This is a repost of something I wrote for my fimfiction.net blog and the group "X Becomes a Changeling" Here it is:
Why are Changelings so Popular? An Explanation

A question that has been probably asked by many authors/readers/general bronies/pegasisters now that I will attempt to answer in this short essay.

Changelings were first introduced in the Season 2 Finale, "A Royal Canterlot Wedding", with ABSOBLOODYLUTELY no warning at all. They weren't mentioned in the trailers and remained largely absent (or unknown) until the second half of the SECOND episode. Then, they literally came out of the sky, smashing into our shields and ripping them apart.

Literally. (See what I did there? Nvm...)

Anyhow, as abrupt as the Changeling's introduction was, they were introduced and established very well. Just from a measly half of the episode (because that's when the first Changeling appeared), we knew their food choice, their goals, their ambitions, some basic offense and defense abilities and their ruler.

Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, cunning and deceitful, able to mind-control ponies to an extent and whose character design I have to say is awesome. I mean that antenna crown on her head! Even though she appears a little on the arrogant side, I think she was an excellent villain.

But anyhow, almost immediately after the Changelings were introduced, there came a whole tsunami of Changeling stories. There seemed no end to the wave! There was the super-famous "Smoke and Mirrors" by TeaPartyCannon, "Visionary" by Razormane and Flitter by Nyerguds. These stories hit the fandom with a splash and boy were these stories worth reading. Yet, they could not satisfy bronies and pegasisters love for Changelings. Even now, Changeling stories are an extremely popular genre that is popular an entire season after their introduction. Adaptation - A Changeling Story by Coalfire, An Affliction of the Heart by AnonymousPegasus, Monster or Mother by Hivemind, and my own story Princess Celestia: The Changeling Queen, are proof that the Changeling genre is as popular as ever, with the stories getting increasingly creative and increasing in quality.

BUT WHY DO WE LOVE TO WRITE AND READ CHANGELINGS SO MUCH???

Several reasons:

The Incompleteness/Completeness of the Royal Wedding
That is a big reason why Changeling stories got popular. As a fandom, the way the Changelings were portrayed in the Royal Wedding was in a sense complete. We did know their basic abilities, but more importantly, we knew the problems associated with their food source and their inherent goals. But a lot of things and factors were left blank. Where did they get blasted off to? Did they recover? Where are they now? What if one was found by ponies? This quickly gave birth to the first wave of Changeling stories the "Mane Six Character/ OC Pony finds a wounded Changeling and takes care of him/her", which is what "Smoke and Mirrors" majorly pioneered and "Affliction of the Heart" continues in a form. The incompleteness of the Royal Wedding, allowed authors a solid base to develop Changeling stories, yet it left most of their fate open to us so authors could invent and create situations and stories for their characters. It also makes brony/pegasister readers ask questions on what happened to the Changelings and Chrysalis, which creates a fan base for the authors to use.

We Pity Them
Have you ever noticed most of these Changeling stories are rather slanted towards Changelings? They are almost always busy getting redeemed/reformed and avoiding angry pony mobs that wish to hunt them down and burn them at stake. ALMOST ALL CHANGELING FANFICS HAS THAT!!! Except for a few. The reason is closely tied into why authors want to write Changeling stories and why readers want to read them: we pity them.

It must... absolutely SUCK if one's food source happened to be love and the only way to get at it is to lie and deceive ponies because one looks like a monster. That is probably what most authors/readers think of the Changelings. This pity, is a reason authors and readers continue to write Changeling stories that are aimed at redeeming Chrysalis or OC Changelings. They satisfy a need for readers to feel pity for Changelings and allow authors to pity the Changeling, by writing a story where they are the protagonist, either being redeemed or actually civilized and the ponies are either antagonists or brutes/bigots at some point. "Smoke and Mirrors", as well as "Flitter" plays up that point a lot as well as "Visionary", which portrays Changelings as a pretty developed country of its own power with a parliament.

Changeling Characters in Pony Villages Provide Excellent and Interesting Stories
So we have a Changeling stuck in the middle of a pony village and must learn how to live among them, and get back to his/her hive. This creates the classic writing trope/idea "Immigrant/Hostile trying to fit in". This is an idea that is evident in many stories and employed by many authors. Superman for example, is trying to fit into a Western Society, being an alien. Drizzt Do'Urden from the Forgotten Realms is a dark elf, trying to fit in on a world where everybody hates him. Changelings, are often placed in situations, where they have to understand pony, with the added conflict/torment of loyalty to one's hive or overcoming their own bias towards ponies, and you have some very interesting conflicts. These conflicts of loyalty, race, tolerance are extraordinarily interesting for authors to explore, and it is in fact, difficult to do this without using a Changeling, (as all ponies are more or less equal). Readers, find themselves intrigued by this race and tolerance problem and end up wanting to read the story, in order to see how the author solves it. Even if the author solves it rather abruptly, just solving the excruciating conflicts of race and trying to find tolerance create very satisfying, FEEL GOOD stories. If the author adds ROMANCE into the mix, and the readers get the couple/romance problem element to the plot, making it all the more complicating and all the more harder on the characters, pony and Changeling in the story. Prime examples are yes "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Adaptation - A Changeling Story" and "An Affliction of the Heart".

"X Becomes a Changeling", "X is actually a Changeling without X knowing it" and "X is actually a Changeling and X knows it" Genre: IS GOOD CONFLICT!
The final section I have identified, (though I'm not sure if I've got everything) is the X Becomes a Changeling, or X is actually a Changeling Genre. This genre, while overused, is VERY popular and for a good reason.

Identity, Relationships and Lies.

"X Becomes a Changeling Genre", "X is actually a Changeling genre without X knowing it" and "X is actually a Changeling and X knows it", all of these premises, one way or another literally undermines everything X character and X's friends knows about X's identity and puts MASSIVE pressure on X's and her friend's relationships, which makes for good conflict because breaking, bending and (hopefully) mending relationships between friends is always a good topic for pony fanfiction.

Although X may not have known about X being a Changeling, X's friends will undoubtedly feel as if they have been LIED!!!! LIES truly test friendships on a whole different scale. Additionally, sometimes, X (usually a mane six member) has to cope with trying to explain to herself/friends why X has become or is actually a Changeling. This causes stress on X's identity, more when X finds out she's a Changeling, but has no idea that X is, which forces X to literally rework her own identity from ground up. Even if X knew himself/herself was a Changeling, the truth is out and this changes quite a lot on how X will interact with her/his friends.

Moreover, X's friends usually turn on X, creating massive personal repercussions and placing a great deal of emotional and sometimes (in dark stories) physical stress on X character. Once X's friends understand that X is actually a Changeling, then there's all that emotional baggage from the interrogation/torture process X's friends did.

Thus, because of the interplay between: identity, relationships and lies, "X Becomes a Changeling Genre", "X is actually a Changeling genre without X knowing it" and "X is actually a Changeling and X knows it" becomes one of the most powerful conflict based stories in the Changeling genre. Examples include my own story, PC:TCQ but there are hundreds out there "The Three Sisters" by Wanderer D, "Solitary Locust" (warning, that's quite dark) and "Flitter" by Nyerguds.

That, is my essay on why Changeling Stories are so popular. Hope you've enjoyed it!

Signing off,
vren55

P.S. And do comment to tell me if you liked the post or not.

The Incompleteness/Completeness of the Royal Wedding

I've always said this, and I've got to say it again...
This is why MLP is such a great base for fanfiction. Because so little is really cemented in canon.

What are the capabilities of unicorns? Pegasi? Earth ponies? Alicorns? We don't know, and can mold the races to what the story needs.

What is the layout of the land? Planet? We don't know, and can mold the planet to what the story needs.

What's the story with minotaurs? Griffins? Cows? Changelings? Other sentient races? We don't know, and can mold them to what the story needs.

What is the history of the world? We don't know, and can mold the past to what the story needs.

What are Luna/Celestia/Discord etc? We don't know, and can mold the ancients characters to what the story needs.

Changelings, just like so much else, are so loosely defined that you can mold the race into what you need for the story -
A mindless hoard of drones. A group of individuals that have their own personalities. They have a hive mind. They don't have a hive mind. They kill their victims. They weaken their victims. No harm comes to their victims. Evil. Neutral. Good. Pony-like. Not-pony like. One hive of many. A singular hive for the entire race. Etc, etc.

seems spot on to me. i fell deeply in love with changelings even more so with chrysalis because she perfected the finale to me. after chrysalis defeated celestia and all seemed lost, love shined above where all else failed and vanquished the foe. this is the true accentation of friendship is magic i've seen.

763497

i fell deeply in love with changelings even more so with chrysalis

... fell deeply in love with changelings even more so with chrysalis

i fell deeply in love with changelings even more so with chrysalis

"You idiot! You've doomed us a--" Coranth is immediately flattened by the super-powered swarm of changelings, led by a very, very happy Chrysalis, whom has grown so very powerful from all your love!

763472>>763496 Or even better, they don't have a hive and have their own kingdom and culture. I base my changelings off Imperial Japan.

Aren't they popular because of a certain queen?
I mean, come on she is cute!

*hugs Crysalis*

I think the reason is because changelings are misunderstood and are a general outcast race from the main ones we relate to that because we want to fit into society and live as they do

They have been strongly developed and we know what they are but the origins and disappearance is shrouded is shadow leaving it open to questions like where do they live how do they live where did they go did they survive will they return for revenge all those variables add to the mystery of them leaving opportunity after opportunity for a story to flare to life

The reason I first liked queen chrysalis is her voice I have always like that tone and that there seems to be two voices speaking in sync also they way she acts struck a cord stealth is an all time fav for me as well as her slitted green eyes they sooth you and tell you of the danger she can be

We wear a different faces for different situations and places. The idea of social camouflage and becoming different persons is deeply compelling. Also the struggle for real personal identity comes to mind when we're faced with so many masks. What persona shall we take today? When do masks we wear become indistinguishable from our truest selves. Who then are we truly loyal to? Do our relations love our truest selves or is the mask all that they see?

Now to shamelessly promote my own story that deals with the very same themes. Hole Hearted