Magic Man

Well, I like to imagine there being Changeling mares and stallions and that they reproduce sexually like ponies, save for laying large clutches of eggs instead of live individual births. As for your scenario, I suppose it's possible that a male could then become pregnant if their organs change as well once they transform, but if they don't, I guess not. Ehhh, I imagine it's a bit of a murky area, so a lot of changelings would try and avoid such a situation.

It's not "dying away" as such, it's certainly cemented its place on the internet, but unlike some shortlived fandoms (remember the Horton Hears a Who Jojo fangirls?), this show is successful enough and has enough substance to bring people back to it, even after it ends. So while it will likely slow down and maybe stagnate (though G5 will hopefully inject new blood after G4), it is secure enough to last a very long time, hopefully pushing it near the ranks of Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, etc.

I'd like to think Chrysalis, but I too would like to see a new character. I was thinking a Moriarty-esque villain who physically appears towards the end; a mastermind who uses his brain and cunning rather than his magic power. The oc character I was thinking of could be Chrysalis' younger brother or at least another changeling who completely punks her.

Eh, I'd imagine she'd be out of there by now at least. It'd make her look pretty weak and ineffective if she was.

Same here. In regards to the question, if the changelings ARE to come back and remain interesting, seeing other changelings with some prominence and diverse personalities is a necessity. We all love Megatron, but he's not the only reason we love the Decepticons, is he? We love Starscream, Shockwave, SOUNDWAVE! We need those kind of changelings to compliment Chrysalis.

Exactly. Lord Shen is a perfect example of this done right. My God, if the writers really pulled it off well, Chrysalis could be the Lord Shen of this show.

I'm not a fan of Chrysalis herself being 'redeemed'. I'd much rather the show give her some depth and development instead - the Lord Shen treatment. Also, the introduction of good changelings instead would be welcomed (and I say this with the understanding that not ALL Changelings are in need of a redemption story - that'd be unbelievably pretentious). Also: Except all that is is fanon and headcanon. There is NO solid evidence that supports they need love to survive; it's much more indicated to be a power source. The 'survival' headcannon is more often than not used in fanworks just to make the protagonist changelings look good and the ponies their 'oppressors', which is complete bunk - c'mon, if they did need it to survive, why the heck wouldn't a benevolent ruler like Celestia be willing to help give them love? And even if the show does go down this particular route, yes, Chrysalis' army (just her army, as said above, I'm so tired of people talking as if every single changeling is in need of redemption - they're strongly indicated to be individuals with their own free will, if the comics are anything to go by, hence the changelings who serve under Chrysalis are totally cool with doing so) CAN still be called villains because it wouldn't justify invading and trying to subjugate an entire nation and its populace, at all.

I certainly wouldn't go as far as calling it her 'belittling' Sweetie Belle; Rarity clearly doesn't understand why Sweetie is so upset and the latter herself is spending too much time raving angrily to properly explain to her how she feels and just storms off.

The problem with having her return is, as others have said, there needs to be a reason for it. It's the same for any villain or guest character; them coming back needs to be justified for it to properly work. Now with the comics, sure, it was cool to have her back, but the writers didn't really do anything substantial with her character. She just launched another evil plan with her minions, cackled evilly, got annoyed by the CMC, etc. She didn't any real depth or exploration and her evil plan wasn't THAT original. The arc wasn't a rehash, but it was nothing really groundbreaking and Chrysalis could have been pretty easily replaced here with a new villain.

Charlie Adler John Dimaggio Tim Curry Mark Hammil George Takei

This again? Mate, trust me when you say you are not the first to bring this up. What you point out is a case of the fans using the Draco in Leather Pants trope on her. Let me drop you this quote about her on tvtropes regarding this particular trope:

I doubt the cloaked pony was a changeling. What are the changelings up to? Simple, they're back in the Changeling Kingdom where Chrysalis is sulking about in the her palace over her defeat like the spoiled brat in a grown mare's body she is.

Well, if I recall correctly, Andy Price says the comics are as canon as we the authors want them to be. He allows the readers a lot of flexibility here. I personality take them as semi-canon, so if there is ever a canon clash, I'll always take the show's side.

I am definitely in favour of there being another changeling character with an individual personality. The problem with the Changelings is that Chrysalis right now has to carry them in terms of their popularity. The reason the Decepticons are so popular isn't just because of Megatron, but also because of Starscream, Shockwave, Soundwave, etc. There needs to be more changelings with their own characters, so yes, a prince or princess would be ideal, or a sibling to Chrysalis, say, her slimy younger brother, Lord Weevil.

First of all, I'd like to make the point of order that there is NO solid canon evidence that Changeling are of a hive or hive-mind or that they are the Queen's children. That is a fanon assumption with no real basis other than they fact they look buggish. It is also an assumption they need to survive, while evidence from the show and comics suggests it is more of a power source. Also, when you ask whether or not they are beyond redemption, you say it with again, an assumption that all Changelings are then in need of a redemption story. You have the mindset they all must collectively be one or the other, not taking into account individualism. Now are there evil Changelings? Certainly, if we go by Chrysalis and her army, the former who is gloatingly evil and the latter who are willing servants of her. But does this mean ALL Changelings are evil? Not necessarily, as a monarch and her soldiers are not representative of a species. People like to get around this by going with the hive theory and that they are the entirety of the species, but as there is no evidence for it, I cannot say it counts. A similar analogy would be the Third Reich. We certainly cannot hold Adolf and his Wehrmacht in a good light, but do we still collectively condemn the German people of that time?

While I appreciate you WANT to stay neutral, from the way you're writing this, you seem to be very much more sympathetic to Twilight than the others and in doing so, unintentionally leading those who would answer this thread. The only excuse you seem to have for Shining armor's actions were that he was under Chrysalis' control. Here's an alternative; he was genuinely hurt and upset by Twilight's actions and from his POV and an observer's glance, had every right to be angry. He and Twilight are siblings and close ones at that, however there has been a certain tension between them over Twilight not being notified earlier on. However, he did expect Twilight to as least be happy for him and the foalsitter she loved. There was no reason, from his point of view, why she should not be accepting of their upcoming union. So when Twilight came bursting in and screeching her accusations like a harpy at who he believes is the mare he loves, accusations which he could all easily counter, she ended up really hurting and alienating him, again because of this supposed aforementioned inability to be happy for him. You have to look at it from his perspective; that Twilight was wrong and viciously slandered his wife, the mare he's choosing to dedicate his life to. It's also important to note that if we go by that SA was not as brainwashed yet and was genuinely upset was Twilight, it shows how much he really does love Cadence, as he's willing to defend her, even from his sister. We also have to keep in mind that SA's explanations were not diabolical in their intent and sounded perfectly believable in context, thus he and the others' reactions can be seen as further justified, which only makes the sting of it all even more painful. I mean, for all we knew, he was right and Twilight was wrong and had just been possessive. Hell, if not for the episode's very last minute, or even half-minute and the episode ended BEFORE that, we would have thought she was wrong too. Then how would the viewers have initially felt? Would it have been all "oh, poor Twilight" or that and "oh, Twilight, you moron!"? Something similar can be said for the others. The only excuse you can fathom for them is that they were caught up in the pride and glory of being bridesmaids and nothing else; is it really hard for to accept that they were justifiably angry at Twilight's behaviour and actions like any other person from their position in the situation. They were already aware of Twilight's possessiveness of her brother, even after the Mane Six discussed it the previous night. Yeah, a lot of people claim they didn't learn their lesson from season zero, but unlike then, in this episode they actually did take the time to listen to Twilight's concerns. All they see is her badmouthing the bride for no reason other than possessive jealousy and an inability to be happy for her brother even after they tried to reassure her, which must have really disappointed them in her. As for Princess Celestia, she has taught and pretty much brought up Twilight, acting like a surrogate mother to her and sent her to Ponyville to learn more social skills. Seeing her prize student acting so immaturely really must have disappointed her because she knows Twilight knows better than that. It's made worse because Cadence is Celestia's niece, her family. She and Twilight are close, but Cadance is her family. And let's talk about Twilight's actions: Twilight burst into the rehearsal and immediately made extremely serious accusations against a member of the ROYAL FAMILY with ZERO solid evidence to back any of it up, whilst acting as hysterical as possible and said accusations consisting pretty much of her just screaming "Evil". This isn't on par with the Smarty Pants incident, this is a royal family member and an official royal wedding. This is pretty much as serious as it can get. Also, Twilight picks the near enough the worst way to bring these issues up - at the wedding rehersal, and considering how we don't see a night transistion, I think we can rightly assume the wedding is on the exact same day! Also, on a minor note, I think SA telling her not to the wedding come is kinda a given, because why should she come to a wedding she's clearly opposed to even happening? I don’t see it as 'you're not allowed to come so to punish you' as it is 'if this is how you feel, then don't come'. HOWEVER, if we're talking about a three parter, or even just more time at the time of the second, I do suppose a scene of them still apologizing to Twilight would be justified, if just to give the matter a sense of closure, as well as having Twilight apologizing for her own rash decisions and how she handled herself.

Chances are a lot of people here are going to repeat something along the lines of staying behind to comfort Twilight or stand up for her. So you honestly want to know what I would've done? If I had just witnessed Twilight viciously accuse a member of the royal family of being evil with absolutely no evidence, accusations to which SA could easily dispel, chances are I would've disappointedly walked out in a huff, too.

What are your opinions of her? With Chrysalis, we have one of the best designed and interesting characters in the whole show. I genuinely want to know more about her, see her backstory, her relations with other characters, etc. Is she best villain? Disputely, a tie between her and Discord (she may be no 1 considering Discord's reformation) Best pony? Best pony? Can't say for certain. Best Changeling? Buckin A! Does she have a good color scheme? Very much so. The cerulean and grey really blend well together. Do you think the holes in her legs and horns are 'overrated'? Of course not. Her unique design is one of the great things about her. I'm not really sure how her holes can be considered 'overrated', anyway. Should she be shown more or less? In reference to my first answer, yes. Chrysalis has so much potential and with a good story, humor and writing, she can be the Lord Shen equivalent of MLP.

Well, Andy Price himself said how canon the works were was up to us, the readers. I personally see them as semi-canon, that they can be seen as canon as long as the story of the comic in question does not conflict with what we see in the show, which I see as the higher canon authority. Therefore, if there ever is a clash, I'll go with the show.

Here's a feasible future Changeling episode: In order to try and establish a sense of Peaceful Coexistence (doubtfully the word used) between Equestria and the Changeling Kingdom, Chrysalis' daughter, the young Princess Pupa is sent over as an exchange student/take a tour of Equestria. The gang expect the daughter to be a fierce, black-hearted warrior-like princess, but when she arrives (accompanies by armed guard) she is revealed to be a tiny, bespectacled and all around adorably sweet Changeling (add in asthma and the frequent use of inhaler) who could rival Sweetie Belle in terms of giving a viewer diabetes by her sheer cuteness. Of course, we have the usual shenanigans with cultural clashes (bonus points if the Changelings' culture is given an explanation, something from the Far East like Japan and Korea would be really interesting), with a written message/threat by Chrysalis to the Mane Six that if a single hair on Pupa's pig tailed mane is hurt, she'll personally bite their heads off one by one. However, some of the Mane Six decide they want to see if they can pump any secret information about Changeling government and military secrets out of the filly (behind Celestia's back) by sending in the CMC to befriend her. They eventually get nothing and are surprised (despite Pupa's young age and already innocent appearance and demeanor) that she knows little to nothing of her mother's dealings and plans - she doesn't even know about the Canterlot Invasion, which can lead to a classic Fawlty Towers, "Don't mention the war/invasion!" set of jokes. A good twist in the plot is that the CMC and Pupa go missing, and remembering Chrysalis' warning, begin a desperate search for them. Or a good emotional scene where Pupa finds out and believes the CMC used her, only for them to make up again in the end. And she'll be voiced by Tara Strong in her Omi or Boh voice.

In order to try and establish a sense of Peaceful Coexistence (doubtfully the word used) between Equestria and the Changeling Kingdom, Chrysalis' daughter, the young Princess Pupa is sent over as an exchange student/take a tour of Equestria. The gang expect the daughter to be a fierce, black-hearted warrior-like princess, but when she arrives (accompanies by armed guard) she is revealed to be a tiny, bespectacled and all around adorably sweet Changeling (add in asthma and the frequent use of inhaler) who could rival Sweetie Belle in terms of giving a viewer diabetes by her sheer cuteness. Of course, we have the usual shenanigans with cultural clashes (bonus points if the Changelings' culture is given an explanation, something from the Far East like Japan and Korea would be really interesting), with a written message/threat by Chrysalis to the Mane Six that if a single hair on Pupa's pig tailed mane is hurt, she'll personally bite their heads off one by one. However, some of the Mane Six decide they want to see if they can pump any secret information about Changeling government and military secrets out of the filly (behind Celestia's back) by sending in the CMC to befriend her. They eventually get nothing and are surprised (despite Pupa's young age and already innocent appearance and demeanor) that she knows little to nothing of her mother's dealings and plans - she doesn't even know about the Canterlot Invasion, which can lead to a classic Fawlty Towers, "Don't mention the war/invasion!" set of jokes. A good twist in the plot is that the CMC and Pupa go missing, and remembering Chrysalis' warning, begin a desperate search for them. Or a good emotional scene where Pupa finds out and believes the CMC used her, only for them to make up again in the end. And she'll be voiced by Tara Strong in her Omi or Boh voice.

A thought occurs; if Celestia has a pet Phoenix, then what pets should Luna and Chrysalis have? With Luna, I was thinking something along the lines of a black cat. Chrysalis, I was thinking maybe a raven, a crow? Or is that too cliche? How about a flying monkey? Or how about a giant chameleon or salamander she feeds her failing Generals and soldiers to? The possibilities are endless.

Yeah, I think that pretty much covers the issue. Well said, my friend. All I can add is that I think it isn't necessary because the theme the show wants to focus on and convey is the power of friendship, not the power of love, and they are quite two different things.

This is something almost everyone LOVES to blame Celestia for; I agree it's not a black and white scenario, but I will have to say the majority of the blame must go to Luna. Was Celestia not entirely sensitive or aware of her sister's feelings and could have done more to help her feel more appreciated? Quite possibly. But did feeling under-appreciated give Luna the right to go ballistic and try to create eternal night, dooming the ponies to freezing and starving to death? NO. Celestia had to follow the principle of the 'needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'. Just imagine what it felt like for Celestia to do that. Just because the show has not yet properly conveyed what it felt like for her doesn't mean she didn't feel that way. Are you really sure she doesn't feel any kind of guilt? That would make a create scene for Celestia to gradually but eventually break down over the whole thing, angry at herself and blaming herself, even though the fault was not entirely hers.