(Disclaimer: I don't own MLP. I wanted to do something like this since Thorax first showed up, but everything seemed too hard or unnecessary. This one still feels like the latter, but it was fun, and that's the point I guess.)

Thorax flew through the forest, and away from the changeling hive, as fast as he could. This hadn't gone according to plan. He'd really hoped he could learn about friendship, and show the other changelings a better way to live. That first part had gone fine. He had Spike, and some ponies in the Crystal Empire. The second part, not so much.

He'd shown up, and for a second it actually seemed like it was working. When the guards stopped him at the entrance, one of them recognized him and wanted to know where he'd been. He'd tried to explain it to them, and it seemed like some of them were actually interested.

It hadn't lasted. For every guard that was interested, there was on that wasn't. They'd stared shouting at Thorax, it had had drawn attention, and well, he really hoped he could outfly the group coming after him. So far so good. They'd faded from sight, and the sounds of their wings were getting softer all the time. If he could just keep going, he could lose them.

Thorax looked behind him to see if they were still coming, and proceeded to bump into something and drop into the dirt. He looked up to see the thing he'd bumped into was an earth pony. The pony stared at him in shock for a moment, then it turned to anger.

"A changeling," he breathed.

Right, no one outside the Crystal Empire knew about him. "No, see I'm-" Thorax started.

The pony cut him off. "So, you found me at last huh?"

"What?"

The pony continued to ignore him and started getting louder. "Going to take me back? Force me to rejoin you? Or imprison me? Well you'll fail! I'm not going back to the hive!"

Thorax blinked at him a few times, and looked him over. He definitely looked like a pony, but there was something very familiar as well. He was black, or maybe dark gray, with a blue main, tail, and eyes. His cutie mark had a swirling green flame that looked suspiciously like the flame changelings erupted into when they changed. That's when the realization started sinking in. In retrospect, it was obvious.

The changeling blinked a few times, apparently as surprised as him. "You're not going to force me to come back?"

"No, I don't-" Thorax started. He stopped when he heard a familiar buzzing and turned around. The group of changelings, the ones that had been chasing him earlier, were coming. "Oh no. They're coming. They're going to find us."

It wouldn't be hard. It wasn't exactly like they were hiding. He started panicking.

"Not today!" the changeling next to him, who still looked like a pony, exclaimed. "Come on!"

The changelings jumped off the trail into the forest, and started tearing through it. Thorax had some doubts about this plan, but anything was better than sticking around here, and he'd be left behind if he didn't do something soon. Thorax ran after him.

The two dashed through the forest. Well, Thorax flew a few times. They were running out of places to run though. Thorax could just make out what looked like a cliff face through the trees.

The other changeling jumped into a nearby river. As they neared the cliff Thorax could see the river was actually flowing down the cliff from a small waterfall. The changeling jumped through, Thorax following. The changeling changed into a stalagmite. After looking around in a panic for a moment, and deciding there wasn't a better way to hide, Thorax did too.

Outside there was the sound of buzzing, but it was fading for the most part. One changeling that had been chasing Thorax managed to find her way into the cave and looked around, but apparently, she couldn't figure out where they were, because she flew back out.

The stranger changed back first, becoming his weird pony version of a changeling. He looked around.

"Well that was close," he said, chuckling to himself. He turned around, back to Thorax in disguise. "You can come out now."

Thorax changed back. "You're sure they're gone?" he asked uncertainly. "And you're not one of them?"

"What? No way! I left ages ago. I've never met another changeling who left the hive, but I suppose it's not surprise I'm not the only one." He looked thoughtful for a moment, only to focus back in on Thorax and smile. "My name's Nash by the way." He extended a hoof.

Thorax looked surprised for a moment. He didn't usually get this friendly treatment from ponies or changelings when they'd just met. Then he smiled gratefully.

"I'm Thorax."

"So, you're not with them either?" Nash checked. Thorax shook his head. He'd been running away. No way he'd been with them. "Not very good at getting away unnoticed are you?"

Thorax caught the implication. Nash thought this was the first time he'd escaped. "Oh no, I wasn't running away. Well, not originally. I'd already left. You see, I've found some pony friends. I was coming back to try and teach the other changelings about friendship."

"You were what?!" Nash shouted, eyes going wide.

Thorax jumped back like he'd attacked him. "I-I was trying to teach-"

"Yeah I got that," Nash said, waving a hoof. "Sorry. It's just . . . I'm not surprised it didn't work, if you know what I mean."

"I do," Thorax admitted, lowering his head. "But I said I would try. My friends. . ."

He stopped, tensed up slightly, and his eyes widened. His friends. He'd told everyone that he'd try to teach friendship to the other changelings. They'd expected him to, been counting on it, seemed happy at the idea. What would they think when he returned having failed?

"My friends . . . I said I'd . . . oh they're going to be so . . . upset."

"Whoa, they there. Calm down," Nash urged. He waved his hoof around before putting it on Thorax's shoulder. Well, Thorax was sort of calming down, but he was glad for the hoof on his shoulder. It helped him focus. "Your friends might be disappointed, yeah. But you did your best right?" Thorax nodded. "Well then, they're not going to hold it against you." He paused, as he seemed to think of something else. "If they are, they're not very good friends."

"Oh no, they're good friends," Thorax said.

He was still living in the Crystal Empire's palace. Maybe the ponies had been a little leery at first, but things were getting better. He spent time with all sorts of ponies in the palace. They never batted and eye, and frequently taught him about what they did. He also spent time with Flurry Heart. That was always fun.

"They even asked if I was ready to leave before I went here," Thorax added as he thought of it.

In all the excitement, he'd kind of forgotten about that.

Nash smiled. "Well then, you should have no problem. And if nothing else, you made on new friend."

"Really?" Thorax asked, perking up. "We're friends?"

"Yeah, of course," Nash confirmed.

He'd tried to say it nonchalantly, but at those words, Thorax lunged forward slightly, tongue lashing out. Nash took a surprised step back. Thorax quickly reeled away, putting his hooves over his mouth.

"Sorry," he instantly apologized. "Sorry, that ha-"

He stopped. Nash was laughing. Actually giving a sincerely amused laugh, really hard with his eyes closed.

"What's so funny?" Thorax asked.

"Sorry," Nash said. "I just, I remember I used to do that. I didn't know it would happen that first time and I transformed in front of a bunch of ponies. Had to leave pretty fast after that. Then I did it in front of my friend Millennium. It's, actually how he found out I was a changeling. But, you'll lose the habit."

Thorax didn't follow everything Nash said, he didn't know enough about him. But he caught that last sentence.

"Wait. You mean I'll stop doing . . . that?"

Nash nodded. "Yeah. You get used to kindness or something."

"Oh that's great!" Thorax exclaimed.

He'd been trying to break the habit. It still made ponies uncomfortable, but it was hard to control. Now that he thought about it though, he supposed he hadn't been lashing out as much as before.

"Thank you so, so much!" Thorax beamed, his wings fluttering rapidly.

"It's nothing," Nash said, ducking his head and looking kind of embarrassed. "I just told you something that was going to happen anyway."

"Now I know though," Thorax said. "That's a relief."

Nash smiled and laughed slightly. "Well, I suppose I should get going."

"Oh yeah. I should get back to-" Thorax stopped. He wasn't sure if he wanted to say 'the Crystal Empire'. It could lead to a very long explanation if Nash questioned it. "I should get back to my friends."

"Not still worried?"

Thorax shook his head. "Not anymore."

"Then let's go," Nash said.

The two of them walked back out of the cave and through the first. They were both still a little jump at the sound of movements, just in case one of the changelings had stuck around, but none had. The steadily relaxed. Thorax even asked why Nash kept looking like a pony. Apparently he didn't like his changeling voice, it was kind of where he'd gotten the name 'Nash'.

When they reached the path again, the two waved hooves and headed off in opposite directions. It had been a long day, and Thorax was tired. He just wanted to get back to the Crystal Empire, and probably never go back to the changeling hive ever again.

Well, Thorax thought, smiling again, it wasn't exactly a waste.