Codex Equestria: The Changeling Courts

by Red Qilin

The Winter Court - the Forsaken and the Damned

The Winter Court – the Forsaken and the Damned

“To bear a mark of Winter is to bear a mark of shame.”

Winter in Changeling culture is associated with evil, death and suffering, far more than many other cultures. Inevitably, then, this season is used to describe and mark many things and beings considered evil among the changeling-kind. And few bear this moniker than those changelings who had committed such evil, they are effectively outcasts from all changeling-kind. These changelings are members of the Winter Court, and together with the feared and inscrutible Summer Court, they are regarded in myths and tales of the non-Changeling races to be the more malevolent Unseelie Fae (Rarely with exceptions).

Like the Autumn Court, the Winter Court is an informal court, a categorization for all those who had been rejected by all other Courts. The main difference between the Autumn Court and Winter Court is that, while the former is technically illegal and criminal in the eyes of the official Courts, they are not outcasts; all of these changelings left on their own volition to be masters of their own destiny, free from the rule of the Royal Changelings. Under the rules or conventions set by the Progenitors in both Courts, they would still be treated as changelings, to be brought back under the fold or punished as the laws of the hives subscribed.

Those in the Winter Court, in contrast, would not receive the same treatment. Winter Court changelings are usually murderers, traitors, oath-breakers, heretical cultists, practitioners of dark arts, and generally any changeling who had committed heinous crimes– even worse than rebellion and desertion – against their own people, and violated Changeling laws and the principles of the Changeling Creed so thoroughly, they are a threat to all changelings around them, and even jeopardize the survival of the Court and the Changeling race as a whole. Not even those from the Autumn Court would tolerate their presence if they, and what they did, are known to them. Winter changelings are thus said to be hated and despised by every changeling alive, and are considered outcast and dispossessed from the moment of banishment until the end of time.

To be exile/banished – ‘Condemned to Winter’, using the Changeling phrase – to the Winter Court is considered to be the greatest shame and punishment conceivable, even more than death. And it would effectively BE a death sentence; not only would a condemned changeling be an outcast from all three other Courts, their names would forever be tainted, scorned by all three Courts well into posterity and upheld only as a warning to others the consequences of committing evil as terribly as these changelings had. Any Winter changeling is to be treated with extreme prejudice, befitting their transgressions, and for most part, between the nature of their crimes and the fact that they are general unrepentant in doing them, they do in fact deserve it.

Because of the severity of the punishment that is being Condemned to Winter, such a sentence is usually given out by those of the highest authority among the changeling race; usually the Progenitors themselves, and only after it has been confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that such a crime has happened, was committed willingly, with full knowledge of the consequences, and the culprit has shown no remorse for their actions. Only THEN is he or she Condemned to Winter. Their Royal Changeling children are within their given rights to Condemn changelings under their rule for heinous crimes, although in practice they would usually defer to their Parents by sending them information concerning the crime, wait for them to confirm it independently, and then let them give out the sentence or give them permission to do so.

There are some crimes that carries an automatic penalty of Winter with or without the discretion of the Progenitors or their Royal Children, like breaking a Sacred Word or Changeling Contract, or committing a capital crime upon another changeling, such as ‘Kin-Draining’ – forcefully stealing love energy from another of your kind, usually all of it, a process which is known to be unvarying in causing fatality or severe harm to the victim, and almost always excruciating. In the Autumn Court, where the changelings cannot defer to their Progenitors or their Royal children, condemnation is usually performed at the discretion of the rulers or the laws of the Autumn hive in question, although usually a consensus among the hive is needed first.

Banished from hive society, each outcast changeling is considered a condemned criminal out only for the betterment of themselves, having abandoned any notion of adhering to the Changeling Creed with their crimes, and now devoted themselves entirely in pursuit of self-interests at the expense of their fellow members of the race and other races. They are among the most cruel, selfish, amoral, vile individuals that can arise from Changeling-kind, rivalling and even surpassing the Summer Court – and given the deeds and temperament of those Summer Court, and their disgust for the Winter changelings, that speaks of the depths in which the Winter Court had often sunk. Baring the most self-deluded members of the Court, most knew that they have strayed from what it means to be Changeling – and in most cases, they found that they simply don’t care anymore.

The Winter Court is the smallest of the Four Seasonal Court – consisting of far less than 1% of the entire Changeling race at any one time – and due to the nature of being composed of unwilling and unrepentant exiles, whether they be common or Royal, the Court as a whole is dis-unified – as all know, centralized leadership or group cooperation rests heavily upon trust and loyalty, and when one has already broken the most sacred oaths, turned their back on their own people, all for personal power and gain, little trust or loyalty can exist to allow for formation of long-lasting and stable partnerships or deference to hierarchy. Most of them live as solitary individuals, hiding from changeling justice, while former Royal Changelings could expect to have some foolishly loyal common changelings to still follow them even into exile.

That said, it is not entirely impossible for Winter Court changelings to cooperate: If interests align, individual to whole groups of Winter changelings can form what they refer to as Consortiums, an association between Winter changelings for a joint-venture. In practice, they are little different from any crime syndicate, and is even more rife with betrayal and mistrust than Summer Court internal politics, and so are usually held together only by deception, leverage, threats and fear of the Consortium’s leaders. Because of this, long-lasting consortiums are rare, with members constantly jockeying for power within the group, and most often ending in mutually assured betrayals and fragment in bitter infighting as each member push their agendas over others.

Consortiums often form the core of the Changeling underworld, responsible for organized criminal activity in the Changeling Courts, dealing with the changeling-equivalent of narcotics, forbidden commodities, dangerous artefacts, gambling, credit-laundering, corruption of officials, love-smuggling, changeling trafficking, and other forms of illicit criminal activity that are illegal in both Courts. Winter Court settlements, if any are established, are always lawless hives of scum and villainy, with power resting upon gangs of changeling criminals on the streets, answering to a hierarchy of more powerful gangs and syndicates that rule these hives at higher levels. Other variations also exist.

Winter changelings are also the primary members of various changeling terrorist groups who would strike at either of the official Courts, out of revenge of their banishment, even if they would often disguise their true agenda under political aims of ‘overthrowing’ or defying the official Courts, enticing those foolish enough to believe them, particularly from the Autumn Court, into joining them and taking their own steps towards being Condemned to Winter.

In terms of their relationship with the outside world and the other Courts, their policy can be ultimately summarized in one single word: Spite. Forsaken as they are, they would lash out at everyone and everything around them in hatred, revelling in vindictive cruelty at the suffering they cause towards those who rejected them, or simply in a convenient position to be exploited, in the case of non-changelings. Because of this, next to the Summer Court they are the most dangerous changelings that could encountered by other races.

Usually, many of the atrocities conducted by these Unseelie on small, individual levels – such as blighting of crops, mutilation of cattle, abduction of young children, attacks on travellers, unexplained murders, etc. – are the deeds of one or a ‘host’ swarm of Winter changelings, often disguised as other malevolent creatures of fable and taking credit of their work to cover their tracks. More devious and powerful Winter changelings however are shown to be capable of more sophisticated schemes and greater transgressions than thought to be possible, if the information provided by the Spring Court are any indication.

Of the Four Courts, the Winter Court would likely be the least affected by the fall of the Masquerade, even with the addition of ex-queen Chrysalis into their ranks – they would remain outcasts regardless of what happens to the race as a whole. Of course, in the long run the Masquerade’s fall would be as inconvenient to them as it could potentially be to the Autumn Court, now that one of their greatest protection from discovery and retribution by other races is lost. Yet, there is also opportunity to be had; those unscrupulous individuals from the other races, ignorant of the true chilling evil the Winter Court are capable of, might see opportunities interacting with and even helping the Winter Court, and the Winter changelings would be more than happy to play them for fools to strengthen their position, allowing them to become a more credible threat in the future…

The Twistlings

The creation of ‘Twistlings’ are among some of the most disturbing atrocities perpetrated by the Unseelie Fae. Twistlings are unique in the sense that they are, despite what their name implies, not changelings in any true sense. Instead, they are those from other races who had been taken from their normal lives – whether in secret by Winter changelings, or enslaved outright by Summer changelings, and subjected to such horrific abuses, torments, and ‘modifications’ to serve the needs of the Unseelie that they are effectively broken shells of their former selves.

Some Twistlings were created as incidental consequences of their function within the Summer and Winter Courts: those who were forced to work as indentured labour are often subjected to forced modifications, via magic or alchemy, that enhances the strength and durability of their flesh, with side effects of reducing them into beastly or ogre-like creatures with dulled minds. Those used as test subjects for arcane and scientific experiments are often left nightmarish abominations that may also possess incredible abilities that the Unseelie had hoped to imbued and use on themselves. Others, intended to be used as disposable troops in the wars and conflicts of the Unseelie, are often victims of mind alterations to turned them into mindless, bloodthirsty berserkers who would charge enemy lines and die in droves ahead of the main forces’ advances, or programmed expendable assassins that would mingle in enemy forces or society, triggered by command to kill their targets even at the cost of their lives.

Others were more deliberate products of their Unseelie captors’ malicious cruelty, ‘sculpted’ by their captive masters to forms to their liking, in both mind and body, in the same way an artist would sculpt clay.

Females from gentry or royalty of conquered lands had their beauty enhanced until they were unnatural creatures of enchanting grace, fitting for their intended roles as concubines and pleasure servants in servitude, kept docile with illusions, ecstasy and brainwashing. Meanwhile, noble heroes and champions who opposed the changelings until capture had their rugged, handsome features taken from them, reduced to grotesque ugliness in both body and thought the same way they were often reduced to role of jesters and pathetic trophies of their victorious enslavers, chained up like pets in cages and released only for the Unseelies’ amusement. Those who resisted their captors are often punished by being turned into inanimate objects, or tortured and maimed and then left in unending pain, often reducing the victims to madden wrecks when released from torment, provided that they were released at all.

Those who were often able to escape their captors often discovered that years, decades and even centuries had passed, and that their minds and bodies altered by their terrible experiences to such extents, that they can no longer return to normal society, and must in fact forced to hide out fear of hostility, recapture and persecution – enduring an existence in a perverted mockery of the ones lived by changelings.

Some of these Twistlings would often find their way to the Autumn Courts, who often took them partly out of pity for these creatures, and also for any skills or abilities that they might had acquired which could benefit their hives. Some Spring Court Changeling Queens, with the blessing of their mother, actively seek out these Twistlings and rescue them from their unkind existence, even if many of them are too far gone to be truly cured of their conditions. One can only imagine how many Twistlings remain lost in the shadows of the world, and one shudders to ponder how many of them had endured such loathsome fates over the ages.

Notable Individuals of the Winter Court:

Chrysalis Avalon, the Great Renegade/the 'False Empress'

“There is no revenge you can conceive that will compare to what I will do to you one day!”

Although most Changeling Queens of the Spring Court are fair and even noble rulers, thanks to having a parent as benevolent and kind as Empress Blackrose, there had often been a few ‘bad apples’ to spoil bushel in every generation of Spawns. And for this particular generation, none had been as rotten as the one Changeling Queen who made history for attempting to conquer Equestria and Equus. And the world would know her as Chrysalis Avalon, the infamous 'Destroyer of Tumbucktu', 'Conqueror of Trot', 'Terror of Canterlot', 'End of the Wuv-Cats', among other titles of both self-aggrandizing or given origins.

Arrogant, vindictive, megalomaniacal, prideful, power-hungry in the extreme, the deposed changeling queen Chrysalis is currently the most notorious changeling known to the ponies of Equestria, and her infamy is well known among even her Spring Court family and their subjects, earning her the distinction of being considered one of the worst Changeling Queens ever grace their ranks.

Not much is known about Ex-Queen Chrysalis’ early life, and her Mother has been reluctant to share details concerning her vile daughter’s past. There had been various conflicting accounts from even among her other Royal Changeling siblings; all they could agree was that she was among the Hundredth-Spawn generation, active only within the last one thousand years.

From a young age, she had been the unfavourite among her peers and her older siblings, seen as a greedy, self-centered and spoiled brat of a nymph who does not get along with any of her siblings, resenting how much they stole Mother’s attention from her, and made it a policy to make her sisters as miserable as she could. She is said to had constantly boasted that one day she would be the one to stand over them all as the ‘supreme changeling queen’. When they asked whom her father was or where she came from, she often lied through her teeth about it, each time with a different story, and often skewed to emphasize her greatness and diminish those of her siblings. There had been conflicting rumours attributing her birthplace to every continent on the globe; little is definitively known about her other parent beyond being hinted as ‘Not a nice person’.

She has certainly liked to think herself as the only Changeling ruler in existence, with the deception she had peddled to her own swarm where she, and she alone, and changeling-kind emerged from the trunk of an accursed tree that grew on the bones of dead ponies in a cemetery. This origin had long since been thoroughly debunked, although hundreds of other origin stories for her and the Changeling race as a whole remains in circulation both in and outside the Changeling Courts.

One thing is known that once she began her career as a Changeling Queen, and given her own subjects, she had let her true rotten nature run wild; rather than having her hive co-exist, hidden and in relative peace with other races, maintaining a balanced symbiotic relationship in acquiring love as most of the Spring Court did, she behaved like a Summer Court Changeling King, re-forging her changeling polity into a war machine, and made it a policy to acquire love from the other races by conquering and stealing it from them. Many Changeling Kings of the Summer Court had admitted that had she be born a sibling among them, she would had fit right into their ranks, although it is known they have an ambivalent regard for her reign at least in terms of performance.

To ensure the swarm’s obedience to her, she implemented a caste system, and mandated that the raising and education of the young nymphs in the army caste to be under the preview of her and her most devoted subordinates alone, making most of them (With a few exceptions) into her unquestioning mooks. She also, in an act of supreme cruelty, deliberately starved her swarm with strict rationing of love energy, partly to ensure she had the lion’s share of power, partly to make her minions too weak to turn on her, and mostly to make them dependent on her for their next meal.

A prideful racial supremacist, in her eyes, changelings are the apex predators of the world, with her as the greatest changeling of them all. The ‘natural’ way of life for them is one of ravenous predation, and all other races were their inferiors, little more than ‘cattle’ to which she could harvest to feed her own gluttonous appetite for power. It is not known how she came to this view, but because of this, for much of her early tenure as queen her changelings are an example of a changeling polity as a nomadic swarm – and in the wake of her marauding horde, once prosperous lands were left in desolation, and entire people and nations were rendered extinct.

Chrysalis was responsible for the destruction of the Border Kingdoms at the southern hinterlands of Equestria. Once, centuries ago, much of that territory was part of the Empire of Trot, one of the successor states of the classical era Equestrian Empire that arose from the latter’s fall and the subsequent Age of Chaos, and for a time served as Principality of Equestria’s greatest rival on the world stage along with the Crystal Empire in the north. But by the time of Chrysalis’ invasion, centuries of decline had left it little more than a vestigial rump, its former demesne fragmenting into a collection of weak, squabbling backwater nations and hedge realms – easy targets for Chrysalis and her swarm. Beginning with the destruction of the Pegasi cloud kingdom of Timbucktu during the reign of King Orion - an act which would earn her the undying hatred of one of her sisters - Chrysalis’ centuries-long rampage culminated with the Siege of Trot.

It was there, at the height of her success, she and her swarm was finally confronted by Princess Celestia, answering a desperate call for aid from a Trottian courtier. What followed was a catastrophic defeat which would have severe reprecussions on both Chrysalis' life and Equestria's history.

How Chrysalis had been able to hide her activities from her mother was questionable, although one should remember that the Spring Court consisted of many great hives and swarms ruled by her many sisters and countless smaller ones, and often afflicted by their own issues, diverting the Changeling Empress’ attention. Chrysalis had only stayed in contact by the occasional letters, where she incessantly lied about she was doing, hinging her deception on her mother trusting her and not following up with an investigation. When Empress Blackrose did learnt the true extent of her daughter’s doing from Princess Celestia, however, she was certainly none too pleased.

The Changeling Empress acceded to Celestia’s request that she would be punished, and in the end, it was agreed that she and her swarm army were to be separated from the civilian changeling population and imprisoned inside a volcano, Mount Ignis. However, despite her crimes, Empress Blackrose decided against banishing Chrysalis to the Winter Court, feeling that she held responsibility for not raising her daughter properly, and believed that she could still be salvaged. Events had shown, however, that this sentiment had been grossly optimistic.

Chrysalis and her minions would had stayed imprisoned inside the volcano to this day, were it not for the intervention of Sergio, the Great Wyrm of the West, who unwittingly allowed them to escape when he tore the volcano open to make it its lair. Queen Chrysalis then located and retook control of her hive of civilians from the regency hive council of overseers appointed to rule it for generations in her absence, citing ancient entitlements and conventions of the Spring Court to reclaim her ancient birth-right legitimately.

Once she had secured her rule, severed all contacts from the rest of the Spring Court, and re-implemented her old policies, she began to plot her revenge. According to her former minions, Chrysalis was rattled by the first major defeat in her entire life at the hooves of Princess Celestia, having her own sense of superiority tarnished by a ‘mere Pony princess’, and was incensed by the perceived ‘betrayal’ of her mother and her other sisters for not coming to her aid and even agreeing to let her be punished – never mind the fact that Princess Celestia was the sun goddess of our era that she had little chance of victory against, that her mother didn’t approve of her ways, and that her sisters hated her and vice versa. She would make them all pay, and take what she felt was entitled to her since she was small – supreme power over all.

The Ponies of Equestria knew of her first attempt to conquer Equestria: the infamous invasion of Canterlot during the Royal Wedding of Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armor. Queen Chrysalis had hoped to decapitate the entire Equestrian government in a single swift, overwhelming invasion, sending the entire Principalities into chaos, after infiltrating and subverting the defences, capping off with herself disguised as the bride and brainwashing the groom, who formed the lynchpin of the defence of Canterlot. This attempt, while nearly successful, was ultimately foiled with the timely intervention of Twilight Sparkle, who found the real Cadence imprisoned in the Canterlot catacombs, enabling her to restore her eventual husband’s mind and cast the shield spell that banished Chrysalis and her entire invading swarm out of Equestria.

In between her first two major attempts to conquer Equestria, she had attempted two minor schemes; first, to use the Secretariat Comet Crisis sometime after landing in the hedge kingdom of the Wuv-Cats – and harvesting them to extinction with her minions – to drain Twilight Sparkle of her magic or subvert her, both out of vengeance and to neutralize the greatest threat to her eventual return. When that failed, leading to a brief period of incarceration, she later participated in Radiant Hope’s plan to resurrect King Sombra and assist in his conquest of both the Crystal Empire and eventually Equestria, although she immediately renegaded her bargain and fled when she discovered the true mastermind manipulating Radiant Hope and behind King Sombra’s grand plan was an old fallen goddess of primordial darkness, Rubia, and her vile race of minions the Umbrum. How she came to know, and fear, the dreaded shadowy creatures is still unknown, even among the Spring Court.

Queen Chrysalis’ second major attempt to conquer Equestria was less well known, as not all details had been entirely disclosed or clarified. What had been reported was that it involved Chrysalis utilizing an artifact carved from a mysterious dark stone, the Throne of Hunger, which she had previously used to defend her hive from intruders for the purpose of draining the magics of the Alicorn Princesses, their loved ones, the Elements of Harmony/Rainbow Wielders, rendering them powerless and imprisoned in her hive, and replacing in their stead with her disguised minions in what would be a gradual infiltration and subversion of Equestria’s government and society.

However, this scheme proved to be her downfall; Princess Twilight’s student, Starlight Glimmer, assembled her own team of unlikely heroes and led a desperate rescue mission which, against all odds, not only destroyed Chrysalis' Throne and released her captives, but also resulted in Thorax’s ascension as Progenitor of a group of 'New Changelings', which also purified all the changelings present in her hive and turned them against her, effectively ending her reign as a Queen. Despite an offer for amnesty and redemption from Starlight Glimmer, Chrysalis had instead fled, promising revenge on Starlight Glimmer.

In the light of her actions, and subsequent reveal of the true scope of her plans, her mother the Changeling Empress had finally decided she had gone too far, and ordered her banishment. As of now, Chrysalis is a member of the Winter Court, along with any minions that remained loyal to her. She is also accompanied by several of her own children – a fact which was also not revealed until recently by the Spring Court – which included Princess Imago, Prince Slug/Vordul and Princess Pupa and several others. The Changeling Empress had made it clear however that the banishment only applies to their parent, and hoped to see her grand-spawns’ return/rescue from their mother’s custody. Indeed, some have been returned to the custody of the Spring Court, including a few lost or exiled children, although many remained loyal to their mother or are otherwise out of reach.

The fallout from her reckless, brazen attempted conquests of Equestria had proven to be the most serious threat to Changeling civilization, Equestria and the rest of the world, between the potential horrors any success of her ambitions would bring about, and having made the Masquerade unsustainable even in her defeats, effectively revealing the existence of the changelings to the wider world after ages of concealment, throwing all Courts and other nations into upheaval. Because of this, she was actively hunted by not only the Principalities of Equestria, but also the Spring and Summer Courts in conjunction, currently the only Winter Court changeling to receive such level of attention.

The Hive Trot Civil War that broke out following her toppling and escape from the main hive would see her lose what remains of her power as the Changeling Courts, spearheaded by the Purified Changelings of Hive Thorax to provide legitimacy and also supported by Equestria, systematically destroyed what's left of her power-base with the liberation/conquest of the satellite subhives that supported her fallen main hive and neutralization of her remaining forces, leaving her reduced to a redoubt located in none other than Mount Ignis, where she would continue to plot for her restoration and revenge, despite her increasingly reduced circumstances. These attempts include the Winter Onslaught, when she rallied a substantial number of Winter Court terrorists, criminals, renegades and even fellow exiled Royals to launch major attacks on Ponyville, Crystal Empire and other places, which ultimately failed at significant cost to her remaining resources. Many other schemes would follow that saw her allying herself or helping other forces of disharmony and diabolic dispositions such as the Hydianite Covens and the Storm King, which also failed for various reasons, many of which associated to her own weaknesses and that of her malignant allies as much as it is to the strengths of their foes among the forces of Harmony. Her increasing desperation and frustration also resulted in a marked decrease in her performance; an attempt to subvert the Elements of Harmony and replace their Bearers would backfire spectacularly, to the point that no one even knew the attempt had been made, until it was reported to the Equestrians by their Changeling allies as an afterthought many weeks after the incident.

“And that was her plan? To create six magical replicates of the Bearers of Harmony which she cannot even properly control? Each representing the complete antithesis in every way of the very Elements she created them to subvert? All to restore her lost power by replacing it with one their very nature meant none of them can never truly hope to wield?

If that was her best idea for conquest and revenge, we would loathe to see her worst...”

— Emperor Blackthorn of the Changeling Summer Court, reportedly upon receiving word of Chrysalis’ attempt to subvert the Elements of Harmony.

That spectacularly failed attempt would also worsen her dire straits. A notification by the Tree of Harmony on the Friendship Castle's magical map afterwards allowed Equestrian and Changeling intelligence to narrow down her base of operation to Mount Ignis, which shortly afterwards would be raided by a joint Equestrian-Changeling task-force, leading to the death/detainment of most of her remaining loyalists and the scattering of most of her children. By the time Chrysalis found her way back, the redoubt had been sacked and occupied, forcing her to flee back into the depths of the Everfree Forest.

Alone, lost, deprived of all resources, servants and remaining family, and (from post-LoDC psychiatric evaluation) becoming mentally unstable from isolation and denial, Chrysalis Avalon was left on the brink of utter defeat, and all analysts predicted that her eventual capture or death were certain... Were it not for her rescue by the infamous Ibexian overlord, the self-proclaimed successor of Grogar of the First Age, Grogar II, the Emperor of Darkness/Father of Monsters, rescued her along with Lord Tirek, young Cozy Glow, the Perfidious Prodigy and (later confirmed to be a mere, malignant fragment of) King Sombra, with the intention of creating a villainous alliance that would succeed where all their individual efforts had failed - with Grogar II in command, naturally enough, although he would not be present to see it occur.

This would start a chain of events that would lead to the formation of the first League of Domination and the subsequent Crisis; finally accepting she is on the brink of extinction and realizing that she alone cannot achieve her aims, she would join forces with the similarly reduced Lord Tirek and Cozy Glow to all work together, in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to finally win, knowing in the face of overwhelming odds they will not get a second chance. This would lead them to retrieving Grogar II's Bell and use it to empower herself along with Cozy Glow and Lord Tirek.

Pretentiously calling her transformed body her 'Ultimate' form, her empowerment had led her to believe that she had finally surpassed her mother in power, and as part of the League of Domination's grand plans, she would set off to try and usurp her mother and her sisters in the Spring Court in order to acquire the resources and forces she knew remains necessary to not only allow them to conquer Equestria, but eventually the world. This she would attempt to accomplish with the aid of many Winter Court Changelings who pledged allegiance to her and other villainous individuals and groups that would rally to the League's banner, confident despite disparity in forces that her own immense power alone is sufficient to overcome any opposition. This campaign would be preceded by an ultimatum sent to the Changeling Courts, declaring herself the 'Ultimate Empress of All Changelingkind' and demanding their submission to her and the League, or else.

It would not take long for the other three Changeling Courts to respond.

"DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPRESS!"
--- Warcry of many Royals, champions and warriors of the three Changeling Courts during the League of Domination Crisis, when facing Winter Court Changelings and other allied malignant forces of the League. It is believed this was started by a nameless Common Changeling Warrior of Hive Buprestidae, which quickly spread throughout most of Changelingkind.

Although now more powerful than any individual Royal Changeling presently alive in terms of raw power, the Changeling Courts proved to be much harder opponents than she anticipated. Having been surprised and threatened three consecutive times with destruction by Xestobium, Apterus and Toxikon, the Changeling Courts did not intend to be caught unawares again. Having been monitoring her activities in their relentless hunt for her and foreseeing many possible scenarios, the Changelings would once again demonstrate their characteristically meticulous preparations and calculated plans for many contingencies - including the very remote possibility she might attempt to conquer them after acquiring herself an enormous source of power, the occurrence of which admittedly did surprised most of them.

As events would follow, they were successful in frustrating her plans, decimating a sizable portion of the Leagues' minion armies with cunning stratagems and superior weight in numbers and logistics, while her sisters and other Royal Changelings - spearheaded by the likes of Buprestidae and Acherontia - were able to trap, stalemate and wear her down in an elaborate trap despite her advantage in strength - long enough for the Changeling Progenitors to arrive and face her in battle, fully prepared with their own power and plans. While the duel that followed was reportedly difficult, with Ultimate Chrysalis performing much better than expected despite her relative inexperience compare to the aeons-old Progenitors and many older Royals, it was conceivable that she would eventually have lost were not for the timely rescue of her allies, after which a impasse would develop.

After one last attempt to force a surrender from Empress Blackrose by threatening the lives of a few Royals and a dozen warriors and civilians failed, Ultimate Chrysalis reluctantly recognize even with their increased power, they could not yet prevail against the Changeling Courts at that moment, even if the Changeling Courts are also unable in turn to destroy them yet. They would withdraw to focus on taking over Equestria and executing other plans, leaving the Changeling Courts to be neutralized at a later date, but not before she and her allies killed most of their hostages in front of the assembled Changeling sovereigns and their forces, including her own sisters, to Empress Blackrose's sorrow and Emperor Blackthorn's uncertain reaction. If nothing else, this spiteful action would demonstrate just how far gone Chrysalis and her allies had fallen into nihilistic hate and obsession with power, and how much lower they are willing to sink if given the chance.

History showed, however, that she would never have another chance to try again, as despite being nearly successful in their takeover of Equestria, the heroes of Equestria and students of the School of Friendship were able to rally the nation and its allies to their aid, culminating in a final battle in the Equestrian heartland that would see Ultimate Chrysalis and her allies de-powered and defeated. Despite Chrysalis' defiant last words, their fears of this being their final chance - which they had now lost - were ultimately proven true.

Chrysalis would remain a divisive figure well into posterity, yet many were certain of one thing: For all her faults and misdeeds, from a historical point of view, her actions had ironically contributed to the salvation of the Changeling race from their love hunger, however indirectly and unintentionally, as well opened the way for potential long-lasting friendship and amity with other races, at least for those in the Spring and Autumn Courts – all of which she had haughtily dismissed as impossible and even unnatural. Additionally, the challenge she posed to Equestria among the parade of threats the nation would face would push the once complacent and peaceful realm on the path to reform, allowing it to prepare for the future turmoils that would follow in the following century-long Time of Trials. All things considered, despite her status as a petty tyrant, a failure, an outcast, and now finally a defeated menace, Chrysalis may had proven to be, next to Thorax, one of the most consequential changelings in Changeling and world history.

Chrysalis – Mastermind, or Maverick?

Chrysalis’ ultimate plan was simple at a glance: the first and most important step would be to conquer Equestria, the land of which Princess Celestia ruled, which contained more bountiful love energy than anywhere in the world. Such a harvest would boost her power beyond any Royal Changeling would had ever dreamed of, and with it, she planned to overthrow her mother and conquer the rest of the Spring Court, establishing herself as the supreme queen of all changeling hives therein, to which she would then eventually allow her conquer the rest of the world.

However, whether or not she would had ultimately succeeded is a matter of much controversy among both changelings and non-changelings. Some had detracted her as an incompetent fool who had no right to have succeeded as much as she did, while others had insisted that she was much, much cleverer than many had given credit for.

Detractors pointed to reports by military analysists made in the aftermath of the Wedding Invasion. They note, for example, lack of caution in the infiltration phase, which initially alerted the Equestrians to a possible threat and resulted in the heightened security measures. They also noted the poor quality of intelligence gathering, attributed to Chrysalis valuing unquestioning obedience more than competence in subordinates, which resulted in glaring flaws in Chrysalis’ impersonation of Cadence, leading to Twilight Sparkle investigating and uncovering her plot.

Chrysalis also made the mistake of accelerating Twilight’s progress by teleporting her to the same place she imprisoned Cadence, and posted insufficient measures to ensure they would not escape beyond three brainwashed brides-maiden. While she did at least neutralize the lynchpin of Canterlot’s defences and had even defeated Princess Celestia in combat using the stolen love from a brainwashed Shining Armor, it had been revealed that she had not even considered a backup plan to fight or escape from Princess Celestia, whom had defeated her utterly before, in the event she was uncovered, blinded to the possibility by her own arrogant assumption of success.

These are merely a fraction of literally hundreds of mistakes she and her subordinates had made in the invasion’s planning and execution, both on tactical and strategical levels, any of which would had unravelled the entire invasion much earlier. Detractors had concluded, based upon these findings, that Chrysalis’ leadership leaves something to be desired, and that the only reason she had accomplished as much as she had can only be counted on sheer luck, and supposed negligence and incompetence of the Canterlot government and other important figures for failing to implement proper measures, or even use basic common sense; any of which would had foiled the plot and significantly reduced the eventual damage and casualties.

On the other hoof, subscribers to the assumption of Chrysalis’ genius had countered the detractors’ by noting that these could all had easily been examples of her competence: the leak in intelligence could had been a deliberate distraction while Chrysalis’ minions infiltrated Canterlot’s military and government, which was shown to be subverted to the best any could had done in the aftermath of the Wedding. And whatever glaring flaws there may be in organization and coordination of Chrysalis’ army, they were still successful in neutralizing and overrunning Canterlot’s defences – something which even Nightmare Moon wasn’t able to accomplish during the Equestrian Civil War – in less than ten minutes, and preventing the Mane Six from acquiring the Elements of Harmony.

It should also be noted that despite any flaws in execution of her plans, Chrysalis had in fact defeated an Alicorn, Princess Cadence, in direct combat relying on her own power, and was quick to use her guile and manipulative skills to improvise excuses, cover any flaws, deflect any suspicions, and even isolated the lone detractor, Twilight Sparkle, by portraying her as a distrustful paranoiac, convincing even her friends, tutor and sibling to abandon and ignore her.

It should also be taken into account that in her more recent attempt to conquer Equestria, she had executed a plan that resulted in the near-flawless capture of the Alicorn Princesses, the Rainbow Wielders, and their relatives, allies and associates and their replacement by infiltrators, even if it is ultimately foiled by her arrogant disregard of the threat Princess Twilight’s student Starlight Glimmer and her allies poised.

As for whether or not Chrysalis would had been able to follow up with her plan to overthrow the Spring Court, it should be remembered that Empress Blackrose, her mother, is an actual goddess who is at least magnitudes more powerful than Chrysalis is, and had prepared herself to be able to match a being like Discord in combat for her revenge. Meanwhile her siblings, many of them also older and more experienced than she is, at the very least matches her in terms of strategy and cunning, and possesses substantially greater forces and resources than her hive. This does not account for possible intervention of Emperor Blackthorn and the Summer Court under the terms of the Thrones Accords – and Blackrose had in fact kept a few of her more wayward daughters in the dark before about much of the Summer Court for PRECISELY this scenario. And that also does not account for the intervention by the rest of the Cosmic Council, whose ancient and powerful members may possess means or ability beyond what Queen Chrysalis could be able to handle.

In other words, as one of the most important tenants of Changeling philosophy noted, and so often vindicated: "Power Is Not Everything". Even with the empowerment from all the love she would acquire from successfully conquering Equestria, it could be very difficult for her to succeed in conquering the Spring Court or the rest of the world, although it’s almost certain that she would still be able to cause enormous amounts of damage before she failed, or at least force a stalemate that would put herself, and what domain she could retain control free from retribution, as Discord had in his rule of Equestria during the Age of Chaos.

Regardless of the actual reality, both detractors and supporters agreed that the greatest threat posed by Chrysalis is her ambition and ruthless determination to achieve them, no matter the costs. And that as long as she remains at large, she would remain a dangerous threat to Equestria and the rest of the world.

Hesperus Avalon/Blackheart the Accursed

"The hive exists for their Queen, and should be willing to die for them."

Hesperus is one of the first changelings to have been banished to the Winter Court, and one of the most feared.

Vain, cruel, and heartless beyond measure, Hesperus had always been a troubling child. From her earliest years she showed all the signs of a budding sociopath, signs that the still young goddess Blackrose didn't have experience seeing. Hesperus was raised as a countess of a long dead kingdom, her father the local count. As she grew, her vanity and cruelty grew, such that her siblings would comment she was actually a member of Summer Court who'd gotten mistaken for one of theirs.

When the time came for her to become a Queen, she took the throne of her home country by force and reigned as a selfish, tyrannical despot who would execute her citizens, be they of her hive or of the land itself. Any sign of rebellion would be crushed without question or mercy. Any sign of disloyalty destroyed in cruel and creative ways to the point it almost became a hobby of hers. She began forced subjection of surrounding areas and brought about a time of war and darkness over the land.

As for how one as cruel and vile as herself managed to find love to feed on, she took it by force. Sometimes as a method of execution, sometimes through seduction. Other times by sneaking into houses of her citizens in the middle of the night and sucking them dry in the middle of the night. This in and of itself would be enough to warrant her exile, but Hesperus was not nearly done.

One night, an assassin came very close to mortally wounding the tyrant. This instance gave Hesperus an intense and crippling fear of death, or rather what awaited her beyond it. So she began trying to find ways to cheat the reaper and prevent her demise by means her demi-goddess nature did not protect her from.

Ultimately, she made a choice that even many Summer Court changelings would be horrified to learn of: She performed a dark ritual with her entire hive and denizens of her castle as the sacrifice, infusing herself with their life force and love. While not completely unkillable, this ritual made Hesperus quite the power house and incredibly difficult to put down for good. If not disposed of properly, she will simply rise again. To make matters worse, she can replenish this form of immortality through feeding, either on love or upon sacrificing others in a manner similar to the original ritual.

The only way to kill her completely would be to create a counter ritual to remove her absorbed life force and love or to 'starve' her via not allowing her to regain it for an extremely extended period of time of constant use of her power, much longer than most can manage. The former of which would require a mage of immense skill and power, and quite a bit of prep work most would not have in facing her. Made worse because Hesperus' phobia of death resulted in her burning all the original manuscripts of the spell she used to become immortal in the first place so reverse engineering a counter spell is even more difficult.

Blackrose's response to this heinous act was to banish her daughter to the Winter Court and strip her of her very name, dubbing her 'Blackheart the Accursed', and ordering her other daughters to subtly help topple Blackheart. With the secret aid of the Spring Sourt, a talented and capable monster hunter fought Blackheart and eventually overcame her. However, as Blackheart was now virtually unkillable in a practical sense, she was pinned down inside a coffin with an enchanted stake forged by Blackrose and several of her divine allies and buried deep beneath her own castle.

Despite this, Blackheart's terror is not over, as she is still alive, albeit dormant and inert. If someone eventually finds her and disturbs her resting place, she would revive and began her reign of terror again.

Other than her semi-immortality, Blackheart possesses a number of abilities. She knows how to perform a ritual to steal the life force of others, along with many other dangerous and powerful dark magic spell she's effective in using. The stolen life force and love infused into her very body increased her power by a gigantic amount. She's not as powerful as the Emperor and Empress, but she is definitely as powerful as Chrysalis after the gigantic power up she gained during the Wedding, if not stronger, and doesn't need to constantly feed to maintain it. This surplus of power and love also allows her to take and maintain forms other royals can't for longer periods of time.

Blackheart's most DEADLY ability, however, is her 'hive'. Namely, Blackheart is a necromancer. She is capable of infusing the life energy she stole into corpses and rise them as zombie Changelings completely subservient to herself. If these minions are killed, their life force simply returns to Blackheart. However, while this IS a dangerous power, Blackheart doesn't LIKE using it, as it decreases the amount of life force inside her keeping her from death, and thus making TOO MANY of them will leave her vulnerable.

Despite her power, Blackheart's biggest weakness, other than her massive ego and vanity, is that she is alone. Even with her zombies, she has no one to rely on but herself, as the zombies are generally mindless extensions of her will. Another weakness of hers is her sociopathy: she can't comprehend love in any way, and only sees it as a means to feed or keep herself alive. She also is naturally a backstabber and any ally she makes will likely inevitably be added to her collection the moment they're more useful as another bit of life force between her and death or a power source for a zombie.

Blackheart's crippling fear of death can also be used to distract or manipulate her, as if she believes a situation could actually kill her, she will be overly cautious and hesitant of facing it. If her life actually IS in genuine danger she can't fight her way out of, Blackheart WILL beg for her own life and try desperately to save it. This fear extends to the stake used to imprison her, as she is absolutely TERRIFIED of the thing and will flee and attempt to deal with it with her minions rather than personally if she sees it in the possession of an enemy.

Conversely, her immortality ALSO makes her needlessly reckless in combat, and somewhat rusty when it comes to DEFENSIVE combat. Blackheart is also, for lack of a better word, completely insane. Part of this is natural, another part of it comes from being sealed away for thousands of years in a wooden box under ground. While dangerous and competent, she IS prone to lapses in judgment, impulsiveness, and irrational choices.

Regardless of her weaknesses, many fear the day the Accursed is freed from her prison to wreak havoc upon the world again.

Charidotella Avalon

Current Alias: Golden Dreams (Suspected)

"We feed on love. And what great love is there than the one for the all mighty bit?"

Charidotella's siblings often said she should've been born a dragon. Dragons consider that an insult.

Charidotella's world revolves around the only type of love she herself is capable of: love for things. Before her banishment, her hive was a gigantic casino revolving around attracting the most self centered, greedy brutes known to Equus and feed off their love for things of the material verity. As well as amassing a large fortune for herself in the process.

However, here is where we see the behavior that got her banished: rather than these riches going to the betterment of her hive, they went solely to her own selfish life style and hedonism, with her subjects benefiting very little if at all from it.

While that behavior in and of itself would be troubling, it is not what got her banished. The behavior that got her thrown into exile was viewing her subjects as of less value than money. To the point she's gotten them hurt or killed just to advance her own acquisition of money. The straw that broke the camel's back was one instance where Charidotella sold a good number of Changelings into slavery for money. When Blackrose found out, Charidotella was cast into exile and left with only a few genuinely loyal Changelings left.

Charidotella's response, according to Spring Court intelligence, was to assume the alias Golden Dreams (a beautiful unicorn mare) and find another casino to establish and continue her operations in secret.

As for Charidotella herself, she is only rivaled Chrysalis in terms of vanity and rivaling Tirek in terms of greed. She loves a high standard of living and riches and fortune for herself and herself alone. She's the sort who would be friends with a person one day and stab them right between the shoulders the moment it benefits her more to do so.

While on the surface her method of feeding seems only somewhat immoral, she has no compulsion against trapping people in endless cycles of gambling and actively encouraging their addictions. And then there's her biggest sins:

She has been known to offer a gambling addict a chance to play against her to have all their debt wiped out if they win, if they LOSE, however, they must work for her to pay it out...leading to them having an endless loop where their addiction is encouraged and they keep betting more and more of their time to her.

She'll also occasionally pick a victim to bet portions of their love on a bet in exchange for bits if she thinks she can get away with it.

Though she's held back on some of her worst actions since her banishment purely out of pragmatism: after all, do too much and someone capable of doing something about it might find out.

Charidotella skills include being a master gambler who knows every dirty trick in the book, making winning one of her games exceedingly hard. She also has the ability to infuse love into coveted valuables to either make them more tempting or even to act as eyes or ears for her throughout her casino, something unique to her hive.

Her greatest weakness by far is her vanity and greed, which blinds her or can pose a distraction to her.

While not helpless, she's also not the most physically capable combatant due to her lifestyle. If she DOES fight tends to rely on dirty tricks and illusions or melee weapons to supplement her like of power, or attack from afar.

Rhyniognatha Lyonesse

“When I return, I will cast them all down before my throne.”

Exiled Changeling Kings are rare in the Winter Court: very few who had been Condemned to Winter by their father usually survived past their sentencing. But there are some rather notable examples, one of which is a name, barely remembered and almost mythical, but nevertheless feared by many within the Summer Court. For he is said to be the one responsible for kick-starting the entire situation of murderous scheming and intracrine wars between Changeling Kings that still rages to this day, conflicts better known within the Court as The Fratricide.

From fragmentary records, King Rhyniognatha was one of Blackthorn’s First-Spawns – some would even dare say, the very first – and thus one of the oldest and most powerful Royal Changelings to ever walk the earth. He is certainly considered to be the most renowned among his siblings in his time, and was his father’s favourite. Even though the power and influence he wielded over all other Changeling Kings garnered anger from his peers, none could or dare to move against him. At this time, even though the Changeling Kings of the Summer Court had already indulged in rivalries, none has yet to actively plotted the ruination and death of their rivals.

But it was ironically envy from King Rhyniognatha’s part, so it was recorded, that eventually drove him and then all other Changeling Kings to do what was then unthinkable. As millennia passed, more Changeling Kings arose, and as they conducted their own conquests and achieved great things, so too did the Changeling Emperor’s attention shifted to Rhyniognatha’s brothers, and Rhyniognatha found his favour and standing drifting away from him, even though he was still among the most powerful and influential among his brothers.

Feeling that the ‘rightful’ reward for his loyalty and achievements was being stolen from him, Rhyniognatha was consumed with jealousy for those ‘upstarts’ brothers who upstaged him. And when he learnt one day that he was no longer considered the favourite among the Summer Court, he decided to actively begin plotting the destruction of his siblings. The one sibling who stole his status was the first to fall, slain in a plot the details of which had been lost to the ages, leaving him once again the one to bear the mantle of their father’s favourite. But eventually, some other siblings would earn it, and Rhyniognatha would scheme to bring about their downfall.

Sometimes he would engineer events that would result in his brothers’ untimely demises in wars and accidents, if not outright assassinating them in secret. While other times he would sabotage his brothers, and cause their humiliating failure in tasks their father gave them, upon which he would argue for their execution to serve as an example to others the price of weakening the Summer Court with their incompetence. Then, more creatively, Rhyniognatha fanned hatred and resentments between brothers, whispering lies and half-truths into their ears while playing as their ‘friend’ and trusted allies, sparking and engineering all-out wars between brothers so they may kill each other in their stead, laughing all the while as they cast themselves down.

Eventually, however, his brothers uncovered the strings of manipulation linked to Rhyniognatha, revealing him as the culprit of many of their siblings’ demise. Desiring not to share such ignoble fates, they put aside their differences and plotted the First-Spawn’s demise. Despite the forces arrayed him, it wasn’t enough; Rhyniognatha survived their plot and struck back against his brothers, intending to wipe them all out once and for all. But just as he was ready to start a conflict that would engulf the entirety of the Summer Court, Emperor Blackthorn intervened at last, revealing that he knew of Rhyniognatha’s goal and designs - perhaps right from the beginning.

For his crime of weakening the Summer Court as a whole with his fratricidal schemes, Rhyniognatha was stripped of his kinghood and condemned to the Winter Court – one of the first of the Summer Court to endure such a humiliation. But legend said that rather than executing him, Blackthorn instead ordered his hive vacated and sealed him inside a stasis cocoon in its sanctum. Despite his crimes, it is conjectured, Blackthorn believed his wayward son would still be of use for him due to Rhyniognatha's undoubted power and competence, and had plans to release him in event he had need of his skills.

But even so, the damage was done: as a First-Spawn, Rhyniognatha’s action sets a precedent for his peers and younger brothers to follow, and the tensions that had so far only simmered beneath the surface of the Summer Court boiled over completely. New fratricidal plots and wars erupted, and they continued to this day as new Changeling Kings and new feuds emerged between brothers. As for Emperor Blackthorn himself, it is said the ruler of the Summer Court ultimately did little to rectify what Rhyniognatha had unleashed. Some say he was disappointed by his sons’ foolishness, and let it continue as collective punishment for their failings. Some say, given his personality, that he simply didn’t care and was content to let his sons sort themselves out. Some looked to his views and dared suggest that he deliberately plotted this state of affairs to emerge from the beginning, ultimately using Rhyniognatha as an unwitting pawn, intending to weed out the weak among his sons and leave the strong standing, and from this perverted version of natural selection ensure the Summer Court would remain fit and potent over the ages.

As for Rhyniognatha himself, as he was being sealed away, roaring in fury and denial, it is said that Rhyniognatha promised that one day he would return, to have his revenge and cast down all other Changeling Kings, however removed from his time they may be, so he may prove once and for all that he, and he alone deserved to be his father’s one and only favoured son; and before they die screaming, they would all know their place before his throne.

The Nameless Queen/The Phantom Queen

"This is atonement."

The Nameless Queen is unique amongst the Winter Court.

Long ago, the Nameless Queen was one of Blackrose's elder children who ruled her hive as a petty and selfish queen who put her needs above all else. Any who failed to appease her whims suffered the price.

Nonchangelings who crossed her path suffered a similar fate, and she created her fair share of Twistlings in her time. Her cruelty rivaling many who would be Condemned to Winter.

Eventually, as it often does, karma struck when she least expected it. Her selfishness resulted in a disaster that killed her entire hive with her as the sole survivor. When confronted by her mother, she held no guilt in her heart for the disaster she caused, blaming everyone else for her wrongdoing. As a result, Blackrose had no choice but to exile her daughter.

For centuries, the Nameless Queen wandered the world, forsaken and cursed. Bitter at cruel fate for her downfall...that is until one day she happened across an old and powerful dragon who's wrath she brought upon herself. She was cast, battered and broken, to the bottom of the mountain he called home.

When she awoke, a pony had found her and took her in, intent on raising her back to health.

It should be noted, as the Nameless Queen soon discovered, she'd not been disguised when found, as she'd been in combat with the drake at the time. In no condition to do the pony harm, she asked a simple question: "Why?"

Why did they help her despite her frightening appearance?

Their answer was simple: "Because you needed it...maybe because I did to... atone."

The Nameless Queen could not comprehend such kindness, but was too badly hurt to do anything about it...and as time went on, she learned more and more about her host.

He was the sole survivor of a town which he was mare of. Once as cruel and selfish as herself...until one day, while forcing his people to mine in a place he'd been warned time and again was dangerous, but blinded by his own greed, they awoke a hibernating dragon, the very one who the Queen had been so badly wounded fighting, who destroyed the entire village...except him. When he found her, wounded and on death's door by the same dragon, he saw saving her as part of his atonement for his sins.

The Nameless Queen, for the first time in her life, wept. Recognizing the situation as identical to her own and owing her life to someone seeking atonement for crimes so similar, she finally accepted she'd been a child. A child who could not comprehend nor accept her mistakes. A child caring for herself alone. And because of it, she'd lost everything. Her hive, her home, even her mother's love. And she had no one to blame but herself.

As a result of this, the Nameless Queen is one of the only members of the Winter Court to ever realize the error of her ways and seek atonement for her crimes. She wanders Equus, giving her aid to whatever situation she finds herself in as penance for her crimes.

She became known as the Nameless Queen because she feels herself unworthy of her name.

However, despite her quest for redemption, she has never tried to contact her mother to seek re-entry into the Spring Court, though most agree Blackrose would accept it. When asked, the Nameless Queen simply replies "I don't deserve the warmth of spring."

Because of her nature, some feel the Nameless Queen is better categorized as an Autumn Changeling, but the Queen herself refuses to see herself as worthy of even that.

Personality wise, the Nameless Queen can best be described as quiet. When she comes to a town, she typically finds one place to remain and watch, only acting if she sees a chance to seek penance. When talked to, she is polite, but often seen with a sad smile on her face. She's always one to encourage others to see atonement, as despite her persona, she does not believe any are beyond it.

Part of this may have to do with the tally marks craved into her exoskeleton: one for each of the good deeds she performs. While the meaning of these is unknown, some theorize she is counting how many lives her actions took, and will only see herself as worthy of redemption when the sum of good deeds she's performed matches the number of lives she took.

Her feeding methods are typically from the gratitude of those she's helped, but she has been known to feed on the wicked if she feels they deserve it for their crimes.

If there is one thing that can drive the Nameless Queen to rage, it is someone betraying or killing their own kin or those that love them. This is due to she herself having done the same.

As for abilities, the Nameless Queen has been described as 'like a ghost'. Able to vanish in a blink. Whether this is a form of teleportation, shapeshifting, or unique ability is unknown. She is a very good fighter, due in no small part to situations she puts herself in constantly. Her Changeling flames are also a ghostly blue, like a willow wisp.

She has also been known to assume the form of a recently deceased person who died in unfair circumstances and care for their family, to the point they often believe their ghost has come to help them. Other times, she will assume the form of a murder victim while seeking justice upon their killer as a combination scare tactic and hope to bring some form of guilt or regret for the crime out of the killer.

Under normal circumstances, she chooses a simple, nondescript appearance, and in her true form looks sorrowful, but not frightening in her mannerisms and how she presents herself. When seeking justice for a crime or 'haunting' a target, however, her favored choice of disguise is a white furred mare with a long stringy black mane hanging over her face, and with her true form keeping her naturally white mane in the same style and more frightening and intimidating body language.

It's for this reason she frequently uses scare tactics on the criminals she pursues. It is for this reason she's also known as the Phantom Queen.

After the Masquerade, many wonder if the Nameless Queen will seek forgiveness of her mother soon. But only the Phantom Queen knows when she'll check off her last tally and finally be free.

Comments

[Mystic Sunrise]

I was wondering if this would ever be up here. I follow you on deviantart, so now I'm hoping to see the rest from there.

Here.

[Red Qilin]

10009367
Here's hoping nothing will go wrong like my previous other stuff. Will take a while to port everything, though...

[Mystic Sunrise]

10010002
If the admins don't come calling, then you're usually safe I'd think. I never saw what happened the first time, so I can't say more than that.

[ShadowLDrago]

This is absolutely fascinating. I can't wait to see more.