It 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."