)"Neon-Changeling Consequences" - Comic, and some s6 finale fanfic ideas · 9:44pm Nov 10th, 2016
As some of you may know, I also do art and comics and stuff. 
So, here's a thing I did. (Click image for full)
Sure, I'm no AssassinMonkey or the like, and I was trying to get this comic done quick on top of that ---
But in the unlikely case anypony wants to...
You have my permission to use this for fanfic cover images. 
I also made a textless version [link].
I mainly did this comic out of a sense of... uh... "damage control" for the fanfiction community. 
Basically, just a way to throw some head canon out there to reconcile the new and the old, plus some extra ideas I'd be interested to see explored in fanfiction.
Barely anypony seems to know what to do with the new changelings. I've seen a total of less than 10 fanfics based around 'em. 
I mean... the obvious story-concept to explore would be, what happened to the changelings that didn't transform! 
...Thorax can't have been the only changeling to have left the Hive.
I'm saying... how about a story to... connect the old changeling story concepts to the post-s6 canon?
Personal headcanon:
Let's say -- the metamorphosis had a range-limit, and, due to various circumstances, is unrepeatable.
The changelings sharing their love was not the cause for their metamorphosis. It was a catalyst, thanks to a combination of several unlikely factors.
Mostly, I blame the magic-sucking throne.
Think about it: It was absorbing the magic from FIVE alicorns. The Lord of Chaos. AND the six Harmony-bearers of the Rainbow-Power.
Not only that, but its victims were right overhead. The flow of magic through the air must've been electrifying.
To top it off, Thorax was already super-charged with love from his open stay in the Crystal Empire, possibly with considerable trace amounts of magic from the Crystal Heart as well. ( Heart. Love. Get it? 
)
He was so well-fed there, he never even got hungry anymore - unrelated to his later metamorphosis, mind you. (Meaning, even the new 'lings would still need love.)
And THEN Chrysalis uses her magic to drain the love from Thorax.
That's at least six different types of magic interacting here. Every changeling present was basically standing in a super-charged magic-field that was tuned as such to only allow changeling-access. Magic responds strongly to emotions, Thorax shot a beam of love... the throne, well, at least cracked at that moment, and who knows what a powerful magical artifact does when it's broken...
Thorax being the first to transform, and also the one with the most love already absorbed prior, thus was the one most receptive to the magic and therefore absorbed more of it. Et voilá, new changeling king! 
This headcanon has certain implications; namely, any changeling not present (or close enough to) the epicenter would remain unaffected, regardless of loyalty to Chrysalis or not, or their friend/ships with ponies. Also, the event may or may not be non-repeatable. (Throne's destroyed / Chrysalis' magic is a necessary factor)
Possible story concept:
A black, hole-riddled changeling seeks an audience with King Thorax. She is accompanied by her pony-husband. They've come to ask a question: "Was our love not strong enough?"
...And some other fanfic ideas relating to the finale:
Trixie and Discord do their magic show (complete with Discord pulling a black, hole-riddled and furious bunny-Chrysalis out of Trixie's hat)
Plus the inevitable ship-fic, they both love to annoy Twilight Sparkle after all.
Luna and Starlight relating to each other and their "past sins"
("last month" in Starlight's case, ya know, the whole mind-control thing)On Chrysalis' orders, two changelings try impersonating Celestia and Luna. Hijinks ensue as they try keeping up appearances, juggle court, and make questionable decisions ...and royal decrees.
Another changeling Queen has a crush on poor, timid Thorax, who happens to be the first changeling-king in millenia. She does what any true changeling Queen would do.
Use all available resources and drones at her disposal to
conquertake overspy onstalkwin at love.... ... ...
"Win his love," isn't that what I said?
I'm not like to be the one to write any of these, so... all of the above are "free game". 
Lastly, here's some--
Advice regarding fanfiction based on old canon
My advice if your story, or a story you were planning to write has been jeopardized by the s6 finale ---
Don't give up your fanfics and headcanons just yet! 
Old fanon doesn't die that easily, if it was well-established prior.
(Or do you think the "RariSpike"-ship would sink, even if canon torpedo'd it directly? That cruiseliner has been sailing for six years! ;-)
It's all about reader-immersion, making sure the reader doesn't get jarred out of the experience half-way through the story.
If you can make it clear up-front that the story ignores the finale, takes place in the past, or an alternate universe/continuity, everything should be fine.
In a way, the distinction between "Neon-Changelings" and "Cheeseleg Classic" can give your reader the right idea just from the cover art alone.
So, I sincerely hope the s6 finale doesn't discourage fanfiction-writers from continuing their changeling fanfics, or to publish their unfinished fanfiction-ideas after all! 
...Last-lastly, for no particular reason, here's a sapient ponyfied coca cola bottle, and her worst nightmare.
Nice. :D
Though I'm getting an interesting variety of display errors; I finally had to go to the source and zoom in. Zoom in twice, I think it was, actually.
"...Thorax can't have been the only changeling to have left the Hive. "
...Huh. And the ones who left were probably dissatisfied with the way things were done. Quite possibly due to wanting peaceful coexistence... and now they're the only ones who still have to prey on ponies. Oh dear. :D
Oooh, nice headcanon, though! :D
And, yeah, giving love being the sole cause did seem. Um. Implausible. It would probably have to be giving love under some particular set of conditions, at least, I think, else it would presumably have been discovered ages ago just by a gatherer coming back and sharing with the changelings in the hive.
re the very last thing:
...Um. Huh. Well, that's a thing.
4296150 Display errors for the comic???
I don't get any errors, everything looks fine to me.
Well, them, and whoever was out on love-collecting duty, or some long-term scheme. Plus those Chrysalis had ordered to replace the mane 6 and the princesses of course.
So, it'd be an even mix of "good" 'lings and "bad" 'lings.
I'm guessing the general public wouldn't see it that way, though. 'Specially, if the first newspaper reporting on the metamorphosis went with the wrong explanation of "just learning to share your love". Meaning, the general pony-public would assume all black changelings are evil (Yes that sounds incredibly racist. ...And it totally is.
) , or that those who didn't metamorphosize had just been "pretending to be good" the whole time.
Hence the story idea of a changeling thinking her love wasn't good enough.
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"
"Display errors for the comic???
I don't get any errors, everything looks fine to me.
I'm still getting them. I can't see the comic at all on this page at the moment, for instance; it's just a jumbled mess of bits and pieces of things that my monitor has displayed recently. No idea what's causing, it, though, I'm afraid.
Ah, yes, I wasn't thinking of those only temporarily out when I wrote that. Partly that was just me not referring to them, but somehow I hadn't thought of the love collectors and those assigned to long-term schemes; thanks.
"I'm guessing the general public wouldn't see it that way, though. 'Specially, if the first newspaper reporting on the metamorphosis went with the wrong explanation of "just learning to share your love". Meaning, the general pony-public would assume all black changelings are evil (Yes that sounds incredibly racist. ...And it totally is.
) , or that those who didn't metamorphosize had just been "pretending to be good" the whole time."
Egh, probably more than before, too. Some ponies might have had doubts that all changelings were bad, but now, conveniently, the good ones are color-coded. So much less reason to have doubts about the villainy of the black ones...
"Hence the story idea of a changeling thinking her love wasn't good enough.
"
Aww.
4297133
...lol whut? Screenshot, plz?
Sounds more like your browser having the problem.
Maybe you could try a "hard refresh"? Clear the cache, then reload?
The above image is the exact same file as the "double-zoomed in" image on deviantArt. What happens when you right-click the image in the blog post and pick "show image"?
What about the image at the bottom of the blog post?
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Well, It's currently having a different display error, but sure.
Huh. This time it isn't even static. We have an animated display error; that bottom part changed while I was looking.
https://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/17/51/22/96/screen10.jpg
https://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/17/51/22/96/screen14.png
https://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/17/51/22/96/screen11.jpg
"Sounds more like your browser having the problem."
Maybe? I almost never get this sort of glitch, though.
"Maybe you could try a "hard refresh"? Clear the cache, then reload?"
Sorry, but do you mind if I don't? I was able to see the image elsewhere, and I don't really want to bother. Are you trying to troubleshoot to see if you can fix it in case anyone else has this problem?
"The above image is the exact same file as the "double-zoomed in" image on deviantArt. What happens when you right-click the image in the blog post and pick "show image"?"
I don't have "show image" in the resulting right click menu.
"What about the image at the bottom of the blog post?"
Oh, that one works fine.
...You know, come to think of it...
Huh, yeah.
So here's the last image, the first one, I remember giving me this sort of error (only moreso, because it also slows the browser down). It's still doing it over a year later. The weird thing, though, is that it's also a picture of changelings.
Oh, and in the time I was writing this, the bottom of the glitch changed again.