A shape-shifting quadruped species, feeding on the emotion of love, which is said to have successfully infiltrated the Equestrian government in the Golden Age, with the goal of maximizing love production for their own nourishment. The species was apparently greatly reduced in numbers during the Catastrophe, as the result of their central hive-mind being destroyed. In modern times, the open and peaceful existence of changelings is known; it is generally assumed that there are also a number of clandestine changelings, but reliable information on that topic is scarce.

After PRPG2

Some time after the end of the contiguous sessions of PRPG2, the Elements were used on the changelings of Equus and local space. All changelings and Crystal Forest were affected, and all but those who had diverged so far that they were simply turned into something else were, after where necessary being healed enough that they were capable of choosing, informed of the state of the world and given a choice: be fully healed and exiled to a place with abundant love, but no way to return, or be allowed to stay while accepting more drastic changes. All of this happened near-instantly, with magic granting them a brief time to confer amongst themselves (and, where harmonically appropriate, with relevant non-changelings) and choose but no chance to even attempt to escape or use their powers harmfully (or be harmed) during the in-between state.

Equus - Rainbow Changelings

under construction

Exile

Those changelings who chose exile were, as the Elements said when offering the choice, fully healed, then banished to a far-distant dimension devoid of other life. There, by the physics of that place, they could live their lives without preying on others, but neither were there any beings for them to be a threat to. There was nothing there that could threaten them, either, allowing them to live in peace if they so chose, and sturdy barriers were placed around the dimension against escape or incursion. In particular, the Elements took great care to ensure that the exiled changelings could not get back to Equus's universe.

The Colony Ships

The two sister ships of the Harmony that were able to escape Equus are out-of-universe known to have survived their flight from the planet, though their locations are unknown and contact has not yet as of PRPG3 been reestablished. Due to the nature of the magic they used to escape, they could be reappear more or less anywhere in the universe at more or less any time after they departed. Little has been defined about them overall, but it was desirable that some information be given here on the fates of the changelings aboard.

Luna's Changelings

Luna, while upset at the changelings' actions, was wiling to hear them out and negotiate, in large part due to her past with them and role as their creator. Not wanting to destroy them and knowing how useful they could be to her ponies but also unable to truly trust them and unwilling to demand that her ponies do so, she worked with them to alter their nature, as Chrysalis had long ago, this time to give them a ponylike inherent regard for non-changeling sapient life. This change made, the changelings continued among the people under Luna, beginning to repair their relationship with her and them.

Celestia's Changelings

Celestia quickly killed all of the changelings on her ship, her past experiences with them being overall far more negative than Luna's.