The new Hive has been prospering, well and truly, for a while now. But sometimes all it takes is one wrong step to disrupt the peace, and that comes with the arrival of familiar enemies. To get out of this, they'll need a little pinch of luck.
After a long and trying journey to reformation, and then the trials that came with forming a kingdom from the ground up, a peace has fallen amidst the Hive. The changelings are finally living in harmony with most of the world, and they're content knowing their Royal family is watching over them. But when a forgotten enemy begins to rise to the forefront, fear follows in their wake. With their protectors in disarray, the changelings are afraid. And for once, Thorax, Apex, and the rest of their family don't know how to help. To find their way out of this, it looks as though they'll need a true miracle.
“Papa Thorax, how come Uncle Pharynx always gets upse’ about For’una?” Apex asked. Thorax picked him up, sighing sadly.
“Fortuna was very close with both of us, she raised us as though we were her own children, and we looked up to her. She was our mom.”
“I didn’t know Pharynx was so close with her.” Ocellus said softly.
Thorax chuckled softly. “They were inseparable. When she died, she even left him her name.”
“Huh?” Apex asked, blinking in confusion.
“Leaving someone your name is a right reserved for only the highest ranking changelings, Pexy.” Zenith responded. “Hunty told me about it. If Fortuna left Pharynx her name, then it means he can do whatever he wants with it.”
“Most ‘lings change their own name or give the name to their kids.” Ocellus added.
“More than that, warriors usually give their names to others in their family.” Thorax emphasized, nuzzling Apex. “Fortuna left Pharynx her name because she loved him like her own son.”
“Wha’ ‘bout you Papa Thorax?” Apex asked
“Well, when she died I was still an outcast, remember? I’m sure she intended some things to be given to me, but because I was rankless I never got them. Other than that, most of her old things that didn’t go to Pharynx were left as memorials in the Veterans Hall. But that’s where they belong.” Thorax kissed Apex on the forehead.
“I guess that’s why Pharynx visits the Veteran’s Hall for so long,” Ocellus hummed, trailing off in thought.
“Maybe we should do something to cheer him up.” Zenith suggested
“A par’y for Uncle Pharynx!” Apex cheered.
“I don’t think he’d like a party, but maybe a gift.” Thorax said slowly, hesitant to agree to something he figured Pharynx might not be comfortable with.
“Can it be a joke gift?” Ocellus asked.
“No!”
“Fine.”
“Come on, let’s go inside.” Thorax sighed in exasperation, and the four headed back into the Hive. Thorax, Apex, and Ocellus went in search of Pharynx, while Zenith went off to find Hunter.
Unbeknownst to his family, Pharynx was currently sitting in the memorial room of the Veteran’s Hall. He sat before a grave marker that consisted of a simple stone slab, with the image of a golden necklace engraved on it.
“Hey mom.” Pharynx whispered, touching the memorial. “I know it’s today, I hope you know too.”
Pharynx ducked his head, scuffing his hoof on the ground silently. He finally sighed and smiled sadly at the stone marking where her grave would have been, had her body been found.
“I miss you mom.” Pharynx laid down on his stomach, pressing his muzzle against the memorial. “I wish I could see you again.”
“Uncle Pharynx?” Apex trotted over, and he raised his head, letting the nymph curl up in his hooves. “Papa Thorax said you we’e sad.”
“Well, he’s an idiot.” Pharynx replied.
“Then how come you’e crying?” Apex asked.
“I-I am not!” Pharynx stammered, as Thorax came up behind him, chuckling. Ocellus was close by, though she stayed further back out of respect.
“Sure you aren’t.” Thorax laid down beside his brother, reaching to press his head against the memorial. “Hey mom. I don’t think we’ve introduced you to Apex yet, officially.”
Apex stopped and stared at the memorial, touching it with his tiny nose. “Tha’s me! ‘M Apex and I’m a wa’ior like you!”
Thorax chuckled and kissed Apex on the forehead. “He’s my baby boy. And Pharynx’s deputy.”
Apex nodded proudly. “And I got a boyf’iend!”
Thorax laughed softly and hugged him. Pharynx chuckled dryly, staring at the memorial.
“Uncle Pharynx?” Apex asked, and he glanced over. “D-Do you wish she was he’e?”
“Of course I do. Every day.” Pharynx responded, eyes watering. “Sometimes I think about what I’d do if she was still here.”
“She’d like you, Apex.” Thorax said, nuzzling the nymph.
“I wish I could mee’ her.” Apex said, squirming in his father’s hold.
“Me too grub.” Pharynx sighed, standing up and trotting away.
“Phar?”
“She’s not coming back though, like you said Thorax. She never will.” Pharynx said dully, walking away.
“When did you say that?” Ocellus asked Thorax, who sighed.
“Back when it first happened, Pharynx was… I’d never seen him like that before. He was frantic, rushing around and screaming for Fortuna, almost begging her to come back. I was trying to calm him down, but I made it worse. He searched through the forest for hours before he passed out from exhaustion.”
“Then wha’ happened?” Apex asked, and Thorax looked away.
“I didn’t have enough strength to carry him back to the Hive by myself, so I curled up beside him and went to sleep. He seemed back to normal the next day, so we went back to the Hive. I didn’t realize until we got back that he hadn’t actually gone back to normal. He’d just accepted she had really died and was grieving.” Thorax sniffled quietly, and the two nymphs hugged him.
“It’s okay Papa Thorax, it’s no’ your fault.” Apex said.
“It’s Chrysalis’ fault.” Ocellus murmured, and Apex shuddered. Thorax nodded with a small sigh, putting his hooves around them both.
“Come on, you two, let’s go find Pharynx.”
“Can we s’ill cheer him up?” Apex asked
“Of course we can, my little warrior.” Thorax said, booping his son on the nose. Apex giggled and smiled.
“Le’s go fin’ him!”
Thorax smiled, placing Apex on his back and leading Ocellus out, feeling much happier now. They would find Pharynx, and cheer him up again.
“Idiots.” Pharynx grumbled to himself as he left the Hive, storming out into the open fields. He had just spotted some of his recruits goofing off when they were supposed to be training.
“Please go on patrols with at least one other soldier, Pharynx, you know we’ve been hearing about some strange activity at the border.”
Thorax’s words echoed in Pharynx’s mind as he headed to the forest at the edge of their territory. He just scoffed, stomping into the woods.
“I’m the General, I should be able to decide if I feel like taking backup. It’s not like those idiots would be useful anyway, they’d just end up shooting their own hooves if they ran into trouble.” he grumbled, not noticing the sudden rustling of the vegetation behind him. “Then again, I suppose bait would be useful.”
As Pharynx contemplated the pros and cons of going back to get a soldier to join him, a shadow-cloaked figure watched him from afar. Finally, Pharynx paused, realizing the forest had gone quiet. The only sound in the green was his own hoofsteps, as even the wildlife had gone still. Something wasn’t right. He pricked his ears and looked around cautiously, baring his teeth.
“Whoever’s out there, show yourself.” Pharynx hissed, but nothing moved. He glared around, releasing a threatening snarl.
A rustling caught his attention at last. He growled and lunged at the movement, only to fall straight through a bush and land hard on his stomach. Pharynx groaned, standing up again, then looked down to see what had made the noise. It was a chipmunk.
Pharynx facehoofed, mentally scolding himself for not thinking. “Who am I, Thorax? Since when am I this paranoid?”
Pharynx sighed and turned away from the chipmunk to continue on his walk. But right as he was about to take a step forward, something sliced through the trees and cut into his shoulder. He let out a hiss of pain and surprise, stepping backwards and staring in the direction the object had gone. An arrow had become stuck in the tree behind him.
Pharynx’s ears pinned to his head as hissing suddenly erupted from all around him.
The forest was no longer silent.
Unreformed changelings, rogues, crept out of the undergrowth from all around him. Some flew down from trees while others shifted back from disguises of rocks and bushes. Normally, Pharynx would not have backed away from them and just charged straight on. But this time – and he hated to admit it – there were too many. He’d never be able to fight them all, especially if they charged as one like swarms were supposed to. Pharynx still stood his ground after allowing himself a step backwards from surprise.
“Stay back.” Pharynx warned, his antlers igniting. “I will not run.”
The rogue changelings gave no response, other than more hissing. Pharynx glared, putting on a snarling expression to rival Chrysalis in her prime. His eyes went wide and threatening, focusing on them in an unbending, fixated stare. His mouth opened to show his teeth, still somewhat sharp fangs glistening. Pharynx’s stance mimicked his expression, straight and tall with one hoof raised, his back legs tense in preparation to spring at a moment’s notice.
The rogue changelings, to their credit, didn’t show any fear. But oh, could Pharynx taste it. The bitter wash of almost suffocating fright covered the swarm like a blanket. And he drank it all.
Fueled by the utter terror he himself had caused in their numbers, Pharyrnx lunged. The rogues barely had time to react, only managing threatening hisses before Pharynx knocked into the ones directly in front of him.
The fight began, and Pharynx felt the world slow down. He reacted faster than he usually could, his eyes scanning over the battlefield. Somehow, he could see everything. Every possibility.
If he hit that group, the others would rush to take over, allowing him to skid around and come at them from behind.
If that other group charged in one direction, he could swerve and hit them from the side, knocking them into the stragglers.
Those two changelings seemed to be the leaders, if he took them out he could easily assert dominance and scare the rest away.
So he did.
He went for the first two groups he saw plausible wins from, and then headed for the ringleaders. But before he could get there, he paused, struck with a sudden thought.
He seemed to be moving faster than logically possible, but was somehow maintaining his focus and gaining the ability to see every action before it happened. Only one creature he knew could do that, last he checked.
Unfortunately, the moment Pharynx paused to consider this, time resumed its normal flow. He fell to the ground mid-leap, misjudging the landing and crashing into the earth. One of the leading changelings seized the opportunity provided, and quickly sunk their fangs into his shoulder blade.
Pharynx gasped out a hiss of pain as he felt the venom coursing through his veins. He staggered as he tried to stand, forelegs buckling under his weight. Pharynx scrambled up and snarled, blasting the changeling backwards with his magic. They let out a cry as they were launched into the trees, but noling else looked threatened. Pharynx panted, struggling to focus as the venom took effect.
Something stabbed into his hind leg and he cried out, stumbling again. A changeling jumped onto him from behind, and Pharynx felt them bite down on the back of his neck. He collapsed to the ground, strength already dwindling due to the first venom-filled bite, antlers sparking weakly as he struggled to get up. The rogue changelings converged on him, but Pharynx managed to force himself to his hooves, and with an almighty roar, he tossed most of them off.
Pharynx stood on trembling legs, panting, surrounded by rogue changelings. The unreformed lings struggled to get up from where Pharynx had tossed them, too dazed to move. The beta changeling managed a slight grin.
“Rogues zero, Pharynx… more than zero.” He slurred, the venom numbing his body from antler to tail. Despite the numbness closing in, Pharynx still attempted to charge his magic enough to fire a shot.
Suddenly, a dagger that glistened with some kind of black fluid came flying out of the trees, so fast that Pharynx didn’t even have time to react. The blade stabbed directly into Pharynx’s side, just under his carapace. The beta changeling staggered and collapsed to the ground at last, the magic gathered at his antlers releasing, firing off into the air before fizzling out uselessly.
Pharynx lay on the ground, head falling as he finally accepted defeat. As the rogue changelings began to converge on him, he managed to open his eyes just briefly, to get a good look at his attackers. Unable to hold his eyes open, Pharynx allowed himself to fall unconscious, hoping his death would at least be quick.
Strangely, Pharynx thought he saw a flash of gold just before his eyes could close completely, triggering a jolt of energy inside his mind. But before he could raise his head to try and get a closer look – and he couldn’t lift it if he tried – he passed out.