Pride and Joy

by Melody Song

Peace Thereafter Soveriegn's Distress

“Alright grub, when I give the signal-”

“Yahhh!” Apex lunged and head-butted Pharynx in the chest, giggling as he fell to the ground and rolled onto his back, laughing. Pharynx rolled his eyes and looked down at the nymph.

“Focus, Apex.”

“O-Oh, righ’. Sorry…” Apex said, sitting up.

“It’s fine. Now, pay attention. A proper general must be alert and focused at all times. Understood?”

“Yes sir Uncle Pharynx sir!” Apex said, saluting him with an innocent smile. Pharynx sighed, but smiled.

“Good. Now, when I give the signal, get a running start, jump, and try to overpower me.”

“Yes sir!”

“Okay… in three…”

Apex sunk down into a crouch, muscles tensing.

“Two…”

He shuffled his back legs, preparing to spring.

“...Now!”

Apex pounced. He sprung forwards, hit the ground, then ran before doing a quick crouch and jumping again. Apex reached out, and managed to hook his foreleg around Pharynx’s neck, landing on Pharynx’s back. He began punching his carapace, grunting.

“Easy Apex.” Pharynx glanced back at him. “Hold it.”

“Wha’?”

“That tactic may work on a pony, but if you’re attacking a creature with a hard carapace or scales on their back, go for the neck.”

“Yes sir!”

Apex then jabbed him in the neck, rearing and jamming his forelegs into Pharynx’s shoulder blades.

“Argh!” Pharynx cried out and he dropped to his knees. “Good job Apex, shoulder blades are always a weak spot.”

Apex beamed at the praise and jumped down, ducking underneath Pharynx and charging. He swept Pharynx’s legs with his side, then dodged out of the way as Pharynx fell down. Apex laughed and cheered, clapping his hooves. Pharynx chuckled, standing.

“Good job Apex. Usually I’d have resisted more but we’re working on your tactics, not your strength at the moment.”

“S-So… you wouldn’a fallen o’er?” Apex asked, frowning and ears drooping.

“Well, not usually, but your tactics would have caused someone with less strength than me to fall over.” Pharynx told him, making the nymph brighten again. “Now, let’s try a different tactic.”

“Ooh, wha’?”

“Here, I’ll show you. It’s an easy move.” Pharynx reared back onto his hind legs, and Apex stepped closer, watching in awe. “Now, I’m demonstrating with the bipedal stance, but you’ll have to use a different stance.”

“Why Uncle Pharynx?”

“Because only two living creatures have mastered the bipedal stance, and one of them is me.” Pharynx said, smirking.

“Who’s the o’er?” Apex asked eagerly.

“That’s classified.” Pharynx told him, cheeks reddening slightly, though the nymph didn’t notice.

“Oh… okay! Well, ‘m gonna be the third to mas’er i’ Uncle Pharynx!” Apex announced, rearing up and trying to copy Pharynx, only falling back down.

“Heh, I’m sure you will be grub.” Pharynx smiled at Apex as he sat up again. “Anyway, like I was saying…”

Apex looked on curiously. Pharynx smiled and balanced himself again.

“Okay, so first, you swipe high…” Pharynx swiped his hoof in the air above an imaginary enemy’s head. “Then, while they’re distracted, you swipe low, hooking your other hoof around their back legs.”

Apex giggled as he watched Pharynx do the second part. Pharynx then smirked and did a backflip to complete the move.

“Do I ge’ ta do tha’ Uncle Pharynx!?”

“Well, not the backflip, you’d probably get hurt and then Thorax would kill me.” Pharynx rubbed the nymph’s head. “Besides, I think you had enough pain falling out of that tree.”

“Oh, righ’. Okay.” Apex said, looking down. Pharynx chuckled and lifted his chin.

“In a few years, I’ll teach you the backflip. For now, let’s practice the move.”

“Okay Uncle Pharynx!”

“Okay, rear up, and use your wings to balance yourself.” Pharynx instructed.

Apex did as asked, opening his wings slightly to gain balance. Pharynx nodded and circled him, checking his stance.

“Good. Now, swipe up.” Pharynx instructed.

Apex swiped his foreleg high. Pharynx nodded in approval.

“And sweep low.”

Apex swept his other hoof around to catch the legs of his imaginary enemy, but mid-swing, his back leg slipped and he went tumbling. The little nymph yelped as he fell, hitting his side.

“Oh shi-uh, I mean, you okay grub?”

Apex whimpered, closing his eyes. A memory swam to the front of his mind. An image of a familiar, hole-covered changeling taller than anyone else as she towered over the frightened nymph, who lay bruised and battered on the floor. Her cruel eyes glaring and cold as the nymph sniveled and wailed. All he received was a slap to the cheek and an order to shut up.

“Grub!”

Apex yelped, jolting out of the memory. Pharynx was standing over him, a look of unabashed concern and worry on his face. Apex scrambled up, shaking himself off.

“‘M-‘M fine Uncle Pharynx. Can we try ‘gain?” he asked hopefully.

“Alright grub, if you’re good.” Pharynx said, stepping back.

“‘M okay! Could you jus’ show me ‘gain?” Apex asked

“Sure grub.” Pharynx reared up again, performing the motions again. Apex smiled as he watched, the training driving the memories from his thoughts for the moment. “Alright, your turn.”

“Okay!” Apex reared up and did the first swipe. “Like this Uncle Pharynx?”

“Good job grub, now the second swipe.”

“I can do i’ this time!” Apex promised, and did the swipe down. He managed to do it successfully this time, though he was a bit wobbly. “Did I do good?”

“Heh, yes, you did, Apex.” Pharynx rubbed his head. “We’ll go back and refine it later. On to the next move.”

“Wha’ is i’?”

“The sideways leap and pin.” Pharynx sunk into a crouch, then sprung and reared, pretending to pin an enemy to a nonexistent wall.

Apex’s eyes widened as he recognized the move. A vision flashed in his mind of Chrysalis lunging at him and thrusting him against a wall, pinning him there. He screwed his eyes shut, whimpering as he remembered the pain of her hooves pressing against his neck as her bared fangs got closer…

“Grub… grub… Apex!”

Apex yelped and shrunk away from whoever was talking to him, falling into the sand beneath him and beginning to sob. He covered his face with his hooves, wailing.

“Apex, what’s going on, are you oka-”

“M-Make i’ s’op!” Apex screamed, tears streaming down his face. “M-Make her go ‘way, I-I don’ wanna b-be p-punished!”

As Apex continued sobbing, someone scooped him up and began cradling him. He felt a muzzle rest on his head, and a low vibration followed by a scent of sour lemons. Pharynx was humming to him. He forced his eyes to open, seeing the beta changeling humming to him comfortingly, eyes closed.

“U-Uncle Pharynx…” Apex whispered, and Pharynx opened his eyes.

“There you go grub, see? You’re safe.” Pharynx nuzzled him, then, still cradling him, began walking back to the Hive.

Apex whimpered and cuddled against Pharynx, who took him all the way back to Thorax’s room. The General even ignored all the changelings staring at them for once, rather than snapping at them to mind their own business. Pharynx pushed the door to Thorax’s room open upon reaching it, trotting in sternly.

Thorax, who’d been sitting at the desk in his room, looked up. “Pharynx? Apex? What’s going on?”

“Thorax, we need to talk.” Pharynx spoke sharply.

“Okay? What is it? Did something happen?” Thorax stood and went to Pharynx. “Is Apex okay?”

“He’s fine, for now.” Pharynx laid Apex on the bed, giving the nymph a gentle head rub while levitating Blizzard over to him. Apex grabbed the bear, cuddling up to it. “But you and I need to talk, outside.”

“Oh… okay.” Thorax led Pharynx outside, stopping briefly to kiss Apex on the forehead.

Once the two were outside, Pharynx cast a soundproofing barrier on the door to Thorax’s room.

“What was that fo-”

“So he wouldn’t hear me about to scream at you.” Pharynx snarled, and Thorax gulped. “How long has he been having flashbacks to the Old Days?”

“W-Wait, you kno-”

“I asked how long, Thorax?”

“I… I think since the Great Change, he had a nightmare around then… he might’ve had nightmares before that time too…”

“And you didn’t tell me, why?” Pharynx growled, and Thorax shied away from his smaller, yet more intimidating brother.

“I-I thought with enough love and time, th-the nightmares would go away-”

“Those weren’t nightmares you pebble-brain! Those were flashbacks! He has PTSD, Thorax! Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at five years old! We can’t just do nothing and ‘hope it goes away’!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to not tell you abou-wait, PTSD?!”

“Yes!” Pharynx shouted, facehoofing. “Sweet Hivemother Thorax, how did you not recognize the signs?”

“I’m sorry Pharynx, I just… he’s so young, a-and I thought… there was no way…”

Pharynx sighed and pulled his hoof away from his face. “I guess I understand that Thor. It startled me too, honestly I wouldn’t have realized if he hadn’t gone into a panic attack.”

“He what?!”

“Don’t worry, he’s alright. I calmed him down.” Pharynx reassured his brother before the king could rush past him to get to Apex. “But we need to decide what to do.”

Thorax sighed and looked at the door to his room, knowing his little nymph was in there, possibly needing him. He bit his lip, then turned back to Pharynx.

“I know it’s serious Pharynx, but I don’t think we should tell Apex. At least, not the full extent of it. I don’t want him to panic.”

“That’s fair.” Pharynx glanced at the door as well. “We might as well just tell him it was a panic attack, likely he’ll be able to figure out what caused it, he’s a smart little nymph. But we don’t have to tell him he specifically has PTSD.”

“Yeah… it would scare him, especially since he doesn’t know what it means.” Thorax agreed.

“So, we explain to him what a panic attack is, I assume how we’re going to help him get through them, and that he doesn’t need to be scared. Correct?” Pharynx asked for confirmation.

“Yes.” Thorax agreed, heading for the door. “Come on Pharynx.”

“Alright, I’m coming.” Pharynx removed the soundproofing spell with a glow from his antlers, then followed his brother. They had a nymph to talk to and comfort.

Author's Note:

Poor little Apex, Chrysalis really messed him up. But he'll be alright, with Thorax and Pharynx there.

~Melody Song

Comments

[BezierBallad]

PTSD at age five. That’s something you don’t see every day.

[Melody Song]

10599499
Yeah, though considering what the little guy's been through...

[CitreneSkys]

I was going to say PTSD at five isn’t something you see a lot but then I remembered my AU story and I was like ‘ohhhh right...’

[Melody Song]

10599830
Well, yeah. I honestly thought it'd be more common in young kids, seeing as things they experience would have a deeper impact on their psyche while they're still young

[Xanni]

Is "Sovergien" an intentional misspelling?

[Melody Song]

10675772
Where?

Edit: fixed it

[ColtKit Productions]

POOR APEX!!!!

If I was Thorax, I'd look for other nymphs that Chrysalis traumatized

[Melody Song]

11104719
It was only Pexy, actually

Well, Celly too, but he already knows her