On the new canon. · 2:20am Apr 23rd, 2012
So, Changelings are a part of MLP: FiM canon now, and several other things have changed. In anticipation of any questions people might have, here is a handy-dandy list!
*shakes out a list, which is ridiculously long*
1: Princess Cadence and Shining Armor do not exist in my canon, because I have absolutely no way to explain where they were and saying they were off on holiday for several years would be the world's largest cop-out.
2: The new Changelings are not pony-Changelings. That said, the idea of Changeling-Changelings amuses me to no end, and that might well happen.
5, wait no, 3: The relative strength of Celestia and Luna in my canon is significantly increased, I've realized, so be prepared for more awesomeness on their end.
*snaps the list, which inexplicably makes it roll back up.*
Any other questions about how the new canon interacts with the upcoming chapters, go ahead and ask, but consider this a tremendous SPOILER warning for those that want to wait and see.
Speaking of which, the new chapter is about 80% done, despite my increased workload, and once finals are over I'll be working hardcore on the next chapters. HARDCORE!
Oh, addendum: I'm thinking about writing some side-stories around some of the supporting cast, to give them more flavor and have some alternate perspectives on a Changeling Equestria. They'd be written while I'm writing the other chapters, so not until summer, but it should be pretty neat, or at least I hope so.
Two creatures of the same name which both project false images to hide their true form? Things just got awkward...
82033
Except with pony-Changelings, it's an unconscious effect, though some can change their outward appearance at will as well. I'm still wondering if Chrysalis and her like would reflect the true form of the pony-Changeling, or the projected form. If they reflect the true form, regular ponies would freak out, and if they reflect the projected form, said pony-Changeling would freak out, suspecting them of being a faerie double. Either way brings interesting ideas and consequences, but I can't decide.
I was thinking the new Changelings would be something Fae that existed to cause ponies trouble, possibly due to them being more trouble some. After all, something that feeds on love is like a natural enemy of ponies.
But Changeling-Changelings does sound quite awsome.
1. you have no idea how happy i am to hear that...
2. i still only have a general idea of exactly how changlings work. meaning that i have really hard time imagining what a changeling-changeling would be like (in fact; i cant, i mean really, i dont even know where to begin when trying to visualize that in my head)
3. compared to the show canon or compared to earlier in your story? (im pretty much certain i know what you mean but i still need to ask)
"Speaking of which, the new chapter is about 80% done"
jumping.in.joy!
"once finals are over I'll be working hardcore on the next chapters. HARDCORE!"
my head just went through the roof due to excessive jumping!
"Any other questions about how the new canon interacts with the upcoming chapters, go ahead and ask"
), i have a general idea of how they work, but im still a little confused
are regular questions about the story okay too? i was thinking along the line of making it perfectly clear of how the changeling business work (as far as we are supposed to know with what you have written earlier, meaning that im not looking for spoilers
82056
Actually, from what I saw in the episode, they're closer to Hobgoblins (if you're familiar with the RPG setting of Changeling: The Lost) than to actual Fae, aside from Chrysalis, who, apart from the whole monologuing-in-front-of-Celestia thing and wanting to take over the world, does indeed act like a Faerie.
82061
Hobgoblins are still something from the Hedge, which is close enough to me to consider them Fae related even if they are not fae themselves.
82049
Could depend upon the connection of the Changeling to the world of the Fae and its magic (which I think was the Wyrd stat). That would give some flexiblity in what is done with it. (Stronger results in true form, while weaker wyrd shows the mask. or something like that)
82059
Why yes, I meant compared to show-canon. Celestia, in my story, is almost unstoppable in direct conflict, the same for Luna. Chrysalis' little defense against the Princess from Backwards Through the Mirror would have failed, and she would have been blasted across the room, unconscious. The only reason the fake Twilight succeeded is Celestia didn't want to hurt her student.
Regular story questions are fine too, which is why I put the SPOILER warning.
I was curious how things would change... thank you for addressing the looming question!
Looking forward to the next chapter!
I'm honesty just happy to see you still around. Every time you go silent I began to worry that you stooped writing. Luckily you have calmed my nerves so I can sustain myself a bit longer. I'm glad your not try to fit everything from the new canon into the story. To many authors do that and end up either overworking themselves or giving up on their story do to it not sticking with it. They just never seem to realize that its their story do what you want Oh well. So as always I will happily wait for the next chapter and maybe I'll read my backlog of stories while I'm at it.
82070
Hobgoblins are more like things that wandered into the Hedge and got twisted by its influence. They tend to be predatory, and dangerous, much like Chrysalis and her ilk.
And if it was variable, nopony would believe what they saw, most likely. Now, that would be interesting, if pony-Changelings were immune to the shapeshifting of the buggy Changelings, any attempt just leads to crossed eyes and a headache.
82110
I suppose the first question would be how they compare to shape shifting frog thing from before that shot Trotter.
How's the chapter going, finding any time to write.
82196
Do read all of the blog, it has answers after all.
your story was actually the first thing I thought of when I watched that episode, thanks for posting this
okay, my question, kind of a request as well, but anyways; as i said in my original post about this, could you (or someone who gets everything clearly) write down how the changeling business work, i have a general idea, but the more i think about the less sure i am i have the right picture. what i have so far is:
they (fae) abduct a pony and replace him/her with a kind of copy, the original is sold of between fae in their world as something like a slave or possession. somehow, being in their world, the one that was abducted change; they gain a new appearance and some strange powers, this is when they can be referred to as changelings, too everyone that isnt a changeling they look like they never changed.
if i got something wrong or if i missed something; please correct me.
questions on this:
what is a fae?
what is the copy and why are they so different from the original? (i kind of assume that they are meant to take the place of the original so he/she isnt missed)
why do the one that was abducted change? what dictates how the new appearance/power looks/works? why cant everyone see the change in them? (is it a conscious decision?)
the fae's world; does it consist of different planes/dimensions or is it just one large world?
the monsters found in the fae's world; are they also fae, if not, what are they and how did they end up there?
is the hedge part of the fae world/worlds or just some border?
that's the questions i have right now, if i come up with more ill write them down as well. and btw i noticed that some of these questions have something close to an answer in the earlier comments, but ill let them stay anyways.
In regards to Celestia power level, I'm going with my head-canon and saying she went all chessmaster again, only pretending to lose so Shining Armor and Cadence could grow closer.
I'm sure we can all easily see her doing that, am I right?
82784
Fae is a general term for either Changelings or Faerie Lords, though in the latter case they're often referred to as 'True Fae'. I will refer to them as True Fae or Faeries generally speaking. As to WHAT they are, no one really knows, but they seem to embody pure ideas, concepts, even dreams and nightmares. It's possible they're living thoughts, as easily as they could be alien beings living a shadow's width away from the mortal realm, fascinated by it, and yet repelled by it. The reasons they take people (or ponies) is unknown, but it seems to have something to do with a mortal soul, and how they themselves lack one. It's fascinating to them, the idea of having a mortal life, even if the idea of dying is abhorrent to the True Fae.
The copy, referred to in the Changeling RPG as a fetch, is made of whatever happened to be around, and a fragment of the captured being's soul, taken from when the thorns of the Hedge rip their soul asunder in their path to the homeland of the True Fae, referred to as Arcadia in the books, but I'll come up with something suitably ponyish eventually. As the thorns rip the soul apart, what's left of the soul yearns for something to fill it, and when the Changeling reaches the home of the Faerie that captured her, his/her/its power fills the gap, molding them to their new keeper's purpose.
Some are changed in defiance of their keeper, their bodies and minds hardened by their repeated attempts to escape, while others are bent to look like the keeper, out of the latter's vanity or the former's desire to survive. Some are molded to some other purpose, to serve in the Faerie's domain, as a butler or soldier or even as a decorative ornament, but they are all changed for some reason, even if that reason makes no mortal sense.
The Faerie home, however, is made up of domains, much like feudal lords, but if feudal lords had command over sky, land and water as well. Imagine vast, floating fortresses built on a sea of screams high above a molten landscape that pops and sizzles with the lamentations of Changelings who fell or displeased their master. Some Faeries go to war with each other in impossible conflict, sending hordes of Changelings and the strange creatures of the Hedge to battle each other on massive chessboards, up the walls of a diamond palace, or through swamps of pure thought that resonate with the ideas of the living and the dead. I could go on and on trying to describe the Faerie homeland, and still not capture it, because it is a place of dreams and nightmares, and just as abstract and unreal.
The Hedge is indeed the border between the Faerie homes and the mortal realms, the brambles signifying the difficulty in passing between the worlds. They scratch, bite and nip at anything that goes through, and nothing that lingers in the Hedge is unchanged by the experience, save Changelings and the lords of Faerie themselves. Even Changelings though have to spend effort to linger and stay sane, but if they do, the Hedge is everywhere at once, and so can be used to bend the rules of distance somewhat. If Twilight bent her mind to it, she could visit any corner of Equestria she wished in a matter of minutes or, at worst, hours. She could even visit other planets, though it'd be extremely foolish to do so, and the thought would most definitely not occur to her until much later in the story.
The creatures in the Hedge are those beings, be they pony, animal or plant, that lingered within the Hedge for too long. They are twisted into mockeries of themselves, turned into beings of their purest nature or simply driven mad. The Pack of the Beast, for instance, used to be regular wolves, but became the hulking monstrosities they are after becoming lost in the Hedge. The Hedge, however, is a nasty place, so any hobgoblins, as such changed creatures are known in the books, are unlikely to rise in numbers fast enough and reliably enough to become a problem.
Hope that answers your questions! If you need me to elaborate on anything, don't hesitate to ask.
83231
) how does one open a gate to the hedge? i mean; we saw twilight going through some corridor the time when she went after AB, but then later there was a connection to the hedge through a door in an alleyway
, but here i go anyways->) twilights powers up to this point; can you describe them? (what she didn't have before the abduction obviously
) i mean i think i know what she can do, but i would like to be certain and to hear it in details 
incredible response, thank you!
it answers all the questions i had, though two new ones sprung up from reading it too:
(the things which doesnt hurt to know, i dont want any major spoiler if its something that will be explored at large in a future chapter
(i feel kind of stupid for asking something like this as i feel like i should be sure of it
83064
But they did not; they never underwent anything that would cause chacter growth (using love for uber power is a McGruffin, not character growth).
82784
The in ability for common mortal to see the changes is due to the 'Mask' (see the Wikipedia entry for Changeling The Lost), which can be removed if the changeling chooses to... though I think there is a rule that doing so can lead to loss of sanity. There is an option to strengthen it to prevent others like them from seeing through it, though their shadow will show their true shape still.
Changeling powers come from contracts of sorts; like Twilight seems to have a contract with shadows. At least most do. Contracts are a very important part for Fae magic.
83319
A good summation of Changeling powers. Twilight does indeed have mainly contracts of Shadow, since she's not currently aware that she can make new contracts or how she would go about doing so. She is, in effect, going about being a Changeling without the lore that the RPG assumes Changelings have access to.
83514
I suppose not being able to enter private property without premission is an example of the cost of contracts Twilight has made?
83714
Glad you caught that, but no, that's something else, to do with the sheer level of power Twilight wields. As a Changeling increases in power, they acquire vulnerabilities and little things they just can't do. Twilight, for instance, is physically harmed by her friends being angry with her, and cannot enter homes without permission. None of the other Changelings I've introduced have been puissant enough to warrant such faerie limitations. Yet.
83754
Huh, I forgot about that part (my information on the rules is limited to the demo and some stuff attached to the chacter sheet set, so nothing about the making of contracts). I guess that will be covered when she learns how it is done in the story.
So she has a wyrd level of at least seven, and every time she gets stronger will get another limitation and sometimes it will be a bigger deal than others. Makes me wonder how this relates to their normal abilities (do they increase perportionally or could another unicorn become similarly powerful to Twilight regardless of their strength as a mortal, or is that totally separate and Twilight just gained such faster?)
Fun possiblities there to think over. But for now, does she have the max amount of contracts she is allowed, or could she still get more if she knew how?
84147
There is no limit on the number of contracts she has, and since her limitations: Not entering houses without being invited and taking physical damage from the anger of her friends and loved ones are potentially life-threatening... Well one is anyway. Wyrd, in game terms, is a measure of a Changeling's connection to their Faerie powers. At around 7 they are equal to the least of True Fae.
Twilight's Wyrd, in game terms, is currently closer to 10. She has another limitation that she's not aware of yet, and it should be rather spectacular when it's found, and it's sufficiently amusing and impressive that I shan't spoil it, even here. Now, as to whether or not another unicorn could become as powerful as Twilight, yes. They could, in theory, but Twilight's talent for magic makes her particularly puissant. This means that she can go beyond the usual "five dots" of normal characters in Changeling: The Lost. So, come the end of the story, she will likely be unnervingly brilliant, perceptive, and so composed as to be unreal.
Add in to this that her Faerie powers are blending with her unicorn magic, and Twilight, come the sequel of Backwards Through the Mirror, will easily be an equal to Chrysalis, even at the height of her power. With this comes incredible limitations however, and an almost crippling impact on her sanity which will be rather fun to write.
Another fun thing to consider: Once she figures out how, Twilight can make contracts with anything, be it a person, place, thing or idea. Contracts of courage, of sunlight, roses and the sound of laughter, contracts of mirth and sorrow and pure visceral fury. Anything's possible, which is why I like writing this story so much.
hi, just caught up with your story. amazing so far, credits to you...
regarding, that unmentioned limitation you implied, does it have anything to do with Blackboard not revealing his real name? i've read in some myths that knowing the true name of your foe grants you power over your adversary...
88491
The last limitation is a bit more than that, actually, but Blackboard doesn't reveal his name because if he does, or if it's discovered, he has to leave. It's a part of who/what he is. Twilight's last limitation will have to do with her true name, but it will be nothing like Blackboard's, it will be far more devastating. Look for it towards the end of the story, during the final confrontation with the Beast.
86155
My thoughs there were on whether or not Changeling Magic interacts with normal pony magic. I suppose since you specifically mention it mixing with Twilight's later on the answer is not normally.
93364
Changeling magic and unicorn magic readily blend, but most Changelings don't bother as doing so can be complicated, or don't want to blend together the strange powers of the faeries that tortured them so with something as close to them as their magic, which for some was their only connection to their past life.
>> RustyTheBrave
So wait, Blackboard is a changeling? interesting. This also brings up a question. Whats this about true names? and can you link to some sort of article with full rules and backstory? Wikipedia only grants so much.
94562
Some more can be found at: http://wiki.white-wolf.com/worldofdarkness/index.php?title=Changeling:_The_Lost
From that it looks like Twilight is an Antiquarian Darkling and from stuff in previews (see below) it would seem her characterization is in line with the summer court.
Has some more information. Since it is a game, the rules are not publicly availible; however, you can pick up the free demo at http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php and check the character sheets (has some stuff about rules at the end plus it is possible to see parts of the various rule books as previews).
94956
Thanks Gwenio! I've just noticed, but you seem to have commented at least once on pretty much every story I have ever fav'd. You're a bust pony. Also, I thought that Twilight was a Summer Darkling, but then I only came to that conclusion from the wikipdedia page, So, I don't know.
95445
Summer would be a Court, which is an organization changelings can join (the main courts being season based). It involves various agreements of fealty and provides access to contracts with the season.
Antiquarian would be a subtype (kith) of Darkling that has to do with anchient books of lore. So Summer and Antiquarian are not mutuallly exclusive.
PS: I read lots of pony, and comment often.
95544
Oh, ok! new chapter! Time to read! Twilight is an Antiquarian Darkling(court:Summer)!
95869
Just remember that so far as Twilight knows, there are no courts. She's making this up as she goes along, rather than having an idea of a set court.
She might even make her own, the Court of Harmony, who knows!
96004
Interesting! We'll just have to wait and see. (Was that foreshadowing?)
Draconic (Fairiest) Changeling Dragon(s)? Can it happen?
110204
I actually have something planned along those lines. Imagine a dragon who is the very epitome of draconic arrogance, with sharper claws, brighter eyes, and a bearing that sets mere mortal dragons to trembling. Cold, arrogant, and powerful, is what they'd be.
110280
Reduntant things like Changeling-changelings and draconic dragons sound like fun.
Changeling-changelings... I think I hear Luna somewheredl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Luna_lolface.png