Dear Thorax...by Cairo_DensonChaptersChapter One: The LetterChapter Two: LoveChapter Three: Writing to The TopChapter 4: BrothersThe fate of this story.Chapter 7Chapter 5: The CastleChapter One: The LetterAuthor's Note So, quite a few people disliked the way I had written the original of this story. So let's make this fully plot oriented. Note: I'm always open to criticize. But, please keep in mind that I am not a professional and that you can't expect someone with little experience writing actual storyline to do amazing. Also question for the comments: What is your favorite kind of pasta? Enjoy the failure that is my writing. Fun Fact: Wyrm is an earth dragon. Thank me later. Chapter One: The Letter Dear Thorax, Twilight and I are on our way. We're probably on the train as you read this, so don't worry about responding. Save me some crystal berries! -Spike Thorax quickly scanned the letter before moving his hoof away from the bowl he had been eating from. "Hmm. How should I tell him?" Thorax played at least 50 scenarios of how he could do this and how this could go. Of course, almost none of them played out in a good way. "Thorax, Spike, the Brave and Glorius and Princess Twilight Sparkle have arrived. Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor wish for you to join them in welcoming them to the Empire." Thorax was startled by the guard's seemingly sudden apperance, though he quickly regained his composure. "Wha- oh, yes. Tell the Princess I'm on my way." The guard bowed and returned to his post, leaving Thorax alone in his room. The changeling donned his usual scarf, he knew from experience that even the Crystal Heart could not protect the Empire from the harsh winters of the Frozen North. He prepared to see his best friend again for the first time in eighteen moons, and Thorax was off. He arrived in the throne room to the sight of Cadence and Flurry Heart, but no Shining Armor. He greeted the princesses, and moved to a chair in the throne room typically reserved for meetings. When Shining arrived he had Twilight following close behind yet Spike was nowhere to be found. At first. A dragon larger than Princess Cadence slithered through the door, smiled showing all of his teeth, and spoke to Thorax first. "Hey Thorax! Guess I've grown a bit huh?" This dragon was Spike. Thorax sat mouth agape at the dragon who had once been neck height, that was currently almost double his height. Spike rubbed the back of his head, careful to avoid the spines that had grown out. "Guess we have a lot to talk about, eh?" Thorax shook himself out of his trance, still in awe of how Spike had grown. They conversed for a while before going over residence and deciding that Spike and Thorax should room together. They were soon gathering their luggage and moving it to where they would be staying. "So Spike how did you get so, y'know, big?" Spike turned his head at Throax's question. "I honestly don't know, Thorax. I fell asleep one day, then I woke up and I couldn't fit in my, or any, bed. We've looked high and low for a cause or a reason, but nothing. We basically gave up, but Twilight was hoping to find something here if at all possible. I seriously doubt it though. Spike turned to Thorax after putting his stuff away. "Didn't you say that you had something to tell me bud?" "Well..." Thorax pursed his lips. How was he going to do this. He opened and closed his mouth before shaking his head. He walked up to his bedroom and returned with a sheet of paper in his magical grasp. He frowned at the paper before handing it off to the dragon. "Let's see here, changeling ID 10Y4-5RtA... invader clan... wait, FEMALE?!?" Confusion spread over the wyrm's face as Thorax took the paper back. "Listen, Spike..." Spike turned to Thorax expecting an explanation. "I... haven't been completely honest with you. Listen, I am a boy. Or at least consider myself one." Spike closed his mouth, eyes widening. "So you're... transgender? Huh." Spike stood there staring into space, and Thorax was simply in shock. "Y-you're not weirded out, or surprised, or angry I hid it or..." Thorax trailed off after realizing Spike was barely listening. "Oh, I'm in shock. I'm just processing the fact that you actually have a-" he cut himself off after realizing that he could be incorrect. "Actually, do you have a, you know, a vagina?" Thorax gritted his teeth. "Well... yes. I wish I didn't and I can't change it without surgery, but yes." Thorax frowned before continuing. "Either way, my banishment from the hive let me be a bit more open with that. And even better, without me having to tell you then, you called me a boy and made my day." This elicted a smile from Spike. "And even better, when you promised to introduce me to the Empire's people in transformation, you let me take my first chance at a male form. You let me come to terms with my gender. You helped me out so much that a thank you isn't even close to enough." Spike's eyes twinkled as he held out his arms inviting Thorax into a hug. "Well then, consider being my friend payment enough." Spike smiled as the changeling accepted the embrace. "I can't describe how happy I am for you. I'm glad I could help you out so much buddy." Spike pulled away from Thorax to retreat to his room when- "One more thing Spike!" The aforementioned dragon turned his head back to Thorax. "Could you maybe, I dunno, not tell anyone. About me being, you know. It's just that a lot of people still , or want to find a reason to, dislike me. I-I just don't want to give them another or even any reasons to hate me." Spike understood. He wasn't sure why but he understood. "Cross my heart, hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye." Spike went back to his room to take a nap, while Thorax continued cleaning. But they never considered that they could have been overheard. "So the rouge not only abandoned the hive and befriended ponies, but she also considers herself a boy. Things our becoming very, very interesting." The stallion chucked darkly as his eyes flashed green. "I had better get this information back to the boss. I just know that he'll love it." After adding wings back onto his disguise he began to fly his way over to his boss. "I just can't wait to see how this could play out." Chapter Two: Love"Stiff wings. The worst part of sleeping." Thorax groaned in discontent before crawling out of bed to grab his scarf. If he was going to spend the day outside, he should at least try to be warm. "I wonder if Spike is awake..." A rumbling snore from the next room over told him that it wasn't so. "Guess I'll have to wake him up." He left his room, hissing at the brighter light of his living room. "Spike?" He knocked on the door. "Spike we have to go!" He knocked a bit more. "We're spending the day around the empire, we planned this all da-" Thorax backed away as flames licked at the edges of the door. "Thorax, you're up way too early! It's 5 AM! Go back to sleep or watch tv or something. Anything for the next two hours." Thorax returned to his room to check his clock, and sure enough, Spike was correct. The clock read 5:13, though how Spike knew that witnout a clock was beyond Thorax. "I guess I'll just read for a while. Now the question is, what?" "Thanks for taking me around the Empire, Thorax!" Spike smiled his usual grin for a moment before turning to face forward again. Thorax simply smiled back. "It's nothing. I just wanted to show you how much it's changed. And that they're adding a new statue of us." Spike's eyes widened at this. "Since you introduced what people considered impossible, you've become an even bigger legend." Thorax smirked before shaking his head. "Don't get too big a head over it though. You've gotten big enough." Probably in more places than one. Mmmmm. Wait, where did that come from? Thorax closed his eyes and shook head. "Either way, I wanna show you my favorite place in the whole Empire." Thorax licked his lips,"Welcome to Frozen North Fro-Yo." "That." Spike began,"Was the greatest and worst thing we've done." Five hours were spent in that frozen yogurt shop. And over 40,000 calories between the two of them. Of course, Spike having eaten most of those. "Ughh. Agreed. Can we never do that again. Ever." Thorax shook his head at the discomfort in his stomach. Definitely not a good idea. "You know, even if it was half off, 50 bits worth was a lot. Ugh, I don't even wanna move." I might like to move a bit closer to- Seriously, where are these thoughts coming from?! "Let's go visit Crystal Oak Lake. It's pretty quiet and the walk will help work off some of the yogurt." Spike released a burp before getting up from the table. "Alright. Let's go. Walkin' off this fro-yo is definitely what I need." "There's a legend that says that if you come here with someone who has changed your life you can tell if they're your soulmate. I don't know how it started, and it's probably superstition, but I've always found it interesting." Thorax relished in the possibility of somehow finding his soulmate here. "Well, I guess we should tell each other if either of us get any signs huh. Heheh." Thorax was confused for a split second before realizing what Spike meant. Thorax was given love for the first time and was able to share it because of Spike. And Spike gained who he considered his best friend. They've changed each other's lives a lot more than he could have realized. "So Thorax, harboring any other big secrets?" Thorax smirked and punched the drake in the arm. "No. But I do have one question. Why didn't you grow wings with your growth spurt?" Spike scratched his cheek before thinking for a moment. "I guess it's based on the type of dragon I am. I'm a wrym or sort of earth dragon. We have quite a few different abilities than normal flying of fire dragons. But we never do grow wings evidently. Still, I do enjoy being able to tell time without a clock or seeing the sun." Well there's the answer to that question. "And of course, my gem sensing abilities are pretty great. Although, I did have to suppress it while I'm here. Seriously, who came up with the idea of a crystal frickin castle." Thorax rolled his eyes trying to supress a snicker. "Hello, Crystal Empire. Honestly it should be expected. But anyway how about we-" Thorax cut off his sentence having noticed the spectacle everypony was staring at, two crystal butterflies flying above the bench they were sitting in. While this was no odd sight in the summer, winter was an entirely different thing. "Wow... I've never seen butterflies like these before. They're amazing..." Thorax realized very quickly that Spike didn't know what was happening. It could be a pure coincidence, but this was what everyone who's told about the soulmate myth has seen. Two crystal butterflies. But that was all wrong, Thorax didn't love Spike. Or do you? "That was pretty cool, huh Thorax? Thorax jumped at the sudden question. "Oh! Y-yeah, pretty cool. It was pretty weird though, that's what people said happens if you discover your soulmate at Crystal Oak." Spike tilted his head and smirked. "Well, we might be soulmates. Unless the legend with no proof, and no confirmed witnesses could be not true." Spike laughed it off, and Thorax followed suit. "Yeah, heheh." The forced laugh evidently went unnoticed. "Guess it probably wouldn't be true. It's still weird to think about though." Spike nodded, and began to shake with a yawn. "It's getting pretty late though..." He was interrupted by another yawn. "I think I'll hit the hay, goodnight Thorax." He returned to his room leaving Thorax on his own to ponder. "Okay, I can't deny it anymore. There is no way those butterflies were just a coincidence. Spike might just be my soulmate. And I think... I might be...gulp in love with Spike. Damn right, you are. Chapter Three: Writing to The Top"Say, Thorax how did you become the queen's right hoof?" The dragon had positioned himself behind the couch so he could watch TV without Thorax having to support the couch with a wooden block he found for the very thing. Spike may have gained a lot of muscle but he still got taller and bigger, no couch built to bear the weight of ponies could support his weight without a bit of sagging. And in the case of a couch made to support Thorax, who weighed considerably less than a pony, it didn't stand a chance without support. Thorax pondered for a moment before shrugging. "It's not necessarily an interesting story. I'm not sure you'd wanna hear me go on about myself anyway." Spike laughed sending a jolt through the changeling. My heart's gonna burst before I get the chance to tell him how I feel if he keeps this up. "Well I seem to remember sharing quite a few long stories with you. The least I could do is listen. Now c'mon tell me!" Spike's eyes shone with genuine intrest and Thorax knew he'd have to tell him. "Well, I guess I could tell you." Thorax turned around to face Spike once more. "Here's how it happened..." "Antennae, didn't the queen tell you to stop with this writing nonsense." Antennae rolled her eyes at her brother. "And how, per say, would that be of any interest to you, Pharynx? You can't turn me in since the queen is away, and you quite enjoy my writing if i remember correctly." A scowl over took the off-colored changeling's face. "Who said i was going to turn you in? Look Antennae, I just want to protect you. If you get yourself in trouble for going against the queen's wishes, I can't help you. I'd rather you stop than get in trouble." Antennae began on a rant about the oppression of the Crown and how the changeling government was corrupt, but her brother wanted none of it. "We could create our own rules-" "The queen wants us to be our best-" "Well then we should be able to hone our own skills-" "Which should be fighting-" "We could do so much more-" "Fighting is all we need to survive-" "I could survive off my writing-" "You'd be a failure-" "AT LEAST I WOULDN'T BE A RUBBER STAMP!" More silence followed this statement. Antennae had touched a nerve. "Fine. Write. See just how far you go. I just became captain of the fourth scout division. If your writing can get you that far, I'll stop ridiculing you." ... "I'm sorry." Ringing silence encompassed the chamber. "I'm not." The Queen spoke with an echoey, venomous tone, signalling her incredible distaste for the changeling before her. "Allow me to get my facts together. You disobeyed an order and continued writing, sent me said writing depicting in great detail why you should lead a scout team, and sent me a second writing showcasing all problems you percieved with my rule." Antennae nodded. "Yes, my queen." The queen pursed her lips before opening them once more. "How long?" "Hmm?" "How long did it take you to write all of this? This is more than double the amount I do in two days, and even that leaves me so tired I can scarcely finish any other work." Antennae tilted her head in confusion before cautiously answering, "Almost 3 hours. Maybe more." The queen began ravelling and unravelling her mane around her hoof, setting down the paper in her other hoof whenever her hair became caught. She stopped twirling her membranous mane, gave the paper one more quick glance, before standing up. "Stand, Antennae." The queen began moving towards the door to her private chamber and Antennae quickly followed. "MY FELLOW CHANGELINGS!" The Queen's booming voice sounded throughout the crowd, "I have an announcement!" Two changelings pushed Antennae forward until she was next to the queen. The queen pulled her closer before raising her arm above her head. "This Changeling has proven to me that they could be an asset to myself and the hive! Through their ability to write they have convinced me not of their ability to lead a scout troop, but that they would benefit from an even higher position." The large group of changelings began murmuring in surprise. The queen put an end to this immediately as soon as she opened her mouth next. "Hail the queen's acolyte, and my personal right hand, Antennae!" Three moments of silence 1... 2... 3... Then the crowd exploded with cheers. But the only thing Antennae could make out amongst the chaos was her brother's gaping maw, dead center in her field of vision. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and for a quick second, even just for a moment, she saw it. A genuine smile. Spike sat gaping for a total of 10 seconds. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9... "Wow..." He stood up and ran to his room, prompting Thorax's confused expression. He ran back down the stairs holding two jars of ink, two quils and several sheets of paper. He turned to Spike expecting an explanation, and boy did he receive one. "I've always wanted to write a book with someone, but everyone was either too busy or wasn't into the idea," he began as he started laying down supplies. "But now that I know you're into writing too, we can do it together." He turned and held out a claw to Thorax, his face hopeful and smiling. "What'd you say?" Thorax smiled, accepting the claw/hoof shake. "Let's do it." And so they began. Chapter 4: BrothersIt had been almost 3 months since Spike began living with Thorax in the Crystal Empire, following Twilight's advice that having him in the empire would boost morale and allow him to spend more time with his best friend. But their being best friends didn't mean they didn't have quite a few arguments. Ah, cottage cheese. One of the many things Thorax had come to love while living with ponies. He may have over done it though... Considering the 20 cartons that were currently occupying the doorway. At least, Spike thought it was too much. Thorax... well he would require heavy persuading to believe the same thing. "It'll spoil." "I'll eat it all before then. Besides, even if I didn't speed eat, cottage cheese lasts for like three months." Spike rolled his eyes even through the grin that was slowly over taking his face. "In a freezer. Which we don't have. You see the issue we have here." Thorax opened his mouth to retort, but he was interrupted by a door opening, revealing the frazzled face of Shining Armor to the duo. "GUYS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! AND A BIG ONE AT THAT!" He ran back down the hall towards the throne room leaving a very confused changeling and an equally confused dragon to follow behind him. After making it to the throne room, Candace began informing the two as they moved towards the barrier provided by the crystal heart. "Our issue," she began, trying to speak over the roaring winds of the Frozen North, "is another changeling sighting, issued by the crystal guards sent to patrol this area." Now this caught Thorax's attention as his mind began to work, thinking of the many scenarios in which changelings would be in the area. But he was suddenly pulled out of his concentration by the following statement. "They say the coloration of this changeling was different from the rest, which should make him stand out more." Thorax stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh no." The rest of the group turned to him, hoping to get an explanation for the reaction that had followed the Princess' statement. The changeling gulped, and made a statement that left a ringing silence in it's wake. "... Guys. I'm pretty sure the changeling they saw... was my brother..." Dead silence. Shining Armor spoke first after Thorax had dropped THAT big of a bomb. Of course, his response, while shaky, was one of many to be expected. Unfortunately that didn't help Thorax answer it without stuttering in the goddamn slightest. "Wait, you have a brother?!" Spike smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. Luckily, Spike took over for Thorax, saving him from tripping over his words, and word-vomiting something that made no sense. "Yeah, he kinda told be yesterday. His brother was a scout troop leader, Thorax thinks he was probably promoted by now." A quick nod drew their attention back to Thorax for a split second before Spike spoke once more,"Thorax said he was fantastic at transformation magic. Even able to imitate objects. We should be even more cautious." Cadance scanned the area, as if expecting the supposedly 'invading' changeling to pop up from one of the rocks. "Well, we hopefully won't just find him standing out here. There are three guard troops investigating the area already. We may as well help them. Shining Armor and I will go together, you and Spike do the same." "Where do you think we should check?" Thorax turned to Spike, minimally surprised the allegedly cold-blooded dragon wasn't shivering in the freezing cold. Apparently the dragon caught on to this, as he smiled that signature, toothy grin, and blew a quick plume of green flames. "Earth dragons are warm-blooded, and have a higher natural temperature, we're basically living space heaters." He looked off in one direction before pointing at one of the closer caves. "That's where we met. That exact cave." Memories of that day began overpowering his current thoughts. Saving Spike from falling down that chasm, meeting the Princess under the alias Crystal Hoof, the song Spike sang to get them to finally accept him. He owed Spike so much from that day... He was pulled from his nastolgia by Spike voice, "If he's anywhere, I'd guess he's there. It's the only place that's warm enough for a changeling without any protection." He turned to Thorax. "Good thing that is, huh? Otherwise I never would have met you." That got a reaction out of Thorax, he quickly buried his face in his scarf and coat to hide his blush from the dragon. "Well, we might as well check there if you think that he'd be there." The icicles on the cavern ceiling shone with the soft light of changeling magic, reflecting the collective expressions of both parties. In the dimly lit cavern, spotting any changeling would be difficult, hell, Spike had trouble seeing Thorax in this darkness. But Thorax's brother supposedly matched the darkness even better than he did. They stood almost no chance... At least they thought that until they found him. Thorax's hooves flew up to cover his muzzle at the sight of tne shivering changeling lying facedown on the cavern floor. For a split second the changeling looked up and his raspy, deep voice said only two words. "Antennae. Help..." Thorax was antsy as all hell. He'd just seen his brother for the first time in almost 8 moons, and he was on the verge of death, he'd managed to convince Shining Armor not to just throw him in the crystal dungeons, and to hear him out. Thank Faust they'd maintained a good relationship as friends. At the very least, he trusted Thorax. At the very least, that would have been good enough. Spike had gone back to writing the story the two of them had begun almost three moons ago. They were well into it, almost 21 chapters done, Spike was maybe finishing the 21st. They had agreed to write only 25 before stopping, but they were no where close to a resolution. 'We may have to extend that limit.' He thought. He had only just caught on to Spike staring at him. "You okay, Thorax?" The simple question broke something in Thorax as the weight of the situation finally caught up to him. He sighed and landed on the floor before he began speaking. "No. I just saw my only broodmate, who doesn't know me by any name besides the name i regected, and he was nearly freezing to death. For all we know, he could have an entire battalion at the ready to attack, or he could have denounced the hive and left. I don't know what to do..." Thorax was not a crier. But something about his only remaining family that close to death kept replaying somewhere in the back of his mind. And he broke down. He began quietly sobbing, tears slowly streaming dowmpn his face. He barely registered Spike gently pulling him into a hug. He cried into Spike shoulder, and he was met with nothing but sympathy. When suddenly the door was opened. "Antennae..." Pharynx rushed over to his brother pulling him into the most sincere hug he'd ever given him. "Thank Faust you're ok. How did you convince them that you weren't a threat... I tried to tell them why I left the hive but they wouldn't listen." This earned Shining Armor a heavy glare from the younger changeling. "I had a little help..." He pointed at the earth drake behind him and his brother's eyes widened. "Holy acorns... that giant helped you win over these ponies? Last I checked weren't ponies and dragons enemies?" Thorax rolled his eyes, a pointed smile on his face. "Not this one. He's good friends with all of the princesses. He's even the god-father of her daughter." He stated this, making a quick nod in Cadence's direction. The disbelief still shone on the off-colored changeling's face."Well, at the very least you're safe Antennae." Thorax winced quite visibly at the name, and he knew Pharynx saw it. "What's wrong, Antennae? Got a new name since I last saw you?" Thorax and Spike exchanged a glance, before Thorax spoke like he was talking to a primed explosive. "Pharynx, I have something I really need to tell you something." "So, you go by male pronouns, and your new name is Thorax? Wow, no wonder you hated being treated like a lady when we lived in the hive. Guess we're not brother and sister anymore, huh? I guess we're just..." "Brothers." The fate of this story.Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 7Pharynx was drowning. In snow. Drowning in snow. . . . It was below freezing outside, and Pharynx was stuck in a snowball fight with the monarchs of the crystal empire, Spike... and his brother. Now don't think he doesn't care for his little brother, but that's just the issue. The word brother. Transgenderism was no new concept, but you'd think for a race that's entirely based around change, change in gender would be a less abhorred. But it wasn't. And with that final thoughts his thoughts were interrupted by a snowball in the face. The cold shocked him the most, the follow-up blindness caused him to stumble before sinking into the 6 inches of snow beneath him. He almost went into shock from the below freezing temperature. The hard ground providing no comfort. Considering the fact that his ears were blocked by snow, the 4 voices calling out to him barely registered. "Leave me here to die." His muffled voice called out from beneath the white powder that was slowly beginning to harden from the sheer cold. “Tell Emerald Shard I've had a crush on her since I met her!” “You're not dying, I just got you back. Now, I will take you up on telling Emerald Shard.” Now that got Pharynx’s attention. He shot up from the snow with a horrified expression on his face. “You wouldn't dare!” Thorax smirked, an expression that looked much more sinister than it had any right to. “Wouldn't I? You've embarrassed me plenty of times. Maybe it's time for a taste of your own medicine.” Maybe his brother had toughened up after all. The old Thorax would've never held a grudge. Still though, he wouldn't be intimidated by his little brother. He walked up to him, calm as ever. Slowly balling snow in his hoof without Thorax noticing. And as soon as he got within hugging distance . . . He nailed him from point blank range. Thorax stumbled back, surprised for a second, before striking back and reinitiating the snowball fight. Eventually, citizens wandered out of the empire, wondering what the commotion was, before getting caught up in the fight and joining in. Soon a full scale snowball war broke out between the two halves of the crystal empire, before they eventually had to stop as it started snowing again, seemingly to replenish all the snow used up in the fight. “Well that was fun.” Spike’s usual cheerful grin had never left his face throughout the whole ordeal. Thorax snorted before a shiver overtook him. “Easy for you to say. You have basically have an internal heater, the rest of us are freezing.” Thorax spoke through gritted teeth. Ah well, he never was good with the cold. Spike rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before grabbing a candle off the wall and igniting it with significantly warmer flames and handing it to Thorax. “Hey, don't I get one?” Pharynx exclaimed. Spike pondered for a minute before speaking. “I’ll do you one better.” He barely had time to question Spike’s intention before he was picked up and tossed onto the drake’s back. The heat the dragon produced felt amazing, but he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Was Thorax… jealous? Well, he was definitely the colder of the two, but something told him it ran deeper than that. “Say, Thorax, wanna trade me. Maker knows you could use the warmth with your thin chitin.” The look of gratitude didn't escape him, but it was quickly replaced by false offence. “Hey! My chitin isn't thin. I just get cold easily.” He growled the phrase, but it was pretty detectable as false. The two switched places before Pharynx continued speaking. “Whatever you say Blue-slides.” Thorax looked almost ostracized at the comment. “How dare you!” “Hold up, what's happening?” Cadence, bless her soul looked almost entirely befuddled at their conversation. Shining Armor was too busy playing with Flurry Heart to look their way. Thorax shook his head. “It's a rarely used insult. See, Changelings have almost no internal structure, besides heart and lungs, our organs and blood mostly float in this blue goo inside our bodies. Our chitin is actually transparent, it just becomes opaque in layers. Thin chitin usually means you can see the blue goo inside.” He smirked before continuing. “He mostly means it as a joke. The condition had a name, but I completely forgot it. People basically only referred to it as Blue-sides, sinde that's where the chitin is weakest.” She nodded in understanding before looking at the clock on the wall. “It's almost lunchtime. We should change out of these snow clothes.” They all went to their separate rooms, and didn't even notice that they were being trailed. A familiar blue tail swished as the “pony” it belonged to walked through the halls. “Soon.” Author's Note Tada! Chapter 5: The CastleA requiem for a new journey. Thorax found his brother, revealed his biggest secret to two people, and developed a secret crush on his best friend. That was all great. Well, the last one wasn't so great. But the rest, great. Now this was something unexpected. He was being invited to the castle of Princess Twilight. Of course he'd accepted the invitation, but there may or may not have been something getting in his way. Something involving his horn. Now, changelings were a lot less magical than ponies, but Thorax was the exception to that rule, possibly being the most powerful changeling besides Chrysalis. Of course, he had one inhibitation. Well, two. One, he burned energy a lot faster than most changelings because of it. And two, he pretty much knew two spells only. And he was invited so Twilight could study changeling magic. Well crap. Either way he proceded with an air of calmness and equilibrium while on the inside he was rolling on the floor in a bundle of anxiety and nerves. There's two things that would have been said were another changeling with him. 'Suck it up and fail with honor.' Or, 'Fake it 'til you make it. We are a race of posers after all.' Yeah, the latter would work. He might as well. He was already there. "Thorax, I think the best way for us to do this is for you to do any spells you know. That way I can get a general census of changeling magic." Well that makes it even easier for Thorax. Now he could just make things up on the spot. "Okay, got it. Any suggestions on where to start?" And he messed it up. Shit. Well if nothing else I'm a competent narrator, and for once someone is glad Twilight is hyoer-organized. She grinned in a manner that could be seen as sinister, or heavily pleased. "I'm so glad you asked! What's about you give me a general explanation of changeling magic. Any quirks, limitations, or specific uses." Yes! Questions he could answer! This was going all his way.
Chapter One: The LetterAuthor's Note So, quite a few people disliked the way I had written the original of this story. So let's make this fully plot oriented. Note: I'm always open to criticize. But, please keep in mind that I am not a professional and that you can't expect someone with little experience writing actual storyline to do amazing. Also question for the comments: What is your favorite kind of pasta? Enjoy the failure that is my writing. Fun Fact: Wyrm is an earth dragon. Thank me later. Chapter One: The Letter Dear Thorax, Twilight and I are on our way. We're probably on the train as you read this, so don't worry about responding. Save me some crystal berries! -Spike Thorax quickly scanned the letter before moving his hoof away from the bowl he had been eating from. "Hmm. How should I tell him?" Thorax played at least 50 scenarios of how he could do this and how this could go. Of course, almost none of them played out in a good way. "Thorax, Spike, the Brave and Glorius and Princess Twilight Sparkle have arrived. Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor wish for you to join them in welcoming them to the Empire." Thorax was startled by the guard's seemingly sudden apperance, though he quickly regained his composure. "Wha- oh, yes. Tell the Princess I'm on my way." The guard bowed and returned to his post, leaving Thorax alone in his room. The changeling donned his usual scarf, he knew from experience that even the Crystal Heart could not protect the Empire from the harsh winters of the Frozen North. He prepared to see his best friend again for the first time in eighteen moons, and Thorax was off. He arrived in the throne room to the sight of Cadence and Flurry Heart, but no Shining Armor. He greeted the princesses, and moved to a chair in the throne room typically reserved for meetings. When Shining arrived he had Twilight following close behind yet Spike was nowhere to be found. At first. A dragon larger than Princess Cadence slithered through the door, smiled showing all of his teeth, and spoke to Thorax first. "Hey Thorax! Guess I've grown a bit huh?" This dragon was Spike. Thorax sat mouth agape at the dragon who had once been neck height, that was currently almost double his height. Spike rubbed the back of his head, careful to avoid the spines that had grown out. "Guess we have a lot to talk about, eh?" Thorax shook himself out of his trance, still in awe of how Spike had grown. They conversed for a while before going over residence and deciding that Spike and Thorax should room together. They were soon gathering their luggage and moving it to where they would be staying. "So Spike how did you get so, y'know, big?" Spike turned his head at Throax's question. "I honestly don't know, Thorax. I fell asleep one day, then I woke up and I couldn't fit in my, or any, bed. We've looked high and low for a cause or a reason, but nothing. We basically gave up, but Twilight was hoping to find something here if at all possible. I seriously doubt it though. Spike turned to Thorax after putting his stuff away. "Didn't you say that you had something to tell me bud?" "Well..." Thorax pursed his lips. How was he going to do this. He opened and closed his mouth before shaking his head. He walked up to his bedroom and returned with a sheet of paper in his magical grasp. He frowned at the paper before handing it off to the dragon. "Let's see here, changeling ID 10Y4-5RtA... invader clan... wait, FEMALE?!?" Confusion spread over the wyrm's face as Thorax took the paper back. "Listen, Spike..." Spike turned to Thorax expecting an explanation. "I... haven't been completely honest with you. Listen, I am a boy. Or at least consider myself one." Spike closed his mouth, eyes widening. "So you're... transgender? Huh." Spike stood there staring into space, and Thorax was simply in shock. "Y-you're not weirded out, or surprised, or angry I hid it or..." Thorax trailed off after realizing Spike was barely listening. "Oh, I'm in shock. I'm just processing the fact that you actually have a-" he cut himself off after realizing that he could be incorrect. "Actually, do you have a, you know, a vagina?" Thorax gritted his teeth. "Well... yes. I wish I didn't and I can't change it without surgery, but yes." Thorax frowned before continuing. "Either way, my banishment from the hive let me be a bit more open with that. And even better, without me having to tell you then, you called me a boy and made my day." This elicted a smile from Spike. "And even better, when you promised to introduce me to the Empire's people in transformation, you let me take my first chance at a male form. You let me come to terms with my gender. You helped me out so much that a thank you isn't even close to enough." Spike's eyes twinkled as he held out his arms inviting Thorax into a hug. "Well then, consider being my friend payment enough." Spike smiled as the changeling accepted the embrace. "I can't describe how happy I am for you. I'm glad I could help you out so much buddy." Spike pulled away from Thorax to retreat to his room when- "One more thing Spike!" The aforementioned dragon turned his head back to Thorax. "Could you maybe, I dunno, not tell anyone. About me being, you know. It's just that a lot of people still , or want to find a reason to, dislike me. I-I just don't want to give them another or even any reasons to hate me." Spike understood. He wasn't sure why but he understood. "Cross my heart, hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye." Spike went back to his room to take a nap, while Thorax continued cleaning. But they never considered that they could have been overheard. "So the rouge not only abandoned the hive and befriended ponies, but she also considers herself a boy. Things our becoming very, very interesting." The stallion chucked darkly as his eyes flashed green. "I had better get this information back to the boss. I just know that he'll love it." After adding wings back onto his disguise he began to fly his way over to his boss. "I just can't wait to see how this could play out."
Chapter Two: Love"Stiff wings. The worst part of sleeping." Thorax groaned in discontent before crawling out of bed to grab his scarf. If he was going to spend the day outside, he should at least try to be warm. "I wonder if Spike is awake..." A rumbling snore from the next room over told him that it wasn't so. "Guess I'll have to wake him up." He left his room, hissing at the brighter light of his living room. "Spike?" He knocked on the door. "Spike we have to go!" He knocked a bit more. "We're spending the day around the empire, we planned this all da-" Thorax backed away as flames licked at the edges of the door. "Thorax, you're up way too early! It's 5 AM! Go back to sleep or watch tv or something. Anything for the next two hours." Thorax returned to his room to check his clock, and sure enough, Spike was correct. The clock read 5:13, though how Spike knew that witnout a clock was beyond Thorax. "I guess I'll just read for a while. Now the question is, what?" "Thanks for taking me around the Empire, Thorax!" Spike smiled his usual grin for a moment before turning to face forward again. Thorax simply smiled back. "It's nothing. I just wanted to show you how much it's changed. And that they're adding a new statue of us." Spike's eyes widened at this. "Since you introduced what people considered impossible, you've become an even bigger legend." Thorax smirked before shaking his head. "Don't get too big a head over it though. You've gotten big enough." Probably in more places than one. Mmmmm. Wait, where did that come from? Thorax closed his eyes and shook head. "Either way, I wanna show you my favorite place in the whole Empire." Thorax licked his lips,"Welcome to Frozen North Fro-Yo." "That." Spike began,"Was the greatest and worst thing we've done." Five hours were spent in that frozen yogurt shop. And over 40,000 calories between the two of them. Of course, Spike having eaten most of those. "Ughh. Agreed. Can we never do that again. Ever." Thorax shook his head at the discomfort in his stomach. Definitely not a good idea. "You know, even if it was half off, 50 bits worth was a lot. Ugh, I don't even wanna move." I might like to move a bit closer to- Seriously, where are these thoughts coming from?! "Let's go visit Crystal Oak Lake. It's pretty quiet and the walk will help work off some of the yogurt." Spike released a burp before getting up from the table. "Alright. Let's go. Walkin' off this fro-yo is definitely what I need." "There's a legend that says that if you come here with someone who has changed your life you can tell if they're your soulmate. I don't know how it started, and it's probably superstition, but I've always found it interesting." Thorax relished in the possibility of somehow finding his soulmate here. "Well, I guess we should tell each other if either of us get any signs huh. Heheh." Thorax was confused for a split second before realizing what Spike meant. Thorax was given love for the first time and was able to share it because of Spike. And Spike gained who he considered his best friend. They've changed each other's lives a lot more than he could have realized. "So Thorax, harboring any other big secrets?" Thorax smirked and punched the drake in the arm. "No. But I do have one question. Why didn't you grow wings with your growth spurt?" Spike scratched his cheek before thinking for a moment. "I guess it's based on the type of dragon I am. I'm a wrym or sort of earth dragon. We have quite a few different abilities than normal flying of fire dragons. But we never do grow wings evidently. Still, I do enjoy being able to tell time without a clock or seeing the sun." Well there's the answer to that question. "And of course, my gem sensing abilities are pretty great. Although, I did have to suppress it while I'm here. Seriously, who came up with the idea of a crystal frickin castle." Thorax rolled his eyes trying to supress a snicker. "Hello, Crystal Empire. Honestly it should be expected. But anyway how about we-" Thorax cut off his sentence having noticed the spectacle everypony was staring at, two crystal butterflies flying above the bench they were sitting in. While this was no odd sight in the summer, winter was an entirely different thing. "Wow... I've never seen butterflies like these before. They're amazing..." Thorax realized very quickly that Spike didn't know what was happening. It could be a pure coincidence, but this was what everyone who's told about the soulmate myth has seen. Two crystal butterflies. But that was all wrong, Thorax didn't love Spike. Or do you? "That was pretty cool, huh Thorax? Thorax jumped at the sudden question. "Oh! Y-yeah, pretty cool. It was pretty weird though, that's what people said happens if you discover your soulmate at Crystal Oak." Spike tilted his head and smirked. "Well, we might be soulmates. Unless the legend with no proof, and no confirmed witnesses could be not true." Spike laughed it off, and Thorax followed suit. "Yeah, heheh." The forced laugh evidently went unnoticed. "Guess it probably wouldn't be true. It's still weird to think about though." Spike nodded, and began to shake with a yawn. "It's getting pretty late though..." He was interrupted by another yawn. "I think I'll hit the hay, goodnight Thorax." He returned to his room leaving Thorax on his own to ponder. "Okay, I can't deny it anymore. There is no way those butterflies were just a coincidence. Spike might just be my soulmate. And I think... I might be...gulp in love with Spike. Damn right, you are.
Chapter Three: Writing to The Top"Say, Thorax how did you become the queen's right hoof?" The dragon had positioned himself behind the couch so he could watch TV without Thorax having to support the couch with a wooden block he found for the very thing. Spike may have gained a lot of muscle but he still got taller and bigger, no couch built to bear the weight of ponies could support his weight without a bit of sagging. And in the case of a couch made to support Thorax, who weighed considerably less than a pony, it didn't stand a chance without support. Thorax pondered for a moment before shrugging. "It's not necessarily an interesting story. I'm not sure you'd wanna hear me go on about myself anyway." Spike laughed sending a jolt through the changeling. My heart's gonna burst before I get the chance to tell him how I feel if he keeps this up. "Well I seem to remember sharing quite a few long stories with you. The least I could do is listen. Now c'mon tell me!" Spike's eyes shone with genuine intrest and Thorax knew he'd have to tell him. "Well, I guess I could tell you." Thorax turned around to face Spike once more. "Here's how it happened..." "Antennae, didn't the queen tell you to stop with this writing nonsense." Antennae rolled her eyes at her brother. "And how, per say, would that be of any interest to you, Pharynx? You can't turn me in since the queen is away, and you quite enjoy my writing if i remember correctly." A scowl over took the off-colored changeling's face. "Who said i was going to turn you in? Look Antennae, I just want to protect you. If you get yourself in trouble for going against the queen's wishes, I can't help you. I'd rather you stop than get in trouble." Antennae began on a rant about the oppression of the Crown and how the changeling government was corrupt, but her brother wanted none of it. "We could create our own rules-" "The queen wants us to be our best-" "Well then we should be able to hone our own skills-" "Which should be fighting-" "We could do so much more-" "Fighting is all we need to survive-" "I could survive off my writing-" "You'd be a failure-" "AT LEAST I WOULDN'T BE A RUBBER STAMP!" More silence followed this statement. Antennae had touched a nerve. "Fine. Write. See just how far you go. I just became captain of the fourth scout division. If your writing can get you that far, I'll stop ridiculing you." ... "I'm sorry." Ringing silence encompassed the chamber. "I'm not." The Queen spoke with an echoey, venomous tone, signalling her incredible distaste for the changeling before her. "Allow me to get my facts together. You disobeyed an order and continued writing, sent me said writing depicting in great detail why you should lead a scout team, and sent me a second writing showcasing all problems you percieved with my rule." Antennae nodded. "Yes, my queen." The queen pursed her lips before opening them once more. "How long?" "Hmm?" "How long did it take you to write all of this? This is more than double the amount I do in two days, and even that leaves me so tired I can scarcely finish any other work." Antennae tilted her head in confusion before cautiously answering, "Almost 3 hours. Maybe more." The queen began ravelling and unravelling her mane around her hoof, setting down the paper in her other hoof whenever her hair became caught. She stopped twirling her membranous mane, gave the paper one more quick glance, before standing up. "Stand, Antennae." The queen began moving towards the door to her private chamber and Antennae quickly followed. "MY FELLOW CHANGELINGS!" The Queen's booming voice sounded throughout the crowd, "I have an announcement!" Two changelings pushed Antennae forward until she was next to the queen. The queen pulled her closer before raising her arm above her head. "This Changeling has proven to me that they could be an asset to myself and the hive! Through their ability to write they have convinced me not of their ability to lead a scout troop, but that they would benefit from an even higher position." The large group of changelings began murmuring in surprise. The queen put an end to this immediately as soon as she opened her mouth next. "Hail the queen's acolyte, and my personal right hand, Antennae!" Three moments of silence 1... 2... 3... Then the crowd exploded with cheers. But the only thing Antennae could make out amongst the chaos was her brother's gaping maw, dead center in her field of vision. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and for a quick second, even just for a moment, she saw it. A genuine smile. Spike sat gaping for a total of 10 seconds. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9... "Wow..." He stood up and ran to his room, prompting Thorax's confused expression. He ran back down the stairs holding two jars of ink, two quils and several sheets of paper. He turned to Spike expecting an explanation, and boy did he receive one. "I've always wanted to write a book with someone, but everyone was either too busy or wasn't into the idea," he began as he started laying down supplies. "But now that I know you're into writing too, we can do it together." He turned and held out a claw to Thorax, his face hopeful and smiling. "What'd you say?" Thorax smiled, accepting the claw/hoof shake. "Let's do it." And so they began.
Chapter 4: BrothersIt had been almost 3 months since Spike began living with Thorax in the Crystal Empire, following Twilight's advice that having him in the empire would boost morale and allow him to spend more time with his best friend. But their being best friends didn't mean they didn't have quite a few arguments. Ah, cottage cheese. One of the many things Thorax had come to love while living with ponies. He may have over done it though... Considering the 20 cartons that were currently occupying the doorway. At least, Spike thought it was too much. Thorax... well he would require heavy persuading to believe the same thing. "It'll spoil." "I'll eat it all before then. Besides, even if I didn't speed eat, cottage cheese lasts for like three months." Spike rolled his eyes even through the grin that was slowly over taking his face. "In a freezer. Which we don't have. You see the issue we have here." Thorax opened his mouth to retort, but he was interrupted by a door opening, revealing the frazzled face of Shining Armor to the duo. "GUYS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! AND A BIG ONE AT THAT!" He ran back down the hall towards the throne room leaving a very confused changeling and an equally confused dragon to follow behind him. After making it to the throne room, Candace began informing the two as they moved towards the barrier provided by the crystal heart. "Our issue," she began, trying to speak over the roaring winds of the Frozen North, "is another changeling sighting, issued by the crystal guards sent to patrol this area." Now this caught Thorax's attention as his mind began to work, thinking of the many scenarios in which changelings would be in the area. But he was suddenly pulled out of his concentration by the following statement. "They say the coloration of this changeling was different from the rest, which should make him stand out more." Thorax stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh no." The rest of the group turned to him, hoping to get an explanation for the reaction that had followed the Princess' statement. The changeling gulped, and made a statement that left a ringing silence in it's wake. "... Guys. I'm pretty sure the changeling they saw... was my brother..." Dead silence. Shining Armor spoke first after Thorax had dropped THAT big of a bomb. Of course, his response, while shaky, was one of many to be expected. Unfortunately that didn't help Thorax answer it without stuttering in the goddamn slightest. "Wait, you have a brother?!" Spike smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. Luckily, Spike took over for Thorax, saving him from tripping over his words, and word-vomiting something that made no sense. "Yeah, he kinda told be yesterday. His brother was a scout troop leader, Thorax thinks he was probably promoted by now." A quick nod drew their attention back to Thorax for a split second before Spike spoke once more,"Thorax said he was fantastic at transformation magic. Even able to imitate objects. We should be even more cautious." Cadance scanned the area, as if expecting the supposedly 'invading' changeling to pop up from one of the rocks. "Well, we hopefully won't just find him standing out here. There are three guard troops investigating the area already. We may as well help them. Shining Armor and I will go together, you and Spike do the same." "Where do you think we should check?" Thorax turned to Spike, minimally surprised the allegedly cold-blooded dragon wasn't shivering in the freezing cold. Apparently the dragon caught on to this, as he smiled that signature, toothy grin, and blew a quick plume of green flames. "Earth dragons are warm-blooded, and have a higher natural temperature, we're basically living space heaters." He looked off in one direction before pointing at one of the closer caves. "That's where we met. That exact cave." Memories of that day began overpowering his current thoughts. Saving Spike from falling down that chasm, meeting the Princess under the alias Crystal Hoof, the song Spike sang to get them to finally accept him. He owed Spike so much from that day... He was pulled from his nastolgia by Spike voice, "If he's anywhere, I'd guess he's there. It's the only place that's warm enough for a changeling without any protection." He turned to Thorax. "Good thing that is, huh? Otherwise I never would have met you." That got a reaction out of Thorax, he quickly buried his face in his scarf and coat to hide his blush from the dragon. "Well, we might as well check there if you think that he'd be there." The icicles on the cavern ceiling shone with the soft light of changeling magic, reflecting the collective expressions of both parties. In the dimly lit cavern, spotting any changeling would be difficult, hell, Spike had trouble seeing Thorax in this darkness. But Thorax's brother supposedly matched the darkness even better than he did. They stood almost no chance... At least they thought that until they found him. Thorax's hooves flew up to cover his muzzle at the sight of tne shivering changeling lying facedown on the cavern floor. For a split second the changeling looked up and his raspy, deep voice said only two words. "Antennae. Help..." Thorax was antsy as all hell. He'd just seen his brother for the first time in almost 8 moons, and he was on the verge of death, he'd managed to convince Shining Armor not to just throw him in the crystal dungeons, and to hear him out. Thank Faust they'd maintained a good relationship as friends. At the very least, he trusted Thorax. At the very least, that would have been good enough. Spike had gone back to writing the story the two of them had begun almost three moons ago. They were well into it, almost 21 chapters done, Spike was maybe finishing the 21st. They had agreed to write only 25 before stopping, but they were no where close to a resolution. 'We may have to extend that limit.' He thought. He had only just caught on to Spike staring at him. "You okay, Thorax?" The simple question broke something in Thorax as the weight of the situation finally caught up to him. He sighed and landed on the floor before he began speaking. "No. I just saw my only broodmate, who doesn't know me by any name besides the name i regected, and he was nearly freezing to death. For all we know, he could have an entire battalion at the ready to attack, or he could have denounced the hive and left. I don't know what to do..." Thorax was not a crier. But something about his only remaining family that close to death kept replaying somewhere in the back of his mind. And he broke down. He began quietly sobbing, tears slowly streaming dowmpn his face. He barely registered Spike gently pulling him into a hug. He cried into Spike shoulder, and he was met with nothing but sympathy. When suddenly the door was opened. "Antennae..." Pharynx rushed over to his brother pulling him into the most sincere hug he'd ever given him. "Thank Faust you're ok. How did you convince them that you weren't a threat... I tried to tell them why I left the hive but they wouldn't listen." This earned Shining Armor a heavy glare from the younger changeling. "I had a little help..." He pointed at the earth drake behind him and his brother's eyes widened. "Holy acorns... that giant helped you win over these ponies? Last I checked weren't ponies and dragons enemies?" Thorax rolled his eyes, a pointed smile on his face. "Not this one. He's good friends with all of the princesses. He's even the god-father of her daughter." He stated this, making a quick nod in Cadence's direction. The disbelief still shone on the off-colored changeling's face."Well, at the very least you're safe Antennae." Thorax winced quite visibly at the name, and he knew Pharynx saw it. "What's wrong, Antennae? Got a new name since I last saw you?" Thorax and Spike exchanged a glance, before Thorax spoke like he was talking to a primed explosive. "Pharynx, I have something I really need to tell you something." "So, you go by male pronouns, and your new name is Thorax? Wow, no wonder you hated being treated like a lady when we lived in the hive. Guess we're not brother and sister anymore, huh? I guess we're just..." "Brothers."
The fate of this story.Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 7Pharynx was drowning. In snow. Drowning in snow. . . . It was below freezing outside, and Pharynx was stuck in a snowball fight with the monarchs of the crystal empire, Spike... and his brother. Now don't think he doesn't care for his little brother, but that's just the issue. The word brother. Transgenderism was no new concept, but you'd think for a race that's entirely based around change, change in gender would be a less abhorred. But it wasn't. And with that final thoughts his thoughts were interrupted by a snowball in the face. The cold shocked him the most, the follow-up blindness caused him to stumble before sinking into the 6 inches of snow beneath him. He almost went into shock from the below freezing temperature. The hard ground providing no comfort. Considering the fact that his ears were blocked by snow, the 4 voices calling out to him barely registered. "Leave me here to die." His muffled voice called out from beneath the white powder that was slowly beginning to harden from the sheer cold. “Tell Emerald Shard I've had a crush on her since I met her!” “You're not dying, I just got you back. Now, I will take you up on telling Emerald Shard.” Now that got Pharynx’s attention. He shot up from the snow with a horrified expression on his face. “You wouldn't dare!” Thorax smirked, an expression that looked much more sinister than it had any right to. “Wouldn't I? You've embarrassed me plenty of times. Maybe it's time for a taste of your own medicine.” Maybe his brother had toughened up after all. The old Thorax would've never held a grudge. Still though, he wouldn't be intimidated by his little brother. He walked up to him, calm as ever. Slowly balling snow in his hoof without Thorax noticing. And as soon as he got within hugging distance . . . He nailed him from point blank range. Thorax stumbled back, surprised for a second, before striking back and reinitiating the snowball fight. Eventually, citizens wandered out of the empire, wondering what the commotion was, before getting caught up in the fight and joining in. Soon a full scale snowball war broke out between the two halves of the crystal empire, before they eventually had to stop as it started snowing again, seemingly to replenish all the snow used up in the fight. “Well that was fun.” Spike’s usual cheerful grin had never left his face throughout the whole ordeal. Thorax snorted before a shiver overtook him. “Easy for you to say. You have basically have an internal heater, the rest of us are freezing.” Thorax spoke through gritted teeth. Ah well, he never was good with the cold. Spike rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before grabbing a candle off the wall and igniting it with significantly warmer flames and handing it to Thorax. “Hey, don't I get one?” Pharynx exclaimed. Spike pondered for a minute before speaking. “I’ll do you one better.” He barely had time to question Spike’s intention before he was picked up and tossed onto the drake’s back. The heat the dragon produced felt amazing, but he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Was Thorax… jealous? Well, he was definitely the colder of the two, but something told him it ran deeper than that. “Say, Thorax, wanna trade me. Maker knows you could use the warmth with your thin chitin.” The look of gratitude didn't escape him, but it was quickly replaced by false offence. “Hey! My chitin isn't thin. I just get cold easily.” He growled the phrase, but it was pretty detectable as false. The two switched places before Pharynx continued speaking. “Whatever you say Blue-slides.” Thorax looked almost ostracized at the comment. “How dare you!” “Hold up, what's happening?” Cadence, bless her soul looked almost entirely befuddled at their conversation. Shining Armor was too busy playing with Flurry Heart to look their way. Thorax shook his head. “It's a rarely used insult. See, Changelings have almost no internal structure, besides heart and lungs, our organs and blood mostly float in this blue goo inside our bodies. Our chitin is actually transparent, it just becomes opaque in layers. Thin chitin usually means you can see the blue goo inside.” He smirked before continuing. “He mostly means it as a joke. The condition had a name, but I completely forgot it. People basically only referred to it as Blue-sides, sinde that's where the chitin is weakest.” She nodded in understanding before looking at the clock on the wall. “It's almost lunchtime. We should change out of these snow clothes.” They all went to their separate rooms, and didn't even notice that they were being trailed. A familiar blue tail swished as the “pony” it belonged to walked through the halls. “Soon.” Author's Note Tada!
Chapter 5: The CastleA requiem for a new journey. Thorax found his brother, revealed his biggest secret to two people, and developed a secret crush on his best friend. That was all great. Well, the last one wasn't so great. But the rest, great. Now this was something unexpected. He was being invited to the castle of Princess Twilight. Of course he'd accepted the invitation, but there may or may not have been something getting in his way. Something involving his horn. Now, changelings were a lot less magical than ponies, but Thorax was the exception to that rule, possibly being the most powerful changeling besides Chrysalis. Of course, he had one inhibitation. Well, two. One, he burned energy a lot faster than most changelings because of it. And two, he pretty much knew two spells only. And he was invited so Twilight could study changeling magic. Well crap. Either way he proceded with an air of calmness and equilibrium while on the inside he was rolling on the floor in a bundle of anxiety and nerves. There's two things that would have been said were another changeling with him. 'Suck it up and fail with honor.' Or, 'Fake it 'til you make it. We are a race of posers after all.' Yeah, the latter would work. He might as well. He was already there. "Thorax, I think the best way for us to do this is for you to do any spells you know. That way I can get a general census of changeling magic." Well that makes it even easier for Thorax. Now he could just make things up on the spot. "Okay, got it. Any suggestions on where to start?" And he messed it up. Shit. Well if nothing else I'm a competent narrator, and for once someone is glad Twilight is hyoer-organized. She grinned in a manner that could be seen as sinister, or heavily pleased. "I'm so glad you asked! What's about you give me a general explanation of changeling magic. Any quirks, limitations, or specific uses." Yes! Questions he could answer! This was going all his way.
