Change of Life

by Lil Penpusher

17 - Trust over Truth

"It's a funny story in some way, you know. When I was new to all this, I stood at this very place and simply stared at these symbols. They seemed so...alien...yet still seemed familiar in some way." Shade said as he was remembering the moment he simply sat in front of those doors and inspected the very strange symbols on the doors. The doors to the room that made him what he is now.

"So? What do they mean?" Thunder interrupted rather abruptly. Thunder focused more on Shade than the still strange looking symbols, although he really wanted to know what they actually meant.

"From what I know, These symbols were made shortly after I was successfully turned into a changeling. A changeling told me so a few days after I found them the first time, but they weren't there the day I was transformed, I do remember that."

"Ah...so they must have something to do with you in some way, right?" Thunder asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. When I asked changelings for the meaning of the symbols, nobody ever told me what they meant though, not even Chrysalis herself. She actually got pretty upset when I asked about their meaning. That didn't stop me from wanting to know their meaning though, so...I kinda tricked our head scientist and stole a book from him about the symbols...don't tell him though." Shade smiled, not able to get a quick laugh out as he once again remembered the stinging memories from his past. His happy mood died off as fast as it came.

"I knew you wouldn't stop that easily." Thunder commented, referring to the several times they rebelled against their orders back in Canterlot as guards. "So what did the book say?" Thunder added.

Shade thought for a second, turning to Thunder as he began speaking. "It told the story of...me." Shade gave out in a quiet voice.

"You? Why would somebody write that in a book like that?" Thunder asked in surprise, he knew he hadn't heard the whole story yet. If anything, this was just the beginning.

"It told the story of how the Queen's gratitude saved the life of a helpless and lost pony. The pony was doomed to die, but the Queen saved her by letting it join her family, by letting it join the hive." Shade once again remembered how he was lost in the frozen north, how he really did almost die out there if he hadn't been found. However...he had always questioned if it was for the better that he was rescued or not...

"So the changelings 'saved' you by making you a changeling?" Thunder once again interrupted, a sense of hate swelled up in him again.

"Yes, so they did. At least that's what the book says, I still haven't told any changeling in here about what I've read." Shade didn't tell Thunder that he was scared of...being killed if he did decide to tell somebody about it. The Queen had been very clear about it that he was to not worry about the symbols, and him rebelling against her orders...may not end well. "However," He continued, "That's not where the book ends. It goes on to the symbols. The Queen and the Hive at first celebrated their 'rescue' of the pony and that they had managed to actually turn a pony into their own. Never before had any Queen done anything like that. However, the Queen very soon ordered to have those symbols made. The Book says that the changelings standing over eachother are supposed to represent the 'new order of the hive'. The big one on top represents the Queen. She rules over all of the hive, as she did before. The one beneath her represents the drones. They are 'normal changelings' as you would say. The one on the bottom, beneath all of them, represents...us. The former ponies. The book said that former ponies such as you and I are not meant to be true changelings and don't fully belong into the hive. No matter what, we appear to be ranked below 'true changelings'."

Thunder was speechless at first. He wasn't exactly surprised, no, but still speechless. Why was Shade trusting the changelings so much if he knew all of that? Then, all of the sudden, Thunder realized that this fell perfectly in line with what Chrysalis had said. It all made sense now. They turn innocent ponies into changelings, look down on them as if they were freaks and use them to gain the trust of the Equestrians...only to then backstab them. "Shade...we can't let this keep on going. You do realize that, right?" Thunder said out loud to his partner.

Shade was both surprised and confused by his question. "Keep what going? I don't understand what-" He was cut short by Thunder who now grabbed him and pulled him towards him, screaming in his face.

"Shade! Do you even realize what you read back then!?" Thunder paused for a short moment to calm down and let go of his friend. "Shade it's...I heard what Chrysalis said, alright? She wants to use former ponies that have been integrated into the hive as a way to gain the trust of the Equestrians!" Thunder said, now in a more calm, yet still hectic voice.

Shade slaped himself with a hoof in annoyance. "Of course she is trying to use us for that. I already told you why, even she did. She is trying to get on good terms with the Equestrians, Thunder."

Thunder grumbled at his friend who clearly didn't understand what he was trying to say. "No, Shade! She is trying to get on good terms with them to then backstab them! She's just pretending to be 'good', it's part of her plan to defeat the equestrians once and for all! We can't just let that happen, we've got to stop her!"

Shade looked at him for a brief moment before he locked off to think. "He can't be right. He really can't." He thought. "I've known Chrysalis for hundreds of years now, she would never do anything like that, especially not while keeping it a secret from me...no, it can't be true."
Shade looked back at Thunder, his look was forged by distrust and disbelief. "After all I've done to get you back on my side, you just throw all of that out the window and side against me and my family once more...You should know better, you know? It's surely just an illusion. Probably because you were still weak at the time and eager to hear whatever you wanted to hear."

If there was one thing Thunder didn't expect at all...it would have been this. Shade simply turning on him after all this, after all the evidence he had provided to back his statement up...just like that? Because he thinks he was going crazy or something? "No, Shade! I'm not having any Illusions and I'm not crazy either! If anyone here is trying to hear what he wants to hear then that would be you! You keep telling me I'm crazy and that what I've clearly heard from your precious Queen herself isn't true! Face it, pal, your Queen is evil, so is her entire race."

Shade was unmoved, he knew Thunder was just trying to lie his way out of this. "Thunder, I've been here for a long time. I've lost everything and she's saved my life and given me anything I could have wanted. Thanks to her, I have a family again. Thanks to her, I've learnt powerful, dark magic. I've been living with her in this very Hive for hundreds of years, don't you dare tell me she is evil!" Shade's last sentence sounded alot more threatening than he would have liked, but he simply couldn't control his mood at that point.

"I don't care if you've known her for hundreds of years, that still doesn't mean she has to be good. I mean, look at what Princess Luna did in the past. She was good, then turned evil. I'm sure Celestia wasn't expecting that, was she? Only because her lovely sister was good all this time. She thought Luna could never ever turn on her. You seem to forget that both ponies and changelings change, Shade. Changelings not only change in appearance but also in personality. If you lovely bug Queen was nice 10 years ago, great. Good to hear. But that by no stretch of imagination means she is good now. People turn evil when others least expect it. When others say 'Oh, they'll never turn evil, they'd never do that.' that's when people turn evil, because others will never agree that they really are evil."

Shade sighed and took a moment to respond. "You don't seem to understand...I know her better than anyone else in this hive. Not only because she saved me but also because im the dark mage of the hive, I have stronger magic than her. She wouldn't keep anything a secret from me. Never. Even if what you just said is true, she still isn't evil. Never."

Anger was slowly rising up in Thunder, seeing how Shade was too blind to see the truth. "Shade, please! Open your eyes and look for yourself! She's trying to conquer all of Equestria! She is-" Suddenly, a loud buzzing could be heard through one of the tunnels.

Shade turned to the direction the buzzing came from, the tunnel that would lead directly from the Throne room to the Hall of the Elders, The Hall wasn't far from the throne room so it would only be a matter of seconds for whoever was in that tunnel to arrive. "I suggest we settle this argument later, at home. It's not safe here." Shade rushed past Thunder and ran into a tunnel behind Thunder, making Thunder turn around.

Thunder once again looked at the direction the buzzing came from, it was getting louder and louder, then, in a quiet voice, he mumbled "Let's hope you've opened your eyes by the time we're there." Then Thunder followed Shade into the darkness of the tunnel.