Chapter 1
Changelings really knew how to throw a party.
Starlight panted as she climbed up the steps to the garden terrace at the top of the hive’s spire, away from the raucous cheering and singing echoing up from the main cavern below. She’d left Trixie in a snoozing heap on one of the spongy couches, and Thorax was somewhere in the nectar repositories entertaining the rest of his subjects.
It was just as well that they’d agreed to spend the night in the hive. Starlight’s belly felt comfortably bloated from stuffing herself with bizarre but tasty food – most of which she couldn’t even remember the taste of, save that they were mostly either spongy or slimy – and she felt a pleasant tingling in her head and extremities. They stood absolutely no chance of making it back home safely in their current states, especially considering the fact that the sun had gone down ages ago.
Upon reaching the top, she found Pharynx perched at the edge of the precipice overlooking the Badlands. His carapace had a glittery, iridescent sheen in the moonlight; parts of him almost looked like a patch of the clear, starry sky above. He neither moved nor made a sound as he gazed at the land below.
A stiff breeze blew Starlight’s mane back as she trotted over to him, and she caught a whiff of some fragrant night flowers when she pushed past a patch of shrubs. Some of them had shredded leaves and snapped branches from Pharynx’s roughhousing earlier that day.
“Enjoying the scenery?” she asked as she stopped by his side and sat on her haunches. “The view’s great up here.”
Pharynx glanced at her and raised an eye ridge. “Umm, no. Definitely not.”
“Then what are you—”
“Planning our defences. Now that Thorax’s finally put me back in charge of important stuff, I need to get the hive combat-ready again. Our standards have really dropped. It’s unbelievable.” He shook his head and swept his hoof in a wide arc at the lush greenery below. “Look at all that cover. We could have enemies advancing on our burrows right now, and we won’t see them until it’s too late. I’m getting a team to clear it out first thing in the morning, maybe replace them with some good old stranglethorn vines in the choke points after that...”
Starlight blinked a couple of times, then raised a foreleg. “Uh, but didn’t you guys agree to—”
“Yeah, yeah.” Pharynx rolled his eyes waved a hoof dismissively. “There’ll still be room for pretty gardens on the upper levels and living quarters. I just don’t want them where they’re going to make my job harder.”
“I see. I guess it’s a fair compromise.”
“Heh, if you think they’ll find that upsetting, just wait till I tell them about the new training regimen.” He rubbed his hooves together gleefully and let loose a raspy chuckle that reminded Starlight a little too much of Chrysalis. “I’ll get at least half of us back into fighting form if it’s the last thing I do. We’ll need everyone pulling their weight when quarray eel mating season arrives.”
Starlight had no idea how those overgrown snakes came into the picture, but she decided not to press for details. Instead, she turned her eyes skyward and watched the stars for a while. Pharynx seemed content enough to just sit with her in silence. At least, it seemed that way, until she noticed the way he kept sneaking pensive glances at his hooves every now and then. The way his chest slowly swelled and suddenly shrank back with each breath. The way his ears twitched whenever he frowned ever so slightly…
She’d spent enough time around Twilight to recognise a few warning signs.
Eventually, Starlight broke the silence with a sigh. “So, about what happened today…”
“A lot of stuff happened today.”
“Right. I meant, specifically the part where I said you were a lost cause.” She shuffled her hooves and chuckled nervously. “I—I never really apologised properly for that, so… yeah. I’m sorry for not believing in you.”
“Don’t be. I wouldn’t.”
Starlight blinked. “Uh, what?”
“I would’ve said the same thing.” He then rubbed his chin and shook his head. “Actually, no, I would’ve been way more efficient about it and simply kicked me out myself. It was really sad that no one had the guts to do it. Losers who didn’t fall in line got kicked out all the time when Mother was in charge – it made running things much smoother.”
“Still, I should apologise.”
He tilted his head frowned. “Why? You had the right attitude.”
“Oh, you’re thinking about that.” Starlight scratched her mane and bit her lip whilst she racked her brain for an appropriate answer. “Well… sometimes, it’s not about who’s right or wrong. I mean, sometimes, feelings are just as important as the outcome, and I’m worried that you were hurt by my remarks. I’m sorry for hurting your feelings.”
Pharynx sniggered. “Oh, please. As if that could ever hurt me. You don’t know half the things Mother called me when I was in training. My favourite memory’s when I graduated from ‘worthless grub’ to ‘spineless weakling’. That was fun.”
Starlight felt her jaw drop.
“Besides, I’m just one changeling. My feelings don’t matter.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. The swarm comes first. Always.”
“Maybe, but…” Starlight sucked in a deep breath and let it whoosh out. “Look at it this way: you’re in charge now, and Thorax needs you on the job at full capacity. If you’re hurting on the inside, you’re not working at full capacity, which means the swarm is still losing out in the end. You owe it to the hive to keep a clear head.”
Pharynx squinted at her for a moment, like a full-grown dragon eyeing a pony that had the audacity to buck it on the snout. Somehow, his voiced dropped even lower, and his eyes turned all dark and icy when he growled, “Are you saying that I’m slacking off?”
Starlight gulped and shrank back from his predatory glare. A moment later, she put on a sheepish grin and held up forelegs in a placating gesture. “No, what I’m trying to say is that you’re not recognising the problem.”
“And what is that?”
“You tell me.” She shrugged. “I thought it was because I’d hurt your feelings, but apparently that’s not the case.”
He snorted. “And what makes you so sure you’re not wrong about this too?”
“You’re brooding.”
Pharynx frowned at her for an uncomfortably long moment. “You do know that I’m a male, right?”
“What? What does that have to do with—” She blinked a couple of times, then facehoofed. “Ugh, I meant brooding as in being all gloomy and thoughtful. Nopony broods at the top of a fortress just for the heck of it and—yes, I know you’re not a pony either, but my point is that it’s not normal behaviour for a well-adjusted person. Something’s eating at you, that much I can tell.”
He stared at her for another moment or two, then averted his eyes and muttered, “It’s stupid.”
“Maybe, maybe not. But talking about it might help?”
He didn’t answer, and the silence stretched until Starlight though that he might need a little more time alone to—
“I looked better with holes…” he whispered.
Starlight perked her ears and leaned closer. “Didn’t catch that.”
“I used to look intimidating.”
“Umm…” Starlight flicked her eyes up to his curved, serrated horns, then down to his dark teal legs. He didn’t look very far off from the type of monster that’d come out of the shadows at night, the kind that mothers used to scare naughty foals into bed. “I’m pretty sure you’re still kind of intimidating.”
“Kind of is not the same as totally!” he snapped. His wings buzzed like an angry hornet’s as he ground his teeth and hissed. “I want my fangs back. Black and dark red are the best colours. This silly tail isn’t anywhere near as sharp and sleek as my old one, and I don’t even have my awesome spinal crest anymore!”
At that last word, he stomped a hoof on the ground, hard enough that the impact echoed within the walls of the terrace. Starlight stared at the cracks spidering out from underneath his hoof for several seconds before she met his purple eyes once more. They glowed faintly in the darkness.
“Wow. I mean, I’m sorry.” Gingerly, she put a hoof on his shoulder and continued, “I didn’t think you were this unhappy about your transformation.”
He shied away from her touch and grunted. “I’m not totally unhappy; I think I still came out ahead with what I got. I’m stronger and faster now, and at least I don’t look like a fruit salad, but it’s just not the same!”
“But you’re a shapeshifter. Can’t you just turn back into your old self?”
Slowly, he turned his head back and locked eyes with her. Starlight suddenly realised how easily he towered over her, even when sitting down. His curved horns just so happened to frame the moon in the space between their razor-sharp tips, giving his silhouette the impression of some sinister wizard’s tower, just waiting to strike a hapless victim with a lightning bolt.
She almost cowered under his withering gaze, but she held her ground. Inwardly, however, she wondered if she’d accidentally said something that changelings found incredibly offensive.
After maybe a minute, Pharynx harrumphed and growled, “You ponies really don’t understand.”
“Then help me understand,” she retorted with a frown. “From where I’m standing, this looks like a problem with a really easy solution.”
“Fine.”
Pharynx vanished in a burst of greenish-blue flame. When the flames died down, Starlight saw a perfect copy of herself sitting by her side.
“When everyone can look like anyone…” he said with her voice.
Another flash of fire.
“The only appearance worth anything…” said Not-Trixie.
Flames consumed him again.
“Is the one you hatched with,” he finished as his old black, purple and red self. “The one that’s truly yours and no one else’s.”
Starlight blinked. “Wait a minute. Is it really that special?”
“What?”
Biting her lip, Starlight wondered if she was just about to make another massive blunder with her mouth, but she decided to push ahead. Better to get it out in the open than bumble around until she or somepony else made a real faux pas in public. At least Pharynx seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn’t care too much about social etiquette.
“I mean, help me out here. You talk as if your birth form is unique, and I can see that it’s probably true in your case, but I don’t remember seeing a whole lot of, uh…” – here, he gestured vaguely with a hoof in the air – “individuality amongst the changelings we encountered when Thorax helped us infiltrate the hive.”
“How predictable. You ponies just don’t know what to look at.” He grinned and stretched out a holey foreleg. “This one’s mine…”
Greenish-blue fire washed over his leg.
“And this is Thorax’s old one,” he finished. “Totally different. See?”
Starlight stared at his foreleg. “Uh…”
“If you’re counting holes, you’re doing it wrong,” Pharynx deadpanned.
After shooting him an annoyed frown, she forced herself to concentrate on the details. Sure, the black chitin looked identical in hue and texture, but when he swapped them around a couple more times to give her another chance, she realised that the holes had distinct patterns in size and arrangement.
Nodding, she smiled and said, “Yeah, I think I can see the difference now.”
Pharynx’s grin widened. “Hah, trick question! Both were mine all along. See how easy it is to fool you? No wonder you guys got lost so easily in the hive. Hee hee!”
“Wait, what?” Starlight flicked her gaze back and forth between his leg and his face several times before she settled on grumbling to herself. “Well, you can’t blame me for not getting this right away. You changelings all look so much ali—”
Oh.
Her words trailed off as she stared into space.
Pharynx waved a hoof in front of her muzzle. “You in there? You look like someone just sucked your brain dry.”
Starlight winced when she felt her cheeks reddening. “No, I just had an epiphany. I think I now understand how Ember felt. She had trouble telling ponies apart.”
“Who’s Ember?”
“A dragon. You’d probably get along with her pretty well.”
“Really?” He grinned toothily. “What’s she like? I’ve never fought a dragon before.”
Starlight opened her mouth, then closed it. A scene played out in her mind, of Ember and his monstrous combat form clashing in the middle of a fiery crater, and murmured, “Come to think of it, she’d probably jump at the chance to fight you, too…”
“What was that?”
“Nothing. We’re getting off-topic.” She shook her head and gestured at his body. “We were talking about your natural form. I get that it’s yours and all that, but how personal can it be when every changeling can look exactly like you whenever they want to? They can do that, right?”
“Sure they can. But they’ll burn energy just to maintain it, and that’s a stupid waste. They can’t hold onto it forever, and anyone dumb enough to try it is an idiot not worth keeping around. Your natural form is the one form that no one can ever take away from you, the one form that you know will always be there, underneath whosever’s skin you’re wearing for the day.”
Pharynx raised his foreleg and inspected it like a museum curator would an antique.
“I have many forms, but this one is mine,” he intoned, thumping himself on the chest.
In the next moment, his ears drooped, he hung his head as he transformed back into the taller, glossier version of himself. “Until now, anyway. The others might be happy with their prettier colours, but… I lost what was mine, and I can’t get it back. I don’t know if I’ll ever like the new one as much as they do.”
Starlight found that she couldn’t meet his eyes.
Instead, she pawed at the ground and murmured, “I… I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“You ever lost something like that?”
In an instant, Starlight saw a flash of Twilight and her friends surrounded by the citizens of Our Town, triumphantly cheering as their cutie marks flew and whizzed back onto their flanks whilst she watched, helpless, as her entire life’s work went flowing into the gutter. Years of research, hard labour and sleepless nights undone in an instant…
She heard a scraping noise coming from somewhere on the ground, and when she looked down, she found herself grinding her hoof against rock.
After taking a deep breath, she forced her leg to relax and exhaled. “Yeah, I have. But I got over it.”
Pharynx eyed her for a while, then looked away and scuffed the ground with a hoof, frowning. He remained pensive for several minutes whilst she waited silently, until he eventually sighed and gave her a firm nod.
“Yeah. I guess I’ll have to get over it, too,” he said. The corners of his mouth then curled upwards as he added, “I was wrong about you. You really do understand me.”
She returned his smile. “Not such a loser after all, huh?”
“What? No, you totally are a loser.”
Starlight sputtered and opened her mouth to protest, but before she could get a word out, he chuckled and continued, “And so am I. You totally get me because we’re both losers! I just couldn’t admit it until now.”
“Uh…” She really needed to stop acting like a landed fish around him…
“But you know what? Losing means getting better and stronger once you’ve gotten over your stupid boo-boos. You look like you’ve done it before,” – here, he raised a hoof in the air and shook it – “and I sure as grub am not going to let a pony one-up me like that!”
“Wow.” Starlight whistled softly. “That’s… that’s a surprisingly uplifting, in a roundabout way. I like it.”
“Of course. It’s what we do. We’re the best kind of loser.”
“I guess we are.”
“Yeah…”
The chilly breeze carried their words away into the night as they both turned their gazes to the peaceful, moonlight-drenched landscape below. Save for the presence of jagged tors in between the broad basins, the dense trees and shrubs would’ve made it difficult to distinguish the new not-so-Badlands from the rest of Equestria.
Starlight shifted a little closer and briefly considered giving him a hug, since the momentary silence felt like an appropriate opening that Twilight would’ve exploited for some friendship points. But then again, Pharynx would probably interpret it as a sneak attack and flatten her, so she retreated out of his personal space and kept her hooves firmly to herself.
Inwardly, though, she couldn’t help smiling at the mental image of Pharynx pummelling Twilight and immediately felt guilty about it. Just a little. Pinkie Pie was probably the only one who could get away with hugging Pharynx and survive the aftermath.
They sat in companionable silence for quite some time – long enough for the moon to noticeably change position in the sky. By then, even the distant chatter of the party had died down, and practically all of the lights had gone out. The sky was pitch-black. Only the stars and moon remained.
Starlight yawned and shook her head to clear it. Despite her tiredness, she didn’t quite feel like sleeping yet. Too many things going on in her head. Also, something she’d eaten had caught up to her and made her feel a bit off-kilter. Probably the fermented nectar she’d tried…
“Can I ask you something?” she murmured.
“Yeah?”
“I was wondering…” She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. Something about diplomacy and all that, but then she decided she was too tired to go with anything other than the direct route. “If you liked the old ways so much, then why didn’t you escape with Chrysalis?”
“I serve the hive, not the queen.” He chuckled and stared into the distance, as if recalling a distant memory. “Call me a stupid grub, but I always found it funny whenever she lost her temper after failing to make me prioritise her over everyone else. It’s hilarious. Thorax and I are the best shapeshifters in the hive, bred to be the ultimate hunter and warrior, and somehow we both managed to become her biggest disappointments in different ways.”
Starlight took a moment to digest all of that, then smiled. “You really do care about him, huh? Thorax told us about how you always kept him safe when you were nymphs. Wish I had somepony like you when I was—”
“Hey, hey, watch your mouth,” he growled, waggling a hoof at her. “Those guys were going to beat him up, and only I get to do that. Pecking order.”
“Dress it up however you want, but I’ve got you all figured out. Underneath that hardflank attitude, you’re actually really sentimental and sweet, in your own way.” She winked at him and added, “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”
Pharynx narrowed his eyes. “Are you calling me soft?”
Starlight smirked as she leaned closer and whispered, “As a marshmallow, tough guy.”
“Come here!”
She squealed when he lunged and grabbed her, and for a moment, she thought he was going to stuff her into a cocoon. But her panic vanished when he growled playfully and mussed up her mane with a hoof. She then giggled and wobbled off to the side when he released her. The world swayed with her every move, and she eventually flopped onto her back and stared at the stars.
His grinning face loomed over her. “Consider that your initiation, honorary brood-mate. Next time, I’m sending you straight to the infirmary.”
Starlight snorted and mock-saluted him. “Yes sir.”
Pharynx’s grin softened, and he then lay on the ground beside her with a sigh. “Thanks, by the way. I still would’ve sorted this out without you, but you made it go way faster than I could’ve by myself."
She rolled her eyes. “Your complimenting skills need work.”
“Never claimed otherwise,” he answered with a shrug. “Know what I’m good at? Stories. Want to hear another?”
She turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “Do I have a choice?”
“Well… No, but I’m being nice to you.”
Starlight huffed and wiggled around until she found a nice patch of moss and leaves to lie on. Once she’d settled herself, she motioned with a hoof for him to proceed. “Begin whenever. I’m all nice and comfy.”
“You’ll like this one, I promise!” He cackled like an evil sorcerer. “There was this idiot that we exiled because we caught her smuggling contraband into the hive. Threw her out myself! She really couldn’t stop sticking her muzzle into those ridiculous Daring Do books…”
With a sigh, Starlight closed her eyes and allowed his gruff voice to carry her imagination away.
Pharynx needs his own character tag, stat!
Also, Starynx. 
The previous cover art was meant to be a placeholder until I could get permission to use the current one. It can still be found on https://derpibooru.org/1527784
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I love stuff like this. Good work.
Well, every OC should have these, right?
Also, a meeting between him and Ember would be awesome.
And well-placed reference at the ending.
Good story.
I enjoyed reading it.
It seems this is the first story with Pharynx on Fimfiction, according to the search engine.
(It found another one while searching stories with "Pharynx", but it only mentioned him in the description.)
Starynx OTP
(anymore)shapeshifters.Oh, that was just adorable. Really fun and heartwarming.
Now this I like. Not even a change like the changelings underwent is wholly a positive, and it's nice to see you tackle that head on.
Okay, I can ship this.
This was a great story. It makes sense that Pharynx would have some misgivings over his new look.
Now kiss
Wow... I didn't see it like that...
INTERESTING Story, Good job!
That makes me remember that other story...
i feel like i missed an mlp eppisode
...
Son of a biiiiiitch. *adds an idea to the pile*
Hmm... makes me wonder if we still have one more old changeling still left in the canon universe. Tell me; anyone else remember Kevin, back in Ponyville? Wonder what he's up to these days... *nudges the author, then gestures towards the storyboard*
It's great to see a Pharynx story so soon after his premier (only?) episode. I love stories where two odd people simply sit down and talk. In the wrong hands, that kind of story can be a snooze-fest. In your hands, it turned out to be a gem.
C'est tres bien!
First the pros mostly all of it the plot was good the characters were spot on and the dialogue and tone were all B+ to A material!
Cons
The ending was a little weird I wasn't sure if you were giving a nod to other OC or something with that last line. And your word choice especially in first sentence. I felt weird say they knew how to throw a party instead of know how to throw a party. Though that may just be me. All in all loved your story good job!
True I don't like the new Chagelings but like Pharynx said, you get used to it. And I am starting to like them more. This one of the reason I still watch MLP, it's constant changing be it bad or good but it is not stuck in time like the simpson. For this story I really like that he have his doubts about his new body. But in the end that it might work out. Have like and Fav.
Did someone say pecking order?
68.media.tumblr.com/5f0503ef348fca8ab81ebe2976c1a4ef/tumblr_mx7ed8ALAt1s94hp8o1_500.png
8407112 Oh yes, red and black OCs for everypony! And with more spikes and blades than you know what to do with.
8407210 I'd been internally banging on about it since the Season 6 finale, and this was a nice way to let it all out.
8407885 Embrax and Starynx double date. You know you want it.
8407949 Pretty sure I've seen quite a few stories featuring Kevin already. There's not a whole lot for us to work on, though, given his really brief appearance.
8408069 Glad it worked out. Writing engaging conversation-heavy stories are always a worry for me.
8408407
Guilty as charged.
8408605 I was kind of devastated when they all turned into rainbow reindeer at the end of Season 6, but the latest episode sort of made up for that. It felt pretty meta with how they addressed what upset me so much about their ascension.
8408817 Knew that was going to turn up at some point.
8408822 ... Damn you ;3;
Interesting look into the issue of identity for a shape shifter. The issue of identity can be hard, sorting out who others see you as, who you want to be, who you present your self as, and your true self is no easy task. For someone who can literally change their external appearance their true self would be even more important.
8408826 Oh yes, Thorax and Starlight can have an awkward conversation at the table whilst their respective dates have a brawl to settle a dispute about who really won that arm wrestling contest.
8408843 Exactly! It ain't necessarily as simple as swapping clothes like some might suggest.
8408881
I can't tell if you're trying to brainworm me or set up your next fic lol
One interesting observation about Pharynx, no matter how much he chafed under the new ways, and fought against them, he still respected Thorax enough to not feed on ponies. He didn't like it, he would have rather not done it, yet he still didn't feed on them. It says quite a lot about how he thinks of his brother.
As for the story, I love how you write Pharynx and Starlight, written like this I could totally get behind Starynx.
This is great, but one question though. Is this friendship shipping or romance shipping because if it is romance shipping then should there be a romance tag?
8408984 Interesting point. It does raise the question of where he was getting his love from, then. Probably from Thorax, and it must've really hurt his pride to be so dependent on him for sustenance.
8409083 I'm leaving it open enough for everyone to decide whether they want to see it as the start of a romantic relationship or just a very personal conversation between new friends. The romance tag implies an actual working relationship at some point in the story, which would make this false advertising if I used it, I think, since it doesn't go that far.
8408917 Well, I'm a lazy ass, so that kind of narrows it down, doesn't it? But then again, you never know...
8409119
Okay. Thanks for answering. I can see them having a strong bond as kinship.
8409119
I like it better this way, really. The entire situation just feels sweeter without all that subtext hanging over it. Just two friends getting to know each other better. Not enough of that here, in my opinion, considering what the themes of the show are supposed to be.
changelings I can understand but how can you confuse two different ponies one is light pink and without wings and another one purple with wings, different hairstyle, different hair color?
The show has now confirmed that chernglerngs can transform into any size, shape, and even inanimate objects like rocks... with a corresponding change to their mass (as we saw from the impact Thorax as a bear could make and Pharyx as the spider monster).
Add to this their mind control ability and... my god, Chrysalis was the WORST leader ever! How the hell did she lose with an ARMY of creatures with such overwhelming advantages?
In a realistic situation with just a trace of proper strategy by the 'lings, I'm afraid the ponies would have utterly lost forever unless in that realistic scenario Celestia and Luna were as powerful as they SHOULD be as beings that move heavenly bodies. But then, Chrysalis would have many many hostages to threaten, and so it could end up being a hopeless situation.
8409222
I would argue Starlight is a light shade of lilac rather than pink. Twilight's coat is pretty similar, mostly it's a bit darker.
But yeah, you would think the extra set of limbs would be a bit of a giveaway at least.
8409244
And on that note, I have to admit I have some trouble taking arguments that the changelings were a fearsome and badass army seriously when they use "A Canterlot Wedding" as evidence. I mean, even if not all changelings can take huge and powerful forms (we've technically only seen Thorax and Pharynx do so) getting your asses handed to you by six civilians with no formal combat training that you outnumber by at least a dozen to one doesn't exactly strike as a very good showing for an army.
The influx of love was so strong that the majority of the changelings couldn't help but turn into complete pushovers. They just didn't know how to handle it. Pharynx has a great deal of work ahead of him to bring the changelings back to a balance.
I was excited to see a story from you on this! I knew it would be a solid wrap up for the episode.
8409244
Until we see that most changelings are capable of regularly violating the law of conservation of mass to such a degree, I'll
desperatelyhold onto the headcanon that Thorax and Pharynx are exceptionally gifted in that area. Still doesn't help Chyrsalis' case, though.On the other hand, the ponies got worfed right the hell back in Season 6 when the changelings somehow managed to capture the princesses and the Mane 6 without breaking a sweat, so I guess that evens it out?
Season 2: Twilight > multiple changelings
Season 5: Starlight = Twilight
Season 7: Starlight < one changeling
Power levels, how do they work?
Makes me worry that the movie will have similar issues.
8409642 Either that, or the absence of a queen's pheromones has messed up their ability to react appropriately to danger. It was funny how most of them defaulted to hysteria in the face of impending mole-thingy attack.
8409996
The word on the street is that the movie villains have some kind of magic dampening rock/gem (the purpose of which is ostensibly to prevent the Royal Sisters, Twilight, and company from ending the movie in the first fifteen minutes). It is possible that this material is related to that of the old changeling throne.
*Edit* Wild Guess: Perhaps the changelings developed miniature versions of the throne material which allowed them to successfully defeat the alicorns during their second attempt.
8409451 Ahhh, you've unintentionally taken the bait! That IS my ultimate point (but if I say so outright people will disagree because they despise me for being a brilliant troll they can't defeat in an argument).
The changelings WERE weak fighters in "Canterlot Wedding" and DID clearly have limits on their shape-shifting abilities! Now, they have been plot-conveniently and/or sloppily been upgraded into a force that SHOULD have easily won in "Canterlot Wedding" if even a fraction of their number could perform at Thorax and Pharynx's level, thus proving the show's internal continuity is in utter ruin!
VICTORY IS MINE!! And soon, the rest of the planet shall fall to me as well! MUWAH HA HA HA HA!!!
8409996 And let's not forget the absurd plot-convenient McGuffin of the throne made of anti-all-magic-except-cherngelerngs' stone. It was so lazily thought out, it didn't even make sense in its own episode! Was the stone anti-magic itself? If so, why did just breaking the throne stop the effect? Was it the shape of the throne, or was it a spell? But that's not what Thorax said... and even if it was, how did Chrysalis know how to make it? When did she learn such a skill, and from who? If she could do that, why didn't she sneak this EXTREMELY useful artifact into Canterlot in the FIRST invasion to negate ALL THE PONY MAGIC INSTANTLY and ensure swift and absolute victory?
None of it made any sense at all!
But the most egregious problem with the anti-magic throne was how easily all the problems with its origins and use could have been solved with a single spoken paragraph by Thorax, had the writers thought just a teensy bit more: "When we were flung into the Badlands after the invasion, Chrysalis found a stone here which negated all magic except changeling magic, which is why this place is so lifeless. She fashioned the bulk of it into a huge throne to prevent even someone as strong as Discord from even getting close to her and gave amulets made of it to the rest so they could invade again."
And Starlight could dramatically gasp and comment, "So THAT'S how they were able to abduct all the Princesses so easily!"
And with that, about 10 seconds of dialog, virtually all the problems with the episode would have disappeared.
It's really not that hard to eliminate plot holes when you have good enough writers OR story editors, who should catch such obvious inconsistencies and issues.
8410036 Regardless of what that piddly stone can do, I hope the villain at least poses a credible threat to Equestria. Would be kind of underwhelming if all he did was squat in the palace and eat Celestia's food whilst the Mane 6 went adventuring.
8410219 You gotta wonder if they'd actually thought of that and put it in, only to lose it on the cutting floor because they needed to make room for oh-so-sacred advertisements.
8410213
Discussion Prompt or Over Analysing Cartoons Is Surprisingly Fun: What is incompatible, here, continuity-wise? The changelings are a swarm race. Like most swarm races they have lots of (relatively) weak members that are dangerous in large numbers (but not absolutely discountable on their own), as well as far less numerous “big guys” that shake up the formula a little.
We don't get to see a whole lot of the Canterlot Invasion besides where our main characters are at, but a few shots at the end suggest that the swarm secured a martial victory with relative speed and ease. The changelings were only defeated by an overwhelming pulse of energy that they were highly susceptible to (See Starcraft: Brood War, Protoss Campaign, Final Mission).
8411164 I don't think so. The fact that Thorax explained it so flimsily tells me it wasn't thought out at all from the get-go. It was a lazy writer's ACME Brand Kryptonite, guaranteed to de-power all the heroes instantly as long as the plot demands (Chrysalis forgot to read the fine print that its effects would be negated immediately by a Deus Ex Machina solution at the very end).
8410036
That would be a nice solution in-line with my fix for the various plot holes, but the problem is NONE of the changelings we see are wearing any little stone anything at any point in the episode, nor is there even a hint of explanation as to how they invasion worked this time with regular changelings against alicorns... ESPECIALLY Luna since she was obviously conscious of what was happening and thus ostensibly able to react and fight. And given that Luna has shape-shifting abilities of her own, the ability to turn into nearly intangible starry-smoke form, the ability to long-distance teleport, etc... she'd wipe the floor with dozens of typical changelings single-hoofedly.
No, forget the blind fandom praise. That was a terribly-written episode from a plotting level.
8411244
Clarify for me: What is it? What don't you think and why don't you think it?
8411237 You forget that the Mane 6, including AJ an Earth pony with no magic and no formal training, kicked the crap out of dozens of them before being overwhelmed by HUNDREDS more. Let's face it, we'd fare much worse against an equal number of angry rats, and rats are FAR physically weaker than we are.
The Royal Guard... I'm sad to say, have been useless in every encounter, and most ponies just run away in fear from such things as bunny stampedes.
The fact remains that the first appearance of the changelings paints the typical 'drone' as pretty feeble and limited in its shape-shifting. If they were holding so much back... WHY?! This was an INVASION!! TO TAKE OVER!! Chrysalis basically gave them cart-blanche attack orders! One could understand them not bothering with the pathetic guard or citizenry... but the Mane 6 were successfully fighting. Why did none of them employ their better transformation tactics at that point? It's simply common sense that anything in such a situation would reflexively respond with.
And then we STILL have the issue that they were untransformed when they dragged Luna away... in the dreamscape at that... HOW ON EARTH DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN?! Since when can they enter dreams?! Or was she projecting a conscious real-life image of her actual self into a dream... which we've never seen her do before... and which isn't ever followed up on to clear that up. See, there's just too little explained and far too many plot holes and inconsistencies, not just between appearances, but in the episode itself.
To make the episodes work, the audience is expected to fill in every blank and plot hole themselves... and good writing won't force an audience to do that for ever single important aspect of a story.
8411265 The throne, duh. He barely mentions it, but says it's made of a stone which negates all but changeling magic. But that doesn't seem to be the case, since merely shattering the throne stopped the effect... something that would not happen if it was an inherent property of the stone itself. But if Chrysalis made it to act that way, how did she do it? When did she do it? Why didn't she use this extraordinarily useful ability to negate all the magic in Canterlot? Use disguised changelings to slip the throne into the crystal caverns just before the wedding ceremony, which would have guaranteed absolute victory... something she was clearly uncertain of since she struggled against, and was shocked when she actually defeated, Celestia.
Those are just SOME of the problems and plot holes brought about by the throne. It's just a sloppy, plot-contrived, throw-away McGuffin solution for the fact that otherwise Discord and Starlight (not to mention the alicorns before capture) would obliterate the lings INSTANTLY.
8411279
That's the it? Okay, cool!
This story is amazing and whenever you had Pharynx speaking, I heard it in his voice. Also, regarding Starynx....I will be honest, I generally don't care for straight shipping but that is one I could go for.
Greetings from Equestria Daily!
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(Came here because there was a post about this story
:-P ;-)
Love coverart!!
Does this mean that Pharynx knew Max wasn't really a pony infiltrator, but went along with the hysteria anyway?
8549304 Either way, he probably thought it was hilarious.
Full (if short) review here, but in (even) brief(er): an interesting look into Pharynx's character, and I appreciate that he hasn't had all the rough edges rubbed off.
8719792 Nice.
Had a look at your other reviews there; Solving for Death was great.