Once his hooves finally found the solid floor, Venom groaned and stumbled around blindly as he let his eyes fully adjust to the (once again) low lighting of the bathroom—which he was still currently in, much to his surprise. He could’ve swore that his life was flashing before his eyes in a very literal way.

Was it?

“Guuuys?” Venom glanced around, putting one of his his forelegs out in front of him in attempt to at least feel something. He attempted to do it while walking, but the vertigo ended up sending him on a trip to the floor. Perfect.

He successfully managed to climb back to his hooves, dusting himself off in disgust. Then he ran one foreleg along another to clean the dust out his holes...

...which weren’t there.

What the? Venom tried to raise his hoof in his field of vision to examine it, but like everything else in the bathroom, it was trapped under a thick blanket of darkness. He pressed that hoof against his head, attempting to fix his possibly unkempt mane...

...except it didn’t feel unkempt like it logically would. Heck, for some dang reason, it didn’t even feel like a mane at all. As far as Venom could tell, it had some sort of brittle, unfamiliar texture. Though, he could still tell his mane was still there at least.

“I don’t remember changing into this weird form,” he muttered aloud, continuing to stumble dizzily, until a figure came crashing into him, knocking him off his hooves. “Oof!” he sputtered upon feeling the impact.

“S-Sorry Venom... I-Is that even you?” a voice stuttered to the confused changeling.

Venom’s ears perked and his eyes widened; he immediately recognized that voice. “Cricket?” he called out. “Cricket! Cricket, where are you?!”

“Right here.”

Venom looked straight ahead to see a pair of emerald green eyes staring him down. “Oh, hey,” he chuckled. Even though he knew that this was his brother, there was something... different about his eyes. He just couldn’t put his hoof on it. “So, you might not be able to answer properly, since we’re apparently in the dark, but do you think that my mane looks weird right now?”

“I can’t see what your mane looks like, Venom.”

Venom’s azure eyes lowered in annoyance. “So, that’s actually a ‘yes’ then...”

“Forget about that. Where’s—Aargh!” Cricket suddenly cried out when yet another figure—albeit a much smaller one—came crashing into him.

“Is that you, Flutterwings?” Venom asked once he examined the newcomer: a set of bright purple eyes.

“Yeah, it’s me. Here I am,” the tween nymph’s voice responded. “Where are the others?”

“In the same state as all of us, perhaps,” Venom guessed. His blue eyes visibly glanced around the pitch black room. “Where’s that light thingy?” he asked as he once again began blindly trotting through the dark, dark void. He grunted upon making contact with something that seemed like a solid wall. “I-I...” he stuttered out, “I know it’s you, Pharynx! You’re probably trying to mess with us just so you can keep rubbing in the fact that you’re Head of Patrol! So stop it!”

“Nngh...” Thistle Thorn was the next changeling to stand up, as far as the Change Gang could tell. “Do you absolutely have to blame everything on Pharynx of all creatures?” she asked.

“Who else would it be?” Venom growled lowly.

“Technically someone who would’ve accepted the whole ‘sharing love is a benefit’ theory from the very start of this whole mess?” Spiny said.

“Whatever...” Venom mumbled, reaching for what felt like a light switch. “Now, can we please just get some light in here?“

He then flicked that light switch, finally illuminating the room.

“Whew, that’s better,” he sighed, turning to his siblings—

Wait a SECOND...

Venom examined his siblings... or at least what he thought were his siblings. Instead of the signature coal color, their chitins were more brighter colors; Cricket was now a pale lime green, Flutterwings was a light purple, Scorch had red, Spiny had teal and turquiose, and Thistle... Well, Thistle just straight-up looked like candy floss. To top it off, the holes in their legs have mysteriously vanished.

There was also something going on with their manes, something Venom couldn’t verbally describe it well enough for it to make a lick of sense; they had the same style and structure of their previous forms, like Flutterwings keeping her pigtails and Thistle maintaining her braid, but now they looked like they had the same texture as... dragonfly wings?

Then again, there was also the fact that their eyes remained the same color. Mostly.

“Why is he staring at us like that?” Flutterwings asked cluelessly.

Now sweating heavily, Venom swallowed, then he began chuckling, then he began laughing forcefully.

“What?” the nymph uttered. “What’s so funny?”

“Heheheh. You guys...” he started. “You really thought you could get me. Trying to scare me like that, huh? Well it didn’t work.” One of his eyes began twitching... uneasily. “You can change back now.”

“Change back? Scare you?” Scorch scratched his temple with a hoof. “What are you even—“ he looked down to see his current state, and his eyes widened “—oh...”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Just change back!” Venom insisted.

The other five changelings looked at each other, exchanging concerned glances. Thistle stepped up before attempting to shape-shift into her usual, hole-filled drone form, only for her to somehow maintain the same candy floss-colored changeling form.

Venom’s heart skipped a beat after he watched that brief scene play out. “C-Come on, guys! This isn’t funny!”

“Venom, you know that us changelings can’t change into other changelings,” Spiny explained. “Otherwise, we’d all be in a very different situation right now.”

The changeling didn’t buy it. He just didn’t want to. “Is this a joke? Please, please, please say it’s a joke...”

“D-Dude just...” Cricket stuttered. “Turn around.”

“Okay, now you’re just trying to mess with me—“

“Turn. Around.” Cricket eyed him more sternly.

Venom’s pounding heart drummed against his ribs as he squeezed his eyes shut. Slowly and shakily, he began to turn his body to face the large bathroom mirror behind him. That was when he opened his eyes...

...and screamed.

“Did any of you guys hear something?” a turquoise drone asked, his ears suddenly perking.

The harmony of cheers and joyful cries of changelings and ponies alike suddenly died down; all eyes have laid on the bathroom door.

Princess Luna swallowed. “Sister,” she said, “you didn’t think about letting any guards in there, did you?”

“Of course not,” the sun princess replied.

“Then who—“

The small mob of bugs and equines suddenly jumped when they then heard a faint thud!

...followed by a toilet flushing.

The drones’ expressions ranged from confused to slightly concerned. (And a little bit disgusted.)

Pharynx glared daggers at the source of those noises, before slowly making his way towards it. After taking one last glance at his brother, who was anxiously watching this play out, the changeling general carefully pressed his ear against the white wooden door.

“Hello?” he shouted.

“Hello?”

Venom’s eyes snapped back open once he heard the sudden baritone voice calling from the other side. He looked to the side to see a toilet, particularly gazing at the shiny, metal handle. That was when he realized that he had accidentally flushed it with one of his forelegs after stumbling backwards, due to being horrified by his new appearance. “Shoot,” he mumbled, turning to the others. “You think they heard that?”

The other five simply shrugged.

Still shaking, Venom began to steadily crawl back towards the mirror. Using the counter above him as support, he slowly lifted himself back up to his hooves in order to examine his current state;

He, as well, no longer sported the usual coal color of the Queen’s changelings. Instead, his chitin was now a light sky blue. His holes were gone, and he opened his new carapace to see his wings have... evolved? Seriously, what was up with his wings?

Venom was still freaked out about his mane though. His mane. Just how was he going to apply changeling slime to condition it?

He stared back down at his hooves. “My legs...” he uttered.

“How could this have happened though?” Thistle looked into the mirror, rubbing her face.

“Guys, my legs! Look at my legs!” Venom continued pacing around the bathroom floor before waving his hooves in the air. “I have pony legs! All my preciously polished holes are goooooone!“ he wailed as he curled up onto the floor.

“Venom, maybe we’re just hallucinating or something!” Spiny attempted to reassure his brother to no avail. “Maybe it’s no big deal—“

“It’s a very big deal! I-I mean...” he looked back into the mirror. “Just look at my mane! I have
see-through mane!” Venom poked his bangs. “I just look like a blue raspberry!”

“And I look like I came straight out of a glassblower’s pipe...” Scorch mumbled with a frown, as he gazed at his own color scheme that consisted of light reds and oranges.

“Hey guys, it looks like I have a giant dragonfly for a tail!” Flutterwings spun around.

“More like you have a dragonfly emerging from your butt.” Scorch cringed.

“I know right?!” Flutterwings gently chewed her tail and gave it an experimental tug. “Look, I pull it, and it just stays there.”

Venom had already had enough of this. “Guys, just—“

“Hello?!” the voice repeated, this time sounding more annoyed and impatient, snapping the Change Gang out of their self-conscious states.

“Oh, brother...” Thistle grumbled.

“It’s him!” Scorch whispered.

Cricket let out an audible whimper. “Venom, do something!” he whisper-shouted.

The changeling swallowed heavily before trotting towards the door, listening to the voice go on.

“Okay, stranger, don’t make me have to barge through this door!” it said.

“U-Uhm...! Go away! No one’s in here!” Venom called back in an unsure tone.

“Pfft... You think really think that this general could fall for that one? Though I have to say, even my crazy brother has fallen for it once.”

Scorch gasped. “Dung beetle! It’s Pharynx!” he whisper-shouted. “Now what?!”

“Venom! Just keep stalling!” Thistle added.

“Well excuuuuuse me, general,” Venom replied loud enough for Pharynx to hear.

“Pfft, what’s your excuse? Constipation?”

“What?! No—“ Venom glanced at his some of his siblings; Cricket was now cowering behind Flutterwings, whose eyes were widened as she quickly shook her head.

“I-I mean... Yeah! Yeah, I’m... c-constipated!” he stuttered, chuckling.

“Okay, that’s actually just plain gross...” Pharynx gagged slightly.

“I know, right?!” Venom exclaimed, forcing another laugh. “What else is a flushbowl for?” He immediately noticed the other five staring him down once he said that.

“Flushbowl? It’s called a toilet.”

“Right! Toilet! Heh...”

“Are you sure you’re okay in there? I mean, why were you screaming?”

“Because we were out of toilet paper!” he said before quietly whispering, “Is that what it’s called?”

There was a pause. “Who’s ‘we?’”

Venom’s eyes widened when he realized what he had said. “Uhhh...?“

“Okay, that’s it,” Pharynx firmly stated. “I’m breaking in there.

He took one last glance at his five siblings, who all had fearful looks on their faces, then back at Thistle Thorn. “Run,” she said quietly.

Venom merely nodded in response.

They all waited for the right moment. The door suddenly swung open, revealing the glaring changeling general.

“RUN!” Thistle repeated, this time at a much louder and more audible volume.

Screaming their heads off, the Change Gang immediately sprinted out as fast as possible, eventually knocking Pharynx right off his hooves. None of those six changelings bothered to turn back; they already knew he was on their tail.

“Get back here!”

“Run, my siblings! Run before the Bug Squasher gets you!” Venom shouted as they made their way into what appeared to be the ballroom of Canterlot.

If transforming into “bright and colorful changelings” wasn’t bad enough, the ballroom was filled to the brim with Thorax’s subjects singing, laughing, and dancing. Hundreds of them.

“Guys,” Scorch mumbled at the sight of this, “maybe we should just turn back and—“

“Going somewhere?” Pharynx snarled from behind.

“...Don’t turn back! Don’t turn back!” Scorch screamed, as he and the others continued their frantic sprint around the ballroom, pushing past several passersby.

Eventually, they launched themselves onto a nearby empty table, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

“Alright, rainbow scumbags!” Venom shouted towards the confused crowd of bright and colorful changelings, doing his very best attempt to hiss at them—

“Pbbbbbbt!” Out came a raspberry.

Venom blushed when he heard how he sounded; a couple changelings in the crowd were snickering at his pitiful attempt. He tried it again, and again, and again, and yet again. “Pbbbt! Pbbt! Pbbt! Pbbbbbbt!”

He panted. Now the crowd was laughing at him. “I can’t hiss,” he said as he realized. “I’m officially hissless!” The changeling breathed.

“Okay, cool it!” Spiny said quickly. “Looks like we’ll have to improvise.”

“There they are! You six!” Pharynx bellowed at the Change Gang. Behind him were Thorax, Ocellus, and a few changeling subjects.

The six changelings only eyed him back. All together, they steadily turned around and blew the biggest raspberry while shaking their rumps at the general. “Pbbbbbbbbbbt!”

The small mob gasped at the rather insulting gesture.

“Ooooh, now you’re all gonna get it!” Pharynx growled as he leaped onto the table, knocking the Change Gang off.

“Pharynx, wait!” Thorax cried out, but his plead went unheard as Pharynx continued his pursuit.

“What was that about?!” Thistle shouted at Venom regarding his bizarre idea.

“It was worth it!” the changeling shouted back.

“What do we do now?! He’s still gaining on us!” Cricket shouted.

“Guys! Over there!” Flutterwings pointed to a nearby service cart, which she quickly grabbed onto as soon as she reached it. “Woah!” she immediately climbed onto the top shelf, knocking plates, cups, and silverware onto the floor in the process.

“Jackpot!” Venom shouted and immediately climbed aboard the cart once it came rolling his way.

“WAIT!” Cricket screeched at the top of his lungs as the cart zipped right past the remaining four changelings, causing them to run after it.

“Okay, how do you even steer this thing?!” Venom screamed as the cart took random twists and turns around tables, pillars, and even the occasional passerby.

“Don’t ask me! I’m just a kid!” the nymph shouted.

The changelings in the crowd either screamed, yelped, or gasped to dodge the ongoing service cart.

“Hey! Out of the way!” Flutterwings shouted as she leaned left and right in attempt to steer the cart they were on, eventually whizzing past Pharynx at one point.

“Oh, come on!” the changeling general groaned loudly as he targeted the runaway cart.

“He’s still pursuing us... I guess that means there’s only possible solution for this.” Flutterwings looked at Venom. “The time has come where we temporarily part ways!” she stated.

“Sis, you don’t have to—”

“I do.” That little nymph did the last thing expected and launched herself off the cart, screaming, “FORGIVE MEEEEEEEEEE!”

“Flutters!” Venom shouted out as the cart zoomed away from his sister.

Smack!

The nymph fell straight to the solid floor, rubbing her head and pouting. “Dung beetle,” she mumbled lowly.

“Yeesh.” Venom cringed after he saw that scene play out. “Well, okay. What’s next?” he asked flatly.

What came next was the fact that there was a familiar lime changeling, along with a not-so-familiar icy blue changeling nymph, straight ahead. And he was heading straight for the pair, so that was actually two in one.

He screamed as the cart hit a ripple in the red carpet on the floor. The sudden impact sent him flying straight towards the changeling pair, who meekly braced themselves for impact...

...until a changeling general immediately stood in their path before the impact finally occurred.

“Oof!”

Author's Note

As said by a fellow brony called Deergenerate, this pretty much sums up this chapter perfectly;

(I really need a better updating schedule, don’t I?)