Chapter 13 - Peace in Our Time
Daytime drinking doesn’t carry the same social penalties in Britain as it does in America. As long as you don’t go overboard and start downing shots at half past twelve, people don’t mind as a rule. Equestria, or at least Ponyville, seems to have a similar outlook, since the one tavern in town, owned by Berry Punch, is open most of the day. The place also has some halfway decent pub food as well. So, sometimes, when I’ve not got anything else on my plate, I head down there for a drink with my lunch.
I’m also usually lucky enough to run into somepony I know while I’m there. It’s a lot like where I used to live before. Ponyville is a small town where everypony knows everypony. Even around lunchtime, that small tavern is usually fairly busy with the lunch rush and its regulars. It’s certainly got a nice atmosphere.
The place could almost pass for an old English pub, or rather a pub in Trottingham. In contrast to Ponyville’s usual architectural style, the tavern is mainly dark wood and heavy stone on the inside. The bar is a dark mahogany, with a mixture of stone flags and wooden boards underfoot. There are a few barstools, but there are also quite a few booths with tables for four. And in the far corner is a large fireplace, which Berry gets going in the winter.
Pushing open the heavy oak door, I stepped inside. The smell of food and alcohol hit me as I made my way through the slightly dark entry passage. Another, lighter door opened out into the tap room. It was quite busy, with plenty of ponies chattering away and making a fair racket as they did so.
My eyes soon adjusted to the slightly lower light compared to outside, and I made my way over to the bar. Berry was behind it, as usual. Sometimes in the evening, if it’s quiet and not too rowdy, she’ll have her daughter help her out, although she’s careful to keep her away from the booze. Berry has a light purple coat and a dark pink mane. Unsurprisingly, her cutie mark is grapes. She does after all, have quite the knack when it comes to wine. She even managed to make Mum a decent replica of Calvados for her birthday last year.
“Afternoon, Berry,” I called out as I walked up to the bar. Berry looked up from cleaning glasses.
“Oh, hello there, Lizzie,” she replied in kind. “What can I get for you?” I took a quick glance at what was behind the bar. Ponies don’t seem to have invented the beer tap yet.
There were a couple of decent wines, red and whites, some strong spirits, but that’s more Bones’ thing than mine, and of course, the old standby; Sweet Apple Acres cider. Everypony loves that stuff, I can tell you, especially Rainbow Dash. I can guarantee that if you promised Dash cider, she’d do pretty much anything you asked of her.
“Glass of red please, Berry,” I said, placing a few bits on the counter. Berry nodded and fetched a glass and a bottle.
“Busy week?” she asked as she poured. I nodded. Berry was a proper bartender, and consequently knew almost everypony’s deepest secrets. Not that she would tell a soul.
“Yeah, I suppose so,” I replied. “Cloudchaser put herself in the hospital on Wednesday; nothing too serious, just a bad sprain on her wing. But it still left us one pony down though. Mind you, it was funny how she did it. The silly mare flew right through Dash’s wake; slammed right into a cloud.” Berry barked a short laugh.
“Well, at least you’ll be able to tease her about something if she ever brings up that cookie business again.” I smiled at that and took a sip of my drink.
“That was getting a tad old. As if I don’t feel embarrassed enough for bringing half the Royal Guard down here.” Berry’s expression changed now to be a little more serious.
“Hey, speaking of,” she said, pointing to one of the booths at the far end of the room. “That Captain Strong Shield came in here about twenty minutes ago with your dad. I heard them talking about something to do with changelings.”
“Changelings?” I asked. Strong Shield was one after all, so was my Dad’s dog. Maybe Berry just heard that? Still, why would they both be talking about changelings anyway? I quickly picked out the pair sitting down together.
“Hmm, that is strange, Berry,” I agreed, getting to my hooves. “I’ll go see if I can find out what’s up.”
Carefully holding my glass of wine between two of my feathers (which actually can act a lot like fingers at times) I trotted over to the pair. Strong Shield was out of uniform, since his coat was now a dark blue colour not that different from my own. Dad too was dressed fairly casually, rather than in his suit, which he’d wear if he was on business.
“Hey, Dad,” I said as I trotted over. Strong Shield started. I’d inadvertently approached him from his blind side, so he hadn’t seen me. Turning his head though, he flashed me a friendly smile.
“Oh, hello there, Lizzie,” Dad said. “You remember Strong Shield, don’t you?”
“Sure,” I replied. “I did bring him and half the Royal Guard down here once.” Dad smiled kindly at me.
“What are you guys doing here though?” I asked curiously. Dad looked around briefly and then spoke to me in a lowered voice.
“We were just chatting about Thorax,” he replied.
“Who?” I asked curiously. Strong Shield explained.
“Ain’t you heard the scuttlebutt yet, kid?” he said. “They found a lone changeling up in the Crystal Empire; a friendly one.”
“A friendly one?” I repeated. “Is there such a thing?” I caught myself a second too late, remembering that the pony I was addressing was a changeling himself.
“Er, sorry,” I apologised. “No offence.” Strong Shield waved a hoof and laughed.
“None taken,” he replied. “But what I meant was that this changeling doesn’t want to steal love. He left the hive on his own, like me and tried to hide out in the empire. Shining Armor caught him and spooked him out into the tundra.” Dad continued.
“Shining called his sister and Spike up there to help find him. After all, Spike’s something of a hero up there.” Strong Shield stifled a laugh. “He actually managed to find this Thorax chap. By all accounts, the guy’s nothing like other changelings. He’s a bit like Strong Shield here; a dissident. Only he’s a drone rather than a soldier.”
“So what happened?” I asked, taking a seat next to Dad.
“Well, Spike managed to convince everypony, including Shining that Thorax was alright. He actually wants to share love, rather than take it. Even Strong Shield here occasionally pilfers a bit of love form ponies. It’s like he’s somehow managed to overcome his natural instincts.
“There was a bit of a misunderstanding when they let him near Flurry Heart, but with Spike’s help, Cadence offered Thorax citizenship in the Crystal Empire. Twilight’s now hoping that this may eventually lead to peace with the changelings as a race.”
I let out a low whistle. Changelings were the only real enemy Equestria had aside from the occasional monster attack. Peace with them would be like the Berlin Wall coming down. There’d be advantages for both sides.
“If that happened, I guess you could finally go back to the hive, Strong Shield,” I said. The one eyed guard shook his head.
“No way am I going back there, kid,” he replied firmly. “I didn’t leave the hive because I disagreed with stealing love. I left because of the way our soldiers acted during the attack on Canterlot. Besides, I’ve burned my bridges when it comes to the hive. I’ve built a life here in Equestria. Plus, think of all the ramifications if I suddenly revealed myself as a changeling. Even if we were at peace, there’d be an uproar. No, I’m better off sticking where I am.”
“Don’t you have any family or friends back there though?” I asked.
“You do realise who my mother is, right?” Strong Shield replied flatly. I thought for a moment before I remembered that only one being in an insect hive breeds. Yeah, I could see his point; his mother was public enemy number one in Equestria.
“As for friends,” Strong Shield went on. “Like I said before, they wouldn’t want to see me. Here on the other hoof, I’ve got Shining and his wife, the princesses, your dad, your brother, and a few other ponies to call friends. If there ever is a peace, I may go back and visit the old place, but it won’t be the same hive I left. That’s the price of defection; you can never go home again, no matter what.”
Pausing in his speech, he took a swig of his drink. It seemed as though Dad had talked him into a pint of bitter. Changelings can after all consume food, although it doesn’t replace their need for love energy.
“Still,” my dad replied, nursing his own beer. “You’ve got to admit this is an interesting development. I’ve always hoped for symbiosis with changelings; let them feed off willing ponies rather than making them steal. But sharing love? It sounds almost too good to be true.”
“That’s what worries me,” Strong Shield said, nodding. “I remember this Thorax guy from back when I was still in the hive. He was always a weird changeling. If his big brother hadn’t looked out for him, he wouldn’t have lasted long. The guy never really had the instincts of a predator. He was more like a pony really. As much as I hate to say it, I think this might all just be one odd bug crossing the lines.”
“Eh, the path to peace begins with one man putting down his gun, Strong Shield,” my dad countered.
“Yeah,” I added. “Maybe that one changeling could go back to the hive and convince others to join him.”
“That’s what Thorax said he might do,” Strong Shield agreed. “But still, I have my doubts.” Dad shrugged and finished his drink.
“Well, time will tell, my friend,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
As he said that, I finished off my own drink.
“And on that note, I’d best be heading off; stuff to do. Is it okay if I tell other ponies about this, Dad?” I asked. He nodded.
“Sure, it’s already in the papers up north. Just be careful you don’t start a panic with the word ‘changeling’.” I smiled at that.
“Right, I’ll stay away from Rose and her sisters.”
Taking my glass back to the bar, I thanked Berry for the drink. As I was about to leave however, another pony came in; a stallion draped in a trench coat. He swayed around unsteadily. Atop his head, pretty much covering his face was a large fedora. For a moment, I feared I was in the presence of Equestria’s answer to the neckbeard. As it turned out though, it was something much more funny.
Berry looked up from behind the bar and spotted the new, seemingly already drunk customer. Instead of taking their order though, she galloped over to the far corner of the bar and grabbed a broom. With little warning, she began swinging it at this odd stallion.
To my amazement and surprise, the stallion let out a very colt like scream and suddenly seemed to separate. The trench coat collapsed to the floor and out from it shot three frightened colts, all far too young to be in here unaccompanied. They all quickly disappeared out the door.
“You’ll have to come up with a better disguise than that, Button Mash!” Berry shouted after them. “You and Snips and Snails! I catch you trying to sneak in again and I’m telling your mother!” I couldn’t help but laughing.
“Sweet Celestia, Berry!” I exclaimed. “What was all that about?” Berry smiled and shook her head.
“Those damn colts, they keep trying to sneak into the bar. As if I can’t recognise three colts stacked on top of each other under a trench coat. That and they need to learn that grown up ponies don’t walk up to the bar and order ‘an alcohol’.” I smiled.
“Geez, and I thought the Cutie Mark Crusaders were bad.”
Saying goodbye to the landlady, I headed back outside.
Having heard that it was Spike who was responsible for befriending Thorax, I decided to head over to the library to say hi to him.
A lot of ponies don’t give Spike the credit he deserves if you ask me. Half the time, when Twilight or Starlight are dealing with a friendship problem, it will be the young baby dragon who acts as the voice of reason. More times than I can count he’s been the one to rein Twilight in and calm her down when she gets stressed out. And let’s be honest, if Twilight didn’t have Spike, she’d last about a week. He cooks, cleans, helps organise the library, and even does a fair bit of shopping.
And then of course, there’s his legendary status in the Crystal Empire. I don’t know all the details, but somehow it was Spike who managed to recover the Crystal Heart. And that was enough to not only defeat, but outright destroy the evil King Sombra. Twilight was stuck in one of the dark unicorns traps, Princess Cadence was magically exhausted, and Shining Armor had had his magic temporarily disabled. So Spike was the proverbial last man standing. When it was all over, the crystal ponies went ape for the little dragon, conferring on him the title of ‘Spike the Brave and Glorious’. He even has a statue made from crystal standing in the square outside the Crystal Palace.
And from what Dad and Strong Shield had told me, it sounded as though he had once again been the voice of reason when it came to Thorax. I later learned that Shining Armor was outright hostile to the idea of accepting Thorax at first. He even decried the idea of a nice changeling as an oxymoron. Like Bones, he does take something of a dim view of that species. However, just as Bones did, he’s begun to get past his demons. If there is to be a lasting peace between ponies and changelings, it will require effort on both sides.
Trotting down the road, I soon came upon Twilight’s castle. As usual, the front door was unlocked for library patrons, as well as ponies who wanted to see Twilight. I’m surprised she still keeps the castle so accessible. After all, if she’d had the sense to get a deadbolt, Starlight might not have had the chance to go wandering through time.
Heading inside, I found myself in the large open hallway. At the moment, the map was inactive, and appeared only as a large round table, surrounded by seven chairs. The seventh I should point out, belongs to Spike. Evidently the Tree of Harmony saw something in him as well.
“Hello? Anypony home?” I called out, my voice echoing slightly. I heard hooves on the crystal floor, and a few moments later, Twilight appeared.
“Hey there, Lizzie,” she greeted. “What brings you here?” I quickly explained.
“I ran into Dad and Captain Strong Shield at the bar, they told me what happened up in the Crystal Empire, so I thought I’d drop by to say hello to Spike.” The alicorn smiled at that.
“Oh, great,” she replied. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you. He’s in the library at the moment helping me with some new additions.”
Twilight led me down the corridor into the expansive library. It makes her old treehouse library look like a bookmobile. There’s actually a fair amount of stuff in here that's useful for me. Back when I was still learning the ropes with weather work, Dash and I spent a fair bit of time with our noses in books (although she tended to read Daring Do while I studied).
Spike was up a ladder, organising a stack of books almost as large as himself. They mostly seemed to be relating to magic (surprise, surprise). Walking in to the room, I called out to him.
“Hi Spike,” I called out. The little dragon started for a moment, nearly losing his balance on the ladder, before turning round to see me and Twilight.
“Oh, hi, Lizzie,” he said, climbing down to ground level and waddling over to the two of us. “Looking for something on weather?” I shook my head.
“No, Spike,” I replied kindly. “I’m here to see you. Dad told me what you did up in the Crystal Empire. Peace in our time, eh?” Spike tilted his head for a moment.
“Eh, what?” he asked, before realising what I meant. “Oh, you’re talking about Thorax, right?” I nodded.
“Dad says it’s going to be all over the news by tomorrow. I’d say you’ll be the toast of the town.” Spike blushed at that. I decided to tease him a little. “And I’m sure Rarity will be impressed too.” That only made his blush deepen and caused Twilight to giggle.
“Aw, it was nothing really,” Spike replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Sure it was, Spike,” I countered. “Don’t be so modest. You not only found Thorax, but you made friends with him and convinced everypony else that he was alright too. Hay, you even got Princess Cadence and Shining Armor to listen to you. Even Twilight here wasn’t sure about Thorax.”
“That is true, Spike,” Twilight agreed, a little uncomfortably. After all, she was supposed to be the Princess of Friendship. At that moment, an idea seemed to form in Twilight’s mind.
“You know, Spike,” she said. “It has been a couple of weeks since Thorax became a citizen of the Crystal Empire. Maybe you could go up there and visit him; see how he’s adjusting?”
Spike was about to reply, when all of a sudden, he let out a loud burp, quickly followed by a large flame. I actually had to duck to avoid the mini firestorm. The green fire whirled around over my head before forming into a scroll, which was kind enough to land right between my ears. It was a letter from the princess. I’d almost forgotten about Spike’s odd ability to send and receive messages.
Grabbing the letter in her magic, Twilight read the message over, while Spike apologised for almost roasting my head. A few moments later, Twilight told us what was up.
“Princess Celestia wants me to come up to Canterlot to help her in some of her royal duties,” she explained with a sad expression. “Sorry, Spike. But I’m afraid we’ll have to go and see Thorax another time.” Spike wilted at that. Twilight seemed a little sad too. While she does love being around her mentor, she also jumps at any chance she gets to see her family, particularly her new niece.
“Dang it!” Spike exclaimed in half irritation. A moment later though, he thought of a solution. “Wait a minute, can’t Starlight take me?” Twilight however, shook her head.
“I’m afraid not Spike. She’s visiting Trixie.” At the mention of the showmare, Twilight’s expression darkened. While the mare may no longer be evil, Twilight can’t stand her overbearing nature and maintains a rivalry with her. In any case, Starlight wasn’t available either, so Spike became sad again. There was one other option I could think of.
“I could always take him,” I suggested, smiling down at the little dragon. Twilight looked up from her thoughts.
“Really?” she asked curiously. I nodded.
“Sure,” I replied. “I’ve got a few days off, I wouldn’t mind going up to the Crystal Empire for a day or two. Plus I wouldn’t mind meeting Thorax.”
Spike looked at twilight excitedly. The young alicorn thought for a moment before deciding.
“Well, if you’re sure, Lizzie.” That was enough for Spike who hugged my foreleg in thanks.
“We can set off first thing tomorrow, Spike,” I said.
The next day saw me and Spike waiting on the platform. We’d only be up there for a day trip, so I didn’t have any bags with me. I considered simply flying up there, with Spike on my back. But given his species cold blooded nature, I figured it wouldn’t be a good idea. I certainly didn’t want to go back to Twilight and explain that her number one assistant had frozen to death.
The only real disappointment had been that Dewdrop had not been able to come with us. Ever since our first real date, he’s wanted to take me to visit the Crystal Empire and see their version of the northern lights. But luck was not on our side. While I might have had a few days off, he was stuck in training with Thunderlane. The two of us had talked about it and he had agreed that I was doing the right thing taking Spike up there. He just made me promise that the next time we both had leave at the same time we’d head up there for a few days.
Before too long, the train pulled into the station, and Spike and I clambered aboard. I’d gotten us both a basic day return that would get us to the Crystal Empire and back for a decent price. It was actually quite nice to chat with Spike on the way up there. I don’t see him too often, but he’s a smart cookie when it comes down to it. He told me that at the moment, Thorax was staying in the palace along with Sunburst, who as far as I can work out, is something like Flurry Heart’s godfather.
Now, normally, you’d be hard pressed to get inside that palace without an appointment. But given that I was travelling with a national hero of the Empire, I figured we’d be able to get in without too much trouble.
Before long, the green open fields of Equestria gave way to the icy tundra of the Frozen North. The snow was thick here, and more than once the train jolted as it ploughed through a particularly bad snowdrift. A bad storm was blowing outside, and I was glad I’d opted to pay for the train rather than risk my own neck.
Soon after though, the snowstorm began to subside as we drew near to the borders of the Crystal Empire. The magic of the Crystal Heart shields the whole city from the icy weather, making the place seem as if it’s in the height of summer. It certainly makes for a strange photograph; green fields with the backdrop of a snowstorm. We soon found ourselves coming to a stop at the train station; the last stop on the line. Beyond the Empire lay only more ice and the Yaks, who had little interest in railways.
Following Spike, I stepped onto the platform along with everypony else. Imagine my surprise when I saw who had been sent to meet us. Standing there, in the flesh, was Shining Armor; Prince of the Crystal Empire, and Royal Consort to Princess Cadence (a title he takes great pleasure boasting about). If he wasn’t a royal figure, he would no doubt appear alongside Soarin on Playcolt centrefolds.
“Spike!” the white unicorn called out. “Great to see you, buddy!” The little dragon briefly hugged his adoptive older brother. The Captain of Canterlot’s Royal Guard then turned his attention to me.
“Thanks for bringing Spike here, Lizzie,” he said gratefully. “Thorax was so pleased when he heard the two of you were coming to visit.”
“Oh…no worries, your highness,” I replied with a slight stutter. “I’m just sorry Twilight couldn’t come.” Shining smiled.
“Please, Lizzie,” you’re friends with my sister. You can just call me Shining.” I was thankful for the dark colour of my coat, as it did a good job of hiding my blush.
“Anyway,” Spike broke in excitedly. “Let’s head up to the palace and see Thorax.”
I’ve met two changelings in my life; Strong Shield and ‘Charlie’. Neither of them go about without a disguise though. Changelings in their natural form are just a tad unsettling to me, with black chitin, flimsy thin wings, and those creepy eyes with no pupils. It’s hard to work out what they’re looking at. That and the hissing and the serpent like tongue. So, you’ll forgive me if I was a little nervous. I knew that Thorax was alright, I guess it was just a natural fear to be afraid of something that could suck the love right out of you.
Shaking my head, I tried my best to set aside those kinds of thoughts. Thorax wasn’t like that. Heck, he was the exact opposite of that. He didn’t want to steal or sneak about. For pony’s sake, Shining Armor accepted him! I tried to focus more on my own curiosity. While Thorax might look a little frightening, he was also a source of tons of information. While I may not be an academic like Bones, I did have a couple questions I wanted answers to when it came to Changelings. And, let’s not forget, I was only really here to keep an eye on Spike.
Following Shining Armor, we soon reached the large towering spires of the palace. It’s certainly a sight to behold, even in the daylight. Come night time, it gets all lit up and shines out against the darkening sky.
Heading inside, we passed a few guards here and there, similar to those in Canterlot, but they were all Crystal ponies instead of pegasi. As we walked through the hallways, Shining Armor explained what was happening.
“Thorax has been living here for a couple weeks now,” he said. “Cadence and Sunburst have both been helping him adapt to living with ponies.”
“Must be challenging,” I replied. “For both sides.” Shining nodded.
“Twilight always says that best way for different groups to understand one another is to talk,” Spike offered. “We’ve a lot to learn from the changelings, just as they do from us.” See what I mean? Wisdom beyond his years.
We soon came to a set of large double doors that apparently led to one of the suites in the palace. Shining Armor knocked and a moment later the door opened.
I was actually a little surprised. I guess in my mind, I’d been conjuring up the stereotypical image of a changeling. Thorax was a little different. He actually reminded me of Dewdrop in a way. He was a little on the small side, with a fairly shy manner about him. His voice to was a far cry from the buzzing or gruff tone I’d expected.
“Oh, hi there, Shining,” he greeted before spotting Spike behind him. He smiled brightly at the little dragon and quickly ran over to hug him.
“Spike!” he exclaimed happily. “What are you doing here?” A moment later, he sat Spike back down.
“I thought I’d come and visit you; see how you were doing,” Spike explained. “Twilight let me come up here with a friend.” The two of them turned to me, Thorax noticing my presence for the first time.
“Lizzie, this is Thorax. Thorax, Lizzie,” Spike introduced us to one another. Thorax smiled and waved at me.
“Hi there,” he said, a little nervously.
“Nice to meet you, Thorax,” I replied with my own wave. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Spike.” Shining now broke into the conversation.
“Say, Spike,” he said. “I’ve got to get back to work now. But you three are welcome to go and have some lunch in the banquet hall.”
“Thanks, Shining,” Spike said, hugging his adoptive big brother again. Shining then trotted off.
A little while later, the three of us were sitting down in the banquet hall over lunch. Since Thorax had chosen not to consume love anymore, he was also eating solid food, although he preferred a distinctly unique diet. I had a friend in university who ate bugs as well, believe it or not.
After a few minutes chatting together, the ice was broken and we opened up to each other. Thorax was a really nice guy. Like I said; a little shy, and possibly batting for the other team, but he was a far cry from one of Chrysalis’ brood. I could certainly see why Dad was so interested. Sitting here with Thorax, it was as if I were just talking to a regular pony.
Sorry, that sounds really racist, doesn’t it?
What I mean is that I could see, just as Spike had, how Thorax could be a step in the right direction towards peace. There was a bit of a problem though.
“Oh, I could never go back there,” Thorax said, with a shudder. “I left the hive because I couldn’t stand the way we changelings just stole our food from ponies and other species.”
“But you’re the only changeling who’s ever been like this Thorax,” Spike replied. “Think about it; for all we know, there are others like you in the hive, too frightened to talk about the way they feel.”
“He’s right, Thorax,” I agreed. “Dissent begins with one person recognising that the way things are done isn’t working and offering an alternative. But it will most likely be hard to change the views of other changelings, particularly Chrysalis.”
It also probably didn’t help that the psycho bitch had a vendetta against Twilight, her friends, Cadence, and the other princesses for her own stupid plan failing. Seriously, Bones told me all about it. The silly cow got cocky and turned her back on her opponents to bucking sing! The only pony at fault was her.
“I hope though that other changelings will start to leave the hive like I did,” Thorax went on, sounding hopeful. “I can’t be the only one who saw that what we were doing wasn’t working.” I nodded, wiping my mouth with a napkin. Looking to Spike, who nodded to me, I decided to let Thorax in on a little secret.
“You know, Thorax,” I said. “You might be the first changeling to claim asylum in the Crystal Empire, but you’re not the first to leave the hive.” Thorax tilted his head, curiously. Spike explained things to him.
“Do you remember, back when the changelings attacked Canterlot?” he asked. Thorax nodded, wincing slightly at the memory. “Well, a changeling decided to switch sides back then; one of the changelings sent to infiltrate the Royal Guard. He kept his true nature secret afterwards, and even after he was exposed to a few ponies, including Lizzie, he stayed in Canterlot, working for the princesses. He calls himself Strong Shield now.” Thorax put a hoof to his chin in thought.
“I do remember something happening to one of the infiltrators,” he said slowly. “Something about him losing an eye in the battle and getting left behind.”
“Take a guess who’s responsible for that,” I said, my meaning obvious. Thorax gasped. “He’s had some hard days, and he does have to keep what he is a secret, but Strong Shield is able to live with ponies, and even command them. I don’t see why you can’t do the same. Only you won’t have to wear a mask.”
Spike and I stayed the rest of the afternoon. The conversation moved away from the difficult questions of assimilating into pony culture and whether or not the hive as a whole could change, to more mundane things. Apparently, Spike has been teaching Thorax how to play the Equestrians’ version of Dungeons and Dragons. The three of us spent a few hours helping him get his character created. I even had a go myself. It’s not really my cup of tea, but it was fun, and nice for Thorax to have somepony else who was just as clueless as he was.
All in all, I was glad I’d made the journey up here. Thorax and Strong Shield were like opposite sides of the same coin. One of them assimilated and kept his true nature hidden from all but a select few, the other was openly a changeling, but one that had chosen to live under a different set of values. Two different possible paths to peace.
As the early evening rolled around, the two of us said our goodbyes. It was a shame we didn’t get to see Cadence or little Flurry Heart, but they were both busy with Sunburst, Flurry’s sort of godfather, who was helping her learn to control the surges of her alicorn magic. After all, we couldn’t have her shattering the Crystal Heart and nearly destroying the Empire every time she cried, now could we?
Thorax came down to the railway station to see us off. Much to Spike’s satisfaction, nopony batted an eye around the changeling. The crystal ponies were more concerned with meeting their national hero.
Getting on board, we waved our goodbyes. I even suggested that Thorax might come and visit Ponyville once he got himself settled here. It might be nice for him and Strong Shield to cross paths.
The doors soon slammed shut and Spike and I were on our way home. It had been a long day, considering that today was my day off. Still, at least tomorrow was the start of the weekend, and it would be fairly quiet.
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If they don't just drop them for a new big bad. Though Chrystalis is still out there
a chapter that gives a few things to think about.
i wonder how this is going to play out.
It would be interesting if the reason changelings have no pupil is because they have compound eyes. Basically a bunch of small eyes that are arranged to look like a larger eye. Like a fly, butterfly, or moth?