• Member Since 26th Dec, 2014
  • offline last seen 9 hours ago

The Great Reader


One who loves a good story.

Comments ( 149 )

Great story you got going on here. Keep it up.:twilightsmile:

5633457
Thank you, plan on having the next chapter out in the next couple of days :pinkiehappy:

Interesting so far.^_^ Hmm.... you said that it would be a way of showing his technology impacting their culture? In that case....: http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/320611/equestrian-level-of-technology-and-history

Oh, and will you show the Changelings at some point later on? They were never killed, as the comics have revealed.

5634144
I actually do intend to have some sort of interaction between the human and the changelings, however what that interaction is one will have to wait and see.

5634156 Nice.^^ In that case...., I'm gonna copy and paste a section I put together in a note here. I copied and pasted these sections from past conversations into this bit of Changeling theories:

1. Interesting, though I partially disagree on something. I mean, it has been shown that they can only do what the form they changed into can do, both in show and comic, so I think it's a full out transformation. To support this:

Twilight, just as a unicorn, was able to transform a frog into a living orange. And later, as an alicorn, can transform multiple individuals.

This means magic can fairly easily change others provided enough powers.

But, to explain how....:

Changelings have lived for generations having to disguise themselves. Therefore, there's a high probability that their ancestor's bodies eventually evolved to be more susceptible to transformation magics. However, this could easily prove to be a double edged sword, were an opponent to know transformative magics. However, that's obviously not much of a problem due to so few knowing about such spells.

However, it does stand to reason that younger changelings would rely upon weaker illusion based magics to get them started with their training.

And to further explain it... it is quite likely that unlike ponies, Changeling's magics run throughout their entire bodies, thus further allowing transformation to be simpler to perform. HOWEVER, this has the downside that the Changelings don't know in regards to likely burning up their mana reserves far faster when they use it for such, thus requiring them to feed off the mana of others.

As for the ambient magic beliefs.... I both agree and disagree with you.

As shown in the show, ponies recover their magic gradually over time, though some faster than others. But, I disagree about their magic being caused from interacting with the ambient magic for many reasons.

One, Twilight's magic, even pre-ascendence, grew over time. Having less magic than before. And she's been able to use those magics even when going to more barren environments(as the comics show). Therefore, having ambient magic of the environment determining how much power a pony can use doesn't make sense.

HOWEVER, I do think that ambient magic still has a part to play. Mainly, in how fast a pony can recover their magics.

I believe that a pony's magic is generated from life force, but both the life force of the individual and the natural 'leylines' of the planet itself. A pony's amount of mana storage can grow over time via the equivalent of 'magical exercise'. Mana from the individual can restock that storage gradually over time, but it does so more quickly in magically abundant environments.

Having mana produced from life force has another possible effect though. If transformations feast upon mana quickly, no matter how better attuned to such Changeling bodies are, it would also mean that over-using it could lead to feeding upon life force if one's mana reserves are emptied. Thus, where feeding of energy of others would be necessary.

In short, I am of the belief that all Changelings can shapeshift, likely due to ancestors seeking an easier way to transform. But, though that's the case, they are unaware that overuse of shapeshifting can drain upon their own life force if they overuse their transformations, and thus, they needed a way to restore their magic quicker than is natural. This need leading to the feeding of the energy of others.

At least, that's my opinion of them.

Also, it's my belief that, naturally speaking, Changelings are asexual. Born like bugs via eggs. HOWEVER, with their ability to shapeshift, they could make themselves a specific gender of their choice however long they want, complete with the organs needed for reproduction.

I am also of the belief that Changelings have a psionic connection, like what you showed. But, due to the hive mind, most, though not all, Changelings aren't all that bright, taking orders and lessons from those above them. However, this can change if given the opportunity to do more than follow orders, with of course the Infiltrators often being the more intelligent of such. Them and Changeling guards whom are high in rank due to greater experience.

I am also of the belief that the drones themselves cannot produce mana on their own... but princesses and queens can. I believe that, like ponies, changelings can ascend. With the production of eggs done through the expenditure of mana. As such, though possible, it's highly not recommended for drones to make eggs.

But, like ponies, changelings can grow their reserves over time and practice, with enough growth leading to ascendance to a princess, whom can generate her own mana, thus allowing for greater intellect and capability to work beyond the orders of the hive.

And lastly, for the queen.... I believe that it's one step further than princess, and... can feast upon the psionic link, even if primarily subconsciously, becoming stronger and stronger by partial feeding upon the mana of her subjects. Thus, making going against her control a bad idea unless that link is severed. Thus, why they follow Chrysalis, despite her terrible job at strategizing. Fear of consequences. However, whether or not Chrysalis knows this consciously is another matter. In fact, I doubt she knows, her own power she likely assumes to have come from ascension alone, not realizing there is more to it. Considering her poor planning with infiltrating Equestria, it's quite likely that she never thought to question where the power of her ascension came from.

Though, these are all just my personal opinions.

What do you think?


2.

Oh, and in regards to Changeling living...

In the comics, it's revealed that Chrysalis survived, though flung to a far-off land. Where they landed though was a land filled with further love than even Equestria, and they created a castle there, one filled with deceptive mazes and traps and physics defying rooms.

In fan cannon, changelings primarily live in caves.

So, I thought, why not both?

The castle, I think, was made due to Chrysalis's ego. Believing that they finally found enough love to make a strong fortress to defend themselves with, and thus no longer needing to hide. Though, likely in part due to being inspired by her time spent disguised as Cadence and living in the palace.

But, before that, they likely used caves due to lacking the love to make their changelings strong, and thus were needing to hide themselves for protection.

And as for Chrysalis' psionics not being detected by your group of changelings here.... well, it's quite likely that the psionic field has a limited range when not using other changelings as waypoints, eh? So, she's likely just out of range to detect them.

Or at least, that's my opinion.

What do you think of these theories?

3.

Oh, and for the 'changing causes great mana consumption' bit... a few details.

Simple transformation doesn't take too much energy. Case in point when unicorn Twilight was changing fruit. She kept doing so with very little effort in her practice runs. Not even sweating from the effort. Heck, even Trixie knew transformation spells, considering what she did to Rarity's mane, so transformation magics are far from unheard of.

Of course, larger transformations would require more energy. But Changeling bodies being used to such would require less than what a pony would require of such.

This means that though changeling transformations are mana intensive, they'd still be able to easily transform numerous times before it would become an issue. But, it would eventually become an issue, due to wasting mana faster than ponies, and as shown by twilight, mana exhaustion effects the body too, and thus why Changelings were defeated so easily by ponies... mana overuse causing their more adaptive bodies to become weaker quickly.

As for why transformations aren't too hard, and yet Twilight couldn't do age spells... that's because age spells weren't just physical. As was shown with Snips and Snails, it effected more than just their bodies, but also their personalities, possibly more. In order to effect more than just the body, the mana must have used up more energy just to examine the individual and their personal timelines, thus being far more costly. And then on top of that changing more than just the body as well. Possibly even effecting mental processes, while leaving out effecting memories normally due to such a spell likely having been created in the first place in an attempt to cheat death. Though, it'd likely just take a little alteration and more energy to effect memories along with everything else for such a spell.

Oh, and ironically for a side note, the more 'drone' like the less experienced changelings are, the more easy it actually is for them to mimic others. Having little to no self-identity makes it easy to make new identities of themselves, thus making it easy to act. And since drones get smarter with practice, the smarter they become, the more they learn to better control their own acting and changes.

Due to this though, due to the drones being not so smart, it would be fairly easy, embarrassingly so, for them to be taken advantage of. Especially if the smarter Infiltrators aren't taking care of keeping track of them. Heck, a 'drone' could likely easily be tricked into thinking that the 'ad' was used for a permanent purchase, instead of just purchasing for temporary services, since there was no clarification in the ad. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried to buy drones in mass like this.

Which could easily be another problem towards befriending ponies, eh? Though, admittedly, I doubt any such ponies exist in Ponyville. ...places like Canterlot, however...

4. Oh, and here's a thought in regards to my theories. With Changelings being so adept at transformations, I bet they could forcefully transform others.... but they've done transformations only to themselves for so long that the concept of changing others just completely slips their minds.

5.

>> Zilverfoss I'm of the belief, in regards to leylines, I think they do play another factor, especially with Changelings, actually.

That factor... well, I believe that the leylines create an overall 'collective consciousness for information'. Not quite sapient per se, but a collective of information in regards to that reality. And when using magic, though most of the magic is from the user, the magic still intermingles with those leylines to complete any 'gaps' in the spell. For example, in a transformation, the spell cast would give orders and guidelines, but the leylines would fill in other unknown details. Like muscle strength, unseen details(like scars hidden by fur) and the like. Basically, you could consider the leylines like passive supporters to the cast spells, along with being able to help rapidly restore mana users' magics the more affinity the creature has with those leylines. With ponies, of course, being the most in tune with them among the creatures in their world.

6. Oh, and though I said that I think drones are dumb... I am somewhat unclear there.

Average drones would likely be dumb all around. But, there's likely jobs other than just Infiltrator. Those selected for other jobs would likely have grown smart, through experience and training, in regards to whatever they were trained in. But, socially and in regards to common sense or how easily they are tricked? Likely extremely dumb there unless they were trained as infiltrators.

7. >> Zilverfoss That I have.^^ But, I have another theory. The Changelings' brains evolve differently as they use their traits. It would explain why most of them were dumb enough to ram their HEADS into Shining's force field instead of their feet. Though some were smart enough to not use their heads.

8. Oh, and my belief about the younger ones knowing illusion and not shapeshift... simply put, it's safer to practice false images than it is to practice changing one's body. So, it's safer to study that when young till skill at making their changeling magic follow their orders has been done, if you know what I mean.^^


What do you think of all these ideas, DungeonMiner?^_^
2d, 2h ago Regreme said:

Oh, and just added this to the same fic that I copied and pasted my replies to, if you know what I mean:

Oh, and just realized a plot hole of sorts to my own theories, but quickly thought of a way to fill said hole.

If Changelings have a high affinity with leylines, then why can't they restore their own mana over time like ponies can?

My answer is simple: their constant shapeshifting prevents any solid organs from being constant within them through which their mana can be produced and stored.

So, yet again, their advantageous shapeshifting comes with a downside to it, eh?



Oh, and to add on to these among my theories...

Twilight showed that transformations in mass size isn't too big of an issue, due to the breezies bit. Just requires more energy.



What do you think of these theories in regards to the Changelings?

Good story so far. I can not wait to see where it goes.

5633457
Just a quick question about your avatar. Is that a sloth? If it is I commend you on your wonderful contradiction and slight visual joke. :pinkiecrazy:

How is a raven like a writing desk? :trixieshiftright:

5634331 Indeed, that is humanity's future leader.

.... and sorry for the length of that last comment. As you can tell, when my mind gets goin' conceptualizing, it's hard to stop. XD

Good so far, but two major issues. The first is that you need to differentiate between narrative and internal dialogue. For example, this;

As the AI began establishing the connection, Radel was left to his own thought for once, however short lived it was. I wonder if they tested to see if being connected to this AI would drive a man crazy...

Should be;

As the AI began establishing the connection, Radel was left to his own thought for once, however short lived it was. I wonder if they tested to see if being connected to this AI would drive a man crazy...

Note the italics for the inner dialogue?

Also, it's best to set some kind of marker for scene changes. Angin, an example could be for this;

“Well see what you ca-” As Radel began to ask Athene to find a way to fix the situation, a large explosion erupted within the bridge from the main console as the warp drive finally gave way. That was the last thing Commodore Endorian remembered before he was thrown against a wall in the bridge from the explosion and Ender’s Blessing came out of warp...

In a little town on another planet, six ponies were enjoying each others company…

Should be something like this;

“Well see what you ca-” As Radel began to ask Athene to find a way to fix the situation, a large explosion erupted within the bridge from the main console as the warp drive finally gave way. That was the last thing Commodore Endorian remembered before he was thrown against a wall in the bridge from the explosion and Ender’s Blessing came out of warp...

*************************************

In a little town on another planet, six ponies were enjoying each others company…

Though, the style of separator is up to you, obviously.

Otherwise, it has promise. I'll be tracking this to see where it's going.

P.S. If you would like help or advice on anything, I'm always willing to help my fellow writers. PM me and I'll do what I can.

5635405
Thank you for the suggestions. I was unsure of how to specify scene changes so that tip of yours is great. As for the one on thoughts, It seems when I copied and pasted my story over from google docs, I failed to realize that the italics had to be reinstated. So for that I apologize. All individual thoughts should be fixed now and in the correct form of Italics.

5635438 If you're copy and pasting from gdocs, you have to type out the code [i ][/i ] (without the spaces, of course) for italics. Otherwise, use the import feature.

You might want to edit to have the 'hug' Twilight gives Celestia changed into a nuzzle. After all, they're ponies.

I can excuse the detail of them knowing each others' languages and just chock that up as something to do with the planet's natural magical field. But... how does he know the term 'alicorn'? Probably best to edit that.

Figured there'd be more reactions about the fact that he was an alien. Or the fact that they speak his language.(though, no doubt, the fact that they speak the same language is an unexpected bonus, I'm surprised he doesn't wonder how and why they speak the same language).

But, as a whole, and overall good chapter.^_^

5645927
Well I was going with the idea that they see strange things all the time if ya think about the show, so they'd be more curious if anything. Also with the language thing, the human was on a mission to find possible life so he'd be less affected by things like that.

5645999 How would he be less effected by an alien species knowing his language? Doesn't make sense. Knowing they're sentient? Sure, he's trained for that. Knowing the same language without any explanation as to why? No, it doesn't.

As for the mane six... yeah, they likely would be quick to accept the alien bit. But, just not THAT quick, is what I mean. I mean, an ALIEN is sort of a huge deal. Sure, they'd be quicker to adapt than most, I'll give you that. But even then, that's a little TOO quick, is all.

5646280 trying to play nice to steal his tech perhaps?

5668622 They don't even know he's an alien at this point, so doubt it.

5669748 you would think that the ponies knew he was an ailen cus of the ship :p

5669823 That ship could have come from anywhere. Another country for example. And wouldn't aliens seem farfetched to most planets whom haven't confirmed such before?

5669956 well they are ponies.

5670528 Your point? To them, ponies are normal. Sure, they're not normal from OUR viewpoint, but you've got to consider THEIR viewpoint.

Nice. Still needs some work on the proofreading, but overall, not bad. Though, surprised the Changelings found it so fast. Then again, Changelings are theorized to have a psionic link, and it stands to reason that some would be stationed around Ponyville to keep an eye on Twilight and her friends. With how fast Ponyville's population has increased since she became a princess, it'd be easy to hide some among the citizens. Still surprised though that he didn't question the lack of guards though. I mean, he's a trained explorer. He should have realized that something was up.

5687759
Yeah, since I got hammered with some virus for a week, I kind of wanted to get it done as soon as possible so I might have some errors in it.

5687792 It's fine. I did notice you did better proofreading on this one. I did notice, however, you doing a common internet mistake of accidentally swapping 'then' and 'than', grammar wise. But, that's an easy one to miss, eh? After all, spell check counts that as a word and doesn't check for grammar misuse. XD That, and as you said, you rushed it a bit due to being ill. Can't blame ya there. Weather's been hellish lately.

5687800
Minnesota here needs a Winter Wrap Up of its own. Though I can take the cold, the dry air is my weakness. Also in terms of the guard situation, I was trying to make it so that he thinks that any possible guards were called back for some other possible reason. I also realized I made Twilight say that there were supposed to be guards there, which I will fix to have it be where she believes there might be. It isn't supposed to be something certain.

5687813 Ah. Understandable then.^_^ I know how it is when you forget little details like that when trying to write something. Case in point with the latest Zelda concept I'm posting on my Deviantart account. Forgot to include the detail for it that he starts out with Epona for that adventure concept. Had to edit that in. It's easy to miss things when you're on a roll, eh?

M so far my only issue with this story is a minor one. Its your use of commodore. Out of all the possible military designations you could have given him you pick the only one that actually manages to make me mentally break and re read the sentence as commander so I stop picturing a really old man in a tricentennial hat as your protagonist. Beyond that I'm enjoying it.

5688202

Haha, yeah, sorry bout that.:twilightblush:

Only issue is that the Air Force of the United States handles all air and space technologies. Sometimes working with NASA, but it is the Air Force, not the Navy that would have the jurisdiction over that kind of a mission.

Well this is coming along great so far and I really enjoyed the interaction with Luna so far and I hope for more friendliness and maybe something more along the way

Interesting chapter so far.^^ Though, you're making the romance waaaaay too quick. Taking an interest is one thing, but for feelings to come from just a look in the eye? Waaaay too quick, and that's even concerning the fan theory about ponies living in a society where 'herds' are not unheard of, despite their uncommon nature.

Oh, and pretty sure I already discussed my theories about Changelings with ya. May I discuss a few other ideas I had as well? Recently been having some ideas on Luna's Bat-ponies, a.k.a. Thestrals.^^

5729098
I wasn't sure how to make her stand out more to Radel. So I apologize if it seems rushed. Next chapter won't feel like it though, they'll develop a strong friendship over the next few chapters.

5728703
Oh they will have more friendly interaction, and maybe more in the coming chapters.:raritywink:

5729124 Good to hear.^^ Oh, and will there be a herd concept in this, or just one-on-one romance?

And may we discuss the other mentioned ideas, by the way?(Your choice, of course.^^)

5729154
We shall see what relationships develop in the next chapters. :twilightsmile: And maybe another time through PM or Skype we can discuss that.

5729427 Fine by me.^^ I have skype right now, actually. Just multi-taskin' with helping my mom with her garden. My screen name is regrem_erutaerc

Just so some of you know, mainly those that think I'm bringing out romance a little too quick, this is what I was trying to express. Luna and Celestia are more friendly and relaxed around Radel due to reasons that will be brought up in the next chapter. This is why they don't seem like royalty at the moment. I wa also trying to picture Luna as one who is more playful and laid back than Celestia.

Also that strange connection/attraction Radel felt towards Luna is based off something else other than love that we will see developed in the following chapters. :pinkiehappy: Hope you guys continue to enjoy!

Really enjoying this Story! Can't wait to see how things develop!

I hope that this will be a herd fic with Celestia and Luna. if not I hope Celestia is the love interest there's not many stories were tia is the love interest.


also you get a like and a fav:heart:

5753617

Thank you, but sadly Luna will be the main interest. :twilightblush: But who knows, maybe more royalty will be involved? :ajsmug:

Thank you for telling me I like the story and will keep reading. but this dose mean ill need to continue my search.:fluttershysad:

Awesome!! Great Job! Can't wait for the next Chapter!

5802993
Thank you. :twilightsmile: next chapter is in the works now and I hope to have it up sometime next week!

That was a terrible chapter. Why is he getting nightmares when he knew the consequences of his decision, does he ultimatly regret his decision. All I canot say is that I feel this chapter was lame.

5825733 One can accept consequences of their decisions, but that doesn't mean they are immune to their effects. Anyone who experiences a traumatic event usually suffers from either nightmares or other psychological problems. I decided on the nightmare route, so I could tie in Luna. And why wouldn't he be extremely stressed and scared being on a world he can not leave and where he'll have to live the rest of his life without ever seeing his friends and family again? I definitely would, no matter my understanding or training.

The mind is a fragile thing, and though things may seem different on the outside, the inside tells the truth. Hope this explanation helps your understanding and that you enjoy the other chapters! :twilightsmile:

Short, sweet, and to the point.:yay: You keep me coming back every time, granted they are pretty short chapters to be coming out this slow, but they always keep me wanting, good on you. :twilightsmile:

5854512 best pony avatar meme I've seen yet

Login or register to comment