Codex Equestria: The Changeling Courts

Chapters

Introduction
The Spring Court - The Fairest of the Fae
The Summer Court - The Tyrants of Deceit
The Autumn Court - the Hidden and Unbound
The Winter Court - the Forsaken and the Damned
Notable Changelings (1)

Introduction

Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth, clearly agitated, and the other Princesses listened even as Twilight continued to ramble, making no attempts to interrupt; if there is one thing Princess Celestia knew about her former faithful student and present peer, it is that once Twilight got a rant going, little could stop it from running its course. Better to just let the engine run out of steam on its own.

“…You knew about Chrysalis and her ilk all this time, even before the wedding, and you told nopony about it!” The purple alicorn accused angrily, “If you did, none of this would have to happen!”

‘This’, of course, refers to the jail-break Chrysalis and her swarm had pulled just hours earlier, enabling them to escape the castle they had been imprisoned in ever since the Secretariat Comet crisis. In her typical fashion, Queen Chrysalis had played Twilight for a fool, manipulating her and her friends into unwittingly releasing them during their interrogation about her and her swarm’s history – Or rather, her version of it. Celestia and Luna had already noticed how many lies and half-truths Queen Chrysalis had weaved into the yarn.

Of course, that was why Twilight was here now in Canterlot with them, trying to separate the conjured fiction from solid facts, still frazzled and in a mess from the escaping changeling swarm’s stampede; Twilight had spent the first half of the meeting in Princess Celestia’s suite apologizing profusely for her mistake between each question, despite their attempts to sooth her.

But then… once she calmed down, and the Princesses answered or clarified the information she had gathered, certain facts started clicking into place. When she did, however, shame and embarrassment turned to anger, and she directed it right towards the one who was in the centre of this revelation.

“My dear Twilight, we understand how this must look from your perspective, but the truth is much more – !”

“Complicated? With all due respect, how can this be any more complicated?!” Twilight snapped, interrupting Luna. She turned back towards Celestia, “The Pegasi sky-kingdom of Timbucktu was destroyed around a thousand years ago by Chrysalis’ swarm. While I can accept the explanation that you and Equestria were still recovering from Nightmare Moon and the Equestrian Civil War, you were there to stop the Swarm from overrunning the Empire of Trot. You even defeated Chrysalis personally in single combat!”

“The Empire of Trot was never as close to harmonious a land as Equestria, and neither were her rulers as wise and loving as we were.” Princess Celestia remarked, answering that unspoken question. “It’s a pity that while Chrysalis was defeated and sealed away with her army, Emperor Incitatus and his realm never truly recovered…”

“And that’s another thing – you put her and her Swarm army in a volcano – and told no-pony about it, either! WHY?” Twilight asked in exasperation, “I mean, it’s not like Tartarus is a worse option! It’s what it was originally made for, right? Sure, Tirek managed to escape while Cerberus was distracted, but if it was THAT easy to get out, every other prisoner in that place would had gotten out at the same time. Tartarus is not a cardboard prison, and yet, Chrysalis was not placed there! Instead, it was a confounded volcano, one which she escaped when a Great Wyrm, not knowing what was inside, tore it open to make it his lair, allowing her swarm to escape!”

“The sheer amount of hatred and malice permeating in the prison-plane would had been toxic to Chrysalis and her Swarm army…” Princess Celestia explained, but was interrupted again.

“Then why no guards around it? Why not a fortress garrisoned by an army, or even just layers after layers of magical wards if there’s a risk she might subvert the garrison, if they could even hear her at all?!” Twilight continued on, “A big sign encrusted upon the cliff-side, saying ‘DANGER! IMPRISONED EVIL HERE!’ would had helped. I mean, sure, it might just be a big advertisement to any morally-compromised people to free Chrysalis for their own ends, but what rational or reasonable person otherwise would be so ragingly STUPID to ignore all that possible warnings and precautions placed around it? I REFUSE to believe that letting her fly off to wreck havoc again, or leaving her unguarded, is simply the ABSOLUTE BEST THAT CAN BE DONE!”

She knew why Twilight was so angry, what she would say next, and she couldn’t exactly fault her for it.

“It just goes back to my point – You have had all that time to check on her and prepare for any invasion she would had planned! Equestria was literally THIS close to being conquered, and every-pony we know and love placed in cocoons and sucked dried of our love! Ponykind in Equestria would had gone the way of the Wuv-Cats Tribe!” Twilight seethed, “Chrysalis was an existential threat. Her attack on Equestria could had been prevented literally centuries in advance, and you. Did. NOTHING!”

“Now that is most unfair, Twilight Sparkle!” Princess Luna interjected, putting her hoof down, “My sister hath in fact did everything in her power to learn of Chrysalis and her swarms’ whereabouts, and had plans in place in case she returned. But if there’s one thing changelings do well, it is hiding from the eyes of others, and knowing Chrysalis, I wouldn’t be surprised if the others couldn’t find - !”

Celestia gasped, and Luna closed her mouth as soon as she realized what she just blurted out. Too late, of course.

“Wait, ‘others’?” Twilight queried, “What did you mean, others? I thought Queen Chrysalis and her changelings were… the only…”

Twilight’s eyes widened, her mind whirling as another fact clicked into place, and two greater revelations dawned upon her.

“But… she isn’t the only Queen, isn’t she? And neither is her swarm the only swarm…” She turned back to the two princesses with a look of shock upon her face, “And Luna… you knew about the changelings, despite Chrysalis only being active for around a thousand years… she lied about how she and her swarm were spawned from some accursed dark magic tree, didn’t she?

The two venerable Alicorn Princesses looked at each other, uncertain how to response. Then, with a sigh laden with regret, Princess Celestia spoke.

“You’re correct on both accounts, Twilight.” She began, “I’m sorry we never disclose many details about the changelings. it was done out of respect for Chrysalis’ TRUE parent. And if there’s one thing we should be grateful for, it is that there’s more to Changelingkind then just Queen Chrysalis…”

Introduction

While much has been known about the Changelings’ biology, until fairly recently, little remains known about other aspects of the Changeling civilization. Indeed, due to the general insularity of the Changeling race and the prevalent distrust and hostility between Changelings and Non-Changeling races, for much of its ten of thousand years of history Changelings remained an enigma to many. In fact, up until the failed invasion of Canterlot by Queen Chrysalis and her swarm, few ponies in Equestria even know of their existence, and what few that they do know are mostly negative, learnt first-hoof at the sight of the Changeling marauders standing over them, hissing in their faces as they prepare to subdue and cocoon them.

The usurpation of Queen Chrysalis and the transformation of her Swarm into the ‘New Changelings’ – the first swarm freed from their species’ ‘racial curse’ of perpetual hunger for emotions of non-Changeling races – under their new leader Thorax had proved instrumental in revealing new knowledge and insight into this formerly secluded and hidden race.

Not only had, for the first time in history, a non-Changeling polity – the Principalities of Equestria – openly formed an alliance and close relationship with a Changeling swarm, the promise of a cure to the ‘racial curse’ had caused an unprecedented upheaval among the rest of changeling kind, marking the beginning of what could be the long-awaited ‘Great Reconciliation’ between the formerly splintered Courts of the race, as well as with the rest of the world, as the other hives and swarms of the four Changeling Courts slowly emerging from their ages-long Masquerade to open relationship with other nations and species, both within and beyond Equestria.

Only time will tell how Changelings and Non-Changelings alike will adapt to this new world they have emerged into, and how they would be changed in turn by it, for both good or ill.

Changeling Polities

Contrary to popular belief among Equestrians until recently, Ex-Queen Chrysalis is not, in fact, the only Changeling Queen in existence, nor are her former minions, now subjects under an internationally-recognized provisional government headed by the changeling revolutionary Thorax, the entirety of the Changeling race. Both within Equestria and in the lands beyond, countless other hives and swarms exists, hidden among other nations or in remote corners of the world, both similar and different in many respects when compared to the Thorax Hive.

There are two basic types of Changeling polities – a Hive, and a Swarm, although both terms are interchangeable when describing a Changeling polity, which could rotate between these two phases multiple times during its history. The main differentiation appears to be dependent whether or not the polity have a definable geographical base. A fine example of a Changeling polity which experienced both would be former Queen Chrysalis’ swarm/hive, which currently exists in a hive phase. These Hives/Swarms could be as small as a few dozen changelings, especially if the polity is a nascent one, while the oldest, most developed Hives/Swarms could have potentially hundreds of thousands to millions of changelings.

A Changeling Hive is a Changeling polity which has a definable territory, usually based around a static colony structure where the polity has established a stronghold for habitation and governance. These polities are similar to traditional kingdoms and contemporary nations in terms of structure. These are usually formed when a Changeling Swarm, after months, perhaps even years and decades of migration and/or marauding, had discovered a location with bountiful resources – usually in the form of local sapient populations capable of providing love and other emotions that could sustain them. Population growths within Changeling polities usually occur at this time, which if exceeding the capacity of the main Hive, could lead to smaller, ‘satellite’ Hives forming some distance away, fulfilling the role of outposts, camps, hamlets, villages and towns among other races.

A Changeling Swarm by contrast is a polity whereupon possesses no definable territory, for it is mobile in its entirety whereas a Hive is static. These usually appear when the population of local sapient population within the harvesting territories of a Changeling Hive is no longer sufficient to sustain a static population of changelings, forcing them to migrate in a manner akin to the awe-inspiring herd migrations in the wild. Changeling polities during this phase resembles more the hordes and nomads of antiquity, although they do not necessarily behave like marauders and barbarians, plundering and harvesting across the lands and sowing desolation and despair in their wake, as the swarm of the former Queen Chrysalis originally operate as. A migrating Swarm could move as one enormous formation when mobile, or journey in dozens, even hundreds of smaller swarms which would often split and regroup many times during travel, but kept in contact by couriers and magic.

Normally, most Changeling Hives/Swarms are lead and ruled by Royal Changelings, a caste/breed of changelings which are denoted by their vastly greater height, physical strength and durability, arcane power, wing spans, and intelligence in comparison to the average changeling. A common trait among Royal Changelings are their silted eyes – a trait which they share with their Parents – and agelessness, which means they could live indefinitely upon reaching maturity, baring accident, disease or violent deaths.

Contrary to popular belief, a Changeling Swarm/Hive does not operate in the form of a hive-mind, with individuals within the polity acting as mindless servitors and the swarm/hive effectively an extension of the Royal Changeling’s body. Each Changeling that exist is an individual with their own free and independent will, even if the cultures of the hives and swarms generally discourages individualism, encouraging generosity and sacrifice for the greater good of the swarm/hive in question. That said, through changeling magic and pheromones, empathetic webs could be formed between individuals within the Swarm/Hive, which would enable communication and of changeling groups as if one unit, with the Royal Changeling or appointed leader at its heart coordinating its activities.

A Royal Changeling does normally hold absolute power within the hive, which make each swarm/hive an autocratic state by default. An organized hierarchy exists upon which the Royal Changeling rules, delegating their power to trusted subordinates who run day-to-day operations of their hive for them within the rules, laws and guidelines, not unlike a gentry/aristocracy among other nations. These are usually given titles such as ‘Overseers’, ‘Archons’ and ‘Matrons’ – titles and privileges of which are either elective, limited to the appointed changeling’s term, favour or life-span, or hereditary, akin to a gentry or aristocracy similar to the ones found in Equestria, the Griffon Duchies, and other monarchies in the world.

Given the disposition of some of these Royal Changelings, it is often questionable how they are able to maintain their power over the subjects for long without rebellion. However, it should be noted that Royal Changelings also share another common trait: the ability to draw ‘common’ non-Royal changelings to them, through a presence/aura of authority and/or charisma, which inspires loyalty and obedience. Although how many changelings they could influence is limited by the Royal Changeling’s age and power, as well as factors such as proximity of the changelings to their ruler, and the number of changelings in the hive. There could be too many Changelings to influence, or too far away to influence, and said influence could also be stressed to breaking point if the Royal Changeling mistreats their subjects sufficiently, as Chrysalis had done.

However, as Thorax has shown, rebellions and insubordination had occurred before against the authority of the Royal Changelings. And as it would be elaborated later, not all swarms/hives are necessarily ruled by Royal Changelings, a fact which many Royal Changelings had continually insisted is untrue, and all examples illegitimate authorities which needed to be brought back into the fold, or made examples of.

Each Swarm/Hive is a nation in itself, although they are categorized, by their leadership and disposition, to be in one of the major political groupings that most of the Changeling race ultimately answers to or belong in.

Origins of a Royal Swarm/Hive

In contrast to many of their subjects, a Royal Changeling begins life away from their kind, often among the non-Changeling races as the result of a union between their ‘True Parent’ with that of another mortal parent.

The ‘Spawn’ would either be born from the mortal parent, or is birthed from their Changeling parent and then deposited at the mortal parents’ home, under which the child, under the guise of the species of their mortal parent, would grow up unaware of their heritage, except perhaps for some unusual oddness in their form, behaviour and presence that might indicate their true nature. There are exceptions to this, whereupon the True Parent raise the child from birth themselves, but that is reportedly uncommon. A Royal Changeling’s character and personality are often strongly influenced by their experiences during this time period, which they would carry over to their eventual reigns.

At some point, often near or upon maturity, a Royal Changeling’s ‘True Nature’ would begin revealing itself, often in the form of subtle signs such as disturbing changes in their bodies or sudden manifestation of their Royal Changelings’ powers and strength. There would also be compulsion to seek out their ‘True Parents’ – a fabled process among Changelingkind called ‘The Errance’.

Upon meeting their True Parents, these Royal Changeling would learn of their true heritage, and upon accepting it, would realize their full potential and form under their True Parents’ guidance, they would shed the last remnants of their past-selves and mature into true Royal Changelings. Together with a population of common changelings that could either be drawn to their presence, or given to them by the True Parents, they would lay the foundation of their own Swarm/Hives.

As with many things with the Changelings, why this method of Royal Changeling procreation, and the exact arcane/biological mechanisms that allowed for viable off-spring between two biologically different species, remains a mystery, one which the Changelings themselves either don’t understand or unwilling to answer. It has been speculated by academicians among the non-Changeling races that it has something to do with the nature of the circumstances that resulted in the Changeling race.

As for their mortal families, their fates varied – some would find their fortunes greatly increased by their Royal Changeling in secret as a form of gratitude, a patronage that sometimes lasts generations. Other mortal parents meet darker fates, often at their own Royal Changeling children’s hooves, since their very existence could represent a liability and weakness that could be exploited…

The Seasonal Courts

To understand Changeling civilization, one must first realize that the Changeling race is politically divided into four major political factions, known as ‘Seasonal Courts’. Each Court diverges considerably from each other in terms of origins, structure, and temperament, although they do also share many similarities. All Courts are separate from all others for as long as recorded history of the Changeling race began, and relationship between them had been marked with considerable tension, mistrust and even outright hostility, although with the ascension of Thorax, this may be about to change.

Officially among the Changeling race there are only two Seasonal Courts: The Spring Court, and the Summer Court. It is under these two Courts that the vast majority of the Changeling race are subjects of. The other two Courts, the Autumn Court and Winter Court, are informal due to their internally divided nature, and not recognized as possessing any political legitimacy by the Royal Changelings of the two official Courts, although due to the fact that they could jointly account for 20-30% of the entire Changeling race at any one time, they remain a meaningful presence among the Changeling civilization despite the overshadowing presence of the Spring and Summer Courts.

The Progenitors

Of all the Changelings in existence, almost none are as mysterious or as notable as the Parents of all Royal Changelings: The Progenitors. No discussion of the Seasonal Courts can occur without discussing the two prominent figures around which the entire Changeling race ultimately revolves.

The Progenitors are said to be the oldest Changelings in existence, and going by their titles, are in fact the very first, and in coming into existence, they are responsible for creating the entire Changeling race. Because of this, both Progenitors are revered in their respective Courts as the ‘Parental Deities’ of their people. Although not all their children are Royal Changelings, every Royal Changeling owes their existence to the Progenitors, whether as their direct ‘Spawns’, or grand-spawns, effectively making each Royal Changeling a ‘demi-god’.

An important point to stress is that although these immortals are considered ‘Parents of All Changelings’, they are not, in fact, a single family. Both of them are parents only of their own separate lineages of Royal Changelings, and the originator of their own branch of the two great branches of Changeling-kind, from which came the Four Courts. There in fact exists considerable tension and bitterness between the two Progenitors, one which is shared by their respective branches. Interactions between changelings from both branches are marked with varying levels of mistrust and outright hostility, almost on an instinctive level.

The circumstances behind their origins, and what caused the hostility between the two, remains one of the most enduring mysteries among even the Changelings. To speak of it or even mention the existence of ‘The Others’ in each of the branches is considered one of the great Changeling taboos.

Author's Note

Introduction to provide some context to the Changeling Courts and the wider Changeling race. The first chapter would be on the Spring Court, the 'Fairest of the Fae'.

The Spring Court - The Fairest of the Fae

The Spring Court – The Fairest of the Fae

“Gentle is the warmth of the sun in Spring. Splendid are the ones that came from its Court.”

Also called the Rose Court and the Radiant Court, the most well-known of the Four Changeling Courts among the non-Changeling races in current times is the Spring Court, the Court from which Ex-Queen Chrysalis originated from. Together with the Autumn Court, they are regarded in myths and tales of the non-Changeling races to be the more benevolent Seelie Fae (With the prominent exceptions of a very few, such as Chrysalis).

Of the Four Changeling Courts, the Spring Court is the most politically unified, and has the most numerous number of Royal Changelings, who effectively rule all the hives/swarms of the Spring Court. All of these Royal Changelings are Changeling Queens, and as with all Royal Changelings, are direct or indirect descendants of their Progenitor parent. The Spring Court could best be described as a decentralized, two-tiered feudal commonwealth/association – all Spring Court changelings are subjects of the Changeling Queens’ courts by law and word, while all Changeling Queens are subjects of their Parent, the Changeling Empress, and her Court by right of blood ties.

Although decrees, laws and conventions set by their Parent have for most part keep them in check, preventing any abuse of power and forbid any open conflict between siblings, this is generally not necessary as their Parent’s gentle and careful guidance had ensure most Changeling Queens would not indulge in tyranny or fratricidal conflict. Because of this, in contrast to their Unseelie counterparts of the Summer Court, the Changeling Queens are generally fair and reasonable in their rule over their hives and swarms, even if they all hold onto their power and authority firmly. Under their reign, the common changelings of the Spring Court are generally far more content and comfortable in life compared with the other Courts.

Despite this, like all sapient beings, Changeling Queens are not perfect beings, and several had fallen from grace over time, the most recent and infamous of which being Chrysalis, following her attempts to conquer Equestria and conspiracy to overthrow the Spring Court. She was not the first, and it would be unlikely she would be the last.

And while the worst excesses had been neutered, rivalries and tensions are still present among the ranks of the Queens, occasionally flaring into bitter disagreements and clashes of personalities over various matters. With outright war is forbidden and considered undesirable since the time of the Thirteenth-Spawns, inter-sibling conflict had changed form: Changeling Queens are masters of politics, constantly seeking to advance their interests and beliefs, using the same skills of guile and manipulation characteristic of Changelingkind to out-do each other and earn their Mother’s favour.

Many Changeling Queens had gathered together into factions, called Conclaves, over common interests and beliefs, working together to out-manoeuvre their rivals. These rivalries and political manoeuvring are often most noticeable during the Grand Councils that the Changeling Empress can call, whereupon the Queens are free to debate and express their opinions over matters put forth in the Council, whereupon they could try to influence their Mother’s final decision.

These civil conflicts can be petty and inconvenient, but blood being spilled and terrible damage being wrought to the Court from this inter-sibling strife is virtually unheard of. One thing is certain, however; whenever the Spring Court is threatened with a crisis, or is presented with an opportunity that would benefit them as a whole, most Changeling Queens are willing to put aside their differences for their Court and their Parent, as do their subjects. Because of this, the Spring Court is a powerful force to be reckoned with, rivalled only by their dark counterparts in the Summer Court.

In terms of relationship with non-Changeling races, the Spring Court is currently the most open and welcoming the Four Seasonal Courts, in part because of the generally cordial relationship between the Changeling Empress with other immortals and divinities of the world, such as Princesses of Equestria, and in part because for much of their history they had pursued a policy of Symbiosis, whereupon they seek peaceful co-existence with the other non-Changeling races, avoiding conflict whenever possible, and even provide secret guidance (Though some would accuse as under-hoofed manipulation) the politics and culture of non-changeling societies to maximize peace, tolerance, and unity among its individuals, both to increase harvestable yields of positive emotions, and to ensure they would not become hostile threats. This ironically makes the Spring Court Changelings among the greatest agents of stability, order and harmony in the world, against the common perceptions of shapeshifters as instigators of conflict.

Despite this, prejudices and hostility from non-Changeling races towards the Changelings – not entirely unwarranted, as the other Courts had shown – as well as the Spring Courts’ own critical, unimpressed perceptions of non-Changelings had led to considerable distrust and reservations towards any idea of closer relationships with the non-Changeling races, such as the Ponies, beyond the current status quo. Among their subjects, opinions are equally mixed and uncertain.

Because of this, the recent decision by the Changeling Empress to let the Masquerade fall in the light of Thorax’s ascension had been controversial, with as many Queens and common Changelings opposing the decision as there are those who supported it, while many had yet to take sides. Only time will tell how this would develop, and whether or not this is merely a prelude to a greater political crisis that could split the Spring Court.

Notable Individuals of the Spring Court

Empress Rosedust/Blackrose Titania Avalon

"A mother loves her children. She doesn't have to love what they do."

Empress Blackrose, also known as Empress Rosedust, is the 'Mother of All Changelings'. This is not a hyperbole, as every known Changeling Queen is either her daughter or a descendant of one of her daughter. Nor is it an exaggeration in the metaphorical since of the term: Rosedust is the Mother Deity of the Changelings, and thus the stronger than any Queen. Especially given certain...modifications she has undergone.

For reasons few know, Blackrose harbours a deep, long grudge on Discord for an act of his that only the two of them and Blackrose's First-Spawns remember. While at present she has put this grudge on hold due to the Chaos Spirit's reformation (though still is NOT happy to be in his presence at any time), but is perfectly willing to carry out her revenge plan, and had the Mane Six not defeated him, a war between the two would've been inevitable. Said revenge plan involved thousands of years of bio-alteration, magical study, and various other methods with the intention of making herself a 'Discord killer'.

While how well she succeeded is unknown, Discord is uneasy around her implying he doesn't want to find out. This also means that her current form is, while what she originally looked like, a disguise hiding the form created with this purpose in mind.

Despite her frightening appearance and deeply held grudge on Discord, the Empress is ultimately described as a ‘softy’ at her core. She encourages various forms of symbiosis in her subjects, rather than Chrysalis' glutinous parasitism, as well as personally and sincerely cares about and likes ponies (she has hinted there may be a deeper reason for that).

She had also made no attempt to rescue her daughter Chrysalis from any of the fates she has gotten herself into, feeling that she's made her bed and should lay in it – and in the light of recent events, Blackrose had finally ordered her daughter’s banishment. On the other hand, she is, in the Queens’ own words, a 'hugger' and has an affection for not only her children, but all things adorable and cute. Blackrose is also one of the few beings Chrysalis has no delusions about facing, as her Mother knows her too well and has too great a power edge.

Blackrose is also quite the fan of music of all sorts and an avid gardener. Her royal palace has extensive, massive, and meticulously maintained gardens that she has created over her many thousands of years of life.

Politically, Blackrose is the ruler of all Changeling Queens, and head of the Spring Court, one of the two main groups of Changeling Hives. While her daughters are generally in charge of their own hives and how they're run, Blackrose's influence and authority takes precedence over theirs if need be, and when she calls, they generally all listen if possible. She also has her own kingdom of Avalon from which she rules, which is generally unknown to the outside world for obvious reasons, but welcoming to those who find it and have no ill intentions.

Puck Avalon

"You're all welcome in Mother's house, but break the rules and you're gonna have a bad time."

Puck may look like a Changeling Drone, but those who would mistake him for one are making a big mistake. While he's not a Royal Changeling, he is Blackrose's First-Spawn son and a demi-god. Despite being exceedingly mischievous and loving to play pranks of all sorts, he's also one of the most experienced Changelings alive due to his long life in his mother's court.

In addition to his amplified changeling abilities, he's capable of a variety of hexes and curses due to learning a great deal about potion making and a number of artefacts he's in possession of. One memorable occasion where one of Chrysalis's spies tried to infiltrate Avalon, Puck found them before his mother and left the infiltrator cursed to have a donkey head for the rest of the day. Puck still refuses to explain whether the hex actually transformed their head into that of a donkey's or he shorted out their transformation to make it appear thus. During meetings between the Courts, he has been known to replace the two side's weapons with candy or other things to prevent any issues.

Despite his mischievous nature, Puck is exceedingly loyal to his mother, to the point he's one of the few willing to contradict her consistently if she's making poor decisions (true loyalty is not simply mindless obedience after all). This combined with his considerable power and experience is why he is the Head of Staff in Avalon and trusted with many things Blackrose won't even trust her daughters with. He's also generally friendly and good-natured to those he has no reason to be otherwise towards, if still very willing to prank them whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Most Changelings of all Courts are aware of Puck and few will make a move in his presence for these reasons.

Queen Cicada Avalon

"You try spending seventeen years resting. You'll want to stretch your legs when you get out too."

It's rather easy to disregard Cicada and her hive as 'lazy' due to their nature, but those who would call them such have clearly never seen them during their 'active' phase.

The Cicada hive have has taken a very different path of gaining love than their kin: namely the 'slow and steady' method. They spend 17 years under ground in their hive, feeding off the ambient love of the world above gradually. During this time, they do very little and are quite 'low energy' (which is where their reputation for being lazy comes from). However, on the 17th year, they put all that built up energy to good use and emerge for one reason: to PARTY!

The hive's parties are generally held in isolated locations and known to be some of the loudest and wildest parties ever thrown. One way to know the hive is about to emerge is party supply stores being bought out in mass.

Queen Cicada herself can best be described as a sleeping bear. She's very low energy and spends much of her time sleeping, but if her hive is disturbed, she WILL rise in it's defense, and very hard. During her active periods, she's quite fun loving and makes the most of the short period of time by doing as much as she can. This has resulted in her picking up quite the number of sports over the years.

This also means she is one of the most PATIENT Changeling Queens, as her hive's long waiting periods would require. This makes her an expert of playing the 'long game' when required, and if one has managed to make her keep a grudge, she WILL wait for however long she needs to strike back.

Cicada and her hive specialize in sound magic, which they can use in various ways to defend themselves. Cicada herself has mastered the ability to let loose a powerful sonic scream if need be.

They also keep several subterranean animals as both pets, beasts of burden, and guard dogs for their hive.

But mostly, this Queen and her hive just want to relax for 17 years and have fun.

Queen Pentatomidae Avalon

"I'm a queen, I don't have to take a bath if I don't want to."

Queen Pentatomidae and her hive don't like baths. They REALLY don't like baths. So they rarely take them.

A large part of this is because their hive makes their home in a swamp, so bathing isn't exactly the most productive use of their time given how many it'd take them on a daily basis, and being covered in vegetation and mud provides excellent camouflage in their chosen environment. Another reason is Changelings don't really have to worry about washing their hooves before eating given a diet of love normally doesn't caring much risk of carrying germs.

But the reason that trumps all else is both simple, and rather petty: When she was a child, Pentatomidae hated bath times and told her Mother when she was a queen, she wouldn't make her hive take baths.

Her mother honestly thought she was kidding. She wasn't. Because of this, the Changeling Empress affectionately called her daughter her "Stinkbug" (Which Pentatomidae doesn't mind). As a result of their Queens’ habit, Pentatomidae’s hive generally only perform any kind of bathing when they molt (and then only due to avoiding infections).

The most obvious drawback to this is every member of this is every member of the hive smells absolutely horrible. This ranges from some members who smell like rotten vegetation to Queen Pentatomidae herself, who makes Cave Trolls smell like roses. The collective odour of the entire hive has been known to cause an unprepared pony to pass out. However, Pentatomidae is quick to point out to deriders that it is actually surprisingly effective in combat. After all, it's rather hard to fight when you're busy holding your nose and trying not to throw up.

As for Pentatomidae herself, she very much doesn't ‘give a darn’ about what others think about her, and generally find other's reactions funny rather than be insulted. Ironically, she can be a bit refined and lady like otherwise, if inheriting a bit of her big brother Puck's mischievous streak. This does not mean she's uncaring, however, she's genuinely nice and quick to help out others. In fact this plays into her kind's unique method of feeding:

The hive use their shape-shifting and natural camouflage to aid others who are in their swamp, either to get through safely or guide others who have become lost back to safety, or other small ways. This has garnered them a reputation among the surrounding towns as being benevolent swamp spirits or a guardian deity who are generally celebrated and beloved, especially by those that have been helped by them. And from that love is where the hive draws sustenance.

The hive doesn't actively lie to cultivate this image, but they don't disprove it either. After all, it isn't exactly a lie, as Pentatomidae is the daughter of a goddess after all.

As for other abilities, the hive as a whole is well versed in potions and alchemy. This ultimately stems from Pantatomidae's parent, who was a Zebra medicine man (looking closely and one can see stripes on the Queen's shell), and she herself is a master of it. Among other uses, she naturally likes making stink bombs, both for the reason state for their smell being effective in combat, and to prank her siblings at times. She's also skilled at healing potions, which is often used to help those wandering through their swamp who have gotten poisoned, ill, or injured.

They also memorized the layout of their swamp and can navigate it blindfolded, which is naturally a very useful ability given their primary means of feeding.

Queen Supia Avalon

“It's quite hard to find royal quarters when one IS the size of a castle."

Born from a union between Empress Blackrose with Shogun Uma Akuno of Yattsumoshima (Aka Neigh-Pon) during the mid-Heiwa Period, the Ninety-Fifth Spawn Era Queen Supia heads the largest of the eight great Changeling Hives in the Eight Great Islands, and is the most well-known among them all.

Queen Supia is unusual compare to most of her other siblings in two regards: First, her physical appearance resembles a cross between a normal Changeling Queen with that of the local giant hornet species, up to and including possessing pincers at her mouth, antennas adorning her head, pitch-black eyes, and a hornet’s tail section.

Second: she is also skyscraper-sized.

Legends record that Shogun Akuno possessed a strange, if obsessive fascination for the various giant monsters, better known as ‘kaijus’, which occasionally appear and terrorize the Eight Great Islands through-out its history. Desiring power, he wished to have such power and strength be imbued into his heir, and so made a deal with a powerful Daiyokai to achieve so. Both he and said Daiyokai were unaware that his wife was none other than the Changeling Empress in disguise, during one of her sojourns from her Court and companies with mortals, nor did Empress Blackrose for her part knew of the ritual that would transform her child until much later.

Supia was born shortly after Empress Blackrose left the shogun under unknown circumstances, and had raised her personally until adolescence, whereupon Supia started growing uncontrollably, an awkward process that ultimately reached Kaiju-size by adulthood.

Among her many achievements, the first of which is assisting in the eventual overthrow of her increasingly cruel and tyrannical shogun father (By eating him), she had defended her hive and Yattsumoshima from various kaijus and yokai over the centuries under various guises of benevolent kaijus and guardian spirits. She also eventually became one the first Changelings to break her masquerade, as her sheer size makes hiding her existence unsustainable in the long run, although the non-changeling populace of the island kingdom had merely mistaken her as just an unusual daiyokai or Kaiju (with minions) until fairly recently.

Queen Supia is described as kind, fair and even enthusiastic individual, and is easily one of the most beloved Queens among even non-changelings - at least around the Islands of the Dawning Sun. That said, she is said to possess a predatory side and her sheer size and power makes her someone not to be angered or trifled with. She possesses grudging respect towards the eastern Diamond Dogs of the Dollogae Kingdom, for an incident whereupon she and her hive participated in outward conquests centuries ago, only to be routinely bested by a certain Diamond Dog admiral and his fleet of Turtle Ships, rumours suggesting that they even once succeeded in landing a salvo upon her backside.

Queen Supia has two daughters, both said to be titanic beauties like her, one of which is currently a leading legal expert in the Spring Court, self-advertised as the literal 'biggest lawyer on the planet!'. Supia is also a member of the League of Royal Giants, a club of giant royalties from across the world.

Queen Ganglia Avalon

“There are little greater good then knowledge, and little greater evil then ignorance.”

Of all the daughters of Blackrose, few are as intelligent or as introspective as Seventh-Eighth Spawn Changeling Queen Ganglia of Hive Chiron, and in a society which prices cunning and wits greater than physical might, this places her among one of the most capable Changeling Queens of her generation.

Born in the Taurus Peninsula during its golden age of civilization, her father was a philosopher-king who ruled one of the few pony city-states that prospered during that time. Raised among his court, at a young age she was already noted for her remarkable intelligence, and with her father’s loving indulgence in intellectual pursuits, this was soon complemented with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. She debated on various subjects with philosophers in academies across the Peninsula; she experienced the art of politics and governance from courtiers and visiting royalties; under tutelage from the priests of Ilios and Thelgossa she mastered sorcerous arts; she read and wrote literature with the greatest poets and stage-wrights; and learnt sciences and mathematics from astronomers and inventors of antiquity alike.

But it was at the field of mind-reading, and later psychology and neurosciences, did Ganglia find her true calling, such is her fascination the centre of all thought and knowledge.

During the five-centuries long ‘Great War Against Chaos’, when her Mother allied herself with the celestial alliance of deities and immortals opposing Discord, she was among the Queens who aided in the war effort, her mind-magic instrumental in rooting out cells of hidden chaos-aligned cultists and traitors from among the non-changeling races, secretly engineering their destruction before they could plunge realms into anarchy and corruption. As part of the grudging gratitude for the Spring Courts’ secret assistance, the Orosian Pantheon allowed her to re-establish her hive, Hive Chiron, in the Taurus Peninsula, having been banished earlier when her heritage revealed itself.

Under Ganglia’s enlightened rule, today Hive Chiron is the Spring Court’s centre of research and learning, with many Changelings, both Royal- and Common-spawned, attending its academies there for higher education on all fields. It is also famous as the Grand-Coven of the ‘Mind-Witches’, a caste of Changeling mages created originally by Queen Ganglia, with covens that could now be found in many other hives, specializing in mind-magic: both to cure alignments of the mind, as well as retrieving memory and information from enemies for spying and infiltration purposes. It is said that given enough time and effort, no mental defences or locks other than those created by the gods cannot be bypassed or broken by the skills of a mind-witch, the greatest of which being Queen Ganglia herself.

There had been unsubstantiated rumours that Queen Ganglia was personally in charge of one such ‘memory-retrieval’ operation in Canterlot, the purpose of which remained unclear. What was currently confirmed was that Queen Ganglia is among the Royal Changelings involved in a joint-Court program that is being arranged to study King Thorax’s ascension and breaking of the ‘racial curse’ among him and his hive.

Queen Zoraptera Avalon / Dr./Saint Angel Wing

"I'll be watching over you."

Even among the Spring Court, Zoraptera is a benevolent sort. Her father was a legendary doctor known for having a perfect record, and Blackrose was on very good terms with him for saving some of her children despite knowing their true nature. As a result, from birth Zoraptera was taught life was sacred and raised to be preserve and protect it.

Due to her raising, Zoraptera became an expert doctor and healer, but took her father's lessons further upon learning her true nature and becoming a true Queen, allowing her to apply Changeling biotech in ways few others can. Not settling for this, Zoraptera constantly strives to advance and progress her medical abilities every day.

Zoraptera's knowledge of chemistry rivals King Metrinii of the Summer Court, due to her own father's knowledge of medicine, but applies it in the opposite direction: to create medicines, vitamins, and boosters of all sorts, with additional knowledge in the field of healing magic and potion making. Many doubt there exists a disease, injury, or poison that Zoraptera can't find a way to heal if given enough time, and being ageless she has all the time in the world. This has lead to a bit of a 'inter-court rivalry' between her and Metrinii. Namely, he keeps trying to make a chemical weapon she can't counter and she keeps trying to create a counter for every chemical weapon he creates.

Her ultimate goal is to create some form of universal cure, a 'panacea' for any disease, but at present she's come close but not completely managed it.

Zoraptera is part of a Spring Court Conclave, in alliance with Genglia and Pentatomidae, the former for her knowledge of the mind and the latter for her knowledge of alchemy, both of which aid in joint projects of mental health and medicine.

In terms of combat, Zoraptera is a 'stone wall'. Her combat ability is average, if not slightly subpar, but her big advantage is her enhancements. She bioaltered herself to have an enhanced immune system and healing ability, primarily to make herself able to create antibodies and antivenoms directly from herself. This has the side effect of giving her an insane healing factor, allowing her to rapidly regenerate from wounds that would kill most anyone else and immunity to most known illnesses and poisons. This procedure is extremely risky and she's too fearful for potentially killing any other subjects to further perfect it at the time being, and this immunity has taken her hundreds of years to cultivate. She does have similar power booster potions and medicines to Metrinii, though they function very differently in HOW they work.

In terms of personality, Zoraptera is kind, loving, and values life above all else. Her 'stone wall' nature fits her rather well, as Zoraptera is very pacifistic by nature and hates violence, though will defend herself and her subjects if she needs to. She has also been known to aid those who decidedly don't deserve it, which can also be a weakness, as it might backfire. But she doesn't care, as to her all life is precious and to kill or allow someone to die is something she cannot bare.

Zoraptera's hive is unique in that the upper levels are completely open to the public and provide free healing to any who come, with entrances only accessible to her and her subjects. She is known throughout the area as Dr. Angel Wing, her pony guise, and well beloved. In fact her 'ancestor' (IE, herself in centuries ago) was canonized as a saint. This is her and her hive's source of food and sustenance. Her hive share her knowledge of medicine and act as doctors in her hospital.

After the Masquerade was broken...nothing really changed for Zoraptera. She can just be more open about what she could do and she's openly called Saint.

Princess Metophis Avalon

"Momma, can I sleep in your mane?"

Princess Metophis is a relatively new Changeling Royal, being one of Blackrose's latest children. As such she's currently living in Avalon with her mother, and is only about 10 years old.

That is one unique fact about her. The other? Her father was a Breezie. According to Blackrose, shape-shifting was involved.

This results in Metophis having weaker flying skills than her sisters, but also possessing advanced size changing abilities due to a mix of Breezie's nature size and changeling transformation. She's capable of changing from Breezie size to the expected size for a Changeling Queen. She constantly tells her big sister Supia she hopes she'll be able to grow as big as she is one day, but only time will tell whether that's an ability she may one day develop. At present, she's capable of doing these size changes pretty quickly, and can shapeshift while in her tiny form into a miniture version of whoever she's assuming.

As present, the young princess is a sweet little nymph, curious and full of energy. This is problematic when not only is she super adventurous, but able to shrink down to tiny size and get into places Blackrose is decidedly not used to having to keep an eye on a child. Including the holes in her own legs or her mane.

She also is prone to climbing on her sisters during meetings and more than once one of them has found her hiding in their mane on the way back to their hives. Except for Pentatomidae, who's too stinky even for the adventurous nymph.

Due to his current position, Blackrose has let her visit Thorax quite often to learn from him and his hive, in hopes she might be young enough for to be cured like the Sanctified One. Metophis simply likes playing with the 'pretty changeling with antlers'.

She's also quickly becoming friends with the infant Flurry Heart during visits with Cadence.

This little one is full of promise, but for now, she's just a playful little nymph that's had many, many misadventures... and nearly given her mother her fair share of heart attacks.

Avalon, the Radiant Valley

The Spring Court takes its name from the eternal spring season which permeates in the Courts’ nominal capital, Avalon, in addition to their general temperament. Secreted in a hidden valley, Avalon is Empress Blackrose’ own personal hive, and is considered a sacred land by the subjects of the Spring Court. Every year countless thousands of changelings would travel to Avalon as pilgrims through hidden routes, hoping to pay homage to their ‘Mother of All’ in its many shrines and cathedrals, while every now and then, many Changeling Queens would convene with the Changeling Empress over matters that may affect the entirety of the Spring Court, or simply visit their Mother.

Little information is available to non-Changeling outsiders regarding Avalon. From what had been deciphered from myths and legends as well as what the changelings themselves are willing to share, it is the greatest Changeling hive in existence, and a veritable oasis of changeling high culture and prosperity.

Many of its great artisans and musicians live and mastered their craft in Avalon, often conducting concerts in great antechambers and displaying their art in museums and galleries before their Empress, a supreme honour and privilege among their kind. Common changelings who lived in Avalon generally lived content and secured lives, with little to worry from the hardships normally experienced by other changelings, with easy access to love energy and other foods, as well as all kinds of exotic goods and commodities in its markets, imported from other Spring Court hives across the world. This had led to some resentment and tension between Changelings living in and outside Avalon, with the latter considering the former as 'sheltered', 'spoiled' and 'naive'.

The Avalon Hive is also the high-mark of Changeling construction. The home of the Changeling Empress, Avalon Palace, as well as the surrounding temples, mausoleums, halls and government buildings are all stunning architectural wonders rivalling those of shining Canterlot and other capitals of the world, with towers linked long arching bridges, great domes with colourful chitin mosaics underneath suspended over great antechambers, canopies of crystalline glass covered the Empresses’ many greenhouses. Huge parks and hanging gardens filled with verdant vegetation could also be found across the Hive’s cityscapes, with blooming flower beds, draping vines, miniature forests adding greenery and lively colour to the cityscapes of often dull, if practical, obsidian black materials changelings used to construct hives.

It is said within the throne-room of Avalon Palace – a beautifully decorated hall huge enough to house even someone as gigantic as Queen Supia with plenty of room to spare – housed a Great Sunstone, one of the last remaining ones, mounted high above the Throne of Roses, said to be a gift by an old friend to the Changeling Empress from a long, long time ago. It is this Great Sunstone which kept the radiant valley in perpetual, life-bearing spring, even in a land as inhospitable as the Changelings’ homelands.

Author's Note

And here we have the Spring Court, the Fairest of the Fae. Though they are among the best of Changelingkind, they are not without skeletons in their closets and without flaws. And in the next chapter, we shall see their dark reflection...

The Summer Court - The Tyrants of Deceit

The Summer Court – The Tyrants of Deceit:

“Seek not the Summer Court. Speak not the Summer Court. Suffer not fools who caught their eyes; the fools might soon lose their own.”

Of all the Changelings of the Four Seasonal Courts, none are as dreaded and feared among the Changelings, and the few non-Changelings that know, then those from the Summer Court. Together with the despised and hated Winter Court, they are regarded in myths and tales of the non-Changeling races to be the more malevolent Unseelie Fae (Again, with a few prominent exceptions). Their name reflects their war-like, unscrupulous and aggressive temperament, and often few that crossed their paths are allowed to escape their wrath.

Also called the Court of Thorns or the Black Court, if the Spring Court is the light of Changelingkind, the Summer Court is considered its shadow, a dark reflection. In turn, most of the rulers of the Summer Court Swarm and Hives are described as a reflection of their own Progenitor parent – albeit, some would say, a dim, pale and flawed one. Each Summer Court Royal Changeling is a Changeling King, the counterparts of the Changeling Queens in the Spring Court, polar opposites in both gender and disposition.

Ruthless and ambitious to a fault, the Changeling Kings are collectively some of the most notable schemers, conquerors and tyrants to ever grace the lands of the world, and constantly seeking to advance their power and that of their hive, whether through overt conquest or insidious subversion.

Although as a whole their power rivalled the Spring Court, in reality they are far from unified. Unlike the Changeling Empress, the Changeling Emperor of the Summer Court had made little to no attempt to restraint his Royal Changeling children, allowing them to ‘Do as they will’, ruling the Summer Court Changelings in His name, so long as they don’t disrupt/interfere with His agenda, remain loyal to Him, and fulfil whatever missions He has assigned them.

Because of this, the Summer Hives are often rule with iron-hoofed mercilessness, and due to the grudges, rivalries and resentments prevalent among the Changeling Kings, the Court is often afflicted with internecine and fratricidal conflict, with many Kings making war upon their brothers and their hives as soon as a convenient causa-belli presents itself, over all varieties of reasons, although the Changeling Kings are often pragmatic enough to limit the scale of these wars so not to cause too much damage of the Court, which would weaken them as a whole and incur their Father’s ire.

When not at war, the kings conspire against each other in schemes of dazzling complexity, filled with deception, murder and betrayal, constantly attempting to spy, sabotage and even assassinate each other, seeking to either eliminate their rivals or make them lose favour with their Father, whereupon they are open and vulnerable to be pounced upon by their many enemies. To be a Changeling King in the Summer Court is to live a life of paranoia and insecurity, constantly on the lookout for their own brothers in addition to dealing with threats within and beyond their own hives, where even a single mistake – a misspoken word, a failed mission, an oversight in his defences – could cost them all the power and status they had accumulated over centuries and end in their deaths.

Because of this, Changeling Kings have a higher attrition rate compare to the Changeling Queens, with estimates suggesting for every King that exist at any one time, there are three to four more Queens. Although constant warfare and fighting had meant that on an individual basis, each Changeling King is generally stronger and more skilled in combat than a Changeling Queen. Changeling Kings are far more diverse in terms of forms and origins; whereas the majority of Changeling Queens are descended from unions with equine races, such as ponies and zebras, there had been Changeling Kings that came from unions with other species, such as deer, griffons and even dragons.

That said, within the last two centuries, there had been a shift in the dynamics of the power-struggles within the Summer Court: whereas before, Changeling Kings could only maintain fickle, ever-shifting alliances of convenience, new, more permanent power blocs, called Compacts, are forming between the Changeling Kings, bringing a level of stability to politics in the Summer Court.

In terms of relationship with non-Changeling races, the Summer Court generally pursue a policy of Dominance. In their view, between the fear and hatred of the non-Changelings towards their kind, and the general hostility of the world around them, Changeling-kind is surrounded from all sides by threats, whether real or potential. But while the Spring Court seek peaceful co-existence, and those of the Autumn Court would hide, the Summer Court generally believes that the only way to ensure their survival and power is to be on the offense. The outside world must be brought to heel, whether through infiltrating and subverting their societies from within to serve their interests, or outright conquered from without with their armies of warriors, each hive an efficient war-machine refined by millennia of conflict experience and supported by intelligence-gathering networks that could span whole continents.

Because of this, the Summer Court has some of the worst relationship with the outside world, rivalled only by the Winter Court. A current example of their activities comes with the recent revelation that they are one of the imperialistic powers embroiled with the ‘Scramble for Zebrica’, alongside the Griffons and Dragons. Many Changeling Kings and their hives had overrun many tribal territories and kingdoms, harvesting them or reducing them to vassalage and thraldom, directly or indirectly controlling much of the central parts of the continent, only held back by stiff Zebra resistance and their need to obscure their presence from the other powers.

Although their ambitions are noticeable to all who knew of them, their motives and agendas are inscrutable even by the standards of Changelings, and their secretiveness is second only to those from the Autumn Court. No one could tell what agenda they are pursuing at any one time, although it would most likely be at the expense of those outside the Summer Court.

Because of this, much of what Equestrian scholars had been able to learn about the Court, in the wake of the Masquerade, had been provided by the Spring Court, and often only permitted to be published with the expressed approval from the representatives of the Summer Court, and with the authors’ identities made anonymous and placed under protection of the Equestrian Crown, to prevent reprisals that could often see individuals so thoroughly eliminated by agents of the Summer Court, almost no trace of their existence would be left behind. Even then, given the compromising nature of some of these information, many wondered if the knowledge is genuine, or distorted and leaked deliberately as part of an elaborate misinformation campaign against the Spring Court and other races.

Recently, according the Spring Court intelligence, the Summer Court is experiencing upheaval – several Changeling Kings had been ‘Condemned to Winter’ and purged for reasons unknown. And following Thorax’s usurpation of Chrysalis and ascension, in an unprecedented move, the Changeling Emperor of the Summer Court had also decided to break the Masquerade, having sent King Metamorphosis, his current favourite, to establish official relationship with Equestria and the Thorax Hive, and has agreed to jointly investigate and assist in Thorax’s ascension with the Spring Court, much to the shock of His own sons.

Although both the Alicorn Princesses and the Changeling Empress welcomed the move, some wonder what hidden agenda there may be, and whether or not the Changeling Kings would all go along with whatever their Father had planned…

Notable Individuals of the Summer Court:

Emperor Blackthorn Oberon Lyonesse

“Think what you will about me. While you try to discern truth from lies, all my plans will unfold in perfection.”

If Empress Blackrose is considered the most well-known and beloved figure among Changeling-kind until the rise of Thorax, then Emperor Blackthorn of the Summer Court is considered most dreaded and enigmatic. His name is feared even among his own children and their subjects, and in the Summer Court, where he holds the ultimate authority, to question or defy his will is almost unthinkable, and almost always end in certain death.

Very little information is available concerning the other Progenitor of Changeling-kind. This is due largely to the fact that to prevent others from interfering with his designs, he has until recently ensure that his existence and that of his Court remain a secret – for knowledge is power, and any said knowledge, no matter how small, can be used by those that could would attempt to stop him.

From what few facts that had been gathered, Emperor Blackthorn is described as the mirror image of Empress Blackrose – a cold, calculating and capricious figure, indifferent aloof and apathetic, constantly spending his time walking the earth under many disguises, pursuing his own mysterious agendas with a disconcerting smile on his face. Beholden to no one, he is best summarized as his own absolute principle, who would never allow himself to be constrained by any rules, morals, standards or laws set by others.

Although he is said to be as powerful as Empress Blackrose, his true strength lies in being a consummate master in deception and manipulation – for which he had earned the title the Prince of Deceit. He has both worked both for and against the interests of other gods and mortals, often aiding or hampering them whenever it suits him over his thousands of years of existence. Whether personally or through his Royal children, he had engineered the rise and fall of many empires throughout the ages, starting, ending and manipulating entire eras of ruinous wars and prosperous peace, raised individuals to greatness, only to cast them down when they outlived their usefulness, all to advance his own interest and that of his Court. And because of the layers of secrecy around him and what he does, it is impossible to tell where his interference begins and ends, and precisely how much impact he has made upon the course of history.

As a being who see all others as potential pawns to his endless schemes, it had not endeared him well in the eyes of the few beings that know of him. For his part, it is said that the Changeling Emperor doesn't look upon many of them highly himself, at best amused by their antics or failures, at worst contemptuous of their flaws and weakness. Although, occasionally, he found himself respecting and impressed by certain individuals whom possessed certain unique qualities and has proven themselves worthy in some way, whether they be mortal or immortal, common or great. He is known to constantly test many of his sons in many ways, hoping to measure their worth for many reasons, most unknownable.

Many of the gods and immortals of the world, including Alicorn Princesses of Equestria, had opposed him in the past, although it is written that the only being who had ever been able to consistently foil his schemes, time and time again, is the dragon god King Bahumet, consort of Dragon Queen Tiamat, the 'father deity' of the dragon race, and one of Blackthorn’s two archenemies. Their games of intrigue throughout the ages are legendary among the ranks of the immortals, and both regard each other as worthy opponents in their battles of wits.

His relationship with the Changeling Empress of the Spring Court could best be described as antagonistic, at least from the Changeling Empress’ side. For reasons only they and their First-Spawns knew, Blackrose resents Blackthorn’s presence, and treats him with bitterness, while the Changeling Emperor had referred to her as his ‘Beloved’, and had made attempts to mend their relationship, only to be rebuffed time and time again. Despite this antagonism, it was hinted that it has come a long way from what it once was, and whenever a common threat presents itself, they are willing to put aside their differences to remove it.

One such common ground he shares with Blackrose is his hostility to Discord. Although one not to betray his emotions, his hatred for the being he and his Court referred to as ‘The Serpent’ had been described as, to quote one anonymous source, “Enough to destroy mountains if unleashed”, and like Blackrose, he had made many plans and preparation to destroy him. Unlike Blackrose, he has refused to let Discord’s reformation stand in the way of his revenge. It is rumoured that he had already executed several attempts to eliminate Discord or remove him from the world since his release, although so far, none of them had succeeded, between Discord’s own power and cunning, and the intervention of the Alicorn Princesses.

‘The Crone’

“I do many things for the young master. Mostly, I serve him tea.”

No one knew who she is, whether among the Summer Court or the other ones, not even her name. To those that know her, she’s simply ‘The Crone’, a tall, elderly female changeling shrouded in a simple dark grey cloak. Yet her presence is still keenly felt among the Changeling Kings as an unnerving figure, fulfilling a role similar to Puck in the Spring Court.

What is known is that on the surface, she has loyally served Emperor Blackthorn for as long as any Summer Court Changeling could remember, acting as the caretaker for the Changeling Emperor’s hidden personal retreat in times of rest, and as his personal maid, confidant, and if necessary, his representative among his sons. Soft-spoken, grand-motherly and unassuming, most would think that she’s little more than a humble servant.

Yet, as with all things Changeling-related, appearances can be deceiving. The fact that she had often addressed the Changeling Emperor as ‘Young master’ – and get away with it – gives a hint of her potentially immense age, possibly as far back as the time of First-Spawns or even the dawn of Changeling-kind. She is rumoured, given how much she apparently knows about ongoing matters of the Four Changeling Courts, to be the head of his own intelligence network, providing him with up to date intelligence of his own sons and many other things of most critical importance. She is also suspected to have a hoof in the creation of Emperor Blackthorn’s dreaded praetorian guards.

Whatever is true, it is abundantly clear that she is one of the few beings trusted by the Changeling Emperor, holds many of the Summer Court’s most important secrets, and like Puck of Avalon, is not a changeling to be underestimated with.

King Metamorphosis Lyonesse

“I only do what is necessary, and no more than that.”

The Hundredth-Spawn Era King Metamorphosis is one of the youngest kings in the Summer Court, and is notable for not only being remarkably successful despite his youth, but also for being the only one of his siblings who approaches anything resembling a fair and benevolent monarch.

From his own words, albeit providing only the vaguest details, he was born roughly two centuries ago, ‘In a village long since abandoned and left to ruin.’, and was raised by a ‘remarkable’ pony mother until his True Nature started manifesting. Not much is known about what happened during his ‘Errance’, but he had noted that it was ‘quite a story’ in itself.

It is speculated that his mother’s love and kindness was responsible for the enlightened ruler he eventually became. His hive is known to be fiercely loyal to him, and combined with efficient and meritocratic administration, is rapidly becoming one of the most prosperous and strongest hives for its size.

King Metamorphosis is responsible for the emergence of ‘Compacts’ power-blocs between Changeling Kings: in a series of events, yet to be disclosed, he successfully convinced three other siblings, formerly enemies to him or each other, the merits of cooperation and pooling their unique talents and resources together for security and common interests. This first compact, the Tetrarchy, has ensured their survival from their rivals and even allowed them to rival the power of older and more established Changeling Kings. Currently, he’s considered the ‘First-Among-Equals’ among the Tetrarchy, and handles the logistics for their joint-ventures.

For this and other achievements, King Metamorphosis has become their Father’s current favourite, much to the resentment of his many older siblings. He is entrusted with running many of his Father’s errands; this is speculated to be due to the fact that in addition to being benevolent, he is also known for his lack of ambition beyond the safety and prosperity of his Hive, and is supremely practical in terms of action and personality.

Hence, it is argued, he could be counted on to not put his own ambition ahead of the Summer Court’s, a vice which many of his brothers fall into, and yet when faced with difficult situations, would still be willing to do whatever that needs to be done, even at the price of his own conscience. Remarkably, not only has he often strive to find a better way, he is also one of the few Changeling Kings whose opinions the Changeling Emperor would actually listen to, due to his almost uncanny ability to justify his reasoning in a rational, logical and objective manner.

With the fall of the Masquerade, Metamorphosis was chosen by his Father to be the liaison of the Summer Court with the Thorax Hive and the Principality of Equestria, and was the first to make ‘official’ First Contact between the Summer Court with the outside world. This was rumoured to be due to Metamorphosis, having wished to re-establish his ties with his former race of birth, and create more amiable relationship between Changeling-kind with the outside world, had prepared for such an eventuality long before Thorax’s ascension – but had kept it secret from the rest of the Summer Court, as any suggestion of co-existence and exposure would had been tantamount to treason.

King Lepid Lyonesse

“Sometimes the spoken word is the most dangerous thing.”

At nearly four centuries of age, Hundredth-Spawn Changeling King Lepid has been derided by his brothers for being flamboyant, indulgent and extravagant. But few of them would dare underestimate him regardless; for beneath the image Lepid had crafted for himself as a Changeling King of high culture and refined tastes, lies a sharp and iron-clad wit that had yet been dulled by his taste of absolute power when he shed his mortality and became a Changeling King.

Born amongst the nobility of a wealthy mercantile pony kingdom, Lepid was used to deadly decadent courtly struggles since birth, and has survived the many intrigues his mortal family has embroiled in, even thriving in spite of his status as a ‘spoiled brat’ and a bastard. So, when his True Nature manifested itself and he returned from his Errance a true Changeling King, he fitted right in among the Summer Court. The pony kingdom of his birth was destroyed from within by treachery that he engineered, and has become part of his Hive territory since then.

Lepid is notable for disparaging mass violence and all-out conflict his brothers are so fond of, in favour of subtle espionage and ‘refined’ violence of verbal combat and assassinations. Thus, his most dangerous weapon is not his magic, or his fencing skills; it is his incredible ability to talk and deceive his enemies into becoming his unwitting pawns, and rule-lawyering through any deals to have his way and get out of danger, earning him the nickname ‘silver-tongued Lepid’. An example of his prowess is once getting away with betraying one of his collaborators, having played the latter as a pawn from the beginning, despite having given his Word not to that covered all possible ways he could had conducted his betrayal. When brought to account for breaking his Word, a great taboo among Changeling-kind, he managed to successfully argued in his defence by pointing out that he ‘Never gave his Word that he wouldn’t LIE’ to his collaborator from the beginning, up to and including giving his Word not to betray him

Lepid is a member of the Tetrarchy compact, having once attempted to manipulate the rising star amongst the Summer Court by becoming his false ally, until he is no longer ride upon the latter’s favour. Through unclear circumstances, King Metamorphosis not only managed to see through his ploy quickly, but also uphold his end of the alliance by saving Lepid’s life from a plot by a rival, both of which is said to have earned Lepid’s respect and gratitude. Since then, he had stuck to his bargain by remaining in the Tetrarchy, despite countless opportunities to get ahead by betraying it, with he and his minions handling the espionage and diplomatic side of their joint-ventures.

King Mantid Lyonesse

“Comfort is the refuge of the spoiled and the weak. I have no need for such.”

Brutal, sarcastic, uncompromising and arrogant, at seven centuries old, King Mantid is both typical and atypical for a Summer Court King. Imposing and strong even for a Changeling King – standing a horn taller than even his Father, who normally towers over his sons by a head – King Mantid could easily be mistaken for a brute with no subtlety, strategy and stealth that his kind is famous for. Those who did are quick to discover, to their dismay, that behind his bloodlust and capacity for violence, lies a deeper and more calculating personality that is capable of precisely what they say he couldn’t, and end up paying for their error.

Fragmentary records suggests that he had lived a hard life before becoming King, one which is reflected in his disdain for weakness. One account records that he was abused by his adopted father for being (Truly) illegitimate, before being kicked out of the house. Another account stated he lived on the streets as an orphan, whereupon he fought in turf-wars as a member of a street gang. A third account suggested that he was forcefully inducted into slavery, eventually ending up in a gladiator arena where he often have to fight for his survival to the wild cheers of bloodthirsty pony crowds. It is possible all three happened in sequence, though what really happened would never become clear; one of his first acts as King was to lead an invasion that annihilated his former homeland.

Whatever happened, he was eventually found by another Changeling King as his True Nature manifested himself. Desiring to use him as a valuable minion, the Changeling King pretended that he was the True Parent of Mantid, and effectively ‘adopted’ Mantid into his court. Mantid served for several years, helping his ‘father’ in his wars and intrigue, learning what he could of the ways of the Summer Court while secretly bidding his time. Eventually, he challenged his ‘father’ for the throne, and despite haven’t yet fully matured into a true King, somehow defeated his ‘father’. This was when his TRUE father, Emperor Blackthorn, revealed himself and informed him of his true heritage, having been aware and watching from the side-lines. Impressed by his achievement, Blackthorn allowed Mantid to execute the Changeling King he usurped – who was apparently plotting against the Changeling Emperor – and received the hive of the usurped as his own.

King Mantid is a member of the Tetrarchy, having once looked down upon and eventually made war with King Metamorphosis for reasons unknown. King Metamorphosis, however, earned King Mantid’s grudging respect when he and his hive not only successfully held their own against his superior armies, but managed to duel him to a draw in spite of the disparity in age and experience when Metamorphosis caught Mantid in an elaborate ambush. When King Lepid intervened and revealed the true culprit who manipulated them into the conflict, they became allies, and surprisingly remained such after defeating their mutual enemy. In the Tetrarchy, as militarily one of the strongest hives of the hundredth-Spawn generation, his hive provides military support for any joint-venture.

King Photinus Lyonesse

“Information is power; be sure to guard it well.”

The final member of the Tetrarchy compact is the mysterious Changeling King Photinus. Of all four members of the compact, he is the least known, and was the last to join the compact under unknown circumstances.

What is definitively known is that from his father the Changeling Emperor, he inherited his immense intelligence, along with his general aloof and indifferent personality. Because of this, he is one of the few Changeling Kings who does not actively participate with any power-struggles of the Summer Court, beyond lending his knowledge and that of his hive to his father and whoever sibling requests it in exchange for benefits. In the Tetrarchy, he handles research and development for any joint-ventures.

One of his most distinctive features as a Changeling King is his unique appearance: at some point during his maturation into a Changeling King, he developed an extra pair of eyes, and both pairs constantly glowed faintly with witch-light.

As an intellectual, he prefers to conduct scientific and sorcerous research in the inner sanctums of his hive, which has been converted into a massive research facility made to support his work, and keep out any prospective individuals who may wish to steal it. It is said that aesthetically-wise, he and his hive had a preference for motifs and décor from ancient Anubia (Popular known to Equestrians as Neighypt), perhaps hinting his possible origins and background.

While he had been compared to Queen Ganglia of the Spring Court between his intelligence and pursuit of knowledge, this is where the similarities ended: whereas Queen Ganglia’s specialty leans towards ‘soft-sciences’ and civil subjects such as psychology, philosophy, politics and history, while her magic is inclined for divination (e.g. mind-reading), abjuration and enchantment, King Photinus’ specialty leans towards hard sciences and empirical subjects such as the physical sciences, logic, mathematics and engineering, while his magic is inclined to towards evocation, transmutation and conjugation. Their polarity is a reflection of the differences between the two formal Courts.

He is currently one of the few Changeling Kings among the Royal Changelings involved in a joint-Court program being arranged to study King Thorax’s ascension, in hopes of deciphering the key to breaking their peoples’ ‘racial curse’ for the rest of the Changeling race.

King Thomisus Lyonesse

"Those who stand at the top can decide the definition of "evil". Ponies like to say 'justice prevails'. Of course it will! Because the winners ARE justice!"

While all royals are demi-gods, few embrace that as thoroughly as Thomisus.

Thomisus's mother was a royal (likely one of his true father's schemes) who stepped down to live among commoners along with his 'father', wanting to be a person rather than treated like a god. Thomisus, who until then had lived as a prince, did not take this well. Unfortunately, the rulers of their home land had quite the reputation for cruelty, and their own people had little care if they where the white sheep or the black sheep, and an angry mob soon found them.

During this, Thomisus, in a rage, told the mob he'd slaughter them all one day. Unfortunately for the crowd in question, this was also the day his True Nature revealed itself, enabling him to do just that before they realized what they were dealing with.

Thomisus then proceeded to murder his father and take his head back to what he believed was his people to try and re-enter their good graces, but was denied entry. Fortunately for him, he soon underwent his Errance and discovered he was 'more than a King' from his very birth.

Where several of his brothers destroyed their birth kingdoms, Thomisus chose a VERY different path: namely staging a masterful coup and taking the throne himself, all without revealing what he TRULY was. He then proceeded to give all outside appearances of a benevolent monarch to the people.

This has absolutely nothing to do with wishing to be superior to his adopted family morally, no. He wished to be the one thing every proper god should be: worshiped. And worshiped he was...

He also made a habit of routinely having members of the population secretly kidnapped (especially the ones who have learned too much of his true nature), and either enslaved or sold to his brothers or other Changelings with such desires to be used as food, among other atrocities (including bio experiments, which he often sells the fruit of to his brothers or offers to his father trying to earn his favor), all while wearing a mask of benevolence. The very definition of 'have your cake and eat it too'.

Thomisus rivals his brother Lepid in terms of flamboyance, and his primary color is pink (both in disguise and out), but any of his siblings who underestimate him quickly learn how foolish that is to do. In addition to his expert acting talent, he has gone a route that few other Changelings have: mastering Changeling webbing to an insane degree. He can mold his webbing into strings with a multitude of options and uses, from razor wire for offense to, most grotesquely, binding a target and control them as a pony sized marionette. Inside Hive Thomisus he's at his strongest, as he can effectively manipulate the webbing throughout the hive as a weapon.

The constant worship of his pony subjects is also to his benefit, as he's constantly well fed from their love, which is his main method of doing so.

Despite his insane cruelty, Thomisus is known to treat his inner circle very well, though ONLY his inner circle, who are all insanely loyal to him. All other members of his hive are expendable to him. Be this as it may, Thomisus can and WOULD throw them under the bus to save his own hide if he needed to. He cares about them only so much as a sociopath is CAPABLE of doing so, as such is completely incapable of truly comprehending love or empathy..

Thomisus' most major weakness is that of any tyrant: his gigantic ego. Even among the Summer Court, Thomisus is particularly megalomaniacal, considering himself of divine blood and demanding to be treated as such. The only being he sees himself as subservient to is his father, who he respects for granting him his 'true birth right.' Otherwise, he almost literally thinks the world revolves around him and people should be HAPPY to 'die for him' when he kills them for one reason or another.

A secondary weakness is the trauma he suffered the night his True Nature awakened, which can distract or cause him to breakdown in a psychopathic rage if triggered properly, as such he keeps it a closely guarded secret.

King 'Kaki' Kakkerlak Lyonesse

"This is the most dangerous, the most despicable creature that I have ever encountered! This monster must be ended!" - Fetlock Homes, world-famous detective and high-functioning sociopath.

Rising to prominence some years after the end of the Masquerade, to the rest of the world, King 'Kaki' Kakkerlak is the eccentric but beloved monarch of the South Zebrican Hive and world renowned philanthropist. He's loved as an international treasure, dubbed 'Uncle Kaki' by many. A Royal Changeling who has built from the ground up one of the wealthiest and most modernised Hive states within the southern Zebrican territories themselves, where the changeling and zebra native communities are being developed separately from each other. He has hospitals, schools and even skyscrapers with his name engraved upon them and he's made many a charity event. Out of all the members of both the Summer Court, his cross-hive and international approval rating remain the highest at just under 90%.

Kaki has also achieved international recognition in recent years for being the founder and sole owner of the 'Central Free State', a large state in the Central Zebrican Basin in personal union with his hive directly under him. He founded the 'International Association of Central Zebrica' (IACZ), a philanthropic association stated goal of bringing creaturtarian assistance and civilization to the zebra natives. He hired famous Griffin explorer Gaston Griznak (no relation to the infamous scientist Gerhardt Griznak) to help him lay claim to the Central Basin. At a Yakyakistani Conference regarding the 'Scramble for Zebrica', Equestria, the Summer Court and fellow colonial powers recognized Kaki as sovereign of most of the area he and Griznak had laid claim to by committing the newly christened 'Central Zebrican Free State' to improving the lives of the native inhabitants and developing the area.

But behind the grotty yellow grin lies an amoral monster who has brought about an imperialistic horror show of monumental proportions.

Kaki's Hive is actually run under a brutal system of Apartheid, establishing economic and political minority rule by the South Zebrican changelings and the socially enforced separation of South Zebrican zebras from other races. The policies of this horrendous system include pass laws, the segregation of public facilities and social events, dictated housing and mass relocations, employment opportunities by species, etc.

Yet it's his actions in the Central Free State, which Kaki is free to rule as a personal domain, that somehow manage to be even more diabolical. Simply put, Kaki's been lying his pants off about his intentions. The IACZ, for example, was actually a private holding company simply disguised as this benign crusade of creaturtarianism. Ol' Kaki's a greedy and slippery operator, consumed with gaining as much power and money he can for himself, seeking out a huge slice of that "magnificent Zebrican cake". Griznak had gained control of the area through "cloth and trinket" treaties with local zebra chiefs and queens, who had no idea they were selling their land for fancy clothes, jewels and some alcohol.

That important conference in Yakyakistan had proclaimed Kaki the sole ruler of a land at 905,000 square miles and a population estimated at 30 million zebras, all with no constitution or international supervision, without ever having even been to the forsaken place, and with only a hoof full of his new subjects having heard of him. The Free State is abundant with natural resources including ivory, rubber and minerals (like the legendary diamond mines) and he is already stripping them out for sale on the world market.

With obscene sums of the money pouring in from this exploitation, Kaki has embarked on many public and private construction projects in his Hive, developing some of the advanced cities in Zebrica. Of course, he saves most of it for his own self-indulgence, such as financing the construction of his glittering citadel and palace and decorating his numerous wives and zebra mistresses in jewelry and lovely dresses. Make no mistake, Kaki is actually quite fond of zebras, well... their mares anyway.

This unchecked exploitation would be shameful enough, but the full story is even more horrific. Kaki's Free State is a colonial regime of terror operated to maximize profitability. The local Zebra in the region are forced at pain death to work on Kaki's plantations. If a village refuses, no problem, the military (including changeling officers and zebra mercenaries) is sent in to get them to ‘collaborate’. These resisting zebras, and many are resisting, are being systematically slaughtered and their villages burnt to cinders. Mares and children are taken hostages. Stallions are hanged, flogged and beaten to death. Most notoriously, soldiers are instructed by their changeling officers to chop off tails as trophies and proof of their kill.

The media has been ruthlessly muzzled to keep the truth firmly under wraps to prevent an international scandal. But one world-famous detective and self-described high-functioning sociopath has decided to make himself the thorn in Kakis side and expose him for the blood-splattered charlatan he is...

King Zorpheus Lyonesse, the Ironclad.

“The key to conquering any foe is to endure whatever they can unleash upon you.”

King Zorpheus is one of the more militant and aggressive kings of the Summer Court, and while there are many such kings in the Summer Court, he stood out among his brothers and nephews in his ability to endure damage that his rivals and peers would not survive, weathering through punishing blows with ease even as he readies himself to unleash punishing blows in return.

Like many Kings and subjects of the Summer Court, Zorpheus' origins are shrouded in secrecy and obscurity, paranoid as they are of their weaknesses being known and used against them. It is rumoured that he was born amongst the nobility of a warrior culture which produced many champions famous for their resilience and durability in combat - and had indirectly been causing inconvenience to the Summer Court by defeating or conquering their unwitting pawns and subverted realms.

Living in a culture that had scorned physical weakness, young Zorpheus stood out for being feeble in body if not in mind, making him a pathetic colt who had to rely more on cunning then strength to succeed, which only further resulted in him becoming the victim of mockery and abuse from his family and contemporaries. Often bullied and beaten to an inch of his life, young Zorpheus endured by clinging onto his loathing, for his own weakness and for others, which served to fuel and hardened his iron will, driving him on with a determination to one day grow in strength and resilience to such a state that he would never be hurt again - and able hurt back all those who wronged him.

Towards that latter aim, he learnt to spot the weakness in others - chinks in their armour which he could exploit - to compensate for his lack of durability by breaking the enemy's own. When his True Nature began to manifest, granting him strength and durability of a demigod, he would make great progress in the former aim. And when he returned from his Errance a Changeling King, he would show those who had hurt him who was truly the feeble and frail one, as he and his Changeling exploited every physical, cultural and mental weaknesses that the warrior kingdom possessed beneath their veneer of durability to undermine and laid waste to it, neutralizing the kingdom and its champions' threats to the Summer Court's interests in the process.

Today, Changeling King Zorpheus is renown for his incredible resilience, having became nigh-invulnerable to physical damage thanks to bio-alteration he had applied to himself and the Changelings of his Hive, as well as possessing an iron will that also makes him nigh-invulnerable to mental damage. Because of this, while he is as strong as many militant kings, he has developed a reputation as an unstoppable juggernaut in combat, able to outlast any opponent in battle and earning him the nickname of 'The Ironclad'. Yet he does not rely entirely on his nigh-invulnerability alone to triumph; ever a Royal Changeling, crafty and intelligent beyond even their mortal subjects, he is also an expert in finding weaknesses in his enemies and how to exploit them to the fullest, making him an capable strategist and schemer as he is a warrior and conqueror.

Lesser degrees of this durability is also conferred to his subjects, with the most durable being the elite stormtroopers he fields which are spearheading his and the Summer Court conquests in Zebrica. Feared among the Zebras, they often requiring enough Zebra military alchemy, offensive magic and conventional weaponry to level a small town just to kill or injure a few of their number. To qualify or even survive the bio-treatment, young Changeling Warrior candidates had to endure gauntlet of trials that he personally devised so harsh that it would (often fatally) weed out all but the most durable troops, leaving only the most resilient both mind and body worthy to take the enhancements.

Yet despite his durability, Zorpheus is not invincible and without weak-points: his most recent claim to fame is being the unfortunate test subject to measure the power level of Thorax’s New Royal Changeling form, during the first joint-conference between the Spring and Summer Courts with royal dignitaries from Equestria, over Thorax’s ascension and Curse purification. For his trouble, he was blown across Avalon Valley by Thorax’s arcane beam, and was found half-buried in a crater, unconscious, with a singed and cracked carapace at his chest. This experience, rumours had spread, had humbled him somewhat, reminding him of his own vulnerability and that there are still many things on Equus who could hurt him.

Even if they couldn't, there are other ways to defeat him; King Mantid of the Tetrarchy Compact had earned his grudging respect for once being able to briefly subdue him in a brief spar, whereupon he lured him to a bog and managed to nearly drowned him in the entrapping mud and waters under his own carapace' weight. If nothing else, this incident demonstrates that his greatest strengths can be turned against him, something which he would take caution of in the foreseeable future.

Yet the fact he managed to survive and eventually recover from an attack that would had actually crippled or killed a Royal Changeling in one shot, and escape from having his own trademark ability turned against him, is a testament to the durability of his carapace and resilience of his character. And as long as he endure, Zorpheus can look forward to continued triumphs.

King Metriini Lyonesse

“Refrain from breathing in my labs, and you should be fine.”

Not much is known about this Changeling King, beyond the infamous products of his genius and his hive. Sources had given varied backgrounds, one indicate that he was raised in a family of chemists, acquiring degrees in those related subjects, while others hinted his mother is a potioneer. A popular story - one he had related to High Prince Thorax in person - has it that he was the 'son' of a kindhearted alchemist who became disgraced when the king of his homeland forced him to create poisons for assassination, oppression and war, leaving all the good he had done tainted and outweighed by the suffering he never wanted to unleash, all his innovations rejected and forgotten, and all who he had helped scorning him as a poisoner and maniac.

If that last story was true, it would certainly explain how he, upon becoming a Changeling King, came to view such selfless benevolence as foolish and applied himself to only serving his own ends and interests, and cynically advised Thorax to do the same. He combined his knowledge and talent with his powers and enhanced intelligence to quickly establish himself and his hive as a leading authority in chemical sciences and alchemy within the Summer Court. His hive is part chemical factory and part chemistry/alchemistry lab/workshop where he and his researchers experiment and innovates new formulas, while his subjects laboured to manufacture the resulting products. His stronghold and sub-hives constantly belch fumes from funnels and chimneys that also envelopes his territory in an ever-persistent toxic smog, providing indirect defense against invaders. His appearance is usually obscured by the sealed Hazmat armour and re-breather helm also common among his subjects, but more regal in design, containing equipments and materials that could allow him to detect, examine, experiment, synthesize and unleash new formulas and chemicals for his purposes.

Among his achievements include various enhancement drugs and potions that had improved the strength and endurance of many a changeling worker and warrior in many hives, as well as improved materials for construction of hives and strongholds. But his notoriety is in pioneering chemical warfare for the Summer Court, with his various chemical weapons used to devastating, often horrifying effect against Zebra defenders in the ongoing conquests by the hives in the Summer Court within that continent. When he and his hive are not deploying them in person, he would manipulate his brothers or other non-Changelings to do it for him; some of his earliest works were secretly provided two kingdoms who were bitter enemies with him in disguise as their supposed 'benefactor', allowing him to field-test those weapons as the two realms destroy each other in a nigh-apocalyptic exchange of chemical weaponry.

These weapons are creatively diverse as they are terrifyingly destructive: These include hot, noxious chemical cocktails, sprayed via nuzzles from armoured vehicles or monster mounts, capable of corroding through fortifications and suffocate its defenders while at it. Others include defoliators, dispersed from zeppelins and changeling flyers, which could wilt entire jungles hiding resistance fighters for easier counter-insurgency operations, with its toxic run-off poisoning rivers and nearby settlements, and leading to deformities appearing in later generations of Zebras who survived.

The most infamous achievement of his experiments is the development of the ‘Despoiler Toxin’, an alchemical weapon which blurs the line between magic, biology and chemistry. When released, it is said to be animated, and for a set period of time, the golem of toxic clouds are capable of using the ambient magic to convert its surrounding atmospheric gases into more aerosol clouds of toxin, spreading its effects across a wide area variable to the needs of the users. Contact with living tissue leads to rapid apoptosis, at such speeds that it would appear as if flesh is literally melting off bones, much to the extreme agony of the exposed individual. Breathing in the gas would lead to rapid asphyxiation as it repeat its effects inside the lungs. Some variants are corrosive, making protection difficult as it eats its way through gas-masks and clothing, while other variants makes it flammable, making it risky to clear away with flames without risking an explosive firestorm that would scour the area of dispersal. Such is the destructive potency of the Despoiler Toxin that it is rumoured Emperor Blackthorn himself ordered a halt on any development of the toxin beyond what is already done.

Even so, in their current forms, the Despoiler Toxin and other terrible chemical weapons of King Metriini are only rivaled by the biological weapons and monsters of the Summer Court hives, as well as dark curses of various witches and evil overlords throughout history, in terms of the suffering they could inflict.

King Brachion Lyonesse

“The Law of the World is the Law of the Jungle.”

It is said only the fittest can survive in the Summer Court, and none subscribed to that philosophy than King Brachion, a preeminent master and creator of the some of the most demented biological weaponry and biomantic monsters ever conceived.

Born a prince in an Alvslogs Herd Deer forest realm, at a young age Brachion had already shown to be different from the other Deers – the most obvious difference of all, however, was that he was never able to attune to the nature around him, in the same way as many Deer could, a fact that made him an outcast even as royalty among his siblings and subjects.

Such a difference eventually drove his concerned royal parents to consult their druids for answers concerning his nature. What they discovered was more than any would bargain for: Brachion was discovered to be a Changeling, yet manifested, and the one whom the Deer forest king and queen had hope to had been their beloved heir was thus an impostor all along. Horrified and enraged, they ordered Brachion’s death, but he escaped into the forbidden depths of the forest before that could be carried out. Alone and lost within the dark woods for many years, young Brachion was forced to fight daily for his survival against the elements and many dangerous animals that prowl the woods.

It was during this time of desperate struggle that Brachion began to develop a twisted fascination and admiration for the various beasts and predators that survived and even thrived in the dangerous environments found in nature, as well as for the merciless, cut-throat process of natural selection that beget them over countless generations, weeding out the weak and feeble, leaving only the strong to become stronger still. When his True Nature began to manifest itself, giving him access to powerful changeling magic, he combined it with what little spells and rituals he learnt from the Deer that cast him out and began his infamous experiments to ‘improve’ them even more.

When he finally emerged from the edge of the woods, the only world he knew until then, he did so at the head of a small army of grotesque monsters of his own design, having tamed various creatures and then altered them for his own uses. At that time, he was investigating a disturbance to his forest home - and also driven by a mysterious urge to undergo an Errance there.

When he discovered a settlement of ponies cutting down woods for lumber and polluting the rivers with industry, he was enraged by what he perceived as ‘desecration’ of nature, and the people sacrilegiously attempting to transcend themselves from the laws of nature that govern all life. He wasted no time in laying waste to that settlement with his army of monsters, wiping out its inhabitants. There, he met his True Father, who had sensed his presence and made his way over to greet him, drawing Brachion to him in turn with his. Among the ruins and the dead, Emperor Blackthorn revealed to him who and what he really was.

Impressed by his worth, the Changeling Emperor made him a King like so many of his siblings before him, and gave him his blessing to take his vengeance at his Deer people for casting him out – and plunder the valuable druidic lore at manipulating life that they possess. Commanding an army of changeling warriors and his monsters, he razed the forest kingdom of his birth and made it his own. Dark rumours circulate over what he did to his surrogate family; some said that he let them flee like he had, then hunted them through the dark woods like wild animals, ending with him ravishing and devouring them all alive in forms of great beasts. Others said he used them as just another group of test subjects, and their twisted, agonized forms are still writhing and howling in the dark dungeons where he kept his failed batches.

Today Brachion’s hive is still located within the forest of his birth, which has been turned into a true primal nightmare, populated by his experiments and importing various deadly fauna and flora from the changeling homelands to add further ‘variety’ into the whirlpool of violence and predation that is its ecosystem. His hive citadel and laboratory consist of a castle-sized grove of dark-barked, massive trees, hollowed out internally for living space, where he would reside and conduct his studies.

Brachion and his hive are masters in biological manipulation, both scientific and magical, producing nightmarish monsters and beasts for use in their wars and those of his brothers, the battlefield yet another field laboratory to test out his latest creations. When he discovered microbiology whilst studying a biology degree in Cervidia, he was quick to expand his field into creating deadly biological weapons, like the infamous Bloodrot parasite and the grotesque Revenant fungus that laid waste to many rival hives and conquered lands. He was also the creator of the Spawn Trees, saying he was ‘inspired’ by the lie Queen Chrysalis peddled to her subjects concerning their race’s origins and used it either to mass produce short-lived, near-mindless ‘Spawnlings’ for labour and disposable troops, or for more sophisticated master-craft creatures, like the Changeling-Deer hybrids he’s rumoured to be experimenting on.

King Brachion is said to despise Deerkind with a passion, no doubt due to his past. He is rumoured to be responsible, on his father’s orders, for engineering Deer King Sequoia’s fall into tyranny and his eventual war with the Yak Tribal Kingdom to the north, devastating both realms and forcing both into isolationism, although no concrete proof is ever found. Many Deer realms had certainly suffered from his attacks and schemes against them, and any Deer caught by his Changelings endured many an unkind fate. For his part, he has both embraced and rejected the Alvslogs Forest Deer’s philosophies and world-view, having upholded to himself and others the dark side of nature of cut-throat survival and dominance of the strong and fit over all. His ultimate goal is to recreate the primeval forests of the prehistoric past, where old, extinct monsters and beasts would be given a second chance to thrive again, and new species would evolve into even greater, deadlier creatures in a glorious evolutionary struggle.

King Brachion used to be in rivalry with King Thomisus over biological experimentation, each hoping to outdo each other in that field, although recently they had entered into a Compact together with King Metriini, King Scorpius and others, having seen the merits of cooperating and sharing knowledge and resources, and has dealings with the very recently ascendant King Kakkerlak. Like King Metriini, he shares an enemy/rivalry with Queen Zoraptera Avalon of the Spring Court, who has developed cures to many of his deadly pathogens and secretly aid many of those suffering them.

As of recent events, King Brachion's reputation in the Summer Court had taken damage - one for being tricked into unwittingly releasing some world-threatening monsters in his quest for more diabolical bio-weapons to develop, and for an unspecified incident in Hive Brachion/Erlking that involved attempted to dissect an other-worldly being. While he had avoided being cast down for his weaknesses and even managed to salvage his standing in the eyes of his father and siblings, only time will tell whether or not King Brachion would be able to adapt, as he always had, and remain as strong as he feels the strong deserves, so dictated in the laws of the jungle...

King Asbolus Lyonesse

"I understand you planned to stab me in the back. Unfortunately for you, I just stole your dagger when you weren't looking."

King Asbolus is a strange one. While a member of the Summer Court, he has little interest in conquest...at least of TERRITORY. Rather his interests lay in the conquest of a material nature.

Asbolus' mother was a renown thief cat burger who caught the eye of Blackthorn with her craftiness and guile. How much the Changeling Emperor respected her is unknown, but what is known is she was never caught despite a large number of high profile robberies. Asbolus was born and raised by this mare until his awakening as a King. What happened to his mother at this point, as her whereabouts following his emergence are unknown except to him and possibly the Changeling Emperor, though she is believed dead. What is known is Asbolus speaks fondly of her, leading some to believe he faked her demise to protect her from both his family and from the law.

Asbolus is best described as a 'gentleman thief' and relatively benign by his family's standards. With that in mind, he's still a thief.

Asbolus is believed to be a notorious Phantom Thief named 'Ghost Beetle', wanted for a large number of high profile robberies across the world, though if he is, no solid proof has ever been found. If he is indeed Ghost Beetle, the amount of stolen property he's in possession of are worth several million dollars at the smallest amount. Asbolus denies these claims, but does add 'But I hear Ghost Beetle is a very clever bugger. Handsome too.'"

Of his known thefts, Asbolus has several times stolen intel or items of high value from his siblings right from under their noses. On one occasion he dealt with a rival for their Father's attention by waiting for them to invite the Emperor to be granted a gift in tribute, then snuck in, stole it from behind their back with no one aware until the Changeling Emperor was presented an empty box. Asbolus then handed his father the stolen tribute himself to increase his own standing. When asked why he did this, Asbolus stated 'One, to gain father's favor. And two? Because I COULD.'

On another occasion, he managed to steal a Dragon's entire hoard without waking it up, then left it in a rival King's hive for the Dragon to attack.

Personality wise, Asbolus is a gentleman and exceedingly polite...but also one who will swipe the pocket book or wallet of the person he's speaking to without breaking stride. Especially if they don't have his respect in any form. For this reason, it's generally advised to never have money on your person when meeting with Asbolus...and to put all your money somewhere VERY secret only you can access.

He also has a moral code, due to his mother's raising. It can be boiled down to one core value: There is no point in stealing something that is EASY to take. IE, there's no point in stealing candy from a baby because the baby has no means of defending it. As such, Asbolus typically ignores the weak and helpless, seeing stealing or harming them as beneath a thief of his caliber.

Asbolus's greatest strength is he's exceedingly cunning and stealthy, to the point that one will likely only learn he's stolen from them if he brags about it. His specialty is rapidly shapeshifting to remain disguised no matter what the environment, and using his forms to hide unseen. It's rumored he may have the ability to turn invisible, but it's more likely he merely managed to capture or see a creature with a translucent form, like Mirrorca or other such creature. Asbolus is also a master of misdirection, and has been known to steal the weapons off one of his brother's who sought him dead before they realized he knew they were there.

His greatest weakness is the opposite sex. While he has some morals against satisfying it in more heinous ways, Asbolus has little control over his lust and 'really gets around' in a sense. His ego also can get him into trouble.

Asbolus is known to respect Princess Celestia because she is one of the few people who have managed to foil his robberies on a several occasions. He also respects Puck of Blackrose's court, as he has likewise foiled attempts by the King to steal from the palace.

Life in Asbolus' hive is not too bad, mainly because the King quickly grows bored of the things he's stolen and allows his hive to use it to increase their standard of living. This has nothing to do with him actively trying to better things for them, more because he doesn't care and so long as the 'trophies' in his personal collection are untouched, doesn't care what they do with his other acquisitions.

Asbolus is currently in a tentative alliance the Tetrarchy, though not part of the Compact itself. He's stated that the reason is he finds the concept 'fun', and that if any of them need something stolen to just ask. None of them TRUST him, but are aware such things are his specialty.

The First-Spawns

The almost mythical First-Spawn Royal Changelings, among the very first Royal Changelings to appear after their Progenitor parents, are widely regarded with fear and reverence; rightfully so, for short of the Progenitors themselves, they are the most powerful Changelings in existence, capable of laying waste to entire lands by themselves and dwarf the more contemporary Royal Changelings in might as a roach is to a pony. While the range in practice actually covers the First to Tenth generation of Royal Changelings, they are all collectively classified as one group due to their renown status.

One of the oddities regarding the existence of the First Spawns is that there’s a disproportionate level of disparity between the Spring and Summer Courts in numbers of First-Spawns, and none seem to be present in the modern day. The latter problem was explained by the changelings themselves as due to the fact that, at some points between the Thirty to Fiftieth-Spawn Eras, many of them had started to go into hibernation, willingly or unwillingly entering stasis-cocoons to sleep through the ages, for all variety of reasons.

The former problem is more enigmatic: First-Spawn Royal Changelings are almost nearly non-existent in the Spring Court, with very few known or remembered by any common or Royal Changeling of later eras, while records concerning their identities and exploits were conspicuously absent.

What is known was that it was attributed to a traumatic event in Changeling history that has once left the Spring Court in ruins, and was directly responsible for the change in temperament of Empress Blackrose. For her part, this is known to be deeply tragic to Blackrose, and mention or recollection of said event will likely drive the Changeling Empress to tears.

Having not suffered a similar devastation during its history, at least not to the scale of that event, the Royal First-Spawns of the Summer Court are said to still be in existent; meanwhile, none has discounted the possibility that some Royal First-Spawns of the Spring Court may have survived. In either case, the Progenitors had chosen to neither confirm or deny anything concerning them.

Whatever the case, it is conceivable that all of them, for now, either hiding, or slumbering in stasis somewhere in the remote corners of the world, their former hives turned into grand mausoleums housing their form, waiting for their masters to reawaken. One shudders to imagine what would happen if even one of them were to reappear in the present day…

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.

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 THEFALSE 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.

Notable Changelings (1)

Other Notable Individuals of the Changeling Courts Pt 1

Princess Imago Avalon

Court Affiliation: Winter (Technically Spring/Autumn)

“HEEEY, EARWIG! WHAT’S UP, YOU FAT OLD C**K SUCKER!” -- Imago to Viceroy Earwig, demonstrating her basic level of respect for others.

“Imago’s a bucking psycho, but she's our big sis, you know... so what can you do?” -- Vordul, on his sister, telling the true events of the pool game incident.

When they say “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”, this is the rotten, worm-infested crabapple they’re talking about.

Every-pony known an Imago Avalon once or twice at some point in their lives. The resident psycho of the group. They’re frightening not just because they’re violent, but because they're extremely unpredictable too. Someone whose brain seems hardwired to explode at any moment, at anypony, for any reason it no reason. One wrong word or glance their way and there will be consequences.

They don't need to do drugs or alcohol. They get off just doing people. Their own sensory addiction. Like when their playing pool and they say you put them off by looking at ‘em (even though you didn’t so much as cast them a glance), so they crack their cue over your head. Then they’ll finish regaling their version of the story to their mates and carelessly fling their pint glass backward off the pub balcony they’re sitting on. Then after the stray glass smashes some mare on the head, they march down the stairs, demand to know who did it and kick some guy in the groin with a warrior cry after they (quite rightly) yell at them, “WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!”

This is who Imago Avalon, the eldest of Chrysalis Avalon, the Great Renegade’s three most well-known nymphs (amidst a sizeable swarm of other lesser known spawns), always has been and will be, going back to the very beginning. Queen Chryssie knew from the start that this one was going to be trouble, she said so herself, after having spent hours struggling excruciatingly to lay her egg, her ovipositor receiving a ghastly gash in the process.

Changeling hatchlings are naturally vicious and have to be handled with care, but Imago proved something else all together. She’d bite, scratch and headbutted a hatchling, any changeling who came within five hooves of her and has been document as the first in generations to outright kill her nursemaid. It was during an ambrosia feeding, some young, inexperienced worker took her eyes off her for one minute and she left the room in a body bag with her jugular torn open. The Praetorian Guard in the room at the time, Echo Echo, successfully intervened and restrained the feral grub in the firm embrace of her foreleg. Imago soon calmed down and fell asleep in the guard’s grip.

Prompted by the incident, Chrysalis eventually came to a rather unorthodox decision regarding her daughter’s upbringing: the young Princess was placed under the charge of the praetorian guard, who had been proven themselves more capable in handling her where the traditional nursemaids failed.

These formative years under the Guards’ care have had the most fundamental impact on the changeling Imago was to become. Nicknaming her ‘Little Chomper’, they succeeded in constructively channeling Imago’s more monstrous urges. Echo Echo, her primary guardian, personally trained her in the arts of shape-shifting and combat from as early as she sprouted legs, not shying away from teaching her the most effective methods to ice a pony. On top of being raised on an intense high-love and high-calorie Praetorian diet for about a decade, she’s over-sized and incredibly strong for any nymph her age.

It’s a shame the Guard couldn’t instill within Imago anything close to resembling discipline. Then again, given who they were dealing with and how this elite military is packed with some of the most violent whack jobs in the Hive, what chance did that ever stand of happening? If anything, they just gave Imago her tools

So now let’s say you're a bulky, pugnacious mini-psycho more than twice the size of your cohorts, and bonus, what do you know? You've got a crown on top of your head. How'd you pass the time whenever the Praetorian let you off the leash of the barracks?

You roam around the Hive with your pack of cronies, stirring up crap and terrorizing and beating the living tar out of the peons, of course. And if they or any grownup try saying anything about it, flash them that clown and they'll quickly shut their traps. The sight of the one or two guards always loitering nearby also does the trick. Even to those with some authority she makes sure to demonstrate her full disrespect.

It's borderline impulsive for Imago. Just look at her relationship with her family. Slug, her brother, she couldn't give two steaming piles of dung about, yet at same point she just up and decided to make her little sister, Pupa, her favourite punching bag. Anytime Pupa says or does something that annoys Imago in the slightest, BAM. Or sometimes she’ll just be sitting there, reading. POW. It’s nigh pointless to ask why Imago targets her so much. Best one can gather is that a weak nerdling like Pupa is just too easy a target to ignore. Even Imago herself doesn’t really know, and more importantly, doesn’t care.

Her relationship with her mother is distant, there’s definitely a wall there between them, most likely due to her upbringing. There’s most likely a part of her that somewhat resents Chrysalis, but for the most part, she doesn’t have much regard for the old mare. Even the crown and the throne she viewed as a means of screwing people over more directly, except this way she could take her issues out onto the world stage as well.

In the ongoing Great Reconciliation and after Chrysalis’ toppling from power, Imago now lives with her family in exile in Mount Ignis as part of the Winter Court, the volcano in which her mother was banished to centuries ago, now converted into a makeshift sub-hive from which her mother’s Royal Government in Exile operates (even though only her mother was officially banished). If anything, amongst the vermin of the Winter Court, Imago is more at home than she’s ever been. Now veering closer to the full-fledged adolescence, here she’s free to exercise every monstrous urge in her body without the royal harness (if only slightly) restraining her. And at least here in this Court, she can pick fights with those who won’t just take her abuse and will give her a worthy fight. So far, under a year since their exile, she’s directly caused at least ten public brawls in several Winter Hives in which there have been fatalities.

Don’t take Imago for some thick-headed brute who only thinks with her hooves, though. She’s got a damn sharp mind and knows how to play some fool. Hell, she’s got an ever-growing list of creatively brutal insults logged in her brain. It’s just that isn’t gonna do much good when you surrender yourself to the ultra-violence and see red as frequently as Imago does.

She’s got a few hobbies too. She plays a black and fuschia guitar, its type magically changing at the turn of a dial, and nopony can deny she’s got chops. Just don’t interrupt her while she’s trying to play; she’s had to have her guitar repaired dozens of times because she keeps using it as her weapon of choice to break over people’s heads. Another pastime of hers is Hoofball, the one thing imported from Equestria into her people’s culture she does like. Changeling Hoofball is dominated by the taller, stronger females of their species and there are virtually no regulations compared to its Equestrian equivalent, so Imago naturally fits right in. She regained her nickname ‘Little Chomper’ after three incidents of her biting off a rival player’s ear.

If she’s never going to be a Queen, and it’s increasingly looking like she never will, then she already has a few potential career paths. However, as Imago can only ever be herself, that’s not what she’s interested in. She doesn’t care about becoming a musician or pro athlete. Becoming head of a criminal syndicate doesn’t appeal to her in the slightest. In all honesty, she never cared all that much about becoming Queen. All Imago cares about is feeding her addiction. To fight, to shove around, and to kill.

You could call Imago the one changeling for whom being banished to the Winter Court was the best thing that could have ever happened to her.

Prince/Captain Polistes Lyonesse / “The Gentlecolt Corsair” / “The Pirate Prince”

Court Affiliation: Autumn

"When you buy a new parachute, tell them the Prince sent you!"

Polistes was born to a Pegasus tinkerer whom Changeling Emperor Blackthorn laid with on a whim. Freewheeling and jovial, and holding to a somewhat noble set of ethics, Polistes is the antithesis of everything a Royal Changeling Spawn of Blackthorn often are -- save for his love of loot and a good fight.

Polistes' previous life as a Pegasus instilled a fascination with all forms of flight: anything from his form's own natural abilities to machine-borne aviation thrilled him, and his mother gleefully encouraged this obsession. Polistes would spend hours sketching out blueprints for revolutionary designs decades ahead of their time, from aircraft concepts to prosthetic wings.

This attracted much ire from Pegasi in the mountain town he and his mother lived in: the mere IDEA of a flying machine was considered deviant, or even outright blasphemy, by many Pegasi at the time. (An absentee father didn’t help their reputations, either.) Despite increasingly dark mumblings around the town, they simply ignored the naysayers and kept on tinkering and experimenting...until things came to a head one night, when a mob of fanatical Pegasi attacked the family workshop.

In the ensuing melee, Polistes’ True Nature manifested itself as he defended his now-aged mother from the angry mob. Taking advantage of the attackers’ fear, the pair managed to escape in their masterpiece: a dirigible airship, cobbled together from scrap and jury-rigged parts. Ramshackle though it was, the revolutionary creation left the hateful town in the dust; hiding in clouds and fog banks to throw off any straggling pursuers, who were desperate to find the “demon” who had escaped their grasp. Not wanting to subject his dear mother to life as a fugitive, Polistes soon helped her find a new, more enlightened settlement to start anew in; taking the airship with him after a tearful goodbye from his beloved mother.

It wasn’t long before Polistes finished his Errance and Blackthorn revealed himself and Polistes’ true origins, promising power and revenge on his zealous pursuers. Polistes accepted the offer immediately... or rather, he seemed to.

His interests hadn’t been solely those of aviation. Polistes had heard old fables and legends of the Unseelie Fae, and knew of their cruelty. Vengeful though he was, he wasn’t going to let his father wipe an entire town off the map - whether to avenge his son's treatment or any other motive. He agreed to let a platoon of Changeling warriors to raid his former home village -- after he “scouted” the place in his airship.

Under cover of night, he quietly returned to the town, warning those who hadn’t been among the mob of what was coming. All he deemed innocent of his exile were ferried out of the town on board the airship to safety, away from the ravenous raiders. When Blackthorn’s promised raiders descended on the town at first light lead by Polistes and his ship, they found the place deserted... save for the members of the mob of fanatics, tied to posts and blindfolded.

They were drained dry and provided a good meal, but it was clear to all what had happened. Blackthorn, though disappointed at his spawn’s defiance and show of mercy to mortals (All of whom he had considered a liability, knowing Polistes' existence, as the Masquerade was still in force at that time), he was nonetheless impressed at his duplicity and quick thinking. He forbade Polistes from joining the Changeling Summer Court, but let him leave in peace, taking a few drones with him.

With a small crew of misfit Changelings, a cobbled-together airship, and an unfamiliar world in front of him, Polistes became one of the first air-pirates. The covert evacuation had stirred something within him: the mob and his TRUE family both saw beings unlike them as lesser, be it heretics and abominations, or food and liabilities. His new form might let him take a few louts who thought that way down...and heck; why not get rich, while he's at it?

Today he is known as 'The Gentlecolt Cosair' or 'The Pirate Prince', hunting the skies for loot and riches with his subjects/gang, “The Wild Cards”... but rarely stealing from those who wouldn’t recover from some lost cargo, and NEVER showing more brutality than is needed. Stories abound of his crew performing medical aid on the passengers and crew of zeppelins they’ve boarded and raided; Polistes has even shot down some of his own pilots for trying to strafe parachuting enemies or bystanders on the ground. He has guided stricken hospital ships to safe ports, once even sending some crew to help deliver a foal on board a luxury liner he had been raiding. (The grateful parents reportedly shook his hoof and thanked him, and were exempted from hoofing over their valuables).

His most daring feat to date, however, has been a stunning raid on a film studio in Applewood. After learning that famed Griffon actress Helga Greywing, star of the classic The Trotese Falcon, was languishing under the brutish director Colton Marentino--barred from quitting by her contract, confined to her trailer most of the day; Polistes and his crew decided to snatch the starlet. Sending in crew disguised as camera-ponies to tip the actress off, the 'Stolen Starlet Caper' was launched.

With their zeppelin and flyers providing a spectacular, heavily-armed distraction, the fake camera crew sneaked onto the set and spirited Miss Greywing out of her trailer. This lead to a harrowing chase throughout the studio--oftentimes in an armored steam-car -- with the apoplectic director leading the charge, throwing a screaming fit as the pirates escaped with his leading lady by ramping their steam-car off a stunt ramp and into a net carried by a team of Changelings. Freed from her contract, Helga lived the pirate high life for a few days, signing autographs for the jubilant crew and even dancing with Polistes in his private quarters late in the evening.

Ever the actress, she even staged an “escape” from the Changeling pirate, which they rehearsed, dramatically leaping through the Ransom's hangar doors and flying back to Applewood...where she then revealed Colton Marentino’s horrid treatment of her, quipping “It’s truly a sad state when getting kidnapped by pirates is a relief!” With the lead actress now a hero for escaping pirates AND the director now disgraced as a brute, it wasn’t a surprise when Helga Greywing herself soon took over the project.

The film, Bitalian Holiday, would become a beloved classic.

Polistes is something of a drifter, and thus doesn’t have much contact with the other Royal Changelings. His brothers in the Summer Court hate him with a demonic passion -- he is undoubtedly a black sheep among Blackthorn’s spawn -- but a steady stream of cash, loot, and treasure acquired in his adventures has placated the Progenitor enough to hold his sons back from going after their prodigal brother. Plus, Blackthorn secretly finds Polistes’ antics amusing: a “dashing rogue” Changeling Prince is quite the novelty, if nothing else.

His theft of an experimental Neighponese plane hasn’t endeared him to Changeling Queen Supia (To say nothing of her sisters or his brothers there), but it’s unlikely she’d eat him alive out of hoof for such a stunt. Polistes isn’t taking any chances, though, and avoids Neighponese airspace whenever possible.

Polistes’ two closest allies/rivals, however, are Overseer Crazy Ant and the pirate princess Captain Mimetidae. Crazy Ant’s isolated island fiefdom and large industrial base make the perfect spot for repairs and refueling, when Polistes doesn’t feel like heading to the many pirate havens and secret airfields he knows of. Crazy is often happy to help out--ever the pragmatist, if he can bargain for a stolen blueprint of some wonderful gadget or shipment of fuel, he’ll let the “Pirate Prince” dock in his airfields. He keeps the pirates at a foreleg’s length, though; not wanting his realm to be seen as a rogue state.

Mimetidae, a fellow pirate--though strictly a seaborne one--approves of her counterpart’s often outlandish adventures and strict code of ethics, but is wary of his love of money and riches. She’ll grit her fangs whenever she reads of him going after someone who ISN’T really all that evil, regardless of his merciful conduct and relatively bloodless methods. She will still join him on a raid on a particularly malicious, and lucrative, target though.

=== Every Captain needs a vessel ===

Polistes’ entire Hive/crew operates out of his flagship, the King’s Ransom -- a massive, ten-engined zeppelin bristling with mounted weapons, armor, and even a launch bay for its compliment of aircraft; two full squadrons of souped-up armed aeroflyers - 'Flighters' - that act as escorts and quick-strike raiders alongside the “natural” flyers like Pegasi, Griffons, and Changelings among his crew.

Polistes himself pilots an experimental plane* he stole in a daring raid on a testing facility in Neighpon. Dubbed the “Problem Child”, the rocket-boosted semi-ornithopter strike-craft can reach speeds only outmatched by exceptionally gifted flyers, and its hydraulic-catapult auto-cannons can shred most targets. (Polistes knows, though doesn’t admit, that he’d likely get destroyed with ease if he engaged exceptionally dangerous flyers like Rainbow Dash in a one-on-one dogfight -- he has no illusions on the limitations of his machine--it WAS only experimental when he stole it, after all.)

The Ransom herself is a relatively recent acquisition. Formally a freighter under Equestria’s Royal Airship Company, until Polistes, disguised as a Griffon high-roller, won her from a high-ranking company executive years ago in a blackjack game in Las Neighgas. (Getting the large and very expensive cargo zep to be offered as gambling collateral in the first place was achieved with a barrage of heavy drinks and smooth-talking.)

A true marvel of magi-tech engineering, the King's Ransom's fire-suppression runes and reinforced gasbags severely reduce the danger of fire, even when the airship must fill up with hydrogen. Many a foe has found a barrage of incendiary rounds, fireballs and even--if the rumors are to be believed--a burst of dragonfire have failed to make the airship burst into flames as expected. Even when severely burned and singed she has managed to limp away and put in for repairs in a friendly port. A slew of minor gravity-nullifying enhancements allow her to carry a larger payload than most lighter-than-air craft her size--including the “Royal Treatment”: a large naval cannon mounted on her underside, capable of blowing fortified walls and hangar doors to smithereens; and discouraging pursuit by naval ships and even airborne monsters. Rumors even persist of an infamous sea serpent near the Taurus Peninsula receiving a nasty wound due to catching an armor-piercing round near the eye.

* (…)

Prince Slug Avalon aka ‘Vordul’

Court Affiliation: Winter (Technically Spring/Autumn)

“YOU EMBARRASSED ME IN FRONT OF HER!” -- Vordul, during the Lake Incident.

After another arduous ordeal popping out her second, larger egg, Chrysalis’ immediate reaction was one of bitter disappointed when, upon hatching, a male grub rolled out from the mess of shell fragments and slime. On top of being a racial supremacist, Chrysalis is shameless in her misandry. In her eyes, males are only worthy as disposable mooks and walking sperm banks.

She may have straight-up devoured the default “worthless” grub then and there, but when she scooped him up in her hooves, mulling over whether or not to pop the little morsel down her gullet like a piece of popcorn chicken, something unfathomable happened. He was adorable. The pudgy mewed for his mother, begging her to care and feed him, and Chrysalis’ withered heart melted like a stick of butter. She ordered the nursemaids to fetch a gallon of ambrosia for him; he lapped up every last drop.

Chrysalis would go on that evening to name the hatchling ‘Slug’. A most unroyal name for royalty, but the Queen’s word was final. She said it was because he reminded her so much of a fat garden slug slowly writhing in her hooves.

Next to his two sisters, Prince Slug has experienced a much more unorthodox of upbringings in the Hive, if not the most sedentary. His gender alone excluded him from a spot in line to the throne and any of the pressures that came with that position. His inherent pudginess was a flimsy excuse for Chrysalis to exempt from military training and service (nopony was going to defy her on this). Academics weren’t his strong suit either, being barely literate and only able to count using his hooves. He could list you all his favourite celebrities and sportsponies without missing a beat.

What sets him apart most from his sisters is how his mother has had the most direct involvement in his upbringing. Slug has spent entire days since hatchlinghood curled half-asleep against his mother in her chambers like some pampered pet, both of them splayed out on her royal rug to indulge in every royal decadence in the book. She drinks wine and smokes from a giant shisha pipe. Slug mindlessly plays on his GameColt as he guzzles all kinds of delights; cakes, live creepy-crawlies and enough love to feed the hive’s entire nymph population. Unsurprisingly, his weight ballooned.

Slug has never been very popular amongst his sisters or his peers. In a society where each member is expected to play their part and contribute to the embetterment of the Hive in some way, shape or form, you’re not going to be that well-like when you’re a massively useless blob of blubber with all the charm and wit of, well, a garden slug. Not that Slug cares. And why would he? All things considered, up until his mother’s dethronement, his life so far has been sweet: Queen Mommy’s favourite, all the love any nymph could want or need and not a damn thing anyling else can do about it. Who would complain?

He even has the audacity to shape an identity for himself as an ‘Original Gangsta’, donning a thick blue Neighke hoodie, a purple beanie, a pair of sports shades and a gold chain necklace. The kind of crap that would earn any other wannabe poser their teeth getting knocked down their throat.

But even before the Great Reconciliation, the Hive Life wasn’t all peaches and cream for the corpulent Prince. In fact, one of the key moments of Slug’s life occurred during this time, taking place approximately one year before the Canterlot Invasion. It was brought about, of course, by the one thing which vexes the males of every species: Girls.

Slug had reached that point in his young life where females no longer seemed ‘icky’ to him. In fact, apart from eating, they became all he could think about. There was one nymph in particular whom he’d become fascinated with: Mimick, the gorgeous daughter of one of the Hive’s Matriarchs. Being the sheltered colt he was, Slug had no experience with the ladies, nor did he exactly have the physique of a Praetorian guard, leaving him to drool over Mimick from afar. His mother assured him none of that mattered:

“You’re royalty, sweetheart. She can’t exactly say ‘no’. Any nymph would be a fool not to throw themselves on you.”

Then ‘the Lake Incident’ happened.

One autumn morning by the green glow of the Hive’s lake, Slug, with all his lil’ gangsta swagger, sauntered up to Mimick and her friends to try and ask her out. Yep, it was as cringe worthy as you’d expect, but Mimick could do only stand there and smile and giggle. His plan was to invite her out on a date on the hive peeks that evening, and Mimick may have awkwardly accepted if, at the moment, Chirps hadn’t intervened. Chirps, a scrawny male nymph of the high-caste and dim-witted miniature brute, also had his eyes on Mimick and he didn’t appreciate Slug trying to move in on his “girl”.

A... ‘scuffle’ (yeah, let’s call it that) broke out between the tub of goo and the shrimpy pissant, which resulted in the former being shoved into the lake in front of the gathering crowd. Now it could’ve ended then and there with the soaked Prince walking off with whatever dignity he had left. But nothing could have prepared anyling for what happened next.

Imago was there when it happened, having been watching the fight out of some detached amusement with her friends on top a nearby slab of rock. Then she heard a nymph shriek, followed by a chorus of screams of horror. She looked back down and this is what she later described to her mother:

“He ate him. Yeah, Slug, uh... he ate Chirps. He just grabbed him, shoved him in his mouth and then he buckin’ swallowed him! ... yeah, I know, it was unreal! I think I saw his jaw unhinge or somthin’, like watching a buckin’ snake eat a gerbil! ...I know! Slug was totally out of his mind!”

Chrysalis kept Slug inside the royal castle/chambers and out of public view for a while after his little ‘incident’. He was pretty shaken up; he tucked himself into his cocoon ‘sleeping bag’ and didn’t leave his mother’s side for days. He swore again and again to his mother that he didn’t mean to do it and Chrysalis promised she believed him, though in actuality, she didn’t really care. She was just taken back by the absurdity of the situation. All she had to contend with was Chirps’ indignant mother demanding justice for her poor baby buggy; she just laughed in her face and told her to buzz off.

The whole affair would work out in Slug’s favour. He got over his guilt pretty quickly after a couple trips to the bathroom. His image as a self-proclaimed savage gangsta finally had some credit, which he could tell by the flash of fear in their eyes every time he bared his teeth. Mimick began to tail him like a pilot fish wherever he went (he soon got tired of her: he gets a new GF every six months or so). One day, Slug appeared walking about the hive with new gang, sporting a new golden chain that read the word, ‘VORDUL’. That was his new street name: Vordul, the Voracious.

These days, in the wake of his mother's fall from power, Vordul resides with his family in the sub-hive/redoubt of Mount Ignis in exile. He’s still the same wannabe gangsta he always was, complete with his interchangeable Moll and posse of fellow wannabes, but he at least now lives in a Court where he can pursue his chosen career without any royal shackles holding him down.

His life goal is now to rise through the ranks of the Winter Court’s criminal hierarchy, become the head of his own syndicates, crush the rival syndicates and become undisputed ruler of the whole, entire court. So yeah, perfectly reasonable expectations.

Queens Mara and Bunta/Queen Marabunta Avalon

Court Affiliation: Spring

"We are..."

"...one and the same..."

Queens Mara and Bunta are unique among queens by virtue of being identical twin sisters, born from the exact same egg. As such the two are physically identical in every way except for magic color (Mara's is red and Bunta's is blue). Personality wise, the two are relative opposites, with Mara being more hotblooded and energetic while her sister is more stoic and composed. Also relatively unique is they rule a single hive rather than two separate hives.

Their primary feeding style is symbiotic, with their drones often joining in sibling-like relationships with ponies, pretending to be twin siblings of theirs. Prior to the breaking of the Masquerade, this was often done simply by replacing a twin sibling that had died of natural causes to continue living on, often with the sibling's blessing. Now a days, it's done in a far more mutually accepting 'as close as siblings' fashion, and many previous 'sibling' sets have fully accepted each other as 'blood brothers/sisters'.

The hive also has a small peculiarity of having a rather high number of twin births.

The two have several unique qualities as a result of their nature as twin sisters. The first of which is telepathy, the two being able to speak and communicate with one another mentally at any time no matter how far they are apart. However, the strangest ability their twin nature grants them is a quirk involving their transformation ability. Namely, they can merge together via transformation into a single gestalt queen known as Queen Marabunta. This merged queen is both stronger than her components by a huge margin, but twice their size and able to assume forms larger than would otherwise be possible for a Changeling Queen to (though loses access to smaller forms), and has larger love reserves. Marabunta is a gestalt of her two component's personality, being a composed, well rounded being.

This ability is expanded into their hive, who are all capable of this merging ability, though more limited than their queens are. These gestalts have a fusion of their components personalities, and is often seen as being a deep personal connection between the components, but can be exceptionally unstable. EXTREMELY close bonds may result in a 'permafusion' of the two that remains merged permanently. However, they can also perform this fusion with their Queens at their command, forming larger and more powerful Queens. The largest, formed from the entire hive merged with their queens being the same size and relative power as Queen Supia, but also rather mentally unstable and having a slightly slower reaction time due to all the merged minds composing it.

Queen Ithomiini Avalon/Movie Bug

Court Affiliation: Spring

"Ponies love the films, darling."

Queen Ithomiini is one of the younger Queens and one of the most 'modern' in her methods. Her father was a buff for the budding film industry, and passed the love on to his daughter. From a young age, the Queen gained a very large appreciation for the arts, and so when she established her hive, she decided to make it a little different.

Hive Ithomiini is better known to the outside world as Movie Bug Studios, a rather famous and influential film company. Her subjects serve primarily as special effects artists and actors, though some are directors and writers and Ithomiini is the theater's head, in her guise of Movie Bug. Normal pony actors, directors, writers, and so on are also hired. Using Changeling Shape-shifting and abilities, they've managed to make very well received films, which also plays into Queen Ithomiini's plan for her people to feed. They feed off the admiration and love of the fans of their movies and performances as their primary source of nourishment, which thus far has been working extremely well for them.

Ithomiini is somewhat egotistical, but generally nice and a good boss to her subordinates, as she has too much respect for the craft to be cruel to those working hard on it. She can be a bit of a perfectionist due to this same mentality, which has been good for her movies thus far. She occasionally acts herself just for fun and is very involved with her hive/studio's operations.

Following the breaking of the Masquerade, things haven't really changed all that much for the hive. They still make films and to some degree they've become even more popular, due to them being made by something so interesting. Funnily enough, some of the actors working as Movie Bug Studios claim they weren't surprised, as some of the effects seemed almost too good to have been made by ponies - Because they weren't.

Daguva Lyonesse, the Bloody King

Court Affiliation: Winter

"Survival of the fittest is nature's game! And we're all players!"

One of the very few Summer Court Changelings to be 'Condemned to Winter', Daguva Lyonesse is particularly infamous for several reasons. The first is being a Deviant, namely an albino, which caused many of his siblings to mock him. This continued until one day until Daguva, with a serene smile on his face, tore one of his brother's horn off and impaled him with it. Few underestimated Daguva after that. This is the second reason for his infamy: Daguva is psychopathic even by the Summer Court's standards.

The exact circumstances of Daguva's birth are unknown, except he's one of the older Kings, if not one of the 'First Spawns' (records are hazy). What is known is he is never without a smile on his face, and rarely without blood on his hooves. Violent and sadistic, Daguva has a very social darwinist worldview, with some noting he and King Brachion likely would've gotten along well. Daguva, however, sees nature in a different way: namely that survival of the fittest is a game. The weak only exist to be 'points' for the strong to claim by destroying them.

This is reflected in how his hive functions: each member of the hive has a ranking, with an annual 'game' being played to decide who gets to move up in rank, with enhancements freely given to those who progress in rank. The top rank then gets to challenge him, with the reward for victory being devouring him and taking his place. This game, however, is one of the reasons he was banished. Namely, it was seeing how many 'prey' species (IE, anything with love in their heart) could be drained of love and killed in the allotted time in a variety of twisted ways. In essence, King Daguva conditioned his hive to be an entire hive of serial killers. This eventually got him banished, as it soon became clear Daguva didn't care at all about the Masquerade, or even the continued existence of the species the Changelings fed on. Daguva managed to escape death by surviving his father's attempted execution without his smile ever leaving his face, an act which impressed his father enough to let him live, albeit on the hit list of his siblings.

However, Daguva's reign of terror did eventually end when an unknown, and quite powerful Autumn Court Changeling (some legends suggesting the Amber Royal themself) managed to best him, resulting in the Bloody King and his hive being sealed away in stasis where they supposedly remain to this day.

Daguva's appearance is unmistakable and a stark contrast to most Changelings. Being an albino, his exoskeleton is stark white in color, and his most commonly worn regalia being gold. He resembles a stag beetle in his appearance and constantly has a smile on his face. Even his pony disguises are known for possessing snow white coats. Daguva, being an older Changeling King, is also incredibly powerful, and is well known for having the ability of Pyrokinesis. His physical durability, or at least force of will, was sufficient enough to survive an execution attempt by his father, though badly injured.

Daguva's current whereabouts are unknown, but it is believed he still remains dormant in his prison, waiting the day he can be released upon the world and continue his twisted game.

Xestobium Lyonesse

Court Affiliation: Winter

"When vengeance is all that remains, nothing else matters."

Xestobium was one of the notable members of the Summer Court who was not driven by deceit and more nefarious ends, but that did not make him by any means benevolent. Quite the opposite.

Xestobium was born to a knight of a now-destroyed kingdom. His early life was uneventful until his awakening to his True Nature, but unlike most Changeling Kings, he genuinely loved his people...that all changed when a Dragon attacked and leveled his kingdom, killing his family and costing him a front leg. Despite this, his Awakening gave him the power needed to prevail, and he slew the dragon before he underwent his Errance, which ended with his True Father escorting him into the ranks of the Summer Court, where he managed to create a magical prosthetic to replace his lost limb.

Xestobium at first appeared more noble, seeking out malignant dragons and slaying them, with he and his hive feeding off the love of those he saved. While most Changelings are no fans of Dragons, Xestobium was even more so and far more fanatical in his hatred, which would inevitably increase upon learning of the historical enmity between the two species. However, his hatred only grew until it festered into something... maniacally obsessive.

When he declared he would not rest until Dragonkind were extinct, most of his siblings laughed or mocked him; after all, if that were something the Summer Court was capable of, it would've been done. It's not like they hadn’t attempted this before - The Time of Broken Scales was the closest they had come to achieving that end - but even then, it had taken the resources of the entire Court, with their sire/grand-sire directing their schemes and efforts. How could Xestobium possibly hope to succeed by himself, where all their other attempts had not (or yet to) bore fruit?

Unfortunately, unaware of the grief, loss and rage that had consumed his heart, they had no clue how utterly insane their brother had become beneath his easy going and generally composed surface. And to one devoid of reason, no goal would seem hopeless or impossible to accomplish.

It would soon come to light when Xestobium stole massive amounts of explosives and unstable magical artifacts and blew up an entire island with them. This was at first believed to be due to the dragons living there, but Queen Dazzleglow soon approached Emperor Blackthorn with news that caused Blackthorn to take a personal interest in seeing Xestobium's plan thwarted: the island was the first of several major mana focuses along the continent of Draconia, Leyline convergence points or ‘nexuses’. If all were detonated and a proper ritual casted, then the entire 'Ring of Fire' (a highly volcanically active zone formed from plate boundaries which made the area inhospitable to most species but paradise to the dragons) would be set off all at once in a cataclysmic event that would likely destroy the Dragon Lands.

However, due to the nature of the Ring of Fire, many territories the Hives of the Summer Court either inhabited, conquered or had stake in would also be destroyed. It was eventually revealed that the mad King had come to view his own kind to be as much blights on the world as the Dragons and desired their destruction as well. After all, they would destroy kingdoms to advance their power - how different were they from the dragons, who would destroy kingdoms out of greed?

Things were even worse than that, as Dazzleglow would reveal: if such a detonation was to occur, it would essentially trigger a mass extinction event via a volcanic ice age. It's unknown if Xestobium was aware of this fact, or would even care if he knew, but one thing was certain: the survival of the Changeling race is now threatened, as is everyone else, and survival is a cornerstone of the Changeling Creed.

While the exact details of their communication were unknown, what is is Blackthorn agreed to some pre-agreed alliance with his Spring Court counterpart - presumably through the Throne Accords - and descended on Xestobium's position with both Courts in tow, with all but one of the leyline points having been prepared for his ‘Final Reset'.

However, by this point Xestobium had already run afoul with both Captain Mimetidae Avalon and Captain Polistes Lyonesse. After a series of fights that saw the two realize both were outmatched by Xestobium individually, the two joined forces and engaged him in a final battle, with the rest of his hive fighting their crews until the courts arrived and swiftly overwhelmed the now Winter Court hive alongside them, with Dazzleglow pointing out how three of the four Courts were, however briefly, aligned. After a fierce showdown in the caldera of a volcano, Mimetidae and Poliste managed to bring down Xestobium and sabotage his ritual before it could set off the detonation.

Xestobium found himself confronted with his father, along with Empress Blackrose Titania Avalon and many Kings AND Queens. Blackthorn admitted he was impressed, and to some degree proud when Xestobium refused to go quietly and flung himself against odds he couldn't hope to win against both Changeling Progenitors, but after a brief, one-sided struggle, the two obliterated the King.

Xestobium was noted as having a rather affably attitude, being rather sane by his Court's standards on the outside, inside he was consumed by utter hatred and rage, both for Dragons and ultimately his own kind to a genocidal degree. Blackthorn also admitted Xestobium was one of his more cunning and intelligent children, having managed to deceive the majority of his family as to what his true goals are. Dazzleglow has admitted she's uncertain if that included Blackthorn or if Blackthorn knew of them but used it as a means to force Blackrose to join forces with him at least once. Regardless, the fact his endgame came so close to success despite the forces assembled against him shows how intelligent he was. Above all else, Xestobium does not know the meaning of quit, even when confronted by odds he had no way of winning. In fact, Blackthorn even notes his self-destructive charge may have been a last ditch attempt to set off his endgame by using his Primordial Quintessence released by his death to set it off, but Blackthorn countered this with a prepared spell.

In terms of combat ability, Xestobium was raised from birth to be a warrior, and was a trained knight by the time his awakening happened. Afterwards, he continued to train and grow in skill to the point of being able to overwhelm Captain Mimetidae Avalon and Captain Polistes Lyonesse individually, and push them united. This was aided by his prosthetic limb, which was enchanted and imbued with countless artifacts and a powerful weapon as a result. Even with it shattered in the final fight, he had a normal prosthetic hidden beneath it to continue the battle.

While defeated, Xestobium proved himself to be a dangerous foe that proved a threat to the world at large. And owing that his Hive was loyal to him even to the end, there may be some surviving subjects who might wish to carry on where he had failed...

Princess Apterus, the Accursed Child

Court Affiliation: Formally Uncatagorized, as she was never officially accepted into any/Spring

“I will have what’s mine returned!”

Many wonder given the hatred between the species if Prince/King Thorax, the Sanctified One and Dragon Lord Ember are indeed the first of the two to ever bury the hatchet and form any kind of relationship, be it platonic or otherwise. They are simply the first ACCEPTED case.

For the first case, one need look no further to the Tragedy of Princess Apterus, product of the forbidden love of a Changeling Queen and a Dragon Lord, which now stood as proof of why meddling in affairs of the heart can have disastrous consequences.

Apterus's mother Queen Acherontia was born via a member of the Crystal Empire royal family, and always noted for being 'selfish', even by herself. This did not mean she didn't love her family and hive, but it did mean that she put her own personal desires above what anyone else thought of her. This included her pursuit of Dark Magic, becoming one of the most adapt in either Court at its mastery, but despite what many of her sisters would say, she did not become corrupted by it, even if she did experience concealed physical deformities from its constant use. This made her very powerful among her siblings, but also feared and disliked. Her lack of concern for other's feelings towards her became most apparent when she began a secret love with a Dragon Lord named Vulcan, who loved her with all his heart. From their forbidden love was born Apterus, to this date the first known Dragon/Changeling hybrid. Her very existence, once it was made known, quickly became a point of fear and loathing.

The racial conflict between her parents' species was naturally a chief reason for this, but the other reason was her potential. Like her mother she would possess the magical strength and cunning of a Royal Changeling, like her father she would possess the sheer strength and power of a Dragon. Like her mother love could make her stronger, like her father greed could spark incredible growth. The sheer destructive potential of the child made both Courts and Dragon Queen Tiamat see her as a threat.

Due to the hatred between the races, neither would permit the other to decide the fate of the child, for fear the other would somehow use them as a weapon against their side. The end result was...catastrophic. For her part, Changeling Empress Blackrose admitted it was one of the events that had ultimately fully broken her bitterness and tempered her hatred towards those who wronged her.

Not long after her existence is exposed, Dragons and Changelings of both Courts descended upon Hive Acherontia, all three having their own intentions and fighting both one another and the might of the two rulers of the hive. In the end, Blackrose and Dragon King Bahamut both ordered their side enough was enough and sealed their star crossed children away, as much as punishment for what they'd done... and to protect them from those more wrathful than them. To their credit, they imprisoned the two lovers together, sharing the terrible burden and any subsequent regrets.

As for Apterus, she was nowhere to be found, and was believed to be killed in the crossfire. What no one knew was that she had been taken by a member of the Summer Court, one King Sanguinea, would kidnap her and raise her to be his weapon. To say Sanguinea was a poor father is a gigantic understatement, as even his own brothers considered him more fit for the Winter Court than their own with his treatment of his subjects and offspring, earning him the title of 'The Slaver King'. Apterus throughout her entire childhood likely never heard the word love directed her way, much less freely given, rather it had to be taken by draining if she was to live at all. Sanguinea treated the child as a weapon, not a living being.

This resulted in Apterus's mental state being incredibly unstable, having never matured mentally, emotionally, or morally from childhood despite the facade of her father's stoic personal slave driver she played in the hive. But for over hundreds of years, Apterus was used by her father for this role and as an assassin, unaware of her true nature or actual power and concealed as a Common Changeling. Sanguinea's end goal was let loose the beast he'd caged beneath the surface when it best suited him... but that was not what happened.

After the breaking of the Masquerade, Apterus saw several of the Queens who'd attacked her mother's hive when she was an infant...causing strange memories to begin surfacing. For the first time in her life, she began to search and look for answers...and found them in the form of her own room as a child, left abandoned in Hive Acherontia after its surviving population was assimilated into another Queen's hive, complete with a picture of her in her loving parents' arms, love she had never experienced in her entire life. As a result, she finally confronted her 'father'...and he had the arrogance to say she should've thanked him, as he was the only being to ever have a use for her. Apterus snapped, her true hybrid form unleashed for the first time since childhood with a roar that shook the entire hive. By the time Sanguinea's subjects arrived, they found their King nothing but a drained dry husk of exoskeleton on the throne room floor and a huge hole in the wall. When she next appeared, she'd undergone molt into her winged, imago stage.

What would follow would be a destructive rampage towards her Aunt that currently ruled her mother's subjects and the Dragon Lord currently in possession of her father's Flight, leaving ash and love drained shells in her wake until finally Blackrose and Bahamut released her parents in hopes they could talk her down...who sadly had to put down their mad daughter in the end, but Blackrose, in recompense, had several fellow deities take the hybrid's soul and reincarnate her as their child once again. Where they are, no one knows. They merely want to be left alone, though Acherontia did forgive her mother and officially rejoin the Spring Court.

Apterus was a sweet child in her mother's words, but after the abuse suffered by Sanguinea, she became a psychotic, rampaging berserker, filled with wrath and hatred...but also little more than an abused child in a body with far too much power. Notably, when her parents came to stop her, she nearly was talked down and acted like any child reunited with her parents would...until stopping her warpath was brought up, at which point she resumed it, forcing her parents to stop her...to which she reacted as a child who can't comprehend her beloved parents harming her. Upon recovering her knowledge of her true nature, she became obsessed with reclaiming her mother and father's thrones...even if it meant destroying their hive and flight in the process.

Apterus, being a hybrid, has the shapeshifting, magical abilities, and love consuming abilities of her mother and the fire breathing, sheer strength and durability, and greed growth of her father. This makes her incredibly dangerous and powerful, enough that she made short work of her adopted father and was described as a 'one mare army' in her rampage. It is believed she could reduce kingdoms to rubble by herself. She is also inclined to the love draining ability Changelings possess, but due to her unhinged nature and sheer power, is far more liberal in its application. Her singleminded, all consuming desire for her mother's throne and revenge also caused her to rapidly undergo greed growth, turning her into full grown size very rapidly. While lacking in skill and anything resembling grace, her sheer power and unhinged nature alone made her a powerful and dangerous force and major threat.

Apterus and Xestobium were recently sighted in a speech by Dazzleglow imploring both sides of the Dragon/Changeling conflict to finally try and move past their hatred...as it is beginning to breed monsters, as it seems hatred nearly always does.

One can only hope that the reincarnated Apterus may be a vanguard of a future where the old grudge between her parents' peoples is finally laid to rest.

Diversus Lyonesse/Demon King Dynastinae

“We will crush and conquer all beneath our hooves! That is our right, as king and titan both!”

Court Affiliation: Winter

Changeling Emperor Blackthorn has on several occasions been 'inspired' by his counterpart Changeling Empress Blackrose's children and attempted to replicate them. Diversus is one such example; however, he was one that Blackthorn would ultimately deem a colossal failure, quite literally so.

Born not long after Queen Supia grew to her full size, Diversus's mother was an infamous Neighponese witch named Dākusutā, a master of dark magic who recruited the aid of a Daiyokai for similar reasons to Supia's father (Presumably manipulated to do so by Emperor Blackthorn), and likewise rapidly grew to kaiju size, developing traits on his person similar to Marauder Ants found in the region which mirrored Supia's hornet ones.

This, however, is where Diversus began showing qualities that ultimately got him branded a failure and Condemned to Winter. Diversus's mother had a pronounced influence on him, and she was a follower of the ideology known as the Hydianism, and was member of one of many witch groups following the beliefs of First Age with Hydia and her family. This lead to her desiring overt conquest and destructive evil than the more underhanded and manipulative ways of the Summer Court, which Diversus inherited and pursued against his own father's advice. As such, he instead began amassing his Hive as a conquering army with intent of conquering and ravaging Neighpon outright rather than do something his kin may have done.

Since like Supia, he was mistaken for a Yokai and thus his doing so likely would not fracture the Masquerade, Blackthorn permitted this... until Diversus dared assert that he would attempt to conquer the entire world likewise, including the Spring Court, crushing all and any who would stand in his way. Blackthorn responded by Condemning Diversus to Winter, as such open warfare with his kin would more likely shatter the Masquerade, and thus was undesirable (The implicit threat to Blackthorn’s Beloved is speculated to be an additional motive in the Changeling Emperor's decision). As a result, when Diversus and Supia came to blows, the latter standing in the way of his conquest of Neighpon, and the more experienced Queen defeated and sealed Diversus away along with his hive, Blackthorn figuratively shrugged and told his Scions to let Diversus have the fate he made for himself.

However, in the present day, when the Sixth Demon King, an insectoid dragon with the ability to spawn armies of lesser Yokai, awoke and went on the rampage, it accidentally broke Diversus's seal and set him free. Later on, during a battle between the Demon King and Gamarea, he ambushed the Demon King from behind while it grappled with Gamarea and used magics learned from his mother to cast a dark spell. The Changeling King and Fallen-Spawn Demon merged into one, with Diversus's consciousness at least at first in control, renaming himself Demon King Dynastinae, and likewise merging his hive with the Demon's Yokai into a new army. Already weakened from his fight with the Sixth Demon King, Gamarea was beaten and seemingly killed by the newly born fusion.

Dynastinae's next act was brazen even by Summer Court Standards: he gave a challenge to Blackthorn himself, believing he was now powerful enough to defeat the Emperor one on one and seize control of the Summer Court. However, Blackthorn merely chuckled and sent a reply: you couldn't beat a mere Queen, why should the Emperor take such a challenge seriously?

Enraged, Dynastinae made a warpath towards Supia's hive for a rematch, where the two would face off in battle. While Supia fought valiantly, it soon became apparent the merged King had the upper-hoof. At the same time, it began to show that Orochi's malevolent influence was beginning to seep into Dynastinae's mind like a virus, slowly driving him more and more mad as things continued until he was like a rabid beast. Thankfully, before Dynastinae could defeat Supia, a revived Gamarea soared in and pounded him with a barrage of fireballs, forcing him back. As the two battled, Dynastinae attempted to send his army into the fray...only for them to be wiped out by the Neighponese military in a tactical use of a specialized mana lure and heavy artillery. This enraged Dynastinae and distracted him long enough for Gamarea to snap off his horn, only to be met with chaotic magic bursts. Thankfully, at this point, Mothryu and Battryu arrived and began bombarding Dynastinae. The four kaiju eventually managed to overcome and obliterate the fusion beast.

It should be noted that after his death, no sign of Diversus's demi-god soul could be located, leading many to conclude it has been swallowed up by Orochi's malevolent spirit. This caused Supia to have a moment of sympathy for him, as even someone as vile as him didn't deserve that.

Despite his warmongering and aggressive ways, and largely following the tenets of his mother's ideology, it should be said Diversus did genuinely care for his hive and those in it and even in his power maddened state, he was enraged by their destruction. Some had wondered the reasons for this, but with Diversus's destruction, the truth of his sentiment for them may never be known.

Queen Theraphosa Avalon

"We must fight for those who cannot fight for themselves."

Court Affiliation: Spring

While in general an average Changeling King is larger and stronger than the average Queen but are counterbalanced by their numbers and better ability to work together, there are exceptions. Queen Theraphosa is one of those.

Theraphosa's father was a member of the Cloudsdale Royal Legion. Growing up, she was heavily influenced by her father and the warrior culture he was part of, and grew up a 'Warrior Princess' heavily idolizing the Rose Guard and her father's illustrious company. This left her a warrior through and through, but with a heroic heart, which she often associates with Flash Magnus, the Legionnaire of Bravery and member of the Pillars of Equestria, as she had met him and in some ways considered him in a guise and gotten to know him well. This makes her probably one of the best combatants among the Changeling Queens and as adapt in combat as any King, a rarity among her sisters.

Theraphosa also grew up in another way: namely she inherited her father's body type, who was a very large stallion. This makes her huge even by Changeling Royal standards, about a head or two taller than the average Queen and even taller than a fair number of Kings, and all muscle. Puck has joked that where the Changelings help inspired the modern Fae, she inspired the Amarezons, and that is not far off of her appearance, as even with chitin for skin she is a tall, muscular, but still beautiful Queen. Among her sisters, only Supia is larger, but that is the case with nearly every Changeling alive.

The Amarezon comparison is also present in Theraphosa's personality, as she is while heroic and protective in nature, still loves a good fight and is incredibly well versed in the art. She travels the world, hunting down monsters that prey on the innocent and she and her hive feed off the resulting admiration and love. This does make some comparisons to Xestobium, but unlike them she is driven by the love of those she protects, not hatred of those she fights. She actually was among those furious with the treatment of Acherontia. However, sometimes she has 'chronic hero syndrome' and her fight loving nature can sometimes get her in trouble.

Notably, Theraphosa despises the Scions of Hurricane and other Pegasi Tribalist groups for tarnishing the Pegasi of the era she was born from.

In addition to the normal abilities of a Queen, Theraphosa is very physically strong and agile for her size compared to many of her sisters due to her warrior life style. She is skilled with many weapons used by the Rose Guard and Royal Legions, with her preferred melee weapon being a Romane Gladius paired with a round shield as compliment. She is skilled in crossbows of many types, as well as more conventional bows, and has gotten into other modern weapons as well. Her skill is such that she is now among the Rose Guard's trainers and trains many of her sisters who seek combat training as well. Including Mimetidae, who loves her big sister for being 'bad flank'.

Theraphosa's hive also inherited her large height, all being exceptionally tall and the warriors held to their leader's high standards for combat. In the ongoing Post-Masquerade Crisis and during the Storm King Crisis, Theraphosa and her warrior Changelings had been on the front-lines of many wars and battles in defense of Changeling Hives, the allies of the Spring Court and the wider world together with other Changelings and even Non-Changelings, quickly earning themselves a renown reputation for both martial skills and noble character.

With Flash Magnus's return, Theraphosa has gotten in contact with him and the two get along well.