A Risky Bet
“This is just the worst luck, I must say, Thorax.”
“It really is. Apex was so looking forward to seeing Flurry, too. The fever just came on so fast.”
“And Shining was hoping to share his latest strategies with Pharynx, but he doesn’t want to risk somecreature catching the cold that came on. I would have suggested rescheduling, especially since it’s a holiday, but bureaucracy waits for nopony.”
Princess Cadance and King Thorax walked side by side down one of the many maze-like hallways of the Changeling hive towards the conference room. Young Flurry Heart trailed behind them, looking around at the green and red stripes all along the walls.
The two royals slowed their stride as Cadance looked back to her daughter with a frown. “I’ve got some bad news, honey. It looks like you might need to sit in with King Thorax and me in our meeting; Apex isn’t feeling well and needs to stay in bed today.”
Flurry Heart’s eyebrows tilted upward as her eyes began watering. “Huh? But we were gonna go look at all the upside-down trees together!”
“I know, sweetie, but Apex needs to rest. Maybe you two can see each other another time.”
“But it won’t be Hearth’s Warming!”
The two adults came to a stop as Thorax turned around this time, matching Cadance’s expression. “I know, Flurry, I’m sorry. If your mom’s okay with it, maybe we can plan for you to come next year?”
“But next year won’t be for forever!”
Cadance rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but that’s just how it has to be. Maybe we can get together another time just for fun; I know it won’t be Hearth’s Warming, but you can still play with Apex when he’s feeling better.”
Thorax’s ears suddenly perked up. “Hey, wait.”
Cadance tilted her head. “Something the matter, Thorax?”
Shaking his head, Thorax replied, “No, but I just had an idea. Flurry Heart can’t play with Apex, and Shining can’t spend time with Pharynx. What if I can get my brother to bring Flurry around while we meet? It would take some convincing, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
Cadance giggled behind a hoof. “Your brother and my daughter by themselves? Do you really think there’s any chance?”
“Like I said, it wouldn’t hurt to try. Pharynx is waiting for us so he could meet up with Shining anyway; we can break the bad news and make the suggestion at the same time.”
With a shrug, Cadance responded, “Alright, but I’m not getting my hopes up.” With that, she looked back to Flurry Heart. “Honey, I know it’s a shame that you can’t see the trees with Apex today, but what would you think about doing it with Prince Pharynx instead?”
Flurry Heart tilted her head in return. “Mister General?”
Thorax cocked a brow at Cadance. “She knows he’s our general?”
“Shining,” Cadance replied simply. “He actually tells Flurry some of the ideas he shares with Pharynx when she’s insistent enough.”
“Ah.” Thorax turned to Flurry as well. “Yes, Flurry, Mister General. He wanted to spend time with your dad today, but since Apex can’t play, and Prince Pharynx can’t be with your dad, would you be okay with him bringing you around to see the trees instead?”
Flurry crossed her forelegs. “But he won’t do it. He gets all grumbly about stuff like that.”
Thorax couldn’t help but chuckle. “I know, sometimes he does. But it wouldn’t hurt to ask him. If he’ll do it, we’d really appreciate it if you’d go with him.”
Flurry let out a sigh, then a long groan escaped her muzzle. “Fiiiiiiiiiine.”
Leaning down to give Flurry a nuzzle, Cadance said, “Thank you, sweetie. We’ll talk about next year later, and I promise King Thorax and I will find another time you and Apex can play. But for now, let’s go find Prince Pharynx, okay?”
“Alright…” Flurry grumbled, falling in line behind her mother as the three continued walking.
Thorax couldn’t help but chuckle. “I can only imagine what my brother is going to say.”
“No.”
“Oh, come on, Pharynx, just—”
“No. I prepared to go over combat strategies with the head of Equestria’s Crystal Guard, not to babysit.”
Thorax deadpanned in his brother’s direction. “You were going to play Risk.”
Pharynx’s muzzle tensed. “…They’re still combat strategies!”
“Y’know, Flurry Heart knows how to play that game also,” Cadance chimed in with a grin.
An eye ridge rising, Pharynx slowly pointed at the filly beside her mother, who was currently sitting on her haunches with her forelegs crossed. “…She…plays Risk. You’ve got to be joking. She probably can’t even play Candyland.”
“Hey!” Flurry Heart cried. “Can too!”
Cadance turned to Thorax and whispered, “He knows how to play Candyland?”
“Against his will. Apex loves it.”
Pharynx scoffed at the filly. “Yeah, right. Thorax, if Shining Armor isn’t here, I’m out. I already deal with your little grub, I’m not babysitting more than I have to.”
As Pharynx turned around and started walking down another hallway, Flurry Heart’s cheeks puffed out before she hopped forward and cried, “What, you don’t wanna play because you’re afraid I’ll beat you?!”
His leg halting mid-step, a vein bulged in Pharynx’s forehead. He put his hoof down, then slowly turned and walked back into the room, where Flurry heart stood with a determined smirk. He leaned down until he was eye level with the filly and glared at her.
“You did not just say that.”
Flurry remained unfazed. “I can give you an extra territory to start and still beat you.” Both Thorax and Cadance put hooves to their muzzles to stifle their laughs.
An eye ridge rising, Pharynx replied, “Oh yeah? You can try. And when I win, I’ll send you into the nursery to take care of the nymphs.” He looked over to Cadance. “Can I do that?”
Cadance just shrugged as she silently giggled.
Pulling his attention back to her, Flurry growled, “And when I win, you hafta bring me around to see the trees.”
“…You’re on, kid.”
Thorax whispered to Cadance, “Let’s go to the conference room and have our meeting while they stare each other down. You and I both know Flurry can handle herself if need be.”
“I do, but do you think Pharynx can handle her?” Cadance asked.
Thorax smirked. “He watches Apex every other day.”
“…Good point.”
As the two monarchs silently hurried away, Flurry’s and Pharynx’s eyes threw daggers back and forth.
“Get the game, Mister General.”
“No, you follow me.”
“Fine.” As Flurry fell in line behind Pharynx, who guided her to his own quarters, she said, “You are so going down.”
“You wish, kid.”
“HA! And that’s the Dragon Lands! I WIN, Mister General!”
Pharynx stomped a hoof so hard the table holding the game board jumped a foot into the air. “That’s impossible! How do you know that kind of strategy?!”
“I play with my dad!” Flurry shot back. She smirked as she crossed her forelegs and nodded.
“I want a rematch, you little grub!”
Flurry shook her head emphatically. “Nuh-uh! I beat you! Now you hafta bring me to see the trees! I’ll tell my dad not to play with you next time if you don’t!”
“Pfft, he wouldn’t do that. He likes playing this game too much.”
“He likes having a happy daughter better.”
Glaring at the filly, Pharynx eventually let out a low growl. “…Ugh… Fine. I’ll bring you to see the stupid trees. Just follow me and don’t get lost.”
“Yes!”
Pharynx grumbled as he led Flurry Heart along the residential hallways of the hive, where various families of changelings had their trees hanging upside down for all to see. The filly giggled as her vision darted from family to family, taking in all of their decorations.
“They’re so pretty, Mister General!” she said, only a few paces ahead of him. “How come you don’t like looking at them all? Why don’t you have an upside-down tree, too?”
“Pfft, I don’t do pretty,” Pharynx scoffed. “These ‘lings can do what they want. I thought it was bad enough when we just had the trees hanging upside down as they were. Then Ocellus had to tell everyling we were supposed to put stuff on ‘em, too. It’s too… bright. Yeugh.”
Flurry Heart tilted her head at him, then stepped back to better match his stride. “Y’know, it doesn’t all hafta be super bright. Other places in Equestria make ornaments that don’t shine so much. We could get you some.”
The tiniest hint of a smirk appeared on Pharynx’s muzzle as he looked down at the filly. “Thanks for the offer, kid, but this whole holiday just isn’t really my bowl of punch. At least I think that’s the phrase everyling keeps using around now…”
The filly stopped short as she stared at the changeling prince. When he found her missing from his side, he immediately halted his stride and turned around. “Hey! Where did you— Geez, there you… What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Her eyebrows tilted upward, Flurry Heart whispered, “The… the whole holiday?”
Pharynx just stared at her for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, it’s annoying, all this decorating and singing weird stuff.”
Flurry Heart stared right back. “But… but the singing and the decorating isn’t the whole holiday. You’re forgetting the most important part. And if you don’t like that, that’s just…” A single tear dripped down her cheek. “…That’s so sad.”
Ah geez, I made her cry. “Kid, what are you talking about?”
Wiping her tear away with a sniffle, Flurry replied, “Hearth’s Warming’s really about being with your family and everypony you love. How could you not like that part? Do you not like King Thorax?”
After a moment, Pharynx let out a sigh that ended with a brief chuckle. “That’s what you’re getting upset over? Geez, kid, quit the waterworks.” He stepped up and tousled Flurry’s mane. “‘Course I like Thorax. I love my kid brother.” He let out a snort. “The guy’s a total doofus, but I love ‘im. I don’t need a stupid holiday to tell me that, it’s an all-year thing.”
A smile formed on Flurry’s muzzle as she flinched away from Pharynx’s hoof. “I was gonna say, Mister General. That would’ve been really sad.”
“Hmph. Gonna admit to ya, kid, I don’t really say that stuff out loud much. Felt kinda good. Thanks for getting me to do it. Guess this whole ‘holiday spirit’ thing everyling keeps talking about isn’t so bad.” He looked around at a couple nearby families, then smirked at Flurry and continued forward as he said, “C’mon, kid, there are more trees to look at.”
Instead of following, Flurry stayed rooted to her spot. “Wait, Mister General!”
Pharynx groaned as he looked back at her. “What’s the problem, kid?”
Flurry turned around and faced back where they’d come from, putting on her own smirk. “…You want a rematch instead?”
A smile jumped onto Pharynx’s muzzle as his eyes narrowed. “…Oh, you are on, kid.”
“I’m sorry, Cadance, I didn’t expect to need to go over everything so many times. I guess I’m still not as versed at all this stuff as you are.”
Cadance shook her head with a smile. “Don’t apologize, Thorax. I’d much rather everycreature be prepared when it’s time for the upcoming summit. I especially don’t want you being behind with everything we all need to know about.”
“Thank you, Cadance. You really are too kind.”
“Not at all, Thorax, it’s my pleasure. Now, let’s see, where do you think my daughter and your brother are? We ought to leave before it gets too dark.”
Turning right at a fork, Thorax answered, “If they were going to play Risk, they’d be in my brother’s room. It isn’t far from here.”
Cadance giggled. “Uh-oh. I hope Flurry hasn’t torn the place apart.”
A minute later, the two royals came upon a large door that was slightly ajar, and they could hear two voices of vastly different ranges.
“Ha! You aren’t getting Saddle Arabia that easy!”
“That was a lucky roll!”
Cadance smirked. “Sounds a little heated in there.”
“Hopefully not too hot,” Thorax responded as he knocked before opening his brother’s door. “Pharynx? Flurry? You good in here?”
“Yeah, yeah, we’re fine,” Pharynx replied with a smirk, not looking away from his miniature opponent. “This little general is just getting her behind hoofed to her.”
“There’s only a one-territory difference, I can still come back,” Flurry countered, staring right back at the changeling prince.
Cadance looked around at the relatively organized room, then to Thorax. “Seems they were rather civil after all.” Thorax nodded as she looked to Flurry and added, “Sweetie, I’m glad you’re having fun, but King Thorax and I are finished with what we need to do, so you and I should go before it gets too dark.”
“But this is a tiebreaker!” the prince and little princess shouted in unison before going right back to their game.
Thorax and Cadance both flinched back at the shout. Then they looked at each other and chuckled before slipping out the door.
“Would you like to go see the trees?” Thorax asked.
“That sounds like fun, yes,” Cadance replied.