Changeling

## Abilities

Magic: Shapeshifting and additional spellcasting when reformed (see below)

Flight: Hovering

Other: Parasitic feeding off of love

## Physical Appearance

As their name suggests, changelings are able to adopt the appearances of other species at will, using their innate magic. When undisguised, changelings have slick black or gray carapaces, which most often have blue, purple, or green undertones that give them a slight shimmer in light. The sectioning of these carapaces resemble something of armor and there is only slight variation of individuals’ bodies. Their manes and tails come in varied lengths, the “hair” of the manes being closer to the texture of webbing.

#### **Reformed Changelings**

“Reformed” Changelings (Who refer to themselves as *Transformed Changelings*) differ in appearance to their parasitic counterparts, their bodies often lightening in color and the structure changing. No longer built for protection and hiding, a reformed changeling’s magic is much more similar to a unicorn’s (although they retain some ability to disguise themselves, they must expel more energy to do so). Their horns change shape, resembling the horns of beetles. Instead of webbing-haired tails they gain one that looks most like a deer’s.

## Social Hierarchy

Changelings have a loose organization of their settlements, operating under the system of taking care of only themselves and those they decide to extend their care of. They have no respect for organized government as they don’t see anyone as being more worthy of dictating the community than anyone else. It is not uncommon for young adult changelings to leave the changeling settlements for months or years before returning to bear children. They are most often migrating to the nearby crystal pony kingdom, not only because of its proximity, but because of their unique and overt worship of love that changelings feed off of. Because of this, crystal ponies are one of the few groups that are welcomed to changeling settlements without the intent of trickery (the same can be said for Kelpies). Most other places are wary of them and their parasitic nature. Both in and out of their disguises they have no cutiemarks, making a disguised changeling fairly easy to spot if they do not hide their flanks. This suspicious behavior towards blank flanks can cause issues for failed alicorns as their cutiemarks were taken in the ritual.

For most other pony species, though, changelings seek to confuse and upset visitors to their land. A changeling can feed off of more than love, being able to also subsist on strong emotions of embarrassment, drama, jealousy, etc. While small groups do form within changeling populations, they often dissolve as quickly as they’re created.

#### **Reformed Changelings**

Reformed changelings are often ones that are already living outside of changeling settlements, because of the nature of the reformation process. Changelings who are in groups of loving individuals are the ones most likely to reform, their bodies becoming so filled on emotion that the excess energy is put towards a metamorphosis process. Many falsely believe reformed changelings to be kinder than their parasitic forms, but this is not the case — reforming is a purely physical process that allows a changeling to no longer feed off of emotional energy, and instead consume fruits and sunlight. Reformed changelings have the same inclinations towards trickery as when they were parasites, mostly due to their socialization for it. As such, parasitic and reformed changelings have no issues with one another, and are treated just the same societally.

## History

Due to how they govern themselves, changelings do not have the best reputation of foreign policy. They often will send random changelings to go to major events between world leaders and said changelings will lie and poke fun at the others involved. They have tried to uproot past tensions many times and spend half their time there trying to ignite conflict. Changelings wouldn’t really dream of starting a war where they’d be involved however so they do have some ability to rein themselves in if things get too heated.

## Religion

There is no unified organized religion for the whole of the changelings, due to their proximity to the crystal territory and shared interest in love, a select handful worship Cadence but it hardly rules their lives. As for events and holidays, they often make it up as they go along. Most times, they are lying to travelers about festivals with less than flattering traditions in the name of faith.