Author's Note

Pls do not spam me if i accidentally taken this name but i created this character in 2015 so no hating pls

Chapter 6 Shade

Crying echoed through the damp halls of the hive the crying echoed into his room, hanging upside down in a cocoon-shaped bed hanging from the ceiling. Sluggishly Shade flew out. Unlike his cousins his family consisting of drones, spies etc.. All of them were female he was the only brother out of a thousand sisters. Following crying into a nursery where the brood lay.

''Shh got back to sleep.'' cooed his mother laying among the brood neatly moving around her pink and black silhouette hair shined in the sunrise.

''I miss daddy.'' cried his little sister.

''We all miss him.'' his mother sighed. It's true he did have a father once a tall more buff looking changeling with claws outgrowing his.

''Mom why did leave?'' shade said leaning on the hive wall.

''Yeah why did he leave does he not love us anymore?'' His sister said.

My children, your dad loved all one thousand of you, he's~ somewhere else right now.''

Love. A word no hive speaks of but them.

''But I miss him telling us stories.'' said his baby sister, Their dad always read to the hive from the books he stole from town libraries mostly big chapter books putting every changeling to sleep.

''You got your brother to take that position.''

Shade never understood his position in the hive his sisters had one, he wasn't strong to be a drone, he wasn't sneaky like a spy, was not the fighting type like a warrior, babysitting his sisters in the nursery like a brood maid was out of the question, he cant dig or hunt as good. His place in his hive was nothing being the only brother saying only is like he's the last of his kind.

''Mom how come we don't feed on love like the other changelings? Shade asked his mom stepped lightly over his sleeping sisters still in larva or egg stage.

''Shade we are not savages like they are,'' she said cleaning her claws.

''Then why do we look different?'' Shade questioned. His mother picked up one of the broods struggling to fall asleep.

''Because. When I left my hive I learned I didn't need love to survive till I met your father without him we wouldn't look this way. With love this hive would not look this big, that is why I chose to live here and raise all of you not have rude attitudes.'' his mother said laying his sleeping sister back in the pods full of other larvae. Singing a low tune he watched his hive come to life the buzzing of wings and the constant chatter of his sisters his mom walked away down the halls because singing is their way of communicating through long distances sung a song to wake the whole hive at once.

''Mom I'm going outside for some fresh air.'' Shade said his mom nodded her head changing her song to a working melody.

For changelings its eat, build, kill, defend, a lot for a single changeling having a gruesome queen like Chrysalis Shades aunt his moms cousin they don't talk much since her hive was destroyed, on the other hoof his hive was very much capable of doing all these things except for singing, on hottest of days Shades family sits on top of their diamond-shaped hive basking in the sun with leather skin to protect them from the harsh sun rays.

Shades mom marked a small patch of territory just for him so he did not get in the way of his sisters working it didn't stretch that far as it was close to the dragon forest. As he looked at his surroundings shade walked into the lush evergreens ''Huh its a lot more quieter than last time he said gazing into the trees seeing no fluttering wings of birds, no crickets, frogs not one single locus broke the silence it wasn't the shadow blights dad spoke of something had scared away all the life in this on area shades ears heard birds but they all came from behind his hive staring at him like he was crazy to go in there.

''That's weird something must have spooked them.''

''I spooked them more like I scared them.'' Shades spine shuttered at the voice who spoke turning his attention to the dark figure hanging upside down from the tree telling it was a mare he could not see her whole body only her dark pink colored eyes.

''This is weird, um hi I don't know who you are or why you scared well everything away.'' Shade said. Raising an eyebrow.

''I didn't mean to scare them on purpose they were afraid of me.'' the mare said.

''Afraid of you how?'' Shade asked.

''Would you like to see why they're afraid of me, do you what I am that makes them afraid of me?'' she said flying right side up away from the sunny clearing, She reached out a pale white hoof.

''You're a vampire?'' he said, trotting in the dark forest to see her better she had spiky purple mane two sets of white fangs under the mare's muzzle.

''Your not that scary,'' he said.

''Really? Most ponies are,'' she said spreading her wings.

''You kidding me my mom is way scarier when she's angry.'' Shade said recalling a time his sisters let a nasty snake into the hive, having two personalities her gentle sweeter side on the outside and the vicious queen she was meant to be on the inside.

''Mom? You call your queen mom?'' the mare asked.

''Queen is a strong word to call some pony who gave birth two you and your whole family.'' Shade said with a grin. ''You are from the vampire forest right.''

''Yes, the prey in my territory moved to the dragon forest because half of the population left, I came here and got myself stuck, I need to get back before my dad realizes I was gone for too long,'' she said. Attached to her right leg was something green her horn glowed a sudden red levitated out a bottle with a yellow liquid inside pouring it on her burned hoof.

''Can I at least get your name before you go all recon out eh forest.''

''Star Struck and your name?''

''Shade, uh what is that stuff?''

''Something I mixed together in case I got hurt, you have healers in your hive do you?'' Star Struck asked levitating the bottle into her leaf-shaped pocket. ''Some ponies gotta help you if your hurt.''

''My hive? No mom never said we needed one.''

''Then you are doomed. One of your family members get sick what do you do?'' she said Shade grew silent. ''Uh huh that's what I thought, no healer you die,'' Star said going to her tree to hang back upside down, Shade never new healers were so important did his family really need one?

''I guess we do need one.'' Shade said sheepishly backing up.

''You're leaving me here without saying goodbye, I need help you know,'' she asked.

''Help with what, you look like you got everything under controlled what you need my help for?''

''Because I need something from your hive,'' Star asked messaging her burnt hoof.

''if its honey your in the wrong hive.'' Shade said stubbornly.

''Wasn't asking for that, I was asking for a changeling eggshell.'' Star Struck said lifting a wing.

''Eggshell right, you want it to go get it yourself,'' he said mocking the vampire in the tree.

''Hello, if I go in the sun I burn to ashes, simple vampire logic, if I go in their with you, your mother won't kill me.''

''Uh simple changeling logic is that my mom none of the less thousand of my sisters will not let me bring some vampire into the hive, is that logical for you yet,'' he said his horn flickered in annoyance.

''Listen here Shade,'' Star said flying off her branch to stand to him her facial expression had a cold stare. ''It's logical your lying to me,'' Star said Shade held back a laugh, using his transformation spell he changed into an exact replica of Star Struck.

''It's logical your lying to me,'' he said mocking her every move.

''You little~'' Shade waved his well her tail in Star Struck's face.

''Good try but hypnotizing doesn't work on me sweetheart you'll hurt your tiny head.'' Shade said he began singing a solid tune drawing one of his sister to his location.

''Whats up Shade,'' said one she glanced at Star Struck almost bringing a hiss till shade covered her muzzle. ''what is a vampire doing here!''

''She wants something from the hive, I told her she needs to speak with mom first,'' he said.

''I only want~'' star was silenced by a hiss from shades older sister.

''Mom won't believe me when I show her this.'' his sister said Shade grabbed a large leaf from the evergreen holding it over Star head.

''Ready to meet my mom.'' Shade said.

''As long as I get what I need, I'm sure I'm ready.''

The hive was called to the side entrance drones, spies, hunters flocked and buzzed around Star Struck as she stood before his mother drones at every angle is she even began to attack.

''shade. What is this?'' she asked firmly keeping a calm look.

''Mom this is~.''

''Star Struck, daughter to the chief of vampires, Shade I thought we talked about bringing our enemies into the hive.'' his mom said approaching Star, the drones followed her every move waiting for her to give the signal. ''Speak.''

''I do not here to attack you hive Mrs. Venus Shard, I am here to collect something for my mentor,'' Star said firmly.

''Very clever, you want something, name it,'' she said twitching an antenna snapping her mandibles.

''Eggshells, my mentor said changeling eggshells are a special remedy for the sick,'' Star said. With the calmest of faces Shade, mom threw back a smile.

''How lovely, how many do you need?'' she said. Shade could not believe what he was seeing, his mom being nice to some pony not of their kind, was he dreaming this? Did she hypnotize his mom?

''Girls, the waste basket please.'' she called. Six brood maids dragged a bag full of empty egg shells oozing with the liquid of last months hatching. ''Take as many as you want, we eat these sometimes but we can use some pony else to get rid of them for us,'' she said with a nasty grin. Star Struck plucked out five eggshells pouring the green slime in another bottle on her left leg.

''Thank you, mam,'' she said Shades jaw dropped, his mom, however, twitched her eyes in an unsettling manner.

''Come back if you want more,'' she said. Girls make sure shades friend gets back safely without burning.'' she said shade knew her mom was keeping her bad side in check the sudden jerking of the head made his sisters mover back.

''Bye Star Struck,'' he said Star flicked an ear-turning an ear as his sisters escorted her back to the evergreens.

''Shade.'' his mother jerked her head three times skittering her hooves over to him, Shade coward to the floor.

''Yes mom.''

''Shade darling, my first son, You know I love you with all my heart, do you think it was a good idea to bring her here.''

''No....mom.''

''if she came without you, I would have KILLED HER, do you think I will let any of your sisters do that!.'' yelled Shades mom.

''No mom.'' Shade said the hive silenced at the power she put into her voice. ''Dad would~''

''HE'S DEAD!'' she screamed Shade lowered his antennas, the drones came out of hiding.

''Dads dead, you said he was somewhere else,'' they said.

''I lied, I lied to keep all of you from finding out,'' she said breaking down into tears. ''He left to go save Equestria from a threat, I am so sorry.'' Shades chest ached to turn away running outside to avoid the massive crying his sisters began singing.