//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: The Bug in The Cave // by Skijarama //------------------------------// It was getting on towards sunset now. Twilight sat on the balcony outside of her bedroom, gazing out towards the Everfree Forest. She had bee there for about an hour now, despite Spike’s claims that she was too early. “No such thing!” had been her instant and easy counter, eventually leading to Spike deciding to just come out and join her. The two sat in companionable silence, only occasionally striking up a small bit of small talk to pass the time. It was nice, just sitting around without having to worry about much. The most pressing concern she had at that moment was making sure she saw whatever it was Spike had told her was due to happen.  With any luck, she wouldn’t have to wait much longer. The sun was inching closer and closer to the horizon with every second. As the time drew near, Twilight began to lose herself in her imagination, trying to speculate about what she might be waiting around for. “Maybe some kind of meteor shower?” she thought, thinking back on the last time she nad her friends had shared such a view. “Or maybe it’s some Ponyville thing I don’t know about yet? Is something going to come out of the forest?” Whatever it was, she hoped it would be worth the hassle. As nice as summer was, she’d still rather be inside when the sun went down. And down it went, finally tucking itself under the blankets of the horizon, its orange glow fading rapidly from view and dipping the world into a state of relative darkness. Twilight focused intently on the forest now, her eyes narrowing as she looked for any sign of Spike’s surprise. Nothing. There was nothing. She stared out at the forest for several minutes, but there was no sign of anything meaningful coming from those trees. She began to wonder if Spike had been wrong, and was about to ask him about it when, finally, something happened. It was small, almost imperceptible at first. It rose up from the edge of the forest, a single green star of magic, colored a deep shade of emerald. Her eyes latched onto it, her eyes going wide. A wave of memories a year old washed into her mind, her breath hitching in her throat. “No way… no, it can’t be… can it?” Up and up it went, flickering and fading into the darkening skies before vanishing altogether. A moment passed. Then another. Twilight slowly rose to her hooves, her muscles tensing with anticipation. “Please go off, please go off, please go off, please go off…” The sky was suddenly illuminated by an enormous burst of green light, like a giant firework erupting in the heavens. The entirety of Ponyville was bathed in its emerald hue, while a muffled pop echoed for miles around. Spike raised an eyebrow, squinting into the light. “Huh… that’s not what I was- huh?! Twilight?!” Twilight wasn’t listening to him. Or anything else, save for the fading echo of the spell in her ears. Without hesitation, she sprang forward and leaped over the railing of the balcony, using her magic to slow her fall. Her hooves met the ground running, sending her into a mad sprint for the edge of the Everfree Forest. All the way, her heart hammered in her chest, her ears folded back, and sparks of hope and fear danced around in her chest in equal measure. That had been changeling magic just now. She would recognize that putrid hue anywhere. And if there was one changeling, she feared there could very well be more. But she had only ever known of one changeling who knew that spell, and it was her hope that he was still the only one. She sprinted by several ponies in the streets, all of whom had turned to look up at the fading embers in confusion. A few startled squeaks sounded around her as she tore through the streets. She only spared single-word apologies as she passed them, her mind not even lingering on the ponies she was alarming. She didn’t care about them just now. She had to know if it was him. She breached the edge of town and came to the bottom of the slope that led up to the Everfree Forest. The flare had come from somewhere around here, she knew it. She looked around frantically, her breath coming in pants from her unprompted and sudden sprint through Ponyville. “Guh… huh… Thorax!” she cried out, her voice echoing in the trees. “Thorax, is that you?!” A chilly breeze washed over her, stirring the branches in the trees and filling the air with a soft rustling sound. No voice answered her, though. She looked around again, squinting into the darkness. “Thorax?!” A flicker of blue light caught her attention. Confused, Twilight turned to look and just made out a shape slipping back into the treeline. She stared after it for a second. Had that been him? Why wasn’t he coming to see her? What was going on? Confused but hopeful, Twilight broke into a gallop after him, dismissing the way her legs burned. “Thorax, where are you?!” she called out, reaching the top of the hill. She came to a sliding stop when she was greeted by the wall of darkness that marked the beginning of the Everfree Forest. Something moved inside. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat, and she hesitantly lit her horn with magic. “Th… Thorax?” As her lavender light illuminated the first few yards of forest, her eyes focused on the lone figure sitting in the shadows. His black chitin reflected the glow of her light spell with a gentle shimmer, while his sparkling blue wings fluttered on his back. Two glowing blue spheres of light on his face peeled open, and his jaw fell free to show off a pair of sharp fangs jutting down from his upper lip. The two locked eyes with each other for several seconds. Slowly, the bug rose to his hooves and took a few tentative steps forward. “...Twilight?” he asked quietly. Twilight’s heart sang with joy on hearing that voice again, and she almost leaped forward to hug him right away. She held herself back, though, tempering herself as memories of the wedding flashed through her mind. She clamped her jaw shut and frowned. “...Thorax? Is it really you?” she asked carefully. “...Or are you just some other changeling pretending to be him to get at me?” Thorax hesitated for a moment, a look of hurt flashing across his face. He then smiled and reached a hoof up to hover over his heart. “Of course, it’s me. If it weren’t, how else could I remember the very first time we met?” he asked. “How the very first thing I ever said you, hidden from the rain and the angry Tatzlwurms in that cave in the badlands, was... ‘uh...’” Twilight’s eyes widened, a wave of nostalgia falling over her as the changeling recounted their first meeting. Thorax wasn’t done, though. He rose from his sitting position and trotted forward, talking all the way. “How could I forget all the times I came to see you after that? Helping you deal with your stomach rot, or feeding you food I had stolen from the Hive, or how you hugged me after teaching me how to call for your help?” He came to a stop right in front of her and held his hoof over her heart. Twilight’s heart gave a single beat, and a warmth she had almost forgotten about pulsed through her body. Her eyes widened. “...Thorax…” Thorax’s smile grew. “...Or how I gave you the greatest gift you ever gave me when we split up?” Twilight’s eyes began to mist over. It was him. It was really, truly him. A surge of emotion claimed her without warning, and she lunged forward, wrapping her forelegs around her old friend in a shell-crushing embrace. She heard him gasp from the force of it, but he returned the hug nonetheless. She buried her face in his shoulder, making a sound that was somewhere between a joyful laugh and a trembling sob. “It’s you… it’s r-really you…” she choked out. Thorax rested his chin on her head, closing his eyes. “Yeah. It’s me… It’s real good to see you again, Twilight,” he whispered to her. Twilight pulled back, staring imploringly into his eyes. “I’m happy to see you, too… but what are you doing here?” she asked, a needle sowing a thread of nervousness into her mind. “I thought you were supposed to be back at the hive, trying to make things better?” Thorax’s ears drooped, and he looked away. “Er… y-yeah, see, the thing about that is… ugh,” he sighed and sagged. “I tried, you know? I tried really hard to show them that there was a better way, but… They were never going to listen to me, or follow my example. It was a losing battle right from the start… And after the attack on Canterlot…” Twilight’s heart dropped. “You… were you there?” “Uh-huh. I was there. And I saw you fighting back,” Thorax mumbled, his ears drooping, giving him a truly pathetic look. “I’m so, so sorry for what my people did, Twilight. I… I c-cant even… I didn’t want to… I tried to-” Twilight smiled softly and held a hoof up to Thorax’s lips, silencing him. In the end, there was only one thing she needed to know. “Did you hurt anypony?” Thorax shook his head, mumbling out a negative through her hoof. She drew it back. “Then there’s nothing for you to be sorry for… Whatever role you had in that atrocity, I forgive you.” Thorax stared at her, wide-eyed. He visibly relaxed and leaned into her embrace again, this time resting his face in her shoulder. “I’d never seen anything so awe-inspiring… you and your friends, fighting back the entire swarm like that. It was incredible. If I hadn’t been busy defending myself already, I would have jumped in and joined you… So many times, I wanted to come and warn you, or help you, but I never got the chance… I had to do my part, and I hated every second of it.” “It’s okay,” Twilight assured him. “It’s alright. We won, in the end. The invasion failed.” “But there was an invasion,” Thorax rebuked, shaking his head into her shoulder. “We attacked you, and a lot of ponies were hurt. When we were driven back, Chrysalis was furious. The hive practically shook the entire time… and I realized that I didn’t belong in that horrible place anymore.” Twilight blinked, taken aback by the implication. “Thorax?” “I ran away, Twilight,” Thorax stated, lifting his head. “I slipped away in the dead of night and ran away from the hive. Pharynx told me to come find you.” smiled and placed his hoof over her heart again. “He wanted me to be happy with you. And more than anything, that’s what he wanted… for me to be safe and happy.” Twilight placed her own hoof over his, her smile growing. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she sent a silent thank you to Pharynx, wherever he was out there in the world. “...Well, I’m glad you’re here, Thorax,” she finally said. “I’ve really, really missed you.” Thorax smiled and shrank down slightly, looking a little sheepish. “Er, y-yeah, I’ve missed you, too. A lot…” Twilight hummed before standing up and helping Thorax to his hooves. “So, that means you’re here to stay?” she asked hopefully. Thorax nodded, staring into her eyes. “If you’ll have me, yes,” he replied, equally hopeful. Twilight’s smile grew, and she tugged on his hoof, guiding him back toward Ponyville. “Come on, then… let’s go, Thorax.” Thorax paused, staring down at the small town for a few seconds, his wings wavering on his back. They caught Twilight’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but notice that they were different than she remembered them. They weren’t as tattered as they used to be. Small particles were peppered throughout the membranes, glistening within and giving the gossamer appendage a sparkling appearance. It might have been her imagination, but it also seemed like the holes in his legs were a lot smaller than before. And was that a hint of color in his chitin? Thorax’s lips curled up into a broader smile. “Yeah. That sounds good.” Twilight’s heart soared with joy at that statement, and she guided Thorax down the slope for Ponyville. She could already see a bunch of ponies gathering at the edge of town, including her friends and Spike. They all looked at her with anxious expressions and tilted heads. When they saw the changeling with her, most of them either tensed up defensively or shrank back in fear. Except for Spike. He made eye contact with Thorax, then Twilight. He smirked, gave them a thumbs-up, and offered both of them a small nod and smile. Twilight stared at him for a second, and it clicked. Somehow, someway Spike had found Thorax in the forest earlier and had helped arrange this meeting. She smiled and nodded gratefully at the drake. She would have to take the time to thank him properly for that later. But for now, there were more pressing matters. She came to a stop in front of her friends, Thorax anxiously standing by her side. Rainbow was the first of her friends to speak. “Uh… Twi? What’s with the bug?” Twilight didn’t even bat an eye at the slur. She instead turned and gestured happily at Thorax. “Girls, Spike... This is Thorax. He’s a changeling from the Badlands… and he’s my friend.” Pinkie’s jaw dropped. “He IS?!” she squealed in shock. Already Twilight could see the gears turning in her head. “Pardon me, dear,” Rarity added, grimacing back from Thorax. “Are you meaning to tell us that you know this garish thing?” Twilight nodded. “Yes, I do. Back when I got lost in the Badlands a year ago, Thorax is the one who came to my rescue. If it weren’t for him helping me in those early days, I don’t think I would have survived long enough to get home.” She then reached over and pulled Thorax into a side hug, eliciting an anxious chitter out of him. “And he’s not garish, Rarity!” she protested, shooting the fashionista a pout. There were a few seconds of silence. The assembled mares looked between themselves in confusion. It was then that Spike stepped forward and took a position on Twilight’s other side. “I can vouch for him,” he said with a big grin. “I bumped into him in the forest earlier, and he saved my life. We talked for a while, and I know he’s a good guy.”  Spike’s testimony seemed to ease tensions a little bit. Applejack hesitated for a second, then tilted her hat back with a small smile. Her eyes focused on Twilight. “Somethin’ tells me y’all never told us the whole story way back then, did ya?” she asked. “Yeah, uh, that was kinda my fault,” Thorax interjected with an awkward smile. “See, I uh, I kinda asked her to keep me and my people a secret.” “And I gave him my word that I would,” Twilight acknowledged, giving Applejack a pointed stare. “It didn’t feel right lying to all of you, but I wasn’t about to go back on my last promise to him. He means far too much to me for that.” “Aaw,” Fluttershy cooed sweetly. “That’s so sweet of you, Twilight.” A few seconds passed before Applejack’s smile grew. “Well, then, Ah guess it’s time that story came to light, huh?” she asked. Twilight nodded. “Yeah, it is… but, uh, let’s not do it right here,” she suggested, noticing a few awkward glances they were getting from other ponies. “Let’s take this to the library.” Applejack nodded along. “Sure thing, Twi. After y’all,” she said, stepping off to one side to clear the way. Twilight took a deep breath, then turned back to Thorax, her smile growing. “So… ready to go home?” she asked quietly. “Home?” Thorax echoed in bewilderment. He looked at her before looking ahead at Ponyville. His eyes drifted slowly over the small, humble buildings that made up the old village, taking in every detail, and the faces of the ponies who were staring back at him. “Yeah, I think so,” he eventually answered. Satisfied, Twilight nodded and took the lead, pausing just long enough to deposit Spike on her back with her magic before setting off at a slow, leisurely trot. Thorax kept close behind her, the rest of her friends forming a loose circle around them. It was clear they were still anxious, but that was fine. Twilight knew he’d grow on them, given time. She took a moment to look at Thorax, making eye contact with him. The warmth in her chest returned. A wonderful, all-consuming feeling of peace and serenity that filled her from the bottom of her hooves to the tip of her horn.  And based on the look on Thorax’s face, she knew he was feeling it as well. “Welcome home, Thorax,” she thought, walking through the streets of Ponyville, side by side with the gentle changeling that had saved her life.