From The Mind and the Mirror by Dr. H. D. Charm; published spring 1380.
The second stage of the process begins with repeated or lasting exposure to source of concentrated magic of considerable intensity. As the changeling's core captures and stores as much of the magic's energy as it can, it undergoes a dramatic transformation.
During the span of this change, the pre-noble changeling is intensely vulnerable. Its mundane and magical organs must adapt to and recover from the new magic surging through them, leaving the changeling weak both physically and magically, and though its internal magical reserves are flaring brighter than they ever has as a common changeling, the pre-noble has only the barest of methods available to disguise the presence of that magic.
Among their own kind, changelings in this state are almost always intensely protected by the rest of the hive. The rare pre-noble changeling that has managed to begin this ascension without the assent and aid of the reigning nobles might flee or even provoke a sort of civil war to preserve its existence, securing the aid of common changelings that have decided the pre-noble would better perform noble duties than the existing leadership.
A pre-noble that has somehow begun the ascension process without its normal entourage of common changelings is driven towards whatever sanctuary it can achieve, often using the most helpless-seeming or personally attractive of its practiced personas in order to achieve the sympathy of members of the other races. By imitating a pony, griffon, or other being, and displaying only incomplete if any control of magical ability, it can try to pass as a civilian of normal or vulnerable demeanor while avoiding the more in-depth magical examinations that would reveal its true nature.
However, any attempt at disguise during this time finds the pre-noble's own ascension working against it. While the changeling's magical core undergoes the change that will eventually lead into the third stage of the ascension and eventually the realization of a new noble changeling, the changeling itself is mentally separating from its fellows and beginning to develop its own distinct personality.
During this time the changeling draws on the most vivid, practiced, and knowledgeable of its copied personas, mixing their natures to serve as a template for its mental development. As this blended but more permanent adjustment to the changeling's psyche comes to a balance, the changeling shows contradictory and sometimes bizarre behavior, even drastically changing attitudes and behaviors between the scope of its forefront personas.
As the changeling's magical and mental changes stabilize at the terminus of the second stage of the ascension process, it begins to gain full control of its expanded magical reserves, as well as a rudimentary grasp of the unique abilities that only fully blossom after it has become a noble changeling. Most importantly to its survival, as it enters the third stage of the ascension process and declares its own identity as more than just a common changeling, the pre-noble changeling is no longer casually vulnerable to the magical examination that might before easily pierced its disguise.
So is he a changeling, A foal, a human, or a fuck up?
Okay. So.
In 1373, a changeling imitates and/or abducts an adolescent orphaned unicorn by the name of Silversheen.
In 1377, that same changeling is, somehow, involved in an accident that drags a human and his airplane into Equestria.
The end result is a pre-noble changeling, with a human's memories and personality, stuck in the younger form of a long-missing unicorn, suffering some degree of multiple personality disorder. Oh, and also a presumably-brainless human body, which gets chewed on by wild animals. And a pile of broken airplane.
By 1380, the whole affair has been settled, and Dr. Charm writes a book on what she now knows about changelings.
From this point on, we're just sorta filling in the blanks, really. Large, gaping canyons of blanks.
I was going to call 'red herring' but then I noticed the author.
Shit dude, this might have been a bit much. I mean, don't get me wrong - I love this and I feel it's a much better look at 'this sort of thing' then what I wrote. But with this, things are almost laid out for us in timeline. Now we're just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Unless we're already in the end-game of the fic (in which case I say 'dang it'), then this makes a ton of sense in the flow of a fiction.
World-building, that's a lot of thought into the life-cycle of a changeling and I love that. Expanding on the world given is always something I love to read about. Interesting that the wreckage has some sort of temporal shift associated with it - implication of 'Equestria-as-Earth'? Or am I grasping at straws here? Had to look up 'av-gas' but Google is a friend.
I'm very happy this was written. Much more thought put into it and a great look at 'this sort of thing.'
huh. well, we still lack the key piece of weird time from the plane crash. for all we know, the human could be fine, although it seems unlikely at this point. a human stuck in a cocoon feeding a changeling makes some sense, which would allow for the possibility of rescue. i kind of have to wonder how many missing ponies are really just in cocoons somewhere.
on the fox creature, is this related to the old g1 episodes in any way? because i know there were a lot more species running about back then. or is it just an original addition? a picture may help if you can find one.
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I'll put it this way: if all you're expecting is for shoes to be dropped, you're going to end up buried under a lot of shoes.
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i.imgur.com/VUDo9vA.jpg
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What the hell is that?!
EDIT: Nevermind, maned wolf huh?
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I'm expecting at least a pickup truck's worth of shoes, considering that all we know about the ending so far is "Dr. Charm knows enough about changelings to write a book".
...I think I'm gonna have to find the time to re-read this fic.
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All of the above.
YES UPDATE
TIME TO READ THE ENTIRE THING AGAIN
MY INSIDES ARE FULL OF ORGASMS AND PUPPIES
Calling it now.
Changeling Civil War happens.