Letting out a sigh, Thorax allowed himself a moment of rest, his newly relaxed state eliciting waves of chills throughout his body. Each step against the hive's unforgiving stone path was still a labor on his legs, but now that he was finally free of the crowds and commotion that came with being a tour guide, he was at peace. Now meandering through the winding corridors of the lower hive, the alpha changeling resigned himself to giving glancing smiles to the occasional passing drone.

I've done my best to make the hive a livelier, friendlier place. We couldn't do that when our home was closed off to the rest of the world, or when we, ourselves were so reclusive from both others and each other.

Thorax turned a corner and was startled. A pair of adolescent drones soared around the bend like two flashes of green lightning, filling the hallway with the snippet of an ongoing argument before vanishing. He paused a moment to watch the empty, quiet passage left in their wake.

We still have a long way to go, but I know we'll get there.

He became more conscious of his hoofsteps as he went along, all outside sounds now blocked by the structured hallway. The more the quiet numbed his ears, the more his mind raced. Soon Thorax found his rose eyes wandering the hallway ahead, scanning for movement, or anything of interest.

Though I'm amazed at the progress so far, your highness, I have to admit I'm a little surprised. After your resounding success in the Crystal Empire I thought you'd have reintroduced the changelings to most of Equestria, by now. Is there anything in-particular that's holding you back? Anything we can help with?

Thorax bit his lip.

We've just been really busy with projects closer to home, lately. Pharynx has been preoccupied with rebuilding our guard teams, while I've been keeping an eye on day-to-day activities, and helping to look after the hive's nymphs. Once we're a little more settled, we'll continue to reach out.

The grinding sound of morphing stone caused Thorax to jump. He peered around the new chamber, but it too was void of changelings. Again his hoof falls echoed in his ears as he made his way across the room, this time stepping through an unassuming doorway at full attention. It was an entryway he knew all too well, and one which planted seeds of anxiety in the corners of his mind. Descending a slope, Thorax rapidly headed towards one of the lowest points in the hive.

Thorax, you've been away from the hive before and left Pharynx to handle it, haven't you? I mean, you've come to visit Ocellus at school at practically every opportunity we've given you. How would making further allies be any different than that?

The hive's lower intestines were noticeably darker, with far thicker walls. Unlike the structure above ground, it had undergone no remodeling. Serving as a safety bunker in case of catastrophic emergency, its role had largely been replaced by the newly-built nesting chamber. Asides from the hot springs, the lower hive's many corridors and rooms were now largely abandoned.

Though, Thorax knew that wasn't entirely true.

Visiting Ponyville for a few hours isn't the same thing as leaving for days on end to go on political excursions. Pharynx still isn't used to the run of the mill, everyday concerns that come up now that we're peaceful. I just wanted to wait for him to finish reforming our defenses before I dropped more foreign relation missions on the hive's agenda.

The quiet he had felt above was nothing compared to the void of silence, down here. He knew it was irrational, nothing from outside could enter the lower portions of the hive, but still Thorax had to light his antlers in an electric blue aura before allowing his muscle memory to take over, and guide him through these dim halls.

Thorax, I don't think you need to be on standby for your brother all the time. Not to bring up a sore topic, but wasn't Pharynx high up in Chrysalis's command? He must be used to juggling all sorts of hive responsibilities. I don't think he'd want you to hold yourself back for his sake. You should talk to him.

The stag beetle changeling furrowed his look. "I just wish I was better at talking to him."

A familiar sight filled Thorax's view. The seemingly endless corridor branched off in a triple fork, but not before giving way to two side rooms, rooms that Thorax recognized at once. One was an old interrogation room, used for storing cocooned prisoners that Chrysalis would later question about their native homes' weaknesses. The other served as the quarters of the hive's guard units, a place for planning patrol routes and infiltration tactics. It also held the bedhive for the patrol leader.

Thorax swallowed as he approached. He simply knew it as his big brother's old room.

"...Pharynx? Are you down here?"

His voice echoed into the dark before his face rounded the corner, but Thorax already knew the answer to his question. He knew his brother too well. There was only one place unvisited by other changelings since the hive's metamorphosis, and that was how Pharynx preferred his thinking spaces.

Thorax stepped into the entryway's frame, and a pair of violet eyes pierced the dark.

"Don't tell me you're still scared of the dark, Thorax," came Pharynx's low voice, perfectly in sync with his expressive orbs of light. "You're supposed to be a king now, after all. What sort of king is afraid of the dark?"

It just occurred to Thorax that his vibrant antlers continued to glow, casting a comforting blue light several yards around him. With a focused thought the light faded, and Thorax stared back at his opaque sibling with an unseen smile. "Maybe one who understands the fear of the dark, and can relate to little changelings who have that fear."

There was silence. Pharynx's eyes were the first to back down.

"Well, you found me, congrats. I hope your little tour went well. If I go uphive and find that chimera left anything out of place, he's out, and that's that."

Thorax chuckled, and his eyes began to adjust. Even in pitch darkness, changeling irises could see outlines clearly, and Thorax could now see his brother's form resting in the center of an otherwise empty room. The barracks was a skeleton of what it once housed.

"Well, we almost made it through the entire tour," Thorax recalled, making his way over and laying down beside the sunken changeling. "Once Discord came across the afternoon group doing freestyle dance together, though, that was that. Starlight and Sunburst offered to stay and keep an eye on him, so I thought I'd come and find you. The drones told me you'd gone off by yourself somewhere. Did you have something you wanted to tell me?"

He waited patiently for a 'yes' that never came. Pharynx's eyes had dimmed, partially hidden by his eyelids and crossed hooves, and Thorax examined the body language curiously. Just this afternoon Pharynx had been steadfast and determined, but here he laid at his side, entirely dejected.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm peachy."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"...well, is there anything I can do to help?"

Pharynx sidelined his brother, who grinned. "Cheeky little grub when you want to be, aren't you."

Thorax perked up noticeably. "Whether you're pretending to be a boulder or are just in a bad mood, I like to think I can read you pretty well, Pharynx. You don't have to say it, and I won't ask you about it if you don't want, but I know something is eating at you. It's written all over your carapace."

"Oh, lucky me," Pharynx deadpanned, turning his head to glare. "My kid brother, founder of the feelings forum thinks he can psychoanalyze me. First Apidae, now you; these freaky empathy powers everyone seems to have now are starting to annoy me, Thorax."

"Why, because it means you might have to talk about your emotions for once?" Thorax said with a smirk, instinctively putting up his hooves to block a punch, and laughing when it hit on cue. "So Apidae saw it too, huh? So something really is bothering you, then. She always was perceptive, even before we transformed."

"Or maybe you're both just crazy," Pharynx dismissed, glancing the green bug up and down. "What about you? The way you came skulking in here, you've clearly got something on your mind, too. Let's talk about that, first."

Taken aback by the forceful shift of topics, Thorax's expression deflated. The stag beetle changeling sat back on his haunches, surrendering to simply stare into Pharynx's violet eyes - eyes which grew increasingly focused by the second.

"What's that look for?", Pharynx probed, sitting up as well and closing in on the sitting bug pony, shrewdly examining his face. When Thorax leaned back at the invasion of space, Pharynx took it as a retreat and swiftly followed, pinning the younger changeling in everything but body. "Did something happen, Thorax?"

Thorax's contemplative look consumed him. This was it, he thought, his chance to get everything off his chest - his anxieties, his reservations, they were all on the precipice of springing forth. Pharynx's face showed fear of some physical disaster having taken place uphive, but Thorax knew the real problems sat in this very room, shrouded in the dark.

"Thorax," Pharynx started again, "you had better spill it; did that 'friend' of yours fly off the handle again? Did he-"

A brilliant blaze of blue light filled the room, illuminating the gray stone walls, and the pair of brothers between them. Pharynx squinted and bared his teeth in response, but upon spotting the melancholic look on his brother's face, quickly regained focus. For a time they sat together in the antlers' radiance, listening to the murmur of static while Thorax gathered his scattered thoughts.

"Discord hasn't done anything, Pharynx," Thorax said quietly. "Nothing at all has happened, actually, and I think that's the whole problem."

Unable to meet his brother's gaze and hold his words together at the same time, Thorax settled for lamely watching his own hooves instead. The situation felt entirely too familiar to him.

"Pharynx, my correspondence with the princesses has been a lot more productive than I've let on," he began, his voice weak. "I have entire lists, pages even of equestrian events that we've been given invitation to attend. In just these past few weeks I've even gotten official notices from the hippogriffs and yaks, saying that they'd like to meet and discuss possible alliances together, in light of Twilight's school of friendship."

Thorax swallowed, a subtle sound, but painfully loud to him in the dead air.

"I didn't want to bring this up to you yet, seeing as you've been so focused on rebuilding our defenses," Thorax explained, nervously rubbing his hoof against the stone floor. "I told myself I'd talk with you about it later, that I'd help you focus on the hive first, so I wouldn't overwhelm you with all these expectations. Well, later became now, and I convinced myself to keep putting it off...I let myself think only about the hive, and I let the day to day routines carry on and on. I...I don't think I've replied to a single letter from anyone in almost a week."

Just by verbally acknowledging his thoughts, Thorax felt his composure slipping. He had held it back, that teetering balance, but even without his brother's face as a stimulus, he soon lost control when Pharynx spoke in an abnormally calm voice.

"I was never really the one in danger of being overwhelmed, was I, Thorax?"

Glistening tears fell at last from the king's eyes.

"Pharynx, I don't know where to go from here," Thorax sniffed, clenching his eyelids in an attempt to shed his tears. "I thought that everything would become easier with the princesses' help, that everything would become clear after we formed relations with the Crystal Empire, but it hasn't. Everything is a possibility, now, and I...I feel like I can't keep up. I-I'm constantly scared I'll make a wrong decision or say something that'll anger someone, and it's paralyzing! You're right, Pharynx, what kind of leader is afraid of things like this? Of the dark, of the unknown?"

A dam that had finally burst, Thorax curled his shimmering tail around his hooves like a blanket and retreated into a series of sniffs and sobs. Pharynx continued to watch quietly, his rugged exterior softening. A genuine smile subtly claimed his mouth. It was now the beta changeling's turn to bring light to the dimly lit chamber, and so he did. The electric blue merged with a deep crimson aura, and those few remaining corners of the room were at last illuminated.

"Am I to assume this got triggered by talks with the ponies upstairs? Funny how they're causing you more concern than the omnipotent chimera is. C'mere, you big dork." Pharynx sighed and corralled the younger changeling with a motion of his hooves. "Take a deep breath and relax. The fate of the changeling kingdom doesn't have to be decided this afternoon."

Shaking like a leaf, Thorax put aside his status, expectations and responsibilities. He let himself simply lay his head against his brother's chitin, and embraced the older changeling for the first time in a very long time. There was no backing away, nor were there scoffs of disgust that he'd come to expect. Instead, Thorax felt himself held by a strong leg, allowed to lean his weight without fear of withdrawal.

"First of all, don't go twisting my words and using them against me," the beta changeling said firmly, laying his chin on Thorax's head and staring off into space. "Namely, don't take everything I say so seriously. You're leading a hive now, Thorax, and though it was...very rocky at first, you're doing a decent job of it, now. You think I'd have thought my meek brother would ever be capable of something like that up until a few months ago? Of course not. You're a lot braver than you give yourself credit for."

His eyes stung with hot tears, but Thorax smiled against Pharynx's chest. Through his brother's display, his words, he could already feel himself becoming more calm, gaining control of his upset state.

"Secondly, I'm not sure what's more insulting, the idea that I couldn't handle some snide politics on top of running our hive, or the fact you'd even entertain the thought that I'd leave you to deal with things on your own just because I've got other stuff going on. You're an idiot, Thorax."

Amidst his shallow sniffs, Thorax was forced to give a violent twitch as he laughed. He thought to reply, but settled for shifting his comfortable position instead, laying quiet and still with his elder broodmate. All he sought was for this elusive moment to last, and as seconds turned to minutes, that's exactly what happened. By the time either of them next uttered a word, Thorax had calmed down entirely.

"Do you still wanna know what was bothering me?"

Pharynx paused just long enough for Thorax's glossy eyes to give their attention.

"Of course I do. You want to talk about it, now?"

Pharynx gave a passive nod before dawning a sly little smirk. "Well, you did just fall apart in front of me. It was kinda embarrassing, Thorax. You've got me feeling bad for you now, so the least I can do is fess up as well."

"Shut up, Pharynx," Thorax chuckled, weakly headbutting the changeling's chest. "Didn't you just finish complimenting me about bravery? Letting down your guard can also be brave, you know. Especially when you were afraid your brother would just make fun of you for doing it."

Pharynx's smirk fell to a modest smile, and his look grew pensive. Thorax didn't yet know it, but those words, those feelings went both ways.

"It was you, Thorax," Pharynx admitted. "You finally stood up to me earlier today - really stood up to me. You stood there, held your ground and told me to my face that you knew better than me. And you know what? For once, you were right. Something about that really got to me, and I didn't get why at first. I think I'm starting to, now."

It wasn't until Thorax felt a light prick on his head that he shifted his gaze upwards, and lost his breath. Though calm and collected in expression, tiny tears had formed in Pharynx's expressionless eyes.

"Pharynx, y-you're crying."

Thorax could hardly believe his own words as they fell from his tongue. Never in his life had he seen his brother emote, and yet here he was, dripping light tears like it was no big deal.

"This may sound strange," Pharynx prefaced, his voice noticeably distraught at being seen so vulnerable, "but seeing you fall apart again just now relieved me. You may have felt overwhelmed lately, Thorax, but I sure wouldn't have known it. From my perspective it's been just the opposite. I've seen you handle just about everything that's come at you, seen you finally start to grow up, and become capable of solving all your own problems, just like a king should. And yes, I felt pride, but I wasn't entirely ready to accept that, either. I couldn't accept the idea that you might not be needing me, much longer."

A heat surged through Thorax's every extremity, and the changeling's newly-waterlogged eyes lit up. Too stunned to form words, he merely watched his brother fail to recover his composure, flicking water from his cheeks via hoof.

"We've never had much in common, Thorax," Pharynx continued. "I couldn't relate to you when we were young, so I tried to toughen you up instead, and stood up for you when you couldn't stand up for yourself. Well, that hasn't changed. All these years later I'm still struggling to relate to you, and that's a game of catch up I've since realized I'll never win. I've taken solace in the fact that I've still been able to look out for you, to help solve the problems you couldn't handle. When I saw how far you've come lately I guess it threatened things, for me. I didn't want to lose that."

Visibly drained like he'd just finished a sprint, Pharynx pulled back from the embrace and exhaled sharply, exercising great restraint to not fall further down the emotional rabbit hole. He did his best to avoid eye contact, but his efforts would not change his fate. Every ounce of Thorax's looming anxiety had now melted away, replaced by the sincerest smile he'd given in weeks. Without hesitation he embraced Pharynx again, clinging to him tightly despite a grunt of discomfort.

"Pharynx, no matter how much I improve I will always need my big brother to look out for me," he said softly. "And, I hope you know how much I appreciate you telling me this. I just wish you had told me sooner, I had no idea you were that fond of being a guardian towards me."

Pharynx scoffed and rolled his violet eyes. "Did you think I protected your wussy behind from bullies for my health? You do realize protecting you was a full time job, right? I practically had to compensate bullies just to stay on a schedule I could keep up with."

Caught in an awkward, but all too genuine combination of lingering tears and laughter, Thorax withdrew his hug. Together the changelings regained their stances, sitting back on their haunches and casting knowing glances at one another. A smile had been salvaged from Pharynx, one filled with something that Thorax hadn't observed from him in years. It wasn't backed by sarcasm, slyness or a fake, ulterior motive. It was a look of simple, unobstructed happiness.

"By the way, do you happen to remember our little conversation about communication, Thorax?" Pharynx broached, cocking a brow as his brother put on a sheepish look. "Yeah, all of that, again. Going forward I want you to be honest with me upfront as soon as you're feeling anxious about responsibilities. I'm more than capable of shouldering whatever you might need help with. I don't crack under pressure. I can run this hive just fine by myself for however many political banquets and dance parties you might need to attend, and I'll even go with you if it's of earth shattering importance. Tarsus is a good changeling, he'll keep things on lockdown for us when asked."

Thorax absently rubbed the back of his head, a blush reddening his cheeks. "Alright, I promise I'll keep you updated on any important correspondences from now on. I'll also start going through the pile of event invitations and letters I already have."

"Good, take much longer and we'll be getting a knock on the hive door from Twilight Sparkle, herself, asking what happened to you, and why you're no longer attending tea parties."

Following his brother's lead, Thorax stood and stretched his legs. He simply couldn't stop beaming in Pharynx's direction, the mere depth of his brother's feelings still making him giddy.

"I know it causes you pain to hear it," Thorax said with a slight chuckle, "but I love you, Pharynx. I consider myself extremely lucky to have a broodmate as watchful as you are, not just of me, but of our entire hive. Even if we don't have a lot in common, I hope you know how much you mean to me."

On cue, Pharynx adopted wide eyes and a shocked look. Not a moment later, the deep blue changeling proceeded to violently fake a gagging fit all over the floor, which sent Thorax into a fit of giggling. When next Pharynx surfaced, he cocked a brow to accompany his new, sarcastic smile.

"For the record, I appreciate it, Thorax," he began, giving his brother another moment of sincerity. "But just so we're on the same page, I'm gonna go back to being apathetic towards everything feelsy and cute, now."

"Fair enough," Thorax chuckled. "But, now that we've had a heart to heart, are you sure I can't interest you in spending some more time with the hive in communal naps and activities?"

Aiming his red aura at the far doorway, Pharynx cast a skeptical look over his shoulder before making headway there. "Absolutely not. You're not dragging me into one of those time sucks."

Not the least bit disheartened, Thorax practically skipped after his sibling, and soon the two made their way from the chamber, which fell into darkness once more.

"You don't have to participate if you don't want, you can just moderate! Won't you at least think about it?"

"Sure...no. There, I thought about it."

Thorax trotted up along Pharynx's flank, joining him by his side. The alpha changeling's look could have lit the entire hall by itself. "Alright, alright, communal stuff is still out. What if you started to spend a little more time with the nymphs? If you're going to run the hive more often in my stead, you'll want to get used to that, anyway."

"I think I'll deal with things as needed and not before, in that case."

Thorax paused, a warm flutter in his chest encouraging him to venture just once more.

"Alright, well...if nothing else, would you at least let me give you a hug without the sour response more often? Once a year for my hatchday and for severe emotional distress is a little limiting, you know."

Pharynx came to a stop when Thorax's hoofsteps faded, and again he peered back. His younger brother's awaiting grin was abysmally wholesome. Pharynx opened his mouth to snap another variant retort, but this time something changed his mind. This time he shook his head in a bout of defeat, and met that nympish smile with a tolerant, albeit exasperated look.

It was his own fault, he thought. He had opened up, and there was no closing that door again, not with Thorax.

Pharynx accepted the situation with a tortured sigh. His detachment had been nice while it lasted. If he was now doomed to endure a fate worse than death at the hooves of his sappy sibling, then he could at least, perhaps, keep it localized.

"Yeah, fine, whatever," Pharynx muttered at last, noting the immediate stars in Thorax's eyes. "But there's stipulations to that, got it? Namely, no surprises. If you hug me from behind I will buck you in the face. Also, don't abuse it. I'm not gonna put up with getting bombarded by your sappiness all day long. Most importantly, it's just you, Thorax. No other changelings, no nymphs, no friends, no frolicking woodland creatures - nobody gets free rides off your pass."

Thorax gave a jovial laugh. "Pharynx, those sound awfully rehearsed. Don't tell me you've had this speech in the wings, just waiting for when I'd ask to hug you more often."

"When you have an overly-emotional changeling for a brother you learn to have plans set up." His smirk returning to him, Pharynx darted a look. "Just be happy that you're the exception, Thorax. You're the one thing in all of creation that could even get me to make stipulations for getting hugs. Everyone else just gets blasted."

Author's Notes:

Another special shoutout to my friend, and fellow bugbros fan, RossmaniteAnzu!

They've amassed dozens of bugbro arts in their portfolio, all of which you should definitely check out! They're one of the best traditional artists I've met in a long time. We've been indirectly spurring each other on to create more bugbros content via our own content, and it's a vicious cycle I very much enjoy. Give their page a look!

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All my life, I always wanted to have a brother. Though I never got one biologically, I'm lucky enough to have more than one close friend I view as such. I love to depict brotherly relationships in my writing, and Thorax and Pharynx are my favorite subject of that in a very long time. I could hope for nothing more than to see Pharynx and Thorax interact more come season 9.