Friend and Fears
“Um...Pharynx...?” Thorax watched his brother with concern. The crimson nymph hadn’t moved since this morning, his violet eyes glued to the book he’d had been reading for the past three hours.
The older changeling only hissed in response, and Thorax was beginning to feel even more annoyed. It was Pharynx’s only response whenever the cyan nymph wanted to talk to him and was starting to get his on his nerves.
“Pharynx I think-“
“Just leave him be,” Thorax jumped at the sudden voice beside him. Spike strolled up along his side, pursing his lips at the predicament. “If he’s anything like Twilight, then he won’t be able to take his eyes off the book until he’s done with it.”
Thorax’s cyan eyes trailed back and forth between the dragon and the changeling. “Hm...okay, I’ll leave him alone for now...”
The cyan changeling sighed, sitting back on his haunches. Something blunt hit the back of his head, and the nymph turned his head. Behind him, Angel had kicked a dull pencil at him, which bounced back onto the floor. Thorax grimaced, shrinking under the taunting gaze of the unhappy rabbit.
“D-did I do something wrong?” He asked shakily to no one in particular.
Spike sighed. “Don’t worry, Angel is always like this...”
“Oh...” his ears flatten against his head, and wings sagging. Thorax clicked his jaw, lifting himself to his hooves. Trudging over towards the red stairs, he trotted up the sunlit bedroom. “Um...I guess I’m going to stay in Miss Twilight’s room then...”
He didn’t wait for a reply as he stumbled into the smaller room. The walls were a deep red-brown, and looking out of the window, the leaves rustled like green waves. He liked looking over the town below him; the streets were clean and everyone seemed happy...
It was more than he could ask for...
You worthless grub, you are a disgrace to your kind. Weak...passive...and sensitive...the Instructors were right to call you a failure, a small voice rang in his head. You don’t deserve this...
Shut up, another part of his mind fought back. He rubbed his eyes preventively, any tears he was going to have dried and out of the way.
You always need help from others to solve your problems...you can’t even defend yourself when it counts! What kind of shrimp are you?!
I’m working on it...
You’re a spineless freak. Your brother only helps you because he pities you. One day, he will get tired and leave you...
Pharynx loves me! He wouldn’t...he can’t...
Then why did you snap at him? Why did you tell him to shut up when he tried to help. You dug this hole yourself...
No...Pharynx cares...I know it. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t-
And what about Fluttershy? Once she finds out what you truly are she’ll disown you like the rest of them...and maybe she should.
“Me solum relinquatis!”
“What?”
Thorax stopped, his heart beating against his chest. Turning his head slowly, cyan eyes met with emerald ones. His wings laid dead at his sides, hoof trembling on the glass window. “Um...hi...”
The dragon stared at him blankly, holding a tray of biscuits in his claws. He had a pink apron wrapped around his torso, flour spilled on his arms and face. The baked goods smelled fresh, the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg filled the air.
“Yeah...you okay?”
“Um...yeah...I’m fine...”
Wiping away phantom tears from his compound eyes, Thorax stared into the window.
“Are you sure? You want to talk about it?”
“Do you guys always ask if I want to talk about it...?”
Spike chuckled. “Yeah...I get it can be tiring hearing that from everyone, but it works quite a bit. I understand if you aren’t that comfortable talking...”
Buzzing his limp wings, he felt the dragon approach him. “...what do you want...?”
“Well, at first I thought I’d give you some biscuits I was baking because I wanted to be nice. Now I’m giving it to you because I want you to feel better.”
Thorax sighed, laying against the windowsill. “A nice gesture, but unnecessary. I...don’t digest grains well, anyway...”
“Huh...well, more for me!” Spike shoved a handful of baked biscuits into his mouth, crunching and chewing them. Thorax flattened his ears, sighing.
“But seriously, you don’t look fine. It looks like you are about to cry...”
Thorax sniffed, covering his face with his hooves. “...I got a lot on my mind is all...”
Spike nodded, looking out of the same window. “It’s pretty outside, isn’t it?”
The cyan changeling smiled. “Mhm...”
They sat silently, looking out the window. A phantom breeze seemed to wash over him, clearing his mind of its toxicity and filling him with a newfound sense of self-worth. Maybe it was Spike’s positivity that was rubbing off of him...maybe it’s his head being merciful.
Either way, he didn’t mind.
“...you know...? Changelings aren’t that nice...so it’s a relief to know other creatures can be companionate...”
“Well you and your brother seem to be pretty decent so...”
Thorax gave a shuttering sighing. “Pharynx only does the facade for me...he’s a ‘hit first, talk later’ type of guy. I know first-hoof what he can do...and what’s he’s capable of...” his mind went back to when he was still living at the hive, memories of blood and teeth...neither of which were his. “As for me...?”
His eyes trailed onto the sun. The shining orb casting warmth from its stationed position in the sky. “I’ve...always been like this, even when I lived at the hive. I was...different...and I didn’t fit into the status quo...”
Spike gazed sympathetically towards him. “I guess you were made fun of, huh?”
“...something similar, yes...”
The dragon became quiet, flicking his spaded tail back and forth. His ear fins twitched, watching the sun just as Thorax did. “Heh. I was picked on a lot when I went to Canterlot prep school, being a dragon and all..”
Thorax turned his cyan eyes towards the reptilian, surprised. “Why would anyone pick on a dragon?”
He shrugged. “It’s probably because Canterlot in general isn’t the best environment...mostly everyone is high classed and a unicorn. I’m glad mom and dad weren’t demanding or snooty, or else I would have lost my mind years ago.”
“‘Mom and dad’...? What’s that?”
“You know...your parents? The ponies-er...creatures who take care of you?”
Thorax frowned. “We...don’t have parental figures, being communally raised and trained by nursery drones and healers...and as far as I’m aware, sibling relationships aren’t super common either...”
“Geez, no offense but your kind sounds like a bunch of buzzkills.”
“...’buzzkill’..?”
“It just means that they sound like no fun,” Spike chuckled, patting the nymph on the shoulder plate. “Do changelings not use idioms?”
Thorax twirled his hooves, biting his lip. “No...you need to be as clear as concise in your reports so no one gets confused or misdirected.”
“Ok, yeah. They are total buzzkills.”
Thorax snorted, giggling into his hooves. His fangs were bared as he grinned brightly as the dragon. “Well...I guess they can be.”
His grin became a small smile as he looked down upon the town. The griping voice in his head dissipated, replaced by warm content. It wouldn’t be forever, but he relished the moment while he could.
“You are nice,” he commented, sighing. “It’s almost like you’re a friend...”
Spike gave him a perplexed expression. “I thought I was already your friend?”
It was Thorax’s turn to be equally as confused. “But...I thought you were just watching us...”
“So? I can still be friends with the changelings I foalsit...or...changeling...sit? I’m not sure...”
Thorax felt like an idiot, shrinking as the dragon turned to look at him. “Do you want to be friends...?” He asked, and the changeling perked his ears.
“I’ve...never really had a friend before...”
The dragon gave him a big, toothy smile. “Well, now you do!”
Stats
Page generated in 0.019 seconds
Total duration
964 users online
1,467,977 hits today, 2,591,549 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Aww! That was a sweet ending! Poor Thorax though, don't worry sweet little cinnamon bug, your brother does love you, no matter what
Good old Spike
Again, another great job on the exchange, characterizations and future chapter set-up here. Greatly enjoyed Spike talking to Thorax while Pharynx is busy with that book. Admittedly, Thorax's self-argument made me feel a bit bad, but I DID appreciate Spike going to the sort of effort he did to put Thorax a bit more at ease, such as trying to do some baking and explaining a bit of what he went through in Canterlot after Twilight hatched him. Spike introducing Thorax to "slang" was pretty amusing too. Kind of reminded me, however unintentionally, of that scene from "Blazing Saddles" when Jim/the Waco Kid was describing the people of Rock Ridge as "Simple farmers, the Common Clay of the New West. You know - Morons." even though he was actually trying to empathize how rough Changeling culture sounded.
Anyway, really looking forward to more of this.
Aww this was a adorable chapter even from the actual show I've always love spike and thorax interaction and I'm glad that thorax is sort of open up to spike and its really nice to see that they are ok with each other 😊 but man thorax is still having some doubts himself alot he really needs a hug anyway this was a cute chapter can't wait for the next one.
This is going to have long lasting implications for the "Teenage Dragon" episodes, isn't it.
Yay, friendship! Hugs for bugs!
Isn't it high time we all teamed up and organized one big group hug for Thorax, preferably with potential for frequent recurrence?
Love the interactions with Spike and Thorax. Just like in the S6 episode.
Luna?
10576809
Huh?
10576809
I don’t think Luna speaks Latin.
YES! FINALLY!
...Have you read Scyphi's Grief is The Price We Pay?
10682351
Yes I have :D
Angel needs a boot in the rear, soap in the mouth, and a good long time out.
My inital reaction to this was “A handful... you mean one? Wait he actually got more than one? How big are his hands? How big is his mouth?!?” Then I realized that these are most likely English biscuits as opposed to southern US biscuits. That would be an entirely different feat.