About 10 minutes had passed. Shade was still wandering around the hive, looking for his best friend. He aimed for places of interest, knowing that Thunder and Amaz were probably still busy with their tour around the hive. He hoped that this would help him find Thunder quicker, which was important, as he didn't have much time to spare. Besides, he didn't know whether Chrysalis now also targeted Thunder as a traitor or not. If she did...Shade was surely too late to aid him now. If she didn't then he will be a traitor as soon as the two of them are seen together.

Shade also took Amaz into consideration. She was the queen's advisor after all. If she got the news of this 'treachery' then she would surely remain loyal to her queen. Something Shade was not all too happy about himself. He had his own fair share of sympathies for her, they had worked together on several projects and missions in the past and have gotten used to each other pretty well by now. Shade still believed that none of the changelings ever counted as real friends to him, but if they did, Amaz would be one for sure. All he could do now though, was to keep on looking, and hope that she hasn't turned on him and Thunder.

A couple of minutes passed before Shade heard distant voices, paired with laughing. He quickly galloped towards where the sounds were coming from and soon found a light at the end of the tunnel, rather literally. He slowly walked up to the exit of the tunnel, briefly blinded as he stepped into the light of the room. Shade could now hear the previously distant voices clear as day. There was at least one voice which he recognized.

"Thunder?" He asked out loud as he jumped out of the tunnel. In front of him were two changelings, the left one was a tiny bit smaller and thiner than the right one. They turned their heads around towards Shade in surprise. The one to the right of Shade seemed especially surprised.

"Shade? Is that you?" Shade gave a big sigh of relief as he got the confirmation that it was indeed Thunder who stood in front of him.

"Indeed it is. And you can trust me: I was never more happy to hear your voice." Thunder cocked his head awkwardly at Shade.

"Um, ok?" He looked to his right, towards Amaz who briefly did the same before eying Shade once more. "So what brings you here? Don't you have important business with Chrysalis?" Thunder asked.

Shade knew he had to tell them what had happened. He would need to tell them about the horrible things Chrysalis did to the Princesses, tell them about Chrysalis' true plans of conquering Equestria for the changelings. And, even now, Shade found it hard to admit that he was, in fact, wrong. This entire time he had been mocking Thunder for believing the queen to be evil. This entire time he thought he was fighting for the good guys, the friendly changelings and their reformed queen. All that was a lie, all that was just a gigantic feint of Chrysalis to distract, brainwash and control him. And the worst part is...that he tried doing the same to Thunder. He took away all he held dear. Not only his home and his friends, but also his very own body. All of that in the name of the queen herself, believing that he would have a good time in the hive himself.

Shade knew he had to tell him, he really did, but it was by no means an easy thing to do. And he was sure that by the end of their talk, one of the two would be mad at him. Whether it was Thunder for not believing him about Chrysalis in the first place or Amaz for betraying the queen.

He breathed deeply and slowly. The others looked at him, awaiting whatever it was that he had to say. "You were right, Thunder. You were right."

Amaz's head flashed towards Thunder in surprise. Thunder himself looked more than confused. "Right with what?"

Shade was sure Thunder knew what he meant with that the first time around, Thunder simply did not believe him. "All this time, Thunder...you were right about her. Chrysalis..." He paused, closing his eyes and sighing briefly, "She lied. She tricked us."

Thunder began to realize what he was actually saying. Shade was finally, at last, admitting that he was right. Right about Chrysalis, right about the changelings, everything. He felt a weird sense of joy, even though this was surely not a topic to feel well about.

"You...you're serious? You're not just joking around, are you?" Asked Thunder, still in doubt of what he has heard.

"I'm afraid I am not joking. What I have heard and seen is very real. We don't have much time though, there-"

"I told you I was right!" Thunder yelled, his voice echoing throughout the nearby tunnels. "I told you! All this time! I knew of her evil plans all this damn time, only to have my best friend believe me to be insane or hallucinating!"

Shade felt, as he had expected, increasingly uncomfortable. What Thunder was saying was right, Shade couldn't deny that. He did think Thunder to be somewhat crazy back when they argued about Chrysalis being evil, he did indeed not have trust in his best and only friend. Shade felt a sense of dread. He had sworn to not let his past repeat itself, to not leave those who were close to him. Now though, he had to ask himself: Has he really done that? Didn't Thunder's words fall on deaf ears at first? Didn't Shade cause his best friend all this pain and sorrow, only to satisfy himself?

He wanted to cry, he really did. He felt like he had been lying to himself all this time. Shade knew they did not have the time for sadness though. A patrol would soon come by and spot them. He knew they might only have a few more minutes. He had to spend this time wisely.

Shade took a deep breath, releasing his stress as he breathed out. He focused back on the matter at hand. "You are right, just as I have said. And you are free to mock me for not believing you and you are free to hate me or whatever it is that you want...but now, we need to leave."

"Leave?" Amaz asked in a voice that sounded worried to Shade. He didn't notice that Amaz grabbed Thunder's left hoof with hers. She was worried.

Shade coughed awkwardly as he now looked at Amaz for the seemingly first time during their discussion. He did not expect Amaz to say much at all, really. He knew herself well enough to know that she was more of an introvert and not used to speaking up loud during discussions like this. Either way, he had to adress her.

"Yes. Leave. Chrysalis has lost any sense for reality it seems and has ordered the immediate execution of me and the others." Shade explained.

"The others?" Thunder asked, Shade's eyes switching back to him once more.

"The Princesses and a pair of changeling guards that deserted from the hive." He sighed deeply. "...Just as I did."

Shade was surprised when the two others reacted...rather discrete.

"You? You deserted the queen?" Asked Thunder in a mocking voice.

"I had to. The queen is out of control, has lost her sense for reality and reason. I served her because I thought it was for a better, peaceful Equestria. It seems that I was only a peasant in her grand game of chess though."

"But..." Amaz stuttered, "I-I don't understand. How could it come to all that? Why would she lie to us, her loyal children?"

"Well, you might be a children of hers. I, for one, am not, and neither is Thunder." Shade exclaimed in a rather strong voice.

Thunder scratched the back of his head awkwardly at Shade's exclamation. "Yeah...right."

"Fact is: Chrysalis' care for her 'children' is nowhere near as we thought. Beginning with me and the others, any changeling that shows signs of rebellion or disagreement is surely going to be promptly executed. I am sure of that."

Amaz looked terrified by what he was saying. "But...she couldn't..." She muttered in a weak voice.

"I'm afraid she can and already has done so. 2 changeling guards died fighting with us against her hordes of minions." He paused briefly, continuing in a bitter tone. "Their sacrifice will not be in vain."

As Amaz looked even more terrified and worried, Thunder began holding her close to comfort her. Shade, of course, saw this. He wanted to ask what the reason for that was, yet he had to hold back. They barely had any time left.

"I don't want to interrupt, but I am afraid we don't have much time left. There will be a patrol arriving here any second now, we simply must get moving."

The others looked at eachother briefly, then looked at Shade. "Get moving? Why? And where?"

"I have the suspicion that Chrysalis and her army is not only looking for us but also for you, Thunder. I was the one that pushed Chrysalis into having you become a changeling. She knows we are friends. If you don't flee now you will be held hostage by her, or...worse."

Shade looked at the faces of the two and, to his surprise, it seemed that Amaz was more worried than Thunder for some reason.

"And where would we go? You made me into this, I can't just go back to Canterlot now, can I?" Thunder barked.

Shade would have laughed if the situation wasn't this serious. "You forget you are a changeling, Thunder. We simply change our appearance to please the population. What we really do when we have arrived in Canterlot is a question for a later date, for now we will have to make our escape first."

Thunder opened his mouth, yet it shut a few moments later as he found himself defeated. He knew Shade was right, arguing with him would be no use anyways.

Amaz suddenly gasped as she pointed her right hoof towards a tunnel behind Shade who quickly turned around. They could hear voices and hoofsteps echoing through the tunnel, into the room. They had mere seconds now before the patrol would spot them.

"Quickly!" Shade ordered Thunder in a whispery voice. "Follow me!"

Thunder followed Shade into the tunnel he had come from initially. He quickly stopped though, as he realized he had left Amaz in the room. He ran back into the room, not paying any attention to Shade who told him to leave her be. When he arrived the voices had become clear as day already, telling Thunder they were very, very close.

"What are you waiting for? Quick!" He told Amaz as he stood in the entrance of the tunnel, waving his right hoof for Amaz to get in.

"I would only be a burden in your escape..." She said in her typical soft voice, a voice that still managed to touch Thunder's heart.

"Nonsense, come on! We need you!" Amaz looked up at him, a sad look on her almost broke his heart.

"What would you need me for? I'm only a dirty changeling, am I not?" She sighed as her head dropped.

Thunder knew they couldn't go on with arguing, it would get both of them captured or killed.

Thunder jumped out of the tunnel and walked up to Amaz. As he stood before her their eyes met, as they did many hours before.

"You may be a dirty changeling..." He said, grabbing both of her forehooves, "...But you're my dirty changeling."

Amaz smiled gently at hearing this. She was about to hug him as Thunder pulled her with him into the tunnel. They disappeared in the darkness of the tunnel just before the group of guards arrived.