For an entire Season one of protagonists is a shapeshifter.

[Singe 2,111]

The premise is that one of the characters is replaced by a shape-shifter off screen before half-way of the season. Then the season finale when the shape-shifter is exposed as a sleeper agent doing something major.

 

So let's see the response.

[Erethiel 41]

Interesting idea, but I say it would have to be someone who gets a lot of off screen to do their work. Spike, maybe? But how would they not notice the personality didifference, unless the shifter can mimic it, knocking out chrysalis in my opinion.

[cider float 2,538]

Not sure which pony it would shapeshift into but it has to be Chrysalis. The reason is Chrysalis desperately needs a come back. The second reason is that we don't need another villain that people think shapeshifts.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Problem is, you replace ANY of the mane six for a season, you're going to end up with a WHOLE LOT of seriously T'd off fans of that pony or dragon ;p

[Erethiel 41]

True, but some random backgrond character would be hard to fit in correctly, and it still work.

[cider float 2,538]

The biggest twist would be Pinkie Pie. First I thought Spike who was most trustworthy, but there is in no way anyone would suspect Pinkie Pie is the shapeshifter. Why? Because she has actually worn a very real outfit that made her look like another mane six and she has 4th wall weirdness, she can easily hide in plain sight because nobody can really get Pinkie Pie to began with.

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

Spike is frequently left behind by his friends and has little significance in most of the Mane 6's escapades. Replacing him with Chrysalis or some shapeshifting baddie is likely to go unnoticed until it's too late to prevent whatever the doppelganger has been working on throughout the season. I wouldn't want this to happen though. I'd be miffed if Spike had been in captivity all that time.  :okiedokielokie:

[Alto 437]

Pinkie Pie gets replaced by a new character a spy sent by queen chrysalis  to internally destroy the main six would really love to see more Pinkamena

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

People saying Spike is hilarious because that would imply he's always been a shapeshifter even when Twilight was in Canterlot, and that teleportation of scrolls via flame burp may not actually be a thing dragons do.

[Leif 54]

I'm not sure what to decide on, but mlp needs to pull a Doctor Who... seriously this is GENIOUS. It would have to be chrysalis however, She really needs a return. She never got properly defeated, rather blasted halfway across Equestria.

[Justin_Case001 4,901]

I agree that this idea is pure genius.  This would be so awesome.  I personally think it should be a completely new changeling character, though.  However, I think this character should have some sort of relationship with Chrysalis, and perhaps Chrysalis would be pulling the strings from behind the scene.  In either, case, a Chrysalis return would be awesome.

 

Now, I really think that if you're gonna do an idea like this, you go all the way and replace Twilight herself.  The idea of having a changeling agent with that kind of power and influence would be awesome.  What's more, you could f*ck with the fandom by having Twilight gradually degrade and act more and more out of character until the big reveal.  That would be pretty funny.  If it was Chrysalis, then perhaps she (still posing as Twi) would approach Celestia and say something to her, referencing their (brief) battle at the wedding or something.  Then Celestia would make the realization and then...idk, something cool would happen.

 

I'm imagining a Lost Man in Black type deal.  Ooooh, you know what would be really amazing?  If the shapeshifter turned out to be Starlight Glimmer, and it's revealed that Starlight was never real to begin with.  Starlight is just a persona (ponysona?  is that a term?) that the changeling invented.

 

But where would Twilight be this whole time?  The Lost World?  Eden?  Entombed in ice deep below the Crystal Empire?  Trapped in her basement under a stack of old newspapers, passing the time by seeing how many times she could bounce a nearby basketball in a day, then trying to break that record?

[Singe 2,111]

If it's Queen Chrysalis, she can create a curve ball shipping tease. Just a few moments where one of the Mane 6 out of no where flirts with one of the secondary characters.

 

Fandom reaction:

Edited June 11, 2015 by Singe