Twenty-First Chapter
They were all staring at Thornton as he and his family turned the corner to step behind the school. No surprise. Even knowing that he was going to be talking to someone who was supposed to help him, he expected everyone’s eyes on him. He could only sigh.
Except something was weird. He saw more people than he felt. His senses told him there should've been around thirty creatures, but there were instead about forty five. Most of them were boring brown yaks– boring relatively speaking anyway– with different colored blanket looking coverings resting on their backs and decorations on their head and in their hair. The ones he didn't sense looked like bugs, just like he was, but not entirely the same. These bugs were colorful like the horses were, although less neon and bright and more soft, pastel colors. They had horns and wings like he did, although there wasn't a single dark, blackish green colored bug in the group. No dark colors anywhere, in fact. They were all bigger than he was, and none of them had holes in their legs or wings. And they all stared at him, the same way the yaks did.
And Thornton couldn't feel these creatures' emotions. Why was that strange? Had he changed that much in just three or four days, where he expected to always have a read on everyone's thoughts? Somehow it was making him a little bit anxious, not knowing what they were thinking as they took him in.
“There is black bug among your kind, changelings,” one of the larger yaks said accusingly, pointing a hoof at him. “Keep certain that this one does not steal love from us, or we shall be at war with the changeling empire. All yaks must stand together!” Great, Thornton was already starting a war between different nations just by showing up. As if he didn't feel bad enough by just existing as he was.
He could feel Reece's anger bubbling up, and his mother's too at that, as she and Barney stepped protectively in front of him, the latter giving a defiant bark to the one who made the accusation. One of the changelings, a green one who was larger than the rest, only rolled his eyes as he stepped up to him, his look not quite as confused, concerned, or accusing as he saw from the other creatures. Thornton really wished he could tell what he was thinking though.
“We're not bugs, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't call us that,” the colorful green changeling said to the yak as he finally reached Thornton. At least he didn’t stare, and instead smiled brightly at him, perhaps a touch embarrassed. Then he held out his hoof to… shake? Bump, more like.
“You’re Thorny Tons, right?” the bright greenish yellow creature asked as he carefully motioned for his mother and dog to move aside. “Twilight Sparkle was telling me about you! I’m Thorax!” He didn’t seem to care much that his mother was still standing in front of him, and moved to the side to look him up and down. “Huh, you really are an unreformed changeling, aren't you?” he commented aloud.
“My name is Thornton,” Thornton corrected, “and I'm not really sure what it means to be ‘unreformed’... How come I can feel everyone else's emotions but other changelings?”
“And can you tell them to stop staring at him?” his mother told Thorax as she pointed a claw in the direction of the other creatures. “It's rude.”
“We can go someplace more private if you want,” Thorax offered. “Maybe we could sit down at the library in the school! I was told you don’t really know much about being a changeling, which makes sense, since I can still feel your emotions. Oh, by the way, if you wanna make it so we don’t, just think about holding them back. It’s really easy.”
“Really?” Thornton asked back, raising an eyebrow. He had no other choice but to try it, thinking about holding back his emotions. He closed his eyes and shifted around, not feeling like anything was happening for a second or two, then–
He opened his eyes to cheerful stomping of Thorax’s hooves and Barney giving a surprised bark before rubbing against his leg. That wasn’t so hard, although he didn’t feel any different.
“See? Easy, just like I told you,” the green changeling congratulated him. “Although when you do that…”
He might not have been able to sense the changelings' emotions, but he could certainly see all of them turn to look at him, all at the same time. He didn’t need to sense their emotions to understand why; he’d been one of them for long enough to figure it out. He imagined he’d be just as surprised if a stream of emotion was suddenly cut off from his senses, even if it was in a group of a few dozen people.
“Now they’re all looking at me,” Thornton commented uncomfortably, unable to do much beyond stare back at them. Cutting off the stream he sent out did more than his blackish green skin did.
“Can’t you all mind your fucking business?” Reece finally shouted, the anger he was holding back finally boiling over. “Seriously!” Both Barney and Thornton’s mother seemed to echo the sentiment, while Denver continued to pay no attention, focusing on her book.
Thornton could tell his brother was getting worked up though, if the white steam coming out of his ears and off his coat was any indication. “It’s not that big of a deal, Reece,” he told him as the other changelings looked away while the eyes of the yaks fell on the group as a whole. “I’m fine.”
“It is a big deal!” Reece stomped a hoof angrily, getting more worked up. “They can’t treat you like that just because you look different” Maybe a better plan for Thornton would be to just back off and not say anything. He was getting worse.
“Uh, maybe we should find a spot inside?” Thorax smiled awkwardly, uncomfortably. Thornton couldn't read his emotions, but he had a feeling this guy was kind of a push over. But he helped him with something in just the thirty seconds he'd known him. Maybe he'd help him with more.
Reece seemed like he wanted to argue, but didn't say anything as the dragon Spike led him, his family, Thorax, and a couple of other smaller, colorful changelings into the building to sit in a library that resembled the one in the castle they just left. He met a couple of girls who were apparently going to this school, one about Denver's age named Ocellus and another that seemed more his age named Spiracle, and felt all of the emotions floating around from whatever other creatures were in here. There weren't very many, maybe only five or ten in this building, but there was one stream he felt like he recognized. He couldn't put his finger– or hoof, rather– on who it belonged to until Barney yanked at his tail to pull him towards it.
“Fluttershy!” he smiled happily as he finally rounded the corner, the yellow mare instantly lighting up and putting on a smile. At the same time, all of her kindness drifted his way, filling him up with that delicious, sweet emotion. He was able to forget his hunger for a moment.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “There's no way you'd be a student at this school, right?” Even as he asked though, her emotions told him the answer. She was a teacher.
She explained as such, telling him, “I’d love to stay and talk, but I have to fix up my classroom and prep for the year. If you’re looking to do enrollments though, you should talk to Starlight Glimmer. Otherwise, creatures from Ponyville normally wait until the day before class starts to enroll. But it’s nice to see you and your family again!” Then she walked away, taking her kindness with her, leaving Thornton starving again.
Do I actually like her? Thornton wondered to himself. He didn't know. He'd only met her a couple of times so far. He sure did like her kindness though. It wasn't an emotion he'd got from anyone else yet, at least not quite in the same way she radiated it off of her. He definitely wanted to spend more time around her.
Returning, Thorax seemed not to even notice his absence, already talking to his mother about… something. He didn’t know, but he could tell it was nothing serious, at least on his mother’s part. She was surprised and interested, but also casual at the same time. Probably about kids, if the other two changelings here were his.
“Oh, you’re back!” the bright green changeling waved energetically. “Were you going after that mare?” he asked. “I felt her kindness, too, and it makes sense, since you're probably hungry.” Thornton didn't comment immediately as Thorax continued, “I didn't know you guys were a family! How did a dragon have a changeling, a unicorn, and a kirin for children?”
“It doesn't matter,” Thornton shook his head. “How do I stop being hungry? What does it mean to ‘reform’”?
“If you're saying my brother is some kind of evil monster for looking–” Reece started before he was cut off.
“No, that's just what ponies think,” Thorax said, half chuckling, although there was a certain kind of disdain in his voice at the comment. “When changelings say ‘reform’, we don't mean turning from bad to good. It'd be pretty silly to say changelings are all born bad. No, we mean that your body is physically reforming as it changes into what it's supposed to be.” He scratched his scalp with a hoof and added, “I think other creatures call it metamorphosis?”
That actually made sense, thankfully. It wasn't an indictment on Thornton. It was just a natural part of this world.
“Say, what hive are you from anyway?” Thorax asked. “All the changelings in my hive have already reformed.”
“I'm not from any hive,” Thornton spoke in his nasally voice. Would that change once he ‘reformed’? Thorax didn't seem to have that feature about him.
“How do I actually reform though?” the black bug continued. “How do I do that?”
“Oh, that's easy!” Thorax smiled brightly. “You just have to share the love in your heart!”
Of course he did. What did that mean? He didn't love his family? Because of course he did. Or did that imply finding a date? He had to ask.
Is your brother okay? Thornton jumped and gasped at the sound of Thorax’s voice in his head. He wasn't expecting telecommunication to be a trait of changelings.
It's okay, Thorax continued silently, speaking so that only Thornton could hear him. All changelings can talk to you the same way. It's a hive thing. Is your brother okay though? That kirin is getting really angry about something, and I'm getting nervous.
Thornton felt Thorax push his own thoughts forward for him to feel. It was exactly what he said it would be– nervousness and fear and the desire to run away despite the bright smile still showing on Thorax’s face.
I hate being around kirins, Thorax continued. They get so angry so easily, I always worry I might say the wrong thing and make them go nirik!
Uhh… I'll talk to him… I assume you can hear me? Thornton asked back. He got a physical nod in response, and Thornton turned to Reece.
“Uh, could you chill out a bit?” Thornton asked his older brother. He didn't feel anything different from Reece right now, only annoyance once again, at least not until he said something. He should've known the question would earn him frustration.
“I'm not doing anything!” Reece replied. “I'm just standing here watching you two not say anything!”
“I know,” Thornton told him, “but it's the emotions you're giving off.” He took a step closer to him and started, “Every changeling can feel them, and–”
“So what? I can't be annoyed that he's still talking to you in riddles instead of helping you?” Thornton watched Thorax, Ocellus, and Spiracle back away, now showing fear on their faces as a couple of trails of white smoke made their way off of Reece.
“Oh, so I can't be annoyed then!” Reece continued, the trails of vapor and smoke thickening. “Even though I just want him to tell you what to do so Mom and Dad can stop thinking that me being annoyed and going on a walk yesterday hurt you, and I can actually go with Dad back to that forest! Do you even care that I'm trying to help you? Because it doesn't seem like you do!”
“Of course I care! I said this morning that I do! You were fine this morning about having to stay and help me! And they don't even think that you're doing something wrong! No one does!”
“How do you know though? You can't know that!”
Getting into an argument with him wasn't a good idea. Thornton knew that just from being a kirin for a few minutes. What about them made their emotions build so quickly, Thornton didn't know, but they did. He could feel Reece’s building now. He had to back off.
“I can read their thoughts,” Thornton tried to say, speaking more slowly now. “No one thinks that you’re bothering me or anyone else. And all I'm asking is for you to chill out a little bit because you're scaring–”
There was no black smoke this time to warn Thornton or anyone else of what was about to happen. All there was to feel was a sudden spike in adrenaline, the burning hot taste of anger in Thornton’s head, and the sudden flames leaping out at him from his now black coated older brother.
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Hey, Thorax, that's kind of an uncool thing to say
Uhoh. Reese gone Sweeties Cupcakes.
Not really sure what specifically triggered Reece this time. It just seems like he was impatient and frustrated and just followed his emotions like a raft in white water rapids. I know Kirin can get pissy, but this seems a bit much.
Someone call Sunset and tell her to bring Reece some Zoloft or something
I'm not sure about Reece. Was he somewhat tempermental before being a Kirin? This just seems like he had the worst combination of personal and Kirin biology for such hair trigger emotions
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The idea is that, in the same way Thornton hasn't yet learned to navigate being a changeling, Reece hasn't learned to navigate being a kirin. He was set off the first time by Thornton being able to turn human and he being unable to because he doesn't yet understand how easy it is to get wrapped up into those emotions.
11796003
From the single episode we got on Kirin, I thought they had emotions like anyone else but when they got angry they went Nirik and had no experience on how to control it. Because too many angry at one time did so much damage, that is why they used the Stream of Silence. It's not their anger they couldn't control, it was being a Nirik they couldn't control.
11796009
If they went to the point of not speaking at all, it implies that it's the anger they can't control, from my point of view, or at least that they have heightened emotions compared to ponies.
Nice save, there, "Thorny Tons".
Spoke too soon.
Ah, that makes sense; It's less "reform" and more "Re-Form". I gotcha.
+1 point for that.
What I like of this chapter:
That Thorax feel disdain for the use of the word "reform" when ponies refer to the Changeling Metamorphosis, given the connotations with which they tend to use it.
That even reformed, Thorax is a Changeling at heart and can fake in his expression an emotion that he is not fully feeling inside.
What I dont like:
That Thorax uses the word 'Hate'. I just don't feel like that's a word he would says so casually, even in private. I would have chose for him to say "I don't like it."
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Ponyville's fire department would be busy for the next few weeks.
Reece oughta talk to another kirin, or someone like... Treehugger, I suppose. Bet they'd have good advice for staying calm and managing anger.
Ugh, ugh bad Thorax! Don't you dare spoil the last unchanged changeling!
"colorful green channeling" Oooh. Green magic aura? (I assume autocorrect got you, "Changeling"?)
"all of her kindness drifted her way, " Wouldn't it be his way? As in, towards Thornton?
Ah, Thornton, always there to put all 4 of his hooves into his mouth.
Reece, you are the Hulk now! If you get too angry or annoyed you will Hulk-out and burst into flames. Control your emotions or we will be forced to release the puppies. Why has no one had this conversation with him before now?
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I have a feeling the CMC have already given them a lot of practice, at least?
At least Mom is fireproof.
She can deal with Reece.
Too bad about the school.
Going to be hilarious when Twilight sees this.