The Crystal Empire was still on high alert after the changeling Thorax had gotten inside the throne room and less than a pony's distance from the royal couple's daughter, Princess Flurry Heart. The foal's father, Prince Shining Armor, was commanding squads of guards outside the palace. "That changeling couldn't have gone far!", he shouted,"Check every nook and cranny you come across! Leave no stone unturned!"
"YES SIR!" replied the guard as the continued their search for the changeling.
Inside the palace, a purple dragon was being comforted by a lilac colored mare with blue streaks in her hair. It was Starlight Glimmer, who had been helping a guard patrol search before Thorax was discovered in the throne room. She was now rubbing Spike's back, trying to reassure him.
"I know you're upset Spike", she consoled,"but how could you have known?"
"I should've stood up for him." Spike spat out, confusing Starlight.
"Stuck up for who?" she asked him.
"Thorax", he replied,"All he wanted was a friend by his side, and when he needed one most, I caved to pressure and kept quiet. I'm a horrible friend!"
Starlight was still confused. "Spike, I don't understand."
Spike wiped his face and explained. "I was in a cave earlier and I ran into the changeling. In a panic, I knocked myself silly on a rock and fell into a chasm. I thought I was a goner, but the changeling saved me."
Starlight gave him a skeptical look, but Spike reassured her he wasn't lying.
"I know. I didn't think it was real either, but he did. After he set me down, we talked and he told me about how he left his hive and has been searching for a friend all through Equestria. Eventually he wound up here and ran into me."
"The changeling... saved you?", Starlight questioned,"It wasn't some kind of trick?"
Spike shook his head. "No, he wasn't lying. He said all he ever wanted was a friend he could share love with, so I decided to be his friend", he answered, before somberly adding,"or at least I thought I was."
"What do you mean", asked Starlight.
"I tried to convince ponies to listen to me and give him a chance, but none would. Heartfelt agreed, but even that was just so he could test his theories about changelings. I decided that Thorax should come back with us, so he put on a disguise and we came back. I led him up to the throne room so he could meet everybody, but then he got overwhelmed and lost his disguise."
"When everyone saw he was a changeling, they all surrounded Flurry to protect her. Shining ordered that he be taken prisoner. That's when I messed up."
"Thorax asked me to say something to stop them, but I felt so pressured by everyone that I relented and didn't say anything. That's when he made his escape out the window, and I ran into here to be alone."
Upon finishing the story, Spike had fresh tears rolling down his cheeks. Starlight could hardly believe the story, but she knew at least the majority of it he wasn't lying about. But a changeling that actually wanted to be friends? She wanted to think it was crazy, but she was the most unfamiliar with changelings of anyone in the palace.
"A changeling that wants to be friends with ponies?", she thought to herself,"Is that really possible?" She wanted to say no, but then she remembered her own recent turning over of a new leaf.
"Perhaps this situation can help me demonstrate my commitment to Twilight's lessons", she thought to herself,"By offering this changeling friendship, I could show how willing I truly am to make new friends, and maybe other ponies will give this changeling a chance too."
Before another word could be said, a purple flash appeared in the room. Starlight and Spike both turned their gaze to find three figures in the room. One was Princess Twilight, the other was Heartfelt, and the third was one that Starlight had never seen before but knew through reputation and photographs. It was a changeling, and likely the one Spike had been telling her about.
Thorax had his head spinning from being teleported for the first time, and promptly flopped onto a nearby bed to recover his bearings. Twilight and Heartfelt both approached Starlight and Spike.
"Spike", Twilight began,"I believe you owe someone in this room an apology."
"Yeah, I do", Spike replied,"I'm sorry I disappointed you."
Twilight was about to tell him she meant Thorax, but paused when his words registered. "What do you mean you disappointed me?" she asked.
"I didn't stand up for my friend", Spike clarified,"There was a friend that needed somepony to vouch for them and that friend they needed was me, but I didn't stand up for them. I gave into pressure and went along with everypony else."
Twilight wanted to tell him it was okay and that everypony made mistakes, until realization hit her: She was one of those ponies that made him cave to pressure. She took Spike into an embrace.
"I'm sorry too, Spike", Twilight told him,"I made a mistake and didn't listen to that friend."
Spike looked up at her as she continued.
"You did try to tell us earlier that Thorax was good, but no one was listening to you. We were too scared that Thorax was going to hurt Flurry, we weren't allowing ourselves to see that Thorax was trying to approach us as a friend."
Spike looked at Twilight in disbelief. "Did you just..."
Twilight stopped him and nodded. "Yes, Spike, I called him Thorax."
"After we talked before, I ran into Heartfelt and he told me everything. Then he took me to meet Thorax in that cave, and I saw for myself that the story you told me was true, and that Thorax really was good. I immediately apologized to Thorax, and promised that I would help him."
"Anyways, I didn't listen to you when you were trying to tell us Thorax was good, and I pressured you into being quiet when you should've been standing up for him, and for that, I'm sorry."
Spike smiled as he heard her apology, and then offered his own. "I'm sorry that I disappointed you and wasn't a good friend."
Twilight smiled, but then remembered what Spike still needed to do. "I appreciate your apology, but I think someone here deserves it more."
Spike was confused and looked past Twilight to see that Thorax was standing there, still regaining his bearings from his first ever teleportation. The dragon walked past Twilight to stand in front of the changeling.
Thorax was just about recovered when he took notice of Spike. As soon as he realized who it was, he had a scowl on his face, and turned to look in another direction. He was still quite upset that his first actual friend had left him high and dry when he needed him most.
"I was a terrible friend", Spike began to apologize,"I should've spoken up for you earlier, and I didn't. I gave into pressure from everypony else to just keep quiet and let them imprison you. After that happened, I couldn't stop crying. I wanted to apologize then and there, but you took off. I can't apologize enough, but please understand I really am sorry I didn't stand up for you."
Thorax continued to look at the dragon with a scowl. "Do you know how much that hurt Spike?", he asked the dragon,"Do you know how bad it felt that the first real friend I've ever had abandoned me because things went bad? I thought a guard had speared me in the chest it felt that bad!"
Spike winced and looked at the ground in shame. He realized he'd hurt Thorax, but hearing how bad made him regret his actions even more. Then, Thorax continued speaking in a softer tone.
"In the end, you did still stand up for me."
Spike looked at him in confusion. Thorax elaborated.
"You told Princess Twilight about how I saved you and made her second guess her feelings towards me. When Heartfelt brought her to me and she saw for herself that I wasn't a horrible monster, she had a change of heart, and now she wants to help me. If you hadn't told her that story, I would still be out in the wastelands waiting either to be captured or to get away from here."
Spike smiled upon hearing his friend had found another friend. "I know you are probably still upset with me, but can you find it in yourself to give me another chance? I promise I won't let you down like that again."
Thorax thought about it and nodded. "I suppose I can forgive you, but you can't abandon me when things get tough again. I'm gonna need all the friends I can get for what I'm trying to do. Can I count on you again, Spike?"
The dragon smiled and held out his claw. "You can count on me!" answered Spike. The two then shook hoof and claw on it.
After the shake, Thorax then turned his attention to the one pony in the room he wasn't familiar with. She stepped towards him with curious eyes; a welcome change from the usual 'cowering-in-fear' reaction he usually got.
"So", she began,"You're the changeling that saved Spike?"
"Yeah, that's me" Thorax replied. Before he could react, the mare had taken him into a hug, catching the changeling off guard.
"Then you're AOK in my book" she replied, then let him go and backed up a step to offer her hoof to him. "I'm Starlight Glimmer. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Thorax took the hoof absentmindedly and shook it. Once the words processed in his mind, he smiled and replied "The pleasure is all mine." He let go of her hoof and then looked at her in confusion. "Aren't you afraid of me?" he asked her.
"Maybe I was when Twilight first told me about changelings", she replied,"but after hearing Spike's story about you saving him, I thought the best way to show my thanks was to offer a hoof to you as a friend. Plus, I think this is a chance for me to set an example for other ponies to follow."
"So you really don't think I'm evil and need to be feared?" he asked her.
"Oh, please", she responded,"As bad as invading Canterlot was, I've honestly probably done way worse things than that."
Thorax couldn't believe what he was hearing. This mare had done worse things than changelings? "What have you done?"
"Well", Starlight replied,"I was the leader of a town where I convinced everypony there that giving up their cutie marks would make their lives better and happier. If Twilight told you anything about cutie marks, then you know just how wrong that really is."
Thorax nodded in understanding. From what little he did remember being trained in the hive for infiltration missions, cutie marks were a pictorial representation of a pony's strongest talent displayed on their flanks. When they got them, it was a cause for celebration with a party called a cuteceñera. He even recalled seeing one on his journey through Equestria.
"Twilight didn't tell me", he answered,"but I learned about them before. So you robbed ponies of their individuality?"
Starlight blushed nervously and replied "Yeah, that's basically the gist of it. Of course, I've learned from my mistakes and Twilight has taken me on as her own student. Now, I'm hoping to make amends for all the bad things I've done, especially with my village."
"And I'll be more than happy to help you do that when you're ready Starlight", Twilight chimed in as she moved towards the door,"Now, I'm going back to my brother and sister-in-law to plead on Thorax's behalf."
Starlight looked to her mentor confused. "Won't they try to take him prisoner once he gets inside the throne room."
"Probably", Twilight answered,"but that would be of poor character to treat a creature seeking asylum as a criminal."
"But Princess Twilight", Thorax interjected,"Wouldn't my being at Canterlot during that invasion count as some kind of crime? I'm sure they'd love nothing more than to punish me for that."
"Probably", Twilight answered,"but all cases of asylum in Equestria and its territories, which the Crystal Empire is one, have to be reviewed by the princesses in Canterlot, and no creature being considered for that can be held as a prisoner."
"Isn't it possible the princesses could reject my request, especially after learning what creature is making that request?" Thorax countered.
"That's certainly possible", Twilight replied,"but having an asylum request denied wouldn't be for reasons of personal prejudice. Besides, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are not known to hold grudges, and Princess Luna may be more sympathetic to your case, since she has returned in recent years from her banishment as Nightmare Moon."
Thorax looked at the mare wide eyed. "PRINCESS LUNA IS NIGHTMARE MOON?!"
"She was", Twilight answered,"but me and my friends discovered are purpose as bearers for the elements of harmony and banished that evil spirit from her. Now, she has returned to her former duties. I'm sure if a nightmare ever befell you, she would come to calm your fears and help you move past it."
Thorax couldn't believe that somepony who had been evil for so long could actually have a change of heart. It made him wonder if Queen Chrysalis could have a similar situation befall her. Actually thinking about it, however, made him think otherwise. Queen Chrysalis valued power and control over everything else. She likely wouldn't ever want to redeem herself.
"Of course I'm ready!", answered Spike,"I'm not about to let my new friend down again!"
Heartfelt gave a nod. "It may cost me my job", he admitted,"but I can at least go forward with a clear conscience."
Thorax winced upon hearing that something like that could happen to the stallion. Heartfelt saw this and waved a dismissive hoof.
"Don't go blaming yourself if that happens", he told Thorax,"If that should happen, it would be because of decisions I made of my own free will, and not because of you."
Thorax wanted to protest that, but could see there was no convincing him otherwise.
"Thorax saved my friend and yours Twilight", answered Starlight,"The least I can do is plead on his behalf."
Thorax looked all around at the ponies and dragon who swore to stand up for him and smiled. He looked back at Twilight and gave her a nod to show he was now ready to go through with this plan.
"Great. Now, let's go talk some sense into my brother and sister-in-law!"