Elbow Grease sat in his cell with a set of hoof manacles on his hooves and a magic inhibitor on his horn. He had been told of his sentence not long ago: Ten years in the dungeons, possibly reduced to five if he exhibited good behavior for the first two years. The sentence hit him in the chest like a heavy stone. All of that life he would be missing out on, because he let a mare convince him to do something really stupid.
He hung his head and resigned himself to his fate. His legal representation was working to try and get his sentence reduced further to be for a shorter term yet, and allow for work release so he wouldn't spend all that time locked inside a jail cell. Seeing the princess's face upon delivery of the sentence told him that such pipe dreams would probably remain as such. Strangely, when he asked her about the request he made to Captain Shining Armor, she'd told him he had not informed her of such a request. Stranger yet, she eyed him up for a moment or two before agreeing to grant the request. She was going to have a mage teleport him to the palace and then to the dungeons once he'd spoken his peace.
A set of hooves marching past his cell caught his attention. Looking up, Elbow saw a squad of guards heading out the door. Inside the group was Feather, also bound with manacles and her magic suppressed by a ring. She looked over at him with a pleading look, as though he could do something to help her. Having all the horrible memories of the past two days go through his mind, he shot her a glare of contempt and turned away.
Feather saw his reaction and lost any fight she had left in her. The only pony left that could possibly have sympathy for her wanted nothing more to do with her. Hanging her head in defeat, she simply followed the guards to her fate.
Once she was past, Elbow sat in thought for a moment about what would happen to his life after his sentence was up. He was going to miss out on a lot of life, but he was more worried about his family. His mother had been heartbroken to hear the news of what her son had done. His father wanted nothing to do with him, and his siblings looked on him with disgust.
The only sympathy he got was from his brother Piston Ring, who because of living in the empire, came to visit him after hearing he was arrested. He talked with Elbow privately and learned the attack was against a changeling. Strangely, he seemed sympathetic to the insectoid equines.
"How?!", Elbow asked in surprise,"How could you feel anything for them after what they did to you?!"
"I can't explain it", Piston replied,"but I don't think they really wanted to invade us like they did. Sure, they were acting real mean, but their queen told them to."
"Besides, I saw one of them staying out of the fray, so I know there was at least one of them that looked like they didn't want any part of it."
That last part stuck with Elbow. The changeling had said once before to Brass that he didn't fight anypony during the invasion, and tried to avoid any of the fighting that happened. For his brother to claim that he saw a changeling doing exactly that? It was too much of a coincidence.
Another set of hooves approaching his cell caught his attention. A guard was approaching his cell along with the mage mare he'd met the day before. The guard opened the cell, and the mare stepped inside.
"I'm here to escort you to the palace", she told him,"We'll be teleporting there. I warn you now: First time teleportation can cause disorientation and nausea. Brace yourself for that."
Without any further warning, her horn lit up and the two ponies vanished from the cell.
Thorax had recovered enough from his injuries for Doctor Caduceus to release him from his care, though he would have to come back each day for an hour or so so that the doctor could check to make sure his recovery went smoothly. Since he was released, a group of guards brought him back to the forges for the new ring. As promised, the enchantment put less strain on his magic, but still restricted a great deal of it. It was a compromise that Thorax was willing to live with.
"I wish they would just trust you already so you don't have to wear that ring" commented Brass, sitting in a chair next to Thorax's bed.
"I know, but Princess Cadance wants to prevent everypony here from going into a panic", Thorax responded,"I mean, they're gonna be in for a big shock today."
"Thorax", she countered,"they're gonna be too busy noticing that you're a changeling to notice that Princess Cadance put that ring on you."
The changeling wanted to counter the argument, but he had no counter-argument. The ponies of the Crystal Empire were about to learn that not only were they going to be sharing their home with a changeling, but that they already have been for three months and almost a whole week. If they saw him without any kind of restraint, who knew what they would do.
A period of silence followed the short conversation. Brass chose to interrupt it with a question for Thorax.
"Have you thought about Princess Twilight's offer?" she asked him.
"Her offer?" he responded.
"You know", she hinted,"Going to live in Ponyville at her castle?"
Thorax gave a small "Oh" and proceeded to twiddle his hooves.
"Yeah, I have thought about it" he answered her.
"And?" she continued pressing.
"I'm going to stay here" came his reply.
This caught Brass by surprise. "You're gonna keep staying here? Why?"
"There's a few different reasons", Thorax explained,"but the biggest one is that, despite the treatment and reaction I've gotten from ponies, I feel like this place is home for me, even more of a home than the hive ever was."
"You're joking, right?", Brass said in disbelief,"After getting your head nearly beat in by two of your coworkers and the princess herself openly admitting that she wanted nothing to do with you, to the point of making some dumb agreement that she was sure you'd turn down, and the captain of the royal guard not even seeing you once since the day he tried to blast you in the throne room, you still want to stay here?"
"I know things have been... bumpy", Thorax admitted,"but that doesn't mean that I still don't think of this place as my home."
"In the time since I started staying here, the guards haven't been as forceful as before, other ponies don't recoil in fear the minute they see me, plus I get to work with you and spend time learning things with Sunburst. Plus, I do feel a little proud that every day, I get to make the already beautiful place I live in even more beautiful."
Brass considered his points. "But don't you want to go stay with Spike?", she asked,"I mean, he is your first real friend after all."
"He'll always be my friend", Thorax replied,"but just because I'm not spending every day with him doesn't do anything to hurt that."
"I guess" Brass said in defeat.
Before anymore conversation could be had, there was a knock on the door. A guard opened it and stepped inside. "There's a pony outside that would like to speak with you" the guard informed Thorax.
"Me?" Thorax replied with confusion.
"Yes", answered the guard,"Now, please step outside so they can address you properly."
Thorax and Brass said nothing as they stood up and walked outside. What they saw upon leaving the room caused a mix of emotions in Thorax, but an intense bitterness in Brass. "What are you doing here?!" she asked in a very accusing tone.
Outside the room was a squad of guards, and inside that squad of guards was Elbow Grease, bound in restraints. The stallion had been looking up slightly, but upon hearing the mare's voice, looked down at the ground in shame. A guard pressed a hoof into his flanks.
"Well", the guard said impatiently,"You wanted to speak with him, so speak!"
Elbow wanted to glare at the guard for the rough treatment, but thought better of it. He took a moment to calm his breathing before looking Thorax in the eye.
"I'm... sorry for what I did to you, and how I treated you."
Thorax and Brass both looked at Elbow with surprise. The stallion continued speaking.
"When I did what I did, it was because I was egged on by Feather to do it. She had me convinced that I was doing the right thing, when I should've known it wasn't from the start."
"I... also did it because of my brother. He was attacked by changelings in Canterlot, and he was fed on. When I heard that and saw another pony fed on by a changeling, and how it affected them, I wanted nothing more at that moment than to have one of those bugs in front of me so I could show them what for!"
Elbow was becoming agitated upon recalling the story, but took a breath to calm down before continuing to speak.
"After I was arrested, my brother came and saw me, and he told me he didn't hold any ill will against you guys. In fact, he even told me that he saw you."
"He did?", Thorax said with surprise,"How did he know it was me?"
"He didn't", Elbow explained,"but I figured it out. When he said he saw a changeling that didn't look like they wanted to be there, and I overheard you telling Brass how you didn't want to be at the invasion, I put two and two together."
He took another breath before looking at Thorax apologetically.
"Thorax, I can't apologize enough or do enough to make amends for all the things I've said and done, but I really do regret doing what I did. You didn't deserve anything of what Feather and I did to you. I wish I could go back and knock some sense into myself and Feather. Maybe then you wouldn't have gotten hurt. If it means anything, I'll tell other ponies about you, what ones I can, and maybe that'll help you with your goal."
"You... want to help me?" Thorax asked Elbow.
"It's probably the bare minimum I can do to start atoning for my mistakes" Elbow answered.
"Okay", the guard said jabbing Elbow again,"You've spoke your peace. Now, let's get moving!"
"Well", Elbow said defeated,"time to start my sentence." With that, the stallion and guards turned and left down the hall. Thorax couldn't help but smile as he watched them walk away.
"How could meeting one of the ponies that nearly killed you make you happy?" Brass asked Thorax.
"Because he learned from his mistake", Thorax replied,"and he wants to make up for it."
"That's all fine and dandy", Brass agreed,"but he still has to serve that sentence."
"Yeah" Thorax said, his mood deflating. As much as he would've loved to have been able to just absolve Elbow and set him free, that was an authority he didn't have. A part of him hoped that one day in the future, he could meet Elbow again under different circumstances, and perhaps the two could become friends.
Princess Cadance sat in her private study reviewing a series of cue cards she had prepared. It was 10am currently, and in two hours, she would be addressing everypony under her rule. Even those who couldn't attend would still be able to hear her announcement, courtesy of the new radio station recently created in the Crystal Empire.
The princess shuffled through the cards, rehearsing their contents in her mind so that she could recall them easily enough. A part of her wished for her sister-in-law Twilight to be giving this speech; The purple alicorn and her assistant unfortunately were called back to Ponyville much sooner than they would've liked due to the call of the Friendship map in Twilight's own throne room.
Of course, actually having her give the speech would've been irresponsible in anypony's eyes. Cadance was the sovereign of the empire, and her husband the commander of the guards that protected it. She had a duty to keep her subjects informed of all of the goings on within, and this announcement was really coming later than it should have.
Princess Cadance, for all her dealings in the stressful affairs of the empire, was not really one for vices. Even with the birth of her daughter and the burdens of motherhood, she handled all these things with a sense of grace and dignity rivaled only by her aunts Celestia and Luna. When it came to nerves, however, she was known on a rare occasion to partake of a drink; Specifically, brandy.
A goblet of the drink sat on her desk, and the princess could feel the nerves begin to rise in her. Thus, in her magic, the glass found its way to her lips as she sipped a small amount of the liquor, the burning it caused her throat slowly giving way to an inexplicable release of tension. Some might call that a sign of a habit, but it really wasn't; It had been quite some time since the drink found its way to the princess's mouth, even though she'd been highly tempted three months ago when all of this started.
A knocking on her door caused her to lose control of her magic, the cue cards falling unceremoniously onto her desk. Letting out a sigh, she called for the pony to enter. When the door opened, she saw her husband, his expression telling her of his bad mood. "I was just told of the new agreement" he said with irritation in his voice.
Cadance rubbed her temples and let out a sigh. "I know, and I can already tell that you vehemently disapprove of it" she said plainly.
"That's not the point!" Shining shot back, his hoof slamming into the floor for emphasis. "We came up with the original agreement together, and now you're doing away with it and putting this new one in place, with zero input from me!"
"You haven't been around him since that day in the throne room, Shining!", Cadance countered,"You weren't there to see how happy he was when we told him we would allow him to stay! You didn't see him during the interview I conducted to evaluate if he deserved to be here longer than six months and how enthusiastic he was about Brass and Sunburst! You didn't see him beaten so badly that he may have been left a vegetable laying in a hospital bed for the rest of his days! You haven't seen him at all since he came to us with Twilight and everypony else!"
"You never bothered with him until you had to" Shining responded with a chilling tone.
Cadance wanted nothing more than to throw the heaviest thing she could at her husband, but she calmed herself and composed herself to give a response. "You're right, I did avoid him for as long as possible", she conceded,"and I can admit to myself that that was a mistake. I should've been more hooves on with the situation. If I had been, we wouldn't be in this mess. But make no mistake, Shining, you share as much blame in this as I do."
Shining wanted to spit out a retort, but she was right. By not keeping a close watch of his guards, corruption had been allowed to penetrate his guard's ranks, and when word got out, which it would eventually, the guard of the Crystal Empire would have a black eye on its reputation, all because of his aloofness in regards to one changeling.
"You're right", Shining admitted,"I do share blame in this as well, and I should've been more involved than what I have been, but that doesn't change the fact that you made this new agreement without my opinion, and I disapprove of it. Of course, it's not really like my opinion on this matter actually matters anymore, does it?"
Wanting to leave no room for rebuttal, Shining turned and left the room. Cadance had been about to protest his opinion, but he was gone before she got the chance. In that moment, she wanted to hit something, but found herself instead taking another long sip from her glass of brandy. It was going to be a long day for the princess.
Thorax was led by a pair of guards to the balcony where he was usually allowed to feed every morning and evening. His presence here now, at midday, was at request of the princess. For the first time, he was going to be formally introduced to the citizens of the Crystal Empire, whom he had learned had no knowledge of his being there. Waiting just outside the doors leading to the balcony was Princess Cadance and her attendant Andesite.
"Princess" Thorax greeted with a bow, a gesture returned by Cadance.
"I am going to go out in a moment and tell everypony about what's been happening" she informed Thorax. "Once I've filled everypony in, I will give Andesite a signal which she will relay to you, and then you'll come out and I'll formally introduce you. Normally, there would be a question and answer session after an announcement like this, but I'm going to forego it until a later time so as neither you or I become overwhelmed."
"What if a pony keeps interrupting?" Thorax asked.
"Then a guard will kindly remind them that there will not be any questions answered", Cadance replied,"and if they persist, they will be detained until after the announcement has been concluded."
Andesite tapped Cadance on the withers and then gestured towards a clock on a nearby wall. Cadance looked up and noticed the time. "Okay, I'm going to head out there now", she told Thorax,"Pay attention for Andesite's signal, and then just come on out."
Thorax gave a nod and Cadance turned and walked out onto the balcony. Andesite followed behind her and closed the door behind the two.
Through the glass door, Thorax could hear the cheer of the crowd, which died down, and then Cadance's voice as she addressed them. The changeling noticed how muffled the sound was, and attributed it to a sound dampening spell that seemed rather effective.
"Ahem!"
The loud clearing of a throat caused Thorax to jump slightly. Turning to face the pony making the sound, Thorax's eyes went wide and the changeling looked similar to a deer staring down the headlamp of a late night train. Standing before him in a dress uniform that was all too familiar was Captain Shining Armor, head of the royal guard of Equestria and co-ruler of the Crystal Empire.
With the suppression ring in place, Thorax couldn't feel the emotions of the stallion, but body language and eye contact told him enough to know that Shining Armor was not pleased with seeing him. The captain stepped forward, quickly closing the space between the two until it was only a hoofstep at the most between them.
"I'm keeping this very simple", Shining began,"The attack carried out against you was the fault of several ponies and guards who acted without honor. I have seen to it that those ponies are no longer here to cause such dishonor in the future."
"My wife has put a lot of faith in you, which I feel is misplaced, but I know for a fact that she won't listen to me. She's granting you a lot of leeway, so you had better appreciate it and not do anything to make her regret her choice!"
"My sister put faith in somepony before that was dangerous once, thinking they had changed. In the end, that came back to bite her, and it almost cost the entire future of our world!"
"Know this Thorax - If you do something that makes my wife regret ever giving you this kind of freedom, I will make sure that you regret having ever done it! Do we have an understanding?"
Thorax was shaking where he stood, and amazed he hadn't made a mess on the carpet, number one or two. He simply nodded, too afraid to speak.
"Talk, BUG!", Shining said louder,"Do. You. Under. Stand?"
"Y-Y-Yes, sir"
"Sir?", Shining scoffed,"I work for a living! You will address me as Captain Shining Armor!"
"Y-YES CAPTAIN SHINING ARMOR!" Thorax shouted, his legs shaking so much that he was afraid they would give out.
"Good", Shining said with satisfaction,"My guards will protect you should anypony try to harm you like Feather and Elbow did, but they will be just as quick to act if you try anything. Understood?"
"Y-YES CAPTAIN SHINING ARMOR!" Thorax shouted again.
"No need to yell", Shining told him with a smile that wasn't truly happy,"nor should you be so jumpy. Treat me with respect and I'll do the same."
Thorax doubted very much that the pony captain would seriously do that, not when everything about his behavior suggested he was making a threat.
"I have other affairs to attend to", Shining told him,"So I have one last question before I leave. What did Elbow Grease say to you this morning?"
Thorax was caught off guard by the question. He assumed that the captain had no knowledge of that incident. "He... apologized for attacking me."
"Really?", Shining responded with a raised eyebrow,"And I assume there's ponies that'll testify to this?"
"Brass Polish and the guards observing me and escorting him" Thorax replied.
"Then I'll have to investigate to see if you're actually telling the truth." Shining told him with a bit of venom in his voice. The stallion said nothing else as he walked away.
Thorax, who had unknowingly been holding a breath, let it out and took several deep, slow ones to calm himself. If this was what his future interactions with the prince would be like, he'd have to do whatever he could to keep them to a minimum.
Princess Cadance approached the balcony, and looked over a crowd of a few thousand. There was a thunderous cacophony of sounds, all of it directed at her. A raising of her hoof, and the noise slowly died out, the audience before her eager to find out what this announcement was for. She approached the microphone sitting on a podium and began speaking.
"Thank you to everypony who was able to attend today, and for those of you listening on our new radio station. I have called all of you here today because there is news I wish to share with all of you."
"Some months ago, we had a changeling scare when one was spotted near the outskirts of the empire. Officially, we informed all of you that we had found and taken the changeling into custody, and that the situation was resolved."
"However, there is more to the story than you were told."
The last sentence sent murmurs through the crowd.
"The changeling, when interrogated, told us that he left his hive in pursuit of friendship. Naturally, we had doubts about this, but then he was vouched for by both Princess Celestia and Luna, in addition to Princess Twilight Sparkle and the hero of the empire, Spike, who was the first to find this changeling."
A series of shocked gasps followed the revelation of the royal sisters putting faith into a changeling, then turned to cheers at the mention of Spike. Cadance's hoof silenced the crowd as she spoke again.
"Taking the opinions of the princesses and Spike into consideration, as well as debating with my husband, we reluctantly agreed to allow this changeling to stay here in the palace temporarily. Yes, I am confirming that the Crystal Empire Babbler's story yesterday is indeed true."
The cacophony of voices returned with a vengeance. Some of them were accusatory, some were fearful, and others were questions directed at the princess. She again raised her hoof to ask for the crowd's silence, to which the majority acquiesced.
"I know that this is a rather startling revelation", she continued,"but I would like to assure all of you that you are in no danger. This changeling, for the past three months, has been under constant supervision by members of our own royal guard, in addition to a detachment of Princess Luna's Night Guard thestrals. He's also been placed in restraints so as to prevent him from causing any harm to anypony, and has contributed to this empire by way of helping to keep the Crystal Palace clean and presentable for all who come to visit our empire."
These facts got mixed reactions from the crowd. Cadance continued with the announcement.
"Now, there are many questions you all have, and while I will not directly answer questions at this time, I hope that what I have to say next will answer some of those questions."
The voices in the crowd died out, the ponies they belonged to hoping their questions would be answered.
Cadance took a breath before speaking again. "Now, I have read the story inside the Babbler, I must point out that there are some inaccuracies which I feel our on part of the story's author, who has likely embellished portions of the story to drum up readers, so I would like to present all of the facts and single out the inaccuracies."
"First, this changeling is not here as a herald of some massive invasion. It was a lone changeling drone that was found in a crystal cave on the outskirts of the empire."
"Second, his staying here was part of what we referred to as 'a provisional and probationary asylum'. This means that for six months, this changeling was being given the chance to prove that claims he made about wishing to stay here and live with us peacefully were true and honest."
"That agreement reached its halfway point a few days ago, and interviews and evaluations with palace staff resulted in either indifference or positive feedback from anypony that interacted with him. Were that to continue being the case for the next three months after that, I would have considered offering the possibility of extending an offer for him to stay indefinitely and become a citizen of this empire."
Again, the cacophony of voices rose upon hearing that a changeling, a known enemy of Equestria, and by extension the Crystal Empire, would be given a chance to become a citizen and live in the empire. Cadance again raised her hoof and quieted the crowd.
"I understand your concerns and objections", she continued,"This decision was not made with haste or without forethought into consequences that could result. However, there have been events that have transpired that have caused this arrangement to be amended."
"The article in the Crystal Empire Babbler was based on an interview conducted by the story's author and a former member of the palace custodial staff named Feather Duster. In this interview, Feather Duster disclosed information that was restricted by a non-disclosure agreement that she signed. The purpose of that agreement was to prevent unapproved information from being released and causing a panic here in the Crystal Empire."
"However, the violation of the NDA is a moot point in contrast to a more serious crime that Feather Duster has committed, and one that she is being punished for as we speak."
Cadance used her magic to levitate two objects from a box beside her. One was a minotaur's mace, and the other was an enchanted Nightmare Night costume that resembled a changeling.
"Feather Duster, along with another pony named Elbow Grease, used enchanted costumes and minotaur weapons such as these to attack the changeling, who because of the restraints placed upon him, was left defenseless. The injuries he sustained were quite bad, with the worst being a concussion and damage to flight muscles in his wings."
Gasps of shock went through the crowd. Cadance flourished the items for several moments before returning them to the box.
"This attack, regardless of the fact that the victim was a changeling, was heinous and uncalled for. Violence should never be resorted to, and even in the worst scenarios where a life is at stake, it should be the absolute last resort!"
"Because of this attack, and the article that was published yesterday, I have decided that all of you should know what is going on so that there are, hopefully, no more misunderstandings."
Cadance picked up a back leg and tapped her hoof twice, a signal for Andesite to turn around and get Thorax.
Thorax stood by the door to the balcony in thought. He had had his first contact with Captain Shining Armor since he and his friends confronted the royal couple three months ago, and it would seem time did nothing whatsoever to even so much as make a dent in the stallion's convictions. He wondered to himself if he would ever be able to convince him of his intentions.
A door handle moving caught the changeling's attention. Looking up, Thorax saw the door to the balcony open, and Andesite poking her head in and making a come hither gesture. "Your introduction is coming up" she told him with a smile. For one reason or another, Thorax was almost certain that the smile was genuine. He stepped to the door and stopped when Andesite held her hoof out to halt him. Thorax stood there and listened to Cadance speaking, her voice amplified by large speakers.
"Now, I would like all of you now to meet our newest candidate for citizenship here in the Crystal Empire. Please welcome now, Thorax." Andesite then made a very enthusiastic gesture that told the changeling to head out onto the balcony.
Thorax moved ahead and his view eventually cleared the obstacle of the balcony's railing. Spread out before him was the near entirety of the Crystal Empire's population. Ponies numbering in the thousands, and ALL of them looking at him!
Once he was in full view of the crowd, Thorax was assaulted with camera flashes as reporters took his picture. He raised a hoof to his eyes in an attempt to protect them. Of course, it would've helped if he had chosen the hoof with the fewest holes in it. After a moment, the flashed stopped, and Thorax could look around again.
Looking out at the crowd, Thorax could see a multitude of expressions. Some ponies were glaring at him with anger. Others were wincing and cowering in fear. Some were staring at him with wide eyes and in total surprise. It was pretty much how the changeling expected everypony there to react to him.
"I can tell by your reactions that this set of events is quite a shock, and will take time to get used to", Cadance continued, her voice being amplified by the large speakers nearby,"but I assure you first and foremost that all of you are safe. Aside from the use of his magic being restricted to simple levitation, guards will keep a watchful eye on him to ensure nothing happens to anypony."
"I must also ask those of you out there who may have ideas of getting some kind of revenge against changelings by attacking Thorax to abandon such ideas. The protection from the Crystal Guard is just as much for him as it is for all of you. Those who would try to carry out violence against Thorax will be detained and punished just the same as we would punish him for committing transgressions here."
"This announcement is all that I have for you today. I will hold a question and answer session at a later date, and you will all be notified of when that will be. I thank you all for coming, and hope you have a pleasant remainder of your day."
A cacophony of questions and barrage of camera flashes followed as Cadance gave a wave to everypony from the balcony. Thorax watched her for a moment before a thought crossed his mind.
"Um, Princess?" he said, getting her attention.
Cadance turned to face him, not saying anything, but quirking an eyebrow to acknowledge hearing him.
"Could... could I say something to everypony?" he asked her.
Cadance looked at him with surprise, but then turned back to the crowd and held up a hoof. "If everypony would please quiet down for a moment", she instructed,"Thorax here would like to say something to all of us."
Another cacophony of voices and flashes bombarded the balcony. Cadance had stepped back and gestured for Thorax to step up to the microphone. Thorax took a few steps over and stood before it. He looked out at the crowd again, seeing the same faces and expressions, but there were now some curious expressions as well, some ponies wondering what he was going to say to them.
"H-Hello", Thorax began,"I-I'm Thorax, like Princess Cadance said."
There was no reaction from the crowd.
"Right", Thorax continued,"I wanted to say some things to all of you, since I'm being given a chance to live here with all of you. I'll start by admitting that I was at the wedding in Canterlot when my kind tried to invade."
This sentence was met with a roar of disapproval, and some of the previously curious and scared faces flipped to ones that were very angry and scornful.
Cadance stepped in to calm the crowd. "Please, everypony! Allow him to finish talking before jumping to conclusions!"
The crowd, upon hearing their regent's voice, did as asked. Cadance gave a nod to Thorax to let him know he could continue speaking.
"As I said, I was there, and I am sorry for what happened. I never acted in violence towards anypony, but I didn't do anything to help either."
"I don't regret being there, because I saw something that day that changed my life: the Element Bearers and their friendship! Seeing them looking out for each other and working together made me feel so happy inside, I knew I had to try it for myself."
"After the invasion failed, I left the hive and came to Equestria to try and make friends. After failing so many times, I eventually found my way here, which brings me to what I really wanted to say to all of you."
There were confused murmurs amongst the crowd, nopony sure what was coming next.
"When I got here, I was so nervous about how things would go that I got scared and chose to hide. Unfortunately, one of you saw me and alerted the guard, which made everypony here afraid, which was never my intention."
"So, my reason for coming up here to speak was to apologize. I'm sorry that I scared all of you, but I hope we can all become friends in the future."
With that, Thorax stepped away from the microphone. Nopony had anything to say in response. They had never expected to actually hear a changeling speaking, much less offer an apology for something.
Thorax walked back inside the Crystal Palace. Cadance observed him as he did, a look of shock on her face. Even she hadn't expected him to do that. Her shock eventually turned into a small smile. "Maybe he will make friends with us all" she thought as she walked back inside to resume her royal duties.