After the afternoon’s celebrations Thorax took a seat in the Castle Library. He glanced at Twilight who took a seat “So, all that stuff about the chairs? Was that just made up?”
The Princess blushed “Well, not entirely, the stuff about the comfortability of the chair I use for reading or for important research or paperwork is true, but the wriggling was just to try and keep you distracted when Spike, Starlight and Ember arrived.”
The Changeling King nodded.
Spike sat next to Twilight.
Starlight stayed in town, mainly to spend time with Maud Pie.
Ember stood and eyed the crystalline pillars. Twilight turned to her “Ember, I just want to make it clear, that Castle is not for eating!”
“Wait? You mean you don’t decorate your wall with your friend’s food?”
“No! You just started eating!”
“Oh, that explained that cross-eyed pony’s reaction.”
Spike nodded “Muffins makes those muffins herself.”, Ember rolled her eyes “Great, more confusing pony names.”
Spike sighed and returned to Thorax “You were saying about those renegade Changelings?”
“Yeah, they include some of Chrysalis’s Workers captured here in Ponyville, Canterlot and the Crystal Empire after the Secret Invasion, but there hiding behind the Drones, they’re the ones who need real convincing, especially my brother Djoser.”
Twilight blinked and magically produced a scroll and quill “So, what’s the different roles in Changeling society, maybe we can work something out.”
“Well, obviously you have the Royals, originally it was only a Queen Changeling, but well,” he tapped his shell “They organise, and maintain the Kingdom. Workers and Soldiers are the most common, I was a Soldier originally, as you might have guessed with the Wedding Invasion.”
Twilight nodded and scribbled.
“Then there are the Drones. They’re, well, it kind of hard to explain about them.”
Twilight looked up “Is it complicated?”
“Kind of, they’re the one who had the most contact with Chrysalis.”
“You mean like trusted advisors, she didn’t the type to have those.”
“No, they’re not that.”
“Then what?” Spike asked.
“It’s not something I’d really like to say, not in front of friends.”
Ember growled “Just out with it already!”
Thorax shut his eyes and blurted “Her HAREM!”
They all blinked, Twilight began to blush.
Thorax put a hoof to his horn and forehead “They were picked for the strongest and intelligent of a hatching to, well, breed the next.”
Spike’s clawed hands waved about “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He shook his head “That is just messed up!”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“Thorax.” Spike said, holding a hand up as a stop gesture “I don’t want you to go into a tangent again, especially about a subject matter like this.”
The King sighed “You’re right. And I’m sorry about all the tangents I made earlier today, I was nervous and unsure of myself so I was second guessing myself on what was important.”
“Accepted, now, why are the Drones the main one in the renegades?”
“Simply because Chrysalis spent more time rearing them then the rest of us. Kept them secluded, in short, they’re the ones most brainwashed by Chrysalis, many of them don’t believe the truth about her.”
Twilight blinked “You said many, not all?”
“No, and that’s why I’ve been trying to peacefully bring them over, if at least one reforms, then hopefully the others will.”
Ember spoke up “Like I said, be more assertive. Decide and let it be known that the decision is final. And if that doesn't work, turn into a bear, more whatever monster you can think off.”
“I’ll defiantly keep that in mind.”
Twilight sighed “I can’t really think of much else, you’ve tried being polite, sometime, tough love is the only option.”
Thorax sighed “I suppose you’re right.”
“Speaking of Love.” Spike said, “You said these renegades still want to feed off Love?”
“Well, technically we all still do, but, what I meant is feed off those unwilling to give Love, they still don’t think it’s possible for Changeling to share Love, they’ve talked about stealing Love for random passers-by, I mean once or twice Daring Do’s come passed the Hive and nearly got captured.”
Spike whispered to Twilight “You think we should tell Rainbow?”, she shrugged.
Thorax got up from the chair “I guess I got little choice than to head home.” He walked up and hugged Spike “Hope to see you soon.” He looked up at Ember “Nice to meet you Dragon Lord, we should meet up and swap advice again.”
Ember nodded “Sounds like a plan.”
Thorax unfurled his wings and flew out the large open window in the Library.
Ember then glanced at Twilight and Spike “So, if you didn’t actually offer the gems as food for the Friendship Banquet, what did you offer?”
Twilight smiled “Let’s hope the food hasn’t spoiled.”
They entered the dining room and blinked. The walls and pillars looked perfectly fine, not a single bitemark on them. Spike walked up and banged at one “Huh, guess the Castle is self-repairing.”
“Well,” Twilight said relieved “that solves that problem.”, she glanced at Ember "I did think about sending you the bill if I needed to get gems."
Ember raised an eyebrow "That something else to do with Friendship?"
Thorax landed in the Throne Room. He acknowledged the nods and bows from his subjects but determinedly headed for the chamber with the renegades, the Drones basically went into house arrest by themselves.
He stopped before the door and leaned into listen, two loud voices argued.
“Why don’t we leave and find the Queen!”, Djoser, the strongest of Thorax’s hatching, one of the few Chrysalis kept on after the failure of the Wedding Invasion.
“She abandoned us,” the other, he didn’t know his name, this one, the one with the most chance of convincing, the most intelligent of the hatching just after the Wedding Invasion. This philosopher continued “If she truly loved us then why didn’t she break us out?”
“Maybe she’s keeping low, waiting to break us out.”
“True,” Thorax’s heart stopped, until “but, she was the most powerful Changeling, surely she’d be able to disguise herself, infiltrate and get us out by now?”
The King sighed with relief, he glanced to the Solider guard and nodded. They opened the doors.
The renegade parliament, all the other member stood in a circle around the two arguing in the centre, turned.
The Drones all looked larger than the Workers and Soldiers, the largest of them, Djoser and this unknown stood equally matched in size, roughly the size of Big Macintosh Apple. Their only difference, Djoser did not have a horn, the other did.
Djoser narrowed his eyes “Well, if it isn’t it my brother come down from on high to mingle with the commoners.”
Thorax just glared for a moment or two, then he coldly stated, “I have had just about enough of you and your renegades. You say it’s Changeling tradition? Maybe, but that doesn’t stop the fact it’s a bad tradition!”
Djoser gave a short laugh “So what are you going to do? Ask us politely to stop?”
“I’m through with being polite.” Thorax said grimly, he closed his eyes and took a breath. Eyes snapped opened. The disguise magic flared around him. The monstrous bear stood. Roared and pounced on Djoser. Clawed hands grabbed top and bottom of his torso. Knee into the back. He pulled back his arms, and pushed his knee out.
Djoser screamed in pain.
CRACK! BUCKLE!
Thorax let go. Djoser shook feebly on the floor, a large crack in his exoskeleton and his back plates buckled and bent.
The Changeling King returned to normal and addressed the others “I’ll do the same to any-pony else who defies me.” He sighed “I didn’t want it to come to this. I’ve hurt my own brother, but,” he steeled himself up “if I have to cross that line, hurt in the name of protecting my subjects, I’ll do it, I may not like it, but I’ll do it.”
The renegades blinked, then they collectively turned to the other in the middle.
This other stepped forward. Looked the King in the eyes. Then, smiled, nodded. And he bowed.
Murmurs went through the others. He got up and spoke “You’ve been looking for a leader, well, I don’t know about you. But,” he pointed at Thorax “Here is one I can follow.” He turned around to Thorax again and bowed “Here is one I can call King.” He took a breath. A glow covered him. Then a cocoon. It burst open with light.
As it faded, a newly reformed Changeling stood up. The main body colours blue and yellow. A sharp horn in between his ears. And three gems on his chest denoting his gender just like Thorax. He opened his eyes, blue like his wing covers. His hoof went to his horn and smiled.
Thorax smiled down at him “And I shall not forget, nor fail to reward that which is given.” He placed a hoof on his shoulder “What’s your name?”
“Her,” he chuckled “Her Tragedy.”, a chuckled came from a few of the others, King included “Called me Cipher.”
“Then,” Thorax knelt his head down and placed the tips of his horns one of Cipher’s shoulders, then the other “I name you Cipher, a Prince Changeling, one of a few I choose as potential heirs.”
“Your, your Majesty.” He bent the knee “I am not worth of this honour.”
“And it’s because you said that,” Thorax said with a smile “that you are worthy.”, he nodded to Cipher.
Then the rest of the renegades followed in transforming and reforming.
Thorax smiled “Thank you.” He glanced to the door “Now come on, we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
Author's Note
I’m pretty sure I’m not going to make a new story for each new episode. But I decided on this one so I could address some of the continuity from Triple Threat and fit it into what I established in The EK.
I don't know how many more changes or such I can make before I slap AU on The EK.
And for those wondering where the name Djoser comes from, it’s Ancient Egyptian. King Djoser was the first Pharaoh to have a pyramid, the Step Pyramid.
And yes, I might be misusing the word Harem, but I don’t what else to define the Drones as.
