//------------------------------// // Silver Lining // Story: Grief is the Price We Pay // by Scyphi //------------------------------// They eventually arrived at the train station, empty for the moment as it would be awhile still before the next train arrived. As Thorax stopped to check the schedule posted on the wall to see how long they would have to wait, Spike grumpily sat himself on a nearby bench, gazing out at the train tracks and the frozen wastes that faded into view beyond. “Looks like it’ll be about another hour before the next train arrives,” Thorax noted as he moved to join Spike on the bench. He gazed warily to where a member of the crystal guard stood at the edge of the platform, on the lookout for trouble seeing the empire was still on high alert, but thankfully he had yet to even really pay much attention to the two. “Hopefully nothing goes wrong while we wait.” Spike merely grunted half-heartedly and didn’t make any other response. They sat in silence for a moment, Thorax keeping guard as he kept an eye out for any trouble. “So…Spark, huh?” Spike suddenly spoke aloud. Thorax glanced at him, confused. “Huh?” “Back at the newspaper stand…you called me Spark.” “Oh.” The changeling shrugged his disguised shoulders. “Well, I couldn’t really call you by your real name right then, now could I?” “I suppose not.” They fell silent again for another moment, but Thorax’s gaze was drawn back to his fellow exile when Spike snuffled suddenly and lifted his sunglasses briefly to wipe at his eyes with one arm quickly. Thorax felt his heart sink a little in sympathy at the sight. “I’m sorry Spike,” he murmured. “This is all tearing you apart, isn’t it?” “Getting falsely branded as a traitor would do that to you,” Spike responded bitterly. Thorax gazed at the guard briefly to insure they weren’t going to get overheard. They weren’t. “Look, I get how you feel Spike, I really do,” he said, shifting his hooves awkwardly as he felt there was something more he should do to try and comfort his friend than merely talk, but due to his inexperience at the matter as a changeling, wasn’t sure how. “I’m a traitor to my own race, you know. I was the moment I chose to leave the hive to try and befriend ponies.” “Yeah, but you don’t have to deal with the constant reminder of that surrounding you all the time.” “…I guess I don’t.” Thorax hung his head. Spike sighed. “I’m sorry Thorax, I don’t mean to take it out on you. It’s just…tough.” He made a shuddering breath as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. “I’m still getting used to the idea that all the ponies I had considered the best of friends and allies just yesterday now all think of me as little more than an outcast. The fact that they’re all doing it without much remorse just makes it hurt more.” Thorax stared at his disguised hooves for a long moment. “Princess Twilight looked like she was showing remorse,” he said aloud suddenly. When Spike blinked and looked at Thorax with questioning surprise, the changeling let out a deep sigh. “While I was in the Crystal Castle getting your things, I…I overheard her, Starlight, and Prince Shining Armor talking,” he confessed. Spike blinked again. “Talking about what?” he asked, even though he already had a good idea. “They were…I guess arguing about letting you go with me…whether or not it was really the thing to do.” Spike hesitated. “And?” Thorax closed his eyes sadly. “…they still decided they made the right choice about it.” Seeing Spike turn away, he continued. “I’m sorry Spike, I wasn’t sure if I should even tell you, but…” “No, it’s okay,” Spike interrupted. He took another shuddering inhale as he again worked to keep his bottled-up emotions from bursting forth. “It’s probably better I know all of this upfront, so I know where I really stand on things.” Thorax was quiet for a moment. “If it helps, Princess Twilight really did seem very distressed about it. She looked like she was taking it hard.” “Not hard enough to raise a hoof to stop it, though.” Thorax studied the troubled dragon who still had his back turned to the changeling for a moment, while feeling troubled himself. “You two were close, weren’t you? You and Twilight?” Spike squeezed his eyes shut to hold back tears. “Like siblings,” he managed to choke out. “That’s what I don’t get, Thorax. Why did she do it? Do I…do I really mean so little to her?” He trailed off, his voice cracking as his emotions overwhelmed his ability to speak further. Thorax shifted awkwardly again, again waiting to do something to comfort his one and only friend that had sacrificed so much to stand by him. He remembered what Starlight had done to try and comfort Twilight back in the castle, and clumsily attempted to mimic it by wrapping one hoof around Spike’s shoulders. It was enough for Spike, who latched onto the welcomed hoof and leaned against Thorax’s side, taking a moment to silently shed a few tears over the matter. “We should come up with an alias for you too,” Spike suddenly spoke after a little bit, abruptly changing the subject. Thorax blinked, looking at the dragon. “Huh?” “So we can keep from getting caught as exiles. We should come up with aliases to go by so nopony realizes who we really are.” Spike sat up. “We’ve already got that Spark name for me, which I guess will do. Now we should come up with one for you too.” “Oh,” Thorax hummed, understanding. He tapped his chin as he thought. “Hmm.” Spike studied the changeling’s disguise for a moment, looking for inspiration for a name much like how he had come up with the Crystal Hoof name. “Um…maybe Grey Fur? No…Cloak Wearer? No, that’s silly…Neon Mane? Nah, that sounds ridiculous…Crystal Flank? Heh, no, better not…Maybe Emerald Cut? That doesn’t sound too bad…” “Thornton,” Thorax suddenly decided, interrupting. He glanced at Spike. “That’s a pony name, isn’t it?” “A bit of an obscure one, but yeah, it is.” Spike shrugged. “Sounds as good as any, though.” “Oh, good.” Thorax made a pleased grin. “…though I probably should point out that ‘Thornton’ does have a similar sound to ‘Thorax.’” Thorax chuckled and rolled his disguised blue eyes. “I told you changelings aren’t the best at creativity.” “Actually, I’m not so sure about that,” Spike remarked, and he gave his changeling friend an encouraging grin. “Maybe it’s more that you’re just not practiced at it…but I’m thinking that you might have more creativity in you than you give yourself credit for.” “Well…” Thorax didn’t sound convinced. “…I guess we’ll see.” “Good thing it looks like we’re going to have plenty of opportunities to find out, huh?” Thorax grinned forlornly. “One way to put a silver lining on it.” Spike leaned against Thorax’s side again. “We really needed one.” Thorax sighed, giving the upset dragon a comforting squeeze. “Yeah, we do.”