Changeling stuffs.

[Deleted]

Book one: physiology and basic psychology

Changelings, a mysterious species with little known about them. By nature they are hidden from prying eyes. They are there though, sprinkled throughout Equestria. Their numbers have significantly increased after the defeat of Chrysalis. Her hive became scattered afterwards and still hasn't succeeded in regaining order.

Physiology: Straight to the point on their most unique feature. Changelings feed on love, more precisely, the magic of love. There are a number of methods to do so and changelings can even give extra love to each other or back to their victims. Some of the more common methods of draining include unicorn like spells and deep, purposeful breaths. Changelings are also born from eggs. They start out a good bit more developed than ponies.

As far as biology goes, changelings can vary wildly even in the same class as others. Their surface can be hard as a beetles or as soft as a praying mantis or lightning bug. Some have panels on them, like a scorpion, others only have openings at joints.

They are also affected differently by other emotions, even residual ones. Jealousy and hate can be harmful, happiness can give a sort of sugar rush but no emotion other than love can be used as nourishment. It should also be noted that love is extremely unpredictable. There aren't many absolute rules to loves or how to changelings can feed. There are more absolute rules, but conditions change.


'Rules' of feeding:
1.Directly feeding off of love is the most effective way of feeding.
2.Infatuation counts as love but isn't quite as filling, nor as draining.
3.Ponies can easily become husks when tricked intoned true love
4.When drained it becomes easier to continue feeding and to convince ponies nothing is wrong
5.A changelings magical power increases with how much love it absorbs
6.Some ponies have more powerful love than others
7.Everything else is rather case by case.
8.Changelings must feed on some sort of love to live. There are no 'vegetarian' changelings.

Symptoms of being low on love vary, but are very similar to the effects of not sleeping, minus the irritation. Hallucinations are possible after a long enough period, and a bit after that even the most aggressive changeling will become very very very docile, and have a clouded mind but also lazy, so don't try and go get a hungry changeling to paint a fence for you, it won't go far.

Changeling specific magic can be used even with incredibly low love reserves
Changing: only loosely confined by size. Even small changelings can turn into large ponies, but bigger sizes take more energy. Almost no changeling could hold something the size of a manticore or teenage dragon for extended periods.
Half-shield: a unidirectional shield, shaped like a triangle. Power depends on will
Green fire: takes up a lot of energy quickly. These fires are magical and tend to be more of a threat than a weapon because they don't burn things very much. They also show up when changelings strain themselves magically.
Mind control: only possible to the weak minded or heavily drained unless a changeling is very powerful, queens have an easier time
Hive-mind: more of a psychic link than a controlling force. Only experienced queens can strongly effect others will and still can't force a changeling to harm itself.
Changelings can also use numerous other spells, though most don't have the chance to learn complex magic but they almost always know enough to blend in and can learn certain spells very well. They have a talent for copying some less basic spells, but have trouble applying them freely.

Changeling forms: incredibly numerous and diverse. Changeling forms don't seem to be genetic, nor are they immediately visible. Changelings seem to solidify what their job is around the same time ponies get cutiemarks. Changelings who spend a lit of time away from the hive tend to gain more physical differences. They also have the ability to change over time. Many changelings develop their own specialized way taking love and will tend to stick to that way if it gets them enough love to get by

Drones: usually simple minded. Unique traits vary but are minuscule. They usually are inside the hive and don't really leave.((I personally don't recommend drones for being available, but being more like designated NPC hordes.))

Soldiers: (probably should let silver take this)

Scouts: usually a bit skittish and stressed. They also hold more allegiance to the queen than most. That said, they're some of the most likely to defect. They interact the most with ponies and have the most exposure to others.

Queens: physically unique from most changelings. They are actually one of the most affected by changeling instinct. They may take actions against their better judgement if it means the hive might get food. A queen's biggest goal is finding a steady food source for her hive. Growth is secondary but may happen first, which makes a queens life very busy and stressful. They may seem calm and collected but most are constantly scheming and planning.

Psuedo-Queen(king?): After changelings have left or lost their hive they may gain unique qualities after a time. This usually has the need of intense individuality. They may gain large differences in physiology, compared to normal changelings, and even have changes in mind set, assigning themselves a singular, straightforward mission, usually to help other changelings. They are usually larger and very queen shaped. The transformation is more dependent on how estranged the changeling perceives itself to be from the hive and whether or not it wants to change.


Next: Book Two: culture, interaction and history
Coming soon to a PM box near Whammy
To be followed by Book Three: The Hives

[Deleted]

I might have lied, this is all gonna take forever

[Mirage Oasis]

So the culture needs a bit more work, changeling culture is hard! the rest is solid though! If anyone has hive suggestions, lay them on me.

Culture and hive structure:'Trust is a must' is a common saying in small hives but is seldom followed once hives become large. In general, many changelings don't trust appearances and aren't quick to assume anything. Hive mind is rarely used between individuals and is more often used to declare larger events or send orders throughout the hive. Their movements out of disguise are considered, by most ponies, to be relatively silent and sneaky. Many changelings are very good at switching subjects and talking their way out of bad situations, along with thinking quick under pressure. These traits are also all highly treasured. A good Queen is one that is as opaque as possible, shows little negative emotions and carriers herself highly at all times. The less known about her intentions the better, until it becomes 'need to know' material. Another treasured trait is secret keeping, for obvious reasons. In some hives sharing secrets without permission is even punishable, though punishments vary. Changeling families are usually quite close, but relationships outside of the family are usually quite the opposite, strained and tense, usually seeking an air of superiority. Transforming continued: Changelings take on all the physical attributes of what they turn into, but can't replicate some species' magic. When turning into pegasi they have very weak weather magic, don't seem to have earth pony magic at all and, as said before, rarely learn many spells. However, changelings find it very easy to turn into and act like the main three races of pony kind, they also can, with strain, replicate buffalo rather easily. Other species can be a different story though, to turn into something that is atypical a changeling, firstly, must have, at the very least have seen pictures many times, or have actually met and gotten a good look at the target, anything that isn't obvious from appearance, won't be replicated if the changeling doesn't know about it, like a batpony's hearing and eyes. When turning into a diamond dog, already a stressful feat, many changelings can't turn the claws into anything but what hooves are made of, it takes practice to make the claws hard enough to shear through rock. Magical abilities, like a dragon breathing fire, or crystal ponies changeling shade, are completely out of reach without intense studying. So far, no known changeling has successfully become a crystal pony, yet. Interaction and History with Equestria, other lands and beings. -Equestria: Changeling's have made repeated incursions on Equestrian ground many times in the past. Though they aren't native to Equestria, the country makes for a magnificent feeding grounds and many have, legally or otherwise, entered Equestrian society. They aren't seen favorably, especially after the "Black Wedding" as the changelings were going to call it At the moment it's more of a somber note, as one of the largest Hives has been crushed due to it. This is also an opportunity though, any hive, young and old alike has a chance at claiming the grounds near the equestrian border. The number of hives in and around the country is unknown. -Caribou Isles:(unknown status) Mori? -Griffon Kingdom: Not many changelings choose to make the griffon kingdom their home, the amount of conflict and competitiveness that hangs in the air can mess with a changeling's head. The disguises also take a bit more to maintain and a bit more to correctly pull off. All this combined with the fact that the changeling will probably need to eat meat puts off the vast majority of changelings. All that said, the ones that do live in the Griffon Kingdom have nearly no competition. There may be one or two hives in the Griffon Kingdom. -Saddle Arabia: Saddle Arabia semi-recently pushed a large volume of changelings out from the main city and past its borders. At the moment very few changelings are in the country at all, though not as lovely as Equestria, it serves as a prime picking ground due to its lack of magical prowess. -Crystal empire: No Changeling's reside in the crystal empire. They can't seem to replicate the crystal texture of the ponies....yet. -Neighpon:(unknown status) Coffee? -buffalo: The buffalo have good and bad relations with changelings. They don't have many problems with the species, but in buffalo legends it is not uncommon for changelings to play tricksters that succumb to their own tricks, but also happen to play man wise roles in other legends as well. -Diamond dogs:(unknown status) Billy? -Dragons: Changelings and dragons can get along surprisingly well, if it's an adult dragon. Their mutual affinity for trickery and riddles lets them have long talks without fighting. They also can share mountains as Hive's and homes. This usually forms a symbiotic relationship where the changelings occasionally add to the dragon's treasure trove and the dragon protects the hive, such Hives are usually quite powerful. -Batponies: No full hives have ever infiltrated a batpony colony with much success. Most Changelings can only go days before being found out, but a select few changelings have hidden for long periods of time, within a colony, and gained great magical reserves from it. The amount of love makes Batpony colonies incredibly tempting, but batponies themselves usually dislike changelings, think they're untrustworthy(usually the case when they meet changelings) not to mention changeling's are arthropod like, which doesn't help the relationship.

[Deleted]

I have been summoned :3

So this is what the caribou cast has been going off of so far (by the way, it's not the Caribou Isles lol some of the holds are island based but Trottheim, for instance, is not. But that is a superficial concern)

Caribou culturally would have a difficult time meshing with Changelings. One whose very face is often false and operates on a culture of subterfuge would just... Basically fly in the face of how caribou operate. Caribou don't even extensively use subterfuge in their politics. (Some do influence each other in ways they probably shouldn't, but it's very direct and open).

Caribou Union/Changeling Relations: What I had been formulating and spreading around were that the Changelings living within Union lands were very covert and the hives were quite small as a sort of mirror of how small Union holds are. The bulk of the Union has no direct relationship with changelings, not even knowing their true form, instead referring to them as 'huldra' and only having myths and legends as to what their true faces may be. Thus, most of our cast tends to say that they have a species like changelings back home without knowing they are changelings. Due to geographic isolation, I don't personally believe anyone would know they're the same thing (except huldra themselves, who I'd imagine would likely feel that the generations of separation have made them somewhat distinct and who would be unlikely to reveal any information to anyone else [which goes along perfectly with what you have about secret keeping lol]), but since it's the truth, I'd be silly to say it's impossible for it to be known.

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All that up there is negotiable, but that's what folks have already been using and to me, it seems like the most intriguing way to go about it.

[Deleted]

I am sure Changelings would stay far away from Diamond Dogs.

So far, it's been assumed that Changelings can copy other races very well, but one thing they cannot perfectly copy is scent. Most of their prey does not have a strong enough sense of smell to detect it anyway, such as ponies, so Changelings have never really needed it. Because of this however, Diamond Dogs can tell a Changeling by their scent, or rather, their lack of it. Changelings wearing a disguise give off no scent, which is especially odd if they're a Diamond Dogs (because trust me, their smell is pretty noticeable). In a region where there is little else to feed on, there might be a specialized hive out there that can copy scents of Diamond Dogs, possibly through non magical means, but most of the time Diamond Dogs aren't worth the risk since they're close knit, don't spend much time above ground, and can tell a disguised changeling by their scent. Diamond Dogs as a result are generally indifferent to Changelings, since they don't see them much anyway and changelings don't usually have a lot of shiny gems for the dogs to covet.

[Vinyl Scratch]

500 years ago in the kingdom of Neighn there lived a queen whose vanity was only matched by her cruelty. Despite being cruel and an avid practitioner of the occult, she was a highly sought after once her husband died, windowing her and leaving the throne of the king of Neighn open to all comers, as long as they could capture the eye of the queen. Despite her flaws, many stallions competed for her hand, tempted by the power she was connected to. She enjoyed this and let them fight in a grand competition, fighting for her hoof in marriage, to the death if need be.

Many stallions competed for her hoof and the throne, but one easily outshone the rest. A tall, powerful Pegasus named Apophis, from the distant land of Saddle Arabia. His skill in battle and jousting was unmatched and he was the undefeated leader of a roaming tribe of barbarians. He was quickly chosen, by the wife, to be the leader of Neighn and together, they declared ownership the newly discovered land of South Amare-ica. Apophis swept into the land without mercy, attacking the natives and making his way towards the legendary city of Tenochticlan

But despite his power, the land defeated him, swallowing him and his army. Out of the thousands that left, less than half returned. They didn't tell stories of being defeated by vicious warriors, but by the land itself and of large legless dragons. Neighn wept with sorrow at his passing, but the queen revealed that he had left the land of Neighn with an heir who, someday, she swore would take the legendary city of South Amare-ica in the name of Neighn. Time passed and a daughter was born the nation's ponies seemed disappointed but the queen maintained that this daughter, an earth pony named Sekhmet would be the own to topple the legendary city.The daughter grew tall, strong and beautiful as time went on but she was vindictive, cold as ice and harsh as the desert sun. The queen boasted that her daughter had been born without a heart, making her incapable of showing mercy to her enemies! Both she and the queen were feared by the people of the country as tyrants.

Just before the princess' coming of age, the queen died in her sleep. The princess claimed it was the same does ease that had claimed her father, and resumed the attack on South Amare-ica. She was successful where her father had failed. She was unmatched as a general and on the battlefield. Many soldiers said that when she went to the front lines she shook the battlefield with her steps and could leave entire enemy regiments by her own. With such power she quickly made her way to the city of legend, knocking down its giant golden gates with one mighty kick.

She marched forward with her army and into the city...to find no one on the city, they had all retreated to the nearby city of Trotelolco. There were great lights coming from the tower in the middle of the city though. Rumors had told of the great treasures within the city, but nothing had prepared her, or her army, for this. They all continued forward, ransacking the city as they went but upon reaching the tower that all stopped, for several serpents, giant serpents, sat coiled in the tower. Their scales were like gems and eyes like gold, they also had feathers that shimmered like pearls. They covered the room of the tower in reflections of, or perhaps their own, light.

Sekhmet stood straight and without hesitation commanded them to bow to her, as she had taken over their city. They refused. Unshaken, she commanded her soldiers to strip the serpents of their feathers, laughing as they did so. The serpents seemed to take their disgrace humbly and as she decorated herself with their feathers they looked to each other in agreement. They moved like lightning, leaving the tower and growing to immense size, circling the city and announcing, "Queen Sekhmet. You and your army have brought great pain, evil and vanity into the world. For this we imprison you." and just like that the great city sunk deep into the earth. Sekhmet, perhaps spared by the earth, perhaps through her own strength and even possibly through the mercy of the feathered serpents survived her army's fall, but that was only the beginning of her troubles. They were now in a immense cave system, sealed by the great amarezon river without any supplies. Sekhmet wasn't going to lie and die though, her mind was too preoccupied with vengeance. She and her soldiers stumbled around in the dark for, weeks, then months... a year and a half. During this time they all changed, undoubtedly due to Sekhmet's connection to the earth, which they were surrounded by, combined with her incredible will and need for vengeance.

As they ran into walls their skin became hard. Holes appeared in them as they wasted away. Even Sekhmet's incredible strength was eaten away by starvation, but never one to give in, she decided that if there was no food, she would make food. At first there had been rats, salamanders, bats, but now there didn't seem to be anything. They had drank all the water, the cave smelled of ammonia, the sound of scurrying beetles and flapping leather wings was gone/ Gathering up the last group of her army together, she preformed an old ritual, one her mother had made the plans for bet never preformed. It allowed her and all those that preformed it on to no longer need food or water! It connected them. IT would grant them new life through losing an Identity....she wasn't exactly sure what that meant but she knew they would be the perfect army. Everyone left partook in the ceremony....and everyone changed. That's how changelings came to be....in this story at least.

After that several major cities of the South Amareican empire fell and soon the old empire crumbled for reasons that couldn't be pinpointed. But there are many records of ponies saying many others began acting differently and it's known now that there is a major hive hidden in the south Amareican Rainforest.

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Same rules as my other post which I'll be deleting soon. Judge, names are replaceable, not super fond of them...yeah, suggestions, observations. Yay.