A few days later, early afternoon.
In the early morning, Thunder's Captain told him he would be guarding Princess Luna's Bedroom for today. Thunder was certain that this wasn't a coincidence, it must have been Blaze who asked Princess Celestia about the meeting with him and Luna. In the early Afternoon, Thunder left the Barracks to guard the Princess' Door, as ordered. As he was walking, he already imagined how he would finally be able to actually talk to her. In privat, so that nopony could disturb them.
As Thunder arrived at said Door, nopony was to be seen. Just him, the Door and an empty hallway. He didn't think too much of it, he was too happy to be thinking about things like that anyway, so he just walked up to the Door and stood there for about an hour.
After about an hour though, the Door of the room opened. Thunder's eyes grew bigger as he hoped to finally see his loved one after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, but as he saw who left the Room, he was not only disapointed but also very confused.
"Blaze!? What the hay are you doing in Luna's Room!? And how did you get in there!? I didn't see you enter, neither did the previous Guard."
Blaze looked at Thunder for a moment and then walked out of the Doorway and turned his back to Thunder.
"Hello to you as well. As to what I was doing in the Princess' Room, I obviously had to speak to her personally before letting you talk to her like that."
Thunder slowly calmed down, yet this still didn't all make sense to him.
"I...guess that's true...but that still doesnt explain how you got in her room without anypony noticing."
Thunder could swear that Blaze's left ear twitched at him asking that question.
"Obviously I teleported into her room, I'm a Unicorn after all."
That was when Thunder knew something was wrong.
"But...The Royal Bedrooms are isolated from Magic, nopony could teleport in."
Blaze turned his head to Thunder and chuckled.
"Heh, of course a Pegasus would think that. Who told you fairytales like that? Your mother?"
Thunder's mood became serious from that point on.
"No...Princess Luna told me...when I was in the Lunar Guard Academy she told us things like that...You should know the Princesses tell their Guards things like that, after all Celestia told you and the Solar Guard the same things in the Academy."
Blaze turned his head back away from his friend.
"Pfft, doesn't matter anyway. I managed to get Luna to talk with you. You should be happy."
Thunder's eyes narrowed and he gave his Friend a very suspicious look.
"Maybe I should...but You are being very suspicious to me right now. Something ain't right here."
Blaze then turned around and became mad.
"Suspicious!? Excuse me, but I'm the one who gave you a chance to talk with the Princess of the Moon here, the pony you have loved ever since you first saw her. I demand a little bit more trust from you in exchange."
Thunder thought about what Blaze said but was still very suspicious of his friend.
"Maybe you're right...I probably shouldn't be talking to you like that after what you've done for me. Tha-"
Thunder suddenly froze in place as he walked into the Room and saw Princess Luna lying in the left corner of her Room. Thunder quickly ran over to her and looked if she was physically hurt, but he couldn't find any wounds. She looked terrible, she looked like she hadn't slept, eaten or showered for 2 years. At first Thunder thought she was unconscious but she was breathing...slowly and quietly at least.
Then it hit Thunder, it hit him like a truck. He turned around to the pony who had to have done this. His best friend, Blaze.
"Why!? Why would you do this!?"
He yelled as he angrily walked up to him.
"Oh please, I've only done what you wanted me to do."
Thunder almost exploded at that statement.
"What!? I never asked for you to murder her! I asked you to organize a meeting between us! Not. Murder. Her!"
Blaze looked past Thunder to look at the Princess in the Corner.
"Oh, She isn't dead. Just exhausted. She'll be fine in about an hour or so. After that, she'll be more than happy to talk to you, I assure you that."
Thunder shook Blaze around with his Hooves.
"What the hay did you do to her!? Whatever you did, It's NOT what I wanted you to do!"
Blaze shook off Thunder and stepped back a little.
"Calm down already, she'll be fine, I just told you she will. It's just a side effect."
Thunder's eyes began to twitch at his friend playing with him like that.
"Side effect? Side effect? What kind of side effect is this!?"
Blaze chuckled at his friend's behavior.
"You think a Spell like that comes without Side Effects? Pfft, Pegasi..."
It was then when Thunder lost his temper completely and charged at Blaze. Before he could reach him though, He was stopped in his tracks and lifted into the Air by Magic. Blaze's magic. Dark magic.
"What...is this!? What kind of Unicorn are you to use Dark Magic!?"
Thunder tried escaping Blaze's grasp but as he kept struggling he could move less and less.
"Now, now. Let's all settle down before anypony gets hurt. Alright? Alright."
Thunder wanted to keep screaming but he barely managed to keep his mouth shut.
"Normally I wouldn't do this, but I like you Thunder...I really do."
Blaze walked past Thunder who was still levitating in the Air.
"You may hate me right now, but I've really gotten to like you after all this time."
Thunder growled back at him. He wanted to shout so badly, but both of them knew it was better not to, it was no use after all.
"I'll tell you what" Blaze walked up to the still dead-looking Luna. "I'll let you leave....with her. Go and take her with you to a beautiful countryside and live the life you've always wished for. When she gets back to her senses, she will only know that she loves you. All I ask in return is..." He turned to Thunder who was listening with great attention. "...that you keep your mouth shut and out of my plans."
Thunder growled and thought for a second.
"Never...I would never agree to anything you propose. You hurt her...just look at her. I don't know what you did to her exactly, but It ain't right, and I will make you regret the day you hurt her..."
Thunder once again struggled and tried to escape the magic grasp of Blaze who was once again walking past him.
"Hm...I expected an answer like that. Too bad. I really hoped you would agree, It would make this easier for all of us."
Thunder growled at that sentence.
"I don't care how hard it is or long it takes...I will make you pay for hurting her..."
Blaze turned around and looked at Thunder.
"But think about it Thunder. You've always wanted her, didn't you? You've always dreamed of having her with you, by your side. I offer you exactly that, for practically nothing in return."
Thunder closed his eyes and thought deeply for about 10 seconds.
"I...can't. You've hurt her and I won't overlook that. Apart from that, having a mind-manipulated Luna with me for the rest of my life...just doesn't seem right. I'd keep telling myself I did the wrong thing If I accept now. So my answer is: No."
Blaze sighed and turned his back to Thunder again.
"A shame. I hoped to get rid of you this way and also make you happy. I guess you aren't as bribable as I think you are."
Thunder practically barked at him at this point.
"Not when it is about Luna!"
Blaze chuckled and kept his normal, calm attitude.
"You are a fool if you believe you can defeat me. I am more powerful than you can imagine. And even if you do defeat me...there are thousands on the way to finish my work."
Thunder didn't understand what he meant. How could he be as powerful as he is saying he is? But, how could he have taken out Princess Luna if he wasnt? And what did he mean with "Thousands are on the way to finish my work"? This didn't make any sense.
"What are you even saying...?"
Blaze gave out a deep laugh and turned his head around to Thunder.
"You still don't get it, do you?"
Thunder's face spoke for him. It talked of betrayal and unknowingness.
"You Fool..."
Suddenly a Burst of Green Flames engulved Blaze. Thunder couldn't believe or understand what was happening. Slowly the Unicorn Blaze disappeared...and a Changeling took his place. He gave Thunder an evil smile as he walked closer to him. As Thunder examined him with his shocked eyes, he saw that he looked exactly like all other Changelings he had seen on pictures of the Invasion of Canterlot, except for his Eyes. His eyes were Red, not Blue like the normal eyes of a changeling.
"What...are you...?"
The Changeling rolled his eyes.
"Oh please, you know what I am, Thunder. And I am sure you know why im here, too."
Thunder tried reaching for the changeling but he couldnt reach him due to his magical restraints.
"You...dirty, little bug! I thought you were my friend, Blaze! What about being Best Friends!?"
The changeling watched Thunder as he tried reaching for him and gave out a quick chuckle.
"As I said, I do like you. I personally didn't lie with being your friend and liking you. But I too have my duties and a mission to complete. I offered you the "easy way out" already, because I didn't want you to be hurt or that anything bad happens to you, but you declined unfortunatly.
He turned around and walked away from him towards a bookshelf in the room.
"Oh, and please call me Shade, that's my real name. Or, Changeling name, I should say."
Thunder spit at the ground when he heard that name.
"Heh, yeah right. Shade. Fits a changeling. So what are your plans now, capture Princess Luna and me and bring me to your precious Queen or what?"
Shade took an old book out of the Bookshelf and read in it.
"No, no, at least not yet. I'm still waiting."
Thunder raised an Eyebrow.
"Waiting? For what?"
Suddenly screams can be heard from the outside. Shade quickly puts the book back into it's place and walks over to the big Window in the Room and sees the unstopable.
"For them..."