A Change in Changelingsby PonyThunderChaptersChangeling SidesReturning to Old RoutinesChangelings Can ChangeChangeling SidesReusing this song because it's so good Click for atmospheric music if you so desire. After making the long journey to his home, Thorax had a sigh of relief as he touched down outside the entrance to the hive, his wings buzzing tiredly as they came to a standstill. His body felt filled and recharged with the love he had attained with the Crystal Ponies in the time he had spent in their kingdom after Spike stood up for him. It felt exhilarating, somewhat akin to how exhilarating it felt to be filled to the brim with loving energy after sucking it dry from somepony else, but in a much different way. Changelings didn't eat or drink, so they did not hunger or thirst, but they did require to feed off the energy of others. But for Thorax, there was more than just the feeling of satiation. There was feeling, emotion, joy, happiness, and friendship. And he didn't have to feed off the energy of anypony. Only the friendship that they shared. Why haven't we tried this before? Thorax questioned to himself as he walked through the hive, watching others buzz about in every which direction. None of them paid any particular attention to each other. Any glance, any eye contact would surely result in a fight. Thorax had grown quite used to naturally averting his eyes to avoid such a scenario. He arrived at his small home of sorts. A small opening in the wall, next to hundreds of others that looked nearly the same. Inside were a few belongings, but he made sure to keep them hidden. A changeling could feed off the energy of certain items if they had been loved by somepony, and as one would expect, changelings often resorted to theft. But to Thorax, they were more than just things he could use to satiate his hunger. Currently in his collection he had only a small pegasus, presumably owned by a small filly long ago. Usually, a single item wouldn't last a changeling for that long, and it hadn't for Thorax. He'd been running on empty ever since he decided to stop feeding off the energy of other's belongings. That's why he chose to go off alone in the first place in search for another way of life. Suddenly, the familiar sound of the queen buzzed from afar. Thorax knew what that meant, as did every other changeling. Like a well-trained machine, the changelings rose into the air and formed neat lines flying towards where Queen Chrysalis was located. Thorax rose up to fly, and almost brought along the doll by accident. The meeting was typical. An update on the standings of the changeling empire, if one could even call it an empire. Their numbers were dwindling in the low hundreds, but in comparison to what they were before their invasion, it paled in comparison. Queen Chrysalis spoke about the usual things, doing her best to motivate her subjects through hate and revenge. Thorax listened quietly as usual, but could feel something else stirring up inside him. He was never much fond of the changelings' ways and their feelings towards ponies, but after the life-changing experience he had in the crystal empire, every rage-filled word against them felt like a jab through his own heart. He almost felt ashamed to be in his own skin, surrounded by the hundreds of other changelings chanting and buzzing in response to the queen's speech. He almost thought about speaking up and telling the hive of his story. He ruminated the words over and over in his head to figure out how he would tell them, but the increasing chanting and overall energy of the hive kept interrupting his thoughts. It's no use, he thought to himself. Now was certainly not the time to be bringing up such a controversial topic. Being friends with the ponies? Queen Chrysalis would never even consider it. Not for a moment. He shook his head and looked down as the horde of changelings buzzed in rage and energy as Queen Chrysalis ended her speech. The crowd of changelings immediately rose into the air and buzzed away in every direction, leaving him and the queen standing alone in the large open area. She immediately took notice of him. "You, over there," said Chrysalis. "Come here." Thorax obliged by instinct, but only after a few moments lost in deep thought. The queen was not merciful towards those who were sluggish. "Yes, my queen?" He replied, somewhat half-heartedly. "You look as if you are rather ill-nourished." "Oh, I'm fine," Thorax replied, but immediately regretted it when Chrysalis responded back. "Then why do you show all the signs?" She questioned him suspiciously. "Sluggish response time, frailness of the legs..." "My legs are fine," Thorax replied, but as soon as he looked down, he saw that his legs were shaking slightly. He felt well-nourished from the energy he had received from the friends he made in the Crystal Empire, but his emotions were taking over and making it seem the opposite. The queen continued, "Do you have something you wish to share with me, my minion?" "No," Thorax was quick to reply. Too quick. Chrysalis eyed him suspiciously, and then relaxed slightly. "I know times are tough, young one. But you must remain strong. Do you not have an item or token of love to feed off?" "I do..." he replied. "How long have you been using it to nourish yourself?" "Um...a week or so." It was a bluff. He had been using that ragged thing for over three weeks, but it had lost its energy a week ago. "It's not healthy to go for so long without nourishment," she replied. "Come here and feed off of this." Chrysalis gestured to a small, ragged doll. "This is a very special doll," Chrysalis continued. It was a grey pony with buttons for eyes wearing blue shorts with white polka dots. One of the buttons hung on to the doll by a frail string. It didn't look all that special to Thorax. "This doll was once owned by the princess of friendship herself," said Chrysalis. "At one point, she cast a magic spell on this doll that made it an object of extreme affection to any pony that set their eyes on it. I save its energy for those who need it especially most." Thorax was actually quite surprised. He expected at any moment for the queen find out his secret and to rip him to shreds, but here she was, lending him an outstretched hoof. Still, though, he did not want to feed off of this doll. "Well? Go ahead, I give you full permission." Thorax remained still. Chrysalis grew impatient. "Forget any feelings of pride or strength. I command you to eat." Thorax begrudgingly obliged, unsure if he was becoming angry or terrified. He walked up to the doll and began to attempt to sap the energy from the doll. He thought about all of the ponies who had previously loved that doll. He thought about a young Twilight Sparkle playing with it for hours every day, carrying it around everywhere she went. That doll belonged to his friend, and here he was about to suck the energy out of it like some kind of sick creature. Still, Chrysalis was watching him intently. An aura of energy began to emanate from his jagged horn and towards the doll, its tendrils creeping towards it slowly through the air until wrapping around it like a snake. But instead of energy transferring from the doll to him, it went in the reverse direction. It was a subtle difference, and Chrysalis didn't seem to notice, nor did Thorax. At least, until after the transfer was complete and he felt a bit more hungry than he was before. But Chrysalis seemed content. "Good. Now, leave my presence at once." My pleasure, he thought to himself as he buzzed off in the opposite direction, his legs still trembling from the experience. He felt like at any moment the queen would catch up to him as she came to the realization that he had somehow given energy to this small doll, but she never came. Thorax arrived at his hole in the wall and began to calm down and think about what had just happened. Changelings had never been able to expel energy, only sap it. But he had just done exactly that. Feelings of love and hopefulness came upon him as he burrowed deeper into his little cubby. He grabbed the pegasus doll and held it close to him as he drifted off to sleep from the long day of travelling he'd just taken, imagining what it was like to be one of them instead. But feelings of dread also washed over him. There was going to be a day when Changelings would change, but it was going to come at a cost, and he worried how high it would be. Returning to Old Routines Alright. By popular request, I am continuing this story. As per usual, I like to include some atmospheric music for those that enjoy it, so here's a link to play while you read. The next evening, things fell back into routine. Thorax returned to work at the hive, doing what he and hundreds of others did most days: collect and amass items, trinkets, mementos of love so that they could sustain themselves without having to resort to brute force. They stayed away from pony territory, because of their immense power over them, so instead they often flew to more isolated areas, disguising as other species to acquire their necessary nourishment. Despite what many of the others would believe, however, changelings didn't want to conquer and destroy other nations. Of course, Queen Chrysalis wasn't helping that stereotype either, and it was quite apparent to everyone that the only thing that fueled her mind was revenge and hatred. But a powerful mind capable of amassing support and masterfully appealing to the masses' emotions can be dangerously effective. It was a stark contrast, being back at the hive and no longer with his friends. Thorax had left the Crystal Empire after spending a couple weeks basking in the immense outpouring of love he'd attained from its citizens, but after a time, it became apparent that he would be best suited for returning to his hive. Not because they didn't want him there, although there were a dozen or so ponies in the empire who remained suspiciously silent around him, but because Twilight, Cadence and Shining Armor felt that he could be quite useful in the efforts against the changelings. Thorax couldn't help but feel conflicted, despite the hatred that had started to smolder for his own species. He felt like a traitor, even though he knew he was on the right side. Upon further thought, he realized, he was a traitor. At least, he would certainly be perceived as one. And that, ultimately, was all that mattered. It didn't matter what he thought, in the minds of his own kind. All that mattered was what the queen decided, and what the queen would decide for him would, with absolute certainty, be death. "Get your ss-sissy butt over here and help us break open this door," hissed a changeling, directed towards Thorax. There were three of them. Thorax, Poison Fang and Tarsus. On most missions outside the hive, Thorax was with them, but they weren't really his friends so much as fellow minions. The only "friend" a changeling had was the queen, who provided them with the knowledge and means through which to sustain their existence. "Coming..." Thorax replied as he came up to the door with the others. It was the dead of night in the small village on the outskirts of the equestrian empire, and they were on the hunt. The three of them pushed against the door at once, trying to break it as silently as possible. It broke open with a small crack, and they pushed themselves through. Tarsus and Poison Fang immediately darted in opposite directions, searching for trinkets to steal. The home they had broken into looked like it was a small family of zebras, although it didn't matter much to them. The other two seemed to have split off on the first floor of the home, so Thorax quietly ascended the stairs. As much as he didn't want to be here, he didn't really have much choice. If he chose not to work, he would be punished and likely questioned, at the very least. Despite his moving experiences in the Crystal Empire, he needed to remain secretive for the time being. His role was not to bring friendship to the changelings. Not yet, at least. Nopony, or changeling, was that deluded by the positivity of friendship. It takes two to create a meaningful bond, and if one is not willing, no good can come from it. Not without some sort of catalyst, at least. Thorax quietly stepped upwards, creeping into the room at the top. Inside was a small zebra filly, calmly sleeping beneath her polka-dot covers. He looked at her briefly and silently apologized as he searched for an item of affection to take. He carefully made his way to the opposite end of the room and began searching through a pile of toys and other such things, but didn't find anything that felt as if it had been loved a particularly large amount. That was, until he looked back at the filly, and saw that she was clutching a small, cuddly teddy bear. Thorax sighed and sneaked over to beside the bed. The teddy bear was firmly held between her hooves, pressed up against her tightly. He could feel the love in the air itself, permeating through his nose and into his body, briefly filling every empty void, crack and crevice all at once. He didn't want to take this filly's most precious belonging, but suddenly, a biological urge overcame him. A slithering hiss escaped his throat, his tongue flailing around erratically. The filly woke up in the few moments that passed, but Thorax was already prepared. She rubbed her eyes and looked up. "Daddy?" Thinking fast, he had disguised himself as an older, male zebra, and it looks like it had worked. At least, in the dim light of the room where the details wouldn't be easily picked out. "Sshh," he whispered. "Go back to sleep." Miraculously, she did exactly that. Thorax kept the disguise as he quickly and delicately grabbed the teddy bear and made his way out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house itself where Poison Fang and Tarsus were waiting for him. "Nice steal," said Poison Fang. "Took you long enough." "Sorry," Thorax replied. "I almost got caught." "Yeah, we can tell," said Tarsus. "You're still a zebra." Thorax immediately transformed into his normal self. "Well, we should be getting back to the hive..." "No way," said Tarsus. "There weren't any others around that house, except for whatever little filly that thing belongs to." "So?" Thorax replied. He asked himself what other reason they'd have to go back in there, but then it hit him. Poison Fang continued. "There's no other ponies in there. That means no chance of getting attacked by anything. Do you have any idea how long we could last off of that little filly's energy?" Thorax felt a sinking feeling. "Come on, that's too dangerous. Let's just get out of here." "No," said Tarsus. "We're going back in there, and we're going to suck all the love out of that little filly as we can." Thorax wasn't sure what to do. Any other changeling would jump at such an opportunity, as was being displayed right in front of him. If he refused, he would blow his cover, and it was becoming apparent that his excuses weren't exactly cutting it. "Alright," he said dejectedly. "One of you can do it. I'll wait here." "Nah," said Tarsus. "I want you to do it." What? Why me? As if he heard his thoughts, Tarsus answered. "Because I said so. You've always been weak. The last thing Chrysalis needs is a weak changeling, and the way I see it, you can either remain weak and be eliminated, or you can get strong and be useful to the hive. Now, what's your decision?" Thorax knew exactly what Tarsus meant beneath those words. He was right. Only the strong survived in the hive, so that they would grow stronger altogether. Tarsus was threatening him with the possibility of disclosing his lack of will for the hive. Thorax gave the teddy bear to Poison Fang, and Tarsus walked up to Thorax towards the house. "Stay here and keep watch," said Tarsus to Poison Fang. The two made their way into the house and up the stairs towards the little filly's bedroom. Tarsus stood at the doorway and watched as Thorax inched closer towards the bed. He looked down at the filly and watched for a few moments as she slept soundly beneath her polka-dot blanket. Thorax almost smiled, thinking about the striped zebra with an apparent affinity for polka dots, but the feeling quickly subsided when an abrupt cough and a glare from Tarsus sounded from the doorway. He looked back down at the filly and frowned. There would be no disguise necessary for what he was about to do. Changelings Can Change Thorax walked out the front entrance of the house with tears welling up in his eyes. He'd done something he had vowed never to do again, and felt an ache of guilt sink throughout his body. The feeling of fullness was present, but he had never felt more empty. He had tried to do what he did before, when Chrysalis offered Twilight's childhood doll for him to feed off of, but it didn't work with the filly Tarsus had forced him to. What Thorax realized, though, was that he felt no connection with the filly. There was no bond between them like the one he had created with Twilight. Nevertheless, he felt an immense pang of guilt. It was one thing to seek out and steal items of affection. It was, after all, their primary means of survival. Without feeding off the energy of something, a changeling would eventually starve to death. So often, it seemed like ponies just didn't understand that. To them, changelings were nothing but horrible creatures filled with nothing but envy and hatred. Misunderstood, hated, unloved. One thing that was certainly true, however, was Thorax's envy for the lives of the pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies. They lived lives of happiness, creativity and love, and he was forced to steal just to live on. It was no wonder changelings were such hardened, ruthless creatures. But despite their seemingly heartless exteriors, the changelings did have a certain togetherness when it came to their food. It was the one common need that they all shared. Some of the time anyways. Upon returning to the hive, they were supposed to drop off the trinkets of affection that they acquired so that they could be reallocated to those who needed them more. But other than the quasi-sharing of various trinkets, the changelings weren't that friendly, even with each other. More often than not, they wouldn't drop off the good ones. Just the bare minimum to show that they were contributing something to the hive. But it didn't have to be that way. Maybe I can show someone friendship, and they will pass it onwards, thought Thorax. He looked out from the hole in the wall that he called home. Below him were several changelings that seemed to be fighting. "Give me that!" hissed a smaller changeling. "No, and don't even bother trying to get it back you weak, pathetic loser," replied another changeling. The voice sounded familiar to Thorax, and as he descended closer, he realized it was Tarsus. The object of contention was a small book of sorts. Probably a favorite, adored for years and re-read dozens of times. Thorax stopped himself from thinking about it, though. More often than not, it was easier just to forget. The smaller changeling looked distraught. "I need that! I'm...I'm so hungry..." "Well that's too bad," said Tarsus, "because I found this on my own. It's mine, so get lost." "We're supposed to share!" the smaller changeling cried. "You look like you're doing just fine." "Which is exactly why I'm going to keep this...whatever it is. It doesn't matter. Better to strengthen the strong than waste it on the weak." Thorax abruptly landed between them, facing towards Tarsus. "Just give it to him, Tarsus." "Get out of my way if you don't want to end up like this weakling." Tarsus attempted to push him aside, but Thorax stopped him. "He just needs a little to get by, Tarsus. Leave him alone." "I'm giving you one last warning. Step aside, or I'll move you myself." Thorax didn't move. He needed to think quickly, or have to deal with a fight. "I'll give you the thing I got," said Thorax. "It's better than that, I'm sure." Tarsus glared at him, but quickly realized he was right. He was just thinking of fighting for fun, but now that he would benefit from something, he immediately agreed. "Alright," he replied. Thorax gave him the stuffed teddy bear he'd acquired from the small filly from earlier that night in exchange for the book. Tarsus flew off in the opposite direction, leaving only Thorax and the smaller changeling alone on the floor of the hive. "Here you go," said Thorax as he started to offer the book to him. The smaller changeling snatched it immediately out of habit, immediately beginning to feed off its energy. As soon as the changeling was finished, he looked at Thorax. He didn't say any words, but the shimmer in his eyes spoke hundreds. A few moments later, he clutched the book towards his body and flew off in the opposite direction. For the first time since being in the Crystal Kingdom, Thorax felt good about himself. He'd found a way to help someone, and he could only hope that perhaps the favor would be passed on to someone else. But the good feeling only lasted a short while before fading away once again when the haunting image of the weakened filly resurfaced once more. Once more, the familiar sound of the queen could be heard off in the distance, and suddenly Thorax found himself panicking. He'd given his only token to the smaller changeling, and now he had nothing to contribute. He frantically searched throughout his small space, finding nothing but the old pegasus doll that had long been devoid of any energy. Maybe she wont notice me, Thorax thought as he reluctantly flew off towards the meeting spot. Hundreds of changelings had already gathered around the queen and he took his place in the line to drop off the items. He held the ragged pegasus doll in his mouth. In front of the pile stood Chrysalis, watching each and every changeling add to it one by one. Thorax felt his heart begin to race, trying to calm himself down. He had the pegasus doll. Nobody would be able to tell that it held no love. Probably. The line dwindled quickly as Thorax came closer to the front, Queen Chrysalis watching expectantly as each changeling dropped their trinket of affection. It was his turn next. Don't look, don't look, he thought to himself as he dropped the doll on top of the pile. But his racing mind disobeyed him. He looked up at Chrysalis after dropping off the pegasus doll, and for a split second it felt like she was peering into his soul. He quickly looked away and put his head down, making his way back to the crowd of changelings, but all of their eyes were on him. He slowly began to stop walking, and then turned around. Chrysalis had stopped the next changeling in line, and aggressively rose to the air only to land abruptly beside him. He looked up at her. "Do you think a queen doesn't recognize her subjects?" Thorax felt his heart sink. Chrysalis raised her raspy voice. "Answer me!" "N-No..." "Then why did you think you could get away with not contributing?" A couple of voices in the crowd mumbled something about the pegasus doll, but quickly had their doubts resolved. "You told me yesterday," said Chrysalis, "that you did not have an item of affection with energy left. Am I correct to presume that is that item?" Thorax averted his gaze to the pile and back to Chrysalis. "Yes..." Chrysalis raised her voice once more. "Are you hording it all to yourself?" "No!" Thorax plead. Any other changeling would consider such a thing, but not him. Of course, Chrysalis would never accept such a thing. "Well then," said Chrysalis, "you shouldn't mind if I borrow some then?" Thorax was confused for a couple moments. He didn't have any items of affection. And Chrysalis was asking to borrow them? But then it hit him. He felt body become completely weak. His eyes began to drain of color, and his legs became so weak that he could no longer stand, collapsing into the dust like a rag doll. A dark green aura spread over his body as it wrapped around him, constricting him from every direction. Chrysalis was draining his own energy, just like he'd done to that poor filly. He felt his vision become blurry and faded as tunnel vision began to set in, watching Chrysalis continue to drain his energy from the corner of his eyes. Just the other day, she had been kind and courteous, offering him health and nourishment, and now she was doing the complete opposite. He thought about why he couldn't reverse the process with the small filly like he'd done with Twilight's doll again. Maybe if I think of Chrysalis as a friend, I can... He felt the energy in his body climb ever so slowly, and heard the gasps of the crowd of changelings watching the event unfold. Chrysalis looked angry, but also in shock. Thorax felt the power return to his legs, slowly standing up. The green aura from Chrysalis was slowly dissipating and being replaced by the light blue aura of his own, until overcoming her's entirely and breaking the contact with a flash of light and sparks. The air was silent for several seconds, broken by Chrysalis herself. "How...how did you do that?" Thorax was just as surprised. The crowd began to chatter, but Chrysalis quickly rose her voice. "All of you, leave. Now!" The crowd of curious changelings followed her orders instantly, leaving just the two of them standing alone. Chrysalis moved towards Thorax. "Tell me," she said with a deep, broken voice, "how you did that." There was no use in trying to hide anymore. "I was in the Crystal Kingdom. I made friends with the princess and--" "You what?" Chrysalis replied in shock. But the shock quickly wore off and an evil, twisted grin appeared. "So you're friends with the princess, then? This could be beneficial..." Thorax didn't like what the queen was thinking, and there was absolutely no way he would agree to anything she would try to force him to do. "I'm not going to help you," he replied defiantly. The smile disappeared from her face. "I suspected as much," she replied. "I suppose you think you're special? What if they're just using you to get information about us? Did you think of that?" Thorax never doubted their friendship. They were certainly not easily swayed initially, and nobody was that talented at acting. Chrysalis was attempting to confuse him. "You're wrong," Thorax replied confidently. "We don't have to be this way. We can be like them." "Them?" Chrysalis laughed. "Who wants to be like them? They're weak and need each other to keep themselves strong." "So are we," said Thorax. "Except we have to steal and hurt others just to survive." "Only the strong deserve to survive," said Chrysalis, but Thorax could see the doubt in her eyes. He'd just shown her that he was stronger. He was a simple changeling minion in comparison to the hive queen herself, and yet he was able to overpower her own magic. She was still recovering from what happened and coughed as she laid in the dust. "I'm leaving the hive," said Thorax. There was no use trying to stay as he'd initially planned. He'd hoped to spark a revolution of sorts, but it seemed as though he'd blown his cover as soon as he'd arrived. "Go ahead," Chrysalis replied, in Thorax's surprise. "One fewer traitors to worry about." Thorax took one more look at her, trying to understand. She didn't look like the strong, confident queen she'd always been before. She looked like a tattered, broken wreck. An item of affection that was never cherished, never held, and never loved; empty and devoid of any life or energy. He turned around to take off, but stopped before leaving the ground and coming back to Chrysalis. His jagged horn glowed a brilliant blue, sending tendrils of light and energy between him and Chrysalis and enveloping around her tattered body. He felt the energy in himself slowly drain until there was hardly any left, and then he drained some more. Just enough so that he was barely able to stand on his legs. And then he left, weakly rising into the air towards the entrance of the hive to return to the Crystal Kingdom. If the queen never changed her mind, at least he could say he tried. As he was flying back, two black figures caught up to him in the air. Poison Fang, and the smaller changeling he had helped earlier. "Wait," called Poison Fang. Thorax stopped and hovered in the air as they caught up to him. "What are you doing?" he replied. "I'm not going back there. Not ever again." Poison Fang laughed. "Neither are we." "Yeah," said the smaller changeling. "We'd rather stay with you. Friends?" "Yeah," Thorax smiled. It was small, but at least he had made a difference. He'd planted the seeds of friendship, and in time, they might just be able to do more than he ever could on his own. Change is always possible, but it has to start from somewhere. If day could turn to night, and if darkness could turn to light, surely the changelings could change.
Changeling SidesReusing this song because it's so good Click for atmospheric music if you so desire. After making the long journey to his home, Thorax had a sigh of relief as he touched down outside the entrance to the hive, his wings buzzing tiredly as they came to a standstill. His body felt filled and recharged with the love he had attained with the Crystal Ponies in the time he had spent in their kingdom after Spike stood up for him. It felt exhilarating, somewhat akin to how exhilarating it felt to be filled to the brim with loving energy after sucking it dry from somepony else, but in a much different way. Changelings didn't eat or drink, so they did not hunger or thirst, but they did require to feed off the energy of others. But for Thorax, there was more than just the feeling of satiation. There was feeling, emotion, joy, happiness, and friendship. And he didn't have to feed off the energy of anypony. Only the friendship that they shared. Why haven't we tried this before? Thorax questioned to himself as he walked through the hive, watching others buzz about in every which direction. None of them paid any particular attention to each other. Any glance, any eye contact would surely result in a fight. Thorax had grown quite used to naturally averting his eyes to avoid such a scenario. He arrived at his small home of sorts. A small opening in the wall, next to hundreds of others that looked nearly the same. Inside were a few belongings, but he made sure to keep them hidden. A changeling could feed off the energy of certain items if they had been loved by somepony, and as one would expect, changelings often resorted to theft. But to Thorax, they were more than just things he could use to satiate his hunger. Currently in his collection he had only a small pegasus, presumably owned by a small filly long ago. Usually, a single item wouldn't last a changeling for that long, and it hadn't for Thorax. He'd been running on empty ever since he decided to stop feeding off the energy of other's belongings. That's why he chose to go off alone in the first place in search for another way of life. Suddenly, the familiar sound of the queen buzzed from afar. Thorax knew what that meant, as did every other changeling. Like a well-trained machine, the changelings rose into the air and formed neat lines flying towards where Queen Chrysalis was located. Thorax rose up to fly, and almost brought along the doll by accident. The meeting was typical. An update on the standings of the changeling empire, if one could even call it an empire. Their numbers were dwindling in the low hundreds, but in comparison to what they were before their invasion, it paled in comparison. Queen Chrysalis spoke about the usual things, doing her best to motivate her subjects through hate and revenge. Thorax listened quietly as usual, but could feel something else stirring up inside him. He was never much fond of the changelings' ways and their feelings towards ponies, but after the life-changing experience he had in the crystal empire, every rage-filled word against them felt like a jab through his own heart. He almost felt ashamed to be in his own skin, surrounded by the hundreds of other changelings chanting and buzzing in response to the queen's speech. He almost thought about speaking up and telling the hive of his story. He ruminated the words over and over in his head to figure out how he would tell them, but the increasing chanting and overall energy of the hive kept interrupting his thoughts. It's no use, he thought to himself. Now was certainly not the time to be bringing up such a controversial topic. Being friends with the ponies? Queen Chrysalis would never even consider it. Not for a moment. He shook his head and looked down as the horde of changelings buzzed in rage and energy as Queen Chrysalis ended her speech. The crowd of changelings immediately rose into the air and buzzed away in every direction, leaving him and the queen standing alone in the large open area. She immediately took notice of him. "You, over there," said Chrysalis. "Come here." Thorax obliged by instinct, but only after a few moments lost in deep thought. The queen was not merciful towards those who were sluggish. "Yes, my queen?" He replied, somewhat half-heartedly. "You look as if you are rather ill-nourished." "Oh, I'm fine," Thorax replied, but immediately regretted it when Chrysalis responded back. "Then why do you show all the signs?" She questioned him suspiciously. "Sluggish response time, frailness of the legs..." "My legs are fine," Thorax replied, but as soon as he looked down, he saw that his legs were shaking slightly. He felt well-nourished from the energy he had received from the friends he made in the Crystal Empire, but his emotions were taking over and making it seem the opposite. The queen continued, "Do you have something you wish to share with me, my minion?" "No," Thorax was quick to reply. Too quick. Chrysalis eyed him suspiciously, and then relaxed slightly. "I know times are tough, young one. But you must remain strong. Do you not have an item or token of love to feed off?" "I do..." he replied. "How long have you been using it to nourish yourself?" "Um...a week or so." It was a bluff. He had been using that ragged thing for over three weeks, but it had lost its energy a week ago. "It's not healthy to go for so long without nourishment," she replied. "Come here and feed off of this." Chrysalis gestured to a small, ragged doll. "This is a very special doll," Chrysalis continued. It was a grey pony with buttons for eyes wearing blue shorts with white polka dots. One of the buttons hung on to the doll by a frail string. It didn't look all that special to Thorax. "This doll was once owned by the princess of friendship herself," said Chrysalis. "At one point, she cast a magic spell on this doll that made it an object of extreme affection to any pony that set their eyes on it. I save its energy for those who need it especially most." Thorax was actually quite surprised. He expected at any moment for the queen find out his secret and to rip him to shreds, but here she was, lending him an outstretched hoof. Still, though, he did not want to feed off of this doll. "Well? Go ahead, I give you full permission." Thorax remained still. Chrysalis grew impatient. "Forget any feelings of pride or strength. I command you to eat." Thorax begrudgingly obliged, unsure if he was becoming angry or terrified. He walked up to the doll and began to attempt to sap the energy from the doll. He thought about all of the ponies who had previously loved that doll. He thought about a young Twilight Sparkle playing with it for hours every day, carrying it around everywhere she went. That doll belonged to his friend, and here he was about to suck the energy out of it like some kind of sick creature. Still, Chrysalis was watching him intently. An aura of energy began to emanate from his jagged horn and towards the doll, its tendrils creeping towards it slowly through the air until wrapping around it like a snake. But instead of energy transferring from the doll to him, it went in the reverse direction. It was a subtle difference, and Chrysalis didn't seem to notice, nor did Thorax. At least, until after the transfer was complete and he felt a bit more hungry than he was before. But Chrysalis seemed content. "Good. Now, leave my presence at once." My pleasure, he thought to himself as he buzzed off in the opposite direction, his legs still trembling from the experience. He felt like at any moment the queen would catch up to him as she came to the realization that he had somehow given energy to this small doll, but she never came. Thorax arrived at his hole in the wall and began to calm down and think about what had just happened. Changelings had never been able to expel energy, only sap it. But he had just done exactly that. Feelings of love and hopefulness came upon him as he burrowed deeper into his little cubby. He grabbed the pegasus doll and held it close to him as he drifted off to sleep from the long day of travelling he'd just taken, imagining what it was like to be one of them instead. But feelings of dread also washed over him. There was going to be a day when Changelings would change, but it was going to come at a cost, and he worried how high it would be.
Returning to Old Routines Alright. By popular request, I am continuing this story. As per usual, I like to include some atmospheric music for those that enjoy it, so here's a link to play while you read. The next evening, things fell back into routine. Thorax returned to work at the hive, doing what he and hundreds of others did most days: collect and amass items, trinkets, mementos of love so that they could sustain themselves without having to resort to brute force. They stayed away from pony territory, because of their immense power over them, so instead they often flew to more isolated areas, disguising as other species to acquire their necessary nourishment. Despite what many of the others would believe, however, changelings didn't want to conquer and destroy other nations. Of course, Queen Chrysalis wasn't helping that stereotype either, and it was quite apparent to everyone that the only thing that fueled her mind was revenge and hatred. But a powerful mind capable of amassing support and masterfully appealing to the masses' emotions can be dangerously effective. It was a stark contrast, being back at the hive and no longer with his friends. Thorax had left the Crystal Empire after spending a couple weeks basking in the immense outpouring of love he'd attained from its citizens, but after a time, it became apparent that he would be best suited for returning to his hive. Not because they didn't want him there, although there were a dozen or so ponies in the empire who remained suspiciously silent around him, but because Twilight, Cadence and Shining Armor felt that he could be quite useful in the efforts against the changelings. Thorax couldn't help but feel conflicted, despite the hatred that had started to smolder for his own species. He felt like a traitor, even though he knew he was on the right side. Upon further thought, he realized, he was a traitor. At least, he would certainly be perceived as one. And that, ultimately, was all that mattered. It didn't matter what he thought, in the minds of his own kind. All that mattered was what the queen decided, and what the queen would decide for him would, with absolute certainty, be death. "Get your ss-sissy butt over here and help us break open this door," hissed a changeling, directed towards Thorax. There were three of them. Thorax, Poison Fang and Tarsus. On most missions outside the hive, Thorax was with them, but they weren't really his friends so much as fellow minions. The only "friend" a changeling had was the queen, who provided them with the knowledge and means through which to sustain their existence. "Coming..." Thorax replied as he came up to the door with the others. It was the dead of night in the small village on the outskirts of the equestrian empire, and they were on the hunt. The three of them pushed against the door at once, trying to break it as silently as possible. It broke open with a small crack, and they pushed themselves through. Tarsus and Poison Fang immediately darted in opposite directions, searching for trinkets to steal. The home they had broken into looked like it was a small family of zebras, although it didn't matter much to them. The other two seemed to have split off on the first floor of the home, so Thorax quietly ascended the stairs. As much as he didn't want to be here, he didn't really have much choice. If he chose not to work, he would be punished and likely questioned, at the very least. Despite his moving experiences in the Crystal Empire, he needed to remain secretive for the time being. His role was not to bring friendship to the changelings. Not yet, at least. Nopony, or changeling, was that deluded by the positivity of friendship. It takes two to create a meaningful bond, and if one is not willing, no good can come from it. Not without some sort of catalyst, at least. Thorax quietly stepped upwards, creeping into the room at the top. Inside was a small zebra filly, calmly sleeping beneath her polka-dot covers. He looked at her briefly and silently apologized as he searched for an item of affection to take. He carefully made his way to the opposite end of the room and began searching through a pile of toys and other such things, but didn't find anything that felt as if it had been loved a particularly large amount. That was, until he looked back at the filly, and saw that she was clutching a small, cuddly teddy bear. Thorax sighed and sneaked over to beside the bed. The teddy bear was firmly held between her hooves, pressed up against her tightly. He could feel the love in the air itself, permeating through his nose and into his body, briefly filling every empty void, crack and crevice all at once. He didn't want to take this filly's most precious belonging, but suddenly, a biological urge overcame him. A slithering hiss escaped his throat, his tongue flailing around erratically. The filly woke up in the few moments that passed, but Thorax was already prepared. She rubbed her eyes and looked up. "Daddy?" Thinking fast, he had disguised himself as an older, male zebra, and it looks like it had worked. At least, in the dim light of the room where the details wouldn't be easily picked out. "Sshh," he whispered. "Go back to sleep." Miraculously, she did exactly that. Thorax kept the disguise as he quickly and delicately grabbed the teddy bear and made his way out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house itself where Poison Fang and Tarsus were waiting for him. "Nice steal," said Poison Fang. "Took you long enough." "Sorry," Thorax replied. "I almost got caught." "Yeah, we can tell," said Tarsus. "You're still a zebra." Thorax immediately transformed into his normal self. "Well, we should be getting back to the hive..." "No way," said Tarsus. "There weren't any others around that house, except for whatever little filly that thing belongs to." "So?" Thorax replied. He asked himself what other reason they'd have to go back in there, but then it hit him. Poison Fang continued. "There's no other ponies in there. That means no chance of getting attacked by anything. Do you have any idea how long we could last off of that little filly's energy?" Thorax felt a sinking feeling. "Come on, that's too dangerous. Let's just get out of here." "No," said Tarsus. "We're going back in there, and we're going to suck all the love out of that little filly as we can." Thorax wasn't sure what to do. Any other changeling would jump at such an opportunity, as was being displayed right in front of him. If he refused, he would blow his cover, and it was becoming apparent that his excuses weren't exactly cutting it. "Alright," he said dejectedly. "One of you can do it. I'll wait here." "Nah," said Tarsus. "I want you to do it." What? Why me? As if he heard his thoughts, Tarsus answered. "Because I said so. You've always been weak. The last thing Chrysalis needs is a weak changeling, and the way I see it, you can either remain weak and be eliminated, or you can get strong and be useful to the hive. Now, what's your decision?" Thorax knew exactly what Tarsus meant beneath those words. He was right. Only the strong survived in the hive, so that they would grow stronger altogether. Tarsus was threatening him with the possibility of disclosing his lack of will for the hive. Thorax gave the teddy bear to Poison Fang, and Tarsus walked up to Thorax towards the house. "Stay here and keep watch," said Tarsus to Poison Fang. The two made their way into the house and up the stairs towards the little filly's bedroom. Tarsus stood at the doorway and watched as Thorax inched closer towards the bed. He looked down at the filly and watched for a few moments as she slept soundly beneath her polka-dot blanket. Thorax almost smiled, thinking about the striped zebra with an apparent affinity for polka dots, but the feeling quickly subsided when an abrupt cough and a glare from Tarsus sounded from the doorway. He looked back down at the filly and frowned. There would be no disguise necessary for what he was about to do.
Changelings Can Change Thorax walked out the front entrance of the house with tears welling up in his eyes. He'd done something he had vowed never to do again, and felt an ache of guilt sink throughout his body. The feeling of fullness was present, but he had never felt more empty. He had tried to do what he did before, when Chrysalis offered Twilight's childhood doll for him to feed off of, but it didn't work with the filly Tarsus had forced him to. What Thorax realized, though, was that he felt no connection with the filly. There was no bond between them like the one he had created with Twilight. Nevertheless, he felt an immense pang of guilt. It was one thing to seek out and steal items of affection. It was, after all, their primary means of survival. Without feeding off the energy of something, a changeling would eventually starve to death. So often, it seemed like ponies just didn't understand that. To them, changelings were nothing but horrible creatures filled with nothing but envy and hatred. Misunderstood, hated, unloved. One thing that was certainly true, however, was Thorax's envy for the lives of the pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies. They lived lives of happiness, creativity and love, and he was forced to steal just to live on. It was no wonder changelings were such hardened, ruthless creatures. But despite their seemingly heartless exteriors, the changelings did have a certain togetherness when it came to their food. It was the one common need that they all shared. Some of the time anyways. Upon returning to the hive, they were supposed to drop off the trinkets of affection that they acquired so that they could be reallocated to those who needed them more. But other than the quasi-sharing of various trinkets, the changelings weren't that friendly, even with each other. More often than not, they wouldn't drop off the good ones. Just the bare minimum to show that they were contributing something to the hive. But it didn't have to be that way. Maybe I can show someone friendship, and they will pass it onwards, thought Thorax. He looked out from the hole in the wall that he called home. Below him were several changelings that seemed to be fighting. "Give me that!" hissed a smaller changeling. "No, and don't even bother trying to get it back you weak, pathetic loser," replied another changeling. The voice sounded familiar to Thorax, and as he descended closer, he realized it was Tarsus. The object of contention was a small book of sorts. Probably a favorite, adored for years and re-read dozens of times. Thorax stopped himself from thinking about it, though. More often than not, it was easier just to forget. The smaller changeling looked distraught. "I need that! I'm...I'm so hungry..." "Well that's too bad," said Tarsus, "because I found this on my own. It's mine, so get lost." "We're supposed to share!" the smaller changeling cried. "You look like you're doing just fine." "Which is exactly why I'm going to keep this...whatever it is. It doesn't matter. Better to strengthen the strong than waste it on the weak." Thorax abruptly landed between them, facing towards Tarsus. "Just give it to him, Tarsus." "Get out of my way if you don't want to end up like this weakling." Tarsus attempted to push him aside, but Thorax stopped him. "He just needs a little to get by, Tarsus. Leave him alone." "I'm giving you one last warning. Step aside, or I'll move you myself." Thorax didn't move. He needed to think quickly, or have to deal with a fight. "I'll give you the thing I got," said Thorax. "It's better than that, I'm sure." Tarsus glared at him, but quickly realized he was right. He was just thinking of fighting for fun, but now that he would benefit from something, he immediately agreed. "Alright," he replied. Thorax gave him the stuffed teddy bear he'd acquired from the small filly from earlier that night in exchange for the book. Tarsus flew off in the opposite direction, leaving only Thorax and the smaller changeling alone on the floor of the hive. "Here you go," said Thorax as he started to offer the book to him. The smaller changeling snatched it immediately out of habit, immediately beginning to feed off its energy. As soon as the changeling was finished, he looked at Thorax. He didn't say any words, but the shimmer in his eyes spoke hundreds. A few moments later, he clutched the book towards his body and flew off in the opposite direction. For the first time since being in the Crystal Kingdom, Thorax felt good about himself. He'd found a way to help someone, and he could only hope that perhaps the favor would be passed on to someone else. But the good feeling only lasted a short while before fading away once again when the haunting image of the weakened filly resurfaced once more. Once more, the familiar sound of the queen could be heard off in the distance, and suddenly Thorax found himself panicking. He'd given his only token to the smaller changeling, and now he had nothing to contribute. He frantically searched throughout his small space, finding nothing but the old pegasus doll that had long been devoid of any energy. Maybe she wont notice me, Thorax thought as he reluctantly flew off towards the meeting spot. Hundreds of changelings had already gathered around the queen and he took his place in the line to drop off the items. He held the ragged pegasus doll in his mouth. In front of the pile stood Chrysalis, watching each and every changeling add to it one by one. Thorax felt his heart begin to race, trying to calm himself down. He had the pegasus doll. Nobody would be able to tell that it held no love. Probably. The line dwindled quickly as Thorax came closer to the front, Queen Chrysalis watching expectantly as each changeling dropped their trinket of affection. It was his turn next. Don't look, don't look, he thought to himself as he dropped the doll on top of the pile. But his racing mind disobeyed him. He looked up at Chrysalis after dropping off the pegasus doll, and for a split second it felt like she was peering into his soul. He quickly looked away and put his head down, making his way back to the crowd of changelings, but all of their eyes were on him. He slowly began to stop walking, and then turned around. Chrysalis had stopped the next changeling in line, and aggressively rose to the air only to land abruptly beside him. He looked up at her. "Do you think a queen doesn't recognize her subjects?" Thorax felt his heart sink. Chrysalis raised her raspy voice. "Answer me!" "N-No..." "Then why did you think you could get away with not contributing?" A couple of voices in the crowd mumbled something about the pegasus doll, but quickly had their doubts resolved. "You told me yesterday," said Chrysalis, "that you did not have an item of affection with energy left. Am I correct to presume that is that item?" Thorax averted his gaze to the pile and back to Chrysalis. "Yes..." Chrysalis raised her voice once more. "Are you hording it all to yourself?" "No!" Thorax plead. Any other changeling would consider such a thing, but not him. Of course, Chrysalis would never accept such a thing. "Well then," said Chrysalis, "you shouldn't mind if I borrow some then?" Thorax was confused for a couple moments. He didn't have any items of affection. And Chrysalis was asking to borrow them? But then it hit him. He felt body become completely weak. His eyes began to drain of color, and his legs became so weak that he could no longer stand, collapsing into the dust like a rag doll. A dark green aura spread over his body as it wrapped around him, constricting him from every direction. Chrysalis was draining his own energy, just like he'd done to that poor filly. He felt his vision become blurry and faded as tunnel vision began to set in, watching Chrysalis continue to drain his energy from the corner of his eyes. Just the other day, she had been kind and courteous, offering him health and nourishment, and now she was doing the complete opposite. He thought about why he couldn't reverse the process with the small filly like he'd done with Twilight's doll again. Maybe if I think of Chrysalis as a friend, I can... He felt the energy in his body climb ever so slowly, and heard the gasps of the crowd of changelings watching the event unfold. Chrysalis looked angry, but also in shock. Thorax felt the power return to his legs, slowly standing up. The green aura from Chrysalis was slowly dissipating and being replaced by the light blue aura of his own, until overcoming her's entirely and breaking the contact with a flash of light and sparks. The air was silent for several seconds, broken by Chrysalis herself. "How...how did you do that?" Thorax was just as surprised. The crowd began to chatter, but Chrysalis quickly rose her voice. "All of you, leave. Now!" The crowd of curious changelings followed her orders instantly, leaving just the two of them standing alone. Chrysalis moved towards Thorax. "Tell me," she said with a deep, broken voice, "how you did that." There was no use in trying to hide anymore. "I was in the Crystal Kingdom. I made friends with the princess and--" "You what?" Chrysalis replied in shock. But the shock quickly wore off and an evil, twisted grin appeared. "So you're friends with the princess, then? This could be beneficial..." Thorax didn't like what the queen was thinking, and there was absolutely no way he would agree to anything she would try to force him to do. "I'm not going to help you," he replied defiantly. The smile disappeared from her face. "I suspected as much," she replied. "I suppose you think you're special? What if they're just using you to get information about us? Did you think of that?" Thorax never doubted their friendship. They were certainly not easily swayed initially, and nobody was that talented at acting. Chrysalis was attempting to confuse him. "You're wrong," Thorax replied confidently. "We don't have to be this way. We can be like them." "Them?" Chrysalis laughed. "Who wants to be like them? They're weak and need each other to keep themselves strong." "So are we," said Thorax. "Except we have to steal and hurt others just to survive." "Only the strong deserve to survive," said Chrysalis, but Thorax could see the doubt in her eyes. He'd just shown her that he was stronger. He was a simple changeling minion in comparison to the hive queen herself, and yet he was able to overpower her own magic. She was still recovering from what happened and coughed as she laid in the dust. "I'm leaving the hive," said Thorax. There was no use trying to stay as he'd initially planned. He'd hoped to spark a revolution of sorts, but it seemed as though he'd blown his cover as soon as he'd arrived. "Go ahead," Chrysalis replied, in Thorax's surprise. "One fewer traitors to worry about." Thorax took one more look at her, trying to understand. She didn't look like the strong, confident queen she'd always been before. She looked like a tattered, broken wreck. An item of affection that was never cherished, never held, and never loved; empty and devoid of any life or energy. He turned around to take off, but stopped before leaving the ground and coming back to Chrysalis. His jagged horn glowed a brilliant blue, sending tendrils of light and energy between him and Chrysalis and enveloping around her tattered body. He felt the energy in himself slowly drain until there was hardly any left, and then he drained some more. Just enough so that he was barely able to stand on his legs. And then he left, weakly rising into the air towards the entrance of the hive to return to the Crystal Kingdom. If the queen never changed her mind, at least he could say he tried. As he was flying back, two black figures caught up to him in the air. Poison Fang, and the smaller changeling he had helped earlier. "Wait," called Poison Fang. Thorax stopped and hovered in the air as they caught up to him. "What are you doing?" he replied. "I'm not going back there. Not ever again." Poison Fang laughed. "Neither are we." "Yeah," said the smaller changeling. "We'd rather stay with you. Friends?" "Yeah," Thorax smiled. It was small, but at least he had made a difference. He'd planted the seeds of friendship, and in time, they might just be able to do more than he ever could on his own. Change is always possible, but it has to start from somewhere. If day could turn to night, and if darkness could turn to light, surely the changelings could change.
