With consciousness came a splitting headache. ‘At least it means I’m not dead,’ Crimson Blaze thought. He seemed to be lying on his stomach on some soft surface, which was a lot better than the hard ground of the compound. With considerable effort, he forced open his eyes. The first thing he noticed were his legs stretched out in front of him. Changeling legs with their distinctive holes. ‘Oh, crap!’ He immediately tried to change back to pony form, but he was shocked when the magic refused to come. He tried again, but only succeeded in exacerbating his headache. He tried to lift a hoof to his head to rub it, but his leg quickly was halted. Only then did he really notice the straps around both legs, completely restraining him to the cot upon which he was lying. “What the hell?” he said aloud.
“So you’re awake at last,” a familiar voice said from one side.
Crimson looked to his right to see Riptide sitting nearby, sternly regarding him. “What’s going on here, Riptide?” he asked with a little trepidation considering his unmasked state.
“Shut up, changeling.”
“Riptide, I’m Crimson Blaze…”
“I said shut up! I don’t care who you claim to be. We don’t know why you’re here and if you replaced the real Crimson Blaze, but until Command says otherwise, you’re going to remain under restraint.”
“But…”
“If you won’t be quiet, I’ll shut you up!” Riptide said with a scowl.
Crimson remembered Riptide’s surly attitude now, and decided not to test his threat for the moment. Minutes stretched out into an eternity though, and he decided to risk it. “What happened to the battle with the Shadowbolts?”
For a long moment Riptide was silent, but his expression grew thunderous. “Midnight was killed,” he whispered hoarsely.
Crimson was shocked. Midnight was dead? She was in Riptide’s squad; maybe he and she had some sort of relationship? “I’m sorry….”
Riptide was up in his face in a second, and he screamed, “If I find out that you had anything to do with that, you’re not going to leave this room alive!”
“Riptide, that’s enough!” came a stern voice as a restraining hoof was put over Riptide’s shoulder. “You’re relieved.”
Riptide glared at the newcomer, snorted, and pulled away. Without a word, he exited the room.
Crimson looked at the new Wonderbolt. “Thanks, Stratus.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You’re still a changeling in a hostile situation, and until your status is determined, you’re a prisoner.”
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
“I know who you supposedly are. After the battle, we took roll call, and Crimson Blaze was the only pony unaccounted for.”
Crimson didn’t miss the emphasis on the word ‘pony’. “Stratus, despite how I look now, I am Crimson Blaze. I always have been.”
Stratus sat down, folded his arms, and regarded Crimson with a mixture of caution and curiosity. “How are we supposed to know that? All we know is that you were found in a Wonderbolt uniform and Crimson is missing. That’s it. For all we know, you replaced him in the confusion.”
“Oh, come on! I’m supposed to have sneaked into a pitched battle, taken out a Wonderbolt, and replaced him? Did I also get myself nearly killed and expose my base form just to confuse you?”
Stratus shrugged. “Doesn’t seem likely, I admit, but that doesn’t eliminate you replacing him a lot sooner.”
Crimson sighed. “There is no him – there’s only me. I am and always have been Crimson Blaze.”
“And how do you intend to prove it?”
“How long have you been trying to figure out my disc dive?”
Stratus frowned. “Crimson started that over a year ago.”
“You know why you could never figure it out? Because I can do what a pegasus can’t. I can shape-change. My red fur and blazing trail conceal my red magic as I make my body a lot thinner, but I hold my wings out at my normal width until the last fraction of a second before snapping them hard against my skinny form. Then when I make my course corrections, the wings again conceal my body. At the end of the run, I resume my normal body form, and everyone is left amazed at the impossibility of what I’ve done.”
Stratus shook his head in chagrin. “I would never have figured that out.”
“You still owe me a dinner,” Crimson pointed out.
Stratus chuckled. “Yeah, whatever else happens, I’ll pay up on that.” He sighed. “Okay, you have me convinced that you’re the Crimson that I’ve known for at least a couple of years, but you gotta realize that there’s still no way of us knowing if you’re the original or that you replaced the real Crimson at some time, or what your motive for joining the Wonderbolts was.”
“Motive? Stratus, I wanted to be Wonderbolt with all my heart, just like you did. Just because I’m a changeling doesn’t change that.”
“Then you better be able to convince Command about that.”
“Yeah. I suppose First Captain Spitfire will want to grill me next.”
“The Captain and the rest of the lead team are too busy at the moment. Captain Fire Streak has been assigned to follow up on you when he has the time. In the meantime, other squad members have been given shifts watching over you, at least those of us who are up to it.”
“What do you mean by that? What happened in the battle? Last I recall, we were getting pummeled by several extra powerful Shadowbolts.”
Stratus snorted angrily. “Pummeled is right. We were losing, but we had our plots saved by the Renegades.”
“The who what now?” Crimson asked with a puzzled frown.
“You know those Shadowbolts that have been taunting us for a while? Turns out that they’re actually a breakaway group that claims to represent the true values of the Shadowbolts, while those magic-users have been corrupted by those pink crystals of theirs. They called themselves the Renegades, and believe it or not, some of them are retired Wonderbolts.”
“You’re kidding?” Crimson said incredulously.
“Nope. Flashwind and Blazetail are just two them.”
“Whoa! That’s amazing! Why were these Renegades protecting us though?”
“Part has to do with them trying to get the Shadowbolts back to the way they were and stopping the plans of whoever is controlling them, and part is a deal with Princess Luna.”
“The princess is involved? This just keeps getting more complicated.”
“You want to know the craziest part?” Stratus asked. “The Renegades are led by Descent.”
“The pony who tried to kill Soarin? That’s less believable than anything that you’ve come up with about me.”
“I know. Damn weird, but he’s our ally now, and we’d probably be all dead if it wasn’t for the Renegades.”
“Well, if they can trust him, maybe there’s hope for me too.”
“We’ll see about that,” came a new voice from the doorway.
Crimson looked around to see Fire Streak standing there, apparently listening to their conversation. He stepped into the room, and Crimson was shocked to see the Squad Thirteen members follow him in. Each of the four looked at him with a range of emotions that he could taste, from fear to concern. Edge looked stern, but the thestral was not the type to be put off by a mere changeling. Rocky had a spike of fear and anger upon seeing Crimson, but was hiding it well. Sylph was a sea of calm, and apparently receptive to whatever was going to happen. It was Dazzler though who made his heart ache. She had such a roiling mixture of concern, doubt, and anxiety, and she looked at him with such confusion. Crimson hated that she had to see him like this. He turned his attention to Fire Streak.
“My apologies for not getting up and saluting, Third Captain.”
“Forgiven, under the circumstances,” Fire Streak replied. “Riptide informed me that you were conscious, and it’s time we cleared up the mystery of the changeling in a Wonderbolt uniform.”
“With all due respect, sir, did you have to bring my squad-mates here to see me like this?”
“Those squad-mates know Crimson Blaze best, so I wanted them here to help me determine who and what you are.”
“Beg pardon, sir,” Stratus interjected, “But he’s convinced me that he’s the Crimson Blaze who has been my friend for at least the past couple of years.”
Fire Streak regarded Stratus for a long moment before nodding. “I hope he is indeed your friend. You can stay also.”
Crimson said, “Do you think that you can take these straps off my legs? I think six Wonderbolts to one changeling are pretty safe odds.”
Fire nodded and indicated to Stratus to release Crimson’s bonds.
Crimson sighed with relief – he had been developing quite a cramp. He stretched and winced as his left shoulder throbbed, and he remembered the explosive pink ball that had hit it a moment before another had knocked him out. He felt a few more aches and bruises probably incurred after falling to the ground which mercifully had not been too far away. His head was still the worst though. “Anyone got an aspirin? I’ve got a killer headache.” He coughed hoarsely, making his head pound even worse. “Or even just a glass of water. My throat is as dry as the San Palomino Desert.”
There was a jug of water in the room, and Crimson was allowed to have a long drink.
While Crimson slaked his thirst, Fire asked Stratus, “Why are you so convinced that this is your friend?”
Stratus shuffled nervously. “Well, mainly because he explained how he did his disc-dive stunt. I’ve been betting him I could figure out how he did it, and he just explained it to me.”
“Shape-shifted, I would guess,” Fire said.
“Er… yes, sir.”
“Squad Thirteen first performed that stunt fifteen months ago. Throw in some time for training and perfecting it, and you have the best part of two years. So that pretty much confirms that he’s been with us for at least that long.” Fire turned back to Crimson. “However, it still doesn’t eliminate the possibilities of espionage and/or replacing the original Crimson Blaze.”
“Captain,” Crimson said urgently, “Changelings don’t do that. Or at least with the exception perhaps of Queen Chrysalis and the Blue Changelings, but she’s insane and has corrupted her hive. If you were to contact Princess Twilight Sparkle and ask her, you would find out that she has been learning about the other Equestrian hives since discovering others of our kind.”
“I’m afraid that’s not an option at the moment. We’re in a state of war with the Shadowbolts, and we’re in complete security lock-down. Better convince me some other way.”
Crimson groaned. Twilight Sparkle had been his best hope of exonerating himself. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Tell us everything about yourself and why you are here. We’ll see what happens next.”
Crimson nodded. “I am an Emotion Harvester from the Red Hive. My hive has always gravitated to roles in law enforcement, security, and military. Like all Harvesters, I was trained in various subjects that would help me find a role in Equestrian society.”
“You trained to become a Wonderbolt?” Fire asked skeptically.
“No, sir. I took up a job as a rookie cop in Baltimare. And before you ask, I did not replace a pony to do that. One of the things that we perfect before starting our careers as Harvesters is an alter ego, usually a pony, but it could be a griffin or some other sapient being. I created Crimson Blaze. No, I became Crimson Blaze. Everything that you know about Crimson Blaze is not an act; it is me. Every like and dislike, every quirk of temperament…” He looked at Stratus. “Every friendship…” He turned to Dazzler and said even more earnestly, “Every feeling… is mine. In this respect, Crimson Blaze is just as much a real pegasus as you all are. Crimson Blaze is, and always has been, only me.”
Fire Streak nodded gravely, but Crimson could tell that he was impressed.
“Go on,” Fire said.
Crimson continued a bit more confidently. “I had been with the police for a couple of years when a Wonderbolts show came to town. They had come there before, but I was on duty at the time, and this was my first opportunity to check one out. Let me just say that I was instantly hooked. As soon as the next recruiting drive came along, I applied. Until then, I worked my guts out to train myself up and work out some techniques that could utilize my changeling abilities to give me an edge. You wanted to know why I am here? I’m not here to spy on you. I’m not here harm you. I’m not even here to harvest emotion energy for the hive, although that’s something that I do anyway. No, I’m here because I wanted to be a bucking Wonderbolt! The proudest moment of my life was when I made the grade and got my uniform. I damn well cried when I put it on for the first time and looked at myself in the mirror.”
Crimson paused as he realized just how excited his speech had gotten, and continued a bit more calmly. “I developed my timing technique and used my changeling abilities wherever I could to accomplish as much as possible to work up the ranks. I was so proud to be appointed squad captain, and try to pass on some of my skills to my squad-mates, and of course also try to learn from them. Some things I can’t, like the way I deflected the magic bolts with my hooves.”
“So that’s how you did that,” Edge spoke up. “You changed your hooves to be reflective.”
“Exactly,” Crimson confirmed. “But my best accomplishment has been bonding us as a team. That’s something that ponies and changelings have in common – we work best when we work together.”
There was a long silence as everyone took in what Crimson had told them. Fire mulled it over for a while before asking, “Are there any other changelings in the Wonderbolts?”
Crimson shook his head. “I’m the only one. In fact, as far as I know, I might even be the first. It isn’t easy getting a place in the Wonderbolts. But, sir, even if there were others, I would not tell you who they were. I wouldn’t have the right to reveal them that way.”
“And I wouldn’t particularly trust anyone who would do so.”
“Loyalty is the Red Changelings’ greatest trait. We prefer the taste of it over that of love. To betray someone would be sickening to me. I am absolutely loyal to the Wonderbolts, but that same loyalty would not let me reveal another changeling to you even if you commanded it because I know that they are not threats to the Wonderbolts.”
“Stop! You’ve convinced me of that.” He sighed. “In fact you have me almost totally convinced of everything that you’ve told me.”
“But you have no hard proof,” Crimson said glumly. “If only you could contact Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
“What about Luna?” Sylph asked.
Crimson shrugged. “I believe that Twilight was keeping Celestia and Luna apprised of the situation, but if we can’t contact any of them at the moment, that point is moot.”
Stratus grinned. “Except that Princess Luna is here with us now.”
Crimson eyes widened in surprise. “What?! Why?”
“Long story,” Fire replied. “You were unconscious for a long time, and much has happened since then. Stratus, go find the Princess and inform her about this situation. Ask her to come here to confirm what we’ve been told.”
“Yes, sir!” Stratus saluted and shot out the door.
Crimson’s eyes looked upwards. “I presume you have a magic suppressor on my horn?”
“Correct, and no, I’m not taking it off until we hear from Princess Luna.”
“I understand,” Crimson said sadly. “I don’t know of anything more that I can tell you to help my case, so how about filling me in on what’s happened while I was unconscious.”
Fire Streak continued from where Stratus had left off, telling how the Shadowbolts had returned the next day, and the Renegades had met the threat. That is until the Shadowbolts’ flying fortress had appeared on the scene and nearly wiped them all out in one fell hit from their gigantic magic crystal cannon. Only the intervention of Princess Luna with the support of Soarin had saved the day.
Crimson was still trying to take it all in when Luna arrived. He was surprised to see her decked out in battle armor, but it should have been obvious in retrospect. She also looked remarkably weary.
Luna regarded Crimson with a long stare. “Who is thy queen, changeling?”
“Queen Carpacia, Your Highness.”
“We are familiar with her and thy hive. We have discovered some of her Harvesters amidst our Royal Guard. Their loyalty has been confirmed.” Luna turned to Fire. “Captain Fire Streak, from what Stratus has told us, this changeling’s words are consistent with the Red Hive’s normal mode of behavior. We recommend taking this one’s word, but we leave the final decision to thee.”
Fire nodded. “Thank you, Princess.” He turned to Crimson and reached up to his horn, removing the magic suppressor.
Crimson heaved a sigh of relief as he felt his magic return. He immediately shape-changed back to his pegasus form. Because his flight-suit had been ruined, he had been without it since waking, but illusion supplied a new uniform anyway. “Phew! I feel much better now. Thank you, sir.”
“Too soon for thanks, Crimson Blaze. Everyone will know that you’re a changeling now, and that means dealing with all sorts of different attitudes. Don’t forget that some Wonderbolts had friends or family hurt or even killed in the changeling invasion, and even though you had nothing to do with it, many ponies aren’t going to see it that way.”
Crimson nodded. “I know that all too well, sir.”
“I expect that you and the Lead Squad will have a long chat when they finally get the opportunity, but I will recommend in my report that you be fully reinstated.” He got up to leave. “Good luck, Crimson.”
Crimson came to attention and saluted. “Thank you, sir.”
Fire and Luna left together.
Stratus grinned at him. “Glad to find out my buddy is my buddy. I gotta admit I never suspected that you were a changeling. We’ve gotta talk about that sometime.” He glanced at Crimson’s squad members. “But I think you have some more explaining to do with them first. Catch you later!”
Stratus then left, leaving Crimson with only his four team-mates.
Rocky barely waited for Stratus to shut the door behind him before stepping up practically nose to nose with Crimson. “What’s the matter with you?” he asked angrily. “Don’t you trust us? Years we’ve been a squad, doing everything together, helping each other, but you couldn’t trust us with your precious secret?”
Crimson was taken aback by Rocky’s hostility, but before he could think of a reply, Edge spoke up.
“Cut him some slack, Rocky. Thestrals like me aren’t exactly greeted with open arms everywhere, so I can imagine how much worse it would be for him if everypony knew he was a changeling.”
Rocky rounded on Edge. “I’m not talking about telling everypony! I’m talking about us! The ponies who have worked, sweated, played, practiced, got beaten up, got drunk, and been every bit family as our own brothers and sisters. We’re even closer than that because we have to be able to trust each other totally in some our routines, but he didn't trust us with his stupid secret!”
Crimson said, “I’m truly sorry, Rocky. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but preserving the secrecy of the hive….”
“Buck your bucking hive! Your stupid hive doesn’t care half as much as we do! You work for them, but you work with us, but you seem to have forgotten that. You know what, you can forget this too!” Rocky turned around and stormed out of the room.
Edge said, “Give him time, Crimson. He was worried sick that a changeling had taken you away. Realizing that you are the changeling was a bit of a shock to all of us. He’s just taken it worse.”
“What about you, Edge? How do you feel about me?”
“I meant what I said about understanding your concerns, but Rocky was right – you could have told us. I’ll stick by your side all the way in spite of that.”
“Thanks, Edge.” He looked to the mares in the squad. “Ladies?”
Sylph frowned. “My uncle was hurt defending my aunt against the changelings in the invasion.”
Crimson sagged in disappointment. “I’m sorry….”
Sylph cut him off. “I’ve told you in the past how my mother works at Canterlot castle as a researcher. She’s done a lot for Princess Twilight Sparkle, and much of it lately has been changeling related. She even asked me about any known instances in the Wonderbolts, and I told her that I knew of none. She explained how most hives peacefully co-exist with us.” She poked a hoof sharply in Crimson’s chest, thumping it as she made her point. “So don’t you dare assume that we can’t understand your position just because something bad happened to us.” She then stood aside and sat down, folding her arms.
Crimson could taste her anger, but it was tempered with relief and concern. He judged that she would cool off and things would be back to normal soon enough.
The same could never be said about Dazzler though. She wasn’t even looking at him, but he could see the tears welling in her eyes. He could still taste the hurt and the uncertainty pouring from her. How could he blame her? He had begun to have strong feelings for her, too. Being a Wonderbolt took up a huge amount of their time, but those precious moments that they had found to be together just for themselves had been wonderful. He had even dared that perhaps she would fall in love with him eventually. Him – a changeling who ate love – had the presumption that she could give him so much that he couldn’t eat it anymore, and then would actually be able to experience true love for the first time. What a fool he was! She could never love him now.
“Daz… I… I’m…”
Dazzler suddenly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and bawling her eyes out. “I thought you were dead!”
Crimson was taken aback at the suddenness of the emotional outpouring, and was left floundering for a moment. Sylph then glared at him and inclined her head towards Dazzler. He took the hint and drew Dazzler into a deeply emotional hug. “I’m sorry, Daz. I hate that I worried you so much, but I’m okay. We’re both okay, aren’t we?”
Dazzler looked up with a face sodden with tears, then she reached up and pulled his head down and kissed him.
Crimson didn’t let surprise stop him from kissing her back, long and passionately. When they finally drew apart, he softly said, “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Dazzler giggled as she wiped the tears from her face with a hoof. “Idiot.”
Crimson drew a deep breath and let it out in a loud huff. “I’ve had enough of this room. Let’s go.”
Crimson headed to the door with one wing about Dazzler, with Edge and Sylph following. Upon stepping out into the hallway, he spotted Rocky sitting on his plot, leaning against a wall and staring into space. Crimson stopped in front of him and said, “I’m sorry – you were right. I promise that there won’t be any more secrets.”
Rocky nodded without looking at him. Without a word, he got up and they continued on. The anger was still there, but Crimson would work through that with him, just as he would work through the issues with the others. He knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but what mattered was that they were still a team, or more perhaps accurately, a family. And you never give up on family – ever.
# # #
The next twenty-four hours had been rough. Crimson had spent a lot of time in the barracks just talking with his squad-mates about anything and everything they wanted to know. Sometimes the mood lightened as he discussed things that intrigued them. Sometimes though, it had been very uncomfortable, but with Dazzler by his side all the time, he felt confident that he was doing the right thing. When he heard nothing from Spitfire, he assumed that Fire Streak’s report and recommendations had been accepted with no further action for now, although he was sure that he would be having a long talk with the lead captain once things returned to normal. As expected, some of the Wonderbolts weren’t keen on the idea of a changeling among them, but under the present circumstances, Crimson was the least of their worries.
However, all of that was nothing compared to what they were facing now. The Shadowbolts were returning with their flying fortress, and things looked very grim.
The remaining Wonderbolt elites who were fit to fly, and the former-Wonderbolt Renegades were all gathered in the lobby, ready to begin a desperate defense of the compound.
“ALL SQUADS READY?!” Spitfire yelled. All the Wonderbolts, current and Renegade alike, fell in line, reaching up and pushing their goggles down.
“AYE!” they all replied in unison.
“ALL PONIES SET?!” Spitfire continued.
“AYE!” the Wonderbolts replied while all opening their wings, causing a loud FLAP noise to echo around the lobby.
Spitfire stole a brief glance at Blazetail and Flashwind, who both gave a nod in return. “WONDERBOLTS! GO!” Spitfire yelled out as she, Air Mach, Blazetail, and Flashwind all took off.
“HOO-RAH!” the rest yelled as they all broke into a canter, taking off row by row while staying in formation.
As it came to Crimson’s turn, he yelled, “Okay, Squad Thirteen, let’s show those Shadowbolts the impossible!”
“YEAH!” they replied in unison.
Crimson never felt prouder as they took off together as a team to fight for their home.