//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 
// Story: Left Behind 
// by origami 
//------------------------------//

Everypony was quiet as they waited to hear Thorax's answer.  If the changeling understood correctly, the princesses would allow him to live in Equestria, under the supervision of the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, in exchange for providing information that would help ponies defend themselves from changelings.  In addition to that, she would also have Twilight research a means to sustain himself that wouldn't cause harm to other ponies.  And to sweeten the deal further, the princess would consider making him a full citizen of Equestria after a year.

All he had to do was commit what amounted to treason against his own kind.

As he considered the consequences of the decision, he thought back to how he had been treated in the hive.  It wasn't all terrible, but being bullied for so many years, and even incurring the queen's wrath a few times, happened far more often than any feel-good moments he could even try to think of.

Besides, the twenty-four hours or so he had been in pony custody were nowhere near the worst thing he'd ever experienced.  How bad could living with a pony for a year actually be?

With his mind made up, Thorax gave a firm nod.  "I accept."

Celestia smiled warmly, as did Luna.  "Then we shall make it official."

Conjuring a quill and parchment, the princess drafted the offer and signed her name.  She then passed it to Luna, who signed as well.

"Would you please come forward, Twilight?" she asked her student, who eagerly complied.  She presented Twilight with the parchment and quill.  "Please sign this line here."

Twilight took the quill and signed on the line marked "Custodian", as indicated by the princess.  Once done, she gave the quill back to Celestia.

"Very good," Celestia remarked as she reviewed the document she'd created.  "Now, I would like somepony to volunteer to sign as a witness to this agreement.

Pinkie's hoof began to very eagerly wave around in the air, the mare making an ooh-ooh noise not too dissimilar from a monkey.

Celestia laughed.  "Okay, Miss Pie.  Please come forward."

Pinkie practically teleported in front Celestia and signed with a quite large and very pink quill she'd seemingly produced from thin air.

"Now, if you would step forward, Thorax."

The changeling began to step forward, but stopped when he saw Princess Luna's horn glow, then heard a metallic clinking on the floor beneath him.  Looking down, he saw that the bindings around his legs had fallen off.

Princess Luna's magic faded, and she gave the changeling a smile.

"There will be no more need of those.  Please come and sign the agreement."

Thorax did as requested, coming up to the floating parchment and taking the quill, signing his name in well-practiced cursive.

"You have remarkable penmanship," Celestia commented with a smile.

"Thank you.  If there was anything I could do well in the hive, it was write things down."

"Your highness," one of the guards at the rear of the throne room suddenly interrupted.

"What is it, guard?"

"Miss Fluttershy has returned, and, she has a guest with her."

Everypony looked at one another with confusion.  While the timid pegasus was known to socialize from time to time, it was quite rare for her to make a new friend without the company of her other close friends.

"Permit her and her guest entry," Celestia told the guard, who saluted and opened the door behind him.

Fluttershy entered the throne room.  The timid yellow pegasus looked around and saw her friends, the future husband and wife, and the princesses, all looking at her expectantly.  The attention caused her to shrink down and hide her eyes behind her mane, hoping that she would not be seen.

The attention directed at her was then turned to the new pony to enter the room.  Everypony had the same thought upon seeing the newcomer, but Twilight beat them to the punch in regards to voicing it.

"Zecora?"

The zebra rolled his eyes and let out a huff.  "While some of my features could be viewed as feminine, certain traits are definitively masculine."

Everypony blinked, but Celestia let out a chuckle.  "I must apologize for my student.  She and her friends know another zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest near the town of Ponyville, and they simply thought you were her."

"An honest mistake I can forgive," the stallion said with a wave of his hoof.  "Now, I believe you were discussing matters most sensitive?"

As he said this, Zorro then took notice of the one creature in the room that was not a pony.

"Is there something amiss, or do I see a changeling in our midst?"

"Nothing is amiss," Luna chimed in, "and yes, this is a changeling.  He was spared by the shield that Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadance cast yesterday..  After several rounds of questioning and an experiment conducted by Miss Twilight Sparkle, we have determined this changeling is not evil, and poses no significant threat to us.  In fact, we have just drafted and signed an agreement that will permit him residence in Equestria in return for his cooperation in preparing defensive measures against his kind."

The zebra took a moment to process everything before responding.  "That is good news, I must admit.  Hopefully it establishes a good precedent."

"We hope so as well," Celestia agreed.

"Umm, princesses?"

Celestia and Luna turned their attention to Fluttershy, who looked more nervous and timid than usual.

"Yes, Miss Fluttershy?" Luna asked, though was fairly certain of what she was about to be told.

"Umm..." the pegasus began before pausing and looking away.  "I know you said you didn't want me to try and-"

"Find a solution to Thorax needing to feed on love?" Luna finished in an accusatory tone, causing Fluttershy to flinch as though she believed she was about to be struck.  "I cannot say I am surprised, but I also cannot say I'm not disappointed."

Fluttershy whimpered at the light scolding.  Luna let out a breath.

"At least tell us that you may have been fruitful in your endeavors."

Fluttershy gave a shaky nod and stepped forward towards Thorax, stopping a short distance away and reaching into the saddlebags on her back.  From them, she produced a flask with a dark blue liquid inside.  Uncorking the flask, she held it to her mouth and closed her eyes.  After a few moments, she opened her mouth and breathed into the flask, causing the liquid inside to change colors from blue to pink, and also making it glow.

She pulled the flask from her mouth and offered it to Thorax.  "Please drink it slowly," she told him.

Confused, Thorax took the flask from her and looked at it.  He then took a sniff and began to salivate.  Regaining as much composure as he could, he put the bottle to his mouth and drank as slowly as he could.  Within nearly a minute, the contents had been drunk, and Thorax looked quite relieved, and then puzzled as he looked at the mare.  "What was that?" he asked her.

"That was a potion that Zorro here showed me how to make.  It was made to heal anypony who was attacked by a changeling and drained of love.  All a pony has to do is mix the ingredients until it gets that blue color, then they hold the bottle to their mouth and think of something that they love with all their heart, then when they breathe into the bottle, their love is drawn out, concentrated, and then cultivated until it makes the potion turn pink and start glowing.  It's given to the victim to help restore their own love, but Zorro and I are almost certain it will sustain you in place of needing to drain love from a pony or other creature.  Of course, judging by your reaction, I'd say we have found an ideal solution."

Thorax looked at Fluttershy for a few moments, then smiled wide, a tear forming in the corner of each eye.  "Thank you."

Shining watched what was transpiring in front of him, a conflict raging inside.

On one hoof, here was one of the creatures responsible for the attempted invasion of the city yesterday, in a vulnerable enough position that he could easily obtain satisfaction for his ruined wedding day if he chose to do so.  On the other hoof, the creature had withstood the shield he and Princess Cadance had cast twice and the same shield when Princess Celestia had done the same only a few minutes ago.

A wing on his withers made Shining turn away and look at what pegasus was trying to get his attention.  His gaze was met by his wife-to-be.

"I can see and feel the conflict inside you Shining.  I'd wager that that changeling over there might feel it too, or at least he could if he didn't have his magic restrained."

Shining averted his gaze.  "You know what happened yesterday, and what happened to you and me the week leading up to the wedding."

"I do, but I also know what I've seen today, and what I've seen was a creature that is choosing to cooperate with us, and fearful of what we may do to him.  In truth, if what Princess Celestia told us yesterday is true, then I am surprised he didn't make another mess on the floor when she cast that shield spell before."

Shining let out a sigh.  "I saw his reactions too.  Hay, I even heard the apology.  It's just... It's gonna take time for me to learn to trust him, especially if he's been left in Twily's care."

"You're worried for her because you're her older brother and are supposed to be worried about her."

Shining nodded.

"From all we've heard, this changeling seems to have something of a respect for Twilight, or at least a level of admiration," Cadance continued.  "I believe Celestia chose her because she thinks Thorax will cooperate with her more fully than any other pony, and she also said she would consider making him a full citizen after a year, so she must believe he is trustworthy if she's giving him such a generous offer."

Shining considered her points before letting out another sigh.  "I don't like it, but I suppose I'll have to give him some benefit of the doubt, for now.  If he actually wants my trust, then he'll have to earn it."

"That's fair.  I don't think he would expect any more than that.  In truth, I don't think he expected any trust at all."

Shining nodded in agreement and turned his attention back to the changeling, who had Fluttershy wrapped up in a tight bear hug.

"Thank you so much!" he kept telling her over and over.  "You didn't have to do that for me, but you did!  Thank you!"

"You're... welcome," Fluttershy forced out, Thorax's grip being a bit tighter than she was normally comfortable with.

The hugging went on for a few more seconds before a magenta aura separated the pony and changeling.  Thorax wondered what unicorn was keeping him from sharing his appreciation with the wonderful yellow pony, but started shaking like a leaf as he recognized the stallion the queen had been feeding on for a week or longer.

Shining approached Thorax, his aura keeping the changeling in place, until they were less than a pony length from each other.

Princess Celestia was about to protest her captain's actions, but Luna stopped her with a hoof.

"I believe he wishes to say something to Thorax, and only to Thorax," Luna told her sister.  "A stallion-to-stallion talk, as it were."

"But he may still choose to cause him harm!"

"Then we, as well as a great many other ponies, will stop him if necessary."

Celestia didn't say anything further.  She turned her attention back to the two males.  She saw Thorax's shaking, and a bit of sympathy was sent the changeling's way.

A full minute passed with nothing but silence in the throne room.  Thorax was still caught in Shining's magic, but he didn't dare show or voice any fear.  Eventually, Shining let out a breath and spoke.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are showing you a great deal of trust," he began, "and my duty is to support their decision in whatever manner I am instructed to, and their decision is to allow you to stay with Twilight in Ponyville."

Shining leaned in closer.  "Twilight is my little sister, and as her older brother, it is my duty to make her as safe as I possibly can.  I will not let anypony try to harm her.  If need be, I will drag them to the gates of Tartarus and pull us both in if it means she will stay out of danger."

"I'm telling you this because the princesses' decree goes against my duty as an older brother, because my service to the crown supersedes what attachments I have to my family.  I have to allow her to keep watch over you so she can fulfill her own obligations to the princesses, and all I can do to offer protection is have a more robust detachment of guards transferred to her home to assist in keeping watch of you, which I plan to do as soon as possible."

Shining leaned in a little closer yet, and his voice dropped down to a whisper.  "I give you this one warning, Thorax.  If I hear that you have caused harm to my sister, or any of her friends, I will hunt you down.  It might cost me my career, and even my freedom, but it will have been worth it if it means the one who hurt my sister will never do such a thing again."

Thorax looked at the pony as though he were sprouting the head of a hydra from his shoulder.

"So, don't do anything to make me doubt the princess's decision.  Keep being cooperative and help us to protect ourselves better from your kind, and treat this opportunity you've been given with the respect it deserves.  If you do all of that, then maybe a day will come where I can show you the trust you desire.  I admit that your queen has stained my opinion of your kind, and that I do not think much of you and what you've said at this moment, but I'm not incapable of change."

"Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Thorax nodded.  "Don't screw this up or it's my flank."

Shining had to concede a smile to that.  "I don't think I could have said it any better."

Satisfied, the unicorn turned and walked away, releasing Thorax from his magic in the process.  The changeling let out a breath he had been holding, hoping he hadn't done anything to make the castle maids think even less of him than they already did.

With the drama concluded, Celestia cleared her throat.  "Well, now that we have things in order, I believe we were about to have ourselves a wedding."






That Evening...






Cadance and Shining Armor were officially husband and wife.  Ponies cheered in the streets as their carriage was led from the chapel on a lap through the city that ended back at the castle and a large reception dinner.  Applejack and the chefs of the royal kitchens pulled out all the stops, making dishes that would have made everypony from the poorest pauper to the most hoity-toity noble salivate in anticipation.

Of course, there were the usual things done at receptions.  Princess Cadance tossed her bouquet, which was caught by three mares that promptly began fighting over it, with no clear winner among the three.  Then there was the garter toss, which had Shining slingshot the article of clothing into a crowd of guards, with an orange pegasus coming out of the pile with it in his teeth.  Lastly, the two newlyweds cut the cake, and promptly smashed some into each other's muzzles.

As the night went on, merriment was abundant, and on a balcony just above the reception, a single changeling was sitting.  He'd been allowed to feed on the excess created by the jovial mood and the reception.  He took in all of the energy and felt the torturous hunger he'd had his whole life diminish.  By the time the ponies decided the spectacle had gone on for long enough and began to head home, the hunger felt like a distant memory, and he questioned whether or not this was the being full sensation he'd been teased with his whole life.

"It probably would've been better if you could've been down there in the thick of things, huh?"

Thorax turned and looked behind him.  Standing there was Twilight, who had removed the ornate gown she had been wearing.

"Yeah, it would've been better," he admitted to her.

There was silence for a few moments before Twilight spoke again.

"I want to thank you for choosing to cooperate with us.  I know it had to have been scary for you, being separated from the other changelings and being taken prisoner."

"It was, but, I'm kind of glad it did."

"What do you mean?"

"My whole life, I've been as different from the average changeling as you can get.  I'm not aggressive at all, and I can't even defend myself properly.  I don't like having to drain love from other creatures, especially now since Fluttershy and that Zorro stallion found that potion for me.  Even more so, I never had a real purpose in the hive.  The only job I could fill was to dig tunnels to expand the hive, and even then, that's such basic work that even a half-grown nymph can perform that duty."

"I wasn't really a popular changeling back in the hive.  I got bullied a lot and told I was useless by pretty much all the other changelings.  Honestly, there's times I question why I wasn't disposed of instead of being made into a tunnel digger."

"When you say disposed..."

"It's exactly what it sounds like."

Twilight grimaced.  "That's horrible."

"You get used to it, sort of.  It just becomes a fact of life.  The rule is you must be useful to the hive, and if you aren't, you're a burden, and all burdens are eliminated."

"Well, I'm glad you weren't eliminated."

"So am I, and with the offer from the princesses, I have a chance at a new and better life than what I had before."

Twilight smiled at his optimistic outlook.  "Your new life will definitely be better than your old one, Thorax."

"I know.  I just wish I could go back to the hive and thank Pharynx for looking out for me as much as he did."

"Who's Pharynx?"

"I guess you could think of him as an older brother.  We were laid in the same clutch, and he hatched before me.  He's a really tough changeling, even by changeling standards.  The queen even considers him to be one of the best leaders of our army."

Twilight conjured a quill and parchment, writing down this information.

"If it hadn't been for him," Thorax continued, "I probably would've been eliminated long ago."

Twilight stopped writing and looked at Thorax.  "What do you mean?"

"Pharynx and your brother actually have something in common - a desire to protect their younger siblings.  Pharynx doesn't really need to do it that much for the others of our clutch; they can protect themselves just fine.  Like I said, I can't fight or defend myself, so he often stepped in to protect me."

Thorax shivered a little as he recalled some of the worst of the bullying.

"Other nymphs would gang up on me whenever they thought I was alone.  They'd make fun of me because I made some figurines that looked like ponies and played with them, trying to imagine what the ponies in Equestria were really like.  They'd hit me and kick me.  Worse than that even, there have been a few times where they'd hold me down and drain me of love just like they would a pony or other creature."

Twilight went wide-eyed.  "Changelings will feed on other changelings?"

"Usually, no.  Most of the time, it's done as a punishment by the queen.  I guess they thought they were punishing me for being weak or something."

"What does it feel like to be drained?"

The question caused Thorax to go from a somewhat saddened state to being nearly completely morose.

"It's horrible!  It feels like something is ripping out a piece of your soul and there's nothing thing you can do to stop it, and all the while, you lose your energy and feel like a hoof socked you in the gut hard enough to knock the wind out of you.  I wouldn't want to experience something like that ever again, and I sure don't want to subject some innocent creature to it either."

Twilight had to grimace at what Thorax described to her.  "It's no wonder the shield spell spared you.  You seem to have a conscience where the other changelings don't."

Thorax sighed.  "I don't think it's because they don't have a conscience.  Maybe they just don't know what they're doing, or they're so consumed by the need satisfy their hunger that it makes them look past the pain they're causing, or they've just been desensitized to all of it, like how a doctor gets desensitized to seeing all sorts of horrible stuff because they see it almost all the time."

"That is a valid point, but you've lived in the same conditions as them, and possibly even worse, yet you still don't wish to be like them.  I can't tell what it is, but there is something special about you."

Thorax thought about what Twilight had told him, looking thoughtfully, but then he smirked a tad and started chuckling softly.

"What's so funny?" Twilight asked him.

"The irony of all this.  The queen told us friendship was for the weak, and following her orders would give us a bounty of love enough to fill every changeling in the hive.  Now, she and the rest of the hive have been cast out of the city, and I was spared, and all because I wanted to try a more peaceful way.  The only changeling to give friendship a chance, and I'm the one reaping the benefits."

"I'm not sure if I would quite word it that way, at least not around other ponies.  I know I'm still taking time getting used to the idea that you're essentially leeching energy from me to sustain yourself.  It's still sort of alien to me, like letting a mosquito feed off my blood."

"I know it will take time for everypony to adjust, but Fluttershy and that zebra made that potion for me, and he showed her how to make it herself, so I don't really need to feed ambiently like that anymore."

"Ambiently?"

"Changelings can obtain love in a few different ways.  There's the really horrible draining like I described before, but there is also ambient feeding, which is we put ourselves in a love-rich environment, like a popular restaurant for a date night, and just absorb the love the comes off of couples naturally, like a lizard soaking up warmth from a rock out in the sun."

"That sounds much simpler than draining a pony.  How come you guys just don't feed yourself like that?"

"Because as much as that would help sustain us overall, the energy absorbed isn't enough to support the hive.  Draining, unfortunately, takes more love and is more beneficial for us overall, even if it's far more unpleasant for the creature being drained."

Twilight scribbled away on her parchment, learning so much about changelings in a small amount of time.

"Do you think there's a method to getting the necessary love that might convince your hive to do something else besides draining ponies?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it.  The other changelings are loyal to the queen and obey her without question.  She's the one you'd have to convince, and I doubt she'd even humor any argument you'd try and make."

Twilight frowned, but then smiled slightly.  "Well, you don't worry about her anymore.  You can live in Ponyville for as long as you want to, or go anywhere you want to, at least if Princess Celestia grants you your citizenship next year."

"I hope she does.  Canterlot is beautiful, but I want to see what else Equestria has to offer, and hopefully becoming a citizen means I'll get to see it all someday."

"Well, even if you don't get it, my friends and I can take you on a tour of Equestria so you can see it anyway," Twilight promised, "but for now, we should all get some sleep. We'll be heading back to Ponyville and getting you settled in.  I'm gonna have to talk to somepony about getting an extra bed, possibly two."

Thorax blinked for a few moments before he realized what she meant.  "You don't need to burden yourself on my account, Twilight.  All I had in the hive was a sleeping burrow with some dried-up leaves, so I can make do just fine with a sofa, or even just a rug on the floor."

"Nonsense.  I won't have a friend sleep on the floor when I can just as easily get a bed for them."

Thorax's eyes went wide.  "Did you say...?"

Twilight nodded.  "Yes, Thorax, I said friend."

Thorax eyes teared up as he smiled at the purple unicorn.  "Can I... hug you?"

"Friends don't really need to ask each other that, Thorax," Twilight told him as she embraced him in a hug.

The action caught him off guard, but soon enough, he leaned into her embrace and wrapped his hooves around her as well.

They stayed together like that for a moment, until Thorax suddenly let out a loud belch.

Separating, the changeling looked away in embarrassment.  "Um, sorry."

"It's okay.  I imagine that means you've nearly had your fill?"

Thorax nodded.  "It's amazing to not actually be starving.  This is gonna take some getting used to."

Twilight frowned.  "Are you still not full?"

"I'm pretty close," he admitted.  "Right now, I guess it's about how it would feel if you wanted a small snack."

"I'm pretty sure Zorro and Fluttershy have enough ingredients to make another vial of that potion.  I could ask them to make some for you if you want."

Thorax shook his head.  "I should be good.  Besides, I think if I had too much, I would start to get greedy, and I don't want to go doing that after all of the courtesy you and the princesses showed me."

Twilight nodded to him in return.  "That might be for the best.  My assistant Spike, who's a dragon, went on a greed-fueled rampage not too long ago.  He nearly destroyed the town before my friend Rarity was finally able to talk some sense into him.  I wouldn't want a repeat of something like that with you."

"I don't think I would destroy a town, but I don't think I want to find out, either."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Twilight then let out a yawn and wiped a hoof across her eyes.  "We should all get to bed.  You're gonna be heading back with us to Ponyville and I'm gonna have to write ahead and tell the mayor to prepare the town.  Unfortunately, Ponyville has been known to get a little jumpy around ponies that are just a bit different from them."

Thorax frowned.  "I'm sure some of them will feel it's justified once they learn about what happened."

Twilight frowned as well.  "The newspapers have probably already informed them, so I'm sure they've already formed some opinions, if they haven't already made an 'emergency angry mob' stockpile of torches and pitchforks."

She then placed a hoof on Thorax's withers.  "Things will be okay, Thorax.  My friends and I will make sure nopony tries to hurt you, and we can show them together that all you want is to live peacefully.  It might take time, but we will get everypony used to you."

Thorax looked back up at Twilight and gave her a smile.  "Thank you again, for everything."

Twilight smiled back.  "My pleasure, Thorax."