Darkest Darkness changeling notes · 6:16pm Dec 20th, 2013
Take a look at my notes for Changelings in my story "Darkest Darkness".
CHANGELING NOTES
Changelings have a Hive society, not unlike tribal bees. A few differences, however, is that the queen does not lay all of the eggs. A select group of Changelings are born to give birth to other changelings. These changelings are the only ones capable of giving birth in the hive, and they do not need to procreate in order to birth.
Another difference between bees and Changelings is that the queen does not split the hive when a new queen is born, which is once every thousand years. Only the changeling queen herself knows why it is once every thousand years. Instead, when a queen egg is hatched, the new queen will undergo rigorous study in order to be able to best lead her hive when she comes of age, usually at the age of 18, although some exceptions have been made throughout Changeling history in the instance where the new queen can prove she is a better leader than the current queen.
Society
Another difference between Changelings and bees is their society. Changelings exist as a combination of bees and ponies, although their origins are unknown and heavily debated. ((Flutterpony change)). In the hive, there are many different roles. The most common role is forager. These changelings leave the hive to gather food for the swarm, storing love in their body until they are full, before returning to share the food. These changelings can sometimes be gone for months, to even years, depending on their methods of food gathering.
Another role in the Changeling society is teacher. Since Changelings feed off of love, and Changelings are incapable of feeling emotions themselves (see Lovesick disease below), special changelings are tasked with studying their current food source's history, culture, science, and speech in order to fully incorporate themselves within the society.
Another role in the changeling society is breeder. These changelings are the only changelings capable of laying eggs in the hive, and will fiercely protect the young from even the queen herself. These changelings are born with the lovesick disease, and generally do not live for very long. However, in their short lifespan, they will watch over the eggs as mothers before they hatch and are sent off to the teachers.
Another role in the Changeling society is something of a warrior. These changelings are tasked with guarding the hive from outside forces, such as the curious pony or an attacking nation, should the hives location ever be discovered. In rare cases, warrior changelings have been tasked with attacking another nation that has proven difficult to incorporate themselves into secretly.
The final role in the Changeling society is Queen. These changelings are always female, and have complete rule over all aspects of the hive. To other nations, they can be seen as tyrannical dictators, depending on their methods, but the truth is that most, if not all, changelings are born with undying loyalty to their queen, much like bees. Changeling Queens can live up to two thousand to two thousand five hundred years. A new queen is generally born at the current queens thousandth year, and she will remain in power until she dies or is bested by the new queen in any number of ways. When the newly hatched queen is ready to lead the hive, if the old queen still lives, she will split the hive and fly off to look for a new home, where she will live the rest of her thousand years leading her final hive, before a new queen is born.
Magic
It is no secret that changelings are born with a natural talent of shapeshifting. This much is commonly known. However, what is a secret to most outsiders is that Changelings share a selective hive mentality, in which the queen only holds the key. In times of need, the queen can utilize this hive mentality to directly control or heavily influence the hive as a whole. This can be particularly devastating to an invading force, as changelings under direct control of their queen lose their sense of self preservation. When a new queen is born, however, the hive mentality is fractured, as two queens attempting to control the hive at once can only lead to catastrophe. The link is restored when either queen dies or is far enough away from the hive where her magic does not interfere. This is one reason Changeling hives do not fight each other over food rights.
While it is commonly known that Changelings are one of the few species able to naturally change their forms through illusion, to what extend this ability reaches is a mystery to almost all except Changelings. It is commonly accepted that Changelings are only able to take the form of similar creatures, such as ponies and zebra, but this is not entirely true. As warrior changelings are not expected to go out and forage, their shapeshifting abilities are quite limited. Currently, their form is limited to knowledge of Equestrian species, which they utilize to cause confusion within an attacking force once they turn their weapon on their "allies". However, their knowledge can change to a different species should their main enemy change. Foragers, on the other hand, are able to shift into a number of creatures, provided that their form is thoroughly understood by the changeling. In the past, foragers have been seen to shapeshift into a number of sentient creatures, such as Equestrians, Gryphons, Zebra, Sea Ponies, and even Minotaurs, on the rare occasion. Changeling Queens, on the other hand, are an entirely different question.
While all foragers are able to, due to to cultural beliefs that their queen is all-powerful, only the queen is allowed to shapeshift into an alicorn. This is done sparingly, however, as few alicorns exist after Discords' annihilation of their species, and an alicorns knowledge is vast, and far beyond a changeling queens'.
Throughout Changeling history, few records exist of a changeling shifting into a dragon. These records show that the changeling in question was always a queen, always near the end of her lifespan, and that it was done as a show of final strength before the queen departed from the hive to make way for the new queen. A final act to spite the new queen, or perhaps encourage her to do better than her former.
Anatomy
Changeling anatomy is a heavily debated subject in Equestrian society. Much of it is pure conjecture, as no living Changeling has been found after the Canterlot Invasion to question or dissect, and all deceased specimens are long since decomposed to the point where evaluation is impossible.
What little records the Equestrian Royal Guards and Royal Library do have are incomplete and pure speculation.
Standard Changeling Front
1. Standard Unicorn horn. Source of their illusionary magic and shapeshifting abilities, as well as a reciever for hivemind communications.
2. Oddly misshaped ears, possibly to deflect wind resistance while airborne.
3. Insectoid wings lined at the top with a soft form of chitin in order to keep the wings from growing up, instead of down.
4. Fangs. No records indicate their use in feeding, so it remains unknown why Changelings not only have teeth, but large canines. Further analysis reveals tiny mites living within the mouths of Changelings, which have since been identified as "Mouth-Mites". Mouth-Mites commonly share a symbiotic relationship with other organisms, in which they clean the mouth and teeth in return for shelter in the gums of the host. Coupled with what is known of the Changeling language, this is likely the case for their existence in Changelings.
5. Holes in hooves. Possibly used for climbing.
6. Solid colored membrane, much like alligators. Most likely used to keep air and other nuisances out of the eyes while airborne, although it is unknown why none lifted this membrane during the ground attack of the Canterlot Invasion - Possibly ability to see in the dark?
Changeling Anatomy Side
1. Barely noticeable light splotch below the membrane. Possibly real eye underneath?
2. Hardened chitin that encompasses only the head. It is unknown why this chitin is more resistant than the body chitin, but the sectioning off allows the changeling to freely move their head.
3. While commonly mistaken for more chitin, this lightly-ringed section is actually a soft, unchitined section of the body that protects what is presumed to be the stomach. Up close, it is minorly transparent.
4. Hard hair-like fibers. Probably used to distinguish changelings between their roles.
5. Extremely resilient chitin. Analysis reveals that it is actually layers of chitin stacked upon each other. Standard weapons proven unable to penetrate this chitin.
6. Fleshy ridge on the back of the Changelings head, possibly used to turn more smoothly while flying.
Queen Anatomy Front
1. Long, jagged horn. See Changeling Anatomy Front for use, although it is unknown why the Queens' horn is longer and jagged.
2. Visual analysis reveals this to be a rare fungi known as Fervidus Nigrum, which roughly translates to "The Glowing Black". Fungi grows deep underground and in remote, dry regions where there is little water. It is unknown why this is used as perhaps a crown, or other symbol of power, but it is likely a cultural act.
3. Presumed shared Changeling eye. It is unknown if the Queen has an eye membrane like other Changeling, but this is presumed to be the shared eye of all changelings underneath their solid-blue membrane.
4. Standard equestrian ears. It is unknown why the Queens' ears do not match Changeling ears.
5. Tattered mane. It is unknown why the Queen has a mane, let alone one that does not match the hard tail fibers of other Changelings.
Queen Anatomy Side
1. Extremely resilient chitin. See Changeling Anatomy Side.
2. Tattered tail. See Queen Anatomy Front.
3. Unchitined section of the torso. See Changeling Anatomy Side. It has been reported that this section glowed while absorbing love, possibly serving as a sort of "dinner bell" to other Changelings in order to let them know that there is food.
Diseases
Few diseases were found within the bodies of deceased Changelings upon autopsy, but one previously unknown disease has.
Survivor accounts are nearly unreliable, as Changelings are generally similar looking, but few accounts reported scarred changelings that examiners have been able to locate and dissect. Analysis of their bloodwork reveals entirely different cells from those of common Changelings, and it is generally accepted that these odd changelings were "suffering" from a Changeling-Specific disease that affects how they receive emotions. To put it simply, these few Changelings were able to feel pure emotions, such as fear, anger, and sadness, while standard Changelings are emotionless creatures who must feed on love in order to survive.
These diseased Changelings likely received their scars from other hive members due to their disease, as these Changelings could not contribute fully to the hive, since their bodies naturally converted the received emotions into food, rather than storing them for the rest of the hive.
It is unknown how this disease was contracted, or how to replicate it, but survivor accounts report that these scarred Changelings were far kinder to their captives, and even assisted some in escaping from Canterlot during the invasion.
Scientists have since named this peculiar disease "Lovesickness" and "Empathy Sickness".
Language
While Changelings are able to comprehend and converse in foreign languages, it is generally accepted that Changelings possess their own language, similar to ancient Zebra in the fact that it consists of clicking the tongue against the teeth, as well as chittering and other high-pitched noises, but comparison of the two languages has proven no similarities beyond that. Study of the Changeling language is still ongoing.
Boredom... AND it's gone.
//E: A very interesting read. I lately happen to get into contact with some greatly outlined stories handling changelings. The big idea they all share is that changelings are on the same evolutionarily level as ponies and are perceived as such. They have their own society that is compatible with the pony's and, whatever the details may are, stands in contact with the Equestrian.
This, however, reads like the changelings are something like high-developed animals. Maybe it's a natural reaction to freshly discovered races. You don't state how long the ponies know about changelings, perhaps you could drop me a line about that, pretty please? It's just that the animal-like description and the knowledge about changeling morals are two aspects that are sitting on two far ends.
About the holes... according to the written there is a possibility suspected that they serve aerodynamic reasons. I'm not quite good in physics, but wouldn't that cause turbulences? It truly helps flying, as it saves weight. Then again, in a story I've read, the holes weaken the chitin shell, making "mismatched" changelings who don't have holes tougher (those could be the warriors in this case). How do you think about that?
And lastly, coming back to morals, do you have a concept of their morals? That would be really interesting, for they are always (partly) mind-controlled by their queen. What fitting principles could exist for such a society, where or from what would they develop? With the ability to change form, moral may would take the role to stabilize their minds as individuals. That again depends on how they perceive themselves, if at all....
1628130 Yey
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Wuuuoo
1628130 All of my headcanon will be explained in the actual story. These are just my notes so I don't forget.
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I smell updates.
1628511 It'll be a loooooooooooong time before Darkest Darkness is completed, but I'm pouring my energy into it. Just wanted to let people know I'm still here and working by showing them something I thought was cool.