My brother and his friends overthrew a perfectly functional monarchy and turned the changelings into a bunch of pastel hippies.
I (regrettably also now a hippie) am trying to reintroduce regiment and strength to the changelings of our hive.
That includes my brother.
Featured 2/15/2022 - 2/17/2022!
A gift for Sockiepuppetry, inspired by their Thorax artworks, and most notably, their Boys Will be Bugs fan animation. 
* A part of the Love Bug Continuity!
* Cover art by Wulfumz
* Edited by LevelDasher
* Live reading by Skijarama
Chapters (1)
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! I love seeing Pharynx being a big brother, it's always so preciousssssss!
Welp, there's another one on the list of To Do Dramatic Readings Of! I'm not even daunted by the number of them I have to do, this one is a definite let me read it out loud and post for people who don't have FimFic accounts!
I always have liked Pharynx more, I just wish they would have given him more than one episode. In my opinion, he should be the one in charge of the hive....he has the mental toughness for it. Thorax, well he is way too soft. I think he'd make a better ambassador than leader.
And so, the mighty warrior has fallen. No one shall stand a chance against the ultimate adorableness that is the Best Cinnabug
Especially this buggo. Urge to hug cinnabugs intensifies again 
Pharynx is best Tsundere.
Cinnabug
Cinnabug
Must protect and give a hug
I've probably mentioned it before, but I absolutely love how you write Pharynx. He truly is the best buggo. So naturally, anything that contains as much Pharynx as this fic is right up my alley.
Pharynx continues to be the best skittlebug, and Thorax continues to be adorable. Perfect.
11153822
This right here.
People already know by now how I feel like Pharynx is a wasted opportunity. The show introduces him as Thorax’s older brother, but nothing more, as he only got a major role in one episode, that being his debut episode. After that, nothing was done with him.
I’m glad we have fanfics to make up for it, but NavelColt in particular has one of my favorite take ons of Pharynx’s.
11153999
They could have done so much with him, perhaps even made them co-rulers because to be honest, Thorax is incompetent in my opinion. He lacks what it takes to be a leader, well a good leader who will look out for his subjects. Thorax is too "everything is sunshine and rainbows" while Pharynx knows there are still threats out there.
11154013
As much as I enjoy Thorax, I’m afraid I agree. When he’s explaining Pharynx’s behavior to Starlight and Trixie, he says that they’re “peaceful and there’s no need to patrol”… when there’s clearly a rampaging Maulwurf outside the hive, which they’re simply trying to lure away.
11154016
I think Thorax underestimates that maulwurf and thinks it will simply leave them alone if it is not provoked. Things like that could behave similar to the tatzlwurms and simply attack unprovoked. I think they got the idea of the tatzlwurm from the graboids from the Tremors movies....the maulwurf seems to operate in a similar way except it involves the leaves. They could at least share power. Thorax could be the one involved in diplomacy while Pharynx could handle more domestic issues, including hive security.
11154022
Yeah. Therefore, leading the hive would be a two-bug job.
11154023
One thing that crossed my mind a while back, imagine Pharynx teaching at the school of friendship....especially pre-reformation Pharynx. Now that would be very interesting.
11154026
I need to add that to my list of possible fic ideas
11154029
He could teach them all about changeling culture and how it has progressed, and how friendship changed them entirely. I do think he would be a less well liked professor....Ocellus would probably see too much of Chrysalis in him.
11154032
I see.
Aww it's always nice to see thorax and pharynx having this kind of talk with each other and no matter how rude and tough he is that's one thing he will always do he always will care for his brother and I like that this was a pretty nice story keep up the good work
Awww. That’s so sweet. The bugbros are written so well, I’d see it as an actual episode. Too bad we don’t get more of our changebois in the show. Another great piece of literature.
11154016
11154013
I don't think Thorax was ever meant to lead alone, and that's the real aspect to look at here. I don't think Thorax was given antlers because he had any potential to be a well-rounded solo leader (he didn't), he was given antlers because he is enlightened in the understanding of emotions, connections, and friendship compared to every other changeling, and those things are crucial for creatures that literally use love as sustenance.
From a narrative perspective, it's probably more accurate to refer to him as a revolutionary than a king, especially given the events of the S6 finale. Thorax found a way of life that rebelled against what the established monarchy enforced, and ultimately played a part in usurping said monarchy in the name of improving the hive's quality of life.
Thorax was the leader the changelings needed, but not the one they deserved. At least alone. That's why Pharynx is there. He balances out Thorax's rule by adding the regiment and strength that the hive needed too.
As for why Thorax is in charge and not Pharynx, I'd argue that's because the focus on emotions and connections had to come before the reintroduction of the sterner aspects of rule. The changelings' new forms and how they consume love now is like evolution, a change in biology for the better, and that's something that had to take place before reintroduction of self-defense and other things. If Pharynx was the one in charge, it's possible that things would hardly be different from Chrysalis's hive, minus one crazed/selfish dictator. If Pharynx was the one who overthrew Chrysalis, there might not have been an evolution at all.
Change often doesn't happen incrementally, it happens at a boiling point, and in cascades of massive, sweeping changes. Thorax was the only changeling who could have possibly lead a change that drastic.
11154169
Very interesting perspective, NavelColt.
I admit, I never woulda thought of that.
11154013
I personally wouldn't think of Thorax so much as "incompetent," but rather "inexperienced." Sure, he's a cinnamon bug through and through, but he also understands the nuances of politics and, later, how politics is messy and sometimes means you have to stand your ground and press the matter anyway. And while he very much prefer doing this gently and in a friendly manner, he's shown to do that task pretty well regardless. This is just as important, if not more important, a skill for any country leader to have as any, and I'd rather have the political diplomat that's selfless enough to always prioritize the needs of his country and people over his own wants and needs than that of the well-meaning but old-fashioned militant stick-in-the-mud that's really only changing under duress, and was the slowest to start changing to begin with.
Not that Pharynx doesn't play an important role in all of this too, of course. Like 11154169, I think it was always the intention to have Thorax and Pharynx co-rule together, because their contrasts serve as great check and balances to their personal styles of management, and as a result, end up making a brilliant team.
In short, I think Thorax is a pretty good ruler all on his own...but teamed up with his brother, they both make for great rulers.
It’s funny, you know. Whether it was to convey that Pharynx was the odd one out when every Changeling metamorphosed into their ‘pastel hippie’ states, or to allow some headcanon wiggle room, but Pharynx - reformed or not - has looked entirely different from the get go.
The season 2, 5, and 6 finales showed Changelings being entirely identical (with the exception of a few wearing armour, and of course Chrysalis), with black chitin, grey neckfins, and blue eyes.
Pharynx, on the other hand, had a chitin slightly paler than the others’, a red neckfin, and purple eyes. Now, while the others are all brightly palleted and pony-like, Pharynx - even reformed - is different for being the only one with a much darker not-really-pastel colour-pallet.
It’s an interesting thing to think about, in my opinion, let alone play around with. But yet again, anything with Pharynx is interesting, so perhaps I’ll digress.
11154809
My headcanons for the reformed changelings delve into emotional states and things a lot, and to summarize, the changelings are now getting used to feeling emotions rather than feeding on them. For a lot of the changelings this manifests as emotional immaturity—something we saw a lot of in To Change a Changeling, with lots of yelling and freaking out from the drones over things. I basically took something done for comedic effect and applied it to their metamorphosis. This is why in KoLB (my magnum opus and the flagship for this headcanon universe), Thorax fully embraces more of a parental role in the hive than one of a typical king, because even the adult changelings are getting used to regulating emotions.
But there's another aspect to transformation, and that's a sort of clarity to one's mental state. When a changeling transforms, and they're no longer controlled by persistent hunger, they find an increase to their patience, a lowering of their irritability, etc. This explains why the changelings suddenly enjoyed having a creative renaissance and exploring new interests, and it also explains how Pharynx really turned around his relationship with Thorax in my book.
So when Pharynx says becoming a hippie has given him the patience to deal with his dorky little brother more easily, it's both sarcastic and quite literal.
As for his varying appearance, I agree it's interesting to explore why that is. In my stories Pharynx doesn't develop the innate ability to sense other changelings' emotions as quickly as the others, and this is tied to how different and more rigid he is.
Pharynx is one of my most favorites characters in MLP. During all the episode when he appeared, I was like "but... he's right !"
Anytime I read this phrase, I now think of Arcane.
11155167
And the episode agreed
It's great to witness your portrayal of not just Thorax but also Pharynx. Their dynamic with each other is always fun to see, but it's great to see this go to the core, even in something as "simple" as a short slice-of-life fic.
I don't have much else to say here that wouldn't be a repeat of the other comments here, so thank you for this story!
This story us amazing! Well done.
PS: Could I have a link to the art please?
11216935
FIMFic cover art sources are embedded in the cover ^^ Should be a button that pops up over the bottom right when you hover over it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
11217705
No, I meant the little comic at the end.
No props, you’re pretty good after all.
11217968
Oh, that's linked through the text below it. Click 'Found on DeviantArt.'
11218092
Found it, thanks.