Droning On

Chapters

Coming Home
Explanations
The Next Morning
Captor and Captive
The Princess Arrives
A New Day
Out to Town
Family
Beginnings
The Visitor
Learning
The Queen's Deal
Farewells

Coming Home

To say that Twilight was tired would have been an understatement. But then again, after the ordeal she and her friends had just been through, who could blame her? A reuniting with her brother, the discovery of an evil plot against Equestria, a battle against a previously-unknown army of enemies, not to mention having to plan and set up a massive wedding. It had certainly been a lot, and it wasn't helped by the fact that, as any friend of Pinkie Pie will tell you, that latter mare made sure that parties lasted as long as they could. This party, the celebration of Shining and Cadance's wedding, had lasted all that night and all the next day, and only now, with the sun having just set, did Twilight and her friends finally step off the train back in Ponyville. The looks on their faces said it all, and there was not a single word said between them. They were going to bed, plain and simple. So, after giving one another smiles and nods, they all went their separate ways, with Twilight and Spike heading straight for the Golden Oak Library. Spike, the youngest of that group, still had energy enough to speak. "Well...that was quite the trip, eh?"

A brief giggle from Twilight, who patted him on the head before nodding in agreement. "Kind of an understatement there, Spike." After sharing a laugh together with him, Twilight sighed. "But still...it was worth it. My brother's married." A smirk came to her. "And to the best mare anypony could possibly hope to have in their life, I might add."

Spike shrugged. "Well, if you didn't count Rarity in that list, sure."

Twilight rolled her eyes, silently bemused with herself that she hadn't expected such a comeback from him. Still, in spite of the hardships of the last few days, hardships that caused an understandable level of concern for her even now, she contented herself in the knowledge that it was all behind them now. Canterlot was safe, her family was bigger than before, they'd had a great time at the party, and above all else, they were now home, safe and sound. And speaking of home, that wonderful tree that Twilight and Spike so loved was now in view, prompting a smile on both of their faces. "Ah, home sweet home," Twilight remarked.

Spike gave himself a quick stretch before chuckling. "I don't know about you, but I plan to sleep for a thousand years after all this."

Another giggle from Twilight. "Well, don't forget to wake me up after you do, because I probably won't be far behind you on that one."

It was a pleasant moment between them, but Twilight soon noticed that Spike was slowing down, which eventually led her to look to him. She saw a degree of worry upon his face, and he slowly looked up to her, staring her right in the eye. "Um...Twilight? We did lock the door behind us, right?"

Twilight was confused, until a sense of realisation came to her, prompting her to turn again to her home. Instantly, she saw what her ward was talking about, as their front door, even in this dim light, could be seen as slightly ajar. Gradually, Twilight's tiredness faded, replaced with a look of utter seriousness. "Spike...stay behind me."

He followed her instructions to the letter, staying barely an inch behind her as she slowly made her way forward. Their eyes were locked onto the library as they drew nearer, hoping for maybe some glimpse of activity within, though the darkness through the windows made such a thing difficult. "Do you...think it's a burglar?"

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "If it is, they'll regret breaking into our home." Eventually, they reached the front door, and after slowly raising her hoof, Twilight nudged it, causing it to slowly creak open. Again, there appeared to be no movement inside, no sound of steps or any frantic attempt to leave. This silence prompted Twilight to again move forward, her horn lighting up in readiness. It had only been recently when she'd learned offensive magic during their ordeal before the wedding, but she was definitely willing to use it here if she had to. Reaching to the side, she felt the oil-lamp on the table beside her door, and so twisted the knob, causing it to ignite. Within moments, their home was illuminated, and they saw, to their confusion, that there appeared to be nocreature here. No broken furniture, no sign of anything having been taken. Nothing.

Naturally, this caused some relief on Spike's part. "So...it was just a mistake? Everything's fine?"

For a moment, Twilight said nothing, instead letting her eyes scour the immediate area. Eventually, those eyes settled on a book she'd laid on the side before leaving for Canterlot, and here she frowned again. For she could tell from the dust on the table that the tome had been moved, if only slightly, causing her to again look to the rest of the room. "No...there is somecreature here." She looked over her shoulder, to Spike. "Spike, I need you to go outside again. Find our friends, and bring them here." The young dragon didn't need to be told twice, and so rushed out again as fast as he could. Now Twilight was alone, but she knew she was far from helpless, as her horn's glow intensified. "I know there's somecreature in here. Know that there will be more coming soon. So if you know what's good for you, you'll step forward and reveal yourself!"

For the longest time, there was no response, merely the occasional creak of the old wood of the library. Twilight seemed increasingly unhappy about this, but then, right when she was on the cusp of speaking further, she was cut off by another voice. "You...are Twilight Sparkle, right?"

Twilight's eyes darted all over, but as before she could not see anycreature here. Nor could her ears pick up which direction the voice had come from. With such limited options, she spoke, keeping her tone low as she maintained her readied spell. "Yes, I am."

Another pause, and then the voice spoke again. "Good. I came here for you."

Twilight's hind leg took a slight step back, readying herself to flee if things went south here. "What do you want with me?"

"You and I saw each other recently, though only briefly. We did...not exactly have the best of introductions."

A remark like that caused Twilight further concerns of course. "Are you here to attack me? Or my friends?"

"Quite the opposite. Though I imagine you wouldn't believe that if you saw me."

Again, Twilight's eyes glanced around. "Where are you exactly?"

"I've hidden myself, for my own protection. I will reveal myself to you, but only if you give your word that you will not strike me when you see me."

Twilight was unhappy with such an arrangement. "Pardon me for being rude, but you are an uninvited guest in my home. You claim to be somepony I don't like, and you have the gall to ask me to not take action if I see you? I'm making no such promise!"

"That is...unfortunate. I had hoped this could have been done without conflict."

A dry chuckle on Twilight's part. "Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but you should've thought of that before you decided to go for a bit of breaking and entering."

"Your words are...not incorrect."

Twilight, mustering her courage, took a single defiant step forward. "Here's my offer. You are going to reveal yourself here and now, by the time I count to three. If you fail to do so, or if you fail to explain why you're truly here, I will spread out a spell that will force you out of my home!"

"There really is no need for drastic action like that," the voice said calmly.

Twilight smirked. "Oh, I think there is." Her horn's glow shone brighter now. "One..." No sign of the intruder. "Two..." Still no sign. And so, the resident of the Golden Oak took another breath, ready to give her final number. "Thr..."

"Alright! Alright, I'll...I'll show myself," the voice said reluctantly. Twilight's horn dimmed, but she was not so foolish as to undo her prepared spell fully. Instead, she looked all around her, ready to see just who this mysterious guest of hers was. Then, to her immediate confusion and surprise, she suddenly saw, of all things, a chair start to move. It was a large one covered in pillows that, until now, she hadn't realised she didn't own before she got here. It shook a few times, then, to Twilight's further shock, began to be engulfed in green flames. But that shock was soon replaced with realisation, for Twilight recognised those flames all too well. For she had fought their wielders barely a day ago. Her instincts proved true, for when the flames finally died down, what stood there now was no chair, but a creature she and her people had only recently come to be aware of. It appeared, in general shape, to be a pony, but with a black and insectoid appearance, along with a pair of sharp and menacing fangs. The creature, with its blue and pupil-less eyes, blinked to her, then stepped forward. "Very well, you wish to see me...so here I am."

Barely a second had passed before Twilight reacted. "CHANGELING!!!" She charged forward, horn ablaze, and before the drone before her had any chance to do anything to defend himself, the spell hit. He was sent flying, straight into the wall behind him, and it winded him immediately. But Twilight did not stop her efforts, rushing forward for another blow. The drone however had quickly recovered, and buzzed his wings so as to avoid being hit again. But Twilight wasn't about to let him get away, and so cast another spell. This time, the drone himself was engulfed in her magical aura, fixed in mid-air so as to be unable to escape, despite his obvious efforts to try and break out. "You're not going anywhere!" Twilight angrily declared.

And here, much to Twilight's relief, the door behind her loudly burst open, and the sound of hooves rushing in filled the room, along with a very distinct voice. "Now what in tarnation is goin' on ere?!"

"Hold up, is that a Changeling?!" Rainbow bellowed.

"Oh no! Why is he here?!" Fluttershy asked fearfully.

"Doubtless the ruffian has arrived to enact some terrible revenge scheme on behalf of their Queen!" Rarity speculated.

"Awwww, that's not very nice of them!" Pinkie bouncily added.

Spike stepped forward, his courage bolstered by the sight of the drone being held captive by his carer. "What are you doing here, bug?!"

After another brief bout of struggling, the drone relented, knowing full well now that he wasn't going anywhere. "You are all mistaken. I'm not here under the orders of Chrysalis."

Twilight arched an eyebrow. "Who?" Then the pieces connected in her mind. "Oh, the Queen?"

The drone nodded. "She doesn't know I'm here. And my other kin don't know either. I came by my own choice."

Rainbow snickered. "Oh, I get it You thought you'd come in here, take out Twilight, then go back to your Changeling friends as some big hero, right?" After seeing her friends look to her, she shrugged. "What? It's what I'd do!"

Shaking her head to that, Twilight again focused her attention on their new prisoner. "Even if I were to believe your claims, which is a big 'if' given what you Changelings have just done, what are you here for exactly?"

The drone frowned to her. "I told you already. I came here for you."

Spike stepped forward again, pointing to the Changeling in an aggressive manner. "Why? What do you want with her?"

The drone looked to each and every one of the ponies arrayed against him, before finally settling on the young unicorn who had him in her magical grip. "I came here...to pledge my allegiance."

So quiet was the room now that you could have made out a pin-drop. But before long, Twilight broke that silence, saying the only thing anypony could after hearing something like that. "Wait, what?!"

Author's Note

Okay, a bit of history with this one. You see, I've been with FiM ever since the show started back in 2010, and like many a fan from those early days, I immediately started writing fanfics about it. I never posted them anywhere, and just kept them on my old PCs files for my own enjoyment. Unfortunately, that PC eventually crashed, taking all the files and data it had with it, and after replacing it I never attempted to recreate some of those earlier stories, even after I joined FimFiction. And it certainly wasn't helped by the fact that a basic story premise like this had already been done by numerous other writers long before I became part of the site.

But eventually I decided "why not", and so here we are with a story that, as you can guess, I wrote way back after the season two finale. Please be aware though that this story will contain a lot of what I held as personal headcanons for the Changelings, so if you eventually see something that contradicts the show's canon, that's why :twilightblush:

Explanations

It had been several minutes since Twilight had left the library, and not a single pony had uttered a word during her absence. Instead, their attention was laser-focused on their prisoner. The lone Changeling, currently tied to a chair, blinked every once in a while, but otherwise said or did nothing while he was being held here. As for the rest, most of them were too worried to blink, just in case this guy transformed into something to try to get away. As the heaviest hitters of the group, Rainbow and Applejack were closest, with Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie just a step or two further back. Minute after minute passed, and eventually the silence grew just too boring for the party-lover among them. "Sooooooo...you like cake? Because we've got plenty left over from the wedd...um...never-mind," Pinkie hurriedly stopped, not wanting to bring up the recent disaster.

Rainbow, while keeping her eyes firmly on the Changeling, nevertheless frowned to her friend's words. "No fraternising with the enemy!"

Pinkie gave a salute. "Roger, wilko, ten-four, good Charlie!"

A look of incredulity came to the hopeful one-day Wonderbolt. "...What?"

Then, before anypony could say anything else, the door of the library opened, and Twilight returned, along with Spike, who had gone out with her. After closing the door behind them, they sighed, with Twilight shaking her head. "Looks like he's the only one. I performed my identification spell all over the immediate area, and there's nothing."

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew! That's good to hear.

A quick chuckle from Applejack. "Y'all were pretty silly comin' here all by yer lonesome, fella," she remarked.

The drone was not worried. "I knew you wouldn't do anything too terrible to me if I did not approach as an enemy."

Rarity looked to him with disdain. "You have a lot of nerve claiming to not be an enemy after the terrible mess you and your people did back at Canterlot."

Their captive nodded. "I know. But I meant what I said. My allegiance lies with Twilight Sparkle now, not with Chrysalis."

Stepping forward, Twilight's eyes narrowed. "And why would that be exactly?"

The Changeling looked her right in the eye. "Well, first and foremost...there is no Chrysalis anymore."

Silence fell, and all the ponies and Spike seemed utterly stunned to have heard that. Then, after a long time of just thinking that declaration over, Twilight again stepped forward. "Wha...what you mean?"

Even through his bonds, he was capable of shrugging. "Exactly what I said. Chrysalis, the former Queen of my hive...is no more."

In spite of how much enmity there was between Twilight and the leader of the Changelings, even she could not help but feel a pang of horror at what she'd learned. "You mean...she's dead?!"

A solemn nod from the drone, prompting further confusion from the rest of the ponies. "But...Shining and Cadance's love magic wouldn't have been enough to actually...finish her, would it?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight shook her head. "No, that magic could only have forced them out of the city. Nothing more."

When all of them turned to the drone for clarification, he gave a serious nod. "You are correct. The magic alone was not enough to end her life. But it was the catalyst for it." He glanced to the side, a look on his face that clearly suggested that he was recalling recent memories. "Her defeat in Canterlot was a humiliation. She had every advantage in her favor, yet she still managed to lose. And that created...problems for her." He looked back to his captors. "Changeling law is clear. When a Queen fails as enormously as Chrysalis did, then they are deemed unfit to rule their hive. So, my brethren and I did what needed to be done. We left her."

Applejack stepped forward. "Wait, y'all jus'...up an' walked off?"

The drone sighed. "We attempted to. But as you probably know by now, Chrysalis is not willing to relinquish that which she deems hers."

Twilight grimaced. "Preaching to the choir on that one."

After giving her another nod, the drone continued. "She attacked, no doubt to reassert her authority. But by that point our minds had been made up. Instead of submission...we turned on her. All of us. After that..." He fell silent, not finishing his words, though the look he bore gave no illusions as to how things might have gone down during that apparent schism among the Changelings.

Twilight, for her part, had a lot to think about, her voice displaying obvious relief at having learned what she'd learned "Chrysalis is...gone?"

The drone gave a bow of his head. "I too am glad she has passed. Her reign was troublesome, to say the least."

Realising instantly how she must have come across, Twilight shook her head frantically. "No! I'm...I'm not happy she's gone!"

To that, the drone looked confused. "She was an enemy to you, your family and your people. She personally harmed you and attempted to divide you from your closest associates. Why would you not rejoice at this news?"

Rainbow chuckled. "Gotta hand it to him, Twilight. Guy's got a point." Seeing the looks she now got, Rainbow grunted. "Ugh! What? I can't even be happy about that now?!"

Twilight sighed, then looked to the drone again. "I won't lie. The thought of Chrysalis no longer being there to threaten my family is a relief. But I would have hoped for a more peaceful resolution to our differences."

The drone stared at her. "You would have been disappointed."

His words had been stern and to-the-point, and while Twilight would never approve of a callous attitude such as this, she nevertheless remained confused and curious about a great many things, which she was sure to voice. "So...am I to assume there is now an entire army of leaderless Changelings just wandering the wilds beyond Equestria?"

Her prisoner shook his head. "No. With our own Queen gone, Changelings would seek out others to lead them. Doubtless my kin have dispersed, going to one hive or another."

The looks on the faces of all the assembled Equestrians was one of utter horror, and soon it was Twilight that gave voice to their shared fears. "Other...hives? With other Queens too?"

The drone nodded. "Correct."

Rainbow slapped her own forehead. "Agh! You mean to tell me we're gonna have to deal with a whole load of different Changeling armies?!"

In response, the captive shook his head again. "Unlikely. Chrysalis was the only Queen who has ever chosen to attack Equestria." He turned to the side, thinking on his words. "And given how much of a failure that attempt was, it's even less likely that others will take similar actions."

That, if only a little, seemed to calm the situation, though it still gave Twilight a fair bit to consider. "Other hives...and other Queens." She tapped her chin with her hoof a couple of times. "So those who remained from your hive have gone off to find a home in others." She looked to him inquisitively. "But...if that's the case, then why didn't you follow that example? Why come here instead of one of the other hives?"

That question prompted all of the mares to look to him, apparently sharing in her curiosity. But the drone, for his part, considered the matter fairly simple. "Is it not obvious? I came here to pledge my allegiance to you, because you were the superior leader." Seeing the confusion he now got, the drone elaborated. "You were the one who saw through our former Queen's ruse. You attempted to undermine her plan, and in the end it was your involvement that led to her downfall."

Twilight frowned. "It was my brother and Cadance who drove the Changelings out of Canterlot, not me."

The drone nodded. "Perhaps, but had it not been for you, that might never have come to pass. You vanquished Chrysalis. You bested her. And the ancient laws of my people are clear. When one Queen is felled by another, that victorious Queen shall claim her forces. Others of my hive might not take the old ways seriously, but I assure you, I do."

Here, Twilight actually seemed amused by what she'd just heard. "Um...it might have slipped your notice, but I'm not a Queen. And I'm no Changeling."

The drone studied her, much like he himself had been watched closely by the ponies. "Are you not a leader among your people? A figure of great power who has rallied others behind her and led them to great victory?"

Twilight paused, a blush coming to her as she nervously scratched the back of her head. "Um...well..."

Her hesitation was apparently all the confirmation needed, as the drone gave a bow of his head. "By the old ways, I pledge myself to you, Queen Twilight. I shall serve you and this place you call your hive. My life, my service, my soul, are yours to command."

After a long and uncertain silence, the quiet was broken by a chuckle from Rainbow. "Hehe...nice."

Twilight looked to her prisoner for a long time and then, after giving a silent nod to her friends, turned. The other mares followed her, leaving Spike to keep an eye on the Changeling. Once she was far enough away, Twilight spoke, albeit in a hushed tone to keep their visitor from overhearing. " So...what do you think?"

Fluttershy briefly glanced to the drone before looking back to her. "He sounds genuine. I don't think he's lying."

"Same ere, Twi," Applejack agreed. "A've got a feel fer liars, an' ah ain't gettin that feelin' from this ere fella."

Rarity nodded. "Quite. Though we should probably remember that he is technically an enemy of Equestria. Other ponies aren't likely to forget what he and the other Changelings did at the wedding." She gave Twilight a look of concern. "Least of all the Princesses or your brother."

Twilight grimaced at the memory, but it was Rainbow who spoke next. "Hey, if he gives us trouble, we'll give him some trouble!" She pounded one forehoof against the other, making clear her meaning.

But Twilight shook her head. "We've got an enemy, it's true. But if he's being honest about his intentions, then he's basically surrendered to us. There are rules when it comes to prisoners. We shouldn't mistreat him, even if he did take part in the attack against Canterlot."

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "So...what? You're not actually thinking of buying what he's selling?" A smirk slowly developed on her face. "Unless you like the idea of being a Queen to a Changeling?"

Twilight frowned to her. "I'm not saying that, Rainbow. But we can at least keep an eye on him for now."

Pinkie giggled. "Oh! Maybe we can hide him in your closet and go on adventures with him while trying to keep him secret from your family?"

Twilight stared at her. "...No. I'll be sending a letter to the Princesses to inform them of the situation."

Pinkie's ears drooped. "Aw nuts!"

Thinking over everything that had been discussed, Twilight sighed, then turned to face the Changeling fully, as did everypony else. Spike had kept his vigil, never once even blinking while he watched the drone, even though this had the consequence of giving him rather bloodshot eyes at the moment, much to Twilight's concern. "Er...you can blink now, Spike."

Doing so, Spike sighed with joy. "Thank you!"

Resuming her earlier sternness, Twilight stepped forward. "You will stay here for now, under heavy watch. Our leaders will be informed of your arrival. After that...we'll decide what to do with you later."

The drone bowed his head. "If those are the terms of my service to you, then I accept."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "You're gonna be like this all the time, aren't you, Mr...?" Then she paused, looking to the drone with curiosity. "Wait, what's your name?"

The drone looked like he'd have saluted if he could. "T-H-R-X-86, Ma'am!"

Twilight blinked. "Um, pardon?"

Her prisoner shrugged. "It's the only name I was ever given."

Twilight returned to her earlier frown. "Well...how about..." Her face lit up slightly. "How about 'Thorax' then?"

The drone considered that, then gave a dutiful nod. "Very well, my Queen. I am...Thorax."

Author's Note

Just so I can make this clear, because I know a lot of people will be wondering, no this isn't the Thorax of the official series. Back when I originally wrote this story I chose Thorax as an appropriately bug-sounding name. But, as you can imagine, it was quite a "huh, that's neat" moment for me when FiM actually decided to introduce a Changeling character with that name :twilightsheepish:

The Next Morning

"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight muttered to herself as she finally put her quill to parchment. "I hope you and everypony back in Canterlot are safe and well. Please know that my friends and I had a pleasant journey back to Ponyville. No incidents along the way." She paused here, then let out a long sigh before continuing her letter. "However, I regret to inform you that there was an unexpected hiccup once Spike and I returned to the Golden Oak. We had an uninvited guest here by the time we got back. It was a Changeling drone. Now, I realise that this will probably cause you a great deal of worry, but know that the situation is well in hoof. He did not attack us, and we quickly had him apprehended. But it appears as though his reasons for being here are, at least according to him, for non-malicious purposes. According to what we've learned from him, Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings who attacked Canterlot, lost her life at the hooves of her followers, and this lone drone has decided to offer his services to me, seeing me as largely responsible for his former leader's downfall. I realise this is a lot to put on you all at once, but I felt you needed to know. I eagerly await to hear your advice on how we should proceed from here."

Twilight lifted her parchment, looking over her words several times over, before taking in a deep breath to calm herself. Afterwards, she turned to Spike, who had only just managed to crawl out of his own bed, and was still rubbing sleep-dust out of his eyes before giving her a weak smile. "So...do I send it?" Seeing the nod she gave him, Spike carefully accepted the scroll, then took in a deep breath of his own. In a blaze of green fire, the parchment was magically transported out of the nearby open window, and would no doubt find its way to Princess Celestia soon. Giving himself a moment to stretch, Spike scratched his side as he looked back to Twilight. "So, how did you sleep?"

Twilight shook her head. "I wish I could say I slept well, but..."

Spike nodded, understanding. "I know the feeling. Hard to get rest when...you know..."

Twilight nodded, and together the two of them walked over to the edge of where they slept, looking down to those below. Two of her friends were still here after the events of last night. Applejack and Rainbow. One was asleep while the other kept their eyes firmly fixed on the newly-christened Thorax. As for the latter, he just sat quietly in the corner, as he had done since the end of their conversation. He was like a statute, un-moving, unblinking, never making even the slightest sound. It was somewhat unnerving, it had to be said, but to her credit, Rainbow, who was the friend still awake right now, did not look intimidated in the slightest. "I've got my eye on you, Thorax."

Thorax remained as emotionless as ever. "Yes, I can see that."

Through the corner of her eye, Rainbow could see Spike and Twilight descend, leading to a smile on her part. "Oh, you're up. Sleep well?"

Twilight smiled to her. "We did, thanks." Her smile grew. "And thanks for keeping watch last night."

Rainbow waved her off. "Pfft! No big deal! Me and AJ had this one in the bag. Oh, speaking of which..." She stepped over to where Applejack was sleeping, giving her a gentle nudge. "Yo! AJ! Time to get up!"

It took only a second for Applejack to rouse from her slumber, and she was on her hooves immediately. "Time fer mah shift already?" She saw Rainbow shake her head, pointing just past her, which prompted Applejack to turn and see that it was Twilight, leading to a smile on her part. "Ah! So, what's the move, Twi?"

Twilight sighed. "I've sent word to Princess Celestia. The ball's in her court now." She frowned as she regarded Thorax. "I imagine it won't be long before you're taken to Canterlot. After the invasion of the city it's likely you'll be questioned by our leaders."

Thorax's bore an utterly stony poker face as he heard that. "I have no intention of going anywhere unless my Queen commands me to do so."

Twilight groaned, giving herself a facehoof. "Ugh! Fine! Then I command you to go to Canterlot if Princess Celestia deiced that's where you're going."

Thorax gave a salute. "It will be done, my Queen!"

Rainbow chuckled, giving Twilight a quick nudge in the side. "You know, having a totally obedient drone around might be pretty useful." After seeing Twilight scowl at her, Rainbow looked a touch more nervous. "Um...not that you would of course...because that would be wrong."

Applejack arched an eyebrow to her. "Wow, smooth."

Shaking her head to all of that, Twilight stepped forward to look at Thorax up close. "I want to warn you right now, it's not likely that you'll be getting any kind of warm reception around other ponies right now. The attack on our capital has led a lot of us to be wary. Seeing another Changeling so soon might cause a stir."

Thorax nodded firmly. "I understand. But you needn't worry, my Queen. My kind are used to eliciting fear from others. If we did not, we probably wouldn't change our appearances so often."

The words had been so matter-of-fact that it took Twilight aback for a moment. For an entire people to just be used to having others fear them, and to the point where it no longer bothers them? That was not the most pleasant of notions. Even so, Twilight looked him over, considering their position. "It might make sense for you to do what you can to avoid causing a panic if we let you out and among other ponies."

Another nod from Thorax. "Ah, understood. You wish for me to go in disguise?" Without any further word coming his way, Thorax cleared his throat, then gave himself a quick stretch before concentrating. The others, knowing what was coming, took a single step backwards, and sure enough they looked on as their prisoner was engulfed in green flames. They were still new to this Changeling power, so it naturally held their attention until it was over. Within moments the flames had disappeared, and in the Changeling's place now stood a pony. An earth pony stallion to be precise, with light-blue fur and a short green mane. Looking himself over, thorax turned to Twilight. "Will this suffice?"

Even in spite of how serious she knew she'd have to be, Twilight couldn't help but smirk. "Might want to change the color of your mane. Rarity's not a fond of green up there."

Thorax quickly glanced up to said mane, then gave another nod before again covering himself in his flames. A second passed and, lo and behold, he now had a dark blue mane instead of green. Rainbow, tapping her chin, took on a more mischievous look, then stepped forward. "So...you can become anything?"

Thorax shook his head. "There are limits. Size, for instance, has to be something relatively close to what we already are. I couldn't transform myself into a hundred-foot dragon for instance."

Hearing that, Rainbow grumbled. "Nuts."

Shaking her head to her companions' behaviour, Applejack now added her voice to the matter. "Ah still don't take kindly ta Changelin's after all the trouble y'all have caused us...but aren't ya worried bout how the others might miss ya?"

Thorax looked to her with confusion. "Miss...me?" It took a moment, then realisation came to him. "Ah! Miss! The feeling of longing when someone or something of value to you is absent for a long period." He was oblivious to the amused stares he was getting from being so analytical about the whole thing, but those looks faded when he spoke his next words. "No, I don't miss them. There are no family bonds among Changelings as there are with ponies. Our only real relationship is our loyalty to our Queen." He grimaced as he looked to the side. "Unless that Queen fails, as you know."

Applejack, understandably, didn't look like she was fond of that position. "Yeesh, no family? No friends? No...no love?"

Thorax looked back to her, raising an eyebrow of his own. "My kind feeds on love, pony. We may imitate the feelings of love towards another in an effort to coax that emotion out of the other, but we cannot feel it ourselves." He pointed to her. "Do you feel a piece of fruit, or do you just eat it?"

Now, as an apple farmer, Applejack naturally wanted to come up with some sort of counter, but sadly she wasn't able to think up one, hence her embarrassed look right now. Twilight, for her part, looked to Thorax with what could only be described as sympathy. "I'm sorry your people don't have those things in their life. It must have been a difficult existence."

As always, Thorax simply shrugged to the remark. "It was no bother for us. One cannot call it difficult if we do not feel discomfort from it after all."

The more he spoke, the less the ponies knew how to feel about him, as clearly evidenced by the uncertain looks the mares now gave one another. As for Spike, who had been patiently standing to one side for the time being, he looked to Thorax carefully, then stepped forward. "So...you're willing to just do whatever Twilight tells you?"

Thorax looked down to him. "Within reason. The Queen of a hive must command in a way that benefits that hive. If she were to ask me to, say, expose myself and cause a panic, that would cause serious problems for both her and those around her, thus bringing into question her validity as a leader."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Gee, no pressure then." Then, before she had the chance to say anything further, she was distracted by a very familiar rumbling sound coming from Spike, causing a smile to come to her. "Ah, earlier than expected." And sure enough, Spike burped forth some green flames, which inevitably formed into another scroll. Using her magic, Twilight took hold of the parchment, unrolling it and giving the first few lines a quick look. "It's from Princess Celestia."

Spike, recovering from his expected belch, looked to her with curiosity. "So...what are we doing with him?" he asked while gesturing to Thorax.

Twilight's eyes drifted over the words of the parchment, then she took a few steps away before finally speaking up. "To my faithful student, Twilight. I am pleased to hear you have your troubling situation under control. It was something of a shock to me to discover that a Changeling had come to you. As you no doubt expected, this is a serious matter, and one that I intend to involve myself with personally." Twilight paused, glancing up from the scroll briefly. "Personally?" Again, she continued reading. "Please keep your guest under watch until I arrive. There is still much to be done here in Canterlot after the recent invasion, but I will be there in Ponyville as fast as I can. Until then, stay safe. Yours, Princess Celestia." Scrolling up the parchment, Twilight set it to one side, then looked back to Thorax. "Well, you heard her. She's coming here herself to speak to you."

Thorax didn't seem fearful, and in fact spoke as though everything were perfectly fine. "What shall I expect with this visit?"

Twilight sighed. "The only thing I can guarantee is that questions will be asked. Princess Celestia will need to know as much as she can about your people. Like how many others are still here in Equestria."

Thorax shrugged. "I'm not sure how much help I can be, but if it is your command that I answer her, then I will carry out that command to the best of my abilities."

Twilight accepted his cooperation with a nod, then looked to her friends. "There's no telling how long it'll be before Princess Celestia gets here, so until then, Thorax doesn't leave the Golden Oak."

They all nodded back to her, with Rainbow resuming her earlier position of staring right into Thorax's eyes. "You heard her! I'm watching you, bub!"

Thorax, seeing the intent she looked to him with, just stared back at her with his usual blankness. "Yes...I can see that...again."

Captor and Captive

To say that Twilight was not unnerved by her circumstances would have been a lie. After all, it wasn't that long ago that she and her friends were doing battle with creatures just like the one who now sat in front of her. Yet Thorax had, aside from his unwanted breaking-in of course, never once displayed any of the aggressive traits his fellow Changelings had shown back in Canterlot. In fact, if you knew nothing about Changelings and then saw him now, sitting quietly while reading a book Twilight had kindly offered him, you'd suspect they were a perfectly decent people. Yet Twilight could not forget what transpired with Thorax's kind when last they met, and after she saw him flip through the next page of the aforementioned book, she cleared her throat to gain his attention. And gain it she did, as he stood at attention immediately, giving a salute, which prompted a quick eye-roll from Twilight before she finally spoke. "So...you mentioned before that you and I had met?"

Thorax nodded. "I did, my Queen."

Twilight grimaced, if only briefly. She still hadn't gotten used to being called that, and was uncertain she ever would. A part of her even wondered if this was how Princess Celestia felt whenever ponies used that title. Was she too uncomfortable at being addressed with her royal name? A question for later, Twilight decided, and so focused again on Thorax. "So...did you mean you saw me during the fight my friends and I had with you and the other Changelings?"

Thorax shook his head. "No. I mean you and I directly fought one another."

Twilight blinked, wracking her brain to remember that fight in as much detail as she could. Though she was loathe to admit it, she really couldn't remember any physical difference between Thorax and any of the other Changelings, and that realisation gave her at least a little feeling of shame. After blushing slightly, she spoke in a more nervous way than before. "Um...I don't suppose you could narrow that list down, could you? I fought a lot of Changelings that day."

Another nod from Thorax. "If you'll recall, I had transformed into you during that fight. And in the brawl you pinned me to the ground and used your magic to dispel my disguise."

Only upon hearing that did Twilight's memory finally give her the image she'd been searching for. "Oh yes, I remember you now." She chuckled drily. "Probably not a good idea to take on my image if you don't have the magic to back it up."

Thorax sighed. "Unfortunately, only a Changeling Queen has magical power outside of the ability to transform. Not even taking on the image of a unicorn will grant me skill in spellcraft."

Twilight considered his words, then, in a moment of wanting to distance them from the memory of their past battle, turned her attention to the book she'd given him. "So...enjoying it?"

Thorax looked to her, then to the book, gently placing his hoof upon it. "It is...interesting."

Twilight stepped forward. "Oh? How so?"

Thorax closed the book, holding it up and looking over the cover. "A history of Equestria, volume one. My people knew little of your lands, save that your people lived on it."

Twilight looked to him with confusion. "Chrysalis never told you about us? I'd have thought that would have been pretty important if you were going to be attacking us."

Thorax, upon putting the book down again, shook his head. "Chrysalis preferred to keep all such information herself. She was the one doing the infiltrating, so whatever she learned about your nation and ponykind she felt only she had any business learning. As for the rest of us..." He shrugged. "We were simply to come in on her signal and attack."

Hearing that, Twilight frowned. "Well...she didn't seem like a leader who trusted her followers all that much. Can't really blame you for being sick of her." She paused then, sighed. "Even though I wish you hadn't all resorted to that particular way of dispatching her."

Thorax nodded to his chosen Queen. "Perhaps. But it was a long time coming, if we're being honest. She was always withholding things from us, expecting us to follow commands because of her position as Queen. From the moment I first opened my eyes, crawling out of my egg, that was how it was."

Those final words caught Twilight's notice, and her inner scientist began to make itself known as she studied her guest closely. "You know...your being here might be of great benefit to Equestria. You are, after all, a completely unknown race to us. There's a lot you can teach us."

Thorax looked her right in the eye. "What do you wish to know?"

For the first time in a while, Twilight smiled. "Well, first things first, what kinds of structure does your society have? What ranks or levels of hierarchy are there between you and the Queen?"

There was a pause on Thorax's part, but only a brief one. "...There are none."

Twilight blinked, then frowned to him. "N...none?"

Thorax nodded. "Within my hive, there was the Queen and there were the drones. One leader and thousands of her followers. We serve at her command, fighting, building tunnels, infiltrating and generally serving her. At any given moment, any drone could do what she wanted, when she wanted. There were only two 'levels of hierarchy' in our hive, and she occupied the top one all by herself."

Twilight grimaced. "Well, that's...simple, at least." She scratched the back of her head, then resumed her smile as she got another idea for a question. "Oh! What about where you come from? Is there a Changeling homeland somewhere out there beyond Equestria's borders?"

A silence as Thorax considered the question, and when he spoke it was with uncertainty. "Doubtless there was some place, far away and long ago, where we originated. But whatever place that was it is lost to our history. My people have often been on the move, going wherever our need to feed took us. Perhaps one hive or another might settle if they found some place where they could feed regularly, but as far as my hive was concerned, we never had a permanent dwelling or place to call home."

A moment of sympathy came to Twilight, even though she had to constantly remind herself that this creature before her was one who had made himself an enemy of her people. But even so, the thought of having nowhere to call home was an upsetting one, and soon Twilight just couldn't help but express that sympathy. "I'm...sorry to hear that."

Thorax, as had happened so often now, did not share her worries. "My people feel little, my Queen. You needn't worry about upsetting me."

Twilight shook her head. "So...you feel nothing? Nothing at all? No joy, no sadness? Nothing?"

Again, Thorax shook his head. "No, I do not. We feed on love, but we cannot feel it or anything else. We may feel a sense of self-preservation in dangerous situations, but that is not the same as fear. We may feel a sense of contentment at satisfying our need to consume love, but that is not the same as joy." He took in a deep breath, then gestured to her. "We are not like you, Twilight. I am not like you. After all you have seen of us, I would have thought that obvious by now."

His words prompted a frown on Twilight's part. "Chrysalis certainly had emotions. Anger, enjoyment over deceiving everypony..."

Thorax nodded. "True. Queens are a breed apart from drones. Just as they have magic, so too do they have higher functions, like the ability to feel and express emotions. And my mother certainly revelled in those feelings whenever victory was near."

Twilight too nodded, albeit slowly, as she took in that description of the now-fallen Queen. Yet there was something nestled among Thorax's words that caught her interest. "Wait...your mother?"

Another nod from the done. "Yes. Queen Chrysalis was the mother to all the drones you saw attacking Canterlot. Myself included."

Horror came to Twilight now, and she backed away instantly, though Thorax remained where he was as he looked to her. This new information replayed itself in Twilight's mind over and over, and as the realisation of just who she'd been talking to sank in, her words were similarly hesitant. "You...you're the son of Chrysalis?!"

Thorax blinked, then nodded yet again. "Yes, I am."

Twilight gave herself a facehoof. "You didn't think that little tidbit was worth mentioning earlier?"

Thorax shook his head. "I didn't think it relevant."

A groan of irritation escaped his host. "Uuuuuugh! Thorax! If ponies were going to have a hard time accepting you because you followed Chrysalis' orders, just how difficult a time do you think you'll have when they find out you're part of her family?"

The captive drone considered that, but looked to her as blankly as he always did. "I realise ponies place great value on family bonds, but I did not consider that it might lead them to view me differently than they already did. It did not halt my kind from turning on our former Queen after all."

The thought of Chrysalis' fate resurfaced in Twilight's mind, putting her talk with Thorax in a rather uncomfortable light. "So...you had no problems at all? She was your mother and you all..." She didn't finish, instead glancing away from him.

Thorax's brow creased, but only slightly, as if displaying the barest hint of confusion. "I continue to be puzzled by your disdain for the loss of her life. Had she had her way, your people would have been severely hurt."

Twilight finally looked back to him, giving him a clear look of disapproval. "Maybe so, but I still don't like the idea of sons killing their mothers."

Thorax looked down to his book again. "If it is any consolation, she was a mother who would have gladly sacrificed all of us if it meant assuring her victory over ponies."

Twilight sighed deeply. "It does not make me feel better...but thank you all the same." Her words had been devoid of feeling, mostly because her feelings were fairly confused right now. Here was a drone who had sworn fealty to her, yet he was also one who had not only directly attacked her but also participated in the death of his former leader. Being near somecreature like that would have been a dubious thing for anypony, and Twilight wondered to herself just how such a people had ever come to be. So without love or any kind of positive feeling, save for the desire to take love from others. And speaking of which, that thought in particular now took centre stage in her mind. "And your need for love? Is that going to be a problem, Thorax? I'm not going to have to restrain you from going after it with other ponies, am I?"

Looking back up to her, Thorax shook his head. "No. I will not require nourishment for some time. There is little danger at present."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose I should be grateful for small blessings at least."

Then, as soon as she'd said that, they both turned at the sound of the door crashing open. It was Spike, who rushed in and panted heavily before gesturing outside. "It's...it's..."

Twilight understood immediately, and so rushed outside. Thorax followed her, assuming his pony disguise as he did so. Once out there, they both looked up, and through the near-blinding light of the sun, they finally saw it. A regal figure carried in a golden chariot, with no less than a dozen pegasi guards accompanying her. Princess Celestia had arrived in Ponyville, and though Twilight was always happy to see her mentor, she remembered instantly her reasons for being here, and so turned to Thorax with a more solemn expression. "Prepare yourself. I'm not sure how this is going to go."

Thorax, as ever, gave a dutiful salute. "I am...ready."

The Princess Arrives

Now, Princess Celestia had visited Twilight in the Golden Oak Library many times before this, yet never before had there been such an air of discomfort and unease with her presence. Not even Twilight's panic about being late with her friendship lessons had prompted a royal arrival as tense as this, but thankfully Twilight was more composed about the matter this time around. She certainly didn't envy Thorax right now though. Standing in the middle of the library's main room, he was surrounded by four of the pegasi guards who had accompanied the Princess here, and as for Celestia herself, she stood before him, wings outstretched. She was still a regal figure, yet she bore a distinctly imposing feel about her, far more so than Twilight had seen of her, except for her prior confrontation with Chrysalis. There was dead silence right now, and Celestia was no doubt measuring her words carefully, all while never taking her eyes off the surrendered drone. Then, after what felt like an eternity, the mare of the sun finally spoke. "What is your name?"

Having been commanded by his chosen leader to cooperate, Thorax did not hesitate to answer. "My designation was T-H-R-X-86, though I have been given the name of Thorax."

Celestia arched an eyebrow, causing only the briefest of glances in Twilight's direction, before again focusing on the prisoner. "Are there other drones with you here in Ponyville? Or perhaps just beyond it?"

Thorax shook his head. "There aren't. I came here alone. All others from my hive dispersed to other locations."

Here, Celestia gave Twilight her full attention, and the latter knew exactly why, causing a nod on her part. "He's telling the truth. I did a sweep of the place after we discovered him. He's all alone."

Celestia nodded to her, then returned her gaze to the drone. "And what is your purpose here?"

Thorax's voice was as stoic as ever as he replied. "It is as I have said, and as your apprentice informed you in her letter. I have come to pledge my allegiance to Twilight Sparkle, as the one responsible for the downfall of my Queen. The ancient ways of my people demand that she be seen as my new Queen, and so...here I am, ready to serve."

How Celestia felt about her student being thought of in that way, none could tell, for as always she bore the best poker-face in the land. Instead, she continued with her questioning. "The others of your hive. Where have they gone?"

Thorax turned, looking out of the nearby window. "Some will have tried to seclude themselves in some attempt to survive on their own, or have tried to enter into the hives and service of other Queens. Though I do not know the specifics."

Celestia's eyes narrowed just a little bit. "And exactly how many other Changeling Queens are out there that we need to worry about?"

Thorax looked back to her. "I cannot say. Only the Queens themselves knew for certain how many there were. The only time we drones ever knew of others was when we fought their drones."

That caught Celestia's interest, and Twilight's too for that matter, though it was only the former who spoke. "Changelings fight other Changelings?"

A nod from Thorax. "Frequently. For hunting grounds mostly. Though don't be surprised if one Queen will war upon another just because of personal dislike."

Celestia grimaced as she glanced to the side. "Oh, I can believe it." She resumed looking at him. "I trust you're aware that Changelings are not looked upon with fondness in our nation?" She saw thorax nod silently, leading to further remarks on her part. "I'm willing to offer sanctuary if there's useful information you can give us. You say Chrysalis is gone? Then who will most likely be the Queen that we'll have to deal with in future?"

To that, Thorax shrugged. "Honestly? You might never hear from Changelings again after what Chrysalis tried to do in Canterlot. No other Queen has ever tried to take as many as she did, and certainly not as aggressively. That kind of forwardness isn't usually how my kind acts when seeking love to feed upon. And this failure on my ex-Queen's part will only cement the belief that we need to be subtle." He pondered the other question. "As for which Queen you might have to deal with...I truly cannot say. Equestria as a whole might be deemed too much of a risk after the Canterlot attack. Queens will probably order their hives to give your people and nation a wide berth." A pause, but only a brief one. "So...you might not need to worry about seeing another hive make a move against you for some time. A pony might never see a changeling again in fact." Another shrug from him. "Except for me."

Celestia, if she sensed dishonesty from him, certainly wasn't showing it. Instead, her voice, when she finally spoke, was sounding more like curiosity than distrust. "You took a grave risk in coming here. You've given us your full cooperation, for which I'm grateful. But I trust you know that complete freedom is off the table for you for the time being."

Thorax nodded. "I do But my Queen gave me a command, and I shall obey it. Cooperation is what you will have from me, along with the truth. But I fear I have given you as much information as I can regarding my people and their potential movements."

Twilight stepped forward here, looking up to her teacher and speaking in a quiet tone. "It seems Chrysalis wasn't really willing to tell her drones much about anything."

Celestia frowned. "All the knowledge for herself. Arrogant to the last." She stood in silence for a time, then looked again to thorax. "And what, pray tell, do you see of your life from here on out?"

Thorax did not hesitate, and turned to Twilight before giving a bow of her head. "My life, henceforth, is devoted to the service of my Queen, Twilight."

Here, Celestia showed some degree of amusement, though it was minor at best. "I'm sure she appreciates that." Even Twilight herself couldn't help but scowl to her mentor's words, but she remained quiet when Celestia gave a nod to the guards. They saluted, stepping forward so as to be closer to Thorax, thus freeing the Princess to finally walk away. Twilight followed her, joining her on the far side of the room, and after thinking things over for a bit, the older pony looked down to her student. "So...how do you feel about all this?"

Twilight sighed. "I...have no idea. I don't want to be a Queen, as you probably already know, but besides that we just don't have all that much information from Thorax." She looked over her shoulder. "We don't know where, when or if the next Changeling attack will come, and he really does seem like somecreature who's just content to take and carry out orders."

Celestia nodded. "Agreed. I had hoped for more a enlightening talk with him. But the only thing we know for certain is that the other Changeling leaders aren't going to be acting in the same way Chrysalis did."

Twilight nodded back. "Given what Thorax said, we might not ever have to deal with an attack from their people again."

That thought in particular gave Celestia pause. "I wish I could believe that, but we know times of peace won't always last. We must keep an eye out, just in case."

Twilight gave a bow to her leader, then started to feel more than a little hesitant. "And...Thorax?"

To that, Celestia smirked. "Well, he certainly seems to have shown great devotion to you, Twilight. Perhaps it might be best for him to remain under your custody?"

The young unicorn beside her didn't know how to feel about that. "He only feels that way about me because of some archaic 'might makes right' law of his people. He doesn't follow me because I was his first choice or anything."

A slow nod from Celestia. "Perhaps...but given his other options...where better for him to be?" When she saw Twilight look to her with some confusion, Celestia's more jovial manner dropped, and instead she spoke with utter seriousness. "I won't sugarcoat this, Twilight. If he were to return to Canterlot with me, the best he could hope for would be a lifetime of being under watch. Guards with him wherever he went, always being looked at with scorn by everypony who crossed paths with him. He'd be a prisoner in all but name. Now..." She reached out, placing her hoof upon Twilight's shoulder. "Would that be the fate you would wish for him?"

There was no time at all between the question and the answer, though Twilight did let out a long sigh first. "No...I wouldn't."

Celestia returned to her small smile. "Then perhaps it might be better for you to remain his keeper. For the time being at least."

Barely a second had passed before Twilight looked to her teacher with a mix of shock and disbelief. "M...me?!"

Celestia nodded. "Yes, you. If nothing else, I sense that you have his well-being at heart. And more than that, if he has truly pledged himself to you, then you might be the only pony who can keep him in line. He is, after all, one who has harmed our people already. And there's no telling if he might do so again."

The Princess was right, and Twilight knew it. But that thought didn't really give her much comfort. "I just...I don't want a servant, Princess. And I don't want to be a jailor either."

As before, Celestia placed her hoof upon Twilight's shoulder. "Then think of yourself as his minder instead." A sly look came to her. "Besides, I have the sneaking suspicion that you have something of a desire to learn as much about Changelings as you can. And how better to do that than by living with one?"

Twilight couldn't deny that, and so blushed slightly at having been found out, much to Celestia's amusement. But there was also one more sticking point in this that, quite frankly, brought no joy for Twilight to consider. "And...my brother?"

Like with Twilight, Celestia too looked serious now. "He knew of your visitor at the same time I did, and as you no doubt expected, he wasn't happy about it. It took all my persuasion to convince him to remain in Canterlot to oversee the reconstruction efforts in my absence." She sighed. "And we both know he'll be least happy out of all of us with this arrangement I'm proposing."

Twilight shook her head. "Next time I see him...I'll try an explain things. He'll listen to me."

Celestia's smile returned. "After recent events, I imagine he will."

The two shared a laugh, after which Twilight, thinking the matter over, gave a single nod. "Alright...I'll keep watch over him."

Celestia gave a slight bow of her head to her pupil. "Very well. Then I will leave him to you and your discretion." The Princess turned, walking straight past Thorax, though not without giving him one final look. "Mr Thorax, I bid you good day."

Thorax nodded back, watching along with Twilight as Celestia and her accompanying guards began to leave. Assuming his pony disguise, Thorax joined Twilight in stepping out of the library, just in time to see Celestia enter into her chariot. The other guards got into position, and before long there was a simultaneous flapping of wings, launching the entourage into the sky. The two below looked up to see Celestia's departure, and kept their gaze for as long as she was visible. When she was, at last, gone from view, Twilight considered everything that had happened, before finally smiling to her guest. "Well, Thorax...welcome to the Golden Oak."

Thorax bowed to her, much like one of those guards would have done with Celestia. "It is my honor, your Grace."

Twilight facehoofed herself. "Yeah...never getting used to that." But then, her inner scientist awoke, and she looked on at this drone, this one who had offered himself to her, and started to ponder the possibilities. "Say...would you care to join me in my lab down below? I've got a few instruments I'd..." She smirked mischievously. "That I'd like you to come see."

Author's Note

And here I think I'll end it. I never really thought up any continuation beyond this during my initial writing of this story all those years ago, so I think this might be a good place to stop. I might return to it one day, but for the time being I'm satisfied just having it here, with Thorax included in the cast for potential future stories :twilightsmile: