“Venom, I know you clearly stated that the truce was over, but... can I at least ask you something?” Pharynx spoke to the reformed changeling in front of him.

“Eh, fine what is it?”

It had been a while since the group of changelings hopped off the train. Now, they were sticking together and making their way towards their destination; home.

Or at least that’s what Thorax and the others called it.

Pharynx cleared his throat before asking, “Where did you even learn those combat skills you pulled off... you know, when we were on top of the train earlier?”

Venom froze in place for a moment, before turning around to face Pharynx. “Well,” he said, “you remember that one guy in the hive named Spiderbite?”

Pharynx cocked his head at the somewhat familiar name. “Spiderbite?” he parroted.

“Mhm.” Venom nodded, with a smile.

“You mean, the Spiderbite?”

“Mhm.” Venom was grinning a little now.

“Let’s see...” Pharynx scratched his chin for a few moments. “Spiderbite... he was one of Scarab’s good soldiers, wasn’t he?”

“Yes! Yes, he was!” Venom nodded eagerly while beaming. “But he wasn’t just ‘one of Scarab’s soldiers,’ he was also a very, very, very, very, very close friend of mine,” he explained. “He taught me everything there is about fending for yourself.”

“Did he?” Pharynx stared at the teenage changeling. “Since when?”

After a moment of silence, Venom answered, “Since the day we ran into a couple of pony outlaws!”

“...You what?”

“Yeah! It was back during Chrysalis’ reign, obviously.” Venom gave the general a nudge. “We all went out for a stroll somewhere in Ponyville, just to rob a few stores, you know, the usual. It was just me, Spiderbite, Hatchet, Spearshot, Grimtooth, and Clawstrike...” Venom explained as he walked ahead of Pharynx. “And then, suddenly,” Venom abruptly whirled around in front of Pharynx to add emphasis to his story, “this group of ponies came up to us before we can even walk into our first shop of the night!”

Pharynx blinked. “Go on...” he said, showing some slight interest in the young changeling’s story.

“Sooo, yeah, these ponies just randomly walk in on our little ‘shoplifting’ night...”

“Er ...you basically just said that.” Pharynx rolled his eyes. “I mean like, what did you guys do about it?” he asked.

Venom waved a hoof. “Simple. We started beating the buck out of them!” He then started punching to demonstrate. “Spiderbite started by uppercutting one of them right in the jaw!” He jumped up and socked out his front hoof upwards. “Then Spearshot sucker punched another one straight in the flank!”

Some of the other changelings seemed intrigued by the action-packed tale, while others seem to cower from the heavy violence that was involved in it.

“Grimtooth and Hatchet had to hold the leader down so Clawstrike could pummel the living daylights out of him!” Venom then started punching at a nearby shrub, thus demonstrating the action even further.

The fascinated changelings grinned eagerly, while the frightened ones only seemed to flinch as they kept watching and listening.

“There were still a couple more of them ponies to knock out though. So guess who had to take matters into his own hooves?” The blue changeling wiggled his eyebrows.

Pharynx displayed an unamused frown towards him. “Let me guess... you?”

“Me!” Venom proudly put a hoof to his chest as he climbed onto a large rock nearby. “Venom Stinger! It actually took quite a couple of beatings, but with my friends by my side, I managed to beat them all and make it out in one piece!”

The many changelings chittered to each other, each of then commenting on the action and the violence involved.

But of course, Pharynx kept a firm frown on his face.

“Let me guess... you want proof that it actually happened, don’t ya Pharynx?” Venom asked with a smirk. “Well I’ll give you proof, Mister!”

Before Pharynx could say anything, Venom lifted his foreleg...

...to show a dark, bluish purple bruise that was located directly beneath his elbow.

Quiet gasps of shock were heard among the changeling subjects.

Venom just kept his smirk plastered onto his face. “Yep,” he breathed, gently rubbing the bruise with his other hoof. “Pretty nasty, ain’t it?”

He tried to keep walking, only to forget that he was on top of a rock. “Oof!” he suddenly stumbled forward and crashed onto the ground below.

Pharynx trotted up to the fallen changeling, a smirk slowly forming on his face.

Venom merely glared daggers back at him. “Don’t. Say. Anything.”

“Well, we’re here!” Thorax proudly announced to his fellow changelings.

The Change Gang gazed upon the destination they’ve finally reached. It was a hive, yes. Was it in good shape? Eh, not really.

The lush green vegetation had wilted and crinkled until they were a deep brown. The bushes and shrubbery that were scattered among the hive’s outside had lost their leaves, leaving behind their prickly branches.

The most notable thing was the rotten stench that arose from whatever was left behind.

“Oh, sweet Chrysalis...” Scorch held his forehooves over his muzzle. “You guys smell that, right?”

Cricket mimicked his brother’s gesture. “What is that smell?”

“Heh. I bet it’s Pharynx’s ego,” Venom said with a slight smirk. “It really overstayed its welcome, don’t you think?”

Pharynx growled quietly at the blue changeling, who merely shrugged with a cowardly grin.

Thorax chuckled sheepishly, looking around the hive. “Er... I know what you’re all thinking. Our hive has took some... uh... a little damage,” he said, “but it’s only affected the plants around here, not anything else.” His subjects nodded lowly. “Tell you what, why don’t we start all of this off with a Feelings Forum Meeting? Does that sound good?”

The changelings immediately perked up upon hearing that suggestion.

“Wait, wait, wait, what is he talking about?” Thistle asked.

“Why, he’s talking about the Feelings Forum of course!” a yellow changeling answered gleefully.

“Feelings... Forum?”

“It’s arguably the most warm, comforting, sugary, sweet activity of the hive!” a turquoise changeling added.

Thistle looked like she wanted to puke. “Y-You’re kidding, right?”

“Nnnnope!” they said in unison, smiling more than ever.

The pink changeling groaned heavily, looking at her comrades. As expected, they didn’t look too pleased either, especially not Venom Stinger.

“Okay, if you guys are going do that. I’ll uh... catch up with you. I guess,” he said.

“What are you gonna—”

“See ya guys later!” he said quickly, before speeding off in a random direction.

“...He’s gonna ditch us with these guys, ain’t he?” Thistle muttered.

“I wouldn’t assume that actually...” Scorch said with a sheepish giggle.

“On second thought... I might have to go somewhere to,” Cricket said before shyly trotting off.

“Where to, Cricket?” Flutterwings asked.

“Somewhere nearby!” he called out. “I’ll catch you guys later!” he added before disappearing completely from their sight.

“Okaaay, so that leaves about four sixths of us then,” Spiny said before turning to the changeling leader. “So, shall we take a closer look at this ‘Feelings Forum’ then?”

“And that’s why craftime solves all my problems!”

“...Remember when I suggested taking a closer look at this place?” Spiny mumbled.

“I’m pretty sure we get it, Spines...” Scorch mumbled in an equally low tone.

“Seriously, where’s Venom at? And what did Cricket go do again?” Flutterwings turned her head at the entrance of the Feelings Forum, looking for any sight of either a green or blue reformed changeling.

“Oh, Cricket?” Thorax turned to the siblings. “Well, I saw him running towards the—”

“Guys!” a voice called out. “Guys, I’m here! I made it!”

Everyone turned to see a green reformed changelings running and breathing frantically towards the Feelings Forum.

Spiny squinted at the sight. “Wait... Is he covered in—”

“Oh, shoot! Everyone back up! Back up now!” Flutterwings called out as she, Spiny, and Scorch all scurried frantically out of Cricket’s path, pulling Thistle along with them.

The pink changeling looked at them with a confused expression. “Guys, w—”

As soon as she opened her mouth to ask them something, Cricket tripped and stumbled forward once he ran inside, falling on his front.

Thistle and the siblings watched as tiny white specks suddenly flew from Cricket and onto a few unfortunate changelings, who shrieked and groaned in disgust.

She squinted to inspect the tiny white specks that appeared to be squirming and slithering on the stone floor. Tadpoles? Worms?

Nope. Maggots. Little chubby white maggots.

Pharynx stared at the crime scene with his jaw agape. “C-Cricket!” he uttered after a few moments of dead silence. “Wh-Wha... what... what the-?! Wha...” his mouth stuttered continuously in an urge to find any proper words to describe... whatever this was.

“Uh... oops?” Cricket attempted as he flinched weakly.

“W-What is wrong with you?!” Pharynx finally said. “Why are you covered in maggots?! You look like you’ve been making out with a corpse!”

“Eheheh... well, it’s... complicated,” Cricket said, getting up and carefully dusting the remaining maggots off of his light green chitin. “I mean, I wanted to um... take in my surroundings... then I saw this maggot farm, and...”

“Wait, you guys have a maggot farm around here?” Spiny cut in.

“Er... yeah, heheh...” Thorax chuckled, rubbing a hoof on the back of his head. “Ocellus sometimes uses them in her personal projects.”

“Well, it was bad enough that I had to be dragged here yet again!” Pharynx growled in a low voice. “Now we have maggots... everywhere. Maggots everywhere.” He shook his head in disapproval at the wiggling larva.

“Thank the queen that Venom Stinger wasn’t here to see it,” Flutterwings said as she and the other three moved back to their original spots.

“Speaking of which...” Scorch pointed a hoof at the entrance. “Here he comes now.”

Everyone stopped chattering once they heard the sound of spraying from the entrance. They turned their heads towards the sounds to see...

Venom Stinger.

With a bottle of spray in hoof.

Disinfectant spray.

Upon walking in the Feeling’s Forum, Venom began spraying around the area. In the air, on the ground, in the corners, even on random changelings, who stared in blank confusion.

“Where did he get that spray bottle?” one of them asked.

“Where has he been keeping it?” another one wondered aloud.

Venom rolled his eyes—obviously not bothering to answer any of these questions—and kept spraying.

All the changelings kept staring at him. Heck, even the Feelings Forum Leader looked befuddled. “Ahem, Mister...” she attempted.

“Not now,” the blue changeling growled in annoyance. “Hold, on,” he said as he sprayed another few times. “Wait—“ Another spray.

“...Are you done yet?” she asked.

“Yes,” Venom said.

The Feelings Forum Leader opened her mouth to speak—

“No, wait!” Venom cut back in.

More spraying.

A few changelings groaned in impatience and exasperation.

“Seriously, Venom, what are you doing?” Spiny asked as soon as his brother finally sat down next to him.

Venom sighed. “I don’t know what these ‘new changelings’ are contaminated with,” he whispered, “but I do not like it!” He then took a whiff of the air around him. “Not to mention the room actually smelled like maggots as soon as I walked in.”
The Feelings Forum Leader sighed. “Very well, then...” She cleared her throat. “Now, who would like to step up and speak first?”

“I guess I will,” a random changeling raised his hoof before starting. “Well... lately I’ve been having inner thoughts... about what we used to be...”

The female changeling blinked. “Another one of those cases? That’s the third time this week.”

The other changeling nodded.

As the two of them began discussing the situation, Venom felt Spiny whispering in his ear. “While they’re going on about that,” he said, “you got any idea why we’re here?”

“You got any idea why we changed?”

“Nope, but something tells me she has something to do with it.” Spiny pointed a hoof at the Feelings Forum leader.

“Pfft. What did she do? Magically turn us into pastels with her ‘peace and harmony’?” Venom laughed a bit.

“This is no laughing matter, Venom!” Spiny glanced around the area. “Do you... do you think she’s a witch or something?!”

“Uhh—”

“That’s that! I’m calling it now!” Spiny leapt out of his seat, wagging a hoof at the Feelings Forum leader. “She’s a witch! A witch!”

Before they knew it, all eyes in the area suddenly fell on the teal changeling.

“You’re a witch, missy!”

“I-I’m a what?” the female changeling uttered.

“Way to spell it out, Captain Subtlety,” Venom muttered, rolling his eyes at his brother.

Thorax sighed heavily, walking towards the center and looking down at the teal changeling. “Look, Tiny—”

“Spiny.”

“Makes no difference,” Thorax coughed. “Just save your crazy creative conspiracies until after the Feelings Forum, okay?”

“Why? I mean, I am talking about my unresolved issues, aren’t I?”

“But you—”

“Now back off while I deal with this hag!”

“Spiny...”

“Venom, can I borrow that spray bottle? Is there any liquid left?”

“Just sit down.” Thorax forcefully pushed the blabbering changeling back to his seat.

Spiny grunted as he landed on his rump, folding his forelegs and letting out a huffy breath as the forum finally resumed without any more interruptions.

The Feelings Forum Leader smiled and turned back to her client. “Now then, dear, what were you saying?”

Venom turned back to Spiny. “Sheesh, this guy takes his ‘Feelsy Circle’ dang seriously. It’s like we’re being forced to take part in a love cult or something. And I thought Pharynx was this pushy... well, he still is, of course, but that’s besides the point. Because apparently his brother Thorax is no different.”

Thorax turned around to face the blabbering blue changeling, furrowing his brow in annoyance. “Venom...” he spoke. “We already explained the purpose of the Feelings Forum, haven’t we?”

“What? I was talking about my problems!”

The changeling leader blinked. “You were talking about me and Pharynx...”

“Exactly!” Venom answered with a proud grin.

Thorax could only stare in silence. His lips fiddled wordlessly, before giving up and sealing shut after moments of attempting to find something to say in defense.

The blue changeling snickered at Thorax’s state, kicking back and laying down on his sapphire carapace with a tiny grin plastered onto his face.

He laid there for a few minutes of the meeting, listening to the many words being exchanged between the other changelings in their discussion, not that he even bothered to count them, really. Too much hassle. Especially with heavy eyelids and absolutely no interest in this whole “Feelings Forum” crap…

“So, Tibia… have you and Cobalt finally sorted out your little situation?”

“We have. Thank Celestia… I thought Cobalt would never believe me… or even talk to me, for that matter.”

Great… Venom thought, struggling to force his eyes and ears open as he realized the forum was still in session. What is it now? A divorce? That would actually be much more pleasurable than whatever Tartarus I’m suffering right now.

“I’m just happy that everything between us is back to normal, and I’m even happier to have forgiven Cobalt…”

Within moments, Venom’s eyes suddenly took up ninety percent of his face. Oh nonono, he’s gone to that level?! I really am in Tartarus!

He jumped to his hooves, glaring at the back of a light yellow drone, who visibly flinched upon turning to meet Venom’s firm gaze. “...What?”

“...You okay, man?”

Tibia blinked. “Uh, yeah… are you?”

“Me? Of course I’m fine! But I’m asking you!”

“Asking… me?”

Venom furrowed his brow. “I’m gonna ask again, buddy.” He took a step closer. “Are you oh-kay?” He asked, giving the changeling a firm tap on the head with every syllable he uttered.

Tibia gritted his teeth, pushing the sky blue foreleg away. “I told you, I’m fine. What’s the matter with you?”

“Me? What’s the matter with you? Did you hit your head or something?”

“What? No!”

“I mean, if you were fine, you’d do the more reasonable thing and leave this ‘Colbalt’ jerk in the dumps!”

Tibia’s eyes widened, and his frown went agape. “W-Why would you—”

“Dude, I know it sounds crazy, but I’m actually doing you a favor, by telling you to do the right thing and—”

“I made it clear, I forgive him!”

Venom’s brow loosened from its furrowed position, and he let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, you definitely hit your head…”

“I did NOT hit my head!”

“What’s going on in here?”

Everyone in the room turned as a new voice made its debut in the already-arrogant conversation. At the entrance was a deep blue reformed changeling with golden orange eyes and a scarlet carapace.

Tibia gasped. “Cobalt! You finally came!” he said with a grin on his face.

“Of course I came! I wouldn’t miss any Feelings Forum for the world. What’s up?”

Tibia opened his mouth to speak, but Venom merely beat him to it.

“He hit his head badly,” he said with a rather toothy grin. “Now, if you could just maybe… I dunno, take him to a nurse, or at least get him out of here, that would be great, honestly.”

Venom could’ve swore he heard the audible smack of a random changeling facehoofing behind him. More than one, perhaps.

Tibia rolled his eyes and, without making any other movements, gave him a hard shove in the side; hard enough to send him stumbling to the nearest wall.

Venom grunted upon feeling the unpleasant impact, sitting up and rubbing his aching temple. As he recovered, he took the time to listen to the sentences being exchanged from the pair of changelings.

“I still can’t believe you’re not mad at me after what I did…”

“No sweat, Cobalt! It’s all in the past now.”

“Aww, I love you Tibia.”

“Right back at ya, buddy.”

And then they hugged.

Of course they hugged.

Venom’s brow furrowed. The longer his mind tried to process this information, the deeper his scowl got, and the more audible his growling became. He turned to his siblings as his cheeks took on a bright red color.

“Venom…” Spiny uttered in concern. “I think now’s the time to—”

“Give. Me. That. Spray bottle.”

Spiny gulped, before taking out the requested object and handing it to his brother.

As soon as Cobalt and Tibia drew out of their embrace, Venom strutted up to them, and his hoof began to unscrew at the top of the bottle…

Tibia turned to face him. “What are you—”

SPLOOSH!

Gasps of shock were heard as Venom splashed the liquid out of the bottle all over the changeling pair, watching them sputter while shaking their heads and buzzing their wings frantically. Thankfully, the liquid didn’t get in their eyes.

After a moment of staring at him with their eyes and mouths agape, Cobalt was the first to try and say something.

“W-Wha?! W-What is wrong with you?!”

Venom didn’t flinch. “You bugs disgust me,” he said, before throwing the now-empty bottle onto the floor, which let out a plastic thunk! as it bounced against the stony surface.

And with that, he began walking away.

Author's Note

I’m such a horrible person for not updating this story sooner.