̶C̶o̶n̶g̶r̶a̶t̶u̶l̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶t̶c̶h̶i̶m̶a̶l̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶t̶c̶h̶e̶d̶!̶ ̶I̶t̶’̶s̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶e̶e̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶b̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶s̶!̶

Since ya’ll were so patient with me on the LunaxPharynx dump, here’s an informal introduction to the duo’s newly hatched larva as a treat. 

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Left to Right:

Obsidian –

The largest and first of the triplets to hatch, Obisidian’s nearly complete pony-like appearance shocked Luna and Pharynx. In fact, aside from the curved horn and gleaming jewel in his chest, he was in every way as a bit an equine as his mother. Being older and larger than his two other siblings, he quickly adopted his status as the ‘Big brother’ and dominated his role as a peacekeeper. Whether that meant pulling Selene by the tail away from ripping the curtains to shred, or helping protect little Morpheus from running into walls and pillars. Obsidian, a momma’s boy from the beginning, was a stickler for rules even at his age and proudly wore his title of ‘the most obedient’ of the foals. Selene, however, knew it to be a ruse to get Luna’s approval, and that deep down he was just as adventurous and curious as she- he just needed a little push sometimes. Obsidian was still only a foal, afterall, even with all his ‘big boy’ talk.  

Selene-

Not wanting to miss out, Selene hatched right on the heels of her brother who, not 10 seconds after tumbling headfirst from her shell, she decided would make a great first meal and proceeded to tackle him, nipping at any hold she could get. This was just the first of many, many scuffles between the two, and although Selene’s half hybrid body was too weak and little to win, her spunk and determination were undeniable, much to the chagrin of her mother and the pride of her father. She quickly cemented herself as the troublemaker of the group and tallied up an extensive list of headache-inducing mischief, resulting in broken vases, mud-spattered walls, flour-covered kitchens, a hole or two in the ceiling, and multiple other *** deeds. To her credit, most of the shenanigans were well-intentioned and curiosity-driven, and once you look past all the tackling and property damage, you’ll find an extremely sweet and thoughtful filly.  Despite her energetic nature, she can just as easily be gentle and soft, as seen when she’s around her younger brother Morpheus. While she’ll tackle Obsidian every chance she gets, she practically tiptoes around Morphy, often quietly reading stories to him and snuggling beside him for a nap. Even Luna can’t deny that their hassle of a daughter looks completely innocent when cuddled fast asleep with her brother.

Morpheus -

Although Luna and Pharynx anticipated possible birth defects, it still shocked them to their core to find the last foal to hatch was born practically blind. However, the two resolved to love and treat him as they would the other foals and raise him to feel normal in spite of his impairment. So from birth, Morpheus always thought of his disability to be as normal as seeing was for the other two, and he barely noticed it. Of course, it didn’t take him long to figure out he couldn’t do what his siblings could such as fly on his own or roughhouse, but that was fine with him. He was naturally a quiet grub, both in action and in words, and he preferred napping and ‘observing’ his siblings as they played to exploring the castle and playing hide and seek himself. Because of his limitations, Morpheus was confined to his room for most of his early life, but he never minded being a shut-in. So long as he had his siblings kept him company, he was content with his simple, sleep-filled life.

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Welp, that about does it for now folks. Keep an eye out for their bios in the coming days, as they’ll be packed with even more juicy info on these newest KOPve cast members!

If you’re still here, then feel free to read a few of my own personal changeling headcanons I’ve written up below. You know, just for funsies. 

• Changeling eggs work similarly like crocodile and other reptilian eggs when it comes to determining the gender. The fact being that extreme temperatures result in male changelings, while the more moderate degrees produce females. In the Old Days, most of the eggs were stored in the lowest chambers of the hive, not only for protection, but so the icy caverns would hatch a swarm of male drones  ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶C̶h̶r̶y̶s̶a̶l̶i̶s̶’̶ ̶a̶r̶m̶y̶. The only exception being the room-temperature ‘Queening room,’ where any future Heir’s where kept, along with the female matron eggs.

When it came to Luna and Pharynx’s eggs, the sex was pretty much anyponys guess. The Castle’s temperature, although mainly moderate, could go from being too warm to too cold on any given day. Add in the varying degree’s of pony genes, and you’re left with a gamble. This was perfectly fine with the couple since they could really care less about the gender- the only thing that mattered to them was that the foals were healthy.

• As you probably know, for the first year or so of a changeling’s life, their form resembles the grubby body of a caterpillar with a silk-like covering that when it’s time for them to molt into their final, pony-like form, covers them like a cocoon that they then hibernate in before shedding.

You know, just your typical changeling life-cycle stuff.

But Luna’s little grubs aren’t your typical changelings. So when they hatched after nine months of growing snuggly in their shells, their equine makeup prevented the need for the metamorphic stage of changeling. Which is why even Morpheus, who most resembles the bug race, didn’t come out with a squishy tail in the back. Aside from making the first year easier on Luna, there’s no doubt that this lack of larva like behinds helped the public accept the new hybrid heirs a whole lot quicker.

-Since we’re on the topic of genes, here’s a (brief/edited) rundown of how those operate in light of the Changeling Revolution:

While they are shape-shifting creatures down to their very molecule, the key factor that determines their physical appearance is, unsurprisingly, ‘Love’. To simplify, their natural form is a reflection of how little or how much ‘Love’ they have. When a changeling loves and feels loved, then their body recognizes that they are happy, safe, and healthy, and it displays that with their lush environment’s vibrant colors. But if they lack the love necessary, this stress puts the body into a survival state resulting in their black, hardened, and menacing look meant for defense, not attack.  Both states are natural for a changeling; however, because of a changeling queen or two before Chrysalis decided to keep all the love for herself, she forced the whole hive changelings to adopt the survival mode. The effects of this constant state lead to the coming generations having persistent hunger and a permanently aggressive attitude towards other species. Only once The Revolution occurred, and the hive adopted the new mindset, that the suppressed genes of their thriving state consequently manifested. Now, under Thorax’s prosperous and peaceful rule, the next generations of grubs are born with a healthy, thriving state.

(Just to prove my theory, take Pharynx for example. Since the aggressive mindset was so heavily ingrained in him, he found it hard to accept the concept of ‘Loving’ that the rest of the hive warmed right up to, and so he became an outcast. During that time, his hive- still a bit prejudiced in their old ways- neglected to reach out to him with love, to which Pharynx’s body responded to as a threat, therefore keeping him locked in his survival state. Only once the hive accepted him and showed him love, that his body was like ‘Oh hey, they’ve accepted me, so I must be safe and secure now’ and triggered his transformation. It’s simple science, really.)

• While pegasi have water resistant wings that enable them to fly even if they’re a bit soggy, changeling’s delicate wings can’t even glide when slightly wet. Even though correlation doesn’t equal causation, it’s probably why the hive sits in the middle of a sun-baked desert. As a result, most changelings end up loathing water and react similarly to cats- with lots of hissing and frantic scrambling. Fortunately for Luna, the only foal that exhibited such behavior was Selene, who mostly tried to fight her way out of the tub because she hated getting clean rather than the water its self.

• Changeling can, in both their thriving or surviving states, stick to walls or like structures as most insects can and are proficient climbers from birth. Some changelings even find hanging upside down a relaxing experience, and many grubs fall asleep by attaching themselves to one of the cavern’s stalactites. Of the three, Morpheus did this the most, and while Canterlot Castle lacked the traditional rock formations, he ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶t̶h̶ ̶b̶o̶i̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶  found the warm, glowing lamps above his cradle satisfactory enough.

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I’ve got a few more swirling around in my noggin, but I just wanted to focus on the more relevant ones for this piece. Maybe, if I get the chance, I might post another artwork that dabbles deeper into me theorized changeling lore  ̶e̶s̶p̶e̶c̶i̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶g̶u̶y̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶n̶u̶g̶g̶e̶t̶s̶. We’ll see.