Just a little, old baby kitty...
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Beaten and cast into exile, a young changeling finds that death is a lot harder to come by than one would imagine.
Help comes from the most unlikely of sources.
Original version submitted as part of the February 2015 Writeoff - Closing Time
Cover art by Huussii
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I thought I recognized this one... Still not sure how I feel about the universe's gift of 'poof! you're a pony now,' but I can appreciate how it works with the desired theme.
Good to see this published.
6230477 Thanks for comment if this is seriously that kind of story then meh :D
Drones are able to shapeshift at least according to show.
All the same? Says who? Have we even seen two changeling Queens? Anatomically wise yes they are... but not appearance wise.
In this case I have to mention that your story is highly unroginal.
Classic grimdark as fuck changeling society that's tyrannical as hell.
Classic unique only changeling/OC that gets injured
Asks for help from ponies that go all selfless about it.
Sees truth/finds salvation and/or utopia.
Ends up integrating with the ponies and gives up on its own species.
Look I'm perfectly fine with people changing sides. My country is a crossroad of sorts for immigrants from all over the world and some eventually become Greeks and feel Greeks in heart. This honors me greatly. But this is different.
Here you are changing species. Do you even understand what that entails? This isn't some kind of joke you can just toy around ((no offense intended here and not saying you did)) but it's another thing changing sides and another thing fundamentaly changing species biology and everything. Also while we're at this there's a difference between transformation and disguise. Disguise is something Twilight's magic would reveal. Transformation isn't... Back to my point... have you seen the many HIE and ponification fics that include an initial shock upon the transformation? Or alienation? Why isn't there one here? Guess you could say it's a changeling... or that it's happy that it isn't one anymore. Fair enough.
Anyway I might have lots of things to say but in all honesty once I started seeing the patterns in your story I skimmed most of the rest. I was aware by the cover art only what this story would be about. The only "surprise" ((which isn't really)) is that it was an OC and not Chrysalis.
But as it seems I have no real spite against this fic. My only true concern is that I could take pretty much every other story((changeling who gets injured and gets captured/hosted by ponies)) of its' kind and change the names and just have the same thing. This kind of story has been beaten to death and I'm really not inerested. It also confirms my belief that we use changelings as our outlet to let our grimdarkest and most depressing headcanons take place as it seems that the ponies don't have place for them. But then again these are tools for the story... so if you wanted to tell that kind of story they served you well.
I am not liking faving nor downvoting this story. It doesn't deserve any of it. All I can say is... I am not impressed.
6230664
Thank you for the comment! I appreciate you taking the time to lay down your thoughts on the matter.
While not groundbreaking, or earthshattering, I believe there is a bit more to this story than what you can see on the surface. There is more to the hive culture here than what we see in the show. We aren't talking solely about right and wrong, or good and evil. This is about someone who was exiled from her own species by no fault of her own. Not to say that the Queen represents the complete ideal of that society, but she does control it. This could be the start of something bigger. The headcanon here is that changelings are a kind of pony, perhaps just like brezzies or sea ponies. It isn't too far of a leap to take in working with the magic involved in order to make a desired change, especially when we are dealing with a species that changes all the time. In this case, the change isn't the normal type of changeling mask. It's something that draws on a deeper magic, something shared between the two types of ponies. Things end up being permanent for reasons that are hopefully shown in the story.
Anyway... thank you for your comment. It's always nice to get reader feedback.
6230729
Like the fact that it might not be a hive at all? Not all insects are eusocial or have hives afterall. Not to mention that the comics don't depict anything that resembles an actual hive. in my mind however I prefer to consider Kingdom/Hive and Citizen/Drone the same thing.
And you forget the origin of the changeling myth suggests that they are fae.
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Fae is the pixie that you see here. Breezies are... fae as well. But none seems to notice that there is this approach as well. Nobody has taken it because in all fairness the fanon of the changelings is a bunch of unoriginal zergcraft mess.
As i said changelings seem to be the first thing that comes to bronies as far as grimdark canon goes. What i mean to say is that when someone thinks if x darky headcanon can be canon we just use the changelings for that fodder. It's unoriginal lazy and I'm sick of it. But this fic isn't a place I should be doing that since you have no obligation to listen to me.
Why not look at Zecora then? She's the most likely candidate. And why is she exiled? Look exiles don't just happen like that... exiles undergo a certain "process" either legal, traditional, or otherwise before they are exiled. Here in this story the only one that exiled Mended Heart is herself. And what she so graciously calls "bad mood" by the Queen doesn't actually sound like a bad mood at all. Spite? Maybe... but how can it be spite if the alternative is death? Then again you could say that torture is worse than living but this is really a blessing in disguise... and how do I know she's right to assume it was that? How come it wasn't mercy? Or even pity? Or maybe restraint? Like QC didn't want to do it? I only get her opinion. But I guess I could just "get the hint" that she's evil. I mean it doesn't bother me that QC is evil but it's all so... vague.
What does bother me a bit is that only Queens and Princesses are intelligent. Like... why? It seems a bit un-nessecary and it just tells me that I only need to kill a Queen to render the whole species unintelligent. That's a huge gap right there.
But the whole problem lies in the fact that you tried to establish quickly a society that doesn't exactly sound like what you wanted to describe. So I end up getting the wrong picture. If I'm right the only thing I know about how changeling society works according to you is that you have a Queen. Ocassionaly a Princess is born to challenge the Queen, and the rest are mindless drones?
If you need my help on this... pm me.
Well it isn't exactly adequately depicted in the fic if that is what it is I guess so I'm getting the wrong vibe but I guess that's for another story?
What occured here likely is something akin to "Immersion". Immersion is the phenomenon when an experience is so intense that one gets absorbed in it. To shapeshifters it could be the literal effect of an expression like "fake it till you make it". I have a headcanon that says a changeling may even forget it is a changeling if it stays transformed too long in one form. So I'm not unfamiliar with this. However this sounds more like a fairy-godmother transformation than "magic" per say.
Hope I'm not too nitpicky. Forgive me.
6230951
Very good point - an idea for another story, if and when I ever figure out how to write good dialogue for her.
That was somewhat intentional. QC's motives are really unknown in the grand scope of things. By extension, the entire changeling attitude toward the ponies is unknown as a fact. The only view that is being presented is the slightly skewed version of things from the protagonists angle here.
We have very little to go on from the show itself. Much of the fanon interpretation of this species is based on the hivemind of creatures like bees - they have a queen, they have drones, and they have workers. If the queen dies, the hive is likely to die if they don't have an available option to replace her. It's not to say that the drones are dumb, or the workers can't survive without someone else telling them what to do, just that the queen really is the focus of maintaining a healthy hive.
In a very basic way, that's the point I am making. There isn't much more from the show to base a solid view of things. Pretty much any interpretation is going to differ depending on who writes about it.
It's based on the point being made that the changeling is dying, and the pony is being born. The magical transformation is based on a mix of the changeling's magic, cutie mark magic, and also the concept of immersion that you bring up here. The "fairy-godmother" concept comes from the fact that I'm not a master writer and the idea is sort of muddled through in the telling. Sorry for the confusion if there is any.
Not at all - I love the discussion that's happening here. I welcome comments such as yours. I also don't mind downvotes on a story if they come with an honest comment. I would prefer upvotes, but I know I can't please everyone.
Thank you again for your comments.
6231205
Weeell the comics did have her spawn from a tree like some mutant ninja turtle but then again let me ask you this.
If Chrysalis died and the changelings sorta died with her you think she'd go frontlines and go infltrate others? Wouldn't that be reckless? Then again if they were mindless that would be the only option. Oh well.
oooh I see.
There;s the "fairytale magic" there's "alluring/mysterious magic" and there's "regulated magic" per say ofc.
Watch this video... you're gonna love it.
And btw don't bat yourself. It's all kewl.
You don't really deserve a downvote. But I do think that this is a bit... cramped? As in too many things for a oneshot.
6231236
Or she's just plain arrogant.
6231491 'Plain' arrogant? Beg your pardon, but the Queen of all Changelings is anything but plain. She is extraordinarily arrogant to the point of being the most arrogant changeling of all, and don't you forget it!
Plain? Ha!
Really like this. I like how Mended Heart was all like "Yo you gonna execute me or what?"
Cheesy slam jam in a slim jim
I remember posting that pic.
Glad you got a good laugh out of it!
Good to see the story posted, too. It expanded pretty smoothly.
6231491 It seems a bit weird that only one infiltrates
Where
Are
The
Rest
Isnt it redundant to have a species of shapeshifters with no practical use? Its like they dont matter at all.
6232579
Maybe there were more. We don't really know, all we saw was the queen.
6232975 Which is why I am saying that its just not sensible. You may call Chrysalis arrogant all you like but the designal flaw of the changelings you assume exists doesnt line up with her actions.
Nice story, I like.
P.S. will there be more of Mended Heart?
a sequel?
6233985
Always a possibility.
I've actually wanted to write a bit of a side story for the pirate crew I developed in The Scion of Harmony. Maybe they can venture out into the changeling lands and take this little filly along with them>?
A nice little story though the ending is out of left field.
6233123
Arrogant people do stupid things, I'd hardly call that an assumption.
6234880 Eh. Maybe. More like reckless stuff but *shrug*
I had a bad day at work today. This story made me feel happy again. Thank you very much for writing it and putting in so many Daaaawww inducing moments! I want to see more!!!!!!
Well written story, I like!
A very long story with a somewhat predictable pay off due to the dream sequence. Nonetheless an enjoyable read. I especially like how you portray the changelings attempt to drag herself to her grave.
I can't help but think of a quote from Spider-Man PS4 that Aunt May had ”If you help someone, you help everyone.” who knows (well besides the author) if Mended Heart will have a impact on the changelings later on.