//------------------------------//
// Farewells 
// Story: Droning On 
// by James Pwyll 
//------------------------------//

Tricks looked as smug as ever after hearing Twilight's response, and after releasing the latter's hoof she walked past her at what could only be described as a leisurely pace, much to the chagrin of the others. The blue mare arrived at her brother's cocoon, looking to it for a time with some satisfaction before finally speaking up, never bothering to look at the others as she did so. "You may want to step back." Though loathe to follow her orders, the group nevertheless did so, and Tricks, after taking in a deep breath, leaned down and opened her mouth wide. What emerged, at first, was a high-pitched shrieking sound that put the group in mind of a wounded animal. But what followed was even more unexpected. A magical-looking torrent of bright pink magic shot forth from the open maw, straight into the cocoon itself. Twilight, keeping her eyes fixed on this, saw that same pink colour now begin to glow inside said cocoon, and a familiar silhouette within starting to move. Hope rose in her, and after a moment she saw Tricks cease her apparent transfer of love energy, buckling slightly from having finished. "Ugh, I hate doing that!"

Silence fell as all eyes turned to the cocoon, with Twilight and Tricks standing ahead of the rest of the group. They watched, waiting, seeing the pink glow from within grow brighter and fade, over and over again, pulsing like a heartbeat. Then, it happened. A crack in the surface, followed by another and another. Finally, it split open, and the whole lot of them stepped back instinctively, with the exception of Tricks. With great concern gripping her, Twilight saw Thorax emerge, falling to the ground and breathing in a rapid and almost panicked way. She held onto him, feeling his erratic heartbeat, and speaking in a calming tone to him. "It's okay, Thorax...you're going to be okay."

Slowly, the drone opened his eyes, looking into the smiling face of who he doubtless assumed was still his queen. "My...Lady Twilight?"

Twilight smiled to him. "Yeah, it's me. You're back with us."

Thorax blinked, and though he remained as emotionless as ever, Twilight could still feel a degree of confusion in him. "But...how? How did you revive me?"

Here, Twilight's smile faded, and after sighing, she glanced over to Tricks. "I didn't...she did."

Tricks, for her part, gave a faux bow to the two of them. "You're welcome, by the way."

"You?" Thorax asked, not quite understanding the situation. But then he saw the look on Tricks' face, and the concern Twilight had on hers. A back and forth later, and it took little time for him to put two and two together. When he finally spoke aloud again, it was with a quiet voice, looking straight at Twilight. "You relinquished your authority over me...didn't you?"

Twilight hung her head, as if ashamed. "I...I didn't know how to save you."

"You are my Queen," Thorax said to her. "You did not have to do this. I was willing to die."

Twilight frowned to him. "But I wasn't willing to have you die, Thorax! Not by my command, not in the line of duty, not for any reason!" Again, she turned away from him. "Trading a life is abhorrent to me. But if it came down to that or losing your life...I know what I needed to do..." She glared at Tricks. "No matter how bitter it was for me."

Tricks, for her part, rolled her eyes to this. "You know, as the one responsible for saving a life just now, I'm feeling a distinct lack of thanks and appreciation for it."

"Yeah," Spike said to her with a scowl. "That tends to happen when you act like a total jerk about it!"

But Tricks just snorted to the insult. "Pfft! And this is what I get for trying to be nice." As before, she looked to Twilight and Thorax. "I've held up my end of the bargain. Thorax is saved. Now...will you hold up yours?"

Twilight stared at her for a time, then looked to Thorax, who was just now trying to slowly get back onto his hooves and stand on his own power. Twilight too stood up, and after taking a deep breath, she nodded solemnly. "I will. Thorax..." She hesitated for a moment before finishing. "You need to go with your sister. She's your queen now."

If Thorax was unhappy about this situation, and nopony would blame him for it if he was, he was doing his usual, masterful job of hiding it. In the end, he nodded. "As you command, my Que..." He stopped himself, then changed the course of his answer. "...Twilight."

As for Twilight, she frowned again as she regarded Tricks. "But I need an assurance from you that he's not going to be mistreated in any way."

Here, Tricks actually looked like she'd been offended. "You think me my Mother? One who will hurt and cackle while doing it?" Seeing the unhappy looks she was getting from all corners, she grimaced. "Very well, if it'll alleviate your concerns, Sparkle...I give you my word, here and now, that my brother, my first drone, will be treated with respect. That he will not be used as canon fodder or as some unfeeling tool or whatever else you're worried I'll use him for." Then, she shrugged. "Happy?"

After looking to her for a moment, Twilight then glanced to Thorax. "You can sense deception. Do you sense it in her?"

Thorax didn't even wait before giving his answer, alongside a shake of his head. "No, Twilight. She meant every word of it."

Tricks pointed to her brother. "There? See? Are we good now?"

"Good is probably a stretch," Rarity remarked under her breath.

Twilight stepped forward, looking right into the eyes of the one who had taken her place. "Your mother was one of the biggest threats Equestria has ever known. If you seek to rise to the same kind of power and authority as she did, will you also be a threat to the nation?"

Tricks swept some of her mane aside. "As much as I'd love to have unchallenged power over all I survey, we all know how that went down for my predecessor, don't we? And besides, we Changelings feed on love, which is sort of the opposite of what Mother made ponies feel towards us." She shook her head. "No, the best thing for me and the rest of our kind is if we simply try to keep as far away from you lot as we can. Go back to the basic ways. Stealth, doing things quietly. No conquests or aspirations of world domination or whatever other nonsense was going on in Mom's head at the time you brought her down."

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "And no...revenge?"

"Ha!" Tricks laughed out loud. "Towards you, you mean? No, little pony, no. You and your family are quite safe. I bore my Mother no love, and you causing her eventual demise just meant that I no longer had to live in her shadow." Her smirk returned. "And besides, if I wanted vengeance, I'd say making you feel unhappy right here and right now with our little trade was more that sufficient payment on that account."

The two looked to one another, and much like before, Twilight glanced over to Thorax, who gave her a quiet nod to indicate that, despite her reservations, this too was an honest answer on the queen's part. So, Twilight gave another nod. "Very well." Her eyes narrowed. "Though I'm sure it goes without saying that I'll be more than happy to never have to deal with you again."

Tricks chortled. "The feeling is mutual, Sparkle. On that you can count." Then, she looked to her newest follower. "Come now, brother. We have much to do. That little transfer of mine has left me quiet hungry after all." She tapped her chin, looking more than a little mischievous. "And rumour has it that there's a trio of troublesome canines bothering the border territories around here. Shouldn't be too hard to sneak in and take on an appearance they'll fall for."

Rainbow too began to smirk, leaning over and whispering to Applejack. "Shouldn't be too hard for her, given that she already knows how to be like a bi-OW!!!" she yelped, with Applejack having elbowed her in the side to stop her in the middle of her words.

Tricks pretended to have not heard them, and simply trotted over to the door. Thorax, for just a moment, looked to Twilight before silently falling in line, following his new queen, much to the dismay of everypony else who was watching. Twilight's eyes darted all over, before finally spotting something, causing her to speak out. "Wait!"

The two Changelings stopped and turned, with Tricks arching an eyebrow. "I trust you're not trying to back out of our arrangement, pony?"

"No," Twilight clarified. Then, her horn glowed, and she levitated a book out from a nearby shelf, walking over with it to offer it to Thorax. "Here...I'd like you to have it."

Thorax, slowly, accepted the book, blinking at it before looking up to his former queen. "Twilight...you know I can't read."

Twilight gave him a soft smile. "I know. But if you continue your practice of it..." Her smile widened. "And I know you will, I hope you'll give it a look one day. It was one of my favourites growing up, and...maybe...it'll be bring you some joy as well."

Thorax looked again to the book, placing his hoof upon it before giving a slight nod to her. "I...thank you...for the gift."

For a while, Twilight said nothing, looking like she was thinking over something important. Then, after looking to her one-time subject, she spoke with a tint of hope in her voice. "Do you think...you could come visit? Every now and then?"

Thorax did not reply at first, instead looking over to his older sister. The message was clear on this one. He was no longer in a position to make this choice himself, and so was deferring to his new figure of authority. And speaking of whom, Tricks regarded the look her younger sibling was giving her and mulled it over before giving a quick shrug. "I suppose...if I'm feeling particularly benevolent on that day." She pointed to Twilight. "Though I hope you understand that I don't want you visiting me if you feel like catching up with him."

In reply, Twilight nodded, actually cracking a smile over those words. "Don't worry, I wouldn't."

"Good," Tricks replied swiftly. "Now then, we really have wasted enough time here as it is. So chop-chop, Thorax. Time stands still for nocreature."

Thorax, holding the book close, gave Twilight a final nod before turning again, but Twilight, seeing them both go, took on a more determined look. "Queen Tricks!" She watched as the two stopped just shy of the door, looking back to her and awaiting her next words, which she was more than happy to give. "Appreciate what you have there," she said, pointing to Thorax. "Because I assure you, he's the best drone any queen could ask for." Then, she pointed to herself. "Take it from a queen who knows."

Tricks stared at her quietly before, against all assumptions, actually smiling. "I will."

And so, off she went, opening the door and heading out without even looking in the direction of the other ponies. As for Thorax, he lingered for a moment, taking in all of their expressions, before settling on Twilight. And after a long silence, he did something Twilight had never expected of him. He smiled. Bowing his head, he soon turned from her, following his sister and closing the door behind him. Twilight, saying nothing for a bit, just exhaled deeply. Spike walked to her, embracing her in a hug, which the mare was quick to return, and as the two of them held one another, the unicorn eventually chuckled to herself. "Well then...so ends the reign of Queen Twilight."