"Finally, I've found you. I heard Queen Chrysalis captured you and brought you here, so I rushed over to find you. Are you okay?" Thorax asked, his voice tinged with concern. This changeling looked much like the others, though Spike had always wondered how changelings recognized each other. However, he could easily identify Thorax by his slightly glowing wings.

"I'm fine—wait, what name did I give you when you transformed into a pony in the Crystal Empire?" Spike asked suspiciously.

"Crystal Hoof!" Thorax immediately understood what Spike meant.

"It's so good to see you!" Spike gave Thorax a hug right away. "I thought I was going to die, but they just imprisoned me here."

"Ever since I became friends with the Crystal Empire, their love and friendship have kept me from going hungry. I've been living there for a while now. Princess Cadance is very kind; she even arranged for me to stay in the palace and help Sunburst take care of the baby princess," Thorax said as Spike slowly released him from the hug.

"Oh? Then why are you here?" Spike asked, clearly confused.

"I received a signal from Queen Chrysalis to gather at the hive. The queen can emit a magical pheromone that tells all changelings to return to the hive. I suspected she might be planning another attack on Equestria. The ponies have helped me, so I should repay them. So I said goodbye to Cadance and came here alone to investigate the queen's plans," Thorax explained.

"Have you found out anything yet?" Spike pressed, as this concerned the safety of Equestria, his home, even though he was a dragon.

"Wait!"

Thorax was about to speak when Spike suddenly interrupted him. Spike grabbed his hoof and pulled him inside, closing the door and scanning the room suspiciously.

"There aren’t any changelings spying on us here, right?" Spike was as cautious as the pony who had hatched him.

Thorax freed himself from Spike's grasp, understanding Spike's concerns but knowing they were unfounded. "Don't worry, this is the hive's nursery area, where young changelings live and play. The changeling soldiers only come here to deliver food or repair the hive," Thorax explained slowly, trying to ease Spike's worries.

"Heh, guess I was overthinking it." Spike laughed awkwardly.

"I heard from some patrolling guards that the queen is creating a weapon that can disable all magic except for magical artifacts and changeling magic on a large scale," Thorax said, his expression turning serious.

"That's why she's planning to capture Twilight and the others—she can't disable the Elements of Harmony!" Spike realized, understanding Chrysalis’s motive for capturing them.

"You're right. Where are your friends? We need to rescue them immediately, or Equestria will be in grave danger." Thorax was excited because he understood the severity of the situation. His hoof rested on Spike's shoulder, his gaze fixed on Spike, ready to act as soon as Spike revealed their location.

Spike was amused by Thorax's seriousness. "Relax, the queen's plan might be temporarily thwarted because only I was captured," Spike explained, appreciating Thorax’s genuine friendship.

Hearing this, Thorax breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I need to get you out of here. I know a secret exit. Come on! We won’t be discovered." He grabbed Spike and started towards the door.

"No, we can't leave yet! Chrysalis has that weapon; she'll eventually find an opportunity to use it against Equestria. We need to destroy it!" Spike said, stopping Thorax.

"Are you sure? Just the two of us? We don't even know what it looks like." Thorax thought it was too dangerous.

"How will we know if we don't try? This concerns the fate of Equestria. We have a chance now; we must seize it," Spike said quietly, looking into Thorax’s eyes.

After a brief hesitation, Thorax nodded in agreement, and Spike thanked him sincerely.

"You are Equestria's forever friend." Spike bowed deeply to Thorax to show his gratitude.

"And so are you," Thorax replied with a smile.

Thus, the dragon and the changeling set off on their mission to save Equestria. Though neither was a pony, they, like many citizens of Equestria, loved the land and were willing to give everything for it. Equestria was Spike's home, and Thorax's second home. They set off.

Thorax suggested they first pass through the living area, then avoid the soldiers, and finally look for clues around the queen's throne room. Spike agreed with the plan.

"Let's go. Turn right after exiting the door, then we need to cross that park and enter the tunnel slanting upward. That tunnel leads directly to the throne room, usually only used by the queen," Thorax explained as they walked.

Spike opened the door, continuing to listen to Thorax’s plan while observing their surroundings.

They reached the park where many young changelings, aged around 4 to 13, were playing. Thorax told Spike that a changeling's life has three stages: the first stage is infancy, usually spent in the hive’s nursery, cared for by nurse changelings. When they reach four years old, they are sent to live here, where specialized changeling teachers train and care for them, teaching them changeling magic and obedience to the queen. This is the second stage. After turning 13, they are assigned different roles: the most capable join the military, others become teachers, and the rest become nurses. Despite their different roles, every changeling receives the same amount of food, as the queen says each role is equally important. Thorax added that he joined the military at 13 and led a boring life of patrolling, transporting food (love-filled cocoons), maintaining order, and even participating in invasions.

"That must have been really boring," Spike said, avoiding a few young changelings running past him.

"Yes, only the changelings in this stage have the happiest lives," Thorax pointed to the young changelings playing in the park. "Although they have to train daily, they have free time to play. They dream about the outside world and fantasize about joining the military and exploring when they grow up."

Spike looked in the direction Thorax pointed and saw several changelings gathered around a slightly older one, who seemed to be telling a story.

"And then, the poor pony encountered a bear." The older changeling transformed into a gray bear, baring its teeth.

"No, no, it was a polar bear!" A younger changeling pointed out.

"The teacher told us it was a polar bear," she continued in her childish voice.

"Ah, don't be so particular!" The storytelling changeling transformed into a polar bear.

"Hey! I heard it was Ursa Major!" Several young changelings expressed dissatisfaction, arguing noisily.

For some reason, Spike felt a bit sad. These changelings were just like the foals he saw every day, full of curiosity and joy, despite the constraints of the hive.

"Why can't we just live in peace?" Spike said regretfully, seemingly a bit angry.

"Because we can't, Spike," Thorax stopped, turned around, and patted Spike's shoulder, understanding his thoughts.

"We live off love, it's our nature to feed on the love of other beings. We can never change that."

"But you're different, aren't you? You survive on our friendship," Spike said angrily.

"I've tried. I've tried to persuade them to stop feeding on the ponies’ love, but it didn’t work. Not a single changeling listened to me. Changelings are inherently evil; we can't change that!" Thorax looked up at Spike. "They ostracized me, considered me an outcast, until I met you all."

Spike looked at the group of young changelings and then at Thorax.

Spike grasped the hoof Thorax had placed on his shoulder. "I don't think you're bad."

"We'll find a way," Spike’s determination and kindness touched Thorax. Thorax nodded, "I believe you."

"But first, we must stop the queen. There is the tunnel I mentioned," Thorax pointed to a wall. Only by getting close would the tunnel door open.

"Let's go!" Spike was ready, without any hesitation.

Author's Note

If you find any problem,please tell me