BoC: Abilities [WIP]

Shape-shifting: As their name implies, changelings can change. This works on a molecular level; the only thing that does not change and can not change is the brain. Furthermore a heart is needed to keep the brain functioning. The heart can change its form though. The disguise is not an illusion, their bodies actually change. Arcane energy is turned into matter and vise-versa to make it possible for the changeling to change into much larger or smaller beings. If the body is damaged while in a disguise and the changeling changes back, more magic will be required to substitute for the damage. If a changeling is mortally wounded, meaning the brain is damaged, it can no longer shape-shift. This means substances like alcohol can also inhibit their shape-shifting ability.

Sensing Emotions and Feelings: Changelings are able to sense feelings and emotions in others, like an aura radiating from them, which makes sense considering that feelings are what they usually feed on. This ability also ensures that changelings can recognize other and even each other, no matter whether they are in disguise or not. The emotional energy, while different depending on the emotions felt, has a certain strength that makes it easier to identify others. A changeling can usually tell when a pony before them is actually a changeling in disguise. A changeling can sense the difference between a unicorn and a pegasus, but not between a bat pony and a pegasus, since they are too closely related.

Emotional Feeding: Changelings have the ability to feed on hormones in the blood of creatures as well as their positive emotions, mainly love. The goal is to either steal dopamine from the victim or extract emotional energy that can convert pseudo-dopamine contained in the changeling's blood to dopamine. Dopamine and endogenous morphines are the hormones that keep sustained and increase the power of Royal changelings.

Changeling Magic: Despite what many believe shape-shifting is not a part of changeling magic; it is an ability not tied to their magic. Changeling magic includes the natural ability to use telekineses spells, unleash raw magic and a variety of spells that cannot, or only by emulating changeling magic, learned by ponies. Among those spells are a memory spell that allows to copy the past 24 hours of a ponies memories and a simple hypnoses spell. Of course there are spells exclusive to Royal changelings.

Unicorn/Alicon Magic: Changeling can emulate pony magic. Drones can cast a few simple unicorn spells and Royal changelings, depending on their amount of power, can even cast alicorn spells.

Flight: This ability is another very obvious one. Changelings have insect-like wings and thus can fly. They are not nearly as fast as pegasi but very good at navigating and evading attacks while airborne. The holes in their wings, that are very common for a lot of changelings, do not seem to affect their ability to fly.

Poisoning victims: Changelings can sedate their victims with a poison they produce within their saliva and other bodily fluids. They either feed or inject it into their victims, but it can also be absorbed through the mucous membrane if provided in larger doses. It is highly addictive and the withdrawals their lack can cause are terrifying.

Procreation: Unlike changeling drones, Chrysalis—and any other Royal changeling—can lay and fertilize eggs. The amount of eggs she produces is dependent on the amount of changelings she needs to keep the swarm growing.