Welcome little Princess Hemelytra, or Ellie.
Ellie is the half-yak half-changeling hybrid that no one had even considered existing.
Her father is King Rutherford, and her mother is Lady Katydid (Changeling OC).
The unusual pair met at a gathering of delegates in Canterlot. King Thorax, who was overseeing the reconstruction of a new and improved hive for his homeless subjects, was unable to attend the affair and instead sent Katydid, former attendant to Queen Chrysalis. Surrounded almost entirely by ponies, the two unique creatures ended up chatting amongst themselves. Their styles complemented each other, with Rutherford speaking in broken phrases while Katydid spoke with elegant fluency.
No one saw the relationship coming, but as their feelings grew Prince, now King, Rutherford became more careful and quiet. His temper cooled, ever so slightly, and his tone softened. Katydid was likely changed as well, but as no one knew her, and as the changelings were only recently reformed, it was harder to notice. Their courtship lasted just over a year and a half.
The marriage of a yak and a changeling seemed like something straight out of the chaos dimension. It boggled the minds of all involved, and the decorating was a royal pain. Pink Pony was, of course, requested to plan the wedding and subsequent reception. She never let on, but boy was it a challenge to make a yak-perfect ceremony that still held true to the sensibilities of changelings.
The alliance forged by the marriage was stronger than steel. The strength of the yaks, combined with the precision and intricacy of the changelings blended smoothly as each helped the other to improve. Hive building went much faster when it didn’t take 10 workers to lift a wall, and a well weaved net on the mountains helped to prevent avalanches in Yakyakistan. While the integration of the two very different creatures was never fully set in motion, the exposure and experiences helped both sides to be more welcoming to change and adjustments. The yaks, along with ponies of course, also helped the changelings to accumulate traditions and holidays, since the hive had previously had no such things.
In the middle of the organized chaos that ensued from the odd alliance, young Hemelytra was born. No one was expecting it at all, since her father was a yak and her mother a bug-horse-thing. The changelings were especially shocked, as they had believed only a queen to be able to reproduce. The odd hybrid was a marvel to be seen, all gross and drooling and wiggling and furry. King Rutherford tried very hard to be gentle with his weird daughter, which was not a commonality in yak culture. Young yaks harden up through headbutting, and are to be walking within days of birth. Ellie had no hind-legs at birth, and wouldn’t develop them for nearly 6 months. Her horns were small and rounded, unlike a yak’s which quickly grew pointy and hard.
Eli was born with blind, pupil-less eyes. While they looked just like her mother’s, it became clear that the child was not meant to see through such buggy eyes. As she grew, the eyes grew lighter and her pupils came into view, changing from bug eyes to yak eyes by the time she could properly walk.
I lightened the green and purple of her wings in order to color her grubby back, since changeling grubs were white with gray spots. I headcannon that reformed grubs are similar in apprentice, but more colorful
Ellie is full grown in my next gen, I just wanted to draw her in grub form.
Princess Hemelytra Adult Design (c) :iconcascayd:
Art by Me