Smoking Mirror

By Script Dangles

• October 29, 2015




Age: 19

Gender: Male

Species: Non-Pony

Appearance: In his natural form, Smoke is equine in appearance but (as with most all Changelings) possesses several insect-like characteristics. He has a black carapace-like coat, a webbed mane and tails, blue reflection-less eyes, fangs, bent horns, jagged ears, insect-like wings, and holes in his legs.<br /><br />In his most common adopted form, Smoke appears as a young colt with a gentle grey coat. His mane and tail resemble wisping smoke: Black with trails of grey rolling through them. He has bright blue eyes and a rounded horn. His build is about average for a colt of his age, though he is somewhat slender and athletic.

Cutie Mark: In his natural form, Smoke has no cutie mark.<br /><br />In his most common adopted form, Smoke's cutie mark is an image of a hand mirror with an absolutely black reflective surface (obsidian). A trail of soft smoke seems to rise from the void.

Personality: Smoke is terribly conflicted. Although he is a Changeling -- and was once not atypical for his race -- his experiences in Ponyville have caused him to question almost everything about himself. Therefore, he wrestles constantly with his nature. He is drawn to darkness, to destruction, mayhem, and violence...but he struggles against these urges in order to try and become a better pony. Most often, he succeeds.<br /><br />Sometimes, he does not.

Backstory: Smoke was once a Changeling greatly favored by none other than Queen Chrysalis herself. As a foal, he discovered that he was unique in that he was unable to completely change his shape as easily as other members of his race. This forced him to work harder than most at the craft of muting his flesh. Eventually, he turned to the arts of magic in order to compensate for his natural ability.<br /><br />As he matured, he found himself not only an acceptable shapechanger, but a skilled shaper of arcane forces, as well. This did not escape the notice of Queen Chrysalis. She had big plans for the young Changeling: He would be the instrument by which she would gain revenge upon Princess Twilight Sparkle and her five friends in Ponyville. She allowed Smoke to study at her heels and taught him much in the way of misdirection and duplicity. Finally, when she was confident in his skills, she sent him forth from the Hive. She tasked Smoke with the mission of gaining as much information as she could upon the Mane Six. She would learn of their weaknesses and foibles through him, that which they valued and loved. When he returned to her with this knowledge, she would use it to crush them forever.<br /><br />Smoke traveled to Ponyville in the guise of a newcomer to the small town. There, he opened up a small shop as a mender. He used a great artifact of his own creation to do this: A great black mirror that, when exposed to broken objects, would reflect their original states. He would use his magic to then make the broken items whole again, as they once were. In this way, Smoke and his humble shop became very popular in Ponyville. Of course, none of the ponies were aware that the mirror was actually a communication device through which the Changeling would tell his Queen that which he had learned in his dealings with the denizens of the small town....<br /><br />The plan might have worked to perfection, had something miraculous not occurred. As Smoke watched Princess Twilight and her friends...something within him *changed*. He saw the way they interacted, observed their various adventures and the lengths they were willing to go to help one another. He learned about friendship; he learned about love. It was something unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, in the Hive. It was something that made him question everything about his very soul.<br /><br />Smoke now resides in Ponyville, unsure what to do. The ponies have been so kind to him, so warm and welcoming. He's even met Princess Twilight and her friends before, each one of them extending hooves of friendship to the Changeling newcomer. He couldn't bring himself, now, to play a part in their destruction. Yet he loves his Queen greatly -- and every day, her demands for information become more and more forceful.<br /><br />Trapped between the two worlds, Smoke hardly knows what to do.<br /><br />And every day, his heart breaks a little more.