Ragnarok

Pharynx couldn't feel more relieved as he felt at this moment. This day was the day of another visit in Equestria for a checkup on Ocellus and to see the Princess of Friendship, and he hated everytime when Thorax would take him with him. And everytime when that happened he wondered why Thorax couldn't ask her parents to come with him. After all they would see their kin, after quite of time.

Not only that these visits were boring, Thorax was making them longer because Thorax had to start a conversation with each of these ponies, and spent some time with some of his friends, as he'd just spent all this time with himself, waiting for his brother to come back. It mostly lasted the whole day, and Thorax would return when Luna's moon was already up in the sky. If Pharynx would go there by himself, he'd just check on Ocellus and leave as fast he could.

Even though, Thorax's friends offered them to stay for the night, Pharynx always declined their offer and Thorax being Thorax didn't want him to feel lonely during the trip back to the Hive. Pharynx didn't mind his company.

The trip was going as any others did, until he saw his brother landing on the ground. Pharynx rolled his eyes, Thorax must've got tired, or something like that. He followed his example and joined him on the ground.

"What it is, brother?" He asked.

"You haven't seen this?" Thorax answered with question.

"What?" Pharynx asked, confused.

Thorax didn't said a word this time, instead he walked over to the bushes that were nearby. Pharynx let out a sigh as he slowly approched his brothers side. His eyes widened in suprise and confusion as he sat a medium sized thing that looked like the things he saw in the comics that he read during one of his visits on Ponyville, of course without Thorax knowing about it. The next thing he saw there was a bi-pedal creature, that sat on the long before the campfire.

Neither of them could say how old this creature was, but they could easily tell that they have never seen anything like that before. It looked like a hybrid of a minotaur and a centaur. Most of it's clothes were grey, except for the black boots and black glove that was covering it's right hand. Why only one hand? Thorax and Pharynx had no idea. They couldn't see it's hair because it was covered by the hood.

"Can you both stop staring at me?" They heard the creature ask, that they assumed to be male by the sound of it's voice, before it added, "It's creepy."

"I heard you landing and talking. Even a person who has hearing problems would hear it." The creature pointed out. as he turned back to them, "You can join me if you want, I could use a company for the night."

Without a second thought, Thorax stepped forward from the bushes, "Why not, we still have a long way to the Hive."

"Are you crazy? What if he attacks us?" Pharynx asked his brother. Sometimes, it amazed him how his brother could be open up and welcoming to the creatures that he didn't know. Even if this situation, when this creature most like fell from the sky in this strange thing.

"If I wanted to attack, I'd do it already." The creature pointed out, as Pharynx decided to gave in, even if this creature tried to attack him or brother, he'd just change into his most powerful form and strike back.

"Name is Aegis." Aegis introduced himself.

"My name is Thorax, and this is my older brother Pharynx." Thorax introduced himself and his brother, then he looked down at his brother, waiting for him to say something, but nothing happened, so he nudged him.

"It's nice to meet you." Pharynx said, trying not to make it sound forced.

"Likewise." Aegis said back, with a small bow of his head, before something caught Pharynx's attention. On the left side of Aegis laid a blade, made out of the material that he has never seen before, "So, what exactly are you two?"

"Maybe you should tell us first, after all you're the one that invited us." Pharynx said back, still not trusting this stranger.

"Pharynx..." Thorax wanted to scold his brother about his behaviour but what interrupted by Aegis.

"It's fine. He's right." Aegis said, as he held his right hand up. He lowered it, as he said, "I'm just a wanderer. I wander across the galaxy without a purpose. I guess I keep doing it because one day I may come across something interesting."

Thorax nodded his head in understanding, as Pharynx remained stoic, before the younger one of them spoke up, "My and my brother's spieces are known as the changelings. I was currently coming back to my subjects, after I and Pharynx went to Equestria to checkup on our student..."

"Subjects?? You're a king?" Aegis interrupted him, surpised by the revelation, but was not showing it.

"Yes. Our mom used to be in charge, but..." Thorax was going to say, but stopped. He remained silent for a few short moments, before he said, "Let's just don't talk about her."

"Oh, she was an abusive type?" Aegis assumed.

"You can say that." Pharynx replied, as Thorax nodded his head in confirmation.

"Sorry to hear that." Aegis said to them, as he took the glove off his right hand. Thorax's and Pharynx's eyes widened in shock, as he revealed his mechanical arm to both of them, "I had one myself."

"But you had some siblings you could spent your time with?" Thorax asked. As much as he and Pharynx were different from each other, especially in their younger days, Pharynx was there for him when he was bullied, or threatened by the other changelings, even though it usually ended up in Pharynx making him punch himself.

"I had a few siblings, but I've never been that close with most of them. The only siblings that I had close relation were my younger sisters, but those days are long gone. The last time when I talked with them was almost ten years ago." Aegis said. Thorax and Pharynx could hear the pain as he said those words. Something must've happened between them and it made them avoid each other.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Thorax said, offering Aegis a small smile. He and Pharynx had a few fights, mostly after he took over the Hive, but they made with each other long time ago and it was only a few months, not ten years!

"Yeah, me too." Aegis said.

Then, an awkward silence filled the place. None of them knew what to say, until Aegis spoke up.

"Hey, Pharynx, right?" He asked, breaking the silence between them, as he noticed that Pharynx was staring at his blade for a while now.

"What?" Pharynx asked.

"You've been starting at my blade." Aegis pointed out, as Pharynx rubbed back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yes. It just looks very well made." Pharynx explained, as Aegis grinned at him.

"You want to see what it can do?" Aegis asked him, as Pharynx nodded his head. Thorax seemed to be interested as well. Aegis stood up from his seat, and picked up his blade. He held it before him before it ignited itself in fire, as Thorax's and Pharynx's eyes widened in suprise. They were not excepting it to happen.

"How?" Thorax asked what he and Pharynx were thinking at the same time.

"It's modified. Believe me or not, but the galaxy can be a very dangerous place and I have to defend myself. This gives me some advantage in fights." Aegis explained, as Thorax and Pharynx nodded in understanding, "What about you? What do you do to defend yourself?"

"We change our shape." Thorax replied. Normally, Pharynx would slap him across his head and scold him about telling the stranger about them, but Aegis has already told them a few things about them, and Pharynx was good when it came to recognizing if someone was lying. He could easily say that Aegis was telling them the truth.

"Change our shape?" Aegis asked, suprised by the answer, as he sat back down on the log, "How do you do it?"

Thorax looked down at his brother, who nodded his head, allowing him to show it to Aegis. Thorax rised up from his seat, and changed his shift into the bear, as Aegis seemed to be as surpised as them when he showed them what his blade can do.

"Well, I'm impressed." Aegis stated, as he turned his glance to Pharynx, "If you can do it, I wonder what your older brother can change into."

"All I can is that if you're impressed by a simple bear, you'd more impressed in what I can change." Pharynx said, proudly.

"Good to know." Aegis stated.

The next hour, the three of them spent talking with each other. All of them seemed to be enjoying each others company for before all of them went to sleep.

What they didn't know was that Aegis came up to them and placed something on their necks while they were sleeping.

Pharynx let out a short yawn as he awoke himself from his slumber. He could hear that his brother was also waking himself up from his slumber. He rubbed his eyelids, as he sat straight up on the ground. Thorax slowly followed his example.

"Welcome back to the land of living." Aegis greeted them both, as he was leaning against the log on which he was sitting on a night before.

"Morning to you as well." Pharynx said, not amused by Aegis' joke.

"For how long were you up?" Thorax asked.

"Ten minutes. I was waiting for you to wake up." Aegis replied.

"We should be get going. The Hive is probably waiting for us." Pharynx stated.

"Yeah. I should go as well. I just stayed on this planet for the night." Aegis agreed with him.

"It was nice meeting you, Aegis." Thorax said.

"And I have to get myself the same blade like you own." Pharynx added.

"Likewise and good luck with that." Aegis said to both of them, as Pharynx and Thorax turned in the direction that they were heading a night before. Pharynx spread his wings and took to the air and was about to head towards the Hive, but he didn't saw his brother by his side. He looked down at his brother who was staring at him with a confused expression on his face.

"What?" Pharynx asked.

"Brother." Thorax said, as his brother landed back on the ground, right next to him, "What is that thing? On your neck?"

Aegis sighed from behind them, as Pharynx lifted his hoof up to his neck, and touched the thing that Thorax pointed at. He felt that It was a disc or something like that. He didn't know how did this thing found itself on his neck but he knew that he didn't had it last night. He turned his attention back to his brother, to see if he had one too,

"You have one too." He remarked, as Thorax did the same thing as his brother did. They both examined the small disc on their necks, in confusion, before the realization went through their heads about how it found itself there.

"So, you found it?" Aegis stated the obvious, as they turned back to him, "I was hoping that you were to be asleep longer than you did. I would be easier to take you there and I just wanted to wait until the night was over."

"Where were you planning to take us?" Thorax wanted to know, as he and Pharynx glared at him.

"And what is this?" Pharynx demaded to know as Aegis put his hand inside his pocket.

"I'm sorry. It's nothing personal. I just have to make units out of something." He said as he held up a small control and pressed the button, sending a jolt of pain racing through them. It was so powerful that it send them both on the ground, stunned. He observed them for a moment, before hitting the button again. Another wave of pain went through them and the world went back for them.