"Flash Cutter!"
"Steel Paw!"
"Iron Lance Fury!"
The three defenders all launched their attacks at the advancing timberwolves, Flash and Iron's long-range attacks shredding several to pieces while Springer raced up past the remaining ones, slicing them up before they could react. Off to the side, Lightning and Grand were standing still, Spike on the older pony's back.
"Spike!" Flash called out, "Get ready!"
"Okay!" The drake gave him a thumbs-up as the three continued to slash their way through the horde. But as they did this, Spike saw another timberwolf leap out from behind a bush, this one charging at Lightning at full speed. "Look out!"
The two ponies turned to the monster, Grand leaping away as Lightning charged a blast of electrical energy into his front hoof. "Take this!" He punched the timberwolf in the chest, sending him flying but still in one piece. "Time to try out a new move." His body tensed up as lightning surged around his body, the timberwolf now beginning to pick itself up. But as it did this, the defender went into a full gallop. "Lightning Sonic!"
The unicorn zipped into the air, spinning into a sphere of lightning. And as the timberwolf turned to him, Lightning straightened out and thrust his back hooves into the beast's face, a surge of electricity ripping into the wooden wolf. The blow shattered the beast, making him explode into twigs.
"Nice shot!" Grand cheered as the rest of the defenders finished off the remaining timberwolves. "My turn!" He held up his hammer and slammed it into the dirt, causing the parts of the timberwolf remains to shoot up while the ground formed an elevated bowl of rock that soon held the twigs inside. "Alright Spike, burn 'em!"
"Got it!" Spike raced up to the bowl and spat out a fireball, lighting the timberwolf remains ablaze. The stone basin kept the flames inside, leaving the forest safe from the dragon's fire.
Everypony smiled at this, only for all of them to sigh in relief. Over the last few days, the Timberwolves of the Everfree seemed to have had an uprising, a sudden almost army now appearing at Ponyville's side of the forest. Knowing that an invasion would be coming next, the defenders came up with the idea of Grand and Spike's combined powers to get rid of the wolves for good. Hopefully, fully getting rid of this batch of wolves would be a good warning for the beasts to stay away.
Flash then walked up to the little dragon and rubbed his head. "Thanks for the help Spike."
"No problem," the purple fire-breather replied. "Always happy to lend a flame."
"You wouldn't have to if we had a fire-type Royal Knight," Lightning added as he turned to his grandfather. "Any idea when we're gonna get one?"
Grand shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows. It's not like we pick which element the knights wield. Instead, it's all a matter of what element they best attune to. Heck, we could get another light, iron or earth knight before we get one with fire abilities."
"But luckily," Spike pointed to himself. "You've got me to help out until you find one."
"And we appreciate it," Springer said as he changed back to his smaller form.
"But you should probably get back to town before Twilight freaks out," Flash told him before turning to Lightning, "Mind warping him back? We're gonna double-check the area in case we missed a piece of a timberwolf."
Spike shook his head, "Nah, I can walk. It isn't that far."
"You sure squirt?" Iron asked him, "It might not be far, but this forest has a tendency to turn you around. You might get lost along the way."
"I'll be fine," Spike puffed up his chest. "I'm not a little kid you know. I can find my way home without issue."
The defenders all shared glances, Flash scratching the back of his head with a frown, "Well...if you're sure."
"I am."
"Alright. We'll see you back in town when we're done. But if anything does happen, launch a fireball to the sky."
"Sure." With that, the little dragon began to trek through the woods as the defenders turned away, all now working to see if they needed to look out for anymore wolves. As they did this, Spike grumbled as he walked down a forest path, "Like I need a warp. I've been through these woods a ton of times. I can navigate it like the back of my-WHOA!" His bragging came to a stop as he suddenly found himself sliding down a large hill, rolling like a ball until reaching a cliff, flying off instantly, "AAAHHHHH!"
THUD!
"Ow!"
After falling a good ten feet, Spike now found himself face first into a deep mud puddle, his form now sinking below the surface. Seconds passed before his head broke through the mud, gasping for air as he began to frantically swim through the boggy liquid. And as he did this, he let out a moan, "Aww....gross." he then looked down at his muddy body, starting to wipe himself as he kept trudging through the mud.
And as he stopped trying to clean himself, he looked up to see he had no idea where he was now. Growling at this, he sat down on a log right by a big tree that had a big hole in it, now grumbling to himself, "Oh, great. Now what do I do? I don't wanna ask for help. I mean, I can get home all by...my...self?" His words began to titter off as he turned to the nearby tree, now looking in the hole to see...himself. "Whoa!"
He began to backpedal, seconds passing in his brain before a click went off, "Oh. Its just my reflection. Though why is it in a tree?" He blinked at the image, only to shrug, "Eh, its the Everfree. I'm not gonna try to figure it out."
The drake turned from the mirror as he tried to start thinking, growling as he bit his lip. But before he could comment to himself, his head zipped back to the tree, now noticing something in the corner of his eye. "Huh?" He looked back at the reflection, which was staring back at him in the exact same pose he was in.
His head moved back and forth next, the reflection now matching his movements perfectly. He then stuck out his tongue, waggling it around as the mirror image did the same. Blinking at this, he put his claw into his right eye and stretched it down, the refection doing the same. And as each moment was copied without flaw, he did another shrug, "Weird. Just my imagination, I guess." He turned away to walk off, only for the reflection to stay exactly where it was.
"Achoo!" The reflection went, now being covered in blue flames.
Spike spun around at the sound, his eyes going wide at the sight before him. As the flames disappeared, he saw his reflection was replaced by a familiar black bug pony hybrid. "Cha-cha-cha-CHANGELING!" He screamed before spinning around into a sprint, his ears hearing the changeling call out to him.
"Wait!"
But Spike didn't listen, continuing to run as he ran into another treeline….only to immediately find himself on the edge of another cliff. "WHOA!" He yelped as he tried to pull himself to a stop...but it was too late. His form fell right off the edge, "AAAAAAHH-blugh!" his face splatted into a yet another puddle, this one just as deep as the last.
"Ungh…" he moaned as he tried to pick himself up, "Awww...not-huh?" He tried to pull his body upward, only to feel himself stuck. Looking down, he tried to pull and pull, but to no avail. He couldn't move except his tail, which wasn't in the mud. "What the-what is this stuff?"
It was here that a growling noise hit his ears, making him look up to see a pair of glowing orange eyes appear in the darkness. That darkness was the mud, which slowly lifted to show a large cragadile.
"Oh no..." Spike whispered as he continued to struggle, "I gotta get out of here!" he yelled as he kept pulling, only to feel a blast of air come out of the cragadile's nostrils and into the drake's face. "Um...please don't-"
"Hold on!" A voice from above called out, Spike now suddenly feeling something pull on his tail. The jerking of his back ripped him out of the gunk, all seconds before the cragadile snapped his jaws at the dragon.
And as Spike glanced up to see who saved him, his eyes went wide as he saw it was the changeling, the bug flying him above the treeline, "Huh. This is different."
A little later...
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE SPIKE IS?!"
The whole town violently shook to the loud scream that originated from the Castle of Friendship. As for the owner of the outbreak, she was panting, anger pouring down her face as she fought hyperventilation. Everypony else in the room were backpedaling at the sight, knowing it was about to be a level five Twilighting episode. "I can't believe you guys!" She screeched as she glared down at the defenders, the stallions now feeling very small as they huddled together. "The one time I let you take Spike into a fight...AND YOU LOSE HIM?!"
"Well technically, we didn't actually lose him during the-hrk!" Flash's words came to a stop as Twilight magically shut his mouth, daggers glaring out of her eyes.
"How could you all be so irresponsible?!" Rarity added while stomping her hooves, "The Everfree Forest is no place to let somepony so young go!"
"He's been in and out of there tons of times," Lightning barked back, "You all have had to pass through it every time you head to the Castle of the Two Sisters."
"That's because we made a path right to it," Twilight growled, her horn now flaring. The sight made them backpedal again, only for her to let out a sigh. "Ugh...come on." A flash of purple light followed this, the group now seeing they were standing on the outskirts of the forest. Using her magic to now pull the defenders apart, she started pointing at the ponies as she put them in pairs, "We'll need to split up. Applejack and Rarity, you take the eastern side of the forest while Flash flies over it. Pinkie and Wild, you take the western with Rainbow flying overhead. Iron and Fluttershy, you stay on the outskirts if he comes back. Fluttershy, think some of your animal friends can help?"
"Oh yes, of course."
"Right. As for the rest of us, we'll check the center of the forest by heading to the castle ruins. If he can't find his way out, he'll likely try to find his way there. Remember, if you find Spike, try and send out some kind of signal to let the rest of us know." She then noticed Pinkie raise a hoof, "Yes Pinkie?"
"Do I need to send up a signal now? I found him." She pointed behind Twilight, the alicorn spinning around to see Spike trudging out from the trees with mud all over his body.
"SPIKE!" Twilight cheered as she ran over, grabbing the drake in her magic and pulling him into a hug. "You're alright! Thank Celestia!"
"I'm fine," Spike squeaked out, now feeling Twilight's earth pony strength squeezing him like a doll, "Twilight...air..."
"Oh," Twilight instantly released him, "Sorry." As she did this, her horn sparked, taking off the mud from the hug with a touch of magical teleportation.
"It's cool," Spike pushed into his spine, clicking something back into place as everypony else gathered around him.
"Are you sure you're alright Spiky?"
Spike shined a big smirk at Rarity's concern, "I'm fine. I mean, sure I got lost, but...I'm fine now."
"So what happened?" Rainbow asked as her eyes scanned over the mud covering him. "You look like you went on an adventure."
"I guess." the little dragon replied, everypony now noticing that he was nervously scratching the back of his head. "I uh...well, I kinda ran into something that I thought was dangerous, but it actually saved me when I was being attacked by a cragadile."
"What was it?" Applejack replied, "If it saved yah, it can't be too bad."
Spike shook his head, "You say that now, but when you see him...you might not be so open."
Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder. "Spike, if you trust him, then I don't see what issue we'd have."
Everypony else nodded in agreement, Spike sighing in relief. "Alright...but just remember to stay cool when you see him. In fact, he says he's met one of you before."
"Who?" Pinkie asked, Spike not replying as he turned to the woods.
"Alright, you can come on out." Everypony glanced at the trees, blinking at the bushes. It was here that something illuminated out of the forest's darkness, that being a pair of bright blue eyes.
"What the-what's that?!" Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow, only for the eyes' owner to step out into the light.
"CHANGELING!" They all screeched, most flinching in fear while the defenders reached for their weapons. But before they could go on the offense, Spike leapt between them and the bug-pony with his claws raised.
"WAIT!"
"Get out of the way Spike!" Twilight yelled as she sparked her horn, "If there's one changeling, then the rest of the swarm can't be too far away! Chrysalis is probably around too, waiting for this drone!"
"That's not what's going on-"
"Oh, Spiky-wikey! The changeling must have brainwashed him, just like Shining Armor was!"
"I'm not brainwashed!"
"That's exactly what a brainwashed victim would say," Iron barked back, Spike faceclawing at his response.
"Will you all just listen?!" Spike yelled, "Everypony, this changeling isn't with the rest of the hive, and he helped me!" He then turned around, "Help me out here. Could you tell them?"
The changeling, who was now shaking like a leaf at the glares, did a long gulp as he tried to talk, "H-h-h-hello..." he squeaked out, trying to wave a hoof, only to get nothing but glares in response. Slightly backpedaling from the stares, he continued, "N-n-now, I know you're not very trusting of changelings, a-a-and I don't blame you for being."
"Of course we don't!" Rainbow barked back, "You're part of a bunch of invading bugs!"
"But I-"
"Hold it Rainbow." Flash interrupted, flaring his wing in front of her.
"Oh, come on Flash! Don't tell me you're also falling for-"
"Stop." Flash growled as he turned back and glared at her, his face shutting her up. And as he looked back at the changeling, he began to slowly walk up to the bug, "Now, I know this sounds weird, but I know that voice. Who are you?"
The changeling's ears spiked up, a big smile now gracing his face, "You remember me?!"
"Um...should I?"
"Oh yes, Flash Sentry! We met during the invasion!" the bug replied, nodding rapidly. "I did what you said and left Canterlot. Don't you remember?"
Flash began to blink at his words, only to slowly say, "Thorax?"
"Yes!" The changeling nodded frantically again, "Its me, Thorax!"
"But...weren't you thrown away from Cadance and Shining's love magic?"
Thorax looked slightly away, twiddling his hooves as he replied, "Oh...yeah. Well you see, I did get hit by the blast...but not like the rest of the hive. I managed to get to the edge of the city limits when it went off. Because of that, I wasn't...you know, launched into the horizon. Instead, I was knocked a few miles away." The bug started to rub his back, "But geez...that blast was no joke. It really hurt."
"Huh," Flash added, putting a hoof to his chin.
But before he could say anything, Twilight walked up and put a hoof on his shoulder, "Flash, is this really the changeling you met before?"
Flash did a small nod. "Yeah, I think so. He's the one that warned me about the ambush-"
"Like it did us any good," Rainbow interrupted. "Seriously Flash, are we actually listening to this?!"
"Wait!" Thorax spoke up, everypony turning back to him as he continued, "Look, I know you all have a bad history with my race...but if you give me a chance, then I'm sure I can prove to you that you can trust me." He stared at the many ponies, hoping his words would show them he was sincere. And as he watched, they all shared a look at one another, as if having a mental conversation before turning back to him, "Well?"
"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to get a phone call!" He called out from within the Ponyville jail.
"What's a phone?" Pinkie asked while tilting her head.
"Eh, I'll tell you later." Flash replied while crossing his hooves, his back now leaning up to the outside wall of the jail. "Now...what do we do about him?"
Lightning raised a hoof first, "I say we send him to Grand Stable Penitentiary before he tries to replace one of us."
"Seconded." Iron added.
"Now hold on there Iron," Fluttershy responded as she put her hoof in, "We can't just assume he's bad because he's a changeling. What if he's actually good?"
"Its a changeling. We shouldn't-"
"She's right," Grand interrupted, stomping his hoof, "We can't prosecute him without proof, or his species. He alone shouldn't be judged for his whole race."
"No offense gramps, but why shouldn't we?" Lightning asked with crossed hooves, "I know I haven't fought changelings before, but didn't they attack Canterlot?"
"And you're saying you didn't?" Grand countered with a slight glare, "Lightning, if we do something like that, it'd be the same as if we prosecuted you for every crime committed by every criminal in Equestria all at once."
Lightning tried to reply, only to look away, "Yeah...I guess so."
Iron then spoke up again, "Even if that's true, what if this is a trick, and he's here under the queen's orders?"
Spinger shook his head in response, "I don't think so. I didn't sense any negative intentions coming from him, and when he said he had left Chrysalis, I didn't feel his aura darkening. He didn't tell a single lie."
"So he is on our side," Pinkie added.
"Unless Chrysalis hypnotized him," Twilight chimed in, "He could be under a spell to make him believe he's against her, only for it to be reversible when she needs information."
"Oh, come on!" Flash barked while rolling his eyes. "Listen, I'm gonna go with my gut on this and just believe him."
"Yeah!" Spike added with a rapid nod, "He did save my life!"
"Possibly as a way to make us trust him," Rarity pointed out. "If we allow him to stay here, who knows how much that could come back to bite us in the end."
"So we should just lock him up because he might be a threat?!" Spike growled, pointing at Lightning as he then said, "If that's the case, shouldn't we also lock Lightning and Wild up, or turn Discord back to stone?! They've done far worst things than Thorax has, and we've forgiven them!"
"Um...well..." Rarity shuffled her hooves, looking away from Spike's counter.
Spike saw this, making him do a small gulp, "Uh...sorry. I shouldn't have yelled."
Rarity shook her head, "No, you're right. You do...have a point."
Iron huffed at the exchange, "I still think we should keep him locked up."
"Why?" Flash asked with a shrug, "Can't he just like, turn into a fly and escape at anytime?" He then pointed to the jail's main door, "I mean, he's stayed in there this whole time. Don't you think we should at least find out why he isn't already escaping?"
Iron growled in response, only for Grand to flash his hoof in front of the defender, "That's enough Iron. Flash has a point, and we must remember, we're only a few ponies. We don't have the right to judge a race."
Fluttershy put her hoof on Iron's shoulder, making him calm down as he replied, "I...guess you're right. I still don't like this." He turned to the building, "But...why is he here?"
"Good question. Let's ask." Flash replied before opening the jail's main door, walking up to the cell and grabbing a stool to sit on. "Alright Thorax, we want some answers. What do you want?"
Thorax's eyes went wide at the question, "What?"
"Why are you here? You must have a reason. Why were you in the Everfree Forest?"
Thorax shrunk at the slight glare trying to appear on Flash's face, "I was just...just trying to keep myself hidden and away from ponies."
"Why?" Rainbow asked as she floated over Flash, "Can't you just can disguise yourself?"
Thorax looked away, a big frown forming on his face, "That's true, and I did do that to start with. But over time...it was just too tempting."
"Tempting?" Applejack asked, "What'cha talkin' bout?"
"Being around all those ponies, who had so much love and friendship...it made my instincts kick in. Every fiber of my being wanted to...to...to-"
"To drain them of their love," Twilight finished in a deadpan tone, the words making Thorax shiver as he slowly nodded. But as he looked back at the ponies, he saw glares now appearing on the faces, making him gulp.
"But I didn't do it! I...I hate that I have to do that." He squeaked out, only to look away again, "But it's just...its just so hard. I haven't fed on love since I left my hive."
"That was at the wedding, right?" He nodded at Flash's question, "That was almost a year ago. You've really survived that long?"
"It hasn't been easy. And it got even harder to be around ponies when I started getting more and more hungry." He flinched as his stomach started grumbling, the changeling clutching his gut as a look of pain appeared on him. "Sorry."
Everypony exchanged glances with frowns all around, Rainbow looking back at the bug, "Can't you uh...you know, just eat something else?" Pinkie nodded in agreement before pulling out a cupcake from her mane, holding it through the bars.
Thorax took the treat, only to sigh, "I appreciate the gesture, but it's not that simple. Changelings do eat normal food like ponies...but it doesn't help our need for love. It's like having two stomachs. One we need to fill with food and the other we need to fill with love." He flinched again as he said these words, his stomach letting out a roar that tried echo in the building.
Hearing the noise, the others all stared at him before turning to a certain pony. It was Flash, the defender walking up and opening the jail cell door with the stool in his hoof. Before anypony could say anything, he sat down in front of Thorax as he said, "Alright then. Feed on me."
"What?!" Thorax yelped, everypony gasping as they stared at Flash as if he had just grown a second head.
"You need love, so take some of mine."
"Flash!" Twilight screeched before marching over to him, "You can't be serious! We don't know what'll happen if he drains you!"
"Twilight, I'll be fine. This is me we're talking about."
"That doesn't matter!" Twilight barked back, "You know what's happened to you recently, as your Sacred Light doesn't protect you from everything."
"Twi-"
Thorax's head darted between the two, only to chime in, "Um...I'll hold back." Twilight's eyes jerked over to him, a glare now on her face as he shrunk back from the sight, "Uh...you see, if I do it, it'll just er…exhaust him a bit. And make him unable to feel any positive emotions connected to love for a while."
"You mean like what happened to my brother with Queen Chrysalis." Twilight countered before crossing her hooves, "I don't like this."
"And I don't want to do it." Thorax added, making Twilight's glare soften a little.
"Now hang on there," Flash said as he waved his hoof between the two, "You just said you hated stealing love from ponies, right?" Thorax did a small nod, "If that's the case...would you mind if somepony was willing to give it to you?" The changeling opened his mouth to respond, only to close it with a frown. But before he could say anything, Flash then added, "What if it's just a little bit? Barely enough for me to be affected and everything. How much would that help?"
Thorax looked away as he replied, "It'd uh...it would be like giving somepony who hasn't eaten in a month a single dandelion."
"Oh."
Thorax glanced back at him, "Why are you so willing to let me feed on you?"
Flash leaned back in the stool, rubbing his chin in thought, "Well...if I had to take a guess, it's because I've been in your situation. Before I met Twilight, I had to do things I hated doing to survive. I stole from a lot of ponies and upset many others." He crossed his hooves as he continued, "I didn't want to steal, but I didn't have much of a choice. Not only that, due to...recent events, its helped me realize how much that could have affected me in the long run if I had kept doing that." He stared back at Thorax, "Just like you don't have much of a choice."
Thorax tried to shrink back at those words, but nothing came to mind. As such, he let out a long sigh, "Alright...but just a little bit." He leaned forward as his horn began to glow green, a similar green aura now appearing around Flash. Everypony tensed up at the sight, but Flash held up a wing as if to tell them to not do anything. They responded, now watching as a cloud of pink smoke flew out of Flash's chest and flew into Thorax's mouth. He did this for a few seconds before cutting the magic, causing the pink cloud to snap in the middle. One end flew into the changeling's mouth, Thorax gulping it down while the other end flew back into Flash.
Flash let out a small gasp, his form wobbling in the stool before Twilight grabbed his shoulders, "Are you alright?"
Flash rubbed his head, shaking it before rapidly blinking, "Yeah...I think so. I feel like I just ran a marathon, but I'm good." He looked back at Thorax, "How are you feeling?"
Thorax rubbed his stomach, only to sigh, "A little better, but that barely made a difference. I um...sorry."
"Then just take a bit of mine," spoke a new voice, everypony turning to Springer as he walked into the cell. "What? If he takes a little bit from all of us, it's gotta add up."
"I...I guess that's true." Twilight hummed in response.
"No way! I'm not letting this creep feed on me!" Rainbow growled.
"And we're not gonna make you," Twilight told her before looking Flash over. "But I'm starting to think we can trust him. After all, he didn't do any damage to Flash." She then turned to Thorax, "You can take some of my love too."
It was here that new hooves walked into the cage, Iron gasping as he saw Fluttershy step up to the bug, "Um...you can have of mine too."
"Fluttershy-"
"Ooh! Ooh! Me too!" Pinkie interrupted as she bounced in, "I don't mind being a snack. Sounds like fun!"
"Same here," Wild added.
The others all started staring at the line forming for the changeling, Applejack chuckling as she got in next, "Ah guess ah can lend ya'll a bit of love."
Rarity giggled at her words, "I suppose so. Alright, I'll gladly give some...as long as it's only a little bit." She then turned to Lightning and Spike, the two nodding in agreement.
Grand laughed at the sight, walking up to pat Flash's shoulder, "You make an old pony proud Flash, you really know your way to make new friends. Alright changeling, I'm in."
They then turned to the last two, Iron giving a deep glare until Fluttershy came up and put a hoof on his shoulder, "Its okay Iron, you don't have too."
Iron's eyes shifted away for a second, trying to not stare at the pegasi before replying, "I'll do it. Just...you know, I don't like it."
"And that's fine." Fluttershy responded as she hugged his hoof, "Thank you."
The others all smiled at the exchange, smirking as they saw the blush Iron was trying to hide before turning to Rainbow. A slight hiss was coming out of her mouth as she hovered over the crowd, the Element of Loyalty not liking the sight before her as she slowly landed, "Listen, I don't like this sudden leap of trust going on here. I know I should side with you all, but can't at least one of us be a bit more cautious?! You do realize what you're doing, right?!"
"We do Rainbow." Twilight replied, "But we're willing to take the risk."
As she heard those words, Rainbow let out a sigh, knowing she couldn't convince them any further, "Fine...but only a little." She then pointed at the bug, "And you owe me."
Thorax did a small nod before his horn started to glow, everypony except Flash beginning to glow before a pink cloud flew out of each of them and into Thorax's mouth. Flash watched as Thorax seemed to gorge himself for a good few seconds, only to then cut the magic. As that happened, everypony began to wobbl on their hooves, Flash trying to help a few steady themselves, "You all okay?"
"Yeah...I think so." Twilight responded as she rubbed the side of her head, "That wasn't so bad."
They all then turned to Thorax, the bug now glowing pink with a happy smile on his face. "That felt great..." Thorax sighed before his grin began to grow, "Thank you. I haven't felt this full in ages. And you know, that felt different from when I've eaten love before. It felt...more pure."
"Really? Why?" Flash asked with a tilt of his head.
"I uh...don't know. It just...did."
Twilight started rubbing her chin in thought, "Maybe because we gave you the love instead of having it ripped out of us?" Thorax's eyes went wide at this, his expression making Twilight show a small smirk, "I might be right, aren't I?"
Thorax looked away while shuffling his hooves, "I...don't know. I don't know any pony that willing let a changeling take love from them till now. I've never even heard of stories about it."
"But that doesn't mean its impossible." Twilight added while clapping her hooves, "After all, if what you've shown is possible with changelings, maybe we could show them how to share love instead."
The changeling shook his head at that, "No...its not that easy. The changelings are very loyal to the queen. Once they swear that loyalty, it's almost impossible to say no to any order she gives."
"Then why are you able to do it?" Spike asked next. "I mean, if you can do it, maybe others can too."
Thorax's head drooped down, shaking it as well, "I wish I knew. It's weird. I've never really felt like Chrysalis was the one I was supposed to follow. Even back at my hatch group's droning."
"Droning?"
"It's the time when we drones are old enough to leave the nest to hunt and patrol. Before then, we have to declare our undying loyalty to the Queen. But when it was my group's turn..."
The Past...
Thorax was standing in a group of changelings, his brother Pharynx beside him. The older changelings were gathered around the edge of the chamber, all staring up at the giant black throne their queen was sitting in.
"Subjects, today marks the day you have all reached the maturity needed to finally leave the hive." She spread her wings before flying in front of the group, "But before that, you must each pledge your undying devotion to the hive and she who leads it." She reached the first of the group, now holding up a hoof.
The drone kissed the hoof, "I pledge myself to the hive and she who leads it." Chrysalis nodded before moving to the next changeling, the bug repeating the process. This happened repeatedly, Thorax turning to stare at the changelings in the corner of his eyes. In doing so, he saw that all who had given the pledge were now standing firm like the changelings around the edge, cold and soulless looks on their faces.
Chrysalis then reached Pharynx, the changeling kissing her hoof. "I pledge myself to the hive and she who leads it."
Thorax gulped as Chrysalis stepped in front of him, offering him her hoof. And as he leant down to kiss it, his gaze caught sight of someling walking out from behind the throne.
It was a changeling that looked like a younger version of Chrysalis, her height halfway between her and a drone. The only difference between her and Chrysalis was that instead of green eyes and blue hair, hers were both bright red. It was Hiveena, the princess of the changelings. Thorax gave her a small smile, his heart filling a warmth inside that was always there when he was around her. But a cough pulled him out of it, making him look up and see Chrysalis glaring down at him. "I..." He kissed her hoof while his eyes glanced back at Hiveena, "I pledge myself to the hive and she who leads it."
The Present...
"And that's basically it," Thorax finished, "But after doing that...I didn't feel any different. Unlike everyling else, I didn't feel compelled to follow the queen's orders without question."
"Fascinating..." Twilight added as she summoned a piece of paper and pencil with her magic, "So the changelings that give their pledge to the queen become completely subservient."
"They're like bees," Fluttershy pointed out before frowning, "But why didn't Thorax fall under the spell? If he is like a worker bee, there's no way he should be able to go against her orders."
"Hmm..." Twilight rubbed her chin as she finished writing down the information, only for her brain to shine a small bulb above her, "How about this? If the pledge is some kind of magic, then it would require the one doing it to be completely serious about taking it. If they aren't, the pledge's magic won't take root."
"So because he didn't want ta be a mindless drone, he didn't accept this pledge doohicky and protected himself?" Applejack asked, "Is that right?"
"Its possible," Twilight responded, "The only thing I can think of that could interfere with that...is if he already made some other pledge that he cared for more than the one he made to Chrysalis. After all, there are a lot of ways magic oaths can go wrong."
Those words made Thorax's eyes go wide, the face of a certain changeling now appear at the forefront of his mind. "Hiveena..."
The name made the defenders all tense up, Grand immediately asking, "You know Hiveena?!"
Thorax quickly turned to the old knight, "I should be the one asking that. How do you know Hiveena? Did the queen mention her when you fought her?"
Flash shook his head, "No, we've met her. She's kind of...doing hard time."
"WHAT?!" Everypony leapt back at the outcry, Thorax's jaw fully dropping, "You know where she is?!"
Springer did a small nod, "Yeah, we just told you. She's in jail."
"Wha...why?!"
Grand was about to reply, only for Lightning to lift a hoof in front of him, "She was trying to help my psycho father rebuild a dangerous artifact that he was gonna use to conquer Equestria. And no, I'm not joking."
Thorax's expression switched between confusion and surprise, "What is...what?! She wouldn't do that!" he began to yell, his voice starting to rise before he put a hoof on his chest, trying to calm himself down, "Hiveena…she's a kind changeling."
"Yeah right," Iron huffed. "I've still got a few bruises from when we met. That mare was pure evil."
"I don't believe you!" Thorax yelled, everypony now seeing the first hint of anger on the bug's face. But before they could tell him to calm down, he looked away and muttered out, "Hiveena...she was always nice. Sure, she could be strict, but she always cared about the changelings of our hive, unlike the queen. She...she saw us as family until...until..." Thorax's words came to a stop as click went off in his brain.
"Until she what?" Grand asked.
"Until she was forced out of the hive."
Everypony exchanged a glance, soon asking Thorax what he meant. Knowing he had no choice, he began to tell him the full tale of Hiveena. He told them about how as she was Chrysalis's daughter and had unmatched abilities, but this caused Chrysalis to fear her and turned the whole hive against her. "And then...I managed to run into her and snuck her into a tunnel that she used to escape."
"You sided with her over the queen?" Twilight asked, Thorax nodding back. "I see...then maybe the magic oath did work on you."
"It did?" Thorax asked with a raised eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"Well, you just told us that Hiveena is like the queen, right? That means you could have pledged to her instead."
"I...I did?" Thorax put a hoof to his chin, "Hmm...I guess that could have happened. After all, I know Hiveena would have been a great leader. She always cared about the little ones, and would have found a way to keep our clan fed without a doubt." He then let out a sigh, "She never really seemed power hungry like the queen back then. She might have even found a way to keep the peace between our two nations...if Queen Chrysalis hadn't done that to her."
Everyone frowned at this, the defenders especially grimacing at his words. The others saw their expressions, a mental debate going between them all. But before they could really get started, Thorax spoke up, "I need to see her."
A whole group of heads shifted back to stare at the bug, Twilight exclaiming, "Excuse me?! Did you just say you want to talk to her?!"
Thorax nodded again. "Oh yes! If Hiveena was willing to team up with a pony before, maybe I can convince her to do the same!"
"Now hold on," Iron spoke up as he walked in between the bug and the alicorn, "Trusting you is one thing, which a few of us are still having problems with. There's no way we're gonna team up with somepony that's tried to kill us and would gladly sell us down the river for the chance to help herself."
Thorax turned to Twilight and Flash, only to suddenly kneel down, his face in the floor, "Please! I must see her!"
Twilight and Flash exchanged glances, Twilight then asking, "Even if we did, why do you think she would help us after what's happened with her?"
"Because you need her!" This statement made everypony raise eyebrows, only for the changeling to continue, "If there's one thing I know about the queen, it's that she won't take her last defeat laying down! She'll be back, and you need somepony who understands changeling tactics!"
"Aren't you that pon-er, changeling?" Spike asked, Thorax slightly raising his head in response before shaking it.
"No. I know very little about planning an attack or countering it. But Hiveena, she was trained for that purpose. She'd know the best way to defend against any changeling attack."
Flash and Twilight turned to one another, Twilight asking, "What do you think? I mean, I don't know if I like this."
The defender responded with a shrug, "What he's saying does make sense...but I'm with you. I have no idea if we can trust Hiveena, especially since she seemed pretty unhinged the last time we met." He then turned to his mentor, only to get no answer from his expression, "Then again, this might be out of our league now."
Twilight hummed before looking back at Thorax, now seeing nothing but a look of pure pleading and honesty, "You're right. Our group shouldn't determine if Equestria makes peace with changelings. Let's ask Princess Celestia what she thinks first."
A Few Hours Later...
After a quick letter exchange, Celestia thought it was an interesting idea and was open to it, but told them they needed to take precautions. With a few adjustments later, Flash, Twilight, Springer, Spike and Thorax were now on the train heading for the Crystal Empire.
"We'll be there soon," Twilight told Thorax as he nervously shook in his seat. The changeling was disguised as a random earth pony, mainly to not attract any unwanted attention. They had sent a message to Cadance explaining the situation, the alicorn of love agreeing despite the fact that both Shining and Ruby were not thrilled with the idea of having a changeling in the empire. So to keep them calm, Thorax had agreed to wear a rune collar that could paralyze him with the flick of a horn.
The transformed changeling was now shuffling his hooves, "Oh, I can't wait to see her again! I wonder if I'm meant to bow? If she was kicked out, does that mean she's not a princess any more?!"
The others just shrugged, only for Spike to ask, "That's something I don't get. Why was she a princess and the rest of you aren't? Aren't you all siblings since Chrysalis is your mom? Last I checked, any child of a queen is a prince or princess."
Thorax shook his head, "I'm not Chrysalis's child."
"You're not?" Everypony asked with raised eyebrows.
"No. I'm more like her...great, great, great, great, grandson. My parents are descendants from two of Chrysalis's offspring."
"So Chrysalis isn't the only one who gives birth to the changelings?"
"She can only lay about ten to fifteen eggs every three years. She doesn't need a mate to do so, which other changelings can't do. And even when she lays eggs, they usually hatch into changelings like me that reproduce that way. But on a rare occasion, changelings like Hiveena or the queen are born, those ones having the ability to reproduce on their own. That's what makes them royal changelings."
"Fascinating..." Twilight added as she wrote down the information. "So that makes Hiveena your great, great, great aunt." Thorax nodded as the overhead announcer called out to say they were about to arrive at the Crystal Empire.
Five minutes later, the train pulled up to the station as the five walked off the locomotive. "Twilight," they turned to see Shining and Ruby standing a ways off.
"Shining!" Twilight quickly gave him a hug before turning to the Royal Knight, "Hello Ruby, its so great to see you!"
"Your majesty," Ruby bowed before glancing at Flash. "Nice to see you again, Sir Sentry," Flash chuckled at this, the two shaking hooves before she turned to the only member of the group she didn't know. "Is this him?"
"Yup. This is Thorax."
"Uh...hello," the disguised bug-pony waved, "Nice to meet you." He then saw the glares on their faces, making him shrink back while gulping, "Um...uh...I understand why you're cautious to have me here, but I assure you, I have no intention of causing trouble. All I want is to help bring peace between our two races."
"And you think Hiveena will be the one to do that?" Ruby asked in a low dark tone, "You do realize what you're saying, don't you?"
"I know she's done some pretty bad things," Thorax muttered out before looking down at the ground, almost bowing to the two, "But...but please let me talk to her! I...I know if I do...I think I can convince her to work with you."
He looked back up, only to see two glares as Shining replied, "We'll see about that. Come on, Cadance wants to talk to you as well."
Thorax did a giant gulp at his statement. However, it was here that Spike nudged his side, showing him a big smile. Thorax tried to smile back, the two now following the rest as they made their way to the castle. And as they did this, Thorax's eyes went wide as he marveled at the sight of the empire. "Wow...this place is amazing." he began to sniff the air, "There's so much love here."
This statement made Shining and Ruby turn to glare at him, Spike now grabbing his shoulder. "Err...Thorax-"
"That's not what I meant. There's so much love here, the air's practically supercharged with it." He took a deep breath in, "I just fed myself with nopony getting hurt." He turned to the ruler and knight of the city, "I get the feeling this place might be the queen's next target. Just being here would make the army strong enough to beat anyone."
"We'll be sure to keep that in mind," Ruby growled as they walked up to the stairs for the castle. A few rooms later, they found themselves in the throne room, Cadance now laying in the middle of it while on a large bed-like chair.
"Hello everypony!" She exclaimed without getting up, the newcomers all noticing a bump where her flat stomach used to be. She then turned to Thorax with a kind smile, "You must be our special guest." He did a slow nod in response, "It's okay. You don't have to hide who you really are here."
"Um...are you sure?" Thorax asked as his eyes shifted between Shining and Ruby's glares.
Cadance's smile grew at his question. "Absolutely. Go right ahead and show us."
His being was then consumed by flames, the fire disappearing to reveal his true form before he bowed, "You are too kind princess. I feared you would be the most against my idea."
"I know what you're planning has risks, but many times, the ways to achieve peace require a varying degree of risk. I can't allow fear of a previous experience stop me from opening an avenue to prevent future changeling attacks." She then rubbed her stomach, "I owe it to the future to make sure we have as few enemies as possible." Everypony nodded at this, Cadance now readjusting herself on her bed. "I apologize for not getting up. Doctor's orders."
"It's fine Cadance," Twilight assured her. "We should be getting to the prison anyway."
"Good point. Ruby, please show them the way."
"Of course your highness." The Crystal Knight turned and directed everypony outside, Thorax retaking his disguise as they went down the street until reaching a building with crystal bars on the windows.
"This is the prison?" Spike asked, Ruby shaking her head in response.
"No, this is the city jail. Any prisoners we catch are kept here until they can be moved to a more...permanent location. But it's also our way into the prison."
"So where is the prison?" Thorax asked, only for Ruby to point at the distant mountains. "Oh."
"Which is why we're taking the shortcut." She opened the door and everypony stepped inside, a bunch of crystal guards waiting inside.
"Your highness," they all bowed.
"Is it ready?" Ruby asked, the guards nodding before they pointed to a door that appeared to be made of pure diamond. Ruby opened it up with her magic, all seeing it led to a downward staircase. They all soon headed down, now reaching a new door, Ruby opening it as well. This continued until they hit the tenth door, this one showing a small room with a rune circle on the floor. "Alright, everypony in the circle."
They got in, Ruby being the last to enter before sparking her horn. In that moment, the symbols around the edge of the circle began to glow, the light filling the air before forming a pillar that trapped everypony inside. It continued to grow brighter, forcing them to shield their eyes before the glow dissipated. And as it did this, they reopened their eyes...to find the same room and circle.
"Well that was an exercise in futility," Spike commented, only for Ruby to giggle as she walked over to a door and open it, now revealing a large open space made of crystal. They soon walked into it, now seeing they were in a large building that was octagonal in design, which had seven levels with eight walls that had three diamond doors with small windows to the right of them. Each level had a large bridge connecting one side to the other, along with a staircase leading down to the next level's bridge.
"Welcome to the Crystal Pen," Ruby told them.
"Wow..." Spike and Springer gasped, Flash taking to the air before spinning around to look through the window of each cell.
He then chuckled as he saw a certain criminal, "Hey Score," he waved to the unicorn, only to get a growl in return, "What, not happy to see me?"
"Get lost Sentry!" The criminal yelled through his window.
"Alright, alright...jerk. I just wanted to say hello."
As the others rolled their eyes at this exchange, Springer spun around, his aura scanning every bit of his surroundings. But as he did this, Ruby patted his shoulder, "Don't bother. Shade's not here."
"Hmm?" Springer replied as he looked up at her, "What do you mean?"
"You were looking to see if you can't sense somepony in one of these cages, weren't you? That's the only way you could find him."
Springer looked away at this, "Uh...yeah. Sorry. I was just...you know-"
"I know." Ruby interrupted, "And if you're wondering, the reason he's not here is because we can't transfer him safely. Unlike everypony else here, we can't seal his abilities. They're not magic, just like yours."
"Oh...that make sense. Thanks for telling me Ruby."
"No problem."
Flash then landed in front of them, "So where's Hiveena?"
"She's being kept in our more...secure wing." She would have kept talking, only for Thorax to start to trotting away, "Where are you going?"
"I don't know," Thorax replied as he suddenly morphed back into his true form. "It's almost like...something's calling me." He stared up at one of the doors, the others gathering around him. "She's through here."
They all exchanged glances, Ruby asking, "How did you-"
"I just know." Ruby didn't say anything else, opening the door as the changeling walked right in, "She's close." Thorax trotted through the hall, taking two turns down different corridors until he came to a stop in front of a crystal door. "Here."
The others caught up with him and stared up at the door, seeing only a number plate on it. "Are you sure?" Twilight asked while Ruby pulled out a piece of paper, reading it and nodding.
"Cell two eight three. This is it. Impressive how you were able to find it on your own."
Thorax just shrugged, Flash now walking in front of him, "Hang on Thorax. If you don't mind, let us talk to her first. I wanna see how she feels about this idea before you try. We'll call you when we're ready for you to come in."
Thorax nodded and stepped out of the door's view, Flash turning to Ruby as she opened it. And as a loud creak rang out, Flash, Twilight, Springer, Spike and Ruby all stared inside, coming face to face with the former changeling princess. Hiveena was laying on a bench with a collar around her neck that had a chain connected to it that went up to the ceiling. Her horn had a magic suppression ring on it while also wearing a jumper-like garment that kept her wings strapped to her sides.
The former changeling princess opened her eyes, only to squint at the visitors, "Flash Sentry...to what do I owe the privilege?" Flash stepped into the cell, all but Thorax following him. "What is this? Are we having a party?"
"Nope. We're here to talk to you about a possible...partnership."
"Oh?"
Twilight then stepped up, "Hiveena, how would you like to retake your throne?" This question made Hiveena's playful face completely disappear, a glare now replacing it as she sat up on her bed.
"What are you talking about?!"
Ruby was the next to speak up, "We're talking about maybe helping you retake your nest and having you be crowned the new queen."
Hiveena's head leaned back at the statement, her glare shifting into half confusion, "Why would you help me? Last I checked, we weren't on very good terms."
"It's...complicated," Flash responded as he started to walk up to her, "Before we answer, I want to ask you what you would do if we did help you retake your hive."
Hiveena sat back against the wall of her cell, closing her eyes as she replied, "I'd rule it of course. The same way my mother would. It's...who I am after all. If I had one of those silly little cutie marks, it'd probably be of the throne I'm meant to sit on."
Everypony grimaced at that answer, Twilight trotting up to Flash's side, "Well...if you did, would you be willing to form a truce with Equestria?"
Hiveena's eyes reopened, a long glare now expressing itself, "Why would I do that?! Changelings need love to survive, and this kingdom has more of it than any other place. Goes to show how grumpy the rest of the world is when a land of ponies becomes the all source of constant love." She then looked away, "That's...that's just survival of the fittest."
Twilight shook her head at the response, "Hiveena...what if we were able to find a way to feed you without needing to drain others?" Hiveena glanced back at her, raising a single eyebrow as she continued, "If you help us, we could study your biology and see if there's a way to substitute love with something else."
Hiveena blinked at the alicorn, "What? Why would you try to do that? In fact, why would you go to such lengths?" She turned to Flash, "I've heard about your power. If you wanted to, you could just nuke the changelings and never have to worry about us ever again."
"Because that's not how Equestria does things," Ruby told her. "We fight, but only in self-defense. And killing is never an option."
Springer did a firm nod, "She's right! It's not who we are."
Twilight then spoke up, "We always search for the peaceful solution. Even if it's the harder solution."
Hiveena didn't say anything, looking away while letting out a sigh. Seeing this, Flash took the moment to step back to the door, "Listen, there's somepony here who wants to see you. He's the one who convinced us to give this idea a try." He tapped the door, "Come on in."
Hiveena's head slowly turned to the door, her eyes going wide as she saw a certain young changeling walk in. Her jaw dropped at the sight, gasping as she said, "Thorax?!"
He gave a small smile back, "Hello Lady Hiveena. Um...long time no see."
"What is...how is...what are you doing here?!"
"I uh...left the hive. I just...couldn't live there anymore. Not after seeing how amazing Equestria is." He stepped in front of the group, the two now locking eyes. "Hiveena…I know this sounds strange, but...I want to help our race by doing peace with the ponies. They...they can help our race."
"Thorax..." she barely replied.
Seeing the hesitation, Thorax began to twiddle his hooves, trying to get his words. But as he did this, Spike went up and patted his side, making the bug turn and see a big smile on the dragon's face. Spike then gave him a firm nod, Thorax seeing this and looking back at the other changeling, "Hiveena...our race is in trouble. You said it yourself that Flash has the power to wipe out any changeling that faces him. The queen might not know that, and...you know what she'll do in the future. You know she'll attack again." He then walked up and put a hoof on hers. "But...you can prevent that."
Hiveena just looked away, growling at the suggestion, "What you're asking for is impossible. Mother would rather the hive die before losing control of it. You know she'd have them fight to the death."
Thorax shook his head, "Not if we showed them how much better life would be with you as their leader."
Hiveena glanced back at him, only to growl, "I'm...I'm no leader Thorax. Not after what happened."
"You know that's not true." Thorax instantly replied, "You're royalty, just like her. In fact, Pharynx once told me that the reason you were cast out is because the queen feared your power, which she believed could even change the hive. That means-"
"No." Hiveena interrupted, "I might be more evolved than mother is, but...it won't change anything."
Thorax's ears flopped down at the sight, a huge frown on his face as he muttered out, "Hiveena...have you given up on the hive?"
"I...I can't go back Thorax. That's not what I am anymore." She then let out a long sigh, "Look at me Thorax, look at what I've become after I left the hive. I'm...I'm a prisoner in this...snow jail in the middle of nowhere. Why would the hive ever accept me back?"
"Because they need you." Thorax looked back at the ponies, all but Ruby nodding back with smiles on their faces. And as he turned back to Hiveena, a huge smile graced his face, the sight making Hiveena's eyes go wide at the happiness on his face, "Hiveena, you could change the hive. You could evolve us beyond what we are now, maybe to where we don't need to feed on love."
Hiveena just looked down, biting her lip as she tried to not look at the brave bug. But before she could do this, Thorax put his hoof to her chin, slowly pushing her up to look at her eye to eye, "They told me what you've done before this. I know that things went wrong after leaving the hive for you...mainly meeting that Doom guy. But, these ponies are nice, and will care for you if you show them the real you. The you that was always kind to us younglings, even when she had to be forceful."
They continued to stare at each other, the ponies now seeing Hiveena's face finally begin to soften before letting out a long sigh. That, and a tiny laugh, "You always were different."
"Hiveena, does that mean-"
"Yes," she nodded before turning to the others. "Alright ponies, I'll help you if you help me." Everypony smiled back as she continued, "However, it isn't going to be easy. You're going up against an army that can transform into anything, including your own troops. Facing off against them won't be easy."
"We know," Twilight assured her. "But we don't intend to attack them right away. You need to tell us everything you know about Chrysalis and the changelings, and we'll do our best to come up with an effective countermeasure against her."
"I can do that. But first," she jiggled the chain that was connected to her neck. "You'll kind of need to get me out of here. There's no way I'm telling you all of this and stay in here."
This statement made everypony exchange glances, Ruby looking back at the bug, "No offense Hiveena, but you need to understand that given your past, we can't just let you go without some form of assurance that you don't stab us in the back the first chance you get. Just because we've agreed to work together, it doesn't mean we trust you without question. That takes time to build."
Hiveena let out a long sigh, "Fair enough." She slowly stood off her bed, "What do you suggest?"
What they suggested was that Hiveena wear the same collar that Thorax was wearing, but also keep the magic-suppression ring on her horn. She didn't agree with this, but caved in after Thorax asked her nicely. Once the collar was on her, Hiveena was finally allowed to be released from Crystal Pen.
After teleporting to the empire jail, Twilight warped them all back to the castle. When they arrived, they found the royal couple had prepared a nice dinner. The sight shocked Hiveena, but soon got over it as she sat down next to Shining, "Well well, seems I can't say you're not a pony of your word. I'm out of prison and now having dinner with you and your wife."
Shining rolled his eyes as Cadance giggled, the princess turning to her sister-in-law. "So what now? Are you gonna take them back to Ponyville?"
"Maybe..." Twilight hummed, "Though it might be difficult for them to fit in there since a lot of the town were in Canterlot during the invasion."
"Who cares about fitting in?" Hiveena grumbled while crossing her hooves, "I'm trying to take my throne, not make friends."
Thorax shook his head, "Hiveena...this is something we need to do, as we'll need friends after taking back the throne for you." He then tapped his chin, "Though it would probably be best to start with someplace ponies won't hate us at first glance."
"Exactly," Twilight added, "We need someplace for you to live that won't have any prejudice."
"What about here?" Spike asked, everypony else turning to him in surprise. "I mean, the empire wasn't around when the Changelings attacked. Unless they had them back a thousand years ago, the ponies here shouldn't have any problems with them."
Cadance hummed at this, "He does make a good point."
"You can't be serious!" Shining yelped.
"Shining, we just said they need to be in place without prejudice first." Twilight replied, making Shining glare at her...only to get a glare back, one that made him look away, "I believe this would be the most effective decision. Plus, they wouldn't need to worry about collecting love." Hiveena had also found the love charged air quite satisfying, agreeing with Thorax that just breathing would fill her love food requirements. "And look at it this way: if Hiveena makes a break for it, she'll likely freeze to death before making it anywhere she can hide."
Hiveena huffed at the statement, making Cadance giggle before declaring, "Then it's settled. Until we're able to get your hive back for you, the two of you will stay in the Crystal Empire. I'll inform Celestia of this after we eat."
Thorax smiled at the warm welcome, Hiveena just showing a coy smirk as she snacked on a spring onion. "I'm happy to be welcomed anywhere," Thorax turned to Spike. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. And don't worry about the ponies here not liking you. I happen to be quite the popular dragon in the Crystal Empire. Once they see you hanging with me, they'll be more than happy to make friends." Thorax's smile increased, Hiveena actually smiling as she saw how happy he was.
"I'm glad for you," she told her future subject. "Looks like you won't be needing that little gift I left you."
This statement got the attention of everypony else at the table, Thorax now asking, "What gift?"
Hiveena chuckled at his question, "Do you remember when you helped me escape the hive? Well back then, I decided to leave you a little something."
The Past...
"This leads to the edge of the territory. You can use it to get out." Hiveena nodded and began to climb in, only to hear the guards getting closer. "I'll hold them off."
"Thank you Thorax," Hiveena replied before pulling Thorax into a tight hug.
As she did, her horn sparked as a small sphere of green magic flew out the tip. The orb soon phased into Thorax's back, the spell not even being noticed by the changeling.
The Present...
"It was actually a small portion of my royal magic. I left it as a thank you, and to act as some insurance in case they found out you helped me."
"You really did that?"
Hiveena just shrugged, "You were willing to help me, so it only seemed right that I give you something in return. I have no idea what a drone having royal magic would do, but it's probably better than not having it. Though by the looks of things, you haven't been able to access it."
"No, I haven't." Thorax shook his head, "I've never felt any different since you gave me it to me."
She shrugged again, "Oh well, guess drones can't use it. Still, I'm sure with a little practice, you should see some improvement in a way. We'll get to work as soon as we can." Thorax nodded before she turned to the princesses, "So what now? An attack against the changeling hive isn't something that's easily done."
"Let's give the two of you a little time to get used to life here before we start planning. That and you might want to work on getting back into shape. Months spent in a jail cell likely curved your physical abilities."
"Guess you have a point. Well then..." she looked back down at the food in front of her. "I'd better start eating better." With that, she began to munch down on the food, everypony else focusing on their own meal as well.
Later that night...
"This is where you'll be sleeping," Shining told Hiveena as he showed her an empty room. "Cadance and I are just down the hall and we've put Thorax two halls over." He stepped aside so she could trot into the room, the changeling looking impressed by the luxury of the place. "Well...if you need anything, don't hesitate the ask." Shining cringed at his words before saying, "Good night...I guess."
And as Hiveena got settled on the bed, she sighed before laying back, feeling the mattress sink in. But before she could truly relax, she felt a tinge go down her spine, making her look up and see Ruby standing at the door. "Can I help you?"
"I may have said that killing wasn't our way, but I know how dangerous you and your kind are." Ruby growled with gritted teeth, her form slowly walking inside as Hiveena stood up, "So let me make one thing perfectly clear. You make one step backwards, one slip up, give me one reason to think you might harm the princess or anypony I care about...you won't have to worry about taking back your throne, because I'll cut you down without a second's thought. We clear?"
Hiveena stared at her for several long seconds, completely unmoving before slowly replying, "Crystal." Ruby said nothing as she turned to walk out the door, leaving Hiveena to stare at the door.
And as she laid back down, she muttered out, "What have I gotten myself into? Could I...could I really get it back?" A small tear went down her face as she let out a sigh, "Thorax...thank you."