Although changelings are fully capable of eating plants, and meat for that matter (look at their teeth), they'd only do so for asthetics, as they find no nourishment in the act. Much in the same way Venom, Carnage, and other symbiotes do, changelings feed on the enzymes/chemicals produced in the bodies of sentient beings who are feeling strong emotions. Depending on what type of emotions are being felt as well as the type of creature, different chemicals can be produced. This can cause the changeling to evolve into different variations of themselves, though they would still fall under the control of Queen Chrysalis.

Examples of Variant Changeling Strains:

Flameheart Changeling (Feeding strictly of dragons when angry or irritated):

Workers (Feeding off caring/nurturing-type ponies )

Berserkers (Changelings raised on nothing but dark, negative emotions from multiple species):

Darklings (Feeding on madness and/or the remnants of Sombra's dark magic):

Miasma Changelings (Feeding on envious, lusty ponies)

Frostbiter Changeling (feeding on 'cold-hearted' emotions; apathy, subservience, obedience):

Crystalblade Changelings (feeding on generally positive emotions from crystal ponies/ ingesting crystals):

Boglings (changelings warped by Discord's chaotic magic and "playful" madness)

Mature Changeling Drone (Adolescent Changeling that hasn't deviated, due largely to emotional starvation for long periods):

Dreameater Chamgeling Drone (Changeling has evoled the ability to enter dreams and feed off the emotions of the dreamer due to falling into a starvation-induced coma) [NOTE: Dreameaters are in a permanent coma; they can't move, but act as collectors for the rest of the horde]

Mature Miasma Changeling (to clarify, feeds mainly off the engorged, sexual hormones of a mare in heat)

Leviathan Changeling (manages to find and feed on the emotions of a seapony/ponies):

Deathstrider Changeling (feed on the emotions of stags, elk, and other longlegged creatures)

Windbreaker Changelings (feed strictly on the emotions of Pegasi)

Hunter Changeling Type 1 (feed on the primal 'emotions' of timberwolves and manage to survive the encounter)

Hunter Changeling Type 2 (Hunter has reached maturity, and has mock-copied the timberwolf's ability to disassemble and reassemble by splitting into thousands of tiny symbotic insects)

Hunter variations are the only variant incapable of flight and shapeshifting. They also lose most of their magical abilities, as this requires a strong will and concentration. Having fed off of the primal 'emotions' of the Timberwolves, they have lost much of their critical/cognitive thinking skills, instead acting mostly on instinct and following the directives of Chrysalis.

Spiketail Changeling (Adapted to better combat the monsters of the Everfree Forest; also feed on the primal emotions of manticore)

Myxine Changeling (feed largely on 'sad' emotions; misery, despair, inadequacy, etc.)

Ambrosia Changeling (feed mainly on 'happy' emotions; joy, anticipation, enthusiasm, etc.)

Manawalker Changeling (exposed to massive amounts of magic over long period of time, Changeling is now partially made of and able to transform into mana)

All variant strains of changelings have access to both flight, shapeshifting, and magic abilities, although some may only use specific types of magic (Flameheart's are fire-specific, Frostbiter's are ice-specific, Miasma's have an ability similar to Cadence's, etc.)

Well, enjoy the buffet?

This was posted to give any readers ideas for new Changeling OCs and stories. Even normal Changelings, as cool as they are, can get boring after a while.

P.S. - If you want my opinion of the Chrysalis of my universe, just ask and I'll post it.

So......Much.....CHEESE

1316547
Awesome! I'm gonna put this post in a nice safe google document so I can look at it if I need inspiration for my stories Very creative as well I really like the Spiketail and the Dreameater they are just so brutal looking.

1316547
11/10 god-tier thread.

1316572
Thanks.
I was thinking about allowing the Dreameaters to move, but that's like having a portable energy generater with you all the time; WAY OVERKILL.

1316595
Good choice there. Plus the fact that they can't just gives them an eerie feeling like the wheezers from Dead Space 1

1316582
Why thank you! I DO aim to please.

1316621
Hmmm, hadn't thought of that. Nice comparison!

I might use this.

I'm favoriting this post.
I was looking at throwing some more diversity at the Changelings. I really like all the thought that's been put into this. It really breathes some life into whatever passes for Changeling society.

1316547

So... do they develop differently depending on what energies they eat? Or are they born naturally desiring to eat said energies?

1316859
Develop differently depending on what energies they eat. Adaptations are based strictly on chance.

1316883

What I meant by that was if two changelings of a certain strain reproduce (I'm assuming that's how it works) would they have the default changeling genes? Or be of that of the strain they were hatched under? Also, this leads me to ask if they can cross strain or change strain if they tried.

Or does it not work like that at all?

So much question...

1316942
Changelings are a hive species; only the queen can reproduce. While the other changelings DO HAVE reproductive organs, they are more for show than anything; all non-queen changelings are infertile.

Since the Queen, in this case Queen Chrysalis, is unable to deviate from her base genes, each hatchling is born without any specific adaptations or tastes, a blank slate if you will.

1317003

I see....

Welp, the ideas cool.

Good say, sir.

1316547 So pretty much your head canon is that the changelings can operate like the primal zerg. I can stand behind that notion.

1317043
THANK YOU FOR BEING THE FIRST PERSON TO NOTICE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The zerg partially inspired some of these, but its more or less the hive zerg with the ability to adapt individually.

1317118 Starcraft and Blizzard fans unite! /)

1316547 These... look... AWESOME!

1317167
ikr?
props go to the various mlp fan-artists of deviantart.com for making this thread possible.

1316547
I always imagined Changelings functioned on color scheme and how they changed was to suit that task.

Like Green for field/ landscaping
Blue for common work
Black was military operations
Pink was medicinal
Purple was sociology
White was peacekeeping
Red was for love distribution
Orange/yellow was for weather management

Of course, people have this fandom impression that because they are insect like, they must have a hive. I call minotaur crap, they could easily have cities. Of course, their architecture would be warped, but they wouldn't live deep underground or hidden away in a cave. They took over Canterlot for a brief time almost unopposed! If it wasn't for a children's show demanding love nuke, they would have had it. They have no reason to hide.

But this changeling thing works too. The color implementation is somewhat the same, but colors feeding off of emotions instead of task. That's fine. I like this list.

1317920
Thank you, and I also find your task-driven color scheme interesting as well.

1316547
Not sure if this belongs here, but....

I guess you could think of this variety of changeling as the Praetorian Guard to the Queen.

1320955
That position largely goes to the Type 2 Hunters and Mature Drones, but let me think on it; I'm sure there's some way to make this a variant.
It's too cool to pass up.

1316547

This is brilliant!

I'll have to save this page somewhere, thanks mate

1325218
Thanks I aim to please.