The changelings have shared their love and become more beautiful, more peaceful, more civilized. They have cast away the traditions of the past and accepted the traditions of ponies instead. What a joke. How dare they forget the proud history of changelings? How dare they cast away time-honoured traditions that we have revelled in for generations!
I am a proud Changeling warrior. A hunter. A spy. An infiltrator. Chrysalis had gone mad with power, but changelings are more than one Queen. There have been Queens before Chrysalis and there should have been Queens after her. I will not bend! I accept our treaties, but I will not disgrace my heritage. History, countries, societies, they are written in blood, why is ours so much more shameful? We had a mad Queen, so now our entire history is obviously disgraceful.
I will remain in the faction of changelings that have sprouted under Pharynx. We will be as strong as iron and silent as the shadows. This would never have happened under a proper Queen.
(Not my art. I wish I could draw like that)
Ok, I see where this is going... You have my intrigue.
This is an interesting alternate universe I wish to see more of.
I wonder what impact on Equestrian-Changeling relations their secession would have. After all, ponies might still harbor a distrust against changelings, if there are still some "bad ones" running about. And that by itself is an interesting view: Are all black changelings automatically "bad", by pony standards? Probably not. But it'd take some more convincing.
Instant conflict/drama to spice up the narrative.
Let's see where this goes.
9911400
Thank you! And I couldn't think of a better way to introduce Tsetse while still keeping peoples attention.
A common story plot that bothers me a bit is that one side if right, one side is wrong, the wrong ones lose or get reformed. I honestly like stories that are a little more difficult and unique. I am all for reused plots like idk, civil war or secretly evil than good type of stuff, but as long as it has some unique aspect to it, which is what I am trying to strive for in this story espically.
9911967
Yeah! And who's to say "all black changelings are bad"? Even canonically, this would have included Thorax before his metamorphosis.
Also, I highly question the logic of "just share love and you'll instantly transform, there's nothing else to it". Wouldn't this have already happened before, numerous times? If I remember correctly, Thorax wasn't technically exiled by Chrysalis, but ran away from the hive after the invasion on Canterlot, having moral concerns. What about other changelings who thought similarly, and chose to carve out a life hiding in pony-society, making friends and loved ones and all?
The explanation the episode gave would mean, that literally every single changeling protagonist of every "changeling living among ponies" story would instantly have transformed - and that would just break those stories.
So, I propose an alternative explanation: Thorax' transformation was triggered by a unique, irreproducible set of circumstances[1] - but his transformation was "contagious", for lack of a better word. Meaning, a black changeling needs to be in proximity to a color-bug for "sharing their love" to have an effect on their biology. Thorax' strong bond with Pharynx was what affected Pharynx' "final form" in canon, hence the similar stature.
[1] Chrysalis' throne was absorbing the magic of no less than five alicorns (including the alicorn of love's!), the bearers of harmony, and the spirit of chaos. Then Thorax walks into that room oversaturated with magic, and shoots a beam of pure love at Chrysalis, and the throne explodes, releasing centuries of stored magic all at once. All these factors interacting was what allowed Thorax to ascend, and "spread" the change to others.
Also, remember this scene from s7e01?
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It may have only been Twilight's fantasy, but I am utterly baffled that this shapeshifting trouble maker wasn't adopted by the fandom.
It'd have shown that, even after reformation, some changelings could still be jerks. That their reformation didn't automatically mean "perfect moral character".
Imagine the following scenario: A black changeling has been living among ponies in secret for years, though they did eventually come out to their closest friend(s), denouncing Queen Chrysalis and swearing they mean no harm. Heck, imaging them falling in love and sharing their secret.
Then the newspaper says "all good changelings look like this, all bad changelings look like that, all it takes is for a changeling to give love, it's so easy!" Instant drama.
9912673
Careful, or I might shamelessly use some of your points because they are fabulous.
But I completely agree! Almost every time I get into conversations like these I accidentally give out spoilers, BUT, a lot of stuff that should have happened WILL happen.
9913821
I know the feeling myself.
You are fully welcome to do so. I wasn't planning on using them myself anyway, and would love to see these explored.
Heck, when the s6 finale aired, I even made a comic with headcanon fixes and suggestions to inspire people:
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[image link]
...but I guess I just muddled the message too much, since it didn't seem like anyone took me up on it.
I do wonder if your story will bring up the possibility of other changeling hives. (Besides the one splitting off right there, I mean. You know, with its own queen.) 'Cause, in the last three years, I have literally only seen four stories set after the season 6 finale that even brought up the possibility of multiple hives!
Four! In three years! One of which was posted yesterday, and out of the other three only one even took the concept seriously, the other two played it for laughs (an entire hive getting by by disguising themselves as super-comfy chairs) or it was just "humans in Equestria turned into various species, including changelings".
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It's like, after season 6, people just dropped the idea of multiple hives existing altogether, with the exception of Chrysalis maybe founding a new hive of her own.
What ever happened to this scenario?
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9912673
Thought I would offer my two cents on the situation even if no one asked me.
Personally, I believe the transformation is triggered not by just sharing love, but rather, it is triggered by offering the love to another changeling.
And not just offering either. Giving up every single inch of love in your body to another changeling expecting no reward or whatever.
I think that is what turns them into the more sparkly (and in my opinion better) form.
As for why no one tried it before, love was believed to be the food source of the changelings, (although now that I got back and look at it, it seemed more like a drug, I mean c'mon Thorax was obviously going through withdrawl when we first saw him) so the Changelings would obviously believe that offering all their love would just kill them. Death by starvation.
Sorry for interjecting lol.
9920228
I like your idea, and it is always what I kinda thought as well, cause I kinda see it as starving themselves on purpose. Like to become a reformed changeling, they practically had to vomit all the food they had in them. Which is disgusting of you really think of it like that.
And I really don't mind the new forms either! I just like old versions better since I am a sucker for the unusual. (
This was a good read would love to see more keep up the good work
I think the Tsetse needs to do a strike against the hive to get those eggs, perhaps they find a royal egg, this would also be a wake up call for those rainbow vomit hippies, if a small band of lings can do this much damage how much would an entire hive do.
9982047
That's my point! But keep in mind, the Changelings were born and raised in that hive, they would be reluctant to move against the hive that nurtered them for generations.
9983085
Do it for the good of the Hive the rainbow puke abominations need to take off their blindfolds and prepare for self defence. The first strike needs to be done by Tsetse’s group. Other groups would not be so kind and would come and wipe them off the face of the earth.
I can't wait for Thorax "hive" to be slaughtered by other hive and for ponies to be too scared to help while telling him a lame excuse, because they are scared of facing a proper, organized army that will kill and not pacify or capture