Thorax tells his brother that he gave away the remains of Chrysalis's throne. Pharynx is less than pleased.
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- Member Since 12th Mar, 2012
- offline last seen Yesterday
Akouma
"Oh crap, [Akouma] is right." -Bugsydor
Akouma
Joined 12th Mar, 2012 ·
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thorax is less than pleased with thorax?
9587610
Oops. Fixing now.
Pharynx is less than pleased
9587612
just a small thing, but still. also, a brotherly spat? always a good show
Well actually, Ocellus went back to Equestria with her friends. Something about a summons from a tree.
Hmmmmmm
Poor changelings. Being bullied by the globalist ponies.
This was a fun and interesting read.
Thorax being Thorax, Pharynx being Pharynx, and ponies quietly dominating the continent.
Are you secretly RealityCheck in disguise? Because this story felt extremely close to reading one of his.
Now, depending on a variety of other factors, the above statement could be either a good thing or a very, very bad thing. Here, though, it managed to work really well.
Have a Thumbs Up!
9588158
Yes, hmmmmm.
I am, in fact, not this person of whom you speak. But thanks for the kind words anyway!
9587712
I'm kinda running on the assumption that she at some point returned. Or that Thorax doesn't keep tabs on her every move. (Likely the first one given that he seems to ABSOLUTELY be keeping tabs on her ever move.)
9587722
9588011
Yeah, part of the inspiration for this fic was a Discord discussion about how it's kinda messed up that ponies seem to keep taking these precious cultural artifacts from the other races.
9588179
That scene sorta pissed me off XD
They could have easily said: "Donated from your home countries." But no, they said: "Celestia gave this to us from the vault."
I dunno...the show demonstrated quite clearly that after the throne's destruction, the remaining shards didn't seem to, at the very least, hold anywhere near the same amount of power as they did before, and didn't really seem useful anymore, at least not in that manner. And Thorax explictly said earlier that the hive wasn't doing anything with them, implying that the changelings couldn't figure out a worthwhile use for them in that state.
I can see where Pharynx is coming from on this, totally, and he has a point about the Talisman (though there's nothing to say that, in show-canon, the Talisman actually is still at the school or even in pony possession. Unless it makes an appearance in the show yet again before it ends, there's always just as much the possibility it was in fact returned to the changelings. Not a guarantee, but not enough to rule it out too), but in the case of the throne, he does sort of sound like he's whining about the loss of something that he assumes might have become more useful to the changelings at some unspecified point in the future, if the changelings ever figured out how, but at the moment didn't really have an applicable use for them. Which reminds me of my own admitted pack-rat tendencies--"Oh, I'll find a good use for it someday!"--but instead it just piles up forever, unused and never getting the chance to be properly used by someone who could more truly need it.
So to me, it does seem better to give it to an ally who can make a use for it now as a show of good faith and a sign of continued friendship, especially since, as Thorax also notes, Equestria returned the favor by signing that defensive pact.
And so what if the ponies crack the secret of the stuff and devise a way to mass produce it? Assuming they are allies then, then both sides would still benefit because now both sides can make as much of the stuff as they want and can use it however they wish to secure their own borders to taste and need. That's usually what allies do, after all. If not, then you're really not being very good allies, and probably shouldn't refer to yourselves as such.
People forget that part of the best way to nurture peace and good relations, especially in an acknowledged alliance, is to share the wealth, in the faith that your ally will always return the favor where and how they can. That way, both have the same tools and means to help support each other. As I fully trust Equestria is trying to do this, as is how Thorax rules the hive, I'm inclined to side more with Thorax's stance on the matter.
Besides, as Pharynx points out, Equestria is the target of more invasions, not the changeling hive. But by helping Equestria defend themselves from those invasions now, they'll encourage them to turn around and return the favor all the more, should that ever change.
Ultimately, Pharynx makes a valid argument, but the bigger problem here is that Pharynx still isn't inclined to trust Equestria (or probably anybody non-changeling for that matter), and keeps presuming the other powers think the same in regards to the hive. It's not hard to see how and why he thinks like that--no doubt Chrysalis drilled it into his and others heads given her imperialistic manner of ruling and overall thinking. But times have changed now. What was once their enemy is now trying to be their friend, but it's not going to work unless both sides show trust and faith in each other that they've got the other's backs if push comes to shove. Thorax is trying to encourage that--it'd help him greatly if Pharynx could try harder at doing the same.
That's not to say Pharynx's tendency to be skeptical doesn't have it's benefits, of course. Thorax, bless him, has a heart of gold and tends to think the best of everyone he meets, so he does still need someone like Pharynx to keep him grounded in reality at times. That's part of the reason why the two work so well as leaders--it may not always look like it, but they compliment each other's skill sets well. Neither of them would be too inclined to openly admit it, but they'd be at a disadvantage without the insights of the other.
But the story's not really about any of this political mumbo-jumbo, it's really about some good ol' brotherly bonding and comforting, and I think it's there where this fic truly shines.
9588545
Lot of good commentary there, thanks! I will say, I think you might be glossing over a specific bit of dialogue here:
I might not have made it clear, but part of why Pharynx is mad here (albeit not the main reason) is that he did have active plans for this artifact, and he wasn't consulted on the matter. And also, the way I imagine Pharynx is that he's probably the least-changed changeling in the new Hive. And his personality before he was transformed was that he was unreasonable and paranoid. At least to me.
In real life, I personally would probably come down on Thorax's side, too. The value in international goodwill and a mutual defensive pact probably outweighs the value of hoarding your tools. And yes, mass-production means that the changelings could then request or be given duplicates of what they've given up.
Again, thanks for the awesome comment! Glad you enjoyed!
I will say, I wasn't expecting this. When I saw the title, I was thinking that it was going to be some whacky comedy story. I'm pleased to see that it wasn't. This is...topical, yet wholesome. I wish they'd cover something like this in the actual show, but we all know that's not going to happen.
Good in-character dialogue, good pace, a warm heart. Overall score: 9/10
9588545
9588585
Pharynx here's struggling with rampant hypocrisy. He's mad his brother gave away and/or borrowed some of their artefacts to Equestria without asking him, but his first solution would be to steal them back. He accuses Equestria of taking advantage of them when he's the one listening in on meetings he's not invited to, abusing their hospitality—something that's only possible because he's close to his nation's ruler, while he's also claiming Equestria is diplomatically bullying them. And, of course, he dismisses friendship when friendship with ponies(!) is why the Changelings aren't starving emovores anymore.
An interesting back and forth, and like others, I was surprised to see how serious it got.
9588585
Mm. But if Pharynx had plans for the throne fragments, then...why hasn't he already put said plans into effect? I mean, it's not like he hasn't had time, surely. They've had said fragments sitting around in their possession for a little more than two whole seasons worth of show time, so Pharynx didn't seem especially in a hurry either. So I still get the feeling Pharynx is overstating their worth to the hive, or at least what the hive could productively use them for, at least just a tad.
And anyway, blame's still on Pharynx at least a little, for clearly never telling Thorax that he had plans for them in the first place, so, y'know, the communication problem the story discusses is still two-way between them here.
omg you did use my slapdash cover XD
Finally got round to reading this and it's even better than the preview that I already really liked! This characterization of Thorax, Pharynx, and the new changelings is just perfect. This is the changeling nation I want.
It would have been so easy to make a fic with this premise cynical, and you didn't do that either, I think you absolutely nailed the tone. And you also nailed me right in the feels, which I wasn't expecting either.
We cannot discard our past, but we can dispose of our past.
Kylo Ren: Thorax, don't listen to your brother. Just let the past die. Kill it if you have to. It's the only way to become what you're meant to be.
Pharynx: Dude, no.
Kylo Ren: It's time to let old things die!
Honestly, I didn't think about real world politics at all when reading this. I feel like you handled a topic never discussed or shown in the series itself. Except in the one episode with Pharynx, and that was more of a blip than anything.
There's a balance to be struck here, and it makes sense that the brothers would be struggling to find it. Pharynx is still a bit abrasive while Thorax continues to try and be non-threatening. Building relations with a stronger nation is difficult, and it's not unfair to point out when you're getting the raw end of a deal. But I hope that the changelings can find a good balance between being agreeable and being aggressive.
Good work on this story. I hope you go on to write even better ones.
Best bug bros!
Great story!
9626299
So, at the risk of opening Pandora's box, I felt that Pharynx's views here got a little close to the very thorny issue of U.S. Civil War monuments to Confederate commanders. I didn't write it that way intentionally, but as I was writing, it occurred to me that this could be interpreted that way.
9636097
Weird, I never got that impression. I guess it could be taken that way. But you did a fine job of balancing the two viewpoints and I'm happy to see the brothers coming to an understanding. The hive will need both of them to survive.
Now we just need stories about Pharynx training his recruits. =P I don't recall that being covered much.
Glad I finally read this. Excellent debate, great characterization, and a good message... though Pharynx really isn't doing himself any favors. Thank you for a most engaging story.
Things get very complicated when the two highest rulers of your nation both tend to disagree with each other, and are family. Still, they do both have good points, so very nice on that front. Thorax, maybe run your ideas by Phyranx before doing them from now on, at least to see if there are any obvious holes or tweaks that would make sense and not be too overly confrontational.
9636097
At least here Pharynx has a point because that throne actually DOES something that could be useful beyond the stupid symbol it used to be.