//------------------------------// // Two best friends // Story: FlameWeaver: Into The Equestria-Verse // by closet brony 77 //------------------------------// Thorax didn’t have the easiest time growing up.  He was born on what most would consider as the rougher side of Canterlot City, a collection of rundown neighborhoods on the edge of town filled with squalor and crime that tourism boards did their absolute best to hide. Decaying infrastructure, barely livable housing, and plenty of criminal low-lifes were just some of the few hazards that the poor souls who were unfortunate enough to wind up residing there had to face. While the subset did have an official name on the books, Hayseed Hills, practically all of the Canterlot City locals affectionately referred to it as ‘The Badlands’; a fitting name given how inhospitable it was there. And Thorax’s childhood was spent smack dab in the middle of it all. The boy was raised by an uncaring mother, Chrysalis, with a dozen half-brothers and half-sisters who all came from different fathers. Rumors swirled that Chrysalis was some sort of black widow, leaving behind a trail of dead partners with bastard children being the only proof of their existence, but nothing was ever proven even with the countless disappearances that plagued the area. Local gossip aside, Chrysalis was still a monster of a mother who largely neglected her children. With so many kids living under a single roof there was hardly enough of well…anything to go around. They often had to fight for the most basic necessities, turning the house into a veritable survival of the fittest where the stronger kids got to have full meals, decent clothes, and their own rooms while the weaker ones subsided on scraps, dressed in rags, and were crammed together in the common areas. What made it worse was that Chrysalis almost seemed to encourage this behavior. The woman frequently pitted all of her children against one another, using her love and affection as a sort of carrot on a stick to motivate them to tear one another apart. Getting Chrysalis to pay any attention to you in that house was a matter of proving yourself worthy of it, that you stood above your siblings in one way or another. Those that couldn’t had to endure the indignity of being constantly compared to those that could, the phrase ‘why can’t you be more like your brother/sister?’ was repeated so often that it still echoed in Thorax’s head to this day. And when called out on her behavior? The excuse was always the same: ‘Pressure makes diamonds.’ The only thing Chrysalis had going for her as a parent was that she never struck any of her children, none of them endured so much as a spanking from her. Then again she never really needed to, not when Thorax’s siblings were more than capable of handling physical abuse for her. Growing up in such poor conditions with an emotionally abusive parent was bound to make anyone a little messed up in the head, but Thorax’s siblings were on an entirely different level. Most were constantly on edge, hair trigger tempers that were ready to lash out at even the slightest provocation thanks to the stressors of their horrible home life piling up. When they weren’t getting into trouble around the neighborhood or being absolute menaces at school, they’d take their anger out on each other and Thorax…well Thorax often caught the worst of it. Thorax was the weakest of his siblings, the runt of the litter, the omega. His older siblings were pushing him around constantly; beating him up, breaking his things, and destroying any sense of self esteem he had with frequent insults and taunts. The fact that he was a timid kid who had trouble standing up for himself and a bit of a crybaby only egged on their bullying.  The only reason he survived at all was because of his twin brother Pharnyx. In a stark contrast to Thorax, Pharnyx was one of the toughest if not THE toughest member of the family. Despite being the youngest he was more than capable of beating the snot out of his older siblings through pure ferocity and aggression, establishing himself as the de facto king of the house when Chrysalis wasn’t around. A position he used to engage in a bit of nepotism by making sure Thorax was at least somewhat taken care of in terms of basic necessities and that his siblings didn’t beat him up too bad. Even if he picked on Thorax a little, it was clear Pharnyx cared quite a lot about his brother. But even the bonds of brotherly love can be so easily severed.  As Thorax made his way through school, it quickly became apparent to his teachers that the boy was a veritable prodigy. No matter what subject it was, he tackled it with gusto and brought back some of the highest scores in his grade. Everything came so easily to him and after winning first prize at a science fair, that intellect caught the attention of mommy dearest who started lavishing her youngest child with affection. Thorax became Chrysalis’ favorite, her golden child and his standard of living rapidly rose as a result. However, that also painted a massive target on his back. All of Thorax’s siblings, including Pharnyx, grew jealous of their baby brother’s success and ramped up the abuse tenfold. Chrysalis was able to get them to back off for the most part, threatening them with punishments if any harm came to Thorax. But she wasn’t always around to protect him and Thorax’s siblings came up with new ways to punish him without leaving a mark. Things only got worse when Chrysalis started to be absent from the house for extended periods of time. At first she was only way for a few extra hours than normal but those hours grew into days, days that took their toll as Thorax was left at the mercy of his older siblings. This went on until one day Chrysalis went away…and never came back.  No note, no phone call, nothing. The woman had seemingly dropped off the face of the earth and a full week went by before someone noticed and called the proper authorities. Once she was marked down as a missing person, Thorax and the rest of his siblings were quickly brought into the child care system and divided up amongst various orphanages and halfway houses. Thorax had the good fortune of being moved into the ‘Crystal Heart Orphanage’ in the center of Canterlot city, run by the kindhearted Mrs. Mi Amore who welcomed the newest arrival with open arms. Compared to his old living conditions, Thorax had practically been shipped off to paradise: three home cooked meals a day, a bed that didn’t feel like it had been pulled out of a dumpster, and some of the sweetest caretakers he had ever met. If Thorax didn’t know any better he’d think Cadance Mi Amore was an angel in disguise. Even if it wasn’t perfect by any means, the Crystal Heart Orphanage was still a massive improvement over his old home. Thorax should have been happy. He was gaining a healthy amount of weight, his bruises started healing, and he actually had time to study in peace now; he had everything a kid like him could ask for….and yet his life felt more empty than ever. In a messed up way, Thorax missed his siblings. Especially Pharynx. For all their faults they were still his family and now that they were gone, a crushing sense of loneliness came over him. The other kids at the orphanage tried to engage with him but Thorax’s scars ran too deep and he only distanced himself further from any form of social interaction, finding solace in the weekly library trips the Orphanage held.  It was through one of those trips that the eight year old Thorax met another kid his age by the name of Spike. He didn’t know what possessed the green haired child to walk up and start a conversation with someone he’d never met, Spike told him that he thought Thorax looked lonely and could use a friend. Thorax tried to ignore him at first and focus on the latest edition of Daring Doo, but with a bit of prodding Spike managed to get Thorax to start chatting with him until his older sister came by to take him home. They didn’t get a chance to exchange contact information so Thorax wrote the boy off as a pleasant, one-time encounter that added a bit of light to his life. All while trying to ignore the odd tightness in his chest at Spike’s departure. So imagine his surprise when Spike turned up at the Crystal Heart Orphanage a week later, his older brother apparently dating headmistress Cadance, and practically jumped at the chance to spend more time with Thorax.  This led to several more encounters and playdates between the two, causing a deep friendship to blossom and the sense of loneliness Thorax felt ever since he was brought into the orphanage began to ebb away. Spike was the first truly good thing that had come into his life and he treasured their bond every single day. Which was why Thorax’s face broke out into a wide smile as soon as he got over the shock of seeing his best friend standing in the doorway. The boy shot up from his chair and practically tackled Spike into a tight hug, squeezing the life out of his best friend. “SPIKE! OH MY GOSH! IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!” Thorax exclaimed. “Yeah…Same…here!” Spike choked out as his ribs started to ache. “Can…you…let…go?!” “Whoops! Sorry, got a little too excited there!” Thorax said, quickly releasing the boy who went to work smoothing his uniform out. “It’s okay, it’s fine. What are you doing here anyways?” “Isn’t it obvious? I got accepted into Crystal Prep academy! They said my grades were some of the best they’d seen and that personal recommendation letter Cadance sent in cinched it!” Thorax beamed. “What?! Why didn’t you tell me you were applying here?” Spike said. Thorax shrugged. “Well I knew you were applying and I didn’t wanna put more pressure on you to get in, knowing I was going here. I was worried you’d get all nervous about failing the entrance exam and never getting to see me again because I was busy with school.” “I wouldn’t have gotten nervous!” Spike protested, only for Thorax to give him a knowing look. “Okay maybe a little.” “Well it doesn’t matter anyways. We both made it in! And by the look of it we’re gonna be roomies for the whole semester!” Thorax started twirling around the room in joy. “This is going to be so much fun! We can have movie nights, be study buddies, and….and…” the boy soon started babbling so much that Spike could hardly keep up with what he was saying. Yet that didn’t stop a smile of his own from creeping onto his lips. His best friend’s cheerfulness always had a contagious quality to it, like a ray of sunshine bursting through even the darkest of clouds and boy did Spike need it after the rough day he’d had so far. But seeing as Thorax would probably be too caught up in his excitement to pay any attention to his surroundings for the next few minutes, Spike quickly went to work unpacking his luggage and getting settled on the top bunk; the presence of a familiar set of bed sheets and posters making it clear that Thorax had already laid claim to the bottom bunk. By the time Spike was folding up the last few bits of his underwear, Thorax finally snapped out of his long winded chattering. “Oh but we’ll have plenty of time to get to that later.” Thorax finished. “Anyways, how was your first day here?” “Fine…I guess.” Spike muttered. “Spike. What happened?”  “Shining Armor insisted on dropping me off at school this morning.” the green haired boy replied. Thorax lifted an eyebrow in confusion. “So? That sounds really nice of him.” “Thorax he embarrassed me in front of everyone! Made me say ‘I love you big bro’ right at the front entrance!” “Oh that was you?” Thorax asked. “I heard some other people giggling about that in the halls.” Spike groaned and plopped down on the bed, burying his blushing face in his hands.  “Great, just great. The whole stinking school probably knows by now, they’re gonna be laughing behind my back for the rest of the year.” “Hey c’mon now, it’s not that bad! I’m sure some new rumor or gossip will pop up in a week or two and everyone will forget about the whole thing!” Thorax said. “Yeah, assuming Twilight isn’t embarrassing me on a daily basis…”  Thorax’s expression shifted slightly at that. “What do you mean?” “Don’t you know? She’s gonna be working at the school library on the weekdays. So I’m going to have to deal with my older sister babying me every day of the week!” Spike whined. “Do you think it’s like what she did last summer?” Thorax asked. “Where she felt guilty for ignoring you for so long that she-” “Can we NOT talk about that? Please?!” Spike snapped, immediately interrupting his friend. The last thing he wanted to bring up was the whole sibling supreme incident and the immediate fallout that had put a decent amount of strain on his relationship with Twilight.  “Alright, alright. But at least she’s trying right? That’s more than my siblings ever did for me.” Thorax softly replied. “I guess that’s true.” Spike huffed, laying back on the bottom bunk and staring at the ceiling. “Hopefully she won’t meddle too much.” “If she does, I can put in a good word with Cadance to make her stop. She always listens to her old babysitter.” Thorax chuckled as he laid down next to Spike. “Thanks Thorax.” For the next few minutes Spike and Thorax just laid there on the bed, enjoying the comfortable silence setting over them that was so rarely found in the hustle and bustle of Canterlot City. A silence that came to an end when Spike spoke up again. “Today wasn’t all bad though.” Spike remarked. “Really? How so?” “I met someone…a girl.” Spike grinned. “You-you did?” Thorax said. A light blush came across his purple cheeks. “Yeah. Her name’s Rachel, we sat next to each other during freshman orientation and really hit it off! She’s really pretty and smells like lavender.” Spike swooned, grinning like a bufoon.  “Oh that’s….that’s nice.” Thorax said, looking uncharacteristically nervous all of a sudden. “I’d love to hear more about her but I just remembered I have a really important call to make in private that’s totally unrelated to this conversation! I’ll be back in a little bit!”  Thorax then stood up from the bed, grabbed his phone off the desk, and rushed out of the room before Spike could get so much as a word in. “Huh, weird.” Spike said. “Oh well, I could use a little alone time anyways.”  Spike reached into his bag, pulled out his favorite sketchbook and settled down for some casual doodling.  Today had been filled with all sorts of ups and downs. But now that he had his best friend and honorary brother by his side, maybe Spike’s days here at Crystal Prep academy wouldn’t be so bad after all! ************************* This was bad, this was extremely bad.  Spike had only been at Crystal Prep for a week now and his skull felt like it was going to split open from the overwhelming amounts of stress he had endured. Every day was filled with tight schedules and heavy work loads that left him practically sprinting from class to class, struggling endlessly to keep up with his assignments and quizzes as the pressure he was now under became all too real. ‘How did Shining and Twilight survive four whole years of this?!’ Spike thought to himself as he powered through his latest calculus quiz. Sure there were benefits to the school. A gourmet cafeteria that served food that wasn’t just edible but comparable in quality to the stuff he got at home, an amazing art studio with all the craft supplies Spike could ever want, and teachers that seemed legitimately passionate about their jobs who really cared about student success (well except for professor Neighsay, thank goodness he only had one class with the man). But that did little to improve his experience here. Everywhere Spike went, through every class and social interaction he had here, he was constantly followed by a sense of displacement; as though he was a stranger lost in a strange land. He missed his old neighborhood and the friends he had made within it immensely. At least Spike still had a few friends here to make the experience here a bit more tolerable, they were practically the only reason he hadn’t gone insane. Thorax was, as expected, a complete delight to have. Despite some of his socially awkward tendencies, Thorax was a master of adapting to new surroundings and blending in; he was practically a shapeshifter with how well he could camouflage himself in an unfamiliar situation. He helped Spike navigate his initial days at the academy, keeping him up to date on how things worked around campus and lending a helping hand when he started to struggle…which happened quite a lot during the first few days. Spike could only hope that Thorax’s reassurances that things would get easier once he had properly adjusted to Crystal Prep proved true. Twilight on the other hand was surprisingly helpful. The library kept her busy for most of the day but what little time she could spare for one on one time with Spike was filled with useful advice, words of encouragement, and occasionally snacks from his mother that Twilight had taken the liberty of delivering to him. Even so, it all felt a little too forced for his taste. Like it was just another tactic she was using to try and mend the rift that had formed between them. A rift Spike had trouble letting go of. But then there was Rachel. Sweet, sophisticated Rachel. The school may have been large in size but that didn’t keep them from frequently running into one another during passing periods and down times, Spike even had the good fortune of sharing one of his art classes with her where he was able to impress her with his visual talents. The foundation set by their positive first meeting was only built upon through frequent interactions and Spike could feel just the teeny tiniest crush start to form for the girl.  He couldn’t help it. Not only was Rachel absolutely beautiful, but she had this deep passion within her that was concealed behind a refined persona that drew Spike in like a magnet. Maybe she was out of his league but that didn’t matter to Spike, the more time they spent together the more he grew to adore her. Now if only Spike could figure out how to make his feelings known to her. The boy had gone to Thorax for advice but for some strange reason he didn’t seem to be a big fan of Spike’s new paramour. Everytime Spike brought her up, Thorax would either change the subject or even try to dissuade him from pursuing her. I dunno Spike. She seems like a total snob to me. She’s two or three years older than you Spike, she’ll be off to college by junior year. Just look at her hair, it’s all weird and coily. Who styles their hair like that? Spike couldn’t understand why Thorax had it out for Rachel. Sure she was a bit distant, was always looking over her shoulder, and was very clearly keeping countless secrets. But she was a nice girl and once they got to know each other a little better she’d open up to him, Spike was sure of it. Then they’d start dating, have plenty of wonderful dates together, and maybe once they both got through college they could- “Spike? Spike!” Thorax shouted, tapping a pencil against his best friend’s head. “Earth to Spike? Can you read me?!” “Huh? oh, sorry. Spaced out there for a second.” Spike said.  “You were thinking of that Rachel girl again weren’t you?” Thorax said. “Yeah….” Thorax sighed and closed the text book in his lap. “I’m telling you Spike. She’s a bad match for you.” “You barely even know her, Thorax!” Spike argued. “You don’t know her well either!” Thorax countered. “You’ve known Rachel for only a week and suddenly you’re convinced you two are meant to be soulmates?” “Oh come on Thorax, I thought you’d back me up on this. You’re supposed to be my best friend!” “I am! Which is why I’m trying to talk you out of this! I know for a fact that things would never work out between the two of you and I don’t wanna see my best friend’s heart get broken!” Thorax exclaimed. “No, that would never happen. We’re meant to be together, I can feel it.” Spike stated. “Like our fates were intertwined and we met each other for a reason.” “Spike, this isn’t Love Choice. You shouldn’t have your heart set on this one girl that you met last week. I know she seems nice and pretty and all that stuff but trust me, there’s a lot of girls and guys out there that would be a way better match for you than her.” Thorax said. Spike crossed his arms. “Oh yeah? Like who?” “Well I have a few ideas….” Right on cue, a small plink came from their dorm room window; followed by several more plinks. The sound immediately catching Spike’s attention and he looked over to see that someone was tossing pebbles at the glass. Curiosity piqued, Spike strolled over and slid the window open. Sticking his head out into the cool air of the night settled over Canterlot City to try and figure out where the odd disturbance was coming from. “Spike! Hey! Down here!” A familiar raspy voice said. Spike directed his gaze towards the exclamation and immediately lit up when he saw none other than his second best friend in the whole wide world standing on the sidewalk: Ember Scorcheart. She was the perfect picture of punk rock. A dark blue mohawk contrasting against her sapphire blue skin dotted with all sorts of scars and bruises. A faded ‘Daybreaker’ t-shirt covering her toned form and a jean jacket with the sleeves ripped off draped over that. A set of ripped jeans and combat boots being the cherry on top of her countercultural aesthetic. “Ember? What are you doing here?!” Spike shouted. “Come down here and I’ll tell ya!” Ember shouted back.  “Can’t you just tell me now?!” “Do you want me to blow out my lungs shouting?!” The blue haired girl snarked. “Just get your butt down here and bring Thorax with you!” Spike shook his head with a lighthearted chuckle, that was Ember alright. The same passionate and assertive girl he had met back in middle school. He moved to change out of his uniform into something more comfortable only for the knowing smile Thorax was doing a poor job of concealing to catch his eye. “You set this up didn’t you?” Spike deadpanned. “You’ve been having a really hard week at Crystal Prep. I thought you could use a relaxing night out with friends.” Thorax replied. “...thank you.” The boys quickly got themselves suited up in casual clothes: Spike opting for his favorite white shirt with a green dragon printed on the front and a purple hoodie; while Thorax put on a forest green tank top and magenta overshirt. They were about to head into the hall when Spike remembered something. “Wait, I forgot about curfew. You know that school security would never let us go out this late.” Spike grumbled. “Oh don’t worry, Ember and I thought of that.” Thorax said, pulling out a rope ladder from under his bed. “You guys are the best!” Thorax quickly got the ladder set up at the window and a short climb down brought them right in front of the third member of their friend trio who was casually leaned against a lamp post. Spike moved to greet her but as soon as he got within range, Ember put him into a headlock and gave the boy a playful little noogie. As she always did. It was her special way of saying hello. “Hey there, Spike. How’s my favorite dork doing?” Ember teased. “Ember! Cut it out!” Spike laughed. “Ah, just what I thought. That wussy rich kid school has made you gone soft.” Ember joked before releasing Spike from her hold, the boy quickly fixing his messed up hair. “Believe me. If I could go to Canterlot High I would. How’s everyone else doing?” Spike asked. Ember shrugged. “Oh you know, same old drama. Button Mash and Diamond Tiara are still on again off again, Gallus is still in the closet, and Garble really misses you.” “More like misses his favorite punching bag…” Spike muttered under his breath. “What was that?” “Nothing.” Spike quickly replied. “So uh, you mentioned you had a surprise for me?” Ember clapped her hands together. “Right! It’s about five or six blocks from here so we’d better get moving.” “Five or six?!” Thorax sputtered. “You said it’d only be two or three blocks!” “Don’t be such a baby Thorax. It’s not that far.” Ember snarked. “Besides, that just means we’ll have more time to catch up on the way there!” “On the way where?” Spike asked. “You’ll see. Trust me, you’re gonna love this!” Ember grinned. A part of Spike wanted to keep pressing the issue but the temptation of a long walk around town with his friends ultimately won out. Ember was a trustworthy gal and she’d never intentionally put either of her friends in danger. Plus she was kinda cute when she got all excited like this. “If you say so Ember. Lead the way.” Spike said. “That’s more like it! Let’s go!” Ember exclaimed. The three teenagers set off into the streets of Canterlot city. Intent on having a fun night out together…blissfully unaware that they were on a direct collision course with fate itself.