The only definitive feature that betrayed Pharynx's changeling heritage now was his head... well, parts of it.
He now sported two long wiggling antennae next to his red fin on top of his head, which had grown more prominent and armored, stretching down the back of his neck. His honeycombed eyes now completely jutted from their sockets, shiny blue ovals that met their pointed ends at least an inch outward. Pharynx still retained his mouth, unlike the rest of them, but it looked like the last thing that could be used to talk with, judging by the four mandibles that now jutted from the lips, two above and two below.
Pharynx's torso had completely transformed, multiple plates of tough chitin armor lining every surface, looking dense enough to deflect a speeding arrow.
Four gossamer dragonfly wings sprouted from his back, huge and powerful, easily capable of lifting the new body they were attached to into the sky. The chest now had six insectoid legs, two tiny, barely noticeable legs only a few inches long extruding from below the neck (most likely used to stabilize the creature when it clung to a surface) two huge legs were present beneath these, over five feet in length and resembling the vicious hunting claws of a praying mantis, and below these, two massive arched hind legs were attached, resembling a grasshopper's legs tipped with two clawed toes apiece.
Instead of a hindquarters, Pharynx now had an abdomen.
It was lined with the same chitin armor that guarded the torso, ridges covering its impressive length that ended in the arched pincers of an earwig. For the longest time, pony, changeling, and dragon alike were equally stunned and captivated by the sight, but at the same time fearful of this strange creature that had appeared before them.
"Twilight?" whispered Spike, creeping up next to said unicorn as she lay on the ground, a trembling Fluttershy clinging to her like a drowning pony would a lifesaver. "What happened? Why... why was his transformation so different?"
Twilight didn't have an answer.
Despite now having a gleaming black carapace and sprouting Hermaeus Mora's tendrils, all the other changelings still retained a significant resemblance to their previous form. The more she stared at Pharynx, the more confused she became. Why did he look so grotesque now... and why was a slight feeling of déjà vu settling over...
Suddenly something sprang to the forefront of Twilight's mind... something she had stumbled upon completely at random during her exploits in Apocrypha.
"He's... he's become a chaurus hunter!"
"A what's whaty what?" asked Pinkie, looking over Twilight and turning her head a full one eighty so as to look into her face right side up. "What did you say he turned in to?"
"I believe we all would like to know that," they all turned to see Princess Celestia approach, Luna, Cadance, Shining, and Thorax in tow. "So my student, have you seen something like that before?"
Twilight gathered her thoughts.
"They are called chaurus," explained Twilight, "and what Pharynx has become is called a chaurus hunter, the final and most powerful stage of their life cycle."
"A chaurus?" inquired Thorax, looking over at the still stationary Pharynx.
"I have never seen or heard of them before," stated Luna, also casting a look at Pharynx.
"You wouldn't have, your majesty," said Twilight. "They come from Nirn."
There was a collection of surprised gasps.
"I should have known," said Celestia, slightly worried as she looked at Pharynx again. How much more of that place was going to leak into their world?
"WAIT WAIT WAIT," Spike's outburst brought all eyes to him. "You mean to tell us that thing... is an actual species on Nirn."
Twilight answer with a nod.
"Oh my, and I thought changelings were intimidating," Rarity slapped a hoof over her mouth when she remembered the company they had. "No offense," she said to Thorax hurriedly.
"None taken, we really deserve most of it," replied Thorax, looking to Pharynx and producing an impressive look of bewilderment despite the fact that he didn't have a mouth anymore. "Spike told me Hermaeus Mora doesn't come from our world, I guess this Nirn place is where he comes from."
"More or less," answered Applejack.
"And Pharynx is now a chaurus hunter, something that comes from there?"
"From what I know, they are Nirn's equivalent of you," explained Twilight, "they are viscous consumers native to the continent of Skyrim, and they are notorious for being the reason many travelers have gone missing, and even at a young age, they are very aggressive and dangerous."
"But I thought Hermaeus Mora wants us to be his recruitment agency?" inquired Thorax, his demeanor falling. "Pharynx won't be very effective in such a task if he looks like this."
"I think I know what Hermaeus Mora has in mind," stated Twilight, looking at Pharynx's more prominent red frill.
At first she could not understand it, chaurus hunters didn't have frills in that spot. Her first conclusion was that it was remnants from his changeling form, same as his face, but something about it was vaguely familiar. As in, 'Apocrypha' familiar.
"The creatures that held you prisoner in Canterlot," began Twilight, Thorax once again flinching at the mention of those monstrosities. "They are Hermaeus Mora's guardians, they protect Apocrypha from intruders. I think that's what this is, you and the rest of the changelings are going to be Equestrian Seekers, Pharynx is going to be an Equestrian Lurker."
"Really?" inquired Applejack, looking slightly confused. " Why didn't he become all fishy-like like the Lurkers?"
"The changelings are insectoid," said Twilight, her friends giving her their undivided attention. "And who better to protect Apocrypha than the most powerful and dangerous insect known on Nirn?"
"Oh, that makes sense," said Pinkie, apparently the only one on the same page as Twilight. "If somepony comes in with an overdue book, splat, face full of poison."
"How did you know they can spit poison?" asked Twilight, aghast.
"Just a hunch," replied Pinkie happily.
"Wait, chaurus's spit poison?" asked Rarity, her coat somehow going whiter.
For the next few hours, Twilight had to smooth things out with the others, gently getting the less intellectual ones on the same page with her theory of Pharynx. It was a relief to Thorax especially that all the remaining changelings had their place. But it soon became apparent that they didn't know what was supposed to happen now; Hermaeus Mora told them Twilight and her friends things would proceed after all the changelings were brought to his cause, but nothing had happened after Pharynx was force fed the elixir.
But the answer became obvious to Spike when he finally noticed his little admirer who stood a short distance away.
"Guys."
"I say we call Hermaeus," said Rainbow impatiently. "We brought the potion to the changelings and they all drank it. We should be allowed to go home."
"Guys."
"I concur," said Rarity gently, flipping her mane and producing a cloud of dust that was lodged in the strands. "I haven't seen my favorite mane brush in who knows how long, and the first thing I had to do once I got back to Equestria was venture out into this miserable wasteland."
"Guys."
"That is not a good idea," said Celestia with authority. "Hermaeus Mora was aware of the situation with Pharynx, he has to know of our progress."
"Then we missed something," said Twilight, tapping her chin. "Maybe some last details or some instructions."
"What else could there be?" asked Thorax worriedly, "We are under his thrall, now that we drank the..."
He was interrupted when an ice spike impacted the ground in front of him.
They all were, one by one, all the ponies had an ice spike embeded in the ground before them, not close enough to hit them but enough to draw their attention. Said attention being drawn to a very vexed looking dragon, his misting claws crossed under his scowl. It was amazing how intimidating he could look now.
"Spike, what is the matter with you?" scolded Twilight, walking up to said dragon with a scowl of her own. "How many times have I told not to use destruction spells haphazardly?"
"I agree, that was uncalled for," said Celestia angrily. "What is so important that you would throw ice around to get our attention?"
Without much flare, Spike pointed over his shoulder. "You missed one."
Following his thumb, all present gasped at what they saw. A tiny changeling stood a few feet away, holes in hooves, beetle shell, fly wings, it hadn't drank the elixir. And her shorter than normal stature 'and' that the word 'her' was needed to address her made it all too obvious to who it was.
"Ocellus?!" inquired Thorax worriedly, approaching said changeling who made no indication that she was even aware of his presence. "Ocellus?"
He waved a hoof in front of her face to try and get her attention, but she kept staring forward. Her mouth was shaped into a goofy wiggly smile, her eyes glazed and only blinking once every few seconds. Thorax new this look (given his former life) and when he turned to see her attention was focused solely on Spike, he could only facehoof.
'Of all the... well... I guess it shouldn't be a surprise, with how gallantly he saved her.'
Placing a hoof on her shoulder, Thorax gave Ocellus a gentle but firm nudge. "OCELLUS!"
---
Twilight was looking between the meek changeling next to Thorax and her little dragon assistant.
"Is... is she?"
"Twitterpated with a capital T," said Pinkie with high amusement in her voice.
"Oh, isn't that sweet," said Rarity femininely. "Somepon... creature has a crush on our little Spikey Wikey.
"Yeah," said Rainbow, shaking her head with slight pity. "To bad she isn't his type."
"Oh come now Rainbow, don't say that," said Rarity with a scowl," Sure she is a chitin covered bug pony who used to serve a love sucking queen, but that's all in the past." She cast Ocellus an approving look, "and besides, she is kind of adorable for a changeling."
"She really is oblivious, isn't she," Applejack whispered to Rainbow, who replied with a smirk.
But then Pinkie flashed them a warning look of pure fire, indicating her head first to Rarity then to Spike, who was watching the scene between Ocellus and Thorax with interest, and the two athletes shut up before a certain fashionista began asking questions that might uncover a crush that a certain purple dragon wanted to keep secret. A secret protected by a Pinkie Promise. And nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise.
Ever.
---
After the initial shock of the situation she found herself in after returning to her natural form, Ocellus only focused on the little dragon who had saved her again, her vision full blown tunneled in on him. Her infatuation wasn't just the fact that he had saved her life either, it was his looks as well. She had never seen such an alluring color combination as green and purple, and the scales glimmering in the light gave his features a most handsome quality for her.
All of her surroundings became insufficient to Ocellus at that moment, her heart fluttering as she remembered the gentle words he had spoken to her not long ago, words of comfort and compassion. She would remember them for the rest of her life. Little heart bubbles formed and popped in her eyes, a blush forming, though hidden by her black chitin.
'Is... this what it feels like to...'
"OCELLUS!"
The familiar voice, coupled with the gentle shaking of her shoulder was enough to snap Ocellus out of her infatuated state, the world falling in around Spike. She turned, expecting to see Thorax standing next to her, but instead, her eyes met four long slender legs that stretched up past her vision. Following their shiny length in shock, Ocellus stared into the face of the equine shape with the sickly yellow eye on its chest along with a strange pendant, large colorful wings blocking most of the sky out for her, as well as a face completely lacking a mouth.
It was enough to instill slight panic in Ocellus, the small changeling backing up slowly with her mouth open in a silent scream.
"Ocellus!" exclaimed Thorax worriedly, afraid of her reaction. "Ocellus it's alright, it's me."
At the familiar voice echoing from the mouthless creature, Ocellus's fear turned to bafflement.
"Thorax?" she moaned, cautiously approaching and touching one of his legs. "Thorax... is that you?"
Relieved that he had managed to calm her down, Thorax gently nodded.
"What...what happened to you?"
"So... you haven't been aware of what happened in the last few minutes?" asked Thorax, Ocellus blushing in embarrassment.
Thorax put a hoof to his temple and sighed through his nostrils.
Over the course of the next half hour Thorax explained what had happened so far. Hermaeus Mora's interest in them, his promise to save them from starvation, and that they had all been cured except her. At first she was thrilled, but after taking a look at Pharynx and the others, it seemed less appealing to her.
"I know it's a scary concept, but it's our only hope," said Thorax, gesturing to the bowl a few feet away, its contents rippling in the wind and still not looking the slightest bit depleted.
Ocellus trembled, she didn't want to die but something inside her was making her lock up. She didn't know what, she didn't really have a problem with what the potion did, but still, she refused to move. It was starting to make Thorax nervous.
He didn't want what happened to Pharynx to happen to Ocellus...he definitely knew she could not take that.
---
"Hey Spike?"
Cadance's soft voice brought Spike's attention away from the conversation between changelings and to the pink alicorn. "Yeah Cadance?"
"That poor dear seems to be having trouble," explained Cadance, Spike missing the slight mischief in her eyes. "Why don't you go coax her a little."
"Huh? Why me," asked Spike, looking to the other princesses and then his friends, all who seemed like better candidates for a situation like this.
"You saved her life just a few moments ago," explained Cadance gently. "If that didn't instill some trust for you in her, I don't know what would."
Spike smiled smugly, he did kinda save her life, didn't he. Puffing out his chest, Spike marched forward with responsibility.
"Cadance," said Celestia in a scolding voice. "Thats playing dirty."
"Yeah, it's not nice using her new infatuation with Spike like this," agreed Luna with a scowl.
"Hey, don't judge me, aunties," said Cadance, "I'm a little impatient." She gave Shining Armour a lidded expression. "I have waited for three years, I don't want to wait much longer."
"I can agree there," said Shining, nuzzling his fiance.
"Besides, it's not just about that," said Cadance, watching as Spike arrived next to Thorax and Ocellus. "I was always hoping to see who little Spike could end up with. He doesn't live with the rest of his kind, so I took it upon myself long ago to try and find him someone he can be close to."
"Typical Cadance, as always," stated Luna.
"What did you expect, she is the alicorn of love," said Celestia.
---
"So what's the hold up?"
While Thorax just cast Spike a look, Ocellus almost jumped out of her chitin.
"Oh... I... its you," she stammered, Spike stopping a few feet away.
"Hey wait?" inquired Spike, looking at Ocellus as if seeing her for the first time. "You're a girl?"
"Ugh... yeah," said Ocellus, shakily extending a hoof. "My name is... Ocellus."
Spike took her hoof and kissed it, causing Ocellus to produce a massive blush. But her shy demeanor was no impediment for him, he had known Fluttershy for years, after all. "Nice to meet you Ocellus, my name's Spike."
'Spike, huh? Cute, yet somehow noble,' thought Ocellus, giving a shy grin.
"So... I guess Thorax told you what's going on?" asked Spike, Ocellus only nodded as she stared at the dragon. "So why haven't you joined the other changelings and drank Hermaeus Mora's elixir?"
Ocellus didn't answer right away. "I'm... not sure. Something inside me is telling me that this isn't right."
Spike recognized her hesitant tone immediately. Twilight adopted the same tone and the same stiff sitting on her haunches position when she hit a snag while contemplating a new equation. While he himself could not begin to understand the mismatch of swirling lines and numbers that got so numerous Twilight once filled the entire library with chalkboards covered in them, he knew Twilight, and what always helped her get back on track.
Ocellus was too busy focusing on her current plight to notice Spike moving behind her.
So she was taken completely off guard when she felt spindly claws grip her shoulders and begin kneading her muscles. She cast a side glance behind her to see Spike smiling at her, his claws massaging her where her neck met her shoulders. She blushed like mad, her mind struggling to contemplate the sensation of his touch.
And the up and down motions made her putty in his claws.
"What... what are you doing?" she barley managed to ask.
"I've dealt with lodged thought processes for years," said Spike, shifting spots. "Having trouble figuring out what's wrong, stop trying to 'find' the reason. Focus solely on my claws and nothing else; something will float to the surface, trust me."
Ocellus wanted to protest.
Not only was this the first message she had ever received in her life, Spike's touch was causing her heart to beat to an almost painful rhythm. But she could not bring herself to tell him to stop. His touch was slowly making her worry over this situation melt away, and the more it continued the more her heart seemed to settle down.
---
Thorax watched from beside them, slightly confused, yet grateful for Spike lending a claw again. How many times was he going to rescue the changelings today? And how can he not notice the look on Ocellus's face?
Was he oblivious... could he not see how she reacted to him touching her?
---
Twilight had dropped her flabbergasted expression in exchange for a warm motherly look.
It was all too clear Spike was oblivious to Ocellus's emotions, but the fact that a girl was interested in him was a sign that he was growing up, in her eyes. She could only imagine how long it would be before her little drake started seeking romance that wasn't a secret puppy love crush. Finding a soulmate was a big yet difficult step to take in life, but when it did, nothing could compare to it.
It was a lesson she learned not long ago. Fluttershy leaned into her shoulder, cooing at the adorable scene of Spike massaging the meek female changeling before him.
---
"Who is this...'Hermaeus Mora'?" asked Ocellus, her settled mind finally finding the root of her hesitation.
"You don't know who Hermaeus Mora is?" inquired Spike, freezing mid massage.
Ocellus shook her head.
Spike and Thorax exchanged looks, before diving into a lengthy explanation into who and what the Daedric Prince of knowledge and truth was. To say Spike had to resume massaging her was an understatement. It was probably the only thing that kept her from bolting off into the wastes in panic.
"The day Equestria's sky turned red?" gasped Ocellus, shaking so bad that Spike had to implant his tail into the ground so the trembling went through him and dispersed. "Hermaeus Mora... was the cause?"
"How do you not know this?" Thorax asked, his echoing voice carrying a slight worried tone. "Hermaeus Mora announced who he was that day... to all of Equestria."
Ocellus looked bashful.
And Thorax grew a look of annoyance. "You transformed into something and hid, didn't you?"
Ocellus didn't need to confirm, her embarrassment was enough, but she did have one more question. "What... does he look like?"
"Like the image on my friends' cutie marks," answered Spike, pointing to the six mares off to the side.
Ocellus trembled as she saw the multiple wavy tendrils and single eye.
“I know he looks intimidating, and I won't lie, he is dangerous," explained Spike, giving her a reassuring look. "But you can trust him to take care of you."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Ocellus in a frightened voice.
"Look around, Ocellus," said Thorax, gesturing to the transformed changelings. "All but you have been liberated from our hunger, thanks to Hermaeus Mora. We may look different now, but we will survive under his supervision."
"And he is more than fair to his subordinates," said Spike walking forward and staring into Ocellus's eyes, her blush returning. "My friends and I spent three years under his supervision, Twilight even longer than that, and he made no move to harm us."
Thorax and Spike's words seemed to be calming Ocellus's hesitation. The trek between her and the bowl a few feet away didn't seem like stepping towards the gallows anymore, in fact, it was almost inviting. And it became even more inviting when she felt her hunger again; staggering to her side to be caught by Spike, who put her foreleg over his shoulder to support her.
"Man, they weren't kidding," he said sympathetically as he helped the lopsided changeling to the bowl. "You guys were on your last legs."
---
Thorax just watched as Spike picked up a cup from the ground, scooped some elixir into it and offered it to Ocellus, actually holding it up to her lips for her. She hesitated one more time, but Spike gave her a reassuring look again and it wasn't long before she put her lips to the cup and started drinking. Thorax knew he could never repay Spike for this... nor any of the other Equestrians.
---
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" asked Spike as Ocellus drained the cup.
"No actually," said Ocellus, licking her lips. "It was... actually pretty refreshing. So what happens now?"
"Just a short transformation," said Spike, "Maybe a few extra limbs..."
He was interrupted by a neon flash of yellow light.
---
"Oh isn't that just the sweetest thing?" said Rarity as Spike gently held up the cup for Ocellus to drink from.
The other ponies could only agree, even the tough ones... until Ocellus suddenly lifted into the air, surrounded by a nimbus of glowing yellow light, her shocked expression disappearing behind a luminescent veil of blue light that condensed into a cocoon of sorts.
"What is happening?" gasped Celestia in worry, she and the other ponies ready to intervene.
"Nopony move," said Twilight, her expression just as concerned but with a trace of trust. "Hermaeus Mora promised none of the changelings would be hurt, we have to take his word for it."
"How can you be so sure, Twily?" asked Shining Armour, shielding his eyes as pillars of light streamed from the cocoon at all angles.
"Hermaeus Mora is the Daedra of truth, partner," explained Applejack, "He has lots of things in his nature, but lying ain't one of 'em."
Nopony had time to say more, for Ocellus reemerged from her cocoon at that moment, astride the air on new wings. Her form was as different from the other changelings as was her transformation. All the ponies could do was gawk in stunned wonder at the sight. Even the millennium old Celestia was speechless in the presence of such beauty.
"Sweet Celestia!" gasped Rarity, pulling on her mane with an excited grin. "She... she's absolutely gorgeous!"
---
And Rarity wasn't the only one who thought so.
Spike's mouth hung open like a window shutter that had lost one of its hinges, his slitted pupils so wide they almost appeared round. Ocellus still possessed a mouth, but that was the least definitive trait about her now, for her chitin had turned a shimmering white; equivalent to the surface of a pearl, as well as possessing a bodily figure of a most desirable shape.
She looked like a miniature version of a model; like Fleur or Cadance.
Long lashes adorned the lids of shimmering blue honeycombed eyes as deep as blue diamonds, looking over the new body with just as much intrigue as the audience. Her horn was a graceful spiral, elegantly ending in a point about half a foot from her forehead. Bright blue spines started at the base of her horn and extended down to her hindquarters, delicate as flower petals despite their scythe shape.
Her wings were nothing like the other changelings.
They were a light yellow in color and nowhere near as massive. One sizable white spot was present on the scales of the lower portion of the wings, while several black spots where present on the upper wings. If Spike remembered Twilight’s biology class, they resembled the wings of the Pyrisitia lisa butterfly.
And finally, her tail was a long appendage that extended a good three feet and ended in a cute little tuft of dark blue fur, wagging back and forth as if its new owner wasn't quite used to it yet.
And all Spike could do was gawk at this dazzling beauty, completely captivated by her shimmering chitin and glimmering wings as the light refracted off them and into his eyes.