Author's Note
Just a little something I came up with today. Feel free to read it while waiting for the epilogue of Walk Where There Is No Path 
...or if you haven't read the said story yet, why not give it a try? I've been told it's pretty good 
Shadows of the Past
Life was good in the new changeling hive. A tyrant had been defeated and chased away, and a new leader, caring and kind, had taken her place, bringing prosperity and joy like no changeling had ever thought possible in the old era. Even Pharynx had to admit that the new ways were growing on him, even if it had taken months of resistance and petty rebellion, fueled by the feeling of uselessness upon the disbanding of the hive’s army. But Thorax and Pharynx had found a common language in the end, settled their disputes, and discovered unexpected strength in their newfound unity, and Pharynx had found his purpose again as the leader of the reestablished defence forces.
But the shadows of the past lingered on, until one day they came out of hiding and threatened to unleash havoc and vengeance on the whole known world. It had been Ocellus who had brought the news of Chrysalis’ devastation of Equestria; the hive listened in dread and disbelief as she recounted the tyrant’s return and the untold power she’d wielded, and warned of the impending disaster the fallen queen was bent on unleashing.
And when Ocellus begged her fellow changelings to help the ponies, Pharynx could see a fire ignite in his brother’s eyes: a fire of friendship and love, not a trace of vindictive hatred such as undoubtedly fueled Chrysalis’ heart. Ponies were Thorax’s friends - changelings’ friends - and no way would Thorax allow them to suffer if he could help it!
Thorax didn’t even have to say it; Pharynx, and all the other changelings alike, knew that they were about to march into battle. Help was coming, whether or not the ponies had asked for it!
Pharynx looked at the changelings gathered around Thorax’s throne. He gave a nod to them, a brave and determined nod to command deployment into battle. He gave them a confident stare and a smirk that promised annihilation to anyone who dare stand in his way.
That was the face of a warrior, a face that even his brethren and allies knew not to mess with. And it was genuine.
But there was another layer underneath that face, a layer just as genuine, but one that Pharynx would never, ever reveal to anyone: he was terrified. Ever since Chrysalis’ defeat and exile, he’d been terrified she would come back and try to kill Thorax… and even more terrified that she would succeed! That fear had fueled his every action: he’d trained his troops tirelessly, kept them ready for battle at all times, put them through the most trying drills and tactical simulations he could come up with every day, pushed them to the limit and beyond, even harder than he’d ever done under the old regime; he’d done everything in his power to ensure that, if any threat were to even think of showing up, they would be ready.
And now, the day had come when all that effort and hard work would be put to the test.
Was it going to be enough?
Pharynx dreaded the answer, even though he’d done his best and then some. For the first time in his life, he flew into battle with heavy knots in his stomach. He might have preferred for Thorax to remain in the hive, but he’d known better than to even attempt to persuade him. Because, for the first time in his life, Thorax wanted to go into battle: his friends were in danger, and he flew with righteous determination at Pharynx’s side. He was going to help them, and not even a force stronger than that of a thousand rampaging Discords combined would hold him back! And it was just as well, Pharynx realized: if the changeling army failed, it wouldn’t matter where Thorax was; Chrysalis would find him sooner or later! Pharynx, at least, took solace in the fact that, this way, he could remain by Thorax’s side and protect him. Whatever Chrysalis attempted, he would know it and be in a position to try to stop her!
Throughout the flight, Pharynx maintained his posture of determined confidence, no matter how hard it was at moments. He had to; what would happen to his soldiers’ morale if they saw him shiver in fear? How would they win the battle if their commander didn’t seem to think they could? But inwardly, he prayed to Destiny and Harmony and whatever other magical or natural force was listening to shower them with good fortune and bring them success. Please, he begged silently. Do your worst to me if you have to, kill me in the most painful and humiliating way possible if that’s what it takes, but don’t make Thorax pay the price!
A spark of hope flickered in Pharynx’s heart as he saw many other armies converging on the outskirts of Ponyville. Ponies, kirin, hippogriffs, yaks, even dragons and griffons… every species in the known world was joining forces in a hope to save Equestria!
And then he saw Chrysalis and her two accomplices, wielding unimaginably powerful magic… and his heart sank as the group of ponies at their mercy was about to be blasted into oblivion.
The unicorns lit up their horns and the rest of the united army charged forward.
Standing in front of the petrified trio, Pharynx couldn’t believe how quickly the confrontation had ended, and ended it had: Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow were now turned to stone for the rest of eternity, unable to do any more harm to anyone.
All around him, the valley was filled with creatures that had participated in the battle: some were getting their injuries tended, some were catching their breath, but the overwhelming majority was celebrating the victory. Princess Twilight had allowed it; though she’d postponed her coronation until the damage caused by the incident could be repaired, she’d seen no reason why all her allies and friends shouldn’t rejoice at the salvation of their world. She’d left with her friends and the other alicorn princesses, presumably to assess the damage to Canterlot and organize repairs, and Discord had evaporated around the same time, having come to the conclusion that he’d overstayed his welcome; but before they left, Pinke had produced an unbelievably large bag of party supplies from somewhere and given it to the allies to use. A baffling sight for the said allies, but the group of six friends had simply chuckled. After all, Pinkie had party supplies stashed all over Ponyville and a few other cities in case of a party supply emergency!
So staring at the villains turned to stone, now decorated with Pinkie’s balloons and ribbons - a fate they would have enjoyed even less than being imprisoned in stone together forever, as Discord would put it - Pharynx struggled to wrap his head around how everything had turned out. He’d been prepared to unleash his deepest wrath, to create unthinkable bloodshed, to do whatever would have been necessary to stop Chrysalis and the other two… and all along, though brute force had helped a little initially, it had been love and unity that had ultimately overwhelmed the darkness and saved the world! And, Pharynx had to admit, it was glorious!
The sound of hoofsteps treading toward him snapped him out of his trance.
He turned at the newcomer who had interrupted his reverie; there stood Thorax, smiling blissfully at his beloved brother.
“Are you alright?” Thorax asked, his smile dropping as he caught a dark shadow in Pharynx’s eyes.
At the sound of that innocent question, something snapped in Pharynx as the full implications of what had happened finally sank in, and an intense wave of relief washed over him as he realized his greatest fear would never become reality. Thorax was safe! Chrysalis couldn’t hurt him anymore now that she’d been turned into a statue!
A new sensation stirred in Pharynx, becoming stronger by the millisecond until it overwhelmed him completely. He tried to rein it in - it was so alien to him, and he’d never liked things he didn’t know how to handle - but he was powerless against it. The mighty warrior within him had fallen; he couldn’t hold it in anymore!
He wrapped his brother in a tight hug as if it were the last time, rivers of burning tears streaming down his face. And let them! He could be tough again tomorrow!
“I’m so glad you’re safe, Thorax,” he whispered through the tears.
Thorax stroked Pharynx’s back gently, shedding a tear or two himself.
“I know,” he whispered back.
The realization hit Pharynx harder than he’d expected: though he’d never wanted to burden him with his worries, he knew now that Thorax understood; he had known all along, and had given Pharynx all the space he’d needed to keep refusing to talk about it, because he’d known that Pharynx hadn’t wanted him to suffer more pain and worry after everything he’d been through in life!
And Pharynx loved him all the more for that.
