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.