The Kindness story arc is still ongoing. I'm counting this chapter as a separate part from that because Fluttershy and Thorax have no interaction with one another during this chapter.
Some time later...
"Sent out on a 1-26 again!"
"I know. Old coot kept going on about his trash bin was a changeling when it clearly wasn't."
"And his behavior! You can't tell me that stallion didn't have dementia or went senile or something!"
"Well, he's in the hospital now, and hopefully they'll get in contact with his family so they can see to it he's taken care of how he's supposed to be."
"Hope so. Sorry if I was a bit of a jerk there."
"It's okay. Long night for both of us."
"Yeah. I'm getting this paperwork in and hitting the sack as soon as I get home."
"Same here."
Reaching their destination and walking inside, Detectives Old Bill and Peach Fuzz ceased the conversation about their most recent case and prepared to finish their duties before going home for the day. However, the mare at the front desk shot them a smile.
"You two missed out on some craziness a little while ago," she told the two detectives.
"We had some of our own," Peach countered. "What happened?"
"Well," the mare began, but then looked around conspiratorially before continuing. "Take a guess what was brought in earlier tonight?"
"Griffin?" Bill guessed.
"Dragon?" Peach offered.
The mare shook her head. "They brought a changeling in earlier."
Both Peach and Bill look at each other, then back to the mare. "You're serious?" Bill asked.
"May Celestia strike me down with her sun," the pony replied. "The two brought him in with a stallion he bound up in that slime they use and a mare, and get this: It's Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy?" Peach parroted in disbelief.
"Again, may I meet my end by Celestia's fiery sun. The mare's here in town for the pet expo and gets tied up in this mess."
The mare then went from excited to reserved, and with a little bit of sadness in her voice. "It's a shame, honestly. According to the story she gave earlier, she was going to meet a friend at their hotel and head to the expo for a seminar that was going on tonight, but along the way, somepony cornered her in an alley and tried to rape her."
Peach gasped at what she'd heard. "That rotten, no-good bug!"
"Well, that's the thing. According to Miss Fluttershy, the stallion the changeling had wrapped up in slime was her would-be rapist."
Bill raised his eyebrow at that. "She's accusing a pony that was being attacked by a changeling of trying to rape her?"
"According to her, but we'll know for sure if he really is or not in a bit; the mare agreed to have a kit done. We should be getting the results back soon."
"Who is getting the case?" Peach then asked.
"Well..." the front desk mare replied sheepishly before sliding a file folder to the detectives. Old Bill brought his hoof to his face.
"Of course. Looks like our other paperwork will have to wait a bit. Where is Miss Fluttershy now?"
"She elected to stay in an office with another pony until a friend she contacted can come and pick her up. I think it's Sargent Thistle's."
"Thanks. Shall we, Peach?"
Peach gave her partner a nod and the two headed towards the office indicated by the mare. Before they get too far, a pony at the front desk says something that catches their attention.
"Excuse me, but I have the results from a rape kit that was performed earlier tonight. Is there a pony available to take this?"
"I'm Old Bill, and I believe that's for me and my partner," the stallion called out as he turned around and approached the pony, showing his ID badge.
After examining the ID, the pony nodded. "Okay, the ID checks out. Here's the file."
The pony hoofed over the file and bid the police ponies good night. Old Bill opened the envelope and began reading.
"Well, what's the verdict?" Peach asked him as she approached.
"According to this, samples were taken from Fluttershy, the changeling, and the changeling victim/potential rapist."
Bill pauses as he reads more. "Huh. Says here that the changeling was made to provide two samples."
"Two samples?" Peach asked in confusion.
"They made it give a sample in its native form, and then a second in disguise as the pony he was cocooning."
"Why would they do that?"
"I think they were under the impression that the results may have been different if the changeling was disguised. Going by these readouts, it doesn't look like that's the case."
"What about the result? Was Fluttershy attacked and almost raped?"
"...Yes," Bill answered after reading further. "Samples taken from her proved that a stallion's seminal fluid was present along her inner legs, flanks, and... across her vulva."
Peach shivered. "She was nearly raped, not that it's really any better than actually being raped."
Bill nodded in agreement. "Results showed that the seminal fluid collected from Miss Fluttershy matches with a dna sample provided by-"
Bill stopped speaking and looked at the paper in surprise.
"...matches with a DNA sample provided by a stallion who was captured and cocooned by a changeling shortly after the assault occurred."
Peach looked wide-eyed at Bill. "The stallion did it?"
"According to this," Bill confirmed, then opened the case file the mare at the front desk gave him and read it over.
"And this looks like it could be pretty open and shut. Says here the stallion was reluctant to give a sample, and after doing so, made a request to have legal counsel present for future questioning."
Peach's expression went from surprise to anger. "I'd like to go down to that cell and have a word with that pony."
"Ease off, Peach," Bill said with a raised hoof. "He'll get his day in court soon enough."
"I hope so," Peach responded as she rolled her neck in an attempt to relax her muscles. As she did that, Bill read on through the case file further, and after a moment, looked at the paper in shock.
Peach, taking notice of this, stopped rolling her neck and asked her partner what was wrong.
"Read this," he answered, turning the folder so she could look at the contents.
Peach read over the report from the beginning, and then went wide-eyed in shock again.
"Female victim referred to changeling assailant by name of Thorax." Bill parroted from the paper.
Peach turned her gaze to meet her partner. "It couldn't be, could it?"
"It's not impossible," Bill admitted, "but who can say for certain? We don't know much about changelings, but we do know there's more than one mare in Van Hoover that would answer to the name Peach, so what's to say there aren't multiple changelings that would answer to the name Thorax?"
"Still, this far north, and not all that far away from the Crystal Empire?"
"Like I said, it's not impossible."
Peach and Bill looked over the paperwork again.
"Do you think there's a way we can find out for sure?" Peach asked Bill.
The stallion thought about it for a moment. "I think there is."
Thorax had been moved from the holding cells to an interrogation chamber. Seated in a chair on one side of a table with a microphone on it, he could only wait as until the pony conducting the "interview", as the police officer had called it, showed up. As he waited, his mind kept replaying that night in his mind over and over again. Eventually, he let out a defeated sigh as his thoughts drifted towards ideas about what would happen to him once the police had finished with him.
On the other side of a one-way mirror, Detectives Old Bill and Peach Fuzz stood watching with another VHPF officer. The two watched Thorax as he sat in the chair waiting as patiently as he could.
"Go ahead over and start the interrogation," Bill told the officer. "We'll give a tap on the glass when we want you to stop."
The officer nodded. "Alright, I'll get this rolling."
The pony left the room, leaving Bill and Peach alone to observe.
"Do you think it could be him?" Peach asked.
"I don't know," Bill answered, "but one thing is for sure - that is definitely a changeling in there."
Peach nodded as she turned her attention back to the interrogation room. Inside, Thorax was still thinking over all that had happened that night, but was brought back to reality when he heard the door to the room click and open.
Stepping into the room was a pony in a police uniform. They had no expression, and Thorax could discern no other emotions besides the general apprehension ponies had around changelings. The pony walked to the table and took a seat opposite of him.
"I'm Officer Penny Dreadful," the pony began, "and I'm going to ask you a few questions. I'm expecting totally honest answers from you, and trust me - I'll know."
Thorax gave a nod.
"How did you arrive in Van Hoover?" the stallion began.
"I came in on the train" Thorax answered.
"Where did you board?"
"In Whinnyapolis."
"How long were you in Whinnyapolis?"
"A day or so."
"And where did you come from to get there?"
"Detrot."
"Detrot, huh? Next you're gonna tell me that you came all the way down from the Crystal Empire."
"I did."
The stallion scoffs. "I don't believe it, and for two reasons. One, all the changelings anypony has ever encountered outside of Canterlot all came from the south. Two, if you really did come from the Crystal Empire, then you'd never want to leave."
"If you're talking about the love of the crystal ponies, I already know."
"And what? You're just gonna keep going south until you get to your hive so you can plan your next attack on Equestria?"
"No."
"And why am I supposed to believe that?"
"If I really wanted to tell the hive about the Crystal Empire, I would've disguised as a bird and just kept flying until I got there."
The stallion wanted to refute the claim, but it was pretty sound. Most ponies would think nothing of a random bird flying in the sky.
"I'll buy that," the stallion conceded, "but that doesn't explain why you were in the Crystal Empire to begin with."
"It's a long story."
"Well, I have all night."
Meanwhile...
Walking through the doors of the Van Hoover Police Station was a member of the Royal Guard Post. His golden armor immediately caught the eye of the mare at the front desk.
"May I help you?" she asked the guard.
"I was informed of a changeling being held as a prisoner here. Do you still have it?"
The mare nodded. "We sure do, but they're interrogating him now."
"It's a male?"
"Yep. He's been cooperating so far."
The guard raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"So far," the mare emphasized. "There's always the chance he waiting for an opportunity to strike and disappear before we know what hit us."
"Then we'll have to be careful. I'm also here to find out about what happened to a guard of mine earlier."
"A guard?"
"Yes. He was supposed to report in earlier this evening, but he never showed."
"Maybe the changeling knows something about it?"
"Perhaps," the guard agreed. "Where is he being questioned?"
The mare points down a hallway. "The interview rooms are down at the end on the left side. The observation room is the one furthest."
"Thank you-"
"Hold up!"
The guard and mare turn to see another guard run up to the desk.
"You're late for report," the first guard said to the second.
"I'm sorry, sir," the second replied, the lower rank of the pair. "I was following the subject earlier this evening, but I was knocked out cold by a stallion."
"By a stallion?"
"Yes."
"Can you give a description of the stallion?"
"Yes. He was beige with black mane and royal blue eyes."
"Hold up!" the mare at the desk suddenly butted in. "You said beige coat, black mane and tail, and royal blue eyes?"
"I did, ma'am."
"That matches the description of a pony we have in custody for an attempted rape earlier this evening."
"You have that pony? Let us see him!"
"Officer Paisley," the mare called out to the nearby police pony, "would you please take these guards to the holding cells?"
Paisley nodded. "Please follow me," she said to the guards as she headed towards a flight of stairs, the two stallions following behind.
After descending to a landing and down another set of stairs, the ponies all approached a door with a barred window set in the center. Fetching a key from inside her uniform, Paisley unlocked it and opened the door.
"His cell should be the second on the right," she told the guards as they passed her inside. The guards walked past the first cell and looked inside.
Sitting on the bunk was the stallion in question, another pony in a suit writing something down on a legal pad.
"That's him," the second guard told the first while pointing at the stallion.
Having heard the new voices, the two ponies in the cell looked up at the guards. Upon making eye contact, the stallion cursed to himself and looked away.
The other pony, his apparent legal counsel, put a hoof to his face and sighed. "Is there something else you forgot to mention?" he asked with an annoyed tone in his voice.
The senior guard laughed. "We'll be back, " he told the lawyer as he and the junior guard leave the holding cells.
Back in the interview room...
"So you survive the Canterlot attack, get blasted all the way back to Dodge Junction, go back to your hive, decide that you don't like living there anymore, come back to Equestria and play extreme hide-and-seek with the royal guard, catch a whiff of the Crystal Empire's love and brave a blizzard that very nearly kills you to end up being discovered and saving the life of a dragon?"
The police pony's summary of the story is fairly accurate, despite leaving out some details.
Thorax shrugged his shoulders in response. "I would've preferred not freezing when I headed to the Crystal Empire, but I was more than halfway when that blizzard sprung up. If I had tried to turn back, who knows when they would've found me."
"So you save the dragon, he convinces a few ponies to vouch for you as a good changeling, then somehow convince Princess Cadance to allow you to stay in the empire for a few months, get attacked by ponies pretending to be changelings, recover and then have the princess give you a probationary citizenship."
"You do realize how much of a big fish story this sounds, right?"
"It only gets crazier." Thorax said with a head shake.
"Oh, I can only imagine, but humor me. What happened after Princess Cadance makes you a probationary citizen?"
"After her announcing my being permitted to stay in the Crystal Empire, I keep myself inside the palace because I'm afraid of ponies trying attacking me again, but one of the ponies I was actually able to make friends with convinces me to leave the palace and intermingle with the ponies in an open-air market at the base of the castle."
"Well, the attitudes are still negative, and I get harassed verbally by a crowd of ponies and it gets to be too much. I buzz my wings and fly as far as they can take me in a short burst. I land on a street and collect myself. I go to turn back, and I hear a pony in distress."
"A pony in distress?"
"Yeah, a filly. She was-"
Thorax is cut off as a tapping on the window beside the police pony and himself is heard.
"We'll pick this back up once I found out what they want," the pony says as he stands up and heads to the door.
Thorax sits back in the chair and wonders what will happen when he returns to the Crystal Empire. He sits there and ponders the idea for a few minutes before the door opens again.
Expecting to see the police pony interviewer again, Thorax surprised when he sees a stallion and mare enter the room and stand before him.
Without any kind of tip-off, the two ponies begin talking.
"You saw the filly being accosted by three stallions, and you tried to intervene to help her," the stallion said aloud to Thorax.
"They knocked you out and tried to frame you for foalnapping and assault," the mare added next.
"It went as far as putting you on trial, and even went all the way to the jury in the trial deliberating and returning a verdict,"
"But before they could announce it, a pony from here in Van Hoover called with evidence that exonerated you in all counts,"
"Two ponies, actually, and detectives here in this very precinct."
Thorax looked between the two as they revealed information that nopony outside the Crystal Empire was supposed to know, except for two ponies living in Van Hoover that knew because of the position they held and the vital information they were relaying to the empire. As realization hits him, Thorax's looks of confusion change to those of awe and reverence.
Both stallion and mare smile at Thorax and
"Thorax, my name is Old Bill."
"And I'm Peach Fuzz."
"And we're the two ponies responsible for proving your innocence, Thorax."