Even Stranger

by SaltyJustice

Chapter 27

Thorax flew as high as he could, to better split off the sun from the other sun. Which of the two were the brighter was up for debate, though Thorax had only himself to debate it with. He began to do so, but after getting into a second debate with himself as to which would be the winner, he decided that they were of equal brightness.

All around him, on the landscape, the trees shook in the wind. It buffeted him, but did not knock him off course. He merely corrected for it and continued inexorably on towards his destination, passing roads and carts and the occasional pony who could not be bothered to look up to see him.

Canterlot Mountain loomed closer, and soon he fell under its shadow. On the very peak sat a glacier, which glistened and shone a reflection of light directly into his eyes, forcing him to descend. He flew lower, down to the height of the tallest tree, and continued across the plains which now opened before him. This time, a pony who looked up to see him shouted in alarm, and ran for cover. Thorax paid him no mind.

The great city of Canterlot was approximately as magnificent as had been described to him by the soldiers in the mess hall, or rather, as had been overheard by him as the soldiers talked amongst themselves. They had spoken of great spires which were held up by nothing by pony engineering, and of buildings with great archways, painted to resemble the sun. He saw these now, but they were not what caught his interest. His interest was in a sprawling mass of identical buildings that gathered in dense cluster.

One part of the city contained nothing but the grand and elegant buildings, the other, a network of these strange, square, narrow buildings. Pipes extruded from some of them, vomiting thick smoke into the air, while others had train-tracks running both beside and inside of them. The deafening roar and the whirring of machinery could be heard even from a great distance. A curious feeling overtook Thorax, as it seemed the ponies had created something like his old home here in their capital. Thorax flew onward, until Octavia's second sun drew him to land at one of the identical buildings.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike did not even look up as he landed and approached them. Octavia was definitely within this building, he could sense her nearby.

"Twilight Sparkle," he said.

"Hmm?"

Twilight looked up, and practically jumped in place. Spike, who had been sitting on her tail, rolled away and banged into the wall. He held his head as he stood up, then likewise jumped in place upon seeing Thorax.

"A changeling!" Spike shouted.

"That is correct," Thorax said.

"But - I - Hist?" Twilight asked. She exchanged a look with Spike, then both looked back to Thorax.

"Is Octavia inside?" Thorax asked.

"You were the changeling?"

"Yes. You sound surprised."

Twilight's neck had a spasm and her face became crooked. Spike slumped over and held his head, shutting his eyes. Thorax, as per his training, did not react.

"Wha - well, he was the changeling. I guess I owe Spike ten bits. How were you the changeling?"

"I have been one all my life. Is that a problem?"

"But - you're a - you're an - "

"Idiot?"

Twilight thrust a hoof forward, pointing at Thorax. She nodded, and said nothing.

"I know, and any other time, I would apologize to you. It is what I've done my whole life, apologize to my superiors for my failure. But - Octavia, is she within?"

Twilight nodded.

"I must save her, I cannot allow her to suffer for my foolishness."

Spike took his hands off his head. "You're hearing this right?"

Twilight shook her head, and snapped back to reality. "Get it together!" she whispered to herself, and straightened her back and face. She took a single step forward, and put on her most serious expression.

"Tell me why I shouldn't turn you in right now."

"Because you know, as well as I, that I am of no value to you whatsoever."

"Yeah, you're probably right. But - we're enemies, Hist, we're not supposed to be talking like this. We're supposed to be fighting one another."

"Will you do as you're told, against your beliefs? I would not be here if I agreed with that."

Spike leaned up against Twilight, and whispered, loudly, "So much for him being an idiot."

Twilight whispered back, "He's totally an idiot! Get out a quill!"

Spike sighed, and held up a quill and piece of parchment. He hovered expectantly, as Twilight turned to address Thorax.

"Go inside, I'm not going to stop you. There's at least ten ponies in there, so I hope you've got a plan."

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. Since I will likely never see you again, I wish you luck in completing your book."

Thorax bowed, and Twilight sat uncomprehending in place. Spike cleared his throat, but said nothing. Both pony and dragon merely watched as Thorax marched into the warehouse behind them. The hum of distant machinery was softer now, and the air heavier around them.

"Spike, take a letter."

"Ready when you are."

"Dear Princess Celestia..."

A maze of boxes, lit by weak lamps somewhere overhead, greeted Thorax as he entered. He could hear crying from deep within the building, and made his way around the obstructions. The crates around him cast ample shadows, hiding his body as he approached the source of the crying. Peering round a corner, he held his breath as he realized what he was seeing.

There, in a clear spot, hung Octavia. She was crucified, tied with a dozen ropes to a support column in the middle of the warehouse. A lamp behind her sent a long silhouette across the room, masking the pony closest to her. Around them, in a long line starting on either side of Octavia, were no less than eight suited guardsponies, and another pony behind them. Twilight had told him the truth: No fewer than ten trained and equipped ponies stood between them. He hoped his guess was right.

Thorax stepped into the light, and one of the guardsponies gasped. Princess Cadence whirled in place.

"What is - what!?"

A long, pink feather drifted to the floor. It settled gently in front of her as she realized what the shadow in front of her was. Octavia looked up and focused, using the respite to muster up her courage.

Her eyes had tears streaming from them, and heavy bags beneath. She opened her eyes just wide enough to see Thorax, before all lines and strain vanished in an instant. A new strength entered her, and she struggled against her bonds.

"Thorax! Is that you?" she shouted.

"Octavia! I have come to rescue you!"

A moment passed, before the guardsponies began giggling amongst themselves. Cadence held back a smile as long as she could, until she, too, succumbed and began laughing. Thorax merely waited for them to laugh themselves out.

It took about five minutes, but they did eventually stop laughing. Cadence snapped to attention, and the guardsponies, seeing her, immediately snapped as well. From behind them, a sword levitated out of the shadows and Cadence brought it towards her. She gripped the hilt firmly, and stood on her hind legs with the blade menacing Thorax.

"I'm glad we got us another catch. I mean, I didn't expect a changeling to just walk in here and surrender, but who am I to question good luck?"

"I will not surrender until Octavia is free," Thorax stated.

"I don't think you realize that you're outnumbered ten to one. I mean, if you're going to resist..."

Cadence took a few steps forward, while Thorax held firm. He summoned up all his courage. The moment had come. He had practiced this speech in his head since he was but a hatchling, changing it every now and then to suit what happened in his life. It was the speech that a heroic Infiltrator would give, just before he was going to save the day. Though he knew now what Infiltrators were, that they were nothing like his foolish fantasies, he felt the words still held true.

"I've been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things. I've met a lot of people like you, brutes who want nothing but to watch the helpless and the weak suffer. I've learned more in the past two weeks than I ever thought was possible, and now I see the world from a completely different side. I've seen that we have more in common, ponies and changelings, than the gossipers and liars had even dreamed of. I've become what I never thought I wanted to be, and now, I would never want to change a bit of it. I had thought my life in the hive was a strange one, that I was different from all the others of my caste. I was right, but not in the way I had thought, and now I stand out here, in the wilds that are even stranger. I do not fear you, I feel you are merely one who has not seen what I have, and I pity you. I tell you now, what I should have told everyone when I first met them, the truth. I am Thorax, I am a changeling, and I am not ashamed of that."

Cadence looked bored. "What the hell are you talking about? Do you just ramble with no sense of internal narrative?"

"I'm trying to say, let Octavia go, and you can have me instead."

"No deal, and next time, spare me the speech."

Cadence dashed forward, her blade held high. Thorax waited until the perfect moment. Octavia shut her eyes, and tried to look away.

"I sing for her, a song of eights, in time gone by, another place - "

Cadence lost the grip on her sword and pitched forward, her chin slamming into the hard concrete of the warehouse flooor. The blade pitched and clattered, bouncing off into the darkness. All around them, the groans of the guardsponies could be heard as some lost their balance and fell over.

"Above the din, beyond the wire, her love for me, a smokeless fire."

One of the guards began vomiting all over the floor. Six of them collapsed on the floor, dropping what they were carrying. Shining Armor appeared behind Octavia, dragging himself across the floor to the prone figure of his wife. Strangely, two of the guardsponies appeared unaffected, and looked on with amusement at the proceedings.

"We touch, we feel, we are as one. Two beasts who dare to love anon."

Cadence was crawling forward, groping in the darkness for her sword. Each motion was punctuated by a curse. She gave up, and held her forelegs to her ears.

"Stop! Stop!" came a cry from somewhere.

"Drifting in the river fate, where hunters strike and love abates."

The guards had stopped writhing, they merely held their ears shut and begged for mercy. Shining Armor had stopped where he was, unconscious. Cadence rolled over and banged her head against a box, sending fluffy white stuffing into the air from a hole in the top.

"I am no saviour, my card's the fool. Eight above me, strength anew."

All that could be heard was a soft whimpering. The two standing guardsponies alternated between bafflement and childish glee.

"Love my arrow, piercing through. Octavia, I will save you!"

Thorax trotted up to Octavia's bindings and undid them as best he could. She collapsed onto him as he undid them, her weight tearing through the few remaining ropes. He held her closely, and she pushed herself off him as soon as she regained her balance.

"Thorax," she said, letting the words trail off.

She kissed him, and he drank in what he now knew was love, pure and undiluted by all those chemicals he had been trained to put in it. It was what he lived for, his addiction, straight from the source. He kissed back, wishing that Octavia could feel even a fraction of what he did whenever they were together.

"But what about your back - how are you here? How are you walking?"

"Your love healed me."

Octavia laughed weakly. "That's so corny."

She hugged him, feeling the warmth. So tired. She wanted to fall asleep, but Thorax's movements forced her awake again. He had withdrawn from the hug.

"I am sorry, Octavia," he said.

"Oh, don't worry about the singing," Tavi said, managing a weak smile, "I was already kinda used to it."

"No, not about that. Well, I am sorry about that, but about something else, as well."

"What? What do you have to be sorry about?"

"That I must leave you, and we may never be together."

Octavia withdrew now, her face flat. She blinked to hold back the tears, but her will had been sapped and they flowed freely again.

"Why not? We can run away! Let's go right now, before they wake up!"

"No, I am sorry. They will never stop pursuing me, and therefore, you. So long as you are with me, you will never know peace, and I cannot let you suffer that way. If you flee now, I will turn myself in, and they will take me in your stead."

From behind them, came a familiar voice. "Oh this is rich."

They turned to see the two guardsponies who had not been affected by Thorax's song. One was male, and the other female. Both were portraits of incredulity.

Tavi tried to ignore them. "Thorax, let's go. I know some ponies, we can hide out. Please!?"

Thorax shook his head. "There is no alternative. I am glad I could see you one last time. I hope it will last me to the end of my days."

"Stop it! Stop this melodramatic crap! I did not spend the past two weeks meeting my soul-mate to see him ripped from me! If you're going in, so am I!"

The male guard whispered to the female one, "Are you going to stop them? We're on a schedule here."

"Fine," the female one said. She strode forward and grabbed Thorax, pulling him off Octavia.

Thorax did not struggle as he was dragged away, but he did become curious when they stopped in the middle of the room. He noticed the hooves that were holding him blurred and shifted, becoming black and filled with holes. He looked up.

Queen Chrysalis looked down at him. Her bemusement held the same as before, accented by her fangs. Thorax let out a gasp.

"My Queen!" Thorax shouted. He righted himself and bowed.

Chrysalis' mind was elsewhere. "Celestia, come on out. I heard you come in, so quit playing around."

From the darkness emerged Princess Celestia, flanked by Spike and Twilight. All three seemed quite happy, as did Chrysalis and Commander Tarsus, who now stood next to Octavia, studying her.

Thorax looked from Princess to Queen to Commander to - whatever Spike was - and struggled to put into words what he was thinking. He tried his best nonetheless. "My Queen, I don't understand."

"And that is no surprise to anyone here," Chrysalis chuckled.

Celestia did not speak for several minutes, instead going between the guardsponies and tending to them. She cast a few spells which woke them from their stupor, while Twilight saw to Shining Armor. Neither of them approached the still prone Princess Cadence.

When all were awoken, Celestia sized up Chrysalis.

"Well, we come to the end of the game," Celestia said.

"Indeed," Chrysalis replied.

"Will you keep your end of the deal?"

"I have no choice," Chrysalis said, narrowing her eyes.

"What deal?" Thorax asked.

"I am very sorry, Agent Thorax," Celestia said, "but your Queen has not exactly been honest with you."

Chrysalis glared at Celestia. "I do with my subjects as I please. Or, at least, I did." She sighed, and bent down to speak to Thorax.

"Agent, your assignment was not what I told you it was. I will certainly not be needing any reports, in case you had thought I did."

Thorax mentally dumped all the reports he had been holding in the back of his mind. He felt much lighter now.

"Instead, I must admit I played a little game with you."

Celestia interrupted, "We made a bet, after her little assault on our capital city."

"A bet, yes, that's a good word for it. She bet me that the..." Chrysalis said, fighting with the words, "magic of friendship was more than I was prepared for. I proposed a test, and that test was you, Thorax."

"Me?"

"Yes. Thorax, the most loyal of loyal changelings. In two weeks, he was prepared to turn his back on his hive to save his newfound lover. Kind of stunning, isn't it?"

Thorax could not speak.

"If the most loyal of loyal is so easily corrupted, imagine how my other agents must be? Even I, no doubt, could be corrupted by this friendship. Indeed, what I have seen in the other hives can leave no doubt that they, too, were touched by it."

Celestia interjected, "Other hives?"

Chrysalis nodded. "I have seen and heard the evidence, and seen what has happened to my own subjects. They yearn for the same things Thorax does, as neatly encapsulated by his little song. Speaking of: Agent Thorax, you are never to sing in my presence ever again without my express written permission, and that of my chief of intelligence."

Thorax saluted.

"Yes," Chrysalis continued, "I fear the only way to quell the simmering rebellion is to give my subjects the same treatment."

"My Queen!" Tarsus shouted, dashing forward, "No! We cannot give in to the rioters!"

"You saw it!" Chrysalis snapped, "You saw the mangled remains, didn't you? What do you think will happen to us if we stand in their way? There are hundreds of them, dozens of us! We're next, Tarsus! What makes you believe we'd be any different!?"

Tarsus was about to protest, but now he saw Thorax up close for the first time. He paused, studying the young one closely. He took note of the love that seeped from him, of how his face was brighter than any of those workers still toiling in the hive. Even a taste. The first days that Tarsus set hoof outside the hive came back to him from so long ago. The sun on his face, his first awkward encounter with a pony...

"The worst part," Tarsus grumbled, "is that you are right. For our survival, and no other reason..."

"I knew you'd come around," Chrysalis growled, casting a glance at Celestia.

"I do so love it when my plans come together," Celestia said, beaming.

"You're wrong!"

All eyes turned to Cadence, who stood, having found her sword somewhere in the darkness. She brandished at Chrysalis, her eyes betraying only cold murder.

"She'll stab us all in the back, you'll see! You're making a mistake, Tia!"

"Cadence, calm down," Celestia barked.

"I ought to carve you up like a pumpkin," Cadence growled at Chrysalis. The Queen returned the snarl.

"Try it. Go on, see what happens," Chrysalis spat.

"Enough!" Celestia shouted. Her glare turned to Cadence. "Stand down, Chrysalis is under my diplomatic protection."

"If you're siding with her, I'll be sure to write you a nice eulogy," Cadence said, sneering.

Without waiting, she stormed off into the darkness. A moment later, a door slammed, echoing through the warehouse. The dim lights rattled and shook under the force.

Twilight poked her brother, who was still nursing a headache. "Will she be okay?"

"Maybe once she calms down. I should go after her."

Shining Armor trotted off, taking with him the six remaining guardsponies and Cadence's "tools". He apologized with his eyes to Octavia as they passed, receiving only a cold stare in return.

"So, you were letting her torture me, on purpose?" Octavia asked Celestia.

The party had moved outside, to be rid of the damp and dim storage building. The air of Canterlot's industrial district, though rife with soot and ash, was at least flowing. Octavia breathed deep. It did little to dispel that tiny panic that lurked in the back of her mind: that she would be held in the warehouse until her last moments, and never see daylight again. No doubt that fear would require months, even years, to fully dissipate.

"No, not I. Had I known, I'd have intervened sooner," Celestia said.

"You didn't know?"

"No, it was only when Twilight sent me a letter that I finally knew where Princess Cadenza was keeping you. She neglected to tell me that detail, and I had not known Twilight had followed her brother here."

Twilight placed a hoof on Tavi's back. "Sorry for not believing you."

Octavia shrugged it off. "'Twas not your fault, Sparkle. We know who bears the blame. Besides, I had a superhero on standby to come and rescue me, which was good, because I've rescued him more than a few times now."

Thorax, still in his changeling form, blushed nonetheless.

"But," Octavia started, "how did you know that song would work?"

Thorax smiled, showing his fangs prominently. Everypony recoiled, saved Octavia, who was quite intrigued by them. "I deduced that ponies, like changelings, must be vulnerable to particular sounds, as I was. I merely used what I learned."

Twilight shook her head. "Ponies are not vulnerable to certain sounds, I've researched it. It was a bunch of hookum, plus some poorly-screened test subjects."

Thorax sunk. "But how did I do that, then? Surely there must have been something that made those ponies pass out."

"The song was truly abysmal," Octavia offered, "I wanted to go back to the tickle torture."

"Tickle torture?" Thorax asked. Octavia winced.

Tarsus balked. "I've heard worse. You should hear what the first-years think is music."

Queen Chrysalis did not disagree, but did change the subject. "Well Celestia, I must leave now. You will be hearing from me very soon, of course, but I have urgent matters to attend to. I trust you will take good care of my agent here?"

"Of course," Celestia said, "drop by whenever you can. We have much to discuss."

Chrysalis and Tarsus quickly disguised themselves as pegasus ponies and took to the air. Thorax watched them go, soaring off into the clear skies. A small part of him wanted to follow, but Octavia pressed herself against him and that small part shrunk to nothing. He embraced her, and held his face close to hers.

"You are not uncomfortable with me, now."

"I find you kind of exciting, to be honest. These fangs especially fascinate me. Though, if you would like to be Hist Amine again, I would not be offended."

"Maybe, maybe not. I will be whatever makes you happy."

Octavia smiled deeply. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun, very soon."

"What does that mean?"

"You'll see."

"Uh, Thorax, was it?" Twilight asked. Octavia backed away to clear up some space, but she kept her eyes locked on Thorax.

"Yes, that is my real name."

"Are you going to stay like that? You might scare some ponies."

"Don't worry about that," Celestia said, "I've already got a few plans in motion. For now, I'd like you to assist Agent Thorax in whatever way you can. I get the feeling he's going to need your help."

Twilight arched an eyebrow, but then closed her eyes and nodded.

"Very good. I shall take my leave, then. I look forward to the letters that you'll no doubt fill with lessons from Thorax."

Celestia bowed to Thorax, who paused before he realized he should bow back. Celestia spread her wings and took to the air, towards Canterlot Palace, and left the four in the empty lot near the warehouse.

"So, let's recap," Spike said, "Changeling meets pony, they fall in love, some hoopla happens, changeling saves the day, everyone lives happily ever after."

Twilight nodded. "Sound about right."

"Good, can we go home now?" Spike, without waiting for an answer, climbed on Twilight's back.

"Ah," Thorax said, giving a wink to Octavia, "perhaps you would like me to provide the ending credits theme?"

Octavia's forehooves clamped down on Thorax's muzzle. All four of the friends laughed as they started towards the train station, towards home.

Comments

[Rokas]

Ah, so it was rebellion. I guess I just wanted to see the Old God creepiness.

Still! Excellent work.

[Alietumbra]

Woah, Celestia bowed to a changeling?
Anyway, this is a really good story, although it can be very confusing sometimes...

[Razzy]

3712616 Why not? I always saw Celestia as someone who sees the good and worth of anyone, no matter the race.

Another nice chapter, though I prefer Cadence to be more in character.

Cya
Raziel-chan

[erictheblue]

oh, that was hilarious! Cadance tortured Octavia with bad jokes, and Thorax defeated her with bad singing!

[DerpTape]

As hilarious as it may be in theory, tickling can be an extreme form of torture. One technique involved coating a victim's feet in saltwater, then letting a goat lick it off. But the goat would not stop, even after the skin was gone an they were licking the raw flesh on the soles of their feet. Given enough time, the gentlest touch can break mountains.