When Thorax woke up, it was to a low, intense throbbing deep in his face and skull. Every beat of his heart made the pain increase for a moment before it simmered down again, and then the cycle would repeat when his heart sprang into action again. The blood pumping through his cranium was audible, a steady rhythm of deep, booming drums that steadily returned him to the waking world. He managed to open his eyes after a little while, taking in his surroundings and groaning in quiet discomfort under his breath.
The room was clearly part of the Crystal Empire, the architecture gave that away immediately. It was colored a rich blue, with the smooth walls rising to the wall on his left in a sort of half-dome shape. On his right, a glass door could be seen that led out onto a balcony that, from what little he could see, was overlooking the entire city. Opposite the glass door was a wooden door, presumably leading into the main bulk of whatever building this was. Deep maroon curtains had been peeled back from the glass door to let the moonlight streaming into the room, painting a large section of it in a gentle, pale blue light with stripes blocked out thanks to the reinforcement bars of the window.
He was tucked into an absolutely amazing bed with a comfy mattress and thick, wonderfully warm blankets resting on top of his sore body. Directly next to the bed on his right was a bedside table with a few candles, once lit somewhat recently, if the smell of burnt wax was anything to go off of. To his left was another bedside table with a first-aid kit and, against the far wall, a wardrobe made of wood that he surmised had been imported from somewhere else before the Empire was banished, given it’s ancient and archaic stylization.
But above all of the wonderful designs in the room and the comfort of his bedding, what caught Thorax’s attention was the yellow pegasus mare sitting in a comfy looking chair by the glass door, her eyes fixed onto a thick, leather-bound book with a red cross and jagged-text. She looked like she was starting to get sleepy, but there was also a determination and commitment in her expression that put him on edge. Was something wrong?
Thorax shifted slightly to sit up so he could call to her but hesitated when he felt a previously unnoticed weight pressing down on the blankets and against his left side. He looked down and his eyes went wide on seeing Wind Whisper there, laying on top of the blankets and curled up to his side, sleeping peacefully. There was a small, happy smile on her face, contrasted by how disheveled her mane was and the large bruise on her side. Confused, Thorax looked back up at Fluttershy, who was now looking back with wide eyes.
“Oh! You’re awake!” she whispered just loudly enough for him to hear, setting down her book and rising from her seat to canter up to him, urgency and worry on her features. “How do you feel?” she asked while leaning over the blankets on the opposite side from Wind to get a better look.
“Um… like I got hit by a ton of bricks thrown by Princess Rainbow…” Thorax groaned in response, easing his head back onto the pillow. “What happened? Where am I?”
“Um… we’re in the Crystal Palace, actually,” Fluttershy replied with a small smile while relaxing back into a normal standing position and glancing up at the roof. “One of the locals had a key, and when we went asking around for medical supplies to help treat you, he remembered that the palace had an infirmary and really good medical supplies. He remembered that he worked as one of the guards at night, and his patrols usually took him through the medical wing. So, he let us in.”
Thorax blinked and looked around again. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. The balcony, the luxurious bed, the curtains, and the first aid kit that he distinctly remembered Fluttershy did not have when they got to the empire. “Wow… okay, well, what’s my diagnosis?” he asked, wincing slightly when his facial muscles reminded him that they were still very brutalized with a sharp throb of pain. “Ack! Am... I gonna be okay?”
Fluttershy nodded gingerly before glancing over him at Wind Whisper. “Yeah, you are. You’ll need a day or two of rest before you’re back in good shape, and even then, I wouldn’t advise doing anything extreme. But your injuries were mostly on the surface, don’t worry. The only thing serious was a burn mark on your leg, and that’s already been treated.”
“Right…” Thorax nodded, remembering Pharynx’s beam attack and the searing pain that had gone running up his nervous system when it struck. The thought of his brother sent a small chill down his spine, and he began to anxiously fidget his hooves over his chest. He stared blankly up at the ceiling and licked his lips, trying to figure out how to voice his concerns. “And… um… what about Wind? How is she?” he eventually questioned, his gaze drifting to the filly in question.
Fluttershy slowly trotted around the bed, her eyes never once leaving Wind Whisper. “She has a small bruise on her side and her wings are really strained, but aside from that she’s completely fine,” she explained happily, then shot Thorax a knowing grin. “And, more importantly, she kept asking if there was anything she could do to help you.”
Thorax’s eyes widened and he shifted so he could look at Fluttershy better. He mouthed like a fish for a few seconds before he found his voice. “Really? She… wanted to help me? After everything I…?”
“Mhmm,” Fluttershy softly nodded her head while gently reaching down to brush a stray strand of Wind’s mess mane back into place, tucking it behind her ear. Wind murmured something unintelligible from the contact but did not wake. “She was really worried about you… Whatever you said to her, it must have worked. She refused to leave your side once we got you tucked in.”
Thorax looked down at Wind, his face a mix of relief, confusion and solemn joy. A crooked smile spread on his face, and he felt a warm feeling in his chest when Wind shifted a little, a tiny squeak coming out of her throat as she did. He let his head flop back down, a tiny, inexplicable chortle bubbling up. Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion from the odd reaction to the good news but just shrugged it off for the time being. After a second, Thorax’s little laughs faded, and he turned his eyes to Fluttershy again. His facial expression was far more serious, now, and he decided to bite the bullet and ask the question. “And… What about Pharynx? The, uh, other changeling I was with?”
Fluttershy’s ears drooped and her smile faded away. “Oh, um… he’s…” she hesitated and looked down, biting her lip and suddenly looking remarkably nervous. It was her turn to fidget with her hooves, not sure how to respond. “He’s… uh…”
Thorax’s brow angled with concern and worry. Was Pharynx not okay? Had he gone too far in their fight?! Thorax leaned slightly towards her, anxiety and fear for his big brother seeping into his voice, making it quiver. “Fluttershy, he’s my brother. Is he okay? Is he alright? I didn’t hurt him, did I? Please tell me that he’s okay!”
Fluttershy lifted a hoof to her lips and made a quiet ‘shh’ sound, reminding Thorax of the sleeping filly pressed up against him. He grimaced, but nodded, shrinking back into the blankets and letting Fluttershy explain in her own time. She bowed her head, still not quite meeting his gaze. Finally, with a deep breath, she found her voice and started talking. “No, he’s okay, but, uh… um… you see, we… um… I… Rainbow Dash had him… um… put in the dungeon...” she finally managed to explain, her ears folding even farther back against her head.
Thorax blinked, his own ears flattening back. Visibly deflating, he lay his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes. “It makes sense, I guess… just… I had to fight my own brother… I didn’t want to hurt him…”
“And you didn’t. He’s going to be fine, from what I can tell. Although…” Fluttershy turned her eyes to Wind again, and her expression became somewhat more disturbed when they caught a glimpse of one of her pointy fangs poking out from her upper lip. “Uhm… he might not be able to walk without help for a while. Wind Whisper… her fangs did a lot more damage than I would have thought for how small they are. They punched right through his chitin and did some damage to the muscles underneath. I cleaned the wound and did my best to treat it, but there’s only so much I can do. I don’t know anything about changeling biology or anatomy, and a lot of the infirmary medical supplies here are… really outdated.”
“Hence the book?” Thorax ventured while gesturing to the tome that now rested by the foot of the chair, earning a nod from Fluttershy.
“Oh, yes. I’ve been reading it for hours, now, making sure I know how to make use of all of these old items… Anyway…” her smile returned and she finally looked at Thorax again. “You still need some rest, and we don’t want to wake up Wind. Go ahead and get some more sleep, if you can. I’ll be right over in the chair if you need anything.”
“Alright… um…” Thorax shifted slightly to get a bit more comfortable and let out a comfortable sigh. “Goodnight, I guess…”
“...And Thorax?”
“Huh?”
“I’m proud of you.”
Thorax opened his eyes for a moment, just a crack, then closed them again, a small smile appearing on his face. “Thanks…”
Rainbow Dash set her crown down on the bedside table with a long exhale, relief washing over her like a warm blanket. “Whew… busy day, huh?” she asked while turning to face Twilight, who was currently, and sluggishly, peeling back the blankets on the other bed in the room and climbing in. The dark bags under her eyes, the lack of coordination in her movements, the way she was yawning every ten seconds or so… yeah, she really needed some quality sleep.
“I still think I could… could…” Twilight tried to voice a protest, but an enormous yawn interrupted her mid-sentence. Her muzzle scrunched up in annoyance when it was over before she tried again. “I still think I could get some more stuff done before going to bed…”
“I mean, yeah, you could,” Rainbow agreed nonchalantly before, with a quick flutter of her wings, she bounded over to Twilight’s side and poked her in the ribs, making her let out a high-pitched yip and jump back into her bed. Twilight pouted pitifully in response, and Rainbow just smirked. “But that would mean going without sleep, and you need some. Lay down and get some rest, okay? Out of all of us, I think you’ve earned it.”
“Makes sense, coming from you… you’re the queen of napping,” Twilight murmured, sitting upright on the bed and using her magic to straighten out the blankets. “But what about Starlight? She did about as much as I did today,” she then questioned, her words partially slurred.
Rainbow Dash winced at that question, a slight burning sensation starting up at the base of her skull. She forced the feeling down before giving a noncommittal shrug. “Yeah, I guess, and she did help maintain your barrier dome and stuff, but she didn’t cast it,” she dismissed before smiling down at Twilight, who was sliding under the blankets and practically melting into the mattress. “But, to be fair… I’m a little biased.”
Twilight snorted in amusement. “Psh. Yeah, you are…” she agreed dryly before another yawn worked its way out of her. “So very… very biased…”
“Hey,” Rainbow continued in a quiet, playful whisper while bringing her face closer to Twilight’s. “At least I picked something really good to be biased towards, eh?”
Twilight just rolled her eyes at the hypocritical irony in that sentence before shaking her head. “Rainbow, I’m not sure you understand how bias works…” she murmured, her eyes starting to drift closed.
“I totally know what bias is,” Rainbow rebutted, a hoof flying up to her chest in mock offense. “And, as an unbiased fact, you are the best. Period.”
Twilight gave an adorably drowsy giggle before reaching out and poking Rainbow on the nose, making her sputter slightly. “Heh, that’s still your bias talking,” she teased even as Rainbow reached a hoof up to grab her own.
“Nuh-uh,” Rainbow protested, refusing to let go of the unicorn’s hoof even as she tugged it back. “I can prove that you’re the best with a simple math formula.”
Twilight’s ears perked up and one of her eyes opted to remain open. “Really?” she asked in an almost taunting voice, her efforts to pull her hoof back leading it to just kind of loosely swinging back in forth in front of her as Rainbow held on to it.
“Yuh-huh,” Rainbow affirmed with a chirpy nod. “It’s easy, really. Twilight plus sparkle equals the best thing ever. It’s simple science, and I know you like science.”
Twilight gave another, louder giggle and finally rugged her hoof free before playfully shoving Rainbow Dash in the chest. “Oh my gosh, that’s bad. You really don’t understand science, do you?”
“I understand that I made you giggle. I don’t really need to understand more than that,” Rainbow casually dismissed before quickly leaning down and planting a kiss on Twilight’s lips, catching her off guard. The unicorn regained her faculties after a moment and hummed from the contact, returning the loving gesture as well as she could in her sleep-deprived state. Rainbow eventually pulled back though, drawing a disappointed huff and quiet whine out of her. Rainbow gave her a much softer smile while gently running a hoof over her mane. “Now get some sleep, okay? We need everypony at their best… and, uh, no offense, but you look awful when you don’t get sleep.”
Twilight just hummed under the ministration on her head and nodded, not willing to retort to Rainbow’s comment on her looks. She cooed quietly and let her eyes drift totally closed. Rainbow took another few moments to just pet Twilight’s mane before standing up and heading for her own bed, which was only a couple of steps away. Once she was under the covers, she looked at Twilight across from her with a glowing smile.
Sadly, that smile slowly began to fade away as the memory of her agreement with King Sombra snaked its way back into the forefront of her mind. She thought of what would happen if the others found out, if Twilight found out, and that horrible feeling of guilt reared its ugly head again. Except for this time, she couldn’t spill her heart out about it, like she had done after the incident with Starlight on the Manehattan train. She had to keep it to herself for now… if only because she couldn't stand the thought of Twilight looking at her with such disappointment and contempt again.
And she knew that this time if she couldn’t find a way to break the contract, there would be no salvaging their relationship, nor forgiveness for what she had done. Attacking one innocent mare in a fit of rage caused by a Spirit of Chaos messing with her head was one thing… but knowingly and willingly dooming an entire city of innocents, who were a thousand years out of time, to live the rest of their lives in fear and pain under a tyrannical, shadowy monster of a king? That was something else entirely...
She wasn’t able to look at Twilight anymore. She rolled over and faced the other wall, her eyes unable to close, sleep unable to find her as scenario after heart-wrenching scenario raced through her mind. Each one was worse than the last, and fresh tears began to form in her eyes. She kept her vocalizations of distress as quiet as possible, hoping to not disturb Twilight’s rest.
As if sensing the other mare’s thoughts, Twilight, from where she lay, opened her eyes and stared into the back of Rainbow’s head. She saw her shaking, heard the quivering in her breaths, and her expression became one of worry and sympathy. Without a word, moving silently, Twilight slipped out of her bed and approached Rainbow’s. Then, with a gentle tug of her magic, she pulled back Rainbow’s blankets and went to slide in next to her; there was enough room for both of them, after all.
Rainbow glanced over her shoulder but said nothing as Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow’s barrel and snuggled into her back before using her magic to pull the blankets over both of them. She gave the quivering pegasus a gentle squeeze and nuzzled into the back of her neck, letting out a gentle, comforting hum. “It’s okay, Dash… I’ve got you.”
Rainbow sniffled slightly, then let her eyes drift closed again, her head falling back to the pillow. For several long seconds, her shaking breaths continued, with Twilight offering her comfort with quiet whispers and gentle squeezes. Finally, after a while, there was silence. The two mares fell into a silent, peaceful slumber, the corners of their lips starting to curl into small smiles.
I’m now worried and curious about what’s going to happen between Rainbow and Twilight.
I read your preview blog post for this chapter. I'll give you the 'cute,' 'super cute,' 'sad,' and 'sad but still cute' but I didn't see anything implying 'I don't like where this is going.'
I am missing something, or was that for the next chapter, after this?
9025501
It was more of a nod to a select few people who have read through 'The Fiends Trilogy,' another series of stories that I am writing when I'm not working on this one.
9025504 Okay, well thanks for the clear up.
... waaaaaitaminute....
Well, at least the guards in MLP are good for something.
"She's also developed a taste for changeling blood after biting Pharynx. Just thought I'd warn you..."
Is that an understatement I hear? Why yes. Yes it is.
Hold up. I don't mean to be THAT guy, but if that's the excuse as to why she can't treat Pharnyx, then why were Thorax's injuries so easy to treat if Fluttershy "doesn't know about Changeling anatomy?" I detect plothole.
9025587
Because he doesn't have a giant gaping hole in his leg?
Also, The End:
Seriously, this is some of the best Twidash I've read. At least as a couple.
9025610
True, but in order to treat ANYONE, Fluttershy would have to know changeling anatomy, right? What if the method for treating ponies for what Thorax has was different for Changelings?
9025614
She's also not an idiot. She may be shy and timid, but she knows her stuff when it comes to medicine and is probably able to make a few base inferences and be right. Changeling anatomy and biology is different from that of a pony, kind of like how an elephant's anatomy and biology is different from that of a human, but it still operates off of a few fundamentally identical precepts. I mean, a bruise is a bruise and blood loss is blood loss, no matter how you slice it. Plus, she never said she treated him 'perfectly,' only 'as well as she could.'
Problem is if she just thought about it she'd realize that coming clean about the deal would be way more beneficial. Maybe it looks bad at first, but what it did short term was buy them time to find answers to both problems, which would go way easier if the rest of the group knew about the Sombra problem.
Twilight isn't stupid, she knows something is wrong, and she'll be even more hurt by Rainbow not trusting her enough to help with the problem. She's also smart enough to realize Rainbow didn't have a choice and that in the long run this way is at least something they can potentially deal with. If Rainbow hadn't taken the deal, they would have already lost to him. There's some easy math for you.
Really think Rainbow Dash needs to talk to the others about what she did so that they can all work together on finding a solution. They're going to find out sooner or later, and it's better if they find out from her and while there's still time to try and figure out what to do about it.
Wasn't part of the agreement with Sombra that he protect them from the changelings? If so, wouldn't the fact that Pharynx got in and caused trouble a sign that he didn't keep up his side of the bargain?
Nope, Rainbow hasn't learned. Oh well...
"Messy" with a "y" at the end.
Fun fact: Uh... I... Um... Imperial Tie fighters are terrible because the pilot can't see anything through those ridiculously-tiny windows. Yeah. That counts as a fact that may-or-may-not be "fun", right?
9025577
Only those in the Crystal Empire. The guards Canterlot are still as useless as always.
I’ve known for a while that the chapter names seem to get longer as the story progresses, but I just thought that was by coincidence. However, I looked back at all the chapters in each of the stories and found that the chapter names start off with only having one word in the title. Then, after so many chapters there are now two words for each of the chapter names, and then three and four. This pattern seems to continue until the end of the story and restarting at the next.
I thought this was pretty cool at the time. Like just another thing that increases my appreciation for Skijarama. Then I decided to count how many chapters had one word for their title and how many chapters had 2 words for their title and so forth, and I saw another pattern. In the first two stories (because that’s all I’ve read so far and I don’t won’t to spoil anything for me), the first 19 chapters had one worded titles for each, and the next ten chapters had two worded titles, and again the next 10 chapters had three word titles. Now after the ten chapters of three worded titles in Little Glimpes the story ends with one singular 4 worded title. I decided anyway to count the amount of chapters with 4 worded titles in Little Choices and there was 10, and then there were only 7 five worded titles before the story ended. So here’s a little thing to show the progress so far, with the first number being number of chapters and the second being number of words in the chapter name.
Little Glimpses - 19-1 10-2 10-3 1-4
Little Choices - 19-1 10-2 10-3 10-4 7-5
Nifty, huh?
(Also I’m pretty sure this pattern will end with this story because the last chapter is called “Epilouge” only one word. Also I counted and the first 19 chapters of this story have only one word so maybe it continues?)
Also, wall of text, sorry.
10298426
Yeah, that pattern was completely accidental, as a fun fact. Back when I was writing Glimpses, when I got to the Birthday chapter, I was having a hard time figuring out what to call it, as I recall. 'Birthday' would have just sounded awkward. Well, it was chapter 20, Rainbow had turned double digits old, and I needed a better name, so 'Happy Birthday' was used, and the pattern was born from there where, on any chapter of double digits, the number of words in the chapter title dictated the number of words used in the chapter titles.
Did this add anything? Oh, hell no, it was just a fun gimmick that someone finally noticed without me having to point it out.
Alas, I elected to abandon this structure at the same time as a certain plot-point in Consequences, and have not used it since. It was fun and all, but with time it became more restrictive in how I named my chapters than anything.
9025573
I thought the exact. Same. Thing.