Pharynx was on a jog along the sidewalk. She had on her typical red jacket and sweatpants. She also saw the edge of a white headband. She saw a few changelings and people pass her by on the other side of the street. She glanced back at the tiny, angry sun chasing her down. She smiled, knowing that the poor thing was just doing its job.
When she turned to look in front of her, she was in a long line. Every time one person walked away from the cashier, three behind them vanished without any sound effects. It was her turn.
"Do you want anything, sweetheart?" asked Chrysalis with his usually deep voice.
"Hmm, I'll just have a small number seven." Pharynx nodded while batting her eyes.
A box came out with a tray balancing on top of it. She grabbed the box with her hand, leaving the tray to float in a pink aura. She turned left to an arcade machine and tapped a button. The screen showed a unicorn on two legs. The words "Home Run" appeared. Pharynx then walked along a bowling alley to retrieve a pin.
One of the pins grew purple wings and jumped. "She's not just a pony with a lousy attitude. She's downright evil!"
Pharynx shook her head at the silly pin. "In an infinite world of possibilities, is any Zinthos really so Azareth to a false idol?"
"I'm sorry, Pharynx Nee-chan!" Thorax had tears in his eyes. "I let you down."
Pharynx wrapped her arms around the cute cinnamon roll. "Foolish little brother, I'll never desert you."
...
Clouds shifted around the room. Eventually, Pharynx found himself floating in a star field. He stared dully at his holed hooves. A sliding closet door appeared and opened in front of him. A dark purple alicorn stepped out, shook a loose red jacket off behind her, and turned her attention at the changeling.
"Pardon the interruption, but your dream intrigued me." She held a hoof against her chest piece. "My name is Princess Luna."
"Really?" Pharynx let his wings buzz a bit before stopping them. "What was so special about my dream?"
"There were some creatures other than the changelings that seemed unlike any combination of species real or imaginary." Luna swiveled her hoof around a bit. "What were they?"
"Well, those were human beings, obviously." Pharynx smirked. "They were the dominant species of my past life. It's only natural I'd see some of them in my sleep."
"You... believe in reincarnation?" She raised her brow.
"Lady, I'm living a reincarnation!" He spread his front hooves wide. "Or maybe I'm a memory transplant. Could be either one, I suppose."
"Fascinating." Luna scribbled down something on a dream clipboard before both it and the quill vanished.
"Wait, you're not going to blab about this, right?" Pharynx swam backwards.
"I keep dreams confidential unless I consider their material dangerous to real life, limb, and psychological health."
"Alright, just so we're clear," relented Pharynx.
---
He woke up to the feeling of something soft against his shell. In a sleepy panic, he tried standing up and spun around wildly. It took him a minute to remember that she knew what a blanket was. After a few pushes upward and back, he managed to crawl out from under the fabric. His surroundings looked sparkly in the morning sunlight.
There was a scratchy noise that caught his attention. After a look around, he saw Thorax leaning over a desk. A pen was scribbling in a journal upon said desk. Pharynx quietly crawled closer.
"You keep a diary?" He asked.
Thorax yelped and turned his head. "Oh, Pharynx! Did you sleep well?"
Pharynx popped his neck on either side. "Yeah. More or less. Whatcha writing about?"
Thorax continued scribbling magically. "Just some recent events and thoughts."
Pharynx looked over his little brother's shoulder and read along:
My
brood mbig brother showed up yesterday afternoon. His name is Pharynx. He stuck up for me against some meaner changelings back when we were much younger. I mean, he hit me too, but he still loved me... in his own way.Anyway, I was playing with Flurry Heart at the time, so I only heard about most of this story from the guard ponies. He showed off his strength to one guard before outrunning some others. It took a whole mess of them to capture him. That's just how tough he is.
I didn't know it was him until I saw him in that cell. Chrysalis sent him to the Crystal Empire for a recon mission. But he said he was done working for her, after she assumed I was dead or unimportant. So, I asked him if he'd be willing to learn how to live without stealing love, just like I am. He didn't exactly say yes, but he didn't say no either. So, I'm hopeful.
"Ugh, some creature get me a waste bin." Pharynx dry heaved. "That's way too sweet."
"Mm, I guess I've written enough for now anyway." Thorax shrugged, set his pen down, and closed his little book. "Ready to go get breakfast?"
Pharynx blinked twice. "They give you two meals a day?"
Thorax smiled. "Three, actually. Sometimes four, if they have a mid-afternoon snack and tea."
Pharynx's jaw dropped. 'This empire's rulers are already spoiling my little brother! How am I supposed to compete with that?'
---
After breakfast, Shining Armor requested Pharynx to follow him. They went to yet another crystal building. A symbol of a sword and a shield were carved into the wall. The large entrance door stood right between these symbols. Inside, they passed a couple rooms. The first was filled with training dummies and was otherwise empty. In the next, some ponies appeared to be drilling spear practice.
Shining Armor knocked on the door of a third room. A slot briefly moved open near the top before closing again. Then, the door opened, allowing them inside.
"The Prince and Royal Captain is here, recruits!"
Several ponies, both crystal and not, stood and saluted. The majority of them were wearing a simplified version of the guard armor. When Pharynx entered the room, the pony at the door tensed up.
"Sir! A changeling!"
"At ease, Lieutenant." Shining Armor held up a hoof. "This is the one I told you about last night."
"Oh, of course." Lieutenant didn't stop clenching his front legs, but he tried to avoid staring.
As he followed the prince to the front of the room, Pharynx muttered, "What is this about?"
Shining Armor stood on the platform and stomped once. "Cadets of the Crystal Empire! First of all, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for volunteering to serve this nation."
Pharynx stared off into a random spot of the ceiling as the speech went on. He was waiting for the prince to get the point. His human thoughts felt obliged to agree. She knew that fluff and cushion to a speech was good for motivation, but it also meant that she'd be waiting around for several hours of the other person's hot air. It was her art teacher's lecture on the color magenta and how it didn't actually exist all over again.
The changeling shook his head when he heard Shining Armor switch topics. He was letting the recruits know about the potential threat that Chrysalis and her loyal changelings could pose. If any present wanted to leave, he wasn't going to hold anything against them. After all, citizens had more freedom to protect their loved ones directly than a soldier bound to duty. However, soldiers were still needed to give said citizens time to brace themselves for said threat or to retreat.
"And now, I'd like to give the floor to my associate to give a quick rundown on what to expect." Shining Armor turned and stepped back. "Pharynx, if you would, please?"
'Oh! An improvised presentation. This ought to be fun.' Pharynx stepped up and cleared his throat. "Alright, maggots! I don't like repeating myself! So pay attention the first time, and you might live in the near future!"
Expressions on the attendees ranged from shock to stiff. A few in the back looked uninterested. Lieutenant looked oddly relieved at Pharynx's tone. Shining Armor watched in amusement.
"Most of you may have this idea that a fair fight is face-to-face and out in the open. Well, go ahead and take a dump on that idea and flush it down to the sewer gators! Chrysalis's army does not know the meaning of 'fair fight' and she will rip apart your resolve from the inside! Soldier drones are taught almost immediately after birth to strike the weakest filth first. They drag it into a place that even a claustrophiliac would deem too tight! If your fellow soldier has been alone for two minutes without a partner, do not trust them when they suddenly come back. A changeling has already infiltrated your ranks and will likely knock you out when you were counting on them to help."
For a while, Pharynx gave a whole speech on everything he taught his former underlings. He included some facts about what changelings could and would not do. Contrary to the wild rumors, changelings could not turn other creatures into new changelings. Changelings could not mimic fire breathing of dragons and spells specifically created by magical prodigies. It also took at least a week of study to nail any pony's personality flawlessly.
One of the disinterested ponies in the back called out, "You don't look so tough!"
Pharynx stared directly at the heckler. "Care to repeat that, Private... Onyx?"
The ponies sitting right next to Onyx scooted away slightly. The slightly shimmering, lavender crystal unicorn crossed his front hooves. "I could take you with one hoof behind my back!"
"Cadet..." Lieutenant glared at him.
Pharynx waved his hoof dismissively. "No, Lieutenant. Let the hatchling keep digging. In fact, let's all give him a chance to prove himself. Maggots, clear a path!"
The rest of the recruits stepped apart, making a wide opening in the center of the room.
"You serious?" Onyx scoffed. "What happened to you changelings fighting from the shadows?"
"I can improvise." Pharynx stepped down into one end of the opening. "Can you?" He taunted with one hoof.
Onyx snorted. "You're going to wish you stayed where you belonged, bug!"
The challenger galloped forth while charging up his horn. Shining Armor gasped and set up a couple shield spells, protecting the observers on either side of the room. Onyx fired a magic beam. Pharynx stepped to the left, leaving the beam to get swallowed up by the front wall. The crystal unicorn kept running along with his horn pointed out.
Pharynx calmly put his right front hoof on his back and leaned down. As the unicorn horn passed above him, he spun around. His back leg tripped Onyx and flipped him over. Onyx growled and cast another beam spell. Pharynx hopped over that beam with a pirouette.
Onyx chuckled and cast one more time. This spell magically grabbed a decorative spear on the back wall. With a jerk of his head, Onyx willed the spear headfirst at his opponent. Pharynx shape-shifted into a rock, falling to the floor. This left the spear to fly at the caster. The crystal unicorn gasped until a pink shield appeared in front of his face. The spear impaled itself slightly into the magic shield.
"That's enough, Cadet!" Shining Armor trotted by, dispelling his shield and taking the spear to the back of the room.
Pharynx trotted over and offered his hoof. Onyx grit his teeth, but slowly reached up to accept the help. Pharynx pulled the crystal pony up to a stand.
"Figures, a changeling would cheat to win," Onyx grumbled.
"Uh, yeah. Weren't you listening to a word I said?" Pharynx tilted his head. "Besides, you were practically telegraphing your moves." He turned and looked around at the other recruits. "Spend as much time here as you can. Learn from your commanding officers. You'll never be a one-pony army. But maybe, you'll have a slight chance of fighting as a combined unit. Until then, keep your ears open and your egos shut."
---
"That was impressive back there." Shining Armor was leading him back to the castle.
"What? Showing a rookie where the ground was?" Pharynx asked in disbelief.
"No, that you showed restraint." Shining Armor looked behind him. "I was half-expecting you to singe his fur."
"An effective way to beat an opponent is to use less energy than they do." Pharynx kept walking along. "Showing off without substance tends to create vulnerabilities. Enemies in a real battle take advantage of any weak points they can find."
Shining Armor looked forward and mulled over the thought. "That is one way to look at it."
"You disagree?"
"Well, in my experience, the biggest boom tends to get the best results."
Pharynx smirked. "Sure, but you had the power of love on your side. Unlike the colt that was fighting for his own pride, you and the princess had substance to back up your spectacle. Different magic, different results."
Shining Armor chuckled. "You got me there."
---
He watched the scene unfold in front of him. His little brother was checking corners every so often. The baby princess was giggling to herself while sitting on his back. Meanwhile, Pharynx tried to see if a different angle would help him understand. After crawling up and tailing them for about thirty minutes, he decided that standing upside-down on the ceiling did not make Thorax's actions any more sensible.
Thorax had already been accepted as a guest of royalty for months by now. What did he have to gain by hiding like a thief in his new home? Also, he wasn't even trying to blend into the environment. Dark colors stood out against the vibrant crystal palace. At least the alicorn looked somewhat like she belonged.
For a second, Pharynx wondered why he wasn't getting an ache from blood rushing to his head. He mentally brushed it off, reminding his human self that he was a changeling now. He noticed Flurry Heart hold a hoof up to her mouth, as if to hold back her laughter. Had she already been with Thorax on this mockery of a stealth mission? Then, Thorax dove and rolled past an open hallway while Flurry Heart glided after him.
Pharynx rolled his eyes while silently continuing his ceiling crawl. He actually caught himself smiling at their childish antics. He wondered when was the last time he had genuinely found something so low-risk and amusing. Was such a joy only found in her life? He shook his head and returned his attention to his brother's antics.
At this point, Thorax had brought Flurry to a corner around from a stone door. A guard in crystal armor stood on either side. One of them looked up at Pharynx. They blinked twice.
"Don't mind me, gentle-colts." Pharynx waved a hoof dismissively.
Thorax used the conversation to crawl under the guards' view. He and Flurry pushed open the door. As soon as it closed behind them, the guards spun around. The guards looked at each other before one of them slammed it open again. Thorax and Flurry Heart were inches away from grabbing a cookie jar.
"I'm fairly certain I said that Flurry Heart can't have any extra sweets." Princess Cadance trotted into view. "Not after what happened last time."
Thorax chuckled nervously. Flurry seemed less restrained and teleported right onto her mother's back. The filly gave her a big hug. Cadance nuzzled her before returning her attention to the matter at hoof. Thorax's ears lowered as he slowly trotted out of the dry goods storage room.
Cadance glanced upward. "What do you think?"
Pharynx shrugged. "I'm surprised he got as far as he did. Maybe spending time away from the hive was what he needed to hone his natural instincts."
Thorax perked up. "Did you... Was that a compliment?"
"If you want it to be, go ahead and take it that way. It doesn't matter." Pharynx pulled himself off the ceiling and flipped over. He held himself up by letting his wings buzz.
Thorax leapt up and let his wings dance. His hooves embraced his older brother. "Ha ha! I knew deep down, you cared!"
"H-Hey! You're going to make us crash!"
Pharynx's warning came too late. Both changelings went tumbling to the floor. Cadance and the guards flinched before taking a chance to look. Flurry Heart clapped her little hooves. As soon as Thorax realized what had happened, he rolled off and apologized profusely. Pharynx groaned and sat up.
Maybe his annoyance broke. Maybe the scene was just too absurd for his human girl's mind to process. He didn't know. But all of it compounded into a high-pitched chortle coming out of his mouth. Thorax's eyes opened wide. He couldn't recall a moment where Pharynx ever laughed, much less like a young mare.
As if to relieve some of his tension, Thorax chuckled. This was a first step for his brother and he wanted to savor it. Neither of them noticed the little tingling sensation in their wings. They were too busy laughing with their eyes closed.
---
This wasn't what Pharynx had in mind. He wanted to keep tabs on his brother, not sign up for replacement limbs together. But every time he tried shape-shifting his wings back to what he was familiar with, he felt a tugging sensation. He exhaled and allowed his body to go to its new default.
They weren't exactly a bad addition. In fact, his human side was fascinated by how these violet wings shimmered. She wondered if it was similar to the effect of fireflies in their lower backs. She briefly thought about looking it up. He face-hoofed, mentally reminding her that there was no internet here.
"Are you okay, Pharynx?" Thorax trotted up beside him. "You've been staring at that mirror for a while now."
Pharynx glanced at his brother's wings. They shimmered whenever they moved too. Yet, these were a teal glow. For a moment, he felt himself drifting closer to them. He shook his head.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He whipped up his hoof. "Don't you dare tell any pony that I was powdering my nose."
Thorax tilted his head. "Why would I say that? You don't have any powder on your nose."
Pharynx sighed. 'Right. I briefly forgot he's still new to figures of speech.' He waved his hoof dismissively, then put it down. "Never mind. If you and Flurry were going after cookies, does that mean you're hungry?"
"Oh, no." Thorax chuckled. "I was just teaching her the importance of stealth and silence, two of our greatest tools in the field." He tapped his muzzle. "Though, speaking of hunger, I don't feel it at all."
Pharynx opened his eyes in surprise. "You don't?"
"Yeah..." Thorax looked down before returning his eyes to level. "Maybe it'll come later. I remember lunch being pretty big."
Pharynx shrugged. "I'm still not used to getting lunch, so maybe it was a lot."
"You want to hang out until dinner?" Thorax smiled in excitement.
"Uh... sure." Pharynx blinked twice. "What do you want to do?"
---
"There is only room for one ruler of the spots and stripes!" Thorax fiddled with a toy giraffe.
"Augh, curse your sudden yet completely foreseeable betrayal." Pharynx spun a plastic zebra over its back.
"Ho ho ho! Wicked chortle noises. Now perish!" Thorax tapped the giraffe against the zebra.
The door opened and Sunburst stepped in. "Hey, guys. Dinner is just about re- Oh my Celestia!"
Pharynx yelped out, magically grabbing both of the toys and shoving them under the bed. "Sunburst! Wh-What did you see?"
"Nothing! Nothing." Sunburst averted his eyes. "I didn't see your action figures at all!"
"Well, good!" Pharynx stood up and cleared his throat. "Next time, knock before you see if we're doing nothing!"
Thorax looked between the two fidgety creatures. "Why are you guys shouting?"
Pharynx slapped his brother's shoulder. "This conversation is over! We'll be right up."
"Okay." Sunburst adjusted his glasses before galloping off.
---