Spike and Heartfelt were heading back towards the Crystal Empire behind the guard detachment they went on patrol with earlier. The dragon was contemplating how to best go about trying to convince the crystal ponies to give Thorax a chance. They were currently hiding in their homes, and only went out if established code phrases with other ponies to verify their identity. ,"This is not going to be easy." the dragon thought to himself.
,"Spike?" Heartfelt had noticed the drake deep in his own thoughts. ,"Something on your mind?" he probed.
,"No", he responded, waving a claw towards Heartfelt,"Just thinking about some things I need to do when I get back." The statement was the truth; When he got back, he had to find a way to broach the subject of the friendly changeling to the empire.
,"Oh, okay." Heartfelt accepted the dragon's answer and trudged on. In his mind, however, he wondered what exactly happened in that cave before he got there. When Spike came out, he noticed a wave of emotion wafting out of the cave, its color telling the stallion that whatever creature was down there was happy. Had he found some kind of native wildlife that nopony knew about? He'd have to go back and investigate with a team later.
The patrol had finally gotten back to the gates of the empire. After exchanging code phrases, they were granted admittance inside. Neither Spike nor Heartfelt said anything as the walked through the empty streets in the direction of the palace. The large crystal structure towering over any other for miles around.
The guards at the base checked their code phrases and allowed them inside. Once there, they immediately went up to the throne room so they could report directly back to Shining Armor. The elevator doors opened and the two walked down the long hallway to the throne room.
Shining Armor and Cadence were doting on their newborn child Flurry Heart when the two arrived. The small foal was babbling happily as a mobile turned over her bassinet. Nearby to the trio was Sunburst, a unicorn stallion from Canterlot who arrived in the empire shortly after its return. At the personal recommendation of Princess Twilight, he was appointed crystaller for Flurry. He was attending to some documents in his hooves.
Heartfelt announced his presence, which got Shining's attention. ,"Heartfelt, it's good to see you didn't get eaten by anything out there in those wastes", he teased, then asked,"Did your search turn up any results? Get to test your theory out?"
Heartfelt shook his head. ,"If I could've tested my theory, then we would be dragging a changeling back with us." he replied. The stallion had a theory that he might be able to spot changelings using his special talent. The theory was that changelings sucked emotions in instead of giving them off like other creatures. Unfortunately, the only way to test that theory was for Heartfelt to meet and observe the changeling.
,"That's unfortunate.", Shining admitted,"Perhaps when the weather settles back down, we can have another patrol search a different area."
,"With any luck, we'll find the thing frozen in the snow.", Heartfelt replied,"If you'll excuse me, sir, I have a few appointments I need to keep." Shining nodded and Heartfelt walked back to his office.
Shining makes his way back to his wife and daughter while the lead guard of the castle asks Spike about his search. ,"You won't believe me when I say it", he began,"but I actually made friends with the changeling."
The guard didn't do anything for a moment, but then his face turned into a smile and he started laughing. Spike knew this wasn't a good sign; Any creature that laughed like this clearly thought what they just heard was a joke.
,"HA! A nice changeling!", the guard bellowed out in disbelief,"That's a good one Spike. No pony has ever told us one like that before!"
,"But it's true!" Spike answered back. The guard could only continue laughing. Another guard came in in a fit of laughter too.
,"Yeah, and the next thing you're gonna tell us is he wants to be friends with ponies too!" the new guard presumed.
,"Actually, he does."
The guards had continued laughing so hard as to be on the edge of soiling their armor. The laughter of the two had caught the attention of Shining, who came back over from his family to see what the commotion was about.
,"GUARDS AT ATTENTION!" he shouted. Immediately, the two laughing guards stood to attention and cut out their laughter, though it was clear as day to anyone watching their faces that they were strongly fighting the urge. ,"Now then, what is all this commotion about?"
The first guard replied,"Spike has just told us a real slapper of a joke, sir."
,"Yeah", the second one added,"He says that he not only found the changeling, but made friends with it, and it wants to come make friends with the other ponies in the empire!" Upon hearing the scenario again, the two fought a losing battle against letting out another round of uproarious laughter. Shining, however, was not amused.
,"AND WHY IS THAT FUNNY?!" he shouted at them. Immediately, the two went straight faced. They knew that if they continued laughing, it would lead to them having to clean the palace toilets with hooves and rags later. Shining turned to Spike with a disapproving glare. ,"Spike, how could you think a joke like that is funny?" he asked the dragon.
,"But it's not a joke!", Spike answered,"The changeling does want to make friends! He even saved my life in a cave earlier!" Shining glared daggers at him, clearly upset by what Spike said.
,"Do I need to remind you of what those things did to me and my wife on our wedding day?" he asked the dragon. Spike shook his head. ,"Then you can clearly understand how there is NO SUCH THING AS A NICE CHANGELING!" he finished, reciting the last few words slowly so as to make them sink in.
Spike wanted to rebutt the claim, but looking around at the guards and Shining, he knew that it was a losing battle. If he was gonna find a pony to give Thorax an honest chance, it certainly wasn't here in the throne room. ,"I'm sorry", he apologized,"I guess that joke was in really bad taste."
Shining put a hoof on Spike's shoulder. ,"It's okay", he reassured the dragon,"We all make mistakes. It's just important to learn from them so we don't repeat them." With that, Shining dismissed the guards to their posts and rejoined his family. Spike hung his head and exited the throne room.
===
Spike wandered the halls of the palace trying to think of one pony he knew that might consider giving Thorax a chance at proving he wanted to be friends. The list he came up with was short, but he was already scratching names off of it.
The first choice was Twilight, obviously. The mare was the Princess of Friendship, after all. If there was a pony that would give any creature a chance to prove they could be friends with ponies, it should be her. However, he also knew that Twilight promised Shining and Cadence she would protect Flurry at all costs, which meant that she would either drive off the changeling or stun him to bring him back to the empire as a prisoner. Option one was unfortunately a bust.
The next choice was Starlight Glimmer. The mare was recently reformed from her villainous ideas to rob ponies of their cutie marks and general distrust of friendship, so she seemed a good choice to pair with a creature that was despised as a monster that only wanted to prove it was truly good and honest. But, because she was now a student of Twilight, the mare's first to be specific, she would follow her teacher's tutelage and likely not give the changeling a chance either. Strike two as it were.
After Starlight came her long distance coltfriend and royal crystaller Sunburst. His academic nature would surely mean that he would be curious about this changeling and want to meet it. But, he was a member of the palace staff and loyal to the royal couple; He'd be bound by honor to confess the location of Thorax's cave despite his personal feelings. Strike three, next batter.
,"Something on your mind, Spike?" came a voice in front of him. The dragon looked up to see Heartfelt standing beforre him with a quizzical look in his gamboge eyes.
,"I'm fine", Spike responded,"Just thinking of a solution to a problem."
,"Well, maybe we can talk it over with some cocoa and solve it together?" Heartfelt offered.
,"I appreciate the offer, but-" Spike replied but stopped halfway.
Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?! Heartfelt was the perfect pony to ask! His special talent would prove to him that Thorax wasn't a threat, and it would give him a chance to test the theory that he wanted to earlier when they began their initial search.
,"You know what? That's actually a good idea.", Spike continued,"But can we get the cocoa and head back to your office? It's kind of a personal issue."
Heartfelt nodded and stopped a chef pony who had actually just left the throne room with lunch orders from the royal family and Sunburst to ask for cups of cocoa to be brought up to him. ,"Now", the stallion began,"Let's talk about your problem."
===
Heartfelt's office was rather nice compared to most therapist's offices Spike had seen. The walls were made of flawless quartz with a blue marble floor. In the center of the room was a large burgundy floor rug with a chaise lounge and arm chair atop it. Near a window sat a desk and set of three chairs, two on one side and one on the other, as well as some simple wood filing cabinets. The stallion and Spike elected to sit at the desk to converse.
,"So, what is this problem you have?" Heartfelt began, giving off a warm smile but leaning in in an unintentionally intimidating manner.
,"Well", Spike began,"I have a friend that I want to help. He wants to make friends, but his family has a bad history here and no one will want to give him a chance."
,"Hmm", Heartfelt hummed thoughtfully. ,"You have a friend who wants to make friends, but others won't give him a chance because of a reputation he has through no fault of his own."
A knock on the door signaled that the cocoa was here. Heartfelt let the waiter inside and took the drinks from him. He set one down in front of Spike and blew a few times on his own. Being used to heat in his mouth, Spike took a full sip right away.
,"Okay, I have a question I want to ask you now." Heartfelt told Spike, who nodded while he drank his cocoa. ,"That changeling is hiding in that cave, isn't he?"
Spike spat his cocoa out and choked on some that went down his windpipe. Once he recovered, he looked at Heartfelt with a shocked expression. ,"How did you know?!" Spike asked in a bewildered state.
Heartfelt let out a smile. ,"Well, that story you just gave me, combined with the 'joke' you told the guards earlier."
,"You heard that?" Spike asked.
,"Yeah", Heartfelt replied,"Plus, I sensed some energy coming out of that cave earlier. At first I thought it was from you, but the signature was different. I just decided to ignore it at the time, what with being almost froze like a popsicle out in the wasteland."
Spike rubbed the back of his head, surprised that Heartfelt could read him so easily. Of course, the stallion should; His special talent made nearly every sentient creature in Equestria an open book for him. ,"Since you officially know the secret now",Spike relented,"I wanted to ask your help. Would you be willing to meet with him and hear him out?"
Heartfelt sat in his chair and thought for a moment. There were merits and drawbacks. The drawbacks were obvious; being captured and drained of love, being hypnotized and made to lead ponies back to the cave so it could steal love from them, and so on. Then there were the pros; A chance to prove if his theory was true, and if things went south, a chance to take the changeling prisoner and bring it back to the empire.
,"I probably shouldn't, but I will", he answered, adding,"On the condition that he meets me outside the cave. I don't want to be in a situation where I could be trapped somewhere with it."
Spike nodded. ,"That's fair." He stood up and chugged the remainder of his cocoa, setting the cup down and wiping his snout. ,"We can go to the cave, and I'll go inside to bring him out to talk." The dragon up and headed for the door before the stallion's voice stopped him.
,"I'm also bringing protection with me." Spike turned to see Heartfelt go into a desk drawer and produce a set of throwing daggers, as well as a collapsible baton.
,"You're not gonna need that." Spike tried to reassure him. Heartfelt wasn't having it.
,"Sorry, Spike", he apologized,"But it's a package deal. If he wants a fair chance, then he meets me out in the open, and I am allowed the means to protect myself."
Spike groaned in frustration, but relented. ,"Okay", the dragon responded,"But he's not gonna like this."
,"It doesn't matter what he likes", said Heartfelt,"If he wants a fair chance, then those are the terms." He moved to the door and put the weapons in a set of saddlebags, then lifted them onto his back. Before opening the door, he turned and gave Spike a sad look. ,"If he refuses to speak to me", Heartfelt began,"then I'm gonna have to tell the guards of his location. I still serve Princess Cadence and Prince Shining, and withholding information like this is a criminal offense."
Spike wanted to argue against telling the guards where Thorax was, but he knew what Heartfelt said was true. He was not just a citizen of the empire, but a servant of it too.
,"Fine", Spike relented,"But you have to give him an actual fair chance. No running away screaming at the first sight of him, alright?" Heartfelt nodded. ,"Good", replied Spike,"Now, let's get going."
===
The frozen wastes outside the empire still bore the hoofprints of the guard patrols. It was plenty easy for Spike and Heartfelt to find their way back. The cave entrance looked the same as it had before. Ominous clouds off in the distance, though, warned that any caught out here had either turn back or find shelter from the impending storm.
,"Okay, we're back here", Spike said,"Now, you stay back over by the rock outcropping you were checking out earlier, and I'll head in to bring him out. Just give me a few minutes so I can explain to him the conditions of this little exchange."
Heartfelt gave a nod. ,"Okay, I'll stay over there", he replied,"Hopefully he hasn't bugged out or set up some kind of trap for us."
Spike frowned. ,"Thorax isn't like that." he reacted incredulously.
,"So, his name is Thorax?" Heartfelt questioned.
,"Yeah, it is", Spike replied,"so, just go wait by those rocks and I'll bring him out, okay?" Heartfelt gave a nod and walked over to the cluster of rocks he'd been investigating earlier. Spike headed back down into the cave to find Thorax.
,"Thorax!", Spike called out,"Where you at?" The dragon looked around, but couldn't find a sign of the changeling. ,"Maybe something came into the cave and scared him off?" he wondered. Suddenly, he felt something cold hit him in the back of the head. He fell front but recovered quickly and turned around to look for his assailant.
Thorax was standing by the entrance to the tunnel, a snowball in his hoof. ,"Sorry", he apologized,"I've always wanted to try throwing a snowball, and it was just too perfect a chance."
Spike laughed and replied,"It's okay. I suspect you haven't had much chance to do a lot of different kinds of fun stuff when you were in the hive?"
Thorax nodded. ,"Yeah", he replied,"There's not much chance to do that kind of stuff when everyone is more focused on stealing love. Speaking of which, did you find any ponies that might be willing to talk to me?"
Spike gave a nervous nod. ,"Only one right now", he answered,"He's waiting outside. He'll talk to you, but he only wants to do it if he knows for one hundred percent sure that he'll be safe."
,"Well, that shouldn't be a problem", returned Thorax,"I'm not interested in causing harm to potential friends."
,"Except for nailing them in the back of the head with snowballs?" Spike chided, a smirk crossing his muzzle. Thorax gave a laugh.
,"Yeah, except that." he answered back. Spike waved a hoof and moved back toward the cave entrance.
,"C'mon", he ushered Thorax to follow,"I don't want to keep him waiting." Thorax nodded and the two walked out of the cave. Before getting to the exit, Spike remembered something he forgot to warn Thorax about.
,"Thorax, there's something you need to know", Spike began,"Heartfelt brought some weapons with him. To protect himself with, of course, not that he needs them. He said that if you aren't willing to talk to him because of that, then he'll have to tell the guards about your cave. It's nothing personal, but he's a member of the palace staff. He's already breaking his oath by not telling the guards that he now knows your whereabouts."
Thorax stopped for a moment to consider what he was just told, but he then nodded his head in agreement. ,"I can't say I'm all that wild about talking to somepony with weapons at the ready", he replied,"but if it's the only way to get him to talk to me, then I guess I have to go along with it, and I can't blame him for feeling like he needs to tell the guards where I am. I wouldn't want a pony losing their job because of me."
Spike frowned at Thorax's assessment. He really wished that the ponies in the empire would just give him a chance freely, but he knew that wouldn't happen. The pair exited the cave and looked around the snow covered wastes around them. Spike looked to his right and saw Heartfelt waiting. ,"You just stay right here for a second and I'll go get him to come over." he told Thorax while pointing at the cyan pony waiting by a cluster of rocks. Thorax nodded and waited patiently for his friend to return.
Spike trudged over to Heartfelt, who was standing by the rocks and looking off in another direction. He turned to face Spike once he heard the dragon's footsteps come closer. Almost immediately, he saw Thorax. ,"So, that's the changeling?" he asked Spike.
Spike nodded. ,"He's agreed to talk to you on your terms, so you can go ahead and come on over." Spike informed him. Heartfelt eyed the changeling carefully, watching him without moving for a few seconds.
,"Tell him to come over here." said Heartfelt. Spike shook his head and waved a claw to Thorax. The changeling saw the gesture and started over to the two of them. Spike saw Heartfelt tense as Thorax got closer.
Once Thorax got to about ten pony lengths away, Heartfelt raised a hoof. ,"That's close enough for now." he told the changeling. Thorax stopped moving and stood in place. Heartfelt eyed him warily for a few moments. He called upon his special talent to examine the changeling and test his theory about their energy. The results were, for lack of a better word, interesting.
Heartfelt turned to look at Spike for a baseline. The dragon radiated nervous energy. Clearly, he wanted things to go well for his new friend. Heartfelt then turned to the changeling and examined his signature. Oddly, the energy around the creature was swirling, kind of like eddies in a stream. Energy was moving both toward and away from it. Heartfelt's previously stern gaze softened and he adopted a more quizzical expression. Spike picked up on this immediately.
,"Something wrong?" Spike asked the stallion. Heartfelt didn't register his friend talking at first, but turned to respond.
,"His emotional energy isn't what I expected", Heartfelt replied,"There is energy flowing into him like my theory stated, but there's also energy coming out, and both streams share similar emotional signatures. It's swirling around him like whirlpools in a river."
Thorax did the equivalent of raising an eyebrow. ,"What's he talking about, Spike?" he asked his friend.
Spike replied,"He's examinig your emotional energy. It's his special talent. According to him, you're both drawing energy in and giving it off. Apparently, he wasn't expecting that."
Thorax looked confused. ,"What do you mean emotional energy?" he questioned.
Heartfelt started walking around Thorax. ,"Emotinal energy is an energy generated by emotions", He explained,"It can sometimes be felt by a pony when close to another, but for me it appears in my vision sort of like if you watched the sun and saw the corona coming off of it. To be honest, most of my meeting with you was to test a theory I had. I figured that since you guys feed off emotions, your EES would be the opposite of a pony's."
Thorax did another brow raising gesture. ,"EES?" he questioned.
,"Emotional energy signature", replied Heartfelt,"It's a pattern unique to a pony, or in your case, a changeling. That said, going off of my experience with ponies, I get the feeling that you're not interested in causing harm to the empire, so my question is why are you all the way out here?"
,"Because I want to make friends!", Thorax answered his question,"Ever since Canterlot, I've-"
Heartfelt interrupted him. ,"You were AT Canterlot!?" he asked in surprise, moving a hoof to the baton in his saddlebag.
Thorax raised a hoof in defense. ,"Yeah", he answered,"but I wasn't there willingly. Nearly everyling in the hive was made to go there. The only ones who didn't were the ones picked to guard and care for the nursery." Heartfelt examined him warily before moving his hoof away from his side and back down to the ground. Thorax continued talking.
,"While I was there, I saw how much terror we were causing and I made the decision not to be part of it. Then, during all the commotion, I saw six mares come charging through the streets and being surrounded by my hivemates. Even in spite of that, none of the six faltered, and their friendship helped them work together to overcome the odds. I was so moved by that that I decided that, after the invasion, win or lose I was leaving the hive and going out to make friends of my own. So, that's why I've come so far: To make friends."
Heartfelt continued looking over Thorax for a few moments after the changeling recanted the story. His look was skeptical, but then changed. ,"You really mean that?" he asked of Thorax, who nodded in response.
The skepticism was gone, and a warm smile covered his face. He walked over to the changeling and offered a hoof. ,"Then any remaining doubts I have have been assuaged." Thorax looked at the hoof and smiled, Taking it in his own and shaking vigorously.
Once the hoofshake was done, both pony and changeling stepped back from one another. At this moment, Thorax took notice of Spike. The dragon had a shocked look on his face. ,"What's wrong?" Thorax asked his friend.
,"Six mares?" Spike looked confused,"Was one of them orange and wearing a hat?"
Thorax looked at his friend surprised. ,"How did you know?" he asked Spike.
Spike then smiled. ,"Because those six are my friends", he answered,"They're the elements of harmony! They all embody the different aspects of friendship that when combined, make them one of the strongest forces in all of Equestria!"
,"Really?", Thorax responded to Spike's claim,"That sounds so awesome! Do you think I could meet them someday?"
Heartfelt interrupted them with a more serious tone. ,"I'm sure something could be arranged", he began,"but unfortunately, we need to get back, Spike. The guards will be wanting to know what was taking us so long, and they might even begin to suspect that we've been replaced by not nice changelings."
Spike looked at him with a worried expression on his face. ,"What about Thorax?" he questioned,"Can't we bring him back with us?"
Heartfelt now had a regretful look on him. ,"I'm sorry, Spike", he apologized,"but I don't think that's a good idea. The guards wouldn't think twice about arresting Thorax right away and just tossing him into the dungeons without a second thought."
,"I could go back in a disguise." offered Thorax, changing himself into a crystal pony. He had his mane pulled back with a hair band and was varying shades of grayish blue, with a cutie mark resembling a piece of pottery. His eyes were teal, and bore the hexagonal shiny marks of the crystal ponies.
,"I don't know", Heartfelt replied skeptically,"The guards are gonna question who you are when we get back."
,"I could vouch for him." offered Spike.
Heartfelt mused on this. ,"That could work, but they'll ask questions, like 'What's his name?'"
Spike looked the the ground in thought and then answered,"Crystal Hoof."
Heartfelt raised an eyebrow. ,"Crystal Hoof?" he asked the dragon, to which Spike nodded in reply. ,"And how do you two know each other?"
,"We met during the Equestria Games." came Spike's reply.
,"And where does he live?" asked Heartfelt.
,"He lives in Manehattan.", answered Spike,"He moved there after Sombra was overthrown, and he's back to visit his family."
Heartfelt gave a glare of suspicion at the last part of the response. ,"And what is his family's street address?" the stallion asked, using a tone that screamed disapproval.
Spike rubbed his head and acted nervously. He walked into that last part without realizing it. Thorax, however, seemed to be quicker on his hooves.
,"818 Quartz Street.", he answered Heartfelt's question,"I sent a letter stating that I was coming for a visit, but I never got a reply back. It must've fell out of a mailmare's pouch."
Heartfelt wanted to scrutinize further, but he had no good questions for which to challenge the story. Plus, the cold was starting to really get to him. ,"Okay", he relented,"We'll go along with this plan, as not good an idea as it is. However, I'm gonna warn the both of you now. My flank is on the line here, so if anything goes wrong, it's on you two and not me, okay?"
Spike and Thorax both looked at each other and nodded. ,"If things go south, then you had no idea what was happening." Spike agreed. With that business concluded, the trio made their way back to the empire.