"Never! I will NEVER talk to that THING again!"

Shade tried calming Thunder down as much as he could, yet it didn't seem to bare any fruits.

"Come on Thunder, she isn't as evil as you think she is. I told you about her and the changeling race's history, right?"

Thunder took a deep breath, taking in what Shade said.

"It isn't about her and your bucking history...It's about her transforming me into...this."

Shade sighed as he tried stepping closer to Thunder.

"I know you're not feeling too well with this but-"

"No!" Thunder interrupted. "You don't know! You don't know how it feels at all! It's bad enough that I'm not a pony anymore and that I can't live my old life anymore...but my already slim chances to impress Luna are gone too..."

Thunder's rage turned into bitterness and sorrow. Tears poured down his cheeks as he turned away from Shade and sat down on the ground.

"I just wanted to have somepony that really cares for me, that loves me. But now..." He sighed. "Now I'm not even a pony anymore..."

Thunder started crying quietly. Shade looked around carefully, he didn't know how to handle this situation. It hurt seeing his old, best friend like this...although he wasn't even sure if Thunder considered him a friend anymore after all he had done.

"Hey...everything will be alright Thunder..."

Shade stepped up behind Thunder and laid a hoof on his shoulder.

"No...nothing is alright and never will be again...I've lost everything I hold dear. My friends, my job, my home...my love..."

"You still have one friend, im sure of that."

Shade smiled confidently yet Thunder didn't bother to answer or look at him.

"Look, I'm sure Luna still loves you."

Thunder wiped away the tears in his eyes.

"Pfft, right. She didn't love me in the first place."

Shade walked around Thunder to look him in the eyes.

"That's only because you've never gotten the chance to talk to each other personally."

Thunder chuckled sarcastically.

"Oh I did get the chance to talk to her personally...In that dirty cage you locked her in...right after you betrayed me and her..."

Shade lowered his head in guilt.

"I know what I did was...extreme, to say the least, but I am very much sorry for doing it. After all...we are both soldiers, we have our duties. If it takes something like that to finally create friendship between ponies and changelings...then so it is."

Thunder looked away from Shade and growled.

"I'm sorry Thunder, I really am. I wish there had been another way or that I could have told you...but I couldn't."

Thunder turned around and looked at Shade. If looks could kill then Shade would have been under the ground now.

"Oh yeah? And why not? Why couldn't you tell me? Too scared?"

Shade scratched his head in thought.

"Well...yeah. Try to see it through my eyes. You are a changeling in the midst of the Equestrian capital and you are trying to capture the princesses...I'm not sure if that would be something to tell anypony, especially not when your best friend is a guard."

Thunder's rage-filled look turned into pure awkwardness.

"Oh...I...guess that's...somewhat of a valid reason. Still..I never would have told anyone if you had told me."

Shade sighed.

"Or would you? Look at yourself right now and how you reacted back in Canterlot. You were furious. Maybe right now you would'nt turn me in, but I doubt I would have gotten the chance to explain everything to you back in Canterlot."

Thunder looked away from Shade.

"I guess you're right...It's hard to imagine me turning on my best friend but...I guess I would have done that..."

Shade sprang to attention in the middle of that sentence.

"B-best friend? You...still consider me your...best friend? After all that happened?"

Thunder looked back at Shade with a friendly look.

"I know I often give you hell for alot of stuff, now and in the past, but I certainly do count you as my very best friend. Besides...I don't think I have much of a wide choice between friends anymore anyway."

Shade thought hard for a moment.

"Hmm...Maybe I should introduce you to some of the other changelings soon then. I'm sure some of them will like you."

Thunder blushed and scratched his head awkwardly, he clearly wasn't too excited about meeting changelings.

"Oh uh, don't worry about that too much, pal. I think I'm good for now."

Shade shrugged.

"Eh, alright then. Maybe later, we'll have to work on your other new changeling abilities then."

Thunder sighed in relief.

"Phew, thank goodness. That means I don't have to-"

"-Talk to Chrysalis?"

Shade knew exactly how afraid he was of that meeting, yet he also knew how important it was for Chrysalis.

"I know you don't want to but...This has to be done. We both have to attend to that meeting. It's of great importance."

Thunder growled in annoyance.

"Ugh, Can't that way? I thought teaching me about my new abilities was way more important?"

Shade rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you're right. That's why we are going to her. It's not only a simple talk with her but also a lesson in the Hivemind, the most important ability of a changeling if I may say."

Thunder looked at Shade with a questioning look.

"But...why can't YOU teach me about that? You did that with all the other stuff already. Why do we need her for this one?"

Shade giggled slightly.

"It's because the Queen of the Hive needs to accept you into the Hivemind. She is the Queen, only she has that power."

Thunder sighed even louder than before.

"So I rely on HER to accept me into the Hivemind!? Ugh, great..."

Shade laid a hoof on Thunder's shoulder, looking him into the eyes.

"Look, I trust that everything will go well. For now we should both just go to sleep, It's been a long day. I'll wake you up as tomorrow at the same time if you want."

Shade smirked, Thunder didn't really have a choice on him waking him up or not, he would do it either way.

"Yeah, sure. I could really need a timeout right now..."

Shade started walking towards his room, it was about twice as big as Thunder's bedroom.

"Alrighty then, I wish you a good night!"

"Yeah, good night."

With that, Shade disappeared in his bedroom, closing the little, green curtains behind him that replaced a door. Thunder stood in place for a few more moments, thinking about the impending meeting tomorrow. Soon he figured it was better to worry about that tomorrow though and he too went to sleep in his little, slimey hammock.