Chapter 3: family matters.
After another stressful meeting it was finally decided, the next day, Princess Luna as well as senators Rules Card, Harvest Moon(an earth Pony from dome 3), and Stormy Night(thestral senator from dome 2, and manager of water distribution) would be going to equestria to meet with princess celestia and discuss terms of the merger.
In all honesty thorax was relieved when he learned he would not be one of the senators going. It wasn’t that going to another country wouldn’t be thrilling, it was that he had learned from history that equestrian ponies had the tendency to react violently to seeing a changeling. Besides he had ocellus to look after, so it’s not like he could just leave for three days.
“The good news pharynx is off duty for the next couple of days to help out back home,” thorax thought to himself as he waited for his brother near the tram to dome 4.
“Hey bro,” pharynx called to his brother telekinetically carrying a suitcase.
“Hi pharynx,” thorax as he and his brother got on the tram. A few seconds later the tram began to move. About ten minutes later they pulled into dome 4, this was one of the more unique domes seeing as it was a dense forest, with the dome’s residents living in tree houses. It was designed to produce fresh air for the other domes. The majority of the citizens of the dome were changelings, being forest dwellers gave them the best skills for maintaining it.
The tram pulled into access port 4A and the brothers departed. After a few minutes they found an elevate that lead to thorax’s house. Thorax opened the door and said, “we’re home!”
Then from another room a smaller changeling with a similar shade of teal, with pink wings, shell, and mane and blue green eyes came into view. This was thorax’s daughter, ocellus, an intelligent, but very timid changeling who was only really comfortable in her own home and usually was disguised as someone else when in public.
“Hi daddy,” she said coming into the room.
“Hey how’s my favorite niece?” pharynx said hugging her.
“Uncle pharynx, I’m your only niece,” ocellus laughed.
“Yeah, so there’s no competition,” the older changeling said.
“Heh, so how you guys feel about peanut butter and honey dew sandwiches?” thorax asked walking into the kitchen.
“Ooh, yes please,” ocellus said as she and pharynx sat down at the table.
“So pharynx, have you finally worked up the nerve to ask a certain unicorn mare out yet?” thorax asked.
Pharynx blushed a little, “i-m, i’m gettin to it.”
“Oh, come on, you’ve had a crush on twilight since we went to luna’s academy together,” thorax sighed putting three plates with sandwiches on the table, “come on you’ve always been the bold one in the family, I mean even I had the guts to ask winter out when we were kids, whats holding you back?”
Pharynx just stared at him, “you’re not making me talk about my feelings.”
“Ugh, whatever, so you haven’t said why you’re off duty yet,” thorax said taking a bite of his sandwich.
“Yeah… according to school… it’s basic regulation that guard’s don’t… get more than a few days off for no reason,” ocellus said in between bites.
“Well, heh, remember when I said I was off duty?” pharynx started.
“Pharynx, you had better not be purposely not going to work again,” thorax said.
“It was one time on my first year and no one even noticed!” pharynx defended himself, “and no, i’m not off duty, starting tomorrow I’ll be on a field assignment.”
“Field assignment, where could you possibly…” thorax began before he connected the dots, “YOU’RE GOING TO EQUESTRIA!?!”
“Yeah, I am,” pharynx said.
“WHAT?” thorax said.
“Luna’s sending twilight in on a recon mission ahead of her to see if equestria can be trusted, she wanted me to accompany her incase things take a turn for the worse,” pharynx explained.
“But you’re a changeling, what if they take one look at you and decide to just-” thorax began before his brother cut him off, “bro, trust me I’ll be fine.”
Yeah but-” the younger changeling started again but pharynx said, “thorax, what happen last time I told you to trust me?”
“You mean back at luna’s, when you told me, I should take the political classes,” thorax said.
“Yeah, when you finally did, look what happened, you gained leadership skills, met the love of your life, started a family, and when you took the eligibility test to run for senator, you passed with flying colors,” the lieutenant said.
“Yeah daddy, remember chrysalis's face when you won the election in a landslide?” ocellus said with a giggle.
“Look, I’ll be ok, and they won’t attack me because I’ll be disguised the entire time,” pharynx said.
Thorax looked at him for a moment than sighed, “promise me you’ll come back.”
“I hive swear I will,” pharynx said, there was no promise more sacred to changelings then a hive swear, “now let’s eat, I don’t have to leave until tomorrow, and I want to spend as much time with you guys as possible before I do.”
Meanwhile back in dome one, twilight was going through her checklist of things to bring with her to equestria.
“Alright let’s see, bits, check, portable computer, check, books on equestrian customs, check, travel pillow, check, two ponies to come with me, unchecked,” twilight said, “oh yeah, who am I going to bring?”
Twilight thought to herself for a moment, then she had an idea. She left her house and went directly next door, there was a white building with many blue and purple decorations, rarity for you. It was the top fashion store for dome 1, it was owned and run by her neighbor rarity, who lived just above it with her sister and mare-friend.
Twilight enter the store and was greeted by rarity’s voice saying, “just a minute darling, i’m just finishing up back here.”
The white unicorn mare with a dazzling purple mane, and wearing a royal blue blouse with moon like decorations(like the one she wore in the nightmare moon timeline of cutie re-mark) and with a cutie mark of three, bright blue diamonds, came from the back room.
“Oh, twilight darling, how are you?” she said coming up to her.
“Hey rarity, is rainbow home, I kinda have to talk to you two about something,” twilight asked.
“Oh, terribly sorry, but she’s still in dome 2, she’s had to work a lot of overtime lately thanks to the whole water crisis, the poor darling’s been worked to the bone, but don’t worry you can just tell me and I’ll make sure to tell her when she gets back,” rarity replied than shifted her glance toward a cyan unicorn with an orange mane, “sassy, darling, could you hold down the fort while I talk to my friend here for a moment?”
The other mare nodded and rarity led twilight upstairs, and into a kitchen with a lot of pink decoration.
“Tea?” rarity asked.
“No thank you,” twilight said as both of them sat at a table.
“So what did you want to talk about?” rarity asked.
“Well, not many know about this yet ,but luna is actually going to equestria to negotiate something with her sister, the princess there, however they haven’t spoken to each other since the great divide, so obviously she has trust issues. So the princess is sending me to somewhere in equestria to see if they’re all they say they are and i’m allowed to bring two friends of mine as well as a guard which I would rather have and not need, than need and not have. Then I realised, apart from pharynx who is coming, you and rainbow are my only friends,” twilight said.
“Well, it is a little short notice, but I suppose both me and dashie need a vacation,” rarity said, “I guess we’re coming, when do we leave?’
“Sometime tomorrow,” the other mare replied.
“Tomorrow? Oh, that means I have twenty four hours to pack for both me and dashie, find sweetie belle a sitter,” “isn’t she thirteen?” “i’m sure cocoa and sassy can run the shop for the next couple of days,” rarity started to ramble, “thank you for the invitation darling, rainbow and I will meet you tomorrow!”
“Ok then,” twilight said leaving the apartment and walking back to her own house. She then took out her checklist and checked the box next to’ two ponies coming with me.’
“Welp, guess nothing left to do but wait it out,” twilight said to herself, “I wonder what movies are on?”