In a private study of the Crystal Palace, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza sat alone, a bottle of brandy and a glass sitting in front of her. Beside the bottle of brandy was a second, identical yet empty bottle of brandy, the kind she preferred more than others.
Princess Cadenza, or Cadance, was sitting in the dark as she occasionally poured a measure of the drink and knocked it back. The taste wasn't as harsh as other liquors, but the burn of alcohol was still there. After her most recent consumption of the liquid, she had thought back to several months ago when her world was effectively turned on its head.
A changeling, identifying himself as Thorax, saved the life of Spike, the hero of the Crystal Empire, and made a plea to make peaceful relations with the crystal ponies. She had reluctantly agreed, drafting a "probationary asylum" that was halfway between indentured servitude and being a prisoner.
After three months, two ponies on the cleaning staff he worked on attacked him and left him for dead. Cadance thought back on seeing him in that hospital bed, and how she had told her husband, the most vocal opponent to Thorax being allowed to stay in the empire, that his guards had failed their duty.
That debacle ended with the changeling having recovered, the two responsible receiving punishment, and the guards that failed their duty being dismissed.
And just this past month, three stallions had accused the changeling of attempting to foalnap a filly. Most believed that Thorax was responsible, and that the trial was nothing more than a formality. Now, the three stallions who had accused Thorax were now in custody and in the process of being charged themselves.
As these thoughts passed through her mind, Cadance reflected on her attitude towards Thorax in that time.
At first, she was fearful, thinking Thorax's appearance was as a herald for another invasion. Then, when he agreed to the asylum, she had felt something between fear and paranoia, but the attack made her feel a bit sympathetic. After she announced his being permitted to stay, she again became fearful because of what reactions could be.
When the accusation against Thorax came out, the fear she had gave way to anger. She felt as though her efforts to protect her people had failed, and her decision to allow him to stay was to invite a wolf into a flock of sheep. As each day of the trial passed, her anger grew, and she became more and more disappointed in herself for believing the lies of a creature that used them as a way to obtain sustenance. Towards the end of the trial, her hate had began to form the sentence that she would issue.
Imprisonment.
Worse than the fact that she was going to hold Thorax for as long as she was able to by law, which was an awfully long time, she also knew that her actions would likely bring about his demise. She would doom him to death, and the cherry on top of all of it was she wouldn't have lost any sleep over it.
Now...
Cadance examined the waste bin beside her, and the mess she had made a little bit ago. The violent surge of vomiting came quickly as she processed the facts as they stood before her.
The three stallions who accused Thorax of foalnapping were themselves the true culprits. Their boss and their group's leader conspired to abduct the young filly from an alleyway not very far from her palace, and then pin their efforts on a pony meant to take the fall.
Or in this instance, a changeling.
It made sense in hindsight, and if that message hadn't been delivered to the court in time, it would've worked until the actual truth came out.
Everypony in the empire believed the stallion's story, including her, and her bias against changeling's blinded her to the truth about the one she had reluctantly allowed to live in her empire.
Thorax was innocent, and didn't deserve any of what happened to him. Not once did he try to deceive, trick or act violently towards any pony he had met. In fact, were it not for his appearance, none would have ever known he wasn't a pony.
He got along well with every pony who met him, save for Feather and Elbow. The tasks he was assigned were completed with no complaints. Even Ammonia had said that he would be worthy of a raise, and possibly a promotion if he were ever given the chance. In total, he was a fine and model creature...
...and Cadance would've sent him to his death without batting an eyelash.
Almost instantly, she could feel the bile begin to build in her stomach, and she did her best to keep it down. It wouldn't stay long, she was almost sure, but in a way, it was deserved.
Thorax came to the Crystal Empire seeking friendship and acceptance, hoping the princess could provide those things and protect him as her subject, and she couldn't be bothered to step up to the proverbial plate.
Another glass of brandy was poured and downed just as quickly.
Princess Cadance had instructed her guard to collect Thorax and bring him before her. She had chosen to wait in this study until he arrived, and she had chosen to calm her nerves by consuming a rather unhealthy amount of brandy; alicorn constitution would allow the drinker to withstand the effects of alcohol much better than a normal pony, which is why she could withstand an amount that would've sent a normal pony to the hospital with alcohol poisoning. The only thing it didn't do was prevent hangovers, which the princess was sure to have the following morning.
The doors to the study opened and a guard stepped inside.
"The changeling is here, your highness" the guard told her.
"Send him in," she responded, "and wait outside."
The guard looked confused and very concerned. "Y-Your highness, I-"
"I said to wait outside."
The guard gulped and nodded, opening the door to allow Thorax to come through. She turned to see the changeling. He was as she remembered from seeing him in court, still wearing the magic nullifying collar around his neck.
"As I said before, guards, leave us."
"O-Of course, your highness" the guard leaves, followed by the second one who looks at the first with confusion, but still complies with the command. As the two leave, they shut the door behind them, and the princess and changeling are left alone inside the darkened room.
Thorax stands by the door, fidgeting uncomfortably. With his senses disabled by the collar, he can't tell what the princess may be feeling. For all he knows, she could have such a strong amount of hate inside her that she plans on killing him here and now.
However, some quiet sobbing convinces him that his death is probably not imminent.
"Y-Your highness" he calls out to her.
The sobbing quiets down until it's gone.
"There are no words that can express how sorry I am for allowing what has happened to you to happen."
Her voice is strained, as though it takes a great amount of effort to say anything at the moment.
"Princess, you don't have to-"
"NO THORAX!"
The sudden shout causes the changeling to stop speaking and immediately take a cautious step back. Her volume was almost that of the famous Royal Canterlot Voice. The outburst was not something Thorax was expecting.
A sudden gulping sound can be heard, and a breaking of glass causes Thorax to flinch. The princesses sobbing starts up again, and the glow of light blue magic envelops the princesses horn, followed shortly by another two blue auras on the other side of the room pulling open as set of curtains, allowing outside light to flow in.
The private study was nearly as tall as the library where Sunburst had given Thorax his lessons. In fact, it had been set up in almost the exact same way, with the only real differences being the lack of a librarian's desk and the addition of a fireplace with a few comfortable looking couches set around it at a safe distance.
A scan of the floor revealed a broken drinking glass resting against the side of one of the bookcases in the room.
After taking a brief scan of the room, Thorax's attention turned to Princess Cadance. Her normally well-kept mane was a mess, with stray hairs poking out in every direction. Her face was equally as messy; her recent tears had caused her eye shadow to run down her cheeks. With the shadow gone, the changeling could clearly see the puffiness surrounding them.
Cadance raised her head and looked over at him, remorse clearly written across her face.
"I have wronged you in so many ways" she continues. "When you were first revealed, I treated you like an enemy. Then you showed that you weren't, and I chose to treat you as a prisoner, confining you to this castle and making you wear those restraints. After the attack from Feather and Elbow, I began treating you more like an indentured servant. Now, after this recent accusation against you, I was ready to get rid of you, and I had even considered doing so in a way your former queen would approve of."
Thorax had to flinch slightly at the last part; it had to be bad if the princess was sure Queen Chrysalis would like it.
"I was convinced that you had done what you were accused of, and when I went to see you after your arrest, I believed what you were telling me was nothing more than lies."
"All through this trial, I listened to the things that your attorney put forth, heard the testimony of the witnesses, many of whom I interviewed not so long ago asking what they thought of you. He presented sound evidence, and even got the filly at the center of all of this to tell her story."
"The one thing I believed during this whole time was that all of it was a lie. The things being said were nothing but a farce meant to get you off the hook for a heinous act. A gambit to get you free so you could try it again."
Rather than find a glass, Cadance takes a long swig directly from the brandy bottle and sets it back down.
"The VHPF called and asked about a trial to do with a changeling. When they were told one was going on, the sent a message saying to halt the trial and detain the three stallions accusing you. When they ran and were later captured, I questioned the white unicorn, and he told me what I didn't want to hear. He said you were innocent."
"I didn't want to believe it. I so desperately wanted to dismiss it as some kind of mind manipulation. The VHPF then sent information on all three stallions, and when the guard checked their records here, all the information came back supporting the evidence I didn't want to believe: You really were innocent."
"I let the horrible memories from my wedding bind me to the truth about you. I wanted you in the dungeons. I wanted you to starve and rot. I wanted you to suffer til your last breath."
"I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW STUPID I'VE BEEN!"
With the last sentence, Princess Cadance steps out and runs over to Thorax, capturing the changeling in a hug as she sobs into him.
Thorax stands perfectly still, unsure of what he should do. A soft glow of blue and a sudden click catch his attention, and then he's suddenly bombarded with the strong sensation of guilt. "The princess took my collar off" he realizes.
"Go on" she says suddenly. "Do it."
Thorax is puzzled by the remark. "Princess?"
"Go ahead and do it" she says again. "I deserve it."
"Princess, I'm not sure-"
Thorax is interrupted as Cadance looks up at him in frustration.
"Drain me!" she says tearfully. "Take away my love! I don't deserve to have it!"
She falls into sobs and leans against Thorax again. The changeling is taken aback by her sudden outburst. She actually wanted him to drain her?
"Get on with it!" she says again. "Turn me into a husk!"
Thorax does no such thing. Instead, he returns the princess's hug.
"No."
Cadance looks up at him in disbelief. "W-What?!"
"I'm not going to do that" Thorax clarifies.
"But you should!" Cadance protests. "You've every right to! After all I've done and allowed to be done to you-"
"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" Thorax interrupts. "It means that when ponies start looking for revenge, everybody ends up hurt."
Cadance looks at Thorax in disbelief. After all she's done and allowed to happen to this changeling, he has no desire to get even.
"Y-You're really not?" she says, unsure still if she should even believe him.
"No, I'm not" he answers. "One of my hive mates might want to do something like that, but I don't. All that does is cause pain, and I know all too well what that pain is like. I wouldn't wish it on anypony, not even those that have wronged me."
Cadance can only stare at Thorax now. After several minutes, she wipes her muzzle and a small smile comes across her face.
"You might not be a pony, Thorax," she tells him, "but you are a far better one than I am."
Cadance hugs Thorax a little tighter, and the changeling is suddenly overwhelmed. More love than he had ever felt in his whole life was pouring over him, and even if he was able to resist, he wouldn't have been able to fight back the tide. Quickly, he could feel the hunger that had plagued him his whole life recede to where he wasn't even sure if he could feel it anymore.
After a few moments of embrace, the princess releases the changeling from her grasp. Wiping her eyes with her hoof, she then looks at him with determination.
"I made a promise to you not long ago saying that I would look out for your well being. I broke that promise, Thorax. I didn't give a second's thought or consideration to the possibility that you were truly innocent of the crime you were accused of, and I allowed you to sit in that prison cell the whole time that trial carried on, even going as far as to plan your confinement in a dungeon, and have you ultimately die there."
"Thorax, I cannot justify my behavior or my thoughts. Nopony should feel what I've felt, and I understand now how wrong that was of me. Today, I intend to start atoning for my mistakes."
The princess stepped away and walked over to a nearby desk.
"I hate asking things of you after all that's happened," she tells me, "but this is something that's necessary. Would you please come over here and sign these papers?"
Thorax looks at her for a moment before he nods and walks over to join her. Once at the table, he looks down to see some legal documents of one kind or another. Before he can ask, the princess has dipped a quill in ink and offered it to him.
"I need you to sign these lines here and here" she says while indicating the two places with her hoof.
Thorax is confused but complies, taking the quill and scrawling his name across the two lines. Once finished, Princess Cadance rolls up the documents and with a flash of magic, makes them disappear.
"What were those papers?" Thorax asks her.
"With those two papers signed," she explains, "you are now a full and official citizen of the Crystal Empire, with all rights and protections attached to it."
Thorax stares at the princess with wide eyes. He was now a citizen?!
"That status is irrevocable as well" she continues. "For as long as you live, you will be considered a pat of the Crystal Empire."
"I..."
Thorax is too stunned to speak.
"It's a lot to take in at one moment" Cadance admits. "In truth, I've cut through a lot of the red tape and hoops typically associated with this process and cut it down to just those two signatures. After all of this is said and done, I think I'm going to take a look at the citizenship process and revise it fully."
"Now, as for the next part of what I wish to do for you. I'm going to fully restore you to your status as a member of the palace staff. You may return to the custodial duties if you wish, but you can also choose to perform another duty. I will see to it you have whatever assistance necessary to settle into whatever role you would choose. I'm also going to exempt you from taxes for the remainder of the year, so all the money you make will be yours to do with as you wish."
"I'm also going to allow Sunburst to begin tutoring you again. We can have the exact same schedule as you did before, or we can arrange it so that you have more time with him. I won't fault you if you want to choose the latter; I would want more time with my friends too."
"Your feeding from the Crystal Heart will still continue at dawn and dusk, but there won't be a specific limit as to how long you may do so. Also..."
Cadance pauses for a moment before she looks at again.
"If your friends wish to share their love with you, and it doesn't harm them, you may do that as well."
Thorax continued standing in place, not quite believing what he was being told. He could have his position back or get a new one, spend as much time as he wanted learning from Sunburst, could feed as much as necessary from the Crystal Heart, and his friends could share love with him if it didn't harm them?
"There is one more thing I would like to give you," she concludes, "but I'm afraid it'll have to wait until tomorrow. It isn't quite ready yet. Right now, I think we've all had quite a day, so I suggest we all get some rest now."
Princess Cadance goes to walk outside, but stops just a bit short.
"I almost forgot" she says as she levitates the collar that had been around Thorax's neck. She holds it in her magic for a few seconds and then replaces it on Thorax. However, Thorax feels no effect from the collar whatsoever.
"I've disabled the enchantments on that collar for now" she tells him. "I don't want ponies panicking because they saw you without it. I'll be formally removing it tomorrow."
Princess Cadance leaves, leaving Thorax alone in the study to reflect on everything that just happened.
The Next Day
Thorax had returned to his room that evening. Before he went to bed, he had been visited by several ponies, including Sunburst, Heartfelt, Bicarb and Bar Keeper, and Brass. Mostly, they were congratulating him on his winning his case to prove his innocence, but they had also been curious about what Princess Cadance had wanted to see him for. He had given them a simplified version of events, telling them that Princess Cadance had intended to give him something the following day but not having said what exactly.
After he had woken up, he found there were no longer any guards either in or outside his room. The closest was one standing at the entrance to the servant dormitories. He only tensed slightly when he saw Thorax, and a small amount of worry trickled from him.
Thorax wilted a little at the action, but tried to shake the thought from his mind. Everypony was going to have a lot to get used to from now on, himself included.
Thorax had considered going to feed from the Crystal Heart, but as he thought about it, realized something: He didn't feel all that hungry.
It was such a foreign thought that it had confused him. Sure, he still had an appetite, but it was much more muted now than compared to how it normally was. Did it have something to do with what had happened the day before? Had Princess Cadance's love been so filling that it had almost cured him of his hunger altogether?
He didn't have much time to think before a guard tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to practically jump out of his chitin.
"My apologies," the guard said to him, "but Princess Cadance asked us to escort you to a set of private chambers."
Thorax blinked for a moment. Did the guard actually apologize to him?
"Why are you taking me there?" he asked.
"The princess wishes for you to prepare. She is having a stage built under the palace as soon as can be done" the guard told him. "She said it was going to be a very important event happening today."
Thorax gave a simple nod and followed the guard. He could only wonder to himself what was going to happen later that day.
~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~
Princess Cadance sat in front of a mirror as a pair of hoof maidens helped her prepare for the speech she planned to hold later today. Cadance sat in the chair as the two mares went to work.
"I must say that yesterday's events were rather exciting" one of the hoof maidens commented.
"They were" Cadance responds while rubbing her temples, the hangover hitting her in full force, but ebbing quickly due to alicorn constitution.
"I certainly wasn't expecting that changeling to be found innocent," the other chimes in, "especially not like that."
"No pony could have seen that coming" Cadance replies to the remark.
"My apologies, your highness," the first says while combing out some knots from Cadance's mane, "but you don't quite seem yourself this morning."
Cadance looks at her for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"It's a combination of things. Firstly, it's the result of some personal reflection I've been doing in regards to my own behavior, and realizing that I've been failing all of my subjects in terms of embodying the aspects of friendship and harmony that Equestria and the Crystal Empire were both founded on."
"Princess, you haven't failed us!" the second maiden says in disbelief.
"I have," Cadance counters, "and more importantly, I've failed ponies that I care a great deal about. I've set a poor example for so many, and I will need to correct that today."
"Aside from that, I have a touch of hangover, so if you could please finish this up so I may speak to Doctor Caduceus about a remedy?"
The two maiden look at each other and nod. "Of course, your highness" they both say as they resume their duties. Once they finish, a knock sounds from a nearby door.
"You may enter" Princess Cadance calls out.
The door opens and Andesite walks in. In her magic is a small, faux leather bound box.
"It is ready" the mare tells Cadance.
"Let me see it" Cadance asks, and Andesite gives a nod, opening the box with her magic.
"Very good" Cadance says with a smile. "It is exactly as it should be."
The two hoof maidens peek around the princess to see the item and gasp, then both look at each other as if to wordlessly ask if they actually had seen what the other had.
During the course of the morning, ponies had very quickly erected a stage underneath the Crystal Palace, directly in front of the heart. It was a simple affair, with the only decorations being a pink skirting around the exposed beams. A podium and a few chairs were placed on top, with the former placed at such an angle that whoever was speaking would be framed in the middle of the heart itself. There were signs posted nearby which told citizens of an announcement being made at noon time.
About ten minutes before, ponies began to file into the area beneath the crystal palace, curious but fairly certain that they knew the reason for the announcement.
After five minutes, Thorax was led by a pair of guards onto the stage and seated, the two guards taking up positions behind him.
Thorax looked out over the crowd of ponies as he sat waiting. All he had been told was that he was to be brought to the foot of the palace and seated onto a stage, so he had no real idea why he was there currently. He couldn't help but get a taste of the emotional state of the ponies standing before him. There was curiosity and confusion, but underneath that was fear, like always. It made the changeling hang his head as he had his already diminished confidence deflated even more.
About a minute or so before noon, Princess Cadance stepped out onto the stage. As soon as she was visible, everypony bowed before her. Thorax rose from his seat and did the same. Once she was behind the podium, Cadance waved her hoof and everypony rose back up.
"Thank you all for coming today" she told them as she took a sip of water from a glass resting on the podium. After some calming exercises, she faced the crowd with a determined look.
"Before I begin, I would also like to thank our listeners on the radio who could not attend. Thanks to this new invention, I am able to reach more of my subjects than I would have otherwise."
"Now, you are all wondering why I have decided to hold this announcement today, and so close to ground level. Well, I am here today because a great travesty has occurred in this empire, and it is my intention to fix it."
"Nearly a month ago, a filly named Raspberry Mint was on her way home from some special tutoring at her school. As she neared the open air market, she was set upon and nearly foalnapped. A royal guard happened upon the scene and was met by three stallions, who indicated that the attack against the filly was carried out by a creature that most of you had never seen before until about a month ago, but have heard plenty about - a changeling."
"Acting on the information presented to them, the royal guard found sufficient evidence to charge the changeling with attempt to abduct a foal, assault against the three stallions, and endangering the welfare of a child. This changeling was then taken to prison and held until his trial could begin."
"Now, you would expect me to want to send this changeling to the dungeons as a way of rectifying the wrongdoing. After all, the reputation of changelings is that they are monsters that seek to consume our love and leave us as damaged shells."
"The truth of the matter is this: the changeling was the real victim in this story."
Gasps and murmurs carry through the crowd as ponies look at each other.
"Yes, it is rather hard to believe," Cadance continues, "but that is the truth of the matter."
"Yesterday, as the jury deliberated on a verdict against the changeling, a detective for the Van Hoover Police Force contacted our crystal guard by way of the new telephone device and asked if we had a changeling on trial for foalnapping. When it was confirmed that we did have a changeling on trial, we were then asked to postpone the trial and detain the three stallions who bore witness to the crime."
Again, gasps spread through the crowd as ponies look at each other with confusion and disbelief.
"Of course, there was confusion as to why we should act on such a request, but then we were given information that we weren't expecting. The three stallions accusing the changeling were the true perpetrators of this heinous crime."
Cadance shuffled some papers and lifted up three separate sheets. On each one was a picture of one of the three stallions, along with their real names, rap sheets, and other miscellaneous details.
"The stallions who identified themselves as Heavy Hitter, Leather Whip and Velvet Dice were actually named Sledgehammer, Flog and Peridot Gamble. While Sledge and Flog have not committed any crimes in the Crystal Empire we know of before this one, they have done things in other cities throughout Equestria."
"Peridot Gamble is a criminal that has a record that goes back to before the empire disappeared for a thousand years. Once it returned, this pony set about doing what he could until opportunity presented itself again. That opportunity presented itself when Peridot came into the employ of a griffin criminal named Sharpclaw, who employed all three ponies as hired muscle in one of his operations for loan sharking."
"Peridot and Sharpclaw corresponded and conceived a scheme to extort money out of a mare named Mint Julep, whereby they would hold a pony she loved hostage until she paid up the rather large sum that she owed. I think you all can guess who that pony was going to be."
Ponies looked at each other with confusion. Not because they couldn't tell who the princess meant, but because they were unsure of what the princess was saying. Cadance continued speaking.
"When they conceived this plan, they also worked in a way to cover their tracks. Employing a few crystal ponies here in the empire, the idea was to have a scapegoat to pin the abduction on, and to guarantee that the plan would be as ironclad as possible, they chose the one creature that nopony would question whether or not they were guilty. That creature is currently sitting to my left."
Ponies would occasionally dare a glance in Thorax's direction. The changeling could sense a lot of different emotions coming off of them, but slowly, chagrin began filling into the crowd.
"I can honestly say that I am disappointed that all of you were so quick to blame Thorax for everything that happened," she told the crowd, "but in all honesty, I am more disappointed in myself. As your princess, it is my duty to set an example for all of you to follow, and I can honestly say that I failed you in that endeavor."
"Because of what happened on the day of my wedding and the weeks leading up to it, I have been given a much more negative viewpoint on changelings than what most ponies have. It has led me to not having as much trust in others as I should, and my leadership has suffered because of it."
"Thorax has lived under the rule of the changeling queen his whole life, and he wants to experience a better life. He grew up different from the rest of his kind, and because of that, he was ostracized and abused. Even during the attempt to invade Canterlot, he wanted nothing more than to run away from it all, but was too afraid of reprisal to act. That's why when it finally became too much to bear, he finally left in an attempt to find a more peaceful way to live."
"I know that many of you are fearful because of the fact that changelings gain their sustenance from us, often using rather violent and harmful tactics to get it, but Thorax believes that what he needs to survive can be achieved in ways that aren't harmful, and that he can also give back at the same time."
"There are those who have decided to give him the chance to prove what he has been telling us from the beginning, but I never was. I couldn't admit that to myself until recently, but now that I have, I can't help but feel shame for what has happened under my rule."
Cadance then turned to face Thorax. "Thorax," she began, "I cannot apologize to you enough for the way that my subjects have treated you, and the way that I have treated you myself. You have done nothing to deserve that treatment, and have been doing everything in your power to prove that you are not only a good and kindhearted stallion, but that you are also worthy of living here among us in the Crystal Empire."
She then turned to address the crowd again. "But we have all made a mistake. Instead of giving you a chance to prove yourself, we acted in fear and chose only to see you as the same kind of monsters that attacked Canterlot a little while ago. That was wrong of us, and I intend to do my best to make up for that mistake."
"As my first act of atonement, I am hereby declaring that Thorax is now a full citizen of the Crystal Empire, with all rights, privileges and protections granted by that status."
"In addition, I have decided that Thorax will become my personal charge. From this day forward, I shall lookout for his well being, and may the result of those efforts reflect on me and my position."
"When this empire returned, I came and helped banish Sombra away. For that, you all have chosen me as your sovereign. After the events that have transpired over the last half year, I can honestly say that I don't deserve the position that has been given me."
The crowd voices their disagreement with the princess, but she simply raises her hoof to silence them.
"However," she continues, "I intend to prove myself worthy of the title you all have bestowed upon me. Today, I shall prove to all of the Crystal Empire, Equestria, and all other territories in this world that I am worthy of being your ruler!"
Cheers and applause erupt from the crowd as Cadance takes a moment to look at Thorax. The changeling looks back at her with a mix of confusion and concern. Her feelings were very muddled, and he got the idea that she was hiding something.
The princess raised her hoof to silence the cheering crowd. Once they had quieted down, she spoke again.
"There is one last thing I would like to do here today" she tells the crowd, then turns to Thorax.
"Thorax, would you please come forward?"
The changeling still looks at her with confusion, but nods and rises, walking over to her and stopping a few steps from her.
"Over the past few weeks, you've been subject to harsh treatment and scorn from the ponies of this empire. Ponies have looked upon you with hate and contempt as well as fear, and as much as it shames me to say, I was one of those ponies too."
"The reason for that scorn was because we failed to see what you were truly doing. We let our prejudices against your kind guide our thoughts away from rational thinking and into reactions based on fear. If we had kept our prejudice in check, we would have seen what actually happened."
"Thorax, you did a very good thing. You saw that a pony was in trouble and you stepped in to help them, regardless of your own wellbeing and safety."
"That action is not something that should be punished. Rather, it should be commended."
Princess Cadance turns away from Thorax and gives a head nod. Stepping out from behind the shadow of one of the legs of the Crystal Palace was Andesite, and in her grip was a small rectangular black box. As soon as it came into view, ponies began talking rather excitedly. It wasn't exactly happy excitement, but Thorax could gather that the box meant something significant.
Andesite made her way up onto the stage to stand directly beside Princess Cadance. The princess gave Andesite a smile and head nod that the mare returned. Cadance then turned to face Thorax again.
"For you efforts in thwarting the foalnapping of the filly Raspberry Mint, I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire hereby award you, Thorax... The Crystal Heart."
Shocked gasps spread throughout the whole crowd. Thorax looks around at the ponies, their excitement being a mix of several different emotions, but the chief one among them was disbelief. Apparently they didn't believe Thorax was getting what he was getting.
The changeling was shaken from his thoughts as Andesite approached him with a corner of her mouth crooked up in a sly smile. She held out the black box in front of Thorax and opened the lid. Thorax stared wide eyed at what he saw inside.
Resting against dark blue velvet and attached to a pink and purple ribbon decorated in golden filigree was a sapphire gemstone. It was cut into the shape of a heart and had a glow coming from its center. A quick look up told the changeling that this item was modeled after the Crystal Heart itself.
As he looked back, he then caught sight of a small brass plaque just below the necklace and the words inscribed into it.
Thorax read and reread the little brass plate inside the black case, but his eyes continually drifted back to the very first word on it.
Awarded, as in given an award.
Princess Cadance had just given him an award.
The changeling was stock still, as if frozen in place. He wanted nothing more than to find the largest rock he could and hide under it until he was nothing more than a footnote in a Crystal Empire history book, or better yet, a folktale told by old ponies with only a marble or two left in their heads.
Princess Cadance took the award from its case and held it in her magic in front of Thorax. She looked at him with concern and tapped him on the shoulder with her hoof. The gesture caused the changeling to jump a little, and then shake his head before focusing back on the princess.
"Bow your head" she mouthed to him, getting a nearly immediate reply in the form of Thorax's head shooting down to come even with her barrel. Once at that position, Cadance slipped the ribbon over his head and allowed it to hang.
"Raise your head up" she whispered, to which Thorax complied, raising his head so he could look her in the eyes. The princess no longer held any malice for him, and she gave him a smile and nod as she turned to face back towards the crowd.
"A huzzah for Thorax on the count of three" she declared. "One, two, THREE!"
"Huzzah!"
Only a few ponies cheered, and Thorax was fairly certain who they were.
"A huzzah for Thorax on the count of three" she repeated, a little bit more of an edge to her voice. "One, two, THREE!"
"HUZZAH!"
More ponies joined in.
"AGAIN!"
"HUZZAH!"
"AGAIN!"
"HUZZAH!"
"AGAIN!"
"HUZZAH!"
This went on for some time until almost everypony was shouting "HUZZAH!" as loudly as they could. Once she was satisfied, Princess Cadance quieted down.
"I know that moving forward, things aren't going to be easy. Trusting Thorax isn't something that's going to come easily for all of you, but it is something I want to see all of you do."
"When you have the chance, I would like for all of you to come forward and apologize to Thorax for treating him the way you have or the negative thoughts that you've had about him since he came here. I have taken that first step, and if I can admit to myself and all of you that I have made a mistake, then certainly all of you can too."
Thorax looked at Cadance for a moment before looking at the crowd. He could feel negative emotions coming from the crowd, but instead of anger or fear, it was shame. The ponies were now thinking about what the princess had just said and how they themselves have acted since it was announced that he was allowed to stay in the empire. Most of them seemed to conclude that their behavior was unacceptable, even if it could be justified.
"And now for the last bit of business before we are finished for today" Princess Cadance said to the crowd before facing Thorax again.
"Thorax, you have proven to me beyond any reasonable doubt that you will cause no harm to myself or my subjects. Therefore, I officially remove all remaining restrictions on you."
Her horn glowed in her blue magic and Thorax felt the collar around his neck unfasten and fall to the ground. Ponies in the front row looked on in trepidation and fear, but did not run or otherwise show signs of panic.
Thorax looked down to see the collar that he'd been wearing for the past few weeks. The orange device had had its enchantments removed already, so it wasn't actually restricting his magic or his abilities in any way. The removal of it here and now was simply a symbolic gesture to be shown to the crystal ponies so they knew how serious the princess was in her remarks.
After taking everything that had just happened in, Thorax smiled at Cadance. "Thank you" he told her as he took a step forward and embraced her in a hug. Cadance smiled and returned it, but not after waving off the guards and giving them a stern glare for their attempt to subdue Thorax over a simple hug.
With the ceremony concluded, Cadance thanked all the ponies for coming and dismissed them, then walked off the stage. As she did, she ushered Thorax to follow along with her. While walking, Thorax thought of something he hadn't asked about before.
"Um, Princess Cadance?"
"Yes Thorax?" she responded.
"I was wondering..." he said before he trailed off for a second. "What did you mean when you said I was going to be your charge?"
"What that means is, in a sense, I've sort of adopted you"
Thorax looked at her for a moment before she continued to explain.
"I'm not legally your parent or anything, but I am your guardian in a legal sense. Any official business you need to conduct will go through me first. Anything you do or is done to you will be my personal responsibility, be something as simple as a medical check up, or you get involved in a scuffle with another pony, or somepony wishes to lodge a complaint against you."
Thorax looked at her guiltily. "I imagine there's going to be more than a few complaints."
"There won't be" she assures him. "I imagine after today, you're going to find ponies will be more open about approaching you in a more positive way."
"Still..." he began to say before she put a hoof to his mouth.
"I won't hear anymore negativity, Thorax" she told him. "There's been enough of that lately, and it's about time it stopped. You've proven yourself to me with your actions, and those that call you friend have convinced me of your intentions as well. If there are ponies out there that cannot accept that, then it is their problem and not yours. You don't deserve to be treated the way you have, and as I said before, I cannot apologize to you enough for how I have acted and how I have allowed others to treat you."
"Besides, you could feel the shame they all felt, couldn't you?"
Thorax looked at the princess for a moment with wide eyes. "You could feel it too?"
"No," she replies with a smirk, "but I've been around enough ponies with their hooves caught in the cookie jar, both figuratively and literally, to know guilt when I see it."
She continues walking ahead and into the palace. Thorax was still for a few moments before eventually following her inside.
As he walked through the Crystal Palace, he couldn't help but feel more hopeful. He was the only changeling to have all four alicorns giving him support in some way.
Luna had given him the confidence he needed.
Celestia had granted him protection in her and her sister's land.
Twilight had given him friendship and gratitude.
And now, Cadance had given him a place to truly call his home.
He smiled as he thought back on everything he had wanted since leaving the changeling hive, and somehow knew that as this chapter in his life closed, he would be starting a new one, and for the first time, on a happy note.