The train chugged steadily along through the pristine white landscape stretching to eternity and back. The valleys and the rolling hills were perfectly still, dormant under the thick blanket of snow growing slowly but steadily thicker by the snowflakes dancing down from the skies. I longed to once again dance with them, to once again lose myself in their enchanting beauty; though it had only been my home for a blink of an eye in another life, I’d grown fond of the soft, white wonder of the northern end of the world, and the happy memories of it that I shared with my friends would always bring warmth to my heart.
Soon, I told myself. Soon there’ll be another.
A frustrated huff at my side broke the spell, pulling me back into the here and now.
“What’s wrong, Pharynx?” I asked.
“How did your aura get so sweet all of a sudden?” he retorted. “I think my teeth are about to rot just by sitting next to you…”
I chuckled. “You say that every other day!”
“Shut up, Thorax.”
“Seriously, though. What’s on your mind?”
“Why would anything be on my mind?”
“You’ve been grumpier than usual ever since we left the hive. There’s got to be a reason!”
“I told you already: I don’t see why you had to drag me all the way here if you’re the one invited!”
“And I told you already, I want you to meet my friends, and they’ve been talking about wanting to meet you too for a while!”
“They met me already.”
“Technically yes, but they thought you were Shining Armor, and you spent most of the time cooped up in his office anyway.”
“What was I supposed to do? Get caught acting out of character or not knowing something the real Shining Armor would be expected to know and jeopardize the whole mission, nevermind that the purpose of that mission went right out the window after what you did? And in case you forgot, I actually incapacitated those ‘friends’ that are suddenly so eager to meet me. What gives?!”
“They’ve forgiven you and want to start over on the right hoof!”
“Hm.”
“You know ponies don’t hold a grudge for very long, and these ponies in particular have no ulterior motives, if that’s your concern.”
“I got that impression too.”
“So no problem then-”
“But that still doesn’t change the fact that both the king and the head of defense forces are simultaneously absent from the hive and that Chrysalis is still on the loose. She could notice and attack the hive before we’re back!”
“Didn’t you say the army is trained and ready?”
“They’re trained, yes, but they’re also far thinner in numbers than they used to be, and this isn’t something I’m willing to take chances with. Even if they are numerous enough to give her a hard time, I know how she thinks better than any of them.”
“...well, we’re only spending one day here-”
“Not if this blizzard keeps up!”
I glanced at the window; sure enough, the snowing had intensified to not quite a storm, but not far from it, either. Enough to get the crystal ponies worried? I wasn’t sure; I hadn’t spent enough time around them to figure out where exactly their threshold was. I knew the icy inferno at Flurry’s crystalling hadn’t deterred them from gathering around the castle, but was it because they were used to such weather or because they’d been willing to risk their lives to honor the newborn princess with their presence?
Then again, the crystal ponies lived here and were protected by the Crystal Heart’s magic; even if the weather were to cut off the traffic to and from the city, they could probably wait it out with the supplies they had. Pharynx and I, on the other hoof, couldn’t stay away from the hive indefinitely even though the city’s love supply was infinite and our hosts would surely provide any accommodations we could ask for.
“Didn’t Spike say Twilight’s mom and dad missed the crystalling because a storm delayed their train?” I mused. “But they got there eventually, so it can’t be that bad, right? Especially since this isn’t even close to the storm raging through the Empire back then?”
“You’re forgetting you weren’t on the train that time,” Pharynx said. “How can you be so sure it isn’t as strong unless you get out into it? Don’t actually do it. A rescue intervention is the last thing we need.”
“I wasn’t going to-”
CRASH!
Before I knew it, Pharynx and I had tumbled off the seat; his sharp reflexes managed to redirect him into landing on the seat opposite the one we’d just occupied, from where I could hear him facehoofing at my unceremoniously-toppled, upside-down form moaning on the floor of the train car.
“Are you alive?” he asked.
“I think so… What happened?”
“I’m about to find out as soon as you pull yourself up from there!”
I did after some effort to disentangle myself, by which time a conductor had appeared. Pharynx had him pressed against a wall before he could utter a sound.
“This better not be sabotage!” he growled.
“Pharynx, let him go!” I cried, but to no avail.
“Why?” the conductor pleaded. “Who would sabotage a half-empty train in the middle of nowhere?”
“Someone who has a grudge against the king of changelings and wants him dead! Like anypony who doesn’t believe we’ve changed, or, I don’t know, maybe the tyrant he dethroned!”
The conductor’s eyes went wide.
“Right… right… but I don’t think that’s the case here-”
“Then what is?!”
“The blizzard piled up a snow dune onto the tracks. We hit it.”
“You couldn’t have stopped before? Or plowed through it?”
“We would have, but the dune looked like just another hill, and by the time we realized it wasn’t one, it was too late to either stop the train or accelerate.”
Pharynx finally released him, albeit with a snort. “I wanna see this dune,” he added.
“Why?”
“So I can check if it really is a natural formation! We can’t risk that an enemy is onto us when we’re alone and so far away from any reinforcements!”
“Aren’t you getting paranoid?” I interjected.
“Have you met Chrysalis?”
“Uh…”
“Can you swear on the hive’s future that she didn’t somehow find out you’d be coming to the Crystal Empire today and set up a trap?”
I couldn’t, and even if I could, Pharynx was in such a state that any arguing against his point was doomed to fail. “Fine, have it your way,” I relented. “Just try to act civil unless a threat actually appears? Please?”
He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Are you gonna show us the dune or what?”
The conductor swallowed a lump in his throat. “Uh, yes, of course… this way…”
The dune turned out to be bigger than I’d expected, and the locomotive was buried into it.
“Explain to me something, pony,” Pharynx hissed at the conductor. “How does a dune of that size end up on the train tracks with nopony being the wiser?”
“I-i-it’s the we-we-weather of the F-f-f-f-rozen N-n-n-north-”
“Just the weather? Couldn’t it have had help-”
“Pharynx, leave him alone! Can’t you see you’ve scared him out of his wits?”
“What am I supposed to do? Thank him for being stranded?”
“It’s not his fault that we’re stranded,” I insisted, “and besides, it’s just snow. We can dig through it! Will the train be able to continue after that, Mr Conductor?”
“Well, unless the engine suffered critical damage…”
“Did it?”
“Not as far as could be seen from inside the train.”
“Good. Pharynx?”
He snorted. “You dig if you want, but whoever did this has got to be around, and I intend to find them!”
With that, he took to the air and started flying in circles, spiraling out from our position, occasionally getting blown off course by the gusts of the wind.
“Are you sure you’re alright with digging, Your Highness?” the conductor asked hesitantly.
“It’s not the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” I said with a shrug. “And by the way, I’m not really a fan of high titles, either. Just call me Thorax!”
“Right. Thorax… Guess I’ll get the shovels, then…”
“Better go check on the other passengers, see if they need something. I’ve got this.”
“What do you mean-”
Before he could finish, I engulfed myself in blue flames and emerged from them as a nearly full-sized maulwurf, then immediately attacked the snow dune, careful not to flip the train over with my claws.
“...oh,” I heard him say. “Alright then, guess I’ll go check the passengers…”
I’d assumed the work would take at least a few hours, given the size of the dune, but the snow wasn’t packed especially densely and the blizzard had exhausted itself in the meantime, and before I knew it, my claws scraped the rails, fortunately without damaging them.
“That should do it!” the conductor said, returning outside. “I can’t believe you did it all by yourself!”
“There’s still some snow on the tracks…”
“Nothing the engine can’t handle,” he winked. “Now, where is Mr Pharynx? I suppose he wouldn’t want the train to leave without him?”
Apparently he’d noticed; I didn’t even have to go looking for him.
“That was quick,” he grumbled, landing empty-hooved.
“Good to have you back, Pharynx,” I said. “Catch any enemies?”
“Shut up.”
A couple of hours later, still wrapped in a blanket following the ordeal in the snow, I once again observed the white-coated scenery as it passed by on the other side of the window. This time, however, the sky was graced with the mesmerizing dance of ethereal, rainbow-colored swirls and ripples; we were reaching our destination.
If only Pharynx was showing more enthusiasm…
He was statue-still in his seat, forelegs crossed, gritting his teeth and pouting, and I could swear he hadn’t stopped staring at the same spot somewhere in the opposite row of seats ever since the train started moving again. Good thing we were alone in this car, or the persistent glaring would have quickly become awkward at the very least… I’d tried to snap him out of it, to striking up a conversation, anything, only to have every attempt shot down by a simple snort with a leave-me-alone undertone and a red-hot spike in his aura, a response he occasionally displayed when annoyed about something but unable to tackle the root of the problem.
The root of the problem, in this case, seemed to be the lack of an enemy - or lack of one particular enemy he’d been itching to track down and sort out for a while now - and there was nothing I could do about it. Goodness, this was going to be a long day if he kept it up… Would Cadance and Shining catch on and help me figure out a way to get him to unwind or at least to soften his attitude?
Well, I was about to find out; the train was approaching the station, and the familiar trio was already waiting at the platform.
“Crystal Empire! Final station!” the conductor announced a minute later as the train was slowing down.
Pharynx and I got up, me eager to meet my friends again, him with a scowl still frozen stubbornly onto his face.
“Thanks for the blanket,” I said to the conductor as we passed him, folding it up.
“No problem at all,” he said, accepting it back. “Did it help?”
“Of course! I can’t believe how warm and comfy it is!”
“Only the best for the king!”
“That didn’t stop you from letting him dig snow-”
“Pharynx…” I warned, looking daggers at him for a second or two before returning my attention to the conductor. “Please don’t mind him, sir. He means well but doesn’t care much for manners, and I haven’t been able to get far with him in that regard…”
“It’s alright, I’m used to having such customers,” he assured me. “Enjoy your stay!”
We barely managed to disembark when a pink blur tackled me and attached itself to my neck.
“Why hello to you too, Flurry,” I cooed, chuckling and stroking her mane. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“That it has,” Cadance said, approaching us with Shining. “Welcome back, Thorax! And Pharynx, I take it?”
“It’s good to be back! I’m sorry about the delay. The rails got snowed in and we had to help clear them.”
“We figured as much,” Shining said. “It happens often this time of the year.”
“Were you waiting at the station the whole time?”
“Yes, but don’t worry about it. We really needed to get out of the castle anyway!”
Flurry had in the meantime climbed onto my back and found my wings to pull at, babbling impatiently. Cadance gave her a slight frown, to no avail if the purpose was to get her to calm down.
“Yes, Flurry?” I asked. “You wanted to suggest something?”
Cadance sighed. “She’s been wanting to get out into the snow all day. I promised her we’d ask if you’re interested, but I was really hoping she’d give us a few more minutes, and we understand if you’ve had enough of the snow for today-”
“That’s alright, we can go now!”
“Are you sure?” Shining asked. “You don’t have to for our sake!”
“No, really! I was actually reminiscing about all the fun we had in the snow while I lived here and thinking of asking if you’d be interested to do it again! Unless… Pharynx, would you care to join us?”
“Eh. Whatever. It’s not like I can change your mind about anything, so why bother?”
I sighed inwardly. “Please excuse him, guys… he’s uh… had a rough day… um…”
The gritting of teeth intensified, followed by another eye roll.
Cadance and Shining exchanged a knowing glance. “Right, then,” Shining said. “There’s a good patch of snow a little to the south.”
We got underway, Cadance and me taking the lead with Flurry still riding on my back, and Shining and Pharynx behind us. I walked in silence for a moment, just taking in the scenery and thinking of the times I’d made the same journey to the snowy outskirts of the city with these same ponies in the past, knowing how much I’d missed the other changeling that had now finally joined us even if reluctantly, but only just now realizing how much his presence filled the hole in my heart that had been gaping open every time before! Now my family was finally together! But what about the one member of that family who was finding no pleasure in the company of the rest of us? Shining was attempting a conversation with him but every word was falling on deaf, uninterested, and annoyed ears, and even though he’d technically agreed to tag along, I knew Pharynx would have rather been anywhere else right now, possibly even in the depths of Tartarus, and no conversation, consoling, or bribery was going to change that.
“Your brother is interesting,” Cadance finally said.
Was it a genuine impression or a politely-wrapped disapproval of his attitude? “Well, he’s generally a good guy and I love him, but there are times when I just don’t know what to do with him,” I admitted. “I mean, yes, he sided with me eventually and stopped harassing the other drones and destroying their plants and artwork for the most part, but he’s no less grumpy than he was in the old days. The only change there is is that he wants to find and obliterate Chrysalis when he once wanted to serve her, but that translates to him seeing her shadows everywhere and never giving me a break about it! Heck, he even thought she was the one to blame for that snow dune on the train tracks today! What gives?”
“It’s because he loves you, Thorax, and he wants to protect you. I haven’t known him for very long, but I get the impression that he’d never forgive himself if something happened to you, maybe even if it’s something out of his control, so he can’t rest until he goes above and beyond to prevent any such situations from ever happening, and Chrysalis must be the most obvious threat he can see.”
“You really think it’s as simple as that?”
“Yes. Shining was exactly like that for the longest time after we married, but he got in under control over time, even if your appearing in the Crystal Empire gave him a scare and caused him to relapse for another while. Your brother will get there too, just give him time!”
“I can do that, but he’ll still be grumpy in the meantime. How do I get him to unwind from the constant vigilance and enjoy things?”
“He probably finds enjoyment of sorts in the very acts of protecting you, or at least in knowing that you’re as safe as he can ensure it. As for the more mundane forms of enjoyment, just give him space and he’s sure to find them on his own.”
“Even if we’re just playing in the snow?”
“Even if you’re just playing in the snow. There’s a lot one can do with snow, so he’s sure to come up with something interesting. And who knows? He may actually be enjoying something more than he’s letting it show,” she said with a wink.
Soon we were in a valley covered in untouched snow, and Flurry hopped off my back to dive into it. Her prancing and squealing was a delight to watch, even if half of it was left to imagination, as she often sank completely under the surface and had to fly out of the resulting holes whenever she wanted to rejoin us!
“I’m finding it hard to keep track of her,” Cadance said after a few minutes. “I mean, nothing is going to happen, but still…”
I pondered this for a moment. “What if we started building a snowpony? Maybe that’ll catch her attention and she’ll join us and remain in sight?”
“Of course! She loved the last one you built for her!”
I grinned awkwardly. “Aww, it’s not like I didn’t have any help…”
“Oh hush, you’re the one who did most of the work!” Shining said. “Here, I’ll start…”
He ignited his horn and pulled some snow into a pile. The process exposed some of the tunnels Flurry had made in the meantime and created some empty space for Pharynx to plop down onto the ground, still pouting.
“It’s not forbidden to join us, you know,” I told him. “You could even have a say in what the snowpony will look like in the end!”
He just grunted and looked away.
“Suit yourself,” I shrugged. I still wanted him to join, but maybe Cadance had been right. Maybe the trick really was to let him join on his own accord or to find his own activity independently from us. Hopefully that activity wouldn’t end up being the souring of the experience for everypony else…
Either way, the plot to construct a snowpony had worked. Flurry emerged from one of her tunnels puzzled by it suddenly opening into clean air, then momentarily frowning at us, probably for destroying her hard work, only to notice the crude shape of the beginning of a snowpony, and suddenly the tunnels were all but forgotten; she joined the construction crew with such gusto that I once again found it challenging to keep track of her at times! Some of her efforts flopped, admittedly, and needed the rest of us to fix them, but others were pretty good; had she had practice since our last time? Or rather, how much practice had she had? She couldn’t have been kept away from the snow this whole time!
Eventually the snowpony was finished, and though we hadn’t agreed on what it should look like when starting out, it became a remarkably well-executed copy of the only grump in sight. The scowl was especially convincing!
“Very funny,” the green Pharynx said, looking daggers at the white one.
“Why?” Shining chuckled. “Because you left an impression on Flurry? We didn’t start out with the idea of recreating you specifically, or anypony else for that matter; we just went with the flow.”
“So now I’m mock material for some foal?”
I’d had enough. “Will you quit taking out your frustrations on innocent bystanders already and learn to behave yourself for one afternoon?!” I exclaimed, kicking at a discarded pile of snow in his general direction; though I hadn’t intended it, some of it hit him in the face.
His expression went blank for a moment, and air seemed to have turned into a vacuum. Then he pierced me with a long, hard stare.
“Did you just throw snow in my face?”
“Uh…”
He stood up. Grabbed some snow in his magic and slowly and deliberately crushed it into a snowball, never breaking eye contact with me, making sure I was watching his every move. Then he made another snowball. And another. And another.
And about a hundred more.
Scowled.
Smirked.
And for the second time that day, I was soon soaked to the bone in a pile of snow.
)