Line #74 Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E17TheTimesTheyAreAChangeling


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/times_they_are_a_changelin.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''"He's not a 'thing'! His name is Thorax, and he's my friend!"'']]
3
4	->"''Why can't we imagine a changeling can change?''"
5	-->-- '''Spike''' (during his song)
6
7	->Story by Michael Vogel, Kevin Burke, & Chris "Doc" Wyatt
8	->Written by Kevin Burke & Chris "Doc" Wyatt
9
10	On a trip to visit Flurry Heart and Sunburst in the Crystal Empire, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer are amused to see Spike dressed up in a disguise. He doesn't want to be mobbed in the streets like last time, so he's trying to conceal his identity. However, when the three of them arrive, they find the town empty. Spike removes the disguise, and is immediately mobbed by crystal pony fans. They seem suspicious of Twilight and Starlight, and think that Spike might not be the real Spike, dropping him and fleeing. Confused, the three are also stopped at the castle by crystal pony guards, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance. A changeling has been reported in the area, and since they can look like anyone, they can't take chances. After doing her old dance with Cadance to prove her identity, Twilight and Starlight are allowed to pass, while Spike is asked to go look for the changeling with the guards.
11
12	Out in the snow fields, Spike separates from the guards and falls down a cavern into an ice cave. There, he finds the changeling, hiding. Spike backs away in fear and falls down a crevice, but the changeling saves him. The changeling introduces himself as Thorax, and that he doesn't want to hurt anypony. During the attack on Canterlot, Thorax saw the friendship displayed by the Mane Six, and wanted that for himself, but couldn't get it. He's in the Crystal Empire because of Flurry Heart, and her Crystalling has filled the Empire with more love than ever, and that he's starving for love, but he can't expose himself out of fear of reprisal. Spike tells Thorax that he'll try to explain things, and heads back to the Crystal Empire.
13
14	When Spike tries to tell the guards what he saw, they all laugh, and Shining Armor outright refuses to believe that a changeling can be good. Though disappointed, Spike manages to sneak Thorax into the Empire as "Crystal Hoof," a crystal pony. Thorax manages to make decent progress as a friend of Spike's, even getting to meet Cadance and Flurry Heart. However, being so close to Flurry Heart sends Thorax's instincts out of control, causing him to hiss and revert to his normal form. Thorax tries to apologize, but nopony will listen. Sunburst says that Thorax impersonated Spike's friend to get close to the baby, then asks if there's any other explanation. Spike, conflicted, replies that he doesn't know. Heartbroken at Spike's betrayal, Thorax flees the Crystal Empire.
15
16	Though the Empire is on high alert, Spike fells guilty about what he said, and goes back to the cavern where he first met Thorax. Spike is surprised by Thorax, who is furious about what Spike said, and wants nothing to do with him. Spike apologizes, saying he should have stood up for Thorax in the first place, before falling again down the crevice. Thorax saves him again, realizing why Spike might have said the things he said. Still, Spike wants to make it up to Thorax. The two sneak back into the throne room, where Spike defends Thorax, saying that he made a mistake, and that Thorax honestly wants a chance to be good. After a moment, Twilight says that she's proud of Spike for being willing to throw away his celebrity status in the Crystal Empire if it meant sticking up for his friend. Moved by Spike's words and Twilight's speech and acceptance of Thorax, Shining Armor and Cadance say that they'll give him a chance, and Thorax is welcomed by the crystal ponies. As the ponies celebrate Thorax's coming and kindness, Starlight agrees with Twilight that friendship lessons can happen anywhere.
17
18	----
19	!!Tropes:
20
21	* AbusiveParent: While it's unclear if Chrysalis actually ''is'' Thorax's biological mother (or that of all the changelings), he explicitly says she raised him meaning she was at least his ParentalSubstitute. Despite this, he's openly terrified of her and she looks upon the infant changelings with a SlasherSmile.
22	* AnAesop: This episode shows that there is a fine line between Legally Right and Morally Right.
23	** While the exact legalities are not clear, the actions of the ponies heavily imply any changeling trespassing on their lands is automatically considered hostile and therefore, aiding and abetting them can be defined as an act of treason. Because of this, Spike hesitates to defend Thorax after he loses his disguise in front of the ponies as he is afraid of being reprimanded and declared a traitor by Equestria and the Crystal Empire, even though Thorax has saved his life and showed no hostile intents. Spike is soon ashamed of his reluctance which the ponies consider to be right but is actually wrong in his heart. (Legally Wrong, Morally Right)
24	** Starlight Glimmer is forced to question the extreme lengths that Princess Cadance and Shining Armor will go to protect the Crystal Empire from just ''one'' changeling trespassing on their lands. The fact that Princess Cadance doesn't agree with it either but considers it necessary means she knows that things are going a bit too far. (Legally Right, Morally Wrong)
25	--->'''Cadance:''' I don't know what else we can do!
26	** Love can be shared, not stolen, as Thorax brings this up while telling his story. While Chrysalis raised her young to steal and sustain themselves off the love of their victims by impersonating their victims' loved ones, Thorax proves Changelings can be given love by just being nice. If the Changelings can learn to mutually share the love, then both the Changeling and its "victim" can benefit for the better.
27	--->'''Thorax:''' I've never seen true friendship like that and I couldn't just steal it and feed off its love. I wanted to share it.
28	** Thorax's problem is almost parallel to what members of certain real life groups go through. He is an example of how not all changelings are born evil but still have to face hostility for his species' past transgressions, especially from those who had themselves suffered from said transgressions and thus feel justified in their prejudice. After witnessing the errors of Chrysalis' ways and being defeated in Canterlot, Thorax became a lonely outcast who considered himself unwanted by everypony, including his own kind, and wandered the lands of Equestria in desperate need of somepony who was willing to provide help with open eyes, open ears, and impartial judgement which is necessary to look past his species and see the true nature of his character.
29	** Speciesism/Racism can never be justified even by the deepest fears or the most righteous cause.
30	* AesopAmnesia: Averted. One can be forgiven for believing that Twilight could relapse once again to not accepting a redeemed villain like she did with Trixie, but thankfully, her experience with said mare may have factored into her accepting the changeling and convincing her sister-in-law and B.B.B.F.F. to do the same.
31	* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Thorax considers himself "different" from other changelings, even from when he was first hatched and wanted real friends.
32	* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The assumption about changelings is that "there is no such thing as a nice changeling". Thorax is the exception to the rule.
33	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Spike delivers two of these during his song:
34	** ''"Would you say I'm a hero, glorious and brave, if I told you something you wouldn't believe?"''
35	** ''"Why can't we imagine a changeling can change?"''
36	* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: Ever since Flurry Heart's Crystalling the Crystal Empire has more love than anywhere else in Equestria. The love caused by it is also what attracted Thorax to the Crystal Empire in the first place. Flurry Heart herself is still joyful and accepts Thorax without any fear of him at all.
37	* BadLiar: Both Spike and "Crystal Hoof" are not very convincing when confronted by Twilight, being obviously very nervous and sweating a lot. Twilight doesn't notice, probably because she never expects Spike to be dishonest with her.
38	* BagOfHolding: Spike's tiny handbag contains not just a big poofy wig, but several other items that look too big to fit in.
39	* BaitAndSwitchComment: This exchange:
40	-->'''Cadance:''' ''[in a disapproving tone of voice]'' Spike! Twilight told me that you were off with a friend...\
41	'''Spike:''' ''[laughs nervously]''\
42	'''Cadance:''' ''[in a friendlier tone]'' And any friend of Spike the Brave and Glorious is a friend of mine.
43	* BeenThereShapedHistory: Sort of; Thorax was at the invasion of Canterlot along with the rest of his kind. But the event was the thing that shaped ''him'' as it was seeing the Mane Six attempt to reach the Elements of Harmony that convinced him he didn't have to follow his queen's example and try to find alternatives to feeding on love, while in the process try to make friends.
44	* BlingOfWar: Shining Armor appears again in his Royal Guard Captain Armor alongside the snazzy-looking Crystal Empire Guards.
45	* BottomlessPitRescueService: Thorax does this for Spike twice, grabbing him by his tail to save him from a fall into a gorge in the cave he's hiding in.
46	* BrainyBaby: As Thorax can attest to this, changelings are already sentient upon hatching from their eggs.
47	* BrickJoke:
48	** Spike interrogates a rock in the beginning to make sure it isn't a changeling. Later, Spike turns over one to find Thorax, to find that [[{{Objectshifting}} he turned into one to hide]].
49	** Spike saves himself from falling down a chasm by grasping a stalagmite, which he then kisses in gratitude. Later, fleeing in panic from the changeling, he bumps into the very same stalagmite and falls down the chasm.
50	* TheBusCameBack: Aside from small cameos in "Slice of Life" and "The Crystalling", this episode marks the return of the changelings to a major role.
51	* CallBack:
52	** Spike mentions how he was "mobbed in the streets" the last time he went to the Crystal Empire (in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E1TheCrystallingPart1 The Crystalling – Part 1]]"), and this is the reason why he's wearing a ConspicuousTrenchcoat at the start. The moment he takes it off, Crystal Ponies are mobbing him again.
53	** This episode is a follow-up to the last shot of the changeling seen flying toward the Crystal Empire at the end of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E2TheCrystallingPart2 The Crystalling – Part 2]]". Flurry Heart's Crystalling is also mentioned as having filled the Empire with love, and being the likely reason it is attracting changelings.
54	** Both Twilight and Cadance do their childhood "Sunshine, Sunshine" song once more [[TrustPassword in order to prove she is the real Twilight]].
55	** The reason that the Crystal Empire fears that Thorax could be a spy (and the reason why Shining Armor and Cadance in particular are so hostile), is because the ''last'' time most ponies encountered the changelings, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 their Queen replaced Cadance and brainwashed Shining Armor]] in order to [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 pave the way for a full-fledged invasion of Canterlot]]. Thorax himself was present during the attack on Canterlot, as we see during a flashback, and it marked the start of his HeelFaceTurn.
56	** Spike [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 saving]] the Crystal Empire [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames twice]] is once again mentioned, and the statue that the crystal ponies put up in his honor makes an appearance.
57	** Spike also mentions the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]] as cover for how he met with his friend "Crystal Hoof".
58	* CassandraTruth: The Crystal Empire guards laugh when Spike tells them that he made friends with a changeling, thinking it's a hilarious joke. Shining Armor also assumes Spike is joking, though he [[DudeNotFunny doesn't laugh]].
59	* ChangelingTale: The Crystal Empire's primary concern over a "changeling spy" is that the changeling would replace Flurry Heart and feed off everypony's love for her. Since it ''has'' happened to Cadance before, they'd be ProperlyParanoid if it had been any changeling other than Thorax.
60	* CheerfulChild: Flurry Heart is just as happy and joyful as the last time she was seen. There is so much love surrounding her that it temporarily overpowers Thorax, revealing his true form.
61	* ChildrenAreInnocent: Flurry Heart is the only one never scared of Thorax, even when she sees his true form.
62	* CollectiveDeathGlare: Spike is given a whole round of angry glares from everyone in the Crystal Empire throne room when he announces Thorax the Changeling is his friend and sings to convince them to drop their hatred and not all Changelings are evil.
63	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience:
64	** Thorax has a teal green dorsal carapace to differentiate him from the usual navy blue changelings. Also his magic aura is blue, unlike the usual SicklyGreenGlow of the changelings.
65	** There is a yellow Pegasus Guard who stands out from the rest of the indigo purple Pegasi Guards by having a prominent speaking role in the episode.
66	* ConspicuousTrenchcoat: Spike pulls this off when he is trying to avoid attention from the Crystal Ponies. The second he takes it off a crowd of Crystal Ponies instantly surround him.
67	* ContinuityNod:
68	** Spike's Rarity plushy from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E3CastleSweetCastle Castle Sweet Castle]]" makes an appearance.
69	** Once again, Spike comes up with a LineOfSightAlias, as he did for Ember in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E5GauntletOfFire Gauntlet of Fire]]".
70	* DarkIsNotEvil: Thorax is a changeling, but the first to show that not all of them share Chysalis's mindset and just want to live in peace.
71	* DeathGlare: Everypony in the Crystal Castle's throne room shoots one at Spike to show defiance as he tries to convince them that Thorax is nice during his musical number.
72	* DefectorFromDecadence: Thorax was a member of Chrysalis' army during her attack on Canterlot, but upon seeing the Mane Six's friendship and desiring it for himself, he defected.
73	* DramaticSpotlight: Intermittently follows Spike during the song "A Changeling Can Change" and overwhelmed by background lighting on the line "and the [[RuleOfSymbolism darkness turn to light]]" in the chorus.
74	* TheDreaded: The idea of the changelings returning terrifies everyone in the Crystal Empire, especially Cadance and Shining Armor now that they're parents, and even Thorax himself is shown to be terrified of Queen Chrysalis.
75	* DudeNotFunny: The reason Shining Armor isn't amused by Spike's CassandraTruth "joke" is because ItsPersonal. The last time changelings showed up, their Queen had [[ChangelingTale replaced his bride]] and [[MindRape brainwashed him with a spell]].
76	* EasilyForgiven:
77	** Thorax forgives Spike turning on him pretty quickly, saying that he can't ask Spike to risk his position as the hero of the Crystal Empire just to be his friend.
78	** Similarly, the citizens of the Crystal Empire immediately accept Thorax without question after Spike and the Princesses speak up for him. Even Shining Armor offers his sincerest apologies for not allowing Thorax a chance to explain himself earlier. Given that Thorax himself hasn't actually done anything (not even during the invasion of Canterlot), [[JustifiedTrope there isn't anything to forgive him for]].
79	* EvilDetectingBaby: Inverted -- Flurry Heart smiles and giggles in Thorax's presence, even when he reveals his true self. This reinforces the fact that he isn't actually evil.
80	* ExplainExplainOhCrap: This happens to the Crystal Ponies without actually "explaining" anything. They rush out to cheer for Spike as soon as he takes off his disguise, but when they see Twilight and Starlight, they become paranoid, believing either of them could be a changeling with no way to tell for sure. One of them then says that maybe this isn't the real Spike either and they all run for the hills, leaving the three of them alone once again.
81	* FantasticRacism: While Thorax is suspected of being a spy for the changelings, intolerance towards his species also plays a huge role in everypony else's hostility, best displayed when Shining Armor shoots down Spike's CassandraTruth with a very blunt "There's no such thing as a nice changeling."
82	* {{Flashback}}: Thorax has one to the day of his birth, then to the events of the changeling invasion of Canterlot.
83	* FiveSecondForeshadowing: After absorbing the message of Spike's song, Twilight is the only one who remains with a sad expression unlike the others’ {{Death Glare}}s for the remainder of it, hinting at her RousingSpeech which happens after it ends.
84	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
85	** A small bit when Spike is interrogating a rock under suspicion of being a changeling, despite past appearances implying they could only change into ponies. Thorax later proves that changelings can in fact shapeshift into non-living objects like a rock.
86	** After being welcomed by the others, Thorax expresses hope that he can go back home [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E26ToWhereAndBackAgainPart2 one day]] to teach the rest of his kind about friendship and creating love.
87	* FreezeFrameBonus: Two of the snowflakes that rain down during "A Changeling Can Change" have images of Thorax and his Crystal Hoof alter ego at their centers.
88	* FreudianExcuse: One is provided for at least ''some'' of the changelings. Thorax explains that he was ''reared'' by Chrysalis, and the scene implies this is the case with other changelings as well, although the others appear as enfante terribles in his flashback.
89	* FriendOrIdolDecision:
90	** Spike must choose between staying honorable to his new-found changeling friend by standing by and defending him (and possibly setting up the Crystal Empire for an invasion as a consequence if it turns out this changeling is deceiving him and really '''is''' a spy) or [[MyCountryRightOrWrong remaining loyal to his adopted homeland and the Empire which hails him as their hero]] (by forsaking his new friend, which is a clear breach of his dragon code and will stain his honor). Spike chooses the former, and Twilight, seeing Spike put so much at risk to defend Thorax, is the first to take his side and offer Thorax her hoof in friendship.
91	** Cadance and Shining Armor are also in a very difficult position, especially when Spike testifies on Thorax's behalf. They will have to choose between not taking any chances and arresting Thorax (but will strain and potentially ruin their relationship with Spike) or listen and trust Spike's account that Thorax means them and their Empire no harm (which will then put the Empire in danger if the latter is indeed a spy). Twilight taking Spike's side and accepting Thorax herself as the Princess of Friendship following Spike's heartfelt song helps Cadance and Shining Armor choose the latter pretty quickly since if Twilight is willing to accept Thorax, then so can they.
92	* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire: Normally, changelings feed off love by VampiricDraining. Thorax, however, strongly aspires to form genuine friendships with others and use that mutual bond as a substitute for this.
93	* GaveUpTooSoon: To prevent being mobbed, Spike dons a disguise before arriving at the Crystal Empire. Upon arriving and seeing nobody around, Spike takes off his disguise and a mob appears out of nowhere.
94	* GlamourFailure: Thorax struggles and fails to hold his disguised form when so close to the love given off from Flurry Heart and the other ponies.
95	* IAmAMonster: Thorax refers to himself as "the evil changeling". He also is implied to dislike his natural changeling appearance, as he said nopony could trust someone who looks like it.
96	* IJustWantToHaveFriends: It's all Thorax wanted ever since he was a larva, but he didn't fit in even with his own kind. He's delighted when Spike becomes his friend.
97	* ItIsDehumanizing: Spike is told to "get away from that thing" when he re-introduces Thorax. Spike replies that Thorax is not a "thing"; he's Spike's friend.
98	* LineOfSightAlias: Spike gives Thorax's pony name "Crystal Hoof" with the camera panning to a crystal followed by a closeup of Twilight's hoof.
99	* LiteralCliffhanger: The third time Spike visits the cave where Thorax is hiding, he's startled by the changeling having turned into a rock, and walks backward right into the chasm, hanging on the edge. He has to beg Thorax to help him, apologizing for not having stood up for him earlier.
100	* MatchCut: During Spike's song, there is a cut from his triumphant crystal statue to Spike himself in the same pose.
101	* MeaningfulEcho: When Spike and the Royal Guard are first searching for the "changeling spy", the Guard asks Spike what he knows about changelings; he tells them that "they are changelings, so [[ShapedLikeItself they can change]]". This becomes his primary argument in defense of Thorax in the song "A Changeling Can Change".
102	* MilesGloriosus: The Crystal Empire Guards mistakenly believe that Spike fought against changelings during the invasion of Canterlot when ''he actually didn't''. Spike plays along with this assumption because he either forgot about what he did during that time or he remembers what he did and is just evading the question with simple, first-hand knowledge.
103	* MirrorRoutine: Spike first encounters Thorax after the latter impersonates the former and pretends to be his reflection. It ends with his "reflection" slipping as Spike walks away.
104	* MonochromePast: Although not quite black and white nor sepia, the flashback to the changeling invasion from "A Canterlot Wedding – Part 2" has desaturated colors.
105	* MookFaceTurn: According to Thorax, he was part of the attack on Canterlot by Chrysalis and her army, but upon seeing the friendship of the main six and desiring it for himself, he decided to change.
106	* MyInstinctsAreShowing: When Spike asks Thorax if anypony had showed him kindness before, the latter responds with a ravenous hiss, saying that "kindness like that sort of brings it out." This comes back to bite him hard when he can't control himself around Flurry Heart.
107	* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Thorax, who is rejecting Chrysalis's evil ways.
108	* NobleBigotWithABadge: Shining Armor and the Crystal Guards are this throughout the majority of the episode. They're all friendly ponies who believe that changelings are a genuine threat to their homeland, who also believe that "there is no such thing as a nice changeling".
109	* NoInfantileAmnesia: Thorax can fully remember the day he was born.
110	* NotHelpingYourCase: When Thorax first reveals himself in front of the Crystal Empire's ponies, [[MyInstinctsAreShowing he reacts by constantly hissing at them]], which further accentuates their fears and suspicions of changelings being evil, especially Cadance because of her own past trauma with Chrysalis.
111	* OneShotCharacter: Although unnamed, the yellow Pegasus Guard gets a prominent speaking role and makes a lot of appearances in the episode, making him an apparent second-in-command Guardspony to Shining Armor.
112	* PapaWolf: His deep-seated prejudice aside, Shining Armor's primary motivation is to protect his daughter from the threat of changelings coming after her.
113	* PaperThinDisguise: Spike's ConspicuousTrenchcoat doesn't really hide the fact that he's ''bipedal''. Not to mention, when he puts it on, he's on a train car with just Twilight and Starlight, who recognize him immediately. He "corrects" this by wearing a large orange afro wig under his hat.
114	* PlummetPerspective: When Spike narrowly avoids falling down a chasm by grabbing a stalagmite, we see some snow as well as the rock that was sliding along with Spike plummet into the darkness.
115	* PoliceAreUseless: Averted. The Crystal Empire guards are serious in their efforts to find the changeling and are right to suspect Twilight, Starlight and Spike when they first arrive, only backing down when Cadance and Shining Armor give the a-okay. They're also quick to follow Spike's suggestions and go about the task with incredible zeal. In fact, it could be argued they're why Thorax was hiding out in the ice caverns instead of the city.
116	* ProperlyParanoid: Turns out there ''is'' a changeling, and everypony knows what happened with Cadance and Shining Armor before their wedding. Fortunately, Thorax [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch is different from other changelings]].
117	* QuieterThanSilence: To show how empty it is, a tumbleweed rolls by at the Crystal Empire train station, along with a hawk screeching.
118	* RecognitionFailure: Spike introduces himself to Thorax as "Spike the Brave and Glorious", and gets slightly annoyed when Thorax doesn't recognize him.
119	* ARottenTimeToRevert: Thorax takes on the form of a pony so he can interact with the citizens of the Crystal Empire. But when he meets the young Princess Flurry Heart, the massive amounts of love around her [[WarmBloodbagsAreEverywhere triggers his love-feeding instincts]], and he involuntarily reverts to his true form in front of everypony.
120	* RousingSpeech: Twilight gives one just after Spike's song ends, explaining he's right all along and someone who appears bad can do their best to be good.
121	* TheScottishTrope: The Crystal Ponies are scared enough that they even avoid using the word "changeling", instead just mentioning "the... 'you know'."
122	* ShapedLikeItself: Spike helpfully points out to the guards that "... they are changelings, so they can change." Thank you, CaptainObvious.
123	* ShoutOut:
124	** The "Spike and his 'reflection'" scene is a shorter version of the famous "mirror scene" in the Marx Brothers movie, ''Film/DuckSoup''.
125	** When Spike and Thorax (under the guise of Crystal Hoof) go around the Crystal Empire, the montage music is reminiscent of ''Series/{{Cheers}}''.
126	* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Cadance uses the "Sunshine sunshine" song to confirm that Twilight is really her.
127	* SoProudOfYou: Twilight says this to Spike for risking his hero status in the Crystal Empire to defend a friend.
128	* SuddenlyVoiced: This is the first time in the show that a changeling in its true form other than Chrysalis speaks.
129	* ThenLetMeBeEvil: Thorax tries to do this after Spike betrays him, calling himself an "evil changeling". It doesn't last long however, and he once again saves Spike from falling off a cliff.
130	* TitledAfterTheSong: The title is a reference to the Music/BobDylan song "Music/TheTimesTheyAreAChangin".
131	* TokenHeroicOrc: Thorax is this to the rest of the changelings, desiring true friendship rather than draining love through deception.
132	* TragicBigot: You can hardly blame Cadance and Shining for being paranoid and hostile to changelings after what happened at their wedding, especially now that they have a young child who Chrysalis would be more than tempted to replace and kidnap.
133	* TrustPassword: Cadance challenges Twilight to recite their childhood rhyme in order to prove her identity.
134	* UniformityException: Aside from his uniquely colored carapace, Thorax stands out from other changelings due to having rounder eyes, and differently-shaped ears.
135	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Thorax, as a changeling, is capable of this, even disguising himself as a rock at one point.
136	* VagueAge: Thorax's age is not even hinted at. All we know for sure is that he's not a larvae anymore.
137	* WallCrawl: We already saw adult changelings walking upside-down on walls in "A Canterlot Wedding – Part 2"; the flashback shows that they are already good climbers as larvae, when crawling all over Queen Chrysalis.
138	* WarmBloodbagsAreEverywhere: Thorax's problem. He doesn't ''desire'' to harm anyone, in fact he wants genuine friendships to ''substitute'' his need to drain love. Unfortunately, strong amounts of love trigger his instincts and causes him to hiss ravenously against his will, and Flurry Heart's Crystalling has filled the Empire with it. It doesn't help he admits he's starving.
139	* WhamEpisode: Thorax's appearance opens a lot of new possibilities for the changelings in the future, and confirms they aren't irredeemably evil.
140	* WhatNowEnding: Thorax is the very first changeling to have welcome residence in the Crystal Empire and to start learning about friendship. Though he states that one day he'll go back to his kind to share this knowledge, the future for him and the Crystal Empire remains uncertain.
141	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Thorax saves Spike when they're both alone, despite it making more pragmatic sense to just let him fall.
142	* WitchHunt: Reports of a changeling spy, a member of an enemy nation of shapeshifters, having infiltrated the Crystal Empire have sent the entire Empire into a panic, with everypony suspecting everypony else of being the changeling, the entire populace hiding indoors, and Cadance and Shining sending the Crystal Empire Guards out in force to find and, if necessary, subdue this supposed changeling spy for the Empire's safety.
143	* WorldBuilding: Thorax's short flashback tells us a surprising amount about changelings, mainly their life cycle -- we see them hatching from eggs in a "nursery hive" and baby changelings are shown to have a worm-like larval stage similar to real insects, and what appear to be pupal cases (a different shape from the eggs and indicating a cocoon stage for changelings) are seen in the foreground. They also seem to have instant, instinctive loyalty to their queen afterward, as the babies are immediately drawn to Chrysalis' side when she arrives in the hive (Thorax being the exception, as he's visibly terrified of the queen when she enters and especially when she flashes a SlasherSmile).
144	* WrongAssumption: One of the main sources of the episode's problems. Everypony assumes Thorax is evil like the rest of the changelings. He's actually [[TokenHeroicOrc the only one seen so far who doesn't want to follow the others' destructive patterns.]]

Context Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E17TheTimesTheyAreAChangeling