Spike arrived at the closed door of their room and saw the sign hung on the outside alerting that Thorax was inside, practicing magic. Realizing now might not be a good time to interrupt, Spike cautiously rapped on the door. “Uh, Thorax?” he called. “I wanted to come in and check something in our supplies real quick.”
There was a momentary pause before the changeling within gave any sort of response. “Well okay, but uh, now might not be the best of times…” Thorax finally called back. “Can you maybe…give me a moment to sort out this spell I’m currently working on?”
Spike rolled his eyes and proceeded to open the door and let himself in. “It should only take me just a second, that shouldn’t be long enough to—YIPE!”
With a yelp, his feet slid out from under him and as Spike found himself sliding across the floor on his back, he saw the floor of the room had been turned into a flat sheet of perfectly smooth, and thus very slippery, ice.
“I warned you,” Thorax remarked as he slid past him, sat on his rump with a magic textbook levitated before him while he urgently looked through the words printed upon it.
“All right, what did you do now?” Spike relented in asking as he tried to push himself back up onto his feet, only to have them slip out from under him again.
“I’m not even sure, the spell wasn’t supposed to do any of this,” Thorax admitted, frowning as he didn’t find what he was looking for and started flipping through the pages of his book while he bodily bounced off the far left wall of the room like a pinball and proceeded to slide back across the room once more.
Spike, using the nearby window seat as a handhold to lever himself up to his feet again, looked at Thorax. “Flip to the back of the book,” he urged. “There should be an index of things to try in the event of a malformed spell getting cast.”
“What do you think I’m doing?” Thorax asked, lazily pivoting around in circles as he slid past the dragon again, skimming through the instructions listed in the back of the book. He shrugged to himself as he did so. “Well, at least this mishap’s kind of fun,” he admitted.
“Fun?” Spike repeated with an amused snort, running in place for a second as his feet threatened to slip out from under him again. “How you see an accident like this as—”
“I think I got it!” Thorax suddenly exclaimed as he lit his horn once more in time to bounce off the rightmost wall of the room.
At the same time, he fired off the new spell with a boom of cyan magic, creating a spherical shockwave that washed across the room. Boosted by the blast, Thorax slid backwards back across the room on the ice, almost riding the shockwave as it restored the ice back into wooden floor behind him. Spike, letting go of the window seat for a second to test his balance, lost it one last time as the shockwave washed over him and he found himself unprepared for the ice to suddenly vanish under his feet. It reached the other side of the room in time for Thorax’s back to thump loudly into the leftmost wall of the room, any further sliding immediately stopped as the last of the ice vanished.
A beat of silence fell, but then Thorax stood back up and shook his undisguised body. “Well, that’s settled that,” he remarked.
“Okay, Thorax, no offense?” Spike said, also picking himself up and strolling across the room, back on track for his original goal. “I get you’re enjoying toying with magic and that’s great and all, but it is a little frustrating putting up with the mix-ups that come along with it. I can never quite know what I’m going to find when I walk in here anymore.”
Thorax looked sheepishly at the floor. “Sorry, I’m not trying to be disruptive,” he apologized. He grinned though. “So tell you what then, we’ll compromise. I have been working on magic a lot for the past couple of weeks now…so I’ll stop putting quite as much focus on it, and work on it more occasionally. Would that help?”
Spike grinned a little as he arrived where they had been stashing their growing collection of travel supplies in the room’s wardrobe. “Yeah, it would if you won’t mind.”
Thorax nodded. “Then consider it done. I’ve expanded my repertoire of spells fairly considerably already anyway.” He levitated his notes over to himself and peered at the changeling letters he had jotted down on them. “Just let me finish working out this one spell I’m trying to somehow figure out and I’ll call it a day, promise.”
“Sounds good,” Spike said as he poked his head into the wardrobe to take count of their food stock and other supplies they needed for their planned departure out of the country. They had amassed a fair bit. “You know, it looks like we’ve got enough food that we could skip going to go out today to get more,” he said aloud as he pulled out their list of things they needed, still on the original piece of wood Spike had first written it on two moons earlier on the floor of an abandoned warehouse. “We don’t want too much after all, or it’s just going to weigh us down when we travel to our next destination.”
Thorax laughed as he studied his notes, comparing them to what was written in his textbook while pausing briefly to make a minor change. “I suppose not,” he admitted. “It would be rather hard to try and outrun the royal guards when bogged down with junk, wouldn’t it?” Spike, having finished his run-through of the list, suddenly paused, his eyebrows going up in surprise and didn’t seem to hear Thorax. Thorax didn’t notice and kept talking. “Though that is kind of amusing to picture…us two struggling to race for the border, weighed down with comically overfull bags while the guards leisurely stroll up to us to arrest us…ha!” He grinned to himself for a second before noticing Spike didn’t seem to be sharing his amusement. “Spike?” he asked, glancing over at the dragon. “What, you don’t think that’s funny?”
Spike didn’t reply for a moment, but he finally turned to face Thorax, numbly raising the wooden board that served as their checklist. “We have everything, Thorax,” he announced simply. “Everything we planned to get in preparation for leaving Equestria…we’ve got it.”
Thorax went silent, feeling a chill run down his back as realization and implications set in. “…oh,” he replied simply.
Spike looked down at the list again, studying it for a moment, as if double-checking to make sure he hadn’t missed something. “…so I guess we’re ready to leave Equestria now.”
Thorax set down his notes and fidgeted with his front hooves. “I guess…” he said quietly, not sounding excited about it.
Spike suddenly rose. “We need to start gearing up to go then,” he deduced, starting to pace. Realizing he had never closed the door to their room fully when he had first entered due to sliding around on the icy floor at the time, he ensured it was fully latched now to secure their privacy. “Packing up, planning when to leave, what route to take…”
“…what to tell Miss Fly…” Thorax added glumly.
Spike nodded to himself, not really listening. “…we’ll also need to make sure we cover our trail…get rid of any final evidence we were ever here in Vanhoover before we go.” He blinked. “Speaking of, we haven’t really settled on a final destination to go to, have we? Not that we have many options…there aren’t many discovered lands outside of Equestria, really…I guess either Griffonstone or the dragon realms since they’re the closest…I suppose we could consider Maretonia, but I really doubt we’d have any more luck fitting in there than—”
“…I don’t want to go, Spike.”
Spike paused in his pacing and, surprised at the statement, turned to look at his changeling friend. Seeing he had the dragon’s full attention, Thorax took a deep breath and began his confession. “I like it here. I like working here. I like Fly Leaf. She doesn’t suspect anything, and she trusts us, and actively looks out for us. We’re not in immediate danger anymore, and we’ve proven we can safely mingle with the populace without fear of discovery several times over now…I don’t want to go, Spike. I want to stay here.”
Spike blinked several times to himself as he processed this. “It’s not smart to stay here,” he pointed out. “So long as that banishment remains in action upon us, it’s in fact illegal for us to stay anywhere within Equestrian borders, and Vanhoover applies to that. If the right pony finds any hint that we’re here…”
“But no pony has! The whole of the crystal guard came down here looking for us, and they weren’t even able to find us!”
“That doesn’t mean we should be complacent and let our guard down!”
“I’m not saying we should! I just…would rather do it staying here…don’t you?”
Spike opened and closed his mouth several times as he worked to reply. Finally, he hung his head. “Yeah…I do,” he admitted. “I like it here, and I like working here too. And I also like Fly Leaf. She’s been not just a good boss but she’s also become a good friend, despite everything.” He shook his head. “And I said it before, we were very lucky to find this place. We’ve got a good place to live and a good job to support us…everything we need readily accessible or provided for us…and there is a part of me that fears we’re never going to find another deal like this anyplace else, especially wherever it is we’d end up next.” He frowned. “But we can’t stay, Thorax. Fly Leaf only lets us because she doesn’t know the truth, especially about you. And Equestria has made it clear to us it doesn’t want changelings here.”
“We have no guarantees a changeling would be accepted anywhere else too,” Thorax pointed out.
“Ember would accept us,” Spike stated confidently, then added by way of explanation, “she’s the Dragon Lord of the dragons, and a friend.” When Thorax continued to give him a non-confident gaze, he relented. “Well, she’d at least give us the benefit of a doubt, and she’d use her rank to chase away all the dragons that’ll…probably disagree.”
“That doesn’t sound like much of a life, Spike.” Thorax fidgeted with his hooves some more. “Besides…the Changeling Kingdom has had contact with the Dragon Lands before even reaching Equestria…and even though it’s been a decade or two since, sufficeth to say…we traditionally haven’t been on good terms.”
Spike looked at Thorax glumly for a moment, knowing he had a point but not wanting to concede to it yet. “We aren’t anymore safe here, Thorax. We’re potentially endangering ourselves the longer we stay here, honestly. What good is there staying here?”
“It’s home,” Thorax stated simply. “And I’m happy here. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. It’s a wonderful little life we’ve built here. It may not be glamorous…but I’ve never had a better life than what we have right here, right now. Balani, it’s certainly a better life than what I was living back in the hive. And I feel safe here. At peace.” He grinned sadly. “Even with the knowledge I’m living a life in hiding, in constant fear of being discovered…I’m at peace here. And I know you do too.” He titled his head at the dragon. “Can you really promise me that we can find all of that just as well somewhere else? Can you really promise me we’d be any safer there than we are here?”
Spike didn’t answer, hanging his head as he let himself fall to the floor, landing on his rump with a dejected thud.
“Besides…” Thorax continued. “…what would we tell Fly Leaf?”
Spike sighed, rubbing his eyes with his claws. He had been wondering that himself. And the fact of the matter was that…he had no answer. Nor could he promise any greater safety if they were to leave than what they had here. It all depended on if wherever they would end up was more willing to accept a changeling than Equestria was. And the thought that he couldn’t shake from his head now was…if you couldn’t find acceptance in Equestria, renowned for it…where could you find it?
“Please Spike?” Thorax continued to plea. “Can’t we stay?”
Spike glanced up Thorax, studying his friend. But all he had to do was see the changeling’s solid blue eyes and see he was being utterly genuine. He really didn’t want to leave Vanhoover, and wanted desperately to stay. He was dismayed by the very thought of having to leave. And as much as Spike wanted to put on the brave face and pretend to be the logical one…he knew he felt the same, and that such feelings weren’t buried very deep in him either. He had already been ripped away from life as he knew it once before when he followed Thorax into banishment…he didn’t really want to do it again.
Spike sighed one more time, and then nodded his head, surrendering. “On one condition,” he stipulated. “At the first sign of clear danger, if it ever comes, we flee the area immediately the first chance we get. Without hesitation.”
Thorax nodded. “Agreed.”
A beat passed between them. “I guess that’s that, then,” Spike concluded, shrugging his shoulders before standing. “We’re staying.”
Thorax nodded again. “We’re staying,” he repeated in confirmation.
A long moment of silence passed as the two let the significance of this decision sink in. They both knew the ramifications of it, still dancing at the edges of their minds, taunting them. Yet neither of them voiced further objections to this choice, and gradually the weight of apprehension that had settled on them upon discovering they had prepared sufficiently to leave started to rise again. Spike looked at the wooden board with their list written on it still in his claws. He didn’t know if this was really the smarter choice for them to make. It probably wasn’t. But…it still felt better than the alternative. Silently, while Thorax quietly engrossed himself with his textbook and notes again, Spike walked back to the wardrobe he had left open and set their list back inside. He gazed at all the supplies and items they had gathered for their formerly planned journey stashed inside for another moment.
He then closed the wardrobe door.
Huh. Well, I had a feeling they were gonna stay. (The chapter's title kinda implied it after all) That being said, I hope this isn't some red flag since Thorax and Spike are truly happy and happiness always means that something bad is just around the corner in most stories. I do like Fly Leaf though, so I hope they stick around for a while.
Smarter? Actually, no. Establishing themselves and a decent cover identity is probably the one saving grace they can have- living somewhere, not getting into trouble, and proving the Princesses very, VERY wrong in terms of how capable a changeling is of living in pony society, making friends, etc.
If they're eventually caught, it's with months of life proving Thorax is anything but a monster.
Will Fly Leaf find out the truth about Thorax.
I hope that they will be forced to leave soon. Not that I hate the two, but because it would be much more interesting moving on running from Equestria.
I think it was a great choice to let them stay but I'm interested and with be weary about how long they stay.
This is one of the few times where I'd say, "Absolutely, quit your day job, honey. In fact, quit all your jobs," but I understand why you'd do it this way from a literary stand-point.
Quick question; would you be okay with a TVTropes page being established for this?
I, at this point, don't want them to leave... but mostly because that means events will have to happen, our heroes will be in peril, and we would then be closer to reaching To Where and Back Again.
I think that they need to tell Fly Leaf. If she is convinced that Thorax isn't bad, then later on she can say her opinion when asked.
8020070
That didn't work with Spike saying Thorax wasn't bad. They claimed Spike was being controlled against his will. That excuse would apply to anyone that sides with Thorax, because ultimately the distrust is based on racism. After all, Thorax himself has given no evidence that he has used control of any kind, but was accused of it anyway merely because he was a changeling.
8019816
I'm pretty sure she already knows, or at the very least, heavily suspects that Thorton and Spark are actually Thorax and Spike.
8019816
Yeeaaaah Fly DOES know something about them. She may not have said it, but she implied to Thorax that Spike was safe from any persecution from the Crystal Guards. Fly knew that Spike's alter ego resembled what they were looking for, but did not call t out. When in all rights she could have aired on the side of caution and brought them to Spike to show that he was not who they were looking for.
And people wonder why so many habitual offenders stay that way in our world?
This kind of narrative gives it a near perfect why. Yes, both have a chequered past. But really, if she knows, its being overruled by them being two good employees. And thats the major crux of it. Thorax and spike both are doing honest work, and expecting the hammer to fall.
People just have such a heavy preconception that well, sometimes it takes a new leaf to give a chance.
Also, has anyone noted that thorax has been steadily improving in likely what he can cast, its volume, and its complexity? Have they talked about if changeling magic in how it relates to other tribes?
Something better happen. Protagonists can't make such stupid decisions unless it's for plots sake. Hopefully we'll finally get the mane6's reaction to Spike on the run. Been waiting forever, reading all this slice of life. Still good though.
8019812 That's a very nice line of thought. I'm just a little afraid that, when push comes to shove, all of these very good points in Spike and Thorax's favour will get pushed aside because oh no, it's a big ugly changeling, etc etc... Kind of exactly what happened before, actually!
It can be very easy in the heat of the moment to let things like 'details' slide, and I hope that should push come to shove that such details are not allowed to slide by Spike, Thorax, or better yet, Fly Leaf herself (She'd have the best chance of disrupting and countering that imho, as all the attention and distrust would be focused upon Spike. Fly Leaf would be in the best position to disrupt such thought processes from effectively nullifying all good will and reason).
Hopefully their aid to the community around them would count for something as well, considering they have done some good at least for the time they have been present
8019812
That is part of my thinking with all of this, yes.
8019816
Unfortunately, regardless of whether I answer yes or no to that question, it'd pretty much spoil future events in the story, so I'm afraid I must decline to comment.
8019840
The problem I keep facing every time I consider this though, is, really, where else could they go that'd be better? Thorax and Spike really aren't interested in having to constantly be living a life as wanderers, continuously moving from place to place. They want to find just one spot where they can put down roots with as little danger as they could, settling down into living a normal sort of life long term, like any pony else. And would they really have any better chance of finding such a thing anywhere else than what they've found in Vanhoover? Readers keep telling me they need to go to the Dragon Realms, but truth be told, I doubt they'd really be happy there if they did. The dragon lands seem so inhospitable in comparison...it certainly wouldn't be ideal for Thorax, and his needs and wants are going to influence Spike's thoughts on the matters greatly (as Spike's already shown he'll put Thorax's needs over his own), and Spike's already demonstrated preference in living around ponies than living with his more brutish and bully-ish dragon peers. I foresee similar problems in the rough-and-tumble Griffonstone too, and other places outside of Equestria seem likely to reject changelings too. In all honesty, Equestria probably is the best place for them to be already, and seeing they were already outcasts there too...does it really matter where they go, or for that matter, choose to stay?
It's a topic I've been thinking a lot about lately, in case you couldn't tell.
8019848
Go for it!
8020384
And that is indeed Spike and Thorax's fear on the matter; that Fly Leaf would only react the same as everypony else thus far has.
8020591
On the subject of changeling magic, I've been working on the headcanon that it works pretty much synonymous to unicorn magic just, at most, on a different "frequency of energies" if you will, and with high focus on the illusionary arts due to it being the changeling culture. Thorax's interest in magic stems more from the fact that, due to his relatively low standing in the hive prior to leaving it meant he hadn't gotten much opportunity to learn beyond a lot of the generic spells all changelings probably learn, but now he has that chance and he's figured he might as well take it. Besides, given their unique situation, Thorax no doubt recognizes expanding his magical abilities could be useful should either he or Spike get into trouble.
8020636
I might as well admit then that we are building up to a major plot point here very soon. I think we should start reaching that by next week if I recall the lineup of chapters correctly off hand...
They are pretty safe where they are right now. They should be able to stay there happily untill conditions change, provided they do set up an emergency escape plan. Preferable several, with backup plans. The smart move would be to set up a secondary and tertiary supply cache, hidden in a secure location, should they ever need to flee on a moments notice and can't access their stash in the shop. At least, thats how I would do it.
Well this is good, Thorax and Spike can earn extra money now that Thorax can just poof an ice-rink into existence. I foresee a large amount of bits and laughter.
8021083
They don't have it yet, but I do plan on giving them the option of doing something along those lines eventually.
8021266
Oh, you want details on the mane 6 and Twilight and their state of affairs in all of this? Wait about another 3 or 4 chapters, then, and you'll have it. I wasn't going to say it, but I have basically begun setting up/building up for it as of this chapter.
Otherwise, I agree; I could've arranged the chapters better in this story, so it was more a couple slice of life, then a big turning point, then a couple more slice of life, another turning point, etc. But instead, I seem to have more grouped all the slice of life into one big long line, and I apologize for my poor planning on that. Unfortunately, we're far enough into the story now that it's too late for me to be able to do much to much to fix it, so I ask for your patience. It will pay off in the end, I feel.
And you live and learn anyway, right? That's part of the reason why I've stuck with fan fiction for all these years; for the low-risk learning experience it provides.
8021331
That would be a worthwhile income option to explore come wintertime in Vanhoover, assuming they're still in the area by then.
However, chronologically speaking, I feel safe in revealing that the story will have concluded before reaching such a time, so unfortunately that's an idea that won't get the chance to be explored in this story.
Can't wait for the next chapter!
8021374 TVtropes here you go. It needs some work, but it's a start.
8022390
Added a link to the story description so others can go to it too.
I know it's been a while but how is twilight taking this and we didn't exactly get a clear view on how the other main six would take this? Would some of them be supportive? Could Applejack help by detecting if Thorax is lying or not? And what about romance I know this could happen but I'm a sucker for a good drama/romance?
8023061
All in good time. Some of which sooner than you might think.
8024144
Is there gonna be a possible
Thorax x Spike
Thorax x Fly Leaf
Spike x Fly Leaf
I need to know man
8024271
Oh come now, just telling you would be too easy.
I will tell you there will be no Thorax x Spike at anytime in the story, and have already remarked as such in the past. They will remain as friends and no more.
But I will also tell you that on this particular aspect, when the time comes...you will probably be surprised.
8024309
Darn
Now I can't get this picture out of my head!
In my version the guards are also whistling a tune, by the way.
Maybe they can go to an undiscovered land? Would that work out?
Good chapter.
I like this turn of events. Can't wait to see what happens next.
8024271 It's actually Fly Leaf X Twilight
8024718
How could they go to an undiscovered land? The moment they go there, it'll become discovered.
8025178
Hush you.
twi x thorax is my ship possibility
it's dumb
8176081
Its not all that dumb really.
Its kind of sad Twilight lets a future fellow bookworm gets banished, perhaps if a very happy ending came up they might share notes or become partners, but thats way in the future if it even is a possibility.
For how long though?
Not really. Spike (and Thorax) were banished from the Crystal Empire and not Equestria. Spike is not really an outlaw here. Celestia has only given token aid to their capture; a tracking medallion and allowing the Crystal Empire to bring guards. No Unicorns or Royal Guards to ensure a checkpoint could catch a changeling. If Twilight is an alicorn yet Spike might be banished from Ponyville but so far Celestia has hedged her bets on the matter.
If found the story is set up perfectly for Celestia to treat them to a few royal dinners and 'house arrest' at the palace. Unlike Friendship and Love the Sun appears to be the most reasonable of the authority figures. Certainly she lacks Love's hatred (though I suppose that hasn't been proven)
The Cherry on the cake? The Guard (Crystal of course, not official lawful Royal Guards of Equestria) were telling Fly Leaf all about their crimes. "What crimes?" I say. Thorax's punishment has been served; banishment. It is like a guy serving a prison sentence for murder and is discharged out of the country. Now he is running from the police who are also out of the country and trying to bring him in for murder. Which murder? The one he served prison time for... The best they got is "He is a changeling" and "associates with changeling(s)" respectively for Thorax and Spike.