Twilight gently guided Thunderball back to the library basement with her wing around his shoulders. He had not said a word since they had parted with Bonling, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo. In fact, he had remained as quiet as a rock despite all her attempts to reach out to him, as if he had withdrawn into his own world.
She took her wing off of Thunderball when they had reached his cot and tried to talk to him one last time. "Look, Thunderball, I know this is hard for you to accept, but I think this is for the best; I really do. We have a chance to turn our ancient enemies into new friends."
Thunderball just stared blankly at his hooves. Twilight gave him a soft hug before walking up the stairs and turning off the lights. No sooner had she closed the door than she heard a loud thump. She wheeled back to the basement door and opened it in alarm to find Thunderball with his hoof on the light switch, sweating bullets, and panting as if he had just run a marathon.
"Don’t do that!" he snapped, before remembering who he was talking to. "Your...Highness..."
The sight of how frightened he looked made Twilight wince. Given what happened to him in the changeling caves, she should have known the veteran would be highly nyctophobic. "I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Do you...Do you want me to stay with you for the night?"
"Thank you, but no," Thunderball said numbly. "Good night."
He closed the door abruptly and flew down the stairs. Thunderball lost no time in unpacking his saddlebags, shedding equipment he would not need. The thought of "Bonling" walking around the streets of Ponyville was outrageous; the pest should have been locked up or exterminated on sight, as far as Thunderball was concerned. If Princess Twilight would not believe that the changelings were a threat, he would find proof of it and convince her. Or possibly take care of it himself, if the opportunity arose.
His old SAS gas mask lay on top of his bed; he grabbed it and pulled it over his face. His hoof flicked a switch on the side of the mask and he saw the world in a sickly green color as the integrated night vision device activated. It was a good thing he had brought a healthy supply of operational gear with him; he would have to do this entirely on his own. Thunderball tossed his saddlebags over his back and climbed smoothly back up the stairs.
He exited the library quietly to avoid disturbing either the princess or Spike and flew up high into the air. Clouds covered most of the night sky, but there was enough light for his night vision goggles to amplify, and he could see the occasional pony wandering the streets. Police officers, late night party–goes, and a fake beige earth pony with a pink streak in her cobalt blue mane.
Thunderball glided down to a rooftop above Bonling like a barn owl and tailed her as she went about contacting her conspirators. The first house she visited was on the outskirts of town, relatively near Fluttershy’s cottage, and its occupant turned out to be a sea green earth pony mare Thunderball was unfamiliar with. Thunderball hid in a tree several hundred yards away and pulled out a directional microphone. He slipped the earphones on, turned on the device and a hoofheld tape recorder, and tuned into their conversation.
"—and she invited us to talk to her tomorrow!" Bonling concluded cheerfully.
"R–Really?" her friend stammered. "You mean she won’t lock us up or anything?"
"Nope!" Bonling smiled so brightly that Thunderball could have seen it from his hiding spot without his goggles. "She’s really sincere about it; I could hear it in her voice!"
Thunderball tensed up, sure that they were rejoicing due to Princess Twilight’s gullibility. What happened next surprised him as much as it did Bonling. Her friend hugged Bonling tightly and pranced around in joy.
"You mean we might be able to live openly? Lead a normal life like everypony else?"
Bonling tried desperately to rein in the overenthusiastic bug. "Don’t start rejoicing yet; I don’t think we’ll be allowed to walk down Main Street as changelings anytime soon, but we won’t be in danger of being arrested or killed for now."
The two hugged and parted ways, while Thunderball angrily shoved the microphone back in his saddlebags. He continued to trail Bonling like a shadow, slipping from one pool of darkness to the next as she went about her route. However, each changeling she visited acted the same way, with happiness and giddy relief instead of sinister gloating.
At last, Bonling returned to her house, which still bore gaping holes in its walls. Thunderball set up his microphone again and pointed it at the house, hoping that Bonling would slip up once she was safely in her home. She wouldn’t have to hide her perverse nature any longer; after all, Thunderball was certain that she had bewitched the poor mares, keeping them within her thrall, ignorant as to her horrible nature and their ultimate fate as disposable food.
"Lyra! Bon Bon!" she squealed, followed by the sound of fur–on–fur as they hugged enthusiastically. "I’m so glad you two are alright."
Bon Bon nuzzled Bonling’s neck. "Me too. I thought that nutcase was going to kill me. Where does Twilight find these ponies?"
Lyra frowned. "Hey, don’t talk about Thunderball like that. I’m sure he was just doing his job."
"He nearly killed Bonling!" Thunderball grimaced at her defense of the changeling. Bon Bon obviously had no idea just what she was protecting. "Or did you not not notice him demolish our house!"
"Lyra’s right." Bonling’s soft voice stopped the argument dead in its tracks. "I...It’s not his fault. Chrysalis ordered my brother to kill and impersonate his best friend."
Bon Bon gasped in horror at the revelation. "How come you never told us?"
Bonling’s voice choked up with what sounded like real emotion. "I don’t like to talk about...about how things used to be, when we obeyed Chrysalis. I’ve been so happy since I came here, to the point where I sometimes forget all the worst parts of my life. I’m sorry I hid it from you." She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "But it’s time I told you everything."
"Shhh. It’s alright, dear," Lyra comforted gently. "We love you for who you are. Your past doesn’t matter."
Bonling sniffed and pulled Lyra in closer. "But I need to do this. For my own conscience if nothing else. I want an open and honest life with you, and that means no secrets."
Thunderball’s numb hooves automatically adjusted the recording device as Bonling told her story of growing up in Chrysalis’s hive as a warrior, of the daily struggle to find nourishment in the Badlands, and the strict hierarchy needed to maintain order in such harsh conditions. According to the story, she had grown up feeling that there was something more to life than obeying orders from her queen, and how she had pestered her brother with questions about how ponies lived. Slowly, her curiosity had fueled his, and together they had come to realize the power of love and friendship that ponies were blessed with was more than just a food–source.
Why was she telling her thralls these things? Wasn’t it bad enough that she kept them under her control without it? Thunderball ground his hoof into the tree angrily. He remembered stories from ponies in Canterlot after the invasion. Being enthralled meant it didn’t matter what she told them; they would be taken in by whatever she said. Acting like it was true just made his chest hurt, and he found himself doubting for a moment that she was anything but what she pretended to be. He stood up, sick of the farce and determined to head down there and throttle the changeling until she released the ponies from her hold. But then she mentioned his name, and he froze.
"My brother used to talk about Thunderball all the time, and I always wanted to meet him. I’d hoped that he could be able to find peace after seeing so many deaths, especially Skyfall’s, but I guess Chrysalis’s actions — our actions — have hurt him far too much. Bon Bon, if you want to blame anyone for Thunderball’s attitude, blame Chrysalis. He was never like this before; he was always brave and kind and loyal to a fault. My brother loved him more than anything; I could hear it in his voice. He ended up sacrificing himself to save Thunderball." Her voice carried so much pain that it felt like a knife in the pegasus stallion’s gut. "I know he wanted to make up for killing the pony he replaced and for lying to his friends. I guess he did, in the end."
Skyfall. Thunderball leaned his head against the tree and turned off the microphone. All he could do for several minutes was breathe, too overwhelmed from Bonling’s revelations and his own memories to do anything else. He gathered up the device and slowly made his way back to the library basement, where he curled up on the bed and cried.
Anger flooded through his mind at the thought of Skyfall. The changeling had deceived him.
He had betrayed Thunderball’s trust.
He had never said goodbye.
Skyfall’s death was so sudden — he had shoved Thunderball out of the way and taken a lethal blast before Thunderball could even register what had happened.
Laying there in the dim light of the basement and looking back on what he remembered, Thunderball now knew that what Bonling said had to be the truth, or at least a version of it. After all, the changeling had given his life to save him, without sparing so much as a thought to his original mission or allegiances. Thunderball's rage at the deception and the trauma of loss had blinded him to the idea entirely, and now it felt like a red–hot poker jamming itself repeatedly into his skull.
How could he be that stupid?
The ticking of the clock mocked his misery as he buried himself further in his blankets. Just how long had that pony been a changeling? He'd once thought the changeling had to have replaced Skyfall shortly before the end, but now, that didn't make any sense at all. Nopony sacrificed themselves for an enemy like that. Had Thunderball’s friend been a changeling all along? The pegasus had trouble believing that. He would have known, surely. How could somepony hide something like that from a friend as close as Thunderball had been?
He banged his head into his pillow, frustrated. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Was their entire friendship based on one overarching lie? Was their friendship itself a lie? He'd thought so, and the idea had made him so very angry for so very long.
He tossed and turned, wishing desperately to fall unconscious so he could rest, but knowing sleep was a long way off.
Deceit. Betrayal. Treachery. Those words just didn't apply to the friend in his head, the one he remembered, from basic training to Saddle Arabia. Skyfall had always been the most dependable pony he'd ever known. Finding out he'd been a liar was bad enough, but that he had, in fact, been an
enemy agent and a murderer? Thunderball felt like he'd been betrayed all over again.
–
General Cant stood in front of Thunderball’s company, his tail dragging against the ground and his mane limp from the exhaustion of the past month. At times, the old graying pegasus moved as if the only thing keeping his body alive was sheer willpower.
"Lads," he said with heavy breath, "the SAS has planted explosives around the capital’s walls. In two hours’ time, they will detonate, and we will have to storm the breach in order to seize a hoofhold. This is a high–risk operation, and we will only accept volunteers. All participants will be promoted one full rank. Let those who wish to contribute step forward, and those that wish to remain stay behind — but do not feel shame for choosing life over death."
The words had barely reached Cant’s ears before Skyfall stepped up alongside Thunderball, who turned his head and stared at Skyfall, his eyebrows raised in worry. "Skyfall? Are–Are you sure?"
The blond–haired, blue–eyed, white–furred pegasus laughed. "You think I’m going to let you hog all the glory? No, you’re not getting rid of me that easily. When we fight, we fight together, you and I. Back to back against the whole world if need be."
"That’s right!" Both ponies looked behind them to see Cold Snap advance out of the ranks and hold forth his hoof. "We stand together, we few, we happy few."
"We band of brothers," Skyfall continued, taking their unusual friend’s hoof in his own. "For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother."
Thunderball added his own hoof to the pile. "Be he ne’er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition."
Cant wept at the display of camaraderie as more ponies stepped forward and he finished the quote. "And gentleponies in Equestria now–a–bed shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, and hold their honor cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us on this battlefield today!"
–
Those times were over now, and Skyfall would never speak again, but Thunderball still had the memories of their time together, even if they hurt to think about. He lay on his cot remembering all the good times they had together and did not even notice the tears staining his pillow.
–
Thunderball was unusually quiet the next morning at breakfast. The deep rings under his eyes made it clear that he had not slept a wink since Twilight led him to his bed last night. He sat at the dining table in silence, barely touching the oatmeal Twilight had prepared for him or even attempting to protest the fact that she was serving him again.
The silence in the library was only broken by the sound of the main door opening. Twilight and Thunderball looked over to see Spike and Pinkie Pie leading a small crowd of perhaps a dozen ponies in.
Pinkie bounced around the crowd and herded them into the main room. "It's a coming out party!" The rest of the crowd stopped and stared. Pinkie's ears flicked, and she hopped to the side, giggling, into a corner. "I'll just stand over here, 'kay?"
"Sorry, library's closed," Thunderball said abruptly, his exhaustion coupled with his irritation at being the center of Ponyville's gay rumor mill (not to mention the anticipation of having to deal with changelings) making him especially grumpy. "Special business. Come back tomorrow."
"Uh, but we're here for the special business," One of the ponies pointed out meekly.
Twilight watched Thunderball cautiously as he processed the comment. His breathing grew shaky and his eyes watered until he suddenly shot to his hooves and flew out through the open kitchen window.
"Did Thunderball just bail on us?" Rainbow Dash asked as she walked in with Scootaloo, Bon Bon, Lyra, and Bonling.
Twilight sighed as she gazed out the window. "Please excuse him; he's going through a very difficult time."
Pinkie nodded sadly. "Probably for the best. Sometimes, a pony just needs time to himself, you know?"
Rainbow looked out the window, kicking her rear hoof on the floor in agitation. "He's missing out. This is going to be a historically awesome — no, awesomely historic! — moment."
Scootaloo nudged the polychromatic mare with her wing. "Maybe you should go find him, Rainbow," she suggested.
Rainbow hugged the filly, who nuzzled her back. "Nah, I have to be here for you, Squirt."
Bonling watched the two pegasi embrace each other, her mind turning to the pegasus who had just fled their presence in disgust. "I hope all ponies could be open–minded enough to accept us," she said sadly.
Twilight sighed. "I don't know if that will be the case, but I can promise that I'll do everything I can for you." She turned towards the changelings and gave them her best smile. "I'm honored that you all trusted me enough to come. I'd like to hear all about you and why you came to Ponyville, as well as why the ponies here decided to help you. I mean, not that I'm going to charge you for anything, but it's technically treason."
"Oh w–well..." Lyra stammered as she flushed a fiery shade of red. "We, um..."
Bon Bon quickly stepped in. "I found Bonling wandering around with a mild concussion during the invasion of Canterlot. I thought she was Lyra at the time, since that's who she looked like, just confused from being hit on the head. We tried to leave Canterlot, but there were too many changelings. She led me and several other ponies down to the caves to keep us safe, and risked herself several times to protect us. She said later that the concussion had dampened Chrysalis's control over her and allowed her to act on her own. She was sick of doing the queen's bidding and took the opportunity to escape. Anyway, we ran into the real Lyra along with Minuette and Twinkleshine in the caves and thought they were changelings, but they were under some sort of compulsion spell. Bonling managed to break it and free them, and we hid deeper into the caves. By the time we found out what all had happened, the invasion was over, and Chrysalis was too far away to control Bonling. She begged us not to turn her in, so we decided to take her with us, since it didn't cost us anything to let her feed off of our love."
Twilight nodded approvingly. "That's quite nice."
Bon Bon nodded, sending a lecherous grin toward the changeling in question. "Yeah, and then we found that it was really handy having another mare around," she continued, "or stallion, or mare with colt parts, or even Princess Celestia, or—"
Lyra quickly clamped her hooves over Bon Bon's mouth, while Twilight stuffed her hooves in her ears.
"Too much information, Bon Bon!" Twilight groaned.
Meanwhile, outside...
Thunderball soared around the town until he spotted The Prancing Pony, one of the larger bars in Ponyville. The colorful green structure stood proudly near the center of town and bright neon signs declared that happy hour was an all–day event, so Thunderball decided to try his luck and flew in for a much needed drink. He opened the door to see a relatively empty establishment, with a dimly lit oak bar and soothing classical music playing in the background. A few regulars were scattered about, passing the time with idle talk as Thunderball cut through their conversation on his way to the bar.
"Vodka maretini! Shaken, not stirred," Thunderball growled to the bartender as he slammed his bits onto the counter and demolished the atmosphere. "Use Grey Pony if you have it."
The bartender, a mahogany stallion with three cherries on his flank, looked big enough to bounce troublesome customers by himself, but he took the bits and hurried away to prepare his order, and returned in record time. Thunderball eyed the resulting maretini approvingly; it contained a healthy amount of alcohol and was garnished with two olives. He immediately slammed it back and signalled for another.
"Easy there!" a deep voice cautioned from behind him. "Did your date with Goldengrape not go well?"
Thunderball turned on the speaker, ready to hurl a barrage of colorful insults intended to cast doubts on the stallion's parentage, but stopped when he saw that it was Creme Brulee.
"Oh. Hi." Thunderball polished off another maretini and pushed the empty glass towards the bartender. "No, haven't seen him yet. I just...learned some things about an old friend I need to deal with first, and I’m not sure that I can."
Creme Brulee nodded sympathetically as he sat next to Thunderball. "Care to talk about it?"
Thunderball shook his head. "Not really, no." He glanced sideways at the massive draft horse. "You okay? You seem really...down."
Creme sighed. "Lately I've been feeling...really dishonest with everypony, especially Goldengrape. I've been given a chance to come clean, and my brother Caramel says I should take, it, but it scares me, so I came here."
Thunderball dumped a bag of bits onto the counter. "Bartender! Two vodka maretinis! And don't be stingy with the gin!"
"Thanks," Creme Brulee said sheepishly as he took a cautious sip. He immediately started coughing. "Wow, that's, um, some..."
Thunderball tossed his back like it was water. "Drink it quickly. The ice keeps the vapors condensed."
Creme Brulee gagged as he downed the entire glass in one swallow. "By Celestia's mane, who invented this?"
Thunderball crushed the olive between his teeth. "It's a Canterlot thing. You get used to it."
"Well, it certainly made me forget about the fact that I've been living a lie. For a moment, anyways." Creme Brulee sniffled. "I've deceived everypony, and it's been eating me up inside!"
Thunderball scrutinized the workhorse closely. "So why don't you stop?"
Creme Brulee looked down and twiddled his hooves. "But if I came out about it, everypony'd hate me!"
"Why?" Thunderball asked, though he already had a pretty good idea what it was about.
"Because, you know, of what I am," Creme Brulee whispered discretely. "Even Caramel was disgusted when he found out, and he's the nicest pony I know!"
While Thunderball initially thought Creme Brulee was talking about his homosexuality, he had also mentioned that he was deceiving Goldengrape as well, who would certainly know if his coltfriend was gay or not. Maybe the stallion swung both ways or something?
"Bartender? Give my friend a bottle of Wild Stallion bourbon." Thunderball pushed a generous heap of bits towards the bewildered bar stallion. "Look Creme, I can't say I've ever been in your position, but as a general rule things work out a lot better if you're just honest with everypony. Fewer lies to keep track of, and you can know who your real friends are."
Creme Brulee helped himself to a generous swig of bourbon. "Th–Thanks. I guess maybe I should come clean. After all, I might not get another chance. I'll see you later, and good luck with Goldengrape, okay? Treat him right."
"But—" Thunderball did not even get a chance to finish his sentence before Creme Brulee wrapped him in a hug tight enough to white out his vision and then ran out the door. He exhaled in frustration and downed his third maretini before leaving the bar. Once outside, he flew to the loneliest spot he could find — the clock tower — and climbed into the belfry. All he wanted right now was to be alone with his thoughts.
Thunderball felt sick. He leaned his head back against the bell, wishing he had some more alcohol in him. His head produced a dull ringing sound as it hit the warm metal. It was followed by the sounds of frantic struggling inside the bell. The stallion immediately poked his head under the edge to see Spike glued to the inside with green slime.
The agent lost no time in breaking Spike's bonds and pulling him out of the bell. He ripped the glob of slime off of the dragon's mouth and pinned him to the ground.
"Ow! Hey, I'm on your side, remember?" Spike yelled as Thunderball stared at him with furious eyes.
"What were you doing stuck to the bell with changeling slime?" Thunderball growled, his voice dangerously low.
Spike cringed under Thunderball’s withering gaze. "I don't know! I woke up like that!"
Thunderball looked to the library. "If you're the real Spike, that means the one I saw in the library today was a changeling. We have to contact Princess Celestia immediately. You go find a quill and write to her; I'm going to secure the princess."
"Will do!" Spike ran down the stairs to the belfry while Thunderball raced to the library, praying against
all hope that he would arrive in time.