Codex Equestria: The Changeling Courts

by Red Qilin

The Autumn Court - the Hidden and Unbound

The Autumn Court – the Hidden and Unbound

“Free is the wind that blows in Autumn.”

Although the Spring and Summer Courts claims sovereignty on all of Changeling-kind as their subjects, and has that legal and political right to enforce their claim granted to them by their Progenitors, in reality their rule is not as absolute as they believed it supposed to be. Inevitably, some Changelings chaffed under their rule, believing their rule to either be too strict, or in the case of the Summer Court, too draconian. Others believed that the common changeling should have a say in how the hive should be, under which directions it should develop, and asked for at least some level of representation. Others still does this out of social or cultural reasons, believing the social conformity and control prevalent and expected in changeling hive cultures to be too overbearing, and yearn for greater individuality and freedom to choose their own paths.

But the simple reality is, regardless how fair or enlightened the Royal Changeling may be, under the autocracy that each Court of the hive effectively is, few common changelings possess any civil rights or political representation. All political power is centred around the autocrat in their court, and as with any autocrat allowed to exercise their authority limited only by their own discretion, they are unwilling to share this power with anyone; not even their subjects. In the Spring Court, any dissension would be invariably treated with censure to imprisonment of the changelings in question, depending on how lenient the Changeling Queen is. In the Summer Court, they almost always ended with brutal suppression and violent reprisals. Even if the changeling only expressed those views in private, they would find little support from many of their fellow changelings, who, taught they were from birth that their survival and prosperity as a people were depended upon unity in thought and action, would ostracize them for attempting to disrupt the ‘natural order’ of the hives.

With dissention treated with disdain by both their rulers and their society, and rebellions having little hope of succeeding when facing ones as powerful as Royal Changelings, there was but only one other option for these dissenters and rogues of Changeling-kind: to flee, and hide from the sight of their former people. And many did, over the ages.

Under the shadow of the two formal Courts, there exists a sizeable minority of ‘unbound’ changelings – Free Changelings – who no longer associate themselves with their former Courts, and at their own free will, chosen a life of independent existence. Collectively, perhaps misleadingly, they are grouped together in an informal Court – the Autumn Court. Also called the Court of Leaves.

In the Autumn Court, there are two types of Free Changelings: Solitary Changelings are changelings who live alone, willingly or unwillingly isolated from any hive or swarm. To common knowledge, many Autumn changelings begin their existence as lone changelings who defected from their home swarm/hive of origin, their departures easy to miss amidst the swarming masses of their numbers. On occasions, however, entire groups of changelings could decide to depart for freedom at the same time, although that is rare because such events leave behind a noticeable dent in swarm numbers and thus become high profiled.

Few Solitary Changelings, however, would prefer to stay that way, often due to their instinctive urge to form communities or swarms, but more often due to necessity, for life as a Solitary Changeling is difficult without the support or security blanket that a swarm could provide, depending only on their own resources and skills to survive, even thrive, in the hostile world around them. Those who do however are known to become hardy and extremely ingenious individuals, even among their kind, if often viewed as eccentric and wild because of it.

Those Autumn changelings who eventually found or formed swarms amongst their ranks became members of Freehives/Freeswarms, forming static settlements or nomadic bands where fellow escapees work together for mutual survival. Like these normal hives/swarms, these could exist almost anywhere in the world, with even greater care taken to ensure they’re hidden from plain sight. Many of these Freehives/Freeswarms are usually smaller and less organized than their counterparts in the Spring and Summer Court, although long-established ones could rival and even surpass those from the official Courts in scale.

Political unity is virtually non-existent in the Autumn Court; all Autumn Changelings are free individuals, and all Autumn Freehives/Freeswarms are independent realms, even from each other. While there are Royal Changelings who defected from the Autumn Court, their presence is considered unusual to the whole, and are often viewed with mistrust from the rest of the Court even if they had forsaken the crown for freedom. In effect, the common changeling is the most powerful class in these communities. One leader or many could be chosen, sometimes through election, other times through the strength of their personalities, or the underlings they have to enforce their claim. Many became leaders simply because they were the ones the others turn to the most in times of crisis, in situations requiring leadership.

Because of this, Autumn Hives/Swarms could be organized under any conceivable government imaginable; they could be dictatorships, republics, communes, stratocracies and juntas ran by warriors, corporate states ran by guilds and industrialists, and even monarchies or principalities ran by princes or princesses. They may not even be a political entity at all, with many smaller hives/swarms of the Autumn Court often take up vocations such as piracy, privateering, mercenary work and travelling troupes to make their living, operating on an even looser organization and hierarchy than even their fellow normal Autumn changelings; again, if they even have one at all.

Conflicts of interests are prevalent among Autumn Hives/Swarms, which could lead to clashes, skirmishes and even outright war over things like resources and ideologies. However, when interests align, or when a common problem requires a common solution, they could form temporary coalitions of conveniences. More permanent Collaborations, however, can exist between two or more Autumn Hives/Swarms, and often necessary for long-term survival.

Socially and culturally the Autumn Court is also the most diverse out of the Changeling Courts, with many having become renegades because they want to escape the social controls and cultural conformity prevalent in the rather homogenous and monolithic official Courts. Autumn Hives are the places where many art, customs, and schools of thought discouraged or forbidden in the Spring or Summer Court could be found thriving, as well as places where innovation would most likely be occur without limits without being checked or restricted out of caution by Hive authorities, or weighed by Changeling-kind’s pragmatic attitudes, all of which while doesn’t forbid innovation, also does not encourage them either. And often, such innovation became necessary under the pressures of survival. Many dissident writers, artisans, political activists, inventors, mages and academicians make themselves at home with the Autumn Court, choosing willing exile rather than face stigma or punishment back home.

Despite the freedom offered, an Autumn changeling’s life is one of many difficulties, even more than the Spring and Summer Court; for in addition to facing the normal threats in their daily existence, they must also contend with more limited resources and protection much more than their official counterparts. Worst of all, they fear the ever-watching eyes of their counterparts from the Spring and Summer Courts.

For the Royal Changelings, the Autumn Court undermines their authority and rightful place among Changeling-kind with their very existence. After all, didn’t their Parents or Grand-Parents gave them sovereignty over all Changeling-kind, by divine right? Wasn’t their purpose to lead and rule the common changelings because only they have the power, intelligence and longevity necessary to safeguard and guide their subjects against the hostility of the outside world? From this perspective, disobedience is not only unthinkable, it is usually perceived as intolerable. The Autumn changelings must either be brought back into the fold, or made examples of.

How they are dealt with differs between the two Courts; if a Spring Court Changeling Queen discovers an Autumn Hive, they would often find ways to isolate the hive to prevent help from coming, or the changelings within from leaving, while they would use every means of diplomacy and politics to pressure the Autumn Hive into surrendering peacefully, often with promises of remedying any problems they are facing or leniency in treating its populace. Often, they would engineer events such that the resisting Autumn changelings would find themselves trapped in a position where they will have no choice but to accept the Changeling Queens’ offer. When they do, they become a satellite hive or vassal of the Queen and cease to be Autumn changelings, and while most of the populace are often automatically pardoned, they could still face stigma from Spring changelings for their past dissent.

The Summer Court Changeling Kings, meanwhile, mostly don’t even bother with the niceties of the Spring Court and proceed straight to all-out conquest, with intent to sack and raze the Autumn Hive to the ground. These almost always end with the destruction of the Autumn Hive, its leaders crucified or executed, with any populace who survived being indentured to the Summer Hive as punishment for their rebellion.

Although many of the Autumn Court still revered their parental divinities, even if they would not bow to their Royal children, they could expect no help from any of them; it is said that while Empress Blackrose sympathize with many of their motives for rebellion, she had remained neutral out of respect for her own Royal children and their right to rule, unwilling to undermine their sovereignty and earn their resentment. Emperor Blackthorn, for his part, simply didn’t care; to him, any changeling could struggle for their freedom, and his sons could enforce their rule, but whether or not they could do so ultimately rests on their own worth.

Ultimately, though no coherent policy exists across the Court, the general consensus among the Autumn Court concerning their relationship with the outside world and the other Courts is one of Avoidance; as far as they are concerned, they simply wished to be left alone, to live their lives as they see fit, hoping not to rouse any attention to themselves. To that end, they are highly protective of their secrecy; while they would not seek actively trouble the lives of non-Changelings, and may even aid them in exchange for benefits, they would not hesitate to do questionable things to ensure no one knows their presence.

Due to their secrecy and internally divisions, it is unknown how the Autumn Court as a whole had reacted to the ascension of Thorax and the recent collapse of the Masquerade. For the time being, however, because their unique nature puts them outside of both the Spring and Summer Court, Thorax and his hive of New Changelings had been temporarily classified by both official Courts and Equestrian authorities to be members of the Autumn Court until official recognition could be made.

Some changelings from the official Courts had hoped that the promise of a cure to their racial curse of love-hunger would encourage the rest of the Autumn Court to gradually return to the fold. Others feared, however, that the fall of the Masquerade, one of the few protections the Autumn Court has against the official Courts and the rest of the outside world, would merely drive them away further, perhaps even into the arms of other nations and races, who might finally give them the official recognition they desire as nations and societies in their own right…

Fae Hedges and Fae Paths

Because members of the Autumn Court often lack the numbers and resources to ensure a robust and thorough security, many Autumn changelings had to make up for this deficiency with ingenuity. Among some of the greatest examples of Autumn changeling ingenuity are what, when translated in our language, the changelings called the Fae Hedges and the Fae Paths.

Fae Hedges are elaborate networks of clever defences which Autumn changelings had devised over the millennia to confuse and capture any prospective foe of the changelings from finding the residence of the Autumn changelings. They could be as simple as well-hidden snares around the hideout of a solitary changeling, to catch any trespasser and meal for substance. A larger Autumn Hive, however, could boast both elaborate Hedge networks, consisting of layers after layers of conventional and arcane components, like inescapable booby traps, highly sensitive proximity alarms, highly convincing illusions, cultivated/tamed dangerous fauna and flora, hidden monitor outposts, among other things. Any trespasser or invader would find themselves bogged down trying to circumvent these defences, leaving them puzzled, frustrated and even incapacitated with plenty of time to spare for Autumn changeling patrols to intercept them.

The only path through these mazes of defences is to tread the Fae Paths that would lead straight to the hive from the entrance, and even they are puzzles in themselves. Said to be designed originally by the first Autumn changeling, while the Fae Paths may look like any straight-looking dirt trail, temple path or tunnel courses, they are in actuality another maze around which the mazes of the Hedges are built on, and are notable for not being based on any form of changeling magic, but instead rely on highly complex, non-Euclidean mathematical theories and principles that would confound almost any normal mind trying to conceive them, said to be capable of driving weak-willed mortals mad and confuse even demigods. Navigation can only be done if one knows the paths, and often require making random, counter-intuitive turns; thus, it is easy to get lost, and often trespassers would find themselves ending up far, far away from where they set off, like on the other side of a mountain.

In conjunction, both the Fae Paths and Fae Hedges had kept Autumn changelings safe for millennia, and while the Spring and Summer Court had incorporated them into their defences since then, they are crude compare to the ones used by the Autumn Court, and even they are also said to be pale, improvised and incomplete derivatives of the original Fae Path and Hedge designed by the first Autumn Changeling. If that is true, as legends said, then it would likely be one of the greatest maze ever devised…
 
Notable Individuals of the Autumn Court:

‘The Amber Royal’

A mythological figure among the Autumn Court, there are more than a thousand accounts attributed to this one Autumn Court changeling than any other, past or present, and yet there are few consensus as to which ones are fact and which ones are fable. And that’s provided that the Amber Royal isn’t a fable at all.

The Amber Royal is said to be the very first Changeling to defect from the official Courts – although which one, Spring or Summer, is yet to be determined. The Amber Royal’s tale is a reflection of the journey many who choose the Autumn Court experienced, although many details are obscured, ambiguous or conflicting about the changeling’s identity and life: It is also not even known whether or not the changeling is male or female, or whether he or she is a Royal Changeling Prince/Princess as his/her title implied. Although for the latter case, given the reverence many Autumn changelings give to the Amber Royal, it would not be surprising if such a high-flung title is attributed to him or her at a later date in homage to his or her heroic legacy. Many Autumn Court emblem or flag was painted amber in honour of the Amber Royal, and the Court as a whole is generally associated with the colour.

The earliest records concerning the Amber Royal’s existence dates back to roughly five thousand years ago, meaning that should he or she exist as advertised, the Autumn Court must at least already in existence around that time. The reasons why he or she had chosen to flee the official Courts varies between tales; some say that the Amber Royal grew tired of the oppressiveness of his hive; other said the Amber Royal committed a crime that was never found out, but fled anyway rather than taking any chances; one attributed that the Amber Royal did it for the simplest of reason: namely, he or she was bored.

Either way, what they could all agree on was the fact the Amber Royal left, and for a time stayed a Solitary Changeling, the first of all others to follow, getting into all varieties of misadventures. Later on, other changelings who knew of the Amber Royal would join the first Autumn changeling. It is not known whether or not they are associates, acquaintance or friends; each had left for their own reasons, but ultimately they were the same in that, when they heard of the Amber Royal’s defiance, they linked up with the Amber Royal, and when they formed the first hive, they all turned to him for leadership.

Described as a free-spirited, energetic, fickle and joyful individual, he or she is not one to stick with rules or caution, and instead seek adventure and fun wherever could be found, treating life as a grand game which should be enjoyed before one’s time is up, encouraging others to do the same.

Like many heroes recorded in changeling lore, the Amber Royal is depicted as a consummate trickster, using cunning and guile to win the day instead of strength and stalwart courage of heroes from other races. It is said that when he and his hive was threatened separately by a pack of dragons and an Underhold of Diamond Dogs, it was the Amber Royal who knocked two birds with one stone, by tricking them into fighting each other disguised in their forms, plundering the wealth of both sides in the confusion while at it. It is also said that the Amber Royal designed the first Fae Hedge and the Fae Path that ran through it to protect their hive, of which other Autumn changelings would emulate.

What happened to the Amber Royal is, like everything else, unknown. Those of the Spring and Summer Courts believed, assuming his or her existence is not suppressed, in the tales where he or she eventually learn the error of his or her ways and returned home, or meet their demise before a Royal Changeling, or even one of the Progenitors, ultimately showing as they say the futility of staying free from the swarms and deviating from the Changeling Creed.

The Autumn changelings would like to believe, as do some of the more paranoid Spring or Summer changelings, that the Amber Royal, a true ageless prince or princess, is still out there, living and adventuring still, and whispering into the ears of prospective dissenters the alluring taste of freedom, and that Amberhome, the Amber Royal’s hive, is also hidden somewhere, waiting and open to any Autumn changeling who can find it.

Thorax, the Sanctified One

“I didn’t mean to become great. I just want to have friends!”

High Prince/King/Revolutionary Thorax, leader of the New Changelings, was originally an atypical Autumn changeling who had once made headlines as the first in history to publicly interact with non-changelings, having asked for official asylum in the Crystal Empire that was eventually granted. Recent events, however, had elevated his status even more, and it is likely that he would go down as the most significant individual of consequences other than the Progenitors for Changeling-kind as a whole, likely forever changing the course of its history.

Born in Chrysalis’ hive, isolated from his unknown parents like the other nymphs, he was raised from birth and trained to be a warrior who would fight and die in Chrysalis’ name. He was placed under the command of General Pincer’s 3rd Conquest Swarm, and had participated in the now infamous Wedding Invasion of Canterlot. Unlike his brethren, however, since birth he has shown little to no loyalty or love to his Royal Changeling monarch, nor share the same enthusiasm for war, both as he was indoctrinated to do so, for reasons he himself don’t understand. He is also a Changeling Deviant – a ‘mutant’ in Equestrian terms – one with the ability to shapeshift into inanimate objects in addition to normal creature forms. While this would had led to fear and rejection among the changelings of the two official Courts by itself, under Chrysalis and her extreme views on racial supremacy and purity, it would had almost led to certain execution, so Thorax never revealed it within the hive.

These difference had alienated him from the militant society that the vile Queen Chrysalis had moulded her hive into, and add to the constant starvation that Chrysalis had cruelly engineered in secret to ensure the swarm’s loyalty to her and her beliefs of acquiring love through conquest, had influenced his decision to discover if there is another way of life beyond the only one he and his brethren knew. While serving as one of many changeling scouts, he gradually developed a fascination for Equestrian values of friendship and its loving and peaceful society, and had wondered if it was possible for changelings to live in peaceful co-existence with other races, as friends instead of cattle or prey, and to gain nourishment by sharing love like they do.

When the time to decide whether to act on this idea, it was just as the now famous expanding sphere of love-charged magic shield by Princess Cadence and Shining Armour defeated Chrysalis’ invasion. Thorax was sent flying northward, in the direction of the Crystal Empire, where he was forced to survive, alone and isolated from his swarm, until the return of the Crystal Empire.

The events leading to his application for asylum is already well-known among Equestria: his first attempt enter the Empire resulted in a brief panic over possible changeling infiltration, forcing him to return to hiding. Demoralized at first over any prospect of making friends, his ideas were vindicated when he rescued Spike the dragon, assistant and adopted brother of Princess Twilight Sparkle, who despite initial complications eventually managed to persuade Princess Cadence and Prince-Regent Shining Armor of Thorax’s sincerity.

According to the Spring Court, while the news was received by Equestria with a mix of incredulity, uncertainty and cautious optimism, it sent shockwaves across both the Spring Court and the Summer Court. It was bad enough that Queen Chrysalis’ brazen attempt to conquer Canterlot and Equestria was nearly impossible to cover up for their Masquerade, the very public application for asylum by Thorax further unravelled it. While entire Grand Councils had been held in the Spring Court over what to do with the Masquerade in general and Thorax, no consensus was reached. For the Summer Court’s part, both King Metamorphosis and King Lepid was said to have advised caution over how to deal with Thorax, pointing out to their brothers that any attempt to eliminate or use Thorax for their own ends would be difficult and likely catch unwanted attention from the Alicorn Princesses. Even so, several attempts were said to had been made to abduct or assassinate Thorax by unknown assailants, although rumours were neither denied nor confirmed by the Crowns.

All this became irrelevant with Queen Chrysalis’ second attempt to conquer Equestria. Although there was considerable confusion how it actually happened (The first account publicized now being considered distorted, incomplete and inaccurate in many details), it is confirmed that Thorax was a member of the team assembled by Starlight Glimmer, together with other members such as stage magician Trixie Lulamoon and the spirit of chaos Discord, who journeyed into Chrysalis’ territory and infiltrated her hive in a desperate mission to rescue their friends and Princesses, including Thorax’s own friend Spike, and destroy Chrysalis’ Throne of Hunger that was draining them of all magic except those thaumic frequencies used by changelings.

Starlight Glimmer discovered Thorax sharing love has some unusual effects when applied on other changelings. With Princess Twilight’s encouragement, Thorax had begun his attempts to find way at sharing and generating love for sustenance, but was only met with partial success. Similar experiments conducted by Spring and Summer Courts had met with similar results, and was discounted as ultimately unfeasible. But when Thorax and the rescue party was subdued and Chrysalis was about to execute him for ‘treason’ by draining him of all his love, Starlight Glimmer advised him to give her everything he had, in one single go.

It was then, in their darkest hour, that Thorax made history once again.

According to Emperor Blackthorn’s own theories, Thorax’s determination to find a way to generate and share love was so strong, it reached the thresholds require for it to become his own Dharma – or ‘Deeply Held Conviction/Belief’. When Thorax experienced the massive magical feedback caused by unloading all his available love energy into Chrysalis at once, he was able to, somehow, use his own Dharma to channel it, giving the energy purpose, and somehow use it to break the Curse – something up to that point was perceived as impossible – that created Changeling-kind and gave it its hunger for love of other sapient beings.

And like Twilight Sparkle had before, he Ascended.

The rest of Chrysalis’ hive – at least those who were present in the hive when it occurred, were able to transform by sharing love with the ascendant Thorax, allowing them to tap into the residue energies of his ascension and break the Curse within them. In effect, Thorax not only became a New Changeling, but also became the ‘Progenitor’ of a new species/sub-species of Changelings. Because of this, they are also classified into the Autumn Court by virtue of being different from the normal changelings of both official Courts.

With the usurpation of Chrysalis, Thorax, now widely called the ‘Sanctified One’, is looked up by much of Changeling-kind as the salvation of their people from their love-hunger, and is now the centre of attention for both the Spring and Summer Court, directly responsible for their mutual decisions to finally drop the Masquerade and cooperate on studying how to break the Curse through Thorax for the rest of the race. Due to being a common changeling prior to his ascension, Thorax is said to be burdened by his inexperience in leadership, although the Progenitors of both Courts and his newfound official allies in the Principality of Equestria are offering to provide whatever guidance and support needed to establish himself.

Viceroy Earwig

“Some people are entitled to their power and privileges.”

Heralding the influential family in Chrysalis’ Hive from which the exultant office of Viceroy has been filled for generations, Earwig has never really been held in much high regard by his Queen or his peers despite his background, or perhaps because of it. Earwig’s influential family resemble members of a clearly emerging upper-class in a system where it is normally ‘Queen>Inner Circle>Mook’, a development not entirely embraced by Chrysalis herself, who has little to no patience for snobs.

Earwig is a weak-willed, fearful (typical as a male changeling in power in his society predominantly run by female changelings) and marginally competent administrator consumed with his own self-preservation and bottomless greed for both luxury and growing his own power, all these traits causing him to balloon in weight since taking office. His chitin is said to always looks like it's going to burst open. He is always flanked by his taller, lankier assistant, a cool, collected female who calms him down and when he goes into panic. She actually commands a lot of the respect Earwig demands/thinks he's entitled to.

Prior to Chrysalis and her swarm army’s return from their volcanic imprisonment, Earwig’s family was placed in regency of her hive of civilians by the Changeling Empress’ own decree, and under their control the hive had actually prospered for generations until Chrysalis’ escape and return. During the usurpation, Earwig was dealing with a problem in one of Chrysalis’ minor hives, and thus remained one of the sizeable portion of the population who, though now in fealty of the ascendant Thorax and thus classified into the Autumn Court, remain non-purified normal changelings.

While Chrysalis had grudgingly kept the Viceroys around to ensure the hive continues to run smoothly, the Hive Council of Overseers is said to still recognize Viceroy Earwig as the ‘legitimate’ head of state. How this would affect Thorax’s rule now after Chrysalis’ usurpation is still entirely uncertain.

Viceroy Earwig and his minister watched, horrified and impotent, as Queen Chrysalis and her swarm escaped the castle they were imprisoned in since the Secretariat Comet crisis. Even in the comfort of their private sanctum, viewing the stampede from a magical scrying bowl, they could still feel the palpable glee from the vile Changeling Queen and her soldiers, and felt a cold chill going down their carapace.

“Well… it seems Chrysalis is on her way back…” A voice echoed from the bowl.

"This scheme of yours has failed. The coup is finished. We dare not go against the Queen and her army!" Earwig’s minister whined next to him, snarling in both outrage and fear.

The speaker’s head replaced the scene of the great escape, and Viceroy Earwig winced at the glare she had upon him and his lackey. “Viceroy... I don't want this stunted slime in my sight again."

The minister leaves, looking like he's had something thrown at him "This turn of events is unfortunate. We must postpone our plans. You must burn all evidence of our collaboration at once." The speaker continued.

"My Lady! What about our plan? It was our agreement that I would be made a King! Can't you send troops to ---"

"WE will not make a MOVE until we have the Empress' explicit support! Until we get back to you, just go back to kissing your Queen’s giant rump! It's what your best at!"

With an audible snap, the Alicorn Princess ended the transmission, leaving the despondent Viceroy alone to imagine himself prostrating and kissing Chrysalis’ hoof again within the day.

Kevin

“Don’t mind me; I’m just here for the food.”

Kevin the Changeling is the best known example of a typical Autumn Court Solitary Changeling behind Thorax, and was in fact the very first Autumn Court changeling known by the ponies of Equestria. Although between Thorax’s ascension and the fall of the Masquerade, he has become somewhat overshadowed.

Kevin is, for all intents and purpose, an ordinary common changeling. He has yet revealed which hive he came from or how long he had been Solitary, although given his uncanny resemblance in terms of colours and features to Thorax prior to the latter’s ascension, it can be assumed that he was once part of Chrysalis’ swarm and may had potentially been part of the Canterlot invasion force, like Thorax was. Kevin may not even be his actual name, given how unusual it is from changeling naming conventions.

Kevin is first known to Matilda the donkey, a resident of Ponyville, from quite a while ago, and both are acquainted enough to be considered ‘friends’. It is known that Matilda and Kevin had an adventure together, details which they have yet disclosed, and ended it with a Changeling Contract between them, in mutual gratitude. He is shown to be true to his Word when Matilda invited him over to her wedding with Cranky Doodle the donkey, despite the risks that it may blow his cover; and attend he did, not even bothering with his disguise in the face of all the individuals who would see through it, up to and including the present Alicorn Princesses.

Kevin had since then become a resident of Ponyville, managing to keep a low profile despite being a changeling in broad daylight, and despite initial reservations and unease became at least a tolerated presence in town, running errands for ponies as well as trading in exotic commodities he ‘found’ somewhere for a living. He is described as a slippery individual, which he found to be a compliment, since it means that despite having ‘settled down’ he still retained the edge that allowed him to survive alone for so long.

Kevin is in fact acquainted with Thorax, at some point before his ascension, and afterwards was the one who started the trend of referring Thorax as the ‘Sanctified One’, which was later caught on by many others referring to Thorax, up to and including the Progenitors.

Kevin has currently gone to ground and into hiding. While he has cooperated with interviewers and Equestrian authorities in the past to provide information concerning the Changelings, it was recently revealed that he knew the location of an Autumn Court hive somewhere in Equestria, and had taken Thorax Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon there on a covert visit. This is said to have drawn unwanted attention from not only Equestrian authorities, but also agents of the Spring and Summer Court.

Princess/Captain Mimetidae Avalon

"Being royal is fine, but where's the adventure?!"

Mimetidae was born to a Merpony father that Blackrose had a flink with. And growing up at the castle, she was a little hellion, always climbing places and exploring. Puck found it fun. She decidedly DIDN'T like her classes for becoming royalty, preferring to prank her teacher or cut class. It didn't help that she wasn't the most intellectual of people, at least in regards to book learning. Combat learning interested her MUCH easier.

She ultimately didn't go to the Autumn Court because she had a problem with the Spring Court and is at least willing to drop her mother a letter on occasion. She left more because...well, she considered the whole thing BORING. Sitting on a throne all day barking out orders? Not for her! Where's the adventure!

So instead of taking the crown of a Queen when it was offered, she decided to depart to have a grand adventure of her own.

One thing lead to another, including finding out she was VERY good in the water thanks to her father's genes, lead to her becoming the captain of her ship with a few like minded drones and other ponies. However, having a ship wasn't enough adventure in her mind, and she ultimately decided to become a pirate.

However, she wasn't one that would belong in the Winter Court, and is more accurately called 'Chaotic Good'. As such, her targets are normally villainous sorts from tyrannical nations or other evil doers. This has lead to her having some confrontations with members of the Summer Court, but while she IS 'dumb' in sense, she isn't so dumb as to actively SEEK them out, rather strike if she happens upon their operations harming others. Most of her confrontations with other Changelings have been with the Winter Court.

The reason she's managed this is mainly due to her having the Home-field Advantage at sea thanks to her heritage, which is where she spends ninety percent of her time. Another advantage she has is her adventurous lifestyle has given her a very large number of forms she's encountered and seen.

Her biggest weakness is while very intelligent in combat terms, in most other terms she's kind of a idiot and VERY reliant on her crew, who fill other roles she is lacking at. Her crew is basically family to her, and where she gets most of the love she needs to live.

And Blackrose help you if you hurt one of them. That is the one surefire way to make her dedicate every ounce of her being into beating you into the ground.

She's also a big eater. Not just in the love sense, but also in the LITERAL sense, and she ENJOYS doing so.

Crazy Ant/Grand Head Engineer Copper Cog

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's which dog has the better robotic suit!"

Crazy Ant describes himself as a 'crazy awesome mad scientist changeling who happens to rule a small island nation'.

It's a subject of debate from who's Court and when Crazy Ant left to the Autumn Court. What is known is WHY: he simply found the free reign to do whatever advance in his chosen field he wanted to do. Some rumors say he was a member of the Summer Court and departed out of fear that his creations would be used as war machines by his King, but he's wisely chosen to neither confirm nor deny it, as for obvious reasons the two hives not knowing who he originally followed is in his best interests.

What IS known, however, is Crazy Ant departed to a deserted island in the middle of the ocean with a few ponies he met in his travels and they got to work on his chosen field: machines. Namely machines using magically powered steam engines.

One thing lead to another and more Autumn Changelings, ponies, and other races came until somehow, his island gained enough of a population to qualify as it's own country. To this day Crazy Ant still has no clue how exactly that happened, or how he was voted leader, but he honestly doesn't care.

As for how he got the other Courts to not destroy this fledgling nation, he did something so brazenly insane no other Changeling ever though nor dared to do so: he blackmailed them. Namely, he set up a Deadman's Switch that should he die or willingly activate it would instantly teleport a detailed file on both Courts to every world leader he has knowledge of. The response to learning this was him being called insane. His response was "Yes, what's your point?" He naturally didn't WANT to use it, and may in fact have been bluffing and never possessed such a thing, but all he ever asked in return was he and his people being left alone. At least long enough to set up Fae Hedges and Fae Paths among other defenses.

If nothing else, he managed to impress Emperor Blackthorn with this act.

Machina, his island, can best be described as a steam punk metropolis where advances in the mechanical sciences is a daily venture. While many technologies have been sold or shared to outside races, Crazy Ant, or Copper Cog in his pony guise, has wisely kept the best tech to themselves to give them an edge.

One of the biggest advances of Machina are the mechanical golems which, while lacking sentience, are capable of various tasks, from defense to mining (given the amount of metal they use, that is a valuable resource) and all have an override command only Crazy Ant knows just in case. One of these is Machina's 'guardian', a Kaiju sized golem named Colossus that is intended to protect the island. Crazy Ant has repeatedly challenged Supia to hoof wrestling contests with the huge machine, but the kaiju sized Queen declines due to Crazy Ant's status as a member of the Autumn court.

Crazy Ant has also created a number of mechanical, steam punk suits of armor for himself to do various tasks, including combat, and is rumored to be at least working on one capable of surviving combat with a Royal, for obvious reasons given Crazy Ant himself is a drone.

Crazy Ant has good relations with many countries and trades metal work, metallurgy, and various technologies, making Machina surprisingly prosperous.

While a brilliant scientist, Crazy Ant is also rather erratic and unpredictable, and his leadership of Machina has more than once resulted in some bizarre situations. Like the time he dedicated several months of labor solely to make a mechanical horse to give rides to the island's children. Many question whether he's brilliant or just crazy (Crazy Ant proudly takes a third option and says 'both'). Regardless, he's generally well liked on Machina, if strange.

Following the breaking of the Masquerade, a Changeling King decided to try and take care of Crazy Ant now that his dead man's switch is no longer in play, but was repelled thanks in part to Captain Mimetidae and the Colossus. In light of this, Crazy Ant reinforced several of his Free Hive's alliances and looked for a better Deadman's Switch involving secrets of the Summer Court he may have gained during his time among them.

Cricket/Kick Hopper

"I am an ally to justice!"

Cricket was originally a member of King Brachion's hive, but much like Thorax, he never really fit in. However, where Thorax was a pacifist in a hive of conquerors, Cricket was a Changeling with a hatred of the weak being trampled in a hive founded on nature's dark side and survival of the fittest. This resulted in him doing subtle acts of sabotage to try and save lives.

This ultimately resulted in him getting caught and brought before his King. His response was to refuse to bow and told Brachion he didn't fear death for doing what he believed right.

So Brachion didn't execute him. Instead he decided to to make him a mockery of his beliefs by turning him into a weapon that would do the very things he so despised for his king, with his mind being the last thing to be changed so he could be horrified at what he was becoming.

To say fate had other plans is an understatement.

It so happened that a guard who's life Cricket's actions had saved was on duty during the modification process. Before the brainwashing could commence, the guard risked his own life to save Cricket and both escaped to the Autumn Court, from which Cricket has been wandering Equus foiling his former King's plans and defeating injustices wherever he finds them.

Cricket is still capable of shapeshifting, due to the intent being an assassin who could sneak into areas before assuming his altered form to kill his targets, and in his normal form is indistinguishable from a normal changeling with the exception of a belt-like device installed at his waist.

This device generates a chemical needed to control his transformation into his modified state. He doesn't need to refuel it, as it does so naturally, and it resembles a silver belt with a red center.

When activated, he transforms into a grasshopper like, green, silver, and black armored form that drastically increases his strength, speed, agility, and durability to the point of being able to overpower many powerful monsters on his own. While not part of the transformation, he also wears a red muffler that has become iconic to him. In addition to his augmented physical abilities, his hind legs are incredibly strong to the point of being able to deal lethal force with a dive kick. He can also coat his hooves in love energy to further increase their power to the point of being able to kill large, dangerous monsters in a single blow, particularly if he uses his hind legs. These powerful kicks and his grasshopper themed form is where his moniker 'Kick Hopper' came from.

Cricket has also not survived being on a Summer Court Changeling's most wanted list by not being good as he is. He's ironically a ling after Brachion's own heart: a survivor who's had to adapt and grow as time passed. He's now an extremely skilled fighter capable of kicking quite a bit of flank even untransformed, and has incredible survival skills.

The drawback to this is this form is more taxing on his love reserves. While his acts as a hero have given him plenty, he often has to transform back if he burns too much of it. Coating his limbs in love energy burns through it FASTER, so its normally reserved for killing blows. He also needs to eat physical food, specifically protein, in very large quantities for his body to use as additional mass for his transformed state.

Brachion has tried many times to kill him in various ways to stop his foiling of his plans, but so far obviously none have succeeded (though many have come close) and many of his bioweapons have died by 'Kick Hopper's' hooves.

While Brachion rarely speaks to his brothers of this thorn in his side (possibly due to the fact he accidentally created him in the first place), some believe Brachion recognizes the similarity between his own origin and Cricket's and may see him somewhat as a 'worthy opponent' who is constantly growing stronger to continue to survive. Of course that is but rumor and unconfirmed.

When not opposing his King, Cricket is often found dealing with criminals, evildoers, and monsters, and supports himself partly through bounty hunting eviler doers (and ONLY eviler doers).

Cricket's most recent whereabouts are in Zebrica, though there are rumors he's visited and spoken to King Thorax for reasons unknown.