//------------------------------//
// Chapter 24 
// Story: Even Stranger 
// by SaltyJustice 
//------------------------------//

	Thorax looked up as somepony came through the door.  The lights had been turned off, at his request, though not because he was sleepy.  Sitting in a hospital bed all day was in no way tiring, but Redheart had sworn at him every time he tried to make use of his time by humming.  At least with the lights off, he could let his imagination roam free.  He had spent a lot of time imagining Octavia, who was presumably saving his life right now.  He had also spent some time cataloging what he had imagined, and some time making meta-commentary to himself on what he was doing during said cataloging.
The pony flicked a switch and the room's lights came on.  It was Twilight Sparkle, and her eyes went wide.
"Ack!  That's way too bright!  Spike!"
Twilight flipped the switch back off, and a moment later, a small burst of magic flew from her horn at the waiting silhouette of Spike, carrying a candle.
"Much better," Twilight said as she approached Thorax's bed.
"Hello, miss Sparkle," Thorax said.
"Hey, Hist.  Feeling any better?"
"Slightly.  My back no longer aches, but the doctor has told me not to move or I may undo all of the healing I have done.  I feel fine, really."
"Redheart knows best."
Twilight cast a nervous glance at Spike, who looked more bored than anything else.
"Just tell him," Spike said.
"But - " Twilight stammered.
"I want to go to bed.  Tell him."
Twilight turned back to Thorax.  Her lip quivered.
"What's wrong?" Thorax asked.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but... uh... we think..."
Thorax patiently waited for Twilight to gather her courage.
"We think..." she said again.
"You think - alike?  A lot?  I think a lot, too.  I thought I was the only one.  Do you keep records of what you think?"
"We think Octavia is a changeling!"
Thorax was stunned.  He sucked in his breath, and, if he could, he would have done something with his body.  Perhaps move it?  When shocked or surprised, he had often jumped back.  Perhaps he could get Spike to use a broom to lever him into a jumping position.  Or a falling position.
"You're taking this remarkably well," Twilight said.
"I am quite alarmed, by this.  She never told me.  How did you know?"
"We've known there was a changeling in town, somewhere.  Princess Celestia told me in person, and I was supposed to keep look out.  I really didn't think it was her, but you never know.  Any pony could be a changeling, you could be talking to one right now and you wouldn't know it."
Thorax thought, though he did not keep record of it this time.  Could Octavia be another agent, perhaps from a different hive?  What a happy coincidence that would be!  Unless, of course, she was from a rival hive.  Thorax knew little of politics, as it had never really come up at home.  Did changeling hives fight with one another?
"Why are you telling me this?" Thorax asked.
"I thought you should know, word is you two were... close.  Right?"
Thorax sighed.  "Yes.  I will ask her when she returns."
Twilight and Spike exchanged a look.  "Oh yes," she said, "right.  When she returns."
"So," Thorax said, "how did this Princess Celestia know?"
"Not sure, but she has her ways.  She told me two weeks ago to expect a changeling visitor, but didn't say much else."
That was right around the time Thorax had arrived.  For all he knew, Octavia had been disguised as one of the ponies on the train he arrived on!  He would have much to discuss with her when she returned.  Particularly, why she would go to such trouble to maintain her disguise as injuring him.  Maybe she was an exemplary agent, as he was, and they could share techniques?
"Thank you for telling me all this, Twilight Sparkle.  It is good to have a friend like you."
"Yeah.  Just rest and get better, Hist.  Did you want a book or something to read while you're in here?"
"Oh, no thank you.  The nurse gave me one already, it's about a pony who breaks her wing and then steals an antique from a strange creature with a name I cannot pronounce.  Most fascinating."
"Well, okay," Twilight said.  Spike coughed.  "We better get going.  We'll come visit tomorrow!"
Thorax struggled to raise his foreleg in an attempt to wave.  He actually got it extended most of the way up before his own instincts told him not to hurt himself.  Twilight smiled and waved, and Spike brusquely pushed her out the door.
Thorax rested his head against the pillow again.  He was uncomfortable, laying this way.  It was fine when awake, but difficult to sleep, and he would prefer to sleep on his side.  He tried to move his hind legs, and surprisingly, they responded to his calls.  He very delicately rolled onto his side, straining to keep his back perfectly straight and tight.  To his good fortune, he did not hurt himself, and could now sleep more soundly.  He smiled to himself.  Octavia would be so happy to hear how fast he was recovering.
When she returned.

Octavia's face had been pressed against the concrete, and she could not see where she was.  The guardsponies had not read her her rights, or even said much of anything at all, save to, "stay down and don't move."  A task made all the easier by one of their forelegs pressing her to the pavement.
"Well, well.  Nice work.  What about the other two?" somepony asked.  A female, her voice was familiar.  Octavia could only make out a pink hoof on the ground ahead of her.
"Got away, ma'am," one of the guards said, "we've got two medics looking over the wounded now."
"Wounded?"
"The white one with the blue mane.  Never seen anything like it."
"Did you break her glasses?"
"... yes."
The distinct sound of a hoof colliding with its owner's face could be heard.
"Serves them right, I warned them.  Whatever, Vinyl wasn't the target."
"What do we do now, ma'am?"
"We got what we came for."
The female's voice was suddenly right next to Octavia's ear.
"Prep her for transport.  I got a letter to write."

Meanwhile, across Hoofington, Vinyl and Octavia were preparing to depart.  The evening train had just come in, and the two had been hiding in the bathrooms until it arrived.  They darted across the platform and boarded without giving anypony a second glance.
"See," Vinyl said, reclining against the booth's seat, "told you we'd be fine.  I always think of something."
Octavia murmured her assent.  She kept scanning the car for guardsponies, though none came.
"You've been awfully quiet," Vinyl said.
"Just a little terrified.  That was close."
"Yeah, and those were some desperate dudes, right?  You'd figure after the first five guys go down, you'd think twice before charging at me."
"Hmm, yes.  You are quite a fighter."
Spiracle leaned against the window, checking the platform for guards, now.  After seeing what Vinyl Scratch could do in a fight, she decided against making any sudden moves.  Best to hold her disguise a tad bit longer, and make a clean getaway when this pony wasn't looking.
"You still got the stuff?" Vinyl asked.
Spiracle patted her tail, where a hidden rubber-band held in place the Nectar vial.
"Cool.  You ever seen that Edge before?  She seemed to know you."
"Uh," Spiracle said.  She coughed.  "No idea, never seen her before.  Think she got away?"
"Dunno," Vinyl said, reclining further in her seat.  She made an unpleasant face.  "Sure hope so.  Wonder what they do to you, if they catch you?"
Octavia shuddered.  "I don't want to know."
The train conductor blew the steam whistle and the train lurched into the night.  Vinyl put on her customary headphones while Spiracle looked out the window, at the moon, just visible over the treetops.  What was going to happen to the real Octavia, she didn't know.  Sooner or later they'd figure out she wasn't a changeling, and let her go, right?  It wasn't Spiracle's fault in the slightest, and she shouldn't feel concern for a pony, even if that was Thorax's special somepony.
She was not sure how she knew, but Spiracle was confident that this Octavia was the one.  Agent Thorax had changed so much in the scant week she had left him in Ponyville, and it made sense that he had found love.  He was far luckier than most agents, some went months or years before finding somepony to feed off of.
That only made Spiracle wonder why he needed Nectar now.  Perhaps, being in the hospital, he couldn't feed properly.  None of the other agents she had worked with had ever been infirm, but she figured the survivalist training back at the hive would have at least mentioned complications due to injury.  Regardless, she could make the delivery herself.
"Hey, Tavi," Vinyl said.  Spiracle did not respond.
"Tavi!" Vinyl said again.
"Huh?"
"You spacin' out?"
"Yeah, sorry."
"I'm gonna take a brief nap.  Wake me up at Smokey Mountain station, we gotta switch trains there."
Spiracle sighed and looked back out the window.  She wished things could go back to the way they were six months ago, when she wasn't in hiding.  When there weren't horrible rumours floating around of the end of the changelings.  When she had a home to go back to.  When she wasn't lonely all the time.

As Spike opened the door to the Library, the shadows within betrayed an outline.  Somepony was standing in the room.
"Twilight, look!" Spike hissed.
Whoever it was hadn't noticed them yet, and was fumbling around near the stairs.
"Who is it?" Twilight whispered back.
"Don't know."
The figure heard them whispering, and turned to see them.  It waved to them in the gloom.  "Oh, there you are, Twiley."
Twilight and Spike tensed subconsciously.
"Uh, okay, I'll get the lights."
The intruder cast a light spell, revealing the smiling face of Shining Armor.
"Shining?  What are you doing here?" Twilight asked.
"Leaving town again, I just got a letter from Ca- "
Spike suddenly looked about to be sick.  He belched, and a green flame lit up the darkened library.  A scroll deposited at Twilight's hooves.
"And there's yours," Shining Armor said, "guess she wants you to come along, too."
Twilight scanned the scroll.
To my most faithful student, Twilight.
Your presence is urgently requested at Canterlot, at a location which will be disclosed to you upon your arrival at the train station.  Waste no time getting here, because, as usual, the future of the country depends on it.
Tell Spike he can sleep on the train.
-Yours, Princess Celestia
"We gotta go to Canterlot?  At this hour?" Twilight asked.
"That's what mine said, too," Shining Armor said.
Spike stamped his foot.  "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!"
Twilight looked sidelong at him.  "You can sleep on the train.  I'll bring your basket."

"Tarsus, give me a status report!"
"I have not been able to locate the security chief all day, my Queen, so I have taken control of his division.  We're on high alert in case another attack comes."
Chrysalis paced in her chamber, hoping the exercise would keep her mind sharp.  How had things degraded so quickly?
"That's no good - you will need to pass your command along to a subordinate.  One you trust with your life, for we have other issues we must attend to."
"But my Queen, the - "
Chrysalis cut him off, "Arrange a cease-fire, or a stand-down order.  I don't want fighting inside the hive, you understand me?  We have to leave."
Tarsus was shocked.  "Leave?!  Have you gone mad?"
"No," Chrysalis said coolly, "I'm the sanest changeling you know.  Our future is happening right now, in Canterlot city, and you and I will be there to witness it.  I've just heard, so prepare to depart."
Tarsus grimaced.  "Is this wise?  The officers may think we're abandoning the hive!"
"If what I think has happened has happened, it will not matter what the officers think.  Meet me at loading dock C-9 in ten minutes."
Both Chrysalis and Tarsus left the royal quarters and headed down the hall.  From deep within the hive, a distinct chorus could be heard.  The workers were singing and playing songs.
"My Queen," Tarsus said, turning to see her.  A younger, shorter changeling had taken her place.
"I know, I know," Chrysalis said, "it will all be over very soon.  Just try to ignore it."
"If another attack comes - "
"Our lines will hold.  No amount of streamers and balloons can defeat hardened veteran soldiers."
Tarsus was not convinced, but continued on.  Chrysalis took a different turn, heading down towards the security division's forensics labs.  She had some goodbyes to say, and only hoped Tegula would forgive her for all her failures.  As Queen, and as a friend.  If what happened in the next few hours was what she had been predicting all along, they would call her the last Queen of the changelings.  It was a moniker she was not looking forward to inheriting.