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When Etoile was a foal, she looked just as she did now, except she was younger and was quite the talker. In her herd the star was a symbol of unity and it was a great honor to receive it. The mother and father of the black foal and were blessed with this precious marking so, naturally, they expected their daughter to own it too, so even before she was born the name Etoile was bestowed upon her. But on that lovely evening, when the sky looked ablaze and a beautiful black filly was born, no one rejoiced for though the foal had a star it was crooked, horribly crooked. They took her to a sorcerer of the herd but his words were horrid ones. The wizard swore, and spat on the floor. He said it was a curse and that Etoile should be put to death. Since she was but a filly many shook their heads, but some were loyal to the wizard and they waited for their chance to show their loyalty. It was one night, nine months after the filly was born, when the decision was made for that night Etoile had had the privilege of staying up late, after the sun disappeared and the land was consumed in darkness, Etoile's shadow was still there, it didn't prance as it does now but it was there after dark. Sadly, the wizard was the first to notice this and he created an up roar in the herd so at last every uni had made the decision of having Etoile burned. The only one who fought against this murder was an old gray mare. Her name was Ysha and bestowed upon her was the wisdom of an elder. Many said she could see things, or at least knew more then anyone else. But alas, the mare was ancient and even she could not persuade the crowd to stop and think about what they would be doing. So she did the only thing she could, warned the filly and told her of the path she should take.

To this day, Etoile does not know if this advice was a cure or a blessing but it did save her life. With the agility of a race horse, Etoile galloped off; her dark figure lost in the enveloping darkness. But that did not stop the sorcerer's magic from hunting her down and they raced after her.

The shadowy filly sped on for dear life; scrambling through brambles and weaving in between trees. Cuts soon formed on her, the foaming sweat mixing with the specks of blood. And if only the mob had given up!

But they seemed to be driven by the idea of a chase and soon they had cornered her, ready to send her to her death.

But as the filly, her pelt of ebony matted with blood and sweat, cowered beside the single tree they had ambushed her at, a miraculous, though loathsome, event took place. Night had securely wrapped around them, but emerging from what seemed like just darkness, shadows pushed out of the ground. They remained the not very substantial form they took at sun rise but somehow they found the ability to stand up and as the mob attacked the shadows it was clear that they were very real.

With long slithery fingers, they scraped the flock of unis; seeming to smile with delight as each equine fell to the ground. For there mission was simply; keep their mistress alive.

Despite how sickening they appeared before, Etoile's attackers soon found they were even more ghastly. The one to find out first, per chance, was the wizard as he tried to bite the shadow of a particularly nasty tree; he found that as his teeth touched the dreadful creature, the ability of seeing the world around him was gone.
Their touch had turned him blind and before long, without being able to see his attackers, he joined the unis on the forest floor, no blood staining his white coat but his pulse had died, along with the rest of him.

After that, Etoile passed out from fear but not before hearing the curses her parents threw at her as the descended to their death.

The next morning, the filly awoke with a start and an earth-shattering cry. Her herd, they were all around her. But their pulses were no longer there and the only breathing she could hear was her own. Dawn had seemed to take her defenders away but still they seemed to linger unseen. For hours she stood there, mourning her loss as she gently swayed back and forth, back and forth. But as dusk began to settle in she came to her senses.

Etoile ran to the hills and that where she stayed, only exchanging brief words with others; until she met Jayce.

It had been years since Etoile first discovered how well she connected with shadows. And after hours of training herself, she could call on them when she wished; ask them to move out of her way or to cover her; to cover the earth. It was still a mystery to her why she had been chosen for this gift and she did not like to tell the travelers who wandered way about it. Or why her own shadow danced beside her when she remained still.

Nevertheless, the black spirited filly with awkwardly long legs turned into a young shadowy mare with a slim build and a delicately dished face. That night when her powers were revealed to her, and to her former herd, had affected her temperament a bit; she was less talkative and hardly ever willing to play with a stranger. But those sapphire eyes still had the twinkle of joy that Etoile had had as a foal and she was not nearly as harsh as her future-self would be.

It was one evening, when the wind was harsh and the rain poured without mercy, that her curious gaze met the muscular build of a mustang; his golden horn matching the color of his pelt that still seemed to glow despite the dreariness.

Unaware of the trouble he would cause her in the near future, she invited him in her small cave, eager to get a closer look at his handsome features.

And that, my dear readers, was the start of a awful relationship.

It wasn't long before Jayce and the shadowy mare began to talk and, after awhile, a friendship was formed. Of course, it was easier to get close to Etoile then and the charming palomino found it no trouble at all.

After days filled with laughter despite how hard the rain poured, the storm finally gave up and passed. But Jayce, the handsome palomino who had wandered in that dark day, stayed, letting Etoile, who had a heart pleading for care and the foolishness of the young in her mind, fall for him.

If only this mare had known that the only thing Jayce felt for her was attraction; not love, not even care. She was young and naïve; the easiest to fool.

So that's how it went, Etoile fell heels-over-head in love with the mustang and he sat there with a devilish smirk on his face, and, readers, his nose should have been huge because all of the lies he was telling.

It was about ten weeks after they had met that the shadowy mare was sure and how her face glowed with happiness as she went to wake Jayce; to tell him the news that filled her with excitement.

She found him in the cave, staring intently at the ceiling. With a brisk stride, she walked towards him and he turned to her; smirking.

Can't get enough of me?" Jayce slurred, too lazy to speak properly.

Etoile giggled in response; too in love to come to her senses. "I have some news to tell you," she said, then grinning, added; "We're going to have a foal!"

Jayce did get up and he did walk towards her briskly but there was no smile on his rather thin lips.

Some still say they can hear the cries of pain of Etoile and vicious hisses and grunts of the palomino as Jayce attacked her, aiming for the life inside. He wasn't ready to be a father and he would not have this to hold him down.

But Etoile is now and forever was, loyal so she tried to hold back the shadows that waited to kill her love; but before long the shadows' energy was to much for her and one by one they appeared.

With one long dark fingers, they killed the mustang and along with him went another part of her once kind heart. And it's safe to say that Etoile still hears the last cry of her love as he left her for good.

For Etoile watched the whole scene and as soon as Jayce fell to the stone floor she knew he was gone even if no blood stained his pelt that, even after all this, remained glowing.

She stood there for hours, gently swaying back and forth, back and forth. No tears fell from her sapphire eyes yet, she was still numb. Too overcome with shock and hurt to make a sound and too depressed to care that her stomach was bleeding.

Night fell and the stony floor was now stained ruby from the red fluids that trickled down Etoile's slender form. But still she swayed, back and forth, back and forth.

It was dawn when the mare finally came to her senses, each thought seeming to finally register in her mind. And suddenly the pain, emotional and physical, hit her and it was unbearable. With gasping breaths, she cried out, but no one came to her aid.

She was alone, her once pure ebony pelt stained rusty red and the mustang she had held dear was lying on the floor in front of her. No family. No one cared what this slender mare did with the rest of her life. And the ones who she had loved had all attacked her.

It was then that her kind heart froze; except for a small part that contained deep hope.

A hope for her foal, that he or she would have a better life then herself. So, with that mind, she took a last glance at Jayce and left, deeper into the hills; where the trees were plenty and many travelers roamed.

The shadowy mare took care of herself; eating the blades of grass that were moist and drinking the clean water from a nearby spring.

And you might think that seeing more unis made her more outgoing, but no; instead Etoile let the shadows conceal her and watched them. She watched them cry or laugh or smile or simply stare at the evening sky. And with her observations, came knowledge. By the conversations of a pair or the mumblings of a loner, she knew of what happened to them and by that, she learned the cruel ways of the world.

That's how she passed eleven months of waiting for her foal and after that time was done, she lied down and waited.

Cries rung out across the forest and though many a wanderer tried to see what was causing the noise could not find Etoile for the shadows had consumed her delicate figure, protecting her from eyesight despite her yelping.

Hours passed and Etoile gasped for breath before looking at her children. Yes, she had given birth to not one but three foals, triplets. With a proud gaze, she looked over them, though feeling a sting of guilt as she realized that all three of them had the same golden pelt as their father.

Struggling for energy, the shadowy mare knelt beside her children, nudging them softly with her soft black muzzle.

But they didn't move, not an inch; their pulses gone and only the familiar whisper of her own breathing could be heard. It echoed across the apple trees and the oaks, sending silence throughout the whole forest.

So she lay there, lost in tears as she gently swayed, back and forth, back and forth. It is impossible to describe to you the agony and depression that the mare felt as she looked upon her dead children. The care a mother shows for her sons or daughters is stronger then anything, and that bond had already been formed as she first looked upon her children and that bond shattered as she realized the agonizing truth.

And that, dear readers, is when Etoile became who she was today; not cruel but always harsh and mocking. It wasn't her who destroyed her naïve, playful self; it was the world; so she huddles deeper into the shadows, observing the world with mocking sapphire eyes.

All hope of having a family was lost that faithful day and the shadowy mare lost herself to her own minions; the despair weighing her down to much to get over her many losses. For everyone needs love of some kind; even if they think they don't, deep inside something pleads for it. Etoile had none, just herself who she blamed for all the cruelties in her life.

So she wanders on, corrupting lives without much thought but they say that every year she finds a quite place to lie down and cries, gently swaying back and forth, back and forth.

Stats

*Name: Etoile
*Gender: Female
*Age: Four
*Breed: Arabian
*Vitals: Alive
*Herd: the Moonlight Herd
*Appearance: Black pelt, sky blue mane and tail speckled with white; a crooked falling star on her shoulder, gray hooves with gold dots separating them from the rest of her leg; river blue wings with tip that are white, a golden horn, a pair of two joined blue dots on her flank and sapphire eyes.
*Build: Slim, barely 15 hands high, slightly dished face, long neck, small muzzle, short and strong back, sloping shoulder, broad chest, high tail carriage, large nostrils and prominent eyes; built for endurance.
*Likes: Shadows, night, secrets, passageways, and flying
*Dislikes: Cliques, fire and clichés.
*Sire: Deceased.
*Mother: Deceased
*Siblings: None.
*Love: None.
*Crush: None.
*Offspring: None, now.

*Relatives*

Ghost: Etoile and Ghost don't usually get along. Etoile doesn't really care about others while Ghost is one of the kindest stallions out there. They don't loathe one another but they have come to an understanding to stay away from each other.

Tysun: Tysun and Etoile just plain ignore each other. Tysun looks up to Ghost and Etoile just wants nothing to do with either stallion.

Zeke: Zeke is Etoile's favorite foster-sibling, even if he is a lupe. Zeke is her best friend, if you can even call him a friend; more like a warm acquaintance, but he's the only thing she's got for support.

*Acquaintances*

Larysa: Etoile is still deciding how she feels about this lead mare. Their meeting was formal and sometimes their beliefs clash as Etoile cannot comprehend the trust Larysa puts into her herd but they are not yet on bad terms.

Storm: Etoile isn't sure what to think of this stallion at all. To her, he's completly unpredictable and it scares her. She's not used to having reactions that aren't eye rolls or scoffs and he replies with a smirk. Only time will tell if Etoile will find an enemie or a friend in this stallion; that is, of course, if he survives.

*Love*

Etoile once loved a stallion and she still loves her still-born foals; but the mare has never even thought of letting anyone come this close to her again; it will only lead to more agony. And that's something she can't handle.

Customs

By Klonoa (AKA didlina9866 )

By Darki (A.K.A dark_navi__