“Thorax? Pharynx?” Fluttershy called, her wings fluttering at her sides. “You guys still in my room?”
“Yes!” A faint voice came from upstairs. The winged mare smiled, pulling the tray of lightly salted fish off the table. Trotting up quietly, she came in with lunch.
“My hungry caterpillars!” she affectionally cooed. She’s really on a roll with these nicknames. “Lunchtime!”
Thorax clicked in excitement, his hooves tapping along the edge of the bed. A small towel was draped over his back, and his fangs shown as he grinned.
Pharynx stayed pretty emotionless, though he resented the nicknames. “...don’t call me a caterpillar...”
“Noted,” she smiled, placing the tray against the bedsheet. The carp she had bought a few days prior still steamed, and both changelings knew better than to try to swallow it whole.
Or...at least one of them did.
Thorax, for all his saving grace, didn’t think it through. He had opened his jaw up much like a snake, trying to snap it up as he did with the others.
“Um...”
“You idiot,” Pharynx face hoofed. “Spit it out and chew.”
“Hm?” Thorax coughed, the fishtail coming back up. A flushed blue tint rises from his cheeks, and he did as he was told. Tearing at the flaky flesh, Pharynx bit into his portion.
Fluttershy laughed, her eyes sympathetic. “I know you like fish but I don’t want you to choke!”
He hummed in agreement, chewing against the crisp skin of the broiled fish. Cyan eyes averted her gaze in embarrassment, and she rubbed her hoof against his head affectionately.
Her ears perked as she heard loud knocking from downstairs, the immediately flattened when she realized who it was.
“Hold on, someone’s at my door...” She sighed, flapping her wings as she made her way down the stairs. Angel was waiting at the door and pointed at it with a chitter.
Sighing, she unlatched her door. A blur of blue slammed into her, and Fluttershy shook her head. “Hi Rainbow...”
“Hey, Flutz!” The blue pegasus barged onto her living room, her rainbow mane in her face. She shook herself, stray feathers falling out of her wings. “Thought I’d drop by.”
“This is about Thorax and Pharynx, huh?”
“...Noooo....” she smiled awkwardly, her ears flattening against her head.
The yellow mare sighed. “I told you, they aren’t ready. Now go home-“
“Nah, I think I’m going to chill here,” she said nonchalantly, pushing her way past Fluttershy. Taking a deep breath, she let the annoyed expression fester.
“Rainbow, I swear on Celestia’s sun, you can’t barge into my house whenever you feel like!” Her voice raises slightly, then she covered her mouth. “...sorry...”
“Don’t worry Fluttershy!” She grinned, flopping onto her couch. “I’m just stopping by, there is other stuff I need to talk to you about.”
“Oh...that’s a surprise.”
“Hey!”
Fluttershy giggled, flapping her wings. Flicking her pink mane out of her face, she pulled out her kettle. As she filled it up with water, she turned her head towards the rainbow maned mare.
“So what where you going to talk to me about?”
The blue feathered pegasus twisted herself on her couch, trying to get comfortable. “Pinkie’s birthday is a few weeks, and I want to throw her a surprised party! Twilight and Applejack and the only ones that know as of right now, but I’ll get Rarity later. You in?”
“Oh, of course!” She smiled, stopping her kettle when she heard it whistle. Pouring the both of them a glass of tea, she took a sip. “I’m sure Pinkie Pie will love a surprise party!”
“Sweet! We are planning to have the party at AJ’s farm, Twilight’s getting the cake-and what is that...?” Rainbow pointed a hoof over her shoulder, and the yellow pegasus turns her head. Eyeing her stairway, she was a small, familiar head stick out, silently watching her.
“...Thorax? What are you doing?” Her voice was soft, but her eyes were worried. Was something wrong? Why was Thorax downstairs while someone else was in the house?
The changeling yelped, not realizing that he had been spotted. With a sheepish, shy smile, he stepped down the stairs.
“...I heard you were talking to someone and...I wanted to see who it was-“
“It TALKS?!?”
Thorax yelped, covering his head. His whole body shivered, and Fluttershy quietly trotted over towards the nymph. “Shh, it’s okay. Rainbow is just loud, that’s all! I promise she won’t hurt you,” she cooed, rubbing his head affectionately.
He opened his cyan eyes, wary. Slowly, he untangled himself from his position, pressing against one of her forehooves.
Rainbow mouth gaped open. “Well...I guess you are real, Fluttershy was right...”
She rolled her teal eyes. “Wouldn’t be the first time...”
Rainbow frowned, sticking her tongue at the yellow pegasus. Turning towards the small changeling, the blue mare looked at him closely. “So...Thorax, right?”
He nodded.
“...changeling...right?”
Again, he nodded, but his ears flattened against his head.
“Wow, so you can change into anything, right? Could you change into a Timberwolf? Dragon? Oh! And try and change into me!”
Rainbow stood excitedly, trotting around the nymph. Thorax averted his gaze, moving to be right under Fluttershy’s wing.
“Um...as fun as that sounds...I can’t transform yet...not successfully at least...” he muttered, rubbing his chitinous hooves together.
“Bummer,” Rainbow complained, flopping onto Fluttershy’s couch again. The blue mare took a sip from the teacup, her wings unfurled against her back. “When Fluttershy said she saw changelings, I was kinda half excited about you guys might be existing. Shame.”
Thorax looked down, and Fluttershy was getting tired of the blue pegasus’s griping. “Okay, Rainbow, I think this is enough. I’m going to take Thorax back upstairs, see you at the party.”
“Alright, Flutz!” She grinned, unaware of the situation she caused. “Make sure to bring a present!”
Teal eyes watched silently as the quick pegasus sped out her door.