The Young Warrior

by Melody Song

A New Journey Begins

Thorax stared in awe down at the little filly, who cooed and babbled. She reached her hooves out to Thorax, not knowing any better. The way she giggled reminded him of Apex. Apex and Pharynx…

“Y-Your highness?” Thorax looked up. “I am very grateful to you, all of you, but I’m afraid I need to return to the cavern where I was staying.”

“Why?” Shining Armor asked, clearly suspicious.

“I… I did not come here alone.” Thorax said, causing a few murmurs of confusion. “My brother and his apprentice came with me, I know I couldn’t have made it here without them.”

“Then why didn’t they come into the Empire with you?” Twilight Sparkle asked

“My brother’s apprentice is very young, I thought it would be unsafe to bring him into the city while we were seen as a threat. And while we were traveling, my brother had to defend us both from an Ursa Minor.”

“He fought off an Ursa Minor without help?” Shining seemed surprised this was possible.

“Y-Yes. My brother has always been a great warrior. He chased it off, but was heavily injured in the process. He can’t move very easily, and I did my best but I wasn’t trained in healing. Bringing him here would have meant his capture. Our transformations don’t hold for long when we’re hurt.”

Cadence and Twilight nodded in understanding. Cadence glanced at Shining, then looked back to Thorax.

“Then I will come with you myself, to help you move your brother here.” Cadence said

“Y-You? R-Really?”

“Of course. If he is as injured as you say, magic would be able to move him easier than you could on your own, without jarring his injuries.” Cadence replied

“I’m going too.” Shining said, lifting the foal out of Cadence’s hooves and laying her back in the carrier she’d been in before.

“I’ll come too. Starlight can stay here with Sunburst and keep an eye on Flurry.” Twilight announced, trotting over.

“And I don’t think we’ll need any guards.” Cadence added, looking pointedly at Shining. “Our magic combined will be enough should anything happen.”

“Spike, do you want to come?” Twilight asked

“Actually,” Cadence began, “I’ll be sending a few guards to work their way through the Empire, and gather everyone to explain the new developments concerning Thorax and his fellow changelings. I’m sure they would be much more eager to participate despite their fears if they saw Spike with the guards.”

“Well… if it’s okay with you, Spike.” Twilight looked at him.

Spike hesitated, then smiled. “I know that Thorax will be safe with you guys. I’ll help make sure they don’t run from him anymore.”

“Alright then.” Twilight smiled and hugged him. Spike glanced at Thorax, giving him a small nod of encouragement.

“Th-Thank you, all of you…” Thorax said

“Of course. I’d do the same for any one of my subjects.” Cadence replied. “Now, since seeing you in the streets may be off-putting still, Twilight and I will teleport us outside the Empire, then you can lead us to your brother and… apprentice, you said?”

“His apprentice, yes.” Thorax nodded. Cadence, Twilight, and Shining Armor moved closer, then lit up their horns. A bright flash surrounded the four of them.

---------------------------------------------------------------

“Sound it out.” Pharynx encouraged, as Apex stared at his crude writing. The fever had made him disoriented and it was somewhat hard for him to write. He was also writing with an icicle.

“L… Li… lignu… lignu…” Apex tried to say

“Go on, one more letter.” Pharynx prompted.

“Lignu… lign’m! I’ says lign’m! Whas’ tha’ mean?”

“Wood.” Pharynx translated. “Which we really need more of.” he muttered under his breath.

“Huh?”

Pharynx opened his mouth to reassure the nymph, then heard voices, and hooves beginning to walk down the slope. His eyes widened.

“Grub, get behind me. Now.” he ordered in a hushed tone.

Apex obeyed, sheltering between the elder changeling and the wall of the cavern. Pharynx winced as he heaved himself up, hunched over but ready to defend his charge.

“-Some strange shadowing over here…”

A horn lit up in the dark, blinding them temporarily. Pharynx hissed and adopted a scowl. It was worse than he thought. The Love Princess and her husband stood there, accompanied by the Friendship Princess. Pharynx shifted to better conceal Apex, snarling as fiercely as he could muster. At last, his worst fear had been confirmed, and they had been found.

------------------------------------------------------

“Ah!” Twilight yelped as she saw the new changeling. He had a gaunt but muscular frame, and though he seemed weak he was snarling menacingly.

“Is it a trap?” Shining asked harshly, having still not been completely trusting in Thorax’s word.

“Get away!” the changeling snarled.

“Pharynx!” Thorax pushed past them and approached the changeling. “It’s okay, stand down, they’re here to help.”

“Thorax? Wh-What are they doing here?” the changeling, Pharynx, asked. His voice had lowered significantly upon seeing Thorax, and his stance relaxed slightly.

“I’ll explain, just lie down, you don’t want to make the injury worse.” Thorax was looking at Pharynx’s side.

“I’m fine.” he dismissed it, legs shaking. “Just explain what they’re-” he began coughing, then fell down onto the snow, shivering violently.

“Pharynx!” As Thorax crouched down over him, they saw another pair of eyes in the darkness.

A small changeling squirmed out from behind Pharynx. He was tiny, seeming to be very young. He looked over at Thorax and Pharynx, then went over to the shadows, grabbing something and dragging it out. It was a pair of saddlebags.

“H-He’e…” he said, opening the bags and pulling out some green plants. “I-I think i's the las’ o’ i’.”

Thorax nodded and took the plants, inspecting them before offering them to Pharynx. The changeling took one look at them and shook his head.

“I-I’m fi-” he continued coughing.

Twilight and Cadence got closer, Shining behind them.

They could see now what Thorax had meant when he said his brother was injured. A sticky white substance was carefully laid like bandages, wrapping around Pharynx’s torso. It was already stained, and a fresh red color was seeping through it.

“Pharynx, please, just eat it.” Thorax urged.

“S-Save it. Th-The grub… get sick again-” he continued coughing.

“I’ll be fine, jus’ eat i’…” the young changeling said, but Pharynx still refused them, closing his eyes and laying his head down in the snow.

“What are they?” Twilight asked curiously.

Thorax glanced up, looking surprised. “They’re herbs. Don’t you use them to heal?”

“No, we have medicine and vaccines.”

Thorax just looked confused now. The young nymph ran over and hid himself under Thorax, hiding from the strange newcomers.

“So, what are they?”

“This is feverfew.” Thorax said. “It helps to cool high temperatures, and Pharynx has had a fever ever since the attack. We’ve run out of tansy to help with his cough but we still have this.”

“I thought you didn’t know any healing skills.” Shining said

“Pharynx was taught the basic skills, and he passed on what he knew to myself and his apprentice. Even though it wasn’t necessary information for us to know, I’m grateful he taught us.”

Pharynx continued coughing and shuddering. Cadence leaned down and lit up her horn. He was bathed in her blue aura for a second, and she stood, looking concerned.

“He’s sick because the wounds have been infected.”

“Do you know how that could’ve happened?” Twilight asked

“Well, I did have to carry him for a while before we discovered the cavern… I suppose leaving the wounds open could have allowed for it… and who knows where the Ursa’s claws had been before it attacked…”

“Come on then, I’ll teleport us back to the castle, we can get him treated.” Twilight said

“P-Pater-Thorax?” a small voice asked, and they looked to see the young changeling was nuzzling against Thorax. “Wh-Who ‘re they? Wh-Where’d the scaly d’ag-thing go?”

Thorax lifted the small creature and held him against his chest. “This is Pharynx’s apprentice, Apex.”

“B-But he’s so young…” Cadence said

“The Queen has instructed that every nymph must be apprenticed at five years of age.” Thorax explained. “Apex became an apprentice just this year, chosen specifically by Pharynx.”

Apex, as the ‘nymph’ was called, clung to Thorax, his hooves locking around the older changeling’s neck.

“Hello little one.” Cadence spoke softly, leaning down to him. “I’m Cadence. We’re going to take you to the Empire, where it’s nice and warm. Wouldn’t you like that?”

He nodded. “I-Is the’e food?”

“Of course sweetie.”

Apex reached and tapped her nose lightly with his hoof. She giggled and took him in her hooves.

“Well aren’t you just the most precious thing?”

Apex giggled as she nuzzled him. Thorax reached into the shadows and drew out more bags. All together there were two large saddlebags and a smaller satchel. He put them on, then sat by Pharynx.

“We’d better get going, it seems like your brother needs to be treated.” Shining remarked

Thorax nodded. “Apex, come here.”

Cadence set Apex down and he trotted to Thorax. The nymph cuddled up to him as the two alicorns and unicorn drew closer. They lit up their horns, and another flash surrounded the group.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Does Chrysalis appear in this story?

[Melody Song]

11095301
Yeah, towards the end, and in a couple of the sequels.

[Reality Check]

“What are they?” Twilight asked curiously.

Wait, doesn't Zecora use herbs? Or does potions not really count?

[Melody Song]

11097935
Well, I think she does use herbs, but following the canon timeline, Twi hasn't been around Zecora enough to see her using herbs for her potions or remedies. So would be the first time she's seen herbal healing