Howling Shadows

by 10 Florins

Chapter 1: New Life

“Howling Shadows.” Those were the first words I ever knew.

Before it, there was nothingness, just an empty, dark, abyss. It was almost as if the words summoned me into existence. “Howling Shadows will be your name”, said a lone grey stallion, “It tells of the battle which will rage inside of you. But you need to be strong, for there is a purpose. Only time will tell you what it is.”

And with that last remark, he was gone. Never again in my life would I see the pony who gave me my name. When I finally had control of my body, I stood up, not fully aware of my surroundings. I looked around to find that I was in the middle of a forest, lush with all kinds of fruit-bearing trees.
“No animals…” I whispered, “Strange for such a location with so much food.” I shrugged off the thought as I began wandering the trees, scared that they would come alive and grab me. I must have walked for hours, but I still couldn’t see the end of the forest. As the day dragged on, and light started to fade, my thoughts turned to shelter. “Where can I sleep? Should I have stayed with the fruit trees and waited for help? What if I can’t find anyone?”

To my surprise, I discovered a small outcropping of rock, high enough to sleep under. It wasn’t the most favorable of conditions, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. I spent the night on the cold, but dry ground, pondering what was to come. “What did he mean, ‘there is a purpose’?”
In the morning, I continued to walk in some elusive direction that might hold the answers I sought, all the while not hearing the chattering of ponies ahead of me. When I finally approached where the voices were coming from, I clambered out of some bushes into a clear area, completely unaware they were there.

The same could not be said about their knowledge of me.
“CHANGELING! EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!”
“But…,” I stuttered, “What’s a Changeling?”

At that point, it really didn’t matter, for almost instantly, I was being assaulted by angry ponies from all directions. Some of them wielded sharp objects. Others’ horns were charged for spell casting. I couldn’t really care who used what, I cared that they were hurting me. Frantically, I dashed for the thick forest from which I came, hoping to lose them in its mangled branches and shadowy groves.

They pursued me for what felt like hours, giving me barely any time to breathe. Eventually, I wound up hiding inside of an old, hollowed out tree. Another ten, maybe fifteen minutes passed
“He’s not here. We must’ve scared him off. Hope we never see the little devil again.”

When the air became silent once more, I poked my head out, ever cautious that they might return. After assessing that they truly were gone, I walked a few feet and found a small river. Then I knew why they had chased me so relentlessly.

I was hideous. My coat was like the midnight of no moon, my eyes the most putrid green conceivable. I wasn’t like them. Those ponies all looked normal; they had fluffy hair and tails, where mine were gangrenous and dead. It infuriated me that they hated me because of my appearance.
Taking another look at my own reflection, I jumped. “WHAT IN THE HELL…”

I shut my mouth, fearful that some wary pony would hear me and initiate chase. But what I saw was terrifying. I was certain that I was looking at a reflection of myself, but there, in the river, was a pony. A normal pony, with a blue coat and brown mane was staring back at me. “What happened-?”
I was cut off by the sound of a pony, armed with a blade.
“A-HA! FOUND- Oh wait, you’re not the Changeling. Were you scared off by him?”
In my startled state, I barely managed to vocalize, “No-o. What was that, anyway?”

The pony firmly responded, “A Changeling. Damned creatures led by Chrysalis, destroying everything we hold dear. Don’t rightly know what one is doing here; they always attack in groups. Say, I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. You new in town?”
“Yeah,” I started, “I got here when it attacked.”
“Well, that’s the darndest luck. If you don’t have a place to stay, you’re always welcome in my home. Folks who’ve never run into Changelings need a friend when they do.”

That’s how I started living in that small town. I came to know most of the residents there, but I never grew any emotional attachments. It was for the best, after all.

During my time there, I set out to learn more about myself, and what Changelings were. The kindly pony who took me in pointed me in the direction of the library, and my search began there. I found it to be a dusty old tome labeled The Equestrian Guide to Hostile Creatures, stored in the very back of the last shelf. “C…,” I mumbled, “Here it is! Changelings: Characteristics and behavior.”

I learned several things from the book, most of them useful. “While Changelings have both a horn and wings, they are not considered Alicorns by reason of attainment.”….”Changelings can shift forms into anybody, except in cases where a large change in mass would be required.”….”In order to survive, Changelings must feed on the love that ponies have for one another, making them a despicable race indeed. The draining of love will often leave the host weak, and in some cases, dead.”
“I’m a monster by nature? How is that even fair?” I mulled this question for hours as I lay in bed, tortured by the fact that I was growing weaker. I knew it was inevitable, but I couldn’t help but fight it. After all, how was it fair that my existence depended on the suffering of others?

My condition only worsened with the passing days. The landlord took me to the doctor, only to find nothing was wrong with me. He guessed at magical illnesses, but I knew better than that. I had to feed. Soon.

Author's Note:

This story had originally been my back story for a character of mine in a game. I plan to make it short, as I feel first stories should be, and I'll try to build better ones from here. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Comments

[Infinite Evil]

Hmm...

images.wikia.com/mlp/images/f/f1/FANMADE_GoOn....gif

[oop]

Well... you made the events a little bit too quick if you ask me, but otherwise a novel concept. I'll give you the general advice i give everyone, more adjectives, less adverbs, and make sure the dialogue flows.
-CC

[10 Florins]

3251811 Thanks! I appreciate it when people give suggestions instead of simply hitting the dislike button