Fate's Got a Funny Way of Looking At Things
“You know, it’s surprising just how much a simple change in attitude can make everything else feel totally different,” Spike remarked aloud as he walked alongside the taller Thorax. “I mean, obviously the physical hive itself hasn’t really changed, but it’s what is living inside it that has.” He looked around wistfully at the swarms of changelings working about the hive, cheerily putting their new, multi-colored forms to use as their culture continued to undergo its little reinvention into a friendlier format, a much welcomed change for the dragon.
“Heh, yeah, I see your point,” Thorax agreed as the new and undisputed leader of the changelings followed the dragon’s gaze. He bore a whole new warmly-colored form himself, making him much taller and looking much more mature and grandiose, like what you’d expect of a leader. But despite the outward appearance, he still spoke in that same voice of the timid and friendly little changeling Spike had first met in the Frozen North, revealing that deep down he was still the same as always. “It does feel a lot…cheerier…in here.”
“It sure does,” Spike agreed as they continued on, making their way through the winding tunnels of the complicated hive. He made sure to stick close to Thorax, unsure how anyone knew how to find their way through the continually shifting maze.
“Still, we’ve got a lot of work left to do,” Thorax went on as they walked. “We’re all still trying to figure out how life is going to work for us now, and what sort of changes this means to our whole way of life now…changelings had been living the way we had before for a very long time now…despite the want and desire to live a different, better, life than that, it’s kind of hard to figure out how to do it.”
“You saying that the changelings of all things are finding it hard to change?” Spike quipped teasingly.
Thorax rolled his newly purple-colored eyes. “More like just breaking old habits,” he elaborated seriously but in good humor. “I’m just finding it hard to adjust to the idea that I’m back in this place at all.” He gazed around at the winding tunnel they strolled through, looking vacant for a second as he reflected back on the events of the past year or so. “I really didn’t think I’d be seeing this place again so soon…or that I’d be…you know…”
“Large and in charge?” Spike finished.
Thorax nodded, and paused to lean against a column jutting up in the middle of an intersection of tunnels, letting out a heavy sigh.
Spike’s brow furrowed. “You ok?” he asked, mildly concerned.
“Yeah,” Thorax said, feeling his gut churn faintly. “It’s just…been a lot to take in all at once, you know? I mean, all this new responsibility, all these changelings I gotta look after now, the new way of life, this new body…remembering to duck when going through small spaces I could’ve fit through just fine before…” he shook his head. “It’s kind of overwhelming.”
“Hey,” Spike reassured him, patting the changeling on the foreleg. “You’re gonna be a great leader.”
Thorax grinned. “So everybody keeps telling me,” he admitted, straightening.
“Besides, it’s probably going take everybody a bit of time until their eyes can adjust to you guys’ bright colors,” Spike teased, motioning to Thorax’s multicolored form as they continued onwards.
“Hey, I like the new colors,” Thorax remarked, studying one of his lime-green hooves in approval. “Makes us look…jovial.”
Spike wasn’t swayed. “You’re all candy-colored now, Thorax.”
Thorax laughed at the idea. “Yeah, I guess we are, aren’t we?”
“No joke! I mean, it’s a good thing you all can still hide by shapeshifting, because it’ll hard to ever miss you guys with those colors. It’s like you’re all walking around with high-visibility jackets.”
Thorax raised an eyebrow. “High-visibility jackets?”
Spike waved the matter aside with one set of claws. “Something construction ponies wear to keep visible and easily seen while they work so they don’t get hit by a carriage or something.”
“Okay, so the new colors are…brighter than what we had before,” Thorax admitted then shot Spike a teasing smirk. “But I don’t see how that’s any different from the colors of ponies.”
Spike rolled his eyes. “Okay, you got me there,” he admitted.
“Besides, you know the thing that I am struggling to get used to?” Thorax rubbed one hoof on one of the two orange horn-like structures protruding from the top of his head. “These things. I mean…why do I even have these antler-things anyway?”
Spike shrugged. “I thought they were supposed to be mandibles or pincers or something,” he reasoned.
“But mandibles are mouth parts, things that go around your jaw, not growing out of the top of your head!” Thorax pointed out. “Besides, my magic goes through them like it does through my usual horn.” He charged his horns with his magic to demonstrate, and sure enough, both his unicorn-like horn and the antler-like appendages lit up with the usual cyan aura of Thorax’s changeling magic. “So they’re basically are antlers of some kind.”
Spike snickered a little at the thought. “I suppose they do kind of make you look like some kind of bug-like deer.”
“And then there’s the fact that I’m the only one who got the big leader-ish form anyway,” Thorax continued, looking over his body, notably larger from the other changelings. “I mean, why only me? What did I do during the transformation that was different from everyling else? Was it in some way influenced because Chrysalis happened to be standing right there in front of me when it happened?”
Spike could only shrug again. “I don’t know, I was still in a cocoon and totally out of it when that all happened,” he pointed out. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as they rounded a corner, nearing their destination. “Twilight once wrote a thesis discussing the possibility that magic itself could be in some way “self-aware”…maybe it just decided you were the best changeling to be the new leader?”
Thorax snorted. “You think it was fate, then?”
“After hanging around Twilight and her friends and everything that’s happened to them, I really can’t rule that out.”
“Fate’s got a funny way of looking at things then.” Thorax frowned as he felt his gut churn again, aching slightly. “Hmpf,” he grunted, putting one hoof to his abdomen in discomfort.
“Thorax?” Spike questioned, pausing to look at him.
“It’s nothing,” Thorax assured him, straightening as the ache lessened and they started onwards. “I think I’ve just eaten something that’s not agreeing with me, is all.”
“What do you guys all eat now that you’re all…transformed?” Spike asked, jumping over a small ledge in the floor of the tunnel.
“Oh, well, emotion still,” Thorax explained. “It’s just instead of aggressively stealing and hoarding all of it for ourselves as much as we can, we just share it freely with everyone else and them back in return, so everybody gets continually fed all the time. So long as we make sure it’s all evenly distributed to everyone, no changeling goes hungry, or ever needs to feel hungry.”
“Cool,” Spike remarked, but winced as he saw Thorax hesitate to rub at his aching middle again. “Hmm…well, you guys feed on positive emotions, right? Love, preferably, but also happiness, excitement…basically all the cheery feel-good emotions, right?”
“Right.” Thorax gazed down at his belly in puzzlement, confused on the ache that was persistently making itself known within, unsure how to explain it or what could cause it.
“So maybe you accidently fed on some negative emotion,” Spike reasoned. “Like anger or hate or something, and that’s giving you a tummy ache.”
“Well, maybe, except…” Thorax motioned to the open space of the hive filled with happy changelings sunnily going about their business. “…you really think you’re going to find much anger or hatred in this place right now?”
Spike gazed out at the sight then frowned. “Hmm…”
“Well, whatever it is, I think I just got to wait it out,” Thorax said, waving the matter aside and ignoring the ache that was persisting within him as he forced himself onwards, his new living quarters that was doubling as a makeshift office until the throne room was fully repaired now within sight. “Besides, we aren’t here to talk about that. As I recall, I do believe you’re actually here on business."
“Right,” Spike said, reaching behind him to pull out a rolled-up scroll from the backpack on his back. “So basically, now that the changeling hive is all good and friendly now, Twilight thinks the crystal map—I’ve told you about the map before, right?” Thorax nodded so Spike continued. “Right, so, Twilight thinks the changeling hive could pop up as a potential destination for friendship missions in the future. So she wanted to give you guys all this documentation and stuff about it and how it works so you at least know what to expect should that ever happen.”
“Sounds good,” Thorax said as they strolled into the office portion of the living quarters, immediately greeted by his teal changeling aide scurrying over to greet them. “Princess Twilight couldn’t come and do it herself, though? This seems like something she’d want to do herself…”
“Normally she would,” Spike said as he took a seat offered by the aide. “Thanks,” he told the pleased aide before going on. “But after Chrysalis’s latest attempt to takeover Equestria, it’s kind of spooked the populace at large, and she and the other princesses have been busy trying to convince them there’s no need for alarm, keep the peace, all that jazz.”
“So she sent you instead,” Thorax grinned, also taking a seat offered by the eager aide.
“Well…I more volunteered to go instead,” Spike corrected with a grin. “I mean, I do get to see a good friend out of it.”
Thorax returned the grin then turned to the aide. “Could you get me something to write with real quick? I want to be able to take notes while we discuss this, so I don’t forget something important.”
“Right away, your highness!” the aide said and buzzed over to a series of cubbyholes stuffed with parchment-like materials.
“Okay, so let’s see this documentation of Princess Twilight’s,” Thorax prompted Spike, watching the dragon proceed to unroll the scroll. “I imagine it will be fairly—ah!”
Spike and the aide both turned to look at Thorax in alarm as the changeling cried out, putting one hoof gingerly on his barrel again.
“Are you okay, your highness?” the aide inquired in worry as he returned with the requested materials.
“Yeah seriously, Thorax, you sure you’re all right?” Spike agreed, looking concerned.
“I’m fine,” Thorax grunted, trying to not clench his teeth as the ache continued to pulse within him. “Sweet acorns, I don’t know what the problem is though…I’ve done something that’s not agreeing with me…”
“Perhaps you should visit one of the healers, your highness,” the aide suggested in concern.
Thorax shook his head however and suddenly stood. “No, no…I think I just have to wait until whatever it is works its way out of my system again.” He flinched as the ache throbbed sharply. “…maybe I should lay down for a bit though…”
“You certain?” the aide prompted.
“Thorax…do keep in mind that you all just underwent a massive physical transformation less than a week ago,” Spike pointed out. “Maybe this is your body protesting in some unexpected way…some sort of complication in the process.”
Thorax stubbornly shook his head. “No…I wouldn’t want to trouble anyone for something that’s probably just a persistent stomachache.” He shook his head. “Look, will you two be all right if you sorted this out yourselves? I think I just need to take it easy for a little bit.” He headed for the entrance that led into his private bedchamber.
“Yeah…yeah I guess so,” Spike said hesitantly.
The aide, however, took the task eagerly. “I will take notes for your reference later, your highness,” he promised.
“Yeah, and after we’re done, I’ll come in to check on you,” Spike added as his changeling friend rounded the corner. “We can talk more then!”
Thorax grunted in response, though whether it was in acknowledgement of their words or from the discomfort he was clearly in, it wasn’t entirely certain. Once he vanished through the doorway though, the matter was considered settled and the aide motioned Spike to one side to get to work.
“So…” Spike began as they settled down. “You got a name?”
The aide opened his mouth to reply but he was cut short when a sudden cry of pain echoed out from the next room.
“GAH! AUUUUGHHAHAHAAAA!”
“Thorax?” Spike cried in alarm as both he and the aide spun around in alarm, suddenly on their feet. When they heard a stumbling thump follow, they both lurched forward. “THORAX!”
“Your highness!” the aide also cried as they rushed into the bedchamber. “We heard you cry out and—”
They both skidded to an abrupt halt, stunned at the sight that greeted them. Thorax was at the center of the modest bedchamber, in the middle of picking himself back up into an upright sitting position, his face flushed red with embarrassment.
But even more interesting, sitting before the changeling’s hooves was the round green shape of a changeling egg.
Spike and the aide stared at it for a long moment in astonished silence, unsure how to react. “Thorax…” Spike finally began, finding his voice as he pointed at the egg. “…where did that come from?”
If it was possible, Thorax’s blush grew stronger still as he found himself unprepared to address the implications involved in answering the question. “I’d…rather not say.”
Apparently though, that was all he needed to say, because the aide blinked and did a double-take while Spike’s eyes widened. “Are…you saying you just laid that?” the dragon declared next.
“I said I didn’t want to talk about it!” Thorax repeated, squeezing his eyes shut and not wanting to have to face considering what this sudden and unexpected event meant.
“But…how? I mean, aren’t you a…how could you even…wouldn’t you have noticed or at least checked for having something like that by now?”
“It’s been a busy couple of days! And it’s not like I’d have any past personal experience dealing with something like this! I’m not a biology expert!”
Spike and the aide exchanged glances for a second then turned to stare at the egg again. “Well, actually…” Spike began, slowly getting a theory. “…maybe it makes sense…”
Thorax didn’t want to hear it. “I don’t want to discuss this!”
“I mean, that was Chrysalis’s big job around here…wasn’t it? With the eggs and all?”
“Nope! Not discussing this!”
“…and with Chrysalis gone now…the eggs have to come from somewhere…right?…or else wouldn’t the hive eventually…you know…die out?”
“No! No!”
“…and with that whole transformation thing…it gave you a new body…so maybe it also gave you…”
“I’m not listening! LA-LA-LA-LA-LA!”
“Well, look at it this way then! This is just another part that comes with being the leader!”
“NO!” Thorax declared and suddenly rose, scooping the egg up with his magic. “We’re not discussing this! I don’t even want to think about just what this means for me right now!” He started to approach the two, the egg held aloft in the cyan glow of his magic. “At least let me wrap my head around the very idea of it before forcing me to confront it!” He stuffed the egg into the hooves of the aide as he walked past. “Here,” he said as he headed for an adjoining backroom to the bedchamber. “I think it’s unfertilized, thank acorns, but have one of the healers double check and then…” he wrapped one hoof over his face then waved it about as he vanished into the backroom. “…do whatever you need to do with it!”
The aide regarded the egg for a second, lifting it with his own magic. “Certainly…” he gave Spike a wink as he turned to leave. “…Queen Thorax.”
Despite everything, Spike had to stifle a laugh as he heard Thorax’s shout of exasperation echo out from the backroom.
Author's Note
Man...what am I doing writing something like this?
So basically, what happened was that I was discussing the consequences of the finale on another site when this possibility struck me, and, darn it, it wouldn't go away so...there it is.
I mean, fanon has long suggested that, like bees, Chrysalis was the sole changeling for producing the eggs (and in turn, more changelings), so with her gone...that duty would sort of need to fall to someone else now, wouldn't it?
Also touched on a few other thoughts I've had about the new "enlightened" changelings while I was at it, in no particular order.
...we're okay to use images from the finale for covers now, right?
