Line #87 Characters/TheChangelingOfTheGuard


1	A character sheet for the characters that appear in The Changeling of the Guard.
2
3	'''There may be unmarked spoilers below. Reader beware.'''
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5	[[foldercontrol]]
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7
8	!!OC's specific to The Changeling of the Guard
9	[[folder: Idol Hooves]]
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11	!!Idol Hooves
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13
14	The Protagonist. Idol is a Changeling exiled from the Hive by Queen Chrysalis.
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17	* AMindIsATerribleThingToRead: A variant shows up in chapter 68. Whilst Cornflower "Mentasmo" Lulamoon vomiting after performing a psychic scan of Idol's mind is implied to just be the unicorn's normal reaction to using that aspect of his talent, Mentasmo is still vocally horrified by what his scan reveals. [[spoiler:In summary, Idol's mind is a '''mess'''; a combination of dozens of geas and the after-effects of some incredibly brutal and hamfisted psychic surgery, which he observes may literally only be functioning because of a particularly powerful geas that seems to be holding the whole butchery together. He ''pales'' when Idol informs him that the stabilizing geas was self-inflicted.]]
18	-->'''"Mentasmo:''' [[spoiler:“It’s like there was a knot somewhere in there, and some damn fool just reached in with a hook and tore the whole damn thing out, then just tied a few important bits back together so the whole mess wouldn’t collapse immediately. There’s so many knots and so many broken ends I can’t even tell you what’s what, and it looks like he tied pieces together himself to keep the whole thing going. I think he used one big geas to hold the whole mess together, and Faust help me, I think it’s ''working''.”]]
19	* BerserkButton: After the 10-year time skip, Idol becomes ''very'' offended by other changelings pretending to be members of the Guard. He'll help any changeling in need, but those that he catches pretending to be Guardponies catch a real scolding first.
20	* CastFromHitPoints: A psychological variant. [[spoiler:Per WordOfGod, Idol's [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique alicorn transformation]] in chapter 61 is fueled by his platonic love for Cadence... as in, he literally ''burns up'' his feelings for her to fuel the transformation. The side effects of this become apparent in chapter 65: Idol still remembers everything he and Cadence have ever experienced together, but all of the emotional background to those memories is ''gone''. He feels '''nothing''' for her that he should -- emotionally, she's a complete stranger to him, and all he finds himself feeling around her is simply hunger and a dash of awe. The disconnect between intellectual and emotional connections doesn't do much for Idol's stability.]]
21	* CannotDream: It turns out to be a key difference between changelings and ponies that changelings simply ''do not'' dream. Even after Idol consumes a potion given to him by Princess Luna that should make his dreams stand out like a beacon, to aid her efforts in actively searching for his dreams, she still has so little luck that she initially accuses him of both not taking the potion and not sleeping. [[spoiler:After Chrysalis's psychic MeatballSurgery, Idol becomes able to dream, though it takes some time before it "settles in" enough that Luna can make him realize he now has the ability.]]
22	* CelibateHero: Played with. Initially, it's played straight due to Idol being ObliviousToLove and failing to realize that he has unwittingly attracted several interested mares. [[spoiler:Then it takes a dark twist when it turns out that Idol is under the effects of an [[MindRape Order]] by Queen Chrysalis that demands he never procreate, effectively having been mentally gelded; the capacity to feel ''attraction'' is there, but he cannot become sexually active due to its presence. It actually becomes a genuine hang-up of his, and is the first major crack in his faith in Queen Chrysalis.]]
23	** [[spoiler: Subverted as of chapter 63; an unintended side-effect of Chrysalis' LaserGuidedAmnesia treatment of Idol is that he finally acted on a decade's pent-up attraction and seduced a very interested Topaz. As in, they missed the entirety of the wedding, including the part where Canterlot was invaded by changelings and those changelings were then literally banished with the PowerOfLove, because they were too caught up having sex.]]
24	* CluelessChickMagnet: Idol effortlessly (and accidentally) attracts the affections of a large number of mares as the series goes on. Subverted when he learns what he's been doing and tries to stop it.
25	* CreepyGood: Word Of God may paint Idol's morality as lawful neutral, but his decade-long service to the Crown of Equestia has undeniably left a positive impact on the world. As the Flim Flam brothers can attest, Idol can also be quite creepy, possibly shading into NightmareFuelStationAttendant territory.
26	* CloudCuckoolander: To be fair, Idol hasn't exactly had a whole lot of experience outside of the hive, but some of the things he does are... strange. Such as filling his saddlebags with cement mixture after his first encounter with it, and mistaking a prison cell for comfortable lodging space. He grows better over the course of the fic, though he never quite loses that alienation from the world around of him.
27	* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Idol's [[spoiler:Alicorn transformation]] makes him exceptionally powerful the first time he uses it, but also drains him of all his magical energy and knocks him out for several days.
28	* EmotionEater: This applies to all of the changelings, but Idol explains that emotions of all kinds, not just love, can serve as nourishment for changelings. Different emotions can have different effects on the one who's feeding.
29	* ExtremeOmnivore: Idol is willing to eat anything deemed even slightly edible, as well as some things that aren't. He takes a bite out of a ''wooden'' apple, albeit having mistaken it for the real deal and not enjoying the taste. In an early conversation with Topaz, he admits that his definition of food pretty much starts and ends with "vaguely nutritious, and won't make me too sick". During his Guard training, he becomes a figure of legend by eating ''six'' [[IndestructibleEdible MREs]] in a row and asking for a seventh, as well as eating an entire [[MasochistsMeal durian]] when challenged to swallow three bites, as durians are widely considered absolutely inedible to any ponies other than thestrals and a few exceptional pegasi.
30	* TheExile: Queen Chrysalis banishes Idol from her hive for going against the established order. The fic is about how he grows and makes a place for himself in Equestria instead.
31	* FacialHorror: In chapter 48, reading between the lines when Idol gives TheUnsmile will reveal that part of the reason why it's so freaky is that Idol is obliviously straining his facial muscles to the point his cheek ''splits open'' and starts oozing AlienBlood.
32	* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Shining Armor, his best friend.
33	* TheIngenue: Idol is a male, but he otherwise fits this to a tee. Seeing as he's recounting his first time exploring the world outside his hive, his naivety is understandable.
34	* LiteralMinded: Especially at the story's start when he is first introduced to Equestrian culture. He grows out of this, to an extent, as he becomes more familiar with the ways of the world.
35	* MistakenForGay:
36	** During his time as a trainee guard, Wispy thinks that Idol is pining after Shining Armor due to Idol's constant hanging with the fellow male unicorn. Later, in chapter 32, Princess Cadance notes to Idol that she's been worried he was a would-be competitor for Idol's affections, something that startles and dismays the changeling.
37	** He is subsequently Mistaken for ''Bi'' due to his commentary to Wispy, where {{Accidental Innuendo}}s make her think Idol swings both ways. This is then reinforced by his establishment of a changeling exile underground, since he has changelings showing up in both female and male guises, and he uses the old "sock on the doorknob" trick to keep from being interrupted, having no idea of its sexual connotations.
38	* NoSenseOfHumor: Idol completely misses most of [[PungeonMaster Wasta's]] humor at first, though he comes to find it fascinating... [[spoiler:to the point that in a later chapter, he horrifies Topaz with an ill-timed joke about changeling drones typically ''eating'' other drones that have been injured. Topaz is not amused.]]
39	* NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization: Played with. [[spoiler:After having sex with Topaz in chapter 62 and snapping back to his senses in the next chapter, Idol becomes convinced that he raped Topaz and is filled with shame and self-loathing for it, despite the fact that Topaz very obviously enjoyed their night together, and Idol can literally ''feel'' her happiness, satisfaction and further sexual desire. Topaz finally learns about Idol thinking he somehow forced her into sex and is rather offended, bluntly informing him that she wanted it, enjoyed it, and has been in love with him for quite some time. Idol ''still'' can't believe it for some time afterwards, though.]]
40	* NotWhatItLooksLike: Thanks to his complete ignorance in regards pony sexual customs and innuendo, Idol has a tendency to end up in very sexually provocative positions without meaning to. Like in chapter 37, when he goes snooping in Topaz's closet, finds a FrenchMaidOutfit she keeps for personal use, mistakes it for a real uniform, and proceeds to dress up in it and start cleaning the house... in which state he's caught by Topaz and Honey Dew.
41	* ObliviousToLove: A variant; Idol Hooves is ''completely'' ignorant of sex and sexuality, resulting in a propensity for unintentionally using {{Double Entendre}}s and CrossCulturalKerfuffle. It's one of the reasons why he's a CluelessChickMagnet. It's justified in that the changelings of his hive take an extremely utilitarian approach to breeding; they interact just long enough to produce larvae, and then go their separate ways, although it's unclear if that's natural for them or a result of Queen Chrysalis meddling. Played with in that he is eventually straightened out about the whole mess, and he's mortified to realize the mistakes he was making.
42	** Zigzagged with Idol's relationship with Topaz. He slowly becomes slightly aware that he feels ''something'' different for her, but he hasn't worked out what it is that he's feeling. The same also applies to his relationship with Mothchaser.
43	** Invoked in Chapter 55; Idol notes to himself that he somehow never sensed Mothchaser's feelings for him, and he has no clue why. After their abortive attempt at being "together" in his room, when the thestral mare places a passionate kiss on his lips, he likewise notes that he can sense the emotions ''in abstract'', but can't actually perceive them like normal. He's left musing on this "colorblindness" afterwards.
44	-->More concerning, it was difficult for even me to be so willfully ignorant when faced with such a clear and obvious mirror. And yet… and yet I still relied on emotional feedback more than visual or audible. I had somehow never managed to note Mothchaser’s interest. Had, in fact, presumed that it could not exist because I would have felt it. But then… her interest was in Idol Hooves. The pony. Who I was, but since Idol Hooves was not a real pony, I could not be aware of the emotion? Or perhaps it was something closer to the curse that Princess Cadance herself suffered; unable to know what feelings were directed at her? But no, that did not track; I was aware of every ''other'' feeling directed towards me, I was sure. I feared it would have to be related to the Orders.
45	-->She shook my hoof for a long minute, looking at me… then drew me in, her lips meeting my own.\
46	There was a torrent of emotion. I could feel it, but I could not taste it, could not sense it inside me. It was there, then gone, as if it had never been.
47	** [[spoiler: The aforementioned block is removed by chapter 63, as Idol is very much able to taste Topaz's feelings towards him when she kisses him goodbye. Further cemented at the end of chapter 72, when Idol is ''very'' aware of the raw lust Topaz is radiating purposefully at him as she sashays up to her bedroom whilst inviting him to join her.]]
48	* OhMyGods: Idol Hooves has a tendency to invoke Order as a higher-power when making oaths or cursing. Shining Armor lampshades it at one point in chapter 38, and notes that it's quite unusual; ponies swear by Harmony or Celestia ([[ContinuityNod which they have been doing throughout the fic]]), griffons by deity, minotaurs by land, and dragons by the dragonlord. [[spoiler:Post-chapter 63, Idol starts intermittently swearing by Harmony himself.]]
49	* OppositesAttract: Zigzagged with all of the mares attracted to Idol.
50	** Zigzagged with Topaz: at a casual glance, she seems to be identical to Idol, in that they're both rather socially awkward and nerdy. Then played straight in that Topaz is actually far more socially aware and clued in than the oblivious changeling.
51	** Played straight with Mothchaser, because she's a ''bug-eating bat-pony'' and he's a ''bug-pony''. Whilst there's no evidence that thestrals used to prey on changelings, the invocation of predator/prey relationship is still enough to play this trope.
52	** Subverted with Maud Pie, where the source of their attraction to each other is their mutually similar personality traits of being blunt-spoken, direct in thought, and generally not very emotionally demonstrative.
53	* PaperThinDisguise: Chapter 1 of "Changeling Perspectives", "The Nurse", clarifies what his adoption of the "Idol Hooves" form early in the main fic suggests: Idol Hooves' personalized pony form maintains the ''exact same color scheme'' as his normal changeling form. The only differences are, of course, the physical traits -- presence or absence of holes, horn shape, wings and so forth. [[JustifiedTrope Its justified]] in that most ponies believe Changelings are a myth if they're aware of them at all and wouldn't spot the comparison, and it means that a quick glance at Idol undisguised can be excused as their eyes playing tricks on them. Topaz even [[LampshadeHanging brings this up as a benefit]] when she helps Idol develop the color scheme before they enter civilization. [[spoiler:After the Canterlot Invasion, though, this similarity is much less of a disguise, which is one of the reasons why Idol is made to move to the Crystal Empire, where changelings are still unknown.]]
54	* PunnyName: His name sounds like "idle hooves", a ponyfication of "idle hands" (distracted or lazy). This both references why he was exiled (thinking instead of just working), and is ironic, considering how hard Idol works by pony standards.
55	* ReassignedToAntarctica: [[spoiler:In chapter 69, Shining Armor decides that, whilst he genuinely needs Idol Hooves to come to the Crystal Empire with him and be his new sergeant to straighten out the Crystal Guard, getting him away from the recently-traumatized Equestria certainly won't hurt. So he orders Idol to accept the promotion and come with him.]]
56	* RelationshipUpgrade: Zigzagged in chapter 63. [[spoiler: Whilst he finally came clean to Topaz about long-buried feelings and the two became lovers during the interim between it and chapter 62, he only did so as an unintended side-effect of Chrysalis' clumsy tinkering with his brain; when his normal personality is restored by Cadance & Shining Armor's love magic wave, he completely fails to grasp the implications of what happened, mostly because he's ''still'' oblivious to the fact that Topaz has been crushing on him for years.]] [[spoiler:Topaz corrects him of this misbelief in chapter 69, and assures him that they ''will'' figure out what to do next once his trial is sorted out.]] [[spoiler:In chapter 72, he leaves for the Crystal Empire without her, still believing he basically {{Mind Rape}}d her into loving him, but she follows him. The chapter ends with her ''blatantly'' inviting him to come to bed, in every sense of the word, and Idol giving in and following her.]]
57	* SmellsSexy: As a changeling, Idol gives off a scent that thestrals absolutely '''love'''; they find him inexplicably appealing, and in Chapter 55 it's revealed that not only do the thestral guards joke that they can tell when Idol is on-shift because "it smells like coming home", but also a unicorn of the Night Guard managed to get "really lucky" on a date with a thestral mare after he resorted to rubbing himself all over Idol when the confused changeling explained that he didn't use cologne.
58	-->'''Mothchaser:'''“The night guard has a joke that if it smells like coming home, it’s Idol Hooves coming on shift. (...)It’s really a thestral thing. You don’t smell exactly like a pony, you kinda smell… um… good. (...) Like. Really good. Nobody can really put a hoof on what it is but we like it.”\
59	'''Idol Hooves:''' “...I do recall one of the unicorn night guard begging me for my cologne and then rolling all over me when I told him I had no idea what he meant. It was important for a ‘big date’.”\
60	'''Mothchaser:'' “Oh yeah, he absolutely got lucky with that one, then. Bold move, but I actually bet it worked?” (...) It’s uh. Yeah. It’s a thing. Actually had to hold one of the New Moons back because they wanted to see if you tasted as good as you smelled.”
61	* SuperDrowningSkills: Idol doesn't seem to quite understand the concept of swimming. During training, when the trainees were ordered to jump into a pool of water and swim to the end, he sinks to the bottom and [[WalkDontSwim trots to the end]] and sits there when he realizes he couldn't get back up, until it's implied that he ends up passing out from lack of oxygen.
62	* SuperToughness: Nothing much seems to hurt Idol, demonstrated when he explores a crypt and is only [[AnnoyingArrows mildly annoyed]] by the constant booby-traps... [[AchievementsInIgnorance the booby-traps he even notices, anyway]]. He later demonstrates this to a very alarmed Topaz by jumping off a very high roof and landing in front of her without a scratch while wearing his unicorn disguise. His exoskeleton does have its limits, however, such as when he catches Shining Armor after he falls from a climbing exercise, and the impact ends up cracking his carapace fairly severely.
63	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Idol absolutely loves anything sweet, and admits to eating raw sugar on a regular basis. However, he has a particular love of honey, both on its own and as mead. To a lesser extent, he also loves eating parasprites and durians.
64	* TheUnSmile: What Idol is implied to be wearing when he confronts Flim and Flam after their manipulations contribute to [[spoiler:Luna falling ill.]] It is implied to be incredibly terrifying to behold, not least because it involves him [[FacialHorror grinning so hard that one cheek splits open from the strain]].
65	* UndyingLoyalty: Towards his friends, the Equestian Princesses, and even[[spoiler:, unwillingly,]] Queen Chrysalis.
66	* WalkDontSwim: Idol Hooves is lighter than he looks, but he also takes up a lot less volume, so he has no buoyancy; this is later rectified by issuing him with extra equipment, which is implied to be a comically large pool float.
67	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: [[spoiler:When Idol takes on the shape of an alicorn to intimidate an attacking manticore, he gets far more than he bargained for... His very personality changes, and he gets completely burnt out afterwards.]]
68	** [[spoiler:In chapter 61, he tries the stunt again to protect Cadance from Chrystalis. ''[[BodyHorror He starts melting]]'', and is only saved by emergency surgery from Chrysalis herself. He subsequently discovers he also "burned up" all of his emotional attachments to Cadance in the process.]]
69	* {{Workaholic}}: In the ten years Idol Hooves has served in the royal guard he has never once used one of his vacation days and has accumulated enough vacation days that he could take almost half a year off of paid leave if he wanted to. Eventually Celestia intervenes and has to practically threaten him into using some of his vacation days.
70	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Idol is terrified of trains.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder: Topaz Showers]]
74	!!Topaz Showers
75
76	Idol's Landlord, a female pegasus he rescued from a rogue manticore whilst she was on an expedition in the badlands. A student and later a professor of entomology, the study of insects and arachnids.
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79	* ActuallyNotAVampire: Due to her obsession with insects, Topaz has been mistaken for a changeling, ''by actual changelings'', on more than one occasion. Learning from Cersus that all changeling infiltrators are given insect body-part ThemeNaming as part of a means to covertly identify each other allows her to put some very confusing past encounters into proper perspective. Being Topaz, she's chagrined that she never caught on, and thus wasn't able to covertly study other changelings by playing along with the mistake. Likewise, after Shining Armor learns that Idol is a changeling, he ''immediately'' leaps to the conclusion that Topaz must be one too, only for Idol to quickly and firmly correct him that she's a real pegasus, just an odd one.
80	* CloudCuckoolandersMinder: To Idol Hooves. In his early years, he relies on her to translate the confusing nuances of pony society, and even after he's been in the Guard for years, he still can fall back on needing her to fill this role.
81	* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Zigzagged. For years, other ponies are convinced that Idol and Topaz are attracted to each other but won't act on it, with the two asserting firmly that they are just friends. [[spoiler:Then chapter 63 reveals that Topaz ''is'' in love with Idol and has been for years.]] [[spoiler:She spells it out for him how she feels in chapter 69.]]
82	* FriendToBugs: After taking all the classes on bugs and insects offered at her university, Topaz becomes a professor herself, to better educate ponies on the subjects. She is also a friend to Idol Hooves, who as a changeling is either an insectoid pony, or an equinoid insect, depending on how you look at it. [[spoiler:Whilst she moved to the Crystal Empire to be with Idol, the fact it means she can literally write the book on the Empire's invertebrates is also a huge plus for her.]]
83	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler:With TheReveal of Topaz's pent-up feelings from years of crushing on Idol without reciprocation, her support for him and his tentative relationships with Maud Pie and Mothchaser comes off as this in hindsight.]]
84	* MistakenForRomance: It is remarked upon several times during the earlier parts of the story that other ponies believe Topaz and Idol to be lovers, with the two roommates correcting that they are just friends. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out to be more complicated than that; Topaz is revealed to have been nursing a crush on Idol for years that Idol, being ObliviousToLove, never picked up on.]]
85	* MonsterRoommate: Inverted; Topaz is the normal roommate to Idol Hooves, who as a changeling is a monster by pony standards.
86	* {{Nerdgasm}}: Being an entomologist, Topaz starts gushing with wonder, excitement and questions upon discovering Idol's true nature.
87	** [[spoiler:In chapter 72, Topaz spends what is implied to be ''hours'' gushing about the insects and arachnids of the Crystal Empire. Partially, this is due to their unusual nature -- such as a butterfly with wings like stained glass that is the pollinator for the empire's primary food-stuff, crystal corn. Partially, it's because she's going to ''literally'' be writing the book on the empire's bugs; the empire vanished before modern biological science practices were codified, to the point that the six different native beetles are just all called "crystal empire beetles" (save for the biggest, which is the ''large'' crystal empire beetle).]]
88	* PrimAndProperBun: Topaz ends up adopting this look when she becomes a professor during the TimeSkip. Idol is rather uncomfortable with the change and prefers her original look.
89	* RelationshipUpgrade: Chapter 63. [[spoiler:After in-universe years of asserting that she and Idol are just friends, Topaz becomes the first mare to ever have sex with Idol. Played with, however, in that Idol was not in his right mind when they hooked up, and once he regains his senses, he still initially doesn't realize that Topaz has been attracted to him for years... not even when he ''tastes'' the years of pent-up and developed love in her kiss.]] [[spoiler:In chapter 69, after learning that Idol is under the mistaken impression that she fell in love with him because of him using MindRape, she corrects him that her feelings are real and they're going to need to sort their new relationship out once the Princesses have figured out what they're going to do to him.]] [[spoiler:In chapter 72, she follows Idol to the Crystal Empire so he can't run away from their new relationship and makes it clear she wants to be with him... and also to continue being sexually active with him.]]
90	* SecretKeeper: She spends the vast majority of the fic as the only pony Idol knows who is aware of his being a changeling.
91	* TrueCompanions: While ostensibly Topaz is merely documenting Idol's integration into Pony society for posterity, the two of them have come to care for each other, to the point where their relationship is frequently MistakenForRomance. [[spoiler:Justifiably, as chapter 63 reveals.]]
92	* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Downplayed. [[spoiler:When Topaz finally manages to reunite with Idol in chapter 69, she is justifiably ticked off at him for getting taken prisoner by the palace behind her back the morning after they had a mindblowing marathon of sex. Then she spots his replacement legs and how starved he looks, and she ''immediately'' rounds on the Princesses in a protective fury, indignantly accusing them of maltreating him with such vehemence that even Princess Celestia fumbles to try and explain. Idol can only watch, completely in awe, as the normally highly decorous pegasus reduces the leaders of her nation to stammering and cowering like scared students.]]
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder: Guard Ponies]]
96	!!Bold Bigflank
97
98	An extremely muscular and well-built male Earth Pony member of the Day Guard. A former Tommenjerry dancer who decided to sign up with the Day Guard.
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101	* ChippendalesDancers: It's revealed in Chapter 29 that Bold Bigflank was originally a Tommenjerry dancer, who are the pony equivalent of these. Topaz recognizes him from visiting the club he used to work at, and two of his former fellow dancers, Andesite Rock and Hard Place, show up to congratulate him on graduating into a fully fledged Day Guard.
102	* CrossCulturalKerfuffle: Manages to subdue a rowdy female griffon by responding to her threat postures with his own series of muscle-flexing poses. Then learns ''afterwards'' that such posing is a traditional part of griffon courtship, so he inadvertently did something in between publicly propositioning her and literally arousing her into surrender.
103	* InterspeciesRomance: Has an on-again off-again relationship with fellow Guardspony Wispy, a pegasus. Finally, after years of back-and-forth that manages to annoy even Idol Hooves, they get married. There's also the one-sided crush that a certain unnamed griffon hen had on him after he inadvertently aroused her into submission.
104	* MeaningfulName: He's called "Bigflank" and is described as huge and powerful even for an Earth Pony. It also plays into his past, as Tommenjerry dancers are this 'verse's equivalent of ChippendalesDancers.
105	* ShoutOut: "Bold Bigflank" is one of the many names given to [[Film/SpaceMutiny David Ryder]] by the crew of [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 the Satellite of Love.]]
106
107	!!Wispy Nimbus
108
109	A female pegasus and member of the Day Guard. An extremely skilled flyer.
110
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112	* InterspeciesRomance: Has an on-again, off-again relationship with the earth pony Bold Bigflank for much of the story, before they finally get married.
113
114	!!Mothchaser
115
116	A female thestral and member of the Night Guard.
117
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119	* InterspeciesRomance: She's a thestral who is interested in Idol Hooves, whom she believes is a unicorn -- as he's actually a changeling, this trope is taken even deeper.
120	* TheNoseKnows: As a thestral, she can detect that Idol Hooves is actually a changeling by his very distinct scent, which remains regardless of the body he's taken. Played with in that prior to the Canterlot invasion, she has no idea ''why'' it is that he has such a distinct scent.
121	* SecretKeeper: Downplayed. After their failed attempt at intimacy in Chapter 55, Mothchaser becomes the only pony in Equestria who knows that Idol Hooves isn't a real unicorn, although she believes he's a {{golem}} rather than a changeling. [[spoiler:Come chapter 68, and she learns that Idol is actually a changeling.]]
122	* SmellsSexy: She isn't sure of why Idol smells the way he does, at least prior to the Canterlot invasion, but she finds it ''very'' attractive.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder: Exiled Changelings]]
126	!!Cersus
127
128	A young female changeling who suffers from colorblindness, she was smuggled away from her hive by an elderly nurse who refused to let her be either destroyed or assigned to a dull life as a digger for her flaws. The nurse gave her over to Idol Hooves, who became her guardian. Lives largely independently of him, interacting with the foals of Canterlot as a "Professional Imaginary Friend".
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131	* FreeRangeChildren: She largely lives on her own and looks after herself for most of the story, even after Topaz learns of her existence and starts taking on a surrogate motherly role to her. It's justified in that changeling young are much more independent than pony foals and that Idol, as a former digger-drone, has no real idea how changeling young ''should'' be cared for anyway. It's also lampshaded in that ponies who find out about her immediately a) describe her as Idol's daughter, and b) are horrified by how much he leaves her to her own devices.
132	* GlamorFailure: Due to her colorblindness, she has a bad tendency to scramble the colors of her disguises, which makes her useless as an infiltrator.
133	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: For a large part of the story, she's just called "The Nymph". It isn't until she's formally introduced to Topaz that her name is revealed.
134	* ThisPageWillSelfDestruct: Like any self-respecting professional imaginary friend, she has self-destructing business cards, which she makes from her own molted chitin.
135
136	!!Heyyu
137
138	A male changeling and former gatherer who was exiled from the hive for giving the nymphs some peculiar-tasting red berries he found, which turned out to be poisonous. The first fellow exile that Idol encountered, after some prodding from Topaz, Idol tried to help Heyyu find a position in pony society as he had done. Eventually, Heyyu left Canterlot to try for a job as a cherry harvester at Dodge Junction.
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141	* ADayInTheLimelight: Has a relatively large portion of Chapter 1 of the official sidestory "Changeling Perspectives", "The Nurse", told from his point of view.
142	* AppropriatedAppellation: Like Idol Hooves, he really struggled to come up with a name for his first ponysona, ultimately suggesting that they just go with what other ponies tended to call him: "Hey, you!" After finding out that was actually phonetically similar to an actual Neighponese name, he became Heyyu.
143	* SmallRoleBigImpact: He inspired Idol Hooves to reach out and become a support node for other exiled changelings. He also sent the old nurse to Idol when she was seeking a way to save Cersus' life, and is thusly responsible for her existence.
144	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Cherries. Part of the reason why the Dodge City move paid off so much is that Heyyu really, really loves to eat cherries and anything cherry-flavored or based. His traditional choice of drink at the local watering hole is a "cherry sour; heavy on the cherry, light on the sour", and the bar-brawl that erupts when somebody jokes about this has become a local tradition.
145	[[/folder]]
146
147	[[folder: Other Ponies]]
148	!!Honey Dew
149
150	Topaz Shower's neighbor and best friend, a female Earth Pony beekeeper.
151
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153	* AmbiguouslyGay: In chapter 37, after stumbling across Idol Hooves in a maid costume, she muses to herself that she didn't realize she was into colts in maid outfits, and that this might be "the exception to the rules". She also instructs Idol to take things slower when he starts getting undressed, essentially asking the clueless changeling to do a strip-tease for her, and before the mortified Topaz shoves her out the door, pleads with her neighbor to at least get a picture of Idol in maid outfit, because she thinks the faux-unicorn is "rocking it".
154	* FriendToBugs: Her special talent allows her to communicate with bees, and she is one of Equestria's best beekeepers and honey producers as a result of it.
155	* ShipperOnDeck: Downplayed, but she is an early supporter of Idol and Topaz graduating from "roommates" to "a couple". Albeit she tends to express this opinion in a slightly crude manner, as seen during the maid outfit incident:
156	-->'''Honey Dew:''' "Why the buck are you walking with Wane if you're coming home to ''that''?"
157	[[/folder]]
158
159
160	!!Official Characters
161
162	!!!Princess Celestia
163
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165	* LonelyAtTheTop: After meeting Cersus, she confesses to Idol that she wanted to be a mother, but never found the time early in her reign, and after so many centuries she doesn't think she'll ever be able to "justify" taking a lover or having children. She's tried to live the experience vicariously through students like Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, but it's just not the same.
166	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite being the effectively all-powerful ruler of Equestria, Celestia is never depicted as anything less than patient and reasonable. [[spoiler:Even after Idol's nature as a changeling is revealed, she keeps an open mind about him and never stops trusting him, even going so far as to say she will never make "not being a pony" a crime.]]
167
168	!!!Princess Luna
169
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171	* StraightGay: [[spoiler:It's really impossible to tell by her early behavior, but Luna is actually a lesbian. It's only revealed when Idol Hooves spells it out to the reader by taking her to a lesbian bar to try and get back into dating.]]
172
173	!!!Princess Cadance
174
175
176	!!!Shining Armor
177
178	----
179	* KidWithTheLeash: [[spoiler:Whilst not a ''kid'', Shining Armor ends up as Idol's chosen MoralityChain after the failed invasion, when Idol geases himself to obey Shining Armor in all things as part of a desperate effort to try and stabilize himself mentally after Chrysalis' MindRape. Deconstructed in that Shining Armor is '''not''' happy to be in this role, but accepts it as a necessary evil.]]
180
181
182	!!!Twilight Sparkle
183
184
185	!!!Maud Pie
186
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Context Characters / TheChangelingOfTheGuard