//------------------------------// // A Different Sky // Story: Bugs, Fluff and Other Stuff // by Silent Whisper //------------------------------// The pony laughed along with it’s weird pony-friends, making far too much noise for a member of a prey species. It waved a hoof to them before gathering some vegetables into a bag, tossing a few round pieces of metal to another pony, this one wearing a hat, and walking away. It wasn’t checking its surroundings. Still looking at the metal bits it tossed away, it blindly took a step forward into the darkness, and- “Do you think the sky is purple to creatures that see different colors?” Pharynx groaned, slumping against the alleyway’s brickwork. “This isn’t the right time for questions,” he hissed at the little ‘ling, still barely hatched. The changeling nymph bit their lip, staring up at him with wide eyes. “But some animals see things in different colors, don’t they? Does their sky look different?” It took all of Pharynx’s strength to keep him from facehoofing. “I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. Pay attention, this is important.” He crouched low to the ground, peering into the light and color of the marketplace. A pair of ponies gossiped by the fountain. One of them shook its mane as it laughed, the burbling of flowing water drowning out any noise it made. Would it drown out a scream? The pony’s friend got up and reached for something in its saddlebag, looking away from its friend as- “Whoaaaaaa, Pharynx, you gotta try this!” squeaked the nymph, eyes wide and faceted. “Mantis shrimp do see things differently! The sky isn’t blue, it’s… it’s something I’ve never seen before!” Pharynx clenched his jaw to keep from shouting at the little one. “That isn’t what we’re doing today. You need to pay attention. Thorax said it was time for you to learn how to defend your hive, and-” “Did you know that mantis shrimp can punch so fast it makes shock waves?” The nymph chirped, tiny underdeveloped wings vibrating with glee. Pharynx scowled. There was only one answer to give, and he knew where it would lead. “No, I didn’t, but I think-” “Did you know that they can fly? Because they can’t. I made that one up. But I can fly! And I can see like them when I shapeshift my eyeballs. I wonder if I can punch as fast as-” “Ocellus. Please. Stop. Talking,” snarled Pharynx. “It doesn’t matter what mantis shrimp can do, it matters what we can do, and right now, what we’re doing is learning to watch for our prey’s weakness.” Ocellus opened her little mouth to chime in, but Pharynx beat her to it. “Not like a damn shrimp! Like a changeling.” She slumped against his crouched form, and he let out a slow breath before turning back to the marketplace. “Now, look again. What do you see?” The pony was all alone, staring with wide eyes at a candy display. Its mouth was moving, but no sounds were coming out. Probably mentally adding up change, and not liking what its math produced. It looked over its shoulder, discerned it wasn’t being watched, and slid a hoof over a few butterscotch- Pharynx smirked. Ponies weren’t better than changelings, no matter what Thorax claimed. A changeling wouldn’t be caught dead stealing food… or, at least, wouldn’t be caught. “Ocellus?” “Yeah?” “Are you watching?” “Yeah.” “The pony over there. The one near the candy-cart. What was he doing?” “I don’t know.” He blinked and looked at the little nymph. She was crouching, mirroring his position as best as she could. At least she was in a proper stance, but… “Didn’t you say you were paying attention?” Pharynx straightened, groaning as his carapace popped. “I was.” She stood up too, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder. “The shop pony was, too. She was just looking the other way, at nothing at all.” Pharynx laughed. “Ponies are stupi- er, unobservant.” Ocellus shook her head. “That looked intentional. Like she wanted him to take some. Ponies are nice, sometimes, even when it doesn’t make a lot of sense.” Huh. Pharynx looked back at the shopkeeper. Her smile was lazy, sure, but there was something alert in her tired eyes. Something… knowing. In Pharynx’s opinion, that made her even more stupid, but he wouldn’t tell Ocellus that. Thorax didn’t like it when he used that sort of language around the young ones. Ocellus hummed absently as she swayed to a song only she could hear. The corners of Pharynx’s mouth lifted. She was a lot like Thorax, when he was a nymph. Most of the changelings were. Too many questions, too little discipline, with a love of the strange and the colorful. Thorax said that he should embrace that, just like the other changelings should embrace him. The adults barely seemed to tolerate him, but… The nymphs were alright, most of the time. “So, shrimp,” he said, wrapping a wing around Ocellus. “You said they could see in different colors.” “Uh-huh,” she said, her eyes closing. A flicker of changeling fire danced underneath her lashes before she looked up at him with strange, alien eyes. “Everything looks different to them. More colorful. It’s beautiful.” He snorted, pressing tighter before releasing her. “I bet that could be useful… somewhere, on the battlefield. Hidden markings, and all that.” Ocellus shrugged. “I just think it’s pretty. You know, you’re really pretty too, like this.” Pharynx swallowed and looked away. Damn ponies, making his eyes water in… disgust. “Is that so?” “Yup,” she chirped, and he looked back to see her staring at the sky again. “You’re beautiful, just not in our normal colors. Shrimp colors.” He smiled at that, warmly, as she stared at the sky. Yeah. The nymphs were alright, sometimes.