Chapter 21: Dysfunctional
It Takes a Village to Reform a Changeling
Chapter 21: Dysfunctional
Pharynx hid at the furthest edge of Sweet Apple Acres, where an abandoned pear orchard began, and reflected over his mission.
Chrysalis had been right; the moment a drone had spotted Mandy and Thorax's rebellion, they'd jumped at the chance for easy food. It was the perfect cover for an undercover Pharynx to slip in under anyone's nose.
Now, all he had to do was upset the delicate relationships, get Thorax to see that this couldn't last, and bring him home. He'd quell a doomed uprising in the making, earn respect, and, best of all, he'd have his brother back safe and sound! A win-win!
He allowed himself a devilish smirk before he donned his disguise and headed back to the barn.
Applejack looked over the 7 Changelings in front of her, who all stood at attention. "Alright, listen up," she began, tone as stern as a drill sergeant, "If yer gonna live here on the farm, you'll have to earn yer keep. Mandy an' Ah'm gonna test y'all an' see what ya can do, an' Ah wanna see yer A Game out there, y'all hear?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" The croup saluted almost autonomously.
"Then let's move out!" She began to march them down the path.
Eventually, they reached the East Orchard, where Mandy was waiting for them. "Alright, folks, this is it. Your first test: Apple Bucking."
As a show of demonstration, Mandy leaned onto his forehooves, turned his haunches towards the nearest tree, and hit it (making sure to send most of the force through his good leg). The tree shook, and nine apples fell loose, landing in strategically placed buckets.
He turned back to the group. "You understand what to do?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" They chanted.
He nodded. "Alright, then pick a tree and buck it once."
The group looked across the orchard, scoping out the trees.
Labium was the first to move, picking an older tree that AJ had nicknamed 1-B.
Coxa was the second to decide, picking Tree 4-B.
Then it was Hyaline, picking 9-H.
Next was Deagus, picking 6-I; Imago picked 4-C; Ozadene went up to 8-C; and after some coercion, Frons left Deagus's side and picked 5-I.
They hesitated before they each drew in their hind legs, kicking them once against their respective trees.
The results were mixed: Coxa managed to get 13 apples, Ozadene got 11, Deagus managed 5, Frons got 6, Hyaline loosened 7, Imago harvested an impressive 18 apples, and Labium got 10.
AJ looked over their haul. "Not bad fer a couple'a rookies," she mused.
Imago volunteered to carry all the apples to the barn with them, and they set off.
They were only halfway down the trail when a loud THUD sounded out, followed by lots of small circular objects spilling onto the dirt. AJ turned back and saw that Imago was picking himself up, every last apple laying bruised on the ground.
"You okay?" Labium asked Imago.
He sat up and rubbed his sore muzzle. "Y-yeah, I think I just tripped..."
Applejack eyed the scene suspiciously. She would've expected around half of the apples to get bruised, but all 70 of them? Something about that didn't sit quite right with her, but she ultimately decided to give it the benefit of the doubt; they were still learning, after all.
"The next job: Shed Building."
Mandy gestured to the example shed that sat out in the field, then gave the blueprints to the group.
They studied the diagrams and began to work. Their hooves transformed into the tools as they worked, from saws to tape measures and hammers.
AJ gawked at the sight. "Y'all can shape-shift yer limbs inta things?" she whispered to Mandy.
He whispered back, "Yeah, why wouldn't we be able to do that?"
She nodded. "Well, remind me about that if'n we ever get bored."
Mandy nodded slowly, Applejack's intent flying clear over his head. "Uh... Sure?"
The group of Changelings began to assemble the different walls, raising and squaring them up.
Soon, all that remained was the roof. Imago held the rope while Labium and Ozadene maneuvered it mid-air.
"Easy does it..." AJ stood and spotted their efforts. "A little t' the left..."
They moved the roof about 2 inches to Applejack's left.
"Er, just a hair to the right," she tried to help them correct.
They moved it about 1 inch to her right.
She eyed the roof carefully. "Now, just a smidge higher..."
But before they could comply, several things happened at once:
All three Changelings lost their grips on their respective parts, which made the part begin to fall. Imago regrabbed the rope, but without the support of the other 2, the roof was enough to lift him off the ground. The roof crashed into the under-construction shed, cracking two sides and splitting the roof in half. The rope slipped off the roof, and Imago plummeted back to the ground as the pieces of the shed fell to the ground with a loud clatter.
Mandy, who had been watching from the sidelines, rushed forward to make sure noling was hurt.
AJ stood in shock for a moment, before frowning. They were doing so well up to that point, but then it suddenly went to shit for no apparent reason?
That, combined with the earlier apple-bruising incident, pointed AJ to one conclusion:
There was some skullduggery going on.
"Miss Applejack!" Imago rushed forward frantically, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I'm so sorry! I really don't know what happened; I was doing fine, but the rope got heavier, and–"
Quickly, AJ put on a face. "Aw, don't fret; Ah know it was jus' an accident!"
Imago blinked. He flicked out his tongue, then frowned. "Are you lying to me?"
Shoot. She'd forgotten Changelings could sense feelings, including suspicion.
Her mask dropped. "Sorry, It's just... With that, an' the apple thing earlier –"
Imago stepped back, fear flashing across his face for the briefest of moments. "You don't think I'm doing this on purpose, do you?! I may have a troublesome streak, but I wouldn't do this!"
She quickly tried to recover, "N-no! Ah'm just sensin' some foul play here; no hoof-pointin' yet!"
He glared at her, still not convinced.
She sighed. "Ah'm sorry; Ah'm just takin' what Ah see, an' what Ah see is you bein' near them disasters."
He nodded curtly. "I see."
With that, Imago huffed and trotted off.
"Where're y'all goin'?!" She called after him.
"Away!" He shouted without even turning back.
Her mouth hung dejectedly open as she watched him walk away, disappearing amongst the trees. All the evidence may have been pointing to him, but that reaction seemed so genuine... Then again, Changelings were the masters of deceptio–
AJ shook her head. Stupid prejudices!
Mandy watched as she internally struggled to figure out if he was innocent or not. He went over all the details of the day in his head.
Then something clicked into place for him.
"Everyling, take a break while I go take care of something," Mandy said to the group before departing towards the farmhouse. The 6 remaining Changelings looked at each other for a moment before they all walked off in their separate directions.
Imago sat on a hay pile in the corner of the barn, staring dejectedly at his hooves.
His holey hooves. His holey, black, cold, creepy, not-at-all-pony hooves.
"Stupid Imago," he muttered to himself, "thinking you could be seen as anything other than the monster you are..."
A creak from behind him, accompanied by a sickly green glow, stopped him cold.
He shot to his hooves and whipped around to face the door, then staggered at the sight.
Labium was standing there, his horn alight.
"What're you–"
Imago never got to finish that sentence, as he was promptly hit by a spell. He tried to resist, but the little Changeling's magic was uncharacteristically strong, and he succumbed to it. His eyes turned the same sickly green as the magic, and he fell under a deep hypnotic state.
"Burn this barn to the ground," Labium ordered, trademark lisp no longer there.
Imago absently nodded, then lit his horn and–
A glob of Changeling Resin splatted onto Imago's horn, and another one quickly encased Labium's, disabling them both. The latter turned to the direction it'd come from, and he gasped.
There stood Mandy and Thorax, their horns alight with burgundy and lime-green magic respectively.
Labium growled. "Clever. How'd you figure it out?"
Mandy eyed the bad bug coolly. "This morning, during the apple bucking, I noticed that your harvest was 10 apples exactly. That was the average of the whole group."
Thorax added, "That's the first thing we're taught about blending in: go for the average so as not to attract attention to yourself."
Labium chuckled. "So you did learn something after all..."
Thorax raised an eyebrow. "What do you..."
Then his eyes widened in realization. That tone of voice...
It was incredibly familiar...
"Pharynx!?" Thorax gasped out, and Mandy did a double-take.
Labium – or rather, Pharynx in Labium's form – nodded.
Thorax was confused, disbelieving, betrayed, and everything in between.
He was strapped for words for the longest time, so Mandy shot, "Where's the real Labium?"
Pharynx scoffed. "Relax; he's still at the hive, unaware that any of this is happening."
Finally, Thorax found his voice. "Why are you here? Why are you doing this!?"
"Because I need you to see the truth!" He shot back. "I need you to see that this – this fool's errand won't work! No matter what you do, you won't be seen as anything more than a monster out here! There's still a chance for you, Thorax! Come back before Chrysalis gives up on you completely! I'm the only reason you stayed alive as long as you did, and if you leave now, she's GOING to kill you! She WANTS me to kill you, but I'm giving you an out! I...I…"
Then, no joke, he actually started to cry. "I don't want to lose you, Thorax; I can't. Not after Dad..."
Thorax stared disbelievingly at his brother. He tried to think of something to say, but all the conflicting emotions in his head were turning his brain into a smoothie.
"I think Dad's still alive."
Thorax and Pharynx blinked, turning to stare at Mandy. "What?" They both asked.
Mandy lit up his horn and concentrated, focusing his energy into a spell. With a flash, the Changeling Plushie was teleported there from his room. He staggered slightly, but righted himself and showed them the doll. "On the day of Princess Twilight's Coronation, I saw a little foal holding this doll on the street. Later that night, I was visited by someone who I thought was Celestia. She freed my horn, and I left, only to find the real Celestia down the hall. When I returned, I found the same doll in my suite in the castle. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but the stitching on the hoof is proof enough."
He turned the doll over, and showed off the monogrammed 'M'.
Pharynx stared at it, utterly bewildered. "It-it can't be..." He mumbled to himself.
"I know that handiwork..." Thorax absently recalled.
Mandy nodded. "And do you know what he said to me once he'd freed my horn?"
Both brothers shook their heads.
"Don't let anyone tell you what you can or can't be."
Thorax looked at Pharynx; Pharynx looked back at Thorax.
"This is who Thorax is, Pharynx, and this is who I am, too. We don't care what you, or Chrysalis, or anyone thinks; we've chosen our path, and we're going to see it through together."
Thorax, whose eyes were beginning to water, stepped forward to join Mandy, nodding in agreement.
"So Pharynx," Mandy concluded, holding out a hoof, "Do you want to keep your brother safe, or not?"
The elder Changeling looked at them both, then at Mandy's outstretched hoof.
Then, hesitantly, he reached his hoof up, held it over Mandy's....
And he took it.
"I may have a duty to the Hive," Pharynx said, "but I would gladly give it all up to keep my brother safe."
Thorax looked up at his big brother, eyes growing wetter by the second. "Pharynx, that means so much to me!"
Thorax chipped away the Changeling Resin on Pharynx's horn, and he transformed back to his base form. The little brother then grabbed his older brother in a tight hug.
Pharynx was taken aback at first.
Then he hugged back.
Mandy watched, tears now forming in his eyes, when something incredible happened:
Pharynx began to glow.
Noticing this, Thorax quickly backed up. Pharynx, seemingly content with what was happening, floated up into the air, where he became encased by a cocoon of brilliant white light.
It was at this moment that AJ stepped in. "There y'all ar–" the sentence died in her throat as she saw the scene laid out in front of her.
The cocoon suddenly disappeared in a bright flash, and Pharynx floated down, now sporting his reformed design.
He looked down at himself. "What just happened... Did I just transform?"
"Welcome to the club," was Mandy's dry response.
Canned laughter followed.
Thorax looked up at his brother with amazement, then realized. "Wait, how come it worked for him, and not for me!?"
Mandy shrugged. "Don't ask me; I just work here."
More canned laughter.
Mandy frowned. "Okay, where's that coming from?"
The canned laughter came again.
Then Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared from a hay bale. "Aha, here it is! I've been looking for this thing for months!" She exclaimed, holding up a can marked 'laughter'.
The can of canned laughter laughed.
AJ cleared her throat. "Uhh, mind tellin' me what's goin' on?"
All four of the room's conscious occupants looked to her; Imago, still in a trance, kept staring off into space.
Then Thorax cleared his throat. "Applejack, I'd like you to meet our brother, Pharynx."
She could sense it. Chrysalis could sense the magical fluctuation caused by Pharynx's transformation. It was what had originally alerted her of Mandy's absence, and it was now what told her that her plan had failed.
Her muscles tensed as she raised her foreleg, slamming it down onto the floor and severely cracking it. A tear tried to leave her eye, but her anger evaporated it.
"No more playing around," she bellowed, "Prepare to mobilize."
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so, did Mandy took away Kingship from Thorax?
10432011
What? No, of course not. They haven't even attempted to overthrow the Hive yet, let alone instate a new leader. Besides, Mandy is the Official Equestrian Ambassador to the Changelings; being King of the Changeling Hive as well would be too much.
10432020
Fair enough, hm. Chrysalis is moving early with her second attempt . And they haven't even met Starlight yet
Pharynx!!! 😰
Let it go, Chrysalis.
Don't worry thorax Your day will come and haha You're gonna be very surprised when you going to transform You will play a big role 😊 trust me
10432041
😁😅
Wow ok So after the changeling Got comfortable of their surroundings they start out to do work at the farm I mean things were pretty good Until some mishap happened and poor Imago He really wants this to work out but then Pharynx showed up And trying to put the blame on Imago so the ponys will think that the changelings are bad but then mandy and thorax to the rescue Pharynx Told them if thorax will not come back He will force to kill him and mandy And he was sad and scared for his brother But Mandy told them that their father is out there is still hope for their kind Pharynx accept mandy And go against queen chrysalis wishes And it looks like their transformation came in pretty early for him but thorax his day will come very soon And it's gonna be a big one for him at least and random pinkie pie out of nowhere lol But it looks like Queen chrysalis Found out the Betrayed And now she's going for the attack How would they stop her I guess we'll find out next time
10432059
TL:DR
10432102
What is that mean
10432122
Idk I see it on Reddit sometimes but I think it means shortened version. Like if I tell a story about something I'll put TL;DR. You pretty much just said everything thta happened in this chapter so I called it that. Could be wrong tho. Most likely not.
10432127
Oh ok got it
Seems Pharynx wasn't a match for Mandy's transformation ways, not to mention finding out about bag bug infiltration before it went too far! Also can't forget this :
Classic Pinkie for the win!
Course S6 finale may come sooner than expected if Chrissy's order is any indication, wonder if Thorax will undergo his own transformation when the crap hits the fan next time around?
Ugh, EVERY changeling reformation story has Chrysalis invading Ponyville as its climax. It's a rather tired cliché. I really hope she goes for something more subtle.
10432127
TL;DR means "Too Long; Didn't Read".
10434105
Oh yea. Thank you.
"And now, I just have to drag my brother away from all this food so he can starve!"
Brainwashing is a wonderful thing, ain't it?
Honestly? This totally checks out. I've always figured that Chrysalis knew about the possibility of metamorphosis and deliberately deprived her subjects of that information to control them via their hunger and desperation.
I feel like everything is going to go hit that big fan.