> Two Nymphs, One Pony
>  by CitreneSkys
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Offering
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The warm sunlight filtered in through the window, casting its rays onto a sleeping pegasus. With a yawn, Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, shaking out her mane.

Rising from her rest, she looked around. Her feathered wings lifted her off the bed, landing her hooves on the hard wooden floor.

She perked her ears as the sound of birds chirping caught her attention. With a soft smile, she turned towards her window.

“Why, hello, my friends!” She returned their cheerful chirps. Unlatching the windowpane, her yellow hoof pushed against the glass, letting the crisp morning air brush against her face. 

A small pale robin landed on her hooves, singing. “What a lovely song, Rin,” she cooed, lifting the bird back onto her perch. “Breakfast will be ready in a second!”

Turning back towards her room, she made her way to the bathroom. Washing her face with a dampened towel, Fluttershy reaches for her comb. Her hair was an absolute mess, but with a little brushing, she managed to tame it for now.

A soft thump against the floor drew her attention. Sighing, she turned towards a white bunny who sat impatiently on her floor.

“Yes, Angel?”

He thumped a foot against the floor, pointing to his stomach.

“I’ll get you breakfast in a minute, let me finish up first.”

More thumping.

“Angel...“

Sighing, she grabbed the little rabbit by the scruff, lifting him onto her back. “Alright, I’ll get you a carrot.”

She smiled as Angel let out a squee of delight. Trotting down the stairs, the pegasus mare looked around her living room. Opening her fridge, she gave her dear rabbit a large carrot. He munched at it, grinding his teeth against the vegetable.

She took a bag of seeds, a large bowl of honey, and sardines out as well. Placing Angel onto the ground, Fluttershy quickly flew out her door. Looking around, the yellow feathered pegasus hovered just above the ground, floating herself up towards the birds.

On the wooden perch, she tore open the bag of seeds, dumping them onto the platform. Instantly, a flock of robins and pigeons swarmed the perch, pecking eagerly at the seeds. 

Fluttershy giggled, watching them lovingly. “Eat up well!”

Now, with only a bowl of honey and a net full of sardines, she made her way towards the rest of her animal friends. Harry...the ferrets...was she missing anyone?

Hm...who else is on the feeding schedule today? she wondered, pushing open the door. On her wall was a little to-do list she had written for herself the night before.

Her teal eyes skimmed the paper, humming. “Looks like I’ve fed everyone I needed to today. Let’s see...oh!”

Fluttershy facehoofed as she read what was next. “I completely forgot. Elizabeak wanted those glowing mushrooms to decorate her nest...”

She turned towards her couch, grabbing her saddlebags from one of her cushions. “Angel, you want to come with me?”

The bunny stopped his chewing, looking back at her with his dark eyes. He briskly shook his head, and the mare sighed. “Alright, but if something happens go find Twilight, ok?”

She opened her front door, stepping out of her cozy cottage. The Everfree Forest wasn’t all that scary anymore since her encounter with the Cockatrice. 

Hopefully, Zecora wouldn’t mind a visit.




“Zecora!” Fluttershy called, tapping her hoof against the wooden door. 

A muffled voice came from within. “Fluttershy? Why so early?” The zebra chuckled as she opened the door. “I do hope you aren’t in a hurry.”

“Not at all.” The pegasus mare smiled, stepping into the tree hut. The smell of bark and herbs instantly filled her nose as she looked around. “I’m just here to run errands.”

“Ah, I see,” Zecora returned the smile. She stood next to her brewing pot, which was steaming with the smell of chamomile. “Would you like to have a chat and tea?”

“Tea sounds wonderful.”

Fluttershy sat on a woven cushion, setting her bag onto the floor. A wooden cup was handed to her as she waited. “Zecora, I do want to ask. Do you happen to know where these mushrooms are?”

She pulled a book out of the brown saddlebag, flipping the pages and stopping at the bookmark she had placed.

Zecora looked at it as she poured the green tea into her cup. “Iridescent Fungus, it seems. I do have those on hoof, let’s see...” 

Fluttershy took a sip as she watched the zebra search through her cabinets. Mere seconds later, she saw small shining blue mushrooms being wrapped in a bundle.

“You don’t need these right now, do you?” the pegasus mare asked nervously. “I can always go look for it on my own...”

Zecora chuckled, placing the bundle down onto the wooden table. “Nonsense, Fluttershy, I insist! If you need more I can assist.”

“Well...I guess if you are ok with it.”

She paced the book back into her bag, sighing. “Thank you, Zecora. Elizabeak has been asking me for these ever since she got unfrozen by the Cockatrice.”

“The same trip the young ones took, I presume?”

Fluttershy nodded, looking away. Then her stomach let out a low growl, and the pegasus mare felt the blood rush to her cheek. “Um...if it’s okay, can I stay for breakfast as well? I didn’t get to eat anything this morning...”

Zecora chuckled as she prepared a morning snack for the two of them.




The yellow pegasus waved goodbye as Zecora closed the door. With the glowing blue mushrooms safely tucked away in her saddlebags, she trotted back down the path she came from.

It was a lovely sight, all things considered. Tall trees that seem to almost touch the sky, the dusty path lined with bright blue flowers (which she had learned to never touch again), and the smell of pine filling the air. Warm sunlight filtered through the trees in dappled lighting, and Fluttershy felt at ease in the normally dark Everfree.

A rustling in the bushes caught her attention, and the pegasus was back to her easily frightened self. Yelping, she looked around, backing herself up.

A small, black pony-like figure stumbled out of the bushes. It was nothing like Fluttershy had ever seen before. The general stature of the thing was similar to that of a young colt or filly, but instead of a mane, it had a crest that stood on end.

It had visible fangs and translucent, bug-like wings that buzzed as they vibrated. This had Fluttershy curious, crouching as she stepped towards the small creature.

Her hoofsteps must’ve alerted it because it turned to stare straight at her. Fluttershy stopped, her heart beating. She had no idea whether this creature was friendly or not, but she was determined to try and greet it.

“Hi—“

It didn’t stay around for very long. Its compound eyes were filled with fear as it dived into the bushes, making clicking noises along the way. Fluttershy was confused, and, suddenly, she felt a wave of concern fill her being.

Almost unconsciously, she began to follow after the creature, calling out for it. “Um...little one? Please come out!”

She stopped and tilted her head when she heard a snapping twig. Keeping her head low, she quietly trotted towards where she heard it. The trees were denser and the branches were lower than before, so Fluttershy had to push against it to get through.

When she got through, she was met with a large, winged spider standing over the creature she had seen. The winged mare initially froze with fear, as the large creature snarled and screeched at her.

She shook her head, reigning in her fear, and tried to put on a braver face. “Um...hi?”

The black and purple spider seemed taken aback, then growled. At least it didn’t attack her, so she assumed it was okay to proceed. She took note that it seemed like the spider was protecting the creature she had just encountered, rather than defending a prey item from her. 

Her wings fluttered nervously. “M-my name is Fluttershy...I promise not to hurt you...or your friend.”

She kept a soft smile. The spider gave a low grunt, looking back at the little black bug-pony. 

The smaller one’s fear seemed to dwindle as it realized that she wasn’t any harm. “...You can drop the disguise for now...”

The spider growled, dissipating into green flames. What was left was a creature that was similar to the first one, only lighter, and with different colors.

The black one approached the winged mare, still a bit wary. “H-hi, Miss Fluttershy...my name is Thorax....”

“Thorax...” Fluttershy mused. She looked him up and down. “What are you doing out here, little one? Do you live here?”

Thorax shifted in place, wincing. “No...just looking for shelter right now...”

Fluttershy frowned with concern. “Do you have parents?”

He tilted his head as if he didn’t know what the word meant.

She glanced at both of the creatures. She didn’t know what either of them was, but they looked thin and cold.

“Why don’t I bring you back to my cottage?” she asked, her eyes shining. “You can warm up there, and I’ll see if I can cook up anything for you.”

Thorax seemed to brighten at the gesture, looking back at the other one. The taller one of the two frowned, still not trusting the yellow pegasus.

Thorax prodded at the colorful one’s shoulder, an almost begging look in his cyan eyes. Violet eyes glared back, but he sighed and nodded.

Fluttershy smiled warmly, placing a comforting hoof on Thorax’s head. “Come on, my cottage is just this way.”

The small one chirped excitedly, instantly following the pegasus mare. His friend huffed, slowly trudging after them.

With a warm wing, she guided them back to her home.
> Snack ‘n Question
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Is that your c’ttge?” Thorax slurred the word, and Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle.

“Uh-huh!“ her wings fluttered, a warm feeling drifting throughout her body. The little bug creature was so excitable; it was hard to keep her adoring grin at bay.

His friend still didn’t seem to trust her though. The colorful one seemed to lag behind, his eyes frantic as he looked around.

“Little one? What’s wrong?” Her voice was filled with concern for the small bug-pony. He, however, stayed mostly silent; only a faint growl could be heard from the back of his throat.

Thorax leaped from Fluttershy’s back, tugging at his friend's ear. “C’mon, she’s nice!” he chirped, grinning. 

A silent glare graced Pharynx’s face as he looked away. Fluttershy sighed, draping a warm wing across his back.

“I’m sure you’re hungry. I have plenty of food in my fridge; you’ll feel better with a full belly.” She smiled warmly, hoping that the small one would know she didn’t mean any harm.

Violet eyes darted back and forth between the yellow mare and Thorax before the colorful one sighed and trudged forward. The pegasus’s smile faltered slightly.

Picking up the smaller bug-pony, she gingerly placed him along her back. Thorax clung onto her neck, staring straight at the ground as Fluttershy trotted the rest of the way.

Pulling against the handle, she opened her wooden door. Hooves clacked against the hard wooden floor and she headed over to her couch. 

Setting the pair of bug-ponies down onto her soft cushions, she opened her mini-fridge. “What do you guys eat?”

“Love!” Thorax chirped loudly, and Fluttershy was taken aback. She blinked, unsure if she had heard correctly.

“You eat what?” 

“Love,” he chirped again. He tilted his head. “Well...I guess we can eat any emotion really, but love and happiness are the most nutritional!”

Fluttershy pursed her lips, looking at her fridge. “Um...is there anything else you guys eat?”

Thorax scrunched his snout, thinking. “...I like fish...”

She let out a relieved sigh, taking out the rainbow trout that she had caught the night before. Being a pegasus, she used her wing and carried it over to her kitchen, ignoring the slime it left on her feathers.

As carefully as she could, she sliced the fish in half vertically. She wasn’t sure if they could digest herbs or seasoning, so she left it as is and put it into the oven. Rotating her egg timer, she left it going for ten minutes.

Just enough time to ask questions.

Trotting back onto her living room, she sat on her haunches, wings fluttering. “Your food will be ready in a few minutes. I do have some questions though. Do you mind if I ask?”

One of the two looked excited.

“Sure!” Thorax’s voice rose a pitch, and Fluttershy had to stop herself from squealing.

“Okay...um...what exactly are you guys? I’ve never seen anything like you.”

“I’m a changeling,” Thorax answered, looking around the room. 

“A changeling?” she echoed. “I’ve never heard of a changeling before.”

She made a mental note in her head. I better go ask Twilight about this.

Shaking her head, she turned back towards the pair of changelings. Specifically, she turned towards the brighter one. “Sweetie, what’s your name?”

He glared daggers at her, turning away. Thorax prodded at his shoulder, giving his friend a hard glare. “Sorry about Pharynx...he isn’t the most trusting...”

“No no, it’s fine.” She kept the smile on her face. “Pharynx was your name?”

He only gave a slight nod but kept his mouth shut. Improvement!

“Well, Pharynx, I promise I will not hurt you or your friend here. I pinkie promise.”

She knew that neither of them would get it if she did the whole ‘cross my heart’ thing Pinkie does, but she hoped the message came across.

It was hard to tell since the changeling had his back turned towards her.

“So...how old are you two?”

“Me and Pharynx are five.”

“Five?!” Fluttershy gasped. She knew the two were young but she never realized they were that young! “What are you doing out in the Everfree Forest by yourself?!”

Thorax winced, pushing himself deeper into the green cushion. Pharynx growled, his eyes narrowing onto the winged mare. She took a deep breath, calming herself. “Sorry, it’s just that it’s not safe, the Everfree. The plants have a mind of their own and many creatures like Manticores and Cockatrices live there! Why aren’t you with an adult?”

Both of them stayed quiet this time, and Fluttershy realized she might have struck a sensitive spot. Her face was full of concern, sighing as she placed a hoof on the couch. “...You don’t have to tell me,” she cooed, her ears flattening. “I’m just worried about you two. You can tell when you are ready, okay?”

The cyan changeling nodded, while the crimson one clawed at the fabric of the couch. Before she could get to any other questions, she heard a loud thumping from behind her. Turning her head, she saw Angel staring expectantly. “Yes, Angel?”

The bunny pulled out the egg timer, which was about to ring. “Sweet Celestia, the trout!” Fluttershy rushed into the kitchen, which now smelled of cooked fish and burning. Quickly shutting off the oven, she opened the glass door, backing off when the heatwave hit her.

“Phew, still good,” she mused to herself. Grabbing heat-proof tongs, she pulled the rack out. The rainbow trout had been charred slightly around the edges, but other than that it was a perfect golden-brown. She let it cool on a wire rack, flapping her wings to speed up the process.

Bringing the rack over to the changelings in her living room, she pushed over a small wooden table. She smiled as she placed the baked trout onto the table. “Eat up, my changelings!”

Thorax drew a tongue over his lip, staring straight at the fish given to him. Tentatively, he trailed his forked tongue over the head of the rainbow trout, before snapping it up and gulping it down in one bite. She would be lying if she said it hadn’t scared her a little bit. 

“It’s really good Miss Fluttershy!” he chirped, grinning. Pharynx didn’t seem to have the same appetite as his friend but bit into his serving regardless.

Fluttershy smiled at the young changelings she was housing. “Just call me Fluttershy!”
> Twilight Questions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Fluttershy? Where are you going?” The winged mare perked her ears, turning her head. Thorax had jumped off of the couch and was trotting towards her.

She smiled, rubbing his head affectionately. “I just need to run to the market. Are you guys okay by yourself?”

“Oh!” He squeaked, buzzing his translucent wings with excitement. “What’s a market? Can I come?”

A low growl sounded from the couch, and Pharynx bared his teeth. His violet eyes were narrowed on Thorax, who sighed and rolled his eyes.

“C’mon, what’s the worst that can happen?”

The glare intensified.

Fluttershy sighed, her smile faltering. “Maybe next time. I have to explain this to my friends before anything else, and some ponies aren’t the most...accepting.”

The little changeling sighed, his ears and crest flattening. “Okay...”

Angel hoped from the ground and onto her back, sticking his tongue out at the changeling. She would talk to him about it later. Right now she needed to restock on supplies.

With one hoof, she pushed open her wooden door. A rush of cool, fresh wind washed against her face. The sound of birds singing filled her ears as she looked back. “I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

With a flutter of her wings, she was off to the market.




“Angel, pass me the list, please.”

The bunny rummaged around in her saddlebag before pulling out the parchment paper she had brought along. She smiled, looking down at the list.

“Carrots...potatoes...celery...and we’ll add fish to the list,” she muttered, looking around at the booths. She still wasn’t sure about the ‘eating emotions’ thing, so getting an extra stock of fish was probably the best bet.

“Fluttershy!” She looked up as she heard her name called. Twilight waved from the next booth over, trotting towards the yellow pegasus.

“Oh! Hey Twilight,” she greeted, smiling. She looked around. Usually, a certain purple dragon would be here too. “Um...where’s Spike?”

“He’s running the library at the moment. I’m just running some errands.”

Fluttershy hummed, walking alongside the lavender unicorn. Stopping at one of the booths, she looked over the produce. “Um...how much is this celery?”

The stallion answered in a gruff voice. “Five bits, ma’am.”

“Five bits, five bits...” she pulled out a small pouch, counting the coins. Handing over the golden bits, she picked up the bundle of celery, placing it into her brown saddlebag. 

“How are things going with you? You know, not counting the time Sweetie, Applebloom, and Scootaloo ran into the Everfree Forest.”

“Oh, it’s been going quite well actually!” Fluttershy looked down at her list. “I came across two creatures while I was coming back from Zecora’s.”

“‘Creatures?’ Like what?” Twilight scrunched her nose, thinking. “Breezies? Manticores? Chimeras?”

“Oh no.” She shook her head, giggling. “Nothing big like that. They said they are changelings. Thorax is a complete sweetheart, and Pharynx however doesn't exactly trust me yet, but—“

“Hold on, changelings? I’ve never heard of those.”

“Oh...I was actually hoping you’d know, since I only learned of them today…” Weird. Even Twilight of all ponies hasn't heard of a changeling. Her wings twitched nervously, unsure of what else to think. The purple unicorn suddenly became very excited, her striped tail flick back and forth.

“Do you mind if I come over to your house later?” she asked, her nose pressed against Fluttershy’s. Then, she quickly backed off. “You know... for research! If there is no knowledge about changelings then I need to know as much as I can. Maybe do some offhoof studying. Do you think the Golden Oak— no I’ve looked through all the books and not one had anything to do with changelings. Perhaps I can ask Celestia! Oh please can I come over?”

“Um...” Fluttershy glanced over at Angel, who lay across her back lazily. The white bunny shrugged, not caring. Shaking out her pink mane, she looked over to her friend. “How about after I finish my shopping? Then we can head over to my cottage.”

Twilight kept an eager grin as she nodded. Chuckling, Fluttershy continued through the market, the purple unicorn excitedly trotting after her.




“So, you said their names were Pharynx and Thorax?” Twilight levitated a notebook and quills, juggling to them above her head.

“Mhm.” The yellow pegasus nodded, trotting along the path back to her cottage. In her mouth was a net full of small sardines and a carp, which she had managed to bargain from a griffon at the market. Lots of yelling, but she somehow managed to only lose twenty bits rather than fifty. “Twilight, I do have to tell you, Thorax is fairly energetic, and I haven’t managed to get Pharynx to talk yet...so I don’t know how much you are going to get out of them.”

“Duly noted.”

The winged mare sighed, smiling as they approached her doorstep. She knocked lightly, letting the two changelings know she was home.

The sound of rustling paper and light hoofsteps were muffled by the door. “Fluttershy?” called a familiar voice. 

She laughed. “Yes, it’s me.” With a careful hoof, she unlatched her lock, pushing through the entrance. The little changelings were laid on her couch, while a scatter of paper and crayons littered the floor. 

“Aww,” Twilight cooed, stepping towards Thorax. “You are adorable!”

The cyan changeling backed up a bit, biting his lower lip. Quickly, he hid behind his friend, pressing up against the back of the couch. Pharynx slit his eyes open, violet eyes glaring at the two mares.

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Thorax, Pharynx, this is my good friend Twilight! She’s really excited to meet you two.”

“Huh?” Thorax nervously chittered, buzzing his wings in spurts. “Why?”

Her purple eyes shined. “I’ve never heard of a changeling before, let alone met one. I would love to ask some questions about your home life, diet, perhaps your hierarchy, really anything!”

Pharynx growled, baring his teeth. Twilight quickly sat up straight, a sheepish grin plastered her face. “...Maybe a little too upfront.”

Clearing her throat, she began again. “Hi! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m excited to meet you.”

With her magenta magic, she levitated a small notebook out of her saddlebag, along with a feathered quill. “I hope you don’t mind. Tell me everything you are comfortable with!”

The cyan changeling looked uncertain, looking back at his friend. Pharynx rolled his eyes, shrugging.

“Um...I guess I could do that...” 

“Great!” Twilight opened her notebook, flipping through the pages until she reached an untouched paper. “So, you are changelings; do you...for a lack of a better word, ‘change’ in any way?”

“Uh...yeah we can disguise ourselves as many things.”

“Is there a limit to what you can transform into?”

“Not really, just some disguises are harder to keep up than others.”

“Interesting...” She jotted something down in her notes, pursing her lips. Thorax still had his ears flattened, to which Fluttershy gently rubbed his hole-ridden hoof. Cyan eyes looked around the room as Thorax nervously clicked. 

“Are you ok?” Her concern laced her voice. This questioning seemed to make Thorax very uncomfortable.

The changeling bit his lip. “I’m fine!” he assured, smiling. She had a worried frown but didn’t press further.

Twilight didn’t seem to notice. “I notice you guys seem to take after bugs, so do you guys run the same way? Do you guys live in a beehive? Do you have a queen? What’s the social hierarchy? Oh, and do you guys go through metamorphosis as butterflies do?”

He perked up at one of the questions. “Um...we do metamorphose when we are five months old. We hatch as grubs, and we don’t do anything other than feed at that age. It’s when we cocoon and grow our wings and limbs that we are of use to our hive. W-we...do have a queen but...it’s forbidden to refer to her by name...or talk about her for that matter, so...”

The lavender unicorn hummed, writing down everything she heard. “So...about your diet: Fluttershy told me you feed off of emotions, but you also seem to eat plenty of meat. I just want a clarification on that.”

“Emotion is our main source of food. We take it from either a living or non-living thing and it gives us a lot more energy than hunting for meat and stuff. Uh...we can eat anything, really, but love and happiness are the most nutritional and fill us up more than anger or sadness.”

“Hmm.” While she wrote it down, she levitated a small sticky note and stuck it on the page. “Curious, curious...so about your—“

“Twilight?” Fluttershy muttered, catching the unicorn mid-sentence. “I think Thorax and Pharynx are getting tired, I should probably get them to sleep soon.”

“Huh?” Twilight was so caught up in her questions she didn’t register the sentence. “Oh! Yeah, yeah, you should get them to sleep. I guess I have enough information right now, bookmark this...probably send a letter to Celestia...”

As she continued to jot down words in her notebook, Fluttershy gingerly picked up Thorax by the back of his neck. She made sure the small changeling clung on tightly as she placed him on her back, moving her wings to create a barricade he couldn’t fall out from. Pharynx followed after her, his hooves trailing behind the winged mare.

Trotting upstairs, Fluttershy felt Thorax relax against her shoulder. She was right; the little changeling was getting worked up over the questions. Though she may not know why, she did not press for details.

Instead, she let the changeling breathe, smiling as they entered her bedroom.
> Hush Now, Quiet Now
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy almost had a heart attack when Thorax yawned. His lower jaw had split apart, revealing his large fangs and incisors. 

“Is that normal?!”

Thorax clicked. “...You mean this?” He split his jaw again, and Fluttershy yelped. “Yes...this is normal...”

“Okay...if you say so...” Her breath hitched. For a moment, she had thought she’d have to make an emergency gallop to the hospital. 

The winged mare glanced around the room. She only had one bed in the entire house, but she could sleep on the couch for a couple of nights. Grabbing the corners of her bedsheet, she neatened the bed she had left a mess in the morning. 

“Alright, my little changelings, who’s ready for bed?”

Pharynx huffed, his crest still standing up. Thorax seemed confused by the concept. “Bed...?”

“Mhm! It’s where you sleep in so you get a good night’s rest.”

“Oh! So like a nest...”

“If that’s what you used to sleep in, then yes! Just like a nest.”

Thorax placed a hoof on the mattress, making chirping noises. “It’s soft...”

Fluttershy smiled. “It’s supposed to be. You wouldn’t want to sleep on the hard wooden floor; that’s why the bed was made! It’ll help you sleep comfortably.”

Pharynx climbed up one of the legs, flopping onto the blankets. He didn’t make much of a sound as he curled up on one of the pillows. Thorax followed soon after, diving under the warm covers with an excited click.

It did look like her blanket was a bit too big for the small changelings. She yanked the red cover off of the bed, placing it onto her nightstand. Searching through her drawers, she pulled out two small quilts that she had stitched herself. 

With tender hooves, she placed one over each of the changelings. If they were anything like bugs they would definitely need warmth on a cold night. 

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Thorax whispered, his eyes beginning to droop. 

She smiled. “You’re welcome, dear.”

She quietly closed her windows, latching and locking them up. With quiet steps, she flicked the lights off and closed the door, leaving a few inches open.

With even quieter hoofsteps, she trotted down her stairs.




Draping a small blue blanket across his back, Fluttershy tucked Angel in for the night. This was her favorite part of the day, seeing all her animal friends safely sleeping in their homes after a long day. Harry was in his cave, the birds in their houses, and Elizabeak in her coop.

She had to extra make sure on the last one.

“Looks like everyone is tucked in,” she hummed to herself. She rearranged her cushions, dusting off the couch. Lining it with the red blanket, she flopped onto her couch, sighing.

A nagging feeling in her head prevented her from sleeping. A small, tiny feeling that someone was still up...

She turned towards Angel. Nope, he was fast asleep, snoring. She had already checked the chicken coop twice, and no other animal she knew of was still up.

Then she looked at the stairs. The stairs that lead up to her room. ”One of them must still be up,” she realized. Trotting over to the stairs, she quietly flew up her stairwell.

Peaking through the door she had left open, she could see a silhouette outlined by the window. The door creaked as she stepped into her bedroom, revealing her presence.

Pharynx whipped his head around, his eyes narrowed.

“Why are you still up?” Fluttershy whispered, her hooves softly clicking against the wooden floor. 

The colorful changeling stayed silent, laying his head into his forearms. She sighed, floating towards him. “You should get some sleep, it’ll—“

A low growl made her stiffen. Pharynx shook his head rapidly, refusing. Fluttershy could tell he was tired, but why he was refusing to sleep, she had no idea.

“Look...nothing is going to hurt you or your friend here. I can promise that if anything were to happen, it would need to get through me first.”

Pharynx gave her a skeptical look. His purple wings buzzed, and a low snapping sound was made as he clicked his lower jaw.

“...Just sleep easy tonight,” she cooed, placing her hoof against his shoulder. “I can sing a lullaby if it helps.”

He didn’t seem to like the gesture but didn’t object in any way. His shrugging seemed more like a ‘try, whatever’ type of shrug.

Either way, she was determined to try.

Clearing her throat, she began her favorite lullaby.


“Hush now,
Quiet now,
It’s time to lay your sleepy head.

Hush now,
Quiet now,
It’s time to go to bed...”


Fluttershy took note that Pharynx seemed very disinterested.


”Drifting off to sleep,
The exciting day is behind you.

Drifting off to sleep,
Now let the dream world find you...”


Pharynx began to close his eyes, her angelic voice lulling him to sleep. With one last inhale, she sang the final verse of the song, her voice still soft.


”Hush now,
Quiet now,
Lay down your sleepy head.

Hush now,
Quiet now,
It’s time to go to bed...” 


Pharynx had completely fallen asleep at this point, his chest rising and falling as he slept. With a careful hoof, Fluttershy placed the young changeling back onto the pillow. The blanket he had kicked off was draped along his shoulder as she tucked him in.

He looked so peaceful...

With a smile, she shut the door behind her, letting him sleep for the night
> The Seeds Planted
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wake up, my changelings!” Fluttershy cooed, the door creaking as she opened it. Pharynx had already gotten up, and was pacing around the floor. 

Thorax, however, mumbled a “go away” and went back to sleep. The winged mare chuckled.

“C’mon, you bedbug, time for breakfast!”

Thorax peeled back his lids, cyan eyes tiredly looking at her. Groggily, he pushed himself to his hooves, shaking his head. He yawned, and Fluttershy had to physically stop herself from wincing.

“O...kay...’m up,” Thorax mumbled, sliding off her bed. She rolled her eyes, nuzzling against his head. With a warm wing, she gently guided him down the stairs. Pharynx followed after her, still keeping his distance.

Trotting down the stairs, Thorax buzzed his wings in spurts. Fluttershy smiled down at the small changeling. 

Her entire living room smelt of lemon and fish, which reminded her to check on the oven. “Wait for me on the couch, alright?” She watched as both changelings fluttered over to her couch, Pharynx still keeping his head down. Thorax seems to relish that he could sleep a few more minutes, closing his eyes.

Checking her oven, the sardines seemed to crisp up after only a few minutes. Turning off her oven, she grabbed the tray with metal tongs. Despite being a pony, she thought they smelled pretty appetizing.

“Um, I did put some lemon juice on the fish, I hope you are ok with that.”

Thorax raised his head, watching her as she placed the still steaming fish onto a small wooden table. The changeling smiled, his tongue sticking out.

With the same eagerness as the day before, the cyan changeling snapped up the sardine. His forked tongue licked his lips, giving the yellow pegasus a toothy grin.

“Thanks, Fluttershy!” 

She giggled. “No need to thank me!” Teal eyes turned to look at the crimson changeling, her expression still soft. “Pharynx, you have to eat, too.”

The colorful changeling scrunched his snout. Violet eyes were narrowed down at the sardine offered to him, but he took it anyway, gulping it down much more gracefully than his friend.

Fluttershy sighed, letting the two of them eat. Trotting up to her door, she took a look at her to-do list.

“I have to be at Rarity’s by three...” she noted, looking at her clock. There was plenty of time before that needed to happen. Then her eyes landed on a pair of potted flowers still in their containers.

”Oh! Right, I was going to plant those”, Fluttershy remembered. She had been supposed to do that yesterday, but with the arrival of the two changelings, she had gotten completely sidetracked.

Grabbing the budding gardenias, she pushed open her door. Crisp morning air brushed through her mane, and she couldn’t help but sigh. With the birds chirping and the whistling wind, she felt at peace.

”Hm...where should I plant these?” she wondered, trying to find the right place. Somewhere sunny, but shaded. Flapping her wings, she found a tall, young tree housing many of her bird friends.

Grabbing a nearby shovel, she began to dig the soil out. Once the shallow ditch was made, she carefully took the white flowers out of the pots, placing them into the hole.

“What are you doing?” She jumped as she heard a voice behind her. Thorax had followed the winged mare out her door, silently watching her.

“Oh, I’m just doing some gardening!” She smiled, patting the soil down and compressing it. “I saw these beautiful gardenias on the market a few days ago, and I haven’t been able to plant them until now.”

Thorax chirped as he sat next to the winged mare. Almost instinctively, she laid a warm wing across the little changeling’s back.

“What is Pharynx doing right now?” Fluttershy asked, her teal eyes gazing towards Thorax.

“Um...Pharynx is just sitting on the couch...I kinda wish he trusted you more...”

“Oh?” Fluttershy continued to tend to her flowers but focused more on the changeling. 

Thorax sighed. “Pharynx...is really protective of me...so he’s only letting me around you as a food source...”

Thorax squeaked when he realized what he said. “I-I mean...okay I’ve been feeding off some of your emotions...I hope you don’t mind...”

Fluttershy was surprised as Thorax looked guilty. “Oh, I don’t mind at all! I was wondering how feeding off of emotions would work, but if you can do it then that’s fine.”

Thorax stayed silent, watching the flowers. The fair breeze rustled the closed petals and leaves, and Fluttershy’s mane swayed in the wind. She could practically feel the uncomfortable energy that poured off of the little changeling.

“It’s good that your friend is protective,” she said, rubbing a hoof along his head. “My friend Rainbow Dash was like that when we were younger; she still kinda is! She’s like a sister to me.”

“Heh...Pharynx is my older brother, actually...”

“Really?” Fluttershy wasn’t all that surprised; they did seem pretty close. She had only referred to them as friends to not jump to conclusions. 

“Mhm, Pharynx protected me from the other nymphs in the hive...because I couldn’t defend myself...”

Fluttershy’s wing tightened around the changeling. He was shaking slightly, and she didn’t want to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was. 

Trying to redirect his attention, she slowly got up. “How about you help me water my flowers, okay?”

She smiled as the small changeling brightened. “Okay!”

He eagerly helped her fill up her watering can, bouncing as they made their way back to the gardenias. Tilting the head, he poured the water onto the pair of white flowers, little beads of water forming onto the closed petals as he showered them.

“Okay, I think that’s enough.” Fluttershy giggled, and Thorax grinned at her. “Let’s get back to the cottage; you got a little wet.”

Shaking out his wings, Thorax followed after the pegasus mare, smiling all the way.
> The Rabbit on One Hoof...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pharynx sighed. He was not enjoying it here. 

Sure, the winged mare was nice and all, but the new environment was jarring. It was way too bright, had none of the constant buzzing that he had gotten used to, and there was no danger to fight against.

Well, the last thing was a relief. He didn’t have to protect Thorax from being harassed or potentially stabbed by another changeling, harsh weather, or Timberwolves, so it should be fine.

However, the nymph was getting antsy. He needed to stretch his legs out; he needed to do something; he needed to stop sitting on the couch and curling into a cushion.

His ear twitched as Thorax called out to him. “I’m going to see what Fluttershy’s doing, I’ll be back soon!” 

“Fine...” Pharynx sighed, turning onto his belly scutes. His little brother smiled at him, before clicking the door closed.

...leaving the colorful changeling with nothing to do but wait. ”At least the hive let us spar!”

”No, don’t think about that place,” he hissed to himself. He shuddered, shaking his head.

Looking around the brightly lit room, he hopped off the couch. Chitinous hooves landed on the hard wooden floor, making loud clicking sounds against the floorboards.

He pretended he didn’t see the ferrets or the birds looking at him. Their beady eyes weren’t watching him, no! They were totally not judging.

Rummaging around under the couch, he took out a hidden stash of paper he had found the day before. It was similar to the parchment the hive had, which he had doodled on when he got bored.

”There was a piece of graphite around here somewhere,” he thought, searching the living room. It wasn’t long before he found a long piece of writing graphite on the floor. He never did understand why there was wood or metal or...whatever the pink thing was, on it. Seemed like a waste of resources.

Levitating it with violet magic, he drew a small circle in the center of the page. Within a few minutes, Pharynx began to sketch out a fairly detailed Timberwolf, trying to remember what it looked like from memory.

“Did it have twelve or thirteen teeth?” he wondered out loud, trying to rack his brain. Both seemed to look out of place, but he really couldn’t remember.

Thump Thump

Pharynx nearly jumped out of his chitin as he turned his head. Fluttershy’s...pet? Pet, was looking at him with a glare. The nymph hissed, trying to scare it away.

He was surprised when the bunny spat at him. Wiping away the spit, he took a defensive stance. He was offended when he realized the rabbit was laughing at him. His ears flattened against his head.

The rabbit picked up the piece of paper he had drawn on, inspecting it as if it was on a museum wall. Then, as if nothing shamed this rabbit, he began to tear up the paper, making sure that Pharynx saw.

He was speechless.

Never in his life did he think he would get mad at a rabbit. Changelings? Sure. Fluttershy? Maybe. 

But a rabbit?

Over a piece of paper?!

He admitted, he was getting a little worked up. Taking a deep breath, he gathered the rest of his paper and placed it back under the couch. The colorful changeling tried to ignore the white bunny as much as he could, taking it when the rabbit started to kick him.

Fluttershy would probably throw them out if he attacked her so beloved pet. 

So he tanked it. After all, he’d survived worse. It wasn’t like one rabbit could do much harm.

Even if he was a total jerk.

Pharynx trotted back over to the couch, the couch that he had now claimed. It was where he sat all day, it was his now.

Buzzing his violet wings, he floated himself onto a cushion. He did like that it was soft, much softer than any nest he’d ever had. He would have loved to curl up into the corner and forget he existed, but a certain scratching noise wouldn’t let him.

The rabbit was still trying to get at him. 

With an annoyed glare, he pushed all the cushions towards the edge of the couch. Pulling the large, red blanket from the table, he draped it over his body, barricading himself.

He closed his eyes, wishing for the rabbit to go away. To be done with him. To leave.

He gasped when he felt someone stomp on his wings. Hissing, he threw off the blanket, glaring at the rabbit. The white bunny stuck his tongue out, yammering in his rabbit talk...like he was taunting him.

”What do you want?!” Pharynx hissed in his head, growling with bared teeth. His patience was running thin, and it wasn’t high to begin with. The little string in his mind holding him together was close to snapping, and he was about to murder this rabbit.

The small bunny didn’t seem fazed, hopping off the couch. Pharynx sighed as he laid his head down again before he felt the sharp end of the graphite kicked at his head.

Wincing, he touched his forehead. There might be a scrape up there, but it wasn’t bleeding. With a growl, he leaped at the rabbit, tackling it to the ground.

He hissed as he felt the rabbit’s claws rake his cheek, a warm trickle of red dripping down his chitin.

With his front incisors, he grabbed the rabbit by the scruff and flung him against the wall. He honestly didn’t care when it cried out in pain.

That was when the door creaked. 

“Pharynx! We’re ba—“

Thorax stopped, looking at the scene in front of him. Just behind the cyan changeling stood the winged mare, who was just as perplexed.

All they saw was Pharynx and the rabbit, and the rabbit was cowering against the wall. The colorful changeling was paused mid-hiss.

”Cocoon slime!”

“What is going on?” Fluttershy’s voice was stern, stepping forth.

”I’m screwed.”
> Sorting the Issue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy rushes over towards the two, trying to keep a stern demeanor. Underneath her bristling wings was a mare who was very worried. What happened within the twenty minutes she was gone?

“Pharynx. Angel. What happened.”

Her bunny rabbit cried, pointing towards his back and stomping on the ground. The winged mare’s eyes widen.

“He threw you?!” Teal eyes turned to look at changeling, who seemed to be backing off. His crest was standing straight up, still hissing. “Pharynx...why?”

The small changeling looked away, crouching defensively. His head was turned away from her, violet eyes sudden very interested in a speck on the ground.

Fluttershy sighed, deflating her wing and chest. “Pharynx...look at me....”

Slowly, the small changeling turned his head. His eyes narrowed as he growled. A small scratch on his cheek was still bleeding, a stream of crimson running along his chitin.

She gasped, and then face hoofed. She looked at both creatures and turned back to Thorax who was still standing in the doorway. “Thorax, in the first drawer of my nightstand there is a first aid kit, can you bring it? Small white box with a red cross.”

“Um...sure,” he buzzed his wings, disappearing up her stairwell. Fluttershy gently picked up both Pharynx and Angel, placing them on the couch.

She took note that there were torn up prices of paper along the floor, and a stray pencil with its tip broken.

Sighing, she looked both creatures in the eye. “Ok...what happened?”

Angel squeaked first, pointing at Pharynx and stomping his feet. Fluttershy listened intently but frowned. “He attacked you for no reason? Um...Angel are you sure you did nothing to make him do that?”

The rabbit shook his head, giving her sad eyes. Fluttershy sighed, then looked over at Pharynx. “Alright Pharynx, what about you?”

Biting his lip, he fiddled with the red blanket. His ears flatten against his head, casting a not so hidden glare at the rabbit.

“Pharynx, I know you aren’t comfortable talking to me yet but I need to know what happened.”

Low clicking emitted from his throat, and he sighed. “...your rabbit is being a jerk...”

“Oh?”

Rubbing a hoof against his cheek, he grimaced. Fluttershy could tell that he was uncomfortable, but he pressed on a bit. “...kicked a graphite at me...”

“Graphite?” Fluttershy picked up the broken pencil from the floor. So that’s why the tip snapped. “You mean the pencil?”

He shrugged, growling. Teal eyes turned towards the bunny, “Wanna explain that?”

Angel shook his head, but Fluttershy knew better. Sighing, she gave Angel a stare, causing him to freeze in place. 

She perked her ear when she heard a slight buzz coming from her stairs. Turning her head, she saw Thorax holding a small white box. “This is the one, right?”

“Mhm, thank you,” she carefully took the box into her hooves. Unlatching the lock on the First Aid kit, she ripped open the alcohol wipe. “This will sting,” she warned, placing it onto his open cut.

Pharynx recoiled at the touch, hissing. She gazed sympathetically towards the small changeling, rubbing his hoof as he bared his teeth. The winged mare continued to clean his wound, then placed an appropriately sized bandaid on top.

“There we go,” she said quietly, then turned to her rabbit. As far as she can tell, there were no wounds she could see. No bruises, no scratches, and definitely no broken bones.

She opened her mini-fridge, pulling out an ice pack. Gingerly, she placed it onto Angel’s back, soothing the pain.

“Alright...I’ll deal with you in due time,” she pointed towards the colorful changeling. “Thorax, can you take your brother upstairs?

“Sure...” Thorax had a worried frown.

Fluttershy watched as the two changelings trotted up the stairs. Her ears flattened when she saw how dejected and tired Pharynx looked, but she would deal with the unhappy changeling later.

Turning towards her rabbit she frowned. “Angel...we talked about your behavior...”

The bunny rabbit whined, stomping his foot. Fluttershy glared...or rather tried to. With her timid demeanor, it was hard to look stern.

“No excuses. You can’t treat anyone who walks into the house like that! I might tolerate it, but that doesn’t mean everyone will.”

More stomping. Angel crossed his arms and poured, kicking off the ice pack given. Fluttershy sighed, facehoofing.

“No. I don’t care if you think he is taking up your space, we are the host, they are the guests.”

Stomp. Stomp.

“Language! Say that again and I’ll drop you off with Twilight for the week.”

Angel vigorously shook his head, holding out his paws in a plead. Fluttershy smirked, knowing that Angel hated staying over at the Golden Oak Library.

“Don’t want to go? Then you need to behave.”

Angel nodded, hopping off the couch.

The winged mare casted a worried glance up the stairwell. With silent wings, she flew up towards her bedroom.




“Thorax? Pharynx?”

“Yes?” Thorax’s high pitched voice was muffled by the door, and Fluttershy pushed against it with on hoof. Slowly, the door creaked open, and she peered inside.

“Um...can I come in?”

A few moments of silence then, “Mhm...”

Opening the door all the way, the pegasus stepped into the dimly lit room. Looks like Thorax had closed the curtains, preventing the light from coming in. 

Pharynx was curled in a small quilt, Thorax laying across his back. The colorful changeling looked up, rubbing his cheek.

“Um...Thorax why don’t you...um...” Fluttershy struggled to think of a task for the little changeling to do. Thankfully, the cyan nymph chirped in understanding.

“I’ll go watch the gardenias,” he said quietly, buzzing out the door. Sighing, the winged mare turned her head towards the sour changeling.

“Pharynx? What’s wrong?” 

Nothing. The changeling stayed silent, glaring at her. Fluttershy gave him a worried frown.

“I know it’s been only one day but...I can tell something is bothering you. I just want to help...”

He snorted, uninterested in the conversation. He buried himself deeper into the covers, shielding himself from the outside world.

Fluttershy tried to reach out towards him, but he hissed. His narrow eyes were locked onto her, his crest standing straight. His tail lashed against the bed.

“...fine...” he said quietly, barely audible. “...let me spell it out for you...I...Don’t...Trust...You...”

Pharynx was forcing the words to come out, she could tell. He was still not comfortable with talking with her...or interacting for that matter.

“...I don’t trust any of you...not you...your rabbit...or your purple friend...I don’t care if Thorax has taken a liking towards you...he’s too trusting anyway...count yourself lucky that I didn’t tear to shreds when we first met...because I would have...”

Okay, I’m being threatened, Fluttershy realized, but let him continue.

“...you at least make Thorax happy...” he admitted, sighing. “...it’s why I’m letting you around him...”

She smiled slightly. At least he trusts her enough to let her around his brother.

Pharynx kept his glare, snarling. “...but leave me alone...I don’t want your coddling...”

“I’ve been making you uncomfortable, haven’t I?”

The changeling huffed, laying his head back down on his forearms. His entire body was turned to face the closed window, silently watching the curtains rock back and forth.

Fluttershy shook her head, trying to keep her smile warm. 

“Alright, I’ll leave you alone for now, okay?”

She didn’t get an answer. Sighing, she trotted out her door, leaving the little changeling along in her room.
> At the Boutique
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy gently knocked on the door, patiently waiting in front of the door. The sun had crept further along the sky, and all too late she realized she was late for the scheduled fitting session.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, how may I-Fluttershy!” Rarity grinned as she saw her friend in her doorway. With one hoof, she embraced the yellow pegasus with a hug. “Darling, you are late! What happened?”

“Nothing!” Fluttershy smiled, her wings fluttering at her sides. “Well, nothing too big, at least.”

She followed the white unicorn into her boutique. Fluttershy was amazed at the assortment of dresses on display. No matter how many times she’s been in the shop, she couldn’t get over the sheer creativity Rarity had.

“About time!” The yellow pegasus pricked her ears, turning towards where she heard the brash voice. A pegasus she knew all too well came barreling towards her, flicking her rainbow mane. 

“Oh! Hey Rainbow,” she smiled, playfully pushing the blue mare off of her. “Sorry about being late, I got held up last second.”

“Do tell! I wanna know!” Pinkie sprung up from her seat, a partially finished dress fitted onto her flank. Her curling mane puffed as she stared intently at the yellow pegasus.

“Um...maybe later...Rarity? About that dress for the Gala-“

“Oh! Your’s right here, darling,” waving a white hoof, she showed the pegasus her dress-in-the-making.

It was a lovely mint-green dress, accented by small yellow and pink butterflies that were stitched into the fabric. Fake vines acted as the strings for her ballet shoes, and the collar had pearls stitched into.

Gingerly, she touched the fabric. “Is it...silk?

“Right on the nose!” Rarity smiled, levitating the dress towards her. “I know it’s not done yet, but I need you to try it on, just so I know you fit.”

“Alright,” she smiled placing the unfinished dress onto her shoulder. Walking over to the dressing room, she quickly put in the dress, letting it fall off her flank. Trotting out, Rarity looked at her, narrowing her eyes at the seems.

“Is it tight, anywhere?” She inquired, to which Fluttershy shook her head

“No! It’s actually quite comfortable.”

“Hm...I think this shade of blue clashes too much with your coat,” she mused, poking at the collar. She pulled out her glasses and note pad, writing down her observation.

Fluttershy wiggled out of her dress, handing it back to the unicorn. Rarity levitated it with her blue magic, turning towards a certain farm pony in the back, “Hm... Applejack, what about you?”

As Rarity began to bombarded AJ with questions, the yellow pegasus went over to sit next to Twilight. The lavender unicorn barely noticed her, writing down in a scroll while having another book out.

“Hey, Twilight.”

“Hm,” she uttered distractedly, turning towards her, before brightening. “Oh! Fluttershy! Just the pony I want to see.”

“...this is about Thorax and Pharynx, isn’t it?”

“What gave me away?”

“You are outlining a changeling.”

The parchment that laid at her hooves was, indeed, covered in notes and diagrams of a changeling. Fluttershy wasn’t sure how much of it was Twilight's photographic memory and what was inferred.

The navy maned unicorn blushed, looking away. “Oh right...I am....uh....”

They became quiet, before letting out a giggle. The unicorn shook out her head, focusing her purple eyes on the pegasus. “So, learning anything new? About their social life, habits, anything?”

Fluttershy tried to rack her head from this morning. “Um, Thorax and Pharynx are siblings...if that means much to your research...”

“Sibling?” Twilight echoed, jotting it down in her notes. “...so they do have familial relationships...I wonder if it’s just siblings. Do they have mothers and fathers? Is their Queen their mother? It’s like that for bees so it’s possible...”

Fluttershy jumped as a soft bell rang, looking up. Rarity, it a hoof still on the bell, sighed, smiling.

“I think that’s enough for today,” she levitated the unfinished dress, packing them away for a later date. “Let’s take a break and have some tea, okay?”

Mixed cheers and sighs filled the room, and all six gathered around Rarity’s dining table. Twilight sat close to Fluttershy, bring along her papers and books.

Pouring tiny cups with steaming green tea, each pony took their share. Fluttershy relished the green tea, feeling it soothe her nerves and throat. 

Twilight’s cup was the only one untouched. The lavender unicorn was still writing down notes, completely obvious to the situation around her.

“Uh, Twi?” AJ called, catching the unicorn's attention. “Mind getting yer head out of yer book, would ya?”

“Sorry,” she sighed, placing down her research. Pinkie picked up the paper, running her eyes along with the parchment.

“What’s all this?” She asked, pointing to a small doodle of a changeling. Rainbow laughed.

“Is it the monster of your next novel,” she snickered. Rainbow never really did like books. “Uh, no offense Twilight, but the thing looks pathetic.”

“It’s not a monster from a novel. It a real creature; the Changeling.”

“Ohhh right right right,” Rainbow kept a cocky grin. “Tell me, does it change into anything it wants and attack you? Next thing you tell me is a monster is that the ancient Cragadile exists.”

Twilight gave the blue mare an unimpressed look. Sighing, she pointed to Fluttershy, gesturing to her to take her side.

“Um... actually it does exist...” She quietly said rubbing a hoof along her forearm.

“You too, Fluttershy?”

“Uh-huh, I’ve met two in the Everfree Forest. I’m currently housing them-“

“Wait, darling, they live with you?” Rarity asked, stirring some sugar into her tea.

“Well, I guess you could put it that way.”

“Fluttershy, they are wild animals, why don’t you just let them roam the forest?”

“They aren’t wild animals,” Fluttershy said sternly. “And even if they are that doesn’t demean them in any way, but Thorax and Pharynx can talk and told me all of this. I can’t leave those two alone!”

The table was silent as Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Sorry...”

“Sugar cube, these creatures are real?” Applejack pointed to the sketch. She nodded.

“And they can change into anything they want?” Rainbow budded in. Again, she nodded.

“And do they eat emotions but sometimes hut for food but also only eat love and happiness and not sadness because it makes them feel bad?” Pinkie rushed her words, not stopping until she was done.

“Um...how did you know?”

The pink earth pony shrugged. “Just a hunch.”

“I’m still not convinced,” Rainbow admitted. The yellow mare sighed, face hoofing.

“You aren’t going to believe me unless I show you, huh?”

Mostly everyone but Twilight and Pinkie nodded, their skepticism clear as day in their eyes. The pink earth pony jumped up from her seat, smiling. “I believe Fluttershy, she wouldn’t lie about all this.”

“Ah not saying she’s lyin’, just want to proof right in the front door of me,” the farm pony said, rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry Fluttershy, but ah gotta see it to be sure.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine just...how about you guys can come over in two days? I need to make sure the nymphs are okay with it...”

“Of course, darling,” the white unicorn smiled, lighting her horn to pour herself more tea. “We wouldn’t want to make the poor changelings uncomfortable.”

“Oo! And maybe I can through them a welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville to come-“

“Um...let’s save that for later, okay?”

With an eager nod, Fluttershy prepared herself for questions her friends might have.

As she sipped her tea, she calmly explained to her friends what had happened the day before. The tea no longer had the same calming effect, as Fluttershy silently freaked out over how to tell the nymphs.
> Not Ready
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thorax...Pharynx...I want to talk to you.”

Both nymphs were caught off guard when they heard Fluttershy’s door creak. Cyan and violet eyes turned to stare at her, and she could feel a slight nervousness in the air.

“Um...you aren’t sending us away...are you?”

“What!?” The winged mare jaw dropped. “Why would you think that?”

“Oh...um...about the situation with your rabbit-“

“No no! That’s not at all what I was going to talk about. I’ve talked to Angel already, but you two are still welcome to stay here as long as you need to, got it?”

Thorax nodded, lifting his head off of his brother’s back. Pharynx was still faced towards the window, it didn’t look like he had moved an inch.

Increasing worry channeled through her head, but she shook her head. Her wings fidgeted at her sides as she took a deep breath.

“I...may or may not have invited five other ponies over to my cottage...”

That got both of their attention. Thorax flattened his ears, eyes widening as he chirped nervously. Pharynx snapped his neck around, growling towards her.

“Um... not today though. In two days, my friends are coming over...and they are hoping to meet you guys so...”

“Oh...um...sure...I guess,” Thorax whispered. Fluttershy looked at the ground, kicking her hooves, sighing.

“I can cancel it if you guys want...if you are uncomfortable with it-“

Both nymphs became quiet. Pharynx frowned, curling into his blanket. His translucent purple wings buzzed with annoyance, while Thorax’s buzzed nervously.

“Um...they can come over if you want...” he clicked, his cyan eyes shinning in the dimly lit room. “I mean...it’s your home...your rules...”

She placed a hoof on the young changeling’s shoulder, her teal eyes gazing sympathetically. “I need to know if you guys are one-hundred percent okay with this.”

Thorax bit his lip, looking away. “Are your friends...nice...?”

“For the most part, yes. Rainbow’s a bit brash, but that’s about it.”

Thorax peered over towards the older nymph, who was still hidden amongst the blankets. Slowly, Pharynx uncovered himself, violet eyes bright in the dark.

He shook his head, his fangs bared. Thorax shrugged in an apologetic manner, but Fluttershy nodded.

“I understand your discomfort, I’ll go talk to my friends. I’m sure they’ll understand.”




Walking into town, she looked over to Sugarcube Corner. The girls should be there for brunch if I remember correctly.

The winged pegasus had turned down the offer the week before, saying she’d have too much on her plate that day to do so.

Here she was, about to go to said brunch, even with everything being busy. Hurrying to finish cleaning the chicken coop and Harry’s cave was a hassle, but she managed to do so in record time.

The bell jingled as she opened the door into the bakery. Instantly, a wave of freshly baked goods and frosting filled her nose, a bit too strong for her liking.

Sitting at a rounded table, five mates turned to look at the door. Each one bore a surprised expression seeing the yellow feathered pegasus in the doorway.

Pinkie sprang up to from her seat, waving at her. “Hey, Fluttershy! Thought you said you couldn’t make it.”

The pegasus returned the smile. “I managed to get everything done pretty quickly, so I thought I’d stopped by.”

“Well, darling, don’t just stand there! Come sit with us,” Rarity gestured towards an empty seat beside her, and Fluttershy gratefully nodded.

“Thanks, girls...”

Seating herself next the Rarity, Fluttershy perked up in the conversation.

“Anyways, I do need you girls over at the Boutique next Thursday for another fitting session.”

“Got it, right,” Rainbow grumble, chewing her pancakes. “So, Flutz, Twi, anything ‘bout those changeling you mentioned yesterday.”

“I’ll have you know I did see them,” Twilight voice ticked, as if she was getting tired of Rainbow’s skepticism.

“Actually...um...I want to talk about it...” Fluttershy whispered. The winged mare shrunk under the eyes that laid onto her, but shook her head, taking deep breaths. “I know I said you guys can meet Thorax and Pharynx but...I talked to them about it yesterday and they don’t like the idea.” 

She shook her head. “I think we are going to have to cancel it. Until they are ready at least.”

Applejack nodded, dipping her hat. “Alright, sugarcube. Sorry for makin’ them changelings uncomfortable.”

“Oh, it’s not your fault! Maybe give them a week or two, I’m sure they’ll come out of their shells eventually. Right now, though, just give them some space.”

“Aw...that means I can’t through a welcome party, can I?” Pinkie pouted, shaking her puffy mane.

The yellow pegasus giggled, her wings fidgeted at her sides. “Maybe later, Pinkie.”

“So we won’t get confirmation until a few weeks from now?” Rainbow asked, still handing some skepticism in her eyes. “I dunno Fluttershy seems a little too-“

“Don’t start,” Fluttershy sighed, casting a hard stare onto the brash pegasus. Rainbow yelped, smiling nervously.

“Do whatever they need first, darling,” Rarity smiled. “We can wait.”

“Thank you, girls,” Fluttershy sighed, smiling.  She jumped when she felt ahead tap her shoulder, and she turned around to see Pinkie at her side.

“C’mon, silly! It’s brunch, eat!”

Pinkie pulled a plate out of her mane, letting it clatter on the table. Out of thin air, she also pulled out a daisy sandwich.

“Oh, thank you, Pinkie!”

Biting into the sandwich, she enjoyed rest of the brunch session.
> Story Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy hummed as she got ready for the night, while her animals helped her set up. Harry watched the oven, Elizabeak made sure everyone was comfy, and Angel...

She looked over to the rabbit, who was busy screaming at her birds. Angel was....helping....sorta.

Shaking her head, she approached the bear, who had opened her oven. “Are they done?”

He grunted, nodding. The winged mare reached into the still-hot oven and pulled out the tray of cookies. The smell of oats and honey filled her kitchen with its aroma. The sun dipped low beyond the horizon, and Fluttershy placed the last cushion onto her floor. All around her, her animal friends gathered, waiting for her.

“Just a moment, everyone!” She called, setting up some tea and a plate full of cookies. She giggled when they stared intently at it. “Remember, everyone gets one.”

Her animals eager took the freshly baked cookies, gnawing on them. She smiled warmly. “Alright, who’s ready for a bedtime story?”

Her animals all raised their hands...or paws...or hoof....or...appendages. It didn’t matter, what did was that everyone was ready and she could start.

Picking up the book from her side, she sighed. A small fairytale was what they all needed right now. With a soft voice, she began.

“Once upon a time...”




“-And the prince and princess lived happily ever after. The end,” she closed the book, looking towards her friends. Some of them had already fallen asleep, and others yawned tiredly. She giggled, picking up a certain sleeping bunny with her hooves. “Alright, my lovelies, it’s time for bed!”

They groaned, whining to stay up, but she held her ground. “C’mon, it’s getting late. You will all feel refreshed in the morning!”

Opening her door, she helped guide the sleepy animals to their sleeping spots. Harry was in his cave, Elizabeak in her coop along with her roommates, and the birds have all sang their goodnights. Fluttershy’s gaze at her bunny, who was sprawled on her back, sleeping heavily. She chuckled, gazing lovingly at him. 

“Let’s get you to bed,” she whispered, closing the door quietly behind her. Placing Angel Bunny into his dedicated bed basket, she pulled a light blue blanket over him. The rabbit kicked in his sleep, rolling onto his back before becoming still once again.

Giggling, the pegasus turned her attention towards her stairs. Instantly, the worry settled into her head. Neither nymphs had come down since late afternoon, and she was beginning to worry. With quiet steps, she trotted up to her stairs, wings fidgeting.

When she got to her room, she was surprised to see her door wide open. Usually, Pharynx would have slammed the door shut and she would’ve needed permission to enter. Fluttering through the door, she took a look at the surroundings.

The bedsheet has been torn at the edges, and the blanket was thrown around. The curtains were untied, and draping against the table. Water and broken glass littered the ground, along with a green, hard substance that stuck onto the wooden floor.

In the middle of it all, Thorax and Pharynx laid on the bed. Pharynx was awake as she had expected, but Thorax was shivering and shaking.

Soft whimpers and sobs emitted from the cyan changeling, and Fluttershy eyes widen. Pharynx was trying to wake the poor changeling up, tugging on his ear, prodding his shoulder, even biting his wing! Thorax just too indulged in what seemed to be a nightmare to react.

Rushing over, she swept the broken shards away with her wing. The colorful changeling, for once, didn’t growl or hiss at her. His attention was solely on his brother, an expression of panic washed against him.

Pharynx stared at the winged mare, biting his lip. “...he isn’t waking up...” his voice was quiet, but the worry that was present was clear as day. “...I tried....nothing’s working...”

“How long has he been like this?” Fluttershy’s asked quickly, taking the little changeling into her hooves. He looked even smaller than he usually was as she cradled him gently.

“...two...hours...”

She inhaled sharply, determined to wake up the crying changeling. She’d never dealt with this before, what was the best course of action for this task? 

“Thorax?” Her voice raises as loudly as she could, rubbing the changeling's carapace. “Sweetie, please wake up, you’re scaring me!”

Nothing, if anything, the changeling was shaking even more now. Light tears streamed down his face as he cried, pushing himself away from the mare. His wails became louder as she winced.

Somehow she had made it worse.

Great.

She ignored the changeling's attempt to push her away, bringing him close to her feathered chest. wrapping her wings around herself and Thorax, she cooed quietly. “Shhhhh, you’re okay...I promise...”

He sobbed into her chest, gasping for air. Slowly, painfully, he began to calm down, nuzzling into her feathers. After a while, he buzzed his wings and managed to open his eyes, tears still running down his cheek.

“F-fl...utter...shy?” his tone was confused as he slowly pried himself from her chest. The winged mare let out a relieved sigh, wiping the tears that poured out of his cyan eyes.

“...you had me worried...Pharynx said he couldn’t get you to walk up for two hours. Must’ve been an awful nightmare...”

His eyes widen and looked away. The yellow mare placed him back onto the bed, and Pharynx grabbed Thorax and held him close, hissing. “You dimwit, never scare me like that again.”

Fluttershy watched the pair of changelings quietly. “Thorax...do want to talk about it?”

“H-huh?”

“Your nightmare...” she sighed, her teal eyes gazing at cyan ones. “Mind talking about it? It might help...”

Thorax briskly shook his head, his eyes pleading. “No...I don’t want to...they’re my problems...I don’t need to burden you with them...”

“First thing, you will never burden me in any way,” she made sure this was as clear as day. “Second...nightmares that bad aren’t normal...are they always like that for you...?”

This was when Pharynx shook his head, not waiting for Thorax to respond. Fluttershy cast a worried glance towards both changelings.

“...no...but I’m a coward anyway...why is it so surprising....”

Fluttershy’s gaze softened, tilting his chin so she could look him in the eyes. “It’s okay if you are scared, I just want to know what going on so I can help...”

He stayed silent, tears burning down his chitin.

“What if I told you a story?” She offered, her tail sweeping alongside her. Both nymphs perked up, and a Thorax wiped the remaining tears from his cheek. 

“Um...w-what kind...?”

“You’ll see,” she giggled, smiling warmly. Clearing her throat she began. “Seasons ago, there was once a shy pegasus. She never wanted much from life, only to live in her cottage and tend to her animal friends.”

“Is it you?” Thorax asked, and she smiled.

“One day, she met a purple unicorn in town while she was reciting the bird choir. Little did she know that this would be the day that changed everything.”

The changelings listened intently, even Pharynx seemed interested.

“The Princess of the Sun was kidnapped that day, her sister who had turned to darkness taking over. Her name was Nightmare Moon, and she vowed to bring eternal darkness to our world.

The unicorn had known all this was going to happen and brought five other ponies to go on a quest. Of those five, the shy pegasus was one of them. She was scared, but with the fate of Equestria on the line, she decided to be brave.

Along the way, each of them found their element.

Honestly...Laughter...Generosity...Loyalty...

....and Kindness,” she smiled as she called her own element. The changelings seemed to connect the dots, figuring out what she was getting at.

“When they got to Nightmare Moon, she destroyed the elements that we were supposed to use to defeat her-“

“What?!” Thorax cries out, flatten his ears. She giggled, pressing a hoof to his nose. 

“Hold on, sweetie, I’m not done,” she sighed, smiling. 

“The purple unicorn realized that they didn’t need the elements, they were the elements! With their newfound friendship, they defeated Nightmare Moon, restoring her to her old self as the Princess of the Night.

With both Princess back, the pegasus went back to her cottage. Though this adventure had ended, it opened a gateway into her life. She became much more brave, standing up to a dragon, outstaring a Cockatrice...and took two young changelings under her wing,” she winked at them, and Thorax smiled. His tears had completely stopped, laughing a little.

“That's us...right...?”

“Of course, silly,” she smiled. “Who else would that be?”

Thorax sniffed, giggling. Beside him, Pharynx rolled his eyes, still laying his head atop of the younger changeling.

Crawling into her bed, she hugged both nymphs close. Pharynx stiffened, letting a low hiss out of his throat.

Thorax, in contrast, leaned against her chest, breathing in deeply. While the older nymph wiggles out of her grasp, the cyan changeling fell asleep once again.

Pharynx grimaced, but laid his head down into his forearms, resting himself onto Thorax carapace. Smiling, the pegasus picked up the quilt and draped it over both of their shoulders.

Sighing, she curled herself around the young changelings, watching them as they drifted into a peaceful sleep.
> Stream Side Fun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Teal eyes fluttered open as she heard the singsong voice of the birds. Fluttershy stretched her wings, feeling them cramp and ache.

She froze when she felt a small body move against her chest. Looking down, Thorax nuzzled into her feathers, still sleeping. His soft snores were barely audible, his breath ruffling her wing feathers ever so slightly.

Tilting her head, she saw Pharynx just to the right. The older changeling was awake, cleaning up the mess on the floor. 

“Oh...um Pharynx don’t use your hooves,” Fluttershy winced as she saw small cuts that lined the changeling's chitinous hooves. 

Buzzing his wings, the colorful nymph gave her a confused, skeptical glance. Before he could continue with the glass on the floor, she moved from her position with a flap of her wings. She was relieved when Thorax's head simply moved to his forearms, still fast asleep.

“Here,” she picked up the fallen broom from the floor. “You are supposed to use this so you don’t hurt yourself, see?”

Placing the dustpan on the floor, she began to sweep the shards. Pharynx watched intently, rubbing his hooves. Once all the shards were picked up, she tossed them into the trash can.

“There, now hold out your hooves so I can clean them.”

He hissed, bringing his bleeding hooves towards his chest. The winged mare sighed, pulling out her First Aid kit. “Hold out your hooves,” she said much more sternly. Reluctantly, Pharynx held them out, bracing himself for the sting.

Sure enough, he grimaced as the alcohol wipe gently brushed along his cuts. Any stray pieces of glass were swept up, leaving behind newly cleaned wounds.

With another flat bandage, Fluttershy expertly wrapped his hooves it, sealing it shut.

Taking his hooves back, he gingerly began to step on them. Climbing her bed, Pharynx prodded at his little brother’s shoulder.

“...go ‘way....” Thorax mumbled sleepily, curling himself into a ball. 

The winged mare chuckled, her wings fluttering at her sides. “Aww come on, bedbug, the suns up!” She cooed, her voice soft.

“Nooooooooo.”

She smiled, looking over towards the older nymph. “Let him sleep,” she whispered. “We’ll surprise him with breakfast.”

Skeptically, Pharynx stopped prodding. Slowly, he slid himself off the bed, trailing behind her. Fluttershy took her door handle and clicked it shut, trotting down the stairs.

“C’mon! I’m sure Thorax will love breakfast in bed.”




“You guys didn’t have to do that...” Thorax said sheepishly, his wings buzzing. “A good wack behind the ear and we would’ve been good...”

“Yeah and I swore off of doing that,” Pharynx muttered, a sardine still hanging from his jaw. Then he snapped up the fish, demolishing it within seconds.

Fluttershy smiled towards both nymphs. “We thought we’d give you an extra minute or two to sleep, you did have a rough night...”

The cyan changeling shook his head, leaping down from the bed. His wings buzzed as he cushions his fall, landing clumsily onto the wooden floor.

“Um...are you doing anything today, Fluttershy?”

“No...I don’t have anything planned, what do you two do while I’m away?”

Both nymphs looked at each other, Pharynx awkwardly coughing. Thorax flattened his ears. “...sometimes we draw...”

“Oh!” Fluttershy wings flapped. “What do you draw?”

Thorax gave a shy grin. “Um...Pharynx draws really good but...I kinda just...scribble...”

She giggled, rubbing his head affectionately. “Anything else you guys do?”

Silence. Thorax looked away, shuffling nervously. A blur of purple and cyan wings buzzed as both changelings silently admit that they did absolutely nothing.

“Oh...”

The three of them sat awkwardly around the living room. Fluttershy tapped her chin, thinking. The cyan changelings twitched his wings against his carapace, and Pharynx flicked his crimson tail back and forth.

Then a light bulb went off.

“I think you’ve been cooped up in the cottage for too long,” The winged mare started, rising onto her hooves. “Why don’t we get some fresh air, hm?”

The young changelings sat with a perplexed expression. “Don’t we...always...get fresh air...?” Thorax asked, his ears flattened against his head.

The winged mare shook her head, giggling at their obviousness. “No, silly. I mean go outside, have some fun!”

“But-“

“Oh, I mean just outside my cottage, we aren’t going to town.”

“...okay...”

With a flutter of her wings, she clapped her hooves. “There is a stream just behind my house, we can go there for the day! How does that sound?”

Biting his lip, Thorax looked over towards Pharynx. The older nymph narrows his eyes but sighed, and the cyan changeling clicked with delight.

Bouncing onto his hooves, he grinned at the winged mare. He buzzed his wings in excitement, and Fluttershy couldn’t help about keep an adoring grin.

Sighing, the colorful changeling got up as well, following them both as they opened the front door.




Walking along the unmarked path, she lead the two changelings down towards the stream. Well...lead one of them, as Thorax perched himself onto her back. She didn’t mind, unfurling her wings slightly to make a barricade he couldn’t fall out of.

“It’s really bright,” Thorax commented, looking to the sky. The clouds were arranged in a streak pattern and Fluttershy wondered briefly if it would rain at all.

“Mhm, lovely weather...I do hope the Weather Factory doesn’t do anything silly,” she sighed. With her limited knowledge, she really didn’t know what to expect.

“Wait...you guys control the weather?”

“...yes...?”

“Huh,” Thorax frowned. “I thought the weather moved on its own...”

“Perhaps where you used to live, but here in Equestria the pegasus’s that worked in the Weather Factory decided the forecast.”

The nymph hummed, taking in the new information. While he busied himself by letting his mind wander, Fluttershy turned towards Pharynx.

“Pharynx? You okay?”

The colorful changeling snapped his head around, flattening his ears. With a buzz of his wings, he nodded, kicking out his bandaged hooves.

“Hm...well, we are here!”

Thorax broke out of his thoughts, looking over her shoulder. In front of them was a large stream that ran over a stony bottom, the water clear as crystal. A wave a cool air washed over them, and the changeling slowly got off of her back.

Tentatively, he stepped towards the stream, placing a hoof into the water. He yelped, jumping back. “It’s cold!”

Giggling, Fluttershy stepped into the cool water. “It’s supposed to be! Nice and refreshing, right?”

Thorax pursed his lips, slowly stepping into the water. Rushing water ran over their hooves, and the changeling began to relax.

Playful, Fluttershy splashed the little changeling. Droplets of water sprayed onto his hooves and chest, and Thorax stiffened.

Before long, he began to laugh. Buzzing his wings, the changeling splashed back, dousing her with water. 

She shook out her mane, now hanging limply as the cool riverwater dampened her pink locks. Her wings fluttered as a small bead of water dropped down her sides, and Fluttershy giggled.

The winged mare turned her head towards Pharynx, who sat quietly at the banks. He watched the two playfully splash, shuffling his hooves against the dirt and mud.

Thorax smiles towards his brother. “C’mon, Pharynx,” he called, buzzing his wings as the cyan changeling splashed towards the bank. Violet eyes averted as Pharynx dipped his head. “It’s fun!”

He hissed quietly, waving his bandages hooves as a ‘no’. The younger nymph rolled his cyan eyes, before quickly dragging Pharynx into the stream. Yelping, he tried to drag himself from the water. 

Not one this changeling’s watch.

Thorax tackled his older brother, rolling around in the water. Fluttershy gasped, splashing over towards the brothers. Before she could intervene, however, a pinned Pharynx grinned and hissed.

“Oh, I see how it is.”

With a flash of green magic, Pharynx had disappeared. The winged mare watching became confused, until she a lone rainbow trout swimming through the reeds. 

Jumping in the air, the fish quickly turned back into the familiar nymph. With his wings propelling him, he similarly tackled Thorax, flipping the smaller changeling onto his carapace.

Pharynx breathed in deeply before a laugh rattled from his throat. Fluttershy was astounded. She had never heard the defensive changeling laugh, it was almost melodic.

It was a quiet, sweet giggle, almost as soft as a bird's chirp. The completely genuine smile that stretched across his face made her heart warm and swell.

Thorax let out a cheer, feeling accomplished. Pushing his hooves against Pharynx’s belly scutes, he got onto his hooves. Both changelings were completely drenched in the cool river water, but both smiled at one another.

With a warm smile, Fluttershy watched the nymphs play. The sound of cheerful chirps and clicks were music to her ears as the sun rises higher into the sky.

The day had only just begun.
> Dropping By
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“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.
> Worthless
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“...I don’t like her...” 

Fluttershy gave the Thorax a comforting pat against his carapace. With careful hooves, she plucked him off the ground and onto her back.

The changeling clung onto her feathers for dear life. His wings buzzed tiredly as she curled into the crevice between the winged mare’s shoulders.

“Angel...could you watched stay here and tell me if anyone else comes to the door?” Silently, he watched the mare turn towards her rabbit, who was staring at them impatiently. The bunny rabbit sighed, but obliged.

As Fluttershy trotted up the stairs, Thorax felt himself beginning to tremble. He squeezed his hooves tighter around her shoulder, ignoring the worry that poured off of her.

He winced as he heard the door creak. Every felt too loud...too bright...

“I’m so sorry about her,” she quietly whispered, setting the little nymph onto her bed. “I really should’ve expected it, but I guess Rainbow is pretty sporadic...”

Thorax pressed against the blanket, his face a mixture of dejection and fear. His shallow breaths began to speed up as he was losing his self-control. A yellow hoof rubbed against his soft grey crest, and he flinched.

“Thorax...?”

He stayed silent, having lost the energy to hold a conversation. Barely reacted when he felt another chitinous body press up against him.

Pharynx familiar scent surrounded him, his brotherly affection rubbing against Thorax as if to comfort him. The cyan nymph stayed despondent, a series of echoing taunts filled his ears as he tried to tune out the world.

Stupid grub, why must ruin everything.

I don’t understand why the Queen keeps you around.

Get out.

I can’t wait to see this spear plunge into your heart.

I could crush him with my hooves!

He shivered and shook, each threat...each taunt...everything was building up in the back of his head. The world around him became blurred as he tried to focus on his breathing.

“Thorax! Are you okay?!” Fluttershy’s voice tried to reach out, but it fell on deafened ears. 

You can’t do anything right!

Shapeshift you fool!

Useless grub, do us a favor and die already!

Waste of space.

His breath quickened, and he began to feel dizzy. Thorax felt someone prodded at his shoulder, and he hissed. Every touch felt like a zap, and it all felt painful. The cramped feeling in his lungs became unbearable, he couldn’t breathe.

“Thorax!” 

A sharp voice finally managed to snap him out of his trance, and the cyan nymph rubbed his burning eyes. Looking towards the source of the voice, Pharynx pressed up against his cheek. Soft trills echoed from the older nymph's throat, a sound that Thorax felt safe with.

Fluttershy’s hoof hovered just over the changeling, unsure if she would make things worse for the nymph. Thorax let out a shuttering sigh, reaching out with one hoof pleadingly.

The winged mare smiled sadly as she brought the nymph close to her. Hot tears formed in the corner of his eyes, and he tried his best to keep them from falling.

“....’m....sorry...”

“No no, don’t be. I just want to know if you are okay.”

He stayed silently, wondering what he should say. “...’m fine...” he sniffed, rubbing his eyes.

Fluttershy frowned. “...do you want to talk about it?”

“...just some bad memories...that’s all...”

Both Pharynx and Fluttershy gave him a skeptical look, but neither wanted to press. His older brother laid his head across the dark cyan carapace, sighing. 

The pegasus smiled the best she could, her wings fluttering anxiously at her sides. Slowly, she climbed onto her bed and curled around the two changelings, laying a warm wing against Thorax’s back.

His head spun, unable to see clearly. He was sure the rainbow maned mare didn’t mean much of what she said, but it still hurt.

Sighing, he rested against the yellow feathered pegasus. Slowly, he fell asleep.




When Thorax awoke, he found that Fluttershy had left. Her scent was fading, making him think she’d left a few hours prior.

Yawning, he looked towards the window. The moon had risen, shining brightly in the blackened sky. Stars twinkled, and Thorax settled next to the windowsill.

It looked so peaceful outside. Cool wind, rustling leaves, it was a lot quieter than what he was ever used to. Right about now he would have heard the buzzing sound of wings from drones and hissing from newly hatched larvae.

Those noises were so far from here, he was reminded, tapping against the window. Beside him, Pharynx shuffled in his sleep, groaning ‘go to sleep’ just under his breath.

He didn’t. Not by a long shot.

He sighed, looking out into the moonlit field. Waves of grass shimmered under the light.

Useless...

The voices were back.

Useless grub...

Thorax gritted his teeth, hissing quietly, “Shut up...”

Stupid...

Worthless...

“...shut up...” tears began to build up again, pooling at the corners of his eyes.

Idiotic...

Worthless...

WORTHLESS...

“...shut...up...” he sobbed silently, not wanting to wake Pharynx or Fluttershy. He made that mistake last time, he wasn’t going to burden them again.

The barrage of voices screaming at him became louder as he felt the tears stream down his chitinous cheek.

He watched as the tears began to pool on the windowsill, dripping into small, pathetic puddles.

The cyan changeling shuttered as a new voice intruded his thoughts.

I’m...am worthless...
> Something is Off
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy hummed as she moseyed off her couch, yawning as the new daylight greeted her. The sun rises from beyond the horizon, streaking the blackened sky with orange and purple.

Stretching her back out and fluttering her wings, she unlatched her locked window. Cool, fresh wind brushed against her face, and she welcomed the bird's song through her ears.

Humming back, she greeted a small pigeon that floated onto her hooves, giving it a light kiss on the head. “Hello, my lovelies! How are you?”

The white and brown bird flapped his wings excitedly, tweeting at her. She smiled, “Oh! Your eggs hatched last night? You must be a proud father, huh?”

Tweeting again, the pigeon flapped back up to his perch, where Fluttershy could hear the soft peeps of babies from the nest. She smiled happily, humming as she trotted over to her kitchen.

“Angel! Time to get up! She called, stepping over the bunny in the basket. The rabbit jumped from its sleep falling over the edge and onto the flat wooden floor. The winged mare winced. “...Be careful...ok?”

Angel Bunny grumbled, pouting as he detangled himself from his soft blanket. Fluttershy chuckled, opening her mini-fridge. Taking out a small salad, she quickly handed it towards her bunny, watching lovingly as he gobbled it up.

Sighing, she began to take out the defrosting sardines as well, fully prepared for the changelings’ needs. She was well accustomed to cooking fish by now, even without the use of a cookbook.

Let’s be honest, where would you find a cookbook on fish, anyway?

Thoroughly washing the skin of the fish, she dried and placed them on a baking rack. She was glad that sardines didn’t need to be deboned or anything, or less it would be a whole different situation here.

Placing them into the heated oven, she reworked her egg timer. She didn’t trust it fully, but it was better than leaving the oven running for Celestia’s knows how long.

Then, like a filly on Hearth’s Warming, she waited. Most ponies wouldn’t dream about waiting in front of an oven for ten minutes, but she had to make sure she wasn’t screwing it up in any way. She’s burnt things and she isn’t burning them again.

Soft hooves steps clacked against the floor, and teal eyes turned to look at the entrance. A crimson changeling stood still, watching her from the shadows.

Angel spat at the changeling, and the little nymph growled at him. Sighing, Fluttershy turned around fully, her back facing the oven.

“Good morning, Pharynx! How did you sleep?” She greeted cheerfully, her voice still lingering with tiredness. The little changeling stayed as silent as he could, shuffling his hooves against the wooden floor. 

Instead of answering, he trotted closer to the oven, sitting beside her. Fluttershy gave off is small noises of surprise, but welcomed the changeling with open wings.

“Well...how about Thorax? Is he doing okay?”

The older nymph pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. Flattening his ears, he sighed. “...Thorax...something is off about him today...”

“Oh? Why is that?” Her concern began to eat at her heart. What did Pharynx mean by that? “Is he...sick?”

“Honestly, I can’t tell. He’s just...really sad...and I can’t get him to tell me anything anymore...”

“I see...” Fluttershy murmured, unsure of what to do. Was Thorax still sad about yesterday? Or was this something new she didn’t know about? “...hm, I wonder if it’s because of Rainbow...”

The changeling glared at her, baring his teeth. “Who in Tartarus’s name is Rainbow?” His voice was dangerously low. Fluttershy gulped, realizing that the nymph was not aware of what had transpired the previous day.

“Oh...I guess Thorax didn’t tell you...um...” she shut off her oven, not wanting the fish inside to burn while she talked. “Yesterday, my friend Rainbow Dash came over...and she saw Thorax...”

The changeling nymph flattened significantly, letting out a defeated sigh. “Great...first your unicorn friend, and now this ‘Rainbow Dash’...what’s next?!”

Fluttershy wings clamped against her side, “I’m so sorry about that...she’s a bit sporadic and I didn’t even know she was coming over-“

She was cut off as the nymph stalked away, his wings sagging across his violet carapace. Slowly, he buzzed his wings and laid over her couch, curling into one of the cushions. 

The winged mare followed the little nymph, plucking Angel up as she did so. The rabbit squirmed in her grasp as she placed him on her back before turning towards Pharynx. Her expression was apologetic and worried.

“...what did your friend say to Thorax...?”

“Hm? Oh, well at first she was just talking to me...but then she saw Thorax and got all excited. Tried to ask him to change into things and-“

“Aaaand I’ve spotted the issue. Never mind, don’t say anything else.”

The mare became confused, her wings fidgeting at her sides. “Huh?...did I say something wrong...?”

“...no...no you're fine...your friend a complete di-“

Before he could finish his sentence, quiet hoof steps clacked against the wooden stairs. Both Fluttershy and Pharynx looked up, and the winged mare swiftly trotted over towards the cyan changeling coming down. Angel hopped off her back, sticking his tongue out, but Fluttershy ignored him.

“Hello, Thorax!” She greeted with a smile. “How did you sleep?”

“...okay...I guess...” he sighed, averting his gaze. The little changeling avoided her eye contact, buzzing his wings quietly as he pushed past her. She watched with concern as the usually energetic changeling stagger over towards the couch, crawling up along the side.

Biting her lip, she trotted over towards the entrance of the kitchen, teal eyes looking back at the pair of changelings curled up on her couch. “Um...what about breakfast-“

“Not hungry,” Thorax said bluntly, which caught the winged mare off guard. Her teal eyes widen as she fully understood what Pharynx meant by ‘something is off.’

“But...it’s fish...”

“Can smell it,” Thorax turned away from her, his small body curling under one of her cushions. “...not hungry...”

The pegasus worry grew, but she wasn’t sure how to help. Maybe by lunch things won’t be so bad...?

All she could do was hope everything goes well.
> Letter from the Princess
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the days went by, Fluttershy began to notice how distant the nymphs had become.  Pharynx, while he still talked to her, always seemed very uncomfortable during their conversation. At first, she wrote it off as him still not trusting her, but now she thought differently.

Thorax, on the other hoof, was much more reclusive than he used to be. He didn’t even eat any of the food she had offered, and it was beginning to worry her.

“Your emotions are good enough, I don’t need the fish!” He had said, trying the calm the winged mare down. While she had accepted the reasoning, it didn’t make her worry any less than she was.

Trotting along the path that led from her cottage to town, she silently waved goodbye with one hoof. Pharynx stayed with a deadpan expression, before turning away and locking the door.

Sighing, Fluttershy picked up her rabbit and placed him onto her back. Angel chittered in annoyance, and the winged mare sighed. 

“What do you want me to do, leave you with Pharynx?” her voice etched with sarcasm, and the bunny rabbit quickly shut his mouth. Moving along, she continued to trot along the dirt path. The birds sang lovely songs as she parted ways, smiling as the music rushed through her ears. Cool air helped to calm her nerves, and she relished the warm sunlight.

Perking her ears up, she realized that she was nearing town. With a shuddering sigh, she tried to avoid the crowding ponies in the town square. Fewer ponies she’d have to deal with, the better.

Trotting over towards the markets, she looked over the booths. Her wings fluttered under her saddlebag straps, knowing she didn’t need to buy anything. She wasn’t even sure why she was walking through this part of town.

In an all too familiar fashion, she ran headfirst into somepony else. 

“Watch where you are going!” The mare growled, turning an upturned snout towards the winged mare.

“O-oh, sorry ma’am!” Fluttershy stuttered, pushing herself awkwardly away from the pink earth pony. Trotting quickly, she ignored the haughty pony’s huff, galloping nimbly towards the end of the street of booths.

Making sure Angel was still on her back, she headed out of the main town. The voices of talking ponies faded away as she trotted further and further, looking around a certain library.

It didn’t take her too long to find. The Golden Oak library was just in the outskirts of town, and Fluttershy had been there a couple of times before. It was a quiet place she had become used to, almost like a second home...

Living in a tree always did sound comforting.

“Twilight?” She called, knocking a hoof on the wooden door. “Are you home?”

A couple of steps and an open door later, someone opened the door.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” Spike greeted, his stature small compared to the door. The winged mare smiled down at the baby dragon, fluttering her wings at her sides. “Twilight’s in her room right now, I’ll go get her now...”

He trailed off, allowing the yellow pegasus to step into the library and pass the welcome mat. With careful hooves, she closed the door shut.

The bunny rabbit hopped off of her back, stomping on the ground. Spike groaned. “Oh for the love of Celestia-“

Fluttershy winced as she saw Angel race across the room, making papers and quilts fly everywhere. The little dragon facepalmed, walking away as if not wanting the deal with this.

“Angel!” She scolded, trotting up towards the little rabbit. “We shouldn’t be messing up Twilight and Spike’s stuff, that would be rude. Do you understand?”

Angel froze as Fluttershy have a long, hard stare. Quickly he nodded, and the winged mare sighed. Perking her ears, she turned towards echoing steps against the stairs.

A lavender unicorn watched from above, smiling as she trotted down the stairs. She flicked her mane, greeting the winged mare.

“Fluttershy! I’m so glad you are here...I’ve gotten this letter from Princess Celestia regarding changelings and it’s a fascinating read.”

“Oh? What does it say?”

“Here,” Twilight lit her horn with magenta magic, levitating a well-kept scroll over towards her. “I’m still not sure why no other books I’ve read never mentioned changelings once...not even as a character in a fantasy novel...”

As Twilight spiraled into a long tangent, Fluttershy unrolled the scroll given to her. Discarding the red clasp the held the whole thing together, she began to read the letter.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I see that you’ve met a changeling. I know you are excited to learn about a new species but in truth? They aren’t anything new.

Equestria has dealt with them in the past. I’ve even had my fair share of encounters in the past couple thousand of years. You are curious about these creatures, and I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can.

Changelings are a creature that feeds on emotions. Many encounters in the past were from changelings kidnapping and replacing certain loved ones to gain love and power from their family members, though as far as I could tell they were mostly temporary stays.

It is speculated that the changelings reside in the badlands, though it is a dangerous place and I suggest you not try and go there yourself. It’s a deserted wasteland of Tazlwurms and Mulwarfs, not a safe place for a pony.

I’d suggest you stay away from them, as their behavior is rather unpredictable. From my experience, many changelings act friendly one day, then become aggressive and power-hungry the next, only to go back to being passive within a matter of minutes.

Though I can not say this about the present, I did know an old Queen of theirs. A golden changeling by the name of Queen Lytic, who sought to take over Equestria. She had almost succeeded, managing to overthrow me for a good twelve years before I came back and took the throne. 

Actually, in the Canterlot Gardens, there was a statute that depicted her, though over time it has disintegrated into nothing. You would recognize it as an empty podium surrounded by roses bushes. 

This is unfortunately all I can remember at the moment of writing. If you still have questions about it, send me another letter and perhaps we can arrange a meeting so we can discuss this further.

From your teacher,

Princess Celestia

“Huh,” was all Fluttershy could say. That was...a lot more than she was expecting. 

She could see why Twilight thought there should be more books on changelings. If the entire nation was taken over by changelings for some time, she was sure it would be in one of the history books...right?

“I know!” Twilight looked over the scroll again, writing down notes in a journal. “This baffles me...but it explains somethings too...I think I remember seeing that podium back in a field trip, but I never thought much of it since it was empty...”

Fluttershy reread the written letter over again, trying to wrap her head around the information. It was odd...

She had so many questions. Why was none of this in any history books? Did that mean she’d have to stay away from Thorax and Pharynx? How did the entire nation get taken over and nothing was documented on it?

Her eyes trailed on the last few words on the page.

Perhaps we can arrange a meeting so we can discuss this further.

Taking a deep breath, she tapped Twilight on the shoulder, taking her friend out from her fantasy realm and back into reality.

“How do you feel about a meeting with the Princess?”
> Acting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thorax, you’ve been on the couch for the last two hours,” Pharynx commented, lighting his horn as he cleaned up the floor. “You sure you aren’t sick or something?”

Thorax stayed silently, curling deeper into the cushions. “...I’m fine...”

“Yeah, and you’ve said that every time I asked. I’m starting to think you aren’t,” Pharynx tapped his chin before letting out a small grown. “Scratch that. I know you aren’t.”

“Then...why are you asking...?”

“To hope I’m wrong and perhaps you would be okay...”

“Huh. How’s that going for you?” Pharynx flattened his ears as his brother’s monotoned voice replied. Clicking his hooves against the wooden floor, he climbed onto the green couch. With his fangs, he snagged Thorax by the ear and preceded to drag him off the couch.

“Ow owowow let go that hurts!” Thorax hissed, ripping himself from Pharynx grasp. The crimson changeling rolled his eyes, stomping a hoof against the ground.

“Well, someone is in my spot,” Pharynx muttered, hopping back onto the couch. The younger nymph frowned, shaking his wings out as he glared at the smug crimson changeling.

“M’kay, I see how it is,” Thorax grumbled, rising onto his hollowed hooves. Pacing across the floor, Thorax curled up next to the door, sighing.

Frowning, Pharynx quietly watched his younger brother press up against the door. Sinking into the cushions, the crimson changeling pursed his lips. “Thorax get off the floor.”

His brother did budge, laying his head into his forehooves. His slumped body stayed so still that Pharynx had to convince himself that Thorax hadn’t just died on the spot. Then the younger nymph shuttered and sighed, looking back at the crimson changeling.

“...what are you going to do? Make me?”

“Don’t tempt me.”

Thorax stayed quiet for a little while, before snorting and giggling. Pharynx let out a relieved sigh as Thorax gave him a big smile. He was at least acting normal again, even if he felt something off about his emotions...

Shaking his head, the older nymph leapt from the comfy couch. His chitinous hooves clacked as he gracefully landed on the wooden surface. Pacing slowly, he brought himself closer towards his younger brother. “C’mon, get up.”

Thorax sighed, pushing himself onto his hooves. While he was stretching out his wings against his cyan carapace, Pharynx gave a rare, toothy grin.

Without much of a warning, the crimson nymph tackled his little brother onto the floor, playfully tugging at his ear. Thorax shrieked and laughed, trying to push the larger changeling off.

With buzzing wings, Pharynx allowed Thorax to get up, getting to a crouching stance. The younger nymph smiled, determined to try and beat his older brother. 

Taking a similar stance, Thorax leapt for Pharynx, his black chitin colliding against his chest. Thrown off-balance, Pharynx fell onto his back, leaving the cyan nymph to laugh as he stood on crimson changeling’s belly scutes. He wasn’t heavy at all, but the older changeling let his younger brother bask in victory for a little while.

Key word, a little while.

It wasn’t long before Pharynx rolled his eyes and flipped the cyan changeling onto his carapace. Thorax whined as he playful pushed against his cheek, trying and failing to throw the weight of the older changeling off of him.

“This isn’t fair!” Thorax complained but kept a bright smile on his face. “You are still bigger than me!”

“Is that my fault?”

The cyan changeling stuck out his forked tongue. “Technically yes-“

Pharynx let out an exasperated sighed, shaking his head. He laughed quietly, thinking back on the days in the hive. Oh, how torturous it used to be. Nevermind that every day was a potential bloodbath, but he’d have to protect Thorax on top of that! 

But...looking down at the smaller changeling giggling and laughing, Pharynx couldn’t help but feel happy. His brother was safe from the others...him as well. No more having to worry if Thorax will suddenly not return from class one day or if had been wounded in any way.

The happiness was short-lived, however, as Thorax became quiet again. Pharynx shook his head, letting go of the younger changeling.

The cyan nymph sighed, his wings sagging across his back. He continued to smile towards him, but now the smile seemed fake and disingenuous.

It worried Pharynx much more than he’d like to admit.

As the two nymphs stared silently at each other a soft knocking could be heard against the door. Perking his ears, Pharynx turned his head towards the wooden entrance, knowing full well who was there. Even if it had been a week, Pharynx could recognize her scent pretty easily.

“Thorax? Pharynx? Can I come in?” She called, her soft voice muffled by the wooden door.

“Yeah...” Thorax mumbled, just loud enough for Fluttershy to hear. The winged mare slowly unlatched the door and pushed her way in, stopping when she saw both nymphs near the door.

“Are you two okay?” She asked in a concerned tone, looking over Thorax specifically. Pharynx didn’t blame her; Thorax was struggling way more than he was anyway...

“We’re fine!” The cyan changeling said quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly, as Fluttershy frowned. Still, she made the effort to look over both nymphs, much to Thorax’s dismay.

When she was satisfied, she smiled warmly at both of them. Her love poured off of her, and Pharynx silently started to passively feed on her emotions. No need to waste valuable food.

“Well...I will be gone next week, so I’m going to drop you off at Twilight’s house...is that okay?”

“...why?” Pharynx asked, skeptical about the situation.

“Twilight and I are going to meet with Princess Celestia, usually I would leave you two by yourself but...a week is a long time...” she smiled awkwardly. It reminded Pharynx of Thorax in a way, and he sighed.

“So...if you and your friend are going...then why are you giving us to her house...?”

“Spike will watch you!” She said, her voice cheery. “He’s a dragon, and he lives with Twilight. He already knows about you guys so...I thought it would be okay...”

Thorax froze, flattening his ears. Pharynx pressed his side towards Thorax, trying to calm him before he could panic again.

Fluttershy quickly caught on. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about Spike. He just watching you guys...Twilight was the one who told him...but I think you guys will like him!”

Pharynx frowned. “But-“

“I-it’s fine!” Thorax piped up quickly, a nervous smile plastered on his face. His eyes were wide as anxious energy poured off of him like a waterfall, almost enough to make Pharynx suffocate. 

Fluttershy hesitated, and by the looks of it knew something was wrong. Placing a hoof onto Thorax’s shoulder, she tried to comfort him. “Um...maybe I can cancel the thing-“

“No! You can go do whatever you planned...um...we’ll be fine...!” Thorax shakily insisted, buzzing his wings as he tried to reassure the uncertain pegasus. Pharynx rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to respond.

“Pharynx, shut up,” Thorax hissed under his breath, his eyes narrowed. The older nymph tilted his head, snapping his mouth shut. 

Did...did Thorax just snap at me? Pharynx wondered, bewildered by the very thought. He’s...never done that before...

The mare fluttered her wings underneath her saddlebag, looking at Thorax than to Pharynx. “Um...are you sure?” She asked, nervousness flooding her emotions. Thorax nodded, smiling up at her.

Pursing her lips, she left the two brothers alone. As she set down her bag near the couch, Thorax got up and followed her, leaving Pharynx sitting on the floor, confused.

Beneath that mask he hides his true feelings, Pharynx watched his brother smile up the winged mare. His grin was strained and his voice was quiet, and the older brother began worried even more now. He may be an actor...but he isn’t a good one...
> The Golden Oak Library
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Um...is there a way to go through...town...without been seen?” Thorax asked tentatively as Fluttershy began to pack her saddlebag. Even though he had agreed to be watched by this ‘Spike’, he was still terrified. Questions began to circle his head as the cyan changeling paced, each ‘what if’ becoming more and more nerve-racking.

Fluttershy hummed, looking up at him. “Well, we can either take a long way...or you can hang on my back while we fly. You mentioned you can’t shapeshift yet...”

“Mhm,” Thorax sighed, hating that he couldn’t do such a simple task. For the Queen’s sake, he didn’t want to be caught out in public, even if ponies had no idea what a changeling was. He just wasn’t going to risk it!

Pharynx sighed from behind him, looking up from the paper he was doodling on. The pencil, as Fluttershy calls it, stuck out of his mouth as he chewed the rubber on top. “I’d like to get there as fast as possible,” he commented, before turning back to his drawing.

Fluttershy stifled a giggle, closing up her saddlebag’s clasps and throwing it onto her back. “I guess that means you are riding my back, okay?”

“...a-as long as no one sees me...I guess it’s okay...” he muttered, shuffling his hooves against the ground. Chitin rubbed against the wood, making a slight squeaking as he rose from his sitting position.

Fluttershy gave him a comforting smile, nuzzling the top of his head. She was warm, her love pouring onto Thorax. It reminded him of Pharynx’s old bedcave, the one he had moved into after realizing he couldn’t stay by himself.

The one good thing to happen while at the hive...

Fluttershy brought Thorax close with one hoof, hugging him close to her feathered body. The cyan changeling felt his nerve calm down as he pressed against her feathered chest, before looking over towards his older brother. 

“Pharynx what about-“

“If you are going to ask what I’m going to do, I already got that covered,” Pharynx cut him off, sighing. He dissipated into green flames, leaving behind a small magpie amongst the papers.

Fluttershy smiled, plucking Thorax up by the back of his neck. Carefully, she made sure he was secured onto her back, before turning to an impatient bunny stomping on the floor. She frowned, picking up the rabbit.

“You too, Angel,” she said sternly, placing him in her open saddlebag. “No causing trouble, okay?”

Thorax wrapped his hooves around the mare’s neck as she stood up, adjusting his weight so it wouldn’t strain her in any way. Cyan eyes watched his brother-now-turned-bird flutter next to the door, waiting for it to be opened.

The pegasus chuckled, pushing the door open. Early morning breeze brushed against Thorax’s face, a calming sensation filling his body. The sun had barely risen, the sky still blackened. Only streaks of orange had painted the sky as Fluttershy spread her wings.

With one flap, she was up in the air. Thorax had flown before, but never like this. When he needed to, he’d just buzz his wings to hover slightly off the ground.

Here, though, he watched the ground become smaller and smaller, quickly becoming a blur as they rushed by. It was beautiful in a way, seeing the silhouette of streams and trees running the ground below.

The flapping wings of the pegasus quickly became a slow glide, keeping herself afloat on the wind. Thorax dug himself deeper into her pink mane, silently watching the shining stars.

It wasn’t long before they meet their desired location. A tall oak tree that seemed to tower any nearby homes. Its leaves were a pretty shade of forest green, shimmering in the golden light of the rising sun.

The pegasus brought a yellow hoof to the wooden door, knocking on it gently. “Twilight? Spike?” She called, waiting patiently. Muffled hoof steps could be heard approaching the doorway, and before long a lavender unicorn opened the door.

“Hello, Fluttershy!” She smiled closing a scroll she was reading. Twilight placed the rolled parchment into her white saddlebag, her tail moving side to side. Her purple eyes landed on the little nymph on her back, and Thorax squeaked. “Aww, hello to you too, Thorax!”

Fluttershy giggled, pressing her muzzle to Thorax’s head. The winged mare stepped into the well-lit treehouse, the smell of dust and paper filling the little changeling’s senses. 

From behind, the magpie landed on the floor, quickly transforming back into his older brother. Pharynx didn’t say a word as he shook out his wings, stretching.

“Ooo! That’s transformation magic! I wonder how-“

Pharynx stalked away before Twilight could finish her sentence. She shook her head and smiled awkwardly. “Right...”

Fluttershy smiled sympathetically, sliding the saddlebag off of her back. Thorax slipped down with it, clacking his hooves against the wooden surface. Angel climbed out of the bag’s pocket, hopping away.

“Um...I did pack some stuff for Spike to look over if that okay,” Fluttershy’s voice became fainter and Thorax wandered away. The treehouse was pretty in its own right. Red wood that shelved tons of multicolored books, and was pretty well kept. Neat little inkwells and paper were stacked on a small table, aligned perfectly.

His attention was drawn towards the stairwell, leading onto the second floor. Cyan eyes trailed up the ascending steps, and curiosity got the better of him. While everyone was still talking-and Pharynx didn’t seem to care- he trotted up the pinkish-red stairs. Hooves clicked quietly as he looked around. 

It looked to be some sort of sleeping quarter, with a similar bed to Fluttershy’s. It was all very organized, the curtains rolled up and letting the bright light shine in.

As he kept looking around, he slowly met eyes with another being in the room. Thorax froze, unsure of what to do.

The dragon spoke up first. “Hey!...which one are you?”

“...T-Thorax...” he said quietly, shuffling his hooves. 

“Well, hey Thorax! I’m going to be watching you guys for the week.”

“I-I know...Fluttershy already told me...” his voice was barely a whisper, taking a few steps back towards the stairs. “Um...I’m going to go back down now...sorry for intruding-“

“Intruding?”

“Ah...um...” Thorax smiled awkwardly, stumbling down the stairs. “N-nevermind...”

Trotting down the stairs and away from the dragon, the cyan changeling hurried over towards his older brother. Pharynx had found and claimed a spot on the table, pushing the inkwells and quills out of the way. 

Crawling under the table, Thorax nervously shook. Why did I agree to this? Why did I tell Pharynx to shut up? We wouldn’t be here if I had let him talk for me.

Oh cocoon slimes, will I be punished? I didn’t even ask to go up there! 

“Thorax, please dial down your stress for a little?” Pharynx hissed from above, leaning over the edge of the table. The crimson nymph rubbed his temples, making gagging noises. “You are going to get me sick...”

“Sorry...” The younger nymph whispered, flattening his ears. “Uh...will you be okay-“

“I’ll be fine...just please for the love of Chrysalis, stop worrying...”

“Hey! We can’t use her name!”

“...it’s not like she can do anything about it.”

“Yeah but-“

Thorax quickly snapped his mouth shut as he heard footsteps approach. The dragon had stepped down the staircase, a cyan backpack hanging off his arms. “Twilight, don’t you have to be at the train station in an hour...?”

“Oh right!” The lavender unicorn gasped, pushing her front door. “The train to Canterlot is coming by early today, so we better get going.”

“Right,” Fluttershy nodded, then turned back to the nymphs. “Do have fun, okay? Spike really is nice, and if you guys need any help go ask him. I’ve packed some paper and pencils for you, Pharynx, and here is your blanket, Thorax-“

“Fluttershy!” Twilight called from out the door, encasing her friend in magenta magic. Then she preceded to drag the wing mare out of the room.

“A-and Angel, Spike is making your breakfast, so tell him what you want. IfanythinghappenstellSpiketosendamessage!-“

With a loud slam, the door shut close. Thorax winced, rubbing his ears. Looking up, he shrunk back as he saw the dragon approach him.

“Well that’s over with,” the scaled being muttered, before smiling at the two nymphs atop and under the table. “The name is Spike, and welcome to the Golden Oak Library!”
> Ice Breakers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Yeah, cut the greetings. We know,” Pharynx replied bluntly, side-eyeing Spike from up on the desk. The dragon pursed his lips, grimacing.

“Oh, please don’t tell me you aren’t an Angel 2.0...” he whispered, to which Pharynx huffed.

“I’m offended you even compare me to it.”

“Pharynx...don’t be rude...” Thorax mumbled, feeling the rising tension of the situation. It was subtle, but still there nonetheless. “Um...Mister Spike-“

“Please, just call me Spike,” he sighed, smiling towards the cyan changeling. “‘Mister’ makes me feel old.”

“A-ah, I’m sorry-“

“No need to say sorry,” Spike swung the backpack off his shoulders, taking a small scroll out. “Twilight made a list of things we could do while they are gone for the week, so if you guys are interested...”

Thorax slowly exited under the table, hearing Pharynx clacking hooves as they hit the ground. “Um...what does it say...?”

Mumbling, the dragon ran his eyes along the surface of the paper. “Number one...breakfast....have you guys eaten already?”

Loud stomping and growling could be heard, and Spike turned an exasperated face towards Angel Bunny. “Fine. I’ll get you a carrot. I’ll be right back...”

Thorax silently watched as the dragon descended another set of stairs, one he didn’t realize was there. Tentatively, he picked up the dropped scroll from the floor, levitating it with cyan magic.

Letters were sprawled out in rows, but everything was jumbled and illegible. Biting his lip, he turned to Pharynx. “Pharynx, you know how to read Ponish...right?”

“Mhm. Why?”

“How...? How do you read any of this...?”

“Simple. You pay attention in class-“

“Oh shut up,” Thorax playfully pushed against Pharynx’s shoulder. His older brother snickered, holding in a laugh as the cyan changeling stuck his tongue out.

Both became quiet once more as Spike came stumbling up the steps. A lone carrot was held in his claws as he tossed it towards the awaiting rabbit. Angel quickly grabbed and chew the orange root, and Spike turned towards the pair of nymphs.

“So...Twilight said you guys feed on emotions so...I assume you guys have eaten?”

Thorax nodded, crouching behind Pharynx. His insect-like wings buzzed in nervous energy, and the dragon sighed.

“So...” looking over the list, he continued. “Breakfast, check....how about we get to know each other? A fun ice breaker, if you will.”

The youngest of the group tilted his head, pressing up against Pharynx’s side. “...ice..?”

Violet wings buzzed, and Pharynx groaned. “Get on with it...it’s not like we have anything  better to do...”

Spike strained a smile, looking at both nymphs. He pulled out a set of cards, all of which had writing on it. “Twilight wrote down some questions we could all ask each other, fifty questions in all. I think we can get through all of them....”

“Um...” Thorax drew air circles into the ground, nervously clicking his jaw. “...can we skip over some questions if....”

The dragon gazed sympathetically towards the nervous nymph. “Sure, we can skip if some questions make you uncomfortable.”

Sighing with relief, Thorax sat comfortably on his haunches. Laying his upper body onto the wooden floor, he watched the purple dragon pull out pieces of parchment. The fluttering of paper made his ear twitch, and the changeling patiently waited for Spike to start.

“Let’s see...‘what is your favorite food?’”

Pharynx raised an eyebrow. “That’s an odd first question...”

“Twilight wrote this, not me,” Spike pointed out, giving a series of taps on the hard wooden floor. “Since I suggest this first, I’m going to start. My favorite food would be either be pancakes or sapphires. Both taste really good!”

The cyan changeling lifted his head, thinking. “Um...I like fish...” he mentioned quietly, rubbing his hooves together. Is that a weird thing to say? He wondered. 

If it was, the dragon made no note of that. Instead, he turned to the older changeling. Pharynx rolled his eyes, sighing.

“...I usually eat optimism and joy...but I also sometimes indulge in a little bit of disappointment...” he muttered, looking away. Thorax gave him a surprised look.

“Wait what-“

“Next question,” Pharynx placed a hoof to Thorax’s snout, shutting him up. Thorax gasped, offended.

Spike chuckled, turning back to the litter of paper. Picking up another piece of parchment, he read aloud. “‘When where you born?’”

“Um...I don’t know...” Thorax looked over to his older brother, to which the crimson nymph shrugged. “We changelings don’t keep track...”

The dragon seemed surprised, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips. “...well...I was born on exactly on the third moon of the year, so I’m twelve!” He smiled, proudly puffing his chest out. Both changelings rolled their eyes, but for fairly different reasons. The cyan nymph chirped with amusement, while red and violet grump huffed.

“Ehehe...” the wingless dragon smiled awkwardly, picking up another piece of paper. “Oh! This one I wrote. ‘What is the scariest thing you’ve experienced?’ I’ll go first-“

Thorax tuned out what the dragon said, looking onto the ground. Scariest thing...? He wondered, tapping his hooves together. The instructors yelling at me was scary but...I got used to it...Would being visited by the Queen count? I don’t know...

The other nymphs...? No...I know there was something else...

Why can’t I remember?

“Thorax? You there?” A light tapping against his head brought him back to reality. Blinking, he turned his head towards Pharynx, though he wasn’t paying attention all that much.

“Huh?”

“You were kinda spacing out...”

“O-oh...I was just thinking....um...next question?” 

Pharynx looked over him worriedly, pushing against his shoulder with one hoof. Beside them, Spike set down the pieces of paper. 

“I don’t think we are going anywhere with this...” he said out loud. “How about a different game? Two truths one lie, anyone?”

This got more of a reaction out of Pharynx. “I’ve actually played this one...though I might need a refresher on the rules.”

“My pleasure!” Spike's frown quickly turned back into a toothy smile, and Thorax couldn’t help but smile. Everyone is happy and no one was getting mad...anymore...

“...wait when did you play-“

“So!” Spike spike loudly, cutting off Thorax’s question. “Two truths one lie is a game where you tell two truths about yourself and one lie. If others can guess which one is the lie, they get a point. If we choose the wrong one, you get a point. Simple, right?”

The cyan changeling tilted his head, nodding. The dragon clapped his claws together, eager to start. He stood onto his legs, standing taller than the sitting changelings.

“So...here is my list. I have lived with ponies my entire life, I was born when my egg fell into a chimney, and have eaten only five kinds of gems.”

Pharynx tapped his chin. “...I don’t know enough about dragons to know if the second one is false. Do dragons need high temperatures to hatch?” The crimson nymph turn towards his younger brother, to which Thorax shrugged helplessly.

“Well...seeing as you live with ponies now...I don’t think you could’ve lived anywhere else. The last one seems a bit too specific to be false...so I’m going to go with the second one.”

Eyes were turned onto Thorax, who shrunk under the gazes. “Um...” he twirled his hooves nervously, “I’m going to go with Pharynx’s answer....”

Spike pouted. “Alright, fine, piggyback off of each other’s answers, why don’t you? You are right, I didn’t hatch in a chimney. Twilight used magic to hatch me ask a school exam.”

Thorax scrunched his nose. “That sounds even worse.”

“Eh. Okay...” he thought about it, before pointing towards the cyan changeling. “Thorax! It’s your turn.”

The changeling squeaked, suddenly thrown into the spotlight. He clicked his jaw, compound eyes darting across the room. “Um...u-um....” he tapped against the ground, his whole body was vibrating with nervous energy. “....I have blue eyes...I’m a changeling...and I’ve been burned...”

Sweet Queens...this is terrible! Pharynx is right when he said I’m bad at lies...

Spike laughed. “Well, you got the right idea, Thorax, but you need to make it-“

“Your eyes are cyan,” Pharynx deadpanned. 

“...wait what?”

“The lie was that his eyes were blue,” the crimson nymph continued, tapping a hoof against the wooden floor. “Plus, I was there to witness him getting burned so...”

“Sweet Celestia!” Spike cried out, looking over towards the cyan nymph. “Are you okay?”

“O-oh I’m fine!” The changeling quickly reassured, the clicking becoming faster. “It was a while ago...”

“That doesn’t make it okay!”

“It...it’s fine...you don’t need to worry! I promise!” A panicked edge in his voice leaked into his sentence, and Thorax could only hope Spike didn’t pick up on it.

“But-“

“Hey, can I get my turn?” Pharynx piped up, flattening his ears. His crest pulsed against the back of his neck and Thorax was never so grateful for his older brother’s intervention than he was now.

Spike cast a worried glance over towards Thorax but nodded. Pharynx gave a realized chirp, deep into thought.

“Hm...I’m one of the youngest nymphs in my generation, I’ve killed another changeling, and....saving Thorax’s behind is a full-time job,” at the last one Pharynx smirked, to which the cyan changeling face hoofed.

“Sometimes I wonder why you are my brother...”

The tension built up quickly melted away as every creature laughed. Spike giggled into his claws while Thorax mildly chortled. He smiled at his brother, rolling his eyes.

“Well, I know which one is the lie, but I’m going to let Spike guess,” Thorax stated quietly, turning a smile towards the small dragon.

He rolled his emerald eyes, sighing. “Wow, okay...thanks,” he said in a sarcastic tone, and Thorax winced slightly. “If I had to take a guess...I would say you killing someone was the lie.”

Pharynx sighed. “Alright fine, you win. I haven’t killed anyone...yet.”

“Please never kill anyone...” Thorax quietly whispered, pulling at his under lids. 

“I don’t make promises.”

Spike snorted, grinning a toothy grin at both of them. His smile was genuine, nothing like the sinister grins he had grown up with for the better part of five years.

“My turn again!” Spike enthused, rethinking his list. The young changeling smiled.

Perhaps things won’t be so bad...
> New Interest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Leave me alone,” Pharynx hissed towards the rabbit, who spat at him. The white rodent seemed to take pleasure in making the crimson nymph suffer, and his patience was running thin.

It wasn’t until Pharynx gave a low, menacing growl did the rabbit stop. White fur trembled as fear radiated off of the little rodent. Rubbing his temples, he stalked towards the red staircase.

“Let me guess, Angel is a pain to you too?” A voice called from above, and Pharynx turned his eyes towards the source. The dragon stood in the red-stained stairs, giving the changeling a sympathetic look.

The nymph nodded. “...I pride myself as a pretty patient when I want to be but...”

“Same,” Spike agreed, sighing. Purple claws lit up the room by placing lanterns around the library. “Princess Luna has risen the moon, so we should probably get some sleep.”

Reluctantly, the nymph followed. He didn’t feel tired by any means, but if he has to get to sleep...

Climbing the stairs felt tiring, somehow. Where the steps larger than Fluttershy’s? He couldn’t tell.

Ending his trudge at the top of the stairs, he was greeted with a bed similar to that of Miss Fluttershy’s. It had an almost identical frame, but the sheet was of a dark navy instead of red. A sheet of star patterned fabric laid atop the bed, and curled on top was the shape of his brother.

Thorax was curled into one of the pillows, wrapped tightly in the blanket Fluttershy had packed. It was reminiscent of the cocoons that were made back at the hive, though less sinister and more cozy.

The smile that crossed his face was small but gentle towards his little brother. Slowly, he crawled up the side of the bed, landing on a slightly stiffer mattress.

“...hey Pharynx...” Thorax yawned, licking his dry lips. 

“Just sleep, you idiot,” the crimson nymph rubbed a hoof against the younger changeling’s head, sighing. “It’s been a long day.”

Half-lidded cyan eyes closed once more, and the youngest fell into a deep slumber. Instinctively, Pharynx felt himself wrap around the little nymph, protectively shielding him from any dangers. He twitched his ears as Spike sighed from near the stairway.

“I’m....going to deal with the rabbit, hang on-“

Pharynx looked back as the dragon let out a painfully strained groan. Never in my life had I felt so bad for anyone...




It’s been a few hours, and Pharynx couldn’t get a wink of sleep. The small nymph still curled around his asleep brother, the moon casting a white glow onto the both of them.

Growling under his breath, he looked up towards the window. It was crystal clear glass, giving a lovely view of the outside world. The stars twinkled in the inky sky, the white orb in between it all seemed to taunt him as he rubbed his eyes.

Sighing, he detangled himself from Thorax. The younger nymph mumbled a protest before going silent again, and the crimson nymph let out a relieved breath.

Quietly, Pharynx crawled off the bed, making sure his steps were light against the wood. Leaving the small bedroom, the crimson nymph found himself trotting down the red-stained stairs. Violet eyes trailed around the darkened treehouse, adjusting to the lack of light.

I guess the lamps burned out, he continued down, stopping at the base. Only one light was still burning, casting is yellowish light over the ground. Before him, the purple dragon laid tiredly on the floor.

Next to him, the rabbit he oh so despised slept on the floor. Guess he fell asleep, too, he thought, before internally groaning. Why can’t I sleep for once?!

Rubbing his face, he looked around the room. Even with the lights were dimmed out the room seemed bright. The walls were of light cherry, it’s shelves decorated with books and scrolls.

Out of pure curiosity, he levitated a large book off of the shelves. What his violet magic had grabbed was a thick, black, and gold book with fancy writing atop the cover.

“‘Nightmare’...” he read, his interest minimal. 

“It’s a good read,” Pharynx jumped at the sudden voice behind him, clutching the book to his chest. Regaining his composure, he turned towards the exhausted dragon on the floor. Spike staggered onto his feet, stepping towards the changeling. “A nice horror story, but not one I recommend to go to sleep to.”

“...what’s it about...?”

“Well...without much of a spoiler...it’s about this young filly who gets these really bad nightmares. They seem too real and are physically hurting her.”

Still looking over the cover, Pharynx steadily opened the cover. “It’s sounds...interesting...”

“Brave, huh?” Spike commented. Then he shivered. “Still gives me nightmares to this day.”

The changeling smirked, flipping towards the first page. “...Welp, sounds perfect for me.”

Spike returned a cocky smirk. “Okay, but don’t complain if you get to chicken to read the rest...” The dragon yawned, rubbing his eyes. “I’m going to bed now...”

Humming goodnight, he began to read the first page. If he wasn’t able to sleep tonight, it was fine by him.




Spike stretched his arms as he awoke to the sound of bird chirps. The sun had risen from over the horizon, filling the sky with warm light. Emerald eyes slowly peaked themselves openly, and the dragon yawned.

Wiping newly formed tears from his eyes, he looked over towards the window. From the position of the sun in the sky, it should be around nine or ten in the morning.

Turning towards his other side, he saw a lone changeling snuggled into the warm blankets. Thorax was still asleep, his breathing slow and steady. 

It was enough to make the dragon smile. Crawling out of his bed basket, he kicked off the baby blue blanket on top of him. Crawling out of the woven basket, he turned towards the steps that lead down into the main room of the tree.

His steps slightly echoed as he skipped down the stairs, picking up the burnt-out lanterns around the library. Usually, when Twilight was home, he would have to use the firefly lights, but she must’ve taken them with her.

When he made it to the bottom of the stairs, his gaze turned towards a slumped figure over the desk. Pharynx’s head was laying atop the book, having fallen asleep against the table. His wings twitched and his ears flicked every so often, and Spike rolled his eyes.

“You know...I really thought he’d have trouble sleeping...” he sighed, tapping the changeling on the shoulder plate. Instantly, the red and violet heap shot out of his seat, toppling over onto the floor.

“..ow..” He mumbled, shaking his head. He looked over towards the dragon, his tail lashing against the floor. “...it’s morning already...?”

“Yes...when did you sleep?”

“...maybe a few hours ago...?....I haven’t finished the book...”

Spike shook his head. “You can finish the book later. Just get some sleep-“

Pharynx let out a low, long hiss. The wings buzzed and vibrated, and the changeling turned back towards the black and gold book. His eyes scanned the page as he began to read the story again, and Spike sighed.

“It’s like dealing with a mini Twilight...except I’m the older one.”
> Friend and Fears
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Um...Pharynx...?” Thorax watched his brother with concern. The crimson nymph hadn’t moved since this morning, his violet eyes glued to the book he’d had been reading for the past three hours.

The older changeling only hissed in response, and Thorax was beginning to feel even more annoyed. It was Pharynx’s only response whenever the cyan nymph wanted to talk to him and was starting to get his on his nerves.

“Pharynx I think-“

“Just leave him be,” Thorax jumped at the sudden voice beside him. Spike strolled up along his side, pursing his lips at the predicament. “If he’s anything like Twilight, then he won’t be able to take his eyes off the book until he’s done with it.”

Thorax’s cyan eyes trailed back and forth between the dragon and the changeling. “Hm...okay, I’ll leave him alone for now...”

The cyan changeling sighed, sitting back on his haunches. Something blunt hit the back of his head, and the nymph turned his head. Behind him, Angel had kicked a dull pencil at him, which bounced back onto the floor. Thorax grimaced, shrinking under the taunting gaze of the unhappy rabbit.

“D-did I do something wrong?” He asked shakily to no one in particular.

Spike sighed. “Don’t worry, Angel is always like this...”

“Oh...” his ears flatten against his head, and wings sagging. Thorax clicked his jaw, lifting himself to his hooves. Trudging over towards the red stairs, he trotted up the sunlit bedroom. “Um...I guess I’m going to stay in Miss Twilight’s room then...”

He didn’t wait for a reply as he stumbled into the smaller room. The walls were a deep red-brown, and looking out of the window, the leaves rustled like green waves. He liked looking over the town below him; the streets were clean and everyone seemed happy...

It was more than he could ask for...

You worthless grub, you are a disgrace to your kind. Weak...passive...and sensitive...the Instructors were right to call you a failure, a small voice rang in his head. You don’t deserve this...

Shut up, another part of his mind fought back. He rubbed his eyes preventively, any tears he was going to have dried and out of the way. 

You always need help from others to solve your problems...you can’t even defend yourself when it counts! What kind of shrimp are you?!

I’m working on it...

You’re a spineless freak. Your brother only helps you because he pities you. One day, he will get tired and leave you...

Pharynx loves me! He wouldn’t...he can’t...

Then why did you snap at him? Why did you tell him to shut up when he tried to help. You dug this hole yourself...

No...Pharynx cares...I know it. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t-

And what about Fluttershy? Once she finds out what you truly are she’ll disown you like the rest of them...and maybe she should.

“Me solum relinquatis!”

“What?” 

Thorax stopped, his heart beating against his chest. Turning his head slowly, cyan eyes met with emerald ones. His wings laid dead at his sides, hoof trembling on the glass window. “Um...hi...”

The dragon stared at him blankly, holding a tray of biscuits in his claws. He had a pink apron wrapped around his torso, flour spilled on his arms and face. The baked goods smelled fresh, the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg filled the air.

“Yeah...you okay?”

“Um...yeah...I’m fine...”

Wiping away phantom tears from his compound eyes, Thorax stared into the window. 

“Are you sure? You want to talk about it?”

“Do you guys always ask if I want to talk about it...?”

Spike chuckled. “Yeah...I get it can be tiring hearing that from everyone, but it works quite a bit. I understand if you aren’t that comfortable talking...”

Buzzing his limp wings, he felt the dragon approach him. “...what do you want...?”

“Well, at first I thought I’d give you some biscuits I was baking because I wanted to be nice. Now I’m giving it to you because I want you to feel better.”

Thorax sighed, laying against the windowsill. “A nice gesture, but unnecessary. I...don’t digest grains well, anyway...”

“Huh...well, more for me!” Spike shoved a handful of baked biscuits into his mouth, crunching and chewing them. Thorax flattened his ears, sighing.

“But seriously, you don’t look fine. It looks like you are about to cry...”

Thorax sniffed, covering his face with his hooves. “...I got a lot on my mind is all...”

Spike nodded, looking out of the same window. “It’s pretty outside, isn’t it?”

The cyan changeling smiled. “Mhm...”

They sat silently, looking out the window. A phantom breeze seemed to wash over him, clearing his mind of its toxicity and filling him with a newfound sense of self-worth. Maybe it was Spike’s positivity that was rubbing off of him...maybe it’s his head being merciful.

Either way, he didn’t mind.

“...you know...? Changelings aren’t that nice...so it’s a relief to know other creatures can be companionate...”

“Well you and your brother seem to be pretty decent so...”

Thorax gave a shuttering sighing. “Pharynx only does the facade for me...he’s a ‘hit first, talk later’ type of guy. I know first-hoof what he can do...and what’s he’s capable of...” his mind went back to when he was still living at the hive, memories of blood and teeth...neither of which were his. “As for me...?”

His eyes trailed onto the sun. The shining orb casting warmth from its stationed position in the sky. “I’ve...always been like this, even when I lived at the hive. I was...different...and I didn’t fit into the status quo...”

Spike gazed sympathetically towards him. “I guess you were made fun of, huh?”

“...something similar, yes...”

The dragon became quiet, flicking his spaded tail back and forth. His ear fins twitched, watching the sun just as Thorax did. “Heh. I was picked on a lot when I went to Canterlot prep school, being a dragon and all..”

Thorax turned his cyan eyes towards the reptilian, surprised. “Why would anyone pick on a dragon?”

He shrugged. “It’s probably because Canterlot in general isn’t the best environment...mostly everyone is high classed and a unicorn. I’m glad mom and dad weren’t demanding or snooty, or else I would have lost my mind years ago.”

“‘Mom and dad’...? What’s that?”

“You know...your parents? The ponies-er...creatures who take care of you?”

Thorax frowned. “We...don’t have parental figures, being communally raised and trained by nursery drones and healers...and as far as I’m aware, sibling relationships aren’t super common either...”

“Geez, no offense but your kind sounds like a bunch of buzzkills.”

“...’buzzkill’..?”

“It just means that they sound like no fun,” Spike chuckled, patting the nymph on the shoulder plate. “Do changelings not use idioms?”

Thorax twirled his hooves, biting his lip. “No...you need to be as clear as concise in your reports so no one gets confused or misdirected.”

“Ok, yeah. They are total buzzkills.”

Thorax snorted, giggling into his hooves. His fangs were bared as he grinned brightly as the dragon. “Well...I guess they can be.”

His grin became a small smile as he looked down upon the town. The griping voice in his head dissipated, replaced by warm content. It wouldn’t be forever, but he relished the moment while he could.

“You are nice,” he commented, sighing. “It’s almost like you’re a friend...”

Spike gave him a perplexed expression. “I thought I was already your friend?”

It was Thorax’s turn to be equally as confused. “But...I thought you were just watching us...”

“So? I can still be friends with the changelings I foalsit...or...changeling...sit? I’m not sure...”

Thorax felt like an idiot, shrinking as the dragon turned to look at him. “Do you want to be friends...?” He asked, and the changeling perked his ears. 

“I’ve...never really had a friend before...”

The dragon gave him a big, toothy smile. “Well, now you do!”
> Bugs Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A melody of buzzing wings filled the air, and Thorax clapped his hooves in anticipation. “Um...how long until Fluttershy gets back?” He asked, gnawing on his chitinous hoof. “She will be back, right? Nothing bad happened...right?”

Spike chuckled. “Stop worrying! She’ll be back by noon, give or take. The train isn’t all that reliable...”

Thorax mumbled incoherent words, staring intently at the door. He fiddled with the blanket that Fluttershy had let him borrow, feeling comforted by the small quilt. Turning his cyan eyes, he watched Pharynx silently.

His brother had a small pile of books laying around him. Apparently, the older nymph found interest in the novel’s writing, but never wanted to share what he was reading with the younger changeling.

“It’s not something you’d like,” was his answer, like that was going deter him. It only fueled the younger one’s curiosity. It wasn’t like he could read either, so he was left completely in the dark.

“Pharynx, are you done?” He asked, tapping his older brother’s shoulder. The red changeling barely reacted, hissing under his breath. “You’ve buried your head in those books for hours...for the last few days...I think it’s time to stop...”

Violet eyes glared at him before the crimson nymph focused back on the book. Sighing, he turned towards the impatient bunny, who stood in the corner, pouting.

“Hey,” he said quietly, then pointed towards his older brother. “Can you do something to get him mad?”

Angel looked at him with an odd expression, flattening his long ears. His whisker twitched, sniffing the changeling. “Um...just something small, because Pharynx is lost in his world right now...”

The white rabbit smiled mischievously, rubbing his front paws together. Thorax watched the bunny hop over towards the distracted changeling, his steps light against the wooden floor.

When Angel was a good distance away from Pharynx, he stopped. Looking around, the rabbit found a dulled pencil laying across the floor, promptly kicking it at the changeling’s violet carapace.

The book slammed shut, and Pharynx growled. “What. Do. You. Want.”

Angel quickly scampered away, running under Thorax’s front hooves. The younger changeling clapped his hooves, smiling. “Welcome back the world, my brother.”

Violet wings buzzed, glaring at Thorax with annoyance. “Of course you enlisted help from the rodent...” he sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. “What do you want, Thorax?”

“You’ve been reading those books for hours. I think you need to rest...” Thorax flattened his ears, his wings vibrating against his carapace. “...preferably now before Fluttershy comes back...”

Cyan eyes gazed worriedly towards his older brother, who stretch out his wings and legs. “I want to finish it....” Pharynx frowned, looking at the small pile of books that he laid around him.

“I can always check it out for you,” Spike called from behind them, and both changelings turned to look towards the dragon. Pharynx tilted his head, unsure of what to do.

Spike continued. “Because this is a library, I can check out books for you guys. You can take the book home for a week and return it on its due date. Sound good?”

When nobody responded, the dragon sighed. “Just...tell me what books you want to keep, okay?”

Pharynx looked across the books that he had laying around, before levitating a thick, leather-cover novel off the ground. The rust-color cover was painted black, around the edges, a broken lantern depicted on the front.

Invaded in violet magic, he lifted his chosen book towards the dragon. Spike looked at the cover before opening it up. Pulling a small stamp from atop the desk, he stamped the inside cover with a red tree. “Bring it back next week Friday, okay?”

The older changeling hummed in acknowledgment, grasping the newly checked out book in his hooves. A slightly chitter echoed from the back of his throat, his crest pulsing against the back of his head.

Before Pharynx could go back to his reading trance Thorax heard the clicking of a doorknob open. A click of anticipation could be heard in the air as the door swung open. Before them, a pair of mares stepped through the door.

Thorax chirped when he saw Fluttershy, smiling. “Hi, Fluttershy!” He trotted over towards her, tilting his head up to meet her gaze. The rabbit behind him raced towards the pegasus, nuzzling onto one of her hooves.

Fluttershy smiled back, both tired and delighted. “Hello my caterpillar, how did the week go?”

“Um...I went okay, I think...” he whispered, turning his gaze towards his older brother. “Pharynx still can’t get his head out of the book, though...”

Fluttershy chuckled, turning her teal eyes towards the distracted nymph. Pharynx was hugging the novel against his chest, buzzing his wings as he landed next to the winged mare.

She was about the take the book when Pharynx hissed. His fangs bared as a forked tongue slithered in and out of his mouth. 

“Let me carry it,” she smiled, taking off her saddlebag. “Then you won’t have to carry anything when we get back home.”

Pharynx stopped, hesitantly allowing the book to go into Fluttershy’s hooves. Carefully, the pegasus slid it into her bag, closing the clasp.

“I do hope things work out,” Twilight called, trotting up to her stairs. “Spike! I need my quill, stat!”

Spike sighed, but before he could stand to follow the unicorn, Thorax ran towards the dragon. “Wait! We are still friends even if we don’t see each other, right?”

“Yeah, of course!” Spike smiled brightly at the little nymph. “Come by the library sometime, though!”

“Well I-I can try but I can’t promise any-“ 

Thorax was cut off as the dragon pulled an arm around his shoulder. Giving the changeling a side-hug, Spike dashed up the stairs, waving a goodbye.

He was stunned for a little bit.

Before he had time to react, he felt Fluttershy scoop him up in her embrace. Secure hooves placed him across Fluttershy’s back, right between her wings he dug his hooves into her feathers, burying himself into her mane. 

Pharynx had returned to his magpie form, fluttering his blue and white wings. Fluttershy spread her delicate wings, flapping them as she floated off the floor.

...is that a hug? He wondered, clicking his jaw as the town below him became small. A warm feeling filling his body as his wings buzzed.

His ecstatic energy quickly faded as an overwhelming anxiousness filled the air. Its taste was sour on his tongue, and he wondered where it was coming from.

It didn’t take long for him to pinpoint it onto the flying mare. Fluttershy, though keeping a calm expression, was radiating the green energy like a waterfall.

...why is she so anxious?
> Train Ride Conversation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Twilight,” Fluttershy whispered, her eyes wandering around the train station. Ponies crowded the deck, everyone uncomfortably close to her. She tried her best to stay next to her friend’s side. “You used to live in Canterlot...right?”

“Mhm!” The unicorn hummed, reading over the scroll. “Oh! I can’t wait to see mom and dad again! Maybe we can stop to see Shining Armor too...if he wasn’t deployed somewhere else...”

Wings fluttered nervously as Fluttershy averted her teal eyes. “...so how will everything be arranged?”

“Well, you already know that you’ll be staying at my mom and dad’s house this week. Princess Celestia scheduled us on Wednesday around noon so...we have time to go sightseeing if you are interested...”

“Oh!” Her eyes brightened despite the situation. “If it isn’t too much to ask, I would love to! I’ve heard that Canterlot is a fairly nice place.”

Twilight snorted, closing the clasp on her scroll. “It’s nice when you don’t have to deal with the snooty unicorns. Not going to lie, though I love Canterlot, the ponies that live there can wear down on you.”

“I can only imagine,” the pegasus grimaced, thinking back on a young colt she knew. Shaking her head, she smiled. “I’m sure it’ll be lovely all the same.”

The train screeched to a stop at the station, steam pouring out of its smokebox. Sparks flickered along the side of the railroad, flying into the air. 

“Is this the right one?” She asked, pointing with her wing. Twilight momentarily glance up, nodding as she trotted towards the door. Silently, she trotted up towards the open entrance, gazing around the train cart. 

Bright colors assaulted her eyes as she tried to adjust to the lighting. She had been on the train before, but she never got used to the bright lamps that lit up the train every yard. 

It was a sensory overload just waiting to happen.

Following Twilight, she tentatively sitting on one of the cushioned seats. Watching the wave of ponies coming in and out of the train made her head spin. It was like watching termite going in and out of their nest, crowded and busy.

Twilight took the seat adjacent to her, leaning against the wall. Her nose was buried in her book, magically levitating quills and pencils out of her saddlebag and juggled them above her head. Fluttershy giggled at her friend's antics, her wings pushing off her own saddlebag.

“Um...so how long until we can get to Canterlot?” She asked, curious. 

“...depends. Usually it takes a few hours and up towards a day to get there.”

Gulping, Fluttershy rocked in her seat, her tail twitching as her nerves began to act up again. A day? She wondered, bitting her hoof. I don’t know if I can make it through the day...

A blowing whistle could be heard as the train departed, following along the tracks. Every so often they would run over a bump in the road, causing Fluttershy to yelp.

On the bumpy rail track, the winged mare turned her gaze towards the window. The outside world went by so fast, while everything inside sat still. With careful hooves, she unlatched the windowsill, bringing the glass up to feel the wind.

Her long, wild mane blew into her face as she tried to adjust the lock on the window. Once she was satisfied she began to tame her hair once again, brushing out loose knots.

“I hope Pharynx and Thorax are okay...” she murmured, fiddling with her hooves. “They’ve...never stayed at anypony else’s house before...”

“I’m sure they are fine,” Twilight sighed, closing her book. “They may be five but they do have higher intelligence and size compared to a normal five-year-old. I think they know what’s good for them and what’s not.”

“It’s not just that, Twilight,” she sighed. “Thorax seems to be getting...depressed, for a lack of a better word. He’s been like that for a week now. Pharynx still doesn’t trust me...I don’t know if putting him in a new environment would help...”

The lavender unicorn stayed quiet. Fluttering pages could be heard as magenta magic flipped through the pages of her book. “Well...from what I could tell, Pharynx seems pretty apathetic for the most part...he’ll likely not cause that much trouble.”

“Apathetic as he may be, I know he cares a lot,” she smiled, her memory of them playing at the streamside flooded her head. “Actually...he lets his guard down quite often when he’s with his brother...”

“Heh. Shining was like that when I was younger,” Twilight looked down fondly at her notebooks, picking up one in particular. It was blue with a silly doodle of the front, a young-looking filly and an older stallion playing with a pair of kites. “When he went away to train to be a Royal Guard, he gave me a small doll to remember him by. It’s still in my storage chest somewhere...”

Fluttershy couldn't help but feel her heart flutter against her chest. “Aw...he sounds nice. Is he your brother?”

Twilight nodded, sighing contently. The sound of a cart being wheeled caught both of their attention, and the food cart pulled up next to them.

“Would you like a snack, ladies?” The elderly stallion asked, his voice raspy. The winged mare hooded, plucking a small granola bar from the stack of candies. Digging around in her saddlebag, she tipped the stallion with two bits.

“Thank you!” She called as he strolled down the rest of the train before turning back towards Twilight. “Pharynx is very defensive and protective of Thorax...I just hope that Spike doesn’t do anything to make him think he is a threat...”

A light giggle could be heard in the air, and a yellow ear twitched. “Have you met Spike?” Twilight teased. “Least threatening creature you will ever meet!”

A low laugh sounded from her throat, and she chuckled silently. “Heh...yeah...”

The horned mare seemed to pick up that something wasn’t right, and gave a concerned look towards the yellow pegasus. “I know you are worried about them but it’s out of your control now. Just let them do what they do, perhaps they’ll even get some fun out of their stay! You never know.”

“Yeah...maybe I should stop worrying...nothing bad will happen, right?”

“Fluttershy you really shouldn’t tempt fate, because it can be sickening and downright cruel.”

The pegasus giggled. “Okay...’something horrible will definitely go wrong!-‘“ she snickered, her overdramatic voice lost on the flowing air. Twilight gave her an approving grin.

“That’s more like it!”
> Night and Velvet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun had crept further into the sky, almost directly overhead. Fluttershy sighed when she finally heard the train intercom go off.

“We have arrived on the Canterlot Station, I repeat, we have arrived on the Canterlot Station,” a stallion called over the mic. Fluttershy vigorously shook out her mane, rubbing her tired eyes.

She gave a grateful smile to her lavender friend as Twilight levitated her saddlebag off the train seat. Sighing, she stretched her cramped wings. The satisfying pop and crack that sound that was heard from her joints were music to her ears.

Shuffling off of the semi-crowded train, Fluttershy made sure to keep close to the unicorn. Twilight had much more experience in Canterlot than she would ever have, and getting lost was the last thing she wanted to do. Hooves clicked against the pristine surface of the station, the floors so shiny that Fluttershy could see her reflection in it.

“We will have to go through the city to get to my parents’ house,” Twilight murmured, looking trotting towards the side of the platform. “My mom and dad have been working on their book series for the past few months so they’re probably home right now...”

Fluttershy slowly trudged after her, looking around the bright city. Tall structures loomed over them, making the pegasus feel small. Keeping her head low, she followed Twilight into the city, keeping her wings pressed against her sides. 

It was quiet on the streets, only a few ponies seem to be out. Most of them seem to be upper-class unicorns, seeming to enjoy their late lunch. Tourists seem to make the other half, plenty of them having cameras strung around their neck.

She winced when flashes of light assaulted her eyes.

“Um, Twilight?” She whispered, her eyes glued to the paved roads. “Where do your parents live?”

“Just down Sunrise Street, unless they moved without telling me which would be weird and out of character for them.”

“You talk about them like book characters,” Fluttershy commented, giggling into one of her hooves.

The unicorn snorted, smiling awkwardly. “Ok...maybe being the child of two writers has rubbed off on me...”

“Well, I don’t see anything wrong with that, just found it interesting.”

The mares laughed, trotting down the road. Fluttershy felt her nerves beginning to calm down, the serenity of Canterlot streets easing her mind from a panic attack.

It wasn’t long before they reached their destination.

The winged mare didn’t realize it at first, but Twilight tapped against her side excitedly. Turning her teal eyes towards the structure in front of her, her jaw gaped.

The house was taller than she had imagined, stretching about three stories high. The walls were made of cement, painted to have a navy star-filled sky on the very top, slowly creeping down the sides. She followed Twilight up the patio, which leads to the dark grey door that separated them.

Twilight brought a lavender hoof to the door, knocking loudly. “Mom? Dad? Are you home?”

“Twilight?” A muffled voice of a stallion answered through the door. A pair of hooves clacked, becoming louder. It swung open, revealing an azure stallion behind the door. He smiled wildly when his eyes set on the purple unicorn. 

“Twilight!” He cried, bringing his daughter in a tight embrace. “How have you been, sugar plum?”

“It’s been fine, dad,” she giggled, stepping forth. The stallion let her come through the door, realizing another pony was on his doorstep.

“And who are you?” He inquired, giving a soft smile. 

Fluttershy smiled back, her timid demeanor back at its highest point. “Um...m-my name is Fluttershy...”

“I take it you are friends with Twilight?” 

She nodded. Her unicorn friend was practically bouncing on her hooves as she turned back towards her dad. “Where’s mom? Is she here?”

The blue unicorn nodded, smiling. “She’s upstairs, sweetie. Hasn’t been able to get her head out of her work,” he chuckled as Twilight squealed up the stairs. Then he turned back towards the winged mare.

“Pardon me, I haven’t even introduced myself!” He laughed. Fluttershy came through the doorway fully, shutting the grey door behind her with a click. “The name is Night Light.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” she nodded, the nervous fluttering of her wings apparent as she wiggled under her saddlebag. Night Light levitated her bag off her back, placing it beside Twilight’s discarded bag.

“I’m...going to see what Twilight is up to,” she murmured, trotting up the ascending staircase. The blue unicorn hummed in acknowledgment, waving as she disappeared up the stairs.

The spiral of stairs ended at the very top floor. This room, unlike the others, seemed to be less decorated. Instead of paintings and striped wallpaper, there were two desks adjacent to each other. The walls were littered with papers and calendars, and at the very end was a bulletin board filled with pinned lists and drawings. In the middle of it all, Fluttershy saw two ponies standing in the middle of the room, hugging.

The grey mare was the first to notice her. “Oh, hello dear!” She smiled, her mane flicking out. It was similar to Twilight’s in style, but with purple and white streaks instead of blue and pink. The older mare gazed back at her daughter. “Is this your friend?”

“Mhm!” Twilight bounced to her hooves. “This is Fluttershy!”

“Well, hello Fluttershy!” The mare held out her hoof, and the pegasus tentatively took it. “My name is Twilight Velvet, but everyone calls me Velvet. I’ve heard plenty of great things about you and your group of friends!”

Fluttershy’s blushed, bashfully flicking her mane with her hoof. “Um...thanks?”

Velvet giggled, placing her glasses down on the table. Turning towards her daughter, she beckoned them down the stairs. “I’m sure you must be hungry, I’ll see if Night made any extra hay burgers.”

“Hay burgers?” Twilight repeated, clapping her hooves excitedly. Fluttershy held in her giggle whereas Velvet chuckled loudly.

“C’mon, Chomper, let’s us assault your dad for food,” the grey mare smirked, and Twilight's blood rushed to her cheeks.

“Mom. Not that nickname!” She whined chasing her mother down the stairs.  Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle softly, following her friend down the stairs.




“Thank you for your lovely offer,” Fluttershy smiled, taking a bite into the hay burger. It was sweet and savory, much like the fast-food versions back in Ponyville. 

Besides her, Twilight dug into her meal. Sloppy sounds of munching maybe Fluttershy grimaced, but she stayed quiet for her friend’s sake.

Night Light and Velvet chuckled at their daughter antics. “Twi...” her dad held in his laughs. “I know you like my cooking but...manners? Heard of that?”

The lavender fur at her cheeks began to redden, and she coughed awkwardly. She brought a napkin close to her, wiping her messy face. “Sorry,” she grimaced, tapping her hooves. “I guess I got a little carried away...”

A rowdy laugh filled the room. “Oh, Twilight,” Velvet cooed, tugging her daughter’s cheek with her magic. “We love you all the same.”

The lavender unicorn became even redder. “Mom!” She cried, pulling away with a giggle.

“Aww...” Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile at the scene in front of her. This caught the attention of the unicorn family, who seem to realize that a newcomer was at the table. Squeaking, the winged mare hid behind her hair.

“Heh, it’s alright,” Night quickly assured the timid pegasus. “I guess since we haven’t seen Twilight in a while that we started doting on her again.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” she sighed, detangling her long mane. “It’s great to see happy faces again...it’s been a stressful few weeks...”

“Oh?” Velvet piped up, her joyful smile turned into a concerned frown. “Is something bothering you?”

Fluttershy looked away. She remembered how Thorax had acted after Rainbow finding out he existed...and she remembered how defensive Pharynx got...

“Well...let’s just say I took in a few creatures a few weeks ago...and there are a little difficult to handle at times...” 

Not a lie per se...just a half-truth.

This seemed to ease the worried tension in the air, as both of Twilight’s parents grinned and laughed. Velvet tapped her hoof against the table, giving Fluttershy a knowing look. “Much like taking in a newborn foal, isn’t it?” She asked, to which the pegasus smiled slightly. “I remember the first night after I had Shining Armor...it was so loud and stressful! I got the hang of it after a few months, but the first few days were like a living nightmare,” she chuckled.

Fluttershy giggled. The nymphs were already starting to feel like kids to her...it’s only appropriate for the analogy to come up sooner or later.

If the nymphs felt the same way, she couldn’t tell.

Twilight piped up from her hay burger, turning towards her parents. “Oh, me and Fluttershy are planning on staying in Canterlot for the week, is that okay?”

“Of course!” Night Light grinned. “You know you can stay here as long as you need, too.”

“Thanks, dad!” Purple eyes turned suddenly towards the pegasus, and suddenly Fluttershy herself felt lifted into the air. Magenta magic surrounded her as Twilight dragged her up the stairs. “We can make arrangements in my room! Do you want a hammock or my bed?”

Helpless, pleading eyes turned towards the blue and grey coats of the hosts. Night and Velvet grinned, waving.

“Just know if anything happens, we are just downstairs!”
> Unorganized
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Twilight, can we focus on the mess at hoof?” Fluttershy inquired, letting out a tired groan. It had been a few hours, and the moon had crept into the night sky not too long ago. Her hooves were uncomfortable to pressed together as she tried to avoid bumping into the furniture and cups.

Pillows and blankets were scattered about as Twilight hyper-focused on everything but the pegasus in the room. Navy mane became more and more frazzled as Twilight became lost in her own head. This was the most disorganized Fluttershy had seen Twilight, though in all fairness her room wasn’t all that tidy to begin with.

“...Twilight?” She asked again, her voice becoming slightly sterner.

“Hm?”

“Why is your room so messy?” She decided to ask, looking around the tilted desks and shelves. Books were out of place, their pages were wrinkled and torn, and tipped over cups crowding the floor and the tables.

The horned mare blushed, tapping her hooves. “Well...I guess I wasn’t the most organized back then...and I never ended up cleaning my room when I moved out.”

A light giggle filled the room. “You? Not organized? I thought I’d never heard that sentence coming from your mouth,” Fluttershy put a hoof over her mouth as she smiled.

Twilight became quiet again, juggling the books above her head. She squinted her eyes as she read each cover. “Should I alphabetize them or reverse alphabetize them?” She wondered out loud, sweeping the cups off of her desk with one hoof.

“How about we clean up the cups and figure out where we sleep before you organize everything?” Fluttershy tapped her distracted friend’s shoulder, gesturing towards the room around her. The horned mare snapped out of her trance, looking back at her room.

“Yeah...that’s a good idea...”




Once the room was in a decent state, Fluttershy stretched. Her wings were cramping against her sides, relieved from the hour's worth of work. It still wasn’t perfect, but it was a big step up from the original state it was in.

“Whew...” she sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “That’s was much more than I was expecting...”

Twilight nervously laughed, averting her purple eyes. “Yeah...this place was more of a mess than I realized.”

A melody of laughter filled the room, dust dancing in the air. Momentarily, Fluttershy coughed, dusting herself off. “Honestly? I’ve seen worst,” she chuckled, digging up fond memories. “When Rainbow and I were roommates her stuff was everywhere!”

Twilight smiled, giggling. She turned her purple eyes towards the newly cleaned room around her. “So...about our sleeping space. Now that everything is organized, we have either my bed or my hammock,” she tapped her chin, humming quietly. “Which one do you want?”

“I don’t mind which one so...I guess you can pick for me?”

“Fluttershy, that’s not an answer,” Twilight sighed, still keep a tight grin on her face. Her tail twitched against the carpet floor, strands of pink and purple hair caught on the fibers. “I don’t mind sleeping on either of them, but you are the guest! You should be the one to pick where you want to sleep.”

“Um...” Fluttershy gaze fell onto the floor, shuffling her hooves. “I really don’t know...”

“Alright, then you are sleeping on the bed.”

“Wait what-“

Fluttershy yelped when she felt herself lifted into the air. Magical aura surrounded her in its magenta hue, levitating her to the bed. It was pearly white, and the blanket that hugged against the mattress was a navy blue.

She widened her eyes, reveling how soft it was. Her body sunk into to mattress, the material cradling around her stomach and hooves.

“Soft, right?” Twilight tapped against the bed.

A soft trill echoed from the back of her throat as she relished the feathered mattress. She hadn’t slept on her own bed for a while, so it was nice to be in one again.

“Thanks, Twilight,” she murmured gratefully, clapping her front hooves together. The friends smiled at one another before Twilight turned back to her desk.

“So...should I alphabetize or reverse alphabetize?”
> Canterlot Gardens
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Teal eyes fluttered open as Fluttershy yawned. The rays of sunlight filtering in through the open window, casting its warm light on her body. Groggily, she stumbled to her hooves looking around.

Where am I-

Oh.

Right.

I’m at Twilight’s place...

Rubbing her eyes, she gazed around the room. From the celling hung an orange hammock, slightly swaying in the open air. A purple unicorn was curled up in the hanging fabric, her tail twitching every so often. Soft snores were loud in the quiet room, and Fluttershy rolled her eyes.

Steadily, she detangled herself from the navy blanket, stepping onto the carpeted floor. Muffled hoof steps trotted closer, and Fluttershy tapped her friend’s shoulder.

Twilight jumped from her sleep, falling face first into the floor. The winged mare winced, helping the unicorn up.

“Ow, that hurt.”

“Sorry...”

“No no, it’s fine,” Twilight rubbed her temples, blinking rapidly as the sun went into her eyes. She laughed. “You wanna get breakfast?”

“Sure!” Fluttershy gave a soft smile. “Um...where’s your bathroom? I want to wash up a bit before...”

“Next door over,” Twilight yawned, encasing a hairbrush on her desk with her magenta magic. Leaving the unicorn the tidy her hair, Fluttershy stepped out of the room. She found the room rather easily, opening the white scribbled-on door.

Pushing her tired hooves towards the pristine sink, she turn the faucet handle. Running water washed against her hoof, the cool water slowly walking her up.

Flapping out her wings, she pressed the water to her face. Cleaning out the cobwebs of her mind, she sighed. A yellow hoof ran through her tangled mane, loosely brushing out the knots that had formed over night.

Finally turning off the sink, she gave one last yawn. Trotting out the bathroom door, she looked around for a bit. Turning towards the staircase that led downstairs, she descended down it.

“Good morning, Fluttershy!” A mare called, and the pegasus looked up. Teal eyes traveled the room until she meet with arctic blue ones. Velvet waved towards her guest, beckoning her towards the table. 

Simply smiling, she trotted over towards the dinning table. Twilight was already sitting in one of the cushioned seats, already looking a lot more awake the she was.

“Would you like pancakes or waffles?” Velvet asked, levitating two plates onto the table. There was crash and clang coming from inside the kitchen, and Fluttershy assumed Night Light was busy with the food.

“A waffle is fine,” she replied, crawling into the cushioned seat. The grey mare nodded, preceding to call out to her husband. “Thank you for letting me stay here, Miss Velvet.”

“My pleasure!” The older unicorn smiled assuringly, snorting. “Please, you are a friend of my daughter, no need to use ‘miss’ in this house!”

Fluttershy quickly obliged, tapping her hooves together. The winged mare couldn’t help but feel out of place on the table, but she didn’t mention anything to the welcoming hosts.

“So what are you girls doing today?” Blue eyes turned towards the lavender unicorn. Twilight looked up from her pancakes, the fork still in her mouth.

Taking the end of the utensil with her magic, she tapped her chin. “Fluttershy and I are going to see Princess Celestia tomorrow, so I thought I show her around Canterlot today. She’s never been here, so sightseeing and shopping is mostly what we are going to do.”

“Ah, I see,” suddenly, Velvets expression became a smirk. “You sure that’s going to be everything?” She winked at her daughter, to which Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Mom. Not like that,” she faced hoof. Purple eyes gave Fluttershy an apologetic look, but every word fell on deaf ears. The yellow pegasus tilted her head, the words not processing in her mind.

Velvet laughed. “Okay okay, I’ll stop teasing you now.”

It due time, Night Light came from the kitchen walls, levitating a plate of waffles. Setting down the serving, Fluttershy shot a grateful look at the stallion unicorn.

“Thank you!” She thanked, taking the corner of the freshly made waffle into her mouth. As Velvet’s banter and Twilight’s exasperation continued, she watched contently from the sidelines.




“Your dad makes really good food,” the winged mare commented. Her wings flapped with new found energy, the sugar running through her veins.

Twilight stifled a laugh. “Seriously! I always ask him for his recipe, but he always gives this cheesy line of ‘a good chef never gives his recipes’, and it drives me crazy.”

Giggling, Fluttershy viewed her surroundings. Now that it was mid-morning Canterlot was a lot more crowded, though she could still walk without bumping into anypony.

A soft breeze brushed her face as her teal eyes wandered. It was a beautiful city, majority of the buildings were a pearly white, usually topped with a purple and gold spiraled roof. The sheer greenery of cut hedges and blossoming trees gave Fluttershy a warm familiarity amongst the new scenery.

“So...I’m thinking we start at the Canterlot Gardens, what do you think?” Twilight pulled a map from her saddlebag, scanning her eyes over the paper. “It’s a pretty place, and it’s a history lesson to boot!”

“That’s the place where Princess Celestia said the changeling statue was, right?” The lavender unicorn nodded in confirmation. “Maybe we can see that statue ourselves...”

“She did say the Queen Lytic’s statue has disintegrated into dust so I’m not sure how much will be able to get from it. Ooo, this is going to be exciting!” Twilight was practically bouncing on her hooves as she trotted down the street, Fluttershy not far behind.

Stifling a giggle, she followed the unicorn, watching the scenery around them as they walked. The sun crept higher into the azure sky, clouds streaking through blue canvas. The streets became narrower as they came closer to the Canterlot Castle, and Twilight stopped halfway through the streets.

With a flick of her tail, Twilight stepped towards a spiked gate. It’s paint was slightly chipped at, but otherwise the gate seemed kept it decent condition. Magenta magic opened the gate, and behind was a sign.

“‘Welcome to Canterlot Gardens’,” Fluttershy read out loud, poking the sign lightly. Lifting her head she gaze around the hedges. The garden spanned miles wide, a marked path running from where she was standing to the entrance of a walled area. “It’s really pretty.”

“Eee!” Twilight squealed, before coughing and regain her composure. “Sorry. I haven’t been here since I was a filly! It hasn’t changed one bit...”

Fluttershy laughed. “Well, I guess you are going to have to show me around. Where should we start?”

No answer came, but Twilight lit her horn, tugging the feathered mare over to a statue. Fluttershy sighed, but smiled as she was dragged.

“That’s Starswirl the Bearded!” Twilight pointed towards the statue. The polished stone loomed over both mares. Eyeless sockets staring back at him. Fluttershy gulped, sweating slightly. 

The lavender unicorn continued on with a eager voice. “Starswirl was the greatest sorcerer that had ever lived! He made many spells that, intern, helped Equestria for the better, even after his disappearance. He mentored Celestia before she became ruler of the land and-“

“I...think I get the picture,” Fluttershy smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. Looking around the gardens, she realized that many of them had sculptures of the bearded unicorn, each one in a slightly worse condition then the next. “...I guess he was really popular, huh?”

“More than popular,” Twilight grinned. The purple unicorn dragged her friend over towards another statue of the unicorn. “See this one-“

A sinking feeling in her heart told her that they would be here a while.




“Twilight, what about this one?” Fluttershy voice became slightly strained, trying to pull her friend’s attention towards a statue that wasn’t Starswirl the Bearded. Her yellow hoof pointed towards a scarily detailed sculpture of some sort of chimera creature. It’s head was similar to a goat’s, with a long snake-like body and a multitude of mismatched limbs. 

Twilight tore her fangirling gaze from the other statue she was adoring, looking over towards the one Fluttershy had pointed towards. 

“That depicts chaos and disharmony,” she said flatly, looking up at the proudly posed chimera-creature. “It’s a creature called a draconequus, a creature that spread those qualities and infects other ponies with it. Princess Celestia said it was of the creature she had faced thousands of years ago, but she never went into detail about it.”

Gulping, she looked back at the creature. It’s a real thing? She flattened her ears, gazing up at the open mouthed statue. Teeth jutted out from his jaw, making Fluttershy’s wince. Who ever made the carving was really into details...

She was about to turn away when a whistle of wind blew through her ears.


H̴̲̩͙̻̞̟̦͎͉̬̍ę̶̛̗̲͕͐̈́̅͗́̒́͗͂̓̓͜l̸̡͐̎̓̀̓͊͑̈́̐̓͘l̴̨̫̠̤̙̥̱̃̈̈̀̃̿̉̈́̿ö̸̢͈̠̈́̅̎͌̓́̓̏͘͜͝͠͝.̷̨̛̩̰̜̙͎̜̇̾̍͌͘ͅ.̷̢̛̩̩̞̤̬̖̫̽͋͂̆̈́͂̋͑́͘ͅ.̵̺̹̂̔͂͐́͒̌̚͝͝


“Huh?” She whipped her head around, twitching her wings. Spinning around, she tried to find the source of the voice.

“Fluttershy? What’s wrong?” Twilight turned a concerned gaze towards the pegasus.

“I thought I heard something...” the pegasus frowned, a nervousness filling her mind and heart. “...maybe it was just the wind...”

Shaking her head, she followed after the unicorn. Her eyes lingered on the draconequus statue, biting her lip.

It may have been the trick of the light, but somehow the craving seemed more sinister than it had been earlier.




“Hey, Fluttershy,” Twilight beckoned the yellow pegasus over. Keeping her head low, she stalked over towards the unicorn, fiddling with her hair nervously. “I think this is the one Princess Celestia mentioned in her letter.”

Averting her teal eyes from the paved floor, she looked up. She stared at an empty podium, it’s surface cracked and chipped. It’s was practically falling apart, about to turn to dust at any moment.

That’s what happened to the actual statue, so Fluttershy wouldn’t be surprised if the podium did, too.

“...seems very spacious...” she noted, eyeing the wide, flat surface. “I’m assuming the statue was pretty big...”

As she stepped towards the empty podium her hooves were caught on thorny flowers. Wincing, she pulled her hooves back.

The roses- or at least they looked like roses- had spiked thorns running all along the side of the stems. Leaves were twisted along the edges of the white-marble, every few inches was a blooming flower.

Each flower had a similar shape to a rose, both with its layered petals and red hue. They were several inches wider than a normal rose should be, along with a fainter smell of lemons and something rotting.

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think these are roses...” she muttered. “I’ve never seen flowers like this before.”

Twilight squinted her eyes, taking a closer look at the rose-look-alike. “Hm...maybe they are new rose species or a different type of flower? Maybe Princess Celestia mistook them for actual roses...”

“That’s possible,” she tapped her chin. Gazing around the garden, another question came into her head. “Wait...why did this one disintegrated but the others didn’t? Surely the some of the statues are older than this one, right?”

Twilight shrugged. “Maybe it was the material or erosion. I wish my teachers gave lessons on this one, but it was long gone.”

The unicorn tapped her chin, taking a closer look at the statue. Momentarily she prodded at the flower’s petals, carefully avoiding the thorns. “Well, I don’t see how we can get any information from this...how about the next one? There’s another Starswirl statue over there!”

Sighing, the pegasus kept a smile on her face as she followed the excited mare. Glancing back at the once-was statue, she stopped.

A tall, golden changeling stood from the top of the platform. A veil drifted from the side of her head, clipped by one of the rose-like flowers. 

Slowly, golden eyes turned to stare at her, fangs out as she grinned.

The changeling leaped from the podium, launching herself towards the winged mare. In a moment of panic, Fluttershy shut her eyes close, waiting for an impact.

When nothing happened she reopened her eyes.

The changeling was gone, left behind was a red flower amongst the debris.
> To Ease a Nervous Mind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Fluttershy? You feeling okay?” Twilight asked quietly, nudging the pegasus in the shoulder. She expected that the pegasus would get nervous out in public, but right now the mare looked on the verge of a panic attack. “Do you want to end the trip for now?”

The yellow mare did not respond, her teal eyes wide as she continued to search for what she couldn’t find. The sound of ruffling feathers floated through the quiet air as Fluttershy continued her nervous tic.

Sighing, she placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, finally snapping her back into reality. “H-huh...?”

“You feeling okay?”

“Oh...yeah I think I’m fine...”

“‘You think?’” Twilight parroted, squinting at the winged mare. “What do you mean ‘you think?’”

“I-I...” biting her lip, she twirled her mane with her hooves. “I... don’t know...I’m not even sure if it happened...”

“What? What happened?” Twilight casted a concerned gaze towards the pegasus. The only dead wind whistled within the garden walls, the rustling of leaves from a distance. 

“I saw...something...on the podium....at least I think I did,” her timing voice was uncertain, a level of shaking hidden poorly. Her wings flitter at her wings, burning off the extra anxious energy. “It tried to jump at me...but then it disappeared...now I’m not sure if I even saw it...”

Pursing her lips, Twilight gave Fluttershy’s a careful examination. “Are you getting sick?” She pressed a hoof to the yellow pegasus's forehead. “Sometimes I see hallucinations when I’m starting a fever...”

“No, I’m fine,” Fluttershy laughed a little, pushing the hoof away. Then her ears flatten, eyes turning back towards the rose-chalked garden. The podium was now a good distance away, separated by a hedge. “Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me...or the rose’s scent made me lightheaded...”

Neither of those answers satisfied Twilight, who still wore a look of concern on her face. “Well...I think we’ve seen enough for today...why don’t I take you to my favorite restaurant? Take your mind off of it for a while.”

Despite the overwhelming anxiety that overtook the pegasus, she gave a soft smile. “Sounds good...”

The unicorn took the lead, trotting across the marked dirt path. She flicked her tail back and forth, guiding her distraught friend back where they came. Fluttershy eyes kept eyeing her surroundings, her steps even quieter than it usually was.

They approached the front gates, Twilight shoving it open with her magenta magic. Making sure Fluttershy had gotten through the gates, she trotted back down the street they came from.

“So...where are we going?” Fluttershy’s asked quietly, sticking close to the unicorn’s side. 

“‘Sunny-Side Dinning.’ Mom would take me there when dad was working his day-job. Trust me, you’ll like it!” Twilight grinned, hoping her smile would put her friend at ease.

Her heart lifted when Fluttershy seemed to lighten up.

They trotted along the semi-crowded streets, they quickly came upon their destination. A large building made from grey concrete stood tall, dull magenta accents line the sides of the establishment. Above the front door was a large sign, reading ‘Welcome to Sunny-Side Dining’ in bold, yellow letters. 

Pushing against the glass door, both mares walked into the dining area. Smells of grilled carrots and rosemary filled the air with its aroma, making Twilight feel at home.

Fluttershy visibly relaxed, her tense wings giving out at her sides. She brought her head up, gaze around the room.

Clothed tables filled the dining room, each with golden trimmed seats. Twilight brought the winged mare over to a window seat, climbing to one of the chairs.

“...thanks for doing this, Twilight,” Fluttershy sighed, sitting onto the soft cushions. Her pink tail wrapped around the chair as if to anchor her in place. “This was nice of you.”

“Aww, don’t think too much of it,” the unicorn waved off, smiling bashfully. “I just want you to feel better!”

“Well you certainly made me feel better...” she gave a soft smile, tapping her hooves together. Her appreciation quickly melted into anxiety. “...I forgot to bring money..”

Twilight brushed it off. “Please, Fluttershy, you think you are paying for this? I’m making you feel better, this lunch is on me.”

“But Twilight-“

“No buts,” she stated stubbornly. “I’m paying and that’s final...and don’t think of paying me back on a later date.”

The winged mare gave a defeated sigh, obliging. “Alright, fine...”

Clapping with glee, Twilight turned her attention to a mare that was approaching them. 

“Hello! My name is Golden Gates, may I take your orders?” She asked politely, levitating a notepad in her yellow magic.

“Just a second,” the lavender unicorn replied, looking over the menu. Her eyes scanned over pictures quickly before concluding. “I’ll take a parsnip soup.”

The waitress nodded, writing the item done onto her notepad. Hawk eyes turned to look at the pegasus, giving a mellow smile. “And what about you?”

Fluttershy bit her lip, averting her eyes towards the menu on the table. “U-um...avocado toast sound find...”

Jotting that down, the mare left the table with a wave. As soon the waitress was out of earshot Fluttershy gave a hefty sigh.

“Fluttershy?” The worried tone was back in the unicorn's voice. “Are you still worried about what you saw?”

“Well...yes...but not just that. I’m still worried about Thorax and Pharynx and...I’m still wondering how the meeting with Princess Celestia will go. She didn’t seem to like changelings if her letter was anything to go by...” 

“Aw, cheer up!” Twilight placed a comforting hoof over the pegasus’s shoulder. “She’s only going to tell us what she knows about changelings so we better understand how Thorax and Pharynx would operate.”

“Yeah...maybe I’m getting worked up over nothing...”

“It’s normal to be nervous,” the unicorn tried to reason. “I would be too if I was you.”

“You know that doesn’t really say much,” Fluttershy frowned, tapping her hooves. Twilight rolled her eyes but still smiled.

“Okay, fair, but my point still stands.”

The mares shared a small giggle as the waitress came back from the kitchen. Hot, steaming trays were placed onto the table, and Twilight nodded in thanks. 

Fluttershy took a bite into the toast, it’s crackled exterior crumbling under the force. She seemed impressed, eyes widening with surprise. “Wow...this is really good.”

“See, I told you you’d like it!”
> Canterlot Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy was more of a nervous wreck than she was the day before. Her wings didn’t stop twitching, she kept bitting her hooves, and a few of her feathers had fallen from the stress. Shaking herself, she took a deep breath.

You are okay, it’s just a meeting with the ruler of Equestria, nothing to panic about here...

...

That’s a pretty good situation to panic in-

Shoving the thought from her head, she turned her gaze towards the Crystal clear window. Half of her expected to see the wondrous outlook into her garden, the other half reminding her that’s she wasn’t home at the moment.

The streets of Canterlot were crowded more than ever, unicorns strutting down the streets. Very few pegasi or earth ponies walked the streets of the wealthy city, and most of the time they were probably tourists. 

Brushing her messy mane with her hooves, she glanced at the door. Twilight was probably downstairs packing up their things before meeting Princess Celestia. She would too if she wasn’t so lost in her anxiety.

Claiming herself, she took a step towards the door. Her heart still pounded painfully against her ribs, but she swallowed the fear and pushed herself forward. The soft clacking of hooves echoed along the floor as she stepped down the stairs, sighing as she brushed her hair out of her eyes.

“I see somepony finally decided to say hi to the world,” a soft giggle sounded from her right. Turning her head, she met eyes with the unicorn family.

She returned an awkward grin. “Sorry if I took too long...”

Velvet and Night Light chuckled. “Sweetie, you don’t need to apologize! Join us for lunch and we’ll send you on your way,” the gray mare smiled, beckoning her over.

Nodding, she climbed into one of the cushioned seats, fluttering her wings at her sides. Humming to herself, she politely took a plate of salad from the table.

“So, why’d you girls scheduled a meeting with Princess Celestia?” The azure stallion inquired, tapping a hoof against the table. Twilight looked up from her plate of roasted carrots, her hair flicking out from the sudden movements.

“Nothing much, I had some questions and I couldn’t find a book that answered them so I went to ask her. Fluttershy came up with the plan, actually, I just got us to this point.”

Velvet chuckled from her seat. “Mind telling us about those questions of yours?”

“Sorry mom and dad, but it’s classified!” Twilight giggled, crossing her hooves against her chest. A rowdy laugh echoed from the older unicorns’ throats.

“Alright then, keep your secrets,” the grey mare chuckled, keeping an adoring grin on her face. “I’m sure whatever you need to speak with Celestia about is important.”

Fluttershy looked down at her plate, already half-eaten. She poked the kale salad with her fork, sigh to herself. “Um...I-I’m not hungry anymore so...I’ll go pack up.”

Excusing herself from the dining table, she turned towards where her saddlebag was placed. Brown false-leather leaned against the pristine walls, and she plucked it up. Rearranging the papers already in her bag she began to search for her more personal belongings.

Stepping up the stairs once more, she searched the room that she and Twilight slept in for the time being. A soft sigh emitted from her throat as she uncovered a stuffed bear from under the sheet.

The soft fabric of her teddy bear calmed her nerves. Before, everything felt stressful and overwhelming. Despite the welcoming energy that filled the unicorn family’s home, she couldn’t help but feel out of place.

Her heart stopped thumping against her ribs, reverting to a normal heartbeat. Her mind detangled from the cobwebs clouding her thoughts, breathing out a heavy sigh.

“Fluttershy? Are you ready?” Twilight turned the doorknob of her door, peeking inside.  She already had her saddlebag hanging from her back, patiently waiting for pegasus.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied simply, rising to all four of her hooves. Placing the stuffed bear into her saddlebag, she stepped towards the unicorn. “What about you?”

“Me?” Twilight chuckled into her hooves. “I was ready a year ago, but let’s not dwell for long. The sun is almost at its highest, c’mon!”




“...I hope the Princess isn’t too busy...” Fluttershy whispered, fluttering her wings. They trotted along the smooth paths of Canterlot Streets, following the purple unicorn down the road. 

Twilight frowned. “Me too, though I wouldn’t stress too much about it,” she chuckled to herself. “She sometimes complains about not having anything exciting happening in her life anymore...”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, and the unicorn coughed awkwardly. “I mean...I can’t help it! She’s venting in the same room as I’m studying, okay?”

The pegasus covered her lips as she giggled, the last straws of nervousness finally breaking. The sun kept creeping higher into the azure sky, the clouds above them white and fluffy. Pairs of hooves clicked closer towards the pearly white castle that sat right at the edge of Canterlot, albeit rather slowly.

“Have you been to the castle?” Fluttershy asked, trying to keep her mind from worrying. 

Twilight tapped her chin. “Eh...maybe once or twice? Usually, she would teach at the School of Magic, but sometimes she would invite me for more one-on-one lessons. It’s pretty big so just stay next to me and you won’t get lost.”

The yellow pegasus hummed, her teal eyes averting towards the road. Her wings fluttered underneath her saddlebag, flattening her ears as possibilities filled her mind.

What if we both get lost? Or if I get separated? What if Celestia is busy and we distract her?...and what if I do something wrong? Will she approve of Thorax and Pharynx? 

What is she doesn’t?!

Shaking her head, she looked back up. They were at the entrance of the tall, pearly castle, and instantly Fluttershy felt her heart drop to her stomach. The looming walls towered over her, it’s marble surface gleaming in the sunlight. Gray and white swirled into sporadic patterns that reminded Fluttershy of cobwebs, and each castle pillar was topped off with pointed gold and purple roofs.

Gulping, she tried to find her words. “...it’s really...tall....”

“Yeah, I guess it’s a little intimidating at a first glance but trust me! I think you’ll like it once we get inside.”

“Um...okay...” her voice was barely a whisper as she trotted after the unicorn, dipping her head as they passed the entrance gate. Passing the gate guards internally sent her into a panic as eyes trailed the two mares into the castle, an expressionless face staying almost as still as a statue.

Her hooves clacked carpeted marble, entering the foyer through a narrowed tunnel. Golden arches reached high, reinforcing how small she was compared to everything.

Tearing her eyes away from the tall walls and ceiling, she looked around the foyer. The crimson carpet split into three directions, one of which climbing the stairs to another archway. Checkered black and white patterns littered the marble floor, so shiny that she could see her reflection in it.

Twilight took a brief look at her surroundings before trotting up the ascending stairs. The pegasus followed quickly thereafter, trusting the unicorn’s intuition and photographic memory.

The mares took a turn left, heading down another corridor. The light was brighter in this room, and Fluttershy had to take a moment to adjust to the lighting.

When she did, she was in awe.

The walls were marbled with silver and white, lined with pillars that held the roof in place. A top each pillar had a golden basket, sprouting bright purple lavenders and roses. Tangled vines wrapped themselves around the pillars, making the room seem alive.

“Wow...” Fluttershy whispered, walking along the stretching corridor.

“See? Told you you’d like it,” Twilight smirked, leading them towards one of the open archways. Fluttershy barely acknowledged her friend as she admired the foliage that swayed slightly in the open air, completely enamored by its beauty.

Her attention stolen, she didn’t pay much attention until she bumped into the unicorn. Twilight had stopped abruptly, and Fluttershy shook her head. Turning her head, she stopped in her tracks, her heart quickening its pace again.

In front of her stood a tall white alicorn, her multi-toned mane swirling around itself with some unseen magic. Large, majestic wings unfurled at her sides, each feather twitching as they were disturbed by a slight breeze. Magenta eyes turned towards the two mares, a soft smile gracing her face.

Fluttershy yelped, her wings fluttering. “Princess Celestia...” she whispered, ducking behind her unicorn friend.

“Twilight! Fluttershy!” The princess greeted, lowering a scroll she had levitating in her yellow magic. “Pleasure to see you two.”
> Spilling the Tea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Princess,” Twilight dipped her head in a bow. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, momentarily forget where she was and who she was seeing, staring blankly at the white alicorn. Her mane was frazzled, just barely containing her near panic attack.

Celestia chuckled, flapping her wings. “Oh Twilight, you know you don’t have to greet me like that,” she smiled as the lavender unicorn met her gaze.

“You are princess, it’s proper and formal, especially in a public setting,” Twilight recited, as if having this line ingrained into her memory. Both winged mares chuckled, Fluttershy’s giggle was much quieter than the loud laughter emitting from the Princess herself.

“Well, I suppose if you are going to be like that, “ Celestia gracefully turned towards the door on the far right, her mane swishing behind her with its invisible magic. Twilight was the first to follow her, Fluttershy’s hooves being more hesitant and nervous.

From a couple of hoofsteps away, the yellow pegasus watched yellow magic light from the Princess’s horn, throwing open the golden gates dramatically. The loud bang sound made Fluttershy flinch, rubbing her ears. It didn’t help that the sound echoed for quite a while, even as they stepped down a new corridor.

“The Round Table?” Fluttershy flicked her ears, listening to Twilight’s conversation as she tried to get rid of the rigging in her ears.

“The Round Table,” Celestia gave a curt nod, which made her even more confused.

“...the...the round table?” She whispered, shaking her head. They turned left, which made the pegasus internally groan as they continued down the unending path. Seriously, aside from the foyer and the first corridor, everything looked the same. How can anyone navigate this?

She breathed a sigh of relief as they exited into a large dining area...or at least she assumed it was a dining area. The large, rounded table sat in the middle of the spacious room, a collection of cushioned seats seated around the wooden table. 

Celestia beckoned them with one wing, gesturing to said table, giving a comforting smile on her face. It did little to calm the nervous pegasus down, but Fluttershy sighed. Twilight climbed into the seat across from the Princess, Fluttershy choosing the seat right next to the lavender unicorn.

The alicorn hummed. “Would you like some tea? I also have some cookies I baked earlier if you are hungry.”

Her horn lit as she levitated the kettle and a couple of teacups to decorate the table. The smell of sugar and ginger filled the air as Celestia filled her cup, looking at the two mares expectantly.

“Um...just tea is fine,” Fluttershy smiled, twirling her mane with her hooves. She nodded thanks as a cup of herbal tea floated into her hooves. Looking over towards her friend, she watched as Twilight poured her own cup, smiling at her teacher.

“I can see you are very eager,” she chuckled, her gaze casting over towards Twilight. “I take it you learned quite a bit from your changeling residents?”

“Yes, quite a bit,” Twilight clapped her hooves, pulling a large scroll from out of her saddlebag. As she unrolled the parchment, many drawings and diagrams caught Fluttershy’s eye. Everything was exceptionally detailed, even a diagram of what could be a digestive system or nervous system can being seen in the many drawings of changelings. “A lot of this is inferred from what I could gather, so used outside resources to fill out some of the blanks. Checked out a lot of bees and wasps books, let me tell you.”

Fluttershy and Celestia chuckled, the alicorn politely picked up the paper. She read through the parchment thoroughly, seemingly intrigued with what Twilight was able to infer and find on the changelings.

“Well, I must say this is quite exceptional, Twilight,” she said fondly, placing the paper down onto the table. “I’m very impressed. Perhaps I should take some notes sometime...”

Fluttershy quietly watched as the mentor and student conversed fondly with each other, momentary taking sips of her ginger tea. As much as she wanted to talk about Pharynx and Thorax, she couldn’t bring herself to prematurely end the conversation.

It wasn’t long before magenta eyes caught sight of her’s, and she instinctively hid her awkwardness in the steaming tea. Celestia smiled towards her, “...I forgot we had company. My apologies, Fluttershy, we can discuss what you came for now.”

“O-oh right...” Fluttershy smiled, though she felt herself strain a little bit. “I’ll let Twilight ask her questions first...I can wait.”

Twilight clapped her hooves, using her magenta magic to pull out another list, one that was significantly shorter than her previous. “Thanks, Fluttershy!” She thanked, smiling. Purple eyes turned towards her mentor, laying out the parchment on the wooden table. “If it isn’t too much to ask, Princess, how come there aren’t any documents on changelings? I would have assumed there’d be some but I haven’t found a single one!”

Celestia smiled, though it did look a little strained. “There were quite a few papers on them back then, but none of them survived to the present day. Whenever I or somepony else tried to write something on them, those writings would go missing not long after. It went on for a while until many of us decided to stop trying and leave the matter be. I never did figure out what happened, my best guess is that stray disguised changelings were going around destroying the evidence of their existence, but I’m not sure.”

The alicorn sighed, her wings wilting at her sides. Fluttershy tapped her chin. I guess it makes sense...

Twilight seemed interested in the theory, writing something down in her notebook. “I see...Also in your letters, you mentioned that you met their queen, Lytic. What was she like?”

“Queen Lytic was quite ambitious if I remember correctly. It’s been a while, so my memory a bit fuzzy, but I do know that she loved to feel powerful. It’s very difficult to explain...” Adorned hooves rubbed her eyes as if the conversation was begging to wear down on her. Twilight simply nodded, sipping the tea in front of her. 

“Um...Twilight? Your Highness?” Fluttershy piped up from her seat, casting a nervous gaze to the table. She shrunk under the sudden shift of spotlight, but she was determined to speak. “I hope you don’t mind...but I’d like to talk about Thorax and Pharynx now...”

“Of course, Fluttershy!” Twilight flicked out her main, giving the skittish mare her undivided attention. Similarly, Princess Celestia nodded, straightening herself against the back of her chair.

Gulping, she took a deep breath. It didn’t help much, but she kept going. “Princess Celestia, I wanted to ask if it would be okay if I could continue to take care of Thorax and Pharynx. They were hungry when I first saw them, and I still think they could use my help.”

Celestia seemed surprised by the upfront question, and Fluttershy briefly wondered if she should have done a different approach.

“Well...how to old did you say they were? Six? Seven?”

“Five,” The pegasus corrected, her wings fluttering. Is this a good sign? Or a bad one?

“Five?” Celestia’s voice pitched in surprise, her face contorting into concern. “I’m not all that certain if caring for such young creatures would be wise...”

“Actually, they seem quite mature for five-year-olds. I have yet to see them act up in any way,” Twilight offered from her seat. Internally, Fluttershy winced, remembering when Angel and Pharynx had gotten to a fight.

“Fluttershy, are you sure you can entirely trust those changelings?” Celestial continued, her eyes becoming serious. “I know from experience how manipulative they can be, and are known to be very patient when waiting for the best opportunity to strike.”

“Thorax and Pharynx haven’t done anything to make me feel in danger. I mean...I guess Pharynx has threatened me once but-“

“Threatened?” The tall alicorn gasped, her eyes hardening. “What do you mean by threatened?”

She gulped, unsure of what to do. Saying that was stupid, why did I think mentioning that would do me any favors? Fluttershy’s scolded, mentally slapping herself. 

“H-he was just making a point...I was making him uncomfortable...and he just told me to stop...that’s all..” 

Celestia didn’t seem calmed by her explanation. Magenta eyes were thinking but showed her distrust of the nymphs she had taken under her wing. “...I think it’s better if you sent them back where they came from,” she started, making Fluttershy grimace. “I can’t risk them hurting you or any of my citizens. Is that clear?”

Fluttershy’s looked down at her hooves. Given what she said, it wasn’t surprising that the Princess had come to this conclusion. If she was in her place, she doubts she would do anything different.

But it’s wrong. Fluttershy silently argued. They haven’t done anything yet...and they are still kids! I can’t send them away...

“Fluttershy, is that clear?” Celestial asked in a softer tone.

“...I don’t agree.”

An audible gasp could be heard that the tabled, and both winged mares turned towards Twilight. The unicorn cheeks redden as she laughed nervously, tapping her hooves as she watched what would transpire.

Celestia sighed, her mane twisting itself around her face as she looked down at the yellow pegasus. “I see...would you like to elaborate more on why?”

“Thorax and Pharynx have been nothing but wonderful ever since I took them in....t-there’s be a few hiccups, but not without a reason...” Fluttershy tried to look braver than she felt, but her anxiety was about to shatter her composure with all the pressure. “I-I...don’t think it’s a good idea to send them back to their hive...Thorax has told me he was bullied a lot when he lived there, and...Pharynx has only barely started to trust me...I’d be breaking that trust if I send them away...”

A moment of tense silence filled the room, the slight ringing in her ears becoming louder to fill the quiet void. Sweat beads trailed down her face, her need to flee rising beyond what she was used to. 

Eventually, Celestia nodded. “I understand your concerns for the creatures...but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful,” The white alicorn tapped her chin, uncertainty clear as day. Her tired sigh escaped her throat as she racked her brain. “Alright, you can keep taking care of them, but if they start becoming a threat to anyone I want you to contact me.”

“Of course...” Fluttershy mumbled, feeling the anxiousness fading as she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Also,” Celestia continued, “If these creatures are to stay with you, they’ll need to follow a few rules.”

“...like what?” She asked tentatively, feeling as if she was trending on open water.

“...I am not quite sure at the moment. I’ll need some time to think about those conditions. For now, though, keep them in your house until further notice, is that clear?”

“Y-yes...Princess...”

“Good,” Celestia turned to look at both mares. Twilight has stayed quiet the whole time, unsure of what to make of the situation. The lavender unicorn eyes darted back and forth between her mentor and her friend, before pulling her notebook back into her bag. 

“I suppose this is the end of our meeting. I bid you two good day.”
> Her Changelings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

What am I doing?

Her pink mane whipped her face as she glided along the air. Thorax was clinging to her feathers, his eyes shut tight as the wind became stronger. Angel clung onto the side of the saddlebag, and the magpie behind her took a steady pace as he followed. 

Her wings felt shaky, Fluttershy feared they would give out at any moment. Teal eyes were glued to the ground as she watched her surroundings, the misty fog from the corner of her eyes becoming thicker and thicker. She flicked her ears as she tried to rid the constant ringing she felt, but to no avail.

“Um...M-Miss Fluttershy...?” Thorax quietly whispered from upon her back, reverting to the name he used back when they first met. “Why are you really anxious right now...? Did your meeting not go well?”

“Hm?” Fluttershy gulped, forgetting that changelings could read emotions. Well...she didn’t outright know that, but they fed on emotions so they probably could read them, too. “Oh...uh...I guess you could say that.”

Thorax frowned, an almost fearful look crossed his face. Before she could ask what was wrong, he buried his head into her mane, hiding.

Sighing, she dipped down towards the door of her small cottage. It’s been a few days, but she was already beginning to miss her cozy home. The smell of blossoming violets and peonies welcomed her back, a choir of birds soaring overhead.

With a quick click, she opened her front door, stepping into the vacant house. Aside from some of the gathering dust, nothing seemed out of place or moved, which put her more at ease. Angel gave a whining groan, hopping onto the ground and running to the garden bushes.

The small changelings slid off of her back, ungracefully tumbling onto his hooves. He shook himself, the wings along his back pulsating as he buzzed them. Behind them, Pharynx the magpie returned to Pharynx the changeling, the red-hued nymph prodding at her saddlebag.

“Heh, you really like that book, huh?” Fluttershy smiled, pulling the small rust-colored novel from out of her bad. She didn’t bother to look at the cover, handing it over towards the young changeling. Pharynx took it without hesitation, flopping down onto the couch as he flipped to one of the pages in the middle.

“How did you remember the page you were on without a bookmark?” Fluttershy asked.

“...memorized every word on the page,” he said nonchalantly, to which Fluttershy screwed her mouth shut. Welp, I’m not asking.

“Oook then, I’m going to be out in the garden, call me if you need anything,” she smiled at both nymphs, nudging Thorax gently with her nose. Turning towards her door, she quietly shut it behind her. Her wings were tired, but she needed to clear her mind.

With a little flutter, she settled down near one of the housing trees, the robins descending around her as she kicked her hooves.

“Oh, hello Lady and Rin!” She smiled as the darker one perched atop her head. The tweeted and chirped at her, happy that she was home. “I know I’ve been away for a few days, but I hope everyone is doing well!”

Chirp Chirp!

“Oh, Harry went to see his mother again? How nice of him, remind me to tell him to say hi for me?”

Tweet chirp chirp!

“...Huh...Rin you’re a little too young to be thinking about dating, don’t you think?”

TWEET!

“Okay okay...! I’m just saying!”

Tweet tweet.

Fluttershy frowned. “Ha ha, very funny...” Teal eyes averted to the ground as she wonders towards the stream. The soft sounds of running water soothed her senses as she laid down onto the soft bed of grass, sighing.

Chirp?

“Huh?” She looked up at Lady, the robin giving her a concerned look within her beady eyes. “Oh, I’m fine, Lady. Just...the meeting in Canterlot didn’t go as well as I hoped...”

A reddish wing patted her sympathetically, and she smiled. “Thanks...I really needed that.”

She chuckled as the robins snuggled in closer towards her. Rustling feathers, the soft breeze, it all seem to help calm Fluttershy’s nerves. See could forget her stress or a little while...

“Fluttershy?”

Her ears perked as she swiveled her head around, calming down once she saw the nymph. Thorax buzzed his wings quietly, shuffling his hooves as he approached her.

“Yes, Thorax?” She asked, the robins next to her shuffling around as the nymph settled by her. He seemed nervous, though she wasn’t entirely sure why.

“Um...I have a...question...if you don’t mind me asking...” he started, his tone seeming to pick his choice of words carefully, wavering as he looked up at her.

“Alright...what is it?”

“Um...you aren’t going to be getting in trouble...are you?”

“...pardon?” She blinked, her head tilting.

“I-I mean...you said you were having a meeting with the Princess...and you said that it didn’t go well...I was just wondering if you were going to be in trouble is all...is the Princess going to punish-“

A yellow hoof pressed against his nose. “Slow down, Thorax. What makes you think I’m getting in trouble?”

“U-um...well if things don’t do well you’d be p-punished...at least...that’s what usually happens...”

Rin flapped her wings landing into Thorax’s forehooves. The little robin rubbed her head onto his chitinous hooves as if to comfort him. He was stunned at first, before relaxing.

Fluttershy frowned. “..was it like that back at your hive?”

He bit his lip. “...does it not work like that for ponies...?”

“No sweetie, it’s not like that,” she rubbed his crest affectionately. His moment of embarrassment faded away as he giggled. “Equestria is very fair with its system, or at least, for the most part it is. I’m not going to be getting in trouble for talking back to the Princess.”

“Really?” Thorax seemed intrigued by the very thought of it, before looking at his hooves. “In the hive, you would be executed if you even think about doing other things other than what the Queen tells you...”

Fluttershy shivered at that thought. With a careful wing, she brought the cyan changeling close to her, placing the warm feathers against his back. “Know that it’s not like that around here, your safe.”

Thorax stayed quiet, watching the stream water. Unexpectedly, Rin and Lady decided to swarm around the small nymph, making the changeling squeak.

She chuckled. “Thorax, this is Rin and Lady. They are very nice robins and who want to be friends with you.”

“Friends?” Thorax's eyes widen before his lips unzipped in a wide smile. “Hi! I’m Thorax, it’s nice to meet you.”

Fluttershy watched fondly as Thorax conversed with the robins, her mind easing with every second.

Even if Celestia didn’t quite approve yet, I’ll protect them to the end, she vowed. 

They are my changelings, after all...
> Pie Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This...is your singing...telegram...I hope it finds you well!” Fluttershy watched with mild concern as Pinkie puffed out hot air, trying to catch her breath. Besides her, Gummy chewed on the weeds growing around her door, certainly adorable as always.

“-Gummy’s turning...one year old, so help us....celebrate!”

Teal eyes averted down, briefly looking back to the changelings that hid under her couch. Well...Thorax was the only one hiding, Pharynx seemed both annoyed and dead inside, but he should be fine. 

“-There will be games...dancing...bob apples...”

“...Pinkie...?” She tried to stop her friends from tiring herself, but her hoof was swatted away. 

“....no need to bring gifts...”

Welp, Fluttershy pursed her lips, now unsure of what to do. Do I leave her like this when she is done? Will she regain the energy afterwards?....she did this five times, didn’t she? I bet she also did costume changes, too.

“...it won’t be the same without you we hope that you say yesss. So...please...oh... please, R.S.V.P...”

The pink earth pony breathed in a long, shuddering breath before sighing out the last words.  “...and come and be our guest!”

Then she preceded to flop onto the ground. Dust clouded the air as she huffed and puff, the grass around her withering under the harsh breeze. 

“Um...I would have said ‘yes’ either way, Pinkie,” Fluttershy smiled down at her friend. “I really didn’t want you to waste your energy on all that...”

“It’s....fine!” She gasped, struggling to her hooves. Gummy had grasped the very ends of her curled hair, hanging in the air with a blank expression. “I did this for...every...pony...”

“Figured...” she sigh. “Look, let me get ready, and I’ll come over to SugarCube Corner in a bit, okay?”

“Yeah...I’ll...maybe I should write cards next time...” her exhausted tone wore down as she started to walk away.

“Who was that, Fluttershy?” Thorax asked peaking his head from out under couch. He slowly pulled himself out of his curled position, his ears perked up.

“That’s just my friend Pinkie,” she smiled towards the changelings. “She’s just throwing a party for-“

“Whooooo you talkin’ to?” A pink head poked through her door, her neck unimaginably stressed. It made Fluttershy yelp in surprise, wings flapping sporadically.

Before Fluttershy could come up with an excuse or explain, blue eyes travels around the room at lightning speed. It wasn’t long before she spotted the pair of dark chitin against her green couch. She gasped.

“You must be the changelings that Fluttershy mentioned!” She hopped over towards the nymphs, seemingly her exhaustion replaced with sugar. “I’ve never seen you two around town before! How long have you two been in Ponyville? Ever been to a party before? Have you?! Oh! This can be a ‘Gummy Birthday Changeling Welcome Party Bash!’”

“Actually Pinkie, I think-“

It was too late.

Before the anyone had the chance to blink or even process the situation, they were all whisked away in a blur of pink. Even Pharynx was stunned, unsure of what was happening.

The cozy cottages ripped away, the pegasus mare and the nymphs found themselves in a darkened room. It was hard to see but, she could vaguely make out a table, and few boxes, and...streamers...?

A loud click sounded from the left side, lighting up the room. Five other mares stood in front of Fluttershy, all looking equally confused and disoriented.

“Pinkie, ah thought ya said you would stop doing that,” Applejack shook her main, dusting off her hat. “At least a warning would be nice...”

“Sorry! I’m just super excited,” Pinkie was hopping from toe to toe, almost about to bounce through the walls. Quick hooves brought her to the top of the table, pushing aside the punch and the cake. The alligator was still hanging from her mane, everything around it becoming slobbery, not that Pinkie minded.

Clearing her throat, she announced, “Welcome to ‘Gummy’s Birthday and  Changeling Welcome Party Bash!”

“Changelings?” Twilight and Rainbow piped up at the same time. Fluttershy gulped as every pony turned to look at her, Thorax pressed between her hooves and Pharynx froze behind her.

“Oh...dear...”




Pharynx might just drop dead right there. 

What happened? What in Tartarus’s name just happened? Where am I? Who are all these ponies? I’m not disguised, no no no no-

“Sweet!” A blue pegasus with a multicolored mane swooped down next to him, poking his shoulder. “I didn’t know they could be different colors. This is awesome!”

Twilight pursed her lips. “I don’t think it’s smart to be so close to him...”

“Why? It’s not like he’s going to attack me or anything, right?”

Pharynx hissed, taking a step back. He really, really, really did not like this. Purple eyes darted around the room, physically getting more and more uncomfortable with the situation at hoof.

“See? He didn’t attack me!” The blue one cheered, taking another step.

See how long you’ll keep your ear, he silently threatened. His fangs were bared as he growled, taking a defensive stance as his crest pulsated along his spine. 

“Rainbow, leave him be,” Fluttershy calmly pushed the excited pegasus back a bit. “Pharynx doesn’t need you to be up in his space.”

“Aww but I want to see him turn into something!” 

“No-“

Pharynx, on a fight or flight instinct, decided fighting was not the optimal solution in the current state of things, leaving with one option.

Hide.

Now.

Along with a flash of green fire, Pharynx ducked under a cloth-covered table. Assaulting light still penetrated the gap between the cloth and the floor, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t even sure what he had turned into, his body just reacted.

The chattering of ponies became louder, becoming static noises to him. It was so loud that he failed to hear the soft steps coming towards him.

“Pharynx, are you okay?”

He tapped against the floor, unsure how to respond. His hooves still covered his head and the sound slowly started to tune out, but Thorax's quiet voice rang like sirens in his ears.

No answer. He didn’t want to answer. He didn’t trust any of these ponies. Out in the open, he couldn’t say anything. Vulnerability. Weakness. Never speak undisguised. Endure the torture...

Pharynx your you thinking about interrogation. You aren’t an infiltrator, nor will you ever be one, the logical part of his mind tried to be sensible. You are overreacting. Judging by Miss Fluttershy and Miss Twilight’s reaction, ponies don’t know about changelings. They can’t really hurt you-

HELL NO HELL NO HELL NO-

Pharynx squeezed his eyes shut as a war raged in his mind. He just wanted to curl up and ash away...why can’t death just take him already?

“...be....ne t-tibi?” Pharynx raised his head when he heard Thorax speak the broken language. He silently chuckled to himself, though it didn’t make him feel any better.

“Heh...meministi, quod lingua...?” He quietly whispered back. After a while, the words became muddled on his mouth, but his native tongue pulled through, somehow. 

Thorax huffed indigently, before tapping onto the wooden floor at an uneven pace. It took a moment for Pharynx to understand what his brother was trying to do.

‘Is this better, then?’ Thorax tapped, and Pharynx could almost taste the sarcasm as he rolled his eyes.

‘Whatever’

‘Are you sure you're going to be okay?’

‘Yes’

‘Are you-‘

“Yes,” Pharynx deadpanned, his mind had calm down significantly. He still wasn’t sure if the ponies could hear him, keeping his voice as low as possible. “I’ll...be fine...”

Even with the chattering of ponies beside in, it was dead silent, and he knew exactly what that meant. 

“...Thorax stopped doubting me...”

“I’m not...”

“Yes you are..”

“...perhaps...”

The crimson changeling sighed, looking up from his hooves. He was still in some sort of disguise, not dropping it since he had gotten under the table. Light ivory fur and feathers covered his body, so he assumed he’d taken on the look of some sort of pegasus.

“...can I...just be alone...for a minute...?”

The wave of nauseating worry that poured off of his brother made him gag, swallowing the bile that was starting to make its way up to his throat. Thorax let out a heavy sigh as his hoofsteps trotted back over to the group of ponies.

Leaving Pharynx alone with his thoughts.


 

“Pharynx says he wants to be alone,” Thorax announced loudly to the group of ponies, getting their attention. “I’d suggest leaving him be or he might rip your limbs off.”

Everything went dead quiet. Thorax felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead as a multitude of colors turned towards him, a perplexed expression on each of their face.

“Haha...this is changeling humor?” Rainbow Dash laughed nervously, to which Thorax shook his head.

“No, I’m completely serious,” he deadpanned. Contrary to popular belief, he can, in fact, deadpan. His instructor never gave him enough credit for that...

He continued with a squeaky monotoned voice, “He’d also probably find a way to brutally mutilate you as well, soooo unless you want to be his first victim, don’t bother.” 

Again, silence. This time, he was sure he messed up somewhere along his line of words, but he couldn’t figure out where...

“Well, so much for a Welcome Party,” Pinkie mumbled before a wide grin plastered her face once more. “Who’s ready for Gummy’s Birthday Bash?!”

A strained, enthused cheer emitted from the ponies, everypony gathered around the little alligator. Thorax watched the reptile chew against a rubber balloon, wondering briefly if that was a health hazard or not.

His gaze was cast towards where Pharynx was hiding, a constant, nagging worry filling his gut. I’ve never seen Pharynx so...panicked...before...

I hope he’s alright...

“Rainbow, watch this,” he perked his ear, turning head around to watch the orange mare dunk her head in the bucket of water. Thorax felt his sense fill with dread, before sighing when she pulled her head out.

He trotted over towards Rainbow the earth pony, his hoofsteps light against the colored floorboards. “U-um, what are you doing?”

Both mares turned to look at the nymph, the orange one tilting her head. With a...fruit of some kind in her mouth, she mumbled, “Bobbing for apples. Have ya ever heard of that?”

The nymph shook his head. “No...what do you do?”

“Please, it’s easy!” Rainbow splashed the water slightly. “Not to brag, but I can bob three apples at a time, just watch!”

Before she could show off, the host decided to pop up from behind. Thorax yelped as the pink earth pony bounced up next to him, making him flinch back.

“Hey girls!” She greeted the other two. “And hello to the new changeling friend!”

“Hey Pinkie!” Rainbow smiled at her, before dunking her head into the water. Pulling out a green apple, she smiled. “See, Thorax? That’s how you do it!”

“Aw, it’s a boring apple! I’ll have you know, I hid surprises in there,” Pinkie commented, about to bounce off when the blue pegasus spat out the fruit. This got the orange mare to glare.

“Surprises? Like what?” Rainbow Dash asked excitedly, to which Pinkie scoffed.

“Silly, I can’t tell you!” She sang, bouncing off. “It’ll ruin the surprise!”

As soon as she was out of earshot, Rainbow turned to the orange mare next to her. The small changeling stood over the lip of the bucket, just barely tall enough to stand without hovering over it. 

“Thorax,” the orange mare nodded towards him. “Try and see if ya can find one of ‘em surprises!”

Thorax tilted his head, the splashing making him feel nervous. Tentatively, he placed a hoof on the surface of the water, his nerves relaxing as he got used to it.

Taking a long breath, he stuck his head underneath the surface. Instantly, a wave of panic surged through him as he grabbed the nearest object, pulling himself out as he coughed.

Rubbing the water out of his face, he looked over to what he had brought out of the water. Surprisingly, it was the birthday alligator, his gummy no-teeth mouth chewing onto his tail.

“...is that a surprise?” He asked tentatively, almost so quiet that it could be barely heard above the violent splashing of water.

The orange mare chuckled, pulling out a cloth to wipe his face dry. “Ah think it counts.”

Well...I guess that works...

Before he could think to do anything else, he could feel the ever slightest tug on his tail. The gator eyes seem to stare out into space, but also...was that focus that Thorax could sense from the relatively unresponsive reptile?

That, and the feeling of hunger was also buried underneath all the scales and derp. Tentatively, he picked up Gummy with his forehooves.

“...What do you eat?” He asked quietly, watching as the orange earth pony and Rainbow return to gloating conversations. Gummy turned his head ever so slightly, and Thorax turned to see where the reptile was looking at.

There was another table, this one fitted with a pink table cloth. It’s sides draped down off of the edges, almost filling the space between the flat countertop and the wooden floor.

A large glass filled with some sort of purple liquid sat atop it all. “You eat...that?” Thorax asked warily, unsure if that was going to be a smart idea. The reptile kept staring blankly at it, making to changeling almost oblige to his wishes.

“Okay...here comes Gummy, to the purple liquid we goooo,” he quietly chanted as he buzzed his wings, holding the gator in his front hooves. As soon as he was standing at the foot of the table, he plopped the scales on legs into said liquid, watching incredulously as bubbled started to from atop the surface.

He stopped paying attention when he spotted someone else at the table. He smiled at the yellow mare. “Hi, Fluttershy!”

“Hm?” The mare looked over towards the nymph as he scampered onto the table. The fabric ruffled as he found room on the surface, careful not to tip any of the glass over.

“Darling, do get off the table,” Thorax turned towards a white mare, who twirled a glass of the liquid in her magic. “It isn’t good manners to sit on top of the table.”

“Oh...s-sorry...” he smiled awkwardly, leaping towards Fluttershy. He landed ungracefully next to her, huddling next to her wing.

“Are you okay, Thorax?” She asked, rubbing his crest. He chirped.

“It...it isn’t that bad,” he said, his wings buzzing. “Everyone seems nice...so far...”

Fluttershy smiled, before turning saddened as she peered over towards the table Pharynx was still hiding under. “Is...Pharynx going to be okay?”

“Um...he’d said he’ll be fine but...I dunno...” Thorax rubbed his eyes. “But...I think this rendezvous seems okay!...maybe he’ll lighten up a bit.”

“It’s called a party!” Pinkie piped up from behind, making Thorax jump. 

“Wha-how did you-?!”

“Shhhhh,” Fluttershy whispered. “We don’t question Pinkie Pie.”

“But-“

“I see that you’ve made friends with the birthday alligator!” The hyperactive pony scooped up Thorax in one hoof, making him freeze. In her other hoof, the drenched reptile rolled out his tongue, his thinking energy gone and replaced with empty space. “I think you’ll be along just great, just so long as the story allows you two to be!”

“...story...?”

“I know the ‘Welcome Party’ flopped a bit,” she admitted, but the smile on her face stayed unwavering. “Buuuut there is still cake! So eat to your heart's content, I’ll be on the dance floor if you need anything from your lovely host.”

Winking, she whisked away, the alligator still in hoof. Thorax blinked, dumbfounded by everything. “Um...I think I’ll follow on that advice, Fluttershy...”

She giggled. “It takes a little to get used to, but she means well!” Looking over the food, she plucked two empty plates, cutting off a corner of the cake. “Here, and see if Pharynx wants to try some, too.”

“Um...are you sure?” He asked nervously, reverting to his unsure ways, which he surprisingly kept at bay for the better part of the day. “I...it won’t fill us up all that well...eating would be a waste of food-“

“Don’t think about the practicality,” she whispered lovingly, nudging him with her snout. “It’s just supposed to taste good.”

“...if you say so...”

Cautiously, perhaps a little too cautiously, he balanced one plate on his head and another in his clamped jaws. The pegasus mare giggled, and Thorax tried to smile, best he could. Slowly, he trotted over towards the vacant table, wrapping his tail around himself as he placed the plates down onto the floor.

“Pharynx, do you want to try this...’cake’ thing...?”

‘No’

“...can you come out?”

‘No’

“...Are you going to keep answering with ‘no’?”

A pause, before he tapped once again. ‘Maybe’

Sighing, Thorax pushed against the draping fabric, crawling under the table. It took a minute to adjust, but he could make out a shape pressed against the wall. Pharynx had taken the shape of a pegasus, with white feathers and a red mane.

“Sooo...still disguised?”

Purple eyes looked up from his hooves, glaring. “Yes, and you aren’t getting me out of here...”

“Wasn’t planning on it...” lighting his horn, he brought the plated desserts under the table with them. He decided to keep his horn lit, casting a bright cyan glow onto the underside of the wood and cotton. “Fluttershy said to give it to you.”

“...you know I don’t like-“

“You don’t like physical food, yes, I know,” he acknowledged. His cyan eyes softened towards his disguised older brother. “...I don’t like seeing you like this though...”

Pharynx flattened his false ears, a wave of awkwardness and...oddly shame filled the nymph with its putrid blue and green glow. 

“...can you at least try it?” Thorax almost pleaded, placing the plated desserts near his hooves. “Y-you might like this one!...Please...?”

The disguise changeling quietly stared, an emotionless expression plastered onto his face. He stayed quiet, glaring up at Thorax then down at the offering. He did this quite a few times before sighing in defeat.

“Only for you...” he muttered, reluctantly sticking his tongue out and licking the surface. Whether he liked it or not wasn’t clear, his face a mask of conflicting emotions. 

The younger changeling waited patiently, taping his hooves together. It stayed like this for a few moments, his lips in a tight grin as Pharynx kept him waiting.

“...how is it?” Thorax prompted after a minute of silence. 

“...it’s okay...” Pharynx muttered. “...lemony...”

“Really?” Thorax looked down at his own plate, which he hadn’t touched. With an unhinged jaw, he clumsily bit into his slice, getting crumbs in his face. His forked tongue drew over his chitin lips, and Pharynx sighed.

“Really, Thorax?” Is tone seemed condescending at first, but his amused expression and bright yellow glow said otherwise. Carefully, the nymph dropped his disguise, bring a hoof to wipe away the stray crumbs off of the cyan changeling’s face. “It didn’t hurt to be at least a little tidier, does it?”

Thorax giggled. At least his brother seemed relatively back to normal. 

“I can try, but I don’t make promises!”
> Cocooned Until Further Notice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy gazed worriedly towards the shorter table, watching as Thorax quietly stepped out. The party was beginning to end, as she could hear Pinkie starting to shut the music off. She mostly tuned out everything around her, opting to focus on her changelings.

Specifically, she was focus on where the red changeling had disappeared off to. Pharynx had decided to hide out the entire party, Thorax joining him at two separate times during to duration of the party.

Quick hoofsteps sounded from behind her, turning to see an orange mare approaching her. “Oh, hey Applejack.”

“Evenin’, Fluttershy,” AJ replied, her southern accent seeming less pronounced now. Green eyes followed to where she had been staring at, mild concern etched into her face. “Ah take it Pharynx hasn’t come out yet?”

“No...” she sighed, her wings flittering at her sides. “It’s strange...I thought I would have to be worried about Thorax...not Pharynx...”

“Why’z that?” The farm pony tilted her head.

“Well...Thorax has been scared or at least nervous when a new situation pops up...I wasn’t expecting him to take this party so well...” Teal eyes became saddened as the realization hit her like a rock. “...I guess Pharynx was always more adamant about not going out...”

“Well, I’m sure everythin’ will work it’s out eventually,” Applejack smiled towards the worried pegasus, tipping her hat off of her head. “Pharynx will come out of his shell when he’z ready.”

“I...hope you are right,” Fluttershy didn’t want to admit it, but she feared that it was much more than that. Thorax was already refusing her help...and Pharynx would probably refuse it, too...

Shaking herself, she quietly got to her hooves, trotting over towards the covered table. “Pharynx? The party is almost done, we are going to leave soon,” she tried to say in a comforting voice, try to coax the hiding changeling into coming out.

There was a few moments of silence, before a slight ruffle came from under the table. Slowly, a white hoof pushed the draped cloth out of the way, revealing familiar purple eyes, though not compound ones anymore.

“...Over soon...?” He quietly asked, his voice seeming small and shaky. Her heart aches for the little nymph, but kept her composure and smiled.

“Yes, it’ll be over soon,” she cooed. Again, more silence, Pharynx seemingly thinking about whether or not coming out was a good idea.

“...are the other’s gone...?” 

“...no,” she winced, flattening her ears as Pharynx dropped the drapes and hid again. “I’ll go talk to the others about it...if you’d like...”

The disguised changeling didn’t answer, only quiet tapping could be heard. Slowly, she slid onto her hooves, making her way to the stairs as her friends descended.

Approaching the host, she sighed. “Pinkie? I need to talk to you...”

“What is it?” She asked, her voice naive and bubbly as always. Fluttershy’s almost regretted asking her friend for this, but she needed to do it.

For her changelings’ sakes.

“I...ok...I want you to stop bringing the changelings wherever you want to go, is that okay?” She asked, her voice as assertive as she could muster. Pinkie tilted her head, confused.

“Was this not the party they wanted?” She asked, before smiling as she picked up her alligator. “I can always make more cake or change up the decorations-“

“No...no I mean stop taking them to the parties...” she winced, the words escaping her mouth hurt to say. Pinkie loved throwing parties and socializing, it hurt to say that to her.

The pink pony was about the object to that statement when she momentarily glanced over towards the hiding spot the nymph had taken. Realization dawned on her. “Ohh...okay! Maybe it wasn’t smart of me to bring them along, huh?”

“Well...I wouldn’t say that...but, it’s would be appreciated if you didn’t...I was also told I should be keeping them inside...”

“Okie dokie!” The tips of the curled mane reached into her hair, pulling out a pencil and a clipboard. Writing down on it momentarily, she smiled. 

Fluttershy sighed, the relief that poured down onto her unimaginable. She was about to turn back to Pharynx when another thought crossed her mind.

“Oh, and don’t say anything to anypony else, okay?”

“What but-ah well, fine,” she pouted dramatically, her hoof to her forehead. “I’ll keep this secret of yours.”

“Pinkie promise?” She prompted, knowing full when what was to come after.

With a loud gasp, Pinkie began to recite her favorite line. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

Fluttershy giggled, nodding a thanks towards her friend. With quiet hooves, she trotted back to Pharynx’s hiding place. Thorax sat patiently next to the table, seemingly having a one-sided conversation.

“Pharynx, almost everyone is gone, you can come out now...”

...

“...that’s just being paranoid...”

...

“H-hey! It’s not that bad...is it?”

“Thorax, Pharynx,” Fluttershy started, gaining the cyan nymph’s attention. It was unclear if Pharynx was listening to her or not, but she decided to press on. “We are going home now, okay?”

“Got it!” Thorax chirped, before prodding at the draped cloth. “Hear that Pharynx? We are going-“

“I heard...” a tired voice cut him off with a sigh. Slowly, the disguised nymph stepped out from beneath the table, wincing as his eyes readjusted to the light. Fluttershy took a moment to look at his chosen form, tilting her head.

Instead of a chitinous changeling, he opted for a white pegasus with a crimson mane, similar to his crest. Violet eyes trailed down of the floor as he flattened his ears, a low growl barely audible.

Concern filled her body as Pharynx seem to sway on his hooves. “Pharynx..? Are you alright?”

The disguised nymph shook his head slightly. “I...I think so...” he muttered quietly. Before he could take another step, he collapsed onto the floor, green flames engulfing him as he groaned. 

“Pharynx?!” Her voice was panicked, as she carefully picked up the nymph, holding him in her hooves. The red-hued changeling pushed her away, wincing as he placed his hooves to his head. “Pharynx, are you okay?!”

“...think so...”

“...I told you to stop exerting yourself...” Thorax mumbled, just loud enough for the two of them to hear. Pharynx gave a glare at his younger brother before wincing in discomfort.

“...b-buzz off...” 

Fluttershy frowned, dipping head to give a quick examination of the nymph. “...maybe I could carry you home today...?”

“...I said I didn’t want your cod-“

“This isn't coddling,” she said firmly, teal eyes gazing over the shaking nymph’s body. “This is the make sure you don’t faint on the way home.”

“...but-“

“No ‘buts’, mister,” she said, surprised by her motherly tone. She was never really assertive in anything, so to hear herself sound like that was odd, to say the least.

Carefully, she placed the exhausted nymph onto her back, unfurling her wings to make sure he didn’t fall off by mistake. This did mean that Thorax had nowhere to hide...

“It’s getting pretty late,” she acknowledged, turning to look at the cyan nymph. “If you can stay behind or next to me, I don’t think many ponies will notice...”

“Hm...that....works...” Thorax didn’t seem all that pleased with the compromise, but didn’t complain. Sighing. Fluttershy trotted down the stairs, meeting up with everypony downstairs.

Rainbow was the first to approach. “Hey, Flutz...” she greeted awkwardly, eager eyes landing on the practically passed out changeling sprawled onto her back. “I...I guess I kinda owe you an apology, don’t I?”

She rolled her teal eyes. “Don’t apologize to me, apologize to Pharynx and Thorax.”

The rainbow maned pegasus coughed, looking towards the pair of changelings. “Er...sorry for being such a pain...”

Thorax chirped up from behind her. “Apology accepted,” he smiled towards the mare, his jaw clicking slightly.

Pharynx had a different answer. “...go away...” 

“Pharynx, that’s rude,” Thorax scolded, his voice a whisper as he looked up at his older brother. The crimson changeling didn’t answer back, burying his head into Fluttershy’s mane.

Rainbow seemed a little taken aback, but didn’t seem too offended. Fluttershy gazed with concern towards the Pharynx, but didn’t comment on it. “...he isn’t feeling well right now, so maybe when he’s in a better mood...”

“Ah...”

They stood in awkward silence for a moment, before Rainbow cleared her throat and pushed open the door. As if on cue, everyone started to walk out, with Pinkie staying behind with her alligator. “Thanks again for coming to the party!”

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Rainbow piped before dashing off.

“Not that we had much of a choice,” Applejack chuckled, waving towards Pinkie.

“Lovely evening,” Rarity said simply.

“Great party,” Twilight nodded, trotting off in a different direction from the rest of them. “Maybe we can do this again sometime!”

“Bye Gummy!” Thorax waved excitedly towards the alligator, who stared blankly at him. He giggled happily before quickly following after the yellow pegasus, a skip in his step as he chirped. “I like the party.”

“Oh?” Teal eyes down at the nymph, pride swelled up in her heart. “Did you have fun?”

“Mhm! Um...something ‘apples’ and I helped get Gummy to the purple liquid. ‘Cake’ tastes good, too...and Miss Twilight-“

“Alright, I get it,” she chuckled, rubbing his head affectionately. Seeing the nymph having so energetic made her briefly forgot how worried she had been.

“Though...I don’t think I wanna go to one again,” he mentioned quietly, looking up at her as his ears flatten. Eyes trailed towards the nymph across her shoulders, who had most definitely fallen asleep against her. “...you know...for him...”

“I know. I’ve already talked to Pinkie about this.”

“...Oh...okay.”

They continued down the barren street. Most everypony was already asleep, and the few that were still out paid no attention to the wandering pegasus and changeling. Fluttershy hummed slightly and the chilly air settles around her, cold wind rushing through her hair. The sound of leaves scraping against the pavements made her wince, but she ignored them.

“Does Pharynx usually pass out like this...?” she asked after a while, her wings shifting as Pharynx restlessly slept. 

“Not usually, but it isn’t uncommon,” Thorax informed, his voice monotoned like when he had unintentionally threatened everyone at the party. “Usually caused by overexertion on the body. In this case, stress coupled with a prolonged disguise strains the body more, making Pharynx all tired and weak.”

Fluttershy eyebrow shot up. “...I never knew you knew so much about this stuff...”

It was then Thorax blushed, a tint of blue rushing to his cheeks as he smiled awkwardly. “I...um...’Health and Healing’ was the only class I remember anything about...okay?”

She giggled. The nymph was adorable when he got all flustered. Sighing with content, she lead them home in peaceful silence.




“Angel, I need you to go to bed,” Fluttershy said sternly as she carried the squirming rabbit by the scruff. Angel desperately tried to push her off, whining pitifully. She sighed. “You should have been asleep an hour ago...”

After a while of struggling, Angel yawned. His energy for a longer curfew dwindled as she carefully laid him down in his sleeping basket. Within minutes, the rabbit had fallen asleep, sprawling out onto his back.

Quietly, Fluttershy tucked her bunny in with a giggle. That’s everyone, right?

After a moment, Fluttershy determined that everyone within her cottage’s vicinity had been accounted for. The ferret twins, Elizabeak, everyone! The winged mare sighed tiredly, the exhaustion creeping into her body slowly wearing down onto her.

Before she could collapse onto her couch, however, a thump and a crash could be heard overhead. A surge of worry clouded her thoughts as she looked up at her ceiling that held her second floor.

“...Thorax? What are you doing?” She called to the only changeling that could be up. She trotted up her stairway, clicking her door open as soon as she reaches the top.

Confusion was the first thing to cross her mind.

In the middle of her darkened room was an empty bed, and hanging from her ceiling was some sort of cocoon. Pink liquid filled the chrysalis, casting a flaming glow to her walls and floor, Pharynx floating inside of it.

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked tentatively, to which a small nymph crawled out from behind her bed. In his hooves was a broken lamp, a guilty expression plastered onto his face.

“Um...I d-didn’t mean to break it...” he said shakily, his wings buzzing with nervous energy. “I-I can replace it! Lanterns aren’t that hard to make-“

“No, I mean what’s this?” Stepping deeper into the room, she pointed towards the hanging cocoon. It reminded her of caterpillars she would help raise and release back into the wild, only much lager than that.

Thorax tilted his head. “It’s a cocoon...”

“I can see that, what is it doing here?”

The question made Thorax perk his ears. “Oh! Um...It’s a healing cocoon. Healers would make them for injured or exhausted changelings in the hive....” he tapped against the hardened material softy. “Um...it’s supposed to help energize the changeling inside...Pharynx should absorb most of it’s fluids by tomorrow...”

Fluttershy eyes softened as she looked down at the nymph. “So Pharynx should feel better then? How will he get out?”

“Mhm!” He chirped, his ears flicking. “He can break it when he gains enough strength. If I don’t use the cocoon he might take longer to recover because of the stress...”

“I see...” despite how intrigued she was, she was beginning to feel the gray fog that was exhaustion creeping back into her head. With a heavy sigh, she picked up and tucked him into her bed. “Now, it’s late, you should really get some sleep.”

“Ok!” Thorax smiled up at her as he curled into her pillow, soft thrills audible from the back of his throat. The pegasus cast one last look at the hanging cocoon, watching Pharynx heal from within.

“...Getter better soon, Pharynx,” she whispered, before whisking out of her room. With a final click, she shut the door, promptly collapsing onto her couch once was back in her living room.
> Shut Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A loud shatter shook the entire room.

Thorax jumped up from the pillow, sweat pooling off of his forehead. The sound of something like glass busting open was a little too familiar, his beating heart telling him to run and run far away.

He shakily sighed as he reminded himself of where he was. He was in Fluttershy’s cottage, the same one he’d been living in for the past few weeks. No possible way a changeling could be in this room right now ready to take him back to the hive, right?

“...ow...how did I get here...?” a low voice mumbled, and Thorax sighed as he realized who it was. Turning his head, cyan eyes landed on his older brother, who rubbed his head as he stood. Remembering what had happened the night before sent the younger changeling onto his hooves, tackling Pharynx in a hug as he giggled.

“What- Thorax get off!” Pharynx grumbled, still regaining his energy. He was a lot more responsive than yesterday, so Thorax saw this as a win either way.

“No,” he replied simply, squeezing his hooves around his brother’s neck. Soft trills filled the air as he nestled his head into Pharynx’s crest, clicking with content as Pharynx struggled underneath him.

“I swear you are getting heavier,” Pharynx wheezed, pushing against Thorax’s death grip. After a while of struggling and a great deal of whining, the older nymph managed to push off the cyan heap atop him. “Finally!...wait why is there a cocoon here...?”

“Oh! Um...you kinda passed out yesterday and I remember watching Healer Tymbal put changelings in a cocoon when they needed the energy...so...”

“Wait...you did that?” Surprised filled the older changelings body, kicking the broken shards of hardened changeling goo away from him. Thorax nodded, smiling nervously as Pharynx processed the information. “...color me impressed, because you actually remembered...”

“O-oh...um...” Thorax rubbed his hooves together. Pharynx hasn’t complimented me before...not that I remember at least, he probably meant that as a jab.

The cyan changeling shook his head, getting up onto his hooves. He looked up at the ceiling, the stem of the healing cocoon still hanging loosely. I’ll have to clean that up later...

A soft knocking pecked at the door, and both nymphs perked their ears. Thorax turned a curious gaze towards the entrance while Pharynx back up towards a wall, his snout scrunched into a hiss.

“Thorax? Are you okay?” Fluttershy’s voice was muffled by the door, but it didn’t stop Pharynx flinching upon hearing it. Thorax gazed worriedly towards the older nymph before using his magic to twist the doorknob open.

“Yeah, I’m okay...” he opened the door slightly, just enough so he could see her face. The pegasus mare sighed visible worry seem to dial down a bit. 

“Oh, good. Angel said he heard something loud shatter up here...”

Thorax silently cringed. Flattening his ears, he momentarily looked back at Pharynx, who was staring straight at the down. Bright green and gray energy radiated from the older nymph, but his expression didn’t betray his anxiety.

“Um...yeah, that was just the cocoon, that’s all...”

“Oh? So Pharynx is feeling better?” She asked quietly. Thorax nodded, still firmly holding the door in place. Luckily, the pegasus didn’t try to open the door any further, a soft expression plastered onto her face. “...can I see him?”

Pharynx clicked against the floor sporadically, but Thorax wasn’t sure if he was trying to communicate for if it was a nervous tic he was doing. 

“...Pharynx I’m going to let Fluttershy in, okay?” 

The older nymph clicked his hooves, before sighing in defeat. This greatly surprised Thorax, the pouring worry for his brother clouded his mind.

...usually Pharynx would put up more of a fight...

With concern trills, he slowly let the mare into her room. Her steps were quiet as if sudden noise would break the walls and the floor into dust. Slowly, but surely, she trudged towards the recently awakened nymph, her eyes portraying her worry.

“...good morning, Pharynx,” she started with a greeting, her voice had a calming tone to it. The pegasus kept a small smile on her face as she crouched down beside the flaring changeling.

Curious to see what would happen, Thorax trotted over, taking a seat next to Fluttershy. He stayed relatively quiet, watching them like a shadow.

“...hi...” Pharynx muttered, keeping his ears flattened as he looked away from the pegasus. Thorax could feel Fluttershy's emotions sadden slightly, a yellow hoof trying to reach out towards the red-hued changeling. 

“...I’m really sorry about yesterday,” she quietly said, sighing to herself. Thorax couldn’t tell if Pharynx was listening or not, his head was turned away from the both of them. It alarmed Thorax how deadly silent his brother had become, his emotions as stunted as his words.

Fluttershy pressed on with her apology, “I...I know you were very uncomfortable during all that...I wished I could have done something to prevent it.”

The older changeling tilted his head, only his skeptical eyes shown. 

“Really! If I could go back in time and fix it, I would...”

Pharynx stayed silent, watching the mare with narrowed violet eyes. His gaze shifted from Fluttershy and Thorax, and then back again. 

“...okay...and...?”

Another sigh emitted from her throat. “I know you still don’t trust me...I just hope you can forgive me...”

A dead silence followed thereafter. Thorax grimaced as an unfamiliar taste gathered onto his senses. Both bitter, bland, and spicy, he could feel the emotion wafting around the silent changeling. It seemed to be a mixture of emotions, but Thorax couldn’t  pinpoint what kind of emotions were involved in the cobwebs...seeming to drag Thorax down into the mess, too...

“...Alright...can you leave now...?” Pharynx muttered shakily. The jumbled emotions seem to snap shut, and Thorax blinked. The cyan changeling’s tilted his head.

Did I just imagine that or...?

Fluttershy smiled sadly, getting onto her hooves. Thorax followed her movements, biting his lip as he approached his upset older brother.

“That goes for you, too,” the red-hued changeling muttered towards Thorax harshly. Cyan eyes widened, his crest flattening along his spine.

“But-“

“Go away...” Pharynx muttered through grit teeth, a low growl starting to emit from his throat. The sound momentarily made Thorax freeze, the small sense of fear rising in his heart.

Gulping, he quickly trotted after the winged mare, who had already left the room. The door was wide open, but getting the sense that Pharynx wanted some alone time, he grabbed the doorknob.

With one final glance, he shut the door.
> Agony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

...How long have I’ve been sitting here...?

Pharynx wondered to himself as he sat on the windowsill, looking out into the field below him. From his perch, he could see a wave of grass dancing in the breeze, several blades of green glowing yellow in the sunlight. Judging by the color and hue of the golden rays, he’d guess that it was about noon, give or take.

He closed his eyes, wanting to forget his existence. Nothing felt worth the energy anymore, and he could feel his mind slowly slipping from reality.

Not that he minded...maybe it’ll give him a moment of peace.

He sat in the empty room, save for himself. Watching Thorax’s face as he left the room made Pharynx feel queasy, but he pushed past his feelings.

Thorax didn’t need to see him being an absolute mess.

...this is completely pathetic...the ‘most promising changeling in the hive’ now reduced to a moping pile and chitin ...probably serves me right...

...I hope Thorax is having a better time than I am...

...he wasn’t the one who hid under a table, of course he’s having a better time...

“...heh...I guess Thorax is braver than me,” he muttered, his voice cracked and broken. His tone saddened as his ears flattened against his head, feeling even more worthless as those words escaped his throat. “...does he even need me to protect him, anymore?...he has Miss Fluttershy now...she probably won’t harm him...”

Bringing a hoof towards the glass, he slowly pushed outwards. The latched loosened, a small crack allowing the summer air to waft through, and he sighed heavily. 

No...no, I can’t leave him with her...not alone. What if she hurts him? What if her friends decided to hurt him? What if am not around and he dies somehow?

No, I can’t leave...I can’t leave...

...he needs me...right?

Pharynx shakily brought his hoof down from the partially opened window, stepping down from the windowsill. Light clicks could be heard as he trotted aimlessly around the small bedroom, kicking the pieces of his healing cocoon around. 

“...I’m being delusional...he probably doesn’t need me anymore...he has friends...Miss Fluttershy...Spike...probably the others from yesterday...”

A burning mess of emotions was threatening to break the walls he had built up around himself. He winced as a small migraine began to work into his head, but he pushed himself past the pain and nausea.

He couldn’t even describe what he was feeling...anger? Fear?...Envy...?

No...those words were too simple...

...fretful?...resentment...?

...agony...

Even amongst all the tangled vines that fought their way through him, agony stood out the most. It made his stomach sink as sharp bursts of it try to shove him to the ground.

He’d tasted agony before, back at the hive. When he wasn’t to one inflicting on those who touch his brother, it was from Thorax himself. The spicy bitterness always wafted off of him whenever the younger nymph would come back with a new burn mark or gash in his chitin, and it was almost unbearable.

This was that times ten. It started slow, at first muddled by other emotions that tried their best to tear him down. It stalked its way through his tangled emotions, fighting its way to the top.

He flinched as a migraine seared through his skull, drawing in a thin line of air. His wings buzzed out as he stumbled into a bed leg, recoiling from the collision.

Best he could, he scrambled onto the soft mattress, fight both fatigue and nausea as he curled onto a pillow. His entire body shivered as he tried to close his eyes, a pounding sensation threatening to break his skull open.

It was pure agony.

...I was right, his thoughts pushed through forcibly as if they taunt him. His pulsating crest stood on end as he tried to push away the strings that were tearing him down from the inside, causing his headache to worsen. 

Thorax has others in his life now...

He doesn’t need me anymore...

He doesn’t need me...




Thorax tried to recite everything in his head.

“I’m pretty sure this is a burn spray, right?” He asked tentatively, looking up at the winged mare. Fluttershy smiled, nodding encouragingly.

Taking a more confident breath, he recited what each item in the first aid kit was. “I’m pretty sure you called these bandages,” he pulled out the adhesives he’d saw Fluttershy used for Pharynx’s cuts. “Thermometer...painkillers...cold and hot packs...”

The list went on as he pointed to each item, silently reminding himself what each one did. Once he finished naming all of them, he looked up at Fluttershy, smiling. “I think that’s all!”

The pegasus giggled at his enthusiasm. “Very good, Thorax!” She cooed, rubbing his crest with a loving hoof. “You have a real knack for healing, you know that?”

A shy smile crept along his face. “O-oh, I wouldn’t say I’m that good...”

Fluttershy sighed, placing a hoof onto his own in a comforting manner. “Well, I for one think did great. It took me a week or two to fully figure out what they were and what they did. You? Only a couple of hours! It’s something you should be proud of.”

Thorax blushed, the blood rushing to his cheeks tinted his chitin a dark blue. He wasn’t used to being complimented about...well, anything. It was going to take some time to get used to...

Before he could say anything, a loud knocking could be heard from the door. Three taps, both sharp and quick. Fluttershy stepped off of the couch they were sitting on, her eyes nodded towards him.

“That’s Rainbow Dash. I’ll be gone for an hour or two, okay?” 

“Okay...um, where are you going?” He asked lightly, bouncing to his hooves. Fluttershy picked up a small, papery bag from next to the door, smiling at him.

“Just going to Sweet Apple Acres, but I’ll have to be there quickly. I promise I’ll be back soon!”

With a small wave, she opened the door. It left Thorax all alone in the room, seemingly with nothing to do. The young changeling twirled his hooves around each other in an effort to stay occupied, to avail.

Sighing, he looked up the ascending stairs, a staircase that had been unused since earlier that morning. Pharynx hadn’t come down for six hours, and it worried Thorax.

Is it smart to bother him? He might be mad...

...six hours is quite a while...

“...what’s the worse that can happen?” He murmured out loud, trotting over towards the stairs. His wings buzzed lightly as he climbed the stairwell, an uneasy feeling filling his gut.

Emotions filled the air with a dark cloud, almost enough to repel Thorax back down. Whatever Pharynx was up to, he wasn’t happy, at all.

After the painful trek up the stairs, Thorax lightly tapped the door. “...Pharynx? Are you okay?”

His brother didn’t answer. Increasing worry made him push forwards, clicking the door open despite his brother's lack of permission.

Pharynx laid on top of Fluttershy’s bed, curled stiffly. The younger changeling pushed past the strong sensation in the air, lifting himself onto the mattress.

Red and violet chitin seem to shiver as Pharynx buried his head into the pillow. Now that Thorax was closer, he could feel the underlying feeling of nausea that emitted from the older nymph, filling the cyan changeling with alarm.

“Pharynx? Are you sick?” He asked, frowning as Pharynx flattened his ears. Perhaps he was too loud...

“...please tell me...?”

...

The red-hued changeling didn’t answer. Sighing, Thorax pulled a small blanket over Pharynx’s body, tucking him in as Fluttershy did every night. Just something to make his sickly brother more comfortable.

He ran a hole-ridden hoof along Pharynx’s spine, brushing against the red-changelings crest. 

‘Brushing the crest can help soothe changelings when they are uncomfortable,’ he remembered one of the healers saying. He liked the healers, they were relatively much nicer than his instructors.

Pharynx viably relaxed a bit, his shivering dying down significantly. Thorax sighed in relief. Hopefully, the distraction will help...

“...Pharynx?” He started in a soft voice, making sure he wasn’t too loud. “You should have told me you weren’t feeling well...you know I’m here for you!”

No response, not that he was expecting one.  this time. He sighed in content, happy to just stay here for the rest of the day.

“...I love you, Pharynx!”
> Board Games, Anyone?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A soft patter of rain filled the air with its soothing sound, slowly waking a certain changeling.

Groaning, Pharynx pried his head from the pillow he had buried himself in. Being inactive for such a long time left a noticeable indent in the stuffed fabric, the fluff bulging out at the sides. Luckily changelings didn’t need that much oxygen, or else he would have suffocated.

Or unluckily, depends on how you see it.

...and Pharynx saw it as unlucky.

He tried to stretch out his back and legs, stiffening as he felt another body curled up next to him. Turning his head, his eyes landed on a black figure that snuggled into the crevice between his foreleg and his carapace.

Pharynx also noticed a soft, white blanket that covered his back, tucked in tightly by his sides. Thorax must’ve done this...or was it Miss Fluttershy? I’m not sure...

Whatever...it doesn’t matter...

Sighing, he detangled himself from the wrapping cotton, his wings finally able to breathe from being under it for so long.

Has it been long? Maybe it’s only been a few hours...

He jumped onto the windowsill, grimacing as a loud clack sounded from his chitinous hooves. It was a miracle that Thorax could sleep through anything.

The window was still partially opened from the day before, gazing out at the outside world. Streaming tears of rain blurred the usually crystal clear glass, and Pharynx could feel the wet air as water collected by the open window.

...rain? Wasn’t it all sunny a few hours ago?...why does this feel early...?

...don’t tell me I slept that entire afternoon...

“...Pharynx...?” A quiet, just-barely-waking voice called out from behind, making him flatten his ears. “Do you feel better now...?”

“...’feel better’...?”

“Yeah...” Thorax yawned, his lower jaw clicking. Rubbing his eyes, he continued. “Yesterday you were feeling nauseous...I guess I fell asleep when I tried to make you comfortable...”

Pharynx stayed silent. So I did sleep that entire afternoon...great...just what I needed to feel better, thanks...I’m going to blame-

“So do you feel any better?” Thorax inquired, cutting off his thoughts. Pharynx frowned slightly, the wings along his back buzzing at an uneven pace. 

“...still a little headache...but not that bad...” he said after a while. It was a lie, his head hurt like hell, but compared to yesterday?

He’d rather deal with this than that slough of agony. 

Thorax gathered himself together, shaking himself awake. With a slip, he ungracefully crashed into the floorboards, making Pharynx wince.

“....’m okay!” Thorax popped up, smiling as if hadn’t just hit his head on the floor. The older changeling let it slide, as he couldn’t see any physical or emotional discomfort from the fall. 

Cyan eyes seemed much more awake now, alert to his surroundings. Cocoon shards we’re gone now, though Pharynx wasn’t sure who had cleaned it up. Not that it mattered, because Thorax tugged as his hooves, dragging him down from his elevation.

“...why are you pulling me?” He asked, knowing full well he wasn’t going to like whatever answer he was going to get. Thorax was much giddier than he usually was, especially this early in the morning. 

He didn’t like it.

“I don’t know why. You haven’t been downstairs since yesterday though...just please come down with me?” 

The eagerness from the smaller changeling made Pharynx wince, a sudden rush of sweet, almost revolting joy washing over him. It only worsened his headache.

There was a reason why I ate disappointment...

“...I really don’t want to...”

”Pleeeeeease?” There was a begging tone to his voice, an effort to make his older brother more willing. Too bad cute, pleading voices and a....genuine...sadness....wasn’t going...

Oh for Chrysalis’ sake...

Pharynx frowned. “Fine...I’ll humor you for a second...”

A soft sigh emitted from his throat as Thorax cheered. This also made Pharynx wince, but loud noises didn’t hurt as much as the emotional overload. 

Seriously, how can Thorax stay this cheerful and not get sick?

If only he could learn to weaponize those emotions...he’d probably be the strongest changeling in the hive!

Shaking his head, he begrudgingly followed his younger nymph. Their pairs of hooves clacked against the wooden stairs, off-sync steps echoed as they made their way down. He quietly listened as Thorax hummed a soft tune. He didn’t have a good sense of rhythm, but it didn’t bother Pharynx much.

It was just...nice.

“Fluttershy? Are you up?”

Rustling feathers and a few more hoof steps, a yellow mare appeared from near the living room couch. Her mane was carefully braided at her sides, seeming more visually put together than usual

“Oh, hello Thorax and Pharynx!” She smiled, her soft grin shown to the both of them. The red changeling frowned, looking away. All of his instincts told him to not trust her...or anyone, for that matter. She hasn’t done anything to warrant trust...or at least...his trust...

“Good morning, Fluttershy!” Thorax giggled, Pharynx left standing on the stairway alone. The younger changeling trotted the rest of the way down, smiling up at the Pegasus as he made his way closer. “Can we do something today? Maybe gardening?”

Fluttershy sadly shook her head. “Sorry, Thorax. It’s raining right now...I wouldn’t want you to get sick...”

“Oh...” Thorax looked down, tapping his chin. “What about something inside?...can we do things inside?” An unsure expression crossed his face, as if asking if he could do something illegal. 

Which was stupid, because why would that be illegal?...

...it...it wasn’t illegal...right?

Luckily, Fluttershy nodded. “Oh! Of course, I have a few board games we could play, if that’s okay...”

“...’board games’...” Thorax parroted. Pharynx had noticed that Thorax would repeat words he didn’t know. 

“Mhm...I have games like ‘Chess’...’Sorry’... ’Scrabble’...” Fluttershy mumbled a list, pulling out boxes hidden under her couch. Even from Pharynx’s stance on the stairs, he could see that most of the boxes were white, pictures of varying detail drawn of the top. He particularly liked the ones with black covers, though he wasn’t sure why.

“You can pick one! I’m sure you’ll find one you’ll like,” she placed the boxes onto the table, everything cluttered atop. Thorax stared blankly at everything, before giving a panicked look towards his older brother. A look that says ‘I don’t know what I’m doing, you make a decision.’

Sighing, he quietly stepped out of the shadows, crawling over to where Thorax and Fluttershy sat. He briefly looked over the covers, realizing that there was writing atop each one, with presumably the name of each game written on it.

“...I dunno...’Chess’...I guess...” he muttered, shoving the chosen game forward. He wasn’t even sure what the premise was, the cover just wasn’t an eyesore. That was the most important part.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “It’s a two-player game...so who wants to be the first to play?”

“Me!...if that’s okay,” Thorax said sheepishly, looking over towards his older brother. Pharynx shrugged, buzzing his wings as he climbed into one of the cushions on the couch. 

“Well...okay...um, how do you play?”

Pharynx listened to their conversation, mentally keeping notes of what was the premise and what each peg on the board did.

Pawn; can move two spaces on its first turn. Only moves one space afterward, and can only travel in a straight line. Attacks at an angle.

Bishop; only moves diagonally...doesn’t sound all that useful.

Guard; moves one space, the three spaces in another direction. Weird rules...Instructors always did say Equestrian military sucked...

Rookie; Moves only in straight lines...Fluttershy said they are one of the most important pieces...they don’t sound all important...

King; the price you need to ‘checkmate’ and win. King is...useless, practically...

...Queen; can move wherever it wants...unless someone is standing in her way...

...

...I...

...never mind...

His head just took a trip and a half, internally already hating the game set forth. It didn’t matter though, it probably was a very unfortunate coincidence that happened to make his headache worse.

“...shi-“ Thorax cursed, realizing the predicament he landed himself in. Hearing his brother cursing and the strained voice of Fluttershy scolding held his attention once more, and he turned his violet eyes towards the table.

Though it had only been at max, five minutes, Thorax had found his ‘king’ cornered by Fluttershy’s ‘guards.’ Somehow, the nymph had found a way to not only get his king in a vulnerable spot, but also no other piece was left in the area to help him defend against them. 

“...Thorax, how did you get yourself into this...?” Pharynx chuckled, lifting his head from his hooves. His ears stayed flattened as Thorax shot him a glare.

“...shut up, I’m not good that this..”

“I can see that.”

“I said ‘shut up.’”

Pharynx giggled, it was amusing to see Thorax frustrated. It rarely happened, but when it does, it usually full of entertainment.

Thorax sighed in defeat, begrudgingly moving a piece completely unrelated from the situation forward, allowing the feathered mare to win.

“Checkmate!” She said in triumph, before giving Thorax a comforting glance. “Don’t be too hard on yourself for this, it’s not exactly a game that’s easy...”

“You won it super easy...” Thorax mumbled.

“Well, yes, but it because I’ve played it much longer than you have. I know the ins and outs of the game. You only started today, so of course, you aren’t going to amazing at it. I promise if you keep practicing you’ll get better.”

Thorax mumbled something incoherent under his breath, sighing. He turned to Pharynx, smiling once more. “I guess it your turn, now?”

The older changeling blinked. I...was getting a turn? He tilted his head. His headache seemed to lessen its pressure, but he was still on the fence of actually playing...

“...okay...I guess...” He finally said, crawling off of the couch and swapping places with his brother. His crimson tail wrapped around himself as he patiently watched Fluttershy rearrange the pieces on the board.

“Okay...so the rules are-“

“I know,” he said bluntly, looking up. Teal eyes widened with surprise, before nodding. “So...who’s going first...?”

“I’ll let you go first,” Fluttershy smiled, waiting for him to make his first move. Pharynx only nodded, carefully examining the board in front of him. It took him a moment, but he finally decided to delicately move one of the front ‘pawns’.

He concluded that they were pretty useless, anyway.

Fluttershy quickly followed thereafter. Her moves were quick and light, barely making a sounds as he moved her piece forwards. The red nymph blinked; it took a moment to process that it was his turn already. After more deliberation, he settled on moving another one of his ‘pawns’.

Then Fluttershy moved her ‘pawns’.

Pharynx stared at her, his ears flattening. Their game became a back and forth trial, consisting of him being slow and careful and while she was quick. This went on for quite a while, both of them concentrated on the game.

He pushed his ‘rookie’ into the front lines of enemy territory. The layout of the board was fully memorized, keeping in mind every move Fluttershy could and couldn’t do. Her ‘king’ stayed still the entire game, while his was off to the side by a few spaces. 

Fluttershy placed a hoof onto her ‘king’ piece, moving it forward to claim his rookie piece. Her wings fluttered at her side, anticipating anything Pharynx would throw at her.

Then, he smirked. Moving his ‘bishop’ backward diagonally, he slowly took hold of her ‘king’, placing it by his side. “...Checkmate.”

It was silent for a few moments, Fluttershy staring blankly at the chessboard. Thorax, who had been watching the game unfold, jaw dropped. With a click, he clapped his hooves excitedly.

“Pharynx!” He cheered, smiling towards his older brother. “You won!...How did you do that...?”

Fluttershy giggled after a while. “Looks like I forgot you can move backward, too. Congrats, Pharynx! Good game,” she held out a hoof. The red changeling tilted his head, his crest folding along his spine. Awkwardly, Fluttershy gestures a hoof shake with her other hoof, still with an outstretched foreleg. Pharynx hesitated, before lightly putting a hole-ridden hoof on her’s.

She smiled. “You did really well for your first time, it not every day someone wins their first chess match!”

Pharynx pulled his hooves back, looking over the finished game. All the pieces were scattered about, practically at random. White and black were mixed all across the board, almost none of them in their original place.

...except for one...

His compound violet eyes gazed down at one of his pieces. A white piece, that stood taller than the rest of them. 

...the queen...

“Pharynx, are you okay?” Thorax’s high pitched voice brought him back, and he shuffled his hooves against the ground. 

“...yeah...’m fine...” he murmured, rubbing his eyes. His headache returned with a burning passion, but for the most part, he ignored it. He also chose to ignore the worried looks of both Thorax and Fluttershy as he once again traded places with his brother. “...I don’t mind sitting out the next game...”

“Well...okay...” Thorax's tone was pouring will worry, but Pharynx couldn’t bring himself to care anymore. He curled up onto one of the cushions watching Thorax pick another game. “Um...what about this one? What’s it called?”

“Oh! ‘Connect Four’ is really simple.”

Watching the two of them play and talk was entertaining to some degree. Thorax getting frustrated about losing or complete confusion over concepts was amusing to watch. He always ended with a smile and a laugh though...

Flattening his ears, Pharynx curled deeper into the soft cushions. He turned away from the scene in front of him, a soft chill creeping up his spine.

The patter of rain was louder now, the sky’s tears falling harder and faster than ever...
> Rules
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The summer days seem to be coming by much faster than she anticipated. The Gala was coming up soon, fillies and colts would be starting up school once more, and...

Well, she couldn’t think up another reason, but there was probably another.

Her mane was messier than usual, her back and wings cramping. Hooves stretched as far as the can, and she sighed in relief when a satisfying crack sounded from her joints. Apparently, sleeping on the couch for an extended period of time was going to have consequences.

...I’ll add ‘buy a second bed’ onto the shopping list, she mentally noted. Slowly, she rose out of her couch, hooves clacking softly onto the wooden floor.

Angel scurried around her hooves, as if able to sense that she was more tired than usual. Fluttershy smiled ‘thank you’, trotting over her kitchen with an exhausted yawn. She washed up in her metallic sink, splashing the water into her face in an effort to wake up quickly.

Didn’t work, but worth the shot.

“Hhhhh...Angel?” She stumbled towards the rabbit, her eyes droopy from the lack of good sleep. Yawning, she continued, “...what’s on my to-do list...today..?”

Angel chittered with annoyance, but hopped over towards her door. With a light bounce, he tore the taped parchment from the wall, handing it over towards her.

“...thanks,” she smiled, her eyes drooping as she rubbed them. Stifling another yawn, he began to read the paper she wrote the night before. “...feed the birds...snakes breakfast time...pick up fire salamanders from the vet...and I’m free after that...so..”

Yawning, she turned towards her mini-fridge, swing the door open. Sleepily, she took out a bag of seeds and cod from the top shelf, sighing to herself. I’ll get Angel’s stuff later...

She flattened her ears as Angel stomped a foot on the floor, choosing to ignore her rabbit for time being. With a careful shove, she stumbled out onto the paved road, shaking herself firmly. Chirps of birds could be heard overhead, but what caught her attention was a light mewing she could hear. 

“Well hello...Mabel,” She smiled at the bobcat strolling by. Mabel turned towards her, green eyes looking up at her.

Purrr

“Yes...I’m doing-“ she yawned, “-just fine! Are your kittens doing okay?”

Rrrr purrr

“Well, that’s good the hear,” teal eyes wandered towards a bird perch, her wings unfolding themselves. “Please excuse me, I have to do all this first.”

Lifting herself into the air, she approached the wooden plank. Using her teeth, she ripped open a bag of poppy and sunflower seeds, letting them scatter across the board. In an instant, the flock of robins and pigeons swarmed the pile, eagerly pecking them the black and white seeds.

She giggled, fluttering down towards a burrow that laid near the back of her cottage. Light hooves tapped against the ground, echoing down the skinny tunnel. 

“Wake up, Moody, it’s time for breakfast!” She cooed, waiting patiently for the old noodle to come out. Slowly, a face poked out of the ground, blindly staring at her. She tapped against the ground, making sure the eyeless snake knew where she was.

“Moody, you are having cod for today, does that sound good?” 

Hisss

“I know, cod is your favorite! If you listen to my taps, you’ll find it easily, I promise,” she said softly, tapping against the paper plate. The elderly snake listened for a moment, following the sounds as he inches closer, before striking the face of the fish.

Fluttershy stayed around, just to make sure he had swallowed without regurgitating anything back up. Once the whole fish was gone, she bid goodbye, heading back towards her cottage.

She stopped by her mailbox, opening it up. Mail and letters stuffed it to the brim, but it wasn’t unexpected. New month, new taxes, no matter how much she wanted to avoid them.

Holding onto the letters, she headed back inside, carefully examining each one. “Taxes...taxes...water bill...taxes...Mom sent me a letter, that’s nice...more taxes... a letter from the princess...bill- wait, a letter from the princess?!”

If she wasn’t awake already, then this definitely did the trick. She rubbed her eyes violently, making sure read that right. Yep. Letter from Princess Celestia herself.

And there was only one reason she would be writing this.

Tearing the seal, she looked over the letter. The parchment felt old and worn, the sides of it yellowing. A soft smell of cake and frosting waft over her, helping to calm her as she read the message.

Didn’t help much, but a little can go a long way.

...expect in this case. Once she had finished reading the letter, her mind went back into panic mode. Her wings fluttered at her sides, feathers falling out. As she controlled her breathing, one thought lingered in her mind.

How will the nymphs react?




“...w-what’s the big deal...?” Thorax asked tentatively, almost too quiet for Fluttershy to hear. She had woken him up briefly, saying that she had to talk to him and Pharynx about something really important.

“I...okay, forgive me if I’m scaring you, I’m just really really nervous about the ordeal,” she said hastily, picking up the letter once more. This constant reading to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her wasn’t helping her in the slightest, she should probably stop.

Pharynx glared at her, almost a warning glance. “...what did you do?” He growled, clearly not liking how much she was panicking. After a few breathers, she regained her composure, briefly brushing her mane out of her face e before turning back to him.

“I’m going to need you to sit down for this,” she sighed, taking a seat on her couch. Thorax instant climbed into the seat next to her, trying to look at the letter. Pharynx as chosen the seat near her low-leveled table, wrapping his tail around himself.

“Okay okay,” she forced the letter out of her face, gazing towards the changelings that sat around her. “So...remember when I went to Canterlot for a few days?”

“...yes...you said you were talking to the princess...right?” Thorax recalled, and Fluttershy nodded.

“Yes, I did...I never told you what that meeting was about, did I?”

Pharynx groaned from his seat. “...I can see this coming from a mile away...and I honestly don’t want to hear it...”

She cringed, tapping her hooves together. Thorax tilted his head, and Fluttershy could practically see the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure what she meant.

“Oooh!....oh,” his excitement over figuring it out was quickly turned sour as he realized the implication. “...this might be bad...”

“...you think?!” Pharynx muttered, before promptly slamming his head onto the table.  Fluttershy yelped at the sound of chitin hitting wooden, peering over the red nymph.

“Are you okay?” 

“No, now go away.”

“Pharynx that isn’t funny-“

“It wasn’t a joke, now get on with the letter.”

“...I should be asking more questions now, but...I get the feeling you don’t want to talk...so...” she sighed, picking up the scroll once more. It rustled against itself, the scratchy noise of paper making her uncomfortable. “Alright...when I went to Canterlot, me and Twilight were going to ask Princess Celestia about changelings, because we didn’t know much about them...and well, she doesn’t trust you guys entirely yet...”

She waited for a reaction, good or bad, from the changelings. Thorax seemed a little saddened by the news, but other than that, none of them said anything. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “She said that she was going to be making rules that you’ll need to follow, and...now she’s made those rules...so I guess I’m going to have to read them now...”

She cleared her throat, trying to calm herself. It wasn’t bad...your just worried about their reaction...which could range from anything but hopefully they find it okay...

“Dear Fluttershy,

I have had some time to think it over, and I have laid out a couple of set rules for the changelings. They are temporary, but for the sake of safety, need to be followed until said otherwise. I hope I make myself clear.

Number one; they need to have constant supervision at all times. This does not need to be from you, it can be any other adult in the area, but regardless, they will need to have supervisions

Number two; they can’t disguise themselves unless someone had seen them do it beforehoof. This is, again, for the safety of both them and others around them.

And finally; as I understand, they are relatively young. Still being called ‘nymphs’ I presume. Twilight has informed me that their intelligence level seems to be around that of an older filly or colt, so I’d say around ten to twelve. 

So, as my final rule; they will need to go to and finish school. This might be a bit hard to figure and sort out, but I assure you, this will benefit both them and us in the long run.

These are the basics. Of course, they will also have to follow Equestrian law, which can differ from where they used to live. As long as they follow those and these rules, nothing should go wrong.

Final regards,

Princess Celestia.”

Teal eyes flickered up towards the two nymphs, her feathers becoming kisser the more she stressed. She waited, praying to whatever Destiny or Deity that nothing erupted from all this.

Well...

“...you can’t be serious...” Pharynx looked up from his hooves, his ear flattened as he glared. “...I am not going back outside...ever.”

“What’s a ‘school?’” Thorax asked tentatively, tilting his head. 

“...I’m not going...I’m not going...I don’t care about this ‘Princess’ says, no way in Starry Hell am I going.”

Fluttershy gulped. “Um...Pharynx, please calm down...?”

“No! I can’t go back out there...” Pharynx breath hitched, shaking slightly in his seat. “...I...I don’t want to...!”

“Pharynx, please listen!” She tried to reach a hoof out towards the distressed nymph, only for his to pull back violently. His eyes were wide as he tried to control his breathing, shrinking away from her as she tried to get closer. “I-I...I promise things will be okay...it might be weird at first but-“

“NO!” He screamed, shaking even more now. Pharynx turned away from Fluttershy, his crest standing on end as his breath quickened. “No...no...no...I-I...no...!”

“Pharynx please-“ 

Pharynx dashed off towards the stairs, trying to put as much space between them as possible. His wings buzzed obnoxiously, the sound becoming fainter as he disappeared up the steps. Fluttershy winced as her bedroom door slammed shut, a saddened frown forming on her face.

“Pharynx...!” She called, though she wasn’t sure if going up would help any of them. Teal eyes lingered on the floor, dreading over the choices she had to make.

Thorax slowly got up from the couch. His cyan eyes seem sad, but he smiled up at her. “...I’ll go see if I can talk to him...” he murmured, following after his brother.

Fluttershy let him go, hoping for the best, and fearing the worst.
> Cracking Shell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A frantic call echoed against the wooden walls, but everything fell on deaf ears. Pharynx had slammed the door so hard that it was ringing in his head, not that he cared.

Stupid, he hissed inwardly. Stupid pegasus, stupid Princess...stupid rules. Everything here is dumb. 

When did I agree to this?

Pharynx shook his head, pressing his carapace to the door. He hoped his weight would be enough to block out potential intruders. Feelings of uneasiness made living in his chitin uncomfortable, almost as if his chitin was about to shed.

It wasn’t.

He knew that.

I want to go home.

It was selfish of him to wish that, but he couldn’t shake it off. He looked over towards the opened window, wanting to drag his hooves towards it and jump out. Then he was free to go back.

I can’t go back, Pharynx remembered, his hooves staying put. She’d kill me...us, if we ever returned. 

An image of his little brother flashed in his head, and he sighed heavily. 

Thorax still needs me, he stated, though a bit shakily. I’d put us both in danger if I leave. I don’t want that.

I...I shouldn’t...want that.

He barely had time to register the searing horror when a soft knock echoed on the door. Pharynx stiffened, forcefully pushing harder against the wood. 

“Go away,” he hissed.

“It’s just me,” Thorax's soft voice was muffled by the barrier, but Pharynx could feel the concern that laced his words and emotion. “Can I come in...?”

“No.”

“Pharynx-“

“No.”

“Please?”

Biting his lower lip, he growled. “Fine.”

He wanted to say ‘no’ a third time—he was already feeling himself cracking under his worries and stress, he didn’t need his brother to see him break any further. It would be an embarrassment to everyone involved, especially himself.

But...he couldn’t bring himself to shut out his own sibling. 

His airways tightened as he pulled the doorknob, his eyes meeting with cyan ones on the other side of the barrier. “Only you.”

Thorax gave a strained smile, stepping into the room. His hooves immediately flew out towards the older changeling, examining Pharynx with great concern. He sighed, letting it happen.

“Pharynx,” he started, pushing against his shoulder plates gently. “I don’t ask, usually. You’d give me answers like ‘I’m fine’ or you get defensive. Either way, I don’t pry, because I believe you...most of the time.”

Pharynx scoffed, slightly offended.

Thorax kept a firm gaze. “You aren’t going to give me that excuse right now. What is wrong?”

“I’d thought it’d be obvious,” Pharynx said drily, rolling his eyes. “Tell me, what do you think?”

“I think something is wrong, is what I think,” Thorax returned the dry remark. Pharynx winced, sitting back on his haunches.

“...I don’t want to answer...”

The smaller nymph frowned, his crest pulsating against his neck. “Pharynx, I need to know what is going on. You aren’t like this. You’ve been...jittery for the past few days, and I haven’t seen you panic this much before.”

Pharynx curled up slightly, tucking his hooves underneath his chest. His tail brushed itself into a crescent shape, twitching every so often. 

It wasn’t often that he would be pushed into such a corner. When it came to talking, he managed to always leave the conversation prematurely.

“...why do you care, all of a sudden?” he mumbled, looking away from his sibling. 

“You are my brother, I love you, and you don’t usually act this way? Just things off the top of my head, I can keep going if you’d like.“

Pharynx glared at Thorax, but the words he spewed out did not match the expression that went along with it. Instead of a light tease—something that would be uncommon but not unwelcome from Thorax—he saw...sadness? Concern? Sympathy?

He didn’t want it.

“No, I don’t want to hear the rest,” he hissed quietly. 

“Okay.” Thorax nodded. “Now, telling me what is wrong.”

“It’s...stupid, really dumb. I’m just...overreacting. It’ll be...fine,” Pharynx struggled to get the words out, feeling his lungs cave into themselves. He tapped his hooves against the ground, a awfully familiar feeling filling his stomach.

He tried his best to keep it down.

Thorax frowned. “Pharynx-“

“No. I’m fine.”

“You’re not. Stop lying to me.”

Pharynx winced. Had Thorax always been this blunt? He was perceptive, yes, but the older changeling could not remember a time where his timid sibling had even spoken so harshly. Was harshly even the right word?

Thorax shook his shoulders, redirecting the purple changeling’s attention back to the real world. “Please, Pharynx, I hate seeing you like this!”

Pharynx found himself cracking even further. He opened his mouth, but no words escaped. His throat closed up, tighten to the point where it threatened to suffocate him. He shook slightly, pressure building up around his eyes.

In a final attempt to coax the older nymph out of his panic, Thorax nudged Pharynx’s cheek with his own. He vibrated, a soothing thrill echoing from the back of his throat.

…and that’s when Pharynx couldn’t hide it anymore.

“I can’t do this,” he rasped. “Too much is happening. I don’t want to have to leave this place…e-especially not with th-,” he gulped, cutting himself off. “…w-why aren’t you the scared one? It’s like you aren’t the same Thorax…that should be good news...why am I'm not happy about it? I can’t handle being outside, let alone going to a school…I can’t disguise myself, I-I can’t go anywhere with being constantly watched…what is wrong with me these last several days? I’m not panicky…I s-shouldn’t be…that’s your job—!”

His words became a downward spiral. Not only did fear consume him, so did his anger. “How can you think a-any of this is fine? Oh, that’s right, you don’t know anything! You live in constant ignorance, blissfully unaware of most things pony-related. When you learn something, you like it! When I do, I can only think about how awful things will turn out! Isn’t that wonderful?” Pharynx found himself actively crying at this point. He pushed Thorax with one hoof, shaking violently. “T-this ‘Princess’, whoever she is,  makes it clear that she doesn’t like us. You heard her letter. She clearly doesn’t want us here. If we…I make a mistake…might as be a war criminal while I’m at it!” 

He laughed, coughing and sputtering as everything began to pile onto itself. Tremors passed through his chitin, shaking the already unstable nymph. Unrelenting anxiety, shame, and frustration constricted him from all sides, piercing his skull as another migraine overtook him.

He was drowning.

“Oh slimes,” Thorax cursed in a panic. “Pharynx clam down, you're going to make yourself sick—“

“Shut up!” Pharynx cried, another spike of pain flaring at his temples. He shoved his little brother away, his claws extending and retracting at random intervals. “P-please…just…I-I can’t…shut up…!”

The purple changeling knew he was upset, but he hadn’t anticipated such a breakdown. Tears burned down his chitin, and Pharynx wiped them away roughly. He had never felt so pathetic in his life.

When he managed to catch his breath, he felt warm hooves wrap around his neck. He whimpered slightly, fighting his instinct to rub up against Thorax's chin. 

His younger brother gave a shaky sigh. “…do you feel any b-better?” he asked, his voice tight. Pharynx didn’t answer. Instead, he let himself be hugged for quite a while, slowly regaining the ability to breathe properly.

Slowly, he pried himself from Thorax’s chest. He looked up, immediately freezing when he saw a claw-like cut across the cyan nymph’s cheek. Thorax, while he smiled, looked like he was recovering from a shock.

“I did that…didn’t I?” Pharynx whispered, dread filling his voice. 

Thorax neither confirmed nor denied the accusation. “N-not important right now.”

“But—“

“I’m glad you could tell me.” Thorax cut him off with a soft beam, before wince and placing a hoof on his cut. Pharynx instantly felt the guilt eat at him. “I know it’s a bit scary since this is all new…but I’m sure things will be better. Your going to be okay.”

“You can’t just say that…”

“I can! You know why?” Thorax's tone became serious, and Pharynx looked away. “You're my brother. I know you can. Maybe it’ll take a little bit, but you always make it through. I don’t think I would be here if it weren’t for you!”

“No. No, you wouldn’t.”

Thorax smiled at that for some reason. 

The purple changeling curled up tighter. “…what about the other ponies?… I don’t like them as it is…”

“Being a recluse doesn’t sound any better,” Thorax pointed out. “Like it or not, you will have to at some point. Keeping yourself here hasn’t been doing much good.”

Pharynx huffed, wiping drying tears away. “…I-I’ve been fine-“

“No. I’m not taking that answer.” His younger brother frowned, and the purple nymph winced. “You weren’t fine.”

Pharynx dipped his head into his front hooves. It was jarring to hear Thorax so…confident…and straightforward. He felt sadness pull at his emotions. 

He was growing tired of this…

“…I still don’t like the idea of going outside…” he admitted after a while, hoping to distract himself. Thorax nodded, tilting his head to and fro as he thought.

“The Princess said to not disguise yourself when no one is around,” Thorax noted. “If me or Fluttershy sees you doing it, that doesn’t break the rules.” He placed his hoof against Pharynx’s in an effort to comfort the upset changeling. He felt warmer…

“…it’s not a perfect solution…” Pharynx murmured. 

“You don’t have to like it,” Thorax reasoned, smiling softly. His fanged grin shown brightly, lifting the slightly-less-distressed nymph from his overwhelming emotions, if only for a little bit. “You just need to effort to try…okay?”

The nymph tried to hold eye contact with his brother, but his gaze always flickered to the bleeding gash in Thorax’s face. He wanted to be hopeful, hoping his brother would be right. 

That cut, however, taunted him, tainting his mind with doubt.

Look at what I did…

Do you I deserve this?

I’m going to mess up.

It’s not worth it…

It’s…I’m…not worth it…

“Please, Pharynx?” Thorax smiled, holding Pharynx’s hoof gently. Sparks of worry and excitement washed over him, and his thoughts became quiet. 

He sighed. “…only for you…”
> How Different Will This Be?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy bit the pencil that was in her mouth harder, gnawing on the eraser tip. She picked the parchment paper up, rereading what she had written for the third time.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have gotten your letter about sending both Thorax and Pharynx to school. I understand why you would want to do so, but I am not sure if it is a great idea at the moment.

I will allow them to have public schooling, I’m not arguing with you on that. Schooling is important and, for the two of them, it’ll let them get to know Ponyville and experience what a filly or colt would at their age. 

However, thrusting them into such an environment too early might also...be detrimental. As far as I have observed, Thorax and Pharynx get nervous when they are put into new situations. Thorax seems to take it relatively well, for the most part, the hardest part is getting him to try.

Pharynx on the other hoof had reacted very negatively when put into a social situation. He still isn’t comfortable being around me, and he doesn’t take it well when forcefully pull out of my house. I had sat down with both of them, and upon hearing that they’ll be put into a public situation, Pharynx promptly bolted to my room and hadn’t come out since. 

The school year starts next month, and I’m worried that they won’t take it well. Perhaps things could be arranged before they start school? Maybe a meeting with a teacher? I’ve never had to send foals to school, let alone two changelings. 

I’m sure your busy at the moment, but I hope you can write back!

Sincerely,

Fluttershy.

Shortly after reading her letter, the pencil in her mouth splintered in half. Pieces of lead and wood clacked against her table, and Fluttershy had to put the paper down. She held her head in her hooves, pulling down her eyelids tiredly, her mane frazzled with stress.

“I can’t speak to Princess Celestia like this, can I? This sounds too demanding,” the pegasus mulled over the paper. After a few more seconds of looking at the words, she crumpled the letter up and pushed it to a pile of disposed ‘first attempts. “Not right. Too much information. Too lengthy...”

She was about to reach for another sheet of paper when hoofsteps caught her attention. Her head swiveled on the spot, teal eyes spotting certain black and cyan changeling trotting down her steps.

Thorax seemed tired. His walk was ridged, stiff even. Compound eyes were watching the walls he descended further down the flight of stairs. Once he reached the last step, he turned to look at the Pegasus caretaker. 

“Hi,” he said quietly, smiling weakly. Fluttershy tried to smile back, but she had a feeling that she looked half-dead with how quickly Thorax dropped his. The changeling nymph trotted towards her, the noise created by his chitinous hooves muffled out as he stepped onto the carpet. “...you look tired.”

Fluttershy chuckled. “That obvious, huh?” 

He nodded. 

Sighing, she turned her attention away from the letters and to the changeling and his not-here-at-the-moment brother. “How’s Pharynx doing?”

Thorax winced, rubbing his cheek. It was then Fluttershy noticed a flat bandage that laid across the nymph’s face, and her brows furrowed with concern.

“He’s fine for now,” he answered quickly. “He scratched me while he was stressing, but I managed to calm him down.”

“Well...okay,” Fluttershy accepted the answer, but she did examine Thorax for a few seconds. “You are sure that is all?”

The changeling nodded, though worry did wash over his face. “For the most part. Though I’ve never seen Pharynx so...distraught before.” 

The last part of the sentence was barely a whisper, but it was loud enough for Fluttershy to hear it. Her heart ached to know that she made Pharynx freak out badly.

“Oh dear. I hope it doesn’t wasn’t too bad. I really didn’t mean to make him uncomfortable.”

“Pharynx just needs some time...I think,” Thorax mumbled, tapping his chin before shaking his head. “Actually, I don’t know what he needs right now. Really shouldn’t be talking for him.”

Fluttershy sighed, rubbing her eyes. Her wings shifted, her head pounding from the sudden stress. Would have been nice to have a little more time before we even talked about school, but I what can you do?

Sweet Celestia, what am I gonna do?

Her ear twitched as the sound of rustling paper filled the air, and Fluttershy looked up. Thorax rummaged in the crumpled letters that littered her table, tilting his head curiously.

Cyan eyes squinted at the writing, before giving an inquisitive look towards the Pegasus. “What’s all this?”

“Papers,” Fluttershy stated, unable to keep the tiredness from her voice. Her wings unfurled from their snug position, laying limply at her sides. She gently took the parchments from Thorax, glossing over them once more. “I was writing to Princess Celestia about your’s and Pharynx’s schooling. I haven’t been able to compose a good letter yet, though...”

Thorax frowned. “Oh. Right. ‘School,’” he parroted. He clicked his front hooves together, a thinking expression plastered on his face. After a while, he gave Fluttershy a questioning look. “I tried to figure out what it is, but I don’t know.”

Fluttershy smiled slightly, rubbing a hoof against his crest. Thorax chirped, leaning into her touch. “I assume you didn’t have school before?”

“Not as far as I’m aware,” he shrugged. 

“School is where fillies and colts—and I guess changeling nymphs in this case—go to learn until you are an adult. They educate and prepare you for the world,” she explained, patting his head. Thorax tilted his head, staring off into the distance.

“So...that’ll be five years?” he said after a while, which made Fluttershy raise an eyebrow.

“What?”

“You said ‘until they are adults’, and when I turn ten, I’ll be an adult.”

“You turn an adult when you turn ten?”

“...and you don’t?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No. Ponies aren’t considered adults until they turn eighteen. I guess changelings age much faster, huh?”

“‘Eighteen?’” Thorax parroted, eyes widening. “...ponies age really slow, then.”

“I guess we do!” Fluttershy chuckled. “Anyways, you’d be in class for about six hours a day, and you’d learn subjects like math, history, science...”

“Oh.” Thorax seemed less enthused about the idea. He nervously tugged on her hooves, having an uncertain expression. “...well, pony classes can’t be that bad, right?”

Fluttershy frowned. “I guess it safe to assume you’ve had classes yourself?”

The cyan changeling nodded. “Every nymph does, and I think class goes all the way until you are deemed fit to serve the Queen,” he shivered but shook off the feeling quickly. “I wasn’t great in any of the required classes.”

The pegasus chuckled slightly. “I mean, I wasn’t that great either. I could do the work just fine, but anything that had to be presented in front of everypony, woo! I was something else, let me tell ya.”

This got Thorax to laugh, which made Fluttershy’s heart swell. The small bug-equine rubbed his injured cheek, but smiled brightly at the yellow Pegasus. “Heh! I guess pony class wouldn’t be too bad. It sounds...different.”

“A good different, perhaps?” 

“Maybe.” Thorax glanced up at the ceiling, his ears sagging. A low chirp escaped from his mouth as he sighed, antsy wings buzzing. “Not sure if Pharynx would think so, though. He never had problems with our old classes, and he knows a lot more about ponies than I do, but...”

Fluttershy scooped the nymph closer to her with her wing, the warmth passing on from her to him. “I know Pharynx is having some difficulty adjusting right now. By the sound of it, where you used to live is very different from Equestria, so it’s understandable. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually.” 

Fluttershy felt uncertain of her last sentence.

“But if he—or you—need my help, know that I’m always here and always willing to listen, okay?”

“Mm...okay, Fluttershy,” Thorax nodded, his face full of mixed emotion. Fluttershy smiled warmly, hoping to ease the little changeling’s nervousness and worries. 

A silence continued as Fluttershy returned writing. She picked up a packet of pencils, picking out one to replace the splintered writing utensil. “Well, I still have to write this letter to Princess Celestia, and I haven’t been able to make a letter that I liked. This is gonna take a lot of refining.”

“Oh!” Thorax perked up, staring at paper and back at Fluttershy. “Can I help?”

The pegasus stifled a giggle. “Sure! I’m positive that you can win her over with her adorableness.”

The changeling nymph cheeks became tinted with blue, but he smiled. “Um. If it’s okay, please tell her school sounds nicer and...”

With newfound energy, Fluttershy plucked the pencil off the table and began jotting down word for word, what the nymph said. She wasn’t sure what she’d use to address the Princess, but that didn’t quite matter at the moment.

The smile on her face never left.