Over the next two days, Thorax did not go to Twilight’s cave. He deliberately focused on his patrols, doing his job with excessive diligence. He took note of everything he came across that was worth reporting and spared no details when he returned to the Hive. Each time he did so, the impressed look on Pharynx’s face became more and more pronounced.
The reason for this behavior was twofold. For one thing, Thorax wanted to prove Scorpion and Mandible wrong. By doing his absolute best on patrol, he was hoping to improve his physique and confidence. Maybe, he thought, if he worked at it hard and long enough, then those two insufferable bullies would finally start to leave him alone.
The second reason was because of his guilt over raiding the Hive’s storage. Pharynx almost certainly knew that it had been him, and the shame he felt was hard to describe. Those feelings of regret drove him to keep an eye out for potential gathering spots out in the wasteland to include in his reports. Every time he did so, he felt just the smallest spark of hope that he could make up for his selfishness.
On the third day, though, Thorax finally decided to return to the cave and see Twilight. She was probably starting to wonder what had happened to him to cause such a delay, and he needed to make sure her stomach rot wasn’t getting worse again. He wouldn’t be able to bring a substantial meal with him this time, sadly, but he could still go and see her.
His patrol today took him out of the Hive in the morning, only an hour or two after sunrise. It occurred to Thorax as he took his leave that his patrol schedule had been erratic and inconsistent. Probably Pharynx putting a deliberate strain on him so he could build up a tolerance to unexpected conditions and power through his drowsiness.
The journey to the cave passed by in a relative blur. Thorax’s eyes did scour the ground below him intently for any sign of trouble, but his mind was elsewhere for the duration of the trip. Namely, he was wondering whether or not he should tell Twilight how he had been getting the meals he had been bringing her. After all, she was a curious and perceptive mare, and would no doubt notice the sudden end of meaningful meals coming from him.
But could he really bring himself to confess to it outright? From all he heard about Equestria, crimes like that were relatively rare. It was such an idyllic place to call home… would Twilight really be okay with being friends with a thief?
“If she asks me,” he decided once the cave came into view up ahead. “I’ll tell her everything…”
He touched down just outside of the cave, careful not to make too much noise. Twilight was probably awake by now, but just in case she was still asleep, he didn’t want to disturb her too much. Moving slowly, he inched into the cave. “Twilight? You awake?” he called out in a low voice.
There was no answer.
Thorax frowned, allowing his eyes to refocus. The colors of the cave were suddenly washed out as a dense dark blue mist came into view, filling the entire cave. His stomach churned at the sight, and his jaw fell open in shock. Some of the mist slipped inside to tickle his tongue, and he almost retched on the spot. Clamping his muzzle shut, he slowly inched deeper and deeper into the cave. “Twilight?!” he called again, louder this time.
“I’m here,” came the reply.
Thorax paused. Twilight’s voice was quiet and weak, but not from sickness like it had been in the past. A lump formed in his throat, and he carefully made his way around the bend. Twilight sat there, her back facing him with her head hung low. She was holding something in his hooves, though he could not see what from this angle.
He gingerly approached, refocusing his eyes to block out the blinding haze of sorrow. “Hey… are you okay?” he called gently, reaching a hoof out to her shoulder.
Twilight turned to face him. There were tears in her eyes, a pained expression on her face. Thorax’s eyes widened at the sight before noticing the scroll of parchment clutched tightly in her hooves.
“They know…” Twilight choked out, lifting up the sheet of parchment to show him its contents. Thorax took it in his magic, his eyes scanning over the words. The writing was scratchy and sharp, making it hard to make out some of the words while giving off the impression of haste and desperation like the quill had been shaking frantically in the grasp of the writer.
Twilight,
We just got word from Princess Celestia. The expedition came back bruized and broken, and they said they had to leave you behind. They said that you were attacked by some kind of monster worm, and that you’re probably dead. But I don’t believe them, and neither do any of our friends! Where are you, Twilight? What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt? How can we help you get home?!
Please write back soon!
-Spike.
Thorax lowered the parchment, a lump forming in his throat. “Oh…”
Twilight took it back, setting it off to sit by the pillow of her bedroll with a sniffle. “They know what happened. They want to help me…”
Thorax tilted his head slowly to one side, his eyes still locked on the note. “Wait… how did you even get that?” he asked, pointing at the parchment. “I don’t think they sent a messenger, did they?”
Twilight shook her head. “No. Spike has the ability to send things to ponies via enchanted Dragonfire. We mostly use it to send letters and, sometimes, small objects. But…” she leaned back against the cave wall, pressing a hoof up to her temple. “I don’t have any writing supplies. I don’t have any ink, I don’t have anything to write with, and I don’t have any parchment to write on… I can’t send him back any replies… and they’re going to think that I’m dead, and...”
Thorax’s ears drooped when Twilight suddenly buried her face in her hooves, taking a series of deep, shuddering breaths. He worked his mouth up and down, fighting to put some words together that would help. Alas, nothing came. So instead, he sat down by her side and placed his hoof on her back, trying to impart whatever strength he could. “Hey… it’s gonna be alright,” he whispered to her in assurance.
Twilight didn’t respond right away. She continued taking deep breaths until finally, the shaking in her voice faded enough for her to speak coherently. She pulled her hooves away and turned to look at him, trying to smile. “I k-know. I know it will,” she managed to stammer out, though Thorax could taste her own doubt in that sentiment. “I just have to get home, that’s all.”
Thorax blinked. Somehow, in all of the time he had spent coming to this cave, the prospect of Twilight leaving had never actually occurred to him. In retrospect, it should have been obvious. She couldn’t stay here forever. She had friends and family back in Equestria who were probably missing her dearly, and who she clearly missed in return. There was also the fact that she wasn’t safe here. Not just due to the desert, but due to the Hive’s ever-looming presence in this wasteland.
“I guess I just hoped I wouldn’t have to lose my only friend,” he thought to himself before nodding his head in agreement. “Yeah, you should…”
“The question then becomes… how?” Twilight pondered, wiping a hoof over her eyes to dispel her remaining tears. She took one more deep breath to calm herself down before speaking again, her sorrow being buried under a mountain of forced determination. “I don’t know these lands well enough to safely navigate them, especially at night. I can’t make the journey in the day, I can’t carry enough water to get me through the heat. And even if I managed to get out of the badlands themselves, there’s still a long way to go on hoof before I could get back to hospitable territory or civilization. Several days, at least. I’d starve or die of dehydration before I got far enough to get help…”
Thorax chittered quietly, his brow furrowing in thought. “Hmmm… well… what if I guided you out?” he offered after a moment.
Twilight turned to face him. “Huh?”
“I’ve lived here my entire life, you know?” Thorax pointed out, putting on a reassuring smile. “I know the fastest routes on hoof, I know where all the safe spots are, I know where the food grows and where the water gathers. I could lead you out of the badlands and help you stock up on supplies for the trip.”
Twilight stared at him for several seconds before her lips curled up into a huge grin. “Thorax! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that! Thank you!” she squealed, flinging herself against him for a grateful hug.
Thorax recoiled from the embrace, awkwardly returning it.
Twilight pulled away a moment later, her eyes shimmering with anticipation and an eagerness to get going. “Well? What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
Thorax’s heart beat a little faster in his chest, and he quickly lifted his hooves in a calming motion. “Woah, woah, I didn’t say I can do it right now!” he exclaimed, leaning back a little.
Twilight froze, her expression unchanging, but the emotions pouring off of her switched like a light; from joy at the prospect of going home, to a combination of embarrassment and extreme disappointment. Slowly, her smile faded away. “Huh?”
Thorax sighed, looked away. “I just… I have my job at the Hive to worry about. Leading you out to the edge of the badlands would take a lot longer than I ever have to spend on patrol. I’d need to find a window where I’m not scheduled to do anything around the Hive for several days. The problem is that Pharynx likes to keep me busy, and if I go missing, I’m going to be in a lot of trouble when I get back. And…”
His words faltered for a second as he stared into her eyes. He licked his lips and pressed on, his voice quieter than before. “...And I’m already on thin ice. I can’t take that chance. We need that kind of window before I can take you out of here.”
Twilight processed his words for a little bit, her aura slowly stabilizing with understanding. “I see… I’m sorry, I just…” she sighed and leaned back against the wall again, her ears drooping. “I just… really miss my friends, and I don’t want to keep them worrying about me any longer than I have to. And with the letter, I know they’re probably freaking out… Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, especially.”
Thorax gave off a quiet chitter on hearing those two names. Come to think of it, Twilight had only ever mentioned their names in passing from time to time, but he had never asked for any details. Now, though, with her stressing over them as much as she was, he found himself curious to know more.
He turned and got comfortable by her side, staring ahead at the far wall. “Ya know… I don’t think you’ve really told me about your friends,” he began carefully, giving her a sidelong glance. “Maybe it’ll make you feel a little better if you talk about them for a while?”
Twilight was quiet for a moment before smiling and nodding. “They’re… really the best friends a pony could ask for,” she began quietly, her eyes going distant as she lost herself in the memories of her friends. “There’s Applejack, an apple farmer. She’s strong, dependable, punctual, and honest as can be. Pinkie Pie’s a baker and party planner, and, uh…”
Thorax watched as Twilight’s muzzle scrunched up in thought. “...And honestly? Really hard to explain properly. She’s energetic, talkative, never slows down, and she can break the laws of physics nine times out of ten. She has these weird twitches and feelings she gets that let her predict the immediate future or something. She calls it her Pinkie Sense. I tried to study it once… it, ah,” she awkwardly rubbed at her forelegs, a sheepish look on her face. “Went… poorly.”
Thorax tilted his head in confusion. “She can… break the laws of physics? How?”
“I have no idea,” Twilight stated as a matter of fact. “But she’s friendly, probably the friendliest of all my friends. She knows everypony’s names, birthdays, likes, dislikes, party habits, and favorite foods by heart. She loves making ponies smile, to the extent that it’s basically her whole thing. She also throws the best parties in the world.”
Thorax tilted his head the other way. “Uh… the world’s a big place-”
“Whole. World.”
Thorax and Twilight stared at each other for a few seconds, the emphatic declaration hanging over their heads for a few seconds. Twilight’s lip twitched up, and a second later, the two of them devolved into a laughing fit.
Thorax got the feeling that Pinkie would be proud.
“Anyway,” Twilight went on, turning to face Thorax directly. “Next up is Fluttershy. I think you’d really like her. She’s shy and quiet, but she’s very gentle, and wonderful with animals. I have never seen a mare so averse to violence or anything even remotely aggressive. She’s kind and sweet, and really, just a wonderful mare all around.”
Twilight’s smile then became thoughtful. “Although, come to think of it, she can be very scary when she wants to be… I learned later I was misunderstanding it, but one time, I thought I saw her break a grizzly bear’s neck.”
Thorax’s jaw dropped. “That… sounds like the total opposite of everything you just described.”
Twilight giggled at his gobsmacked face. “Yeah, well, like I said, I misunderstood. Turns out, she was just helping him out with a tense knot in his shoulder. Undoing the knot and calming his down so she could give him a massage just happened to look like snapping his neck.”
Thorax blinked. “I… see?” he said awkwardly.
Twilight rolled her eyes before pressing on. “Then there’s Rainbow Dash. She’s, ah… a bit of a case,” she said, her brow furrowing in thought. “See, she’s really overconfident, and has something of an ego. She can also be really lazy and forgetful. Out of all my friends, she and Pinkie tend to get on my nerves the most with their antics.”
Thorax frowned, growing confused. That sounded like a lot of negative points in rapid succession. “Er… I thought she was your friend?”
Twilight quickly perked up. “Oh, she is! Sorry! I didn’t mean to make it sound like I dislike her or anything!” she said, waving her hooves in front of her. She put on a soft smile after that. “See, Rainbow Dash is a pony who really likes action. She’s brave — perhaps to a fault — and incredibly loyal. She’s also really strong, and easily one of the fastest fliers in Equestria. She has this kind of high energy tomboy attitude that makes her really endearing and fun to be around, despite all of her flaws. I wouldn’t trade her for anything.”
Thorax nodded along slowly. “Ah, I think I get it.”
Twilight nodded happily. “Then there’s Rarity. She’s pretty much Rainbow’s total opposite, yet they get along great anyway. She’s refined, proper, always conducts herself with grace and dignity. She’s a fashion designer with dreams of getting involved in the high society of Canterlot at some point. She’s also one of the most generous mares you could ever hope to meet.”
For a moment, Thorax contemplated asking Twilight what she meant by ‘Fashion.’ He shut down the question before he could ask it, though. Twilight was clearly on a roll, and he had no desire to stop it.
“And then, finally…” Twilight’s eyes drifted down to Spike’s letter. Her aura dulled with longing, and she gently lifted the scrap of parchment back up to her face. “...There’s Spike the dragon. My number one assistant, and… in a lot of ways, my little brother.”
Thorax leaned back slightly. “Your little brother is a dragon?” he asked in surprise. As far as he knew, dragons were a race of gargantuan creatures that would make even Queen Chrysalis think twice before crossing one. Imagining one of them being an assistant to Twilight was hard enough, but to then compound it with the idea of it being her little brother?
“Well, kind of,” Twilight went on, setting the letter to one side. “See, I hatched him when he was just an egg, so that technically makes me his mother. But I was only ten when I did that, far too young to be raising anything, especially a creature as rare and complicated as a dragon. So my mom and dad took it upon themselves to help me raise him up right. For the first several years, they took the lead on that front, so he was growing up beside me. So while I’m technically his mother, our relationship is far closer to that of brother and sister.”
Thorax’s confused expression grew into a smile. “Oh, I see. That makes a lot more sense then what I was imagining,” he admitted with a sheepish chuckle. “See, I was picturing a big fire breathing lizard too big to even fit inside this cave or something.”
Twilight barked out a short laugh. “Ha! Oh, I hope not! He’s only ever gotten that big once, and I don’t ever want to deal with that again!”
And just like that, Thorax’s understanding was shattered. “...What?”
Twilight giggled and waved him off. “I’ll tell you later. It’s a long story,” she dismissed before staring down at the scroll. Her ears slowly lowered, her smile turning into a somber frown. She clutched the letter close to her heart and closed her eyes. “...He’s always been there for me… And I really, really miss him. I can’t leave him alone like this… I have to get back…”
Thorax’s own good mood plummeted with Twilight’s return to melancholy. He took a deep breath and reached over to gently pat her back. “I’ll get you home, I promise,” he said softly, his eyes boring into hers. “As soon as I get the chance, I’ll get you out of here and back to your friends.”
Twilight nodded, swallowing down her sadness. She leaned forward slightly, entering into a gentle embrace with the changeling drone. “I know… thank you, Thorax.”
Without a word, he returned the hug. He saw her gratitude hanging in the air around them, her appreciation and affection for him as her friend. With an inaudible growl of his stomach, he pulled the energy in and swallowed it down, allowing the sustenance to pool in his stomach and warm it up.
“I will get you home,” he swore in his mind. “Your friends are lucky to know you, and I won’t let them lose you.”