arrange a meeting, and then feed off their love for a little while. They did this frequently, in order to constantly feed and avoid suspicion. So there was a lot of changing going on.

Eventually, Chrysalis developed a more permanent solution. Each of the assigned Changeling's stalked somepony for awhile, learned their mannerisms... then ambushed them sucked out their life force when the opportunity presented itself. Chrysalis always took care of the bodies.

They continued on, feeding off the ponies of Canterlot while Chrysalis hatched her plan. Shadow was her second in command, her most trusted Changeling. Funny how she was also the one that let her down the most.

But still... when Shadow took up a permanent residence in Canterlot, she began to feel incomplete. She was working for the good of the swarm, for the future of her race. She had somepony who loved her, she had 'friends', she had... everything she should have wanted. She should have been happy. Right?

Ever since Shadow was born, she had followed orders. That was just the way life was. Always pushing forward for the betterment of all Changelings. She didn't mind following orders, always being told and knowing what to do. That was, until she found out there was more to life.

She could make decisions here. Chrysalis wasn't always around to tell her right from wrong, what to do and what not to do, and how to go about things. For once, she had control over her own life. At first, it frightened her.

I had discovered individuality. I wasn't just some mindless creature that Chrysalis had made me to believe. I had a personality, my own likes and dislikes. And most of all... I had feelings.

We weren't supposed to fall in love. That was never the plan. Just pretend, that was all. Deceive.

We were all just supposed to follow orders. Mimic the lover for a time while feeding off the love from their family. We were all fine with it. We all trusted Chrysalis. We were loyal followers... it was just orders.

I felt guilty. I felt guilty for deceiving him. I felt guilty for making him love me. I felt guilty for loving him. If I revealed my true self, it would be a betrayal to my entire family. But if I didn't, I would have to leave him in the dark, wondering where his special somepony went and what he did wrong.

I guess I had never felt love before. It was just an emotion that we Changelings had to feed on. A life force provided by a lesser species. But maybe Changelings just fed on ponies... because they were jealous. After all, we shapeshifted into them, stole their lives... and then slowly destroyed them in the name of our existence. Or maybe... that was just me.

But he really did love me—even if it wasn't the real me. I felt special, giddy. There was a whole wave of overwhelming emotions that I didn't understand. Even though I was personally tough, he treated me gently, with respect and care. For the first time, I felt bad for taking somepony's place.

Before, we'd just do a hit and run. Arrange a date, meet with them, pretend to be their love, feed, and then go on our way. But Chrysalis' plan involved a long term relationship. That was something I was not prepared for.

Shadow's life became so entwined with the pony who's place she was taking that she nearly forgot who she was. The lie that she was living consumed her, just as she was slowing consuming him. That led to her tricking herself into thinking that he could love the real her. He already loved her for everything on the inside. The outside shouldn't matter, right?

She revealed herself to him one night, and explained as gently as she could that his former mate was gone. But the look of terror on his face was enough to say that he would never accept her for who she was. He screamed at her to get out, throwing any object within reach at me to hurry her pace.

Shadow walked the streets alone that night, in her normal—well, her pony form. When she returned the next day, he had offed himself.

I ran away. I went to Chrysalis for comfort. She was our queen, and I had always been her second in command and most trusted Changeling. I didn't go to her because I had failed. I was—I was heartbroken. It's a thing that few Changelings ever experience.

I'd heard of heartbreak before. It was something that happened to weak Changelings. They became too attached to their host. Once something happened to their “mate”, they generally went insane.

I never thought it would happen to me.

I had let myself be blind to the truth. We disguised ourselves because nopony could love us in our natural form. I had thought my case was different... as others had in the past. It was a flaw in our design. Some of us were just destined to fall for the one who loved us—or rather, who we tricked ourselves into believing we were.

But, just as I had, Chrysalis saw my actions as weak. I was damaged, flawed... she could no longer trust me.

However, Chrysalis was not without mercy. Shadow was simply placed into the rank of pawn, one of the hundreds of Changelings who were ready to be her army and do her bidding.

I ran away. I journeyed back to Canterlot, unsure of where to go or who to turn to. I had no home, no job, no friends. The life I had had before was all a ruse, and if I showed my face—her face—again, I would have a lot of explaining to do. It wasn't worth it to go back to my old life. There was nothing. I had nothing. *I* was nothing.

I went back to my old ways, feeding here and there at random. I longed to have a relationship like before. To have somepony, just one pony, love me all the time—for who I was.

I tried unsuccessfully to convince myself that he had never loved me for me. It had always been her. But still... I wanted what I had when I was her—but as me. I wanted to love and be loved, without doing so just to feed.

Eventually, Chrysalis carried out her plan and overtook Canterlot. Shadow was worried for herself when the initial shield went up, but she had already been in hiding for weeks. When the rest of the swarm finally attacked, she hid. She didn't know how long she could keep it up. Shadow supposed that she would have to integrate back into the swarm, pretending to be one of the mindless. But she was afraid of Chrysalis finding her.

She had run away, and she knew that Chrysalis knew. She was just too busy with her current plan to pay mind to her whereabouts. If she found me... Shadow would likely be destroyed as a traitor. She no longer worked for the good of the swarm, but for the good of herself. Changelings were always supposed to work together, for the good of their species. But Shadow was different. She had become an individual, one not part of the master plan. She was a liability.

However, all too soon Chrysalis and her army were defeated, and banished from Equestria. Though Shadow had still been in her shifted form, she was blown away with them. Chrysalis found her among the ranks, and she barely escaped with her life.

Weakened and unable to change form, Shadow journeyed back to nearby Equestria. She hoped against hope that she could find somepony to feed on, to get her strength back and heal herself. She tried pretending to be ordinary. She tried being fierce. The result from her sight was the same: screaming and running. Though she had no ill intentions, all she could do was cause chaos.

Celestia personally arrived the next day with several guards. Shadow didn't put up any fight as she was placed into a cage and carted away to Canterlot.

There, Princess Luna saw her first Changeling. Celestia warned her to be wary, but Luna felt sorry for the creature. Still, Shadow was placed in a dungeon, where nothing lived and nothing grew. It was dark, dank, and dreary, with no light from the outside.

Shadow had not spoken since her capture, assuming it would do little good and too weak to care anyway. Princess Luna came to visit and observe her during her imprisonment, and eventually Shadow felt up to speaking with her.

They became fast friends, enough so that Luna sneaked her out to the royal gardens for tea, and so she could get some sun. But Shadow was fading fast, and had already pretty much given up on life on her most recent arrival to​ Canterlot.

Luna allowed Shadow to feed off of her, but Shadow got carried away and Luna became weakened. Still, after the first feeding, subsequent ones were easier. Shadow wasn't happy feeding off a friend, but now that she had regained her strength, she had a new lust for life. However, so as not to arise suspicion, Shadow had to remain a prisoner for the time being.

The pair were eventually caught by Celestia. Shadow, knowing it was all over, tried to escape. Celestia called for guards, and would have pursued immediately if not stalled by Luna. Still, it was just the break Shadow needed to hide and morph, blending into the crowd of Canterlot.

She knew there was no going back, not even to say good bye. She is a rogue and wanderer, feeding where she can. She is wary of making any long term relationships, knowing that they can never end well as demonstrated by her past experiences. She isn't happy, but she's alive. And that's been enough.

Artwork:

By Satohai

By BrainedBySaucepans

[SunsetSombra]

Okay, looking good and ready to play - have fun out there!

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Added art pieces by Satohai and BrainedBySaucepans.