//------------------------------// // Like Talking to a Brick Wall // Story: Ideas Entwined // by FanOfMostEverything //------------------------------// When Pharynx had first seen Canterlot, he’d been disgusted. The whole city had flown in the face of every principle of defensive strategy he knew, acting like its advantageous position excused a pathetic excuse for actual fortifications. Over time, he’d come to understand that this weakness was a show of a different kind of strength. “We’re so powerful,” said the gardens and fountains, “that we don’t need to show it.” That didn’t work out well against overwhelming forces like, as an example, an invading swarm of changelings, but Pharynx still appreciated what they were going for. He also appreciated the appeal of the castle gardens as a garden. Even he couldn’t spend every waking second planning the hive’s defenses, and he’d come to understand that having something worth defending beyond his fellow changelings could be… well, nice. And the veritable army of gardeners that had to maintain a place as expansive as the one he was walking through represented an impressive logistical challenge. Queens knew he had a hard enough time coordinating patrols. Speaking of whom… Pharynx took a moment to consider the statue. The centaur cringed away, cowardice proven at the last and preserved for all to see. The pony grub was trapped in a moment of regret and desperation, the consequences of her actions coming to bite her as she tried to think of something, anything she could say that could get her out of it. He’d imagined an expression like that on captured infiltrators and harvesters more times than he liked to think about. Seeing it on a pony, such a young one at that… It felt like some modicum of justice. That left Chrysalis herself, a warrior to the end, lunging forward that she might leave even one more scar to memorialize her. Pharynx sat before the statue, eyes locked on the queen’s. “Hello, Mother.” No reaction. She so hated the word, he’d half-expected her to finish the pounce. Or at least berate him for daring to use it. “Thorax is doing well. Currently has an eggsack bigger than him coming out of his abdomen.” Pharynx held back the shudder. Physical sex was just another variable for changelings, but seeing his little brother halfway through laying the next generation had been… unsettling. Other changelings had been cheering, but then, they were looking forward to playacting pony nuclear families. He didn’t pretend to understand the hive these days; he just protected it. He shook his head, refocusing on the task at hoof. “The hive is flourishing. Life is returning to the Badlands now that your throne isn’t sucking it dry. Even some monsters we’ve had to… discourage. It’s been a group effort.” He allowed himself a hint of a smirk. “You’d hate it.” Another pause. Another stretch of silence with no response. “Looking back… you really were an idiot. Or just a grandstander." Pharynx felt his ears fold back reflextively, but even that didn't merit feedback. So he kept going. "What did you even want, Mother? Not love. Definitly not our well-being or safety. You could have had all of that and more if you’d just come back to us." Pharynx sighed, the defiant stance dropping with his volume. "We would have welcomed you. Thorax would still abdicate in a second if you had a change of heart. He hates being in charge." He snorted. "Probably why he’s so good at it. “But you… You lied to us more than the ponies." Pharynx looked up into those glaring, marble eyes. "We were just more prey to you, weren’t we? And you were the predator. The only true predator." He sneered. "So said the parasite." He jabbed a hoof at Chrysalis's fellow captives. “Look at these two. Just your latest hosts. You’ve got the muscle cowering behind you, and there’s the wide-eyed grub longing for a mother’s love, realizing the mistake she made." An unpleasant ache Pharynx refused to taste tugged at his hearts. He turned to the grub. “I was in your place once, pony. You’re smarter than me. Took me until I was fully pupated to see the truth.” And still, even after he looked away without the queen's express permission, nothing. “You really are sealed up tight, aren’t you? I don’t know if you even heard a word of that. Maybe I should write it down if you ever get out.” Pharynx huffed out a deep breath from mouth and spiracles both. “What am I even doing?” “Did it help?” The Prince of Defense definitely did not chirp like a cricket while springing back from Twilight Sparkle. He did glare at her, though. Menacingly. “How long have you been standing there?” She tilted her head towards one of the topiaries. Pharynx spotted a glint of gold there before it slipped back out of view. Stealthier than a horse in a polished carapace had any right to be. He had to respect it. “A guard let me know about the tall, dark changeling muttering in front of the statue a bit ago. I figured you were having a moment.” “That’s one way of putting it." The full implications hit Pharynx in the muzzle, followed by his hoof. "Ugh. How many ponies saw that shameful display?” “Not many. Ponies have been avoiding the statue." Twilight narrowed her eyes, and a hint of irritation slipped into the serene love for all things she was giving off. "Especially after I made it clear vandalizing it wouldn’t be tolerated.” “Huh." Pharynx turned back to the statue. There were certainly places where a little ooze wouldn't go amiss. "Why didn’t I think of that?” “Pharynx.” A pony might roll their eyes. He hissed through his spiracles. “Fine, fine. Your castle, your rules.” After a moment, Twilight cleared her throat. “So, did it help?” Pharynx didn't like self-reflection. The aftertaste lingered for hours. “Kind of. I do wish I’d been able to talk to her before…" He waved a hoof towards the statue. "This. Get her to see how much we really did love her. How much we still do.” “Really?” He didn't need to look at the pony to taste her surprise. “I don’t expect a lovesack to understand. No offense." "Some taken?" "She got us through a lot of tough times. Some of them weren’t even her fault." Pharynx snarled. "But enough were.” He spat at the statue's base, though nothing that would be hard to scrape off. “So," said Twilight. "What now?” After one last look, one last confirmation that Chrysalis was well and truly stuck, Pharynx turned around and made for the exit. “Now I go tell Plecia that I did her stupid catharsis exercise. Then maybe I won’t have to attend the feelings forum anymore.” The sound of hoofbeats from next to him halted. “Wait," Twilight said from behind him. "A catharsis exercise?” “Yeah." Pharynx turned back to her. He held back the smirk as she winced. Ponies always hated it when he turned his neck that far. "You know, go to Chrysalis and say all the things I won’t let myself say.” Some new thought distracted Twilight from her nausea. “Did Plecia tell you to say that to Chrysalis, or just to imagine you were saying it to her?” Any amusement turned to ashes on Pharynx's tongue. He turned forward, refusing to meet Twilight's knowing gaze. “I was never here.” “My lips are sealed.” Any new smug amusement tasted a lot worse given the source. “See that they are.” Pharynx assumed the first pony form he could think of and stomped away. The smile on his own muzzle was just part of the disguise, nothing more.