Cover Image

The Changeling of the Guard

by vdrake77
Not all changelings are fit for life in a hive. But that doesn't mean they're capable of life outside it, either. Join one such changeling as he tries to find his place in Equestria, and what the difference is between survival and living.

Idol Hooves holds a special place in Equestria. He's probably the only exiled changeling to serve in the Royal Guard, or at least, that's what he expects, as exiles don't really broadcast that fact. However, it's well known that Princess Celestia loves all of her little ponies, and her guards perhaps more so, and that makes it one of the best ways for a changeling to discreetly feed.

But how does a changeling even get there, let alone get exiled in the first place? For that matter, why would it ever go to Canterlot? Set a number of years before the series proper, before Luna’s redemption, Idol details how he was exiled, the ponies he’s met, and the series of misadventures that led him to joining the Royal Guard, and should continue a good ways into the series, as something of an alternate perspective.

Soon, he’ll have to deal with a boisterous new princess to serve and a royal wedding in the works bringing a third to power. Will his old instincts bring this new life crashing down around him? What precipitates Chrysalis’s ill-fated assault on Canterlot? Is it really so wrong for a changeling to enjoy good craftsmanship to an obsessive degree?

New cover art provided by the fantastic Carnifex

And a TVTropes page here.

And an Ask Blog of questionable canonity!
Out of Idol Curiosity

Fanart by Norad2! Major thanks! Short For a Royal Guard

Art by Egophiliac of Idol and his Daring Duckie Please don't tell him what that brush is meant for.

Rating updated to (T), it's a bit darker than (E)
Comedy Tag added as well
And changed the character tags a bit.

Teen
Incomplete
Adventure
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Comedy
 
RSOPC

262053 words: Estimated about 22 hours to read
Download:textHTMLePUB

76 Chapters:

  1. Making The Wrong Choice 2014-03-09 04:55:42 UTC
    2505
  2. Good Intentions 2014-03-09 21:00:51 UTC
    2104
  3. Lying By Omission 2014-03-20 23:28:45 UTC
    2769
  4. Digging the Hole Deeper 2014-03-31 01:49:01 UTC
    2244
  5. Bad Faith 2014-04-21 22:02:24 UTC
    2609
  6. Being Economical With The Truth 2014-06-04 07:21:26 UTC
    3012
  7. Shoddy Workmanship 2014-06-21 20:27:41 UTC
    3249
  8. Self-Deception 2014-07-28 23:10:51 UTC
    2437
  9. Polite Fictions 2014-08-03 18:59:31 UTC
    2877
  10. Tabula Rasa 2014-09-12 00:06:11 UTC
    2769
  11. Ignorance and Apathy 2014-09-20 23:08:07 UTC
    1705
  12. Shock Therapy 2014-10-06 04:41:57 UTC
    2090
  13. Trust Exercise 2014-11-09 23:58:55 UTC
    2177
  14. Cover Stories 2014-12-07 21:43:20 UTC
    3104
  15. Catching More Flies 2015-01-03 18:12:48 UTC
    2167
  16. But They Don't Check Out 2015-02-09 07:10:15 UTC
    2200
  17. Business Ethics 2015-03-09 05:57:19 UTC
    2449
  18. Falling Into Step 2015-04-05 22:40:20 UTC
    2314
  19. A Pyle of Ponies 2015-04-30 05:13:35 UTC
    2906
  20. Fall In 2015-05-17 21:04:35 UTC
    4301
  21. Spit and Polish 2015-06-27 16:34:44 UTC
    3662
  22. Under Armor 2015-08-22 19:22:43 UTC
    4473
  23. Mourning Woods 2015-10-12 01:51:25 UTC
    2806
  24. A Fibrous Diet 2015-12-06 23:36:26 UTC
    6218
  25. Military Cadance 2016-02-13 22:22:00 UTC
    3008
  26. Hot Dam 2016-03-27 18:24:11 UTC
    3671
  27. Final Boarding Call 2016-05-15 23:12:07 UTC
    3970
  28. Crawl of Duty: Black Hops 2016-06-23 22:16:16 UTC
    4079
  29. Keep It Simple, Stupid 2016-09-06 01:25:47 UTC
    2619
  30. Abridged Version 2016-11-01 04:08:53 UTC
    3042
  31. On the Rocks 2016-12-21 04:06:35 UTC
    3738
  32. Shining Martyr 2017-02-06 01:32:44 UTC
    2686
  33. A Knight with Princess Cadance 2017-03-12 23:10:47 UTC
    2454
  34. Tone Deaf 2017-05-18 17:44:33 UTC
    2319
  35. Vignette 1 - Clandestine Offerings 2017-05-24 01:22:55 UTC
    912
  36. The Kin of a Skiller 2017-07-21 23:24:13 UTC
    4468
  37. Tail as Old as Thyme 2017-09-24 15:22:34 UTC
    2891
  38. Fruitful Conversation 2017-11-03 19:04:54 UTC
    3256
  39. A Broken Clock 2017-12-30 21:13:23 UTC
    3953
  40. The Clock Strikes Moon 2018-01-06 23:00:35 UTC
    2235
  41. Moonlighting 2018-02-18 19:31:44 UTC
    2314
  42. Bard at the Moon 2018-04-09 03:55:14 UTC
    3141
  43. Musical Notation, Piano and Polka 2018-04-29 15:55:57 UTC
    2822
  44. Second Verse; Strings and Stripes 2018-05-20 19:58:57 UTC
    3398
  45. Chorus, Bells and Woodwinds 2018-06-29 23:19:04 UTC
    3795
  46. Guitars, Conductors, and Coda 2018-07-29 14:37:01 UTC
    2651
  47. Encore 2018-09-02 20:01:17 UTC
    4445
  48. A Flu Moon and an Empty Heart 2018-09-24 00:01:23 UTC
    2885
  49. Cold Brew 2018-12-03 22:46:22 UTC
    3946
  50. A Slow Roast 2019-01-28 04:41:17 UTC
    2758
  51. Galavanting 2019-03-09 16:12:25 UTC
    3393
  52. pɹɐnפ ǝɥʇ ɟo ƃuᴉlǝƃuɐɥƆ ǝɥ┴ 2019-04-21 19:48:31 UTC
    3060
  53. After Math 2019-06-02 00:51:25 UTC
    3110
  54. In the Still of the Night 2019-07-11 23:10:14 UTC
    3746
  55. Moonshine Down On Me 2019-08-31 22:29:47 UTC
    5297
  56. Out of Her Shell 2019-11-02 19:50:11 UTC
    4776
  57. Hark, the Lady Moonstone Returns 2020-02-16 20:28:03 UTC
    4318
  58. Hooves On First 2020-05-12 04:44:24 UTC
    4491
  59. With My Compound Eye 2020-07-21 02:45:14 UTC
    3791
  60. Creative Differences 2020-08-31 16:18:06 UTC
    4166
  61. Royalty 2020-10-12 20:01:00 UTC
    6957
  62. Chapter 62 2020-10-21 02:43:32 UTC
    1695
  63. Everything Crumbles 2020-11-30 04:10:12 UTC
    2503
  64. Vignette 2 - Cer Sus 2021-02-05 15:52:21 UTC
    5556
  65. Incomplete Sentence 2021-03-12 19:52:13 UTC
    4209
  66. Tried or True 2021-05-15 18:11:51 UTC
    3775
  67. The Real McCoy 2021-08-08 01:03:17 UTC
    3873
  68. Anti Lock Breaks 2021-12-03 23:31:17 UTC
    6164
  69. Nopony Impersonates Celestia, Ever 2022-04-04 20:14:10 UTC
    7473
  70. Rune-acy 2022-11-27 18:29:18 UTC
    5133
  71. Rune-escape 2023-05-01 02:05:55 UTC
    2436
  72. The Heart of Winter 2023-09-04 16:05:30 UTC
    3813
  73. Night Mares and Dreamscapes 2024-01-08 14:28:16 UTC
    4306
  74. Libera Me From Helmet 2024-05-13 00:57:11 UTC
    4618
  75. Tabling the Argument 2024-08-05 01:41:12 UTC
    4867
  76. Unusual Moulding; Or Spelunking on an Empathy Stomach 2025-01-01 03:11:12 UTC
    3924