Bug on the Breeze

Pharynx held the kelpie close until he was certain it was no longer a threat before releasing it. He then reverted into his normal form to conserve what little remained of his energy, both magical and physical. He staggered across the sand towards Zephyr’s prone form, an unusual amount of worry gripping his heart as he searched for any sign of life from the pegasus.

As he got closer, he could see Zephyr’s sides rising and falling and almost stumbled with relief. He regained his footing and continued on, some of the hope washing away as it became clear Zephyr was unconscious.

Pharynx nudged his side and sighed when Zephyr didn’t respond. “Just had to make me carry you at some point, huh?”

Digging deep into his magical reserves and personal strength, he levitated Zephyr off the ground and flew up back into the cave. He placed Zephyr down as far back as he could, not liking that they were stuck in such an open area but knowing there was absolutely no way he could get them to safer shelter in his current state.

He located both his and Zephyr’s backpacks and dragged them over with his magic. His horn sputtered as his magic finally failed, spent for now. Pharynx growled and stomped his hoof to bleed some of his frustration out before digging through Zephyr’s bag for the satchel full of first aid supplies and turning his attention to the pegasus.

Darkening bruises mottled Zephyr’s body and there were even patches of fur missing thanks to the rough grit of the sand. Around his midsection were scratches and bite marks from where the kelpie had grabbed him, but thankfully most of the marks seemed relatively shallow, with only a couple teeth penetrating deep enough to be concerning.

Pharynx grabbed his canteen and used some water to carefully clean the more pressing injuries, saving the rest of it for when Zephyr woke up. He flipped open the satchel and grabbed a few rolls of bandages and patches of gauze. It took much longer than he liked to dress the pegasus, the process slow and grueling as his limbs grew heavier and began to shake uncontrollably. Pharynx gnashed his teeth and forced himself through it, a heavy string of internal curses directed at himself urging him to just.keep.moving.

Eventually, he felt confident Zephyr was wrapped up enough to not bleed out within the next day and flopped to the ground unceremoniously. Pharynx shut his eyes for a minute, tempted to drift off and finally let his body rest, but there was one last thing he had to do before that.

Groaning, he peeked an eye open and flailed a hoof out to grab the roll that held Zephyr’s survival tools. He dragged it over and opened it, pawing at a pocket near the middle that held a small, glass like orb inside.

He forced a spark of magic into his horn to activate the communication crystal and it glowed with the green light of a successful connection. Thorax’s voice filled his mind. Oh! Hey Pharynx, I’m glad you found the crystal I stashed in Zephyr’s kit. How is everything?

Pharynx almost laughed. Well, we took care of the problem. Both of us are in rough shape though, think you could put together a recovery squad?

OH MY GOODNESS ARE YOU OKAY?!?

Pharynx winced. No need to shout, we survived. I’m almost completely burned out though and Zephyr is unconscious with some bad wounds. How soon can you get here?

There was a long pause, long enough that Pharynx worried the connection had severed, but then Thorax spoke again.

I’ve got your location. I’ll start assembling everyone right now, we should be there by late tomorrow morning. Can you hold out for that long?

Don’t have much of a choice. I’m going to rest now, I’ll see you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

With immediate injuries addressed and help on the way, Pharynx finally allowed himself to sleep.

It was near dusk when Pharynx suddenly woke up with the startling sensation of being watched. He didn’t have to look very hard to find the source, his body freezing almost as soon as he opened his eyes.

Directly outside of the cave, with a head big enough to block the entire entrance, was a sand kelpie, staring directly at him. When it sensed he was staring back, it swung its massive head away, towards the body of its young before looking back in the cave. Pharynx snarled as he stood up, protectively spreading his wings over Zephyr, who was still laid up behind him, and puffed his chest out.

The kelpie snorted, sending a gust of sand and wind at him, but Pharynx stood his ground unflinchingly. Seconds crawled by as neither blinked, Pharynx barely letting himself breathe. Finally, the monster let out a low growl that rumbled like thunder before turning away. It paused to pick up the smaller kelpie in its mouth before disappearing under the sand and leaving behind a tall, winding wall of dunes behind it.

Pharynx gasped as it left, his legs buckling beneath him as he let himself collapse again. He looked over at Zephyr, a small smile forming at the blissful expression on the pegasus’s face. His smile faded as his eyes scanned the various injuries and bandages, some already tinged red, and a weight grew in his chest.

He closed his eyes and turned away, silently promising that he would never allow Zephyr to get hurt again.

~~

Zephyr groaned as he became aware of his body again, the recently formed aches and soreness in his wings quickly overshadowed by the pain that seemed to permeate every other inch of him. He couldn’t even feel specific injuries or body parts, just an overwhelming sense of ow.

He struggled to open his eyes, his lids feeling incredibly heavy. Finally he was successful, and looked around. The room felt familiar, with natural stone walls and a hole to his side letting in the soft light of the moon. He looked down and saw he was almost cocooned in a comfortable hammock, the bottom cushioned with extra blankets to cradle his abused body. He saw a lot of bandages, a few randomly wrapped around his legs and one that went around his neck and tucked into the largest concentration binding his midsection.

There was movement beside him and he sharply turned his head, regretting the quick motion with a wince and hiss of pain. “Ow…”

Pharynx stepped into his field of view, an uncharacteristic amount of worry on his face as he steadied the hammock with a hoof. “Shh, it’s okay, it’s just me. Do you know where you are?”

Zephyr licked his lips, surprised at just how dry his mouth and throat felt. “Yeah,” he croaked, “We are at the hive.” He furrowed his brows. “How did we get here?”

Pharynx offered up a cup, holding the straw near Zephyr’s lips. Only when the pegasus took it and began to drink did he answer the question. “I called Thorax. He put one of our communication crystals in your tool kit and I used it to get a rescue squad to us.”

Zephyr leaned away from the straw and sighed, already feeling a bit better from the bit of water. “And the kelpie?”

Pharynx’s expression hardened. “I did what I had to to protect you.”

Zephyr blinked, and as he processed the specific word choice began to blush. “Y-you mean protect the hive, right?”

“You heard me.”

Zephyr gulped and looked away from Pharynx. “So…by ‘to protect me’ do you mean…”

Pharynx snorted, making Zephyr look back at him. Suddenly, the changeling looked a little nervous, unsure even. “I… I don’t know. I mean, I do feel…love… but I’ve only felt that way about my brother or the hive, and that’s different. I don’t know if this, between us, is the same or something else.”

Zephyr smiled weakly. “I don’t know either. Why don’t we start with what we do know we feel and then go from there?”

Pharynx shrugged. “Sure, okay.”

He worked his jaw a little, considering his words. “This last day has felt like torture waiting for you to wake up. You vex me, and confuse me, a lot, with the things you say but there’s an almost refreshing sense of wonder about you too. You see the world much differently than me, and while you have known hardness I have seen the harsh depths the world will stoop to and it makes me want to protect you. I want to see you live your life and follow your dreams, wherever the breeze takes you.”

Zephyr’s smile widened and Pharynx returned the look before becoming sober again. “When I hit the wall, I wasn’t even thinking about the pain I was in, I was thinking about you. I watched the kelpie chase you and I hated that I couldn’t move. Then you were there again and you were okay. But then…”

Pharynx looked at the bandages, an extremely guilty look on his face. “I wasn’t strong enough or fast enough to save you. You got hurt because of me.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, once more looking in Zephyr’s eyes intensely. “But no matter what happens between us, I swear that I will never let you get hurt again.”

Zephyr’s eyes brimmed with tears and Pharynx reached out, as if to wipe them away, but hesitated. Groaning with effort, Zephyr lifted one of his hooves and brought Pharynx’s hoof to his cheek. “I don’t always like how you say things, and sometimes you come off as a bully, but you believed in me. You do believe in me, in the real me that lives with my head in the clouds and goes with the flow. You are strong and make me feel strong too, even when I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

Pharynx gently rubbed his cheek and Zephyr sniffled, choking up. “I, I would love to travel with you, to see where the breeze can take us, together.”

Pharynx nodded, his face twitching as if trying to fight back tears himself. “I’d, ahem, I’d like that too.” He chuckled. “Once you're healed of course.”

Zephyr laughed a little, then immediately winced in pain. “Ah haha, ow…Heh, yeah.” He glanced down at his body. “You know, I sure hope I don’t have a ton of scars, the tough guy look is better on you.”

Pharynx grinned, teasing. “I don’t know, being such a tough bug and all, I might just find scars attractive.”

Zephyr’s blush returned with a vengeance as he giggled and tried to cover his face, laughing and wincing all the while.

Pharynx chuckled and waited until Zephyr had calmed down before clearing his throat to grab his attention, feeling awkward again. “You know, you did mention a mare at some point…Is that going to be a problem?”

“Who? Rainbow Dash? Oh I mean, she’s been pining for me practically my whole life but never made a move. This will probably hurt her…” Zephyr sighed. “But she’s strong, and I’m sure she’ll be able to move on. Eventually. My charm can be a hard thing to forget.”

Pharynx raised an eyebrow, now doubting the sincerity of Rainbow Dash’s love for Zephyr, but decided to let it slide. Zephyr Breeze was an enigma, a frustrating, confusing, and sometimes very, very, dumb enigma…But he was Pharynx’s enigma now.