Beasts and Beings - Stories of Equestria's Inhabitants

by Strongbolt Stonewing

Changeling

If there's anything you don't want to run into in your lifetime, it's an army of Changelings...

...or even one, for that matter.

Changelings are dastardly beings who possess the ability to shape-shift. Their bodies are of an equine-like stature...

...so, they're shaped like us...

...they also have black, rubbery skin and large blue or green eyes. Most have both a horn and wings and, like ponies, can use them for magic and flight.

Changelings are some of the worst kind of scum, and I'll tell you why...

...here we go again...

...firstly, they kidnap ponies and take their form, secondly, they're heartless monsters who care little for anyone but themselves, and thirdly...

...they glued you to the ceiling.

Yes... wait, no! For the record, it was a few years back, I was at my good friend Shining Armor's wedding. Now, I'd has suspicions about the bride, who I've known since high school, because I thought she was acting differently, then Shiera said: "No, I don't really see any difference in behaviour..."

Well, also for the record, I've known her since pre-school and I always thought she could be a bit harsh when she wanted to...

You're just saying that because she was more popular than you...

This is coming from the kid who everyone thought had 'Anger Issues'.

I prefer to think of them as superpowers. But this isn't about our high school years, although we should write a book about that next...

Right, back to the changelings.

Of course, as I was saying, I'd had my suspicions about Cadence (Shining Armor's wife-to-be)...

The word is fiancée...

Shiera we don't have time for your made-up words! Would you let me finish?

But I...

As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, Cadence hadn't been acting normally, so, being the gentlemanly gentleman that I am, I approached her just before the ceremony and asked if something was wrong. The next thing I know I'm stuck to the ceiling, covered in this weird, gooey, green stuff. But that wasn't enough to stop old Strongbolt...

...oh boy...

...oh no! I was not going down without a fight...

...so he spent the next half hour trying to pull himself out...

...and after I finally did, I arrived at the great hall to find the Changelings defeated already, and without my personal input no less!

I hear Twilight and her friends had quite the fight though.

Shame we missed it, but enough about us...

...you mean enough about you...

...you're probably wondering how exactly one discovers and defeats a Changeling. Well, beating them up is the easy part (they're incredibly brittle), it's finding them that's the difficult bit.

Changelings feed by taking the form of somepony you love and draining energy from your love for them, so naturally changelings usually only take the form of someone in a romantic relationship.

That's another disadvantage of marriage...

What do you mean 'another'?

Um, nothing, I love you.

That's what I thought. Now, there are three clear giveaways when it comes to changelings, we call them the three S's.

Speech, Sight and Sorcery.

Indeed, firstly, we have speech. Listen to the way they speak, do they struggle to make sentences? Do they have trouble remembering situations in the past? These could all be signs of a changeling.

Also, pay close attention to the eyes. Most changelings keep their green or blue eye colour even after transformation.

And finally, sorcery, what colour is their magical aura?

That's the wobbly stuff around their horn (if they have one).

If it does not match their eye colour because it is green or blue, again, this a sign.

Once you've uncovered your changeling it's a simple case of blunt trauma to the head.

This doesn't mean you should go around beating every blue-eyed amnesiac with a stutter. But, be wary, you never know where you might find a changeling.

If you are suspicious about somepony, give them time, changeling magic eventually wears off, but a shock can reverse its effects instantly. So giving them a good scare is a less violent way of revealing the truth.

Yeah, so make sure you're not like us and accidentally let the Changeling Queen into Equestria.

You know, I can't blame you for being jealous of Cadence, she was pretty much the best-looking girl in school...

What was that, dear?

Nothing, I love you... and you're beautiful and amazing.

Much better.

Comments

[Prince_Staghorn]

SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

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