Vision Grey took a slow, deep breath, and exhales. He has interviewed a lot of ponies before, but never a changeling. He had learned a lot about changelings in that interview. Their culture, a bit of their history, their time with Queen Chrysalis, the change made by Thorax, and so on.
Interviewing Pharynx had proven to be a good experience. Of coarse, his main reason choosing him is because he used to have a bad reputation with the changeling hive and a select few ponies who knows about him, hoping Grey would be able to mend such negative views upon him with his work. However, Pharynx is incidentally a great source of changeling norm and history, since he's been in the hive for a while. He can use this information to open his pony reader's minds more by informing them of how the changelings think from their life's background, perhaps to change the bad stereotypes about the changelings in general. This will be an exciting work to publish.
Ready to recap and evaluate his data, Grey clicked the play button on the recorder he used so many times in his work.
Kkrrrrr
"Have a seat, Mr Pharynx, make yourself comfortable."
"No need to be so stiff, just call me Pharynx."
"Alright, Pharynx. It's just a gesture to show that I respect you."
"Cut the formalities. Well, you asked me to come, what do you have for me?"
"First, let me reintroduce myself. My name is Vision Grey, an interviewer. I would be honored if you would answer some of my questions."
"Depends on what questions you have for me. Go ahead, try me."
"Okay, first question: I'm aware that your brother, Thorax, is currently the leader of the new changeling hive. However, I've heard from my sources that you have... difficulties with the new hive, is that true?"
"Yes, yes I do."
"What... made this so? What kind of difficulties that made you unable to blend in with the other changelings?"
"Hmm, I haven't known what was the exact reason of the other changelings hating me, but I have a reason on why I don't like our new hive..."
Despite his obvious dislike of the new changeling swarm, Pharynx is often seen wandering around and in the hive itself, not that anyone dared to put him away. He doesn't even care when most of the changeling talked behind his back.
It just sickens him. Looking around, he sees a group of changelings innocently play tag or something together. They seems to be having fun, that is, until one of them tripped on a rock because he's not looking where he's going. He fell sideways after failing to regain his balance.
"Ouch! M-My leg!" The changeling cried out. His friends are quick to surround him and help him get up.
"Oh no! Let's get you healed up!" One of his friends held his injured hoof and put the other hoof around his back, acting as a support for the injured changeling. Pharynx internally facehoofed and hisses at the general direction, causing the group of three changelings zip away in a hurry, afraid to get extra bruises.
"It's just a rock, for godness's sake!" Pharynx yelled, before huffing away. "Bunch of overgrown babies!"
The new feelings forum is shaping up quite well while Thorax is helping out with the preparations. Everyone is excited with the idea of sharing their feelings with each other, and helping out fellow changelings.
"Just put those ribbons riiiight... there!" Thorax pointed at the decorators. "Good! It looks nice!"
"So, are we ready to do our first feeling forum gathering?" One changeling asked excitedly.
"Hmmm, not exactly yet, but I promise it will be open tomorrow." Thorax declared. "I think it's enough for today, thanks for the help everyone!"
With that said, the group of happy changelings walked away, free to spend the rest of the day for themselves. Thorax, however, wanted to stay for a while longer, so he stayed there until everyone had left. Just then, his brother walked in, and seems surprised when he sees his surroundings. His face quickly changed from surprised into upset in a few quick seconds.
"Hey! Uh... Pharynx... Good to see you..." Thorax nervously greeted him, but his brother's reaction is less then pleased.
"What are you doing!? This place is supposed to be a training ground!!" Pharynx snapped.
"Oh, uh... I-I can make a new one somewhere, n-not to worry." Thorax said, giving Pharynx a nervous smile. The remaining black changeling simply walked pass his brother and went straight at the wall decorated with ribbons. With a hiss, he took it down and tears into it.
"P-Pharynx! We just put that up!" Thorax complained.
"This place is very colorful that it burns my eyes! It's hideous!" Pharynx rubs his eyes to made his point come across. "Besides, something or someone dangerous can hide behind it."
"But, it's what the others chose, they like it!" Thorax said.
"I don't care what the other chooses! This place supposed to be the most feared place by our enemies! You make it look like some kind of playground!" Pharynx stormed off, mumbling something to himself. Thorax looks at the ruined decorations sadly. Looks like he got an extra work to do...
"So, basically, you're saying that the Changelings should be a fearful swarm?"
"Not exactly, but the image of the swarm should be maintained. Changelings are known to be a force to be reckoned with since the ancient times."
"Oh, really? I'm not familiar with the history of changelings, I'm afraid."
"I think that is to be expected. We never get along with ponies, or any other species on that matter, until my little brother took the throne. Our race originated from a single changeling queen, but we don't know her name, all we know is that she's the one that made our race grow."
"From a lone changeling?"
"A changeling queen is capable to breed lots of offspring, shocking, huh? Anyway, she fed on the love from other creatures, mostly ponies, because they have more emotions then other creatures. She formed the first hive, and from there, the changeling kingdom was born."
"I see... And the changelings are already known to invade and attack ponies by then?"
"It's our way to feed on love, mind you, not to exterminate other races or anything. We attack, we capture them, and we feed on them, that's how we work back then. Of coarse, to do that, we train changelings to fight, to be merciless, to be intimidating. This has been inside every changeling. Well, of coarse, except my brother, Thorax. He heh, little guy is such a softie."
"Is he different then the other changelings?"
"He didn't act like one, he he heh. While others would be chewing and biting on dummies like a predator, he would use it as a doll. He's also the only one who doesn't want to go to Canterlot for the attack."
"You and your brother participated in the Canterlot attack?"
"Heh, sort of..."
"No! I... I don't want to!"
A horde of changelings are stationed on top of a hill just onlooking Canterlot. They all looked ready for battle, except Thorax, who's being bullied by three changeling soldiers. His body is slowly dragged by three other changelings, but he somehow still manages to resist their forceful tug.
"Coward! We all agreed to the queen's plan!" One changeling yelled.
"He's planning to betray the queen!" Another accused.
"If you don't want to attack, we'll let you starve to death at the hive! You're not worthy for the feast we'll get from these ponies!" The third one threatened.
"No! Please! No one needs to get hurt! W-We can..."
"HEY!"
All movements ceased when Pharynx shoved the changelings away from his brother. A brief staredown took place before the changelings see that Pharynx is wearing a helmet, a sign that he's one of the captains for the attack.
"You guys GET BACK TO YOUR GROUP! I'll handle this..." Pharynx ordered. Although the changelings reactions are less then pleased, they left the brothers alone. Thorax is in the verge of tears, looks like those changelings did a number to his mentality. The younger changeling shakily got up to his hooves, supervised by his older sibling.
"You still don't want to do it?" Pharynx asked. Thorax went silent, he uneasily looked away, unable to make eye contact.
"Listen up, squirt. We agreed to do this to make sure the hive have enough food for the swarm. You'd rather make one of us starve then hurting those ponies?" Pharynx argued.
"But.. Why do we have to hurt others to do it? T-there must be another way!" Thorax claims.
"Hey, answer me, why do chickens eat worms, huh? Why do snakes eat rabbits and other animals?" Pharynx stares at his brother right at the eye. "It's the food chain, you say? What makes our relation with the ponies different? I don't hear you begging to animals and natural predators who prey on their food!"
Thorax went silent after his brother's words. Pharynx can see the obvious sadness in his eyes, but he felt there's no other way to convince him. When attacking a city as big and important as Canterlot, every changeling matters in the attack. Although he doubts that Thorax would even touch a pony, their success here may shape the future well being of the swarm.
"Look, I cannot force you to come without risking you bawling on the ground embarrassingly, so it's your choice." Pharynx turns around and walked away, but he stopped to look at his brother for a second.
"But keep in mind that your choice may decide who lives and who doesn't"
"Did he join the attack in the end?"
"...Yes he did. But from his story, I just picture him walking around aimlessly, heh heh heh. But ironically, he saved my life by being such a softie."
"Oh? How did it happen, exactly?"
"I was in the Canterlot streets when it happened..."
Canterlot is in a state of utter chaos. The once beautiful streets is covered in craters and a few causalities of the battle. Other then that, it's mostly devoid of any activity, almost everypony and every changeling is in, around, or near the Canterlot castle. Of coarse, almost does not equal with all.
A lone earth pony mare is being chased by an intimidating looking changeling down a street. Although most changelings are already intimidating from their appearance, this one wears an iron helmet, meaning he's possibly a trained soldier. The fact that the mare can never outrun him seems to support that theory as well. She tried to made a beeline into an alley to the right, but that little decrease of speed is enough for the changeling to catch her, bumping her to the wall. Although the changeling had her pinned, she's thrashing and flailing around, never stopping her movement, not even under the threat of a hiss.
"Stay still!" Pharynx delivers a solid punch to the mare's left cheek. It didn't stop her, so he throws another punch. The second one is more effective, apparent from how the mare's movements slows down. Pharynx pins her hooves on her chest, preparing to take her back to the hive.
"P-Pharynx!" A shaky voice called out to him from behind. When the older changeling turns his head, he's surprised in more ways then one when he sees Thorax looking at him from the street with pleading eyes. However, his surprise fades into a more concerned look.
"I know you're probably scared and all, but can it wait? I'm going to take-- Oof!"
As the changeling is occupied, the mare shoves him away rather forcefully and took off running. A bump of the wall to the back of his head causes a few extra seconds of Pharynx's recovery time, enough time for the mare to get a big lead.
"Pharynx!" Thorax called out once again as he rushes to his brother's side. "Are you alright?" Pharynx shakes his head to refocus.
"I will be if we get that mare!" Pharynx went into pursuit, and a rather hesitant Thorax gets caught by it and follows his brother.
The chase went as far as the capitol's outskirts, where the mare is somehow still running. In truth, Pharynx would've chased her wherever she went to, but his brother can't. Thorax is panting noisily and can seem to barely keep up with both of them. Clicking his tongue as he watched his prey got away, Pharynx approaches his brother.
"I guess you've grown some guts to get here." Pharynx said.
"I... I'm s-sorry..." Thorax tried to control his breaths. "I... Because... of me..."
"Suck it up, squirt." Pharynx lifts his brother's chin to look at his face. "That's just one pony. I'm sure the others and the queen got plenty, he he heh."
"...Y-Yes *pant*, b-but, I still t-think... there's--"
BWOOOOOSSSSHHH!!!
"W-What was that!?"
"T-Thorax! GET DOWN!!"
"I see, so you survived because you're farther away from the blast since you're at the outskirts of Canterlot."
"Yes. That was really lucky of us. Reports after the attack said we lost almost half of our forces in that blast, and the rest is mostly injured."
"What about you and your brother? Did you got injured as well?"
"Of coarse I did. Thorax, though, didn't get a scratch on him, but that's because I protected him. He helped me get up to my hooves, and regroup with the survivors. We even managed to find the queen."
"Hmm, speaking of the queen, I'd like to ask another question. What was it like when Queen Chrysalis is in power compared to the hive today?"
"Let's see... There's definitely less color, less rainbow colored ribbons, and less friendship lessons, ha ha ha ha! *ahem*, in seriousness, queen Chrysalis might be a bit... demanding, but she still cares about the swarm. She recognizes almost all of us."
"So every changeling is in the support of the queen?"
"Yes, pretty much. Disobeying the queen or anyone on the throne is unheard of in our hive. It literally never happened before, and for good reason, because all of them cares about us very deeply, no matter what they do. You can imagine my shock when Thorax... betrayed the swarm."
"It was during the Second Changeling Incident, wasn't it?"
"Yes. I... can't believe my eyes when that pink mare... What's her name? Starbright or something? ...Turns out to be my little brother in disguise. The entire swarm shunned him, angry at him, they seems ready to kill him... I've never been so torn. On one side he's my brother, but on the other, he betrayed my queen..... But that suddenly came to an end when he... renovated the hive, heh heh."
"When him and some of the changeling transformed?"
"That's what I meant. Again, it's a weird feeling. I've served the queen for quite a while, and I'm always loyal to her. But I can't go against my brother, especially when most of the swarm is behind him. As long as the swarm is all good, then I'm good."
"I see... But you, excuse my rudeness, is the last changeling to transform, does it mean you still don't like the new swarm until the very end? Because what you claimed earlier--"
"There's only one major problem with the new swarm, the fact that everyone becomes soft. Back then, even young, inexperienced changelings can wrestle with a timberwolf and win. Nowdays, a Flyder bite can make them burst to tears, hmph. I'm not a fan of the new decor either, so I kind of vent my frustration on them. Hey, it's better then punching a fellow changeling."
"So you're saying that you terrorize the hive to get them to be less 'soft'?"
"...First of all, I wouldn't call it terrorize. I would never hurt another changeling no matter how... bleh, they are. Second, I told Thorax several times about that not long after be becomes king. But he always put that matter aside, he thinks making a feelings forum or whatever he calls it is more important then our defense. What would happen to the swarm if a raging, scary monster suddenly appear on our doorsteps?"
...
"Our new hive has a very different norm and culture then before. I get it that my brother is trying his best to implement it, but his 'friendship' don't always work, you know? I think you can't befriend a wild animal to leave us alone and never attack. The world doesn't work like that. It's still a dangerous place out there. I'm just..... Thinking about a changeling got hurt because no one can defend each other upsets me to no end, and there's no way I'll let it happen. I guess I was kind of wrong in disturbing the hive, but I was hoping they'll get the message.
"...You simply wanted to protect the hive."
"That's what I was aiming for in the first place."
"I see, I'm sorry if my words made some uncomfortable--"
"Don't be silly, you're just doing your job. You have more questions?"
"Just one more. Now that you've transformed and become a part of the new swarm, is the problem now solved? Or do you still have something that you don't like?"
"I'd say we're working on it quite well. Thorax decided to assemble a new changeling army for security reasons, with me in charge. Of coarse, heh, the first training session is a bit awkward..."
"All changeling, stand straight!"
Although most of them stood as stiff as a rock due to nervousness and a bit of fear, or yelped in surprise and fail to stand up at all, a select few changelings obeyed Thorax's command quite well, trying their best to do a proper military stance. Thorax is also present to see if this is actually a good idea.
"You guys see how scary that maulwurf is! Who's to say it won't come back? And who's to say that Thorax and I will be around when it comes back? Are you going to leave us to the job of chasing it away again?" Pharynx stares an unfortunate changeling who has to look into his eyes mere inches from his nose.
"B-B-But... y-you are stronger t-then us..." The changeling croaked.
"Hmph, maybe." Pharynx pulled away, briefly smirked before returning to his strict persona. "So that's your excuse? You're not going to help the hive when it needs you the most?"
"T-That's not true...!" The changeling said. "Because I... I'm not as s-strong..."
"You don't believe that you're strong enough?" Pharynx asked. "I'm sure Thorax choose you all to gather here because he believes that you all can protect the hive!" As the changeling have no counter, Pharynx switches his attention to another changeling that looks more confident, although a few drop of sweat is visible on his face. At least he's not trembling.
"You seem to be braver then your friends here." Pharynx lifts the changeling's chin with his hoof. remarkably, he didn't budge when the older changeling stares him right in the eye. "Or, are you going to bawl into tears in any moment?"
"N-No, sir!" The changeling said sternly.
"Are you brave enough to protect the hive, though?" Pharynx intensifies his stare.
"Yes...! I am!" The changeling nodded firmly.
"Are you really!?" Pharynx raised his voice.
"YES!" The changeling yelled right to his face. Pharynx moves back.
"That's a brave changeling! Any kind of monster will run the other way once they see you!" Pharynx looked at the other changelings. "Are you all going to let him do all the work? Let him defend the hive by himself?"
"N-no!" One changeling answered.
"W-We'll help him!" Another called out.
"He's our friend! We'll be right beside him!" A group of changelings declared.
"Good! That's what friends do, right!?" Pharynx watched in amusement as the morale of the group suddenly risen to a level he thought was impossible. "We help each other! We protect each other! We send that maulwurf packing together! We save our home together! Let me ask again, who's brave enough to protect the hive!?"
"We are!" The changeling said in unison, it seems their nervousness had mostly melted away, and a new, burning spirit replaced it.
"Are you strong when your friends are beside you!?"
"YES!"
"Good! Now go to the entrance of the hive! Thorax and I will make sure you all will be a proper army!" With that command, the group of changelings started to run, or fly to their destination. Meanwhile, Pharynx stayed behind with Thorax, both brothers smiled widely.
"Honestly, that's easier then I thought." Pharynx chuckled.
"That's amazing! How'd you turn their spirits up like that?" Thorax asked.
"Heh, I just used the word friendship, and their eyes immediately glimmer." Pharynx watches as the last changeling from the group leaves the room. They're going to have to wait for his arrival, but he feels a few minutes won't bother them.
"I guess you're learning too, Pharynx. Friendship isn't so bad after all, right?" Thorax playfully nudges his brother's shoulder.
"Cut it out, you're gonna make me blush." Pharynx rolled his eyes, but maintains his smile. He notions Thorax to follow him to the entrance of the hive, where the eager recruits are waiting.
"By the way, can we figure out how to change their color similar to yours? It would seem to suit them." Thorax noted as the brothers leave the room.
"They did well in the training session?"
"Not bad, I'd say. Before you ask more about it, I'd rather keep it a secret. We got something new in our sleeves, and I'm not going to reveal it now."
"Well, as you wish. As of now, you're the... leader of the new changeling army?"
"Thorax puts me in charge of security and dealing with any threats to the hive, so I guess you can call me that."
"One last thing. How would you see your actions in the past right now? Do you think it's necessary to do it to make the current hive better? Does the outcome satisfy you in the end?"
"...I guess...? It's a bit complicated because those two ponies helped. Maybe if they didn't see me as a lost cause, they won't resort to something as extreme as luring the maulwurf in, ironic, isn't it? Credits to them as well, despite their rather questionable decision. Thank Thorax that they went off with only a lecture. Maybe next time they visited us again, I'll put them in a bag again as thanks, heh heh. In the end, things worked pretty well."
"Alright, I guess that's all the questions I have for now, Pharynx. Thank you so much for accepting this interview, I'm honored."
"Anytime. Just make sure you don't make me look bad, alright? A squad of changeling special ops is hard to notice before it's too late, if you know what I'm saying..."
"...Um, I'll make sure that does not happen."
"Heh heh, I'm just messing with you. I'm looking forward to see your work."
Kkkrrrrrr
Click
Author's Note
I have plans to continue this series with another character, but I'm not sure how fast I'll write them.
