The midday sun offered a tepid sensation, complimented by a cool northern breeze. It was something a little purple dragon felt for himself as he treaded the vibrant grass of Equestria's rolling hills.

Today was a day he'd anticipated all week, ever since Twilight had relayed the other princess's plans to him. Today was the day Equestria was to check up with the still-rebuilding Changeling Kingdom and lay the possible groundwork for friendly relations.

But politics were merely a side quest for the young dragon. More importantly, today was the day he'd finally get to see his changeling friend again. As exciting as Twilight made pen pals out to be, chatting via scroll had gone out of style for him a long time ago, no thanks to Twilight.

"Spike," came a voice by the dragon's side, knocking him from his thoughts.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Spike replied with newly rapt attention.

"I'm very thankful for your assistance today, Spike," the soft voice continued. "My sister would have seen to an entire squad of guards accompanying me today, but I much prefer the company of a good friend."

The same sunlight that warmed Spike's scales filtered a rainbow of color through the ethereal mane of Princess Celestia. Even in casual stride on a nameless hillside, so far outside her element, the sun monarch still managed to stand regal and dignified. With Spike jogging along in hoof, the alicorn carefully navigated through thickets of brush and trees, her golden aura acting like a thousand hooves to mold a path before them.

"Oh, it's nothing, princess," Spike replied with pep. "You know me, always happy to help. Besides, I haven't seen Thorax since Starlight helped him defeat the evil queen. I can't wait to see him! I bet he's already doing a great job as the new changeling king."

Celestia nodded, a warm smile surfacing to the dragon's earnest.

"Now, how could I forget how close you are with Thorax?" she chuckled. "Twilight told me of the events in the Crystal Empire in great detail. Standing up for a friend, even when faced with animosity for it took a great deal of courage, and no lack of loyalty."

Pushing past the last of the thickets, a landscape of lush greenery opened before them, and Celestia's magic dispersed. Once a crater containing a wasteland of sand and hot, jagged stones was now a series of blossoming hills full of fresh grass and newly-rooted trees. Rising from the oasis center was a stone structure, its familiar holes now sprouting with vines.

Spike squinted through the sunlight. Tiny objects circled the crown of the hive's highest peak, which touched the sky with a commanding presence. Though their steady orbits were mechanical, the specks cast a personality all their own. They were zestful, carefree.

Spike borrowed his company's smile.

"You know, Equestria has a lot to be thankful to you for, Spike," Celestia pointed out, a flick of her eyes conjuring a stairway of golden magic. Shimmering in the light, it descended the treacherous cliff face and touched down by a particularly cozy-looking berry bush. Graciously gesturing her hoof, the alicorn followed after the young dragon as he began to hop from step to step.

"Your act of kindness towards a lone straggler put in motion events that have lead to a new age for changeling-kind. With that comes the chance for peace between ponies and changelings—something that has never happened before."

"Well...I guess that's true," Spike mumbled, rubbing a claw along his spines. "Thorax was just so alone, and I couldn't let him continue like that. All he wanted was a friend, and nopony truly evil could ever want that, you know?"

"You're wise for your age, Spike," Celestia said, eyeing the small dots zipping around the structure like dust caught in a breeze. "You've always had a pure heart, and more than anything else, that trait has brought you many friends and allies from across Equestria and beyond."

"Oh, it's not that remarkable, princess," Spike deflected, climbing over a rock. "I just do my best to be friendly and kind to ponies I meet. I'm sure anypony else would have done the same thing."

Close enough were they now to see a small group of changelings waiting for them at the foot of the hive, their chitinous faces warm and welcoming. A few younger bug ponies had taken to the air above their elders, enthusiastically flailing their hooves in what Celestia could only imagine was a greeting. The nymphs catapulted over each other in rapid succession, competing to get a better view of the strange and fascinating creatures approaching them.

The monarch's smile brightened. She could not help sharing their wonder. The flourishing hive was a sight she never thought she'd live to see from the former minions of Chrysalis.

"A pure and compassionate heart is a gift, Spike," Celestia commented. "It is a beautiful power that Equestria will always have a need for."

Once lit with hanging cocoon prisons, the throne room was now an open, illuminated space, the vast sky overhead its only ceiling. The walls split off into multiple hallways, with lamps built from luminescent cocoon slime lining the corridors. In contrast to the dark throne that had once jutted up from the floor, now a small, modest throne sat, surrounded by a shelf of communal space.

It was here that Thorax had laid himself down, enjoying the rays of sun blanketing his shell. By his sides, a handful of changelings were curled, some fast asleep, others relaxing and lightly chatting among themselves.

Thorax drew breath, and his eyes grew heavy upon the exhale. Never had he felt so at peace within the walls of the hive, stained with memories of friction and anxiety. It was not so long ago that he'd fled from his kind, leaving his hive behind to pursue a foolish dream of love and friendship. Not so long ago that he'd worried he'd succumb to the Frozen North, friendless and alone.

Thorax gazed to his hooves, to a blue changeling utilizing them as a pillow. He gazed around the room, to the assortment of content, resting changelings. The brighter reality of today surrounded him, and once again, it politely shook his mind of lingering doubts.

No longer did he suffer that hopeful dream. No longer did he feel alone.

The drone resting with him shivered, and it tugged a grin from the alpha changeling. Was it the sun warming his underbelly? Was it the satisfaction of having taken in his fill of love magic? Perhaps it was both.

As if sensing his gaze, the changeling tilted his head back and peered skywards. Violet orbs locked with deep azure, and the bug pony twitched his ears to the loving expression eclipsing the sun.

"...is everything okay, Thorax?" the drone asked curiously.

"Everything is perfect, Calor," Thorax replied. "I'm just excited about how well the re-construction has been going. Everyling is doing a great job, and I'm so happy I can help you all rest like this."

Calor reflected the smile, standing to his hooves and stretching his wings of fatigue. Running with the signal, Thorax gently began to wake the other drones encircling him with his hoof.

Time had truly flown by. The sun's position had noticeably shifted, yet he'd only just laid down with the drones. Or, so he thought, anyway. Granted, he was still suffering a bit of a blissful ignorance whenever he took to rest with changelings.

"Tarsus, could you and the others take over the work being done on the left portion of hallway X?" Thorax asked, turning his attention to a drone by his side. "Please let the squad there know that they should rest for a while, and that I'm still stationed here should they like to regain some energy."

Tarsus fluttered his wings and took to the air, watching a few other drones yawn and peer around in a haze of confusion before doing the same.

"Of course. Thank you, Thorax," Tarsus said with a nod of his head, signaling the others to follow his lead. "I appreciate your help, as always."

"Yeah, thanks, Thorax! I feel great!" chirped Calor, making a few mid-air loops to demonstrate his point.

"Who knew being lazy together could be so filling?" a third pondered aloud, her voice fading off as the group headed through an onyx doorway.

Thorax stared after them. It was surreal how much had changed so quickly. He had undergone a drastic metamorphosis, replaced Chrysalis as the hive's leader, and was now helping the changelings rebuild the hive into something they could all enjoy. But even more than status and appearance, Thorax felt joy from simply being among his kind, again. No longer was he condemned to separate himself from other changelings for being different. No longer did he feel out of place.

He could talk with changelings, joke with changelings, even embrace changelings, and be met with acceptance, not disdain. It was no wonder he often aired caution to the idea of a lucid dream.

The monarch's thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt as the throne room's doors burst open.

"Thorax!" came the voice of a red and yellow guard drone, fluttering into the room and saluting his king. "Her Majesty, Princess Celestia, and Spike from Ponyville are here to see you."

Thorax's lofty expression flipped to one of rising excitement. The princess he had been expecting, but Spike visiting was news to him.

"Oh, please send them in!" Thorax commanded, promptly fluttering from his sat position and perching himself on his throne. Though not fond of them, politics brought out his formal side. He was a new leader in Equestria's eyes, and he wanted to make a good impression.

The fluttering drone vanished beyond the doorway and was shortly thereafter replaced by a pair of telling shadows.

"Thorax, what a pleasure it is to see you again," came the soft and soothing voice of Celestia. Like a goddess, she strolled into the room, mane shimmering in the overhead light. Following her was Spike, who, after maneuvering around Celestia's flowing mane, caught sight of Thorax and released a pent up grin.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Thorax assured, raising a hoof and beckoning his guests to join him. "I hope your journey went well."

"Oh yes, it went just fine, thank you," Celestia replied, stepping towards the throne and settling herself on the stone floor. "We quite enjoyed the sights and sounds of nature that surround the hive, now."

"Thorax!" came the excited voice of a certain young dragon. Before Thorax knew it, two small claws had firmly wrapped themselves around his foreleg. With nymph-like energy, Thorax assailed a hoof across Spike's head and chuckled.

"Hey, Spike! It's good to see you again," Thorax said jovially. "How are things going? Have there been any more adventures by 'Spike the Brave and Glorious' that I should know about?"

"Well, nothing major so far, but give it time," Spike replied, lazily flopping down by Thorax's throne. "Though, you should probably know that ever since Chrysalis's defeat, Twilight's been obsessed with establishing new changeling records for Equestria. She's bugged Starlight a lot, but of course, she only knows so much. Now she's taken to sending you letters, but I told her you were a bit busy for that right now."

The monarch laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, we've been so busy here lately," Thorax admitted. "To be honest, I did get a few of Twilight's letters, but I haven't gotten around to responding just yet. I want to, but...the construction has been constant, and it takes up most of my time just helping the other changelings."

"Oh, don't worry about Twilight; she won't take it personally," Spike dismissed, relaxing his head against the cool stone outcropping. "She's just Twilighting right now. She sort of woke up from a cocoon and found out an entire species had changed completely without her knowing. She'll calm down. You know, eventually."

Celestia giggled from her spot on the floor.

"Well, that's a relief," Thorax breathed. "I'm really excited to exchange information with her—we've all been discovering new things about ourselves, lately. I guess that's what happens when you transform and change your means of getting your food, though."

Thorax turned his attention again to the esteemed co-monarch of Equestria. She had crossed her hooves, pacing herself in observing the layout of the newly-established throne room. With every glance, Thorax could tell the princess wasn't so much observing the walls and architecture of his hive as much as she was enjoying the atmosphere itself.

Even an emotionally-stunted creature could feel the difference between Chrysalis's hive and this one. For an alicorn as old as her, it must be a remarkable feeling indeed.

"Princess Celestia," Thorax began, "I want to thank you again for taking the time to journey out here to see me. I know you must be very busy."

Celestia's magenta eyes turned to fixate on him. Her ever-present, subtle smile never ceased to make Thorax smile as well.

"Think nothing of it, Thorax," she assured in a gentle tone. "Equestria has the unique position of having four fairly autonomous figureheads. I would never ask a solo monarch to journey just for the sake of my own convenience. I may be your guest here today, but in the grand scheme of things, I wish to do everything in my power to ensure you and your subjects feel comfortable and confident with myself and mine."

"Thank you, princess...that's really considerate of you," Thorax replied, his look practically glowing. "I'm just as excited as I'm sure you are to develop our relationship from here on out. I'm confident ponies and changelings can become good allies, as well as friends. We're not so different, really."

"Thorax, we finished the work on the southern end of hallway X!"

The small summit of friends turned their attention to a corridor adjacent to the throne room's front doors. A group of drones emerged from it looking rather ragged, but proud nonetheless. At the forefront, the speaker came to a dead halt upon spotting the Equestrian Princess engaging with his king, his grin retreating to a toothy grimace. With an embarrassed blush, the green and yellow drone lowered his altitude, his ears flattening.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry, Thorax, and, uh, Your Majesty," he stuttered out. "I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting. I-I forgot that was today."

"Don't worry about it, Tibia," Thorax replied, disarming the bug pony with a look. "That's wonderful news. What's the squad I sent to take over your work, working on now?"

"They're beginning work on hallway Y's corridor connection between X and Z," the changeling known as Tibia replied, already regaining some composure. The other changelings came to silent landings on the stone floor by him but maintained their positions near the hallway, as if unsure whether they should stay or leave.

"Perfect, the southern end of the hive will be finished by tomorrow at this rate," Thorax surmised. "Thank you again, Tibia. Your squad is doing great work today."

"Thanks, Thorax," Tibia murmured, rubbing one leg with the other. Being singled out and given praise in front of the foreign sun monarch had his belly convulsing in squirms.

"Thorax," came the voice of another drone. Crimson eyes peered around the curvature of Tibia's flank. "Are we interrupting? Would you like us to leave?"

"Oh no, no, of course not," Thorax stammered, rising from his throne with purpose and venturing to the floor. "You all deserve to rest now, so please don't let us stop you. Actually, you know what? This is perfect timing."

Thorax shifted his gaze to his guests. "Princess Celestia, Spike, let me show you something."

With a wave of his hoof, the bug monarch beckoned his drones to join him as he laid down against the floor. Though still timid in the presence of a ruler of Equestria, the changelings obliged, some trotting and some fluttering over to join their leader. Thorax let off a sigh, and he assumed the position he had held earlier, eyeing the bug ponies now surrounding him. When they looked to him for permission, he gave a subtle nod.

"As you both already know, changelings feed on love," Thorax began, as changelings began to settle themselves down on the floor. "That much hasn't changed, per se—we still need love to survive, long-term. The thing is, we never realized we were able to sustain ourselves through friendship and romance, or rather, the feelings of compassion we mutually feel for other creatures."

As drones began to settle, their individual preferences became apparent. While some nested nearby, holding a modest distance, others pressed themselves into loaves against Thorax's sides with earnest. The air sang with the pleasant chirps of wings rubbing carapace.

"After we transformed, we discovered something else," Thorax continued, looking around at his newly-assembled nest. He rested a hoof on the head of a young changeling flopped in front of his chest, and the bug thrummed incessantly. "While long-term relationships sustain us from hunger, physical acts of affection, and resting together rejuvenates our bodies rapidly of fatigue in the present."

"That is...super cute, and that's coming from me," Spike chuckled, dropping down by Celestia's side. "Twilight is gonna go ballistic when I tell her about this."

Celestia cast an enchanting smile. She met each pair of colorful eyes that watched her with such curiosity.

"Truly remarkable. I'm curious, how did you all come upon this discovery?" the sun matriarch inquired.

"About a week ago, a changeling that I know was working on the exterior of the upper hive," came a changeling laid against Thorax's left side. "It was freezing that night, so when he came back in shivering, I offered to share my bed burrow with him. I turned into a huge, fluffy dog, and that helped him warm up. After a short while, we both felt so much more alert and full of energy than before. We tested it with other changelings we knew, and it happened every time."

"It works whether you're awake or asleep, but it works best when you do it with other changelings you know well because the magic is stronger if there's a pre-existing relationship." The speaker, a tangerine drone, flattened his face against Thorax's purple shell. "Thorax really cares about everyling, and we're all thankful for everything he's done, so it's effortless when he's around."

Thorax suffered an awkward smile when the changeling looked up to him.

"The one time I didn't bring a note-taking scroll with me," Spike muttered to himself, pricking fingers along his forehead. "Twilight's gonna go ballistic, alright. She's gonna kill me for not being prepared."

"It's quite alright, Spike," Celestia said with a giggle, "I'll keep a record of this myself and relay it to Twilight. I imagine Princess Cadance, in-particular, will also find this news fascinating. Love magic has always been her specialty."

"We've already come a long way from what our kind defined as absolute for so long," Thorax stated thoughtfully, chuckling to the feeling of a body pillowing his flank. "It makes me curious about what else we'll discover, and all the things we can accomplish now that we're more self-sufficient."

There was a moment of silence. A few changelings shifted their positions, and Celestia, after glancing at Spike, locked eyes with Thorax.

"Thorax, I believe now is a good time to bring up what I'd like to discuss with you today."

"Oh absolutely, I'm all ears," Thorax replied.

"Regarding our respective kingdoms, I believe the best approach for improving our relationship past a political level is to integrate your subjects into events and gatherings in Equestria slowly," the princess explained, her patient voice never once waning. "Regardless of how promising our relationship may be looking towards the future, Chrysalis's reign was a long and cruel one, which left many scars upon both Equestria and its inhabitants."

Thorax nodded while his clutch of changelings remained silent. Some paid attention to the princess, their ears perking at the mention of their former leader's name, while others tuned her out, deciding instead to pursue sleep while they could.

"By introducing changelings little by little, I believe the fear and stigma many of my subjects feel towards yours may slowly ease to a point where changelings may freely roam Equestria as they please, with no panic from its other inhabitants."

Thorax's attention broke to something softer.

"That's just the kind of wisdom I'd always imagined a princess of Equestria would have," he followed up. "I agree. Taking small steps is definitely the way I want to approach this, as well. We can't change the damage done, but we can begin to soothe the fear that the aftermath left."

"Which brings me to my exciting announcement for you, today," the sun princess replied, cracks of elation shining through her calm, political exterior. "Because you played such a crucial role in the triumph over Queen Chrysalis, I would like to cordially invite you to a special dinner at Princess Twilight's castle in Ponyville, in the upcoming week. My sister and I wish to grant Discord, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie Lulamoon, and yourself with the Equestrian Pink Hearts of Courage for your bravery and resolve in saving all of Equestria."

At a loss for words, Thorax gaped stupidly. Several changelings grinned and prodded his sides in a congratulatory manner.

"Naturally, if any of your subjects feel comfortable in going, they are more than welcome to join you," Celestia continued. "All attendees have been briefed of your possible attendance, which includes changelings other than yourself. Of course, there are no obligations."

"W-wow, that's amazing, Princess Celestia. I'd be totally honored!" Thorax replied, initial shock and surprise subduing to glee. "I'll definitely attend. And yeah, I'll talk with the changelings to see if any of them feel comfortable in going. Some of them feel out of place and nervous, as I first did, and need time to grow comfortable with the idea of opening up and mingling, but I know others wouldn't mind. For now, I'll go on a volunteer basis."

Celestia nodded. "Perfectly natural. I hold no expectations on the time it will take our subjects to grow comfortable with one another. I simply wish to leave out a warm welcome for when they are ready. Many wonderful events can be attended by anyone in Equestria and beyond, given an adequate invitation. You need only let me or Princess Twilight know in advance if you require any assistance with attending any Equestrian events."

Celestia's attention turned to Spike.

"Thanks to Spike, you are already welcomed with open arms within the Crystal Empire," she pointed out. "I recommend you keep in touch with Princess Cadance as well, Thorax. I believe coordinating with her, and the crystal ponies would prove beneficial as an initial step for your subjects, as well."

"I bet Cadance and Shining Armor would love to have you and the changelings visit them!" Spike chimed in. "Other ponies in Equestria would probably start to open up too, once they see Princess Cadance accepting you in her own kingdom."

"That's exactly right, Spike," Celestia praised. "Having already accepted Thorax, the Crystal Empire should have few qualms about giving his subjects a chance, and we have you to thank for establishing that connection."

"This all sounds wonderful. I'd love to keep in touch with all of the princesses throughout this process, actually," Thorax thought aloud, starting to playfully rub the head of the unsuspecting changeling laying below his chest. The drone jolted in surprise, immediately taking evasive action to try and avoid the alpha changeling's assaulting hoof. "I'm sure Twilight and Cadance will have great ideas and advice on how to proceed next."

While a few changelings watched the absent-minded play between Thorax and their friend with benign amusement, Celestia rose from her spot on the floor with an air of contentment.

"I will be sending you a scroll as soon as I've addressed my subjects regarding your crowning, Thorax. The scroll will also include the dinner date and a list of Equestrian events that your subjects may find of interest in the future," the sun princess said warmly. "In the meantime, I suggest you contact Princess Cadance and see what her thoughts are. I am confident she would be delighted to work with you on forging a relationship between the changelings and the crystal ponies."

Thorax could sense the political discussions coming to an end. He ventured to stand, to join the alicorn and his dragon friend, but five fast-asleep changelings had swiftly turned him into little more than a large pillow, and he couldn't deprive them of the sleep they had just obtained. Instead, he cast Celestia a beaming look.

"I look forward to hearing from you, princess," he said, his volume noticeably restrained. "Thank you so much for your time. Being a new king doesn't feel nearly as frightening, knowing I have such kind allies ready to offer me help."

The sun princess took a few steps forward and looked upon the precious scene before her once more. The changeling monarch had been surrounded by colorful puzzle pieces, perfectly tucked into various shapes around his body. Beyond them was an even larger amount of drones, content with simply relaxing nearby their king. Many of them gazed at the towering alicorn with a child-like wonder, their colorful compound eyes hypnotizing.

"I've lived for several millennia, Thorax, and in that time, I have never had the pleasure to stand within a changeling hive and discuss a future relationship between our kingdoms," Celestia said, her voice equally lowered. "The compassion you have for your subjects, as well as other creatures, is truly unparalleled. More than any monarch I've had relations with, I can tell you will be a loved king indeed."

The young changeling could feel his composure melt away before the princess's watchful gaze. With great difficulty, Thorax fought back the tears from the corners of his eyes, his lip quivering as he spoke.

"T-thank you, Princess Celestia," he managed out. "That means so much coming from you."

"...is something wrong, Thorax?"

Thorax's attention was drawn to the drones by his sides. As if by a silent alarm, they were waking up, one by one, some of them already sitting up straight and scanning his face carefully. Looks of puzzlement, of concern, even slight irritation of having woken so abruptly sprouted among them.

"I-I'm fine," Thorax replied, fighting to regain his composure for their sake. "W-why did you all wake up so suddenly? There's no way you guys all had bad dreams at the same time...right?"

"I had a great dream, actually," one drone replied.

"I dunno, I just woke up to you crying," pitched in another, cocking an eyebrow. "That's a little unnerving to wake up to, by the way."

Thorax chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, I suppose it is, isn't it?" he said, rubbing his head. "Sorry to worry you all, like that. Try to go back to sleep, okay? If you guys don't get enough rest before your next shift because of me, I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself."

Spike, who had kept rather quiet for most of the ending semantics, was now watching the changelings with heightened curiosity.

"Hey, princess...what do you think just happened?" the purple dragon asked, just loud enough for Celestia to hear.

"I believe Thorax and his subjects are continuing to discover the role love plays in their lives," she replied, the radiant smile she'd been wearing since they stepped foot in the hive still going strong. "Thorax spoke of how physical connection amplifies the relationships, the love that they share. Perhaps even drastic changes in emotional state can affect this unique connection."

"Twilight's gonna eat me alive," Spike mumbled, burying himself in his claws. "She'll be like, 'Spike, what were you thinking not bringing your note-taking supplies on a trip like this!?', and I'll be all, 'Oh, sorry Twilight, I was excited to see my best friend Thorax again, and kinda forgot that I needed to take notes on changeling eating habits.'"

Spike felt a gentle, soft hoof place itself on his head. It caressed just behind his first curvature of spines.

"Come on, Spike," Celestia said softly. "I think it's time we leave them be for now."

"Wait, we're leaving?" Spike fumbled, blooming from his spot and assailing the princess with pleading eyes. "But, I've hardly gotten any time to hang out with Thorax! I mean, we just got here!"

"There will be time for that, Spike. However, for now, it appears your friend is very busy. I think we've taken up enough of his attention for today."

The dragon crossed his arms and shot the sun monarch a skeptical look. It was a look Celestia was all too familiar with, and one she could only giggle at. If only the young dragon had a flowing blue mane to go with it.

"Why don't we return to Equestria for now, Spike, and we can have Twilight promise to make a follow-up trip very soon," Celestia offered. "As you've so aptly put, I'm sure she'll be very eager to make her own return to the Changeling Kingdom as soon as she can spare the time."

"Yeah, where she'll bug Thorax the entire time with a checklist of questions," Spike muttered, watching as Celestia turned her attention to the changeling king one final time.

"Thorax, you and your subjects appear to be doing remarkably well. I wish to leave you to work on your hive, for now," she explained. "We now have a solid basis for a plan, and I will relay it to the other princesses. You may contact Princess Cadance when you feel the time is right, and in the meantime, please await my scroll by this time next week."

"That sounds perfect. I'll contact Princess Cadance as soon as the hive has been completed, which should just be another week or so," Thorax replied, feeling one of his subjects climb atop his back, much to the amusement of the other drones. Within minutes they had abandoned their timid and cautious attitudes in favor of regular shenanigans, even around the foreign monarch. The young king felt an innate pride in it.

"Seeya, Thorax!" Spike called, waving a claw and following the princess's lead towards the large throne room doors. "Sorry we couldn't hang out much this time, but I'm gonna come back with Twilight really soon, okay? We'll hang out then! I've got a really awesome game that I wanna show you!"

"That sounds great, Spike! Please tell Twilight and the others that I send my regards!"

The sun princess and young dragon departed the hive throne room with waving hooves and smiling faces, leaving Thorax and the changelings behind. As soon as the doors closed behind their guests, Thorax felt the drone perched on his back stand up, resting his upper legs and head between Thorax's rigid antlers.

"Thorax, do you really think we can be friends with Equestrians after everything that's happened?" the drone inquired.

Thorax could barely make out the drone's ears and snout in his upper peripheral.

"I know we can," he stated with a smile. "This isn't Chrysalis's kingdom anymore; it's ours. The races of Equestria have gotten to where they are today through coming together, and we'll do the same."

Thorax swept a glance about the room, at the various bug ponies staring back. His subjects, yes, but also the friends he had once wished so much he could have. Now it was up to him to guide and protect them, to love them and lead them.

The future was uncertain, and it caused him anxiety, but no longer was he alone. No longer was he an outcast, left in the tundra. He was a part of the hive, and the hive would face that future, together.

"So, princess," Spike began, flicking brambles from his shoulder upon stepping from a dense perimeter of the forest. "Will you be there to clean up my remains after Twilight blasts me to smithereens for forgetting to take notes about changeling hugs?"

Celestia giggled to herself, giving the dragon a modest look.

"Come now, Spike, give Twilight a little more credit than that," she said. "She's come a long way from the...enthusiastic pony she used to be while she was my faithful student."

"Yeah, she's changed a lot in some ways," Spike admitted. His expression soured immediately. "Though in other ways, she's still kinda obsessive. She's had two separate book-sort-cations within the last month, alone. If you ask me, princess, I think being cooped up in that castle and not getting to go on friendship missions is messing with her head."

"As I said, I will relay all of what we learned today to Twilight, myself," Celestia replied. "I will even make sure she has a return visit in place between the two of you before I leave for Canterlot. I know how much it means for you to spend time with your friend, and I'm sure it will be a priority for Twilight, as well."

His expression salvaged, and Spike put his claws together below his tummy.

"Aww, thanks, Princess Celestia."

"You are very welcome, Spike."

A few moments of silence passed while the two walked towards the setting sun on Equestria's horizon.

"By the way, Spike, I'm rather curious," Celestia said suddenly.

"About what?"

"What's a...'book-sort-cation'?"

Spike felt his breath breach the gaps between his claws. "Well, look at it this way, Spike old boy. On the plus side, she's not mad about those notes."

With the enthusiasm of a newborn foal, Twilight Sparkle trotted around her library, venturing from bookshelf to bookshelf and whisking books out in magenta auras of magic. In no time at all, two stacks of levitating books followed the young princess wherever she went, and were growing taller by the minute.

"Twilight, are you sure all of those are gonna be necessary?" Spike asked skeptically, putting together a small, modest backpack at the central reading table.

Twilight halted her collecting spree just long enough to shoot the dragon an incredulous look. What a ridiculous question to ask.

"Of course, Spike," she replied, examining another floating book when it pined for her attention. "We're going to be visiting the changelings today, and unlike Princess Celestia, I plan on being there a while."

Spike cocked a brow. The book horse's prances became overly-excited gallops, and the animated stacks of literature threatened to spawn a third.

"Princess Celestia covered the basics of the plan regarding ponies and changelings looking forward, and that was almost a week ago," Twilight narrated, her voice echoing around the library as she moved from spot to spot. "But what's really exciting is that she wants me to be the one to work with Thorax on some initial friendship behaviors and plans!"

"You mean as opposed to Starlight doing it, like in your little fantasy?" Spike quipped, trailing the alicorn with his gaze. "When you put it that way, I guess it does make sense. Geeking out over changelings is probably better than smacking them with a giant flyswatter."

"Oh, ha ha ha," Twilight mused with deadpan. Her echo preceded a scrutinizing stare around the corner of a bookcase. "I swear, I'll be an old mare by the time you let me forget about that one. Oh, and naturally, we'll also be there today to document all the new knowledge there is to know regarding changelings and their culture!"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Naturally, though, I'm pretty sure that part is more you than it is Celestia's orders."

"Oh, Spike, I'm so excited!" Twilight exclaimed, far too giddy to pay attention to dragon sarcasm. "I hardly had any time at all to interact with the changelings when Queen Chrysalis was defeated, or at the dinner, but we have the entire day to spend with them, now! The things we're going to learn!"

Having finished his backpack, Spike hopped from the wooden stool he had been standing on and made progress towards the library doors.

"As long as you don't take up all of Thorax's time while we're there, then I'm both happy and onboard for learning new things," he declared. "I learned a lot in the short time Princess Celestia and I were there, and I bet there's a whole lot more even still."

"Exactly, Spike, think of the possibilities!" Twilight replied with earnest, dotting her sentence by dropping two and a half stacks of journals and reference books on the central desk with a resounding thud. "The changelings have been hostile for so long, we know as much about their culture as we did the dragons', before Princess Ember rising to power! And the entire changeling culture just went through a drastic change, to boot! I bet I can fill three books, easy!"

"Just make sure you give Thorax a little breathing space, Twilight," came a familiar voice from the hallway doors. "He doesn't seem to work well under pressure. When things got hairy for us, he looked like he needed a paper bag to keep himself from hyperventilating."

Twilight turned her attention to the front of the library, where a light purple unicorn now stood, eyeing her with knowing amusement.

"Oh, Starlight! I'm glad you're here!" Twilight exclaimed, a bright light flaring from her horn. All at once, the stacks of parchment and paper vanished, replaced by two unassuming saddle packs.

"I love this spell!" Twilight squealed with glee, clapping her front hooves together. "I sure wish I knew this 'bottomless bag' trick back in magic school."

Weathering a sigh, Starlight walked to the central table. The unicorn's eyes synced with Spikes' in the observation of afternoon Twilighting.

"...she didn't register a thing I said, did she?"

"Nope, she's in the zone. Just ride the wave. She'll snap out of it eventually."

"Starlight, not that I'm worried, but are you sure you'll be okay watching after the castle?" Twilight asked abruptly, trotting over to the pair with her saddlebags now in place. The tense lip was one thing, but the concern lacing her voice was a dead giveaway. "Spike and I will be gone at least a couple of days, and you'll be by yourself unless you have Trixie over. Well, if the map calls some of our friends somewhere, then I suppose you might see them briefly, as well."

"Come on, Twilight, it's not like I haven't watched over the castle for you several times before," Starlight said with a chuckle.

"I know, it's just that this may be the longest you've had to look after the castle before," Twilight explained, leading the way from the library and down the lavish castle corridors. "Depending on how in-depth discussions go and what Thorax could use help with, we may be gone even longer than I'm expecting."

A magenta storm forced open the castle doors, and Twilight trotted out into the warm, sunny afternoon. Her friends followed her down the castle's front steps, and together they convened on the modest dirt road leading to Ponyville.

Out from her saddlebags, Twilight levitated a rolled-up scroll, turning to Starlight with her full attention.

"Alright, Starlight. This is a list of everything we have to eat in the castle. I've done some reorganizing of the food storage areas since the last time you looked after the castle, so if you can't find something, all you have to do is refer to this list and-"

A hoof pressed itself over Twilight's mouth. A teal aura gently took the scroll from her, and she watched it float by her protege's equally charming smirk.

"Honestly, Twilight, I can handle it. You and Spike should really get going, though, if you want to have plenty of time to talk with Thorax. I'll hold down the Fortress of Friendship for you. In return, say hey to Thorax for me, will you?"

Her motherly anxieties arrested, Twilight nodded. She employed a comforting smile she so often used on the unicorn.

"I will. And, you're right. I'm sure you'll have a relaxing time while we're gone. If you need anything, our friends are right around the corner...you know, proverbially."

Twilight turned to face the south-west winds, squinting through her chilled lenses to the distant horizon. Her former excitement reclaimed her. Her thirst for knowledge and her readiness to assist a friendly ally was now an all-consuming purpose.

"Ready, Spike?" she called, more rhetoric than affirmation. Spreading her wings, she glanced at the young dragon.

"Born ready, Twilight!"

Spike climbed atop Twilight's back, and the two took to the air. A flock of butterflies in his belly signaled their ascent, and the castle dropped from view. As clouds engulfed them, the distant visage of Equestria expanded from over the mountain tops. Spike glanced back to find Starlight a mere speck on the ground, waving a hoof from the castle's front steps.

"So, Twilight, what are the chances we can actually start calling the castle, 'The Fortress of Friendship'?"

Spike wore a goofy, hopeful look. Twilight shook her head.

"...not a chance, Spike."

"Tarsus, can I ask you a strange question?"

With a flick of his ears, a teal changeling turned once again from his work. A few feet away, a green drone gave him a sheepish look.

"I suppose, as long as you're still doing your part over there," Tarsus replied with snark, fluttering upwards to smooth out a section of wall. "If your mouth keeps moving faster than your hooves, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

Nearly a week had passed since the sun monarch had visited the hive. With the southern side's interior now complete, all that remained was a few watchtowers on the exterior of the hive's up-most crown. While Thorax had pushed for them to take it easy, the drones wouldn't have it. The satisfaction of completion was within reach.

"Do you think Thorax cries a lot?" Tibia asked.

"...you're right, that is a strange question," Tarsus stated flatly, instigating an annoyed look but ignoring it. "Well, yeah, I guess he does. I mean, I guess he does when compared to most other changelings. Literally all the time, always, compared to Chrysalis. Why are you asking?"

"Last week, when the sun princess was here, Thorax invited my squad and I to rest with him," Tibia explained, moving on to another section of railing. He flipped himself upside-down in mid-air, giving a little variety to the redundant work. "But then we all woke up to him crying. He didn't really tell us why, but he seemed okay, I guess. He wasn't hurt or anything. I just can't stop thinking about it."

"He's always been touchy-feely; maybe that means you cry a lot," Tarsus mused, now helping Tibia smooth out the various railings surrounding the tower's peak.

"Yeah, he's a soft-shell, alright," Tibia said with a chuckle. "You know I wasn't sure what to think about the whole 'sleeping near your fellow changelings makes you feel stronger' thing at first, but it really works. It's really nice to see how happy it makes Thorax, seeing us spending time together."

"It's nice to feel like our leader actually takes us into consideration, for once," Tarsus added. "Could you imagine Chrysalis ever doing anything like that with us?"

Tibia snorted. "'If you fools have time to loaf around, you're not putting the needs of the hive first!'"

The two drones shared a small fit of laughter.

As Tibia began to wipe the tears from his eyes, something in his peripheral caught his attention. North of the hive, approaching on hoof, were two small shapes amidst the expanse of vegetation. Casting his work aside, the bug pony fluttered out past the tower and narrowed his eyes.

"What is it?" Tarsus inquired.

"Someone's coming," Tibia replied, fluttering out a few feet farther. "It's hard to make out. It almost looks like..."

Tibia let out a sudden gasp, ascending a few inches in the air.

"What? Who is it?" Tarsus asked again, fluttering over now as well.

The approaching figures peaked over the hill, and there was no mistaking them, now. It was Spike, the small dragon from Ponyville, accompanied by a brilliant purple pony. Though the species eluded the changelings from this distance, the mane and coat color were unmistakable. So many times had they been taught to capture her on sight, been told of her and her friends' transgressions against the hive, by their former queen.

"That's the princess of friendship!" Tarsus exclaimed. "We need to let Thorax know right now!"

"Wasn't the friendship princess pink?" Tibia asked, putting a hoof to his chin.

"That's Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, you dope, the princess of love," Tarsus replied, shaking his head. He grabbed Tibia and pointed again towards the slowly advancing pair. "That is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. Now come on, hurry up!"

Tarsus buzzed down the exterior of the tower in a rapid spiral, vanishing inside by way of a hole at the hive's base. Tibia puffed out his cheeks and stuck out his tongue before dogging after his friend.

"He doesn't have to yell at me. I was never on intel. How am I supposed to know these things?"

"Do you feel that Spike?" Twilight asked with a radiant smile, trotting along with a spring in her step.

"My aching feet?" Spike replied with deadpan.

"We get to be an instrumental part in helping ponykind forge a brand new relationship. Isn't that exciting!?" Twilight finished, ignoring dragon sarcasm in favor of giddy remarks for the second time today. "And just look at their hive! It looks so amazing! They've done so much in just three weeks!"

"Remind me again why we're on foot, though?" Spike asked, unable to let his mild grievances go. "We flew all the way here, so why are we walking now?"

"Spike, it's incredibly rude to teleport or fly into the capital of another kingdom, even when being expected," Twilight said in her 'knowledgeable teacher' voice. "Especially for me. I'm a princess representing Equestria meeting with another kingdom's leader. We don't want to offend Thorax or the other changelings, do we?"

"This is Thorax, remember?" Spike replied with a skeptical eyebrow. "I don't think you could offend him if you tried, Twilight."

"Even so," Twilight countered, "there's nothing wrong in being courteous, Spike. I'm sure your feet will survive."

Spike took a few more steps, mulling over a response, but soon came to a dead stop. Though his feet touched soft grass, the sensation of hot magma began to curl his toes, as if he was standing on a bed of molten rocks. The young dragon looked to Twilight with abrupt concern, wondering if it was just him. Maybe his feet really wouldn't survive, after all.

"Uh, Twilight?" he stammered.

"Ooh, I wonder if Thorax will let me see the young changelings, too," Twilight contemplated, little stars in her distracted eyes. "I bet there are larva and baby changelings we've never gotten...to see... before."

Noticing the searing pain shooting up her hooves, at last, Twilight pranced around desperately before taking to the air for safety. She glanced at Spike, noting the rising alarm in his face at last.

"Spike, do you feel that-"

The sound of a roaring blaze drowned out her words. The friends turned just in time to dodge a blast of fire.

Spike yelped in surprise and leaped behind a rock for safety. He stared past Twilight's figure with wide eyes, his lip quivering. "T-Twilight...what is that thing!?"

Twilight turned to face it but couldn't believe her eyes. Crouched low to the ground a dozen feet away, now blocking their path to the hive was an orange lizard slightly larger than a timberwolf. Its six legs gripped the grass while its wide head pivoted to and fro. Beady black eyes sent a shiver down her spine, and she could see a long, thick tail slam the ground behind it. Upon her attempt to move, an otherworldly hiss erupted from its cavernous mouth.

"That's a...", Twilight began, only to feel her breath leave her. The creature lit its entire body on fire. "That's a salamander, Spike!"

"What's a salamander!?" Spike called from behind his rock, as Twilight quickly threw up a magical shield to quell the flames billowing from the creature's mouth. The fire dispersed across the bubble shield's surface, blackening the grass surrounding it.

"Magical reptiles that generate fire! Their saliva contains magical properties! It's used in a wide array of potions!" Twilight explained, still finding time to teach amidst their life-threatening situation. "But I don't understand, they live in arid places and near active volcanoes, why is one here!?"

The creature was now a mere foot away from the princess, its gaping maw testing the resilience of her shield with an unrelenting heatwave. Twilight braced her legs against the ground, staring into the jaws of the lizard with fierce determination. Her horn was primed for a magical blast, and her heart raced to the endless inferno filling her view.

"Spike, stay where you are!" Twilight yelled, her horn sparkling with electric power. "I'm going to lower my shield, but don't worry, I have a plan!"

"Uh, Twilight, I don't think you'll need one!" Spike yelled in reply.

Twilight spared a glance at the young dragon. He was smiling. How could he be smiling?

"Spike, what are you talking about-"

"Tarsus, I need you to distract it with your squad while I push it back from the front!"

"Yes, Thorax!"

"Tibia, get Spike and Princess Twilight to safety!"

"Of course, Thorax!"

A blinding turquoise blast rained down from above, knocking back the salamander and disrupting its fiery attack. Mouth agape, Twilight watched as two groups of changelings rushed in from overhead. The drones surrounded themselves in magic auras using their horns and took turns slamming into the fiery creature's sides, making it forget all about the pony and small dragon.

"Princess Twilight, please, come this way!" Tibia urged, gently nudging the princess in the side with his forehead.

"Oh, o-of course!" Twilight said absently, fluttering her wings and taking to the air again. Spike had also been retrieved and now enjoyed a scenic view from the back of a red drone.

With the pair safely escorted away from harm, Thorax touched down in front of the angry creature, still hissing and covered in a deadly flame. Spike and Twilight looked on with bated breath.

"You have been told you are not welcome in this kingdom, anymore!" Thorax asserted, rigid antlers glowing with electric blue magic. "You will leave and make your home elsewhere, or you will be made to leave."

"I love when he gets intense!" came the excited voice of a changeling to Twilight's left. "Come on, blast him, Thorax! One more for good measure!"

"Yeah, what he said!" Spike reflected, only to get a light bonk on his head from Twilight's hoof.

The salamander flattened itself as it continued to hiss but made no further attempts to attack. In perfect symmetry, Thorax held his ground, staring down the fire-lizard with calm reserve, ready to launch another blast of power at the slightest movement.

But the tactic worked. At last, the creature drew back, leaving a scarred trail of ashen grass as it retreated towards the far southern forest. Thorax stood firm until the creature was lost from view, at which point he let out a deep sigh.

"...that was awesome, Thorax!" Spike proclaimed, breaking the tense silence with reckless abandon. "You've gotten so powerful! That thing totally turned tail and ran!"

"Thanks, Spike, but it was a team effort, for sure. And, I'm sorry about that, Twilight," Thorax said, his demeanor softening again as he joined the small group. "Are you okay?"

"Of course. Thank you, Thorax," Twilight breathed, pacing her breaths to recover from the sudden encounter. "I take it you've had problems with salamanders before?"

"Well, I guess you could say that," Thorax replied. Joined by his guests, he lead the way back towards the towering hive, enticing his drones to trot and flutter along after him.

"It may look pleasant and green now, but this entire region used to be a desert wasteland, where salamanders were quite common," Thorax explained, motioning a hoof towards the rolling hills around them. "After the changelings transformed, the land started to bloom with vegetation in a way it never had before. The salamanders are upset at the loss of their habitat, so they're more aggressive than usual. Unfortunately, they've also been inadvertently causing wildfires with all the new plants around. We've been trying to push them to relocate."

"They're not friendly at the best of times, but now they're even more grumpy," Tarsus chimed in, hovering along above Thorax's head.

"That seems like an understatement," Spike mumbled.

"At any rate, I'm glad you both made it here safely, salamanders aside," Thorax said with a relieved tone, turning to meet Twilight. "When he visited with Princess Celestia, Spike was telling me how much you've been curious about changelings, Twilight. I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply to most of your letters, but I'm happy to answer any questions you have while you're here."

Twilight's frazzled composure from being assaulted by a magical creature melted into oblivion.

"Oh yes, I am excited to learn more about you all!" she exclaimed with a grin. "Princess Celestia mentioned a few finer points of what she learned while here with Spike, but I'm so eager to see things for myself! And, of course, my visit today is for your sake as well, Thorax. Princess Celestia would like me to help you with where to go next regarding our kingdom's relations."

"And don't forget, Thorax, we gotta spend some time together today, too!" Spike added. "I brought my starter set for Ogres and Oubliettes, and I can't wait to show you how to play! I just know you'll love it. Some of the other changelings can play too if they want. The more players, the more fun!"

"Well, it's early in the afternoon," Thorax chuckled, using his magic to create an opening in the hive's thick exterior. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for everything. First things first, though, I'd love to give you both a brief tour of our hive's highlights. We've just about finished our re-construction, and to be honest, we're pretty excited to show it off."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Your Majesty," Twilight replied with contained glee, following the changelings inside with Spike at her side.

"Ah, Starlight, old girl, you've got to start finding ways to get those two out of town more often."

With a delighted look on her face, Starlight Glimmer sat down at the castle library's central study table, laying down a pizza she had just picked up from Pizza Hoof. With a large stack of spell theorems and magic history sitting by her left waiting to be read, her extra-large pizza with basil and hay on her right, and the castle absolutely silent until tomorrow evening, she was set for the afternoon.

"Take your time, Twilight. I think I'll be just fine here on my own," the unicorn giggled to herself, levitating a slice from the box as she opened her first book.

"Thorax, can we help show the princess around, too?" a cyan changeling asked, trotting along backward in front of his alpha in a not-so-subtle attempt to grab his attention.

"Can you breathe fire for us, purple dragon?" another drone requested, fluttering over Spike's shoulder and venturing a hopeful grin.

"Are you really powerful, princess?" a third asked Twilight with a tilt of his head. "I heard you destroyed an entire landscape battling a creature from far away. Is that true? How strong was the creature? Did the really tall princess we saw last week help you? Did her mane get in the way? It looked like her mane would get in the way."

"Come on, you guys, it's not very polite to crowd our guests."

Thorax's voice fell on the drones like a warm blanket, as close to scolding as the soft-spoken changeling could get. All the same, bug ears flopped dejectedly in response. The guilt of disappointing the undisappointable worked, perhaps, even better than yelling.

"It's alright, Thorax," Twilight said, mindfully observing the nearby bug ponies. "It's perfectly natural that the changelings are just as curious as we are. You're generous enough to share changeling culture with us, and so I'm happy to share knowledge regarding Equestria, as well."

"Oh, you misunderstand, Twilight," Thorax chuckled. "I think they're mostly just interested in entertaining themselves."

Twilight furrowed a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Ever since the major work on the hive got completed last week, a lot of changelings have been finding themselves pretty bored," Thorax stated, peering around to find all compound eyes conveniently turned away from him. "I can't say Chrysalis's reign had many positive points, but she did keep everyling busy constantly hunting for food. Coming up with some recreational activities we can do around our hive is on my list of things to look into."

"Oh, well, if it's a list you need help with, I can most certainly help with that," Twilight stated confidently, fluttering her wings for emphasis.

"And if the changelings are bored, I've got just the answer for that!" Spike chimed in, wiggling his backpack. "Ogres and Oubliettes is really fun and requires a whole lot of imagination and focus—it'd be perfect! I sure hope you guys have big tables around here!"

Thorax beamed to his guests, then glanced again to the hovering drones. This time they met his eye readily.

"Well, Spike, if you'd like, you're welcome to take these guys and start teaching them how to play," Thorax suggested. "I'm sure they'd like to sit down and relax after that exercise against the salamander. I can give Twilight a brief tour of our hive in the meantime, and we'll catch up with you when we're done."

Spike pondered the idea for a few moments, scanning Twilight for a sign of confirmation. The purple alicorn nodded.

"It's fine by me, Spike," she said. "It's up to you—would you like to get a head start on your game, or would you like a tour of the hive with me?"

"Well...I can take a tour of the hive any time, especially if I start coming here more often," Spike reasoned aloud. "I'm eager to set up since I didn't get a chance to do much when Celestia and I were here, so think I'll start teaching the changelings how to play."

Spike observed the numerous colorful bug ponies, some of whom had already landed on the floor upon hearing the plan.

"What do you guys think?" the dragon asked, "wanna give my game a try?"

"I'll try anything once," one drone replied.

"I have no idea what an oubliette is, but it probably beats laying around all day," another reasoned.

The remaining changelings nodded their heads in agreement, and Spike beamed.

"Alright, every changeling who'd like to learn how to play, follow me!" Spike proclaimed, dashing off down the corridor.

"Wait, Spike! Do you even know where you're going!?" Twilight yelled after him.

The dragon came to a screeching halt. He turned to find that not a single bug pony body had moved. Instead, all eyes stared at him in an unblinking fashion.

Sweat oozed from his scales. Even his sheepish smile was met with apathy.

"Yeah, about that—Thorax, where's the best place to play my board game?"

"You can use the main eastern cavern, Spike. There are some table-like structures we crafted," Thorax replied. "I'll be sure to end the tour there."

Thorax shot a glance at Tibia, who had been hanging around the rear of the party.

"Tibia, I don't know if you would like to try Spike's game or not, but could you stay with Spike and the others for now? I want to make sure one of my lead guard changelings is with each of our guests. I'm going to take Tarsus with me while I take the princess on our tour."

"Oh, of course, Thorax," Tibia replied dutifully.

With a nod and motion of his hoof, Tibia rounded up the small group of drones plus Spike and made his way down the tunnel. By contrast, Tarsus appeared by Twilight's side from seemingly nowhere, eliciting a jump from the alicorn in response.

"Don't take too long, Thorax!" Spike called out. "I want to show you how to play, too!"

"Don't worry, Spike, I promise I'll be there!" the regal changeling replied, waving a hoof as the group vanished through a morphing hole in the far wall.

"You know, Thorax, it's truly remarkable to be here right now," Twilight said softly, meeting Thorax's vibrant magenta eyes. "Standing next to the changeling leader, Spike running off to play games with changelings...none of this was even conceivable for so very long. It's truly wonderful."

"Princess Celestia said something similar when she was here, actually," Thorax mused, leading Twilight and Tarsus down an alternate morphed hallway. "And, of course, I feel the same way. I didn't fit in with my kind for so long, but now I actually have the chance to help every changeling discover the same friendship I was looking for. It's an amazing feeling."

"...and now...we are about to enter a world of mystery and magic. A world of thrills and perilous danger, where only the bravest will prevail. A world where the very hearts of your fellow changelings will be put to the ultimate test. Changelings, I present to you, Ogres...and Oubliettes!"

Concluding his dramatic intro, Spike wiggled the flashlight under his chin, highlighting barred teeth. Seven varieties of aloof interest stared back, and a bug pony yawned.

"...but, I still don't get what an oubliette is," a drone said suddenly, clearly bothered by the fact.

"Yeah, purple dragon, what is this game even about?" another piled on, slumping his chin upon the cool stone. "Also, if we're gonna play with flashlights, then you should probably know that Chrysalis forbade fireflies and most other forms of yellow light in the hive."

Spike blinked. The drone seated nearest to him had seized his flashlight and now thrummed his wings feverishly upon staring into the blinding bulb.

"First off, my name is Spike. Secondly, I'm glad you asked," Spike replied, laying out a large game map across the table-like rock. "Ogres and Oubliettes is an adventure game where you pretend to be someone you're not—a character of your choice—and go on all manner of adventures with your fellow players. We use dice and this book to determine if your actions are successful as we attempt to defeat the evil Squizard and his army of minions. Basically, you use your imagination to go on fantastic adventures from the comfort of your own home. Er, hive."

"Imagination?" the drone adjacent to Spike mimicked. "But wouldn't you rather go on a real adventure, fighting actual creatures?"

"Do ponies even go on real adventures? Or do they just play this game?" a second one asked, peering at the game map with scrutiny.

"No no, guys, this is just-"

"Are these the kinds of games ponies play?" yet another drone put out. "Because this is nothing like what changelings do."

"Uh, well, what do you all normally do for fun?" Spike followed up. The changelings exchanged glances.

"Lots and lots of play fighting," one said.

"Tackling, sneaking up and scaring," a second said.

"I pretended to be a rock and made another changeling jump in the air, once," a third put in, his tone brimming with pride.

Spike ever so subtly raised an eyebrow.

"...I think we Equestrians have a whole lot more to teach you guys about than just friendship."

Twilight quietly soaked in her surroundings as she walked, a levitating quill rapidly scribbling across three different books floating above her head. Changeling architecture was surely fascinating.

"Twilight?"

The imbued magic within the hive's structures​ must be linked to changeling DNA, activated whenever a changeling or group of changelings approached. It was elegant but also a perfect way to detour any form of outside intruders. Simply amazing!

"Um...Twilight?"

She'd have to dedicate a chapter of 'Changelings and Changed Forms'—her first to-be book about changelings—purely to changeling hives and their inner-working mechanics. Maybe she could obtain a sample of the infrastructure for research purposes and-

"Twilight?"

Her eyes glazed over, and Twilight shook her head as if shaking herself from a trance. The frantically scribbling quill came to a stop, and the purple alicorn looked to Thorax, her political pony aura returning to her.

"Yes, Thorax?"

"Are you okay?" Thorax asked, not sure if he should be concerned or laugh. Spike had given the changeling an idea of her obsessive tendencies, but he was pretty sure he could have calmly declared war on Equestria, and Twilight wouldn't have batted an eye. Well, at least not for a few seconds.

"Of course!" she replied, commanding her books and quill back into her saddlebags. "I apologize. I didn't mean to space out like that. Your hive is just so fascinating! I've never been in one before—well, not while fully conscious, anyway. It's certainly a lot to take in."

Thorax nodded. "That's fine. I don't mind you taking notes. If anything, I bet knowledge about our kind will start to repaint the image changelings have been known as, for so long. I just want to make sure we get to our main tour points, too. I don't want to disappoint Spike. He's been so eager to play his game with me."

"Of course, please lead on, Your Highness," Twilight said with a small bow of her head.

The trio came to another morphing doorway. The hallway beyond opened to a massive chamber riddled with tiny, drone-sized holes covering its walls. Unlike previous rooms, these holes did not morph and were arranged in perfectly organized rows.

"This is the old nesting chamber," Thorax said, fluttering his wings and encouraging the princess to join him in the air. "It's sort of like a conjoined bedroom for changelings. Every drone who lives in the hive burrows a hole for themselves in the nesting chamber wall, and that's where they sleep at night."

"Oooh...", Twilight muttered aloud, her pupils dilating. With a mind of its own, her horn illuminated, and out came the series of quills and journals once more.

"Of course, now that we've discovered we regain strength through closeness, a lot of us have started sleeping in clusters," Thorax continued. "We were doing that in the throne room at first, but as more changelings started to participate, we ran out of space. Now we have a communal nesting chamber in the lower part of the hive. It's a large room with compact walls for extra warmth during the winter and lanterns that can be dimmed. Just about every changeling can fit in there, and it's super multipurpose."

"Princess Celestia did mention you all slept in groups now to regain strength; that's so fascinating," Twilight commented, her quill a blur. "But if you're creating a new chamber dedicated to resting, what will become of this one?"

"Oh, we'll keep it around," Thorax replied, losing himself in a faraway gaze towards the series of bed burrows. "Not every changeling is into the closeness thing, some prefer to rest alone, and that's fine. There are also times where changelings just want some quiet. This chamber will be great for now since most changelings will prefer to sleep in the newer chamber. This room can be downsized now, but it'll always have a purpose."

Twilight gave a satisfied nod, jotting down a few finishing notes.

"Alright, let's move on, Twilight. I've got a lot more to show you," Thorax said with a smile, leading the way through another morphing hole in the wall.

"Consider me an excited sponge of knowledge, Your Highness!" Twilight replied with glee, following his lead.

"Alright, so let's see," Spike muttered to himself, drawing another of the drones on a tiny character standee piece. This changeling was in battle armor, had duel spiked maces, and a large shield with a changeling face on his back. "We've now got 'Cynibor the Demolisher'."

"That Squizard is toast," Cynibor's changeling counterpart said, giving his neighboring drone a hoof bump.

"Yeah he is," the receiver replied. "My character has earth magic. He'll just summon a bunch of salt and shrivel that squid up."

"You're thinking of slugs, not squids, idiot," another drone scolded, emphasizing his insult with a tap of his own head.

"Well my salt is powerful enough to shrivel squids."

"Says who?"

"Says me, so shut up."

"Don't tell me to shut up, slime-for-brains."

"Don't tell me what my character can and can't do, bug breath."

"Who else am I missing, though?" Spike put out, ignoring the ongoing bickering. He looked around the table to match game pieces to their owners. "Razo the Rowdy, Sir Demonax, Gadaric the Gallant, Cynibor the Demolisher, Phrixus the All-Seeing, Obax the Oubliette..."

At this point in the listing, the changelings put up a cease-fire. All heads turned towards the sixth drone in their party - a red and green drone who shrugged his front legs.

"If he wasn't gonna tell me what an oubliette was, I was gonna be one," the changeling said simply.

"...and of course, me, Garbuckle the Magician," Spike finished. "But there are seven of you. So, who hasn't made a character yet?"

The changelings exchanged glances, giving various head shakes and hoof shrugs whenever suspicion befell them. Eventually, all eyes drew towards the last changeling in the room - a certain orange-tinted drone who had been quietly observing the game unfold.

"Yeah, it's Tibia," a drone muttered in monotone. "That's a shock."

"Thorax wanted you to play too, Tibia," another said with mocking reproach. "I heard him."

"Actually, he said to come with you guys, and that's it," Tibia corrected. "But I don't mind playing. I just can't think of a character."

"You can be anybody you want, Tibia, that's what's so fun," Spike encouraged. "First, why don't you think of a class you'd like? Maybe you'll think of a name from there. There are magicians, archers, healers, warriors..."

"Well, I do like the idea of healing...", Tibia pondered, rubbing his chin. "Then I can help everyone when they inevitably get their butts kicked in battle."

There was a resounding wave of groans. Spiteful raspberries blew from around the table.

"Classic Tibia," Obax the Oubliette drolled. "All in favor of succumbing to our wounds should we fall in battle?"

There was a unanimous raise of hooves. Tibia rolled his eyes as the remainder snickered.

After experiencing both the new and old nesting chambers, Twilight was shown the nursery hive, where eggs and larva were cared for.

She had to be pried away from them.

The tour then visited several of the hive's pillar chambers, large caverns that acted as hubs for the endless tunnels throughout the hive. And following that, they stopped by the throne room itself. The purple alicorn had seen it before, of course, but only blurred from inside a cocoon.

Along the way, Twilight's quills faithfully archived every thought and observation, forming complete sentences and rapidly filling page after page. The Equestrian Archive of Foreign Bodies and Beings would have quite the update when she returned.

The very last stop was a personal favorite for Thorax, and Twilight was already certain it was her favorite part of the tour, as well.

"...this is just what I needed," Twilight muttered aloud, the speed of her quills having greatly reduced along with her focus. The entire lower portion of her body had submerged in steaming hot water, while her books and quills continued to scribble away, floating a safe distance from everything wet and steamy.

"We only recently discovered this," Thorax said, sitting down in the water as well and giving a shiver of content. "It's a natural hot spring. It was completely closed off, but when we were excavating further underground to expand territory, we broke it open."

"Was that while Chrysalis was still in power?" Twilight asked softly, laying her head back against the warm stone and allowing her heavy eyelids to close.

"It was. As you can probably guess, she allowed noling to use it but her, so we forgot about it until recently," Thorax explained. He extended his wings in the water to let them flex and relax. "Of course, our wings don't work very well when they're wet, but we don't mind. This is one of the deepest, most secure places in the entire hive. Intruders would never be able to navigate this far, even by accident."

"Thorax lets all of us use the hot springs as long as he doesn't end up getting complaints of changelings fighting over it," Tarsus added, letting just his lower hooves soak in the bubbling water. "He starts shooting disappointed looks whenever we start squabbling with each other."

"Oh, Tarsus, you don't need to get into that-"

"Some of the really young changelings have started calling him 'Papa Thorax' because of how attentive he is with them."

"But, Tarsus, I don't think the princess needs to-"

"Pretty soon, a whole bunch of drones began calling him 'Papa Thorax' whenever he gave us that disapproving look. Now, it's practically his title."

Twilight giggled to herself. Thorax failed to pass off the rose blush assaulting his face as an effect of the bath.

"It's funny, my friend Fluttershy has something she calls the stare, which gets animals to obey her when they're misbehaving," Twilight mused. "But Thorax, that's adorable. I think it's wonderful you're so attentive with the changelings. That's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I know, Twilight. Tarsus just thinks it's funny to put a spotlight on me every chance he gets," Thorax said, glaring a hole between his lead guard's eyes. Tarsus grinned shamelessly from the opposite end of the hot spring.

"But that's why I'm your favorite, right Papa Thorax?" the bug pony replied, cocking his head to the tune of a sly tone.

"Not with that attitude you're not," Thorax replied with matter-of-fact, dawning a little smile, himself. "In fact, I'd have to say Tibia is beating you to the top of that list, today. He offered to keep Spike entertained, after all, whereas I'm doing most of the work, here."

Before Tarsus could reply, the sound of hooves crossing stone began to echo through the dark, damp chamber. A few shadows meandered down the staircase, soon revealing a small group of changelings chatting among themselves. Upon spotting the occupants, the upbeat conversations came to an abrupt end.

"...oh, uh, hello Thorax!" one drone forced out, waving a hoof.

"Is that the Princess of Friendship?" another drone whispered to his neighboring bug pony.

"Yeah, Princess Twisparkle," the other drone replied with certainty.

"What are they doing in the hot spring, together?"

"...we'll just come back later, then," the most forefront changeling announced, promptly spinning on his hoof and pushing his fellow bug ponies back the way they came. Several changeling heads poked up above the crowd, eager to catch one more glance before they were ushered out of sight.

The sound of gossip-heavy whispering lingered through the chamber until the small squad vanished. Thorax met eyes with Twilight, and the two shared a mutual, hearty laugh.

"For better or worse, I think that wildfire is going to spread farther than that salamander's fire ever could have," Twilight said with a giggle.

"I'm terrified to say that you're right. First, a pleasant visit from Princess Celestia, now being seen in the same hot spring with you...I'm never going to hear the end of the rumors now," Thorax chuckled, standing up and shaking himself of water. "But on that note, it looks like we should get going. There'll be a line if we wait around much longer."

"I agree, and I think I have an excellent grasp of changeling hive layouts now, all thanks to you," Twilight offered with a pleasant smile. She gently squeezed her mane through a compressed layer of magic, then stashed away her books and quills before turning to the vibrant monarch.

"We should head over to meet Spike and the others. I'm sure he's antsier than ever to get you in on his game."

"Honestly, I wonder if he's managed to grab the interest of the drones," Thorax offered, leading the way up from the damp caverns and back into the quiet underbelly of the hive.

"Hopefully, they're at least a little bit interested."

"You can't cast an inanimate object spell. You have no mana!" a drone bellowed, pointing his hoof accusingly across the table.

"I do, and we both know it," the accused changeling replied, crossing his hooves. "You're just a sourbug because Spike gave me one of his mana potions and not you."

"Guys, guys, come on," Spike tried to interject, only to be swiftly drowned out by more yelling.

"Would you guys shut up and come help me already!?" a third drone remarked, pointing both hooves at his own character piece on the board. "I'm being attacked by a hungry hydra, all by myself! I can't think of how to not get eaten with you two going on about mana potions!"

"Not our fault you frolicked off by yourself," a fourth drone muttered under his breath, his head planted as he awaited his turn. Hydra fodder changeling shot him a dirty look.

The once calm and quiet cavern reverberated with bickering too plentiful to make out. Bug ponies flailed their hooves, pointing at one another and fluttering their wings in anger.

Spike slapped his face with his palm. It was almost as bad as trying to hang out with other dragons.

"C'mon guys, let's help Gadaric overcome the hydra, then we can all move on to-"

"You guys don't even care about teamwork, you just wanna level up till you can sweep everything you come across," hydra fodder changeling grumbled. Sinister stares assaulted him at once.

"You ran off!"

"Only because I wanted to go on an adventure and you guys didn't!"

"Hey, hey!"

Like a thunderclap scaring fillies under their sheets, the drones shuddered violently at the loud voice. Their bickering quelled in an instant. With wide eyes, a few heads turned curiously towards the far corridor. Standing in the entryway with a disapproving glare was Thorax, a slightly taken-aback but very impressed Twilight just behind him.

"Uh oh, 'Papa Thorax' is back."

"Shut up, shut up, he'll hear you!"

"Really, you guys? Do I have to be around all the time so that you'll behave?" His tone dared a reply, but none came. The alpha changeling approached, and bug ponies seemed to shrink into the floor. By the time Thorax's shadow cast across the table, only the eyes and ears of changelings were visible past the table's edges.

"And why when we have guests here of all times?" Thorax continued. "Princess Twilight and my good friend Spike came all the way from Ponyville to visit us today, and he's trying to play a game with you. Can't you guys get along for their sake, if not your own?"

"...sorry, Thorax," one drone mumbled, touching the fronts of his hooves together.

"I guess we got carried away with the game," a second added, speaking to the floor.

Thorax turned his attention to Tibia, who had been quietly sitting at the far edge of the table, content in merely praying he wouldn't be noticed.

"Tibia, I left you here to look after everyone. Why didn't you keep things under control?"

"I, uh," Tibia stuttered, rubbing his leg under the sudden spotlight, "I thought it might be part of the game."

"And you didn't clarify with Spike?" Thorax followed up.

"Well, no, because...as soon as I figured I should, it got way too loud to talk to him."

Thorax stared at the drone for a long while, then buried a hoof in his temple. Leading his former rowdy peers with kindness and understanding was not nearly as straightforward as he hoped it'd be.

"No harm is done everyone, I'm not upset, and I'm sure Spike isn't either," Twilight assured, quickly nudging Spike in the head as soon as he opened his mouth for a sarcastic remark. "Everyone has times where they disagree. I'm sure if you give some thought to how your fellow changelings might feel in the future, you'll all more easily start to understand each other."

The bug ponies nodded vigorously at their bailout opportunity, donning exaggerated grins as soon as Thorax glanced their way.

"Thank you, Twilight," Thorax said softly, eyeing the drones with knowing skepticism. "And I want to apologize to you, Spike. I'm sorry they messed up your game for you. If you're still up for playing, I think I'm ready to join in now, at least for a little while. I imagine Twilight would like to discuss some things with me, as well."

"Oh, no worries," Spike dismissed, picking up a few stray game pieces that had been knocked over in all the fighting. "They learned all the rules really well, and, honestly, this sorta thing just happens sometimes. We can pick back up where we left off. All we gotta do is make you a character."

"And I am perfectly content in letting Spike have his time with you and the changelings, Thorax," Twilight added in, finding herself a relatively comfortable spot on the stone floor and creating a nest of books and papers. "I need some time to reflect on my notes and organize my thoughts, anyway. You and I can discuss things further this evening. Please take some time to relax."

Thorax found himself a spot at the gaming table, and the group prepared to once again embark into the land of Ogres and Oubliettes. Meanwhile, Tarsus quietly made his way towards Tibia, prodding his friend's chitin.

"'Too loud to hear him', huh?" Tarsus hissed with snark, just loud enough for Tibia to hear. The changeling glared.

"Yeah, so what?" Tibia defended. "I'm not good at getting wound up changelings under control, that's your thing. He should have stuck your butt here with the group, and I could have gone on the tour with the princess."

"True, but I think we've reached a hilarious development," Tarsus snickered, watching Tibia's glare become a frown.

"And what's that?"

"That even 'Papa Thorax' is better at yelling than you are, now," Tarsus concluded, grin widening as Tibia's mouth flattened. "More importantly, I'm definitely his favorite again after this little fiasco."

"He's about to settle down and start playing the game, you know," Tibia replied, tone saturated with condescension. "You sure you don't wanna go snuggle his hoof or something, Tarsus? Being his favorite and all. Maybe he'll even let you curl up in his lap like a puppy."

Tibia stuck out his tongue. It was Tarsus's turn to frown.

Spike was a tough dragon, or at least he liked to think so.

Spike didn't make cute sounds when he saw cute things, and he didn't ogle at cute things when they occurred. Well, unless you counted Rarity fussing with her hair. Or sewing, definitely sewing. Oh, and talking. Pretty much anything Rarity did at all tended to be an exception.

However, even a manly dragon such as Spike couldn't help but beam at the touching scene laid before him.

Like a magnet, Thorax had drawn in the other changelings without a word. Where before the half-dozen drones had evenly spread themselves around the table, now they had all converged around Thorax, pointing out aspects of the game and board for him. The impatience they harbored for each other mere moments before had melted away, replaced by an eagerness to help the large changeling learn the rules of the game, even an eagerness to watch him play.

And it wasn't just Spike who had taken notice of the subtle moment. Twilight once again put quill to paper, watching the bug ponies with a scholarly fascination. It wasn't from a sense of obligation in the presence of royalty that the drones flocked to Thorax, as many ponies did with herself and the other princesses. It was something more. It was genuine love and respect they seemed to harbor for their monarch past simple rank. Just by being around Thorax, the air about the changelings had relaxed, become more positive.

Was it shared love magic? Was the metamorphosed changeling leader capable of somehow influencing mood through it?

The feathery tail of her quill caressed the peak of Twilight's chin. This elusive force, intangible and undetectable by any species other than the changelings continued to tease and elude her, wetting her already insatiable appetite.

"'Papa Thorax', indeed," Twilight whispered aloud, biting her lip in adoration of the thought.

"And this is my character, Thorax," a drone proclaimed, making sure he had the alpha changeling's attention before proudly pointing a hoof at one of Spike's claw-drawn game pieces. "He's called 'Phrixus the All-Seeing', and he has a crystal ball thing that lets him see into the near future. It also happens to shoot lightning bolts."

"Lightning bolts?" Thorax repeated with a chuckle, comfortably sitting back on his haunches. "Isn't that a bit much?"

"Nah, more than half the characters have magical abilities in the land of Spiketopia," Spike stated with matter-of-fact. "It's all about your level. 'Phrixus the All-Seeing' is only level 4, so he's not very powerful yet. His lightning bolts could charge a light bulb, but it won't fry a beast charging at him."

"Not yet, anyway," 'Phrixus' changeling added. "Just wait, I'll be causing thunderstorms to rain down and obliterate all opposition in no time."

"Well my character is Sir Demonax," another changeling declared, "and he has the power to summon lost souls to fight for him. No beast, big or small, can deal with an army of the undead!"

"So what you're saying is he's a coward and can't fight his own battles?" a neighboring drone taunted.

"Hey, buzz off!" 'Sir Demonax' replied with a hiss. "There's nothing wrong in having helpers in battle. Always fighting alone is foolish and arrogant, kinda like you."

"Well, I think it's pretty cool you all have such different characters," Thorax offered, addressing the entire table with his eyes. "Everyling has something different to offer, which just means we're all the better when we work together, right?"

A few smiles were unearthed in response, give or take a few persisting scowls.

"So I guess it's my turn, now? Is there anything the team needs most? What's the roster so far, Spike?"

"Well, Tibia is a monk and he's our healer, even though everyone else signed a blood oath to never accept his assistance in battle," Spike said flatly, focusing on the book in front of him. "Otherwise, including me, we have two wizards, two warriors, a warlock, and a rogue."

"Thorax should definitely be a paladin," the drone to Thorax's left stated.

"Then we'd have three wizard types, three warriors, one rogue, and one monk," the changeling on Thorax's opposite side replied. "Imbalance, much?"

"It doesn't just matter what the classes are. It's about your roles," the first drone shot back, leaning across in front of Thorax and resting his front hooves on the rocky table. "If you had been paying attention to Spike when he explained the rules, you'd know that."

The pair of changelings resumed their earlier bickering, and Thorax surrendered to simply shaking his head between them.

Spike turned his attention to Twilight, who had been comfortably sitting out of everyone's thoughts, organizing her stacks of notes. The small dragon cast an aching look of pride.

"Twilight, they've learned so well!" he whispered, glee brimming from every word. "Even down to the arguing over class-to-role ratios!"

"You're an excellent teacher, Spike," Twilight quipped with a giggle, her eyes not once leaving her notes. "All those games with Big Mac and Discord sure paid off, it seems."

"Oh please, I was a master of Ogres and Oubliettes way before I made it cool," Spike boasted, sitting down again and picking up his dice. "Now then, Thorax, it's totally up to you. A paladin is a mighty and holy warrior; they are pretty cool. But you could also be a monk or another healing type, or maybe a wizard, like me."

"Yeah, be a paladin, Thorax!" a drone urged.

"No way, be a rogue! We get to sneak around and collect treasure!" another said.

"Be a wizard, Thorax!" a third offered. "We can start a wizard guild with Spike!"

All eyes turned to Thorax. The big changeling looked rather unsure of what to do with himself. He glanced around at the various faces, all watching him with gripped anticipation.

"You guys never make things easy for me, do you?" he chuckled. "Well, I guess I'll go with-"

"Thorax, we finished the last of the watchtowers! The hive is complete!"

The bated breath held across the table was condemned, and all attention turned upwards. Leading a small squad from a morphing hole near the ceiling was a red and yellow drone, grinning brightly as he descended the chamber. His company followed him to the hive floor, where they saluted and stood before their surprised monarch.

"Wait, it's done?" Thorax repeated, blinking in disbelief. "But, we didn't have any work on it scheduled for today. Didn't you guys hear me when I announced that Princess Twilight was visiting today? Everyling had the day off."

"We couldn't wait!" the lead changeling replied, the drones behind him nodding in an extension of his thought. "I hope that's okay. It was just a couple of towers, no big deal. We saw that Tarsus and Tibia stopped work when the princess got here, so we wanted to surprise everyling. And now it's done! Our new hive is finally done!"

On cue, the group broke into cheers, quickly dragging the drones seated at the table into their impromptu celebration as well.

Though his game was effectively put on hold once again, Spike clapped for the accomplishment. The sight of a dozen or so bug ponies tackling and embracing each other infected even Twilight, who had been effectively part of the background scenery for a while, now.

"I'm so happy for you all!" the purple alicorn expressed, emerging from her nest of knowledge and joining Spike by his side. "It feels wonderful to put the finishing touches on a new home. I found that out first-hand quite some time ago, myself."

"That deep tissue massage still gives me aches and pains, some mornings," Spike mumbled, rubbing a claw along his back.

The cluster of fluttering drones landed by their king, clamoring around him excitedly. Chuckling at the sudden assemblage, Thorax laid a hoof against each head in sequence. While some changelings shied away, staring up at Thorax with disoriented stares, others nudged into the hoof, accepting the affection like a badge of honor.

"I guess tonight we have an announcement to make to the rest of the hive," Thorax said, beaming at the varied crowd of elated changelings. "Thanks for finishing the towers, guys. I can't believe how hard everyling's worked. You finished remaking the hive so quickly, and that's on top of the damage it took."

"You're telling me, the entire throne room blew up!" a drone in the crowd exclaimed. "Which, by the way, still doesn't make sense to me."

"You've helped us stay energized, Thorax," the drone currently receiving head pats credited. "And you've been helping us stay organized and efficient, too. It was a group effort, and you're a part of that group now."

The drone's attention was quickly stolen as another drone jumped on him, and then another, and another. A heaping pile of changelings twisted and rolled at Thorax's hooves, losing themselves in a high of laughter.

Thorax spectated the play with a paternal fondness. He was a part of them now, wasn't he? Just another of many things he regularly had to remind himself of these days.

"Thorax?"

The large bug pony shook himself from his stare, turning to the princess.

"I just talked with Spike, and we've decided that we'd like to stay the night, if that's alright with you," Twilight began, a nodding dragon visible from behind her back hoof. "I planned on the possibility of not returning to Ponyville until tomorrow as it was, just to be safe. I'd love to understand what changelings do during nightly routines. We also have much to discuss regarding your plans, and now you also have an announcement to make to your subjects, which I definitely wouldn't want to miss. Would that be alright with you?"

"Of course!" Thorax replied with no second thought. "Honestly, that's what I thought you'd wanted to do, all along. I had imagined that after Spike's game, you and I could break away and have discussions, and we can go from there."

"I think Twilight just wants to see cuddling changelings. I mean, let's be honest," Spike mouthed off, swiftly rendered a dartboard to Twilight's piercing eyes.

"That is not true!" the alicorn tried to defend, her frazzled voice obvious. "I happen to have shared love magic as the main topic of my next chapter of notes, mister smarty dragon."

Thorax broke into a fit of laughter that Spike quickly shared.

As the golden sun neared the end of its journey across the sky, the excited group of changelings eventually settled down. To the pouting disappointment of several, Thorax had decided to go down the holy paladin path. Rallied by 'Xalvador the Noble and Just', Garbuckle the Magician and his crusade managed to save Gadaric the Gallant from the hungry hydra and proceeded to storm the frightful castle of the evil squizard. Though still inexperienced, their teamwork proved to be too powerful for the calamari's evil minions, and they were pushed back until all that remained to oppose their cause was the demon himself.

In a climactic and legendary duel to be remembered for generations to come, Xalvador engaged the evil squizard atop his tower. With the aid of his trusty healer and a little luck on the side of the dice, the evil creature was run through by Xalvador's Sword of Light, banishing the squizard to darkness for all eternity. Thorax had never seen so much cheering from the drones.

Having successfully taught bug ponies how to play his favorite game, and having witnessed his friend vanquish his in-game nemesis, Spike could scarcely contain his glee.

With the game packed away, and having heard about the hive's hot springs from Thorax, Spike ventured off for a bit of relaxation. A judgemental stare was waiting for a certain alicorn for failing to mention them earlier.

With the victorious changelings having dispersed to various parts of the hive, Twilight accompanied Thorax outside for a much-needed breath of fresh air amidst the virgin summer night.

"Thorax, there's something that just fills me with a sense of joy," Twilight said softly, enjoying the chilled breeze against her face and the tickling grass beneath her hooves. "It's that the changelings were never meant to be monsters. All this time, ponies and other species of Equestria have lived in fear of changeling attacks. They feared for their lives, their freedom, believing this menace they feared to be truly evil. But in the end, it would appear that only one was truly evil, all along."

Thorax's colors dulled in the shroud of the moon. When he turned to examine Twilight's thoughtful face, his deep-set eyes seemed to glint.

"I can't say whether or not Chrysalis will ever see a way of life without conquest," Thorax began, shifting his observation to the swaying blades of grass. "What I do know is that the shrewd and dark creatures that attacked and tormented others were taught from birth that they were outcasts and that the only means to obtain food was through dominance. I may have been the first to escape and actually seek out a better way, but many of us simply never thought there could be a better way. Chrysalis was all there ever was, and for all we could tell, was all there ever would be."

Twilight drank in the night air. She really had to commend Luna for her masterful work.

"I think you were born different for a reason, Thorax," she said, resting a hoof across his back. "You sought out a better way because you had a spark no other changeling had. Seeing you all so happy, so full of life today is proof enough that your actions are leading to a better future for your kind. I think I speak on behalf of all Equestria's princesses when I say that Equestria is happy to be a part of that future with you."

His attention and his mood salvaged, the bug pony thanked her with a meek little smile.

"Now then, to that end, what's on your mind?" the alicorn followed up. "You've helped me so much today; please allow me to help you now. As a princess of Equestria, and as your friend, I am here to support you."

"Well, one of the things Princess Celestia brought up was the Crystal Empire," Thorax recalled, running a hoof along his now chilly foreleg. "It'd be a good place to start introducing my kind to the public eye. I planned on contacting Princess Cadance as soon as the hive was completed, but that's happened a day or two sooner than I had planned. I'm just not sure what the best approach would be, yet. Rebuilding our own hive was easy, but relations with other lands still has me nervous."

Thorax fluttered his transparent wings against his form. Just thinking of the daunting work ahead of him was both exhilarating and terrifying. The bug pony bit his lip, trying to calm an upsurge of anxiety.

"To be honest, Twilight, I'm so new to being a leader, and it's really intimidating at times," Thorax admitted. "I want to do what's best for my kind, but I don't even know what that is. The Changeling Kingdom was built around Chrysalis by Chrysalis. I don't even have changelings I can turn to for advice because Chrysalis never had use for advisers. I mean, I can appoint some, but they'll be learning along with me, right?"

Still and calm, Twilight sniped features of her friend with her gaze as he spoke. Of those topics she could relate to personally, anxiety topped the list.

"Well, first of all, I think the Crystal Empire is a great first step," she said, at last, her voice caught somewhere between patience and the burning desire to spout paragraphs. "In fact, I'm sure the changelings and the crystal ponies have a lot more in common than you might think. The crystal ponies know a thing or two about evolving when happy and full of love."

Once more, Twilight's comforting hoof found its way across Thorax's back.

"And Thorax, I completely understand," she said quietly. "When I was crowned as Equestria's fourth princess, I was confused, too. I was unsure of myself and the role I was meant to play in Equestria. Granted, from the start, I had the support of the other princesses and my friends, but in the end, it was still my own quest to discover what my purpose was, and it was intimidating."

Twilight laid against the grass, and Thorax followed suit. The stars had begun to pierce the darkening sky above their heads.

"You may not have any changelings to help guide you, Thorax, but you do have us," Twilight offered, relieving tension with a show of her teeth. "We can help you get started on your journey to discover yourselves, in the same way that Princess Celestia once guided me to establish myself as the princess of friendship."

The king's quivering lip boasted invisibility in the dark, but his sullen stature did not, and it was something Twilight knew all too well. With the help of her hoof rubbing along his magenta shell, Thorax slowly digested the princess's words and calmed down. The cool air filled his lungs and he labored a sigh.

"Why don't Spike and I accompany you to the Crystal Empire tomorrow afternoon?" Twilight threw out. "Not only is Princess Cadance my sister-in-law, but Prince Shining Armor is my brother. And, of course, we're both aware of Spike's reputation there. I'm sure with two princesses and a local hero with you, every pony in the Crystal Empire will be happy to give your subjects a warm welcome, right off the bat."

Thorax looked on at the pony with puzzlement. "But it's already nightfall. How can we possibly get in touch with Princess Cadance before tomorrow? Won't it be rude to show up without prior notice?"

Twilight giggled to herself, which only served to deepen the changeling's bafflement.

"It'll be fine, Thorax. I'll have Spike send a scroll to Princess Luna tonight before we all turn in. Princess Luna is rather special, you see. She protects the night in Equestria, and she can communicate with ponies in their dreams. I'm sure if we ask Luna nicely and explain the reasoning, she'll let Cadance know of our visit without even waking her up."

Bafflement skipped right on past hesitation and embraced its good friend, shock.

"But, isn't that invasive?" Thorax asked, a crack in his voice. "That almost seems kind of rude. Are you sure she wouldn't mind?"

"Oh, not to worry," Twilight assured, waving the end of her hoof dismissively. "Luna visits ponies in their dreams all the time, and usually for reasons not nearly as large-scale as this one."

"Well, alright," Thorax caved, again speaking to the grass blades. "It sounds like a good plan, to me. Well, the 'you coming with me' part, at least."

"Excellent!" Twilight replied, gleeful anticipation now strangling any hope of a good night's rest. Not only was she assisting her friend with a first major step in introductions to Equestria, but she'd also be paying a surprise visit to her brother, sister-in-law, and absolute favorite niece.

"Let's hold off on diving deeper into things until tomorrow then," the alicorn suggested, getting to her hooves and enticing Thorax to do the same. "Princess Cadance is even wiser than I am. I'm confident she'll have plenty of ideas of how to integrate changelings with the crystal ponies."

Thorax nodded, once more finding an alicorn's logic to be flawless.

"That sounds great. If that's the case, would you like to head back inside, now?"

Twilight gave a slight shiver before smiling sheepishly. Thorax mirrored it.

"I think now might be a great time to show you just how well the walls of the new nesting chamber work as insulators."

Situated at the hive's core, slightly below sea level, the communal nesting chamber was impregnable. Not only did it boast the capacity to house every changeling within its walls, but it was also a heat trap. With walls three feet thick, a mere three tunnels acting as entrances/exits, and over thirty feet of earth separating it from the open air, not even a Windigo-fueled snowstorm could inconvenience a cozy night in.

With such open space, of course, came recreation as well. Roughhousing, mock fights, and all manner of aerial activities during bad weather were common occurrences. The acoustics provided Thorax a great deal of assistance in giving hive announcements and addressing the hive during cluster naps. Even the nymphs benefitted—the hive nursery sat just east of the chamber, providing adult drones the ideal place to spend time while awaiting young ones to wake from naps.

As late evening turned to dusk, the once empty chamber began to flood with bug ponies. In they poured like a released river from each available tunnel, their wings blending into a loud, monotonous buzz.

Positioned at one side of the cavern, Thorax watched and waited as, group by group, changelings seated themselves on their haunches in long rows. Now and then, a drone would accidentally bump or shove another, and a resulting hiss or grumble could be heard from somewhere amidst the sea of compound eyes.

Tarsus and Tibia stood before the front row, keeping an eye on the crowd and ensuring that everyling remained calm. While Tarsus stood tall and proud, firm as a statue, Tibia paced to and fro, dropping his serious facade periodically whenever he spotted a bug he knew.

From between them, Thorax stepped forward, signaling the crowd's attention with a wave of his hoof.

"Thanks for coming so quickly, everyling," he began, distributing meaningful eye contact to every face he could meet. "This will be a very brief announcement, actually. Other changelings may have already told some of you, but I wanted to make it official because I believe it's crucial."

In an ocean of blank expressions, a handful of faces were bisected by grins.

"This afternoon, a squad of changelings decided to finish work on the last of our watchtowers, as a surprise. That's why I'm excited to say that, almost two days ahead of schedule, our new hive has been fully completed!"

The resulting explosion of sound made Twilight jump from her modest corner of the room. Every changeling in the cavern erupted into cheers. Hooves stomped, surprisingly intricate aerial displays launched, and the unrelenting chirp of hundreds of rubbing wings stroked the air. This assault on the ears went unperturbed for almost a minute before a combined effort from Tarsus, Tibia, and Thorax, at last, managed to regain calm.

"I'm really, truly thankful for all the work everyling has done to rebuild our hive," Thorax continued. "Just know that I'm proud of all of you, all of us, and that I couldn't be more excited to see what we can accomplish next."

Another round of cheers and stomps, albeit far tamer.

"And now, before a lot of us turn in for the night, our gracious guest, Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria would like to say a few words."

Twilight blinked. Wait, what? Her? In front of every changeling in the entire hive? But she hadn't prepared a speech, or-

Her anxiety wasn't given time to have a meltdown. Thorax was smiling and beckoning her on, and now every pair of eyes was on her, the vast cavern once more completely silent.

"Hello, everyone," Twilight began with a shaken voice, taking a few steps forward. "A lot of you may know me. I'm Princess Twilight, also known colloquially as the Princess of Friendship. I'm sure I've met at least a few of you before. A few of you may have even been me before."

Absolute silence. Sweat boiled off her forehead.

"Well, um, I guess the most important thing I'd like to say is that my friend Spike and I will be having a sort of sleepover tonight with you all, to try and better understand how changelings share love, especially while you sleep together in mass groups."

A brave hoof was erected from near the back of the room.

"...you mean you're going to watch us sleep so you can understand how we sleep?"

A few changelings snickered.

"Well, sort of," Twilight acknowledged. "You all gain energy through communal resting now, and you all share love instead of taking it, and I know the ponies of Equestria would find that information fascinating. I know I sure would, or do, rather. For those who normally sleep in clusters with Thorax, please feel free to do so tonight as well. Spike and I will be here too, but please don't let our presence bother you."

A valiant effort, but Twilight could only manage her most awkward smile to date. The throng of drones blinked back, many of them exchanging confused looks with one another and shrugging their hooves. Eventually, however, Twilight was bailed out by her status, and the room filled with nods of understanding. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"I'd just like to say 'thank you' to everyone for having us today. It's been a pleasure," she concluded, casting a glance to Thorax in hopes that he'd catch on. Thankfully the large bug pony had already stepped forward again, drawing every changeling's attention with a flare of his wings.

"Alright, everyling," Thorax addressed, once more casting a benevolent eye through the crowd of drones. "For those of you who'd like to turn in, please remain here with Princess Twilight and me. If the rest of you could please use the other main chambers for staying up, I would greatly appreciate it. Oh, and don't forget who's night shift for the nursery, please!"

Thorax dismissed the patiently seated drones with another wing flare, and they took to the air in a synchronized takeoff, briefly obscuring the cavern from view as they filtered out through various tunnels. A fair number stayed on the ground, standing up and venturing over from their spots on the floor as soon as the path had been cleared.

"Twilight! Thorax!"

Twilight's attention was shaken. She turned to find a waterlogged dragon emerging from a side tunnel, holding his knees and gasping for breath.

"Spike?" the alicorn said, her voice peaking. "What happened? Where have you been all this time?"

"Asleep...in the hot springs...didn't realize...what was going on until...I woke up, and everyone was gone," he panted. "One changeling came back and got me, said he saw me and wanted to make sure I didn't get lost trying to find this place."

"Well, you're just in time," Twilight declared, snaking a hoof around the young dragon and pressing her cheek to his. "The changelings are about to go to sleep, and so are we. We're going to have a big day tomorrow—we're heading to the Crystal Empire with Thorax before heading home. But first, I'm going to try and document the phenomena of shared love magic in person!"

"I knew exactly where your priorities were at this whole time," Spike chided, accepting his fate as an obscene facial growth. "Poor Thorax and his struggles are just the day job. You're here to see cuddling changelings."

The mouthy dragon was gently discarded, not to mention ignored. In a brilliant flurry of magenta magic, quills and books danced from Twilight's saddlebags on a now established routine. Laying down near where Thorax had staked out a spot, the fourth Equestrian princess swirled her belongings around an orbit before slowing them to their writing stations in the air by her head. Once there, quills merrily spun in anticipation, while open journals gently rose and fell like breaths.

Somedragon coughed. Twilight continued to ignore the glare she knew was assailing her from behind. No, she was absolutely not showing off.

On a seemingly first come, first serve basis, a modest group of drones seemed to 'claim' Thorax. These select few pressed into his sides, securing their sleeping spots for the night. A few even shot mocking tongues to those unable to do the same, nuzzling Thorax extravagantly as a means to taunt them. Grumbles emerged from a few jealous individuals, but most bug ponies settled just fine for resting nearby.

Thorax exhaled, accepting the notion of merely existing a moment before sleep. He stretched his gossamer wings and laid them across the shells of those few changelings closest to him, and playfully ensnared the drone by his hooves in a cuddle. A few wings ventured to chirp in a display of contentment, and a few drones unable to reach Thorax settled for embracing a receptive neighbor, instead.

One by one, bug ponies surrendered to the night and ceased all motion—all but Thorax and his immediate company, who watched the observing princess with heavy eyes.

Twilight experienced every waking moment, her toothy grin as subtle as a strutting peacock.

"So precious!" she squeaked.

"Aaand we've lost her," Spike announced quietly, laying down against his backpack and sealing his eyelids.

"From what I've been able to gather, the closer we are, both physically and emotionally, the faster we regain energy," Thorax explained, promptly gifting Twilight's quill ammunition. "Regaining energy through being close can't completely substitute actual sleep, but the amount of time you need to sleep per day is greatly reduced when being close while being asleep. Um, if that makes any sense."

"Fascinating," Twilight whispered to herself, her nose firmly planted in her journal. "Do you know if resting together is the only form of affection that works?"

Thorax cocked his head in thought. The drone trapped between the monarch's hooves twisted about in his sleep and abruptly clutched the big changeling's leg as a comfort object. He let out a long yawn before growing still once more.

Twilight suffered an out of body experience.

"Good question," Thorax eventually replied. "I'm pretty sure even simple gestures like hugs or head patting work, but since they're so short-lived, they probably don't do anything substantial."

"Makes sens. Perhaps it's something that'll change with proficiency," Twilight cooed, twinkling eyes darting from drone, to cuddled leg, to Thorax. "Oh, how about distance? Have you noticed any trends regarding the effectiveness of energy transfer?"

"Well, I'm not sure if there's a limit," Thorax said, giving out a small yawn of his own. "I guess as long as I care about them, they can receive some kind of energy from me if they're at least within my view. If they have any close relations with any others also nearby, that helps too. That's why sleeping in large clusters is so effective. It multiplies the love magic exponentially."

"Like an intermingled web of power sources," the princess muttered. "Oh, this is just amazing! I can't wait to have these notes published!"

As dusk turned to night, only Thorax and Twilight remained awake, the curious princess's questions acting as a siren against the changeling monarch's onset fatigue.

But Thorax could feel his alertness dropping steadily, anyway. The noble cause of science was not the only force pining for his attention. Five bug ponies firmly pressed up against him as heated pillows, their rhythmic breathing and soft snores hypnotic, lulling him closer and closer to sleep, himself.

Thorax gently laid down his head upon the awaiting shell of his captured drone, and his fate was decided. When a ceasefire arose between Twilight's questions, the young king was gone.

Amidst Twilight's racing thoughts, her quill nearly stabbed through her theorem on shared love magic field intervals. Her grin receded to an ugly realization.

In all her earnest, the alicorn had forgotten a rather important factor.

"Spike, Spike, wake up!" Twilight hissed, prodding the young dragon with a jittery hoof.

Spike turned over. The rules of the ignore game had been reversed.

"Spike, please? I really need you to help me with something, then you can go to sleep, I promise," she begged, prodding him a few more times and levitating an empty scroll from one of her saddlebags.

With a head turn as slow as molasses, Spike turned to the sheepishly grinning alicorn with a look of death.

Elsewhere, in the majestic city of Canterlot, a magical scroll burst into life from thin air, right in front of a blue-hued alicorn's nose.

"A letter? From Twilight Sparkle? At this hour?" Princess Luna trailed dramatically, focusing on the letter at once and untying its decorative ribbon. Her brows suddenly furrowed.

"Actually no, she is up into the central hours of my domain quite often, isn't she. This makes too much sense."

Unraveling the pristine parchment, Luna began to read. As she did, her lip slowly steamrolled to a perfect edge, while an eyebrow peaked to a nasty, jagged point.

An oceanic aura crumpled the offense and hurled it from her view. Luna snorted.

"Pray tell, Twilight Sparkle, when did I become little more than a mail pony?"

Side Story Tie-in: To Love as His Own

"Atop Chrysalis's decimated hive, King Thorax confronts his former peers. When their discussions are interrupted by a confused and scared changeling nymph, Thorax demonstrates the power of sharing love between changelings."

Woeful voices carried her into a new day, but Twilight did not register them as such.

The alicorn clenched her eyes. She was awake. This was a problem because it brought the awareness of light pressing against her eyelids. With a groan, she moved, her muscles as groggy as her mind, and she stretched the stiffness from her joints.

Next, she braved the light attempting to greet her. She immediately regretted it. Shapes and colors blurred in the wake of gleaming stars lining the walls. Those cocoon lamps must have had a daylight setting.

Twilight groaned again. To top it all off, she now owed Rarity an apology. Bringing your own furniture with you on trips had plenty of merit.

Why did she think a few loose papers would adequately cushion stone?

"Thorax, why would you do this to us!?"

Well, at least her ears were working.

"Yeah, you said you liked spending time with us!"

She opened one eye this time, the one nearest the ground. Being half-blinded by the floor was quite helpful. When her ocular stinging subsided, the shapes and colors began to paint the hive around her, and memories of the previous day rushed back to her through the nesting chamber's features.

Twilight opened her remaining eye and raised her head off the floor. The drama playing out before her, at last, registered as such.

"Do you not love us anymore, Thorax?"

"Please, Thorax? Just a few more minutes!"

"Have we not been good cuddlebugs?"

Thorax suffered his drone's theatrics with a skeptical look. The vibrant bug ponies tightly clung to his hooves, assaulting him with pleading eyes, but it was a futile display. He met each face of desperation with a wisened smirk.

"You can stop the act, you guys," he said calmly, patting a hoof along one of their gripped legs. "I'll admit, it was kinda cute the first few times, but now it's become a morning routine. You're just looking for an excuse to laze around all day, and you know it."

The changelings adopted wounded looks. One drone put a hoof to his chest and gasped dramatically.

"Besides, even if I did want to humor you guys, I can't sleep in today," Thorax continued, his eyes subtly darting to the now awake princess. "Princess Twilight offered to come with me to the Crystal Empire so we can have an audience with Princess Cadance. I want to introduce our kind to the crystal ponies so that we can become allies."

Pinged by her name, Twilight arched her back and stood up, more carefully examining the room. Though lavishly lit with wall lanterns, the nesting chamber was largely empty. Only a handful of changelings remained from the night before, and most of them were already awake, starting their morning by sharing friendly conversation.

She turned to the front of the chamber. Thorax sat with a trio of drones who seemed to be trying their best to hold him down. The monarch's look of patience and play was all the context Twilight could ever need.

A mustard changeling buried his face in lime chitin. "I'd much rather stay here than make friends with crystal ponies."

"Yeah, isn't the Crystal Empire in the frozen north? I'm all good on freezing my wings off," a second stated, claiming Thorax's other leg in a bear hug.

Dismissing his late morning critics, Thorax made an effort to stand. With a substantial amount of it and no gracefulness to speak of, he pulled himself from the clinging bug ponies. More than once, he nearly tripped and fell on his face, tugging to get his last hoof free from the potent vice grip of his former peers.

The moment their goal fell from reach, the changelings pathetically flopped onto their backs in a last-ditch attempt to overwhelm their sentimental king. But all that awaited them was that same seasoned smirk, beaming at them, almost tauntingly.

"...give it up, you guys, he's on to us," a drone surrendered, at last, his voice dropping a few registers.

"You mean we actually have to find stuff to do now?" Another drone had exposed his underbelly like a cat. Like a flipped switch, he now stood and brushed his carapace of dust. "This is lame. It worked great the first few times."

"You guys oversell it. You gotta be more subtle. Don't make cute faces, just pretend to stay asleep," a third chided. "If it's his call to wake us up, then he'll delay it longer."

"Have a great day, guys. I have faith in you!" Thorax encouraged. The drones grumbled in reply, a few yawns escaping them as they disappeared down a morphing side corridor.

"Well that was rather huffy."

Thorax's floppy ears twitched. Before he could turn around proper, Twilight had joined him, an enchanted hairbrush working through her bed mane.

"Good morning, Twilight," Thorax said pleasantly. "Don't mind them. It's just a whole thing they do."

Twilight cocked an eyebrow, something she could now visibly accomplish. Her brush withdrew to her left saddlebag.

"You don't think that was just a tad manipulative?" she asked. Thorax motioned his head towards the chamber's exit in response, so Twilight followed his lead.

"Well, maybe a little bit, but that's not exactly abnormal for changelings," Thorax replied with a chuckle. "You have to remember that while we may have changed form and begun to share instead of take, old habits still die hard. Most of the changelings weren't like me, Twilight."

"How do you mean?"

"Having a disposition for being honest," Thorax mused, smiling to a couple of drones fluttering past them in the hallway. "Every changeling is different. Because of Chrysalis, it took us a long time to see that. Some changelings like the idea of communal energy restoration, while others think it's frivolous and degrading."

"And others use it as an excuse to be lazy," Twilight surmised. Her horn ached. She could so easily conjure her journals, add a quick note in the margins regarding social response to cluster napping, but...no. Today was about Thorax. She'd just have to fight the urges.

Celestia help her.

"Yeah, there are lazy changelings who try to use it as an excuse to sleep all the time," Thorax elaborated, rounding a bend in the corridor. "There are also changelings who get jealous when their friends share love magic with other changelings they don't know. And though I'm doing my best to curb it, there's still some bullying going on towards changelings who enjoy communal resting."

"Who knew something so simple could spark so many problems," Twilight wondered aloud. "I can't say I'm surprised, though. Even close friends have trouble seeing eye to eye from time to time, and the changelings have entirely altered their perspectives on all sorts of things. It's no wonder there are some hiccups."

"Seeing eye to eye has always been a problem for changelings, but I think we're making progress," Thorax stated with a smile. "Part of why I enjoy resting with them is because it's the one time I can really get changelings to spend time together. I know a lot of them only participate to benefit themselves right now, but I know that'll change over time. After all, if taking naps with your hivemates doesn't improve your sociability, nothing will."

Thorax offered a laugh, and Twilight offered a weak grin. She watched him, noting the spark in his eye and the genuine weight behind his smile. Bless his heart. She could scarcely name another soul in Equestria quite as genuine.

"Yesterday, when you began to play 'Ogres and Oublietes' with Spike and the other changelings, I noticed something," Twilight began, signaling the moose changeling's eye. "The other changelings were quarreling, divided when we arrived, but as soon as you sat down with them, things changed, and I mean dramatically so. It was like your presence itself was able to influence their mood positively. Have you noticed anything like that before?"

Thorax giggled again. He kissed the ground with his gaze as if it were an old friend.

"I've thought about it a few times, yes. I'm truly blessed, Twilight. All I ever wanted was to make friends, to have a meaningful connection with someone. Now I have the chance to help the changelings discover that for themselves. When I spend time with changelings who accept me as the hive leader and share their love magic with me, they're influenced by my magic in return. It becomes easier for them to befriend each other around me because of it."

"As the alpha, your love magic must be pretty potent, indeed," Twilight commented. Her thoughts raced, scrambling to remember every detail of the conversation for later recording. Even the chance of a sullen lip or fallen eye from her friend upon caving to her note-taking was a risk she would not take.

Today was about Thorax and his needs. The next note topic of Changelings and Changed Forms would have to wait.

After a grueling, maze-like trip through the hive's inner tunnels, the pair passed through an apparent recreational space, where one question Twilight had been harboring was swiftly answered. Spike was among a small group of drones, apparently deep into a game of tag. Their mutual laughter reverberated off the stone walls as they bounded around, chasing down one another like excitable foals. Warmth filled the alicorn's face.

It was, however, short-lived. With a loud thud, Spike was relentlessly face-planted by a changeling from behind.

The bug pony responsible cackled. "I got him! Bug pile! Bug pile!"

An alarming amount of drones fell limply from the air, ruthlessly piling onto the first. Only Spike's tiny claw was visible from underneath the pile of chittering chitin, wiggling weakly.

Twilight winced. Maybe it wasn't tag, after all.

"Honey, can you please give the guards their duties for today when you're able?"

"Yes, dear."

"Oh, and can you please let Sunburst know we'll be requiring his assistance with Flurry Heart this afternoon during the meeting?"

"Of course, dear."

"Speaking of, I'm going to go check on her. Can you meet me in the main hall in half an hour?"

"Absolutely, dear."

"I love you, Shining Armor."

"I love you, too."

Shining Armor listened to the echoes of his wife's hooves leave their bedroom and traverse the hallway at a quickened pace. As the silence surrounded him once more, he was overcome with contentment, not to mention a choice. It would be the toughest choice he'd ever faced in all his years serving as a guard pony of varying ranks. It was also a choice he did battle with every morning.

Five more minutes, or no?

The longer he remained unsure, the more the room's silence speared him like Cadance's disapproving look. The white stallion stretched out his hindquarters with a guttural groan, his rear-end rising from underneath a deep lavender blanket. Though they had both suffered from lack of sleep due to unnamed baby alicorns, truly, he had weathered it the worst. At least Cadance had always been an early-riser.

Shining Armor emerged from the comfiest bed in Equestria with a stammer in his step and rubbed the crust from his eyes.

"Guards...Sunburst...Twiley...Thorax..."

Shining repeated his mandated chores to himself quietly as he left the bedroom and made his way down the hall. His mane a disaster, his eyes sunken, and his posture lethargic, he was hardly an authoritative sight to behold. So lost in his own mind fog was he that he failed to notice a brown-coated guard pony only feet away.

"Prince Captain Shining Armor, good morning, sir!" the guard projected, saluting his captain and prince with gusto. "How are you this fine morning?"

"Been better—I mean never better," Shining stammered, careening himself away from a cast window frame of sunlight. "Hey, you haven't happened to see my wife leave Flurry Heart's room, have you?"

"The princess?" the guard thought aloud, complimenting the act by tapping his chin. "I don't believe so, sir. I saw her walk that way and have not seen her since."

"Must still be with Flurry. Guess I'll go find the squads and give them their orders."

"What was that, sir?"

"Oh, nothing. Oh, hey, actually, can you please inform squad's three and four to do castle rounds today? I'm going to have squads six and seven patrol the borders. There's a lot of commotion today, gotta switch things up."

The guard pony blinked. Shining Armor sauntered by, and a curious gaze followed his flank right out the fourth-floor corridor.

"But, Prince Captain Shining Armor, there are only six squads in the Crystal Empire!"

"Before we head off for the Crystal Empire, Twilight, there's one more thing I have to do. You could call it a morning routine of my own. I hope that's okay."

"Of course! Work at your own pace, Thorax. I'm merely here to assist in whatever ways I can. What's this last thing?"

She couldn't see it then, but she could picture shown teeth from his tone.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough. There's someling I have to check up on. He's usually up around this time."

The royal pair ascended a steepened passage, one much narrower than what they'd encountered thus far. Twilight bowed her head as she followed Thorax's lead, tinges of claustrophobia tickling the corners of her mind.

But grim hypotheticals were soon lost to the growing sound of sprightly laughter and a sporadic chirping, echoing from the end of the hall. The familiar pitch of children's voices played in her ears, and far lovelier pictures now filled the alicorn's head.

"Thorax," she breathed. "Are those-"

"Hang on," said Thorax. "We're almost there."

As Thorax exited her path, the sun's familiar warmth hugged Twilight's face and body, and she emerged from the passage with a cautious squint. When tiny, vibrant shells passed by, she gulped air, and her eyes widened despite the onset of painful tears.

A large chamber fitted with rows of carved windows filled her view, decorated with stone pillars that ran from floor to ceiling. In every corner and from every angle buzzed tiny changelings, with the occasional adult mixed among them. While some were tiny enough to mirror newborn foals, others perfectly resembled their elder counterparts, just micro in size. Radiant beams of light from the windows bathed them for the briefest of moments, rendering them iridescent and drawing inspiration for flight paths that frequented such spots. The bugs raced around the open space, chasing, leaping on, and playing with each other in an endless cycle of glee.

Twilight's legs became jelly. Well, that was that. Starlight would have to make an acceptable princess in her stead because she was never going home.

"I was only able to show you the nursery chamber yesterday," Thorax spoke up, his attention seized by devilish nymphs now lightly tugging against his antlers. "At the time of our tour, it was nap time for the hive's young, and I didn't want to risk waking anyling up. While I am here to see someling in-particular, I also wanted to surprise you. Meet the hive's youngest generation!"

Thorax was spouting words, or at least he may have been. Big-eyed, buggy cherubs had long since claimed Twilight's heart and soul.

"They're absolutely precious!" the alicorn cooed, extending a hoof to try and coax the small bug ponies closer. When two of them curiously fluttered over, Twilight squealed.

"Oh, that yellow one is 'Mandi'," Thorax pointed out, turning to address the bumblebee nymph with a silky voice. "Mandi, this is Princess Twilight. She's a pony visiting us from Equestria. Did you know she really likes hugs? Would you like to give her one?"

Twilight's heart stopped. Her eccentric expression reflected off Mandi's emerald eyes, and so she endeavored to reign it back into something less desperate. The fourth Equestrian princess should at least pretend her future didn't depend on the affections of a changeling nymph.

But oh, it did.

Mandi's curious glance bloomed, and two hooves curled about Twilight's neck. The alicorn's fresh tears ran free. No help was needed from the morning sun.

"Oho, just call me Aunty Twiley, sweetie," Twilight implored, gingerly wrapping one hoof around the small changeling's back. She turned to Thorax, who had resorted to more devious methods of obtaining snuggles from the nymphs assailing his antlers. Seized by teal magic, the young bugs involuntarily took turns having their snouts pressed to the monarch's and nuzzled.

"If it's okay for me to ask, whose are they?" Twilight inquired, scarcely able to bring herself to interrupt the scene. "They're not all...Chrysalis's by chance, are they?"

"Oh no, that's a common misconception, actually," Thorax replied, releasing his captured bugs to the ongoing frivolity filling the room. "Even in the case of a queen, a hive leader doesn't actually lay all the eggs. The leader just has the authority to watch over and raise them how they see fit. At least, that's what Chrysalis did. Changelings are only part insect—we actually mate off and lay eggs in pairs like many creatures do. Having spent so much time around ponies, I thought it best to let nymphs be raised by their birth changelings, now, as well as the community at large."

Only by the magic of Mandi's embrace was Twilight's will held together, now. A magenta spark danced about her horn tip, and so the books in her saddlebags fidgeted impatiently. At the rate changeling lore was being dropped, her addiction would need addressing sooner rather than later.

The alicorn opened her mouth, but a far spunkier voice than hers graced the air.

"Papa Thorax! Where have you been!? I've waited for you all morning!"

Given no time to recover from her imminent heart attack, Twilight saw a crimson-shelled nymph bolt along the ground, beelining for Thorax. His miniature ears pressed tight to his head as he charged, building up both speed and his impish smirk.

Without a second thought, Thorax sat back to his haunches, casting the bug torpedo a beaming smile Twilight had not yet seen from him. The inevitable tackle knocked Thorax clear over, and two more laughs joined the room's choir.

"You've been waiting for me?" Thorax's voice had lightened, softer than clouds. His front hooves securely pinned the nymph to his chest. "Now why would you go and do something like that for?"

"Um, you promised we'd play a bit every morning, Papa Thorax," the nymph criticized, squirreling against his restraints with limited success. "But you didn't even look for me when you came in."

Thorax was met with a pout. He grinned.

"I was distracted," he said. "Maybe if you had been at the ready to poke and prod at me like those other nymphs were, you'd have gotten nose kisses, too."

The nymph revealed his tongue. "I don't want nose kisses, Papa Thorax, I wanna play! And lemme go! I don't want your hugs, either!"

Thorax's grin grew insatiable. "Hmm, that's something a nymph who wants nose kisses and hugs would say."

"No, they wouldn't! I mean, no, I don't! I don't want your hugs right now, Papa Thorax! Lemme go; I wanna run!"

"Alright, let me think it over." Scrunching his brows, Thorax lightly bobbed his head to and fro a moment. A moment later, a snout pressed against the nymph's.

"No can do," he declared. "You're getting hugs."

Curling his body and rocking in place, Thorax playfully smothered the captured bug pony. Whines of protest saturated the air.

Somewhere a few yards away, Twilight proceeded on with her heart attack. Her lip was now on its' second minute of being self-bit. But it would be fine. Starlight was a capable pony. She'd make an excellent replacement princess.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Twilight," Thorax reached out suddenly, eyeing the mare with newfound energy. "This is Apex. He's one of the hive's youngest adult forme nymphs, or 'preadolescents' is what I think Shining Armor said ponies call that age range. Apex, this is Princess Twilight. She's from Equestria and has been here visiting."

With their introduction properly staged, Thorax got to his hooves and levitated the young changeling to a comfortable seat between his antlers. And so between them, he sat, staring at the alicorn in a statue-esque fashion.

Twilight beamed. "Hel-"

"Hi, princess pony! I'm Apex. Your wings are really cool!" Gripping hold of Thorax's antler, the micro changeling leaned around his horn to get a better look. "Why do you have a picture on your butt? Do all ponies have butt pictures or only princess ponies?"

Thorax was ripped from his lackadaisical thoughts. With an onset grimace, he raised a hoof, seeking to get the mannerless drone under control. Unfortunately for him, his assaulting appendage was little more than an invitation to play.

"Quite rambunctious, isn't he," Twilight said sweetly, giggling as Apex playfully punched and fought back Thorax's hoof. Thorax's eyes widened in response, his mouth silently wording you have no idea.

"Can you blow things up with your horn like Papa Thorax can?" Apex carried on, having successfully wrestled down the hoof. "What do ponies eat? Do they eat love? Another changeling told me they eat rocks, but I think he was lying to me."

Thorax looked beside himself, but Twilight's face lit the already glimmering room.

"You are just too adorable, Apex," she cooed. "I know I certainly don't eat rocks, but I have a close friend who eats rock candy, and her family has a rock soup recipe. The world is full of fascinating things. Even I learn new things every day."

Satisfied with her answer, Apex nodded enthusiastically. Thorax put a hoof to his face.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, Apex?" Twilight asked, taking advantage of the tiny drone's attention span while she had it.

"I'm five months old!" Apex declared proudly, leaning out from Thorax's head. Twilight stared back in sheer bafflement.

"Five...months?" she parroted.

"He's five months old since he was a larva," Thorax clarified, his eyes rolling upwards to glance at the perched drone. "Changelings mature rapidly from larvae into our adult forms, and then the aging process slows down. From now on, he'll just molt annually until he's the size of a typical adult."

A spark in Twilight's eyes had spread to her horn, and a magenta storm of writings, parchment, quills, and ink emerged at last.

"I'm gonna need you to tell me everything."

"I'm sorry."

"..."

"Honey, I apologize. I should have taken a cold shower or something before trying to get things done."

"..."

"Cadance, please don't give me that look. I know you're disappointed."

Exercising substantial effort, a group of guards off in the corner contained their snickering as, for the second time this week, Princess Cadance stared her husband into submission. The white-coated stallion rubbed the back of his head, having moved right past sheepish expressions and now assuming a defeated posture.

"...I'm just messing with you at this point," Cadance said, at last, breaking her frown with a giggle. Shining rolled his eyes, only to be caught off guard by a hoof under his chin.

"I know you're not a morning person, Shining Armor, but there are still mornings where you're way too out of it to get anything done," Cadance said quietly, her eyes locked on his. "Whether it's from late night duties, Flurry keeping you up, or something else, you've got to let me know when you're exhausted so that I can help. We're a team, and I love you."

Shining's expression glowed.

"I love you too. And, you're absolutely right. I guess I've been trying to power through it a bit too often, lately," he said softly, wrapping one foreleg around her outstretched hoof and resting his forehead against hers. "I promise I'll do better to let you know in the future."

The two royal ponies shared a long, quiet moment and sealed it with a warm kiss.

Shining Armor turned his attention back to the crowd of observing guards, who had since regained their composure. Putting forth a more commanding presence, he began a steady pace down the line.

"In a matter of hours, we'll be receiving a visit from not only my sister, Princess Twilight, but also her guest and ours, newly-crowned King Thorax of the Changeling Kingdom," Shining explained, making eye contact with guard ponies one by one as he passed them. "This is a major opportunity for not just the Crystal Empire, but Equestria as a whole. The changelings are no longer hostile. They are no longer lead by the tyrant, Chrysalis. They are now lead by Thorax, who we've come to know as a compassionate changeling and a citizen of the Crystal Empire."

Cadance watched her husband take charge with a content smile. For what he lacked in alertness at times, he more than made up for with leadership and passion. The love princess could see it even in the eyes of the empire's guards, the respect and admiration they harbored for him, flaws and all.

"King Thorax has honored the request of Equestria's princesses to build a relationship together. Today, I want our empire to shine like it never has before. As the first of Equestria's major populaces to make contact with the newly-formed Changeling Empire, it is now our duty to treat Thorax and his subjects with the same respect we give all our friends and foreign neighbors."

The long line of armored guards remained silent and still, watching their leader with rapt attention.

"I want squads one, three, and four on the borders. I want squads two and five stationed in the castle. Lastly, I want squad six at the train station, awaiting our guest's arrival. I'm not sure if they'll be using the train system, but I want it covered in case they do. If you encounter any problems, send a squad member to report to me. If you encounter our guests, make it your highest priority to escort them here safely. Dismissed!"

The uniform assembly saluted the stallion and quickly dispersed into groups, galloping out different hallways from the main hall.

As the room became quiet once more, Cadance lit her horn and gently rose the shimmering mobile bed of her young child into the air. Still fast asleep, Flurry Heart sucked on her front hoof, blissfully unaware of the many events transpiring around her.

Together, the trio left the castle lobby and stepped out into the grand sun of the afternoon.

"You know, come to think of it, I think it might be your fault I was so tired today," Shining said with a toothy smile, instigating a raised eyebrow from his wife.

"Oh? And how's that, exactly?" Cadance asked skeptically, Flurry Heart ever so subtly bobbing up and down next to her, wrapped in her turquoise aura.

"Princess Luna came to you in a dream last night, didn't she?" Shining said, leading the way along the central crystal path. "And then you proceeded to wake me up and tell me about it. So technically, it's your fault I was so tired this morning."

Cadance playfully bumped her hoof against the stallion's side.

"Well, I would say that'd be aunt Luna's fault then, technically," she said with matter-of-fact. "But if I know Twilight, it was her idea to ask Princess Luna to deliver the message to me at nearly one in the morning, so you can blame your sister for that."

"Now that you mention it, that does sound like Twiley," Shining agreed, narrowing his eyes as he smirked. "But you can't ask me to lay blame on my visiting sister, can you?"

"Well, you certainly can't blame me for getting excited about Twilight visiting us and needing to let you know, can you?"

"No, I suppose I can't," Shining admitted with a hearty chuckle, looking up towards the blue sky dotted with clouds. Just outside their borders laid a wasteland of ice, snow, and rock, but here they were blessed. Even more than living here, sharing the beauty of the empire with others had always been something he looked forward to.

"Today's going to be an interesting visit," Shining said absently, tracing cloud shapes with his eyes. "Seeing Thorax again will be great, too."

"He's always been so warm and kind. I'm sure he's already become a wonderful leader," Cadance added. "I can't wait to see where the day takes us."

As ponies around the Crystal Empire carried on with their morning, the crystal princess and her husband made their way to the east district. Before the summit with the new changeling leader, there was one thing left to do. Somepony, or rather somewizard, still had to be talked into foal-sitting.

"Oh please Papa Thorax, can I go!?"

"Apex, I don't know if it's such a-"

"I really want to see what a crystal pony looks like! Do they eat crystals, or do they live in them? That'd be so cool!"

"Apex, really, I don't think-"

"I'll stay on your head the whole time, promise! And I won't break everything, only some things!"

Exhaustion crept on Thorax just from observing the tiny drone zip around the cavern. Every so often, Apex would return to the big changeling like a boomerang to pitch yet another reason for why he should go before continuing his quest, utterly ignoring Thorax's many attempts at reasoning. It grew increasingly more difficult to say no to such an endearing ball of energy.

"Twilight, what do you think?" Thorax asked with a turn of his head.

Twilight, who had been pressed flat to the ground recording changeling aging information, shot up her head like a startled chicken.

"Oh, absolutely!" she exclaimed, only half-listening as she scribbled away at her hypotheses regarding changeling biology. "The Crystal Empire is completely safe, the changelings will be totally fine."

"Well, I think bringing Apex would be great," Spike added. Having survived 'bug pile' intact, he now laid upside-down in Thorax's throne. "More diversity would make more sense for bringing a party to the empire, right? Plus, I think a little changeling like Apex would be a great way to woo the crystal ponies."

"Spike, are you suggesting we deliberately manipulate the crystal ponies into our favor by using cute things like changeling nymphs to win them over?" Twilight asked, gathering her now updated notes into her bottomless saddlebags and darting a smirk.

Spike upped the ante with an even cruder smirk. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"Well, I suppose he'll be fine," Thorax muttered aloud, more so warming himself to the idea than anything. "I do want to bring along one of my lead guards, though. I'll feel a little better knowing one of them can keep an eye on him, in case the princess would like a private discussion."

Thorax turned to face the open cavern. His chest inflated with air.

"Tarsus! Tibia!"

The monarch's voice echoed the walls like thunder, penetrating through the many zig-zagging holes leading to various parts of the hive. Within moments, the blue and green drones in question came fluttering into the chamber from opposite directions.

"Reporting in, Thorax!" Tibia said joyfully.

"What may we do for you, Your Highness?" Tarsus added, calm and collected.

"Hey, guys. Princess Twilight and I are leaving for the Crystal Empire shortly," Thorax began, garnishing eye contact from them consecutively. "I'd like one of you to come with us as part of the visiting party. I need the other one to stay here and look after the hive for me."

Tarsus and Tibia exchanged glances. With nothing but a head tilt, the tour fiasco from the previous day was reminded. The changelings bumped their hooves together in silent agreement.

"I'll go with you, Thorax," Tibia spoke up, fluttering his wings and hovering to Thorax's eye-level. "Tarsus is better at regimented duties, and I'm pretty good at first impressions."

"Fine by me, I'll stay here where it's warm. You know, where it's not the frozen north," Tarsus muttered, giving a mocking glance towards Tibia and getting a fresh tongue in response.

Thorax nodded. "Thanks, Tibia. And Tarsus, if anything goes wrong, I want you to send a pair of relay drones to the Crystal Empire immediately."

"Well, of course," Tarsus replied, nodding his head as well. "I'll let the rest of the hive know what's going on. Best that we remain on alert and ready lock-down until you return."

"Alright, I think we're ready now," Thorax announced, sweeping his glance around the chamber to catch the eye of each drone. Apex and Tibia aside, a total of eight changelings for a total of ten had volunteered to accompany him. A modest amount, but not an intimidating one.

"All set, Your Highness?" Twilight asked, her saddlebags full and Spike secure on her back. Thorax nodded in reply.

"I think we are," he said with mounting excitement, taking to the air and enticing the drones to do the same. As an envoy, they departed, emerging from the hive and into the open arms of a truly breathtaking afternoon.

"You know, I haven't been this excited in a long time," Thorax stated, every inch of his being brimming with optimism.

"Trains are so cool! Why don't we have trains, Papa Thorax!?"

Rooted in his seat, sweat billowed down Thorax's face and underbelly. He watched in acute horror as Apex scampered around the train car as an adorable tornado. Eyes like daggers assaulted him from every passenger in the car, and so the colorful changeling king's apologetic grin grew wider every second.

Thorax had begun to chase the little changeling, himself, but Tibia had assured him it was under control. However, the more Thorax watched Tibia fail in his mission absolutely, the more he was thoroughly convinced that Tibia was terrible with changeling nymphs.

"Apex you little dolt, you need to sit still!" Tibia seethed through bared fangs, pursuing the drone with a burning tenacity. But for as close as the guardling got, Apex's nimble disposition kept him just out of hoof's reach.

"Can't catch me, Tibia!" Apex exclaimed with utmost peppiness, unburdened by what others thought of his adventure around the train car.

The ongoing commotion drew the attention of current occupants and those of the neighboring cars. Ponies pressed their snouts against the door windows, seeking the source of the uproar. Upon spotting colorful bug ponies, some gawked in confusion while others gasped and quickly fled.

Between the commotion, the glares, and the sounds of ponies grumbling about bad manners and strange-colored critters on their train car, Thorax's eyes hugged a spot on the opposite wall with exhausted discontent.

"Twilight," he mumbled quietly.

"...yes, Thorax?" Twilight replied, fending off death glares with her biggest smile and wave to date.

"I think I'm gonna have to maintain my stance that this was a really bad idea."

Emphasizing Thorax's sentence was an old grandmare's saddlebag. It was sailing through the air—collateral damage of Apex's chase. Twilight's eyes trailed the bag's trajectory, and she caught it with a quick flash of magic.

"Oh come now, Thorax, this is all perfectly natural behavior," Twilight began, her voice and expression lacking all manner of composure. She levitated the saddlebag to the old mare, who promptly ripped it from the princess's aura and left the train car with a huff.

"He's just like a foal, except with even more spunk and energy..."

Twilight's voice trailed off, her attention seized. Apex had managed to find his way atop one of the many lamps lining the car's walls. The bug pony gazed into the heart of the lamp in utter fascination, unaware that Tibia silently stalked him from the ground, butt in the air and creeping forwards as a vigilant nymph predator.

"Twilight, I wouldn't have minded the idea of a train if it were just you and I," Thorax explained, watching with caution as Apex began to poke his hoof into the lamp. "But this is overwhelming for changelings like Apex, who've never even left the hive before. I know flying would be dangerous with the freezing temperatures around the empire, and teleporting wouldn't be appropriate for an important meeting, but..."

"I know it may—well, probably would have been the more quiet, peaceful way there," Twilight admitted, tapping her front hooves together and salvaging an optimistic smile from the depths of her anxiety-ridden soul. "But this is much more scenic. Apex is having fun and look at the other changelings. They look really excited!"

Thorax followed Twilight's gaze. The small convoy of changelings sitting in the seats around them looked delighted. A few had pressed their faces against the windows, watching the scenery fly by them in awe. Others admired the car's cozy and colorful interior, and a few others had begun to watch Tibia hunt Apex like a cat chases a mouse as a form of ongoing entertainment.

However, amused changelings weren't the only thing Thorax noticed. The more he scanned train car seats, the more he began to see that not every face was full of apprehension, fear, or irritation. A single adult mare and her young filly sat at the far corner of the car, observing the group of changelings with appreciative amusement.

"Mommy, look the cute rainbow bugs!" the golden filly said, prodding a hoof against her mother's flank and pointing with the other. A few changelings perked their ears and turned their attention to the small pony, cocking their heads at the blunt summary of their appearance.

"Yes dear, there sure are a lot of them, huh?" the filly's mother replied, a yellow earth pony with a short, sandy brown mane. She made an apologetic smile to the group of changelings, gently tapping her daughter's head. "But you know it's not polite to stare, hun."

"Haha! Look the little rainbow bug mommy, he's runnin' way!"

"He is. It looks like he's having a lot of fun playing."

"Yeah! I like to play too!"

"You sure do. You like to play with daddy, right?"

"Oh! Yeah! He's really good at hide and go seek! I wonder if the little rainbow bug has a daddy to play with him?"

"I bet he does, sweetheart."

Transfixed by the simple conversation, Thorax felt his anxiety melt away in cascades. He observed the tiny filly press into her mom's side, sharing with her the sights of trees and farmland whizzing by.

With newfound willpower, Thorax turned his attention back to the ongoing chase.

"Alright, Apex, that's enough. I need you to calm down now," Thorax declared with authority, staring down the little drone and awaiting his attention.

"No way! Papa Thorax, Tibia and I are having way too much fun!" Apex replied, dodging a tackle by leaping into the air and then bouncing off Tibia's snout. The green guardling hissed with irritation, putting a hoof to his nose as Apex continued to taunt him.

"Apex, I know you wanna have fun, but there are other ponies here who are trying to relax," Thorax said. "I need you to listen to me, and calm down now."

Apex's carefree disposition deflated as Thorax's no-fun voice persisted. The tiny bug pony met the changeling's gaze from down the cabin, and upon finally locking eyes, Thorax softened his stern look.

"I want you to come sit with me for the rest of the ride and take it easy," Thorax said, placing a hoof against his seat. "If you can do that for me, I promise we'll do something fun together before I have my meeting with Princess Cadance. Alright?"

All eyes turned to stare, and the car grew quiet.

"...will you even play bug pile with me?" Apex asked, probing the question cautiously. The other changelings gawked on with equal investment. Thorax had never played bug pile, let alone any form of roughhousing before or since he first left the hive.

Thorax shrugged in response, and it became a nod half-way through.

"Sure, if that's what you wanna do. I mean, let's be honest, I'm already used to being suffocated by changelings through proximity, these days," he answered with a chuckle. "But Apex, you need to relax if we're gonna do that, okay? I think Tibia needs a break, too. You've kinda worn him out from the looks of it."

"Tibia seconds that notion," Tibia muttered from the floor.

Apex beamed. The prospect of seeing the big changeling play his favorite game was too enticing. With a frantic dash, he bounded across the train car's threshold one more time, using his front hooves to climb up Thorax's elongated seat. Once reaching the summit, he looked around for a spot to claim as his own, only to find Thorax wherever he looked. In the time it had taken Apex to cross the car, Thorax had laid himself down along the entire seat.

Thorax gave the drone a rather unsubtle, hopeful smile. Apex frowned.

"Papa Thorax."

"Yes?"

"You're trying to be a cuddlebug, aren't you?"

Thorax relished the nymph's incredulous expression.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because now you're laying down, and there's no room for me to sit."

Thorax reared his head upwards, looking down at his own haunches as if surprised to see himself stretching so far down the seat. "Oh wow, you're right," he said with a toothy smile. "I guess I'm still not used to being so much bigger than you guys. Guess you'll have to make do, huh?"

Thorax maneuvered his front leg to make adequate room, but Apex raised a hoof uncomfortably. The nymph glanced around at a few older changelings, scanning their expressions for potential ridicule.

"Papa Thorax, you're not really gonna make me do this, are you?" Apex whined. "You know I don't like to do cuddlebug things in front of everyling..."

"Do you want me to play bug pile with you or not?" Thorax asked, toothy grin still strong. "You wore out Tibia to the point of exhaustion and disturbed quite a few ponies, Apex. I could get a few changelings to send you back home. I don't think quietly spending time with me is too much to ask for, do you?"

Apex grumbled under his breath, lowering his head in defeat and flopping his body against the seat cushion. Thorax laid his head down as well, in such a way for his snout to just barely touch the nymph's. For a long moment, Thorax's magenta eyes swam around in Apex's mildly annoyed ruby ones.

"You're not gonna be a grump when we get to the empire, are you?" Thorax asked, so quietly Apex could barely hear him.

"Maybe," Apex replied.

"You know resting will build your energy back up for playing once we get there, right?" Thorax continued.

"I spose."

The changeling king's soft, observing eyes filled Apex's view, but the young drone still averted his gaze. Together the two listened to the monotonous droning of the train's wheels against the metallic tracks and the soothing white noise of changelings and ponies chattering among themselves. Though Apex could already feel energy building throughout his body, a red tint held fast to his face.

Thorax's melancholy look spoke volumes, but he managed a smile all the same and gently laid a hoof on the nymph's head to draw his attention.

"I know it's not your thing, Apex. But hey, thanks for giving it a chance. That's all I wanted," Thorax said encouragingly, breaking the calm moment at last. "Some changelings indeed find it a little silly, but I'll be the first to admit that I love the chance to be close with you all. To me, it makes us feel more like a family."

The big changeling arched his back, ready to sit up and return the drone his personal space. But as soon as he'd made a move, a tiny hoof grabbed his leg, and with it, his attention.

"Well, maybe you don't have to stop that soon, Papa Thorax," Apex whispered, clearly trying to avoid any other changelings overhearing him. "If it makes you happy, I'll do it with you just this one time, you know, for your sake."

Thorax could spot the guilty pleasure hiding just under the little changeling's expression. It was as clear as a cloudless sky. Neither of them were any good at lying, and Thorax was thankful for it.

The entire train car had grown quiet. Relaxing against the seat once more, Thorax wrapped one hoof around Apex's tiny frame, gently pulling him closer. The nymph exhaled sharply in reply, surrendering his senses to the comforting idea of a quick nap and the warm feeling of restorative love magic that came with it.

"Hey, Papa Thorax," Apex muttered, using the alpha changeling's neck as a pillow. Perfectly content, all Thorax could manage was a small grunt in reply. "If anyling asks, you were really sad and I took pity on you. I mean, everyling knows you're a big softie, but I got a reputation to uphold."

Thorax stifled a laugh, lest he'd jostle the little bug pony.

"Sure thing, Apex. If anyling asks, you can say Papa Thorax overwhelmed you with a huge pout."

Apex chortled quietly to himself at the thought.

"Psst, Thorax," came a sudden feminine voice from somewhere overhead. Thorax opened one eye and glanced out his peripheral to find a pink drone leaning over the back of the seat. "I'll let you know when we get there. I think Princess Twilight said two more hours. I'll check again. She went off to talk with some pony she knows from the other car—'Minette' or something."

"Thank you, Xenica," Thorax mumbled in reply. "Do me a favor and keep everyling out of trouble until we get there, okay? Tibia and I are rather indisposed at the moment."

Xenica, a gleaming pink and green changeling, rolled her equally-vivid fuschia eyes.

"Now that you've subdued the tiny terror, it's smooth sailing from here, Your Highness."

"I can hear you, Xenny," came Apex's vexed voice from beneath Thorax's chin.

The sassy pink drone grimaced and quickly shrank back into her seat, and Thorax watched with silent joy, his youngest subject giggle with triumphant amusement.

"So, Sky Lance, tell me something."

"I think I'll pass."

"If Princess Celestia were to fall in love with a guard, what would you call that?"

Sky Lance bore holes through his friend's silver helmet with a heinous expression. Once again, he was cornered with no chance of escape. With a helpless shake of his head he awaited the inevitable punchline.

"Knight and Day."

"Yup, that's about as terrible as I thought it'd be."

Though the sun's rays illuminated every last crystalline structure, painting with its grace a shimmering paradise as far as the eye could see, Sky Lance could only simmer in his everlasting distaste for puns. But Straight Arrow met his friend's frown with a happy-go-lucky grin, leaning against a pillar and letting loose a hearty laugh.

"You really need to lighten up," Straight Arrow chuckled, eyeing the snaking train tracks for the due train. "I'm telling it to Spike the Brave and Glorious once he gets here because I'm sure he'll appreciate my humor."

Straight Arrow blew a raspberry. Sky Lance cocked a brow.

"Spike the Brave and Glorious is legitimately funny. Come to think of it, so is Thorax," Lance muttered smugly, frown turning to a smirk. "You on the other hoof are just recycling quips you read in the Daily Crystal. Trust me, once Spike gets here we'll have some real humor."

"For your information I told that joke to Princess Celestia herself, and she gave a modest laugh, way more than her usual giggle."

"Is that so. Well, from what Princess Cadance has told me, her aunt laughs at everything guards tell her. She was probably just humoring you."

Straight Arrow rolled his eyes.

"Oh, like the comedy-challenged pony is in a position to determine when somepony's humoring you or not."

Bickering filled the calm and tranquil train station as the pair of guards began to lose their statue-esque composure. But the sound of grumbles and passive-aggressive insults weren't the only sound to hear anymore. It started as an echo off the distant frozen mountains but grew steadily louder with each passing second - a powerful brass whistle, signaling its presence with a reverberating shriek.

"Hah! Would you look at that. All we needed was a good joke, and Spike the Brave and Glorious beckoned my call."

"You're too much," Lance muttered. "I'm begging Captain Prince Shining Armor for a transfer the next chance I get."

"Love you too, Lance."

Arrow and Lance resumed their stolid stances as the crystal train shot by with a blast of sound. The mighty transport's metallic wheels slowed and screeched to a halt, bringing a pair of sliding doors to a standstill between the two ponies. As the train let off an expulsion of hissing steam, Arrow and Lance gathered their composure for the royalty about to step through those doors.

"Oh, greetings, sirs!"

With her saddlebags in place, Twilight exited the train with an air of optimism and excitement. The crystal guards gave slight bows of their heads as she landed on the platform.

"Good morning, Princess Twilight," Lance said.

"We take it you're doing well?" Arrow added.

"I'm doing just great!" Twilight declared with an outwards thrust of her hoof. "Thank you for asking. Spike and I just spent the night and previous day with the changelings, and we've decided to lend them a hoof in negotiations with Princess Cadance today. But from the looks of things, I don't need to tell you two that, do I?"

"That's one way to put it," Lance said with a small smile. "Captain Prince Shining Armor asked we guard the train station in case you had decided to arrive by train today. It looks like he was wise to do so."

"I wanted the changelings to experience Equestria train systems while we had the opportunity," Twilight explained, looking back towards the empty, open train doors. "They should be coming out any moment now."

"Oh, of course!" Arrow blurted, substituting his composure for that of a sprinter readying a marathon. "Does Thorax, er—King Thorax require any luggage to be moved from the train?"

Twilight replied with a series of giggles, much to the mutual confusion of the guard ponies.

"Well, I guess you could say he has some 'luggage'," she began with a laugh, "but don't worry, sirs, I'm fairly certain he's got it."

For a few moments, the guard ponies watched the gaping train doors with patient curiosity. A moment later, their stern, slightly agape mouths bloomed into crooked smirks.

Lumbering from the train at a snail's pace was Thorax, covered head to hoof in changelings. Clinging to his figure as if the very ground were composed of lava, the nine drones were one per each of his legs, two on his back, two hanging from his antlers, and lastly, Apex atop the alpha changeling's head. Every step was an exaggerated effort that erupted snorts and snickers.

"...um, King Thorax?" Lance prodded, the astonishment of the bug pony's startling transformation overtaking his initial chuckling towards whatever shenanigans were ahoof.

"Is that you, Sky Lance?" Thorax asked, dawning a smile as he landed on the platform. "Oh, and Straight Arrow, you're here too. It's great to see you guys."

"It's good to see you too," Lance uttered, blinking a few times. "You sure have changed, huh? Well, I mean, you all have, but you in particular."

Thorax attempted some manner of body language to acknowledge the statement, but this proved utterly impossible while wearing changelings as clothes.

"Yeah, it's quite a sight," he chuckled. "To be honest, we're still getting used to it, ourselves."

"Well, I like the antlers. Aesthetic and deadly!" Arrow complimented, eyeing the pair of drones clinging to them.

"You actually know guard ponies, Papa Thorax?" the drone clamped around Thorax's left antler inquired, examining the muscular guards with mild curiosity.

"Yeah, I just sorta figured they all had number names and didn't talk," the right antlerling added, immediately drawing glares.

"Hey, be polite," Thorax scolded. "Don't forget that we are guests. And yes, lest you all forget, I lived in the Crystal Empire for a while, so I know quite a few of the guards here."

Thorax turned to face his companions properly. Unfortunately for him, his frontal view was even more hilarious than the side view. Straight Arrow's lip quivered dangerously.

"A-alright, I'm sorry, I cannot take this", he said at last. "Someone's got to explain what's going on."

The more the shimmering guard pony laughed, the more the clinglings grinned.

"Introducing the Mobile Bug Pile!" came Apex's ecstatic voice. From atop Thorax's head, he threw his tiny hooves in the air. "It was all my idea."

A few changelings shot him dirty looks.

"Alright, maybe it was only mostly my idea," he clarified.

"What's a 'mobile bug pile'?" Lance inquired.

"Thorax promised to play a tag and tackle game changelings play, called 'Bug Pile'," came the exposition-y voice of a certain dragon, just now exiting the train car. "Thorax promised to play it if Apex here would agree to sit still on the train. When Apex modified the idea last minute, Thorax couldn't back out of his promise since it's still technically the same game."

"Now, instead of everyling tackling a changeling after they get tagged, everyling tackles Papa Thorax instead!" Apex concluded with glee.

"We're seeing how far he'll carry all of us before he gets fed up," right antlerling piled on with a smirk.

"Correction," Thorax interjected, "I'm dumping you guys once we get past the train station. I'm not carrying you through town, and I'm certainly not carrying you all the way to the castle."

A disappointed whine resounded from every changeling.

As the shock and guffaw finally began to wear off, Lance and Arrow took the convoy's lead and navigated through the crystal train station. Twilight caught up with Spike, who was following on Thorax's hooves, sharing suppressed snorts with those closest changelings on Thorax's back.

"As always, Spike, your timing is truly remarkable," Twilight commented, shaking her head with an amused eye roll. Changelings started to make faces just to elicit laughs from the dragon. "Though I'm rather curious just when you found all that out. I didn't see you up once the entire train ride."

"Twilight, you do realize you talked to Minuette for like, half an hour, right?" Spike replied, crossing his arms. "I managed to have an entire conversation with Thorax and fall back asleep by whatever time you came back."

Twilight gave an incredulous look. She placed a hoof to her chin for a few moments, contemplating both her awareness and understanding of time and space.

"There's no way I was distracted that long. We were just catching up. I mean, she did most of the talking, per usual, but it couldn't have been that long a conversation...could it?"

"I've said it before, I'll say it again, Twilight," Spike said, placing his claws behind his head, "that pony is a time vortex."

"Reporting in, Your Highness!" a guard pony said firmly, practically smacking his helmet with his routine salute.

"Yes, has there been any sign of Thorax and his group, yet?" Princess Cadance asked softly, hiding the growing anticipation in her voice. The majestic princess of love sat upon her crystalline throne, waiting with bated breath upon each new report from the squads.

"Not yet, I'm afraid," the guard replied, lowering his hoof. "But we do have some encouraging news. Squad three has seen the Crystal Train arriving from the south, which our information tells us is the changeling hive's general direction. It departed from Dodge City just several hours ago."

"It's definitely a possibility," Cadance surmised, standing from her throne and descending to the shimmering stone floor. "Please have squad three check on the status of squad six. If they have encountered the changeling party, they'll be too preoccupied leading them through town to make a report. If the changeling party is here, send word to the other squads. If not, please continue your patrol of the border. Thank you, you are dismissed."

With a confident and stoic nod, the guard pony galloped from the throne room.

"Hah, see? You do a pretty good job yourself, hun. I couldn't have done it better, myself."

Cadance turned to find her husband leaning against her crystal throne, watching her every move with an etched look of pride. Cadance giggled to herself and joined him, gently meeting her horn to his.

"Oh, believe me, you're much better at it than I am," she said modestly. "I never was very good at commanding. When you do it, it's second nature. You don't even have to try. Just one of the many things I love about you."

"You make it sound like it's all that impressive. So I can raise my voice and look serious—big deal. You spread love into whatever room, whatever kingdom you step into. That is truly remarkable."

"Shining, come on," Cadance said softly, pouting her lips, embracing the robust stallion, and laying her head against his neck. "Don't downplay your strengths. You know I hate when you do that."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," he replied with a laugh, all too much enjoying the attention and returning her soft nuzzles. "I guess I should take care not to add anything else to my list of things forgotten today, huh?"

Cadance closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the warm embrace fully. A few moments of precious silence went on too long, and she felt something off. Shining's body had frozen stiff, his muscles suddenly rigid and tense. With a rush of concern, Cadance leaned back to examine the stallion's face, only to find a look of surging horror.

"Shining Armor, what's wrong?" Cadance asked with mounting alarm.

"The crystal ponies," Shining Armor managed out, voice shaking ever so slightly. The stallion frantically turned his gaze towards the vast windows overseeing the Crystal Empire, then darted back to Cadance with a single drop of sweat gliding down his cheek.

"...I never addressed the crystal ponies to let them know the changelings were visiting today!"

"So, King Thorax, are you still getting situated as the new changeling leader?" Lance put forth.

Thorax drank in the cool breeze sweeping through the crystal plains. Though his muscles were starting to complain, the silence of content changelings kept him moving at a steady pace. With a warm gaze, he looked to the curious guard pony by his side.

"Little by little," the changeling monarch replied, "I love helping and guiding the changelings. I'm just still getting used to being in charge. And, you know you don't have to call me that if you don't want to, Lance."

"Of course I do; I'm on duty," Sky Lance replied with matter-of-fact. "Prince Captain Shining Armor would have my tail if I was informal with royal guests while on duty."

Traveling along the cinnamon dirt road that lead into town, the escorted group took in the sights of the empire's skyline. Above the rather modest crystal homes was the gleaming castle, piercing the clouds themselves.

Thorax paused in thought at the impressive spectacle but quickly clenched an eye on reflex as stray hooves poked his face. Overwhelmed with excitement, Apex had decided to stand atop his perch to take in the new surroundings. The little changeling radiated with bliss, drawing looks as he gasped softly, fluttering his tiny wings.

"Papa Thorax, why doesn't our hive sparkle like the crystal pony crystal castle?" he pondered aloud.

"Well, we sparkle now, so I say it's just a matter of time," a drone sarcastically quipped from Thorax's leg. The air vibrated with chittering.

"It may not shine in the light, but I really like our new hive," Thorax said with pride, gently using one hoof to guide Apex's stray legs out of his face. "And you know, the Crystal Empire doesn't have natural underground hot springs like our hive does."

"Yeah, I guess that is pretty cool," Apex admitted. "Plus, if the hive did start to sparkle, I think that'd hurt my eyes after a while."

"Speaking of shiny things, King Thorax, if you don't mind me asking, what are the little crystals for?" Straight Arrow asked, nodding his head towards the trio of gems decorating Thorax's neck. "Is that like, male vs. female identification or something?"

Thorax forced his mind back on track with an ogling stare in Arrow's direction.

"Well, as far as I can tell, they're-"

"Why must you bother King Thorax with such personal questions?" Lance spoke abruptly, furrowing his brow to a razor point. "He's probably tired from his long journey, not to mention his...current predicament."

With an unsure glance, Lance surveyed a few drones parkouring around Thorax's hindquarters. However, this lasted only a moment. Flattening his lip, Thorax fluttered his tucked wings and sent the drones tumbling, eliciting a choir of snickering from the other changelings.

"For your information, Lance, I'm carrying on a conversation with my good friend. Perhaps you've met him," Arrow muttered sarcastically.

"While on duty, humility and professional behavior comes first," Lance pointed out.

"So cut and dry you're like beef jerky," Arrow shot back.

"Sirs!" came Twilight's stern voice. She extended her wings with a thrust. The two guards jumped in surprise, and eighteen compound eyes gave their attention to the sudden excitement.

"It's certainly important to maintain a respectful attitude, but there's nothing wrong with some casual conversation," Twilight explained, her wings curling back to her petite frame. She turned to Thorax with an encouraging smile.

"...um, that's right," Thorax added, scrambling to continue Twilight's wisdom. "I'm the changeling leader now, but I'm not a foreign leader. I already have close relationships with the empire, so you don't have to worry so much about being so formal with me, Lance."

"As you wish, Thorax," Lance acknowledged, reluctantly backing down.

Though the train station was now a distant memory, Thorax's laboring continued as the convey neared town. Once again, the alpha changeling's soft streak had gotten the better of him. The tranquil and calm drones could be chalked up to the many new sights distracting them, but Thorax wasn't going to make that gamble just yet. Ensuring their best behavior was his utmost priority. Accomplishing that without raising his voice or throwing around glares was a good day for him.

For now, 'Mobile Bug Pile' would remain operational.

But while Thorax trudged onwards, Spike had stealthily hidden behind Thorax's lower legs, obscured from view for all present parties. Grabbing the attention of those closest changelings, the purple dragon put a claw to his lips.

"Hey you guys, I just had the best idea," he whispered, rousing the bug ponies' attention.

"Oh yeah?" one drone replied, observing Spike with intrigue. "Do tell."

"Just a little something Spike the Brave and Glorious, also known as Spike the Hilarious cooked up for those moody guard ponies," Spike explained with a scheming smile, pausing for a moment as to allow Arrow and Lance's continual bickering in the background to prove his point. "Trust me, it's gonna be awesome. When I give you guys the signal, here's what we're gonna do..."

A muffled explanation ensued, and the two backleglings exchanged wicked grins.

Shining Armor's hooves thundered against the stone ground, shortness of breath burning his lungs. By his side, the normally reserved Cadance sprinted along with him, wearing the same frown she had worn since the throne room.

"You are impossible," she stated, her tone caught somewhere between a laugh and a reprimand. "I know today's meeting was short notice, but of all the things you had to do today, Shining Armor, how could you forget this one?"

"I'm sorry! A thousand times, I'm sorry!" he said frantically, shaded blue mane undulating in the wind. "I remembered to inform the guard units, but the populace slipped through the cracks. I swear to your aunt, I'll dump cold water on my head every morning from now on if I have to. But right now we need to hurry—if Twiley did arrive on the last train, they'll be hitting town any second now!"

"I must admit that I'm still not sure why you're so freaked out," Cadance said, arching an eyebrow and navigating around a decorative floral garden as she ran. "If Twilight is with them, I'm sure things will be absolutely fine."

"Hun, do you know why I wanted you to give the guards their daily orders today?" Shining asked, impressively leaping a bench. Cadance simply watched her stoic husband with patient resolve, signaling him to continue. "It's because I thought it'd be a good idea for you to get outside the castle a little more often and mingle with the guards and the citizens like I usually do."

"And if you remember, I agreed that was a wonderful idea," Cadance added. "But, what does that have to do with the changeling's visit?"

The core of the empire's city approached - soon the edge of town would be visible. Shining Armor's gaze fixated on that still unclear horizon with mounting dread.

"Policing the empire means you deal with day-to-day problems a lot more often," he explained. "The real ones, and the not so real ones."

Cadance shot him a lost expression, and Shining answered with a wide-eyed look of concern.

"Let's just say the crystal ponies tend to...overreact to things," he uttered ominously.

"Shining Armor, you may not have let the empire know about the visit in advance, but I'm fairly certain Twilight can handle any initial shock just fine," Cadance reassured, her confusion leveling to a soft smile. "Honestly, it's like you're suggesting I've never been around to witness a major...panic."

Cadance's train of thought derailed to shock and awe. Before her was a scene of tumultuous chaos that Discord himself would be proud of. Crystal ponies young and old charged aimlessly in every direction, their faces twisted with exaggerated terror. Only now did the shrieks of fright begin to ring in her ears, as ponies bellowed at the top of their lungs, some taking refuge in their homes while others resorted to hiding under benches or behind hanging plant pots.

At the mayhem's epicenter was the arriving convoy. At the forefront was Thorax, frozen in shock and still covered in changelings. The squadron of drones clung to him peered around, some blankly staring as ponies pointed at them and cried out in terror, while others cried themselves from squinted eyes as they laughed.

Just beyond the changelings were Straight Arrow and Sky Lance, who had just shaken off two drones atop their backs. Just a moment prior, the drones had launched a spontaneous tackle attack upon them, under the command of a certain dragon.

"Run for your lives, everypony!" a crystal mare exclaimed, her voice cracking as she pointed. "That multi-colored monster is attacking! Its babies just attacked the guards!"

Like an accelerant poured on a robust flame, the mare's words stirred the frenzy further. Ponies began running into one another, pushing others out of their way as they attempted to flee the area.

"No, no, no! No one is attacking anyone, everypony!" came Twilight's anxious voice, ascending through the air and attempting to harness the crowd's attention. "The changelings were just playing! The guards weren't in danger!"

"Changelings!?" one crystal pony shouted out, pressing his head between his front hooves. "There are changelings in the empire!?"

A resounding gasp echoed from the entire crowd in harmony, a temporary moment of silence as every head turned to more closely examine the intruders. Thorax blinked and gave a desperate smile—unfortunately, it had no effect.

"Look at their eyes! They are changelings!" a stallion proclaimed, lowering himself to the ground and concealing his face.

"A new breed of changelings that attack from a congealed form!" a mare added, hiding behind her friend.

The hysteria continued where it left off, leaving the combined efforts of Twilight, Lance, and Arrow a lost cause.

Seated ahead of the chaos, Cadance gradually turned her head. Sweat poured from Shining Armor's face, his wife's ferocious expression a heavy pressure on his entire being. At that moment, Shining realized that among a sea of screaming ponies, it was he who should be the most terrified.

"Shining Armor."

"...yes, dear?"

"Turns out you were right."

"I know, I wish I wasn't."

"You were right, and you're going to fix this. Now."

"Of course, dear."

"Alright, it is definitely time to get off, you guys," Thorax said decisively. A middle-aged pony dug herself a hole in the dirt before firmly planting her head like an ostrich. Thorax winced.

"What's their deal?" Xenica asked, fluttering from the alpha changeling's back and gingerly touching down to the ground. "I thought you said you used to live here, Thorax. Is running and screaming how crystal ponies usually greet guests?"

"Well no, but I-"

"Also, I thought the sun princess said she'd inform the ponies that we won't stuff them in cocoons anymore," another drone added, arching an eyebrow at an old stallion moving at a crawl's pace but obviously trying his best to flee. "These ponies sure look like they're expecting cocoon stuffing."

"I know Princess Celestia made her announcement by now—she sent me a scroll last week telling me she did," Thorax replied, his train of thought abruptly subdued by a tickling sensation. Something small and nimble was swiftly darting through his legs. A familiar set of tiny wings shivered there, overstimulated by the mass panic.

"Are we playing a game, Papa Thorax!?" Apex asked eagerly, his voice on the verge of a breakdown. "Is this the game you said we'd all play together? Did you get all the ponies to play too!?"

"Wha-Apex, when did you get off my head?" Thorax pondered aloud. "Also, you picked Mobile Bug Pile, remember? That's the game that we-"

"Look at that pony! She can't fit through that window! I think her butt is too big. Can I go help her?"

There was a resounding 'no!' from the entire convoy, and Apex inflated his cheeks defiantly.

"Thorax, what should we do?" came the off put voice of Tibia, trotting up to the monarch's side. "Princess Twilight and Spike got swamped by the crowd. She's trying to work through it, but it might be a minute."

"What happened to Lance and Arrow?" Thorax inquired.

"Lance ran off to get the other guards for back-up, and I think Arrow is just trying to stop ponies from hurting themselves," Tibia replied with deadpan.

Suffering a deep sigh, Thorax looked past the mayhem and towards the crystal castle. Should they take to the sky and seek out the princess? That'd probably invoke even more panic of an invasion. Trying to reason with the crowd wouldn't work, either. Thorax had lived in the empire long enough to know that crystal ponies were like spooked cattle whenever confusion and panic took root.

Amidst his thoughts, two familiar faces caught his eye from beyond the frantic mobs. With a dawning smile, the alpha changeling gathered the attention of his drones with a wing flutter. Soon all compound eyes turned to find the third princess of Equestria and her husband charging at them full-tilt, dodging ponies as they ran.

"I don't know what's going on, but it looks like we may find out," Thorax said, noting a few cocking heads among the drones. "Everyling, please stay close to me. I don't want anyling wandering off and causing even more of a panic."

"I think the crystal ponies can manage the acceleration of their panicking all by themselves," Xenica replied with snark.

"Thorax!" came the ragged voice of Shining Armor. He slowed to a trot as he reached the squadron of changelings and cast them their first welcoming smile.

"First of all, I'd just like to say thank you for taking the time to visit us today," the royal stallion said, pausing to catch hold of his eluded breath. "Princess Luna informed us of your efforts with Princess Celestia and my sister. We are very excited to have you all."

"And of course, we're also excited to see you again, Thorax," Cadance said warmly, gently embracing the pastel bug. Thorax's pearly teeth gleamed when he returned it.

"I feel the same way. I can't believe it's been a full month already since I was last in the empire," he mused. "It's been so busy. We just finished rebuilding our new hive, and you wouldn't believe all the new things we've been discovering!"

"You've certainly grown up in more ways than one, haven't you?" Cadance said with rhetoric. "It feels like just the other day we had a young changeling living in our castle, nervously inquiring to me nearly every day how he should go about introducing friendship to his fellow changelings."

Thorax's magenta eyes went wide, and his pointy ears shriveled pathetically to the inevitable aww's sounding from his pack.

"But I'm afraid proper pleasantries will have to wait," Cadance continued, pulling Thorax's roasting rear out of the fire as quickly as she had put it there. "First and foremost, we really must apologize for this fiasco."

Cadance ever so subtly shot a look at her husband. Shining picked up on the glare within moments and turned to face the varied crowd of crystal ponies, all of whom had stopped in their tracks upon seeing the empire's royalty interacting with the strange newcomers. Dozens of faces looked on from around the plaza, invested in the startling cliffhanger.

"Attention, everyone!" Shining bellowed, his stolid voice carrying through the air. "I need you all to calm down. Our visitors are changelings from the newly-reformed changeling hive, lead by newly-crowned King Thorax, a prominent member of the Crystal Empire. They may look different now, but they are Equestria's latest allies, and as such, deserve our utmost respect."

Like reclusive hermit crabs, crystal ponies began to emerge from their homes and from behind planting pots, benches, and lamp posts.

"At this time, King Thorax and the changelings will be accompanying Princess Cadance and myself to the castle," Shining continued, taking a few steps to demonstrate his point. "I would like to formally invite all of the empire to join me in the castle plaza, for a more in-depth explanation of current events, where I will be more than happy to answer all of your questions and concerns."

Shining turned on his hoof, leading the arriving convoy towards the looming castle and leaving the diverse crowd to decide their next course of action. While many ponies began to follow the convoy, benign curiosity and fascination replacing fear, many stayed behind, conflicted.

As the mob dispersed, Twilight and Spike were regurgitated from the suffocating crowd of frantic ponies. Quickly taking sight of her brother, she enveloped Spike in magic and ventured to join him.

"If you can take Thorax and the changelings to the meeting room, I'd be happy to address the crystal ponies properly," Shining offered, Cadance's radiant form strolling along just inside his peripheral. "I can meet up with you all once I'm finished. Shouldn't take more than ten minutes at most."

"What happened to me 'mingling with the citizens'?" Cadance asked with a smirk.

"Well, I have to clean up my mess, and you're way better with politics than I am," the stallion replied with a wink. Cadance backed to a modest smile in reply, meeting her horn to her husband's.

"Hmm, good answer."

Inside the crystal castle's iridescent walls, Cadance lead the alpha changeling and his troop of drones down a highly-lit corridor. While bug ponies glanced around at the architecture with reserved interest, Thorax examined every corner of his old haunt like an enthralled child. Chrysalis's old hive had never held sentiment for him, but the crystal castle was another story entirely.

Memories greeted him from every corner, every crystalline pillar. The oversized changeling pranced in place.

"That's the fourth-floor washroom!" A teal aura gripped the doorknob, and upon a quick reveal, two antlers poked inside. "Still the same. Flurry and I played in there so many times."

"Despite my best efforts," Cadance admitted with a nervous chuckle.

"Ooh, and that's an antique, genuine crystal ballroom!" Thorax continued, shouldering an elated eye at the drones. "There was this one time where we were all playing hide and seek, and I turned into an extra, out of place suit of armor. Shining Armor didn't notice me, but when he heard me rattle, he ran out!"

"He's sworn the ballroom has been haunted ever since," Cadance commented. "Never could get him to put two and two together."

The hallway envoy came to a fork, and with a hoof, Thorax signaled the princess to stop. Turning to his charge like a field trip leader, Thorax visited each face with a painfully unsubtle earnest.

"So, what do you guys think so far?"

With bated breath, he beamed, scanning their fidgeting forms for signs of intrigue. But as the bugs glanced around the shimmering hallway once more, they rubbed their heads and offered shallow grimaces in reply.

"Thorax, we get it," a green drone began, speaking for the group. "You lived in a castle, and that's pretty exciting, but, honestly? All the shiny crystals make my eyes hurt."

The drones nodded unanimously. Thorax's ears wilted.

"I'm pretty sure if Chrysalis ever saw anything this shiny in the hive, she'd have probably banished it," another drone added.

The thought of Chrysalis ranting and raving over highly luminescent rocks triggered a round of chittering. One drone sat back on his haunches to cover his mouth with his upper hooves, snorts escaping in bursts. But Thorax's disapproving look descended on the changelings like a storm, his shadow drawing their glossy eyes.

"What did I just finish telling you guys outside about being polite?" He lowered his head, forcing the tiny-by-comparison bug ponies to meet his gaze. Those changelings nearest to him did a reverse careen of their necks, taking a few anxious steps backward.

"Oh, don't worry about it so much, Thorax," Cadance said jollily, giving the colorful bug ponies an encouraging glance. "They're just being themselves. I don't take offense. Honestly, Shining Armor actually said the same thing when we first came to the empire. The light really does take getting used to."

"Well, you'd think we'd be used to shine by now," Thorax mused, offering a softer look towards the drones. "We do sorta look like the colors of the rainbow, now, and don't get me started on how our wings and tails reflect light."

A sudden, lengthy gasp sounded. Someling had just been blessed by realization.

"Yeah, I almost forgot!" a grass green drone exclaimed, dancing on the tips of his hooves. "Hey, guys, disco tail rave!"

Thorax and Cadance turned their heads to the bizarre proclamation. Once passive and apathetic, the squadron of drones were now clamoring around the crystal pillars lining the hallway's walls. With insatiable grins, they maneuvered their tails to filter the corridor's ample supply of light. Various shades of purple, green, blue, and red light flowed along the floor, and the drones began dancing.

Accomplished whistles and cheers filled the corridor, and Thorax took facial refuge in the darkness of his hoof.

"Oh my goodness, that's so creative!" Cadance giggled, putting a hoof to her chest.

"Oh, please don't encourage them, princess," Thorax muttered into his hoof, his tone bogged down by a sharp onset of fatigue. "When they first figured out they could do this, it was shortly after we reformed. I couldn't get them to stop for days."

Cadance's giggle only grew. For the remainder of the trip down the hall, the changelings danced as they walked, cramming the air with relentless yips and hoots.

"At any rate, Equestria is a colorful place," Cadance picked up, effortlessly citing wisdom like a fortune cookie. "Ponies, the homes they build, even the grass, trees, and sky all around us are immensely vibrant. If you want to talk colors, Thorax, I think you'll find you actually fit in more than you did before."

"I dunno, I kinda liked having holes in my legs. It made me feel edgy," one drone thought aloud.

"Well I hated it, trying to walk anywhere without getting your hoof caught in roots was infuriating," another spat with contempt.

"Do you guys remember Scapus?" a third brought up.

"Was he the one who used to sleep transform into weird stuff every night?"

"No."

"Was he the one who got a gopher stuck in his leg? And Chrysalis fell off her throne laughing at him?"

"No, that was Cercus. Scapus used to change his form into a changeling without holes, and he made it a popular thing for a while."

"Oh, yeah, I remember him, now. That whole thing was pretty funny, too."

"It was funny until Chrysalis noticed it and flipped out," Xenica interjected, dramatically raising her hoof and standing on her back legs. 'What are you fools doing? We're perfect the way we are, how dare you desecrate the proud changeling image!'"

Violent laughter erupted once again as changelings began to play off one another's quips. A Chrysalis with a sun hat and purse appeared among them, followed by a dramatically uncharacteristic Chrysalis featuring Thorax's colors. Each new gag drew more and more abhorrent cackling until a sky blue spark commanded silence until at last. Though undisturbed in their merriment, the drone's shrieks became mute in the face of a teal aura, crafted in a personalized dome around them.

"Sound equalizer bubble," Cadance replied, answering the young monarch before his mouth could even participate. "Cancels sound above a certain decibel level. Found it particularly helpful for handling Flurry's 'I need it now' tantrums. She doesn't get what she can't ask for with her indoor voice."

"Oh, you definitely need to teach me that one," Thorax chuckled, his sly eye gone unnoticed to the drones in hoof. "Getting everyling to calm down when they get into an uproar is one of the things I struggle with the most."

Cadance simpered. Somehow, that wasn't the least bit surprising. "Noise aside, I'm really glad to see the changelings have transitioned so well. I'm a pretty optimistic pony, and I certainly did my best to encourage you whenever you came to me for advice, but..."

"Even you weren't entirely sure it was possible?" Thorax finished. Cadance's lofty disposition perked up again.

"Oh, no! I was confident it was possible. I just wasn't sure it'd be such a smooth process," she confessed with a sheepish grin. "You were passionate, Thorax, but I wasn't completely sure you'd be able to make much, if any difference, especially so quickly."

Thorax shot a glance at the squadron of drones behind him, happily babbling and bantering back and forth. One drone had begun to assail a neighbor with a head rub, much to the latter's apparent discontent.

"I definitely wouldn't have been able to on my own, not with the hold Chrysalis had on the hive," Thorax admitted, a melancholic smile budding his lips. "It was a domino effect, starting with Chrysalis's second invasion. What brought us to the best possible outcome was Starlight and her friends. To be honest, I still wake up some days, amazed at how things turned out."

The air between them fell quiet for some time as the group rounded a corner and ascended a brilliant teal staircase. The upper levels of the castle greeted them with the welcoming echoes of their hoofsteps.

"I know it's a touchy subject for you," Cadance broached at last, observing the flowing patterns of crystal beneath her hooves, "so please don't feel obligated to humor me if you're uncomfortable with talking about it. I've just always wondered what she was like, outside our borders. From the way it sounds, she must have been pretty terrible to all of you. Was she always like that?"

Thorax's expression hardened. Thoughts of a darker time invaded his head, draining the changeling of his stoic posture.

"As far as I know. There isn't a changeling alive today who remembers a time where she wasn't in power," Thorax explained solemnly. "If I had to describe her with one word, it'd be 'obsessed'. All she ever cared about was conquest and being in charge. Sure, she did a great job of dressing it up as 'ensuring the hive's survival' and 'being a providing queen', but from what I saw, her care for us went about as far as our usefulness to her. Starlight witnessed that first-hoof with me before you all were released."

The turmoil in her heart found validation, and so Cadance gave a sullen look.

"Even after the events of my wedding, I tried to convince myself that she truly had to do what she needed, for the sake of her species," she said softly, sighing deeply between her thoughts. "Shining Armor and I had several arguments in those following weeks. He saw a heartless monster with no compassion, not worthy of mercy from the very start. Meanwhile, I just couldn't bring myself to harbor those levels of contempt. I couldn't bring myself to truly hate someone. I had to hope there was something there that I could look past her actions for."

Thorax raised his eyes. Emerging from the depths, Cadance composed herself in the silence's embrace.

"Truthfully, I had harbored hopes that she at least displayed some amount of compassion for her own subjects, but I guess Shining Armor was right about her, after all. I don't know. Maybe I'm just naive."

Having reached the summit of the unyielding staircase, the envoy came to a standstill. While his drones spread themselves out throughout the new room, Thorax rested a hoof at the base of Cadance's leg, drawing her gaze.

"...you really do represent love in its purest form, Cadance," Thorax said softly. "I don't think you're naive at all. The world is full of flaws, but that doesn't mean your approach is the wrong way. In fact, I think the ability to forgive and be ready to share compassion with anyone is a really amazing thing. That's why you're a princess of Equestria."

Brilliant rays of sunlight filtered through the corridor and lit her smile. Cadance mirrored the gesture with her own hoof.

"Thank you, Thorax. One thing I can say for certain, you're the kindest leader the changelings have ever had, and I know that whatever Chrysalis lacked in compassion, you can make up for ten-fold."

Cadance turned to the group of drones, spread out throughout the room like a flock of wandering sheep.

"This is one of the highest points in the castle," she explained, pointing towards the massive windows completely encircling the room. "Very shortly, my husband will be joining up with us so we can have some discussions with King Thorax. But I thought you'd all enjoy the best view of our empire before the boring politics start."

She gave an inviting wink and enthused smiles began to bloom all around the room.

"But how have we not heard about this!?" a blue mare with a sandy mane asked desperately. "If Princess Celestia sent out a message to all of Equestria as you say, we should have received news about it!"

Fronting the barrage of concerns from his public, Shining Armor stood atop the crystalline castle's lower balcony. Behind him stood Twilight, Spike, and a group of empire guards, nonchalantly distancing themselves from the relentless wave of criticism.

"Princess Celestia did send word to all of Equestria regarding the changelings," Shining Armor confirmed. "However, the Crystal Empire is a self-governed kingdom under Princess Cadance and to a lesser extent myself. Word from the rest of Equestria filters through us before it's distributed to citizens."

With hundreds of eyes watching his every move, the prince prepared himself for the painful honesty about to pour forth.

"I'm afraid this is mostly my fault. Celestia's contact with the empire was different from the rest of Equestria. It mentioned that King Thorax would, at some point, seek to visit the empire to forge friendly relations. Because it didn't mention an exact date, I decided to play it by ear and not announce anything until I had a far more solid time frame to work with."

Faces began to soften among the crowd as ponies began to process the situation.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't announced until last night that the visit would be today. I'm the one who failed to announce the state of affairs early this morning to you all prior to the changeling's arrival, and for that, I deeply apologize."

"Then technically isn't it your fault for rushing this whole thing along in the first place, Twilight?", Spike whispered from the balcony rear. He darted an eye at Twilight, who suffered from onset timidity. The mare rubbed her front hoof while drops of sweat trailed her forehead.

"We forgive you, Prince Shining Armor!" came a female voice from the audience, inspiring the entire crowd to nod in agreement. An outbreak of clapping and hoof stomps ensued, and the white stallion's face grew content.

That went way better than anticipated.

"Thank you, all. Lack of communications aside, I am happy to say that Thorax and his changelings arrived safely, and they are very friendly and eager to meet you all. Equestria's princesses wish that we give the changelings a warm welcome and a second chance. That is why Princess Cadance would like to open the empire up for our guests today in the form of a low-key festival, to help them feel welcomed in Equestria for the very first time. I invite everyone who would like to take part in this festival to work with myself, Princess Twilight and Spike, the Brave and Glorious to help make this celebration of new friends and allies one to remember!"

The once concerned and fidgety crowd of crystal ponies exploded with a synchronized round of cheers and flailing upper hooves. While the royal guards descended from the balcony to the street below to assist the crowd in organizing, Shining Armor turned to his beloved sister with an uncanny smirk.

"So, just for the record, we both know you owe me one now, right?" he said slyly.

"We sure do, big brother," Twilight replied, gently shaking her head with a giggle. "I'm sorry for dumping all of this on you so quickly. Thorax and I were making such great progress last night, but he was concerned with how to contact the empire, so I thought I could help him by-"

A hoof gently covered twilight's mouth.

"You should know by now you don't have to explain things to me, Twiley. I already forgave you," Shining Armor said warmly. "And, you know, I'm actually kind of relieved and happy to see that you still blaze through things when you're excited. Same old Twiley."

Twilight closed her eyes for a brief moment. A huge grin crept up her mouth.

"If you make me blush in front of your entire empire Shining Armor, next time there won't even be advance notice."

"Goodness gracious, just look at the time! We're going to be so incredibly late!"

Wearing the expression of somepony plummeting down a perilous waterfall, a caped stallion raced through street after street of shimmering crystal. Floating along his side, engulfed in a safe field of golden magic was a modest carrying basket. But precious cargo did this basket bare, more than gems or riches. Smiling from within the basket was a baby alicorn, excitedly watching the overhead clouds race by with a simple naivete as she let out coos and giggles.

"So late, going to be so very late!" the stallion urgently expressed to himself, as if his mounting anxiety wasn't bad enough already. Through the streets he galloped, dashing by onlooking crystal ponies and darting around corners, the magnificent crystal castle drawing closer with every step he took.

His breathing erratic and his hooves on metaphorical fire, the stallion, at last, reached the base of the towering fortress. His eyes gazed skyward, scanning the far-away peaks of pointed towers with anticipation. He'd called the empire home for years now, but the view of Princess Cadance's castle never ceased to amaze him.

"We're almost there, Flurry Heart. It won't be much longer, now," the goatee-wielding stallion assured, taking a moment to meet the eyes of the young pony in his care. The filly clapped her tiny hooves in response and persuaded the stallion to smile.

"Let's just hope your parents won't be too livid with me."

As the cool northern breeze flowed through her mane, Cadance turned her eyes towards Thorax. The tall changeling was transfixed by the empire's elevated view, his face filling with sentiment as he traced the network of rooftops and streets below.

Once again, the empire's charm had captivated Thorax's attention in ways it did not captivate his flock of drones, who, once again, wandered about the room aimlessly. One drone had antagonized a few others into playing bug pile, while others stayed on the sidelines to watch. Another portion of changelings had become loaves in the windowsills, thrumming their wings in a display of contentment as they sunbathed.

"So, Thorax, tell me something."

Thorax jolted. With a few blinks, he reeled in his far cast attention.

"Yes, princess?"

"While we wait, why don't you tell me all about 'Papa Thorax'?"

Thorax's mouth ran dry. He turned to meet an outright villainous gaze.

"Um, not much to tell, really," Thorax stammered, rubbing the side of one leg. "You know, it's just something some of the changelings call me, now."

"Oh no you don't, you're not getting out of this one that easily," the love princess stated with a laugh, playfully prodding the alpha changeling's chest. "One doesn't get a cute nickname like that for no good reason, Thorax. And I know you know that you can't hide things from me of all ponies, right?"

Thorax continued to fidget. Memories of bumbling mistakes during his time in the empire began to fill his mind, particularly his failed attempts to hide said bumbling mistakes from the princess and her talented habit of pulling the truth out of him.

Thorax found that his nerves quickly betrayed him, as changelings began to take notice of the emotional distress their king was giving off. Like cats picking up a scent, they turned, and a pallet of colorful eyes shot his way.

"Well, I'm a lot more affectionate towards the changelings than what they were used to, with Chrysalis," the alpha began weakly, noting a few approaching drones. "Some of the nymphs began calling me that, and it stuck. Now it's a nickname for me that even some of the adults use."

Cadance's expression blossomed. Her eyes lit like stars, and her toothy grin surpassed any Thorax had ever seen before. She turned to properly face him, sitting back on her haunches to grant her full attention.

"Affectionate?" she parroted with thirsty intrigue. "Oh, Thorax, that sounds lovely. What exactly does that entail, if I may ask?"

Thorax rubbed the back of his head again. A couple of drones, satiated with their exploration of the monarch's emotional flex, now turned to each other with jaded looks.

"He's gonna have us do a demonstration of the cuddlebug thing for yet another princess, isn't he."

"What is this, the third time? I think we should start charging admission."

"And so then she goes, 'let's just say I learned a friendship lesson while you were gone.' She's so modest. Freshly graduated, and she's already applying what she's learned to everyday life!''

Though he probably wouldn't remember the story's details come the next day, Shining Armor would certainly remember the bliss emanating from his sister's voice. The reserved stallion watched Twilight intently as she told her tale and gave slight chuckles wherever appropriate. When at last her tale ended, Shining gently nudged his sister's side with one hoof, drawing her into an eye lock.

"Sounds like you've turned out to be quite the teacher, huh?" he inquired with a smile. "The student's progress isn't only reflective of them, but the teacher's effectiveness, as well."

"Well, I try not to brag, but I do feel pretty proud," the purple alicorn admitted, twinkles in her eyes. "And I feel a lot better about my teaching too after having talked with Princess Celestia. We had a heart to heart that I haven't had with her in a really long time."

"Princess Celestia certainly is incredible, that's for sure," Shining agreed, turning his gaze back towards the corridor before them. "I've never met a pony as gentle and pure as she is—well, apart from my wife, that is."

As the pair made their way up the crystalline staircase, the resonating sound of opening doors echoed from below and reached the top of the towering ceiling. Twilight blinked and looked back, as did Shining, and the two were met by a most welcome sight now quickly ascending the steps after them.

"Sunburst! Ooooh, and there's my adorable niece!" Twilight exclaimed, her expression lighting up.

"O-oh, hello, Twilight," Sunburst stuttered, using a hoof to readjust his glasses. "I wasn't expecting to find you down here—oh, for that matter, you either, Prince Shining Armor. I would have thought you'd be with Princess Cadance by now."

Twilight side-eyed her brother, who merely chuckled.

"Twilight and I had to make an announcement for the crystal ponies first. You just barely missed it. But we're heading up to see Cadance and Thorax right now. Care to accompany us?"

The demeanor Sunburst had just finished rebuilding fell apart again.

"K-King Thorax is already here!?" he rasped, his glasses once again falling down the bridge of his nose. "Oh goodness, I really am late, aren't I? I must apologize, Flurry Heart and I were so caught up building block structures to focus her levitation skills that we-"

"-it's alright, Sunburst," Shining Armor interrupted, raising a hoof to signal the stallion to ease. "From the looks of it, you and Flurry Heart are doing just fine, and you both made it just in time. There's nothing to apologize for."

His expression softening to that of foal-like glee, Shining Armor lit his horn and took the basket from Sunburst. Flurry Heart's eyes widened at the sight of her father, and Shining's pearly smile reflected back.

"How about we bring you to your mom, huh?" he said in a child-like voice. "I bet she already misses you, especially with all those boring old politics she has to deal with! Yes, she does!"

From just ahead of the high-pitched stallion, Twilight turned to Sunburst with a grin.

"The last time I heard him talk like that was to me when I was a filly," she said nostalgically.

Sunburst readjusted his glasses once again, catching a glimmer of light on them.

"Well, I assure you, he's like that all the time, these days," he whispered with a chuckle. "I think he actually dotes on her more than the princess does."

"Well, of course, she's daddy's little girl," Twilight replied with a knowing nod.

The next few minutes passed by in relative silence, give or take a few coos from Flurry Heart. The trio of ponies and tiny filly continued their ascent to the castle's utmost floor. Only was it there, nearly upon their goal that Twilight had an epiphany and began to look around for something. More aptly, somedragon.

Spike was missing. Twilight rolled her eyes. No doubt he had been mobbed by the crystal ponies again. She really had to tag him with a transportation spell for easy retrieval, one of these days.

At last, the final landing was reached, and Shining took the lead. As pink magic turned the doorknob to their destination, Twilight cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

Spike would have to wait, for now. The wave of delicate, political discussion about to flow through that door demanded the alicorn's complete attention. With any luck, the changeling empire would remember this day as a momentous success and the start of their political maturity in Equestria.

"T-Thorax, I wish to t-testify that this is c-cruel and u-unusual p-punishment!"

"I'm just demonstrating an alternate way of sharing love, Cornicle. It's purely for your benefit, I promise!"

Like a candle set before a flame, Twilight's composure melted in a moment, as the urge to giggle quickly rose to take its place.

Lounging on the far side of the room were Thorax and Cadance, loafed on either side of a cyan drone. Thorax had firmly pinned the bug pony to the floor with one hoof and was now using it to rub the drone's exposed underbelly furiously. The cyan changeling contorted between fits of tearful laughter and desperate attempts to hold his composure, whilst his hooves twitched and his wings buzzed spasmodically against the floor. All the while, Thorax held a sly grin, all too clearly enjoying himself.

While Cadance watched the adorable event unfold, the other changelings watched Cornicle suffer his torturous fate with a mixed response, ranging from bemusement to uncertain terror.

"I wasn't prepared to witness this today," one drone muttered grimly.

"I think banishment was merciful by comparison," another whispered in reply. "Just look at his face...he's been met with a terrible fate, hasn't he?"

"I see the discussions are going well," Shining Armor announced sarcastically, drawing attention from everyone in the room. He strolled across the threshold towards his wife, greeting her with a kiss upon securing her side.

"I was teasing Thorax about the time he asked me what tickling was, when he saw me tickling Flurry during his stay," Cadance explained, gently taking control of Flurry Heart's basket in her magic aura and bringing it to rest on the floor in front of her. "Some of the changelings seemed confused on what that was, too, so I may have convinced Thorax it'd be a good idea to show them, first hoof. Oh, this poor thing never saw it coming. He shouldn't have been sitting so close."

"You two are cruel when you're left together," Shining said teasingly, wiggling a playful hoof for Flurry to grasp.

"In my defense, he took the idea and ran with it," Cadance countered, wiping her hooves of the situation and returning a devilish smile. "I think we're coming up on a full minute here, and he didn't learn that kind of evil from me, I assure you."

"T-Thorax! P-Please s-stop!", Cornicle chocked out, tears rolling down his chitinous face. He had come to terms with his fate, but sought salvation all the same. "P-Please s-show me mer-ercy, Your Hi-highness!"

Thorax cocked his head in mock thought, still grinning. The other changelings gazed on with bated breath, as if waiting for the final judgment on a proposed exile.

"Well, alright. I suppose that's enough demonstration," Thorax said at last, withdrawing his hoof and letting the bug pony breathe full, deep breaths at last. "Thanks for the assistance, Cornicle. I suppose you have a pretty good idea of what 'tickling' is now?"

Cornicle nodded his head in a short series of jitters, forcing an exaggerated grin in reply. The bug pony scampered across the tiled floor to retreat among his peers, who quickly encircled him in a curious buzz. The soft sounds of hushed chattering quickly filled the air, with the occasional head peering up over the crowd to glance at Thorax.

"You'd think they've never heard about something as simple as tickling before," Twilight brought up with a giggle, having settled herself on the floor by Shining Armor.

"Well, that's because they haven't," Thorax replied flatly, instantly drawing looks. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they're all seriously discussing my sanity and how they may have underestimated my willingness to use torture tactics."

"Do they really not understand that you were just playing around?" Sunburst inquired, having been drawn into the conversation as well. Though too modest to sit down, a maternal glare from Cadance convinced him to.

"To be honest, things like affection and non-territorial playing are still new concepts for them," Thorax explained, watching a few hooves subtly point at him from amidst the chittering throng of drones. "It's taken over a month for most of them to fully warm up to the idea of sleeping in clusters, and that's something tangible they can actually feel the effects of. I think it'll be some time still before a lot of them fully understand and appreciate spontaneous stuff."

"Doesn't that mean you may have just freaked them all out and made them more cautious around you?"

Eyes glanced around the circle for the voice's source, but Twilight immediately turned her attention towards the doorway to find it. A young dragon leaned against the wall with his claws crossed, watching his tall bug pony friend with an almost crude endorsement.

"Oh, there you are, Spike," Twilight said aloud, mentally checking off a list item. "I was wondering where you disappeared to."

"The crystal ponies thought I might have some answers and insights on the changelings," Spike cleared up, casually walking over to the group of royal ponies plus Sunburst and taking a seat by Thorax. "They wanted to know why they looked so different, stuff like that. They caught my attention right as I was gonna follow you guys inside from the balcony."

"You know, I had been wondering where my fill of dragon sarcasm had gone so suddenly," Twilight quipped with an extended tongue, getting one promptly in return.

"Well, to answer your question, Spike," Thorax picked up again, locking eyes with the flock of drones still watching him closely, "the changelings already know me pretty well, and for better or worse, they know me as a bit of a 'soft-shell'. So whenever I do something they find strange, they tend to write it off as 'Thorax being weird again'. But I'm sure eventually they'll find these kinds of things more commonplace, or at least that's my hope."

"So you play around and tease them whenever you get the opportunity so that they'll loosen up and eventually learn how to better express and share love?" Spike put together, earning a very impressed nod from Twilight.

"Yeah, that's about the gist of it," Thorax said with a goofy smile. "Of course, I do it simply because it's fun and rewarding, too."

"That's pretty devious of you, ol' pal," Spike chuckled, nudging the alpha changeling's side. "I like it."

"Well, you can thank Cadance and Shining Armor for giving me the idea in the first place," Thorax admitted, turning to the royal pair and sharing their warm expression. "I learned so much while I was in the empire. I was pretty much the poster changeling for sharing love, but even I had no idea just how many different ways there are for love to be shared and expressed. If I hadn't spent so much time here, I wouldn't have even known where to start in leading the changelings."

"It was a pleasure for us as well, Thorax," Cadance replied softly, levitating Flurry Heart from her basket and placing her between her front hooves. The baby alicorn now had a far better view of the many friendly faces all around her and began to fixate on those she knew best. "Having you stay with us taught us so much about changelings and their culture, and perhaps more importantly, it gave us a perspective change. Honestly, it was an experience Shining Armor and I very much needed, after our...less than positive experience with changelings at our wedding."

Thorax smiled sheepishly through secondhand embarrassment.

"Thwaa?" came the sudden high-pitched voice of Flurry Heart, as she eyed Thorax with cautious fascination. At that moment, the group of ponies smiled warmly at the baby alicorn, and a few changelings across the room shivered in content.

"Whoa, did you guys feel that?" one drone asked aloud, twitching his wings from under his carapace.

"Yeah, that was some burst of love," another replied with equal excitement.

"Do you recognize Thorax, Flurry?" Cadance asked rhetorically in her sweetest voice, looking to Thorax and his delighted smile. "He's a big changeling now, and definitely a lot more colorful, but he's the same old Thorax."

"Thwaaa...phhpthwaa!" Flurry gibbered again, beaming brightly the more she watched Thorax wave at her.

"Aha, hello, Flurry! I bet you couldn't see me very well in your basket before, huh?" Thorax said, lowering his head towards the ground to meet her eye level. Flurry reached out to boop the large bug pony's nose with her hoof, and Thorax stuck his tongue out in reply, much to her amusement.

"She's just as friendly and happy as always," he said with a light chuckle, letting the little alicorn gently grab onto his snout as she traced her gaze up to his imposing antlers. "I'll be honest, though; I'm surprised she recognized me so quickly."

"Well, of course, she'll always recognize her favorite playmate," Shining replied simply, sharing a mutually content expression with his wife. "Changelings are the most effective hide and seek and 'peek-a-boo' players I've ever seen."

Thorax locked eyes with Shining Armor for a brief moment thereafter, a pure, undiluted joy filling his eyes.

"Thanks, Shining Armor. But really, it was my pleasure. I loved spending time with her! Not to mention, I wanted to do something to help repay you for your generosity of letting me stay in the castle. Helping you and Sunburst look after her was the least I could do."

Flurry began to try and pull herself up onto the large changeling's head, gripping the base of his antlers for support. But as valiant an effort as it was, she tumbled back down again, much to Thorax's immediate concern. When the baby alicorn giggled again, Thorax sighed in relief.

"Papa Thoraaaaax," came an abrupt and whiny voice, piercing the air like a knife. "When can we go back outside? I haven't gotten to talk to a single crystal pony yet."

Thorax's train of thought derailed entirely, his attention stolen by its most talented thief. As tiny hooves begin to climb his back, Thorax could only chuckle and wonder what had taken the nymph so long to cause a disruption.

Apex's ruby eyes appeared between Thorax's antlers, peering at the many faces surrounding him. But it only took a moment for him to disregard the group entirely and lean around Thorax's horn to demand his gaze promptly.

"Hello, Apex. Can I help you?" Thorax asked cheekily, determined to put on a show for his gracious hosts as much as anything else.

"Didn't you hear me?" Apex asked in disbelief, staring into Thorax's eyes with his upside-down ones. "Come on, Papa Thorax, your ears are as big as my head! What good are they if you can't hear stuff with them?"

Thorax started to laugh, and so did the observing group of ponies. Apex blinked and pulled his head up in surprise.

"W-What? What did I say?"

"Apex, you do know we were in the middle of a conversation, right?" Thorax asked, regaining his composure quickly. As soon as he spoke, Apex's head entered his view once again.

"Yeah, but you're not even talking with the ponies about polo ticks like you said you would," the nymph said with exasperation, missing the snort or two that followed. "Why do we have to be up here? The princess pony showed us the room, so can we go, now?"

Eyes from around the room watched Apex with endearment, and Thorax called his drone's bluff with a smirk.

"Well, I need to stay up here for a little while longer, but if you'd like to go outside, I don't see why not. As long as you stay with Tibia and the others, and as long as it's okay with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor..."

Thorax trailed off to give an acknowledging glance to the royal ponies. Shining Armor received a nod from Cadance, then turned back to Thorax with one of his own. He shot a welcoming glance at the group of drones sitting like cats on the room's open windowsills.

"That's fine by us. Please explore the empire as you see fit, everyone," Shining projected. "The crystal ponies have been made fully aware of the situation, and I have guards stationed at key locations in and out of the castle, in case you need help. All I ask is that you remain inside the empire's walls. The frozen wastes are dangerous, and we do not regularly patrol their depths. I wouldn't want anyone becoming lost and unaccounted for."

As if given the most exciting news of their lives, the convoy of changelings gave wide, open-mouthed smiles and departed from their perches. While some took to the sky and flew from the tall windows, others gracefully trotted out the door to tour the vast castle on their own terms. But despite the sudden leave of so many bug ponies, Thorax cocked an eyebrow to the one who hadn't moved an inch from his head.

"There you go, Apex," Thorax called up, "you're free to go outside, now. Just stick close to Tibia, alright?"

Thorax received no response, nor any leaning head in front of his face, this time. Only the still, dead weight of the nymph signaled his presence.

"Apex?"

"..."

"Apex."

"..."

"Apex, what's wrong? I thought you just said you wanted to-"

"-I'm just gonna stay up here actually, Papa Thorax," Apex muttered, his snout hidden between his front hooves. Thorax exchanged glances with Twilight and Cadance, who smiled at him with discerning looks.

"Apex," Thorax said again, this time much quieter.

"What?"

"Why don't you want to go outside now? You just said you wanted to."

"Well, I don't want to if you're not gonna be out there, too."

Thorax smirked to himself. A final piece of a puzzle had fallen into place. He felt a seed of affection take root in his chest, a stoked fire spreading rapidly through his body. The tiny bug pony's actions and body language spoke volumes more than he intended, but Thorax was thankful for it.

"Apex, you're not jealous of Flurry Heart getting so much of my attention just now, are you?"

Apex shifted his position and turned his head, and Thorax could have sworn he heard him mumble something in reply.

"Apex, you know you don't have to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous of the baby pony!" Apex said defensively​. "That's you saying that, Papa Thorax, not me."

Twilight looked on with the kind of investment she'd give the climax of a dramatic soap opera. The remainder of the group remained silent, observing the precious moment waiting to bloom in front of them.

"It's true that Flurry Heart and I spent a lot of time together," Thorax admitted. "While I was in the empire, I lived here in the castle, so playing and interacting with her became a daily routine. And I wouldn't take back any of it—Flurry helped me understand the forms of sharing love that have lead me to where I am today. It was an amazing learning experience, and one I'll never forget for sentimental reasons, as well."

Apex said nothing, but Thorax felt a sharp exhale of breath race across his forehead.

"But you know, you forget something very important, Apex," the big changeling continued softly, reaching up and gently rubbing his hoof along the nymph's tiny head. "Flurry Heart is Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor's child, not mine. That honor goes to you."

Apex had been stubbornly ignoring the generous head pats, but now his ruby eyes shot open, as did his body shiver.

"Really?" the little drone squeaked. Thorax chuckled in response, and with his twin antlers igniting in a blaze of teal magic, he levitated the small drone down between his hooves. Once there, a hoof wrapped itself around Apex's underbelly, pulling him close. The nymph peered upwards, again meeting Thorax's gaze from an upside-down perspective.

"Of course, Apex, did you think you could get away with calling me 'Papa Thorax' for so long without it rubbing off on me?" Thorax asked rhetorically, perfectly content to hold the tiny drone forever. "Lately, you and the other nymphs have made me feel more like a parent than a king. But, you know...I don't think they have to be so different."

Apex felt his head briskly rubbed again by Thorax's hoof, but this time he met it with an eccentric chirp.

From the opposite side of the circle, Twilight silently squealed. With exaggerated pupils, she turned to her brother and sister-in-law.

"Aren't they simply adorable!?" the purple alicorn whispered gleefully, her face pressed between her hooves. "The intimacy of their patriarchal dynamic is just so precious! I've been with them two days now, and I still can't get over it! And you should see how they sleep together in clusters. They restore each other through sharing love while they sleep, it's so fascinating!"

"Whoa now Twilight, calm down before you blow a fuse," Spike chuckled, gently patting the alicorn on her flank.

"It's a beautiful thing, indeed," Cadance replied, a warm grace in her tone. The princess turned her lavender eyes back towards Thorax. He and Apex were practically lost in a playful world of their own. She appeared lost as well, entranced in a seven-mile stare that went far past the events inside the room.

"I understand what Princess Celestia meant in her letter to the empire, now," Shining Armor said quietly, holding his wife in a close embrace as Cadance swept Flurry into one of her own. Even Sunburst seemed smitten, taking a chance to ruffle the young filly's hair gently.

"What do you mean?" Twilight inquired, Spike's adamant flank pats, at last, knocking her to her senses.

"As I mentioned during my speech to the crystal ponies, Princess Celestia sent a message to the empire after her initial visit with the changelings, which differed from the message she sent across the rest of Equestria," the stallion explained, watching with great enjoyment, Cadance gingerly kiss their child.

"My aunt doesn't become overwhelmed by emotion very often, but through her writing, I could certainly tell she had, this time," Cadance added, her voice unusually reserved as if holding back emotion. She watched Apex leap behind Thorax's back in an attempt to hide, whilst Thorax ungracefully twisted around and fell over in an attempt to grab him. Both changelings were at the mercy of their unbridled laughter all the while.

"She wouldn't stop going on and on about how the empire would be the perfect place for the changelings to make their start," the princess continued. "She was so insistent on that point, in fact, that it actually surprised me. But now, I understand. Being in-tune with love magic, I felt something just now, something that puts everything she was talking about into perspective. Shining Armor felt it, too, because our magic is synced."

Cadance turned to meet Twilight's agape look, her eyes on the verge of tears.

"Even if you can't recognize it, I'm sure your mood has been impacted by it, Twilight. What I just felt was broadcasted love magic. The changelings don't just share love now. It looks like they can also spread love to other living things."

The air sat with the background noise of changeling merriment. Twilight's eyes darted among random sections of the crystalline floor before a gasp filled her lungs.

"...you mean like you, like the crystal heart...", she muttered to herself, a massive epiphany overtaking her mind. The hive's flourishing plant life, the changelings' polarized demeanors. As connections fired off, Twilight developed a mad grin.

"Oh my gosh, that makes so much sense! Why didn't I think of that? Spike, quick, help me take notes! This is going to make Equestrian history! No species but the crystal ponies has ever been capable of magically spreading love!"

As Twilight scurried to pull her notes and journals from her saddlebags, Thorax shared a long glance with Cadance. Two monarchs of love, their cherished children peacefully resting against their hooves.

A small squadron of changelings made their way across the rolling hills lining the Crystal Empire's outskirts. While the other portion of their party had remained behind to tour the crystal castle, these bug ponies forwent that opportunity in favor of roaming the empire's lavish landscapes. Not only did it provide an escape from the bustle surrounding their king's political excursion, but it also offered a moment of relaxation in this sunshine oasis amidst the tundra.

Tranquil as it was, however, not even the Crystal Empire was immune to changeling drama. One drone in-particular willingly sacrificed relaxation for the opportunity to vent his thoughts to the open air.

"He's so unorthodox!" Cornicle spat, his snout brushing the grass as he trudged along. "I mean, just what in the name of the Hive was that, anyway?"

"'Tickling'," a lemon-hued changeling replied with matter-of-fact, hovering above the grass as to run her hoof through the blades. "It's the rapid stimulation of nerve endings to elicit laughter, often used by ponies as a means of affection and play. Did you not hear what Thorax said? It can be used as an alternative way to share love-"

"-I know what he said, Apidae," Cornicle interrupted with a snarl. "And I was being rhetorical; I know what tickling is. I've been an infiltration scout before."

Apidae blinked. "What does infiltration have to do with tickling?"

Cornicle turned his head, giving the lemony bug a hardened glare. "Sometimes ponies greet their friends in really peculiar ways."

Apidae stifled a laugh. Stone cold Cornicle stuck in a disguise while subjected to tickling was too perfect an image.

"Anyway, it sure didn't feel like I received energy from it," he went on with a skeptical raise of his brow. "In fact, all I got was a rush of adrenaline and loss of breath. Not exactly an effective way to eat - it felt more like torture, to me."

Apidae giggled at the thought, fluttering herself upside-down. "I doubt Thorax is even capable of torturing a changeling, Cornicle."

"Well, that would depend on your definition of 'torture'," the cyan bug pony pointed out. "I know I'll be skipping it for breakfast the next time it's offered. It would have helped if you guys hadn't let on that you were clueless about what tickling was. I'm the one who got stuck demonstrating."

Along his sides, the merciless smirks of Cornicle's peers haunted him, their sudden high-pitched chortles ringing in his pointy ears.

"It sounds to me like someling is just sore because 'Papa Thorax' stripped him of his dignity in front of Equestrian royalty," an orange drone teased in a sing-song voice, immediately setting the others into a dull roar of hysterics.

"Buzz off, Coxa!" Cornicle hissed. "If I wanted to hear your voice, I'd turn into a pile of slime and belch."

For a time, the changeling's chittering persisted, fanning the flame of Cornicle's frustration all the further. However, shrouded in the meadow's silence as they were, the rowdy bunch of bug ponies soon quieted down again. Cornicle continued to fill his fellow changeling's taste buds with his sour disposition, glancing around the pastures with minimal interest.

"I'm just so put off by him, now," the blue drone admitted, donning a small frown. "What happened to the timid changeling who'd shapeshift into rocks whenever the entire hive broke out into games of bug pile? The changeling you could barely hear whenever he delivered his scouting reports? He's so affable and sprightly, now. It's bizarre."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing!" Apidae replied with a jovial laugh. "I for one welcome our new cuddlebug overlord with open hooves. I'll take hugs and understanding over scraping by for food under a cold, tactical regime any day."

"Let us not forget that His Majesty was remarkably efficient with at least one role in the hive," a deep green drone brought up from the group's rear, pausing just long enough to draw in everyling's curious gaze. "He always enjoyed tending to the brood. Ironically enough, during his shifts in the nursery hive, he proved to be even more attentive and doting towards the hive's larva and nymphs than the queen herself was."

"Aphidel is right, Cornicle," Apidae agreed, tilting her upside-down head to capture the waspish drone's eye. "Thorax was always an attentive caretaker, only now he's the entire hive's caretaker. He hasn't really changed; he's just getting a chance to exercise what he was already good at. Also, you've never attended a cluster nap with him before, have you?"

Cornicle rolled his bright amber eyes. "No, I haven't, because I don't do cuddlebug stuff. It's demeaning," he said callously.

"One thing I can actually agree with you on," Coxa put in with a chuckle.

"Well, I've noticed that it's usually during cluster naps when Thorax does his playful behaviors," Apidae continued. "Just the other day, I saw him playing with Apex and two adolescent changelings while the cluster slept. I think you're just late to the 'Thorax does strange things' party, Cornicle, because you're hardly ever around him."

The cyan changeling grumbled under his breath, sending a pebble flying with a smack of his hoof.

"Yeah, whatever. Doesn't change the fact that he's unorthodox."

"I can definitely see why you may seem unorthodox compared to Chrysalis, Thorax," Cadance said with a giggle, watching as Flurry Heart left her protective embrace to trot over to the tall changeling. Once there, she approached Apex, still contently pressed between Thorax's front hooves, and proceeded to get in his face and babble.

"I'm just far too different from her to make every changeling feel comfortable, at least not for quite some time," Thorax admitted solemnly, his magenta eyes half-closed, watching Apex defiantly shake his head at the invasive young alicorn. "But I take a lot of solace in the fact that, even if some of the changelings think of me as too soft, they're still freer now than they've ever been."

The crystal tower had fallen into a state of calm over the past few minutes. Twilight's excitement regarding changeling love magic had driven her to retreat into a silent study session, once again nesting herself in a pile of books. Meanwhile, Spike took it upon himself to guide the group of changelings seeking a tour of the castle, even though he, himself wasn't exactly sure what every room contained. Naturally, having had this forethought, Sunburst had frantically taken off after them to assist.

The vast overlook was now populated only by the royal family and the visiting changeling king, accompanied by his young nymph.

"If I may, Thorax, that's a wonderful mindset to have," the pink princess complimented, seeking the alpha changeling's gaze. "You're doing what Chrysalis wouldn't by putting the well-being of your subjects first. Even as a ruler, you can't make everyone happy all of the time, but having the resolve to do whatever it takes to protect and serve your subjects the best way that you can? That's what it means to lead."

"I gotta say​, though, from what I've seen so far, it seems like a good majority of the changelings are on board for your style of ruling," Shining Armor added, wearing an optimistic smile. "Well, I mean, there are only eight of them here in the empire today, but from how Twiley's been making it sound, it appears things are going remarkably well."

The stallion sent a fond look Twilight's way, but not even the sound of her affectionate nickname stirred the purple alicorn from her furious scribbling.

"Well, I'd say it's somewhere between a sixty to forty ratio, right now," Thorax replied, mirroring the prince's smile best he could. "There are still a lot of changelings who are skeptical of how well I'll be able to lead, and I can't really blame them. If nothing else, Chrysalis was a very confident leader. While most of the changelings were genuinely willing to give me and sharing love a chance, many others made a leap of faith on the fact that they didn't want to continue starving or be under Chrysalis's hoof anymore. A lot of changelings still think I'm a pushover."

Apex began to kick his back hooves, seeking to press himself into Thorax's chest further. But Flurry could not be deterred. The young alicorn doggedly fluttered about, trying to gain the nymph's attention with various hoof waves and prods. Apex desperately glanced upwards to try and gain Thorax's attention, but it was Shining Armor who took notice first.

"Flurry, come on now, if he doesn't want to play, you can't make him," he said with a stern tone. He levitated the excitable baby pony back towards where he and Cadance sat, taking hold of her in his hooves. The alicorn's lip immediately started to quiver as her eyes filled with tears.

"Oohoo, you know she won't understand that hon," Cadance said in a sweet voice, using her magic to levitate Flurry's stuffed snail out from her carrying basket. Both Cadance and Shining Armor shared a chuckle as the alicorn's mood rebounded within seconds. Flurry grabbed hold of her stuffed toy and let loose a series of giggles, now content to stay in her father's hooves.

Having watched the event unfold, Thorax now bowed his head to meet the gaze of the tiny nymph amidst his hooves. Apex avoided his discerning eyes by pretending to try and get comfortable.

"Apex, don't you want to play with Flurry Heart?"

"No, I'm trying to take a nap," Apex lied, wrapping his hooves around Thorax's leg and squishing his face into it.

Thorax's chest ignited. The little bug pony would certainly be the death of him.

"Oh, I see how it is," Thorax replied with snark. "When I wanted to spend time with you on the train after you misbehaved, I had to threaten to send you home. But as soon as you get beckoned to play by Flurry Heart, Papa Thorax is suddenly an irresistibly comfy bed."

Apex furrowed his brow and tilted his head to meet Thorax's crafty smile. "Well, I'm a growing changeling, and I need lots of sleep," he fabricated. "And since you're the papa changeling, that means you're the one who gets to be the bed."

Thorax lightly chuckled as Apex settled against his chest, but he wasn't through just yet. The nymph may not want to play, but that didn't mean Thorax couldn't improvise a little.

Thorax subtly squeezed his front hooves together, just enough to get a lazy grunt in reply from the tiny drone. He did it again with a little more force and received a slightly louder grunt. Donning a mischievous grin, Thorax continued to squeeze, becoming caught up in the cycle like a nymph with a squeak toy.

"Cut it out, Papa Thorax!" Apex finally grumbled, shooting the tall changeling a provoked glare. "Good papa changelings aren't supposed to tease nymphs, they're supposed to let them sleep!"

Having been caught red-hoofed, Thorax pursed his lips. His magenta eyes cast to Flurry Heart, who was now in the midst of giggling incessantly at the two changelings. Thorax met her eye and gave a wink. Mission accomplished.

"Someone just got told," Shining Armor said with a cheeky smile.

"I sure did. You heard it here first, Twilight," Thorax stated, turning his attention towards the purple alicorn sitting a few feet away. "Changeling leaders are, first and foremost, stationary bed sets for nymphs. Even I'm learning things every day!"

While Thorax, Cadance, and Shining Armor filled the chamber with three sets of laughter, Twilight's shell of concentration shattered at last to Thorax's sarcastic quip. She giggled to herself, taking a moment to jot a note on the lower-left portion of her page before continuing her train of thought.

The landscape continued for what seemed like forever, dwarfing the network of crystal structures now far off in the distance. Blades of grass danced through the air while the fields swayed gently to and fro in the soft breeze. Amidst the green slopes was the modest group of changelings, no longer sauntering around, but resting contently at the foot of a hill, sprawled out on their backs and sides. Even Cornicle had relaxed, his belly exposed to the baby blue sky as he traced cloud shapes with his eyes.

"Apidae, why do you enjoy it so much?" the cyan bug pony asked towards the sky.

"You'll have to be more specific," came a mumble somewhere to Cornicle's left.

"Why do you enjoy being close? With Thorax, with other changelings?" Cornicle elaborated, lazily turning his head to catch her eye. "Of all of us here, you're the biggest cuddlebug by far. I'm just curious what you see in it."

The air went silent, and Apidae closed her eyes. She felt the soft grass cushioning her head and the gentle tickling of the blades against her body. She felt the warm sun shining down against her carapace and the cool breeze that provided relief from that sun. She felt her muscles relax from a blend of all these things, and her breathing slowed.

She smiled, the world around her cradling every fiber of her being. She could fall asleep in this embrace, the same way she could in any cluster nap pile.

"Safety, assurance, devotion," Apidae listed, her voice calm and quiet. "It's comforting, warm, and has meaning. It's hard to explain."

The ladybug drone paused. She took a deep breath to gather her thoughts, observing the empire's borders with a thoughtful stare.

"We hunted love like predators hunt prey for so long," she said at last, her eyes growing sullen. "We were detached from it because it was just sustenance for us. But no matter how much of it we obtained, we were never satisfied. For a long time I wondered why that was, why we were doomed to an existence of always wanting more."

Her fellow bug ponies turned to observe her silently, caught off guard by the boldness of the conversation's dive. Most of all, Cornicle looked on with heightened interest, turning himself over onto his stomach to better watch and listen.

"When Thorax emerged from his cocoon, I finally realized why we were never satisfied. It was because all along we were never really feeding ourselves; we were feeding greed." Apidae's eyes flickered with resentment. "Greed that our queen infected our species with. Greed that made us monsters who preyed on other creatures. I was so angry—at Chrysalis and us—but then my anger just became a sense of emptiness. We'd spent so long chasing something that never had to be chased. It'd be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic."

Apidae rose to her hooves, leaving the distinctive imprint in the grass. She turned to Cornicle with a new, dawning smile.

"I enjoy being close because it makes me feel like love is something that I can create, myself, something that I can own. For the first time, I don't see love like food, but as an experience. And, it's not every changeling for themselves anymore; it's all of us. If we're what we have, then I'd rather experience love, together."

As if complimenting the end of her speech, the breeze picked up, creating a low droning sound in each changeling's ear. The group of bug ponies gawked at one another and to Apidae.

"Wow, I didn't realize I'd have to think about my feelings today," Coxa said bluntly, breaking the silence and pretending to retch. A few chuckles followed from some of the more quiet drones.

"I thought that was very well put, Apidae," came the reserved voice of Aphidel, gingerly sitting in a loaf a few feet beyond Coxa. "Very wise words. Words that many changelings could take to heart."

Aphidel's gaze drifted towards Coxa, a subtle look of disgust taking root as the orange drone continued to be obscene for the amusement of the other drones.

"Was that a satisfactory explanation, Cornicle?" Apidae asked with intrigue, lending a hoof to help the changeling up.

"Yeah, it was," the blue bug pony admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "That was really insightful, actually. I'm a little shocked."

Apidae gave her fellow drone another smile, and for the first time since they'd left the observation chamber, Cornicle smiled back.

"I suppose we should head into town, now, and attempt to befriend the crystal ponies," Aphidel announced to the group, standing from her spot in the grass and casting her eyes towards the looming crystal structures beyond the hills. "As delighted I'm sure King Thorax will be to hear of our self-guided tour of the empire, I can't imagine he'd be anything but disappointed to hear that we elected to avoid all local inhabitants."

"Yeah, he'd give us one of his looks," Apidae snickered, lowering the register of her voice, puffing out her chitinous chest, and making firm eye contact with a particularly bemused drone. "'I'm really disappointed in you guys, but this is all I can manage, so please reconsider for next time'."

"I wouldn't get too comfortable with that thought," Cornicle put in with a smirk. "I think I'm living proof that Thorax is slowly but surely devising new, horrific ways to reprimand changelings."

The group of bug ponies shared a moment of merriment as they turned their heading back towards the luminescent city.

"You know, sister, it occurs to me that I'm rather detached from the changelings," a blue-hued alicorn pondered aloud, entranced in a vacant stare as she slid books along a shelf.

"Oh, and how is that?" answered a second alicorn, her rainbow mane reflecting the light of the sun as she lounged against a pile of embroidered throw pillows.

"As you'll recall, when the she-demon originally attacked Canterlot, I was not within the city," Princess Luna explained, a sharp tone in her voice. "By the time I had returned from my excursion, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance's wedding had blossomed, and I was none the wiser of the day's events. Only later did you inform me of what had transpired."

Content against the feathery pillows, Princess Celestia watched the younger alicorn with a sentiment. Luna's ear twitched, as did her wings shiver—telling body language that Celestia knew all too well. She already knew where this conversation was headed.

"I'm sure you remember that night well, sister," the night princess continued, spreading her wings and ascending the aged bookcase. "It took five guards holding me back and a lengthy speech from you to convince me to stay put in Canterlot. If either factor had waned, I'd have sought out that cretin, wherever she had gone and made her pay for her unforgivable transgressions against you and our subjects."

"Oh yes, I remember. Though your protectiveness was endearing, I was relieved you came to see reason," Celestia replied calmly. "The ponies of Canterlot needed you, as did I. Though, now that I think of it, I do seem to remember the castle guards avoiding you in the hallways for weeks following that incident."

Celestia subtly fished for a response with her eyes. Luna huffed indignantly.

"Yes, well, I may have, in my frustration, resorted to using the Royal Canterlot Voice in front of them," she muttered, scowling at the ancient books and trying to ignore Celestia's shameless giggling. "However, a whole lot of good staying put did, in the end. I was unable to stop you, our subjects, or even myself from being tormented a second time when the she-demon returned."

“Starlight Glimmer reported to me that you were the one to warn her of the changeling’s intentions before you were captured,” Celestia pointed out. “That’s more than even I was able to do, Luna. You played an important role in this conflict, and it should not be forgotten or underplayed.”

“Relief that my distress call was heard aside, it still troubles me that I was once again unable to protect those things important to me with my own hooves," Luna countered. “Ever since Nightmare Moon, I’ve done my best not to let my emotions and pride cloud what’s most important. Of course, I am overjoyed everypony is fine and that the changelings are under a new rule. It is just a struggle at times.”

There was a short pause. Luna's wing beats quickened, and the register of her voice took to a darker tone.

"If I'm to be open about my feelings, Celestia, I will say this. If Starlight Glimmer had not gotten within my line of sight, the queen would not have escaped that clifftop unscathed."

Celestia nodded, her look solemn and reserved. "I understand your frustration, but please, let your mind be at ease, now. The queen is no longer in power, and a wonderful new king has been crowned in her place. I'm quite certain Thorax is in talks with Twilight and Cadance as we speak, discussing a better future for both ponies and changelings."

"Which returns me to my original point," Luna replied, side glancing the white alicorn, "in that I'm detached from the changelings, whether as enemies or as allies. While Cadance, Twilight, and yourself have all had dealings with them, I've yet even to hold a conversation with Thorax, let alone interact with any of his subjects. Even during the dinner, the most I could manage was welcoming the group as they arrived."

The regal sun princess watched the galaxy in her sister's mane shimmer in the light. "Come now. You had the distinct honor of donning Thorax with a Pink Heart of Courage. Does that not count for something?"

"Oh yes, I bestowed him with it alright," Luna grumbled, her eyes rolling in a long, slow arc. "After I successfully made fools of us both in front of our subjects."

Once again, the room was gifted with Celestia's lively giggling.

"If I'm to represent Equestria in our dealings with the changelings, I must know more about them. Not even our outdated archives are too trivial," the night princess carried on, her sights set on a book the opposite end of the top shelf. "Now that I think of it, I was probably still occupying the moon during Equestria's first encounter with changelings, whenever that may have been. Details. It's an oversight I shall now quickly remedy."

Luna's blue magic aura seized her sought book and withdrew it. Descending to the marble tile floor, face pressed within the book's bindings, she sauntered towards the center of the room, towards her relaxing sister and the plethora of throw pillows awaiting her flank. The book's cover, emblazoned with bright golden letters, read, 'Estranged Empires and Sovereignties'.

As Luna sat on her haunches and began to read, Celestia raised an enchanted cup of tea to her lips. "All will come in due time," she said softly. "One day soon, I'm sure Thorax and his subjects will grace even the streets of Canterlot. I have the utmost confidence in both my niece and my former student in their ability to help guide us towards that day."

Cadance's violet eyes anchored onto Apex. The tiny changeling was haphazardly sprawled across Thorax's front legs, his tiny hooves jutting out in various directions. Snoring softly, the drone's head firmly pressed into Thorax's chest, a thin line of drool shamelessly trickling from his mouth. Every so often, an ear or hoof twitched as the bug pony dreamed of all manner of shenanigans.

Thorax, finally at ease with the rambunctious changeling fast asleep, labored a sigh. He nuzzled the nymph's head with his snout periodically, as if to check up on him, and to this, Cadance's puppy eyes persisted.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get over how adorable he is," she admitted with a chuckle. "Are all changeling nymphs like him?"

Thorax cast the princess an uncertain glance. "If all nymphs were like Apex, I'd have collapsed from exhaustion a long time ago, princess."

Cadance giggled. "A little too lively at times, is he?"

"Let's just say what you've seen today could be called his 'good behavior'," Thorax explained. "He can be a real hoof-full when he hasn't gotten enough rest. Because he rarely takes cluster naps with anyling, and he doesn't like to go to bed in general, he's a hoof-full pretty frequently."

"I'd say I can only imagine, but I think we both know how Flurry can get at times," Cadance replied. "Remember the Bathroom Floor of Eternal Soap Bubbles? Or perhaps the time she hijacked your transformation magic, and turned you into a squeak toy?"

A blush tinted Thorax's cheeks. "Touché."

The room fell silent, and as it did, Thorax actively avoided the eyes monitoring him. He was at a loss of what to say next, where to take the discussion. Though he had made impeccable progress in teaching rowdy changelings affection in place of aggression, his political skills were still perpetually non-existent. Even among friends and allies, he was stumped on what to say, what subjects to hit upon. He and the drones had been in the empire a while now, and the conversation had hardly moved past Apex and the nymph's ability to render everypony comatose with his adorable antics.

Catching up and chatting with the princess was wonderful, but that wasn't why he was here. He had responsibilities to prioritize, now.

The alpha bug pony bit his lip, his ears curling at their tips. The silence stoked his anxiety. Darting a subtle glance at the prince and princess, he took a deep breath and met their looks head-on.

"I want to apologize for all the distractions today, princess," he spoke up, adding an awkward smile to his apology. "The changelings have been really antsy today, so it's been hard for me—for us—to focus. It's pretty much been a circus since I woke up this morning. Twilight's visit, then finishing our hive, and then our trip here has been a lot for them to take in. I'd hoped we'd be able to talk about our kingdoms before now."

The fabricated looks of annoyance he had expected played out to be warm, unperturbed grins.

"Thorax, come on," Cadance laughed, "we've had dark kings try to conquer our home, and we've had the entire empire strive to land a national sports competition for weeks. Do you really think some distractions are going to set us off? You should know better than that."

Thorax beamed to Cadance's playfully chiding smile.

"And besides, we can hardly fault you for some early morning mayhem, anyway," Shining Armor added. "After all, I had a rough morning, too. I don't think I'll top 'misinforming the empire of changelings' for some time to come. So don't worry about it, we totally understand."

"Is there anything you'd like to see happen during your visit with us today or perhaps looking to the future?" Cadance offered the bug pony, shifting her position and Flurry’s to one more comfortable. "We have the privilege of knowing you personally, so I believe we can skip past formalities in favor of getting to the crux of the matter—how to integrate our subjects."

Thorax adopted an enthusiastic smile. The uncertainties and anxieties loosened their grip. He couldn't tell if the princess was moving the conversation along, herself, or if she had once again read him like an open book. It was probably both.

"Well, I'd love to have the changelings mingle today, if possible," the alpha changeling expressed. "I'm actually hoping some of them are already doing so. I was thinking about how, because the empire was gone for so long, not even scout changelings are familiar with crystal ponies or their culture. They're really curious about the empire, and I think the crystal ponies could teach them a lot."

"There certainly is a kinship between our subjects," Cadance replied with a nod. "Sharing love is such an important part of our lives. What's a source of nourishment for you is our primary means of defense and ultimately unites our kingdom. I think it'd be second nature for our subjects to get along. I'd love to help teach the changelings about our rich culture, and perhaps we'll learn a thing or two from you, as well."

"We just need to provide an environment where the crystal ponies and the changelings can interact freely," Shining Armor put in. "A natural, laid-back environment. Luckily, it just so happens that we may have one of those."

Thorax cocked his sizeable head. Shining Armor plastered a foalish grin.

"I didn't have much occasion to mention it before, Thorax, but I have actually put together a small celebration for your visit today."

"A celebration?" Thorax inquired, blinking a few times. "Really? But, when would you have had time to put together something like that? I could've sworn you've been with us since we got here."

"I have been. I had the idea before your arrival, and things were set in motion following my speech to the crystal ponies," Shining explained. "Though it is a last-minute thing, I think it'll be a great way for the changelings to feel relaxed among the crystal ponies, and vice-versa. The royal guard is setting up carts, tables, and stands in the plaza underneath the castle, and I plan on checking in with them shortly."

"There's an array of staple cuisines from the empire, hoof-made on the spot," Cadance added, her growing smile threatening to derail her thought. Thorax's face progressively lit up like a firework. "I know you don't need to eat in the same way we do, but we wanted to offer your subjects something unique from our kingdom for your visit, even on short notice. To be honest, food is a quick but effective fix."

The last of Thorax's anxiety melted away. If there was one thing his hosts were always good at, it was becoming a glowing beacon for him when he was lost.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" Thorax assured, giddiness leaping from his voice. "All changelings are capable of digesting things. We just don't tend to do it very often outside certain traditional ceremonies. I'm sure they'll love it. And, I know first-hoof how good the empire's food is, princess, you don't have to sell me on the idea, believe me."

"Well then, why don't I leave you two to it, and I'll go check on how the preparations are coming along?" Shining suggested, nodding his head towards the door. "I'll help finish things up, do some quality checks. I'll let you know when it's ready."

"Oh, please do. As soon as Princess Cadance and I are finished, I'd love to come outside and see things for myself," the colorful bug pony replied with a smile. "And you can feel free to have your guards direct the changelings towards the plaza if need be, Shining Armor. Though I do have faith in them, they do tend to wander."

Shining Armor rose from his spot on the floor and stretched the stiffness from his legs. He granted his wife and child a farewell kiss before departing towards the doors. But just as the blue-maned stallion had crossed the threshold, he stopped, turning his attention towards his sister, still quietly muttering things to herself from inside her circle of knowledge.

The stallion shook his head. For a moment, he'd forgotten she'd even been in the room.

"Twiley?" he asked, louder than need be. Or rather, louder than need be for most other ponies.

"..."

"Twiley, we're not really doing this again, are we?"

"..."

Raising an eyebrow, Shining Armor promptly levitated a scroll resting by Twilight's side and lightly tapped her on the head with it.

"Bonk."

Caught by surprise, Thorax and Cadance giggled, but neither of them giggled quite as loudly as Flurry Heart.

Twilight's eyes rose from their spot on her page. "Shining Armor, did you just-"

"Bonk."

Flurry giggled louder. Shining grinned wider. Twilight turned to raise her head, challenging the stallion with a sly grin of her own.

"Oh, if you want the Best Aunt Ever to entertain Flurry Heart with some genuine slapstick, Shining Armor, I think you'll find she's outmatched."

All at once, Twilight abandoned her laboring studies. The purple alicorn rose from the floor, her magic commanding the many books, papers, and scrolls to rise with her. Entranced, the documents and recordings soared into her saddlebags and vanished from view. Now Twilight met her brother's eyes, but only to find a gloating smirk. He relinquished the held scroll to his sister's magenta storm.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you'd like to accompany me on some preparation checking for something we’re putting together for Thorax," the stallion said plainly, his mischievous smile holding steady. "I just figured that, as the BAE, the sound of Flurry Heart giggling was probably the best method for getting your attention."

Twilight nodded to the proposition and rolled her eyes at the smart-alack reasoning. Joining Shining in his resumed trot towards the door, she waved a hoof to the trio of warm faces watching her leave.

“We'll meet up later, Thorax! I finally finished all the relevant notes! I’ll have copies made when I’m next in Canterlot!” the alicorn called. “And goodbye, my sweet niece! I hope we’ll have some time to play later!”

“We’ll be back up as soon as preparations are done,” Shining Armor reminded, stepping past the doors to allow Twilight through before engulfing them in his magic aura.

“Oh, hun, can you take a look around the cart wagons and see if there’s anything Flurry may be able to eat?” Cadance quickly put out before the doors could come to a close. “I know once we go down there she's going to see the sights and smell the smells, and that'll be that. If there's even something small we can give her that should keep her satisfied.”

"Of course. Only the best for our little girl!" Shining exclaimed, casting Flurry an array of ridiculous faces as he slowly disappeared beyond the closing door.

The resulting shut echoed as a muffled thunderclap but submitted to the room's shroud of dead air.

Apex shifted around in his sleep, occasional grunts and twitches drawing Thorax's gaze to him like a watchful mother hen. Thorax's eye movements were a subtle, flickering occurrence, but they were not lost to Cadance.

"I have to say, Thorax, I'm impressed by the unique dynamic you've forged between you and your subjects," she complimented. "The balance between authority and intimacy is a difficult thing to maintain, let alone master. You've only just gotten here, but I can see that the changelings seem to both respect you as a leader and hold you in regard as a kind of parental guardian as well. It's fascinating."

Thorax replied with a sheepish smile. Cadance shared it, laughing at her own seriousness.

"I'm sure you've heard enough of this already from my sister-in-law," she said apologetically. "I keep forgetting she's been shadowing you the past few days."

"Don't worry about it," Thorax assured. "Like I told Twilight, I don't mind the comments and questions. Even the changelings are still reeling from just how different things are now, so it's only natural ponies are curious as well."

More silence followed an appreciative nod. Thorax skillfully repositioned his hindquarters without disturbing his napping bug pony.

"They just deserve better," he continued, watching Apex grimace from within his dreams. "We weren't born into this world to be monsters, scavenging on other creature's emotions, always hungry, always feared, and hated. At least, that's what I've always believed. Chrysalis called me a traitor, and maybe I was in her eyes, but even when I fled the hive, I was always thinking of my kind. I wasn't pulled from the changelings; I was pushed from them. I hoped to return one day, but only after I found a better way for us to live."

"With a little help from the friends you made, you did just that," Cadance put in, invested in the heartfelt recollections. "Visionaries are quite often seen as outcasts at first, Thorax. Real change is scary, I imagine even for changelings, but what is, isn't always what's best. We can always better ourselves, whether as individuals or as kingdoms."

Thorax let the wisdom digest a moment. He lightly squinted in benign observation of the illuminated windows and the beauty of the day outside.

"I guess being a guardian just comes naturally to me. I don't really think about it, I just want the changelings to be happy, and I want to be a positive part of their lives."

"Well, as a co-ruler of the Crystal Empire, I can confidently say that our nation would be more than honored to be close allies with a kingdom ruled by such a compassionate mindset."

Thorax fought it, but he couldn't stop his face's heating or the glowing display of teeth that followed.

"So, sister, let me get this straight."

"Yes?"

"All we knew of the changelings prior to Thorax's crowning is that they were, and I quote, 'frightening insect-like creatures who feast off the love of ponies. They can change their form to mimic anypony or anything they choose. Extremely dangerous. Flee on sight.'"

"Go on."

"I cannot. It is two sentences, followed by what I can scarcely even call footnotes."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, if this were a children's trivia game. However, this is an ancient volume with pages spanning the thousands. We have entire chapters on the Saddle Arabians and even a fair amount of records concerning the griffons. In the thousand years I was occupying the moon, how did Equestria only come up with a mere two sentences detailing such a dangerous species?"

"A formerly dangerous species."

"Don't give me that. You know the point I make. Besides, even without her armies, the she-demon still lurks."

"If I remember correctly, the changelings are an invasive race not originally from Equestria. I don't believe we even encountered them until very near the thousandth year of the Summer Sun Celebration. What little information was known about them prior to the events of the royal wedding was from sources in Equestria's outskirts, which, as you can see, were somewhat limited."

"And you didn't send ponies to investigate such a disturbing description of a potential threat?"

"Research was done to be sure, but nothing was turned up. The described creatures could not be located, so they were ultimately forgotten about. Changelings can change form to not look like changelings, Luna. That was, in fact, an obstacle that proved difficult to overcome."

"I believe I recall Twilight Sparkle describing to me a method she used for reverting changelings to their original forms, during the Canterlot invasion."

"You're using Twilight as a standards bar for preparation?"

"...point taken, nevermind."

Sighing, Luna closed the dusty records of foreign entities and floated it back up to its proper place.

"At any rate, that was far less helpful than I'd hoped for," she muttered. "I suppose we'll just have to start at square one with the changelings as we did with the dragons."

"The fun is in the journey, as they say," Celestia chimed, effortlessly refilling her cup of tea with a golden magic aura. "But I wouldn't worry too much, Luna. If I know my former student, she's been documenting and recording all manner of information regarding the newly-established Changeling Kingdom since she first arrived there yesterday."

Luna rolled her eyes and stood from her extravagant throne of pillows, turning her attention to the door.

"Yes, well, you'll have to inform me if and when we receive such information. For now, I have notes of my own for the dream realm I must review before the raising of the moon tonight. If I do not see you before then, sister, I bid you a very early goodni-"

A sudden flash of light broke the moon princess's thoughts. Just to Celestia's left, an impressive stack of paper-clipped pages, neatly assorted with identification tabs, had appeared. While Luna gawked on with equal parts surprise and confusion, Celestia threw up a mildly curious eyebrow and levitated the first page from the stack. After a few moments, she giggled lightly to herself and returned to her tea.

"What? What does it say?" Luna asked impatiently, trotting over and seizing the page from her sister's grasp. With a curl of her lip, she began to read.

Dear Princess Celestia. I haven't written those words in so long, oh my gosh!

Spike and I are currently in the Crystal Empire with Cadance, Shining Armor, and Thorax. Things are going incredibly well! I'll be sure to update you on more events as they unfold.

Even more exciting, though, I've finished compiling a rough draft of notes for published documentation regarding the Changeling Kingdom. I've been learning so much over the past two days; it's truly remarkable! I wanted to send you all of what I've learned thus far, see what your thoughts are, and ask how best to go about editing and publishing notes for the Canterlot Royal Archives. If you have any suggestions, please be sure to let me know at your earliest convenience!

Forever your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle

There was an uncomfortably long silence. Luna lowered the page, took one glance at the tower of pages, and then turned to find Celestia staring back with a shrewd smile.

"How about that, Luna, information on the changelings!"

"...you have got to be kidding me. The next time you send her off on a foreign affairs mission, you need to confiscate her quills and parchments. And maybe Spike, for good measure."

"And these, King Thorax, I'm told are 'blueberry pastries'. They are bread dough mixed with sugar and blueberry jam."

"Ooh, that sounds great! I don't think I've ever tried the blueberry ones before."

Thorax lowered his head to smell the aroma of baked treats better. The beetlemoose stuck out on the street like a sore hoof, even among the sparkling inhabitants of the empire. Standing beside him, Aphidel, apathetic as ever, passively watched changelings trot around the castle plaza, crowding around various food and accessory carts run by crystal ponies.

"Mmm! These are great!" Thorax exclaimed, grinning at the cart vendor with a mouthful of pastry.

"Well, thank you, um, King Thorax!" the sun-colored crystal pony stuttered. "Tender love and care are put into all of my pastries! I just love to bake."

"Well, let me just say you do an excellent job. I'll be sure to send the other changelings over to try some, too. I'm sure you'll sell out in no time!"

Satisfied, Thorax turned away, failing to take notice of the crystal pony's unsure, wide-eyed expression before he did so.

"So hey, thanks for joining me, Aphidel," Thorax said quietly, walking alongside the green bug pony. "After Princess Cadance and I finished our discussions, Flurry Heart wanted to play 'spot the changeling' with me like we used to, so I was a bit late. I hope I didn't worry you guys."

"We can handle ourselves. Your duties as the changeling's sole dignitary far exceed all other responsibilities," Aphidel replied, her monotone voice a whisper under the chatter filling the air. "You should be more confident in your actions, Your Highness. You are making efforts to build relationships with other populaces, rather than lining them up on a map as invasion spots. You are breaking grounds, treading waters we never have before. That is what's most important."

"Still, I really wanted to be there with you guys as you experienced the empire today," Thorax expressed, his face lighting up as he watched bug ponies gallop from cart to cart, placing their hooves upon counters to better examine the many foods and items available to them. "I guess the most important thing is that you all get to make friends with the crystal ponies, right?"

Thorax paused. Aphidel side glanced her king, whose wings fidgeted from within his magenta carapace.

"That is what's happening, right? Like, that's what you've been seeing?" he pressed. "Please tell me that's what you've been seeing."

Aphidel examined the crowds of bustling changelings. "From what I've seen so far, things are progressing smoothly, yes, give or take a few hiccups."

"Hiccups?"

"Crystal ponies seem to center their culture around many items and beliefs that changelings have little to no experience with," Aphidel explained. "It could prove to be a bit of barrier in initial communications."

"So, I just put this on my head?"

"That's right! I-It's a hat. You wear hats on your head for fun or fashion."

A turquoise changeling scrutinized a decorated sun hat held before him. Glossy Quartz fought to maintain her exaggerated smile, her hoof held aloft starting to quake from both fatigue and uncertain fright.

"I-If you don't mind me asking, do changelings even have hats?" she asked with a squeak.

"We don't."

"But what about if it rains, or if you want to keep the sun out of your eyes?"

"We tend to be homebodies when it rains. Water doesn't agree with our wings."

"And the sun?"

"Compound eyes let us see fine in sunlight most of the time," the bug pony stated. "Sometimes my eyes hurt when Thorax asks us to get up in the morning, but since we're homebodies, we usually wake up in the shade of our hive."

The lavender crystal pony tilted her head, attempting to discern emotion from the turquoise changeling. Fluttering his wings every few moments in a low, hissing buzz, the bug pony stared back with idle interest. He patiently awaited further inquiries, blissfully unaware of the pony's mounting anxiety.

"Well, do you like this hat? Maybe it'll be your first!" she suggested desperately.

"I can always shapeshift into a pony wearing a hat if I want to wear a hat, though."

"But what about if you, yourself want to wear a hat?"

"I could shapeshift into myself, except also wearing a hat."

"Do you always have to shapeshift, though? Can't you just put on a hat as yourself?"

"That's inefficient. Why wear a hat if I can project me wearing a hat through magic?"

Glossy Quartz felt her brow quiver. "You know, I don't think you're much of a chapeau person, anyway."

"You don't think I'm a what kind of what?"

"So, how did it go?"

Shining Armor's voice reached her ears, but Cadance's head did not turn. The princess's attention had shifted to a blue changeling trotting across the castle plaza. In a flash of green fire, the drone donned a particularly decorated sun hat, grinning to himself all the while.

"With Thorax?" Cadance replied, leaning back against the crystalline bench. "How do you think it went?"

Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow. "That's not fair. I've been down here almost the entire time."

"Is it some great mystery, the nature of our dear Thorax?" Cadance replied again, mirroring the eyebrow and upping the ante with a crafty smile.

"Well, I know we're not about to go to war with him," the stallion laughed. "I'm looking for details, dear, not the result. I know what that is."

Cadance cast her eye to her carrying basket, laying cozily between herself and her husband. Fast asleep, Flurry Heart gripped tight hold of her stuffed snail, cooing periodically.

"Thorax would like to open his borders to us and would like to have the changelings visit us regularly," the princess explained, gently orbiting her hoof around Flurry's head. "He is very passionate about the idea of changelings learning from our culture and vice versa. We agreed the best way to do that is to have our subjects experience the other side of the fence, themselves."

"So, regular field trips or something?" Shining mused.

"More like a dedicated public relations team. What he had in mind was a small group of changeling volunteers who will visit the empire several times a month. They'll act as a liaison between our kingdoms and share their culture while learning about ours."

"That's...a pretty cool idea, actually," Shining commented. "I'd love to show them all the various events and ceremonies we have. Maybe they'd be up for our sports competitions, too. It seems like we rarely get to use our stadium past track practices these days."

"Leave it to you to default to sports, hun."

"Well, I am the captain of the empire's sports team for a reason," the stallion defended, wearing a proud smirk. "Besides, it sounds to me like the whole idea will be to immerse the changelings in our culture. Crystal ponies love their sports."

Cadance's attention shifted again. An eager young nymph bolted past the bench where she sat, now darting between the legs of changelings and crystal ponies alike. Hot on the trail of the frantic bug was another, an adult drone baring his teeth in a threatening display of vexation.

The love princess giggled to herself. "No matter what the future holds, I'm certain having the changelings around will bring the empire a little more excitement."

"You think you're just so cute—Thorax's untouchable favorite."

"That's because I am!"

"And you think you can get away with anything because of that? Including that stunt you just pulled on that crystal pony's mane?"

"Pointing things out won't catch me, Tibia!"

Cool air rushing against his face, Tibia buzzed his wings frantically. He bit his lip. His target dared to fill his view but never grow nearer.

"Why is it I'm always chasing you, but you'll flop your little roadrunner rear end in Thorax's lap the first chance you get?" the lime drone taunted. "I thought you hated being a cuddlebug."

Apex ducked his tiny frame under a kettle corn stand, emerging through the spokes of a wheel on the other side. Tibia nimbly swerved between wheels and barrels of corn to achieve the same end.

"You're the one who always starts chasing me first. Papa Thorax doesn't bother chasing me because he knows better!" Apex yelled back. "And I can change my mind whenever I want to because good changelings can change more than just their form!"

Tibia let out a low growl. "For someling who complained about wanting to interact with crystal ponies all day, you sure were quick to antagonize one."

"It's a party, Tibia! It's about being silly and having lots of fun! Besides, lemon looks much better in that crystal pony's mane than on that artwork!"

"Just wait until I tell Papa Thorax you weren't making friends with crystal ponies. You'll really get it, then. He'll be so disappointed."

A tiny dust cloud formed in the wake of Apex's hooves as he screeched to a stop.

"Papa Thorax thinks little jokes are funny too, Tibia," the nymph tried to reason, losing his confidence by the second as Tibia's relentless smirk haunted him.

"Oh, I don't know about that," the lime drone replied in a sing-song voice, "today is a really important day for Thorax. Everyling has to make friends with the crystal ponies so that the politics go well. But, Apex, you're not making friends. I'm gonna have to tell him."

Apex's tiny ears flopped.

"Wait, that's what polo ticks are? No! Don't tell Papa Thorax. I don't want him to be sad!"

Tibia fluttered around in the air on his back, resting his hooves behind his head. "Well, then you better go apologize to that crystal pony, Apex. It may not be too late to make friends with them if you hurry, and then the polo ticks won't make Papa Thorax sad."

Apex tip tapped his hooves nervously before running past the fluttering drone, retracing his steps back the way he came. Tibia relished his moment of triumph with a grin.

"A shrewd changeling, as usual, I see."

Tibia raised his head. Upside-down in his field of vision was a bright cyan drone, welcoming him with a cold glare.

"Hey, Cornicle," Tibia replied, turning over in mid-air. "Have you made any friends yet, or are you still sore about getting your tummy tickled?"

Cornicle sneered. "Still a shrewd changeling, alright. I've talked to a few. I think they'd rather go hide under a bed than carry a conversation with me, though."

The cyan bug nodded his head to the side, guiding Tibia's gaze. "I was hanging out with Aphidel, but Thorax sorta assimilated her. They've been off in their own little world since he came downstairs."

"Really? What do you suppose they're talking about?"

The male changelings watched the pair curiously from a distance. Cornicle knocked a hoof against Tibia's side.

"To put in your own words, I'd say Aphidel has a future in 'polo ticks'."

"Hey Aphidel, I was wondering something."

"Yes, King Thorax?"

"You were one of the changelings who left to explore the empire earlier this afternoon, weren't you?"

"I was."

"Where did you go? What did you do? Did you get the chance to talk with the crystal ponies at all?"

Aphidel turned. The alpha changeling watched her with eyes the size of dinner plates.

"I suppose I should leave it to Cornicle to mention to you, but since you asked, I shall explain the context," the drone disclaimed. "Cornicle was rather distraught with your decision to use him as a demonstration for sharing love magic through 'tickling', so we ventured to the grasslands at the edge of the empire, away from the populace. We enjoyed the fair weather there while listening to Cornicle rant about his frustrations."

Thorax's giddiness deflated.

"Oh...I didn't realize he'd taken it quite so badly," he murmured, drooping his head slightly. "I was just trying to be playful more than anything. I may have overstepped a boundary with him."

Aphidel examined her king's sullen composure. After a few moments of silence, a shadow of a smile crept to her lips.

"Don't feel too badly, Your Highness," she assured. "Cornicle was suffering a loss of dignity more than anything else. Not to play to stereotypes, but most male changelings I've known are the same way. Once he realized his status as a 'tough male changeling' was not threatened in the long-term, he got over it."

Front row on his own emotional roller-coaster, Thorax picked up his head, another smile coming to him.

"Now that certainly sounds like Cornicle," he said with a chuckle. "Well, at any rate, I'm glad you all got to see the grasslands. They were one of my favorite places to think or take a nap while I lived here. It's always tranquil there."

The two came to a stop just beyond a flugelhorn cart. A changeling had taken an immense interest in the sparkling instruments, flying above the crowd to play one as loudly as possible, only to elicit a harmony of groans from below. Thorax snickered to himself as two additional changelings tackled the drone out of mid-air in an attempt to cease his tedious trumpeting.

"Your Highness, you asked if we've yet to talk with, and more importantly, befriend the crystal ponies," Aphidel spoke up, retrieving Thorax's attention.

"Oh, yes! Have you had the chance to make any friends yet?"

Pinned by his two friends, the flugelhorn changeling reached with all his might for his instrument of revelry, but to no avail. The bugs wrestled to and fro, drawing a crowd and distracting attention from the festivities entirely. The resulting audience broke out into laughter together, and the ringing voices were made up of changelings and crystal ponies alike.

"In a way," Aphidel said softly. "We know none by name yet, but familiarity will come with time, and time is no issue. Their ways are strange, yes, but I also see many similarities between us. Connecting with the crystal ponies should be an easy, yet rewarding process."

A glint shined in Thorax's eyes. "Does this mean you've considered my request, Aphidel?"

The green drone came to rest against the cool crystal ground, watching her fellow changelings wrestle and laugh, rolling around in a heap.

"Yes, King Thorax. I would be honored to frequent the empire as a sign of goodwill between our kingdoms," she replied, turning to Thorax with a gem of a smile. "I will be in talks with Apidae. I believe she would be delighted to assist in building a connection with the crystal ponies, as well."

Thorax sat back on his haunches. He pressed his front hooves together and shook with excitement.

With the success of the day's venture playing out before her eyes, Twilight couldn't help but beam. As the wind flowed through her mane, she let out a sigh, turning to the small dragon by her hoof.

"All's well that ends well, right Spike?"

"Twilight, you sound like a narrator."

"The changelings and the crystal ponies have hit it off, and Equestria now has a vast wealth of knowledge on a new ally."

"Seriously, Twilight, I'm the only one listening."

"With the changelings setting up roots in the Crystal Empire, it should only be a matter of time before they take wing to the rest of Equestria. That journey will be a welcomed one because Equestria's princesses will be there for them."

"Is this what it's like listening to me narrate my Power Ponies comics to you?"

Twilight giggled, rolling her eyes as she began to walk. "Come on, Spike, we should start to say our goodbyes. I think Shining Armor and Princess Cadance can take it from here, and we have a castle to get back to."

"You mean you have four books on changeling cuddling you want to go publish," Spike teased, taking a few strides and hopping upon the alicorn's back. "I've had you figured this entire trip, Twilight, don't deny it."

"I'll have you know that communal energy restoration only takes up three chapters of approximately thirty-six and a half, thank you very much," the alicorn replied, smirking as the dragon laughed. "Though I'm sure those chapters will be among the princesses' favorites."

"If she even reads them," Spike mumbled, crossing his arms and kicking back.

"Of course she will, Spike, they're going to be official records. I wouldn't be surprised if she's looked over them by the time we get back to-"

There was a grotesque belching sound from behind. A decorated scroll with golden trimmed edges flopped down upon Twilight's snout.

"...aha! See? Look at that. She's already gotten back to me."

Spike scoffed. Twilight's magenta magic brought the scroll to life and unrolled it.

Dear Twilight,

I'm glad to hear your excursion with the changelings has been going so well. I imagine you plan on returning to Ponyville by this evening, so I've taken the liberty of sending your documentations to Starlight Glimmer for safekeeping until your return.

While I cannot say I had the occasion to give them a thorough read, I have skimmed them and am fascinated by your findings. Following Canterlot's royal summit later this week, please accompany me in Canterlot. I would be happy to go over the details for how to refine and publish your findings.

PS: Princess Luna is very impressed with how in-depth your analyses are! She says Equestria could benefit from notes this detailed on all of our future allies.

~ Sincerely,
Princess Celestia

Twilight blushed. But before the young princess could even turn and gloat, Spike belched once more. A second scroll burst forth from his flames and flopped down over the first.

Dear Twilight,

I said no such thing!

~ Still very appreciative of you,
Luna

Dear Twilight,

As always, you have really great ideas and feedback!

Since your last visit we changed the hive around a bit—think more flora and sunroofs. And my throne is actually made out of wood, now. All the same, I'll definitely see if I can get it to retain magic. Having a little protection on our borders couldn't hurt. I always saw barrier spells as kind of dark, but I guess that's because a dark queen used the only one I ever knew.

I'm super excited to hear about your notes! Are they really published already? It feels like you were here just yesterday recording them! I guess time flies when you're leading a hive, or in your case spreading friendship. Do you think you could send me a copy of it when you have a chance? I'm sure the changelings would get a kick out of reading it!

Also, could you tell Starlight I said 'hey'? Certain details aside, her visit with Trixie the other day went really well, and I'm glad they came. I think a lot of good came from it, in the end. I'll have to introduce you to my brother the next time you visit! He's a little more...forward than I am, but he cares about the hive as much as I do!

Sorry, I'm rambling again. I know you're probably pretty busy. Please let me know if anything else comes up, though! I always look forward to your letters!

Sincerely,
Thorax

Thorax pursed his lips. The more he read and re-read his attempt at a royal and regal response, the less confident in his writing skills he became. It didn't help matters any that Twilight was a dictionary with wings—in every reply, she inadvertently taught the changeling new words and phrases, and her essay-length tangents were difficult to live up to.

With a sigh, Thorax rolled up the undelivered parchment in a cloud of teal magic, laying it by his side with care. His eyes shifted to several resting bodies encircling him, curled up like bread loaves. Numbering nine total, the changelings had created a tight seal of bodies, using the alpha bug as their epicenter. It was midday, and for many of Thorax's subjects, that meant siesta.

Naturally, where there was siesta, there was Thorax—whether he sought inclusion or not.

"No, really, this is fine, you guys. I didn't wanna get up and go do things today, anyway."

Thorax slumped his chin between his hooves. His sarcasm was met with guttural snores. For as helpful as Ember's advice had been, assertive action over assertive vocalization still wasn't his strong suit, and peaceful, sleeping changelings continued to be a weakness of his.

Closing his eyes, Thorax surrendered himself, allowing the rhythmic sounds of shallow breathing to sway him from his thoughts. Inconvenient as they were, the changelings were an efficient heat source. He was nothing if not comfortable.

"Hey, don't...my tail...don't chew on that...it's mine."

A stray hoof brushed Thorax's snout, and a lavender drone by his left antler grimaced in his sleep, kicking his back legs. The drone seized a neighboring changeling as a foreleg pillow before calming down again.

Thorax's lip quivered, a laugh subdued in his throat. The little drone's unconscious shenanigans were more than enough to sway him like a leaf caught in a breeze.

Perhaps one more afternoon nap wouldn't hurt.

"Hey, hey! What did I tell everyone about sleeping in the hallways!?"

Furious buzzing and yelps of surprise filled the air as changelings quickly fled the room. Left in their wake was a pair of narrowed eyes tracking their exit, while two more luminous orbs stared, unperturbed by the thunderous voice.

"It may take a while for your policies to become commonplace. The entire hive hasn't been made aware of this rule, yet, seeing as there hasn't been an assembly addressing it."

"It shouldn't even be policy, it should be common sense," came a deep, low growl. "Sleeping in uncovered sections of the hive is unsafe. I've been telling everyone to stick to the nesting chambers, but here we are with bugs passed out on top of each other in broad daylight."

His dark cyan coat complimented by the stone path beneath his hooves, Pharynx scowled as he made his way down the corridor. Following him from a modest distance was a light blue drone, shooting curious looks every time Pharynx grumbled to himself.

"I never liked all this remodeling to begin with. I don't know what Thorax was thinking," Pharynx added, venting frustration by kicking a rock across the floor. "'Let's take out the ceilings, guys, let the sun shine down on our hippie paradise.'"

"I'd be happy to help enforce designated rest areas, but have you talked with Thorax about these concerns yet?" the blue changeling trailing behind inquired, trotting a bit faster to keep up. "Those changelings who enjoy cluster naps might be more inclined to listen to him."

Pharynx gave a dry laugh. "My brother? Enforce limits on anything that has to do with warm and fuzzy feelings? You're a funny changeling, Tarsus."

"I'm serious. If you address it from a security standpoint, Thorax will understand. Besides, if both of the hive's leaders make it known they feel the same way, changelings will realize the gravity of the issue."

A hole in the wall opened, and Pharynx trotted into a cavernous chamber. Holes lined the high walls, and from inside them protruded the snouts of changelings, peering out of their burrows to watch the newcomer with intrigue.

"Thorax already knows how I feel about sleeping in exposed spaces," Pharynx clarified, casting a glance over his shoulder. "As typical of him, he started following my suggestion without enforcing it. The only changelings he ensures sleep in safe areas are the ones who directly nap with him. But I have a bigger concern than that—a problem that spawned this one."

Tarsus blinked. "Another concern?"

Pharynx curled his lip, his gaze firmly set on the plethora of nap spaces dotting the entire room.

"I have an issue with changelings who sleep all day when given a chance, and I have an issue with my brother, who enables those changelings by being their full-time stuffed animal."

A long pause punctuated Pharynx's thought.

"...well, I guess it's true that cluster naps are becoming more and more frequent," Tarsus acknowledged. "Resting and eating at the same time can become addictive, I suppose. That said, everyling is always ready to follow your orders when an order is given."

"Initiative is an irreplaceable advantage, Tarsus," Pharynx replied flatly. "I think there are a lot of changelings who need to re-learn that. We finally started up regular training drills and security sweeps, again. I'm not going to watch that diligence succumb to laziness."

Pharynx came to a stop, and the room grew still. As the antler'd bug pony gave a more concentrated look around the room, changeling's faces retreated into their burrows.

"Listen up! I need a squad to head outside and do a little spring cleaning for me. I want that squad to start trimming the bushes scattered around the hive's grounds. Having pretty little gardens is cute and all, but you know what isn't cute? Enemies hiding in our overgrown shrubs. I'm gonna count to ten—if there aren't at least two dozen changelings down here next to Tarsus by the time I finish, I'm gonna start taking volunteers by pointing at burrows."

Absolute silence. A few eyes blinked from within the shadows.

"Ten...nine...eight..."

A few changelings began to emerge from their hides.

"Seven...six...five..."

A handful more drones volunteered, leaving their burrows and fluttering down to the cavern floor.

"Four...three...two..."

A dozen more followed suit. Before long, a small crowd of bug ponies had trotted over to Tarsus, obscuring him from view entirely. Pharynx smirked.

"Now that's what I like to see. Head on outside with them, Tarsus, and if you guys finish the shrubs before I find you, put em' through some aerobatics training. The next time a Maulwurf tries to eat our plants, we'll send it packing with our own strength."

Bug ponies began to trot towards the entrance tunnel, happily chattering as they went. Tarsus remained the only one still facing his gruff general from among the crowd.

"What about you?" he asked.

Standing alone in the center of the room, Pharynx turned his head and wore a wicked grin. "I'm going to have a little chat with Thorax. He and I need to clarify some things, and as it so happens, he's long overdue for some brotherly torment."

A tickling sensation plagued Thorax's nose until he violently jerked his head in a loud sneeze. Recoiling with a grimace, his heart raced as a few changelings stirred by his hooves in response. When no glowing eyes opened, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really tasty...don't tell him! He gets jealous...cooking."

A goofy smile was dragged out from Thorax as the snoring bug ponies continued to babble in their sleep. He laid a hoof on the head of the closest drone, his smile growing when the changeling's ear twitched in reply.

"You guys are way too cute and fun to listen to," he mused aloud. "There's a part of me that'd love nothing more than to watch you dream all day."

Thorax looked around the otherwise vacant room. He had lost track of time like he often did during cluster naps. Not even the sun could be used as a reference point, here in the belly of the hive. For all he knew, it was evening already, and here he still was, with not a single bug pony having woken up since early afternoon.

"Still...just what am I gonna do about you guys?" he broached aloud, slumping down again and feeling a soft breath run across his face.

"You could always turn them into paperweights. You're gonna need to keep all those letters the princess sends you organized, somehow."

Thorax's heart leaped into his throat, and he turned to find a dark blue changeling standing over him, demanding his gaze.

"Oh, hey, Pharynx," Thorax breathed. "I didn't see you there."

"Well, of course you didn't," Pharynx said insipidly. "Clearly, your conversation with yourself required total concentration."

The cyan changeling staked out a spot for himself on the stone floor, and Thorax's brilliant green cheeks flushed to a rose shade.

"...you heard all that, huh?"

"Heard you mulling over your issues for all the hive to hear? Yeah, I heard it."

Thorax bit his lip. "Right. Um, so what are you doing here, then? Is something wrong?"

"You could say that. Actually, I'm really eager to join in on that conversation between you and you. I've got a few points I could add."

Thorax wheeled with newfound attention. Pharynx extended a hoof towards the pile of bug ponies, and Thorax forced a sheepish smile.

"Oh...yeah. I had a feeling we might be having this conversation soon."

Pharynx's face hardened. "You did? What am I, Thorax, our mother? If you see the problem, you work to fix it, yourself, not let the status quo continue and wait for me to point it out."

"It's not that simple, Pharynx."

"It isn't? Unless I'm losing my hearing from these twigs growing out of my head, it sounded like you acknowledged the problem, yourself, just now. There's no question we have drones laying around like rocks growing moss these days, Thorax."

Thorax sighed, the crease above his eyes stiffening. "Yes, I know it's a problem, Pharynx, and I never meant for it to get out of control. I'm just having a hard time balancing rest and activity right now. I'll handle it. You don't have to worry."

"The same way you handled the hive by replacing tracker training with a safe space?"

"It's a feelings forum, Pharynx."

"Whatever, the point is you've been enabling the drones, Thorax—again. You built a pretty, perfect paradise for them to forget about their troubles, and now you're letting them get away with being lethargic and lazy. I know you're touchy feely and love to shower them with affection, but you can't run a hive on love alone. I thought that was made pretty clear after the whole Maulwurf fiasco. You need to-"

"Would you stop lecturing me, please?" Thorax snapped, his timid exterior crumbling away. "You're always so quick to get on my case, Pharynx, but you know what? You don't understand me or how I feel nearly as well as you think you do."

Pharynx froze. He sat without another word, his brother's face for once far more intimidating than his own.

"I was always, always the outcast, Pharynx. I didn't have friends, and I didn't have anyling to talk to, because every changeling wanted to be just like you and not like me. When I became the new changeling leader, nothing changed. I wasn't any better at relating to the changelings than I ever had been. All I had to offer the hive was love...all I had to offer the changelings was the kind of understanding I always wished Chrysalis had given us."

Thorax's frown melted as quickly as it had come, and now he turned his attention to the bugs by his hooves. A shell shivered as a drone stretched itself out like a cat, ungracefully knocking other drones in the head as it did so.

"We have a completely different relationship now. Everyling has really come to thrive off embracing love, and for the first time in my life I feel close to them, Pharynx. For the first time, I feel like I belong with my kind, and I'm still reeling from that."

His early onset confidence had faded like a dying candle, and now Thorax hadn't the nerve to meet his brother's face.

"I guess I've just been enjoying all this quality time with them a little too much," he muttered. "Just like how I was too focused on making everyling happy before. Scold me if you want, Pharynx, but you should know that I care about the hive just as much as you do."

Thorax swallowed a lump in his throat, finally picking up his head. Pharynx's hoof was firmly placed against the base of his horn, blocking him from view.

"For the Hive's sake, Thorax, I wasn't prepared to deal with feelings today."

Pharynx lowered his hoof. The elder changeling had softened his expression.

"Look, I wasn't trying to scold you," he began, "and I didn't mean to presume anything. All I'm trying to do is protect the hive, the same way I always have. I see changelings sleeping around and shirking off duties, and it rubs me the wrong way because I want to keep them safe, too. You and I are running this place now, Thorax, and we need to work together to do it. That means we need to communicate better, and right now, it means you need to consider putting things in moderation, for their sake."

Thorax nodded solemnly. "I know, you're right. It wasn't so bad, at first. Originally, changelings who tried to sleep in were trying to get out of doing work, and I could handle that. Then I think everyling started to get used to how much I approved of them spending time together, so everyling started doing it for fun. And...maybe I didn't really want to tell them to stop spending so much time with me, either."

"Maybe a few changelings started to talk in their sleep more than they did before, too?" Pharynx replied with a subtle smile.

Thorax beamed. "Yeah, maybe that, too."

"Truth be told, I'm glad you recognize the problem, at least," Pharynx said, his smile dawning to a playful smirk. "When I walked in here, I thought I was gonna have to pry you loose from these lazy sacks of glitter."

Pharynx successfully unearthed a toothy grin from his brother and got him to laugh.

"Thanks, Pharynx. You know, we may not always get along but, I'm happy you're here. It makes me happy to know I have someone to help me lead the hive. I wouldn't want it to be anyling else."

"Alright, yeah, that's enough sappy, wishy-washy gunk for one day, thank you," the beta changeling retorted, getting to his hooves and cracking the joints in his neck. "Just do me a favor and follow my advice this time, alright? No one ever said you couldn't spend time with the drones or do your disgustingly cute cuddlebug nonsense. Just don't stockpile them and let them be loaves. The hive has duties and chores that need doing, and to Tartarus and back if I'm doing them all, myself."

Thorax chuckled. "Yeah, that's definitely fair. I'll call a hive meeting for later on tonight. Would you mind helping me deliver it? You've always been better at the 'yelling and getting everyling's attention' thing."

"Well, obviously. What, did you think I wouldn't attend?" Pharynx replied with a laugh of his own. "I trust you to work with me to lead the hive, I don't trust you to relay what my expectations are. You might be a leader now, Thorax, but you're still a dork."

Pharynx returned his brother's toothy smile, and the two changelings lightly touched hooves.

Gone unnoticed below the pair of royal bug ponies were two sets of glowing eyes, closing to feign sleep whenever observed. Their faces pressed together, the soft hum of the drone's whispers were inaudible to all but each other.

"Looks like Uncle Pharynx doesn't approve of the cuddlebug philosophy a whole lot."

"'Uncle Pharynx'? You're a mad genius, Maxilla. But I wouldn't worry, I think he'll come around."

"Why's that?"

"The nymphs may or may not be expecting Pharynx to spend time with them tomorrow afternoon in the nursery hive, 'to get to know them all better and play games'. I may or may not have had something to do with it."

"Oh, no. He'll be up to his antlers in little changelings wanting to play camouflage and seek and bugpile. You're diabolical, Tergum."

"We gotta get Pharynx accustomed to the hive's new way of life, somehow."

Silent chittering persisted by Thorax's front hooves as the royal changelings continued their conversation.

"I'm heading outside," Pharynx announced, buzzing his wings and taking to the air. "I sent two squads to start trimming our hedges, and after that, I'm going to put the hive through rounds of aerobatics practices. By the time they're done, they'll be way too tired to cause any ruckus for us to shout over at the hive assembly."

Thorax chuckled. "Sounds great, Pharynx. I'll get these guys to spread the word about the assembly once they've woken up, then I'll start getting the chamber ready. Just try and herd everyling here once they're done practice, okay?"

Pharynx nodded, a content smile crossing his face. "Better communication already, Thorax. Better communication already."

After the cyan changeling vanished through a tunnel in the wall, a hush fell over the nesting chamber once again. The quiet snickering had since vanished, the bugs surrounding Thorax now lifeless dolls. The bug monarch lowered his head towards the front of his hooves, his shadow befalling the pair of drones laying by them.

"...by the way, you two, what time are the nymphs expecting Pharynx, tomorrow?"

Maxilla and Tergum dropped their charade, looking up in shock to find their king's gaze.

"Y-you overheard us, Thorax?"

"Well, unintentional eavesdropping seems to be happening a lot today," Thorax simpered. "I like the plan, guys. If I'm going to cut back a bit on spending quality time with everyling, it's only fair Pharynx do the opposite, right?"

Thorax winked, and the pair of drones grinned.

Orange rays of sunlight filtered through the misshapen walls like spotlights, glistening off Pharynx's carapace as he walked. By his side trotted his not-so-little brother, hopping with each step he took. Oh, how Pharynx hated it. How any changeling could be so happy, so early in the morning was beyond him.

"Did you sleep well, Pharynx?"

Pharynx sighed. Five words in and he already missed the serenity of his bedhive.

"If I say yes, will you quit the obnoxious bouncing?" he asked curtly, shifting his head in place of his tired eyes. Thorax merely chuckled, sticking his tongue between his lips in reply.

"Grumpy as usual, huh?"

"And about to get grumpier," the dark cyan changeling grumbled, stepping through a doorway alongside his brother.

A tall, wide room riddled with changeling-sized holes laid before the pair. A deafening silence sat in the air, the only movement coming from occasional ear twitches inside the dark hideaways. Thorax came to a stop and peered around the room with a proud little smile.

"Alright, if you can help me give everyling their tasks for the day, Pharynx, I have some things to go over with you and the guard changelings while you're here, okay?"

Pharynx cleared his throat of mucus. Every muscle in his body rebelled against him, but here he stood, resolute to raise his head towards the ever-invading sunlight.

"What was it I did to warrant a promotion, again?" Pharynx asked dryly. "Oh, wait, that's right. I used the word 'love' in a sentence that didn't denote the idea of feeding on ponies. Whoops."

"Come on, Pharynx, seeing the sun this early isn't so bad," Thorax replied, gazing into the dimly lit hovels around the walls. "As head of security, you need to lead the guard changelings, but keep in mind they do a lot of the work, too."

As the sounds of birds singing joined the illuminating sunlight, faint groans and yawns came from the corners of the room.

"For example, Tarsus and Tibia came up with some really nice diagrams for a new patrol route I've been working on," Thorax continued. "I know how much you loved to patrol, so I thought it couldn't hurt to have the guard changelings do maintenance patrols from now on. You know, to trim the shrubbery, remove obstacles, scan for any signs of maulwurfs or salamanders that might be lurking around—those sorts of things."

Pharynx squinted around the chamber, the sunrise continuing to blind him to the best of its ability. At the sound of his brother's voice, bug ponies had begun to open their eyes, poking their snouts out from their burrows to investigate the pair of visitors.

Pharynx chuckled to himself. Chrysalis used to yell at the top of her lungs to wake drones, yet here was Thorax, accomplishing the same feat with a mundane side conversation.

"Uh, Pharynx?" Thorax prodded, leaning forward to examine his brother's far-off look. "Does that sound okay to you?"

Pharynx slowly turned his head, locking eyes with the taller changeling. "...you know, Thorax, even I have to admit you're adorable, sometimes."

Thorax blinked, his eyes widening.

"For example," Pharynx continued, "you're adorable when you speak words in my general direction and think that I'm ever listening to you."

Pharynx donned a smirk, and Thorax rolled his eyes, playfully jabbing his broodmate in the side.

"Seriously, Pharynx, did you hear anything I just said?"

"Blah blah, 'here Pharynx, you get to be a gardener, it's just as fun as patrolling, I promise', blah blah," Pharynx retorted, his sly smirk holding steady. "Which I seriously doubt, by the way, but hey, at least you're trying."

Thorax shook his head, but before he could engage his brother with another retort, a swarm of bug ponies fluttered down to the cavern floor. The drones quickly surrounded the alpha and beta changelings and awaited instructions. Now and then, one would give a silent yawn or rub a tired eye with their hoof.

"You know, Princess Ember taught me a thing or two about being more assertive," Thorax declared, darting a glance at his brother before turning to face the drones. "Sooner or later, I bet I'll be able to match your sass, remark for remark."

"Oh, I'm shaking," Pharynx replied with deadpan. "I, the one changeling who you couldn't get to change even after your backbone lessons, am truly terrified. Please, King Cuddlebug, don't hug me and replenish my energy, whatever shall I do."

The once silent crowd of changelings began to snicker under their breath, and Thorax cocked an eyebrow. "Do older brothers come with an off switch that I don't know about? Maybe a manual?"

Pharynx scoffed. "Afraid not. You wanted balance in the hive, Thorax, so now we got balance. We've got you, the dork who loves to spread love and understanding, and now we've got me, the dork's brother who keeps his hippie paradise from going too far off the rails. It's a package deal, I'm afraid."

Thorax rubbed the back of his head and suffered a slight blush, signaling another round of hiss-like giggling from the crowd. Those echoing chortles simmered down again as Pharynx joined the lime changeling by his side, recapturing the drones' attention with a flutter of his amaranth wings.

"Alright, that's enough fooling around," Pharynx projected, silencing each drone by meeting their gaze. "I'm sure everyone remembers the assembly we had yesterday, right? Who can refresh us all on the finer points of that assembly?"

A sea of multicolored eyes blinked. A few mouths opened, only to close again. Pharynx furrowed his look.

"Well?"

"Cluster naps should only be taken amidst and following strenuous activities, or if a changeling is weak and needs help recuperating," recited a blue changeling in the crowd. "Nymphs and those attending to nymphs are exempt from this rule. All cluster naps should be conducted in one of the two nesting chambers, or the nursery hive."

"That's right," Pharynx said with a nod. "I don't wanna see any changeling sleeping out in the open, anymore. It's not safe. If you're tired and need to rest but aren't near a designated location, you may find a secure place to rest nearby. What are the two conditions for this exception?"

"Designated spaces need to have a ceiling at least two levels low," another drone from the crowd answered, "and you should preferably let someling else know where you're resting—a guard changeling or a hive leader is best."

Pharynx cast a proud side glance at Thorax, to which Thorax returned a bemused smile and another roll of his eyes.

"And that all begins today," Pharynx added, "so keep that in mind. From now on, guard changelings will tell you to relocate if you're sleeping somewhere uncovered, and so help me if I find anyone loafing around in broad daylight, you'll get worse."

Pharynx shot a sneer, and changeling ears from among the crowd flopped like wilted flowers.

"Just kidding," he added, taking a step backward and nodding his head to Thorax. "Someling would have a fit if I spooked you guys too much. Just be mindful where you sleep and don't be lazy, and you'll be fine."

"Thanks for that, Pharynx," Thorax interjected, mirroring his brother by taking a step forwards. The vibrant alpha garnished his subjects' attention with a warm look. "To that end, everyling, I'll only be taking cluster naps with nymphs and those drones who actually need their energy restored from now on. Pharynx and I aren't too picky on what does or doesn't count as energy restoration. We're just trying to keep cluster naps from being a recreational activity."

The changelings nodded, many of them relaxing their dispositions.

"And with that, let's move on," Thorax said, his mellow aura perking upright. "I need to have a quick meeting with the guard changelings this morning. While I do that, Pharynx is going to assign tasks to squads. We have a lot more plants to trim and a few other chores that I need everylings' help with getting done today."

A moment of quiet staring, then changelings turned to mutter to one another. From just behind Thorax, Pharynx gave a small nod of his own.

"Oh, I almost forgot something! Once we've taken care of everything that needs addressing, I've got a surprise for you all!" Thorax said, his pearly teeth gleaming. "We're going to be having a theater performance tonight! Apidae and Xenica have organized a really awesome play that I think you'll all enjoy! Thanks to Aphidel, we also have an array of snacks for everyling who attends!"

The formerly behaved pack of drones erupted into cheers, and Pharynx promptly buried his face in one hoof.

Nestled in the thickest part of the hive was the nursery, set apart by layers of stone and magic. With small, sheltered rooms for eggs and larvae and large, open rooms and tunnels for nymphs to explore, it was the perfect space for young bugs to scamper and play.

Today, however, was different. Rather than jumping and playing with one another, the nymphs sat on their haunches, their wings buzzing with anticipation. When a faint roar pierced the quiet, a tiny changeling's ear flicked to and fro. The nymph picked up his head, his mouth falling open as he looked about for the source of the noise. Not to be missed by his equally curious friends, other nymphs turned their focus to him.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"I hear you talking if that counts."

"Not me, Apex, all that yelling! You didn't hear someling yelling just now?"

"...I hear you yelling, Tergite."

Tergite inflated his cheeks like a dissatisfied pufferfish. "You must have slime in your ears, Apex. I'm telling you, there's a bunch of changelings yelling and stomping around somewhere."

"It's probably just Papa Thorax telling everyling about that play tonight," Apex dismissed, tossing over to one side and glaring at the chamber's entryway. "Papa Thorax loves it when the older changelings do all the silly activities he started."

"Well, he should hurry up," came the squeaky voice of a mustard yellow nymph, "your brother said Pharynx would spend time with us today, Tergite. I bet the morning meeting is almost done already, and after that is when we can play with Pharynx."

"Duh, I know what my big brother said," Tergite snipped. "Tergum doesn't lie. I'm sure he'll be here any second to let us know."

Apex bonked his head against the stone floor in a series of thuds. "It feels like we've been sitting here for hours, already. It's like waiting for Papa Thorax to finish polo ticks with the crystal ponies."

All eyes turned to Apex, and Tergite scrunched his nose. "What are 'polo ticks'?"

"Super long, super boring meetings," Apex mumbled through bedrock. "The crystal pony princess and Papa Thorax talked for like ten hours about it."

"I think you mean 'politics'," Tergite pointed out.

"Polo ticks sound itchy," mumbled the mustard nymph.

The sound of hooves crossing stone began reverberating around the room, and the small bug ponies sat up at full attention. Through the entryway came a bright green drone, panting slightly and wearing a broad grin.

"Alright...are you ready, guys? Time to go see Uncle Pharynx!"

Unleashing their repressed energy, the nymphs shrieked, zipping through the air in tight circles. A gust of wind, born from a dozen tiny wings slammed into Tergum's face as the swarm of fifteen-strong nymphs left the chamber.

"...did you hear something?"

Thorax stole himself, biting his lip and turning his head to hide his blatant smirk.

"Who, me?" he managed out. "No, I uh, I didn't hear anything."

Pharynx flattened his mouth, drilling holes through his brother's face. "You're a terrible liar, Thorax. The dragon princess's little assertiveness lessons didn't do much for your bungling."

With the day's goals relayed to everyling in the hive and the security drones briefed on a brand new patrol route, the alpha and beta changelings left the old nesting chamber. While Thorax trotted along with a spring in his step, Pharynx's gaze drifted to the corners of the tunnel in which they walked.

"...hold on, I know what this is," Pharynx said under his breath. "You're planning something."

"I am?"

"Yeah, or rather, you've already planned something."

"What would I be planning?" Thorax inquired with a chuckle. "I've been with you since I got up, Pharynx."

"We both know that doesn't mean anything."

"You don't trust me?"

Pharynx glowered. "Oh, spare me. We're talking about you, Thorax, the changeling who'd make cutesy drawings of us together, called 'big brother and me' when he was a nymph, and plaster them across the hive's walls. The changeling who'd try and hug me upwards of ten times a day if I didn't watch him like a hawk. My public dignity knows better than to trust you, by now."

Thorax's chuckle turned into a laugh. "So what then, you think I've got changelings stashed away, waiting to pounce on you, so I can have them hug you for me?"

"You said it, not me."

"That's ridiculous, Pharynx," Thorax said, shaking his head and casting off a few final giggles. "I'd never force something on you, knowing it makes you uncomfortable, just for my own enjoyment."

The brothers paused. Pharynx and Thorax exchanged telling looks, and Pharynx's ear twitched.

"Hold on. There it is again—Thorax, seriously, don't you hear that?" he hissed, lowering himself to the ground and scanning the cavern. "It sounds an awful lot...like..."

Pharynx's eyes widened in horror. What began as a soft humming had become an overbearingly zealous group of voices, and a once void tunnel was now filled to the brim with tiny changelings, charging straight for him.

"Uncle Pharynx! Uncle Pharynx! You're here, you're here!"

The beta changeling raised an alarmed hoof, scowling at the small throng of hyperactive eyes and ecstatic smiles that had swiftly surrounded him. Out of sight and mind, Thorax watched the scene unfold from the sidelines with an elated look.

"What are you all doing here?" Pharynx asked, glancing down the passage. "You guys should have an adult changeling supervising you, this time of day."

"We had one, but he got left behind," a blue nymph said with a squeak. "So now you can look after us, Uncle Pharynx!"

Pharynx's scowl grew. "Excuse me?"

"We wanna spend time with you, Uncle Pharynx!" an orange nymph explained, dancing on the tips of her hooves. "We've been waiting for you to wake up so we could play!"

"Yeah! We can play bug pile, or, or you can turn into a maulwurf, and we can stop you from eating our plants! Oh! Or-"

"-hold on, one second," Pharynx said sternly, lowering his hoof again and waiting for quiet. "I don't know what this is or why you guys are running around the hive unsupervised, but playing games and frolicking around is Thorax's bag, not mine. If you want to play games, go annoy him."

Following a nod from Pharynx's head, the swarm of nymphs turned their attention to Thorax, who waved to them in greeting.

"But, we always play with Papa Thorax," a light green nymph insisted, eliciting nods from her peers. "This time, we want to play games with you, Uncle Pharynx."

Pharynx quickly dismissed them, parting the crowd and trotting through it with no further hesitation. "Trust me, you don't," he said flatly. "The one thing Thorax has me beat at is his ability to frolic around and play with nymphs. You guys will be far more entertained playing with him."

For a long moment, the sound of Pharynx's hoof falls echoed alone through the chamber, as he ignored the pressing stares on his back. But something Pharynx didn't expect was soon audible—a sound that froze his body in place. It was the sound of sniffing, coming from a single bug pony among the group.

"But...my brother, Tergum said we could play with you today," Tergite mumbled weakly, sniffs dotting his sentences. "He said you wouldn't be busy until everyling was done the morning chores. Can't you spend at least a little time with us?"

Pharynx remained fastened to his spot, facing away from those prying eyes. "I'm busy. Thorax has time allotted ahead of time to play with you all. I don't."

"Pharynx, come on," Thorax spoke up. "We're hardly busy today, and you know it. Look at their faces, and actually listen to what they're saying. They don't want me, they want you."

Pharynx grumbled. The changeling pivoted his head and regretted it. The disappointed looks of tiny drones assaulted him from all sides, and from behind them, Thorax offered a hopeful smile.

"You told me yesterday that it takes more than love to lead a hive," Thorax continued, trotting through the field of knee-high nymphs. "But by that same token, isn't love how we've come this far? How we've evolved into something more than predators?"

Pharynx let out a long sigh, shifting in place and avoiding his brother's face. "Thorax, you're the one who spreads love, not me. I'm here to provide what you don't already have down flat. That's my role. And I'm certainly not a role model for anything but being a loyal soldier. You know that."

Thorax beamed and gently shook his head. "You're wrong, Pharynx. You may not express love in the same way I do, but that doesn't mean you don't care. Even soldiers are capable of expressing love—I know that, and the nymphs know that. These little guys want to bond with the changelings who lead the hive, regardless of what their strengths and weaknesses are. They know you're just as capable of showing compassion as you are capable of defeating threats against the hive. Maybe this is the perfect time to prove that to yourself, as well."

Trapped in a spotlight far hotter than any ray of sun, Pharynx curled his lip. His ears flattened to a horizontal shape.

"Surely there's something you can do with them, if only for a little bit," Thorax lightly pressed. "Something that's both fun and beneficial, maybe?"

Another long pause as the alpha changeling and his charge of nymphs awaited an answer. When Pharynx next picked up his head, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"Fine," he muttered at last. "Maybe I can come up with something to do for a little while if it'll get you off my back."

The nymphs pounded the air with a resounding harmony of cheering, and Pharynx winced.

"That said, no screaming or aimless running around, got it? If you want to spend time with me, we're playing by my rules."

"We promise, Uncle Pharynx!"

Retracing his steps, Pharynx passed through the expectant nymphs once more, and this time, the tiny bodies followed him like curious cats. The changeling came to a stop when his snout touched his brother's, and there, the two shared an impromptu staring contest.

"You orchestrated this whole thing, didn't you?" Pharynx whispered, just low enough for Thorax to hear. "That was quite the little speech for a random chance event, Thorax."

Thorax wore a sly smile. "Tergum's idea, actually, but I may have capitalized on it a bit."

"You're despicable."

"Look at it this way, not a single one of them has tried to jump on you or hug you."

"Give it time. Don't try and put me off guard. I've seen how they are with you. When I limp back in here later on with a sprained leg, I'll be coming for you."

The throng of nymphs bounced up and down, biting their lips as Pharynx turned to face them. The beta changeling cast out his wings, catching the sunlight and with it, the drones' attention.

"Listen up. Like I said, my rules. If I'm going to subject myself to this, we're going to make something of it. That means we're not just going to prance around and play. Regardless of what Thorax might say, that's his thing and not mine. No, I'm going to teach you guys how to track and hunt."

The nymphs tilted their tiny heads, murmuring to one another. However, confusion quickly became excitement as the group nodded in sync, eager smiles returning to their faces. Clearly, the prospect of training like adult changelings enthralled them.

"Are we going to hunt and track you, Uncle Pharynx?" Apex put out, buzzing a few inches off the ground.

Pharynx sneered. "Oh, you'll be tracking me, alright, but you won't be tracking me like this."

Pharynx enveloped himself in a flash of green magic. A long, curled tail snapped out like a whip from the magic's wall, as did three sets of toed legs. When the magic fully dissipated, a horned lizard the size of a manticore emerged, its bulging eyes darting every which way. The nymphs gasped and awed at the exotic creature, many of them taking to the air to get a better look.

"This is a rippeleon," the large lizard spoke in Pharynx's voice. "Better known as a 'breakneck chameleon'. They are large reptiles distantly related to salamanders."

Without warning, the lizard scurried past the observing drones and climbed the entirety of the far wall. By the time the nymphs' gaze followed where it had gone, it vanished. When they turned to Thorax for answers, the massive lizard appeared before them again, causing everyling to jump.

"Unlike salamanders, they are docile and pose little threat to changelings," the creature continued. "However, they are both quick and capable of turning completely invisible, thanks to the magic-imbued skin covering their bodies. They're far more efficient with camouflage than their tiny counterparts."

Too stunned to cheer, the nymphs gawked as the rippeleon's body hazed into nothingness.

"This is what you'll track," came Pharynx's voice again, echoing around the cavern from various spots. "Focus and use your sense of hearing to identify its location, then pounce. If, say, ten or more of you can tag it all at once, we'll call it a success."

From all the way across the room, the yells of excitement that ensued weren't quite so deafening, but they caused Thorax to smile all the same. Caught in a trance, he watched the nymphs faithfully chase after their designated prey, always just out of reach before it disappeared from view.

"...sorry I'm late. Did I miss the best part?"

Thorax's lofty expression was salvaged. "Oh! There you are, Tergum. I was starting to wonder where you went."

Still laboring the occasional pant, Tergum trotted to Thorax's side, already relishing in the ongoing entertainment.

"Wow, I didn't think he'd get into it this quickly," the drone commented with a chuckle. "Did you guilt him into it or something, Thorax?"

"I like to think of it as helping him realize his potential," Thorax replied, elevating his gaze as Pharynx dashed along the ceiling from his aerial pursuers. "All he needed to do was find some kind of training goal, a way to relate to them personally. Once he did that, he immersed himself right into it."

"Thorax!" came the rippeleon's booming voice. "I'm taking them outside! Half an hour, no more! Mark my words! You better be here to deal with them when I get back!"

The steel-blue reptile crawled out an open crevice in the ceiling, gradually becoming more and more transparent. The group of nymphs quickly followed it, all but two, who fluttered in mid-air from atop the chamber and peered down at their observers.

"Papa Thorax, you should turn into cool creatures like Uncle Pharynx, too, sometime!" Apex called, waiting for Thorax's resulting laugh before heading outside too.

"Big brother, come outside and play with us too, okay!?" Tergite followed up, cupping his hooves to his mouth like a megaphone. "You and I need to be the ones to catch Uncle Pharynx, first! Then everyling will know how awesome we are!"

"I'll do my best, Tergite!" Tergum yelled back, mimicking Thorax's grin. "You'd better start without me, though! You don't want to lose him! Pharynx is slippery!"

A profound silence was cast over the chamber as the last of the excitable nymphs left. Thorax turned to Tergum, catching his eye with a graceful nod.

"So, I should thank you, Tergum," the alpha changeling said. "You meant it as a joke originally, but getting Pharynx together with the nymphs was a great idea. It has a lot of potential to be good for him. He's been a little..."

"Detached?"

"From everything but the job, yes," Thorax finished. "This is just the kind of thing he needs more of. Seeing him bond with them makes me really happy. It also makes it easier for me to focus on not being too attached to everyling, knowing he's there for you guys, too, you know?"

Tergum harbored a dry laugh. "Yeah, well, I'll believe the 'prohibition on excessive cluster naps' thing when I actually see it."

Thorax snickered. "Maybe we'll convert Pharynx into a cuddlebug before he notices that changelings aren't following it."

The pair of bug ponies walked from the chamber, sharing a mutual laugh.

Starlight tapped her hooves against her chair, just one of the many nervous ticks featured in her arsenal. Before her, suspended in her turquoise magic aura was a folded letter, gently bobbing up and down in the air. The letter's envelope lay discarded below, addressed with a pink butterfly stamp and a neatly written cursive that read, 'To Starlight'.

Dear Starlight,

I wish I had time to let you know, myself, but I'm very busy at my nature preserve today, helping this season's litter of baby bunnies get accustomed to their new home, so I've sent Cleo to deliver this message to you for me, instead.

Starlight's focus shifted past the paper. Cleo, a red robin, chirped warmly at her from atop her dresser.

I know you're probably busy as well, so I'll get straight to the point.

Discord and I were having our regular Tuesday Tea this morning when the topic of our friends came up. We talked about the wonderful things they've been doing over this past year. It usually takes quite a lot to catch Discord's attention, but he became very interested when I brought up your visit to see the changelings with Trixie. He left not long after that, and he didn't even take his tea cakes with him!

Starlight, I think Discord may be planning to drop by the castle to see you. He seemed upset, though I'm not entirely sure what about. Please let Twilight know about all this, as well. She gets anxious when things go unexpectedly, and, though I find him endearing, Discord tends to do, well, everything unexpectedly.

Please say hello to Twilight and Spike for me,
Fluttershy

Starlight frantically read through each sentence, her eyes growing steadily wider and wilder with each one passed. When the letter finally finished, her teal magic aura faded, and the paper gracefully floated down to the table surface. Like clockwork, Starlight left her chair and began to pace around the room, absently watching the floor as her mind raced.

"Discord is upset over Trixie and I seeing the changelings?" she muttered aloud, casting a glance to watch Cleo preen her wings. "Why would he be upset over that? That...doesn't make sense."

A loud bang rippled through the room and caused Starlight to jump. When the unicorn turned her head, she found her bedroom window thrown open while her overhead light swung in the breeze. Spooked, Cleo flew from her perch and out the window while a cold chill ran up Starlight's spine.

But this was no burst of morning air. An unmistakable presence now leered over her.

"We've now reached the part where I say something to the effect of, 'why, Starlight, have you even met me? Not making sense is my very reason for getting out of my tree in the morning.'"

A shallow gasp fell from Starlight's lips. The unicorn shot a look over her shoulder, slowly tracing her gaze up the elongated body of Discord. The spirit's pointed yellow eyes met hers, and he crossed his arms. An eyebrow rose clear off his forehead.

"True to form of not making sense," he continued, racing along the wall like a snake and rising next to where Starlight stood, "I am feeling rather torn up, today."

As if on cue, the shrill sound of tearing paper filled the room, as Discord's body was reduced to a pile of shreds. Starlight barely had occasion to grimace before the pile of scraps rose to life with a mind of its own, folding itself into a blizzard of crumpled origami shapes until Discord's form was rebuilt. His expression returned as a hard stare that left Starlight in a sweat.

"But why are you upset?" the unicorn probed. "What about my trip with Trixie could have possibly bothered you?"

Discord's beady eyes rolled out from his head like golf balls, circling up and around his antlers before returning to his sockets. "You're an astute graduated friendship student, and you don't even realize what you did? Really, Starlight, I expected more from you."

The draconequus reached his eagle claw through thin air, pulling a bright yellow foam hand out from the ether. The prop, featuring a pointed finger, was emblazoned with 'YOU!' and began to float up above their heads, incessantly pointing at Starlight as it bobbed around in the air.

"You and Trixie went to visit our newly crowned friend King Horsebug, yes?"

"We did."

"You did this because you consider yourselves friends with Thorax, now that Queen Cheeselegs is no longer calling the shots, correct?"

Starlight hypnotically watched the foam hand dance around her bedroom ceiling. "Well, yeah. That, and we're allies with the changelings, now. When Thorax needed help, Trixie and I offered to visit him and see what we could do."

"Oh, how very thoughtful," came Discord's calm voice, fluttering just out of Starlight's attention. "Though I do seem to recall a fourth member to that little troop of side characters that took on the changeling hive, a fourth friend to that gaggle of companions that faced certain peril, together. Hmm, now, what was his name, again?"

As if yanked by an invisible force, the foam hand soared over to fit itself over Discord's lion paw, the lettering now reading 'DISCORD!'. Starlight blinked, and Discord now wore a black leather outfit with a wool overcoat. She blinked again, and a vibrant red guitar hung from a shoulder strap over the spirit's shoulder.

"One does not simply have a band reunion without the lead guitarist, Starlight," Discord said, tossing jet black bangs from his face. "Honestly, it's as if you failed to invite me on purpose."

"Lead guitarist?" Starlight babbled. "Wait, you feel...you're feeling left out? I didn't-Discord, I didn't think you'd care to come along with us. I didn't know you and Thorax were even that close. I didn't think you'd-"

"Yes, you didn't think," Discord interrupted, turning on his hoofed heel and facing the still-open window. His wavy black hair trailed to his waist, flowing in the breeze. "Just how many times must I assure ponies that the Lord of Chaos is truly reformed, now, and that he is truly interested in creating and maintaining friendships, these days? I feel it's been shown ad nauseam at this point, don't you think? I mean, we are pretty far along in the plot."

Discord cracked the joints in his limbs by twisting them. "But you know what? This is just fine," he continued with a little sigh. "As Fluttershy always says, 'look for the positive, then create the positive'. I'll simply visit our dear friend Lord Beetlemoose, myself. I promised the changelings I'd return with new comedic material, anyway, and now that they're all varying shades of fabulous and can think for themselves, I'm sure they'll be far more entertaining than they used to be."

In a way to defy all laws of gravity, Discord's feet left the floor before his upper body, slithering up the wall and out the window. As his body followed suit, he shot another look at the baffled unicorn.

"Rest assured, Thorax and I will have a grand old time, Starlight," his flattened mouth said venomously. "I promise I'll tell you all about it as soon as I return, and perhaps next time we can all organize a proper reunion for the four of us."

The serpentine spirit vanished, and Starlight's window panes promptly slammed shut. The unicorn bit her lip as she stared after him, mounting anxieties tumbling down a slippery slope. Her room was suddenly quiet and calm, but the volume of her own thoughts was deafening.

"Starlight!" came the sudden, frantic voice of Twilight, appearing a few stray feet away with a pop of pink magic. "Oh, there you are. Are you okay? I thought I heard voices in here."

Starlight sidelined a worried look, and Twilight raised a hoof in distress.

"...oh my, I'm so sorry", she winced. "I really need to get better at knocking first."

"No, you're fine," Starlight mumbled, releasing a heavy sigh and trotting over to her bed. "It was nothing, just another friendship lesson I botched horribly."

Twilight cocked her head, softening her expression. While Starlight cocooned herself within a mass of pillows and blankets, Twilight took to the bedside, attempting to catch her pupil's eye. "Botched a friendship lesson? Starlight, what happened? Who were you talking to?"

"Discord," came Starlight's muffled voice. "He's put out that I didn't invite him to come with Trixie and me to visit Thorax. I guess he thinks we were having some kind of 'Chrysalis Overthrowers Squad' reunion without him."

Twilight giggled and sat back on her haunches, patiently observing the distraught unicorn as she fumbled around under the mass of feathered comforts. "Well, it is Discord. He's only beaten by Rarity when it comes to being melodramatic."

"Still, I could have at least asked him, couldn't I?", Starlight mumbled from beneath her sheets. "He's right. Without him, we would have never been able to get past Chrysalis's guard changelings. We may have never even made it to her throne room to face her. Now he probably thinks I'm ungrateful."

"Starlight, I think you're overthinking this just a bit," Twilight stated with a knowing smile. "There's no way you could have known Discord's feelings ahead of time. You may be skilled in magic, but nopony is omniscient, especially towards someone as unpredictable as Discord. Instead of mulling over the past, why don't you try and organize a proper reunion for all four of you? Discord will feel included, and everypony will get a chance to see each other again."

Starlight let out a shallow laugh at her onset deja vu. Her head emerged from the depths of her blankets, and she shared a smile with her mentor. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I think I'll leave a message with Fluttershy when Discord comes back from the Changeling Kingdom, letting him know I'd like to have us all get together sometime soon. It's just like you first taught me—I can't change the past, but I can change the future, right? Twilight?"

The color had begun to drain from Twilight's face. Starlight quickly bloomed from her cocoon, waving a hoof in front of Twilight's blank face.

"Uh, Twilight? Are you there?"

"Did you say Discord is going to the Changeling Kingdom?" Twilight repeated in a low whisper. Starlight's worried look returned to her with a vengeance.

"...um, yes? Is that a bad thing?"

Twilight began to dance on her hoof tips. "As in, he went on an impromptu visit to one of our foreign neighbors without letting anypony know in advance!?"

Twilight's pink magic aura seized the latches of Starlight's bedroom window and threw the panes open. Starlight frowned. She would have to invest in a new window set at today's wear and tear rate.

"Well, yeah, I guess so," Starlight answered, walking over to the window while Twilight ascended through the air, pressing her hooves together. "I mean, he told me just now but, I take it I'm not who you were thinking of."

"This could be disastrous," Twilight hissed, missing her pupil's input altogether and trotting back towards the bedroom door. "The last time this happened was with the yaks, who almost started another war over Discord's antics!"

"...okay. A thought. I was overthinking things, but you're just preparing for doomsday," Starlight monotoned, rolling her eyes. "Thorax? Start a war, Twilight? I think we're sooner to come under siege by Fluttershy's animals."

"It was just an example, Starlight. I'm not worried about a war," Twilight replied, galloping from the bedroom and enticing Starlight to follow her. "I'm worried that Discord might startle the changelings."

There was a pause. Starlight gave a shrill, one-note cackle. "Startle? Like, 'hey, don't spook my goat, he might faint' startle?"

Behind her mask of concern, Twilight held back a giggle. "You know what I mean. The changelings are still rediscovering themselves, getting used to feeling emotions rather than feeding off of them. The last thing they need is an erratic stimuli like Discord wreaking havoc on the entire hive."

Starlight curled her lip at the thought. "Fair point. So what's the plan of action, then? Warn Thorax?"

"No, it's too late to warn Thorax with a letter," Twilight sighed, casting her aura over the doorknobs to her library. "And I have way too much work today to make a trip over, myself. We'll have to send some ponies over to play damage control."

Starlight had been surveying the tiles along the floor, but a hanging silence caught her attention. She looked up to find Twilight staring at her, wearing a sheepish little smile. The unicorn gave a sigh of her own.

"...oh, fine. I'm not sure how effective I'll be, seeing as Discord seems pretty peeved with me, but I can give it a shot. And...this just came to me, but I think I'll bring along somepony with me. He's been dying to see more of the changelings ever since the graduation dinner, and I have a feeling he'll come in handy."

"Tibia."

"...yes, Prince Pharynx?"

"You wanna tell me what I'm looking at?"

"Um, I could only manage a guess, your highness."

From atop the changeling hive's chilly peak, Tibia and Pharynx watched an impossibility hurtle straight towards them. A large, narrow vehicle was roaring across the open grasslands below, spouting a trail of boulder-sized soap bubbles from its rear end. The entire car was covered in polka-dots featuring every color of the rainbow and then some, and perched atop the mighty engine was a bizarrely shaped lamp wearing a tutu.

Sitting in the cockpit of such a monstrosity was a tall creature with an overgrown tooth, outfitted with aviation goggles and a yellow hardhat. The creature grinned from ear to ear, yelping in glee as it ran the car off a hill like a high-speed ramp.

Tibia bit his lip, sweating profusely as Pharynx's head slowly turned in his peripheral.

"Get Thorax," Pharynx growled. "If that's what I think it is, this day is about to go from headache to migraine, and he can share in that suffering right along with me."

"R-Right away, Prince Pharynx."

His head pounded like a drum, but Pharynx still cracked a smirk at the sight of his little brother losing composure. As Discord continued to hurtle towards the hive like a launched projectile, Thorax wore an ugly grimace as he watched, his magenta eyes wide and inconsolable.

"P-Pharynx, what is Discord doing here?"

"I dunno, you tell me," Pharynx replied flatly. "You're the frolicking pixie who makes friends with literally everyone. Why is the incarnation of chaos here, Thorax?"

Screeching to a halt just outside the hive's foundation, Discord exited his vehicle. The draconequus slammed the driver's side door, and so the entire car exploded in a veil of steam. Thorax began to hyperventilate.

"I'm not sure", he squeaked, "I didn't invite him if that's what you're inferring!"

"Well, I suggest you figure out why he's here before I treat him as a serious threat to the hive," Pharynx outlined. "I don't care what the ponies say his alignments are—I don't trust anything that powerful."

Pharynx wheeled on his hooves, bringing a familiar face to his attention. "Tibia, secure the hive. Standard lockdown procedures. Until further notice, I want all nymphs in the nursery and guard changelings stationed at all key points. And get Tarsus—for Hive's sake, where is he?"

"Tarsus was dealing with a stray salamander that set fire to some of the brush on the northern border, Pharynx," Tibia replied. "If I don't see him during my lockdown of the hive, I will go find him."

Tibia's glistening wings buzzed to life, and the bug pony flew through a hole in the hive's exterior. A few moments passed before Pharynx wheeled around again, this time leaning into Thorax with an impatient glare.

"What are you still doing here?" Pharynx asked abruptly, nudging Thorax in the side. "Go flex those interpersonal skills and see what he wants. I'm preparing for the worst, but I'm not prodding a beehive preemptively, either. Unless things go south, I'm leaving recon to you."

Thorax chuckled. "Oh, I see how it is. Throw me to the wolf first to see if it bites, then move in. Aren't older brothers supposed to protect their little brothers from danger, Pharynx?"

Pharynx scoffed as he pushed Thorax along with his head. "Protect you from what? You're not in danger, you idiot."

"But you're putting me in a situation where I could be, when you could deal with it, yourself."

"You're better at yammering and are more of an obvious eyesore than I am, so you get to be the decoy," Pharynx shot back, pushing harder. "Doesn't mean I won't be nearby with troops, ready to pounce. Besides, this is retribution for making me babysit those hyperactive nymphs last week."

"Hey now, I didn't make you do anything," Thorax said with a grin, glancing back as he was guided along. "You decided to teach the nymphs all on your own. All I did was point out why spending time with them was important."

"Quit arguing and go be a neon chew toy," Pharynx grumbled. "That disaster is probably trying to get inside."

"Remarkable architecture, don't you agree?"

"Why yes, truly fascinating design. The flora reminds me of dear Fluttershy's cottage."

"Indeed! It's all very fitting, very fairy-like."

"Oh, I do so love fairies. They're effective against dark-types, you know."

"Yes, but who knew the changelings could evolve by destroying a magical stone rather than using it!"

A trio of Discords pursed their lips, nodding to each other in agreement. The furthest Discord spun around a white and red hat and straightened his deep blue jacket. Christened upon it were eight buttons, each the face of a different pony—Celestia, Fluttershy, and Twilight among them.

"Um, hello there, Discord. It's...nice to see you again?"

Three pairs of yellow eyes turned to examine a small convoy exiting the hive. At the forefront of the troop stood Thorax, wearing an awkward smile. A few drones curiously observed the mismatched creatures, standing just behind their king.

"Ah, there's the bug of the hour," the Discords exclaimed merrily, merging into one form again like a mass of sentient play-doh. A spontaneous red banner with a crudely drawn Thorax sprung up from behind him, and confetti fell from someplace unseen. "You're looking as charmingly over the top as ever, I see. How's being a ruler going for you? Do you measure your bug ponies in feet or yards?"

A roll of measuring tape popped into existence, enwrapping the observing drones like a coiling python. While the bug ponies chittered in mild annoyance, stamping and tearing at the invasive tape, Thorax shook his head.

"I'm doing well enough, and I guess we measure in yards since we don't have feet," he replied with a hint of snark. "I see you're as over the top as ever, yourself, Discord."

Discord gasped. In the blink of an eye, he was by Thorax's side, pressing his snout against the colorful monarch's. "Oh, you've got a bit of cheekiness to you now, don't you? I like you more already, Your Buggyness."

Thorax craned his neck away from the invasive entity, raising a hoof in distress. "Uh, well, thanks, I guess. I did get a little help from a friend on becoming more assertive, recently."

"How wonderful. Anypony I know?"

"Well, I'm not sure. Do you know Princess Ember?"

Discord scrunched his face. "Princess who now?"

"Dragon Lord Ember?" Thorax elaborated. "The new leader of the dragons?"

Discord crossed his legs and sat upon thin air, stroking a talon through his goatee. "Oh, the tsundere child of Torch, yes? I do believe Fluttershy said something to the effect of the Dragon Lord visiting Ponyville recently. Though I owe a limb to their ancestry, I never did take to the dragons. They tend to be a rather dull bunch—excluding your little friend Spike, of course."

Discord vanished, reappearing in a heartbeat just behind the hiding pack of drones. Without warning, he scooped them up like a collection of dolls and embraced them, smirking when they gave squeaks of discontent. "Nothing like you all, at least not anymore. You're all simply adorable now, and it's all thanks to our little team. Yay us~."

Thorax hid his onset wince. "If you don't mind me asking, what brought you to the hive today, Discord?"

Dropping the struggling pack of changelings in a heap, Discord's body deflated like a balloon. "A little pegasus told me that Starlight and Trixie came to visit you some time ago. I wasn't invited to that particular reconciliation, so I decided to pay you all a visit, myself."

"Oh, well, that's very thoughtful of you," Thorax replied, relief tracing his voice. "I'm honored. I didn't think you were all that interested in visiting us, if I'm honest. I kinda figured once you rescued your friend, Fluttershy, you'd move on."

An air pump materialized and began to inflate Discord's limp form. "Nonsense," he chuckled, needing no permission to roughly rub the one safe space between Thorax's sharp antlers. "We overthrew a grumpy queen and saved the entire cast of protagonists, together—we're practically besties."

From just a few yards away, Thorax's drones stood and brushed themselves of dirt, casting unsure glances his way.

"So what exactly is that thing?" one hissed to the others. "Also, why is it giving Thorax a noogie?"

"His name is Discord, and don't let him fool you; he's crazy powerful," another drone replied. "He's friends with ponies now, but he used to be a tyrant who ruled over the whole land. From what Chrysalis said, not only was there no love to feed on in those days, but there was no way we could take him on, either. We'd have been taken over, too, if not for the dark stone's power."

"Thank you, Captain Exposition," a third deadpanned. "As for those of us who were actually on guard duty when Chrysalis was usurped, we've already met him. You left out the fact that he's completely nuts. Spend too much time around him and you'll get zany, too."

The first drone sighed. "Today is going to be a long day. Pharynx is gonna lose his shell the moment this guy so much as coughs up a rabbit or something."

The trio shared a hollow laugh.

Across the clearing, Thorax had begun to recover from his headache, forcing another smile as Discord's beady eyes fell his way.

"Well, Discord, since you're here, would you like to have a tour of the hive?" the alpha changeling offered. "A lot has changed from the desolate place you saw the last time you were here, and I still have to introduce you to my brother."

"Most definitely," Discord replied with earnest, floating through the air as if on a cloud. "I was just telling myself about how fascinating your new home is. I haven't seen the 'forest sprite' look pulled off this well since the wood nymphs of the Griffish Isles. Of course, that was over a millennia ago."

The spirit of chaos touched the ground again. Every movement he made drew the observing drones' total attention, staring at him like curious cats. With a raise of his brow, Discord snapped his fingers, and a laser pointer materializing between his paws.

"I'll give you a brief tour of the hive's new additions, then," Thorax replied, gazing up at the towering structure behind them. "Everyling worked really hard to build it into something new we could all enjoy, and I came up with some fun activities for us to do together. I think you'll really appreciate the theater troupe; they put on entertaining shows!"

The faintest of snickering tickled Thorax's ears. He shifted to find his dispatch of changelings shrunken to the ground, their butts in the air as they took turns pouncing and batting at an elusive red dot. Now and then, they'd strike the ground with their hooves, only to find the dot had escaped again.

"It's getting away, you guys! Get it!"

"Catch it, Cimex! What are you doing!?"

"I don't know! Why am I doing this!? Why is this so fun!?"

"I don't know what I was worried about," Discord said, sending the dot over a rock and watching the drones clamber over each other to follow it. "You seem to be every bit the ferocious hunters you used to be. Way to go, Thorax. Way to show everypony that you don't need some cranky old bug queen or her drab sense of color coordination to be effective."

Thorax sighed and buried his face in one hoof. "Hey, you guys? Who wants to help me show our guest, Discord, the hive? Maybe we'll have time to stop by the hot springs."

The red dot faded from every changeling's mind, and a slew of bulbous eyes emerged from atop the rock.

"Ooh, that's a good idea. I could use a relaxing soak," a blue drone chirped, turning to elicit nods from his peers.

"Yeah, and Pharynx never goes in the hot springs," a second added. "Can't become collateral damage of his tantrum if he's not around!"

Thorax chuckled. "Just wait inside for me, okay? I need to check on something real quick, and then we can all go together."

Discord wore a shameless grin. "You know, a soak does sound nice. So glad I thought of it. Lead the way, my little neon beetlefolk."

Fitting for a trip to the hot springs, a decorative white towel stitched with his own face appeared around Discord's waist. In no time at all, the squad of bug ponies escorted the chaos spirit towards the hive, chatting his ear off the entire way. Thorax alone remained behind, watching the group step through the hive's morphing doorways and out of sight.

"...I know you're there, Pharynx," Thorax said suddenly, darting a skeptical look at the surrounding boulders. "If you insist on eavesdropping all the time, you really should come up with new disguises. I've memorized the number of edges on your rock imitation."

For a moment, there was silence, a confident-looking Thorax standing amidst the clearing. A turquoise flame enveloped a jagged rock a few yards away, and Pharynx's disapproving scowl entered the world once again.

"He's jealous."

"It seems like it, yeah."

"He missed out on you being a dork, me being an outcast and the ponies failing to address a situation properly...and he's somehow jealous."

"It's the principle of the thing, Pharynx. He just wants to be included."

Pharynx rolled his compound eyes. "Right, the entity of mayhem and catastrophe feels left out. How could I be so insensitive."

The brothers made their way through the hive's exterior, the hot rays of sun giving way to cool shadows across their backs. While Thorax embraced them, tall and calm, Pharynx skulked along, watching the paths ahead like a hawk.

"Things will be just fine, Pharynx, you'll see," Thorax encouraged. "All we have to do is keep Discord entertained for a while. How hard can it be?"

Pharynx shook his head. "Never ask that question, Thorax. Don't tempt the fates. I turn my back for one second, and he'll have the entire hive doing gymnastics. I'm not letting him out of my sight, and you'd better not, either. I wouldn't have even offered a tour of the hive in the first place."

Thorax let out a one-note chuckle. "What else should I have offered? He would have wanted to see the new hive, anyway. Besides, he's not that bad. I'm pretty sure the Discord you're thinking of was reformed quite a while ago. Granted, we may not be close friends, but I know him enough to know his boundaries."

An eyebrow accompanied a head turn. "Do you, though? Because I'm pretty sure he was incapable of using magic on the one occasion you spent any length of time with him."

Thorax's confident look grew sheepish. "Well, touché. Still, though, if Twilight and her friends have accepted him as a citizen of Equestria, he's bound to have improved a lot. I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt. He did help your little brother take on the entire hive to rescue his friends, remember?"

Thorax grinned, fishing for a reaction, but Pharynx merely scoffed. "The little brother I know would have hyperventilated under pressure," he laughed. "Let me guess; you were a map while the others did most of the footwork and planning."

Thorax frowned. "I think we're getting off-topic here, but I'll have you know I was way more than a map. I helped Trixie with a diversion and even fooled Chrysalis through a switch out with Starlight. It was a full team effort, Pharynx...besides, I didn't hyperventilate that much."

The royal changelings reached a central chamber, and a grand ceiling opened up before them, as did a sea of expectant eyes. Within seconds, frantic bug ponies swarmed the pair, yammering over each other in an inaudible harmony. While Thorax grimaced in surprise, Pharynx's face grew stern, slamming his hoof against the earth and eliciting quiet.

"One at a time, we've been through this before," Pharynx said coolly, giving the guilty-looking crowd a pivoting glance before locking eyes with a particular drone. "Scapus, go."

Scapus, a red-hued adolescent, nodded firmly. "Pharynx, you gotta come see this! There was a really, really weird-looking goat that just walked through here, wearing a bath towel. He snapped his claw and all the theatre costumes came to life!"

Thorax refrained from shifting his gaze, dreading the 'I told you so' expression coming off Pharynx in his peripheral.

"Then what happened?" Pharynx followed up, returning his attention to the saluting drone. "Did you see where he went?"

Scapus showed his teeth, glowing with excitement. "Of course! I heard it compliment Nydra on how well she made the theater outfits, and that's when it brought them to life. Then it said something about 'taking a dip', and he and a bunch of other changelings headed down hive."

"But where'd the costumes go?" Thorax put in, peering around the room to only find confused bug ponies.

"I guess they must have felt dirty because they followed the goat thing to the hot springs," Scapus replied.

Thorax was pinned to the adjacent wall with a look.

"How about that, Thorax," Pharynx growled. "The costumes felt dirty and decided they needed a wash in the hot springs. Gee, I wonder where the goat thing could have gotten that idea."

"Thanks for the help, Scapus," Thorax said suddenly, hurriedly trotting towards the southernmost corridor. "Do us a favor and wait here until Tibia and Tarsus come back. Let them know what's going on too, and tell them where we went, okay?"

Scapus stomped a hoof and nodded. "Oh, sure! You can count on me, Thorax!"

Leaving the eager drone behind, the echoing sounds of running hooves filled the chamber, only growing louder when they entered the far tunnel. Soon enough, a second set of steps joined the first, and Pharynx joined his brother's side, lancing him with further glares.

"This just gets better and better," Pharynx growled. "One of our lead guards is still missing, we've already lost the omnipotent creature wearing a bath towel, and now said creature is off somewhere playing pied piper for laundry."

"As I said, it'll be just fine," Thorax mumbled, shakes lacing his tone. "You already had the hive put on high alert, so he won't have much of a crowd, no matter where he goes. We'll catch up with him, take him on a brief, quiet tour of the hive, make him feel included, and send him on his way."

"Well, let's hurry and catch up with him before his wacky magic spreads too far," Pharynx warned. "If even a single nymph catches wind that the goofy lord of pranks and nonsense is here, we'll never be rid of him, Thorax. We'll be stuck between an endless circus and a mountain of puppy dog eyes wanting him to stay."

"You think I don't know that?" Thorax hissed, desperately rounding a bend and soaring down another flight of steps. "I'm the one who gets asked constantly what he was like, and who gets told how cool it'd be for him to spend time with us. I was counting on all the nymphs being tucked away in the nursery hive like you ordered when I invited him in."

"Just like how you were counting on him to stand there, obediently waiting for us to catch up?"

"Can we please just focus on finding him? Talking about uncertain outcomes is just going to make you mad and freak me out!"

A sly smirk unearthed from Pharynx's set frown. "You know how you're always asking why I'm such a homebody? Why I hate having guests and breaking routine? I give you exhibit A, Thorax. I give you exhibit A."

As the sun's rays warmed Equestria's lush hills and expanses of forest, two ponies walked a trailing path caught in-between. A young stallion with a striking orange mane hung on his company's every word, a light purple mare with a cutie mark that glimmered in the sunlight.

"Thanks for coming with me, Sunburst. Normally I wouldn't ask for a favor like this last minute, but Trixie is in Vanhoover doing a magic show tour this week, and Twilight's swamped with paperwork today. I hope the Crystal Empire will survive at least a few hours without you."

Sunburst stifled a laugh. "Oh, not a problem at all. I may have a bit more on my plate than studying and re-studying ancient runes and texts, now, but the Crystal Empire is...well, uneventful, especially compared to Canterlot or Ponyville. These days our only major concern is keeping things intact when Flurry Heart has a tantrum."

Starlight shared Sunburst's chuckle. "Luckily for you, her parents get to deal with that a little more frequently than you do."

"Exactly," Sunburst concluded, light reflecting off his glasses. "Princess Cadance assured me that things would be fine, at least for the day. Now I can focus on helping you, help King Thorax."

"I had a feeling you'd be keen on revisiting the changeling hive, too," Starlight said with a knowing smile. "Studying other species and forms of magic has always been something you love. If you'd like to spend some time chatting with Thorax while we're there today, I don't mind. You know, after we fetch Discord and settle Twilight's worries."

Sunburst sidelined a bemused look. "Oh, certainly! I'd love to spend some time looking around the new hive and see just what King Thorax has accomplished. I still have to meet his brother, as well. I have to be honest, though, changelings aren't the only thing I'm looking forward to with this visit."

Starlight threw up a brow. "Really? What else is?"

"Discord!" Sunburst exclaimed with a prance.

"Discord?" Starlight repeated, starting up her trot again. "But, Sunburst, you've already met Discord several times, haven't you?"

"Yes, but I've yet to actually sit down with him before," the stallion explained. "He's elusive and hard to find if you don't know where he's going to be ahead of time. Unlike Thorax, he was more akin to a force of nature than a guest at your graduation dinner. Not once was I able to hold down a conversation with him."

The pair came to a light woods, crunching dried leaves and branches beneath their hooves as they crossed. The afternoon sun lazily made its way past the canopies above and cast long, twisting shadows across the ground as it did. Sunburst looked up through the parting trees, watching the rays of light descend, and to it, he smiled.

"As you said, Starlight, I enjoy studying magic, and of all the magical forces in Equestria, Discord's magic is one of the strongest and strangest. Nobody is really certain just how old he is or where he even came from. Is he truly a spirit, somehow connected to our world's balance of magic, or is he simply a rare, nearly extinct race of creatures long forgotten?"

Starlight held an unblinking stare as the stallion went on, and together they broke through the forest's line of trees. Far in the distance, crowning the horizon was the changeling hive, bright with foliage and shimmering rock.

"I've just never had an occasion to study him before," Sunburst continued. "After all, he was sealed in stone and called a myth by many for most of my life. Anything I could ask him has probably been asked since his release, but I figure while we're here to corral him, I may as well use the opportunity to try and grab a bit of an interview for myself."

"I...guess I've never thought much of him before," Starlight mumbled aloud, examining the pebbles lining the path at her hooves. "I never heard of him before I met him, and by that point, he had already reformed. You're right, though. His magic is even more fluid and versatile than anything Twilight or I could do, and we've spent our lives studying magic."

"He's the only known practitioner of chaos magic, which is arguably the most versatile magic known to Equestria," Sunburst said with a bite of his lip. "Unicorn magic manipulates the environment and ourselves, but chaos magic warps the fabric of reality, itself. With any luck, this little excursion today will be the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about it!"

Starlight found her hooves trotting more hurriedly with each passing second. "One thing at a time, Sunburst. Let's just focus on ensuring Discord doesn't cross any lines, first. Twilight was right, the changelings aren't used to experiencing chaos magic in the same way that ponies are, and Discord isn't exactly known for his finesse."

"Oh, of course!" Sunburst stammered, readjusting his sliding glasses. "Corralling Discord is the priority. Though, he is reformed, now, Starlight. How much trouble could he possibly get away with, these days?"

Starlight scanned the approaching hive, waiting with bated breath for the grand stone peaks to become candy canes or the rich foliage lining the exterior to become sentient. Even as the hive remained quiet and still, her thoughts proving to be a mere fabrication, she could practically feel the peace in the air being challenged.

"...Sunburst, you'd be surprised what Discord can get away with."

"Oho, welcome, changelings, and changelets! Come one, come all, and witness a show unlike anything before seen by changeling eyes! Nymphs to the front, and remember, no pushing or shoving—we're a peaceful colony, now."

Thorax felt his heart incessantly ring against his chest, his legs growing numb. Before him was the hive's hot springs chamber, morphed to be three times its normal size by Discord's magic. Decorative red sofas, round tables, and dark oak bathtubs littered the expansive extra space, all occupied by drones of various ages. The entire room wrapped around a central stage, complete with a royal purple curtain, and bathed in light from a series of floating spotlights.

"Rest your rears and soak your hooves, my little bug ponies, and hear the tale of the brave and indomitable Captain Wuzz and his triumph over Queen Cheeselegs—the nasty cohort of the evil Squizzard!"

The purple curtains parted, and pieces of cardboard floated out from backstage, caricatures of Discord and Chrysalis crudely scribbled upon them. Applause and shouts of glee rang from the chamber as the cutouts began to act out a duel by continuously bumping into each other.

Detached from the commotion and standing at the far end of the room, Thorax looked on with a twitching eye and agape mouth, while Pharynx ground a hoof across his face.

"Well, that answers where the costumes went," Pharynx grumbled.

"B-but, I don't understand, how did he get the-the nymphs were-I thought you-"

"Looks like the whole hive is here, too," Pharynx continued, ignoring his brother's ongoing stammering. "So much for a 'quiet tour of the hive'. So much for a lockdown, either, for that matter. Welcome to Tartarus, Thorax, population: us."

"Ah, hold onto your shells, everyling, our esteemed leaders have graced our little show with their presence!", came Discord's amplified voice. "Let's all give them a warm welcome! Perhaps someling would like to help them to their seats?"

A pair of spotlights sniped the brothers from across the chamber, and all eyes turned to see. Before Thorax or Pharynx could even blink, half a dozen nymphs eagerly flew from their seats, beelining to them with huge smiles. While Thorax grimaced in surprise, waiting for his imminent tackle, Pharynx's sour look pierced through the nymph's numbers and connected with Discord's cunning smirk, lit like a beacon on the opposite side of the room.

"Yeah, I definitely preferred it when we were evil and didn't get visitors."

Pharynx scowled. Tiny hooves hugged his carapace and propelled him forward while gleaming lights and a clamor of voices smothered his senses. By his side, Thorax shared a similar predicament. The changeling king's floppy ears strained to a fold as fluttering nymphs yelled into them like reverse megaphones. Everywhere they looked, the brothers found frenzies of fervor, stemming from the chimera at the center of the room, enthralling his audience with an array of tricks.

"What did I tell you, Thorax?" Pharynx growled, a dangerous twitch dancing around his eyelid. "We lost track of him for a whole two minutes and just look what happened."

Pharynx jabbed his hoof, and Thorax followed it. Discord was now morphing changelings into perfectly shaped balls and juggling them on stage, their elated expressions still visible on the flying orbs of green, blue and yellow. At the peak of their ascents, some drones fell from the controlled circle and reverted their forms, striking various poses in lavish outfits upon landing. Further products of Discord's magic, the reflective black capes they wore were complete with popped collars and tiny magician hats, some of which sprouted pigeons upon being lifted from their heads.

"...okay, maybe this is a bit much," Thorax winced. One of the nymphs still playing about his body frantically grasped for his snout upon sliding off an antler, and Thorax now spoke with a pinched nose. "Look, I'll talk to him, Pharynx. He's not familiar with changeling protocols. I'll let him know, and we'll get everyling to calm down."

A vulpine smile struck Pharynx's face. "Oh no, this is a matter of hive security now, Thorax, I'll deal with it," he countered, his voice a boil ready to break the surface. "If he thinks he can stroll into this hive and mess with our young without so much as a word of permission, he's in for a rude awakening. He can take his sob story of exclusion elsewhere, because I don't entertain naiveté."

Thorax opened his mouth, but his tongue tied. Pharynx wasted no time in crossing the threshold, the cloud of buzzing nymphs around him scattering as if the prince's temper had ignited his carapace itself. Between the tables, he marched, causing the bobbing heads of entertained changelings to turn and adopt worried, anxious looks as he went. Soon enough, the entire crowd had dulled to silence, Discord's merry laughter now isolated.

An arrow headed for a bullseye, Thorax thought. Though the arrow probably would have been more merciful.

"Show's canceled," came the Pharynx's cold voice as he fluttered to the stage in one motion. Those few changelings who braved eye contact squeaked at the hard glare waiting for them. "All performers may leave, except the director. Interested parties have questions for him."

A few final drones fell to the glossy wooden floor with a bounce, and after sprouting their legs again, scampered out of sight. Tension layered over the hive's silence as dozens of eyes watched the confrontation brewing, but worst of all was Thorax, standing on three legs of jelly and nervously chewing the end of the fourth.

"'The show must be canceled'?" Discord repeated in a high tone, spinning his elongated head around like a giraffe and ogling the stern changeling before him. "Oh my, that's not how the saying goes at all."

Pharynx matched Discord's grin with an unyielding scowl, and an aged white eyebrow hiked the spirit's face. Floating off the ground like an inflated balloon, he twirled his goatee between two claws, eyeing the newcomer up and down.

"Well, now, I guess there's no mistaking a head rack like that one, is there?" Discord mused, pricking a finger on the tip of Pharynx's antler while dressed in a golden tiara and pink ballgown. "You must be the big brother I've heard so much about. A pleasure for you to make my acquaintance. Now, what do I owe the dissatisfaction, Your Buggyness? Was it the distinct lack of staff giving out refreshments to everyling?"

Discord shot his attention to a half-dozen Discords playing chess backstage. Upon spotting their superior self, they haphazardly gathered up their game and fled, leaving a trail of knights, rooks, and pawns strewn about in their wake. Sighing, Discord turned to give a reassuring pat to Pharynx's carapace.

"I apologize, it's so very hard to find good help these days."

Pharynx's mouth drew flat, so flat that Thorax grimaced from all the way across the room.

"Are you always this exasperating, or only when visiting your 'friends'?" The beta changeling asked callously. Hooves covered mouths in shock throughout the crowd. "Actually, don't answer that. You've managed to overstay your welcome and tread on my patience in a matter of minutes, so we've gone far past the point of my caring."

Discord raised his paw, and with it, a finger to elaborate a point, but the loud crackling of electricity blocked his chance. Two conductors containing a storm of energy, Pharynx's antlers burst to life, illuminating his darkened chitin and focused gaze.

"Let me make this real simple for you," Pharynx continued calmly, "you may, for the most part, have my brother's trust, but you don't have mine. No one alters this hive's structure without our permission, and absolutely no one touches this hive's nymphs without our permission. If you'd like to reminisce with my brother, I recommend you do so outside the hive. Otherwise, you can take your leave now."

Silence sat in the air, everything growing motionless—everything that was, except for Discord. The spirit's canine glinted. A challenge had been issued. Authority had been thrust before him, and now there was no turning back.

"My my, aren't you a perky one," the entity hummed, promptly crossing his arms and legs as he continued to bob up and down in the air. "Grounded, authoritative and viciously assertive. Why, you're like the lawful good version of cheeselegs, herself, aren't you? Let me guess, you're the bad cop of this dynamic duo."

A navy blue police hat and black nightstick with a wrist sling flashed into existence, hanging from the peak of Pharynx's antlers. On cue, the changeling's demeanor worsened even further. Digging a hoof against polished wood, Pharynx seized the objects from his head in an aura of magic and tossed them aside. His furious energy threatened to escape his antlers' containment, but it did not stop Discord from roasting a marshmallow over them like an open flame.

"You've got a lot of arrogance, chimera," Pharynx said venomously. "And that's coming from Chrysalis's former right hand."

Discord laid a single paw against his lips, gleefully squeezing his roasted marshmallow between two claws. "More than even Her ex-Royal Majesty? Look at me, beating other villains in things even after being reformed. Why Your Buggyness, I'm flattered."

"It wasn't a compliment," Pharynx hissed. "I've grown to hate arrogance."

Discord merely snickered, circling the feisty changeling overhead. "Oh, but hate is such a strong word. Tell me, Sir Spoil Sport, what's so wrong with your little bug ponies having fun, anyway? Don't tell me you also mirror your old queen's habit of taking the fun out of everything. That'd be such a tragedy."

Discord's grey fur lit up with the blaze of Pharynx's magic, and their snouts fell inches from touching, but the ensuing battle was interrupted by a soft buzz of wings. Flying over the crowd's heads, a single changeling made his way to the stage, where he promptly joined the heated pair.

"Pharynx, please stop this." Thorax demanded his brother's gaze but was ignored. "This isn't how to handle this. I understand you're worried about everyling's safety but, this is too much. Noling was even hurt. We shouldn't treat our guest like this when he hasn't done anything to warrant it."

Losing none of his temper's momentum, Pharynx sharply turned his head, glaring at the taller changeling. "'Nothing to warrant it'? You can't be serious, Thorax. My job is to deal with things before they become issues, before someone gets hurt. I'm not here to blindly accept everything as it comes and then clean up the aftermath." The beta changeling's attention turned back to Discord, and the two locked eyes again. "It's called a preemptive measure. We all know what he's capable of, and clearly, he has no regard for rules. We don't need something like that in the hive."

Thorax's downtrodden ears hugged his head, as did his eyes the ground, but out of his peripheral, something caught his attention. Though Pharynx was already headlong in another rant, Discord's beady eyes bypassed him completely, instead choosing to watch Thorax closely. It wasn't amusement, or even smugness that his expression held, but a hint of curiosity, as if he were patiently waiting for something. Thorax found himself staring back, and with a rising fire in his belly, next found himself raising his voice, focusing on his older brother once more.

"Pharynx, I'm sorry, but I'm not okay with this."

Again Pharynx turned, his harsh look opening to an incredulous one. "You're not 'okay' with it?"

His brother's tone rang with condescension, but Thorax nodded through it. "This isn't fair to our guest. We shouldn't be offering ultimatums, and we certainly shouldn't be doing it in front of everyling."

Pharynx scoffed. "All I'm doing is confronting your 'friend' and making him aware of the policies he's in the process of breaking, Thorax. All I'm doing is making it clear that his behavior isn't tolerated, here!"

"And you have to do that at horn point?" Thorax countered, becoming visibly upset as well. "After stepping in front of everyling and abruptly shutting down what many of them simply saw as a good time? Just look at them, Pharynx, you're making them uncomfortable. Do you really think this was the best approach for dealing with the situation?"

Pharynx scanned the half-moon crowd of observing drones. The bulbous eyes peering back reflected anxiety, even fright in the younger changelings, many of whom had huddled into clusters. The prince's face clenched to this, his rigid composure waning under the mounting pressure. When the tensed faces became too much, he let out a short sigh, and his magic dissipated into thin air.

"...alright, fine, I'll humor you," Pharynx muttered, reeling in his temper. "Say I back down for now; what exactly do you suggest, Thorax? Where would you have us go from here?"

Breathing a little sigh of relief himself, Thorax looked up again. Discord's beady eyes still watched him and were now accompanied by the smallest of smiles.

"There's always a middle ground, Pharynx," Thorax replied, braving a hoof on his brother's back. "I promised Discord a tour of the hive, and so that's what I'll give him, but only if he promises to respect our wishes from here on out by toning down his magic in exchange. I'm sure he'd be okay with a compromise. Right, Discord?"

"Why, of course," Discord chipped in, placing a paw over his chest and giving an exaggerated bow. "If training the little ones to be capable magicians upsets His Royal Blueberry Bug that much, then I shall humbly accept the terms of a truce. I am a reformed draconequus, after all. Class is my middle name."

Discord adorned a mustache, monocle, and ironed blue suit, then sat at an oak desk to file a few papers before setting a golden plaque that read 'Mr. Discord 'Class' Draconequus'. The crowd breathed life into the tense chamber with a new round of chittering.

Some tension, however, remained. Pharynx gave his brother a hard look that pinned him to his spot, a look that repelled any chance of direct eye contact. For a long moment the two sat in their own bubble of awkward silence, Pharynx still as a statue, and Thorax fidgeting with his hooves against the stone floor.

"I'm sorry, Pharynx," Thorax said at last, meeting only the bottom sliver of his brother's eyes. "I didn't mean to call you out like that. I just couldn't watch you two continue to fight. Everyling was getting really antsy, and so was I. I just thought-"

A blue hoof promptly planted itself over his muzzle, and Thorax twitched in surprise.

"Stop apologizing, Thorax. You just stood up for yourself really well, don't ruin it."

"..."

"Look, I don't trust him as far as I can toss a stone, and suffice to say, I don't like him at all. If it were up to me I'd have blasted him off his rocket car the moment he got within range of the hive."

The hoof retracted, but Thorax remained silent. His brother's face was contorted, several emotions fighting for dominance. He wanted to say something, anything, but like earlier his tongue had tied. He could count the number of times Pharynx had opened up to him on two hooves, and he couldn't miss out on a third.

"...but this is your hive, too, and I do trust you," Pharynx continued, his voice growing steadily more solemn. "Well, I trust you enough to know that you're right, anyway. You've clearly got a better grasp of the situation than I do, so I'll just stay out of it unless you need me. Honestly, I'm still getting used to the fact that you're even capable of resolving things like this yourself, these days."

"Pharynx, I-"

"Go give him his tour, Thorax, and come find me when you're done. I'm going to regroup with everyone and see if I can't get anything productive out of them after this visual sugar rush."

Pharynx took his leave, calling out to the crowd of bug ponies before Thorax could even respond. Soon enough, the beta changeling was obscured from view by a moving wall of glittery wings and shiny shells, haphazardly making its way from the chamber. Thorax found himself blankly staring after them, even after they had gone completely.

"Hmm, I dare say that's the kindest thing I've heard him say since I arrived."

Thorax could see Discord's serpentine body coil up to a standstill, and as it did, the various seats, hot tubs, and stage below evaporated from existence. Thorax turned, prying for his friend's glance.

"Discord, why were you so ready to follow my suggestion just now, when you ignored my request to stay in the entry chamber earlier?" Thorax broached, scanning the spirit's face in-between each word. "Did you...know how Pharynx would react? Were you hoping that I'd confront him?"

Discord absently twisted around his claw, examining his wrist. When Thorax again reached for his attention, he cocked a brow, gazing down at the changeling with a blatant smirk.

"Did I, the reformed spirit of chaos and disharmony intentionally create a circumstance in which the king of the changelings was able to show his protective big brother how capable he's become by standing up to him and proving it? Why, Thorax, I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about. I simply wanted to parade around some laundry and teach pre-adolescent bug ponies how to conjure pigeons."

Through his giggle, Thorax could feel a warmth filling his carapace, and he looked to the ground by his hooves and smiled. "Well, thank you for 'not' helping out, Discord. You 'inadvertently' helped me show Pharynx something I've wanted to show him for a while, and I really appreciate that."

"You're most unwelcome," Discord said with a satisfied nod. "Any side effects resulting from Total Chaos^TM are purely coincidental, and shall not be held responsible by Draconequus Chaos Inc. or any of its affiliates."

Sharing a mutual laugh, the king and spirit made their way from the now quiet chamber. Through the winding tunnels of the hive they ascended, passing changelings on their way. Every so often, Discord would alternate from walking along the ceiling to fluttering along with his tiny wings, getting a chuckle from Thorax every time.

"So, Discord, you've seen the hot springs and the entry hive. Would you like to begin with the throne room, perhaps? Or maybe I can show you the nursery hive? Oh, or I can show you our lookout towers. They're breezy and have an amazing view of the surrounding area."

"Surprise me, Thorax," Discord replied, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "I'm nothing if not easily entertained. Besides, I'm just along for the ride; whatever the changeling hive can dish up, I'm sure I'll enjo-"

A sudden quake in his tail cut him off, and Discord came to a stop. Thorax stopped too and looked back, blinking in confusion.

"Um, is everything okay, Discord?"

A sly look crept up Discord's face. "Everything is peaches and cream, my buggy liege. Let's just say that my chaos sense is tingling. It would appear you have even more guests to entertain today."

Starlight shook her hoof, flinging a lone bug tickling her into the surrounding grass. With steadily shortening patience, she continued to watch Sunburst trot around the changeling hive's exterior, drinking in the lush and tranquil atmosphere like a colt in a candy store. The stallion would often make some manner of high-pitched noise and scribble something on a half-crumbled notepad before darting to a new location and repeating the process.

"You know, Sunburst, you're actually starting to scare me," Starlight commented. "All you need at this point is a purple wig and maybe a balloon full of helium, then I could find myself planning school schedules and events with you in Twilight's office and not even know the difference."

"This is simply fascinating, Starlight!" Sunburst exclaimed, not acknowledging her in the slightest. "It's not just diversity—the flora here is absolutely thriving! This is on the level of Canterlot's royal greenhouse, but it's completely wild, and I assume relatively untouched even by the changelings! Oh, Celestia, who could have guessed I'd find such discoveries before even getting to talk to King Thorax or Discord!"

Starlight's vacant expression followed after the stallion, a brow slowly climbing her forehead. "We could even build you a paper-mâché Spike and set of wings, too. No one would suspect a thing. Actually...that could probably work. Sunburst, how do you feel about being a substitute on call?"

"Um, can I help you?"

Both Starlight and Sunburst were torn from their adjacent dazes. Emerging from a morphing hole in the wall was a bright yellow drone, keeping a safe distance from the strange pair of ponies. Relieved at the advancement of their little mission, Starlight's guidance counselor grade smile shone brightly as she walked over to the drone and extended a hoof.

"Why hello there, my name is Starlight Glimmer," she said pleasantly, pointing a hoof to the stallion waving a few dozen yards away. "And this is my friend, Sunburst. Princess Twilight Sparkle sent us from Ponyville. She was concerned that Discord might be planning to drop in on the hive unexpectedly today, and so we were sent to assist if needed."

The yellow drone returned the smile and extended his own hoof, nodding to the stallion just beyond them as well. "You must mean the goat chimera. Yeah, he came by not too long ago and gave everyling a bit of a scare, but from what I last saw, everyling was really enjoying his magic show downhive, save Pharynx. I just got back, myself. Oh, I'm Tibia, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

At the mention of Pharynx's name, Starlight's anxiety triggered a grimace. "Do you know where Discord is now, Tibia? Or Thorax and Pharynx, for that matter?"

Tibia gave a modest head tilt and placed a hoof to his chin. "Well, I just saw Pharynx head out with a squad of changelings to the southern border forest. I think he said something about rippeleon chase training."

"There are rippeleons here?" Sunburst wheezed from behind Starlight. Starlight rolled her eyes.

"As for Thorax, I know he must still be in the hive, but I have no idea where," Tibia continued, turning to glance at the hive's walls. "The goat chimera wanted to have a tour of the whole hive so they could be anywhere right now. I've kinda been stuck down here on guard duty since returning, so I don't really know much else, sorry."

"No, it's fine," Starlight sighed, also scanning the hive's towers. "I suppose the best we can do is head inside and take a look around, then—if that's okay with you, Tibia. My friend and I would really like to track down the 'goat chimera' as quickly as possible so that we can report back to Princess Twilight."

"Oh, sure," Tibia replied, nodding his head towards the hive's base. "Any friend of the princess is a friend of ours. Thorax has told the front gate that ponies are always welcome. I can bring you inside, but I'm afraid I can't guide you around. I have to stay at my post. Maybe I can grab another changeling to help you out."

"That won't be necessary, Tibia. I can take care of our guests from here."

Tibia's lax disposition went rigid, the voice of his superior swimming in his ear. Spinning around, he found that Thorax stood just behind him in the hive's entrance, alongside the serpentine Discord. While Thorax gave his subordinate a disarming smile, Discord shot a devious look to the ponies assailing him with matching frowns.

"Why if it isn't the celebrated friendship graduate and her astute escort," Discord exclaimed, swirling a hand and conjuring an iced beverage from the ether. Sitting upon his own tail, he took a loud sip of his drink from a pink bendy straw. "Let me guess, Twilight simply had kittens when she found out I only told you about my little surprise visit, today."

Starlight furrowed her eyes as the impish spirit's grin grew. "Well, as usual, it seems you've orchestrated everything from the start, Discord. Let me guess, you knew that Twilight would send me after you to corral you. I bet you even knew that I prefer not to travel alone and would bring a friend along."

Discord tapped the ends of his paws and claws together, using his tail to toss the now empty drink glass aside, where it evaporated upon hitting a rock. "Credit where credit is due. Mind you, not everything went according to plan. After all, even after all that setup I went through to get Team Save Equestria back together again—after you failed to, I should add—you went and brought the wrong friend, Starlight."

Discord put his head in his hands and feigned a sorrowful look, but Starlight was having none of it. "Is it my fault Trixie was busy this week? No, it's not. Also, I had planned on organizing a get together sometime after this whole fiasco, but if this is how you're going to act, running off to inconvenience others at the drop of a hat, maybe I won't, after all."

"Hey, come on guys," Thorax interjected, raising a hoof between the heated pair, "let's calm down a second, okay? Look, Discord isn't being an inconvenience. I was just about to give him a tour of the hive, actually. Why don't you guys join us? Even if Trixie isn't here today, Sunburst is, and both Starlight and I are already friends with him. Maybe you can be too, Discord. There's no reason we can't all have a good time, right?"

To this notion, Sunburst grinned shamelessly.

Discord opened one red eye from his crossed-armed tantrum. Upon spotting Thorax looking up at him with big, hopeful eyes, the draconequus couldn't help but grin too. Like a striking constrictor, he seized the fully grown changeling and lifted him off the ground in an abrasive embrace. "Oh, good ol' Thorax, always such a voice of reason. Very well then, I suppose Team Save Equestria + Sunburst is an acceptable alternative for our group tour, this evening."

"T-thanks for giving it a try, Discord," Thorax wheezed out, forcing a meek smile.

As tempers cooled and smiles were salvaged, Starlight chuckled and helped Thorax from his fate, levitating the bug pony from Discord's grasp. Once his breath was caught, the changeling rallied the group with a nod and headed back through the large archway. However, before fully passing by, he turned to the yellow drone still standing so resolute and attentive.

"Hey, Tibia?"

"Uh, yes, Thorax?"

Thorax placed a gentle hoof on the drone's side. "When Pharynx comes back in, can you please send a changeling to come find me and let me know? I think he has a few things he really wants to talk with me about today, and I want to get to them as soon as we're able to."

"Oh, sure thing! I'll send Nepidae, she's on duty with me in an hour, and she's quick as lightning."

Thorax beamed. "Thanks, Tibia, you're doing a great job. Be sure to take a break when you get a chance, alright?"

"I, uh," Tibia stammered, a potent blush assaulting his cheeks as the newcomers looked his way at Thorax's words. Starlight and Discord wore adoring faces, while Sunburst shared Thorax's radiant look. "O-of course, Thorax! I'll be sure to take a nectar break in a little bit."

With a satisfying show of his pearly teeth, Thorax rejoined the group and spearheaded their convoy through the entry chamber. As if calculated ahead of time, Sunburst's voice broke the calm, ringing around the hive as soon as the lull had lasted more than a few moments.

"So, mister Discord—do you mind if I call you 'mister' Discord? I wanted to ask you a little about yourself while I had the chance. You see, I study ancient forms of magic and runic powers, and I've always been fascinated by chaos magic. Being the sole practitioner of the art, what can you tell me about it? How does it work? Do you focus your energy through your thoughts or your emotions? Also, would you say chaos magic would be classified as unique spells or more as an all-encompassing power you simply utilize by the situation? Oh, I have so many questions! It's such an honor to meet you, sir!"

Though she held her hooves as steady as she could, Apidae watched them tremble under the weight of her fatigue. Slumping to the ground, her muscles relaxed in perfect harmony, and she embraced the cushion of grass with a content sigh. The light pants of her fellow changelings still sounded from all directions, and upon sitting up, she saw that many of them had sprawled themselves throughout the sunlit clearing. Past them all, Pharynx's dark figure sat on an unassuming boulder, facing away from the lot of them.

"That was pretty good, you guys," he said, flat but still harboring a hint of pride. "Seven minutes. We kept up with it for seven minutes. That's fifteen seconds longer than the other day and a full forty-five seconds longer than last week. Rest up for a bit, and we'll try some resilience training while disguised as inanimate objects, then we can head home."

Apidae let a deep breath rush through her burning lungs, soothing her from the inside out. Getting to her hooves, she ventured past the fallen, lazy forms of her fellow changelings to join the prince by his side, flopping to her flank by the grey boulder. She pried for his attention, but the beta changeling's face did not budge.

"What do you want, Apidae?"

"Not a want, per se," Apidae responded, waving her tail about in the grass to reflect sunlight across the boulder's surface. "I just wanted to ask what's bothering you."

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"Okay, counterpoint. You don't look fine."

Pharynx curled his lip, but his face still didn't budge. "Is that really anyone's business but my own, Apidae?"

The bumblebee yellow changeling giggled, undeterred. "Well, of course not, but that doesn't mean we don't care about you, Pharynx. I can't speak for everyling, but when I see my prince looking like somebody messed up his bedhive, I want to help, even if all I can do is listen."

Pharynx said nothing, opting instead to shift his violet eyes away. Apidae's smile only grew.

"I never asked for specifics, you know," she probed. "I'll even settle for vague grunts if it'll help any."

Pharynx let out a cross between a growl and a hiss. At last, his head pivoted, and he scanned the clearing behind him. Though a few changelings had since gotten up and begun chatting among themselves, they remained, for the most part, far out of earshot from his perch and the pressing yellow drone.

"Does it have to do with Thorax?"

Pharynx's ear twitched, and Apidae's sly look knew no bounds.

"It's always about Thorax." Pharynx slumped his belly to the rock's surface. Unfortunately for him, his empathetic drone was persistent—she circled the boulder until she stood just in front of him, then plopped back down again. "You're not going to leave me be, are you?"

Apidae shook her head, and again Pharynx growled like an irritable dragon.

"Thorax stood up to me earlier, actually stood up to me," the beta changeling finally gave in, his voice just above a whisper, "and he did a pretty good job of it. I should be proud, and I am proud; it's what I've been trying to drill into his head for years. All the same, I've felt...pensive ever since. I've lost my energy, my focus, even my excitement for chasing down rippeleons with you all. I don't know what's going on, but I know it must be from what happened today."

Pharynx braved a glance and found Apidae positively beaming back at him. Taken aback, Pharynx rose from his spot, attempting to hide his onset blush with a show of his teeth. "What? What's that look for?"

Apidae tilted her head. "You know, you're an excellent big brother, Pharynx."

The floodgates fell apart, and Pharynx's cheeks flushed to a rose tint. "What are you talking about?" he hissed. "Do you know what's going on, Apidae? If you know something, spill it. You've all been dealing with this 'feeling emotions' tripe a lot longer than I have."

Apidae's little giggles evolved, and now she laughed loud enough for drone ears to perk throughout the clearing.

"I don't think it's my place to tell you, Pharynx," she said with a wink. "But tell Thorax exactly what you just told me. Not only will you feel better, but he'll know exactly what you're feeling, too."

With a blatant roll of his eyes, Pharynx leaped down from his perch and brushed stray dirt from his legs. "Thanks for the wisdom, but I already planned on that much, Apidae. Furthermore, I'd be lying if I said I was optimistic. Knowing Thorax, he'll just gush at the first word of me feeling any emotions."

The changeling signaled his laying squad of bug ponies with a stern point of his hoof and they quickly assembled into formation. With Apidae by his side, Pharynx took to the air, inspiring his changelings to do the same. Soon the afternoon sky filled with a flurry of iridescent wings as the group made their way deeper into the forest.

"By the way, what happened to 'inanimate objects' training?" Apidae asked.

"I decided I don't like this clearing," Pharynx grumbled.

Letting out a sigh, Thorax allowed himself a moment of rest, his newly relaxed state eliciting waves of chills throughout his body. Each step against the hive's unforgiving stone path was still labor on his legs, but now that he was finally free of the crowds and commotion that came with being a tour guide, he was at peace. Now meandering through the winding corridors of the lower hive, the alpha changeling resigned himself to giving glancing smiles to the occasional passing drone.

I've done my best to make the hive a livelier, friendlier place. We couldn't do that when our home was closed off to the rest of the world, or when we, ourselves were so reclusive from both others and each other.

Thorax turned a corner and was startled. A pair of adolescent drones soared around the bend like two flashes of green lightning, filling the hallway with the snippet of an ongoing argument before vanishing. He paused a moment to watch the empty, quiet passage left in their wake.

We still have a long way to go, but I know we'll get there.

He became more conscious of his hoofsteps as he went along, all outside sounds now blocked by the structured hallway. The more the quiet numbed his ears, the more his mind raced. Soon Thorax found his rose eyes wandering the hallway ahead, scanning for movement or anything of interest.

Though I'm amazed at the progress so far, Your Highness, I have to admit I'm a little surprised. After your resounding success in the Crystal Empire, I thought you'd have reintroduced the changelings to most of Equestria by now. Is there anything, in particular, that's holding you back? Anything we can help with?

Thorax bit his lip.

We've just been really busy with projects closer to home lately. Pharynx has been preoccupied with rebuilding our guard teams while I've been keeping an eye on day-to-day activities and helping to look after the hive's nymphs. Once we're a little more settled, we'll continue to reach out.

The grinding sound of morphing stone caused Thorax to jump. He peered around the new chamber, but it too was void of changelings. Again his hoof falls echoed in his ears as he made his way across the room, this time stepping through a doorway at full attention. It was an entryway he knew all too well, and one that planted seeds of anxiety in the corners of his mind. Descending a slope, Thorax rapidly headed towards one of the lowest points in the hive.

Thorax, you've been away from the hive before and left Pharynx to handle it, haven't you? I mean, you've come to visit Ocellus at school at practically every opportunity we've given you. How would making further allies be any different than that?

The hive's lower intestines were noticeably darker, with far thicker walls. Unlike the structure above ground, it had undergone no remodeling. Serving as a safety bunker in case of catastrophic emergency, its role was largely replaced by the newly-built nesting chamber. Asides from the hot springs, the lower hive's many corridors and rooms were now largely abandoned.

Though, Thorax knew that wasn't entirely true.

Visiting Ponyville for a few hours isn't the same thing as leaving for days on end to go on political visits. Pharynx still isn't used to run the mill, everyday concerns that come up now that we're peaceful. I just wanted to wait for him to finish reforming our defenses before I dropped more foreign relation missions on the hive's agenda.

The quiet he had felt above was nothing compared to the void of silence down here. He knew his unease was irrational; nothing from outside could enter the lower portions of the hive. Still, Thorax lit his antlers in an electric blue aura before allowing his muscle memory to take over and guide him through these dim halls.

Thorax, I don't think you need to be on standby for your brother all the time. Not to bring up a sore topic, but wasn't Pharynx high up in Chrysalis's command? He must be used to juggling all sorts of hive responsibilities. I don't think he'd want you to hold yourself back for his sake. You should talk to him.

The stag beetle changeling furrowed his look. "I just wish I was better at talking to him."

A familiar sight filled Thorax's view. The seemingly endless corridor branched off in a triple fork, but not before giving way to two side rooms, rooms that Thorax recognized at once. One was an old interrogation room, used to store cocooned prisoners that Chrysalis would later question about their native homes' weaknesses. The other served as the quarters of the hive's guard units, a place for planning patrol routes and infiltration tactics. It also held the bedhive for the patrol leader.

Thorax swallowed as he approached. He simply knew it as his big brother's old room.

"...Pharynx? Are you down here?"

His voice echoed into the dark before his face rounded the corner, but Thorax already knew the answer to his question. He knew his brother too well. There was only one place unvisited by other changelings since the hive's metamorphosis, and that was how Pharynx preferred his thinking spaces.

Thorax stepped into the entryway's frame, and a pair of violet eyes pierced the dark.

"Cute light show," came Pharynx's low voice, perfectly in sync with his expressive orbs of light. "Don't tell me you're still scared of the dark, Thorax. You're supposed to be a king, now. What sort of king is afraid of the dark?"

It just occurred to Thorax that his vibrant antlers continued to glow, casting a comforting blue light several yards around him. The light faded with focused thought, and Thorax stared back at his opaque sibling with an unseen smile. "Maybe one who understands the fear of the dark and can relate to little changelings who have that fear."

There was silence. Pharynx's eyes were the first to back down.

"Well, you found me, congrats. I hope your little tour went well. If I go uphive and find that chimera left anything out of place, he's out, and that's that."

Thorax chuckled, and his eyes began to adjust. Even in pitch darkness, changeling irises could see outlines clearly, and Thorax could now see his brother's form resting in the center of an otherwise empty room. The barracks was a skeleton of what it once housed.

"Well, we almost made it through the entire tour," Thorax recalled, making his way over and laying down beside the sunken changeling. "Once Discord came across the afternoon group doing freestyle dance together, though, that was that. Starlight and Sunburst offered to stay and keep an eye on him, so I thought I'd come and find you. The drones told me you'd gone off by yourself somewhere. Did you have something you wanted to tell me?"

He waited patiently for a 'yes' that never came. Pharynx's eyes had dimmed, partially hidden by his eyelids and crossed hooves, and Thorax examined the body language curiously. Just this afternoon, Pharynx had been steadfast and determined, but here he laid at his side, entirely dejected.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm peachy."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"...well, is there anything I can do to help?"

Pharynx sidelined his brother, who grinned. "Cheeky little grub when you want to be, aren't you."

Thorax perked up noticeably. "Whether you're pretending to be a boulder or are just in a bad mood, I like to think I can read you pretty well, Pharynx. You don't have to say it, and I won't ask you about it if you don't want, but I know something is eating at you. It's written all over your carapace."

"Oh, lucky me," Pharynx deadpanned, turning his head to glare. "My kid brother, founder of the feelings forum thinks he can psychoanalyze me. First Apidae, now you; these freaky empathy powers everyone seems to have now are starting to annoy me, Thorax."

"Why, because it means you might have to talk about your emotions for once?" Thorax said with a smirk, instinctively putting up his hooves to block a punch and laughing when it hit on cue. "So Apidae saw it too, huh? So something really is bothering you, then. She always was perceptive, even before we transformed."

"Or maybe you're both just crazy," Pharynx dismissed, glancing the green bug up and down. "What about you? The way you came skulking in here, you've clearly got something on your mind, too. Let's talk about that, first."

Taken aback by the forceful shift of topics, Thorax's expression deflated. The stag beetle changeling sat back on his haunches, surrendering to simply stare into Pharynx's violet eyes—eyes which grew increasingly focused by the second.

"What's that look for?" Pharynx probed, sitting up and closing in on the sitting bug pony while shrewdly examining his face. When Thorax leaned back at the invasion of space, Pharynx took it as a retreat and swiftly followed, pinning the younger changeling in everything but body. "Did something happen, Thorax?"

Thorax's contemplative look consumed him. This was it, he thought, his chance to get everything off his chest—his anxieties, his reservations, they were all on the precipice of springing forth. Pharynx's face showed fear of some physical disaster having taken place uphive, but Thorax knew the real problems sat in this very room, shrouded in the dark.

"Thorax," Pharynx started again, "you had better spill it; did that 'friend' of yours fly off the handle again? Did he-"

A brilliant blaze of blue light filled the room, illuminating the gray stone walls. Pharynx squinted and bared his teeth in response, but upon spotting the melancholic look on his brother's face, he quickly regained focus. For a time, they sat together in the antlers' radiance, listening to the murmur of static while Thorax gathered his scattered thoughts.

"Discord hasn't done anything, Pharynx," Thorax said quietly. "Nothing at all has happened, actually, and I think that's the whole problem."

Unable to meet his brother's gaze and hold his words together at the same time, Thorax settled for lamely watching his own hooves instead. The situation felt entirely too familiar to him.

"Pharynx, my correspondence with the princesses has been a lot more productive than I've let on," he began, his voice weak. "I have entire lists, pages even of equestrian events that we've been given the invitation to attend. In just these past few weeks, I've even gotten official notices from the hippogriffs and yaks, saying that they'd like to meet and discuss possible alliances together, in light of Twilight's school."

Thorax swallowed. It was a subtle sound but painfully loud to him in the dead air.

"I didn't want to bring this up to you yet, seeing as you've been so focused on rebuilding our defenses," Thorax explained, nervously rubbing his hoof against the stone floor. "I told myself I'd talk with you about it later, that I'd help you focus on the hive first so that I wouldn't overwhelm you with all these expectations. Well, later became now, and I convinced myself to keep putting it off...I let myself think only about the hive, and I let the day to day routines carry on and on. I...I don't think I've replied to a single letter from anyone in almost a week."

Just by verbally acknowledging his thoughts, Thorax felt his composure slipping. He had held it back, that teetering balance, but even without his brother's face as a stimulus, he soon lost control when Pharynx spoke in an abnormally calm voice.

"I was never really the one in danger of being overwhelmed, was I, Thorax?"

Tears pricked against the floor, and Thorax sniffed through newly tensed sinuses.

"Pharynx, I don't know where to go from here," Thorax sniffed, clenching his eyelids in an attempt to shed his tears. "I thought that everything would become easier with the princesses' help, that everything would become clear after we formed relations with the Crystal Empire, but it hasn't. Everything is a possibility, now, and I...I feel like I can't keep up. I-I'm constantly scared I'll make a wrong decision or say something that'll anger someone, and it's paralyzing! You're right, Pharynx. What kind of leader is afraid of things like this? Of the dark, of the unknown?"

A dam that had finally burst, Thorax curled his shimmering tail around his hooves like a blanket and retreated into a series of sniffs and sobs. Pharynx continued to watch quietly, his rugged exterior softening. A genuine smile subtly claimed his mouth. It was now the beta changeling's turn to bring light to the dimly lit chamber, and so he did. The electric blue merged with a deep crimson aura, and those few remaining corners of the room were at last illuminated.

"Am I to assume this got triggered by talks with the ponies upstairs? Funny how they're causing you more concern than the omnipotent chimera is. C'mere, you big dork." Pharynx sighed and corralled the younger changeling with a motion of his hooves. "Take a deep breath and relax. The fate of the Changeling Kingdom doesn't have to be decided this afternoon."

Shaking like a leaf, Thorax put aside his status, expectations, and responsibilities. He let himself simply lay his head against his brother's chitin and embraced the older changeling for the first time in a very long time. There was no backing away, nor were there scoffs of disgust that he'd come to expect. Instead, Thorax felt held by a strong leg, allowed to lean his weight without fear of withdrawal.

"First of all, don't go twisting my words and using them against me," the beta changeling said firmly, laying his chin on Thorax's head and staring off into space. "Namely, don't take everything I say so seriously. You're leading a hive now, Thorax, and though it was...very rocky at first, you're doing a decent job of it, now. Do you think I'd have thought my meek brother would ever be capable of something like that up until a few months ago? Of course not. You're a lot braver than you give yourself credit for."

His eyes stung with hot tears, but Thorax smiled against Pharynx's chest. Through his brother's display, his words, he could already feel himself becoming calmer, regaining control of himself.

"Secondly, I'm not sure what's more insulting, the idea that I couldn't handle some snide politics on top of running our hive, or the fact you'd even entertain the thought that I'd leave you to deal with things on your own just because I've got other stuff going on. You're an idiot, Thorax."

Amidst his shallow sniffs, Thorax was forced to give a violent twitch as he laughed. He thought to reply but settled for shifting his comfortable position instead, laying quiet and still. All he sought was for this elusive moment to last, and as seconds turned to minutes, that's exactly what happened. By the time either of them next uttered a word, Thorax had calmed down entirely.

"Do you still wanna know what was bothering me?"

Pharynx paused just long enough for glossy eyes to give their attention.

"Of course I do. You want to talk about it, now?"

Pharynx gave a passive nod before dawning a sly little smirk. "Well, you did just fall apart in front of me. It was kind of embarrassing, Thorax. You've got me feeling bad for you now, so the least I can do is fess up as well."

"Shut up, Pharynx," Thorax chuckled, weakly headbutting the changeling's chest. "Didn't you just finish complimenting me about bravery? Letting down your guard can also be brave, you know. Especially when you were afraid your brother would just make fun of you for doing it."

Pharynx's smirk fell to a modest smile, and his look grew pensive. Thorax didn't yet know it, but those words, those feelings, went both ways.

"It was you, Thorax," Pharynx admitted. "You finally stood up to me earlier today—really stood up to me. You stood there, held your ground, and told me to my face that you knew better than me. And you know what? For once, you were right. Something about that really got to me, and I didn't get why at first. I think I'm starting to, now."

It wasn't until Thorax felt a light prick on his head that he shifted his gaze upwards and lost his breath. Though calm and collected in expression, tiny tears had formed in Pharynx's expressionless eyes.

"Pharynx, y-you're crying."

Thorax could hardly believe his own words as they fell from his tongue. Never in his life had he seen his brother emote, and yet here he was, dripping light tears like it was no big deal.

"This may sound strange," Pharynx prefaced, his voice noticeably distraught at being seen so vulnerable, "but seeing you fall apart again just now relieved me. You may have felt overwhelmed lately, Thorax, but I sure wouldn't have known it. From my perspective, it's been just the opposite. I've seen you handle just about everything that's come at you, seen you finally start to grow up, and become capable of solving all your own problems, just like a king should. And yes, I felt pride, but I wasn't entirely ready to accept that, either. I couldn't accept the idea that you might not be needing me much longer."

Heat surged through Thorax's every extremity. Too stunned to form words, he merely watched his brother fail to recover his composure, flicking water from his cheeks via hoof.

"We've never had much in common, Thorax," Pharynx continued. "I couldn't relate to you when we were young, so I tried to toughen you up instead and stood up for you when you couldn't stand up for yourself. Well, that hasn't changed. All these years later, I'm still struggling to relate to you, and that's a game of catch up I've realized I'll never win. I've taken solace in the fact that I've still been able to look out for you, to help solve the problems you couldn't handle. When I saw how far you'd come lately, I guess it threatened things for me. I didn't want to lose that."

Visibly drained like he'd just finished a sprint, Pharynx pulled back from the embrace and exhaled sharply, exercising great restraint to not fall further down the emotional rabbit hole. He did his best to avoid eye contact, but his efforts would not change his fate. Every ounce of Thorax's looming anxiety had now melted away, replaced by the sincerest smile he'd given in weeks. Without hesitation, he embraced Pharynx again, clinging to him tightly despite a grunt of discomfort.

"Pharynx, no matter how much I improve, I will always need my big brother to look out for me," he said softly. "And, I hope you know how much I appreciate you telling me this. I just wish you had told me sooner. I had no idea you were that fond of being a guardian towards me."

Pharynx scoffed and rolled his violet eyes. "Did you think I protected your wussy behind from bullies for my health? You do realize protecting you was a full-time job, right? I practically had to compensate bullies just to stay on a schedule I could keep up with."

Caught in an awkward but all too genuine combination of lingering tears and laughter, Thorax withdrew his hug. Together the changelings regained their stances, sitting back on their haunches and casting knowing glances at one another. A smile had been salvaged from Pharynx, one filled with something that Thorax hadn't observed from him in years. It wasn't backed by sarcasm, slyness, or a fake, ulterior motive. It was a look of simple, unobstructed happiness.

"By the way, do you happen to remember our little conversation about communication, Thorax?" Pharynx broached, cocking a brow as his brother put on a sheepish look. "Yeah, all of that, again. Going forward, I want you to be honest with me upfront as soon as you're feeling anxious about responsibilities. I'm more than capable of shouldering whatever you might need help with. I don't crack under pressure. I can run this hive just fine by myself for however many political banquets and dance parties you might need to attend, and I'll even go with you if it's of earth-shattering importance. Tarsus is a good changeling. He'll keep things on lockdown for us when asked."

Thorax absently rubbed the back of his head, a blush reddening his cheeks. "Alright, I promise I'll keep you updated on any important correspondences from now on. I'll also start going through the pile of event invitations and letters I already have."

"Good, take much longer and we'll be getting a knock on the hive door from Twilight Sparkle, herself, asking what happened to you and why you're no longer attending tea parties."

Following his brother's lead, Thorax stood and stretched his legs. He simply couldn't stop beaming in Pharynx's direction, the mere depth of his brother's feelings still making him giddy.

"I know it causes you pain to hear it," Thorax said with a slight chuckle, "but I love you, Pharynx. I consider myself extremely lucky to have a broodmate as watchful as you are. You watch over not just of me, but the entire hive. Even if we don't have a lot in common, I hope you know how much you mean to me."

On cue, Pharynx adopted wide eyes and a shocked look. Not a moment later, the blue changeling proceeded to violently fake a gagging fit all over the floor, which sent Thorax into a fit. The next time Pharynx's face surfaced, he cocked a brow to accompany his new smile.

"For the record, I appreciate it, Thorax," he began, giving his brother another moment of sincerity. "But just so we're on the same page, I'm gonna go back to being apathetic towards everything feelsy and cute, now."

"Fair enough," Thorax chuckled. "But now that we've had a heart to heart are you sure I can't interest you in spending some more time with the hive in communal naps and activities?"

Aiming his red aura at the far doorway, Pharynx cast a skeptical look over his shoulder before making headway there. "Absolutely not. You're not dragging me into one of those time sucks."

Not the least bit disheartened, Thorax practically skipped after his sibling. The two made their way from the chamber, which fell into darkness once more.

"You don't have to participate if you don't want; you can just moderate! Won't you at least think about it?"

"Sure...no. There, I thought about it."

Thorax trotted up along Pharynx's flank, joining him by his side. The alpha's look could have lit the entire hall by itself. "Alright, alright, communal stuff is still out. What if you started to spend a little more time with the nymphs? If you're going to run the hive more often in my stead, you'll want to get used to that, anyway."

"I think I'll deal with things as needed and not before, in that case."

Thorax paused. A warm flutter in his chest encouraged him to venture just once more.

"Alright, well...if nothing else, would you at least let me hug you without the sour response more often? Once a year for my hatchday and for severe emotional distress is a little limiting, you know."

Pharynx came to a stop when Thorax's hoofsteps faded, and again he peered back. His younger brother's awaiting grin was abysmally wholesome. Pharynx opened his mouth to snap another variant retort, but this time something changed his mind. This time he shook his head in a bout of defeat and met that nympish smile with a tolerant, albeit exasperated look.

It was his own fault, he thought. He had opened up, and there was no closing that door again, not with Thorax.

Pharynx accepted the situation with a tortured sigh. His detachment had been nice while it lasted. If he was now doomed to endure a fate worse than death at the hooves of his sappy sibling, then he could at least, perhaps, keep it localized.

"Yeah, fine, whatever," Pharynx muttered at last, noting the immediate stars in Thorax's eyes. "But there are stipulations to that, got it? Namely, no surprises. If you hug me from behind, I will buck you in the face. Also, don't abuse it. I'm not gonna put up with getting bombarded by your sappiness all day long. Most importantly, it's just you, Thorax. No other changelings, no nymphs, no friends, no frolicking woodland creatures—nobody gets free rides off your pass."

Thorax gave a jovial laugh. "Pharynx, those sound awfully rehearsed. Don't tell me you've had this speech in the wings, just waiting for when I'd ask to hug you more often."

"When you have an overly-emotional changeling for a brother, you learn to have plans set up." His smirk returning to him, Pharynx darted a look. "Just be happy that you're the exception, Thorax. You're the one thing in all of creation that could even get me to make stipulations for getting hugs. Everyone else just gets blasted."

Her brow furrowed again. Yona squinted at the craft before her, tracing her eyes along a pattern of twig-like trees and a yellow sun woven from cloth. The sun sported a comical smile while carefully stitched strips of yellow cloth spread outwards from its center.

But it was no use. Try as she might, the concept, as well as the proper reaction, were lost to her. The young yak raised her head to deliver the bad news.

"Yona not understand," Yona began, wrapping her words with the utmost care as not to offend her friend. "Sandbar likes...creepy sunshine?"

Sandbar laughed. A few heads around the classroom turned, but the day's activities quickly swept their attention away again.

"No, no, it's just a fun design, Yona," Sandbar dismissed, setting the craft down between his hooves and placing one upon it. "See, the sun has a smile because that means it's a really nice day. Professor Fluttershy says it's called a doily, but they're more an art piece than drink coasters if you ask me."

Scrunching her face, Yona returned her gaze to the blank canvas of white cloth before her. Strewn all about, colorful trails of yarn snaked along the table, discarded from her previous attempt. They looked rather pathetic.

"Yona not sure doily making is best for Yona," the young yak said plainly, casting her gaze to the vibrant mane of her professor as it glided around the room. Gingerly hovering from table to table, Fluttershy tended to her flock of students with care, her face lighting the room each time a doily was presented to her. "Professor Fluttershy scary good at weaving and stitching. Maybe she teach Yona's friends to weave and stitch good, too, but Yona better at...unmaking things, not making them."

"Come on, Yona, don't say that. You can do anything you put your mind to," Sandbar encouraged, rising from his seat and trotting the circumference of the table. "It's all about trying new things, ya know? Sewing, er, seeing what you like, and what you don't like. Here, let's take a look at what you have for string colors. Maybe I can help you paint an idea."

Together, the pair hunkered down over Yona's incomplete project, their soft voices drowning to the sea of steady chatter filling the room. One voice stood out from the rest, and from the other side of the classroom, no less. There, tucked away in the corner, a petite changeling excitedly worked her time away, crafting a scene of greenery into her doily and emitting the occasional gasp of excitement. Across from her sat an azure griffon, his beak planted into the table's wood like an unconscious woodpecker.

"Gallus, I think I'm starting to see moss grow around your neck plumage," the young changeling teased, giggling lightly at her own joke. "Why don't you at least try? Who knows, maybe you'll like it! I sure do."

The griffon gave out a painful sigh, dramatically scraping his talons along the crafted oak until his legs lazily fell from its edge, waggling pathetically in the air before gravity brought them still. There was a bonk as he replanted his face, followed by an even deeper, more prolonged sigh.

Ocellus held her laugh in with a hoof. Perhaps Gallus was more a mopey woodpecker.

"Can we bring Professor Applejack in here?" Gallus mumbled, only raising his head so that his rolling eyes could be properly seen. "I think her side tangents about apple history are the only thing that could make this class any more boring."

"Oh, now you're going to make fun of Professor Applejack's lessons, too?" Ocellus shook her head, her mouth tightening to that of a disappointed mother. "Gallus, I haven't seen you pick up that doily once. Are Professor Rainbow Dash's lessons the only class you'll even put effort into?"

As if reflexive against such an affront, Gallus's wings spread like a burst wind, stiffening at mid-fold before resting again. Flopping upon one foreleg, the griffon flicked and prodded at his assignment, staring at it with a blank expression.

"Don't blame me for only liking the exciting classes, Ocellus. You and Silverstream might find everything fascinating, but I'm not quite as easy to please."

"So I've noticed," Ocellus replied.

Gallus's eyebrows became gnarled bushes.

"The point is, yes, I need more stimulation than this," the griffon continued, picking himself up only to slump back in his chair until he fell eye level with the table's surface. "To be honest, you guys are what keep me from falling to the floor, curling up into a fetal position and weeping in turmoil through quite a few of our classes, lately. Haven't you noticed that things aren't as exciting as they used to be? Just look at Professor Fluttershy. We used to have classes with her animal friends, one of which was a huge bear. How'd we go from that to this?"

He motioned a claw to the front of the room. A line of students had lined up at Fluttershy's desk, prancing in place and holding their finished work high on one hoof, displaying them with pride. The students' faint giggles and chatter reached his ears, and Gallus made a cat-like gagging sound.

"Well, who knows, Gallus, maybe our next class will have something more exciting for you," Ocellus offered, returning her focus to her craft. "If there's one thing I've learned from being a student here, it's that you never know what the day will bring you."

"Uhuh, sure. At least our next class has Smolder in it. I'm starting to think I'll outdate Grampa Gruff by the time we get to experience anything exciting during class, again."

A muffled crash echoed through the classroom walls, eliciting shocked gasps and rousing attention from every student. As arts and crafts materials fell in displays of chaos to students rapidly standing from their desks, Fluttershy took to the air, drawing her class's attention with a display of her wings.

"Now, everycreature, just remain calm," she said firmly, sniping eye contact from every student. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. If you all would please just sit back down, I'll head outside and see what's going on-"

"It's Discord! He's in the courtyard, and he has a bunch of changelings with him! AHH! They are SO CUTE!"

A fire given fuel, the classroom erupted with chatter despite Fluttershy's efforts, and Silverstream was quickly joined at the window by the rest of the class, crowding together to get a view of the startling claim. Even Fluttershy, at the mention of Discord's name, succumbed to a curious gaze out the window.

The school's courtyard, once a serene scene of students mingling, relaxing, and reading beneath the shady willows that stood guard over it, now reflected a scene of confusion and shock. The school's brilliant oak gate lay destroyed, shattered at the wheels of a peculiar looking cart, which had stained the sandy dirt with an array of skidmarks. Hitched to this display was a pair of even more peculiar, lizard-like creatures, vividly green with bulging eyes and wildly flicking tongues.

Only now departing from this cart were various changelings, their shiny shells reflecting the sunlight in a nearly successful distraction from the mayhem. They, too, looked confused, largely staying by the cart as they took in their surroundings, whilst a crowd trickled into a mob on all sides.

Amidst this display of chaos, a tall, serpentine figure rose from the driver's seat of this old-world jalopy. Gangly and entirely unbecoming of his outfit, he sported an elaborate purple dress featuring confused pony faces, dangling earrings in the shape of the infinity symbol, and a rather decrepit looking chameleon, which perched atop his shoulder. His smile grew dangerously, fed by the looks of amusement he garnished from his crowd. When his pet lizard abruptly coughed up a hairball, that amusement turned to shocked gasps, and Discord fell into a fit of hysterics audible even from the student's vantage point.

"Alright, now this is what I'm talking about!" Gallus chuckled, his once apathetic eyes now focused and sharp. With minimal effort, he forced his way past his peers, pressing his talons against the window and drinking in the scene below. "I was hoping Professor Dash might pop in and save us from this class, but this is way better. He may be a loose cannon, but dull stuff just evaporates around this Discord guy."

"Yona not like goat chimera," Yona said firmly, her face etched from stone. "Yona remembers when goat chimera sent bugbear after Yona and her friends, not fun at all. Worst substitute of year award goes to goat chimera."

"Now that I'll agree with you on, Yona," Sandbar chipped in, peering out a sliver of the window visible through the yak's braids. "But I wonder what he's doing here, and with all those changelings, no less."

"...'what', indeed. Oh, Discord, just what are you up to this time?"

Their attention was yanked back to the second-floor classroom in which they stood, and so the students of FLU05 turned. Fluttershy's expression had grown serious, contemplative. She eyed the bizarre chimera with reproach, a piercing glare none of her students had ever seen from her before. Upon noticing she was being watched, the pegasi's tension melted away as quickly as it had come, and she eyed her students with care.

"Everycreature, please stay here," she said calmly, fluttering towards the classroom door, "I need to step outside for a moment, in case Headmare Twilight needs my help. I'll be right back. In the meantime, if everycreature could help out by cleaning up the classroom a bit, I'd greatly appreciate it."

She opened the door to leave, but a voice caught her mid-air. It was a high-pitched request filled with contagious excitement.

"Professor Fluttershy, wait! Can I come downstairs too, please?"

It didn't take long for Fluttershy to find her. Buzzing over the heads of the other students, Ocellus arguably had the greatest view of all. She tapped her front hooves together and fidgeted in place, unable to tide over her squeaky enthusiasm.

"I gotta see some of those changelings up close!"

"Discord, would you mind telling me just what in Celestia's name is going on here?"

Ah, there it was again. That delicious vexation, that sharp tone of voice, that frantic demeanor hidden behind a piercing glare.

Oh, how he missed it.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Headmare Twilight?" Slinking down from his eyesore of a transport, Discord cemented his claw upon his waist. To the purple alicorn's disapproving stare, he merely puckered his lips. "I'm just doing what any good Vice, Vice Headmaster would do—chaperoning field trips!"

By now, the bulk of the school's populace had assembled in a conglomerate behind Twilight, and from out of the woodwork, the remaining Elements of Harmony emerged, as if silently called forth by the Headmare's weighty words.

"Discord, I'm not exactly sure what it is you think you're doing," Twilight began, catching the eye of the occasional changeling and giving her best smile, "but this is rather disruptive. Didn't Starlight give you a list of things you could do to help out the school after your last fiasco?"

Discord's lion paw waved about.

"Pish posh," he dismissed, abruptly teleporting behind two particular changelings and curving his pool noodle-esque body over to hug them. "That was a greatly exaggerated chore list, and we both know it. I took the hint, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be allowed to contribute a great idea now and again. You see, I went to visit the changelings today, and the adorable little bugs have just been yearning to get outside their comfort zone. I thought to myself, 'Discord, why don't you take them on a field trip to Twilight's school? No better place for bug ponies to learn more about ponies, and vice versa!' It was a very compelling argument."

Twilight cocked a skeptical brow, one so high that Applejack stifled a chuckle from a few yards away.

"So let me get this straight," Twilight picked up with a sigh, taking a few steps forward, "you were feeling left out that Starlight and Trixie visited the changelings without you,"

"Very inconsiderate of them, right? Thank you."

"So you decided to visit the changelings, yourself, without letting anycreature know in advance,"

"Well, hold on, now, I knocked on your office door, but it said, 'out for a hayburger', so I figured I shouldn't bother you. One doesn't simply get in the way of Headmare Twilight and her favorite lunch."

Twilight paused just long enough to shake her head.

"Now you've come back from the hive to give me a headache, right after I sent Starlight over there to keep an eye on you, since I've been too busy to."

"A happy accident, I'm sure."

With pressure pulsing in her temple, Twilight allowed the air to grow quiet as she massaged her forehead. She did her best to ignore the smug grin plastered high atop that snake-like head, but it was burned into her eyelids.

"Discord, are Thorax and Pharynx aware of what you're doing?"

All eyes turned to the newly-arrived Professor Fluttershy. The pegasus had ascended to the draconequus's height, now floating just in front of his face. The two shared eye contact for some time. Discord tapped his claws and paws together as Fluttershy patiently awaited the inevitable confession.

"Well, they knew I was spending time with the multicolored masses, so I wouldn't say they're completely unaware of it."

"Discord."

"I may have volunteered a random assortment of bug ponies for a field trip without immediately consulting the Wonder Twins about it, yes."

"Discord."

"Alright, I also may have left a wagon-sized hole in the side of the hive. Carlos and Ralphie got a little too excited, I'm afraid." The draconequus turned to pat the heads of the resting lizards guiding his chariot, his claw elongating to an absurd length to do so. "I'll admit it's probably my fault for giving them too many bison flies before the trip. The things are practically catnip for lizards."

"Discord!"

"Oh, very well, then. I'll add 'apologizing to the beetlemeese' to my to-do list, post haste."

Throwing up his appendages in defeat, Discord side-stepped the pegasus, his gangly head curling around her as he did. "Honestly though, everycreature should be thanking me. The changelings mean to mingle, to get out into Equestria, yes? It seemed to me they needed a good jumpstart, seeing as they've hardly stepped hoof outside their cozy little hive since the defeat of Queen Meanie. I'm simply providing them an opportunity to stretch their buggy wings."

To emphasize, the spirit gently pulled on the tips of a drone's relaxed wings, flexing them from their carapace for all to see. The poor drone looked as if he'd been caught bathing, his amber cheeks tinting to a rose shade.

"We appreciate the sentiment, Discord, but as usual, you seem to have a knack for disrupting whatever is going on." Regaining the conversation's reigns from Fluttershy, Twilight re-entered the fray, her calm expression reflecting her newfound composure. "The last thing I want to do is discourage you from trying to help out with the school, but I need there to be some...common sense. Yes, I realize the irony here. I need you to have a focus, a narrower point for your visits and ideas, Discord, if you expect the school's staff to run with them."

Though an uncomfortable silence blanketed him from all sides, Discord's brimming confidence held strong. His pearly whites sat on a darkened face shaded by the sun overhead, and Twilight felt her brow clench on reflex.

"Oh, but Headmare Twilight, this field trip does have a narrower purpose," Discord purred, his mismatched wings fluttering to life. The spirit of chaos rose a few inches off the ground before coiling his tail up and over an invisible object. He sat back into thin air, into some imagined up chair that cradled him. "The changelings are not here to simply be witnessed, to hold up adorable little signs that say 'love us, we don't bite, anymore'. They are here to mingle, to make friends. Just think how excited our good boy Thorax will be once he sees his bug ponies are out mingling, and he didn't even have to attend a tea party for it to happen. In fact, the only thing we need for it to happen is..."

Twilight studied him, waiting for an explanation that never came. When the aged draconequus gave a subtle nod of his head, his white eyebrow sprouted from it, taking on a life of its own as it waved through the air.

It took the alicorn a moment to realize that the eyebrow was, in fact, pointing.

"Mom! Dad! W-what are you doing here? I never thought you'd come all this way to visit me at school!"

The subtle tension of the school's headmare taking on Equestria's personal poltergeist in a battle of verbs was lost from everycreature's memory as their attention was swiftly stolen. A scene had begun to unfold before the courtyard. It began with a small, light blue changeling buzzing into view from a thicket of students. Her compound eyes wide, she peered across the yard with an insatiable glee, spotting two particular changelings just left of Discord's wagon.

The scene came full circle as the two changelings turned to the familiar voice and mirrored a smile as bright as Celestia's sun.

"There's our sugarbug!" a grayish-blue drone exclaimed, lifting a hoof and letting out a laugh as Ocellus darted across the clearing like a slung arrow. "There are so many students here. I was starting to look around for your comfort forms!"

Instinctually sitting back upon her flank, a turquoise drone with bright pink highlights opened her hooves and embraced the speeding blur as it came to her. While Ocellus pressed into the familiar chitin, the pink drone gave out a series of content chirps and laid her chin on her nymph's head. The world grew still, and sighs of adoration spread in a consecutive chorus.

"How are you doing, Ocellus?" Spiracle asked sweetly, raising her head as to make eye contact. "You must be busy with your studies. Lately, We haven't heard from you in almost a week."

While Ocellus adopted a sheepish little smile, her father, Carapace, quietly sat by.

"Well, um, I-I'm sorry," Ocellus began, her anxiety now readily reminding her of the hundreds of onlookers. Finding comfort and confidence in her mother's vibrant eyes, she fixated there, again wearing her bright smile. "I have been busy, but not just with classes, I've been busy with my friends, as well! In our spare time, we've been working on a bunch of cool projects and have been exploring a lot of the more interesting places around Central Equestria! I'm sorry I haven't written as much lately...but hey, soon we'll be on break, and I can come home for a while!"

Spiracle nodded, invested from beginning to end. When Ocellus finished, she turned, eyeing her mate with a knowing look.

"You don't have to apologize, sugarbug," Carapace spoke up, gently rubbing a hoof across his nymph's head and messing with her decorative headpiece. "We know you couldn't be in better hooves, here, but that doesn't mean we still don't worry, sometimes. I think we might have gotten a little too used to your letters every few days, too."

"I'm glad things are going so well, though," Spiracle summarized, sending a thoughtful look towards Twilight and garnishing a warm, respectful one in return. "Carapace and I are blessed to have you, just as we are blessed to have this opportunity for you. I'm so happy you're making the most of it, Ocellus. You'll have to tell us all about it during your break."

A stamp on an already perfect envelope, Carapace joined his mate as they closely embraced their nymph together.

Transfixed, Twilight failed to notice the light tap of a hoof against her flank. Upon a repeated attempt, the alicorn jumped, wheeling her attention to a modest green changeling standing just to her side.

"Um, so sorry, Princess Twilight," he said meekly, rubbing his leg. "I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Elytra. This probably seems sudden, but I just wanted to say that I'm actually good friends with Ocellus's father and that I have nymphs of my own. If your school gives tours, would it be possible to request one while I'm here? Of course, I've heard of your school before, but our internal community teaches most changelings. This, though...seems really nice. I want to see if it's something my mate and I would like for our young ones, too."

As the adult drone broached his thoughts, other nearby changelings noticed, nodding their heads in agreement. A small but enthused group of changeling parents had gathered before the alicorn could even form words.

"I'd like to request the same. Thorax has such high hopes for us to become a part of Equestria, and a large part of that is through making new connections," a tangerine female spoke up, offering her hoof to Twilight. "If a school built by the princess of friendship can't help emulate that future and guide our young towards it, I don't know what will."

Twilight reached deep into her own throat for words, but they wouldn't come up. She flattened her lip, struggling to choke back tears. Swallowing, she gave a rather jagged nod before placing her hoof atop the adult changeling's and locking eyes with her.

"I would be honored to give a school tour to anycreature looking for a place for their children to grow," she cooed at last. "Please allow me a moment to get our students and faculty back to their classes, and I'll give all of you a tour, personally."

Nodding, the small group dispersed, many of them joining Ocellus and her family, while others took the liberty of speaking to faculty members. Twilight was left to merely stare after them, to watch in wonder as changelings laughed along with Pinkie Pie, discussed class material with Fluttershy, and became enthralled by Rainbow Dash's enthusiasm.

"So...a 'random assortment of changelings', huh, Discord?"

Twilight again found herself torn from her observations. She pivoted to find Applejack casting a sly eye to Discord, who continued to sit upon thin air, casually flipping through a manifested newspaper. Upon being pinged by name, Discord unmade his newspaper in a flash of light, revealing that same smirk from before—that vile smirk that played with her nerves and challenged her patience.

It was still there, but this time Twilight couldn't help but smile back.

"My, my," Discord began, laying his head upon his paw and casting a glance around the courtyard, taking in the rich interactions sprouting from every corner. "Mingling and school recruitment? Today is just full of happy accidents. I don't know about you, but I'd say that's two points for Vice, Vice Headmaster Discord."

With a colorful variety of discussions and questions behind her, and her faculty now finishing up the day's classes with their students, Twilight began her slow retreat to her office. Her hooves ached, and her wings gave similar complaints, but they didn't spoil her pleased little smile. Today had evolved in a way she could have never foreseen, and now, given the opportunity to reflect on it, the alicorn had a stack of paperwork to humor.

Enshrouding her doorknob in pink magic, Twilight opened up her office door. Greeted by a familiar silence, she sighed to herself and closed the door behind her, making her way to her desk. There, promptly sat in the center was a laughable stack of papers, with a curious sticky note attached to the top. Eyeing the addition during the entire journey behind her desk, Twilight sat down and levitated the note up to eye level.

Twilight,

These are your new student catalogs and a bunch of other important-looking stuff. Sorry, I was only really able to tell if it was important looking or not.

As per the note you left on my bed, you wanted these to be gathered before the end of the weekend. I didn't have time to file them for you, but I figured you'd be fine with that. It's your favorite part, after all!

If you need me, I'll be in Ponyville this weekend. Discord and Big Mac have been giving me stink-eye over the fact we haven't played Ogres and Oubliettes in weeks. I also want to try and invite Thorax if he's not too busy.

Always happy to help,
Spike

Giggling to herself, Twilight laid down the note. Thorax, eh? She could scarcely even imagine to what extent the changeling king was stressing. Discord's antics had clearly bypassed her good friend and faithful student, as she had feared, which meant the hive must have borne witness to quite a fiasco. By now, Discord had surely returned the changelings he effectively kidnapped, but whether or not their absence or return was even noticed was unknown to her.

Knowing Thorax, she'd have a letter on her desk by Monday, filling in the blanks.

As Twilight wrapped her quill in magic and set her sights on her weighty task, there was a sudden, sharp knock on her door. Torn once more from her focus, the alicorn cast her eyes up on instinct.

"Um, yes, come in."

Before the door had even opened properly, a voice she recognized all too well filled the hall, as well as her office, and a detailed mane of blue and purple filled her doorframe.

"Twilight, where's Discord!?"

Starlight Glimmer entered the Headmare's office with a stagger, disheveled and wild-eyed. A few stray twigs poked out from her mane, and dirt sullied her coat in places, but most of all, she held Twilight with a look of panic. Her horn glowed at the ready, primed to cast spells of fantastic and terrible power at a moment's notice, and her right eye seemed to have a twitch.

Twilight put a concerned hoof to her mouth. Little did Starlight know it was hiding a giggle.

"He's not here, Starlight. You can calm down. Please, tell me what happened."

"It was a wild goose chase, Twilight, all of it," Starlight muttered, taking a deep breath and straightening out her mane as she passed by a mirror. "One moment, he was freestyle dancing with some of the drones, and then the next thing I know, he tears a hole through the wall with that...darned wagon, and off he went, into the horizon with a dozen changelings!"

From one focus to another, Twilight's gaze drifted to the brilliant orange mane of Sunburst as he too entered the room, panting raggedly and seemingly on the verge of collapsing upon Twilight's throw rug. The stallion took refuge in one of the modest chairs sitting by the door, where he readjusted his haphazardly strewn glasses.

"Of course we followed him," Sunburst clarified, meeting Twilight's curious stare, "but he was several steps ahead of us the entire time, literally. There were numerous wagons, Discords, and sets of changelings, all taking different routes to Ponyville. Even with Starlight's cloning spell, they were too slippery. Most of them outran us, and the ones we did catch turned out to be scarecrows."

Twilight blinked. "You mean, fakes?"

"Well, yes, but I mean actual scarecrows, too." His orange magic pulled his glasses before his face, and Sunburst cleaned them with a cloth. "Starlight blew out the wheel of one of the wagons, but when it came to a stop and we got a good look at it, it was full of straw imitations of Discord and a bunch of changelings."

Missing only a bag of popcorn, Twilight leaned on a hoof and looked to Starlight.

"...what about Thorax and Pharynx?" she asked. "Were they aware of any of this?"

Having regained her composure, Starlight set aside a conjured comb, now riddled with the foliage once inhabiting her mane. "I don't think Pharynx is aware of anything that happened after they started having their play, to be honest. He and Thorax came out from some side chamber, and Pharynx immediately headed off somewhere. Thorax, though, saw the whole thing. He was frantic and was about to soar off after them, himself, but I assured him that we'd take care of it. I told him Discord was our responsibility."

Rising from her desk, Twilight glanced out the window and at the sun, still crowned upon the blue sky. A moment of silence followed as her guests watched her with bated breath.

"I'm, I'm sorry, Twilight," Starlight started, her face, as well as her tone growing melancholic. "It was my responsibility, and I failed. He had an answer to everything I tried, was in total control of every situation, right through till the end. Even with Sunburst, I-"

"Starlight, don't worry about it," Twilight interjected, wheeling about and casting her friends a reassuring smile. "All I needed was for the blanks to be filled in, and you did just that. I'm not disappointed or upset, or even put out, honestly. If you want the short and sweet of it, everything turned out fine."

"But he, they-wait...they did?" It was Starlight's turn to blink.

Twilight nodded. "I'll explain the details later, maybe when I'm a little less exhausted, but yes, everything turned out well. By now, I would imagine Discord has returned everyling to the hive, where they can relieve Thorax's worries themselves. Admittedly not the smoothest of afternoons, but in retrospect, it could have gone a lot worse."

As if a mighty weight had been lifted from their backs, Starlight and her companion gave dramatic sighs, slumping themselves over and merely existing, for the first time that day. For a time, the three ponies sat in each other's company, taking in the sun's warm rays, beaming through the office windows.

"...I don't think I'm a great match for dealing with Discord," Starlight offered to the room, allowing herself a chuckle.

Twilight mirrored the chuckle, moving out from behind her desk and joining the pair on the rug. "I should apologize, Starlight. It probably would have been a better idea to send Fluttershy instead. She seems to be the only one who can talk sense into Discord. Princess Celestia called that long before I ever did, yet I always forget to utilize it."

"It's not your fault, we were short on time, and I was sitting right there in front of you," Starlight reassured. "I'm just glad that everything turned out well. I was inconsolable on the way over here, just ask Sunburst."

Two pairs of expectant eyes shifted to Sunburst, who, from his sprawl on the carpet, cleared his throat.

"'Twilight's gonna flip! Pharynx is gonna flip! Sunburst, we have to get those changelings back right now!'" the stallion mimicked, to all three's immediate giggling. "I'll admit though that I'm glad you picked Starlight to go, Twilight. If you hadn't, I'd never have gotten to tag along. I learned so much about the changelings and their new culture, even a bit about Discord, himself. Plus, even when it's hectic, going on an adventure is always fun with a friend."

Starlight fawned audibly.

"Even if the intention wasn't successful, we all learned something today, even me." Twilight glanced to the impending stack of papers calling her name, her stare reflecting a journey in thought. "I'll give him this; shenanigans aside, Discord is a much more helpful friend than I typically give him credit for."

As the topic came to rest, the trio fell back into silence. Having caught their breath, Starlight and Sunburst eventually rose from the throw rug, eyeing the princess curiously. Though her focus fixated on her work across her desk, she had yet to budge.

Starlight exchanged glances with Sunburst.

"Well, I think I'll head back to my office, as well," Starlight announced, making a motion for the door. "I have to tie up a few loose ends before I head home, to take a long shower. I did not count on running a marathon today."

"Since I'm already in town, I might poke around for a bit before heading back, myself," Sunburst added, following Starlight's lead. "A pleasure to spend a bit of time with you again, Twilight. I look forward to the next!"

"I guess I'll see you at home, Twilight?"

After so many times being disturbed, Twilight's thoughts were not torn asunder, this time. With a content smile, she trotted behind her desk, gently pushing aside the stack of student catalogs in favor of a fresh scroll. While her magic ignited, puppeteering her quill to life, she gave a parting nod to her company.

"Absolutely, Starlight. I'll be home in a few hours. I want to stay late today to finalize some things. And enjoy Ponyville, Sunburst. Let me know if you grab any juicy antiques before you head home!"

Exchanging goodbyes, the office door closed like punctuation to their visit. Twilight stared thoughtfully at her ceiling for a few moments, her quill rotating in place until she grinned and began to scribble upon the aged parchment.

Dear Thorax,

I realize this is rather sudden of me, and I realize that you're probably busy lately, judging by your letter silence, but I was inspired by something today and wanted to reach out.

I may have some ideas for the next step the changelings could take in their efforts to become citizens of Equestria, something with a deeper impact than dinners, parties, and casual events. If you can find the time, we should schedule to meet this upcoming week. Spike's been itching to play his board game with you, anyway, so I figured I'd offer the castle, and we can all make a day of it.

I'll go over the details of my inspiration there, but, just to field a question...

How do you think the changelings would feel about returning to Canterlot?

Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle

Pharynx wondered, sometimes, just how viable it'd be to stuff his brother in a box and ship him off to live with the Equestrians.

"Okay, I'm heading out now, Pharynx. I'm not really sure how long I'll be gone, but I'll definitely be back by sunset. Well, I mean, unless I'm held up. It really depends how long things take, honestly, because Spike's game could take a while depending on the rolls."

Surely it couldn't be that hard. Sure, those huge antlers would make positioning a nightmare, and Thorax would probably complain about leg cramps the whole time, but with a big enough box, a few breathing holes, and a bunch of those little foam peanuts he'd heard about, they'd be in business. With any luck, the ponies would adopt Thorax as one of their own right away, and Pharynx wouldn't even have to deal with return shipping labels.

"Um, would it be okay if I ended up staying the night there? I wouldn't want to leave you with too much on your hooves, but Twilight made it sound like Spike is really eager to hang out again, and I haven't seen him in a while, either. I thought it might be easiest to stay there 'till morning."

Pharynx furrowed his brow and adjusted his laying hooves. Would he have to pay extra for a 'live animal' sticker? Maybe Thorax could shapeshift into a rock or a sentimental gift from someone's grandmare. It would definitely be enough to fool the average post office pony, and twice as cheap.

The beta changeling cracked a smile, relishing the thought.

"Spike's game aside, the discussions could end up taking a while, too. I don't know how they'll turn out, so, better safe than sorry, you know?"

Thorax's voice trailed off to some corner of the room, and the space fell quiet.

Though wrapped up in his own thoughts, Pharynx couldn't help but notice the sudden absence of white noise flowing from his brother's mouth. Casting a curious glance, he found Thorax staring off into space, his attention on the azure sky perfectly framed by the open ceiling. The changeling king lightly bobbed to and fro, autonomously rubbing his foreleg whilst his ears twitched as if disturbed by some high-frequency sound.

The longer Pharynx watched, the thinner his mouth grew.

"Thorax, calm down and stop fidgeting," he said sternly. He waited until, like a spooked deer, Thorax returned his gaze, frozen in place. "Don't tell me you're still worrying about Princess Twilight's offhanded letter. I spent fifteen minutes trying to piece you back together from your little episode this morning."

Thorax's ears sprouted. He drifted from his older brother's eyes with a meek little smile.

Laboring a sigh, Pharynx rolled those eyes and his head in a synced arc. "Peachy, another pep talk, gone to waste. For Hive's sake, Thorax, I've never known another changeling who frets so much about nothing. I'm starting to think you might be a pony we adopted and painted green."

Retorting with a sigh of his own, Thorax spread his wings from his carapace in one swift motion. Taking to the air, he ascended to the open ceiling and bathed himself in the afternoon light. He paused a moment, allowing the warmth and light to numb his senses, numb his thoughts from his brother's typical attitude. When next he broke the surface, he turned to his brother with a hopeful smile.

"Your pep talks don't go to waste, Pharynx," he said softly. "You know how much it means to me that you try and cheer me up. The fact that you care enough to try at all makes a difference. This is just something I'm gonna need to work out with Twilight myself before I start to feel any better."

Once more detaching himself from his brother's ramblings, Pharynx shifted his position, curling his ruby tail about himself. His sour mood was a blight to Thorax's taste buds, but it didn't stop the young monarch from raising a mischievous brow.

"Of course, that doesn't mean I wouldn't be up for a comforting hug when I get back, should things not turn out so well."

Pharynx's head rose to attention like an alert cat. With a piercing glare, he feigned a jolting motion, as if to charge at the younger changeling. Thorax jumped in response and fell into a benign fit of laughter.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Thorax chuckled, his blurred wings carrying him once more towards the clouds. "I'll talk to the guards and get the teams set up for you before I go, okay? Maybe you can make up some of the sleep you missed this afternoon. Send word if you need anything, Pharynx!"

The beta changeling watched his brother's form like a hawk until Thorax's shimmering tail vanished beyond the hive's rocky outcropping.

If he was lucky, the alicorn princess would be gracious enough to play host to his brother for the better part of the day.

Pharynx snorted. Of course, he knew better than to get his hopes up. He'd have to take advantage of every minute. Before he knew it, Thorax would be back, and once again, he'd have to contend with his little brother's unyielding barrage of sappiness and insecurities. Proper rest was non-negotiable.

The encroaching shroud of silence radiating from the empty chamber drew a pleasurable groan from the beta changeling. Stretching his hooves out with a satisfying pop, he embraced the afternoon with a rekindled sense of peace. A rare moment indeed it was for him to relax, so often intertwined with his guard's relentless patrol and grounds upkeep shifts. But after losing sleep at the hooves of his sibling, he was determined to make the most of it.

The sun's rays heated his shell but politely left his head alone. He drank in the cool summer air and closed his eyes, allowing himself to merely exist. He couldn't sleep here, lest he break his own rules, but he could spare a moment to rest. He'd simply relocate once the motivation presented itself.

But just then, the general's ear twitched. A curious sound teased him from the long, twisting hallways leading from the room, and from inside this veil of silence it was absolutely deafening.

A growl rumbled from deep within his chest. The echoing sounds were growing louder.

"'Pharynx, there you are'," Pharynx muttered under his breath, turning his dark eyes to the still empty corridor. "'Thorax just gave us orders in your stead, but he's a huge dork and doesn't know how our routes work. Can you come downhive and give us your real orders?'"

Pharynx shifted his body to follow suit with his head. He watched in anticipation, waiting for the turn of the hallway to reveal a scheme of colors, reveal which of his guard unit had sought him out.

But nothing came, and soon enough, the sound of frantic hoofsteps ceased entirely. Pharynx furrowed his brow.

"...who's there?"

The very silence he had taken comfort in now caused him unrest, and so Pharynx got to his hooves. Surveying the room, he found nothing, but there was no mistaking the sour taste of anticipation on his tongue.

"Trying to ambush changelings requires total suppression of your emotions," Pharynx projected to the room, the shadow of a smirk playing around his mouth. Perhaps some of his recruits had taken to playing a trick on him. It wouldn't be the first time. Ever since his metamorphosis, the drones had been building up the courage to play around more often, having lost their fear of him. "I thought I taught you all that during the first week of training. Maybe somebody needs a refresher of the basics."

The chamber's continued silence only served to convince him more. Someone was here, and now it was only a matter of time before he found out who.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Pharynx taunted, lowering his head to the ground and stalking the edges of the room like a tiger. "You may as well give it up. There's no way you're going to get the better of-"

"Boo, Uncle Pharynx!"

His fortress of confidence crumbled in an instant, and Pharynx leaped at the abrasive sound. Wheeling around mid-air, he cast out his wings and held himself aloft, his de-fanged teeth bared on instinct. But what awaited him on the hive floor was far worse than any potential adversary, devious guard changeling, or even his sentimental brother.

It was a nymph, and its extravagant grin made his stomach churn.

"Whoa, that was really cool!" the nymph exclaimed, raising his butt in the air and wagging his gossamer tail in an effort to mimic the older changeling's menacing posture. "I did get you though, didn't I, Uncle Pharynx! You never saw me coming, did you!?"

His hooves lightly touched rock again, and Pharynx tucked his wings beneath his shell. Cold eyes scanned the tiny bug pony up and down, noting the red highlights that nearly matched his own, and widened abruptly when the nymph began to weave and dart through his legs. A series of lively giggles accompanied the sudden play.

There was no mistaking that hyperactivity. A voice in the back of Pharynx's mind began to scream.

"...you're the nymph Thorax is always fussing over—'Apex', right?" he asked, noticing the drone come to a full stop upon his brother's mentioned name. "What do you think you're doing, running around the hive unsupervised? You should be on the lower levels, if not in the nursery hive, itself."

The nymph's enthusiasm deflated. He challenged a staring contest with the imposing co-monarch, puffing his cheeks defiantly.

"No, I'm a big changeling, now," Apex declared, stomping his tiny hoof. "I can go where I want in the hive as long as there's someling else around. Papa Thorax said so."

Pharynx's investment in the situation was draining away at an alarming rate. With a lazy flick of his eyes, the beta changeling returned to the comfortable position he once held, ignoring the nymph in his body language. Though he could see his peaceful afternoon burning away, that didn't mean he had to give it up quietly.

"Oh, is that what he said?"

"Mhmm," Apex hummed cheerily, trotting along and inserting himself before the elder changeling's face. "I told Tarsus where I was going, and he said to make sure I stayed put with you once I found you. Now that I'm here, I just have to stay with you!"

"How lucky for me," Pharynx murmured, sliding his chin along the ground and away from the small bug pony. Clearly, Tarsus was due for a reprimand. "And what did I do to deserve this? Surely there are other nymphs, other changelings to entertain you in more lively parts of the hive."

"Papa Thorax had promised to play with me today, but he said he had polo ticks to deal with," Apex began, crouching down and gripping one of Pharynx's resting forelegs. "So I was playing truth or dare with my friend Tergite, and I picked dare. He dared me to find you and see if I could get you to play with me, instead! Everyling else laughed at his idea, but I knew I could do it! After all, Papa Thorax got you to play with us before! Everyling loved it when you turned into those really big lizards, remember?"

Ah yes, there it went, up in flames. Pharynx mourned it as it drifted into the wind, his afternoon off. His brother's face entered his head, and Pharynx's lip curled. Even by leaving, the changeling had managed to set off further detriments because now he wasn't around to shepherd his flock.

"Well, aren't you a bold one," Pharynx replied, dragging his hoof away only for Apex to seize it again like a prompted cat. "I take it you're the ringleader of the nursery hive, then."

"Papa Thorax says I'm his rambunkshious bedbug," Apex proclaimed with pride, puffing out his carapace, lifting his hoof, and raising his snout to the ceiling. "I have no idea what that means, but he only says it to me, so it must be special."

"Well, that settles it then," Pharynx replied curtly, sarcasm saturating his tone. "If my brother says it, then it must be true."

Promptly flopping over to his other side, Pharynx exhaled and sent a thin veil of dust flowing along the hive floor. When the nymph's face failed to reenter his view, he relished a moment of relief, but a prickly, tickling feeling of tiny hooves climbing up his side caused him to squirm. He shot an agitated eye down his body, where a small face watched him curiously from over the curve of his abdomen.

"I think 'gnat' would have been far more fitting," Pharynx mumbled, too low for the excitable nymph to hear.

"Uncle Pharynx?"

"Yeah, what?"

Apex began to speak but gasped upon losing his grip on the elder changeling's carapace. After a brief display of frantic flailing, he re-anchored himself, but not before Pharynx gave another jolt in discomfort.

"You've got feathers for legs, nymph, sit still or get off," he growled, holding the small bug pony hostage with a cool stare. "My brother is right about one thing, you are rambunctious. Thorax might enjoy being tickled and turned into a jungle gym but I do not."

Apex's eyes grew large. His head sharply sunk over the horizon of Pharynx's side, his front hooves framing his snout.

"...I'm sorry," came a weak voice.

Another sigh and Pharynx's head hit the floor. Stellar, making himself the bad guy would surely solve his plight. He could already hear the grating sound of his brother's voice, scolding him for scaring nymphs.

Well, the joke would be on him. There would only be one bad guy today.

Pharynx's antlers ignited in a crimson display, and Apex was gently lifted into the air. While the super-sized gnat was up and out of the way, Pharynx readjusted himself, laying back down again on his front. Once curled to his liking, he dissipated his aura and plopped the young drone atop his shell.

"You can be a pain all you want, up there," the beta changeling challenged, offering a calmer tone. "Can't be poked and prodded through my wing case."

His ears flicking to the change in Pharynx's demeanor, Apex regained his former zest. It was clear the bigger changeling didn't want to play, but then, spending time together wasn't exactly playing. Venturing along the ridge of Pharynx's crimson shell, Apex came to rest just below his neck, laying down like a miniature sphinx.

"Your shell is cold, Uncle Pharynx."

"Like my heart," Pharynx quipped dryly. "What's your point?"

Apex gently knocked his hoof against the extra firm chitin. "It's not very comfy."

"How astute of you. It's to keep our fragile wings safe, not make us feel warm and fuzzy."

"Papa Thorax always lets me curl up next to him, instead," Apex explained, his face lighting up at the mere mention of the absent changeling. "Sometimes he lets me lay on his belly, too. It's warm there. He gets ticklish, but I think he likes that his laughs make me laugh."

Pharynx's eyes took a lap in his sockets.

"You and the other nymphs really do have my brother wrapped around your hooves, don't you," he droned, laying his chin in the indent of his crossed legs. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but I don't do cute. You wanted a perch so I gave you one, take it or leave it. As soon as Thorax gets back, I'm sure you'll be able to drop him with a look and stake your claim with him again, anyway."

In a relative moment of silence, Pharynx closed his eyes. The subtle scent of earth and flowers filled his nostrils as it floated in through the open ceiling. The afternoon sun had reached its peak, and it bathed him in heat from hoof to tail in his newfound position. Even the subtle weight of Apex laying atop his back became an expected comfort, as it highlighted the rise and fall of his own breaths.

By the time the nymph's voice reached out to him again, Pharynx found himself awakening from a groggy state of half-sleep.

"Uncle Pharynx, how come you're not a cuddlebug but Papa Thorax is?"

The co-monarch opened his violet eyes and surveyed the room. Assortments of clouds had begun to lazily float overhead, casting random pockets of shade along the hive floor. He adjusted his chin and sealed his vision again, snorting.

"Thorax might be my brother, but that doesn't mean we share a lot in common," Pharynx stated flatly. "Thorax has always been touchy-feely and socially inclined, whereas I keep to myself and prioritize hive safety and strength. I've never been interested in broadcasting my feelings."

"But I've seen you give Papa Thorax hugs sometimes," Apex pointed out, careening himself out and over the edge of Pharynx's carapace to draw his gaze. "He's always so happy when you do, I've seen it. And when he visits the nursery to play with us, he talks about you a lot."

Pharynx's chilled heart rose a few degrees. He scrunched his face to smother a reflexive smile.

"Well, he is my brother. It's not like I don't care about him," Pharynx elaborated, his sentence falling to a murmur by the tail end. "I put up with his need for physical attachment more than I ever used to, but that doesn't mean I'm about to start skipping through fields of flowers, attending his silly activities or being known as a 'cuddlebug'."

The point was emphasized with a disgusted flare, but Apex wore an unseen grin all the same.

"Papa Thorax always seems happiest when he's playing with us in the nursery," Apex shifted, cautiously maneuvering himself up to the elder changeling's head. When no hooves reached out for him, he laid down between the curved antlers, his snout pressing into the base of the general's horn. "He even tells the nursery adults to take a break if they want. We play all sorts of games, and then after everyling is tired, we take a nap together. He loves that part, too."

Pharynx glanced up to his bestowed hat.

"You realize he's tiring you out on purpose, right?" he asked rhetorically, raising his head and readjusting his hooves. "By playing with you all 'till exhaustion, Thorax makes the nursery drone's job easier since they're supposed to ensure you all get enough sleep. Of course, he's doing it for his own enjoyment, too."

A flash of faded scenes played in his mind, and Pharynx observed the ground with a detached stare. Each one featured himself, standing over a weak, scared drone with watery blue eyes. Scenes of bullying succeeded each other, sometimes from others, other times from himself. Scenes of attempted interaction, brushed off by his own lack of empathy. Scenes of a nymph crying alone, clutching his makeshift collection of dolls.

"Thorax had no friends when he was a nymph," Pharynx muttered solemnly. "Not even I gave him the time of day unless I was trying to toughen him up or protect him from bullies out of obligation. On some level, he's probably enjoying the nymphhood he never got to have when he plays with all of you every day."

A bittersweet aftertaste. Pharynx felt the shape atop his head slump over.

"...aww, poor Papa Thorax. I hope he isn't gone too long, today, I need to give him the biggest hug, now."

The familiar silence soon crept in from all sides, but Pharynx did not welcome it. Neither the danger of falling asleep here nor the prospect of suffering this conversation any further appealed to him. Standing up abruptly, a gasp tickled his ear, and he promptly made his way from the chamber, bug pony hat intact.

"Where are you going, Uncle Pharynx?"

"Before I was gifted with your presence, I was trying to take a nap," the elder dismissed, rounding a bend and descending through a morphing corridor. "While Thorax is gone today that is exactly what I plan to do. If you insist on tagging along, then I must insist that you don't disturb me, or I will dump you off with the first adult drones I can find."

Apex lightly bounced around between the trio of antlers and horn, shaken by the rhythmic trotting motions. "But you almost fell asleep back in that other place, Uncle Pharynx. How come you got up?"

"Sleeping in open spaces isn't safe," the co-monarch replied firmly. "The Hive has rules in place for never falling asleep outside secure, closed-off locations. All the adults are aware of this."

"How come I didn't know about that rule?"

"Because your age bracket is never allowed to sleep anywhere outside supervision, much less in open areas. The rule is redundant for you."

"You're a hive leader like Papa Thorax, though, so why do you have to follow that rule?"

Pharynx's lavender eyes darted upwards. "You ask a lot of questions for a gnat. If a general can't follow his own rules, how can he expect his charge to?"

Together they traversed the many twisting passages acting as veins of the hive. Before long, they were joined by others, changelings who passed by them in the hall or filled the occasional sprawling chamber when it unfolded before them. More than once, Apex nearly fell from his esteemed perch, waving desperately at nymphs he recognized from across a room.

But the denser the hive's populace grew, the more Pharynx felt the pressing stares of colorful, compound eyes on his carapace. A sickly sweet taste had begun to roll across his senses as changelings polluted the air with coos of adoration and hushed chatter, and he loathed every second of it.

"How did Apex ever manage that one?"

"Pharynx is really changing, isn't he?"

"Do you think Thorax's disposition is starting to rub off on him?"

Making no attempts to hide his disgust, Pharynx spat on the ground upon breaking through the edge of the crowd. When a handful of drones grimaced in response, he smirked.

"I preferred love magic when I had to go out and earn it," Pharynx remarked. "Now it just hits me like a pitched rock."

Apex giggled from atop his throne of red antlers, and Pharynx cast a deceptively crude smile, a spark coming to his once cold eyes.

"Oh, this is wonderful!"

"Said Pharynx, upon his brother finally shutting up."

"Did you, though? I mean, did you really?"

"Did I what? End up spending the afternoon with a typhoon on legs because someone wasn't around to distract him? What do you think, Thorax?"

Thorax pancaked his own cheeks between his hooves, his violet eyes glinting like stars. Sat back on his flank, the royal changeling bit his lip in a display of elation, a bubbling heat filling his body. Despite the gruff, utterly fed up look consuming his brother's face, Thorax's pride knew no bounds.

"I can't believe you two spent time together while I was gone! Did you have fun?"

"No."

"Did Apex have fun?"

"Judging by how much he squirreled around and how bad my headache was."

Thorax chuckled, doing so more upon his brother's irate look. "Did you guys do anything in particular?"

"We played some games."

Thorax gasped. His hooves shot to his mouth. "You did?" he squeaked.

"Sure did," Pharynx monotoned. "We played, 'let's not take a nap', 'twenty questions in twenty seconds', and 'let's discuss Thorax'."

The ray of pride gave way to a tinted blush. Thorax flopped his ears. "Aww, you guys were talking about me?"

"Mostly him," Pharynx replied, darting a smirk. "I just chipped in when I was able to make fun of you."

Stretching his ligaments, Pharynx stood with an arch of his back, containing a chortle upon spotting his brother's unamused brow. "Look, this has been cute, but I have things to do, Thorax. Against all odds, I got to take my nap today, and now I have squads that need a firm hoof reorganizing them for tonight. If you need me, you know where I'll be."

He walked from the chamber with a hurried pace, but it wasn't quite quick enough. The pressing gaze he felt across his carapace became a hopeful voice, echoing around the now empty room.

"Did Apex take a nap with you? Pharynx did...did you actually have a cluster nap with someling else?"

Silence filled the chamber, and Thorax felt his heart, his anticipation beat against his chest. Standing in the light of the doorway, his brother had become a still silhouette. When the curved antlers turned, at last, only violet eyes stood out.

"He's a gnat, Thorax," the co-monarch replied simply. "He does what gnats do best—stick to you like glue, wherever you go."

Pharynx left the chamber, and Thorax filled it with a chirp of unbridled glee.

Twilight greeted her castle walls with a sigh. The freshly closed front doors locked with an audible click, and to the signal, she slumped to the entryway rug. The rise and fall of her breath lulled the day's thoughts, retiring them to some cozy corner of her mind.

Her eyes fell to the rug, a burgundy fabric with decorative gold patterning and corner tassels. Ruffles from Flurry Heart rolling around on it during her latest visit spotted its surface, but it sat proudly, free of any wear or fraying. Still so vividly could Twilight see the confidence brimming in Rarity's face upon recommending the rug to her, so long ago.

Oh, but you simply must! It's hoof-woven, darling. The Saddle Arabians are proud artisans who believe that hard work begets unmatched quality. Your new castle deserves nothing short of perfection. I will get this for you myself if I have to.

Twilight smiled, or at least that was her intention. Her facial muscles fared no better than the rest of her.

A groan rattled her throat. She inhaled sharply and balanced herself on shaking hooves—Celestia almighty, they ached. She'd given them a taste of rest, only to tear it away again. What kind of hoof parent was she?

She began to trot, but a sharp pain drew a wince. She stopped at the rug's edge and took to the air. She winced again, but the discomfort was only a seven out of ten, this time.

Flying it was.

As she toured the familiar halls on muscle memory, Twilight scanned each venue with eyes and ears at attention. A certain unicorn she knew was working overtime today at the school, but a certain dragon she knew had no such excuse.

"Spike?" she offered to the hallway, more echolocation than question. Verifying the small dragon was somewhere on her dwindling list of priorities, along with catching a quick nap before company arrived.

The corridors remained still. Though the castle's charm fell short of Golden Oaks, there was a serenity here that had grown on her. She had her own fortress of solitude, providing her a welcome quiet at the end of her all-too-often hectic days.

Of course, the more she probed the castle halls for young dragons, the higher her chances of scaring away that quiet. Locating Spike and taking a brief nap could very well end up mutually exclusive endeavors.

"Spike, Thorax should be here in about an hour or so," she called again, landing on cool crystal and finding that her hooves no longer despised her. "With any luck, I'll get some time to relax beforehand. You would not believe the day I've had. I am never, ever letting Gallus and Smolder work together on a science fair project again for as long as I live. Did you know that certain ashes from the dragon lands are magic resistant and excel as paper mache volcano eruption? It's absolutely horrific to clean up."

Still nothing. That was fine, though. The castle was a seasoned listener, and a little self-recollection could work wonders on the nerves now and then. Spike was probably off taking a nap somewhere, himself. The lucky drake.

Giving a pleasant hum, Twilight enveloped her library doors in magenta magic. When the glass doors parted, her sprawling library greeted her, along with a familiar set of rose eyes.

"Oh, hey, Twilight."

Her feathers puffed up in some instinctual display of surprise, and so Twilight combed them with a hoof. Thorax watched her with a contagious grin, sat in what appeared to be a fort made from pillows and chairs in the middle of the library's cozy reading section.

Reeled in by motion, Twilight drifted her gaze to a splotch of purple amidst green, and she cooed. Spike had firmly flopped himself between his friend's hooves and long since fallen asleep. An issue of Power Ponies lay open across his stomach, rising and falling with the young dragon's rhythmic snores.

"Thorax, you're early," Twilight began, cringing at her own tone before the syllables could fully pass. "I mean, Thorax, you're early! What a pleasant surprise!"

Joining the boys' curious scene, Twilight trotted the perimeter of the fort once before reentering Thorax's view. The two shared a conversation with their eyes, and Thorax's goofy grin coaxed a giggle.

"I hope you don't mind the mess," said Thorax, his cheeks threatening to redden. "I came over a little early because, well...let's just say Pharynx wasn't very amused with me today for reasons I won't get into and needed some space. Spike wanted to show me his Power Pony comics, so we thought we would wait for you in the library while we looked at them."

The changeling placed a thoughtful hoof to his chin. "You know, I don't even remember how we got on the subject of forts. Something about little ponies and a treehouse inspiring him?"

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle pranced before her eyes, and Twilight knowingly shook her head.

"No need to apologize," she said sweetly, skillfully commanding a nearby chair to attend her. "I built my share of forts with my brother when I was young. Bookfort Twilight once went two afternoons unassailed by the efforts of Castle Armor. It looks to me like Spike is just giving you another sample of pony culture."

Sitting upon her flank, the alicorn whimpered, enveloped in a cushiony embrace. Her head flopped back uselessly.

Oh, yes. This could stay. She labored a groan unbecoming of any living creature, let alone a princess, and the changeling ogled her.

"Long day, I take it?"

Twilight chortled. She breathed in, an autobiographical paragraph ready to spout forth, but it caught in her throat. Her mind had fogged to the onset of relief her muscles now bathed in. Essay jargon now fell somewhere just short of harrowing magic duels against centaurs in terms of difficulty.

"Yeah, something like that," would have to do for now.

"Well, please don't mind me," Thorax said. His tone mimicked the soft reassurances he so often gave his drones. He gingerly raised a hoof as to flick the end towards her. "You should relax if you're exhausted. Spike is way ahead of you."

Twilight picked up her head again rather suddenly. The changeling watched her with a selfless investment.

She grimaced. No, no, this wouldn't do. She wasn't a magenta drone being doted upon by her patriarch; she was an Equestrian princess, at present being an abysmal host.

"Goodness no," Twilight dismissed, furrowing her brow and sharpening her dulled thoughts. "You came all the way here today just to see me, Thorax, to further discuss my letter. It sounded like you may have had some concerns? Please, let's talk. I have no intention of taking a nap right now."

You liar.

Thorax fidgeted under the spotlight, the warmth in his eyes waning to anxiety. "Oh, it's not that bad, actually. I was just a little cautious when you brought up Canterlot, that's all. The changelings, they-we're making a lot of progress, but Canterlot is a...big step. I doubt there's another place in Equestria more scarred by the changelings than Canterlot."

"Scarred by Chrysalis, you mean."

Thorax curled his lip, unconvinced. Not one to be seduced by such pleasantries—at least not yet—Twilight withdrew herself from her chair and joined the changeling where he sat.

"We were there too, Twilight," Thorax said in a hush.

"Carrying out your queen's will," Twilight finished.

"Do you really think the Canterlot ponies will see it that way?" The changeling squeezed his live dragon plush and bit his lip. "We were the ones attacking them, not Chrysalis. We were the ones encasing them in slime and preparing them for long-term feeding storage in the middle of the street."

Twilight cast a coy smile. Thorax pouted.

"Okay, maybe I didn't, personally, but you know what I mean," he whined. "When the ponies of Canterlot think about changelings, our actions against them is what they'll think of. The fact Chrysalis had us under her hoof isn't going to matter. Trust me, Twilight, I know how prejudice works."

Silence trailed after his concerns, and Thorax forced a chuckle.

"Maybe this has been bothering me more than I let on," he mumbled. "Pharynx was agitated over some insomnia I had last night over all of this. I may have woken him up a little too early for advice."

"Actions indeed speak louder than words or intentions," Twilight began, laying a hoof upon Spike's smooth, scaly head. The dragon twitched in response but remained submerged beneath the waves of his dreams. "By that same token, though, the fact the changelings chose to move past Chrysalis, chose themselves over their queen's ambition speaks volumes. You, her successor, are actively trying to forge connections with Equestria. You see ponies as allies, as friends, not food sources to rule over and pen up like cattle. That counts for something, Thorax, more than you give it credit for."

The changeling flicked his ears, his lavender orbs listening just as well.

"As somepony who grew up in the stingy crowds of Canterlot, I know exactly how stubborn and petty some ponies can be. I won't lie to you. I can't say there won't be ponies who won't trust you, even with the support of myself and the other princesses. I can't say there won't be other races that won't trust you. But then, concerning yourself with what others think of you isn't your immediate concern, is it?"

Thorax surrendered, both to logic and the cushions below his hooves. Twilight rolled herself into a loaf and followed suit, withdrawing into the fort's shaded warmth. For a time, breaths lulled by comfort filled a space void of words. When at last Thorax smiled, Twilight had a front-row seat.

"My concern is the changelings, and ensuring they're happy, safe, and have space to grow."

"If the changelings are your priority, then what's the best thing you can do in regards to political visits?"

Thorax contemplated Spike's spines for a time, tossing audible hums every so often to signal his continued thought.

"Well, I want to reach out and show Equestria we've changed, but I also don't want to rush that, for the changelings or Equestria. For now, I guess as long as I make an effort to be communicative with other nations, that's all that really matters?"

"I'd say that's fair," said Twilight. "There will always be outliers who don't trust changelings, just as there will always be those who look down on ponies, dislike dragons, or judge griffons. But as long as you are genuine and put your best hoof forward, there will be many more creatures who recognize it and accept you for it."

Thorax visibly twinged. Whether it was from excitement or nerves, the princess couldn't tell.

"I love my brother, but you're way better with giving advice, Twilight, thank you. This is why I wanted to visit today. Um, while we're on the subject, though, I do have a confession to make."

The offered pause did not go unnoticed, but Twilight greenlit the bug pony to continue with a nod.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also a little scared, personally, of such a big social move for the changelings."

Up came the royal eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Politics take a lot out of me, Twilight," Thorax admitted in a grumble, carefully maneuvering Spike against one hoof so that he may lay his own head down. Those big, lavender orbs peered across the library floor. "Ask Pharynx, I napped for half a day after we got back from our visit with Cadance, and that was Cadance and Shining Armor, ponies I was familiar with."

"What about when I came to visit? You know me, and that was for three whole days. You didn't seem fatigued, then."

The lavender orbs fled from her point.

"That wasn't politics, Twilight, that was a friend visiting who happened to be a princess."

Oh, the eyebrow descended, alright; but only because a smirk counterweighted it.

"Don't tell me you're nervous about having discussions with Princess Celestia."

"No, not with Princess Celestia," Thorax mumbled. He turned and wore a grimace. "I'm nervous about discussions with Princess Celestia in Canterlot, with Princess Luna, alone. I've never even had a conversation with Princess Luna, before!"

"Oh, come on, she gave you that medal during Starlight's graduation-turned-staying-home-party, didn't she?"

"Yes, and it was horribly awkward! Did you see how big and bothersome my antlers were?"

Twilight bit her lip. Debating for Luna's skill with first impressions wasn't an argument she was equipped to win. She watched Thorax measure the width of his antlers and came to lay her head against the carpet.

The pleasantries had seduced her long enough. Her struggles against them would be the stuff of legend, as is—no need to delay the inevitable.

"Luna is amiable, Thorax. I'm sure you two will get along just fine."

A defeated sound tickled her ear, and she twitched it in response.

"I know, I just, I'm overthinking the whole thing, I guess. An unfamiliar city, the politics, keeping a close eye on the changelings I bring along with me...it's a lot of things to keep track of."

Twilight beamed an unseen smile. "I'm sure the changelings will be fine without Papa Thorax for a little while."

She could picture the squirmy blush without so much as turning her head.

"How about this; you can meet with the princesses and then relax with the changelings while you explore Canterlot for the day. If I'm not particularly busy with the school that day, I'd be happy to give you a tour. I can show you where I used to live, where I went to school..."

She trailed off to see the effect of her suggestion. Thorax merely hummed again. He was like an overgrown, meek cricket.

"Well, that does sound nice. I guess if I'm not only there for the politics, the city won't be so bad," said Thorax.

"As soon as you get a group of changelings together for a trip, just send me a letter for when you'd like to schedule something," Twilight continued, allowing her eyes to close. Though her lips trudged forward with certain professionalism, her mind had long since regressed to foal-hood; to her cozy, quiet afternoon naps in Bookfort Twilight. "I'm well versed in the other princess's schedules, and I don't mind organizing a meeting for you all. I'll let them know in advance that you're looking to have a meeting soon."

"Alright, I'll definitely keep that in mind. Thanks, Twilight. You're always so ready to help me out. I really appreciate it."

"Mhmm."

Twilight's mind treaded between her library's waking world and the limitless potential of Luna's realm. With Thorax's concerns satiated, she was left a prisoner of unrelenting fuzz and various protruding pillows and blankets from the fort's shambled wall. A portal of softness, it was, ready to shepherd her off into a blissful state of rest.

To Tartarus with modesty, it was a rest she very much deserved.

"...Twilight?"

"Mmm."

"Sorry, I hope I didn't wake you. I, uh, I just wasn't sure if you'd like me to leave or not. Would you like me to leave?"

"Mm mm."

"Was that a yes?"

Celestia help this over-considerate bug.

With two turns of her barrel, Twilight twisted herself about until the changeling's expectant look filled her view.

"No, Thorax-why would you think I want you to leave?"

"Well, you're trying to take a nap, and I wasn't sure if me being here would make it harder for you. Spike can fall asleep on command wherever but, I know you struggle with anxiety sometimes like I do."

Butterflies hugged the sides of her stomach with warm, fluttery wings, and Twilight's cheeks dimpled accordingly.

"That's very thoughtful, but no, I'm just fine," she assured, igniting her horn to summon one of the library's throw blankets strewn across the fort's ceiling. Like a great bat, it spread its folds as wings and lay across the three of them, hugging their forms with its weight.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want, or at least as long as you're able without the hive missing you. You're a friend before a political ally to me."

Thorax grinned. "Same here, Twilight. Well, knowing Apex and the other nymphs, my absence is already causing tantrums, but that's fine. The other adults can entertain them too, and so can Pharynx, albeit on a limited scale. I'm enjoying spending time with you guys."

The changeling shifted to the drake between his hooves. Shameless drool marked Spike's lip, but it did nothing to curb Thorax's smile.

"Somedragon is making it hard for me to go anywhere, anyway," he chuckled.

Her horn now driven by her escalating desire for comfort, another pillow merrily danced its way over to the young princess. Slowly but surely, a cocoon of coziness was being formed, parts and pieces of the grand fort being plucked like bricks from a tower of Jenga.

The joke was on the fort. By the time it collapsed, they'd be too snug amidst an embrace of fabric to even feel it.

"He's been making me a little jealous lately," Twilight eventually teased in reply, settling on her side as to face the bug monarch. "Spike and I have been inseparable for as long as I can remember, but I think you've got me beat on the nap buddy front. You're very special to him, Thorax. Although he adores the friends we've come to make together, he really cherishes the friends he's made on his own."

Spike pivoted in his nest of green hooves as if the mentioning of his name pierced through Luna's veil.

"He's special to me, too," Thorax replied softly. "If it weren't for Spike, I don't want to think how things might have turned out for the changelings or me. I might have never made a single friend, might have frozen in the wastes, all alone. Chrysalis might have stayed in power, and the changelings would never have discovered shared love magic. He's 'Spike the Brave and Glorious' in more than just one empire, now, that's for sure."

"And you don't need to feel jealous, Twilight," he added with pep. "If you'd like to cuddle as well, you're welcome to. Neither Spike nor I would mind."

Twilight's cheeks flushed, and she frantically secured her lip with her teeth. "Oh, uh, again, that's very thoughtful of you, Thorax. I'm fine, though; I've already created a sort of burrito for myself."

The burrito wriggled for emphasis. Twilight sheepishly smiled.

"Well, alright, but burritos are welcome to cuddle too, if they change their mind," Thorax laughed.

A faraway noise pulled at their ears, something soft and pattering. Upon a glance, trails of rain now raced down the glass dome ceiling. The sun had taken refuge behind a rogue gang of clouds, freshly stacked by a team of pegasi. Their movements blurred to dashing colors through the lens of trickling water.

Twilight could feel the weight of gravity on her joints. The rain cast a spell even she had no counter for.

"Can you tell I'm used to being around changelings?"

Twilight turned. Thorax was staring at the ceiling, caught up in the whimsical behaviors of the pegasi overhead.

"I hope the offer wasn't awkward", he said. "I know ponies don't view cuddling the same way we do."

The alicorn beamed. "Why would I find it awkward? Ponies are known to cuddle too, you know."

"It's just, from what I saw in the Crystal Empire, close affection is more common in romantic partners than in friends. Friends mostly bump hooves, have short greeting hugs, or have lunch together and talk about their favorite sporting events."

She giggled. What an amusing turn in the conversation.

"Well, everypony is different. If you ask Pinkie Pie to cuddle, you're probably going to get a very different response than if you were to ask Rainbow Dash."

Twilight mused each reaction of her friends as they unfolded in her head, their reaction upon being asked such a question.

"Ponies are usually pretty cuddle-friendly in general, just not from strangers," she concluded. "As the saying goes, 'at least buy me a cider first'."

She snorted louder than she intended. Thorax looked as if he'd gravely mistranslated some delicate political message.

She coughed her attempt into obscurity. His aloofness was probably a blessing, this time.

"So, hypothetically, how many changelings do you think you'd bring?" she asked abruptly. "No pressure, of course, I'm purely curious. Do you have a limit to how many changelings you can safely look after? I know you brought eight or so to the empire."

"Hmm, no more than that amount, maybe six," Thorax replied, uncertain even of himself. "Eight was a good number for visiting Cadance and Shining Armor, but Canterlot is an even bigger spectacle. It's on a mountainside, and the castle has layers to it, there's a waterfall and everything. I won't be able to keep anyling in line at all."

Twilight giggled again. "Well, you definitely want to bring at least a few. I'm sure Princess Luna would be delighted to see, first-hoof, how love restoration magic works. Princess Celestia said she was very intrigued by my notes on it."

"Using changeling interactions to win over others," Thorax stated with a weak laugh, dropping his eyes to Spike. "Now you're starting to sound like Spike. You're right, though, and I should probably prioritize changelings who don't mind being close. If it can convince others that we've changed, I definitely don't mind showing how calm and friendly we can behave, now."

Spike stirred from his dreams, clawing towards the surface with twists and turns, while Twilight's ear pinged to a melodic voice now ringing through the unseen halls.

"Spiiiiike! Princess Twiiiiiliiiiiight! Is anybody hooooooooooome???"

Twilight's hoof found her face. That would be Gabby.

"I think you already have your answer to any possible political problem," the alicorn teased, evolving from her burrito in a flash of magic. With a trot, she made her way to the library door, then cast her visitor a reassuring wink. "When in doubt, just cuddle some changelings. It should work fine with just about every empathetic species. Luckily for you, you're already good friends with the Dragon Lord. I'll em, I'll be right back, Thorax. I need to tend to a friend before she gets lost."

The door creaked to a jar, and on command, Spike rose from his spot, rubbing a sluggish claw along his spines.

"Oh, hey buddy ol' pal. Has Twilight shown up yet?"

"Achoo!"

"Gesundheit."

"Gratitude."

Luna tended to her snout with a levitated cloth. Celestia sipped a beverage in response.

"Did we borrow that phrase from the Germandis?"

"Yes."

"And that bit about somepony thinking of you when it occurs?"

"Canteroon," Celestia replied again, turning a page in her aged tome with a flick of her eyes. "Though in my two-thousand years, I've yet to notice a definitive pattern."

"Surely the timing works out somewhere," Luna challenged, discarding the cloth to a waste bin. "Perhaps a foal is regaling their parents with the lovely dream they had last night."

A snicker grabbed her ear. She ignored it.

"I shall go this time," Luna announced, standing from her spot. With a wary eye she glanced out the window. "Should we wait any longer they'll surely knock again. One would hope that our chain of command need not be this reliant on us for such standard proceedings."

"I do love the ant colony analogy," Celestia mused, her gaze a conductor, laying down her beverage in favor of a blank scroll and ready quill. "Also, thank you. I will grab the next frantic question, should it come. With any luck, this will be the last one."

Luna mumbled as she crossed the lounge's threshold, parting the double doors with a confident swing.

"Tis barely three past the afternoon, do not dare get my hopes up," she said with a grunt. "Pray tell, who are you writing to? That's not another invitation, is it? How many dignitaries could we possibly need for a mere museum opening?"

Celestia smiled. "Just extending a personal invitation to a friend. The museum opening is sure to be a populated event, but also a relatively tame one. It could be an excellent opportunity for certain allies of ours to mingle with the Canterlot populace."

The galaxy in Luna's mane swung as she turned.

"Oh, I see where this is going," she said. "Last I recall, that was another princess's job. Your faithful student taking too long for your liking, is she?"

"Just providing a little nudge, Luna," Celestia sang, finishing her letter and depositing it into the ether with a bolt of golden magic. "Twilight has a school to attend to, as of late. No harm in offering a helping hoof. Besides that, if we're to broach our plans for retirement to her and her friends anytime soon, we may want to do all we can to ensure she is as stress-free as possible."

The room paused with her, and Luna framed the open doorway.

"Fair enough," she said at last, venturing the long corridor beyond the doors. Her voice carried on the marble walls. "Should he accept, by the way, do try and be present for when King Thorax arrives. I do not wish to drown in awkward silence. Doubt I can look the changeling in the eye after my tomfoolery concerning his pincer horns."

Reeling back her head in a short fit of giggling, the sun monarch commanded the lounge doors closed with a click.

Side Story Tie-in: Changelings are Like Plushies, They're Made for Hugs!

"During a liaison visit between his hive and the Crystal Empire, a young changeling drops by a local plushie shop to pick up a special order. He never expected the plush maker to be a changeling, too."

"The Friendly Foreign Emissary Squad has returned from their latest trip to the Crystal Empire, Thorax. Aphidel reports that all is well in the north and that the crystal ponies are starting to show some interest in visiting the hive soon."

"Really? That's wonderful! Princess Cadance mentioned she would talk to her subjects about the idea of visiting us in return, but I only brought it up in a letter a few days ago. Gosh, I'll have to schedule a tour for when they drop by, won't I? Oh, that reminds me of something—Tarsus, I want to create a dedicated tour guide committee for the hive."

Keeping in step just behind his king's gossamer tail, Tarsus scribbled furiously on a notepad crafted of rock and finely trimmed leaves. "A tour committee guide, Thorax?" he repeated. "But you love giving personal tours, do you not?"

"Well, of course, I do," Thorax replied, sighing pleasantly as he bathed in a passing ray of sunlight. "But I'm not always going to be available to give tours the more common they become. With any luck, Tarsus, we'll be getting visits from a variety of friendly nations more often. Just the other day, I conversed with Queen Novo about a possible underwater banquet with the hippogriffs. We'd have to transform into hippogriffs, of course. She also mentioned how she's never seen a changeling hive before and would very much like to."

"'Hive. Tour. Guide. Committee'," Tarsus muttered aloud as he scribbled. "And do you have any changelings in mind for such a position, Thorax?"

Thorax tilted his head to the inquiry. "Well, no, I don't have a list yet, but I know who can help me fill it. Have you seen Calor since the squad returned? Is he in another hive activity?"

"You're, of course, referring to a changeling known throughout the hive as 'the hyperberry bug'," Tarsus drolled. "I have not seen him, no, but do his whereabouts really need confirmation?"

"Just some rhetoric on my part," Thorax replied with a weak smile. "I wish he'd take it easy a little more often. His only two modes seem to be 'stop' and 'go'. When he's not cluster napping, he's running himself ragged."

"Adequately describes the nymph population in its entirety, Your Highness."

"Tarsus, are you calling Calor a nymph?"

For a moment, they stopped, and Thorax's smile waited to blossom to a laugh upon prompt. A master of deadpan as ever, Tarsus delivered a dead stare.

"I merely offer evidence, Thorax. The only difference he shares from most knee-high changelings is height."

A short trip through the hive's winding tunnels eventually yielded a doorway, which retracted for Thorax and opened to a scene of apparent excitement. Shouts of equal parts concern and shock rang in the large changeling's ears, and before he knew it, something very fast collided with his nose in a most unpleasant boop. A tightly packed ball of foliage, tied together with leaf stems, fell to the floor and signaled gasps from every corner.

"Oh, no!" shouted one adult, taking a nervous step forward. "The ball hit Thorax! Quick, what are the rules for if the ball hits a hive leader!?"

"I'm searching!" another adult squeaked from the corner, frantically flipping through an encyclopedic book that read 'An Essential Guide to Buckball'. "There's nothing here! Oh, curses, why would ponies never account for a figure of authority being hit by a stray ball!?"

"Uh, guys?" Thorax offered to the room, gently lifting the ball with one hoof. "I think your ball went out of bounds. I was standing in the doorway, so-"

"Does that mean the other team gets a point?" a concerned orange drone put out. His wings closed beneath his shell as he came to a quick landing. "Or does Thorax decide who gets a point? Thorax, you should know that they were cheating earlier!"

An accusing hoof was cast, and gasps once again filled the room.

"We were not!"

"Um, you did, actually. You guys changed forms to have our team's jersey amidst that fumble earlier!" encyclopedia changeling pointed out, holding out the book as if the tiny text was actually eligible to anyling else. "It says right here in the first chapter, 'once teams are chosen, teams remain the same the entire match'. You can't change just because you're losing, Mandible."

Silence triggered a throng of eyes to latch onto a particular red drone, failing to hide behind a rock formation.

"Guys, please, let's just say that it went out of bounds. Now, no more cheating and no more pointing hooves, okay? There's no reason to ruin everyling's fun."

The antics were abruptly arrested, and so changelings quietly turned to Thorax. He took a few steps forward before lightly tossing the homemade ball to a nearby drone. He then beamed around the room, stopping only upon a familiar shade of cerulean catching his eye.

"Calor," Thorax lead, smirking outright upon the drone's full attention. "You were so adamant about helping me coordinate hive social activities. What happened? Don't tell me you've lost control of these guys already."

The attention holding him captive shifted to the drone in question, and so Mandible fled to the obscurity of his huddled team. Calor, meanwhile, fidgeted under the spotlight thrust upon him by Thorax's gaze.

"W-we were doing really well up until a few minutes ago, honest," the blue drone explained, passing through his teammates with a few trots to respectfully face his alpha. "Everyling was having fun, and we were all laughing, and-"

Still beaming, Thorax beckoned the bug pony with a wave of his hoof. Calor's bumbling stopped to the signal, and he made his way across the rest of the room. With every step, whispering and chittering roused from the crowd.

"Uh oh, someone's in trouble with Papa Thorax."

"Thanks for introducing us to the game, Calor. If you survive, come back and play, alright?"

Thorax pulled the blue drone to his side with a foreleg. "He's not in trouble, you guys. As the hive's new co-coordinator for activities, I need his help with something."

The monarch peered down and salvaged a smile from the blueberry.

"Tarsus, I hate to inconvenience you but, would you mind just keeping an eye on everyling here for a few minutes?" Thorax asked, turning to his faithful tailgater. "We'll be right back, and then you can deliver your reports to Pharynx. I'm sure he's waiting for you."

At the mention of his co-supervisor's name, Tarsus's attention sharpened. Without hesitation, he laid his notes on an eye-level boulder nearby, trotted into the room, and donned a jersey with a flash of flames.

"Of course, Thorax. I'll cover for him until you return."

"So what did you need my help with, Thorax?"

Thorax watched his company bounce upon each hoof step, exhibiting enough kinetic energy to reach the moon. Together they emerged from the hive's shade and refuge, joining the lavish flowers working to kiss the sun.

"I wanted to talk with you about a couple of things," Thorax began, glancing over his surroundings before falling to his flank. "They're opportunities I wanted to see if you'd be interested in. One is a little side project; the other is a bit bigger. You're always so eager to help out, so I knew I had to come to you first."

Calor perched himself atop a flattened stone, granting Thorax his full attention. A cool northern breeze fell over the meadow as a breath, swaying hundreds of flowers in a unified dance, but the meadow harbored a different beauty for the blue changeling today. Nature's splendors were merely a frame for even greater perfection.

"Firstly, how would you feel about helping me find volunteers for a hive tour committee?"

Calor blinked his oceanic eyes, returning to the material plane.

"Tours?" he squeaked. "Wait, but you love to give tours. A-and you're perfect at giving them, too!"

Thorax chuckled. Calor tilted his distressed head.

"I've been trying harder to reach out to the other races, lately," the alpha explained, leaning back to feel the fluid wind on his face. "If things go well, tours are likely to become more common. Between all my responsibilities in and out of the hive, I'll need some changelings I can rely on to give tours in my place when I'm not available. You know practically everyling in the hive, so you'd probably track down volunteers a lot quicker than I could."

"Oh," Calor replied lamely. "Well, in that case, sure! I can definitely find some changelings who would like to help. Do, did you want me to volunteer, too?"

"Well, I won't stop you from volunteering if that's what you want, but you've already got your hoof in a lot of things, Calor," said Thorax, laying himself down in a bed of warm grass. He stretched out comfortably, closing his eyes briefly in the process and missing the reactive flutter of his company's carapace. "You organize and help run so many activities, as is. I don't want you to overwhelm yourself."

"I wouldn't get overwhelmed," Calor proclaimed, sitting up from his spot. He placed a hoof just below his foremost chest jewel. "If it helps out the hive, and it helps you, I'm always happy to do what I can, plus it sounds like a lot of fun! Maybe I won't lead the committee, seeing as I already lead the theatre troupe, the swing dancing meet, the Shadow Puppet Lodge, the Nymph Hide and Seek Society, sorta co-lead the new Buckball League..."

The young adult trailed off upon noticing Thorax's growing smirk. A red tint hugged his cheeks once again.

"O-okay, or maybe I could just find some changelings for now, and volunteer once in a while."

"That sounds like a wiser choice," Thorax replied, putting on a more somber smile. "Please, please remember to take time for yourself, too. Sometimes I see how much you run around all day, and it worries me. I love that you want to help the hive, but let others sometimes help, too, you know? I'd hate to see you burn out."

Calor's ears wilted, their strength channeling to his quivering lip. "Aww, that's so sweet of you. But, Thorax, you don't have to worry about me, honest. I might do a lot, but I know how to relax and regain energy, too. Or have you forgotten who top cuddlebug is among all the adults?"

"Oh, how could I ever forget who top cuddlebug is?" Thorax chortled. "You think I haven't noticed who's always first in line for communal rests in the nesting chamber? Who takes shifts in the nursery hive to play and rest with nymphs, like me? I think you could out-cuddlebug even me on your best days."

The blue changeling revealed a playful tongue. Crouching low to his stone perch, he assumed a pouncing position, gossamer tail wagging behind his flank. A coaxed laugh from his prey was his signal, and so he leaped, colliding with the sizable bug pony's chest. A flurry of petals and loosened grass enshrouded them as they rolled three times over in the meadow's embrace, and together they landed in a heap, plagued with mutual fits of giggling.

"Now I've got you!" exclaimed Calor, standing over the fallen alpha with a crafty smirk. "Sorry Thorax, but now that you know my cuddlebug secrets, I can't let you return to the hive."

Staring up in rapt amusement, Thorax scoffed audibly. "'Secrets?' What secrets? The whole hive knows you give out hugs to anyling who strays within hoof's reach, you goofball. Though I can't say I'm not guilty of that too, from time to time."

A fly caught before a venus flytrap, Calor was assailed by two forelegs locking around his barrel and pulling him earthward. His cheek pressed against smooth chitin, and his giggling knew no end. A tighter squeeze met his attempts to wriggle free, and so he succumbed to his fate with a defeated flop.

"Okay then, I concede," said Calor, curling his hooves beneath the grass and around Thorax's form. He dragged out a sigh and closed his eyes, growing still. "Good idea, Thorax, that buckball game was tiring. It's definitely nap time."

"Hey, don't turn this into your victory!" Thorax laughed. "And don't get too comfortable yet, either. Tarsus is subjecting himself to your new game while waiting for us to get back."

"It's a fun game, he'll be fine," muttered the voice against Thorax's carapace. "Besides, you still haven't told me about that other thing you wanted to talk to me about."

Thorax cocked a brow. "Well, I was getting to that, before someling jumped on me."

Laying his head back against the soft grass blades, Thorax felt his mind grow hazy, opening to the suggestion of sleep. The familiar creeping warmth began to fill within and without, and he felt his breaths slow. The cerulean drone had a potent brand of love magic, one unlike anything he'd ever felt. It was the touch of a warm waterfall, the aura of a fireplace in the dead of winter. All things that could elicit a shiver of content.

"The changelings were invited to Canterlot later this week," the alpha said at last. Having lidded his eyes from the sun overhead, Thorax sank deeper into the first stage of sleep. "It's for some sort of grand opening, but I think the princesses will want an audience with us as well."

"Ooh, did you accept?"

"Well, I haven't replied yet, but-"

"Are you nervous?"

Thorax paused. "I was, still kinda am. I'm nervous about the rightful bias the ponies of that city have towards us. I've turned down past invitations to similar events because of it."

"What changed your mind?"

The meadow sighed with him, and Thorax drank in the cool breeze.

"Remembering that we changed," he murmured. "A friend reminded me of that the other day. I've spent so much energy worrying about how our past defined us. I forgot the best way to move past it is to show everycreature something new."

Uprooting himself from his comforts, Calor arched his back, seeking to remove his tethers. When Thorax let him go, the two turned over and stood, brushing themselves of the foliage clung to their shells.

"It should go without saying that I'd love to go," Calor lead, doing a series of rather impressive stretches in place. "I can help you when you're nervous, and I've never been to Canterlot. I was always a homebody patrol drone in the old days. Do you want any help finding changeling volunteers for this, too?"

"Oh no," Thorax said at once, beginning to move back in the direction of the hive. With a nod of his head, he signaled the spritely changeling to follow. "You're already doing me a favor by coming. I can't ask you for anything else. Take my advice and rest up this week before we go, alright? We'll probably be gone most of the day. I'm not exactly sure how long pony building openings last."

"Aye aye, Papa Thorax. I'll still ask some of my friends I'd they'd like to go," Calor broached, bouncing along the trail around and in front of Thorax. "I assume you'd prefer cuddlebugs to grumpbugs, right? In case the ponies are curious about shared love magic?"

"I'd like to avoid a bias if I can help it, but shared love magic will probably be a hot topic until we're a little more commonplace. For just this trip, we should prioritize cuddlebugs," Thorax replied, blinking in a fury before shifting his focus. "And, hold on, you're friends with basically the entire hive, Calor. What do you mean, 'your friends'?"

Gazing past his shoulder, Calor tilted his head and donned a sly grin.

"Oh, shucks, you're right. If everyling in the hive is my friend, then I guess I might as well track down and set up a full team for you, after all. Woe is me!"

Thorax opened his mouth to object, but a trail of dust was his only audience. A shrinking spot of blue now beelined for the hive's front entrance. Thorax furrowed his brow.

"Oh, you sneaky junebug," he hissed aloud. "Calor, what about relieving Tarsus, or taking things easy, for that matter? Stop trying to help and go take a nap or something, please!"

With a flare of his wings, Thorax took to the sky and darted along the hive's path. The meadow's flowers bent in the wake of his flight, threatening to snap off their stems entirely, before lazily resuming their gentle sway in the afternoon wind.

A sharp knock interrupted an otherwise peaceful lounge experience.

"Come in," Celestia sang.

"Unless you're a guard or a noble with a question, in which case, go away," Luna monotoned.

The parting doors gave Celestia just enough time to dart a glare before resuming her flawless smile. It, too, was short-lived, however. As Equestria's fourth princess stepped into the room, it filled with welcomed shock and awe.

"Hello, Princess Celestia! Hello, Princess Luna!"

"Oh, Twilight, what a wonderful surprise this is," Celestia cooed, rising from her seat at once and opening a wing for the young alicorn to fold under. "What in Equestria do we owe for this pleasure?"

"Indeed, usually it takes an escalated threat to the country for us to have face time," Luna quipped, having risen from her seat as well. Despite her fluent sarcasm, she too was smiling. "To clarify, there isn't an escalated threat to the country we are not aware of, is there?"

"Not this time," Twilight giggled, ending her embrace with her former mentor and summoning a scroll into existence. "Celestia and I were corresponding over letter last night, and I decided to pay a visit to continue discussions—um, of course, unless I'm interrupting something. I haven't gotten to see either of you in quite some time, plus this is an exciting time for Equestria. The changelings are on the cusp of obtaining social peace with the rest of the country."

Luna snorted. "Surely you jest, there is little to interrupt before the moon bathes in the cosmos, for me. You are, of course, welcome, Twilight Sparkle."

"And my afternoon has been lovely, for once," said Celestia, casting an eye out the heightened window. "The new museum has taken on much of the city's attention, granting me a rare, but much welcomed 'low tide' if you will."

"You two have been conversing regarding King Thorax and the changelings?" Luna pressed on, raising an inquisitive eyebrow to the pair of alicorns in sequence. "Anything of note or interest? Surely we have enough notes on the matter for several...thousand lifetimes."

Luna side-eyed the lounge bookcase. The largest tome available, centered on the top shelf read, 'Changelings and Changed Forms - Volumes I-IX' by Twilight Sparkle.

"I was merely regaling Twilight of the letter I sent Thorax," Celestia explained, returning to her cushion and encouraging her company to sit as well. "In turn, she enlightened me to a conversation they had regarding his worries of visiting Canterlot."

"I see," said Luna, slumping to her deep blue pillow bed and adopting a comfortable position. "Is he afraid that he and his changelings may be attacked? He should know no such thing would happen under our watch. He would, of course, have escorts to help guide them and keep an eye on them whilst in the city."

"His concerns seemed to be based on perception or bias, rather than physical danger," Twilight replied. "Thorax is very aware of the negative views many Canterlot ponies may have towards changelings, given the two invasions."

Luna curled her mouth. "Can't say it's flawed logic. Violence can be suppressed. Thoughts and feelings, less so."

"According to Twilight," Celestia put in, nodding to her former pupil, "at least some of his worries were appeased after their heart to heart."

Twilight blushed. "Well, I like to think I helped put him at ease, anyway. Thorax still struggles with low self-esteem, and I think he projects that, perhaps unintentionally, onto the changelings as a whole, sometimes. The fact that Canterlot has a valid reason to hate him and his kind discourages him from politically interacting at all. In hindsight, introducing changelings to the Crystal Empire was a simple matter. Most of the empire had been pro-changeling already, given the events with Thorax and Spike and Thorax's stay for several months thereafter. The empire has also never been sieged by changeling armies."

"Canterlot is a different beast," Luna summarized.

"Even so, I have a feeling that Thorax will accept this latest invitation, where others have failed," said Celestia.

"And you're so certain of this?" Luna probed.

"Call it an educated guess," Celestia replied with a wink. "If Twilight's words have helped Thorax rationalize even half of his troubled thoughts, I believe he will be joining us in Canterlot very soon. The Crystal Empire is not the only success Thorax has to build esteem from, after all. Isn't that right, Twilight?"

The sun monarch glanced a mystifying look, and to it, Twilight hung her mouth. She decided against the first thought to graze her mind. Questioning how Celestia knew things was like asking Pinkie Pie how she did anything.

"That's true, actually," Twilight said at last. "I haven't had occasion to mention it, but not long ago Discord dropped by Ponyville unexpectedly with a bunch of adult changelings. Long story short, the changelings I thought he had randomly selected were actually changeling parents. A lot of them showed interest in enrolling their own nymphs at the school, encouraged by Ocellus's success."

"I suppose every once in a while he's more useful out and about than he was as a lawn ornament," Luna deadpanned. Twilight giggled. Celestia cackled. "How did that turn out for your school then, Twilight?"

"Wonderfully, actually," Twilight said with pep. "We have four more changelings coming into our new school year, and there will undoubtedly be more the year after that. I'm very excited. Ocellus is very excited."

"To Discord's credit, it is rather ingenious," Celestia commented. "Twilight's school is a powerful social hub, one unlike anything Equestria has ever seen or had before. The children of ponies and other creatures from cities and settlements all over the continent now gather there. Those children will, under Twilight and her friend's marvelous teachings, learn of friendship among all creatures, including changelings."

"Those children will then return home to their families and friends and tell them of the friendships they've made with changeling nymphs," Luna added.

"A seed of friendship for future generations," Celestia finished with a contented sigh. "Thorax and his subjects need not visit every corner of Equestria in order to show the world that the changelings have changed for the better."

"Which leaves Canterlot," Luna breathed, standing from her spot and walking to the window. There she overlooked the stone roofs and spires of the city below, now bathed in the retreating sun's orange light. "I see the purpose behind the action, now. If Thorax is to obtain true social peace across Equestria, he must heal the greatest wound left by his predecessor."

A lump sat in each throat as the carnage of the former changeling queen revisited them.

"Twilight, let's assume for a moment that Thorax does accept my invitation for this week's end," Celestia began, turning to face the young alicorn directly. "Would you be available to make an appearance? I do not need you to be his escort for the entire visit, but your presence, as well as your newly-acquired knowledge of changelings, may prove helpful."

"Oh, of course!" Twilight raised a hoof. "I'd already planned on joining Thorax should he decide to visit. Having been born here, I think I could give a pretty good tour. Outside the museum, I thought a look around Canterlot would be a great way to help alleviate his anxiety."

"A good idea, Twilight," said Luna, turning from the window. "I concur with my sister. Your presence may be helpful for Thorax, given your friendship. If nothing else, being a guide for the city and being in attendance during our meeting with him would be invaluable."

"Of course, I'm only too happy to help, however I can."

"Wonderful, I will send you a letter as soon as I hear from Thorax, Twilight," Celestia concluded, casting a golden aura to retrieve a leatherback journal. Her attention guided a quill along a few lines of notes before coming to rest again in an inkwell. "If you could arrive in advance of his visit by a few hour margin, I believe that would be best."

"Later today, I'll assess my school schedule for this weekend," Twilight thought aloud. "There are several files to address and a faculty event to attend, but I'm sure it's nothing Starlight couldn't handle in my stead, given the importance of the situation."

"Sister, what sort of decor should we specify for the changeling's potential visit?" asked Luna, turning to the white alicorn with a perplexed brow. "They are so very many colors, now, taking a complementary approach would render the castle hideous."

"Hmm, I believe you are the expert authority on appropriate decor, are you not?" Celestia replied, not once raising her eyes from her notes but smiling something magical all the same. "If we cannot match color aesthetic, then perhaps something to suppress the anxiety of grandiose political meetings would suffice."

Two pairs of eyes turned to the moon princess when she gave an amused hum.

"Best go for lavender flowers with a calming blue tapestry, then," Luna purred, summoning a woven basket nearly the size of her. From the popped lid emerged large and magnificent rolls of smooth fabric, enough to render Rarity comatose where she stood. They streamed through the air, suspended in the princess's deep blue aura like a localized auroaborealis.

"Cerulean is the warmest shade of blue, wouldn't you agree, Twilight?"

The polished stone of Canterlot's streets branched out as great veins, connecting the city in a series of forked walkways. Extravagant shops framed the walkways, shops that built off each other as seemingly endless buildings. Crammed in-between were ponies, mostly aristocratic unicorns who colored the street with dazzling outfits, their snouts inclined and their nostrils flared.

For Thorax, it was a sight seen from a modest distance. The wide girth surrounding him was both maintained and obvious. He watched ponies pass by, met their fleeting, uncertain glances for but a moment before they averted away again. Hooves hurried from him upon growing too close for comfort and hushed whispers fell on his ears, folding them.

Thorax swallowed. His eyes shifted to his charge, still dutifully following him. Surrounded by foul faces though they were, the changelings' attention had long since been harnessed by Canterlot's splendors. The half-dozen drones trotted along with springs in their steps, the shining whites of their eyes darting from feature to feature. The elegance of the capital was a modern marvel compared to their homely hive, and it fueled their enthusiasm like gas on a fire.

Thrumming rang in his ears as a supper bell, and Thorax tried to enjoy the warming of his body.

"Everyling still doing alright?" he asked, lowering his head to the drones' height as he walked. "If any of you guys want to wait with those nice guard ponies we met by the gate while I look for Twilight, that's fine."

A few eyes were torn from the city's charm and soured.

"We're not nymphs, Papa Thorax, you don't need to dote on us," the purple drone, Xenica, replied. To punctuate her critique, an artisan pony wearing a particularly massive hat trotted by. As she turned to the drones, so too did the snake-like feather in her chapeau, and a bug pony from the party's rear leaped into his friend's hooves with a gasp. "We are capable adults who can look after ourselves."

"Do you not hear this, Thorax?" Her wings blurring against her ladybug carapace, Apidae's chirps drowned out those of her peers. She coaxed her king's attention with a smile. "Do you not feel it? I know you worry about us, but now is not a time you have to. We're enjoying the city, just like you wanted."

Hope sprouted in Thorax's face before wilting. Again he looked to the passing crowds. "I'm glad you guys are enjoying the sights. I just thought it might be better for us to find somewhere less...crowded, and enjoy the city from there. Somewhere quiet and safe, maybe, where I can find all of you once I fetch Twilight?"

The alpha tapped the tips of his hooves together. His sheepish grin drew naught but frowns, especially from a certain grape changeling.

"Is Princess Twilight not giving us a city tour? We shouldn't explore too much, or we'll leave her nothing to show us," said Xenica. "Besides, I don't think it's too crowded here. The ponies here are quite generous in giving us plenty of personal space."

"Xenny, I think they're avoiding us," hissed Apidae. She and her violet companion glanced at Thorax, who, before the crowd's judgemental eyes, looked a timid nymph without a parent's legs to hide behind. "That's what Thorax is upset about, I think. You know how allergic he is to confrontation."

"Oh," mumbled Xenica. "Sorry, the only other time I've been around non-crystal ponies was on a railbus, and they all behaved this way, too."

"We'll stay by your side, Thorax," Apidae encouraged, fluttering along the alpha's side and offering him a reassuring hoof. "No sense in splitting up only to come back together later. Besides, I don't think Princess Twilight would want us to run around looking for her, do you? Don't you think she'd want us to take everything in at our own pace? Let's just focus on enjoying ourselves right now."

Gently lifted from the muck of his anxiety, Thorax shot a gentle smile. With a hoof he patted the ladybug changeling atop her head and garnished a grin.

"As usual, you're right, Apidae," said Thorax. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't let myself get so flustered by our initial response. I knew what it was going to be. Change comes with time and we're here to help make that happen. How about this—the castle looks to be right around the corner, let's make our way there. I know you guys wanted to see the castle, right?"

A few yips and cheers accompanied his rhetoric, as did a few wings buzz to the air. Thorax breathed a sigh. With any luck he'd hold a reign on their attention for the entire visit, hive help him.

"Thorax, if you want to make the ponies more friendly let's just cuddle and show them that we're nice, now," broached Calor, trotting up from behind the deer-esque changeling and wrapping hooves about his flank. "Most of these ponies look like they could use hugs, themselves."

"Forever my optimist," Thorax chuckled, his teal aura plucking the changeling from his hindquarters. Calor's hooves touched stone again and he tripped in regaining his balance. "I don't think now's the best time for that, Calor. We'd just get in somepony's way. We should keep moving and get off of these streets. Twilight told me the castle grounds have tons of fresh grass and plants—huge, lush gardens, in fact. If nothing else, it should be easier for her to spot us there."

As the imposing castle drew nearer, the hustle and bustle filling the bug pony's senses grew dull. Immaculate stone paths ruled over by high society shoppers were left behind in favor of sprawling grass, perfectly edged hedges and rather impressive stone sculptures.

Thorax peered through his drones. Their excitement had dulled with the crowds, but not their sense of wonder. Adoring sighs and gasps soothed his ears, aimed at various plants, statues, fountains, and other decorative features of the Canterlot Gardens. Thorax blinked, and he lost them. Off they went in a variety of directions to more closely examine their finds.

"How much water is even in this statue's bucket?"

Thorax first turned and found Cimex, a lime changeling with amber eyes, crawling, like a spider along the underside of a cobblestone bucket held by a nameless, bipedal pony. Upon reaching the endless froth of water springing from the opening, his tongue extended eagerly.

"Look how happy these are!" chimed Apidae, a short way past the fountain. She fluttered around a narrow statue featuring young foals stacked upon each other in play. "I don't think I've seen any ponies this happy before. What do you think, Thorax?"

Planting his flank in a sea of wavy grass, Thorax sighed contently. His mindfulness cued him into the sounds of Calor and Xenica running around the sizable labyrinth just past the statue garden. Simultaneously, the remainder of his party indecisively flew about overhead, pointing out far-away statues not visible from the ground.

The alpha hummed to himself, taking in the rare tranquility. The soft rustling of leaves and grass harmonized with the shrill chirps of his drones, which seemed so muffled and far away in his lulled state. But even out of his sight and earshot, the changelings were never truly very far. A signal pulsed as heat in his chest, and it told Thorax all he needed to know. He could feel their glee, feel their adoration for the expansive greenery and stone in which they played.

A thought graced his mind and brought him pause. It was not a sad thought, yet it drew a tear. It was not a tangible thought, yet it brought him joy. It was the way the changelings explored the garden with a nymph-like enthusiasm, the way they so readily greeted this historical landmark with such fascination. It was a subtle scene, but entirely alien to the last time he had set hoof in this city, under such different circumstances.

Thorax sniffed away his sentimentalities. Somehow, someway, he knew they'd be okay. Be it through political commitments, social reassurances, or cuddling a few dozen drones before a crowd, they'd most certainly be okay.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'THERE ARE NO GUARDS ACCOMPANYING THEM'!? IS THIS A JOKE!? DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOAL!?"

The voice rippled like distant thunder, bringing every changeling equal alarm. With their large eyes and ears now at attention, all heads turned to the castle's southernmost structure, a spiraling tower, tucked behind the rest of the castle's bulk. The sudden silence only begged for a second outburst, and so not a changeling spoke.

Sure enough, the outrage continued, albeit far more contained to whatever chamber it came from.

"Do not waste both of our time with your excuses, lieutenant, just go and find them! Please!"

More silence. The changelings cast nervous glances to one another, and Thorax stood from his spot.

"I wonder who that was," murmured Xenica, eyeing the now still and silent tower. "Wouldn't want to be that lieutenant pony right about now, though."

"I don't know who was yelling, but I bet you it was about us," said Apidae, trotting ahead of the pack to get a closer look. Curious gazes encouraged her as she went, trotting right up to a sealed, golden gate separating the gardens from the castle's immediate courtyards. Lucious, creeping vines wound up and down the shimmering bars, camouflaging even the lock and handle from view. There, the ladybug changeling peered through the foliage, craning her neck to find the greatest vantage point.

"Well, what do you see, Dae?" probed Calor.

"The tower has a balcony and a door," she replied. "I think the balcony is open, but there's nopony on it right now."

"Just fly over, Apidae," Cimex chided, buzzing his wings and making for the top of the stone wall. But a firm 'no' caused him a quick retreat, as did the group's attention shift once again.

"Please stay here, guys," said Thorax, trotting up to the forgotten gate himself. "Whoever is up there sounds pretty agitated, and they certainly don't need half a dozen changelings peeking in on them."

"You're going then, Thorax?" affirmed Calor, cocking a brow. "Do you have any idea who that was?"

With barely a hum, Thorax ascended the wall and came to rest atop it. After examining the new area with a sweep of his head, he turned again to his gawking followers. He smiled, something almost conniving.

"Well, to my knowledge, there are only four ponies who can talk to guards like that. I like to think I know at least three of them pretty well, and that voice didn't belong to any of them. Narrows it down quite a bit, don't you think?"

The alpha hopped from his perch, and six pairs of expectant orbs now watched him through the gate's shroud of green foliage.

"For goodness sake, shall I don clown shoes too if I'm to run this circus any further, today?"

Casting off her frustrations with her words, Equestria's lunar princess trotted about the royal lounge, enveloping various objects in a deep blue aura and commanding them to follow her as she went. Fabrics, half-finished tapestries, sewing needles, pincushions, and the like all swirled in chaos above her head.

Luna sighed, and the levitated mass of items seemed to sag in the air and sigh with her. What a shamble this had become. Discord, the dog, himself would be proud of Celestia's handiwork today. Once again was dear sister out in the light of her sun, tending to the populace's needs with the new museum's final touches. And once again, she was here, left to wonder how in Equestria she was to get any of the castle's decor finished when the guard ponies could scarcely even do their job.

Now she had loose changelings to contend with. The thought tensed her, but not from fear of vampiric bug ponies praying upon the populace. Quite the opposite, in fact. Though admittedly adorable, King Thorax and his entourage came off as rather meek to her during the celebration dinner.

Luna huffed. The stuck-up aristocrats of Canterlot were hardly a brawling bunch, but give them enough incentive, and the vampony mobs of 937 B.B could very well rear their ugly heads once more. She refused to see the changelings chased from Canterlot on her watch.

The alicorn turned her head in a moment of thought, and her eyes narrowed. By the heavens, and where was Twilight Sparkle in all of this? Had she not been asked to appear in Canterlot before the king's arrival? Was she held up? If so, by what? What if that thing turned out to be some new problem to throw atop the already burning pile?

The lounge doors thundered open, and Luna trotted from the room, a cape of fabric trailing behind her.

"Somepony would do well to fetch me a cider," she told the walls.

Thorax groaned in a note of disappointment when the room's far doors closed promptly upon his inspection.

"...well, who is it, Thorax?"

The bug monarch daintily landed upon the half-moon balcony, ignoring the impatient calls of his spectators. He raised a hoof, only to retract it again. He grimaced. Snooping around the castle uninvited would surely garnish more harm than good, right? He was a guest, but as of yet, had not even met with his hosts.

All the same, that mane was unmistakable. Perhaps the moon princess knew where Twilight was, or, at the very least, could give them some guidance on which place might be best to wait for her.

Thorax took off from the balcony and returned to his pack. The aged gate had grown a series of multicolored hooves, gripping its bars as tight as the vines.

"Change of plans, everyling," Thorax announced through the bars. "I'm pretty sure that was Princess Luna. I just missed her, so let's head around the front of the castle and greet her there. She might know where Twilight is, plus it'll be good to let her know we're here."

The findings were a lit match to the drones' excitement. They pranced and stamped their hooves in a brief display before sieging the wall and clamoring around Thorax. The poor alpha quickly found himself being guided along the grass, two pairs of hooves pushing his flank from behind while two more beckoned him to move faster from in front.

Cimex put all of his no longer fanged teeth on display. "Or she'll give us a tour of the castle!" he squeaked. "Thorax, ask her to give us a tour of the royal pony castle!"

"Ooh, yeah, Thorax!" came the harmony of Calor and Xenica in reply. Like forest sprites, they buzzed around the alpha changeling's head while gripping their own heads, as if they might explode from such a suggestion.

"I don't want to impose on her if she's busy, guys," said Thorax, little more than a stiff, pastel gargoyle being pushed across the lawn. "I'm sure she has a lot going on. Please remember, there's a new attraction opening in the city today. I wouldn't be surprised if she has responsibilities relating to that. We have to be mindful that we're not her only priority."

As the moose changeling talked, eyes full of lackluster rolled in response. Hooves, just out of Thorax's view, repeatedly flicked their ends to mock his jabbering, and bug ponies struggled to contain their snickering.

"Your Majesty, I know you wished not to be disturbed, but the consultation line has grown upset, and-"

A sudden silence. Cyan irises snapped to attention, and the galaxy shifted with the moon princess's steps. Her mouth curled to a guard pegasus, now struggling against her river of flowing fabric. Around the walls, it slithered, endless shades of blue and indigo begging for her to call upon them.

But now an ugly white and gold palette stained her mosaic. Luna frowned.

Regurgitated from his silky fate, the guard pony hit the floor with a crash, his armor clanging off the walls.

"Look, 'Sure Point', was it?"

The guard pony looked up from shining black shoes. He pressed his cheek to the floor in what little he could accomplish from a nod. Luna sighed.

"The consultation line can make do with waiting a bit longer," Luna outlined with a tone of frost, turning again to the flowing tapestries. "I set aside three hours this morning to deal with the whims and wishes of the populace, already. Right now, I have greater concerns. The changeling convoy has already arrived in the city, and heaven knows where they're at, in partial thanks to your fool of a superior. To make matters worse, my sister is detained at the museum site, while Princess Twilight remains missing in action, herself."

Luna began to pace the room, her storm of thoughts escaping to open air.

"I will lead the search for the changelings myself if I have to, but I am on the brink of finishing the castle's decor in celebration of their visit," she explained, tapping an uncertain hoof to her chin as she continued to scan slight color variations. "I have but one tapestry left to select, the most important one of all, destined for the royal dining room's walls. I know this seems trivial, but the castle must be ready for tonight. Following their city tour with Princess Twilight and their museum visit with my sister, the changelings will be our guests of honor here at the castle, where we'll be hosting a private dinner for King Thorax and his company. Do you follow, Sure Point?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. But I-"

"I take solace in the fact that the changelings are within the city's walls and are thus out of any true danger," the lunar monarch continued, her verbalized thoughts treading dangerously close to her royal volume. "All the same, the very reason for their visit is linked to their continual work, snuffing out the stigma surrounding their species. Our city is perhaps the greatest concentration of that stigma. Warranted? Perhaps, but now, horrifically outdated."

"Your Highness, I actually came to report that-"

"That the aristocracy's impatience puts foals to shame, yes, I know," Luna drolled, at last selecting a brilliant Egyptian blue. With a life of its own, it soared from its sibling tapestries and flew about the princess in a series of concealing turns before coming to a standstill by her side. "Let them know that I have finished my tasks and that, once the changelings have been located, I may be able to entertain them a bit yet before tonight's dinner."

"That's just it, Your Highness," Sure Point babbled, getting to his hooves at last and brushing his mirrored armor of dust. "The consultation line is upset, but it isn't over the continued wait. In fact, they've proven to be rather patient, today, what with knowledge of the museum's opening."

"It's...what? Explain yourself. What has the line to grumble and fuss over, then?"

"It's the changelings, mam," Sure Point spilled out, at once erecting a hard look from the co-monarch. "Just appeared, they did, out of nowhere. King Thorax and half a dozen of his kin. They politely joined the line to see you by the front door, but things have begun to...turn ugly. N-no physical harm has come to them, of course. We would not allow it. But stopping words is a different matter. I had to inform you at once."

Her irises sharpening to an edge, Luna's teeth unearthed in a spark of anger. The aerial pond of tapestries fell in an instant, and by the time they touched the floor, the pair had left the room.

"Take me to them," the princess growled. A chill ran up her company's spine.

"Do you have no tact, changeling? Returning to a city so ravaged by your kind not once, but twice?"

Adrenaline raced through him, but Thorax had frozen. Standing before his charge, he faced each new battering with unflinching resolve. But as daggers continued to pierce that resolve, beads of sweat erupted from his brow. Every so often, his watchful eye searched behind him. The drones seemed just as unsure of the situation as him, rooted to their spots and moving only in their timid glances.

"I have a cousin, merely ten years old, he is," a platinum mare with vibrant teal hair spoke up, taking a step forward. She scoffed to the guard pegasus standing just before the changelings, returning his scowl before once again casting her flippant anger upon Thorax. "Care to wager on how many visits to the therapist it took for him to cope with the trauma brought upon him from being encased in slime? The nightmares of hissing changeling faces that he still swears to see from his closet once a moon?"

"You can't judge us based on what happened when Queen Chrysalis was in power!"

Thorax felt his heart leap. He turned, and he was not alone in doing so towards his group's meekest changeling: a light grey drone, barely an adult as of the past summer, named Clyepus.

"You have no idea what it was like," the drone challenged, braving a few steps past his peers and joining Thorax at his side. "There was never food, there was never warmth, there was never friendship. And if you complained or stepped out of line you were banished or worse!"

"Better traitors than monsters, why not revolt?" a stallion tossed from the crowd. "One lunatic dictator against hundreds of rebelling soldiers? Spare us, if you were so miserable, then why was she allowed to rule for so long? Part of you must have enjoyed preying upon ponies."

"Chrysalis's methods were all we knew before Thorax!"

Thorax felt his attention pulled yet again. The familiar azure shell too stepped forward, but it held a look, unlike anything Thorax had yet seen from him. A curled lip and narrowed stare were unnerving, coming from Calor.

"Thorax," the platinum mare from before spat. Again she attempted to advance, but the guard pegasi's wings flared in a warning. "And what have you to say on the matter, Thorax? Let your drones do your work for you, do you? Sounds awfully similar to the old queen if you ask me."

"Don't you dare compare Thorax to Chrysalis! He is nothing like her!"

The rest of his pack joined Calor in an instant before Thorax could scarcely hope to breathe. A wall of bodies they created, as if on instinct, in front of their king. Mirroring the pegasus before them, their gossamer wings flared from their shells, as did their heads lower to the stone path. A hushed silence befell the clearing for a long, tense moment. When the next words touched the air, even the guard pegasus had taken surprise in the changelings.

"...look at you, you act the same even now," the mare said insipidly, turning on her hoof and whisking her mane from her eyes. "All that's changed is your colors and your willingness to speak instead of hiss. The princesses may trust you, but there is no looking back, not for those of us who suffered the brunt of your invasions. Once an undesirable, always an undesirable."

"Choose your words carefully, aristocrat, or you risk falling to the likes of a mere hypocrite."

The world froze, and the resulting chill sapped heat from every temper until only a cold sweat remained. All eyes cast upon the castle's front door, and there found a scowl to chase all evils to the ends of Equestria. With rigid form and an unblinking expression, the lunar co-monarch stepped down the castle steps with god-given purpose.

"P-princess Luna, you're here," was all the mare was allowed before she was descended upon.

"Tell me what you see before you," Luna said flatly, cornering the mare in the middle of the square. "Do you see a princess? A leader who holds only the best interests of her subjects in her mind and her heart?"

Raising a nervous hoof, the platinum mare forced a hideous smile, wrought with growing unease. "Why, of course, Your Majesty, why would we ever expect anything less of-"

"How curious it is, then, that you neglect to remember a time when your princess sought to starve out the sun and rule over her subjects with an iron hoof," Luna cooed in flawless interruption, arresting the rest of the observing crowd with her gaze. "Neglect to recall that an undesirable such as she was chained to the moon for millennia for her lust of conquest, but was still bestowed the gift of a second chance, and ultimately grew into the princess you now see before you, because of it."

"I...I didn't mean to-"

"You meant every word," Luna rebutted, taking her time in locking eyes with the frantic mare. "Now, are your feelings completely unfounded? Do I not feel for those of us who suffered greatly from the changeling attacks under the former queen? Don't be foolish. Even today, I draw guilt for not being within the city on that day, for not being able to help protect ponies like yourself, like your cousin, like my own sister, from harm."

The crowd fidgeted, a field of dried grass ready to snap and bend. Luna's look did not soften.

"But dare you to stand again before a creature trying so hard to change and throw dirt in their eyes, know that we will have fiercer words. The changelings venture far from their home today with nothing but earnest to forge a bond with ponies that the former queen was too selfish even to attempt. Until you have a new reason to doubt them, you would do well to respect them."

When again, her attention visited each face, retreating hoofsteps began to assault the street. In a matter of moments, the palace's modest, empty courtyard sat before the princess, while marveled eyes praised her from behind.

"...sorry about that, King Thorax," Luna said, at last, turning to offer a tone and smile far warmer than what had just transpired. With an outstretched hoof, she walked forward, and two monarchs met, personally, for the very first time. "I must apologize on our lieutenant's behalf as well, seeing as he's probably still out there, searching for you. It pains me to think that if we'd simply escorted you, as intended, none of this would have happened."

With a heavy sigh, Thorax closed his eyes, and a newfound wave of pleasant tingling filled him from hoof to horn. He needn't even turn to know that his changelings' attitudes had rebounded, too, no worse for wear. Reflecting Luna's smile, he met her hoof and gave a nonchalant shake of his head.

"You know, for better or worse, I was sorta expecting something like this to happen from the getgo," he admitted with a weak chuckle. "I'm just thankful you came along when you did. Lingering prejudices aside, we were looking for you."

The princess shot up her brows. "You were looking for me? Whatever for?"

"We kinda heard you from the castle's statue garden a little bit ago," Thorax explained, nodding in the relevant direction. "We wound up there because we were looking for a nice, relaxing place to wait for Twilight. We also thought you might know where she is."

"At least we accomplished the first part, right?" Apidae interjected, giving a courteous bow to the blue alicorn upon her notice. "We haven't found Princess Twilight yet, but we've never even seen statuses like those from your gardens, Your Majesty!"

"I love the ones that shoot water!" Cimex added, taking to the air for the first time since they'd left the grassy grounds. "I bet you could solve Equestria's water shortages with magic statues like that one!"

Luna laughed—a hearty, genuine laugh to dispel the last of her rigid composure.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that, colorful one, but I am glad that you all found your way to the palace," she expressed. With a flick of her eyes, she commanded her guards to return inside, and so the door now held open for the eight of them. "And I wish I could be more help, but if you cannot locate Twilight, that makes two of us. Let's head inside for now, shall we? Dear sister's sun is particularly oppressive today. You didn't hear this from me, but I believe it's to encourage traffic for the new, fully air-conditioned museum."

The castle doors closed as an embrace on the changelings, an embrace of cool air, and the trailing aroma of freshly baked bread. Like mice enticed to the tune of a piper, the bug ponies followed their lunar host through halls decorated with vibrant banners and stained glass that scaled the walls. Colorful eyes, serving noses, peered into passing chambers and side corridors for the beckoning smell of grain. Indiscernible whispers from behind drew her attention, and with it a giggle, and so Luna turned to Thorax.

"Midday is luncheon for the castle's staff," she explained. "I'd love to compliment a changeling's sense of smell, but if I'm honest, the cooks draw even me from my lofty chambers come this time of day."

"Oh, that's alright. I don't need a good sense of smell to tell it smells great," Thorax expressed, his magenta eyes lighting up. "We don't tend to eat, nor have bread available that often, but I've had it before while staying in the Crystal Empire."

The bug monarch cast attention to his dotelings. "Though, I don't think any of these guys can say the same thing."

"Thorax, what is that?" came Cimex, rising to his hind legs to better sniff the air. He fell back to all fours as a greyhound, turning his snout's analysis to the ground. A few changelings egged him on with pumps of their hooves, commending his quest for the elusive treat.

"You all can eat physical food?" Luna inquired, stopping in pace for a moment and turning. "Is love not all that sustains you, now?"

"It's complicated," Thorax sighed, watching his sizable grey puppy travel ever farther from the group. With a flare of magic, he wagged the dog's tail, seizing both his attention and his gaze. A stern look returned the drone to his normal form, and he championed a sheepish look before returning to the group with a few frantic trots. "We can eat physical food, and we gain some energy from it, but it's never been able to sustain us, not before or since we transformed."

"Ah, a recreational usage, then," Luna commented. "For ceremonies and the like, I presume?"

"Uhuh," said Thorax. "We have weekly pot lunches and some other food events, sometimes. Everyling loves the chance to eat physical meals for the taste. The social part is way more important, though."

Luna chuckled. She gave the small crowd of drones her attention. "Not so different from ponies in the least. Should any of you care to sample the kitchen staff's work, please feel free to. They are gracious enough to allow my sister and me to partake while on our strolls by the kitchen. I can't imagine they would take umbrage with honored guests doing the same."

Any chance for modest refusal on his drone's part was squandered, as Thorax looked about to see colorful tails leaping from his side in an instant, vanishing around a hallway corner. The alpha changeling winced, and Luna laughed, to the resulting screech of surprise from some poor kitchen staff worker.

"Oh gosh," Thorax breathed, his hoof retreating to the back of his head. With every faint cry and crash from the other room, his wince grew more rigid. "Uh, I guess now might be a good time to say I appreciate you entertaining us, princess. I'd hoped most of our energy would be spent on a city tour by now, but we're all still a bit antsy. You're sure we're not interrupting anything?"

Luna watched him closely. His body language, his smile as fragile as a dying candle flame. She smiled back, and he fidgeted. She sought his eye, and he socialized with the floor tiles, instead.

The princess fought her snicker valiantly. Twilight's assessments were spot on, as usual. The poor moosebug's self-esteem was adorably lacking.

"Walk with me?"

Thorax blinked. "Walk with you?"

"Mhmm," Luna chimed, nodding her head in an invitation to the hall laid before them. "You're most certainly not interrupting anything. Quite the contrary. I've something I wish to show you before Twilight and my sister inevitably steal your attention away for the day."

Again Thorax blinked, an idle reflex of his buffering thoughts. Braving his anxieties, he trotted before the kitchen's open doorway and chanced a look inside. His fabricated fears of destruction were laid to rest before the sight of an immaculate kitchen/dining room. Long oak tables set with brilliant china and silverware were seated with a dozen or so ponies, generously partaking in what was assumedly a hearty meal of their own creation. Just past the ponies, his flock of colorful bugs had organized themselves into an efficient lunchroom line along with a buffet table. One by one, they left with modest helpings of bread, lettuces, and fruits.

"Thorax, come see!" called Calor, far louder than Thorax's comfort was willing to tolerate. His onset grimace quickly became a frantic grin for the dozen eyes latching onto him.

"They have bread with butter, garlic, and herbs," Calor trailed on, practically salivating as he held his precious tray of grains aloft. "When we get back home, I'm definitely going to start a Friends Baking Committee! I don't think I can live without this bread! Come try some!"

"That's okay, Calor. I'm not very hungry, right now," Thorax countered, raising a hoof to garnish further attention, albeit seeking only his drones'. "Guys, do me a favor and stay here for a few minutes while you have something to eat, okay? Princess Luna needs my help with something. We'll be right back. No running off, and no bothering anypony. We're guests here, and we need to behave ourselves."

Nods of changelings, only half paying attention, rounded the table and buffet line, and loaves of bread and lettuces were consumed with gusto. With a defeated shake of his head, Thorax gave the observing princess his best face. His cheeks reddened to her most zestful giggle yet, and together they meandered past the doorway and towards the silent halls, beyond.

"You have such attentiveness towards them," Luna said softly. "Never did I doubt Twilight Sparkle's notes, but there is a sense of wonder to be felt, experiencing the things she described, myself. You really are like their surrogate parent now, aren't you?"

Thorax had become one with the hall's many artworks. The princess's words tugged at him, reeling him in from the stained glass windows, which bathed the passage in colored light.

"I'm a guardian, a protector, a leader," Thorax rattled off, deflating a sigh in the same breath. "I suppose a parent is the closest comparison, though there are differences. Sometimes I'm just a good friend, and that's all I have to be. I want them to develop friendships for themselves, just as I did, and to discover themselves. Anything I can do to encourage that is what I'm here for."

Luna beamed, not to the monarch, but in a faraway stare that transcended the room.

"To hear such aspirations from a changeling...my goodness, the marvelous times we live in. Forgive my late input on the subject, but it's such a lovely thing to see. Quite the contrast to what we've come to expect from the she-demon."

Thorax snorted, a slip that streaked redness across his cheeks.

"The she-demon?" he repeated in a rasp.

"I don't deign to refer to her by her former, self-proclaimed title," Luna remarked, offering a wink. "Celestia says it's foalish passive aggression, but I say a snake such as Chrysalis doesn't deserve the recognition."

Thorax fell into the folds of thought once more, lowering his head as he walked. His hooves pressed into a soft, midnight blue rug, and he traced its patterning with his eyes as he crossed it.

"Would you believe that some changelings missed the way things were with her, at first?"

He noted the sharp turn of Luna's head in his peripheral.

"Not a lot, mind you," he went on, calming himself in observing a flurry of birds soar by the windows. "Almost everyling was ready to try something new, to not always feel starved and desperate, trapped under her hoof. But some resisted change, all the same, some who denounced the idea of sharing rather than taking. Some of them missed her assuredness after seeing how meek I was."

"Hmm, we have a term for such things here in Equestria," Luna replied at last. Her tone was stern, but a smirk awaited the changeling. "'Stockhoof Syndrome', I believe. Irrational feelings of an alliance with a captor, abuser. Can't imagine how else the witch might obtain affection."

She drew a laugh, and that was all she needed.

"In more pleasant news, however, we've arrived," Luna continued, guiding the changeling to her side with a motion of her head. Thorax watched her, expecting more, but only patient curiosity awaited him.

And so Thorax looked around and audibly gasped. The narrow, decorated hallway had given way to a commanding chamber, lined with bouquets of vivid purple flowers and deep blue tapestries. Lean pillars of light beset the tile floor in sequences of stripes, cast there by the tallest windows the changeling had ever seen.

Above all else was a smell, a light tickle in Thorax's nose. It soothed yet enticed. With each breath, his grin grew decidedly larger, as did more teeth go on display.

"This flower is known as 'lavender'," said Luna, summoning a bouquet from its home on the wall. It held itself aloft in her deep marine aura, bobbing in the air between the two of them. "It is among the most calming of scents, as well as a lovely shade of purple. Do you recognize it?"

The invitation too good to resist, Thorax ventured a more direct sniff. With a shiver in both body and tone, he expressed his approval.

"No, I've never seen or smelled anything like it!" he expressed. "Do you always decorate the castle with it like this?"

"On occasion," Luna replied, returning the delicate plant to its holster. "But today, I did this in light of your visit. You see, through Twilight's notes, I learned of the role rest plays in your magic, now. As a caretaker of the night, restful sleep is my specialty. I wasn't sure if you had heard of lavender before, so I decided to show you and find out."

Before Thorax could respond, another object was offered to him, floating in the alicorn's aura. A modest purple pouch with a silver pull string prompted the changeling to raise a receiving hoof. Specks of dirt clung to the sack's soft fabric—she had stored it in the same pitcher the bouquet came from.

"Lavender's scent is said to promote restorative sleep, and some say it even brings about pleasant dreams," Luna continued. "There are enough seeds in that pouch to grow several flower beds. I thought you might plant them near where you all rest. If nothing else, I'm sure it will bring your home a bit more personality."

"Oh my gosh, that's...so nice of you," Thorax whimpered, teetering on the edge of waterworks. "But are you sure? Do you have enough? I wouldn't want to take all you have."

"I have more of the plant than I could ever need," Luna dismissed with a wave of her hoof. "For a previous birthday I was gifted a greenhouse near the southern edge of the castle gardens, a joint gift from my sister and the castle's groundskeeper. In it, I grow a plethora of lavender, as well as some other personal favorites."

Nodding, Thorax lifted the pouch to the lowest spike on his antler, where it was left for further carrying.

"I didn't know you were a gardener," he said, just before suffering a stammer. "W-well, I guess I technically don't know anything about you, asides from your role in Equestria."

Luna giggled, reeling the timid changeling even further.

"I suppose it's surreal to see princesses engaging in simple things, no matter where you come from," she mused. "Raising the moon and defending dreams is a steep obligation, true, but I manage a few hobbies all the same."

Laughs traveled the air, faint and coming from where the pair came. Their hooves followed the frivolity, and soon the stained glass depictions of pony triumphs and coronations lined up for Thorax once again.

"As for the gardening, I appreciate the compliment, but I merely dabble in the art," Luna said. "Compared to our groundskeeper, I'm just a novice. Though, I am thankful that the one flower I do care for may be of use to you."

"Oh, I can't wait to show everyling," Thorax chirped, caught up in the shades of bent light. "I already know they'll be loved right away. The hive has sprouted with plant life, but we don't have many scented flowers—mostly a lot of vines and shrubbery. I'd love to see if I can use this to help calm little changelings down for cluster naps. I bet our feelings forum coordinator would love some, too."

They passed a glass depiction of Discord, frozen in stone before the might of the elements. Thorax let out a chuckle, recognizing more than one face among the group of ponies vanquishing him.

"If I may tilt the topic, how do these 'cluster naps' usually work?" Luna asked. "In regards to you, I mean. Twilight's notes mentioned how large these periods of sleep can grow and how your magic, as the alpha, distributes among your subjects, but I'm left wondering how you manage to organize such gatherings."

"Organize them?" Thorax repeated.

"You saw the line of ponies outside the castle doors today, yes?" Luna said with rhetoric, rolling her exhausted eyes for effect. "Three days of the week, they line up to seek our counsel on personal matters of property distribution, financial deals, so on and so forth. We do our best to aid them on a first-come-first-serve basis, hence the line and designated times. It would appear to me that 'cluster naps' might call for a similar approach. How do you handle whose turn it is to rest next to you, and whose turn it is to rest further away?"

Thorax's teeth glinted. "Well, I guess you could say there's a process. It depends on the group's size, but there is some overlap. Honestly, it'd be easier to show you than explain it. Would you like to see?"

Luna laughed. "Is my heart ready to witness such purity and love, up close? Well, suffice to say I'm ready to find out."

From atop a mound of compiled decorations, manifested paraphernalia featuring his own face and a slew of benches, rocks, and walkways stacked haphazardly from the school's nearby courtyard, Discord sat upon a golden throne, crossing his scaled foot over his goat leg. With every wiggle of his clawed toes, he could practically see another puff of smoke escape the headmare's flared nostrils.

"What in Equestria is this, Discord?"

Discord's eel-like neck swam to attention.

"Did somecreature hear something? I most certainly did. It almost sounded like...disapproval." The spirit's beady eyes lazily drifted down the mountain of table linens and forgotten 'Faculty Appreciation Day' banners. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is an appreciation event, Headmare Twilight. I'm here to be appreciated. If thou has an issue with the Lord of Vice Headmares, I'm afraid you'll have to come back another day and go through the proper channels."

A series of desks materialized to Twilight's left. She turned, and five rows of Discords in proper suit and tie shuffled papers in perfect sequence.

"Substitute Vice Headmare, if we're going to get stingy about titles," the alicorn grumbled.

"Don't pay him no mind, Twilight," came Applejack, defusing the alicorn's sigh. Amid playing cards with Rainbow Dash at a so-far unclaimed picnic table, the farmer pony leaned sideways on one hoof and shot Twilight a knowing look. "You haven' been here for most of his braggin', lately, but he's still tickled pink bout' how he set up all those new changeling students, unassisted. Best leave him to it. He'll put everythin' back once he's done struttin' his ribbons. Ya know, hopefully."

"Besides, I've already tried doing something about it," said Starlight, attentively offering beverages to seated staff and teachers. "It's not worth the headache. And anyway, shouldn't you be in Canterlot by now? Today is Thorax's big day over there, isn't it?"

"I can't in good conscience leave with things looking like this," Twilight pleaded, jabbing a hoof at a student-crafted statue for emphasis. Once a centerpiece to the courtyard, it now served as a cornerstone for Discord's pile of anarchy, pressed into the grass like an aged ruin.

"Well, now you're just insulting modern art," Discord muttered, filing his eagle claw with a potato.

"Discord, just because Fluttershy is on a wildlife safari in Zebrambwe does not mean you get free reign of the school," Twilight spelled out, her tone saturated with an apparent vexation. "Yes, you are a valued member of our staff. Yes, we appreciate your input, services, and enthusiasm. And yes, we're very sorry if we ever shunned or ignored you in the past."

From somewhere amidst time and space, Starlight mumbled something about ripping off still-fresh band-aids.

"But this?" Another mulberry hoof dramatically motioned to the mountain of items. "This is too much, Discord. Can you please turn things back so that everyone can enjoy the faculty event?"

The potato sprouted wings and flew away, and Discord relished the handiwork done on his nails.

"Can I?" he repeated. "Why, of course. Shall I? Well, now, that's another question entirely, Twilight. You of all ponies should know the importance of proper phrasing."

Twilight's brow twitched dangerously.

"Come now, my dear, my allegiance is to chaos, to fun," Discord guffawed, flopping about in his throne like a beached fish and drawing snickers from the attendees.

"It's not always about what you want, Discord," Twilight countered, hooves leaving the ground with the soft flapping of her wings. "You've long since learned that. You know what you ought to do, here. If you're not being inclusive, then you're being selfish."

"Celestia's student to the bitter end," Discord droned, standing atop the crown of his chair. He challenged the alicorn with an aged brow, tightening the belt holding together his form-fitting white robes. "Only a spoilsport deals in absolutes. If my one, isolated chance at frivolity this evening as a recognized faculty member is under scrutiny, then I shall do what I must to defend it."

Twilight's aura glowed, and a scroll soared into being in an arc around her head. The scroll rotated with a twirl and revealed the butterfly cutie mark of its addressed recipient. Discord froze. Twilight smirked.

"You will try."

"Wait, we're cuddling now?"

Calor's jaw unhinged in a display of betrayal as Xenica rubbed up and under Thorax's chin. Steadily thrumming all the while, she nestled herself among the alpha's hooves like they were curled pillows.

"Sorry, Calor, she was swift," Thorax chuckled, clenching an eyelid as the violet changeling's tail waved by. "The left side is still open for you, though."

Little more than a defeated blue raspberry, Calor raised a distraught hoof.

"But...there's no hooves there to hold me."

Calor gasped. Two hooves wrapped around his neck from behind and held him hostage. His grin escaped in the same moment as a familiar love enwrapped him just as tight.

"I'll hold you, Calor," Apidae chirped. "And don't worry, you can be by Thorax. I'll be closer to the fire, that way."

With the zest of lunch behind them, and the castle's staff long since retreated to the far corners of the castle, the small group of changelings huddled around the dining room's fireplace, a sole item against the eastern wall. The overhead lights had gone out, leaving the fire's consumption of wooden logs to illuminate the window-less room.

Luna breathed deeply, loafing herself a few feet away from the pile of bug ponies. In the embrace of the flame's light, her ethereal mane sparkled, its contents revealed like a flashlight piercing murky water. She watched Calor and Apidae roll over each other in a moment of bliss, their giggles harmonizing with the crackling fire. When Calor came to a jolted stop against chitin, an eyebrow drew to him.

"Can't go anywhere with you guys," Thorax mused, unrooting a hoof to assail Calor with a series of head pats properly. The blue drone thrummed incessantly.

"I've ventured sweet, candy-filled dreams of foals that are less adorable than this," said Luna, a giggle lacing her tone. "As soon as you mentioned resting, I knew just the atmosphere to set up. No other place in the castle boasts as much tranquility as the fireplace does. As somepony who is largely nocturnal, excluding important dates like today, it has brought me comfort on more moons than I can count."

Thorax looked at the princess more closely. Her visage in the dim glow was eerie, spectral, but nothing about her aura could scare him. He watched and waited, allowing the view of embraced changelings to sink in.

"Care to hazard a guess, yet?"

Luna broke the surface of her thoughts. "Pardon?"

"How we decide who's turn it is to nap next to me," Thorax clarified. A half-dozen pastel orbs flicked to him. "I guess it's not so easy to tell right now because there's enough of me to go around. Didn't think about that. Anyway, a lot of it has to do with relationships and how strong they are between myself and the changelings I'm resting with."

"Oh," Luna verbalized, shifting in position to face her company better. Her gaze flowed from one pair of colored spotlights to the next. "You mean to say that those changelings you have close relations with take priority? That this somehow affects the distribution of love magic?"

"Thorax constantly gives off love energy," Apidae pitched in, offering a shiver to the touch of the fire's heat. "It affects all changelings nearby, regardless of his relationships with them. Of course, he benefits from being close to changelings, on top of that. This is different from the rest of us because we can only give love energy to one or two other changelings at a time, and it's only effective when they're nearby and our relationships are strong. Sometimes a strong feeling of empathy towards them works, too."

"So I see," said Luna, marking her continued following. "And what of cluster naps? How does their size fit into all this?"

"When changelings share love through cluster naps, we create a kind of circuit," Apidae lead on, pressing a cheek against Calor's and prompting his carapace to buzz. "One changeling shares love with two neighbors, they share with four more, and so on. If any of those changelings are good friends or mates, the magic is amplified."

"Add Thorax's love signal to the mix, and it's quite powerful," Xenica chipped in, contently laid under her monarch's hooves. "The more changelings in the chain who have strong personal connections, the more everyling in the chain benefits as a whole. That applies to Thorax, too."

"So love energy is amplified by relationships as it's distributed," Luna summarized, a smile dawning to her realization. "So by resting with changelings that he knows well, Thorax can better serve the group as a whole."

"Sort of indirect favoritism, I admit," Thorax chuckled.

"Oh, I don't think so," Luna rebutted. "Such changelings have surely earned their place by growing close to you as a friend. It's...a shockingly fair and effective form of magic. I'm beginning to understand how Twilight managed to write multiple volumes on the subject."

Voices fell, silenced by the subtle glow and monotonous fire. The occasional carapace buzzed with emoting wings as bug ponies curled and pressed into Thorax with deeper commitment. The more he found himself squished by bugs, the wider the monarch's etched grin grew.

"Speaking of Twilight, I feel it necessary to apologize."

Thorax blinked. In that short frame of time, Cimex wrapped around his neck as a reverse necktie. "Apologize? For what?"

"I believe at this point your city tour may need to be postponed to a future date," Luna remarked. "With Twilight still absent, you're without a guide. I'd take you, myself, but more pressingly, we're approaching the museum's opening. Knowing my luck, Celestia will appear to whisk you all away before we've even visited my favorite snack cart on the corner."

"Oh, okay," Thorax said on reflex. He blinked again, leaving his eyes lidded longer, this time. Surprise, amusement, sorrow. An array of emotions came to him, though they were not his own. They were fragile, fleeting glimpses of thought that quickly faded away again. His body warmed to them, and he curiously looked around to spot them.

But not a single face reflected them. A more powerful force had masked them, triumphed over them. It was an unwavering sense of contentment, and it bloomed forth from every changeling. In the firelight's shroud, their focus had depth. In Thorax's embrace, they had grown calm. In attendance of the moon princess, they had the patience to spare.

Thorax breathed, and the bodies all around him readjusted quietly. For once in his life, his anxieties, in their entirety, had been silenced.

"Maybe we won't have time to go on a tour of the whole city today," said Thorax, bringing closure to the subject. "But a city tour was Twilight's idea in the first place, so if she's not here, I don't think it'd feel right having one, anyway. We can always come back and have one some other time."

The same pokes and prods of repositioning bugs got his attention, and the modest sack of seeds hugging his antler swayed in the motion of Thorax's head.

"I also think we're all just really enjoying this, right now. We don't usually get to enjoy firelight at the hive, and I certainly never have during the day."

"Fire means half-hour evacuation procedures lead by Pharynx," Xenica mumbled from beneath her green body pillows. "Standing in long rows, waiting for him to call your name. Except all his calls are yells, and you have a headache by the end. This is better."

"I think learning more about you would be just as interesting as a city tour, Your Majesty," Apidae added, watching the alicorn from over Calor's form.

"Me?" Luna squawked. "Oh, no, what's to tell? Should I not be asking the questions? This visit is all about yourselves."

Luna floundered before the changelings, unable to dampen their self-fueled excitement. Thorax cast her a sheepish look as his charge drowned her in questions, each one more expansive than the last.

"How does your mane do that wavy thing? Is it enchanted? Do you have energetic shampoo?"

"Is your cutie mark just the moon and the black part is a coincidental beauty mark, or is the whole thing your cutie mark?"

"What does a moon princess do? Do you know why the moon looked weird for a long time? I noticed that when I was a scout changeling. Was that some kind of pony holiday? It looked like a unicorn, so I know it has to do with ponies."

"Did you really try to starve out the sun? Were you evil once, princess?"

Cast too deep and now beyond retrieval, the questions came to a ceasefire. All heads pivoted to a tangerine changeling, the last of Thorax's flock, peeking out from behind the alpha's flank.

"Labrum, you can't just ask the princess pony if she was evil," said Xenica, matter-of-factly. "You have to let her possible evil backstory come up naturally in conversation-"

"Xenny!" Thorax hissed, knocking changelings from their comfort in a sudden jerk of motion. "Really, guys, not every nation has leaders as casual as I am. You need to be more polite!"

"Do not worry, Thorax. I do not mind. It is a loaded question, but not one I'm uncomfortable delving into," Luna hummed, crossing her hooves and looking skyward. Her chin glowed with a hellish light. "You've told me of your legacy. Allow me to now tell you a bit of mine. You must understand that my time as a princess, though now pleasant, is marked by suffering. Suffering in the form of jealousy, remorse, and nightmares."

"Your Majesty! Oh, what timing. Your Highness, over here!"

A lone pegasus circled the sky overhead. Though he tried, his calls could not reach the sun monarch's ears. Hers had long been filled by ceaseless queries, a roar of voices as loud as any manticore.

Perfectly centered in a mob of rabid reporters, Celestia stood calm before a storm of noise and lights. The paparazzi pushed and shoved, clamoring to gain even an inch, while their microphones held aloft in unique spectrums of colored magic.

"Your Highness," came a voice broken amidst the crowd. "Is it true the new city museum will feature potentially controversial exhibits concerning the changeling horde and other defeated threats?"

"Princess, was the recent relapse of magic in Equestria truly the doing of a foal? Will this be confirmed by museum exhibits? Just how up-to-date will the museum's exhibits be?"

"Princess, is it true you've invited a group of changelings to attend the museum opening today?"

Frantic murmurs spread like wildfire. With the air now cleared, Celestia stepped forward, clearing her throat and pressing a hoof to it.

"I am pleased to announce that the museum will be opening very shortly," Celestia declared, her voice a contained boom within the city square. "I have just finished a personal tour with the museum's curator, Mild Menagerie, who remains inside, seeing to final preparations before the doors open this afternoon."

Looks of minor panic at the prospect of vampiric bug ponies lurking within city walls still dotted the masses, but as the alicorn spoke, the crowd's attention was seized. All voices fell before hers, while microphones and cameras hung upon every word.

"I can confirm that our grand opening today will play host to honored guests, guests who I have personally invited," she went on. "But I am afraid I am not available for further comment; I have duties elsewhere. For those who plan to stay in line, I look forward to opening this chapter in Canterlot's grand history with you all very soon. All your questions and more will be revealed soon enough. That, I promise you."

As if waiting on the precipice of her final word, queries assaulted the princess yet again but were in vain. The alicorn's milky wings spread, and she took off from the street below, leaving a sea of flashing lights in her wake.

Now an audience to the princess all on his own, the male pegasus cleared his throat to her approach. She nodded to him in greeting.

"My apologies," she began, offering an almost solemn look. "Preparations have been a bit of a nightmare this morning, but we're finally finished. I do hope you haven't been waiting too long for my attention."

"Your Highness," came the male pegasus, clearly haggard and short of breath. Every word and movement labored, but still, he managed to salute midair for the esteemed sun monarch. "Not at all. I spotted you exiting the museum by chance on my way by. Princess Luna has dispatched me to locate the visiting changeling party, and I hoped they might have congregated at the museum with you."

Celestia's face grew hard. "I'm afraid they did not. Was Thorax not greeted and escorted from the city gates?"

"No ma'am," the stallion said weakly. "I regret to say that I relayed unclear orders to my squads this morning. They were under the impression that Princess Twilight would be meeting with and escorting the changeling envoy, not our squads. They greeted Thorax at the gate but did not escort him. We've since lost track of him."

A sigh as sharp as a spear's tip ruptured the guard pony's heart. Luna's wrath was nothing compared to Celestia's unspoken disappointment.

"Has anypony been in contact with Twilight?" the alicorn followed up. "You're certain they're not simply off on tour within the city?"

"I suppose they could be, Your Majesty...but Princess Twilight is also presumably missing. None have seen her today, and she did not check in with any of our units as she typically does."

Celestia pressed a golden hoof against her temple. Beads of sweat slid between the stallion's cheek and inner helmet.

"Start from the beginning, lieutenant," Celestia ordered, lowering her hoof. Her motherly tones had gone, as had the patience in her eyes. "How exactly did this impressive feat of miscommunication get started?"

The room shivered in her presence, a vortex of spite and malice that soured every changeling's tongue. She barred her fangs, framed by cat eyes as sharp as needles and an imposing, war-ready helmet. She spoke, and a touch of frostbite caressed every shell in the room, drawing attention like cold draws warmth.

"What have we here?" the alicorn cooed, batting her eyes. With an insult behind her every eye movement, she sized up the thin, gaunt creature before her. "Just who, namely what might you be?"

An unpleasant respite followed, ended by a sharp, escalating series of laughs. Irises just as dark as the alicorn's stared back, ones of cunning and pride.

"Someone without an invitation to the local costume fair, apparently," came the retort. "You readying for a grand war against kitchen confections, or did you dress up just for little old me?"

Her grin decomposing, the dark alicorn ignited her horn. Rigid black with a deep blue aura, it pierced the air with a commanding presence, illuminating the sneer still assaulting her from across the room.

"Very well, we'll skip the pleasantries. I am Equestria's ruler, changeling, I know what you are," the alicorn hissed. Crackling in a storm of prickled energy, she motioned her head towards the intruder, a threatening stance with even grimmer intent. "You should know that vermin are not allowed in my kingdom. Take your hordes and leave, or I shall dismantle you all where you stand."

From yards away, a half-dozen bug ponies watched the thrilling altercation as it unfolded, transfixed. Huddled together as one mass of large, expressive eyes, their attention was as a leaf caught on the breeze, flowing from one speaker to the other. In the room's pitch-black portion was the dark alicorn of pony legend, Nightmare Moon, accentuating the darkness with her horrid light. On the room's other end, the changeling tyrant, Chrysalis, her lithe, charcoal frame equally illuminated by the fireplace's eerie glow.

"Oh, my, pretty and pompous," Chrysalis jeered, sparking her own horn to life. The sickly green appeared a rich olive in the embrace of the fire. "All you princess types are the same, regardless of your allegiances. And here I thought I might come to offer an alliance of sorts, one driven queen to another."

Nightmare Moon scoffed. A particularly bold zap of her magic grazed along the stone floor, singeing it. "'An alliance'? How foalish do you take me to be, witch? You are parasites, abominations of nature. Any relationship with your kind is a detrimental one. Besides, as a queen, I do not need anyone's assistance. I will bring glory to the eternal night, and rule Equestria, myself, and I will do so without your kind in it."

It was Chrysalis's turn to scoff. "Oh well, have it your way. The fewer rulers there are to overthrow, the sooner the kingdom will be mine," she sang, the laughs between her words charged with insanity. The olive hue of her magic darkened even in the firelight, and soon her magic, too, raked and scarred the floor in aimless charred lines. "I really must thank you, your highness. One arrogant alicorn is so much easier to dispose of than two!"

The weight of magic and intention in the air came to a point, and both menacing bodies charged forward. In a decisive moment that lit the whole chamber, horns of blue and green collided at their hilt, sending sparks and streams of electric energy spiraling all around. Collected anger met unfiltered madness in a portrait of cyan light.

"Yeah, get her, Nightmare Moon!" came an enthused bug pony voice from among the onlookers.

"Eternal night sounds way better than starving all the time," another voice chimed in, his voice projected by cupped hooves around his mouth. "We live in a hive, anyway, we don't even see the light that much!"

In a sudden moment of distraction, Chrysalis's slit irises peered to the crowd, her output of ferocious magic dwindling to nothing. She addressed them with a raise of her hoof, leaving a mildly confused, but more so entertained Nightmare Moon behind her.

"Hang on, you guys aren't even rooting for me?" she asked, her voice noticeably altered. The confidence in her tone and eyes had dwindled along with her magic. "You were all begging me to do this with Princess Luna just a few minutes ago."

"Uh, yeah, because we wanted to see Nightmare Moon blast the stuffing out of Chrysalis!" Xenica proclaimed, peeling herself from the layered ball of clung bugs. "Did you not hear how awesome Luna made her sound? And how she looks and acts even more awesome!?"

"Well, thank you all," Nightmare Moon chuckled from afar, placing an elongated hoof to her chest armor and bowing. "I'm not the greatest actress, but I like to think I can play myself fairly well, even if a past version."

Chrysalis slumped dejectedly, her ratty mane obscuring her face. "Well, what about my acting?" she probed. "I was doing pretty well, right?"

"Of course, Thorax, we hated you!" came Cimex, fluttering up to the evil queen and patting her head. The mane whipped back as Chrysalis cast utter despondence upon the drone.

"What he means is, you were a great villain, Thorax," Apidae encouraged, fluttering to the queen's other side. "A hero is a hero, but everybody loves to hate a good villain."

"Yeah, Thorax, all the time you spend in the theatre troupe with Apidae and me is paying off," said Calor. The azure drone trotted over, plopped his flank upon the floor, and hugged a lithe, hole-filled leg. "Remember when you couldn't even play a rock correctly? And how the show had to be put on hold because Pharynx couldn't stop laughing, and changelings were afraid he'd choke? He definitely wouldn't be laughing now!"

"Thank you, Calor, for reminding me of that," Chrysalis muttered, enveloping herself in a flashy teal fire. The colorful form of Thorax took her place, and the remainder of bug ponies amassed around him.

Walking up from behind the group, Nightmare Moon's features faded in a silhouette of white light, giving way to Luna's more petite form. She pulled a pair of novelty vampire teeth from her mouth and gave Thorax a sweet look.

"I must say, Thorax," she began, dismissing the fangs in a quick spell, "never have I had the opportunity to face the she-demon one on one, but through you, I've found an experience that even my dreams could not muster. Changelings truly are fascinating. My mind knew better, but the adrenaline coursing through me did not. That was a splendid performance."

Splitting his attention among his six pining drones, Thorax patted heads while casting friendly smiles all around. Upon the princess's words, his expression softened even further.

"Thanks, princess," he replied. "I do think I've gotten better at it. My brother believes that all changelings have an innate talent for acting, and that talent just needs to be developed. I'm probably the best example of that he's got now."

"I do need to make a point of meeting this fabled brother of yours," Luna mused, commanding the torches of the room to light. The dining room doors wrapped in her aura and flew open, flooding the chamber with the bright afternoon that gleamed through the hallway windows. A few bug ponies hissed.

"But for the moment, it's about time we check in with Celestia," she continued. "The museum opening draws near. I've taken some time, perhaps selfishly, to get to know you all a bit better, myself, but truth be told, I'd expected an interruption at the hooves of my sister, or our returning lieutenant, by now. Evidently, I am still the only one who knows where you are, and so it is up to me to deliver you all to the next step of your visit."

"Oh, before we do, can we go back to the gardens, Thorax?"

Eyes turned to Cimex, who, having ceased his assailing hugs against the alpha's neck, took to sitting closer to the now extinguished fire. His hopeful grin flowered even without it.

"There's something I gotta do before we go to the pony museum!"

"You should know better than to believe everything will go well, Celestia. You've been at this for how many centuries now?"

Celestia curled her lip, her eyes blasting skyward in the same motion. She was her own ear to vent to, flying alone along the city skyline like this, but that would suffice. Unlike other ponies, the clouds would not tell Luna of her returning foalhood habit, and that was all that really mattered.

Wide and commanding in their muffled flaps, her wings parted air and cloud moisture alike, the dew sliding off her water-resistant feathers. Her eyes fell to the miniature world below, and a sigh became a self-reflective hum. Part of her drew remorse, the guilt-ridden face of her lieutenant returning to her mind. But then she remembered Thorax and his easily influenced changelings, and her stiff upper lip resumed.

She drew a sharp breath and calmed herself. No, there was no time for her maternal tendencies. She had guests to welcome and to help feel at home. No excuses.

"Of course, you forgot to ask the lieutenant how long he'd been searching, already," she chided in realization, a flexed brow her own scolding. "With any luck, Luna's made headway of her own in the meantime."

With its magnificent golden trim towers, Equestria's heart drew closer, and so Celestia descended from the cloud cover. Her thoughts buzzed, a static that pulled and pushed her attention in an array of directions. The changelings were bad enough, but Twilight as well? What in Equestria had the power to keep even her former star pupil from sending scroll of potential tardiness? Should she be concerned?

The matriarch bit her lip again. Nonsense, she was concerned, the real question was, of what. Twilight's safety? The ramifications of whatever could be holding her up? Heavens, both? She'd dispatched the lieutenant to send his very best pegasi to check up with Twilight in Ponyville, surely that would be more than enough.

Right? Right.

"I'm sure everything is fine," Celestia reiterated aloud, her words soothing her breaths. The lush castle gardens scrolled along below her, now, quiet and pristine in a preserved perfection. The greenery never failed to tug a smile from her cheeks.

"I'll aide Luna in locating the changelings, and we'll grant Thorax a relaxing museum visit," she concluded confidently, curling her front hooves tighter in a whim of excitement. "Should Twilight require us in any way, I'll see to her while Luna stays with Thorax. I certainly don't mind giving her a little more time to spend with the changelings, if need be."

Her tirade of optimism was abruptly cut short. As the solar monarch touched down on the rear balcony of Luna's bed chambers, a familiar laugh pinged her ear, and from the direction in which she had just come, no less.

"Honestly, Cimex, do you really need to say goodbye to the fountain? And do you need to do it right now? We could have just stopped by before returning to the hive later on."

"But we're already right here, Thorax. What if we forget? I wanna do it now, so I know it gets done!"

"I think it's rather adorable," came a third, familiar voice. "About as adorable as these plush forms of yourselves. Quite a sneaky way of getting free rides and hugs from ponies, I must admit. I cannot wait to show Celestia. She melts in the presence of stuffed animals."

"You can thank Calor for that," came Thorax. "He loves stuffed animals, too. He brought some back to the hive once, and they were a huge hit. Most changelings don't even make or buy them, though. They just take turns being plushies for each other. I think it's innocent fun, though Pharynx says it's nightmare-inducing."

"All hail our fluffy overlords!" came a changeling that could only have been Calor.

Becoming airborne once again, Celestia scanned the expanse of grass, hedges, and statues. There, sticking out like a sore hoof, was her deep blue sister, accompanied by a small pack of changelings. Identifiable by his antlers, Thorax walked alongside Luna, and together they seemed to chaperon the group through the gardens. One drone eagerly fluttered to the water-spouting vase of the Aquarius Unicorn memorial upon reaching it, and, after lapping at the water stream for a few moments, tenderly embraced the statue's leg.

That curious conversation drew her gaze, and so Celestia gasped, so loudly and so shrill that colorful eyes turned to spy her.

Set upon Luna's back were a pair of changeling-sized plushies, their hooves curled around her barrel in an anchoring hug. Before Celestia's eyes, one of them returned to their live form in a flash of magic, repositioned themselves to something more comfortable, and resumed plushie form. Their big, adorable eyes and smiles seemed even bigger when built from string and fluff.

The group's voices now reached out to her, but they did not breach Celestia's attention. Fluffy, huggable bug ponies had long since claimed her heart. Her eyes twinkled. She took it all back. There would be no further sharing of changelings, and Twilight would have to fend for herself.

"Do you think she'll be here?"

"I hope so. Don't think either of the princesses can handle any more bad news today."

"It's the lieutenant's flank on the line, not yours. I wouldn't worry too much."

"Reprimands have a trickle-down effect. You know that. Everypony's flank is going to get cooked in this fire."

"She's gotta be at her school, no two ways about it. You checked the castle, yourself," was the last thought to graze the air. A racket, faint but powerful, rippled in their ears, and so the guard pegasi wheeled about.

"-in Tartarus is that?"

"Singing, I think."

"Singing?"

"...it's Ponyville, random singing seems pretty common, if our escorts for Celestia are anything to go by."

"Excellent point. Lead the way."

In an arc, they flew past the outskirts of Ponyville, its bridges connecting it to the expanse of rolling hills, small forests, and fields of flowers that lay beyond.

The pegasi rounded a bend in the treeline, and at last, a commotion could be matched to the tsunami of sound. In the cradle of green fields sat before the School of Friendship, something inexplicable was underway. The spirit of chaos, Discord, seemed to be at war with Princess Twilight.

Brilliant flares of fuchsia magic sheared the air in bursts, targeting an obscure pile of picnic decor and schoolyard items. Before the fierce projectiles could reach their mark, they were each of them dispelled, slashed in half by an elongated glowstick wielded by the draconequus. Turned to harmless confetti, the laser blasts fell to the grass at Discord's claw and hoof. He snapped and cracked his staff, and it became a vivid amethyst.

Just beyond the duel was a grandiose stage, lined top to bottom with rows of choir singers. In perfect harmony, they graced the clearing with a tune of power and lament, following their conductor's decisive hand motions. Though wigged and sporting a caped black suit, it was quite obviously another Discord.

"Discord! The event is over," Twilight yelled, the depths of annoyance in her voice muffled by the sheer volume of the background choir. "If you outright refuse to put things back the way they're supposed to be, then I will, instead! And, for Celestia's sake, what is with the chorus!?"

"The oppression of the fun police shall never return," Discord said cooly, whipping his staff about behind his back before striking down another blow of incoming magic. "You sank so low as to tattle on me to Fluttershy, Twilight, really. Now I'm sure to get a scolding later this week, and for what? A few benches, banners, and a statue? You simply couldn't allow me to have my fun, could you?"

"Don't turn this on me, you could have chosen to play cards with us, to chat and laugh with us," Twilight defended, each denial of her magic a more powerful command to continue firing, to continue trying in her efforts to dismantle the irreverent throne. "But no, instead you chose to rudely take all of the decors in a selfish stunt to show off. You don't think Fluttershy will have something to say about that?"

From the sidelines, the retrieval pegasi came to a landing. Dumbfounded by way of their slack jaws and unfocused eyes, the pair exchanged glances, quite uncertain of what to do with themselves before the symphony of chaos.

"...let me guess, you two are here to check up on Twilight."

Mildly startled, the guard ponies turned to find a lavender mare approaching them. Though not the mare they sought, her mane was equally unmistakable.

"Oh, hello, Esteemed Pupil Starlight Glimmer," the first guard pony greeted, nodding his head in a brief bow. "Yes, we're here on behalf of Princess Celestia, who requested we be sent to locate Princess Twilight. She never appeared for her rendezvous with King Thorax in the capital, today. It...sort of evolved into a whole thing."

"Things seem to be evolving into 'whole things' all over Equestria, today," the second said.

Starlight floated an eye to the choir. An entire second platform had flashed into existence by the first, staffed with wind and string instruments, which took to a dramatic performance in one wrist motion of the conductor.

"I told her it wasn't worth it, but here we are," the unicorn monotoned, darting the guards a coy smile. "I guess she's just gonna relearn the hard way how Discord behaves when he's feeling patronized."

"A common occurrence, I take it?"

"You have no idea," Starlight sighed, laying her head in her hoof. "Twilight has dealt with Discord more than me, but I'm probably the most recent example of invoking his... 'wrath', I guess? But the funny part is she even referenced the time I belittled his behaviors, today, and she still let him get the better of her."

"He's done this exact thing before?" a guard put in, firing off both brows.

"Sort of," Starlight replied. "Involved a lot of poor decisions, a scavenger hunt, and a replacement running track. Long story short, it was inevitable, like I'm sure this will be."

"Really now, this behavior is most unbecoming of a headmare, Twilight," Discord bellowed, carelessly tossing his glowstick into the air, allowing it to spawn into a second, and catching each one in a paw or claw in the midst of a pirouette. "One might even call it uncivilized!"

"If you would just clean up your mess, we could all go back to being civilized!" Twilight shot back, her form whisking to a blur. She assaulted the throne from the rear, only to have Discord's hand stretch and twist to deflect the attempt. "And I could go on with my day, helping Thorax with his visit to Canterlot!"

The blasts, deflections, and amassing of resulting confetti on the school's lawn continued, as did the entropy.

From their only mildly calmer corner of the event, Starlight and pals wore brave faces before the madness.

"Gotta admit, this brings back memories," a guard said suddenly. "I was doing patrol work when the last Chaos Plague happened. Countryside flipped into some sorta chessboard with trees using themselves as giant pieces in a game."

"I've seen it before, but not up close," the second added. "Ground zero seemed to be Ponyville for that last one, and I was a cadet in Canterlot basic training. Worst we got was cola storms and dancing training equipment."

"I didn't even know about Discord before his reformation," Starlight expressed. The guards snorted upon her final word. "This may not be a large scale disaster, but it's certainly impressive. More impressive than anything I've seen him do so far."

"Isn't it, though? So kind of you to notice. I think it's my greatest composition, yet."

Stupefied, Starlight and pals turned to find a tall, thin creature dressed head to toe in archaic wig and suit, standing where no one had stood just moments before. They glanced at the ongoing choir, which was now being conducted by a floating, self-aware conductor's wand.

"Such a shame she's grown so hard to rial up, though," Ludwig van Discord went on, stroking an eagle claw across his chin while longingly observing Twilight. "I mean, just look at this display. I had to resort to some Grade A chaos, here. How I mourn for days long past, where resident book horses could be triggered by a gentle prod towards self-doubt or by an open-ended question. Character development is such a fickle thing."

"Seemed pretty effortless from over here," Starlight said insipidly. With a demanding stare, she stepped before the draconequus, eyeing him skeptically. "What's your end game here, Discord? There's no reward for you, this time, no sought after title or position of respect. Are you...are you trying to delay Twilight on purpose? You're not deliberately trying to sabotage Thorax's visit, are you?"

Collected and still, Discord fiddled his paws and claws behind his back, smugly watching Twilight continue to engage with his doppelganger.

"Au contraire, mon petit poney," he said in a tone of silk. His beady eyes peered at last to Starlight, and his smug grin grew more crooked. "Our good boy Thorax is a big changeling, now. He does not need escorts to political tea parties and the like, anymore."

Starlight scowled. "So you are delaying Twilight on purpose. I bet you don't even care about this throne you're defending."

"In a word," Discord replied, a halo flashing into existence above his head, "I am, once again, providing Thorax an opportunity to grow. That is what good friends do, no? That is what the princesses are after, is it not? To fill our dear bugmoose with courage?" The goat chimera ogled the observing guards. "I'm simply helping the development along, and giving Professor Friendship her daily exercise, to boot."

Starlight returned her hoof to her face in an attempt to curb her onsetting headache. From over the curve of her hoof, she found lavishly decorated memorabilia now adorning the draconequus, most notably, a brown foam hand reading 'Chaos for Classes! Discord for Headmare!'. Before Starlight could form words, again Discord spoke, this time with bubbly investment.

"Besides, Starlight, there's still so much bonding to be done between Thorax and the Humdrum Sisters. We can't have Twilight getting in the way; perish the thought! Every princess to her time, my dear."

"Oh, hey, the tall princess is here, now," Cimex noted aloud, his embrace of his sculpted treasure making him the last to learn of such things. His hoof jaggedly asserted from below the fountain's leg. "Aged cocoon slime, her mane is gigantic! You could hide half a patrol squad in there, Thorax!"

The other drones snickered, and Thorax sighed. It was a tortured sound that accompanied a head shake.

"You know, guys," he breathed, dragging a hoof down his face, "I don't think my heart can take much more of your informalities."

The alpha reflexed a smile as the solar monarch descended, seemingly from the sun itself. Her wings flexed and curled, scooping the air beneath her as she came to a landing. Even upon folding away her angelic form, she radiated with elegance, a finesse as absolute as the sun's place in the afternoon sky. She trotted, almost skipped, over to the group, and mirrored the sun's light off a set of perfectly straight pearls.

"Thorax, I'm so glad to see you've made it here safely," she expressed, offering a snowy hoof. "Today has been hectic, between the museum's preparations and now all this. I've been half expecting to find Discord around every corner, spinning threads of chaos. I'm relieved that you've all managed, regardless."

A pair of antlers bowed to Celestia's horn, tall and eloquent, before rising again to match it in height.

"Well, I am used to navigating with chaos around," Thorax chuckled, gently receiving the alicorn's hoof. He passed the praise with a turn of his head, and so all at once, a spotlight of eyes befell an unprepared alicorn. "We have Princess Luna to thank for helping corral us so quickly, though. We couldn't find Twilight, and we didn't know where the museum was, so there's no telling how long we may have wandered, unassisted."

"Oh please, I merely walked out a doorway," Luna dismissed. The pair of bugs utilizing her back reverted to their regular forms and descended to the grass. Luna could make out a foalish despair coming off her sister's face as they did so from her peripheral. "You were wise to come to the castle, Thorax. If even I had been absent, the palace guards would have known where to send for us. Everything worked out in the end."

Stirred by a racket of voices, Thorax's attention was stolen. His face lit up, and he knelt before the half-dozen drones to better take in their mounting excitement. Exclamations of approval for pony museums, culture, and further statues that spit water filled the air. At that moment, Luna's stare targeted Celestia and grew stern.

"Everything worked out in the end," Luna went on, a sigh trailing her syllables, "despite an unpleasant altercation with the nobility."

Distracted by their blossoming conversations, the changelings failed to notice the tautness of Celestia's brow. They failed to notice that, for a moment, the sun's rays seemed to grow that much hotter.

"How bad was it?"

"Bad enough to rile up the changelings in Thorax's defense," Luna murmured. "I thank the heavens they brushed off the encounter so readily. I hate to say I told you so, sister, but I will. Tradition and conceitedness still fester in this city, not to mention the grudge it has reason to harbor. I do not believe this will be as easy as you expect it to be."

"I never expect, only hope," Celestia said solemnly. She salvaged her former smile. "And yes, before you ask, I still have hope for the museum visit."

"Do you?"

"Museums, like libraries, I find promote a certain neutrality," Celestia said, her watchful gaze returning to Thorax. She giggled. Though lacking context, the sight of Thorax forcefully pulling several struggling changelings into a hug was too pure for any other response. "I believe it is an environment the changelings will thrive in."

"And you believe it will be enough?"

Expressive orbs began to flick to the alicorns, pair by pair, as the changeling's self-contained antics came to an end. Not one to be caught off guard by the attention, Celestia stepped forward, receiving the expectant gazes with a host's smile.

"It doesn't have to be," Celestia whispered in passing. "The museum is merely a stage, Luna, a place for the changelings to show their true colors. Trust me—setbacks aside, this visit will still be a rounding success."

Resigning herself to the backdrop, Luna wore a knowing smirk, watching her showpony of a sister scoop up the changelings with only her presence. Before her, they gathered; a shepherd and his flock hung upon her every word.

"I regret to say that I'm not hiding Twilight under my wing," the monarch quipped, unfolding a wing for visual emphasis and garnishing chuckles. "I, too, am unaware of her exact situation. However, I have dispatched some of our best scouts to Ponyville to check up on her. With any luck and a little bit of hope, Princess Twilight will be joining us before long."

As she spoke, small, rounded mouths offset eyes that shined in her light, ogling her. Centuries of practice remaining calm and collected before manic crowds and cabinets of politicians could not shield the princess from changeling charm. She could feel her cheeks aching, her demeanor degrading to a foalish remnant of itself.

Praise to the ancient magics. Even now, they resembled giant, colorful plush toys.

"In the meantime," she picked up, catching herself before leaking a squee, "I'd be more than honored to be your guide for our museum trip. Through Princess Twilight, you've gifted Equestria a precious insight into your developing culture. As a bit of a history buff myself, allow me to return the favor today by showing you Equestria's many forms throughout the ages."

Once more content is being rendered a spectator, Luna watched as the changelings chittered in response. Around her sister they rose and sank in gleeful bounces, wings taking to the air, once even leaping grew dull.

Ever so subtly had the moon princess begun to retreat across the grass, back towards the castle's backside, and the lull of her bed chambers. With the castle's decor finished, and the task of chaperoning now passed off to her sister, she'd become all too aware of a weight sliding her eyelids like curtains. They knew what was now within hoof's grasp, perhaps better than even her conscious mind did.

Luna shifted and winced. The sun bore down at a relentless right angle, something she only now processed. She frowned and yawned.

These double shifts were starting to take their toll.

"Princess Nighttime," came a voice to rattle her thoughts, "aren't you coming with us?"

The weights let up, and her unsightly yawn skittered back down her throat. Luna turned, rather jumpily, to find the group watching her from the garden's edge.

"Oh, no," she began, dragging out her letters to frantically grasp for each set of new ones. "You all...go have fun with my sister. I believe I'll, uh, briefly retire while you attend the museum opening. You see, I'm not used to being up this long during the daytime. Short spurts, usually, at most."

From beyond a few mildly disappointed faces, Celestia cast her a nod and smile. Luna returned them.

"I won't be long," she continued, mustering warmth from a depleting enthusiasm. "By the time you return from your tour, I'll be up and alert. Besides sleep, there's one more item of business I need to attend to in the castle, anyway, so this is perfect timing."

She thanked her luck that, just then, Celestia spoke up. Mouths had begun to open for follow-up questions, and she was on her last legs, as it was.

"A splendid idea," Celestia said with pep, unfurling one milky wing and using it to prompt the group to follow her lead out the garden's side entrance. From the rear followed Thorax, ensuring no stragglers were left behind. "We'll give my sister time to do what she needs to while we get to the museum. I am so looking forward to my turn to spend some time with you all. I was starting to get jealous of my niece and former student."

Upon emphasis, the sun monarch mumbled her words, setting off chuckles in response.

"So, being a princess, have you gotten to see the inside of the museum already?" Apidae inquired. The ladybug changeling hovered a hoove's length off the ground to meet her host's eye. Celestia acknowledged her with an odd look.

"Now, what makes you think I could have seen the museum already?" she offered. "They haven't even opened their doors yet."

As grass gave way to cool cobblestone, Apidae landed again just as impulsively, her momentum maintained.

"Well, from what we know about pony politics from the Crystal Empire and past infiltrations of Canterlot, all major events tend to have a princess involved," Apidae declared proudly. She shot a glance at Thorax and asserted her tongue tip between her teeth. "Plus, that's how the hive often works, too. Thorax or Pharynx have a role in almost everything major that goes on, from assemblies to feelings forums, training practices to evacuation procedures."

"Now hang on," came the cracking voice of Thorax, "I'm getting better at delegating, Apidae, you know that. Just look at Calor. He helps run a lot of our routine social activities in my stead, now."

From a short distance beyond Thorax's outstretched hoof, Calor excitedly waved his own.

"I'm just teasing, Papa Thorax," Apidae sang. "Calor runs social activities, I'm a liaison for the Crystal Empire, Calor says you also want to start finding volunteers for hive tour guides—everyling knows you're getting better at letting us help, don't worry."

Thorax opened his mouth but settled for another head shake.

Celestia giggled and, yielding with a nod, turned to the ladybug drone. "Apidae, was it? You're very clever. Yes, I admit I actually have been on a brief tour of the museum in both its unfinished and finished states. These tours were not for my leisure, however. They were to understand room layouts, themes, topics covered by sections of the building, and other preemptive information. I didn't have much opportunity to explore or read any exhibits, which, in retrospect, I'm thankful for. It will be much more enjoyable to experience them for the first time with you all."

"Um, Your Highness," said Cimex, erecting a hoof as if to be called on, "if you haven't read any of the exhibits, and are learning things along with us, then how are you a history buff?"

Little more than a forgotten caboose, noling was there to console Thorax from his ugly grimace.

"Good question," Celestia cooed, politely meeting each face that watched her as she walked. "Allow me to clarify: I am unfamiliar with how the museum's exhibits will demonstrate Equestrian history, not the topic of Equestrian history, itself. I may not look it, but I'm a teacher, as well as a princess."

"You teach pony history to little ponies?" asked Xenica, buzzing along a few yards in front of Thorax. Her distance from the alicorn dwindled as her interest rose.

"Not directly," Celestia replied. Unseen wings tickled her ears with a pleasant fluttering. "I run a small magic school here in Canterlot, where I teach magic to truly gifted young unicorns. Of course, history is an important part of learning magic, so I do cover many history topics in my classes."

Before further questions could launch, the alicorn made her budding smirk known.

"Of course, there's a more obvious reason why I'm already familiar with Equestria's history," she trailed on. She paused and drew attention. While seven pairs of bug eyes looked on, she winked.

"Having lived through much of Equestria's history, I have a first-hoof knowledge of the subject."

There was a painfully long silence, dotted with blinking. When gasps pierced the air, at last, Celestia struggled to contain her giggling.

"Wait, how old is Equestria?" Calor squeaked. His eyes shook, and he grasped the sides of his head. He observed the ground like it were a charging maulwarf. "Cocoon slime, how old are you?"

The forgotten caboose changeling strained another display of teeth.

"That's got to be thousands of years," Apidae rasped in reply, staring up at the sun monarch with a newfound fascination. "Princess Cadance taught us about the Crystal Empire's history and how the last time they were around was over a thousand years ago, before a curse. Equestria existed even then, according to her."

"Chrysalis had an extended lifespan compared to most changelings, but even she doesn't come anywhere close to whole millennia," Xenica expressed, darting her attention from Apidae to Celestia. "Were you around for Equestria's founding, Your Highness?"

Shrouded in mystique, Celestia wore a cryptic smile. Again she winked, and with a nod of her head, motioned to a decorated sign crowning a fork in the path before them. Below the sign sat an arrow, pointing right.

Equestrian History & Foreign Exchange Museum - Grand Opening! 5 bits for adults, foals free with adult supervision.

Eyes scanned the text, then rebounded to Celestia. She addressed them with a thoughtful raise of her brow.

"Equestria, as an identified nation, is approximately two and a half millennia old. My sister and I do pop up throughout that timeline, though certainly not as the focus, for the most part." A ghostly smirk haunted her lip. "All the same, I'd imagine at least one of the exhibits will mention my full birthday. Hmm, I wonder which of you can find it for me, first."

There was another chorus of gasps, and so the drones sprang to life, trotting and flying ahead of their host and king with gusto. By the time Thorax could so much as release a breath, the drones had vanished in a cloud of dust.

"You hear that? Scavenger hunt, everyling!" proclaimed Calor, emerging before the pack and morphing himself a detective hat in a localized burst of flame. "Find the princess's hatchday-"

"Birthday," Xenica interjected blandly.

"-birthday, on one of the museum exhibits! The first changeling to find it gets to show it to her!"

Thorax released his breath, and his window for reaching earshot slipped away. Futile as his continued efforts were, he leaped forward.

"Guys! Guys, please wait for us!" he expressed hopelessly, gallops evolving to a fluttering in the air. "You can't just leave the princess and run off to-oh, forget it."

The pack disappeared around a corner, and with them, what little remained of Thorax's reins.

With all kinetic energy arrested, no further sounds of trotting, buzzing, or incessant questioning could drown out Celestia's giggling.

"I apologize, Thorax," she managed, placing a hoof to her chest as the dejected changeling sunk back down to the street. "I hoped to pique an interest in the museum, but it appears I may have riled them up beyond that."

"Don't worry about it," Thorax sighed, craning his neck up towards the sky and taking a deep breath. Upon collecting himself, he offered the clouds, and Celestia, a more hopeful look. "If I'm honest, I'm to blame. I've been trying to keep them calm and respectful this whole trip, but this is a huge deal for them, and I need to respect that, too. I need to get better at directing their energy, rather than trying to contain it."

Together they walked, navigating a modest side street nearly void of other ponies, but still a spectacle to behold for anyone in their presence. Side by side, they nearly matched in height, towering over typical ponies, with Thorax losing only to a few notches in the alicorn's horn.

"I was just about to compliment how well you handled them, actually," Thorax continued, fishing for the monarch's eye. "I've never seen anyone so flawlessly handle them like that. I mean, I can, on a good day, but never when they're hyper-energized. You so effortlessly turned their excitement back around to the museum, like you've done this a million times."

Humming, Celestia looked skyward as well. The sun enveloped her, a stellar marionette held aloft by her magic. Her ears twitched, as did her smile, to the now audible chirps of passing birds and the distant city sounds she had grown so accustomed to. In pausing her pace with Thorax, a familiar calm overcame her, and she gave the world a smile to outdo all others.

"This smile is my pleasure," Celestia replied, at last, turning to sample it for him. "It's a pleasure because, unlike many smiles I put on throughout my day, it comes from someplace genuine. I feel no happier than when I am gently guiding others, especially those with so much to see and learn. You and I both tend to gravitate towards mingling with our subjects, not out of obligation, but because leading is more rewarding when done personally. We may share a fair bit in common."

From over the peaks of tiled rooftops and tree lines, a layered building of vivid reds, yellows, and whites came into view, modeling for the entire city block. Tall, brilliant banners depicting the day/night cycle wrapped around a caricature Canterlot Castle and adorned the building in a set of four along its front entrance. Canvases of hoof-painted artwork covered every size-able inch of the outer walls, and Thorax found himself following them with his eyes.

Flurries of leaves danced along an autumn path, set before a stone, barracks-like structure. Before it, earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns in armor conversed together under the light of an orange sun.

Travelers towing wooden wagons stopped to bow before the solar princess, bathed in a warm, yellow glow. A young green mare met the princess where she stood and gestured to her caravan.

A jet-black dragon sat amidst a ruined castle, baring a maw full of fangs towards a small army of approaching pegasi. A sickly red twilight painted a scene of desperation and contempt.

Voices tore the alpha from his observations, revealing the small crowd of changelings he'd been hunting for.

"Hurry up, Papa Thorax, you have to get your hoof stamped if you want to go inside."

Thorax blinked. There was an odd shoving sensation just below his wing case as if an impatient lilac drone were nudging him along.

"Cimex puppy dog eyed some poor ponies into letting him be first in line," Xenica continued, quickly circling the air into view. "He thought he was cute, but I think they're just afraid he's gonna stuff them in cocoons or something."

Thorax leaned forward. Sure enough, crowning the line was Cimex, inadvertently horrifying surrounding ponies by way of a rhythmic bouncing in place.

"You guys sure are serious about this whole scavenger hunt thing," Thorax mused, stepping forward to a cowering earth pony working the stamp station. A trembling hoof emerged from behind the table and lightly pressed a stamp into his foreleg.

When Thorax turned, Celestia awaited him. He offered his imprinted hoof and an awkward smile.

"I guess we're ready now, princess," he said, his face betraying his vocal confidence. "We better get going. I don't want Cimex to lose track of us in this crowd."

"Everything will be just fine, Thorax," the sun monarch soothed, seemingly commanding the museum doors to open with a turn of her head. Before a wave of brisk voices and pushing hooves, she remained calm and fixated, a life raft in the ocean of Thorax's anxiety. "I am confident that there is nothing within these walls that the changelings cannot handle."

"Your Majesty, you've returned," came a certain castle guard, offering a sturdy nod and tone. His brow curled as his nose twitched. "Ah, and you've been to the royal greenhouse, I see. It must be time for your afternoon retreat."

Up the stone steps trotted Luna, a mane of lavender affixed around her head. From half-lidded eyes, she peered from one guard to the next, a sharp eyebrow awaiting the slightest snicker.

"Sure Point."

"Yes, mam."

"Crisp Plackart."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I require a favor." Luna sniffed, and her senses were cradled by purple bliss. "Please inform any passerby that my sister and I will be henceforth unavailable for further guidance to the populace today. She now attends the museum opening with the changelings, and I must check-in with Chef Sedani regarding preparations for tonight's dinner. Following this, I will be taking a brief nap before our guest's visit resumes in the castle."

The guards nodded in unison, and Luna ventured the path between them.

"Should I not wake by the time my sister returns, you have permission to open my chamber door and wake me," she added. The castle doors yawned and receded upon swallowing her, gripped in her deep blue magic. "The same goes for if the units sent to Ponyville return and report that Twilight requires assistance. For now, I bid a pleasant afternoon to you both."

A heavy-set thud of oak beset uncertain glances. Sure Point snorted.

"Not it," he disclaimed quickly. "Her tapestries have already assaulted me today. I'm not playing alarm clock, too. It's unsettling how fast she can peg a pony with pillows through that door crack."

Thorax stepped through the museum entrance and into an archway, bottlenecked among ponies and changelings alike. Little to do but move forward incrementally, a crisp wave of artificial air rushed his nostrils as he walked. Bathed in a beckoning light, he winced and showed his teeth, unable to make out the forms of even the closest displays and fixtures.

But then again, he had six other senses at his beck and call today.

"Thorax, there's even more pony statues in here! Maybe this is where they make them!"

Two hooves curled around his leg and jostled him, and so Thorax turned. Clamped to him with a potent vice grip, Cimex shook with enough energy to clear the roof off the building. Withdrawing a leg, the drone pointed to an etching from marble, a centerpiece to this first room. It was a trio of ponies, one of earth, sky, and magic, each, all gathered around a towering flag. A petrified breeze perfectly captured the flag's wave while mounted spotlights illuminated Equestria's crest.

"'Courtship of Destiny'. A restored piece, from times immemorial. One of my favorites. I'm so glad it was chosen as the entryway article."

Celestia's narration guided Thorax, and he took in the relic. Unspoken words from indecipherable voices auditioned in his head as he read the statue's expressions, still but somehow warm all the same. He was certain his taste buds had been fooled; a residue of love seemed to emanate from the cold stone, a window to a moment of glee and pride long forgotten.

Thorax blinked, and the moment was lost. Eager hooves heaved a familiar carapace up the statue's bulk, and anxiety fluttered his heart.

"Cimex, what are you doing!? Get down from there!"

Cimex, startled by the sudden reprimand, lost his grip. But just as weightlessness drew a gasp from the drone, he was wrapped in a familiar teal aura and safely retrieved from beyond the red velvet ropes. Caught and detained, he grimaced; to his immediate horror, his journey did not end there. Up to Thorax was he pulled, helplessly held aloft for a further scolding. Murmurs flooded the corners of the room, but with a behavior to address, Thorax hadn't heard them.

"You can't just go climbing things in here," Thorax implored. When Cimex shied away, a flare of magic turned the drone around, and Thorax frowned. "I know you're excited, but you need to be respectful, please. We're guests."

"But I climbed the other statue!" Cimex pleaded, defiantly crossing his hooves. "No one stopped me, then, so why can't I, now? The pony statues look like they're supposed to be climbed. Why would they shoot water to drink if you're not supposed to climb them, Thorax?"

A lip curled, and Papa Thorax emerged.

"We are still unfamiliar with pony culture, Cimex. You can't make assumptions about things, especially in places like this. I let you guys have free reign of the garden because it was rather desolate, and I knew the princesses likely wouldn't mind. This is somepony's museum, and we're in public, it's different. You have to be respectful."

Cimex's inner-nymph took hold with a stubborn pout. But before Thorax could embarrass him any further, the slow clopping of a single pair of hooves sounded from beyond the inspiring statue.

"Who could say that changelings are still heartless beasts after hearing such a thing. Such vigor and foalish wonder! I, for one, welcome you to Canterlot, King Thorax and company."

Movement and a bright red ensemble magnetized all eyes, and a middle-aged mare greeted them. As she walked, top hats tipped and hooves slightly bent, but no response was as lovely as Celestia's. The newcomer found an embrace from the sun monarch's outstretched wing, and there they shared a few words of greeting.

"Thorax," Celestia cooed, turning to acknowledge him. "This is Mild Menagerie. She is the museum's curator, as well as a dear friend. It's all thanks to her hard work that we can find ourselves here today."

"Oh, don't feed him that gibberish," Mild scoffed with a laugh. With a tilt of her head, she faced Thorax and exaggerated a faux whisper. "I did naught but offer a suggestion. She's the one who volunteered to assist me at early dawn these past few days to ensure the opening was ready in time for your visit. I can't imagine where she found the time."

"I have a few time spell tomes hidden away in the library," Celestia mumbled playfully, "you don't know all my tricks yet."

"Oh, you wouldn't dare," Mild snickered, lightly jabbing a hoof against a snowy coat. "Think of what Luna would say. Think of what Sir Starswirl would say, now that he's returned.

Celestia grimaced and ushered in contained chuckling from around the room.

"I asked Mild if she would help give your changelings our tour today," Celestia went on, her collected demeanor returning with a mere motion of her head. "As familiar as I am with Equestrian history, and where the fire exits and pillars of structural integrity are, I'm not yet familiar with the presentation choices of the museum. Mild can help all of us truly appreciate what has been put together here."

Thorax jumped when he found his hoof gently lifted and pecked. Several changelings squished their cheeks and gasped as Mild Menagerie stood again from a modest kneel.

"Ooh, oh, my. Thorax, I've seen this before on recon," came Xenica, climbing Thorax's shell to hiss in his ear. "I think she's proposing to you as a mate. Look out for a ring. You're committed after that."

From somewhere nearby, Calor silently shrieked.

"Oh, my, my deepest apologies," Mild flustered, a nervous inflection in her tone. "You did not just finish explaining to this cute young lad about your unfamiliarity with pony culture in front of me! Clearly, I dropped my brain somewhere this morning. Naught but a respectful greeting you can find among the aristocracy, I assure you."

Mild pivoted to her crowd, while a distraught Calor decisively crouched, leaped, and clung to Thorax, just behind her.

"I will not judge anypony's feelings regarding the changelings, but no matter your current stance, know that we are living through history itself, today," Mild began, stepping before the iconic statue of pony races. With a wave of her hoof, she addressed the rest of the room. "I've been told that the changelings are now fundamentally different in both body and mind from the creatures that once threatened our city. I know I've already witnessed all I need to know. I believe they deserve their chance to redeem themselves. I'll be escorting them today as they, too, learn all about Equestria's grand history. Please feel free to say hello during your visit. Thank you so much again for joining us for our grand opening, everpony!"

Though scowls awaited the trained eye, a greater wave of cautious welcome emanated from the crowd. Before long, the day's promise deterred every head, and ponies went about their visit, exploring displays at their leisure. Only the wide, enchanted gazes of foals remained, attached to the changelings by an insatiable curiosity.

Charged with charisma, Mild Menagerie drew the flock of drones to her, effortlessly taking on the mantle of chaperone from Celestia. To their enthused bouncing and probing questions regarding Celestia's birthday, she chortled and led them to an exhibit just beyond the central display.

Left to ogle after them, Thorax let out a little sigh. It was getting awfully hot in here, all of a sudden. Come to think of it, he had an azure scarf to address.

"Calor, we can play bug pile some other time," Thorax said softly, craning his neck and offering a gentle pat to the drone's head. "As glad as I am that you're following my expectations, I'm afraid I don't want you guys climbing me either, right now. I'm gonna need my mobility."

Blue ears wilted, but matching hooves obeyed all the same, and Calor dropped to the lavish tiles. Barred, at least temporarily, from his perch, the blueberry bug darted seamlessly through hoof traffic to reach his friends and high-class chaperone.

For a time, Thorax merely stood and watched his charge explore the creative displays of history, fun facts, and vibrant artwork. Each new fixture was greeted first by Apidae, a ravenous sponge eager to learn about the world of ponies, first-hoof. Practically attached to her carapace, Xenica provided the occasional sarcastic downplay, offsetting every enthused comment Apidae could think up.

An epicenter for social gravitation, Mild Menagerie boasted three changelings by her side. Cimex, Labrum, and the freshly-arrived Calor attentively listened to her tangents. Though she babbled on about the first settlements in Equestria, her eyes never stopped scanning for those not so cozy with her; Apidae and Xenica's self-guided tour ahead of her, and the straggler
trailing behind her.

Bringing up the rear, Clyepus timidly meandered through ponies and tables with the presence of a discarded leaf in the wind. At one point, a bewitched pop-up of a mighty black dragon sent the adolescent spiraling, falling to the floor with a shrill chirp. Though tenacious, his bumbling did not fail to make Papa Thorax bite his lip from afar and mentally weigh the implications of impacting his self-esteem by rushing to his side with a readied hug.

"I just love seeing their unique personalities," Celestia said suddenly. She awaited the inevitable head turn before continuing. "I always found the solidarity Chrysalis demanded to be disheartening. It's a delight to see them embracing the world in their own ways."

Thorax simpered. "Princess Cadance said something similar. And, I've said that in response to a princess, several times now, too. I'll thank you too, though, Your Highness. You'd think I'd get sick of hearing the same responses, but it's rather encouraging. I just hope we can show the rest of Canterlot what you've all seen in us."

Together they walked, shadowing Mild Menagerie's self-guided field trip and absorbing the exhibits at their own pace. Mild's distant exposition offered insight on each display in advance, which Thorax quickly subscribed to. But while the alpha changeling entertained himself with the passing snippets of foreign history, Celestia was enchanted by a chance scene now playing out for her.

A foal had braved an approach towards the changelings, unbeknownst to his distracted parents. Upon a curious hoof prod against their shiny shells, bug ponies turned and knelt to greet their fan. A surge of innate adoration pinged even Apidae from her scholarly pursuits and drew her to the foal, as well.

Of course, the foal's parents did take notice, but only after hearing their child's giggling. Calor and Apidae had begun to make amusing faces for him, while their peers offered welcoming grins. When the foal raised a tiny hoof for them, Apidae lightly pressed hers against it. And when he bounced and reared in excitement, Calor mirrored it with every bit the same enthusiasm.

When the foal's guardians retrieved him, Calor flashed before a soft inferno and waved farewell as a sentient stuffed lion toy. Held aloft by his mother, the foal's tiny hoof waved back in earnest, as if to make doubly sure his new friend could see it.

Celestia beamed. Further laughter came, but no longer from only the amused foal. Uncertainty and caution had begun to melt away from each of his parent's faces, allowing them to engage right along with his glee.

"'...a good heart, once nurtured, needs no guidance, for it will move mountains all its own'."

The words were soft but pulled Thorax with more gravity than any white noise filling his ears. He locked eyes with Celestia and found something of equal parts mystique and joy.

"Princess...?"

"A quotation from my youth," the sun monarch explained. "Until just now, something I thought I'd forgotten. The changelings reminded me of it."

Again she watched the young couple and their foal, now glancing figures among the shifting crowd. With bodies stepping in and out of view, their shared bliss came in snapshot frames. The entrancing film ended when the father's tail turned a corner, but Celestia still stared, gone to a past place and time.

"Allow me a compliment that you may have yet to hear, Thorax," she spoke again, pulling herself from her trance. "You have clearly taught the changelings depths of kindness and empathy that only you could have taught them. I want you to know how impressed I am. I saw a glimpse of it, a capacity for it, that day I visited you all in your hive. Today, I have the chance to watch it blossom, to watch them spread that kindness to others. You will win over Canterlot, Thorax. Not because of our assistance, or because of luck or circumstance, but because you are, without a doubt, the greatest thing to have ever happened to the Changeling Kingdom."

She paused, and as Thorax's lip began to shiver and shake, offered him a comforting hoof. But her offer was forgone, left to hang in the open air. With a sudden sob by her ear, Celestia gasped in a moment of surprise before growing content in the same breath. Looks of shock and awe pined for her at once from every corner, but she ignored them, instead closing her hoof along a chitinous back, and for a moment, allowing the world to consist of only him.

"You know, I had been hoping to get a hug from a changeling, today," the alicorn whispered. She gave a weak smile as he continued to sob, and enwrapped them both in a pair of angelic wings. "As a friend, a fellow monarch, and a proponent of peace, I must thank you for everything you've done for your kind, Thorax."

"Why doesn't anypony ever see the big picture? What I'm trying to do is create a world of fun and frivolity! Your rules are small, Twilight. You only see what's in front of you. I won't let you stand in my way."

In a flicker of motion, Twilight touched the ground and pierced the sky again, a brilliant pink aura of magic her ethereal armor. In a mad orbit of Discord, she soared, heart pounding to a racing mind seeking an opportunity to counterattack. The draconequus's once weighted throne had become like dust in the breeze, a swirling mass of stone and fabric that now floated in the sky, surrounding him.

Her goal had been realized; his irreverent display had left the school's lawn. But now, all-out attack or defense was his to command, and she had but one chance to end this ridiculousness.

"If I can't stop a simple prank that disrupts my faculty event..."

Decision gripped her muscles, and so Twilight's body moved. The ominous cloud of matter shot out as tentacles ready to slam and pierce, but she evaded every blow, her mane enveloped in the sharp wind each spike created on the way by her face. When a projection nearly missed her chest, she slammed a hoof into its bulk and shot herself towards the sun. She arched in a slow curve before dropping like a stone, twisting her fall to further dodge incoming attacks, and with adrenaline clenching her teeth, she pulled back a forehoof.

"...then how can I call myself a headmare, who looks after her entire student body!?"

The impact was a sonic boom, a force of air to shake every blade of grass for miles. In an exchange of momentum, Discord's sickly visage was torn asunder, his mask ripped from his face as he plummeted to the grass fields below.

"That is the headmare I want to be!"

Observing the conclusive confrontation from a safe distance, Starlight could already feel her tongue drying, her jaw still hung open. She saw Twilight descend and stand over the small crater left in Discord's wake, where the villain laid in an apparent coma.

"...what is even going on anymore?"

"Thorax, are you feeling any better yet?"

Thorax sniffed. With every swallow, the tightness around his throat gently flexed. But though his troubled sinuses served his discomfort, he hadn't the heart nor will to ask for anything less. From head to hoof, he found himself covered in changelings, each of them embracing him in whatever way they could. Like an emotional response team had they been summoned, abandoning their tour to pounce upon him as soon as a tear had so much as hit the floor.

Resembling a vivid mustard cape, Apidae laid across her alpha's back, anchoring herself around his neck with her hooves. A juvenile display from afar, perhaps. But then, nocreature could see the wisps of love magic trailing through the air.

"There's no need to be upset. We're here to have fun, aren't we?" the bumblebee drone went on. As she spoke, she shot glances to her assistance. Five colors of the light spectrum replied with firm nods and squeezed Thorax tighter.

"I'm not upset," Thorax began, his tone still rocked by uneven pitch. He gave another loud sniff. "I've just never received a compliment like that before, from anyone, let alone from a princess. And now, you guys are being so considerate over something so trivial on top of that, I'm just so, so shocked. And grateful."

An attentive box of handkerchiefs wrapped in rose magic sailed through the air. Xenica, clutching Thorax's antler, reached out and retrieved it. She promptly offered him one before returning to her dutiful hug.

"If you need privacy, don't hesitate to speak up," Mild Menagerie declared, returning the nasal relief box to its proper station. "When things get congested, it can help to step away and take a deep breath of fresh air. That goes for crowds as well as noses."

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly keep these guys from our visit," Thorax rebutted, smiling through his waterworks. As if to signal his recovery to them, he began to playfully prod changelings until, one by one, they willingly dropped to the floor. "We just barely got started. Let's continue. I was just caught off guard, that's all."

"The fault is all mine, anyway," Celestia put in solemnly, touching a hoof to her golden chest piece. "I'm afraid I sometimes let my sentimentality get the best of me. Though I meant every word, it might have been more productive to finish our tour first, before dumping those thoughts on you, Thorax. I apologize."

True to Mild's advice, Thorax closed his eyes and labored a long, deep breath. When next he opened them, the film of tears had vanished.

"Thank you for the concern, but you don't have to worry about me. I might overreact to things sometimes, but that doesn't mean they're negative responses. If you're overly sentimental, I'm definitely over-emotional. That was so nice of you to say, Princess Celestia, I just-I didn't have anything to do but cry."

Still attentive to their alpha, bug ponies sat and loafed by him, while others trotted about the immediate area. Their eyes and ears habitually shifted to the many unfamiliar sounds of the busying museum, but they always returned to Thorax, as if to check up on a vulnerable nymph.

"Besides, as you can see, the changelings have really attuned to my emotions," Thorax went on. He offered a hoof, and Labrum nudged it in passing. Another nudge then came from Clyepus, and Thorax sprung. The adolescent gave a series of chirps as he was given overdue hugs. "I can't even have a small panic attack without nearby changelings sensing it and coming to help."

"It's what he would do for us," Apidae remarked, teasingly batting at Clyepus's tail while he struggled for freedom. "Thorax likes to let his anxiety hold him back from things, sometimes. We've vowed to put a stop to it!"

The drones exchanged hoof bumps, and Thorax let out a sigh crossed with a chuckle.

"My heroes," Thorax mumbled, rubbing a hoof along his head. Only then, with one hoof removed, did Clyepus manage to pry himself loose.

"I'm curious; can your every emotion be read?" Celestia put in. Dotting her sentence, she cracked a smile. Daintily sat with crossed hooves, she again found herself watching a half-dozen changelings turn an open floor space to something warmer and inviting.

The deja vu would be amusing if it didn't hold such meaning.

"It's nothing like, say, telepathy, if that's what you're thinking-Calor, you are not a nymph, you cannot fit on my head."

Thorax winced and drew a long sigh as a hoof stepped into his cheek anyway. A certain cobalt drone had begun to climb him, now that he'd rendered himself distracted and vulnerable. Upon reprimand, there was a flash of blue light, a noticeable reduction of weight, and two onset coos from his female hosts.

Wonderful, Thorax thought. At least Calor was a quieter nymph than Apex.

"The changelings can sense what my emotion range is," Thorax went on, his smile reflexive when tiny hooves began to massage his scalp to grow comfortable. "Sadness, joy, anger, fear, and something we've just started calling 'urgency'. We still don't fully understand it, but I've come to notice a few things. It's not linked to thoughts, but the bodily response to powerful emotions. Tears when sad, that heat in your face when you're angry, or the fluttering in your chest when you experience fight or flight. I've come to know that when I experience those things, any nearby changelings can, too."

"Noling else can do it," Xenica added, flopping to one side to glance up at her alpha. "I think it's his antlers. I bet they're emotion transmitters."

"So as the alpha changeling, you have an innate power to summon changelings without words," Celestia summarized. "But what about your brother? If it truly is related to antlers, would your brother not be able to accomplish this, as well?"

Thorax teetered his head to and fro and put on a brief wince for effect. "Pharynx is...not the most expressive changeling. Fear, joy, and sadness aren't things he puts on display, which leaves anger and urgency. I've heard a few of his direct underlings express that they've felt something from him, but it hasn't been a consistent report. I guess that, if he does have the power, it's not as noticeable as with me."

"Well, his antlers are half the size of yours, Thorax," came the tiny, perched Calor. "You'd probably need to be a lot closer to feel his emotions, and we all know how Prince Pharynx is with personal space."

Thorax teetered again, and changelings started to chitter.

"It would appear it's a power most utilizable by you, then, King Thorax. I've only known you a handful of minutes, but it's already quite obvious that you seem to be very in touch with your emotions. Goodness, what a potentially useful power. Imagine what it could do for ponies."

Eyes around the imperfect circle set to Mild Menagerie. Standing from her spot, she enveloped the corners of her dress with magic and shook them of debris before meeting each gaze individually. "Well, now I just feel like a failed museum curator! To think, here I am, learning so very much about you all, near the restrooms of this cultural achievement in pony history. Come, come, every...ling, is it, right? Everyling? Pardon my ignorance if that's not it. We still have so much to see, and only so much of Celestia's daylight to do so!"

Hooves stretched and stood in a chorus of light scuffs and clops, and so the group prepared for reentry of the busy afternoon. But as the changelings huddled together a moment, bombarding their alpha with hopes and requests for the day, Celestia turned to her friend.

"Mild, if I'm not mistaken, the next room contains several hooves-on exhibits."

Scanning a watch fob within her dress with another pull of magic, Mild nodded with a smile. "You'd be correct. Not every exhibit is finished yet, and there are a few placeholder signs for to-be exhibits that couldn't be set up in time, but the room still has plenty to offer."

"Sure to be a hit, given the nature of our guests," Celestia chimed. "But I had a question about those placeholders. Would the curator and security team have an issue with any, let's say, impromptu exhibits?"

The watch fob hid itself away, and Mild sharpened a brow, as well as a smirk. "The curator and security team might inquire what our princess's idea is before responding."

Celestia tapped a hoof to her chin, eyeing the skylight that lined the center of the arched ceiling. Her irises slid to the changelings, who now patiently awaited their host's lead. Even Calor had resumed his regular size, having joined Apidae in observing Cimex. The statue-obsessed bug pony had taken to excitedly drinking from a fountain by the restrooms.

"The princess in question cannot give details at this time, lest certain ears overhear, but no tables or fixtures would be required. Watercolor markers, some spare canvas, and maybe a few pieces of plywood would suffice."

Mild laughed, loud and obvious, and drew the bug pony's complete attention. Even still, she lowered her register before responding, her persona dropping.

"I'm not sure what you have in mind, but knowing you, it's part of some grander scheme. I'll see if I can't secure a few supplies. I'll have you know, though, that I won't be doing any drawing or title making today or any other day. I can barely suffer my name in cursive, and that's good enough for me."

"Oh, I already have some helpers in mind," Celestia mused. "Though, I take umbrage with you belittling your skillset, Mild. Remind me to scold you on that later, over tea."

The mares turned on their hooves, and sharing a mutual chuckle, rejoined their multi-colored troupe. Perceiving her alicorn friend's will, Mild pranced ahead, drawing Thorax's attention with a mighty proclamation of gusto and a promise to seize the day set before them.

With the alpha out of earshot, Celestia advanced and befell her shadow across two particular drones. They turned to her with bulbous eyes and uncertain, slightly hung mouths.

"Calor, Apidae," Celestia began, briefly sitting to meet with them. Upon their prompt and polite bows, she giggled and lifted each of their chins in succession. "How would you both like to help me with something? Think of it as a surprise for Thorax."

"A surprise?" Apidae repeated.

Celestia nodded. "The information Princess Twilight gathered from her visits with you has only recently been printed in book form, meaning our museum doesn't yet have a dedicated exhibit for the changelings, as they are now. I thought we might make one of our own, and show everypony just how much you've all changed."

Apidae raised a curious hoof, but as her mouth opened, Calor excitedly leaped in for her, bouncing in place.

"Oh, oh!" he exclaimed. "Can I dance and play with more tiny ponies? Oh, princess, do you think any of them would like hugs? Thorax doesn't believe random hugs can make Canterlot ponies friendlier, but I beg to differ. Hugs make everyone happier, and happier and friendlier are basically the same."

Celestia's giggle evolved, and with a nod of her head, she offered a wink.

"Normally, I'd consider Thorax's word on the subject to be sage, but you know what, I agree. A nice hug certainly made me happier. No reason it couldn't do the same for somepony else, right?"

"Within the first year of the After Banishment—or AB—calendar alteration, a solar eclipse occurred for the second time in recorded history. Scholars believe Princess Celestia, exhausted from her busy schedule and newfound role in moving both the celestial bodies, forgot to move the sun prior to positioning the moon. Shortly thereafter, a religious cult calling for Luna's release, known as the 'Lunar Republic', gained traction in eastern Equestria. They cited the occurrence as a divine sign that Princess Luna was meant to rule Equestria as its sole monarch."

"Cimex, stop it."

"Within the first year of the After Banishment—or AB—calendar alteration, a solar eclipse occurred for the second time in recorded history. Scholars believe-"

"Cimex, you're going to aggravate the ponies with that!"

"Within the first year of the After Banishment—or AB—calendar alteration, a solar eclipse occurred for the-"

"Cimex, don't be such a nymph!"

"Within the first-Within the first-Within the first year-"

Biting his lip, Cimex rhythmically pressed his hoof against his attended exhibit, against the bright red narration button placed so tantalizingly within reach. Having ignored his due warning, he was mercilessly tackled to the ground by Xenica, and together they rolled about as a ball of blue and purple gossamer, tossing out the occasional provoked chirp.

From a half dozen yards away, Thorax looked on solemnly. His eyes sank even to the reassuring pats along his back.

"It's just so tiring," he whined, gesturing his hooves to the colorful tumbleweed as it bumped into table legs and decorative potted plants. "Their best behavior doesn't last, whether I ask nicely or sternly. I've never had this issue at home before. They've brushed off or ignored everything I say, and I seem to be the only one who can't get anywhere with them."

"Parenting or any form of guardianship is a trial as much as it is a joy," Mild Menagerie cooed, nodding sagely to the ongoing roughhousing. She noted the crowds, which seemed to have largely grown used to the changelings' foalish outbursts. "Have you tried channeling their energy into productive outlets rather than scold them for being energetic when not appropriate?"

"Well, not successfully, I guess," Thorax admitted, sinking his head in shame. "Princess Celestia did something like that shortly before we got here, and it was really inspiring. I can do that sort of thing when talking with a changeling one on one, or with nymphs, who are a lot more open to suggestion, but I still struggle with groups of adults at times."

Mild swept her gaze through each of the drones. Paired off in groups of two, not one of them had ventured too far from Thorax. While Xenica continued to wrestle Cimex down the central aisle, Labrum had come to the rescue of timid Clyepus, who struggled to overcome a particularly tight wall of ponies.

Then there was Apidae and Calor, corralled by Celestia in an untouched corner. Blocked by the alicorn's wings, their project was anyone's guess, though they were in no short supply of smiles.

"I'll tell you a little secret, King Thorax," Mild said abruptly. She sought to turn a smile with a friendly wink. "In pony culture, parents often take the stern approach when it comes to reprimanding foals because the young are often incapable of ever being serious, themselves. Adults, on the other hoof, know how to be serious, but choose when not to be."

"Perhaps taking a stern approach with the adult changelings is your issue," Mild summarized. "Perhaps the adults don't take your worries seriously because they've already calculated them in their own way and are choosing to focus on having fun. It's natural to lay restrictions and have expectations, but if you frame them differently, you may find a world of difference."

Thorax gave a weak hum. Snapshots of the changelings stepping before him, protecting his honor from the city's neighsayers flooded his mind. He'd not done a thing except stand there, but they'd taken charge of that situation, hadn't they? And what about their hurriedness to console him when visibly upset? Or reminding him of their visit's priorities whenever his anxiety got away from him?

The hum teetered on a whimper. The changelings were his anchor, but he'd done nothing but stressed the chain. He'd promised himself, promised them that he'd not be a buzzkill on this trip, but what had he done so far? He'd humiliated and scolded Cimex several times, encouraged the group to stay behind while he sought out Twilight, and had been a worrisome mother hen each time the changelings had so much as casually spoken to either of the princesses.

Thorax did his best to drain the red from his cheeks. "That's great advice, thank you. The adults sometimes act like nymphs because they're still getting used to feeling emotions rather than feeding off them, and so like nymphs, I've gotten used to trying to keep them in check. But, you know, it's been several months since we transformed. I can't keep using that excuse forever."

His large, floppy ears perfectly attuned to chirps, Thorax tracked the ongoing racket of Cimex and Xenica. The slightest hint of true distress or pain, and there would be words for Xenica, but he'd not intervene. Cimex would have to learn to deal with the consequences of his mischievousness sooner or later.

From his blindspot, Thorax heard Celestia's giggles echo with Calor's. Apidae's enthused questions and comments egged them both on. He could scarcely imagine what the princess had them working on, but he didn't dare to glance. Should he spoil a surprise for himself, he'd never hear the end of Calor's distress.

Pivoting, Thorax found his quiet pair, Labrum and Clyepus, carefully examining the tall cutout of some black and red creature—a centaur, perhaps. Propped to the side of an exhibit, it had been animated with a charm to flex its arms on loop. Ever the timid beetle, Clyepus had begun to back away from the odd art piece, but Labrum's chest halted him.

Labrum then spoke, and though Thorax couldn't make out words in this busy hall, he needed no context to sense the warmth coming off the drone's aura. Labrum nudged Clyepus's flank towards the exhibit with care while closely following him, blocking any further retreats.

Thorax wore a sympathetic smile. It would be a lie to say he knew either of the young bug ponies well, yet, but he knew enough. He knew enough to know that it was rare to see Labrum so openly express himself. Around Clyepus, however, he was another changeling entirely. He'd seen it in his glancing peripheral all trip-long, and it'd only grown more obvious. There was something precious there, something to celebrate.

To the thought, Thorax's body moved on command. His hooves advanced while his eyes apologized to a short series of blinks from behind.

"I'm sorry, Miss Menagerie; thank you for your advice. If you'll excuse me, I think it's about time I started focusing on having fun, too."

"Go on, Cly. It won't bite you. That's the creature Princess Twilight fought, I think. I wonder if there's a talking button on it, somewhere—the buttons tell you about stuff."

"It's not going to jump out at me, is it?" Clyepus grimaced as he was gently nudged forward, closer to the seasonal bulbs utilized as piercing red eyes. "Labrum, you weren't here when the dragon jumped out at me earlier. The ponies are trying to give me a heart attack!"

The nudging stopped to a pleasant "aww". A tangerine leg draped around Clyepus's neck, and the grey drone thrummed as he was hugged.

"I'm here now, dragon or no," Labrum said simply. "I know you hate jump scares, but I don't think all the displays are like that one. This one looks like it's designed to flex, and that's it."

Labrum's face harbored hope for further exploration, but Clyepus shot it down when he inserted his head beneath an open neck and drew chuckles from its throat. Pats befell his shell as he settled and relaxed in a ready embrace.

"Let's just cuddle instead, that's less scary," he mumbled.

"Oh, is it?" Labrum giggled, sarcasm diluted by a soft tone. On reflex to the younger bug pony's weight, he fell to his flank, a position better able to hold him. "What a bold plan; cuddle the day away. Don't think I've heard that one from you before."

"Says the changeling known to leap on me when he's bored and wants attention."

Labrum exaggerated a grimace. "Yeah, okay, but there are times for cuddling all day, like when we're home at the hive. Thorax wants us to explore the museum while we're here. If you don't do it now, you'll regret it later, Cly. C'mon, let's look at this exhibit."

Clyepus frowned. Labrum stuck out his tongue, and a grey nose was booped.

"Future Labrum surrenders himself to being a plush toy of your choice if you agree to explore with Present Labrum."

Skeptical lime eyes peered around the pressing hoof and to the menacing red biceps beyond it.

"It's just a display, Labrum. Why don't we look at some other ones? I saw one that has these rainbow apples, and I think there were jam samples, too. It looked delicious."

Another boop. Clyepus gave a faux hiss, and Labrum chuckled.

"You're a real scaredy-bug today. Don't worry. I'll check it out for you first, make sure it's spook proof."

Pulling away from the embrace, Labrum ventured towards the display instead. Like a retriever examining a curious object, he poked his head around the exhibit perimeter, scanning the intimidating cutout from top to bottom. A short distance away, Clyepus crouched to the floor, watching and waiting with widened eyes for any sudden movements.

"No mechanisms for jumping out at you," came Labrum's voice, somewhere behind the cutout. "It's really flimsy, actually. It would fall over if it tried."

"Promise?"

Labrum's welcoming face emerged beside the centaur's waist. "Promise. Now, can you see if there's a talking button on the front somewhere? There's nothing but cardboard back here."

Arresting his own worries with a deep, stable breath, Clyepus crawled up to the exhibit. A few written words were recorded on a wide poster board by the centaur's biceps, organized beneath a large, extravagant title phrase.

The Terror of Lord Tirek.

Clyepus found his eyes scanning back up to the flexing likeness when a sudden voice caused him to seize up.

"In the year 142 BB—or Before Banishment—calendar alteration, a pair of strange and powerful creatures descended on young Equestria. Brothers, Scorpan and Tirek, disagreed with how to handle their mission of stealing Equestrian magic. While one sought to retreat after learning of Equestria's charm, the other sought domination.

Though initially imprisoned for his crimes against pony-kind, the tyrant Tirek would find a brief respite to carry on his conquest plans in 3 AR—or After Reunion—calendar alteration. Thanks to the heroism of Princess Twilight and the Elements of Harmony, Tirek was again imprisoned within Tartarus."

"Well, he looks stronger than Chrysalis, but I'll bet she's more intimidating. What do you think, Clyepus?"

The question tickled the grey drone's ears, but it wasn't from Labrum, who only now stepped out from behind the exhibit. Clyepus jolted in place and turned in time to see a pair of antlers power down and recede a spell from the exhibit's now obvious narration button.

A familiar warmth settled in the drone's chest and every extremity, injected by his king's mere presence.

"It looks like you guys are enjoying the museum so far," Thorax began. He smiled at the shy drones in sequence; their demeanors had withdrawn the moment he'd made his presence known. Still, they smiled back, and for Thorax, that effort was just as loud as words.

"You know, I haven't gotten to see everything in this room yet. Would you guys like to check some of it out with me?"

With a little effort and even more patience, the alpha changeling beckoned the pair to him, and together they began to explore the farthest right aisle of exhibits. It was a section beset by middle-of-the-road history regarding agricultural advances and the founding of famous cities. Rather dull perhaps, but also calm and void of anxiety-triggering crowds.

A gossamer tail brushed against Thorax's own as Clyepus attached to his side. Thorax watched him as they walked. With a thin frame and shorter stature than the other adults, the grey bug pony was the very picture of vulnerability. What little Thorax knew about him was what Calor's ramblings had taught him. Though renowned within the hive for being easily spooked, he had a noticeable temper to counter those who dared to pick on him.

Thorax planted a tiny smirk. If he was here, he must be a cuddlebug. Calor's invitations had been triple checked. And if he was as shy as he appeared to be, that meant one of the few changelings lucky enough to hug this bug was trotting along just behind.

Thorax cast a subtle eye to Labrum. Even by looking at him, his energy was hard to place. The changeling moved with the silent grace of a cloud and appeared just as calm. If Thorax hadn't witnessed the expressiveness, first-hoof, he'd have pegged the drone to be just as introverted as Clyepus.

Another tail brush disturbed the surface of Thorax's thoughts. How unusual it felt not to have loud exclamations doing so.

"I'm sorry I haven't been more attentive with you guys today." He had run out of pleasantries. As a recovering shy bug, shy bugs were not exactly his specialty. "Cimex, Calor, Apidae, even Xenica are all really outspoken. I admit they tend to steal my attention when they're around, not to mention everyone else's."

Uncomfortable silence lead to a visible wince. Thorax felt his stomach tighten the longer it lingered. It reminded him of his brother, who would often ignore him with such silence. But Labrum stepped forward to match Thorax's pace and caught his eye with something more encouraging.

No, this silence was born not from an attitude, but a simple disposition.

"That's why you made sure to bring Cly and me along, together. If only one of us had come along, we'd probably be miserable by now. But we've been able to pair off together whenever we've needed it. Right, Cly?"

A sharp chirp expressed agreement. Pinged by name, Clyepus left Thorax's side at once for Labrum's. The drone's wings fluttered and buzzed in a brief display, heralding another hug.

Adoration poured from Thorax as a high-pitched note. In reality, Calor had screened for the pair to come, but that didn't matter. Technicalities had no place ruining moments of exchanged love magic.

"I'll never get tired of seeing changelings get along," Thorax praised, placing a sentimental hoof to his front-most chest crystal. "Having someling you feel comfortable around is invaluable. How I wish I had that at your age, Clyepus. It took me leaving the hive as an adult to find anyone even willing to be my friend."

While Labrum swam in the bliss of plentiful love magic, Clyepus's contentedness began to slip with his smile. His focus shifted to Thorax, a concentration uncharacteristic of him.

"I don't remember you from before I molted and became an adult, Thorax," he admitted quietly. "You must have left by then, or maybe you were just avoiding most other changelings. I'm sorry you never had friends back then, but I'm glad you went away. Because you left, you ended up coming back and helping everyling. I would never have met Labrum if you never became king."

Thorax fawned, but his sentimentalities were cut short. A sharp snout dug into Clyepus's neck and reduced him to a wriggling, giggling mess within seconds.

"If I might interrupt," said Labrum, his eyes half-lidded beneath the grey drone's chin, "I thought you were the changeling who wanted to goof off all day today by cuddling. Where's this serious heart to heart coming from?"

Attempts to step away were foiled immediately as Labrum tripped and gripped the bug pony, trapping him in an awkward dance of struggling and tickling.

"What are you-no, not in front of the hive leader, L-abrum!"

The snout climbed Mount Clyepus and peaked its chin, forcing it upwards.

"What are you worried about Thorax for?" Labrum giggled along with him. "He eats this stuff up. I'd think you'd want to worry more about the ponies. I mean, they think we're all weird beetle creatures already, not to mention whatever it is I'm doing."

Clyepus's wing case buzzed in a rush of anxiety, but the playful onslaught masked any chance of fear. "Yeah, exactly! So knock it off! You're a total bully when you want to be, you know-" was all he managed before being consumed by further giggling. Unbalanced and lacking a hoofhold, he gasped and pulled them both to the ground, where he was quickly subdued again. Pinned beneath an invasive, nuzzling nose, Clyepus twitched and flailed about helplessly.

But his restraint was obvious to any observing eyes. Not for a moment did he truly try to fight back.

Entranced, Thorax found himself sick with the infectious giggling, as well. The creeping guilt he'd felt choking his mood had subsided, and now, the more he watched a once shy, reserved changeling so openly laugh and play, the more confident he became. It was confidence in the empathy he'd tried so hard to teach the changelings for so long. It was alive and well, flourishing in even the most unlikely changelings.

As voices began to emerge all around him, Thorax dared for more than that. As welcoming auras began to fill the room, he felt unbridled confidence in today and the message that could be sent to Equestria.

"Daddy, the colorful bugs are playing around!"

"They're charming, hun. Not all that scary now, are they?"

"Are these really changelings? They look different, sure, but they act so differently, too."

"Right, I remember beasts that hissed and scowled, ensnared ponies in cocoons. Just what happened?"

"Juvenile, perhaps, but not the least bit threatening. Perhaps the new colors are for far more than show, after all."

"Changelings feed off of love. Under our former queen, we were taught that love had to be taken."

His heart raced, his hooves sweated, but still, Thorax spoke, loud and clear for the entire room to hear. He wanted to escape to an unnoticed corner, somewhere he could again hold a steady breath, but he did not. He wanted to cast away the spotlight he'd suddenly thrust upon himself, but he stood tall instead.

He stood because a good friend had once stood at odds for him, hoping to bring about change. If that change was to be achieved again today, it was his turn to champion it.

"Our queen led us astray. Love never had to be taken because we can create it for ourselves," Thorax continued, daring to smile and meet curious eyes. "Just by expressing affection, we nourish our minds and bodies. Just by caring for each other, we become strong."

He turned to his playful sprites and inspired them to stand; with one leg, he corralled them, holding them in a brief but secure embrace. He looked again to the crowd, and among the looks of intrigue was one of pride. The gorgeous sun monarch had risen from her tasks and now watched him fondly from afar.

"I became king of the changelings because I showed them a better way to live. We're completely self-sufficient now, but we've come back anyway because we want to do more than live happily in seclusion. The changelings want to learn about pony culture and make new friendships, and I want to erase the image of changelings that Chrysalis created. And if I can't erase it, then I want to at least bring Equestria something better. You all deserve it, and so do we."

He stopped, but only because his lips had grown dry. A hoof sharply jabbed him in the side. It was Labrum, and he was grinning.

"...bravo, King Thorax."

Parting museum patrons with her stride, Celestia pierced the crowd's edge. Following in her wake, Mild Menagerie greeted a few familiar faces on her way into the clearing, graciously staying out of the alicorn's way as she addressed her subjects.

"Equestria shines as a beacon of hope and prosperity, not just for ponies, but for all creatures big and small who would have peace in place of strife. I am honored to have the changelings as our guests today. Their story has just begun, and one day soon, I hope to see our cultured museum record even a snippet of that story."

The alicorn did not turn, nor did she spare any subtle glance, but changelings began to breach the borders of onlookers to join her all the same. Together they gathered under the shade of her wings, and as if on cue, a few happenstance camera flashes twinkled.

"In the meantime," Celestia continued, casting her eyes across the room, "Mild Menagerie and I have helped the changelings arrange an impromptu interactive exhibit of sorts. I believe it would be particularly enjoyable for those with young foals. Before you leave us today, please consider dropping by and saying hello."

The center of gravitational attention, the room looked with her. Situated in an unassuming corner was a modest sign, held aloft by a pair of plywood boards. Written in perfect cursive upon the utmost piece was, 'The Reformation of Love Bugs.' Small, dried trails of paint dripped from every other letter. A tasteful lavender rug, thick with woven fibers, served as a small sitting area just beyond. Upon it, a red and yellow changeling sat by a large, round stuffed bear.

The changeling beamed to her sudden audience.

"Hello, everypony!" she called, chipper than could be. "My name is Apidae. I am a liaison between the Changeling Kingdom and the Crystal Empire. I love to sing, explore, and learn new things about new places and creatures. I thought it'd be fun to talk with anypony who's interested in our culture. If you have little ones, I'd love to tell them funny stories about adventures I've been on."

Punctuating her sentence, the large stuffed bear by her side erupted in a haze of blue flames, stunning the audience with a chorus of gasps. A cobalt changeling with a foalish grin sat in its place, and he waved enthusiastically to the onlookers.

"And my name is Calor," the drone said. Within moments a small group of foals had rushed to him, bouncing excitedly in response to the flashy display of magic. He offered his attention at once and began to bounce in place with them, much to the eruption of giggles the room over. "I help King Thorax create fun and creative activities for our hive. I love to make others laugh or feel happy! If anypony or their little ponies would like to dance or play, let me know! I also give great hugs. Just ask Thorax!"

Thorax felt his heart skip a beat as the mention earned him a few dozen fleeting, bemused glances.

Thankfully for him, the soft rustling of angelic feathers was a ready distraction.

"Surprise!" Celestia proclaimed softly, catching his eye. With Mild Menagerie swiftly taking up the mantle of question fielder in the background, the alicorn was free to retire again from her political persona. "Admittedly a thrown-together idea, but from the looks of it, a worthwhile one."

She invited him to look again. Already, Apidae had the ear of several adult ponies, politely talking them through an apparent tale or two. Not a yard from her side was Calor, in the midst of amusing his young new fans with a series of transformations into stuffed animals. Upon each form change, he played peek-a-boo and made a goofy face. From foals and parents alike, the laughter could be heard even through the museum's collective white noise.

"Admittedly a little jealous of those little ones," Celestia whispered. Thorax chuckled.

"It's perfect," were the only words to be found. "Princess Celestia, you truly are incredible. Did you really notice which changelings could best do something like this in such a short time? It took me over a month just to remember everyling's name."

His chest-high companions snickered. Celestia shot a wink.

"Don't give me too much credit, Thorax," she replied. "You've been at this for less than a year, whereas I've had several millennia of practice. Besides, I'm not the one currently winning over the ponies of Canterlot with their charm. You've woven your own destinies since the moment you entered this city; you must know that. The innocent play of your changelings, your introspective words, and now this little creative side project. Changing the public's view of changelings does not look like a grand undertaking, Thorax; it looks just like this."

"She's right. Your speech was beautiful, Thorax," came Clyepus's soft voice. "You looked so nervous, but you still did it. And you didn't even have to. Labrum and I were just playing around. You could have gone and done something else or just watched, but you didn't. That's inspiring coming from you."

Thorax cursed his fidgeting with a subtle but forceful lip bite. On reflex, his hoof took up its place behind his head.

"You guys are going to embarrass me," he whined. "I just wanted to make sure everypony had the right idea. There's so much meaning behind how we spend time together now. More than anything, that's something I want to make sure everypony knows about the new changelings."

Exhaustion came for him as a sudden weight on his inhale. Thorax sighed and eyed the rays of sunlight streaming through the skylight. The sky had begun to saturate, which meant the evening was nearly upon them. Celestia's eternal smile revealed little, but if he had to guess, their time at the museum was nearly up. Once 'The Reformation of Love Bugs' ran its course, they'd likely be heading out. It would soon be time for dinner, which meant it was time for Papa Thorax to round everyling up.

"Should we go help Calor and Apidae?" the alpha offered to his sidelings. "Well, you don't have to help if you don't feel up to it, but it might be nice to have all of us over there. I'd like to be able to answer questions, too, if anypony has any for me. I'll see if I can round up Cimex and Xenica first. They might still be rolling in the deep, somewhere."

Clyepus opened his mouth, but his attachment to the ground was altogether rejected. He chirped frantically.

"Aye aye, Thorax," said Labrum, effortlessly heaving Clyepus onto his back from underneath. "On route to Apidae and Calor."

While grey hooves flailed to the tune of complaints, Labrum merrily trotted to the far side of the room. In his wake, Celestia and Thorax shared a respite, temporarily forgotten by all other occupants of the room.

"Say the line, Starlight!"

"...this is ridiculous, Twilight. You realize this is ridiculous, right?"

"It's Discord, of course it's ridiculous! Now say the line!"

The ungodly jaws of a dirt-brown dragon threatened to eviscerate her, but still, Starlight curled her lip. Grasping a long, silver blade in an aura by her horn, Twilight swung helplessly in the face of the beast, a deep red cape billowing at her back. A climactic melody lead by brass wind instruments lamented on from somewhere unseen, and from all around them, plunderseed vines crept menacingly closer, blocking off all routes of escape.

A sudden flare of fire pierced through Twilight's shield of magic, and she fell to her back. The dragon's mighty claws upheaved the ground on either side of her while a python-sized tongue flicked in anticipation. Starlight rolled her eyes.

"Say the line!"

"...now, sword of truth, fly swift and sure, let evil die and good endure."

Twilight gasped. A blinding light of white magic enveloped her sword, seizing it from her control. Shifting to the dragon with perfect precision, it soared through the air, slicing through the curtain of its goatee as it did. When the awaited moment hit and the beast's chest was struck, it wheeled back onto its hind legs and let out a deep, horrific gasp.

"Aauuugh!...right in the ticker!" it bellowed.

"This is absurd," Starlight mumbled. The chaffing of her elaborate red gown was starting to infuriate her.

Sighing, Twilight stepped forward. A piece of her daring rescue armor popped from existence with every step. When she reached the dragon, he had become little more than a gangly, serpentine draconequus laying on the ground.

"Game over, Discord. No more games, no more stalling. The faculty event is over, and thanks to you, I am extremely late for what is no doubt an important day for Thorax. Are you done?"

In an eerie reverse-fall, Discord rose to his claw and goat hoof. Casually brushing himself of dirt, he snapped his claw, and a pocket watch appeared between his talons. Using his paw to adjust his monocle, he eyed Twilight with a triumphant little smirk.

"Bravo, Princess Twilight and friend," he said, summoning replicas of himself to give a short round of applause. "I didn't think you'd manage it, but of course, you did. What devotion, indeed, you have to entertain a friend at the expense of other engagements."

"Like she had a choice," Starlight muttered from the backdrop.

A floating doorknob entered reality by Discord's waist, and he turned it. A mindscape of horrors and nonsensical sights could be seen in the realm beyond, beckoning their fellow entity home. With one goat hoof in the door, Discord turned and cast the mares a parting wink.

"Enjoy your respite, ladies," he said. "I believe I've had my fill of fun and frivolity for now. I'll be sure to sing the praises of your friendship to dear Fluttershy upon her return. How delighted she'll be to hear what model friends you all have been, perhaps after expressing her disappointment with the level of shenaniganry I had to resort to, to draw it out. Oh, and Twilight...do tell our good boy Thorax that I have a limitless supply of paper bags, should he need to relieve a bit of hyperventilative stress by dinnertime. Immediate family always make visits so much more complicated."

Adopting a flurry of blinking, Twilight's jaw hung open to inquire a follow-up, but the realm of nightmares was sealed and whisked away in an instant. The mare was left with her protegee in what was now a long-abandoned clearing, save a few remnants of party streamer tangled within the grass.

"Don't suppose you have any idea what that meant," Starlight broached, walking up alongside her mentor.

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter right now," Twilight said decisively. She turned and gave the unicorn a prompt hug. "More importantly, thank you for sticking around, Starlight. I could have handled him alone, but this was all a lot less aggravating with you around."

Starlight chuckled and returned the embrace. "You're welcome. Always easier to drudge through tasks when you have a friend there to hate them with you. Now get going, will you? I'm sure between Thorax and Celestia, there's a whole of 'where is Twilight?' going on up there. I'll finish cleaning up here."

Twilight nodded. With her sought freedom of movement achieved at last, she looked to the distant mountainside city with renewed resolve. Her wings spread with purpose, and with a great burst of wind, she took to the sky, piercing clouds and enshrouding herself with a current of air.

As velocity begot thrill, she giggled to herself. As a brilliant, young alicorn once told her assistant dragon so readily, "teleporting into a capital would be rude. Sorry for the wait, Princess Celestia, Thorax. I'm almost there."

Across the picturesque outskirts of Ponyville did the young princess soar, a purple angel teasing the wavy grass with every beat of her wings. The sweeping base of Mount Equus quickly approached her, cradled in an otherwise modest valley by a thin stretch of trees and the snaking river fed by Canterlot's signature waterfalls. None but wildlife called this remote stretch home, for not even the train passed by the southwestern cliff face on its way up the mountain.

Twilight shivered upon taking in the cool, rushing air. It sped her heart and focused her eyes, and for just a moment, she empathized with Rainbow Dash. The versatility of unicorn magic had raised her, but the thrill of flight had matured her. In no book or spell could she have ever experienced the world quite like she could with a simple pair of wings.

If friendship was, in fact, magic, then flight was absolute freedom.

As she blew past the modest treeline, she felt a foalish wonder fill her heart—the crystalline lake that sat at the base of the mountain was a spectacle to behold. A trio of cascading waterfalls bounced and pivoted off the layers of rock to feed it, creating an unparalleled scene of serenity. It was an unsung wonder of the mountain, overshadowed by the city far overhead.

"Really need to bring the girls here sometime," the alicorn pondered aloud. Extending a hoof, she broke the water's mirrored surface as she flew, invoking a ripple. "Thorax and the changelings, for that matter. They are the ones visiting, Twilight. You could take the girls here anytime."

Her ears coaxed a lull in her eyes to the monotonous sound of crashing water. It was a shame she hadn't the time to explore the falls, to find a cozy crevice somewhere and read a book. Few things an afternoon could be better spent on, undoubtedly. Perhaps Princess Celestia would allow her to bore herself a little hideaway behind the falls, a calm, private area for those particularly testy school papers.

But no, there wasn't time, not today.

The alicorn's wing beats intensified, and with a sharp upward turn, she began to ascend the falls. It was a thrill unlike anything she'd ever felt; the light spray of mist coming off the waterfall accented the wind in her face. The crown of Canterlot was barely visible at a perfect ninety-degree angle, leaving the illusion of an infinite waterfall coming off a cliff that stood past the clouds.

Twilight grinned, and the corners of her lip shook. She was a titan, climbing Mount Olymquus to dethrone the usurper gods of legend. She was Daring Do, trekking to the corners of the world to discover her next adventure. She was Equestria's fourth princess, closing in on her reunion with her good friend and ally, King Cuddlebug.

Twilight giggled to herself. Oh, yes, this was better than taking the direct aerial route. Without a doubt, far better than teleporting.

"Cimex, don't you want to say goodbye to your statue?"

Cimex and Apidae's turbulent conversation on acquiring cement mixers for the hive came to an abrupt end. With a flutter of glee in his heart, Cimex glanced to Thorax and scanned for traces of sarcasm. There were none to be found. He twitched his nose. Equally, there seemed to be no trace of anticipation in the air.

It was unlike Thorax to play pranks, but as a prankster himself, Cimex would take no chances, especially when his stony idols were involved.

In any event, Cimex bounded from his spot with due excitement. He hugged the big changeling and pressed his chin against sparkly green chitin.

"Sure as shell wax, Thorax!" he proclaimed before bounding back into the museum.

"...King Thorax, do the changelings have any practical use for blankets?"

Thorax blinked and contemplated the question. His instinct was a resounding yes, because blankets were pleasant—a fact he learned during his stay in the Crystal Empire. But were they practical? Maybe not.

"Well, between our body heat during cluster naps and the underground insulation in our nesting chamber, not really practical, I guess, but definitely not disallowed. Why do you ask?"

He looked past his half-pack of changelings and to Mild Menagerie. Having stepped outside to see the group off, she, too, waited for Cimex to come trotting back out. She offered Thorax a warm look.

"Should you like to entertain souvenirs before you depart Canterlot, I know of a fantastic seamstress and knitting expert who makes the loveliest blanket patterns, just up the street. I'm sure she could stitch up a pattern of our historical statues to use, as well as anything else that may strike your fancy."

Thorax made an effort to open his mouth, to suggest that such an offer was lovely, if unnecessary, but five avatars of delight pressed into him from all sides first. His world became an unpleasant flurry of wings and voices.

"Oh, I'd love a blanket to remember Canterlot, Thorax!" Apidae chirped.

"Same, I'll get something with the sun and moon on it," Xenica put in. "We can use it as a prop and make a play for the other changelings about the roleplay you and Princess Luna did, Thorax. You should reprise your role as Chrysalis."

"I know what I'd get on mine," Calor hummed, rubbing his hooves together feverishly and casting his twinkling eyes on an aloof Thorax.

From the rear of the group, Clyepus raised his hoof, only retracting it again when Thorax briefly acknowledged him with a nod. To the silent proclamation, Labrum scoffed and mocked a pout. The slander, replaced by a stretch of fabric.

"We don't have bits, everyling," Thorax expressed, pushing through the pressuring with a voice equally whiny and assertive. "I'm not against souvenirs, but we don't use pony currency, so how do you expect we pay for things?"

Sitting on their flanks, the group took turns blinking at their alpha. Hooves raised to the occasional opening of a mouth, but each suggestion died before sprouting. Only did Calor's hoof erect and stay put.

"Yes, Calor?"

"I did some side jobs in the Crystal Empire to get bits for my plush, but I stopped once I got him. So, um, can we make hugs a currency?"

Thorax sighed. "No, Calor, we can't make hugs a currency."

Ears wilted. Mild sadness flexed on every changeling's aura. Gone unnoticed by Mild Menagerie's side, Celestia watched the bug ponies' enthusiasm fade with silent heartbreak. Breaking the downtrodden moment, she stepped forward and met Thorax.

"If I may, Thorax," she began, "I do not expect guests of mine to pay their own way while visiting Canterlot, especially when they do not follow our currency system. I'd be happy to cover any costs for souvenirs and keepsakes, assumed the bill stays at least semi-reasonable."

She winked to the drones, and they perked up immediately. Thorax hoofed his face.

"Okay, we can go now!" came Cimex, trotting from the museum once more with an air of accomplishment. Quickly surrounded by the other changelings, he was briefed on the promise of personal blankets before Thorax could even speak, and so his lofty mood heightened further. Nympish hooves skittered in place, chirps filled the air, and it all served to tire Thorax out preemptively.

"Yes, a fine nap, indeed."

Emerged from a cocoon of blankets, pillows, and other warm fabrics, the lunar princess discarded them on her unkempt bed with a toss of cobalt magic. Grogginess sat like a weight on her eyes and in her nose, but she drank in the scent of lavender and loosened its grip on her. Her horn flared, and a myriad of pampering objects attended her as she stood, at the ready to rejoin the world of consciousness and destiny.

"Bring on the changelings," she challenged to her hairbrush, which seemed to shy away behind her as it continued to readjust the stars in her ethereal mane. She grinned and cast open her chamber doors in a boisterous display. Helmeted heads all down the hall turned to the commotion in sequence.

"I feel ready to take on the foul locust, Chrysalis, for real. What's an evening of entertaining Thorax and his entourage?"

"Good late afternoon, Your Highness."

Luna's bravado turned to shrewd professionalism in an instant. As she walked, a stout unicorn joined her, his quill nervously tapping the upper curled lip of his enchanted parchment. Luna faced the approaching hallway with newfound composure.

"Greetings, Shorthand Notation. How goes preparations for tonight's dinner?"

"Final preparations are now being conducted, Your Highness. The main course has been seasoned and magically suspended, and the desserts are now being finalized. Chef Sedani wishes you to know that the parsley garnish had begun to spoil, so she has run an errand for more."

"Understood. And the dining room?"

"It has been dusted, washed, and set accordingly. Chair arrangements have been altered to accommodate the guests."

Luna briefly turned. "And my suggestion?"

"Six chairs have been moved near the southern head of the table," Shorthand continued, "three to either side."

Luna surrendered a more playful sigh, and a smile slipped past her guard.

"Thank you for staying on top of things for me this past hour, Shorthand. I will await Chef Sedani's return and personally see to the state of things with her." She spied the sun rays shining down through the stained glass windows with growing suspicion—yellow had already begun to tint orange. "The museum's opening should have ended by now, which means my sister will be returning soon, assuming no unexpected delays. Before you return home for the day, please check in with the washroom staff and see that water pressure and temperature are as expected. Thank you."

With a prompt nod, Shorthand broke off down a bisecting hallway and out of sight. Only the immortal stares of Luna's guard ponies remained in her company now, statues of golden armor and white coats. Her gaze befell the decorative ruby rug beneath her hooves, and her lip curled.

Shorthand hadn't mentioned word from Ponyville. So then, where in Equestria were those scouts? Where in Equestria was Twilight Sparkle?

Luna's slight irk festered to concern, and now she paced past her guard ponies without acknowledgment. Chef Sedani aside, preparations had been completed. Celestia could handle everything from here on out. Perhaps it was time to take things into her own hooves. This situation had screamed for her attention all afternoon, and she'd chosen to sleep instead, to gamble that the situation would resolve itself. What a foalish mistake.

Luna scoffed. Her head lifted and with it her wings. With a contained burst of wind, she crossed the remainder of the hall in an instant, touching down with strategic grace before the castle's heavy oak doors. As her aura extended as a ghostly hand towards them, a meticulous array of thoughts and scenarios filled her head and sharpened her eyes to something lethal.

The longer this unidentified absence went, the more concerning it became. A finite list of things could forcefully hold up an alicorn this long, and not one of them was pleasant. The potential for a search, even a fight were not off the table.

Drowning in self-imposed adrenaline, Luna forged a smirk. She mustn't forget her guard units. Be it rescue or assistance, she was primed and at the ready. Harm would surely not befall any of them, not on her watch. She could scarcely remember the last time she'd even been faced with the prospect of something so exciting.

In two beats of her heart, she saw the rise and fall of her resolve. As the mighty doors swung open, she was greeted by a familiar purple alicorn eagerly offering a wave and smile.

"Oh, hello, Princess Luna! I'm so, so sorry I'm so late! You would not believe the afternoon I've had. Are Thorax and the changelings still here? I was worried the visit might have ended early without my being here."

Luna stuttered, flabbergasted. Twilight chewed her hoof.

"That doesn't sound good. Oh, please tell me they're still here."

"'Closed'? B-but how can they be closed!?"

"No, not the blankets! This is a travesty! An injustice! I will not stand for this!"

"Correction, we will not stand for this!"

Before a large set of cursive letters on a storefront, the changelings fell to the stone road like chopped trees. Casting out their hooves, they embraced the ground in their display of turmoil and drew attention from everypony within earshot. Thorax silently contemplated disownment from a few yards away, and, ever the optimist, Celestia offered chimley giggling.

"Still adorable," she said.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess," Thorax murmured desperately, his tone wavering on outright disagreement. Mild's advice from earlier continued to berate his thoughts, challenging his next move. When a thought came to him at last, he gulped air to calm his nerves and cleared his throat.

"Guys, look, we can come back to Canterlot some other time and order some blankets then. Now that we've broken the ice, we're absolutely going to come back soon. Maybe Princess Celestia would be kind enough to extend her offer till then?"

He shot a glance that screamed 'save me'. Celestia cleared her own throat to hide a snort.

"Of course," she played up, offering hooves of golden magic to help pull the drones up to their own. "You're all welcome back anytime, and my offer will not expire today, nor any other day. Anything at all for the cutest creatures to have ever graced my kingdom."

She offered a wink. Bulbous eyes expanded, and wings buzzed in short, erratic spurts as the drones yipped and cheered.

Satiated, the group moved on, steering, this time, clear of the many vibrant shops that could grab a changeling's attention. The castle and its garden of splendors emerged from behind buildings to greet them, and the drones grew noticeably antsier. From his lead in the group, Thorax sought his host's eye and joined her by her wing.

"You're going to ruin their appetite for dinner with compliments like that," he hissed.

"My apologies," Celestia replied in equal volume. She trailed the cracks in the stone path with her eyes, a labyrinth of twists and turns set to the pace of her hoofsteps. "I'm afraid I cannot contain myself today. It's surreal to me that your visit has finally arrived. The infiltration of my niece's wedding seems like a lifetime ago and so inconsequential now. All the malice and spite, the predation, it all left with Chrysalis, and I think that's such a blessing."

She eyed the colorful bug ponies behind her fondly, then shifted to Thorax.

"It's a reality I find myself processing and enjoying in the little moments. I believe dozens of ponies got to experience it today, themselves. I cannot understate my limited involvement in today's interactive meet and greet, Thorax. The changelings took hope and created something tangible with it, all on their own. It might be a small gesture, but the meaning is profound."

Thorax beamed past his flank, and heads turned to warmly greet him in turn, cued into his gaze by the embrace of omnipresent love magic. The setting sun captured the glint of his changelings' eyes, highlighting their flexed cheeks and toothy smiles.

"They're improving so much," he said, intentionally loud enough for all to hear. "I tried to find empathy in Chrysalis's hive for so long that I began to lose hope. I would cry at night, alone, wishing that things were different. I may have had fleeting hopes of befriending changelings even after I left the hive, but I left because I couldn't. After the invasion of Canterlot, after seeing ponies so easily employ friendship, I couldn't see a way to bring it to my hive without finding it elsewhere, first."

Subtle trots surrounded him, and so Thorax looked around. Those same glinting eyes framed by the sun's light offered him support from every which way, and he shivered to the reciprocation of love magic.

"If I'd have known how upset you were, I'd have at least tried to meet with you, Thorax. Secretly, if need be." Apidae pressed herself into the grand, green chitin. Her wing case vibrated in a pleasant hum. "Even before I changed, I always hated seeing others suffer, and I always felt like we were missing something. I didn't think there was anyling who felt the same."

"I'd have tried to help, too." Xenica offered a hoof to the alpha's opposite side. "I wasn't very touchy-feely until I was able to feel emotions, but I would have offered to spend time with you."

"I still can't believe you and I never had a conversation before we changed, Thorax." Asserting himself beneath his alpha's neck, Calor out-thrummed Apidae to the best of his ability and got an unnoticed eye-roll in response. "The hive is so crowded, and bullying was so common that I never got a chance to talk to you one on one. But I saw you once or twice, and I always felt bad that you were always by yourself."

Thorax sniffed, and his sinuses rebelled to the trailing of tears. Now the sun ignited his eyes, as well, mirrors of rose. He lowered his head and paused, and a half-dozen hooves hugged him. Safety and energy danced within his heart as one.

"You guys really are the cream of the hive's crop when it comes to cuddlebugs, aren't you? Maybe I wasn't as alone as I thought. I guess I was rather shy and intimidated around everyling in retrospect. Those changelings I did approach wouldn't so much as talk to me. Maybe I got too discouraged."

One hoof, in particular, squeezed Thorax more tightly than the others. It was Clyepus, and he'd forgone the forgotten backdrop in favor of embracing Thorax front and center. With both hooves hooked onto the moose changeling's neck, his chirps put all others to shame.

"I think it's better you didn't find anyling you could relate to, Thorax. It's like I told you. If you had found friends, you might have gotten complacent with that and stayed. Nothing would have changed. We needed someling to get out and discover a better way. We needed you to leave so that you could come back and bring us something new."

From just yards away, Celestia stood in the fading light and fought back infectious tears. She smiled. The sorrow from a lack of blankets had been long forgotten. Now there was another moment to process and adore, but this one was gorgeous even in symmetry and light. The changelings' shells gleamed with stars of their own, illuminating them like fireflies.

"True growth often happens when we are at our lowest point," Celestia whispered. She gave her gaze to the quickly approaching walls and spires of Canterlot Castle, and to her sun, hiding just out of view from behind the highest peak. "I know several ponies who have experienced that as well, Thorax."

As the sun continued to sullen to a calming tangerine, night and friendship conversed in the castle foyer. Immersed in the evening silence, the alicorns sat upon opposing chairs in a cozy corner of the room. They shared a brew of tea and a small coffee table, wedged in the crux of the wall's corner.

"Discord," Luna murmured, bringing closure to Twilight's recollection. She discarded the word with obvious contempt, and her teacup clinked upon her tray rather sharply. "Why does that not surprise me. It absolutely fits the climate of today's events."

Twilight sipped her cup. "He's been on a bit of a mission lately to 'help', both around the school and with his friends. Admittedly, the results have sometimes been helpful, as I mentioned the other night, but they've all been disruptive and wildly inappropriate."

"Well, of course. He cannot puppeteer the minds and hearts of ponies anymore without falling out of favor with those he is close to, so he must cast his strings elsewhere."

Twilight mocked a tiny grimace and flexed it to a smile. "I take it you still don't fully trust Discord?"

Luna breathed deeply, a ragged experience. She peaked her chin and, for a moment, closed her eyes.

"I understand that chaos and disruption are within Discord's nature," she began, dropping her chin to offer Twilight a blank expression. "But unlike my sister, who secretly finds his reigned-in behavior amusing, I am time and time again irked by his erratic loyalties. He continues to step wildly out of bounds but never receive true punishment or reprimand. The incident with Tirek, for example. Lest we forget, he betrayed all of Equestria for a chance of reliving his glory days of unrestrained control."

With Twilight's full attention now her heated spotlight, Luna sighed. She levitated her cup again, only to slowly roll it on the edge of its coaster.

"Jealousy is forever my weakness, Twilight Sparkle, for even now am I not entirely free of it. I see this issue from the position of a leader concerned for her subjects and Equestria's security, but I also see it as an injustice on myself. When I stepped wildly out of line, I was banished for a thousand years. I learned my lesson. Discord suffered a similar fate but has repeatedly insulted my sister's decision to reform him."

She could feel her brows furrowing, the weight of her own monologue getting to her, but she looked to Twilight and saw nothing but intrigue. The purple alicorn had slid to the edge of her chair, only breaking eye contact when switching to the opposite eye. Luna returned the earlier charity and smiled.

"I rarely voice these concerns to Celestia because they are always a cause of disagreement. I cite an unstable supernova of power, seemingly always on the verge of moral regression. She cites an embodiment of nature that has defied its own existence in favor of friendship. To my sister, the very fact Discord could even be made to co-exist at all is proof that it is all worthwhile, and that his metaphorical leash should be given slack."

The void of silence from down the unseen, empty corridors crept upon them. Twilight withdrew herself into a thoughtful stare and examined the trim of gold patterning along her teacup's base. Naught but Luna's mane moved from her peripheral, and so she remained silent a moment more.

"...Forgive me. I do not mean to tarnish your views or relationship with Discord, Twilight Sparkle."

"No, no, don't apologize. I totally understand where you're coming from, princess, believe me. I was one of the last ponies in my group of friends to trust Discord after he reformed. I would be lying if I said I still don't sometimes question my trust in him."

Wrapped in magic, the teacup ascended to eye-level, and from there, Twilight's focus made the short jump to Luna. They shared a sympathetic smile.

"I recommend you talk with Fluttershy one on one sometime, Your Highness."

"Oh?"

"Nobody is closer to or understands Discord as well as she does," Twilight explained. "Your sister pegged her as the best fit to reform Discord long before I even thought it possible. Every time Discord does something that enrages me, I talk to her, and I see a new perspective. Did you know that, after Tirek's defeat, Discord offered a bouquet to Princess Celestia? According to Fluttershy, he needed no prompt to apologize to her for his serious lapse in judgment. She believes he grew from the experience."

Luna sought counsel from the floor tiles. Again her brow furrowed. "No," she said quietly. "Celestia never mentioned anything like that to me."

"Fluttershy and I discuss Discord a lot from time to time. Emotionally, he's not so different from a foal. A neigh-omnipotent, highly intelligent foal, but a foal nonetheless. Frankly, he's terrible at being rational. He operates on impulse and has a lot of pride. Tirek used that to his own advantage, and you saw how it turned out. But in the aftermath of his mistake, Discord came to own up to it in his own way. Since his reformation, his heart has always found its way to the right place, and I think that's what your sister sees in him."

The muffled sound of voices came like chittering mice from somewhere beyond the front doors. For a moment, Luna and Twilight both turned. The next, they rose to their hooves. Twilight captured a final look before readying herself for the onslaught of newcomers.

"Being friends with a god-like entity with the emotional range of a child is bound to be a very bumpy road, but for all his trouble, Discord has proven to be a good friend more times than I can count. The fact I can say that even after being delayed by him all morning must mean something, right?"

The grand doors opened to a wave of pleasantries, as well as her sister's inevitable squeal to her protege's surprise appearance, but Luna remained fixated on Twilight for a time. Her smile reflected gratitude as much as shared excitement with the rest of the room.

"Twilight, oh, I'm so glad you're here!"

Twilight closed her eyes upon an embrace with Celestia. It was no Sunshine, Sunshine, Ladybugs Awake shake, but it was definitely her second favorite princess greeting.

"Glad to have made it," she replied, greeting the group of changelings with a smile. "Discord held me up at the appreciation dinner I had for all the school staff. Still not exactly sure why. Definitely need to talk with Fluttershy about it when she returns from her trip, but until then, here I am!"

She nervously chuckled. Thankfully, seven pairs of changeling ears were aloof to it.

"How did the museum go?" Luna inquired, eyeing Celestia and closing the doors behind the changelings with a motion of magic. "Afraid I've not stepped outside since waking up. I thought I would travel to Ponyville, to see just what became of Twilight, but she'd found the doorstep before I could leave. "

"It went wonderfully," Celestia recalled, a pride spilling from her voice. "We all got a thorough rundown of Equestrian history, to be sure, but more importantly, the changelings were able to interact with Canterlot ponies while we were there. Mild Menagerie toured us and spent much of her time with us while we were there. It was lovely."

She looked to the changelings. All but Thorax grinned. Thorax sheepishly looked elsewhere.

"I wish I could have gone with you all," Twilight expressed. "If not for Discord, I would have been in Canterlot well before the opening. I know he was doing it on purpose, but I can't imagine why. I'm sorry, Thorax. I really wanted to be there with you."

Rescued from his spotlight of praise, Thorax verbally aww'd.

"You were there with us in spirit, Twilight," he chuckled. "We learned a whole lot thanks to Celestia's friend. Though your narration would have probably been better, most of the exhibits had really fascinating narration buttons that talk to you, so that was fun. Maybe we can go the next time I visit, and I can bring some other changelings."

At one time mentioned, Celestia's attention flickered. At twice mentioned, Discord's name caught it.

"Twilight, what exactly happened with Discord?"

Eyes shifted to Celestia, and then to Twilight. The purple alicorn gave a little sigh. A question had been posed, and so her autobiographical prowess cracked its proverbial ligaments.

"He took all the dinner decor and furnishings and made a giant pile of mayhem with it," she began, traces of impatience returning to her face as she spoke. "He kept trying to press my patience, knowing that I would want to get it cleaned up. Well, we sort of mock fought, I guess, for a while. There were costumes, illusions, and transformations I didn't even begin to try and understand. Must have been from Ogres and Oubliettes."

Curious eyebrows peaked all around the room.

"Eventually, he backed off," she concluded. "Seemed to me like he was holding me off for a certain amount of time, like he didn't want me attending the museum with you all."

"Perhaps he was trying to garnish more attention for himself?" Luna offered. "Thorax has been in the spotlight among your group of friends lately, Twilight."

"If I had to guess, it sounds like Discord may be indirectly helping his friends, again," Celestia countered. She held a hoof to her chin. "From what you told me, Twilight, Discord indirectly assisted Thorax in several ways during his visit to see the changelings. Who's to say his delaying you, today, was actually about you, at all?"

As the coven of princesses continued, the half-dozen changelings found themselves cool places on the floor to seat their flanks. Clyepus again sought comfort from Labrum by bundling himself against the bigger changeling. Calor plastered himself like a cat on its back by Thorax's side. Apidae pleasantly chatted with Xenica, and Cimex took in the grandiose foyer with foalish intrigue, now given plentiful opportunity to survey it.

Thorax sat between them all, his large ears twitching to something strange and altogether out of place. Spooked, he peered to the closed front doors as if he'd seen a ghost. His eyes narrowed.

There was no way what he was feeling was right.

"Perhaps Discord wanted to give Celestia and I plentiful chance to spend time with Thorax, one on one," Luna remarked.

"Perhaps. Did Discord say anything of note, Twilight?" Celestia asked. "I've certainly never known him to be shy about sharing exposition or riddles. Anything you can recall?"

Twilight pondered. Scanning the camera roll of her experience, she probed each quotation. Obscure references, idioms, and jokes littered their entire fight, but nothing of substance. Certainly nothing condemning of some sly scheme to again keep Twilight from making memories with friends.

"...no, I don't think he-"

But then, there was something, wasn't there? There was something she'd dismissed before his retreat, something her star pupil had not.

Don't suppose you have any idea what that meant?

Twilight bore holes through the floor with a laser focus as she paraphrased what she could from memory.

"...'tell Thorax that I have paper bags, should he need to relieve stress by dinnertime. Immediate family always make visits more complicated.'"

A thunderous knock caused several changelings to jump. Three sets of crowns turned to the door, where Thorax, alone, had already ventured. There was a moment of quiet as a confirmation knock was waited for.

When it came, Luna nodded knowingly.

"Chef Sedani with the garnish, no doubt. If not, surely more aristocrats seeking advice. Best leave it to me, Thorax."

Luna hovered from her spot and to Thorax's side, politely shooing the bug pony in all but word or gesture. Thorax pranced in place as if on hot coals.

"B-but princess, I have a feeling it's-"

The setting sun sprung forth into the foyer and brought with it an elongated shadow. Vivid blue-violet eyes commanded a curled lip of total indifference, and a pair of short, sharp antlers cast a telling silhouette.

"Hello, moon princess. Wow, you're a lot shorter than I thought you'd be. Is my dork of a brother here? I have a package for him, and a message."

From between the changeling's antlers emerged a pair of tiny hooves, which heaved up a pair of crimson orbs sinister enough to pierce the soul. To the tune of excited, miniature buzzing wings, one hoof jutted out decisively at Thorax.

"I see him! See, Uncle Pharynx!? He's right there, we found him! I told you he'd be in the big pony castle because that's where I would go if I were him! By the way, hey Papa Thorax, we're here now!"

Gasps of mixed reception sounded from every changeling—every changeling but Thorax, who shrunk against the floor in a full-blown panic attack.

"Apex?" he wheezed. "Pharynx, you brought Apex to Canterlot!?"

"Oh, right, the message." Pharynx cleared his throat. He pegged his brother with a conniving little smirk. "Thorax, following your insistence on adopting broader vacations for hive workers, the nursery changelings have decided to go on leave this week."

"Wait, now?" Thorax rasped, his voice cracking. "All at once?"

"Yes, all at once. Apparently, the nursery changelings have decided they're all excellent friends now and want to do something outside work. Stellar job on not setting up contingency policy for when vacations lead to understaffing, Thorax."

Amidst his emotional crisis, Thorax frowned, a petulant endeavor enjoyed by his Equestrian onlookers.

"And before you point at me, I'm opting out of nymph-sitting," Pharynx went on. His antlers ignited and Apex was lifted from his head. "I have rigorous training regiments to run and other work to do that must remain nymph-free if I'm to get anything done. Besides, something tells me he prefers your sap to my sass, anyway. So tag, little brother, you're it."

Thorax sighed as he watched Apex float over to him. With a plop, the tiny bug was dropped, and immediately he snickered from atop his new throne.

"Tag, you're it, Papa Thorax!"

"Peachy, now the tiny terror is here. Better evacuate the city, Your Highnesses. Noling can conjure headaches like Apex can!"

A pestering hoof prodded at Apex's crimson shell. He huffed and kicked at it with his back legs. Thorax, whose head served as the battlefield, winced and withdrew his head like a turtle without his shell.

"I am not a teeny terror," Apex retorted, leaping to his hooves and wheeling around in one motion. A grunt of discomfort from Thorax went unnoticed. "I am a 'rambunkshious bedbug', that's what Papa Thorax said. And that means I outrank you, Xenny. Did Papa Thorax give you an awesome nickname?"

He paused, but only long enough for Xenica to barely open her mouth before adding, "I didn't think so!"

Playing along, Xenica pursed her lips. Her hivemates snickered for her.

Apex's tail swished to and fro before Thorax's face. The alpha lazily blew at the pesky object, but his eyes pursued another target. His brother's uncanny smirk continued to mock him from across the room, and Thorax couldn't decide on returning one of equal snark or something more irate.

"Enjoying yourself, Pharynx?" The smirk of equal snark had won. He would not suffer his brother's belittling before the eyes of Equestria's near-complete coregency. "Did you really come all the way here, yourself, just because you couldn't handle Apex? Were all the messenger and escort changelings on vacation, too?"

An uncomfortable moment of quiet lead to a decisive drop of Pharynx's head. As it began to sway slowly, a sinister chuckle drew even Apex's elusive attention.

"Sure, I'll bite," Pharynx cooed, stepping into the foyer and taking it upon himself to close the front doors in a burst of magic. He shook his head to the tune of an eerie smile. "See, I was about to quietly leave and let you go on with whatever chimeric mesh of politics and touchy-feely nonsense is clearly going on here. But okay, Thorax—you wanna sass me, instead? I got time."

Pharynx advanced with a slow and steady pace, a forecast of candid sarcasm ready to rain down. But while Thorax braced himself for the storm, the trio of alicorns lost to the sidelines took in the sibling theatrics as a welcome distraction.

"Quite charming, isn't he," Luna remarked with deadpan. "I wasn't sure what he'd be like, but this is still unexpected. He breaks Thorax's mold entirely. After seeing such polarized behavior from the rest of the changelings, I must say I'm surprised to see one still so..."

"Gruff?" Twilight offered. She smiled when Luna nodded. Their side conversation blossomed despite the onset of thunder that was Pharynx taunting his brother. "I've yet to meet him face-to-face, either. I've heard quite a bit about him from Thorax and Starlight, though."

"Was he not present during your initial visits to the hive, Twilight?" Celestia put in. More than her younger compatriots, she fought to contain her giggling as Thorax now struggled to fight off playful jabs that accompanied the jeers.

Twilight hummed a defeated whimper. "Not even once. Starlight told me that before his reformation, Pharynx was a figurative black sheep. He tended to stay away from the other changelings, and when he was around, he tended to cause disarray because he disagreed with how things were being run. And according to Thorax, he didn't even see Pharynx for weeks directly following Chrysalis's defeat."

"Hmm, a spiteful sibling feeling cast aside. How such a thing could spark rebellion baffles the mind."

Shameless and unruly, Luna's grin fed off Celestia's slow head turn.

From across the room, the boisterous taunting escalated.

"Don't tell me you're losing your touch, Thorax," Pharynx went on, his hoof a snake that dodged and weaved every attempt to block it from showering Thorax's carapace in light jabs. His sneer grew the more Thorax protested. "Don't tell me His Royal Dorkbug, He who has mastered the art of the Hug can't handle one more changeling. I mean, it's not like you're essentially on vacation right now. It's not like you have three princess escorts here to help you keep an eye on everyone."

"I don't object to having Apex with me, but I was trying to keep myself and our schedule as stress-free as possible by having our group be relatively small," Thorax replied, his voice straining with every jerky motion made in response to the juvenile attacks. His temper boiled in an instant with a flare of his eyes. "And will you knock it off? I might be able to handle six drones and a nymph today, but six drones and two nymphs is too much."

The assailing hoof retreated. A choir of chittering sounded from behind Thorax and harmonized with giggles from the observing alicorns. Pharynx adopted a neutral stance and curled his lip.

"There's that bite your dragon friend taught you," he commented coolly. He cracked a joint in his leg, and like a switch turned off, his demeanor changed. "I brought the gnat myself because I don't trust anyone else to do it, Thorax. No changeling other than a hive leader should be transporting nymphs across borders, and I can't spare to send a sizeable squad right now. We're understaffed as it is—which I can't understate enough is your fault."

For the first time, Pharynx offered his attention to the greater room and the observing alicorns. He met each welcoming face with the same reservation, a face etched from stone, equally unflinching and unremarkable.

"Besides, I was starting to feel restless," he went on, reasserting his attention on Thorax. "Figured I should at least make an appearance, show your pony friends that I'm more than this faceless big brother who never leaves the hive."

"Well, that certainly doesn't sound like you," Thorax quipped. "You love being a homebody and a loner. It sorta sounds like you're saying that you missed us, big brother. That you missed me."

Thorax beamed. Pharynx launched the sentiment into orbit with his eyebrows.

"Like a head cold, Thorax. What I miss is you distracting the drones with your sap so I can actually get work done. Speaking of which, is this little field trip about done yet? The first changeling to look me in the face and tell me it takes more than an entire day to look at pony drawings is getting laughed at."

Pharynx raised a hoof to take a step, and ears sprang to attention. His brother was altogether consumed in a flurry of buzzing wings and tightening hooves, an assembled shield of changeling bodies. Embracing Thorax in concurrent hugs, the better portion of the group challenged the beta changeling with looks lively enough to disarm his scowl.

"Sorry, Pharynx," came Clyepus. Huddled to Thorax's opposite side, the drone peeked out from behind his alpha's chest crystals. "We can't go home yet. The princess ponies invited us to have dinner with them. I think we're obligated."

"Which means we can't let you bugnap Thorax, either," Xenica continued, pressing herself into Thorax's immediate side and offering a sly little smirk. "Or continue to rile him up, for that matter. Could you tone down the tough love for a bit? Physical meals get spoiled by stress, you know. Adds way too much spice."

"Glad to know I'm just a meal ticket at this point, guys," Thorax mumbled from within his cocoon of hugs.

"You should stay and come to dinner with us, Pharynx," Calor added, pulling himself over the curvature of Thorax's shell. "Thorax would love for you to come, assuming you don't tell embarrassing stories about him the entire time."

"Wh-hold on, whose side are you guys on, anyway?" Thorax stammered.

Pharynx visibly shivered. He buckled under the sudden eruption of love magic. It was concentrated, overwhelming. Oh, what a horrid mistake he'd made, leaving the cold embrace of the hive's lower bowels.

"...cuddlebugs, I swear," he murmured. Sweeping to the alicorns, he motioned an expressive hoof to the ball of glitter and buzzing wings. "And you lot are seriously buying this? You sure you don't want to go to war with us just on principle, at this point? This is way more terrifying than anything Chrysalis could have dreamed up, trust me."

Thrust upon the social spotlight, at last, the princesses reflexed chuckles. Ever the icebreaker, Celestia broke away to step forth and formally greet the buggy co-monarch. While she did, Luna's stellar mane filled Twilight's view, as did a whisper fill her ear.

"...I retract my earlier sarcasm, Twilight Sparkle. He's actually pretty funny."

Like a curtain lifting to reveal actors on a stage, the room fell to silence, its attention collectively given to a truly rare and chance encounter. Refined regality met brusque indifference in a painting of evening light.

"Hello, Pharynx," Celestia began, her hoof and head counterbalancing each other in a bow. She taught her brow in thought. "My apologies, is it 'Prince Pharynx', now?"

"Just Pharynx." The changeling nodded briefly in greeting. "Thorax and I disagree on a lot of things, but royal titles being superficial is not one of them."

"Of course. Well, in case my guards failed to properly greet two changeling dignitaries today, I'd like to welcome you to Canterlot, Pharynx. It's our privilege to host both you and your brother."

Celestia breached the conversational water to peer at Luna. The two shared but a moment's gaze, but it was enough to signal the moon princess's movement.

"As your subject so generously mentioned, you are of course welcome to join us for dinner," Luna said, flawlessly intercepting the greeting. "I know not Thorax's plans for the evening, but it is certainly the last planned item on our list."

Elsewhere, Twilight had trotted over to her tall, colorful bugmoose friend.

"Aren't they impressive?" She bit her lip, and her pupils became stars on command. She had no use for an answer. "I call it the 'Sister Cycle Two-Step'. They use it with all the foreign dignitaries. It has a ninety-nine percent success rate. I know—I've calibrated."

She waited for what she thought was a fair amount of time for a response to her fangirling. When one didn't come, she sought Thorax's face. It was sheepish and distracted, caught by a rather devilish glare that Twilight was only now noticing.

It was Pharynx, and thankfully for Twilight, he repeated himself.

"Well, Thorax?" he asked again, cocking a brow. "We're all listening. What are your plans for the evening? We heading back after dinner, or are you gonna find some excuse to sleep over like you always do?"

Twilight blinked. Again she sought a lifeline from Thorax.

"Always ready to embarrass me in front of everyone," Thorax hissed, his timidity beginning to evaporate the longer he stared his brother down. When next he spoke, it was clear and concise.

"I don't know yet. After dinner, I wanted to see how everyling was feeling, maybe head home from there if everything was settled. Though that was before you dropped Apex on me, Pharynx. He'll be tired after dinner this late, and I don't think either of us wants to try a journey home with a nymph after dark. If you think he's made you miserable now, try after his sleep schedule gets messed up. I might stay here with him until daybreak. If any of the adults want to go home sooner, though, they could go with you. I assume you wouldn't want to stay overnight."

Pharynx slid his jaw, and a flicker of smugness quickly faded. He'd walked into that one. A mass of congealed slime on an otherwise perfectly smooth cocoon. Voices piped up from around Thorax's legs before he could respond.

"Who would want to go home early? Ponies have good food, pretty castles, and fireplaces."

"A nice dip in our hot springs tomorrow after staying a night in the castle sounds sublime."

"Sleepovers mean cluster sleep in cozy pillows, right?" To his own question, Calor looked to Thorax. The alpha smiled weakly, turning his head to seek assurance of his own.

"Um, I hate to impose, Your Highnesses, but would you even be open to the idea of some of us staying the night? If not, I'm sure we could find somewhere in the city to stay. I remember the concept of hotels, though I'm not exactly sure how they work. We can figure it out."

"Nonsense," Luna declared. "This castle is vast, and even with our live-in staff, has several unused guest rooms available. You'll not need to learn the intricacies of hotel culture tonight, Thorax."

She offered a wink, and to her left, Celestia not-so-subtly danced in place.

"Fine, plan B it is," Pharynx replied, at last, promptly turning his back to the group and regaining their attention. He made headway for the doors. "As for me, you're right, Thorax. I can spare neither the time nor the patience for staying here till' dawn. Enjoy your pony food—I think I'll pass. I'll have a patrol squad ready to meet you all back at the hive in the morning."

"Uncle Pharynx, you're leaving already?"

Pharynx stopped. He could feel tiny orbs watching him, an aura of desperation surrounding them. He sighed.

"Yes, I am. I should help Tarsus and Tibia keep the hive safe tonight."

"But what about the princess ponies and the dinner?"

"You, Thorax, and the adults are here to have dinner with them." To this, a few reassuring head pats befell Apex from his adult hivemates. "My attendance is a non-issue."

"But, what about Papa Thorax?"

Pharynx rolled his unseen eyes. "What about him?"

"Remember? When we were flying here and I said I was excited to see Papa Thorax again, you said 'I figured so', so then I said 'are you excited to see him, too?' and so you said 'hardly', and so I said 'but he's your little brother, shouldn't you be happy to see him?'"

The eye-roll skid to a frantic stop.

"You didn't say anything about Thorax after that, but I felt warmness when I asked you that," Apex continued. Unbeknownst to him, his tall, multi-colored chariot was already slyly grinning. "Papa Thorax says warmness happens when changelings share love or feel love. You must have been excited to see him too, right, Uncle Pharynx?"

"...for Hive's sake, let's write them a novel," Pharynx groaned. "Reenact a play while we're at it. Can't get away from the chatter even when I'm about to leave."

He turned in a bout of frustration, ready to vent further, but was stopped again. Thorax watched him with a kind of limitless patience, an indecipherable smile. Whether from caution or curiosity, Pharynx didn't know, but he couldn't bring himself to turn his back again.

"I was right earlier, wasn't I? Bringing Apex here wasn't really about getting time to yourself, at all." His heart leaped, his energy capped, but still, Thorax spoke softly. "It was an excuse. You were really hoping to get us to come home tonight, weren't you?"

"...the gnat is getting better at tapping into his freaky empathy powers," Pharynx muttered, glaring at Apex only to get a tongue in return. "And yes, it seems I am, too. Emotions still make me sick, but lately, I've gotten it down to dry heaving."

Thorax dared to beam a wholesome look once again. It wasn't a direct answer, but then, he hadn't expected—or needed—one.

His big brother missed him, and it was all he could want in the world.

"...far be it for me to ruin the moment," Luna lead, pausing to garnish attention, "but does this mean you'll at least be staying for dinner after all, Pharynx?"

Pharynx closed his eyes and revisited the pitch in his groan. True to his confession, he could feel the otherworldly tug of some unseen force in his abdomen, cluing him into the anticipation and excitement saturating the room. He could feel heat numbing the depths of his chilled heart, chipping away at his precious indifference.

He raised his head and glared at Thorax. Ultimately, this was all his fault. If the once-great patrol leader would fall to the clutches of hippiedom, then an even greater call for brotherly torment would soon be in order.

"Yeah, guess that's what's happening now," Pharynx replied flatly. He trotted back towards the group to the onset of victorious cheers. There, he met Thorax and demanded his eyes.

"To be clear, I'm not staying the night. After dinner, I'll head back, with or without anyone else."

"Yeah, alright."

Thorax held a cheeky little smile. Pharynx would uppercut it, if he cared any less about making his brother cry.

"You're a dork," was what he settled for. "A tall, sentimental eyesore of a dork. If I wake up someday soon with new pansy colors because I fell too deep into this new age love philosophy of yours, I'm coming for you."

"I love you too, Pharynx."

Pharynx smiled, though it was more conniving than his brother realized. His eyes bypassed Thorax and to the regal alicorn yards away.

"Yeah, I know you do. Hey, moon princess, can I bother you for a second?"

Thorax began his observation with a few innocent, albeit confused blinks. But as he watched his brother trot over to the lunar monarch and embrace her without so much as a word, his face was twisted by shock. A silent gasp was audibly filled by his drones instead.

"Goodness, whatever did I do?" Luna chuckled, returning the hug.

"Just in the right place at the right time, princess," Pharynx whispered, dragging out the embrace until he could hear his brother's stammering.

"B-but you, what are-why would you-"

"Geez, Thorax, guess I'm getting used to this 'feeling emotions' thing even faster than I thought." His smile contorted to something blatantly sinister. "Now, where's this fabled dinner at? I admit I'm curious to see how greens and grains compare to greens and small arthropods."

"B-but Pharynx," Thorax reached, a crack in his voice. "You've never spontaneously hugged anyone in your life, not even me." His lip bordered a pout. From amidst his mobile fortress of doting changelings, he grew visibly antsy. His maturity slipped away from him, but he didn't care. "I don't get one? Seriously? You're going to throw away your first act of charitable affection just for a chance to tease me? I thought you missed me!"

Pharynx scoffed. "Well, that doesn't sound like me, Thorax," he said, mocking Thorax's earlier tone. "Sure, maybe I missed you, but you know I don't hug dorks—I just tolerate hugs from them, now. I think we've been over my rules for this."

A knock interrupted Thorax's train of thought towards a retort, and like clockwork, everyone's collective focus shifted again. This time, it was Luna who reached the front doors first.

"Now for absolute certain," she said with confidence, parting a glance to the lobby. "Dinner is just around the corner, everyone. Our esteemed castle cook, Chef Sedani, has returned."

Before Luna's aura could so much as turn the knob, the oak doors were blasted open. There, stood tall and proud, was a young mare still wearing a comically tall chef hat, her hoof extended towards the sky to present a small pouch of purchased parsley. She addressed the alicorns with a violent whip of her head, offering respectful nods and a single eye unobscured by her frizzy, orange bangs.

"I have returned, m'ladies," she crowed, dramatically clenching her free hoof. "The garnish has been secured. We shall have a feast, unlike anything our changeling friends have ever seen."

There was a long, intense silence. Twilight was the first to speak, though she fought just to say the words.

"Is—is she by any chance-"

"Related to Photo Finish?" Luna finished. "Yes, and we get that a lot."

Celestia knowingly smiled and shook her head. "There's a reason Canterlot is often called the 'City of the Sisters', and I assure you it's not just because of Luna and myself. Even you'd be surprised by how many pairs of sisters live here, Twilight."

"Where'd those white and black grains go—ah, there they are."

A mighty apex predator cornering his prey, Pharynx flared his magic and latched onto a pair of decorative glass shakers hiding among a complex network of bowls, trays, and utensils.

"Salt and pepper, Pharynx," Thorax replied, rotating a fork in his electric aura to wind up a spool of pasta. Saving face, he glared at the pasta instead of his brother. "We're uncultured but we're not that uncultured."

"You know, I must be a glutton for punishment," Pharynx began in reply, seasoning and devouring an unsuspecting portion of noodles. His glare looked up over a sneer marked with sauce. "Because I don't even need this seasoning when your moping sours my taste buds for me, Thorax."

"I told him this would happen," Xenica sang from her spot at the table's southern corner. She drew giggling from the petite purple alicorn seated next to her. "You can't tell, Princess Twilight, but Thorax is very gloomy. It tastes like stale, sour berries. Not fun for anyling within empathyshot."

Twilight ventured her own assessment of the tall changeling. A slight hunch curled his back while his unloved bowl of noodles held his focus from a distance. Even when his changelings attempted to call to him, attempted to garnish what was wrong, he gave little response but a fleeting smile.

"Oh, I can tell more than my fair share just fine, I think," Twilight mewed. She thought to reach out to him, say something to draw that big, hopeful look so characteristic of him, but she didn't. He didn't really need it—not here, and not from her.

"If you want a hug so bad, Thorax, stop pouting and come get one," Pharynx gruffly went on, a napkin recklessly launching itself at an angle to wipe his snout. He paused in brief effect to challenge the mousy changeling. "I was messing with you earlier, but I'm not cruel—I won't stop you. You know what my terms are. If you follow them, you'll get your hug and get away unscathed, too."

Giggling came in a sequence around the table. Pharynx's grin grew for its audience.

"There are terms and conditions for giving and receiving hugs in changeling culture?" Luna mused aloud, her load-bearing fork nodding in the air to gesture her thought.

"Well, yes, but also no," said Apidae from the moon princess's left, dabbing a napkin to her face with her own cherry aura. "After we discovered that shared love magic is regenerative for both the body and mind, Thorax came up with the 'Physical Meal Therapy' policy. Hugs are now the normal social response for anyling who has a sour, sad aura. They instantly feel better, and noling else has to taste tartness on their tongue. It's a win-win."

"Pharynx is just a special case," Xenica added, again antagonizing her beta with a cheeky look. "He is the undisputed leader of the anti-cuddlebugs."

"The grumpbugs," corrected Calor.

"That is not a term," Pharynx said grumpily.

"The anti-cuddlebugs are those changelings who prefer not to share love magic through physical gestures," Apidae clarified, eyeing the elder pair of alicorns. "They still sustain themselves through friendships, of course. Even by anti-cuddlebug standards, though, Pharynx is known to be very strict. He won't let nearly anyling touch him, let alone hug him. Thorax is a big exception, but even he has to follow certain rules."

"A soft spot for his sibling, then," Luna summarized, casting a precious look. "How sweet."

"It was that or suffer this moping of his every waking second," Pharynx dismissed, abandoning his silverware in favor of grasping piles of noodles in the grip of his magic. "Being a changeling means being adaptive. I just happen to deal with needy family more than espionage tactics, these days."

"It isn't even about the hug," Thorax expressed with a sigh, a blip in his concentration causing his dinner to fall from his fork. Still crowned upon his head, Apex regarded the plopping noodles with fascination as a muffled sound came from the layers of colliding cheese. "I'm just surprised to hear that you've been experiencing the effects of love magic more recently, Pharynx. It's just that, last I knew, you were still unreadable by anyling in the hive."

"What, am I improving too fast for you, now? This is what you've wanted all along, Thorax—I'm registering my hippie card. So where's this moping coming from?"

Pharynx offered his attention, ready to wrestle with just his gaze. Thorax retreated in both composure and tone.

"N-no, that's not it. I just thought you'd have told me about something like this before now."

"Poor Thorax." Cimex twitched Labrum's ear in leaning over to it. "This is definitely about the hug."

Labrum nodded, coddling his alpha with a puckered lip.

Thorax pined for his brother. "When were you going to tell me?"

"Probably if and when it ever became relevant, Thorax," Pharynx replied. He slurped noodles to elicit a look of disgust. "I haven't told you for the same reason I don't attend your goofy feelings forums—I do not now, nor have I ever cared to talk about my feelings."

"But I-" was all Thorax was allowed before Pharynx snorted haughtily.

"And I'm certainly not going to keep you in the loop just for the sake of it, either. I'd never hear the end of your fawning. Are you joking? You'd bumble over yourself every time I so much as greet someone and feel an exchange. I'm improving, Thorax, and that's where the topic can stay."

Thorax closed his mouth. He recoiled in his seat, suffering the loss for now. Feeling the tapping of hooves along his head, the alpha's mood quickly lifted along with another spool of pasta, which he offered to Apex. When tiny drops of sauce fled the nymph's tongue, they dripped onto Thorax's nose, and they both chuckled.

"So, Pharynx," Twilight started softly, politely leaning over her bowl to prompt the changeling's gaze. She could only pray her toothy grin would be enough to weather that foul attitude. "Princess Celestia and I visited the hive shortly after Chrysalis's defeat, but I don't recall seeing you. Thorax said, albeit not until recently that you were avoiding the other changelings by using the hive's lowest chambers. He felt it best not to bring you up until you were there to introduce yourself-"

"Oh, is that what he said?" Pharynx monotoned in interruption, his stare lidded and sharp. "Well, that's a shocker. How strange for Thorax to avoid awkward topics like he avoids confrontation—entirely."

Dead silence. Thorax shrank in his seat. For a brief time, Apex fell to his hivemate's eye levels and reveled in smugness.

"If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to emerge again and try and help the hive move forward?" Twilight went on, sweat breeding on her brow. A thick layer of tension had fallen on the table since she started her question, but she had gone past the event horizon of this conversation. Science dictated that she reach the end. "Starlight Glimmer is my pupil, you see, and she relayed a lot of what she learned, but she never talked about your motives. I just thought I'd pick your brain while we had a chance to talk."

More silence. Twilight didn't dare turn, but the unsure looks on Celestia and Luna haunted her third eye. A cup of sparkling water—Celestia's idea—didn't dare to disobey Pharynx as it was magically whisked to his lips. He regarded it with a grunt as if mulling over the taste.

"I separated myself because I wasn't sure if our queen would return in vengeance or not," he said at last. "Moreover, I wasn't sure how I should react if that happened. Do I turn traitor on the spot for a regime that, while extreme, worked well for centuries, or do I uphold it, even if it meant betraying my brother's hopes in the process?"

The silence became Pharynx's to command, to dot his sentences and incite further tension. He sighed, as if it were some great chore to do so much talking.

"I was undecided at first, I won't lie," he said flatly. "I'm loyal to the hive, not to a leader, but even so, Chrysalis was overthrown largely with the help of outsiders. A coup is one thing, but a coup involving non-changelings is dirty. I knew Thorax knew it, too. He was jumpy and antsy for weeks, terrified of the rogue changelings, and dreaded Chrysalis returning for her throne. He was afraid he'd have to deal with her. Frankly, he's one lucky twit that she seemed to focus her fury on your pupil instead, princess."

Twilight's eyes, which had glazed over, emerged again to conscious thought. She looked at Thorax.

"Wait, how did-"

"Everyone heard what Chrysalis said before she fled," Pharynx picked up, looking from Twilight to Thorax and then to the remainder of the table. "I may not have shown myself at the time, but I was there. Chrysalis ordered the entire hive to converge on that throne room. I'm just one of the few changelings that didn't jump ship into hippiedom, the first promise of free food I heard."

Pharynx drank in the weighted air. It had festered with a sour aftertaste. He watched the changelings fidget and shift in their seats, their melancholic faces obvious. Meanwhile, the trio of alicorns watched him with heartfelt investment, rigid and at attention by comparison.

Pharynx cracked his neck. This was all starting to drain him. Thorax was just lucky the food wasn't half bad.

"Anyway, the rest should be obvious. He's a dolt, but it's always been my job to look out for Thorax. If I had stayed a loyalist, and Chrysalis did somehow take back the hive, she would have destroyed him for certain. Loyalty to even a productive leader was not worth that."

"...I was in the throne room, too, and I recall seeing Pharynx," Labrum spoke up. He maintained his train of thought by anchoring onto Thorax. "I remember all of it. He looked about ready to jump in and attack Chrysalis, himself, if Starlight hadn't helped Thorax get away from her by sharing love magic."

Pharynx let out a groan. The tension in the air was sucked from existence by some supernatural love vacuum, and so the changelings' soft chittering returned.

"Pharynx has a very powerful big brother mode," Xenica piled on. She looked to Twilight, who still sat with unanswered questions. "Before Thorax left the hive, Pharynx protected him from bullies all the time. He also took the heat for Thorax whenever he ended up on the other end of Chrysalis's fury."

"Oh, you mean like the time Thorax failed to cocoon those outpost ponies?" Calor spotted. He, too, offered exposition to Twilight. "He told them to evacuate and then dressed up some scarecrow ponies to try and fool Chrysalis. She was furious."

Calor and Xenica shared a look and nodded. When Calor wreathed himself in flames, the ghastly visage of Chrysalis sat in his place. Her ratty mane whipping with her head, she descended on Xenica with a face unhinged.

"Thorax, you stupid, crawling grub," she seethed, her tone a hiss threatening to explode. "Not only can you not follow the simplest order, but you also dare to insult your queen's intelligence, as well? A likeness made of hay and earth—do you truly believe such a farce could deceive me!?"

Visibly unbothered, Xenica spoke, and flames sprouted to the command of her voice, which drastically changed pitch mid-word.

"Please forget about him, Your Highness," a faux Pharynx said calmly. The tinier, red-finned drone seemed so inconsequential next to the towering changeling monarch, but still, he stared her down with confidence. None, not even Thorax, could tell if it had been fabricated or real. "Thorax is weak. He doesn't have the courage to handle fieldwork yet. It's my fault. I resolved to train him, and I believed him to be ready to handle an assignment, but I was wrong. I will see to his improvement."

The changelings resumed their pastel colors, in all their glamor, and laughed. Thorax whimpered.

"Do we really need to do this, though?" he murmured, his cheeks reddening. "I mean, just when I thought I had forgotten about that."

Even still, he couldn't help but beam to the praise rightly being slammed into his brother.

"I was her head of patrol, Xenica," Pharynx muttered, having conveniently pinned his eyes to an adjacent door for the entire act. "I just knew I could get away with angering her, unlike him. Me getting yelled at made more sense than him getting hurt or banished."

"Big. Brother. Mode." Xenica spelled out with a widening grin. Pharynx snorted again.

"It is another reason I left, though," Thorax said. To distract himself from making eye contact—an endeavor that would surely end in tears—he began to mildly harass Apex with a probing hoof. "I wanted friends, and I wanted to introduce the concept of friendship to the hive if I could, for sure. But I also didn't want to burden Pharynx anymore. He went through so much because of me. I couldn't let him compromise his position just to keep helping me stay somewhere I didn't even want to be."

"Don't spout gibberish, Thorax," Pharynx remarked. His tone had sullen. "Like any of that would have mattered on a day where she tried to hurt you. Labrum is right. If you hadn't done something in that throne room, I would have."

Thorax sniffed. Thankfully, only Apex noticed, so only one pair of glowing orbs pried for him.

He would definitely be needing that hug soon.

"I believe I know the rest of the story, thanks to Twilight. You decided to help the hive relearn how to defend itself, and through finding your place in it, transformed," Celestia laid out in summary, reviving Twilight again in the process. The snowy alicorn towered over all other heads from her modest, self-chosen spot among a few changelings. From there, her smile was a beacon for each of her guests to see. "Forgive me if I'm romanticizing the situation, but it seems to me that you are exactly what the hive needed, Pharynx. If Thorax brings the changelings love, you bring them strength. Both are vital aspects of leading a nation, but they are rarely utilized in perfect tandem."

"Not even we do so," Luna added, almost dourly. Minding the wispy streaks of steam still drifting from the central bowl of pasta, she helped herself to seconds. "My sister and I have always been rather moderate in both aspects. We do not believe in rigid military strength, and while we are happy to offer a close relationship with those subjects who would seek it, it is not exactly common, nor do we have the time or ability to do so in a meaningful way."

"Thorax created a hivemind of sap through the sharing of emotion magic," Pharynx detailed, briskly swatting at the sentiments. "Which, by the way, is magic only changelings can freely interact with at will. Not even the crystal ponies can do so without using some rock as a conduit. Add to that, our society is remarkably different from ponies, before and after Chrysalis. It seems masochistic to even attempt to compare your leadership style to Thorax's. Doubt any other species could even come close to replicating what the changelings have."

Luna withdrew within her noodles. Celestia gave a nod as if both acknowledging and chewing over the thought. When Thorax shot a glare, it careened Pharynx's eyes in a large roll.

"Those are thoughtful comments, though," he cobbled together. "I'm sure Thorax finds them very flattering."

Thorax planted his nose into the fold of his hoof. Apex took it as an invitation to play, and so he gripped the large, green leg like a deadly python he aimed to wrestle into submission.

"...Pharynx is right, though," Apidae carried on, offering optimism as a bandage for the princesses' crudely crushed observations. "Most creatures have to communicate emotions through gestures, words, and actions, and even then, that creature could be lying. Changelings feel unfiltered emotions just through relationships, and our actions and words carry so much more weight in what they allow us to do with other changelings. It's definitely not fair to use us as role models."

"Oh, I think it's all the more reason to," Celestia challenged. She tagged in her former student with her eyes before she spoke. "As teachers, Twilight and I share a common perspective. A role model doesn't need to be a goal for complete imitation, only a guide for bettering oneself."

Knowledge and aspects of learning were spoken aloud, and so like a summoned entity of old, Twilight perked up in her seat.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, princess," she proclaimed, adopting the conversation as its resident expert. She looked to Apidae like she would a student. "A key part of friendship is a harmonious understanding of each other's dreams, limits, fears, and emotions. Ponies and other creatures might not be able to connect autonomously like changelings can, but we can still use the changelings as an example of what successful empathy looks like. Just because it takes more work for us to achieve the same result doesn't mean we can't do it, or that it isn't worth striving for."

Her words carried weight, and so none dared to follow them. For a time, the pleasant clinking of poorly-utilized silverware filled the space as elegant globs of pasta were lifted, put down, adjusted, and raised again. It wasn't until Apex heaved himself up to the very edge of Thorax's head that another train of thought engaged the table.

Unfortunately for Thorax, this was no train but a rollercoaster.

"Papa Thorax, will the princess ponies be cluster sleeping with us tonight?"

Pasta halted on its way between Thorax's teeth. "Will they-Apex, where'd that come from?"

Tiny hooves gripped his horn. Thorax rolled curious magenta eyes upwards.

"Where are the princess ponies going to sleep? There are so many of them," Apex expressed. He pointed a hoof to the alicorns and wrinkled his nose. "And I don't think the purple one even lives here, Papa Thorax. Where is she going to sleep?"

Dumbfounded, Thorax wasn't quick enough to nip the contagion of cunning that now plagued every face, save his sibling.

"I second the favored nymph's point, Thorax," came Calor's ever-ready quips. "I don't think we've given nearly enough thought to proper cuddling procedures for when visiting princess ponies. Do you, Apidae?"

"As if! Cuddling is inevitable. Everycreature knows that castles are not big enough to accommodate so many ponies or changelings," Apidae stated with mock confidence. Her simper betrayed her, but it was enough to fool Apex and amuse the table. "Besides, why else would Thorax have brought along a bunch of cuddlebugs if we weren't going to have a session?"

The ladybug drone gestured her hoof, and like the hand of a clock, it swept the table in slow-motion, signaling her hivemates to demonstrate her point by impetuously embracing each other. Xenica did her best to break Cimex's shell and drag out whatever chirps of distress she could, while not three chairs away, fifty-percent of Clyepus's body seemed to melt into Labrum's orange carapace. When Apidae reached Calor, the blue drone buzzed from his seat and sniped her with a hug of his own, ending her demonstration by bubbling chirps in its place.

Mere spectators, for the time being, Luna and Celestia met each other from across the table.

"Don't suppose the legislature would take too kindly to social policy reform encouraging frequent cuddling among citizens?" Luna's cheeks flexed, vulnerable to collapse at the slightest witty retort. "A topic for your next city hall meeting, perhaps?"

Celestia crafted a hum into a giggle. "And take attention away from the council's far more dull, ostensibly important issues? If you'd like to watch your sister get jeered right out of the session, then yes, I'd say it's absolutely worth a try."

Luna narrowed her smile. "So what you're telling me is you'd do it for sport."

The avatar of regality thrust a hoof to her chest and exaggerated a gasp, hiding her guile behind her eyes. "Luna, what an accusation! I assure you, I would derive no amusement from introducing a bill as critical as a 'Hugs for All' legislation. Here, Twilight will vouch for me."

Thorax watched his hosts play off each other, so carefree in their demeanor. They called to Twilight across the table, and so she too joined the antics, her laugh begetting a desperate cough when 'hug legislation' tumbled so informally from her mentor's tongue as a question.

The bug monarch bit his lip, and his dreamy look fell. He was suddenly aware that he was drowning in a wave of noise. Hooves prodded at him from all around—even behind. His brow furrowed to an onslaught of whiny pleas for royal snuggles and access to piles of pillows, and even to a few preemptive claims for specific princesses. When the small uproar drew attention from the rest of the table, Thorax felt his patience snap in a flicker of paternal passion.

"Guys, sit down," he hissed, wheeling on the drones and provoking chirps of surprise. "You can't assume that anypony is going to cluster sleep with us tonight. That is not our decision to make. Ponies don't express physical affection as freely as we do, now-"

"Neither do self-respecting changelings," came Pharynx, his sass effortlessly broadcasted by the growls of his tone. "Don't lump me into your sappy fairy cult through proximity, Thorax."

"You're getting that hug pretty soon with or without further teasing, big brother," Thorax shot back with a turn of his head, "so feel free to quit while you're ahead."

His slumped and adequately stuffed shell nesting lazily across his seat, Pharynx shot up his head and glared. Thorax offered his tongue before returning to his flock of bug ponies.

"Ponies don't express affection as freely as we, and our more open-minded hivemates do. If any of the princesses are uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping together in clusters, you need to respect that. Okay?"

He paused to check for head nods or other tells of confirmation. Bulbous blinks were all he got.

"Do you guys understand me?"

"Well, I understand," Cimex replied, tilting his head to peer past his alpha's bulk. "But I don't think the princesses are uncomfortable, Thorax. In fact, I don't think even you've given us air hugs like that before."

The thrumming of contended drones clued in Thorax to potential shenanigans before he'd even heard the end of the sentence. In the midst of his cautious and cordial efforts, the most loyal of his flock had been ambushed just out of view. A spectacle of struggling upheaved that quaint dinner in an instant, instigated by its least-likely saboteurs, who had shed their political postures in favor of readily clinging to unsuspecting bug ponies.

"Thorax, we were no match!" shouted Apidae, her only unpinned wing struggling to beat against Luna's clutched hooves. "Their hugs are too powerful!"

"Thorax, tell my Thorax plush I love him!" Calor cried, going limp in Celestia's grip and prompting her further giggling.

"Sister, I do believe we've found our leverage for forcing a vote on hug legislation," Luna warbled, casually eyeing her sister as if she weren't in the middle of cuddling a frenzied bug pony. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Celestia planted her cheek to her captive blueberry. "Woo the courts with docile, hungry changelings. But Luna, I worry about Twilight—she doesn't appear to be aiding in our efforts. It's unlikely the courts will see reason if the princesses are not unanimous."

A short distance away, Twilight sat by a twitchy, manic Xenica and sipped pleasantly from a levitating cup.

"Oh, I'm contributing. I've just subdued my changeling using science instead of brute force." She took another sip before clearing her throat. "Cuticle, the material that small insect wings are made of, is indeed strong, but part of its success comes from the fact that insects have such low body mass. Somehow, changelings manage to fly with cuticle wings of the same density despite being the weight of your average equine. It's a bit like an earth pony trying to fly using tennis rackets layered with paper towels."

"We're an aerodynamic improbability, Thorax!" Xenica gasped, desperately clutching her head.

Resituating himself in his chair, Thorax leaned back and felt the velvety fabric cushion him. It bolstered his smug look. When distressed bug ponies called to him, he continued to ignore them—this time with an aura far more sweet and pleasant to changeling senses.

"You'll get no sympathy from me, guys," Thorax declared, crossing his hooves for emphasis. "You all were hoping the princesses would be open to cluster napping. You all insisted on staying over even when Pharynx and I gave you an easy out. You'll just have to live with your choices now. Right, Pharynx?"

"Squeeze the happy right out of them," Pharynx egged on, eagerly watching the event unfold.

"Yeah, squeeze the happy right out of them!" chorused Apex. A hoof bopped him on the head.

"Uncle Pharynx might be a lost cause, but you better hush," Thorax muttered. "Hive divine, the last thing I need is you taking after his attitude."

With a slip and a gasp, a fresh dose of chaos that Discord himself would be proud of claimed the room. A loud clamor of dishes and silverware was sent sprawling across the table to the sudden impact of a slung changeling, her faux attempts of escape earning her unforeseen freedom. What tableware managed to avoid the tabletop disaster was tossed heedlessly through the air, where they rang with sharp clangs upon hitting the floor. A few unfortunate changeling heads received unpleasant bonks before this could occur.

Second-hand embarrassment froze nearly the entire room.

"O-oh, I'm so, so sorry, Your Highnesses!"

Shaking a mane of pasta from her horn, Apidae got to her hooves. Upon a shiver twitching her hoof, she retracted it from a bowl of sparkling water and took to hovering just above the table. She quickly eyed her hosts for signs of rage, but only mild shock held them.

"I-I was just going along with the fun—I didn't think I'd actually pull free like that," the ladybug drone expressed, fluttering to the tile floor just behind Cimex. Respectful even in chaos, she upheld her eye contact as well as her bewildered expression. "It's definitely my fault, so I'll clean it all up, don't worry!"

Apidae began to desperately pluck discarded silverware, plates, and platters from the royal dining room floor in her mortified daze. But when a golden aura raised a mirrored serving platter before her, it reflected the tall, snowy alicorn now standing just behind her. Trepidation seized the female bug pony, and she fought the urge to scan the platter for her host's reflection, afraid of what face she might find.

A hoof outstretched, and she flinched. When it stopped and sat in the air patiently for her, she turned to it, and only then, to her host's true smile.

"...my dear, you'll do no such thing. Accidents happen to the best of us, and I believe we are partly to blame, anyway. I am only too happy to assist."

Apidae was helped to her hooves, and a blanket of golden magic commanded the room to life. Caught in a slow, mesmerizing aerial dance, the silver tinted gold rearranged itself in various neat piles on the far side of the room—those free of food separated from those stained with sauce and pasta. Changelings departed their seats in earnest to comfort their ladybug friend, and so Celestia turned her over to them while she tended to the mess.

From his isolated corner of the table, Pharynx regarded the sentimental theatrics with a yawn. Far more important things were on his mind. Namely, the fact that he'd made a grievous error in judgment. He'd eaten far more than he intended, and now his mind and body were shackled with lethargy.

The beta groaned and allowed his head—namely, his antlers—to hit the back of his seat. The mighty general of the Changeling Kingdom, defeated by somnolence. What a rookie mistake.

Pharynx shifted his brow. The flowing night sky entered his peripheral, but not from the aid of any open window.

"...I am no psychologist, but I know trauma when I see it."

"Well, color me impressed," Pharynx remarked. He watched the lunar monarch join him in a previously vacant seat. "We've got a hive full of it, doc. Apidae is no special case."

"What sort of beast does it take to condition such fear of a simple mistake?"

Pharynx scoffed. "I never did understand pony fascination with rhetoric. But then, I suppose you are the only princess who hasn't met our ex-queen, face to face."

"Actually, Thorax was kind enough to indulge me something of an encounter today." Luna forced a chuckle to his perplexed face. "We were entertaining the changelings while waiting for my sister and/or Princess Twilight. Your brother is quite remarkable with his impersonations."

"Fear is an excellent motivator. It's an even better memory trap. I've never met a changeling who couldn't impersonate her near perfectly. However, I'm still surprised to hear that Thorax could pull it off. Maybe, then, you can imagine why I could never allow him to get on her ugly side."

Luna's stare off into space rounded to something more curious, almost accusatory. "Can you really say you never felt any animosity towards her? Forgive me if I am blunt, but why would you ever choose to be loyal to a manipulative tyrant?"

Something dark and cold glinted in Pharynx's eyes. When he turned to the princess, she was drawn in by it. A pair of blue-violet black holes threatened to consume her breath.

"Don't let my half-way pleasant colors fool you too much, princess. I am not like my brother. I do not put a stake in friendship, feelings, or whatever other sap ponies have long enticed Thorax with. What I want in a home is safety, strength, and self-reliance. You saw a manipulative tyrant. I saw a crude but effective leader. Was she cruel? Of course she was. She thrived on suffering, practically demanded it. But you know what? Not a single creature under the sun or moon dared to mess with us because of her. She was a bitter pill, but the only one we had. I, for one, found the benefits to outweigh the drawbacks, though that's a rare opinion in our Hive."

Luna lowered her face. Truly, the sweet naivete of Thorax's changelings was not a foregone conclusion. Of course there had been loyalists. Of course there had been dissenters who still preferred aspects of the old hive.

It was a curious thing. How strangely familiar it was for this story of struggle to focus on siblings, of all things.

"You must truly love your brother, then," Luna offered, not the least bit disheartened. "To be ready to risk everything, to overthrow the queen if need be—these are not small declarations, Pharynx. You may have been content not to disrupt the status quo, but there were still lines you would never tolerate her crossing. The gap between good and evil is not always such a vast thing. I should know. Long ago, I let jealousy consume me, and I became something dark and twisted. Something bent on revenge towards both my home and my sister."

"...'Nightmare Moon', huh," Pharynx murmured. His attention remained elsewhere, snagged on the scene of merry chatter across the room, but his tone had changed to something keener. "I recall hearing about her while undercover, once. So those were more than stories, then. What changed your mind?"

"I'm afraid it was less a choice of mind and more a prison of my own creation," Luna said with a sigh. She, too, watched her sister converse with flank-high changelings. With the majority of the fallen tableware retrieved and set away, Celestia had taken to addressing the spills with a conjured mop. Against her mild protests, she had gotten a few helpers. "I was actually imprisoned for a millennium because of my actions as Nightmare Moon, but even upon escape, it took the Elements of Harmony to bring me to my senses. I owe a great deal to Twilight Sparkle and her friends."

Luna guided the changeling in observing Equestria's youngest princess. Always one to take the initiative, she'd caressed the air with a spell from her repertoire. An attractive, morphing sphere of soapy water now hung a few yards off the ground, taking in dishes and groups of silverware set by set. When Celestia turned abruptly and soaked her mane, the changelings joined her laughter.

"Forming connections with others does not have to be such a harrowing thing, you know. Twilight has taught many in the ways of friendship, including myself. I would encourage you to seek her out sometime, even if only to see a different perspective."

Pharynx huffed on reflex. He didn't take advice from ponies—royal or otherwise.

"Hard pass. Thorax has enough sociability for the both of us, and I'm content being a loner. Besides, as your sister said, he's the 'sap,' and I'm the 'strength'. Not interested in messing with what works."

A counter had been formulated, but the princess would never get the chance. The far doors of the dining hall burst open with such intensity that the sets of dishes rattled in place and teetered on the edge of falling to their doom. Echoing them was a wail that could only be described as banshee-like.

"Oh, no, my princesses! What has happened!? Was the fettuccine not up to changeling standards!? Oh, schande über mich, I shall fix this...right away!"

With that, Sedani began to frantically grasp at plates with curled wings, stacking them to obscene heights as she attempted to exit through the kitchen doors. Luna could only shake her head. Amusing as this was, it would be unfair to leave Celestia to cope with cleaning, excitable changelings, and their erratic cook.

"Duty calls. And, fair enough, Pharynx. Allow me to leave you with something I've learned over the years, as someone who also struggles to understand their sibling at times. You will miss out on all of the conversations you don't try to have. Even when Thorax comes off as annoying, even when his concerns or excitements seem trivial, try to take a deep breath and listen. You might be surprised with what you find when you come to see the forest for the trees."

Luna winked. With a flare of her wings, she joined the background of the room in a single leap, offering her assistance where she could. As if waiting for her arrival, several plates leaped to their untimely deaths upon hitting the doorframe. They were all of them saved by a midnight blue aura, which whisked them safely into the kitchen to a choir of sighs.

Again Pharynx was left alone with his thoughts. By all accounts, he should have been delighted. Not a soul was near him, and not a soul currently had their sights set on him, seeking to beg, bother or thrust further conversation upon him. Being a spectator had always been his preferred social setting. It was why he was such a skilled infiltrator. It was why he was such an effective general.

He thrived on seclusion, so why couldn't he enjoy it, now? The thought of standing up and leaving for home, alone in the dark, would, under any normal circumstance, be irresistible. He would feel the cool breeze on his carapace as he mulled over his tasks for the next day, and when Thorax returned tomorrow to inevitably whine about how he hadn't even bothered to say goodbye to anyone, he'd have already thought up a witty retort.

But try as he might, the changeling's muscles would not obey him, and the longer he sat, the more terrifying the situation became. This was no devilry of somnolence at work. He wanted to stay, and he hadn't the faintest idea why.

"Thorax," he found himself calling, noticing the swift perk of his brother's ears from across the room. Called over like an overgrown retriever, Thorax excused himself from aiding the changelings aiding Celestia and trotted dutifully over to his broodmate. Apex had since vanished from the alpha's head, having migrated to Cimex's back while the group was up and about.

"What's up, Pharynx?"

"I'm staying."

"You're what?"

"I'm staying."

Several of Thorax's facial features flexed in his epiphany. "O-oh, you are? Really?"

"Yes, really. I ate too much pony food, so I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I forgot how inconvenient physical meals can be in the aftermath."

While Thorax began to fawn on cue, Pharynx curled his mouth to something bordering irate. His lie infuriated him, but what else did he have? Thorax, I want to stay because I don't know?

"This is great, Pharynx! Oh, Apex and the others will be so excited! I'm so excited!"

Pharynx labored a deep breath, digging himself from the murk and haze of his thoughts. He didn't take advice from ponies, but then, happenstance life lessons from ancient alicorns were hardly typical advice. When he emerged out the other side, his brother's gleaming smile was waiting for him, along with several of his subjects. Startled, he scanned each face and found the same expectant elation.

Perhaps they'd overheard his brother's giddiness and come to investigate. Or perhaps they'd been summoned by Thorax's sudden state of joy.

But then, he knew better than that, didn't he? Thorax was a hopeless, soft-spoken dope even when excited, and it wasn't Thorax who now held the drone's enthused attention.

Pharynx swallowed. Maybe someone else had summoned them, nonverbally. Maybe the sweat running cold down his chitin was not from nerves but a reflex to the strange, new heat freely flowing through his body. Maybe, just maybe, he'd tumbled down that final cliff face and landed where they all were.

Pharynx felt himself embraced, and with an uncertain smile, offered a hoof along his little brother's wing case.

Come to think of it, he already knew of at least one reason to stay the night. With any luck, Thorax would be content with just his hug, verbal expulsions of feelings aside.

"...yeah, you really are excited, aren't you?"

The bustling commotion that blessed Canterlot Castle's long hallways came to an abrupt end. Before the mass of vibrant bug ponies and alicorn manes, a true paradise of coziness unfolded and effortlessly drew a wave of gasps. A circular room marked with beanbags and a thick, decorative rug brought the distinct scent of parchment. Slender tables just large enough to house candlelight lamps and a few books were strategically placed amidst every grouping of beanbags, which varied in number from two to four. Several bookcases did their best to touch the ceiling on the far left of the room, their shelves neat and proper.

Tall stained-glass windows numbered at three and gave a breathtaking view of the vast city below. Unlike their cousins in the hallways, these panes did not exude color or depict specific events. They were all of them opaque whites and blues, spiraling or crisscrossing in simplistic patterns. Some depicted shooting stars, while others, clouds or rivers. The atmosphere's light, now a tinted orange purple, seemed to make the crystal glass sparkle.

The collective gasp evolved to a pleasant cooing. Another fireplace took up residence here. Though not quite as large as the industrial-grade behemoth downstairs, it was far more lavish. A curled lip of stone promised to pull all potential smoke up and out of the room, and the logs sat on a pristine metal stand placed on polished brick.

As the small convoy entered the room, hooves found themselves warmed by the ever-present rugs and beanbags. Very little stone was even visible, omitting those bare areas beneath the windows.

"So, this is the lounge," Luna declared, channeling a field trip tour guide. "Without a doubt, it is one of my favorite rooms."

Celestia cleared her throat.

"One of our favorite rooms," Luna corrected. "We spend more time in here than any other room in the castle, even our own bedrooms."

"Our bedrooms are rather dull by comparison, actually," Celestia giggled, stepping aside as to unclog the backlog of changelings seeking a closer look at the pillow paradise. "Legislation drafting, late-night—or early morning—reading, answering letters from beloved pupils-"

It was at this point Celestia paused. When Twilight's cheeks flushed to rose, she shared an insider smile with her sister.

"-all of these things and more are done here," she concluded. Her horn illuminated in the dim light and closed the doors to the expansive castle beyond, sealing an already perfectly comfy package. "As soon as you mentioned staying the night, Thorax, this was the first thing I thought of."

"We have several guest rooms that are by no means lacking in charm," Luna added, nodding her head to encourage a few bug ponies to join her in testing out the plushness of her favorite quartet of beanbag chairs. "I mentioned these rooms upfront at dinner but, at the time, didn't realize the same thing my sister had. The guest rooms are scattered throughout the castle and would thus not serve our purposes. In regards to cluster sleep, this is the very best option Canterlot Castle has."

"Besides, we love to show off this room," Celestia cheeped, channeling a filly with new hair ribbons by briefly prancing in place. "Most visiting diplomats only entertain our tours for so long before losing interest. But to changelings, a lounge is-"

"An absolute wonderland. Let's move in right now, Thorax," Calor breathed, squishing himself into a cherry beanbag and thrumming in pure bliss. "I'm never leaving, and you can't make me."

"Have to admit, this is the first time I've felt really jealous of pony things since we went through that garden outside," Xenica offered, flopping into the folds of a lilac pouf and effectively camouflaging herself. The chair pulled her onto her back, where she uselessly curled her hooves up to her chest and sighed. "Thorax, why are we settling for rocks and plants at home, again?"

"Because we're all-natural."
"Because you're hippies."

Thorax and Pharynx glanced at each other. One smiled while the other frowned.

"Quick, I require hugs!" Apidae professed, thrusting her hooves upwards towards the ceiling from her spot on a teal pouf. Cimex and Calor divebombed her in perfect sync within moments, their impact dislodging both Apidae and the pouf from their spot. A brief tumble among several beanbags pulled the chairs into the clamber like a gravitational well, covering the chirping drones from view and creating the illusion of wrestling furniture.

"Come on, Thorax," Twilight encouraged, selecting herself an appropriate raspberry chair. She motioned to a lime green one just across from her. "Not even my library has beanbags like these. I can't even remember the last time I sat in one."

Curiously optimistic, Thorax made his way through the plushy minefield of beans in bags. Reaching his pre-selected seat, he plopped himself into it and wriggled, seeking that perfect posture. Only upon finding it did he return his alicorn hosts' smile.

"Wow, these are really neat," Thorax expressed. Little did he realize that his commitment to one location was a declaration of war for his changelings. Calor and Cimex began to stalk their alpha from out of sight with their snouts to the floor, leaving a giggling, amused Apidae behind. "It's almost like you guys set all this up ahead of time."

"I can see why you would think that," Luna lead, seizing the chance to cast her sister a skeptical side-eye. "Ironically enough, though, this setup is how the lounge has been for a while now. Dear sister has taken to collecting poufs and other cushions. Because this is where we spend much of our time, this room is where her collection lives."

"I always used to think that they were charming but rather impractical due to the 'beans' going flat over time." Celestia flicked her horn, and a golden aura enveloped a rather sad, decrepit pouf in one of the outermost groups. It deflated briefly for a moment before violently inflating to a full and healthy size. "But then one day, in my free time, I discovered a quick transportation spell. It allows me to stockpile beanbag fill in an unused closet in the castle and swap out beans as I need to. Our staff readily recycles the old ones."

Luna leaned over to the nearest ear to hear her, which in this instance, happened to be Twilight. "She didn't discover anything. Starswirl showed her how to do it."

Twilight fought to contain her snort.

"I never claimed to have invented the spell, Luna," Celestia sang with a hint of snark, cocking a brow. "But I did discover which closet was close enough to use for instant retrieval. We had to move a lot of supplies around to the second-floor corridor. I'm very grateful for our staff humoring my silly little side projects."

"Ah yes, the press will be calling you 'Princess Broomcloset' in no time," Luna quipped, offering her most shameless of smirks. It grew when Twilight collapsed in a series of snort-dotted laughs. "She who has bested a thousand beanbags."

The onset chittering and laughs tripped to the sudden and frantic chirps of distressed changelings. Quicker than anyone else, Thorax wheeled in place with eyes wide as plates, standing from his chair on reflex.

"Nope, no good, Thorax. You'd have been done already."

Thorax blinked. Cimex and Calor had been firmly pressed into the patterned rug just inches from him, pinned beneath a dark red pouf. Strategically stretched across it to provide weight was Pharynx. The beta only had eyes for Thorax, ignoring the squirmy protests of his drones.

"You're a big, unsightly target as is, Thorax. Don't make the enemy's job easier by being aloof, too."

Chuckling in relief, Thorax challenged his brother's gaze. "Does everything need to be a training exercise with you?"

"Yup."

"Noling here has any desire to be in the guard units, Pharynx."

"Fate and chance don't care if you're in armed forces, only if you're trained in self-defense and survival."

"But we're peaceful now."

"Wild beasts don't care about your politics, Thorax," Pharynx countered again, raising his voice. "How many times am I going to have to cite the maulwurf?"

"Okay, fine. But right now? Can't you at least try to relax like the rest of us?"

Cimex desperately clutched at the open rug, seeking to pull himself free of the fluid furniture. Pharynx swiftly pushed the beanbag's bulk down into his face and muffled him.

"I am relaxing," Pharynx contested wickedly, gesturing his head. "The boys are helping me."

Thorax eyed his struggling drones. He simpered. "It looks like you're being a bully, to me."

"They were asking for it. I was protecting your behind, like usual. You're welcome, by the way."

A vivid flash of light stretched across the floor. Following a respite of confusion, two flies buzzed out from beneath the pouf. Briefly, they orbited around Pharynx's antlers before beelining for the crowded safe space between Thorax and his royal hosts. Pharynx sneered.

"Oho, okay. We think we're taking the coward's way out of this, do we?"

In a true flip of the old fable, the prince became a frog in a dazzling display of teal magic. Hopping to Thorax's head, he began to lash his tongue out like a whip, trailing the flies every which way they buzzed. When the spasming tongue slapped Thorax in the head more than once, his lip flattened.

"Yeah, sure, guys. I'll just be here, I guess, actually trying to spend time with our hosts."

The princesses, already beside themselves, had begun to wipe away laugh-induced tears, but the show wasn't over yet. Red orbs slowly rose over the curve of Thorax's head, revealing an impish smile. They watched the frog with razor-sharp focus.

"...Calor and Cimex are my friends, Uncle Pharynx! I won't let you hurt them!"

The blue-tinted frog was tackled, and it lamented its fate with a grave croak in response. Apex fell into a waiting cobalt pouf with his prey, and from there, rolled onto the rug with it. Unable to get its bearings and transform again while being so roughly handled by excitable, nympish hooves, the frog could do little else but flail and scan for opportunities to escape, every so often glaring at Thorax for merely sitting there.

Even Thorax had begun to crack a smile, now. He heard the subtle buzzing of Cimex and Calor as they landed upon his ear tip, and he regarded them with a gentle twitch. He regarded the princesses with his eyes, who, through their giggling, managed to again form words.

"Is life at the hive always this lively?" Celestia asked.

Thorax exaggerated an exhausted look before offering a sheepish one. Those remaining bug ponies who'd managed to steer clear of the tumultuous antics now converged by their alpha, pushing their beanbags right up to his and plopping upon them.

"More or less. Usually, I have nursery changelings to assist me with nymphs throughout the day, though. Can't say the same about ever getting help with Pharynx."

A loud croak protested that from the floor.

"Do you decide who the nursery changelings are?" Luna inquired, adopting a more comfortable position upon her personal beanbag. A deep blue, it was emblazoned with her cutie mark.

Thorax shook his head, and the flies still perched upon it resituated themselves. "Nope, almost all positions in the hive go on a volunteer basis, now. Pharynx has a sterner process for joining the guard units, but that's it. Nursery changelings tend to either be cuddlebugs like us or birther changelings who really enjoy the process of raising nymphs."

"Birther changelings?"

Thorax floundered. "Oh, sorry. I mean 'parents'. There are a lot of terms in Equestria that don't carry over well, and old habits stick."

"Nymphs are looked after by their birther changelings, but also by the greater hive community," Apidae picked up, sandwiching herself against her alpha's underbelly and dispensing a chuckle. "Especially when they are larvae and pre-adolescent nymphs. That's what the nursery hive and the nursery changelings are for. Birther changelings can leave their young there if they need to, or just when they need a break, and responsible adults in the community will take turns helping to look after them for a while."

"A community-driven daycare center," Celestia mused, sharing her intrigue through a glance with Luna. "How fascinating and lovely. I believe your extensive notes touched upon this at one point, Twilight, if I'm not mistaken."

"You are most certainly not," Twilight replied with pep, pride brimming from her smile.

"Alright, gnat, time to buzz off!"

Pharynx's gruff tones pierced the conversation like a pebble in still water. Returned to his normal form, he stood in the midst of the entire group, now towering over the feeble crimson nymph laid at his hooves. He promptly grabbed the tiny drone in his magic, regarded him for a moment while he giggled, and lightly discarded him into the soft plush of a pouf.

When the beta turned to find his original runaways, he found they, too, had reverted to their original forms. Their reflective, wide eyes poked out from behind Thorax. Pharynx growled.

"Step aside, Thorax."

"No, Pharynx, I don't think I will."

"Come again?"

"We're supposed to be calming down for the night," Thorax explained, his magic following his eyes. They fell on Apex's cushion, which he pulled to him. "You're not helping. You wanted to stay, so stay, but please quit it with the roughhousing. Don't worry. I expect the same from them too."

Tension sat in the air as magenta fought with deep violet for dominance. But this battle had already been won, and they both knew it. Chasing the bratlings around the lounge any further would do more harm than good and needlessly expend energy.

"...fine," Pharynx began, obtaining his own pouf with a jerky motion of red magic. His frown began to curl to something sinister as he laid down in it, not once taking his stare off the stashed bug ponies. "Remember why we're all here together in one room, though, Thorax. You can't possibly keep everyone to yourself, not tonight. Who are the princesses going to cuddle with? At least a few of the drones need to come this way, so everyone is included."

Ears wilted in terror from behind Thorax. The alpha hummed to himself.

"Well, you're definitely right about that," he said, aloof to the frantic heads shaking at his sides. "Come to think of it, what happened to everyling calling dibs on specific princesses earlier? It was Cimex who wanted to be with Princess Luna, right? And Calor, Apidae with Princess Celestia? Come on guys, now's your chance!"

Firm and unafraid, Apidae was the first to stand from her spot. The whole room fell to silence as she ventured the gap between the piles of beanbags and right by Pharynx. Eerily, the beta's attention didn't flicker to her once, as if she were invisible. She was allowed to the other side, where she offered Celestia a much-welcomed hug around her neck.

Pharynx's grin seemed to be chiseled from stone. The ladybug was inconsequential. Like a crouched manticore biding his time, Pharynx waited patiently for the blue and green bugs he sought to pass by.

"...b-but Thorax, I've decided that I want to cuddle with you, instead!" Calor protested, hugging Thorax's barrel adamantly. He got a resounding round of adoring coos from his hosts but a less than accepting chuckle from Thorax.

"We always cuddle, Calor. Like, every night in the nesting chamber," Thorax dismissed, plucking the changeling from him with magic. "I don't get it. You and Cimex were so thrilled earlier. Don't tell me you're going to disappoint the princesses, now. Look how comfy those beanbags look."

He guided their attention to the princesses and their friendly, waving hooves. It was a cruel thing—all the fresh love magic their hearts could ever crave...laid beyond the black wolf of the hive, still eyeing them like sheep. Cimex joined Calor in the shared misery, and the pair got to their hooves.

"Let's do it for the princess ponies, Calor."

"Yeah."

"They need hugs."

"Yeah!"

"And we are the most elite of Thorax's cuddlebugs. We will only settle for the highest quality of cluster sleep buddies!"

"Yeah!"

"Are you ready, Calor!?"

"...no, let's stay here!"

Pharynx's teeth showed in a subtle chortle. Thorax planted his face in his hoof.

Timidly, the pair made their way beyond the safety of Thorax's reach. Time itself seemed to slow, and their hooves shook, screaming for them to stop their approach of surefire doom. Pharynx seemed to crouch and sink into his red pouf even deeper as they drew nearer, a panther readying to pounce.

But then, as fast as he could blink, the drones vanished. Remnants of golden blue magic dissipated where they had just been, and so Pharynx spun about to find them. The elder alicorns had already embraced them on the other side of the lounge.

He'd been given the old bait n' switch.

"Oh, I simply could not wait!" Luna exclaimed, batting her eye so quickly in a wink that it went unnoticed by all but her held changeling. "Could you, sister?"

"Not another step," Celestia expressed, her tone exaggerated and obvious. A full height taller than both Calor and Apidae, she engulfed them both with her hug, her mane obscuring them from view. "Could you imagine having to wait for them to come over here?"

"Do not speak such heresy out loud," said Luna, sliding a white-grey pouf up to her own and offering it to Cimex. There, the drone flopped to his side and thrummed, gripping her flowing tail as a galactic blanket. "We have waited long enough. We were promised a cuddle date, and so we shall receive such."

From the previous side of the lounge, Thorax watched Pharynx intently. He could swear steam was coming off his brother's head.

"You doing okay, Pharynx?"

"I was cheated."

"You were what?"

Pharynx scoffed. He exhaled a breath, and with it, his interest in the escaped drones faded away. Instead, he switched to his brother, who still sat contently with his remaining changelings.

"Thorax, I swear, if someone yelled 'fire', you'd be the last one to figure out why everyone was running."

Thorax frowned. Moreso, it was an attempt. He mostly just looked petulant and cute.

"Are your insults just aimless today, or am I missing a pattern here?"

"Nevermind," Pharynx muttered. He collapsed into his beanbag with a limp, defeated posture. "I'm going to take your earlier advice and 'quit while I'm ahead'. My shiny new hippie senses tell me the sap is about to begin, so I'll be going to sleep now. Wake me at your own peril."

The not-frown flipped, and Thorax showed sly teeth. "But Pharynx, you can't sleep alone in a cluster sleep session. You sure you don't wanna pull your beanbag over here with me? I've gotten pretty good at shifting cuddle positions without waking my buddy up-"

"-at your own peril, Thorax," Pharynx repeated gruffly, giving his brother a literal cold shoulder upon shifting to his other side. "You got your hug, don't push it."

Sitting still for a time, Thorax lowered his head to Apex only upon the certainty that his brother had fallen asleep.

"You should definitely go sleep on Uncle Pharynx's head tonight, Apex."

"Ooh, that sounds like fun!" twitched Pharynx's ear and caused Thorax to scramble for covering the nymph's mouth.

"But you have to be quiet, okay?"

"Mkay", Apex said through lime hoof. He was gently lifted, not by magic, but by two green hooves around his midsection. His front stayed upright while his teeny back hooves sagged—a true display of indecision between cat or dog. When Thorax lightly fluttered his wings to take to the air and deliver the rambunctious package upon his brother's noggin, familiar giggling drew both his and Apex's attention.

Watching them was the only princess so far without a cuddle friend to distract her, though she seemed rather unbothered by this fact. All around her raspberry pouf were all the friends she needed—piles of notes, scrolls, and lavishly decorated tomes of magic, both ancient and modern. For Thorax, it was a sight of nostalgia, and so he returned her smile on impulse.

"I could watch you guys all night," Twilight whispered, flicking a quill in the air for emphasis. Her eyes turned then to her companion princesses, who had since been pulled into a parallel universe of warmth and comfort. Amidst Thorax's confrontations with his brother, the remaining changelings had joined them, creating a tight nest of bodies and bean-stuffed fabric. Celestia, in her exuberance and warmth, had drawn in Calor, Apidae, and Xenica. Luna, in her calm reservation, had attracted Labrum, Clyepus, and Cimex. While Celestia had taken to a hen-like upright posture, Luna had settled for a cat-like side posture. Each was plastered flank to mane with bug ponies, who had already rejected further interaction with the outside world via closed eyes and little, content smiles.

"I will never, ever cease to be amazed by how the changelings have truly changed," the purple alicorn said softly, her stare a long and locked one. "Thorax, your species is incredible. I hope you know that."

With Pharynx self-subdued, Apex effectively contained to Pharynx's head, and the drones demonstrating cluster sleep with the resident nobility, Thorax found himself pleasantly sighing in a room void of sound, save a crackling fire. He acknowledged his alicorn friend with a little nod.

"I don't think 'thank you' quite has the same effect anymore," he chuckled. "But I'm glad you think so, Twilight. I definitely do. I always wanted to, even back in the old hive. We've come so far, and it's felt so fast."

"Quite far," Twilight agreed. She broke from her stare and enticed Thorax to turn with a more focused direction of her voice. "But it wasn't that long ago that you and I shared a heart to heart outside the hive and talked about your future in Equestria, Thorax. I still remember how scared you were, how unsure of yourself you were. Just look at you, now."

Too humble to face praise, Thorax deflected his gaze out the window. Cold and dark, the outside world made the dimly lit lounge all the cozier. He blinked. It had begun to rain. Tears trickled down the exterior of the window, caught in a race of gravity to the castle rooftops below.

"You've become close personal allies with the Crystal Empire. You've successfully enrolled dozens of nymphs in my school of friendship. And now, you're here, in the crown of Equestria, making it known that the changelings have truly changed. And to think you've done all this within several months—I think that's impressive."

Thorax chuckled nervously. Well, he had procrastinated a good amount of those months, but maybe this wasn't the time to challenge his successes.

"You make it sound like I did any of that by myself. You, the other princesses, even Discord have helped me a lot. When Discord has to help you do something, you know you're in trouble."

Maybe he'd just downplay them, instead. But Twilight wouldn't have even that. Any spare attention she had given to her piles of literature between sentences was shelved.

"Funnily enough, it was Discord who provided me the key I needed to figure out who I am as a princess and ultimately allowed me to defeat Tirek—again, with the help of my friends."

Her brow raised with her smirk. Thorax's hoof retreated to his head.

"Thorax, sometimes we need help when we first start. It doesn't mean you're incapable of doing things yourself—it means starting is hard, and until you get the grasp of your new role and yourself, it's okay to rely on others a bit."

Situated in the very crest of one of Canterlot's highest towers as they were, the soft pattering of rain on the roof was a constant accent to the fire's cracks and hisses. Even for the only pair still awake, kept alert by their ever-present anxiety, it was lulling magic that weighted the eyes and slowed the thoughts. Thorax gave in to gravity on his tiring muscles and laid down in his cushiony seat, keeping only his head upright. When Twilight did the same, she yawned.

"Besides, after today, I'd say you're past the point of needing our help any further. After Canterlot, I imagine you've got other cities to visit, other allies and friends to make."

Thorax nodded. It wasn't the firmest of agreements, but it was admirable all the same.

"I'll admit, being here today has made political visits seem a lot less scary. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are as accommodating as can be. I'm really happy we all got a moment to spend time together like this, too. I know the changelings couldn't be happier—I can feel it, literally."

They turned in sync when a peripheral anomaly of suspected cuteness occurred. Sure enough, Clyepus had left Labrum's loosening grasp and slid the curvature of Luna's flank, running into Cimex at an awkward angle. The latter, still clutching Luna's tangible space tail for himself, unconsciously huffed in his displeasure. His rear legs kicked at—thankfully—empty air.

Twilight spoke again, but this time without the voice of confidence and experience. In the wake of disturbed changelings, she lowered her register to a whisper, as well.

"So was what you told your brother true?"

Thorax blinked. They were whispering now? Nothing could wake up the changelings at this point, but he supposed it was probably easier to just be polite. "Was what true?"

It was Twilight's turn to hide her hoof thereabouts around her head. "You said that he couldn't sleep alone in a cluster session. Is that true? Do changelings who prefer isolated sleep need to sleep elsewhere?"

"Well, no," Thorax began, starting to piece together both a smile and an idea of where this was heading. "I don't stop anyling from sleeping near us if they want, it's just that, by definition, if you're not sleeping alone, you're cluster sleeping, so those who aren't cuddlebugs usually keep their distance automatically. Since Pharynx is stuck here with us, I thought I'd tease him about it."

"So I see," Twilight replied. She should have had more, but she didn't, so she just forced a higher smile. "Well, with any luck, maybe he'll find that he enjoys them. Exposure therapy can do wonders for anxiety."

Thorax's knowing look had peaked. He wasn't the most astute changeling, but he did know the tells for anxiety. Twilight's eyes had begun to scan everywhere but his direction—checking over her notes without really checking them, watching the rainfall on the windows, and offering recurring glances of affection towards the sleeping pile of princesses and bug ponies. It was a busy loop, one which prevented her from possibly looking any more nervous.

"I sure hope you're right. Being able to cuddle with my brother would make my whole year. For now, though, I'm just happy that he lets me hug him and lets Apex anywhere near him while asleep."

He had recaptured her, but only for a moment. He raised a hoof preemptively this time and waited for the curious glance.

"You know, I can think of someone else who might find they enjoy cluster sleep if they give it a try, too. Someone, or maybe someburrito who opted not to last time, perhaps?"

Thorax felt himself sizzle with a sudden outbreak of sweat. Since when did he ever say such assertive things? Oh, Dragon Lord Ember, whatever had she done to him?

Luckily for the two of them, an invitation did not need any grand amount of courage to follow it tonight. With her co-princesses demonstrating how to so effectively cuddle multiple changelings just yards away, the Element of Magic supposed she could probably handle just the one.

Just as Thorax's changelings had so timidly stepped from his grasp to join Celestia and Luna, now did Twilight timidly step past the comfort of her nest and the invisible wall of safety it created. She watched as Thorax, calm and relaxed in body and face, summoned yet another pouf from someplace behind him and placed it closeby. When she reached it, she kneaded it with a hoof for a few moments, as if preparing her breath before a dive.

She let herself slump into the folds of the pouf. Her thoughts galloped ahead of her breath, but to the touch of a hoof and the spread of a shimmering wing across her back, she inhaled deeply and steadied herself.

She thought to speak, but she didn't. She thought to apologize for being so awkward, but she didn't. Entire conversations flowed through her mind, each less likely than the one before it, but none of them materialized. Before long, the thoughts no longer commanded her stress, and she allowed the flickering light of the fire to perform for her, lull her. It molded their shadows, which shook in their attempts to climb the cold, dark walls and shrank or grew in alarming proportions in compliance with the shifting fire.

In the fire's glow, one crimson shell glowed in orange reflection brighter than any other.

"...tell me more about Apex."

Situated further now from the collective group, Twilight forwent her whispering. Thorax didn't reply, but Twilight could feel his neck move—surely a glance signaling her to elaborate.

"While I was visiting, you only ever referred to him as 'someling you had to check up on'. I've seen your relationship, first-hoof, but I don't know the backstory or how you would describe your relationship."

The abrupt cliffhanger left Thorax to lag in reaction a moment. He laughed it off.

"He's special to me," he said simply. He hugged the nymph just out of reach with his eyes. "Apex was the first changeling I ever truly connected with. Consoling him when he was scared about our sudden transformation was my real first act as the new changeling leader. We took to each other, and it's been like that ever since."

"Do you know his birther changelings?" Twilight followed up. With the conversation now cemented in familiar, inquisitive territory, she made herself more comfortable against lime chitin. "I remember you mentioned that most of the nymphs were not from Chrysalis. That one threw me, to be honest. I was so sure you all followed a colony dynamic."

"Yeah," Thorax replied weakly, a placeholder for an actual response. The loving, long-distance hug had become more desperate. "I don't know who his birther changelings are, and noling else does either. When Chrysalis was removed, her militia training practices went with her. I made sure of it. It meant nymphs were no longer raised separately from their bir-er, parents, as the next generation of hive warriors. There was a huge meeting of all the changelings in the hive just outside the nursery chambers, where parents could identify their nymphs. There was so much emotion, Twilight—I cried all day."

A moment passed. He cried then as well, and his tears glinted in the firelight. Twilight offered an empathetic look.

"Apex was all alone, the only nymph that wasn't claimed," Thorax went on, droplets dripping readily into his host's mane. Thankfully, she was unbothered and offered pats along his back. "And of course, he had no idea who his parents were, either." A long sniff regained his minimal composure. "Most nymphs didn't. I knew it right then that I'd look after him. I'd already connected with him, so it wasn't even a debate."

Again Twilight glanced to that fiery shell. Her stare focused. If that was all true, then it left a rather daunting question, one her mind would surely adopt where her lips wouldn't. One that she'd surely revisit the next day when her mind wasn't quite so fuzzy.

"That was very selfless of you, Thorax. I'm glad you both got to have a happy ending," was the only feasible reply. A rush of maternal love bounded forth, and she sought her friend's eye. "And you know, I don't think Pharynx would notice if you decided you'd like to share him. I certainly don't mind. I'm no changeling, but luckily for me, you're very expressive."

She winked. Thorax froze for a time in thought. She was right, of course—he pined for the small, snoozing nymph, but did he risk waking him up? Did he risk invoking his brother's wrath, should Apex scramble or make noise upon waking up? Did he risk waking everyone else in that same way after they'd just finished getting comfortable?

Thorax bit his lip. It was so simple. Of course he did. Everyone else had gotten to cuddle a changeling, so it was absolutely his turn to cuddle his changeling.

Decisive teal magic crept around Apex's form. His body sagged now in the central grip like a proper cat as it was carefully extracted from between Pharynx's antlers. Even as the tiny changeling crawled through space, little quicker than a tortoise without a propeller, he stirred and twitched his eyelids. By the time they fluttered open, of course, he'd already been curled into an awaiting embrace.

"...Papa Thorax?"

Thorax hummed.

"What's going on? Is it daytime already?"

Thorax chuckled. "No, it's not daytime yet. Far from it, in fact. Listen, I need your help with something, Apex."

"Me?"

Thorax beamed. Fatigue weighed on the nymph, arresting his usual spirit and zest, but even so, he looked up with such focus.

"Princess Twilight and I can't fall asleep," Thorax lied. "We were hoping you could help us."

Apex furrowed his brow with what little energy he had, overwhelmed by such a strange request.

"But how can I help? I'm just a nymph, Papa Thorax. You and the princess ponies are the ones with all the powers. Can't the purple princess put you to sleep?"

"I'm afraid I don't know any spells like that, Apex," Twilight cooed, lowering her chin to the pouf's flexible surface and creating a wall with her body. Together with Thorax, a nest had been created, and so the cuddle was complete.

Apex was besieged by the softest nuzzle ever conceived. When he looked up again on reflex, Thorax had begun to curl up and lay down. The nymph was left a held treasure, untouchable in a pile of heat and safety.

"You're already helping, Apex," Thorax whispered. Their eyes were inches apart, reflected in each other. "You can't have a cluster sleep with just one changeling, right?"

Thorax closed his eyes, and Apex blinked his own. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on. The adults were likely just being strange, again.

The nymph pressed himself deeper into the collaborative hug, and when his motion stopped, all motion did. He didn't care if the adults were strange. They could be silly if they wanted. Right now they were tired and going back to sleep, and so he would too. Adults were excellent blankets, and Papa Thorax gave the best hugs.

Thorax stirred. The scent of firewood and parchment beckoned for him to reaffirm his surroundings, but there was no need. The familiar cushion cradling his body told him everything he needed to know, as did the small, still form lying beneath his chin. With every breath, he could feel Apex pressing into his neck that much more.

His ears twitched. Another scale of breathing came from closeby. It was consistent with the warm seal of a thin coat pressed against his legs. The more closely he listened, the more he could hear the occasional snort dot those breaths and signal muscle twitches.

Thorax smiled. Perhaps everypony was still asleep. After all, there was no light bathing him, demanding that he get up and do something productive. No changelings were poking or prodding him, demanding his attention. There was no older brother to taunt him over his timidity or shortcomings.

For now, all was tranquil, and the night—early morning, perhaps—was his to enjoy, as brief as it might prove to be.

More of the room came into audial focus. Beyond Twilight's submerged stirs were those of his drones, their auras calm and fuzzy—a sure sign of unconsciousness. Beyond those, the hissing of snakes, or perhaps the squeaking of mice, caught the bug pony's attention.

No, that couldn't be right. Were they voices?

With a jolt, Thorax rose his head and peered past the blockade created by Twilight's form. Blurred silhouettes moving in the dark confirmed his suspicions—he was not alone in his consciousness. Still curled about the solar and lunar princesses, his changelings were aloof to the spat taking place mere inches above their heads.

"Sister, it is almost eight."

"It is. What a fine time to sleep in with our guests."

"You'll get no objections from me, but need I remind you of your calling? Starting everypony else's day?"

"Oh, but it's such a tiring thing."

The outline of Luna's snout twitched, the only tell Thorax needed to discern disbelief. "We literally exchanged the celestial bodies in tandem while cuddling changelings not nine hours ago, and you are a morning pony by literal definition."

Celestia giggled. Even when imagined in the dark, her smile was quite radiant.

"Even princesses deserve a break. How does the old saying go? 'The sun isn't up, so neither am I'?"

Luna scoffed. "And they call me the immature one."

Celestia simply hummed in response. She raised her head, and her mane stretched as a shimmering canopy to cover her snoozing bug ponies from element or harm. She more directly engaged her sister, still watching her from a lazy side-sprawl.

"Even if I did want to engage in your cruel scheme to wake them up preemptively," she said with only the faintest trace of sass, "you know the rules as well I do, Luna. The Solar Cycle Proclamation states that the sun may be expected to rise no earlier than four and no later than eight, depending on the time of year or other complications. We have minutes to spare."

Luna huffed, hollow defiance in the face of her slumped posture. Yawning, she resituated her chin on the back of the nearest changeling she could find. Labrum's shell seemed to slowly vibrate in response, and so the princess smiled.

"Your platform is for an extension of only a few minutes? Ancient magics above and below, why do I even bother. Do as you will, sister. Far be it for me to advise when we are technically within your realm of day."

A long lull followed her, and before long, she'd fallen back asleep. Celestia's mane adopted all motion in the room for quite some time, an eerie river of stars floating in a relative black void.

"...ponies will surely understand if I'm distracted by adorable changelings. I'm sure you can relate, Thorax."

Thorax's heart skipped a beat. Just like that, he'd been volunteered into the conversation, but when had the princess noticed him, let alone looked in his direction? He'd seen her horn's profile nearly the entire time.

Alicorns really were magical creatures.

"I can relate, but trust me, I speak from experience when I say you shouldn't let them get too comfortable," Thorax warned affably. On impulse, he found Apex's small shell with his hoof and stroked it. "Some changelings will sleep all day if given a chance. Twilight saw it for herself when she visited, and Pharynx and I had some arguments about dealing with it when it first became a problem. Cluster sleep is a bit like eating, sleeping, and having a blanket over you all at the same time. It's addictive if you don't have self-control."

Celestia laughed. Unrestrained and genuine, it caused a few bodies to murmur and shift in their spots.

"Never have I felt so distraught, not having been born a changeling. Every one of you is just a bundle of warmth and love now, aren't you?"

It was Thorax's turn to laugh, though it was far tamer. "Well, that's really kind of you to say. Not everyling is, but I like to think I've gotten the changelings to care more about others and each other. Despite the early-on issues, I think cluster napping has really made a difference in bringing us together, even more than our other activities have."

The horn's silhouette vanished from sight. Thorax blinked, and it lit with golden magic suddenly, bringing object permanence to both itself and Celestia's smile. From beyond the distant horizon, deep orange sunlight washed over the mountaintops and reflected off the peaks of snow. It charged down the slopes before sweeping along the valleys of Ponyville, unobstructed from stretching all the way to Canterlot's front gates in an instant.

"Even after everything you've accomplished, you still sound modest, Thorax. I wonder what it will take to show you the impact you've had on your subjects' lives. Whether through your leadership or by the grace of uninhibited love magic, you've brought the changelings harmony. I'm inclined to think it's from a mix of both."

Thorax inhaled, and the light bathed him at last, warming the breath fresh in his chest. The dawn filtered through the stained glass windows like a decorative magnifying glass and brought life and form to the floor and walls once again. Bug ponies continued to stir in their sleep, and their eyelids defiantly clenched to spite the caress of the morning's star.

Thorax watched the sun monarch with intrigue. With the shadows now banished, he could see that her large wings had been extended to lay across the changelings at her sides. Prim and proper, her front hooves laid crisscrossed over one another. Her head now raised and fully at attention, she offered a wink and a display of dimples.

Again a wave of familiarity tickled the alpha's mind. Swap the changelings, and it was a mirror image of their first meeting, wasn't it? The occupying hive leader, clustered with several snoozing bug ponies, and the visiting monarch seeking a closer political relationship.

Just how many similarities had there been on this visit already?

Thorax retreated to observing his own snoozing bug, nested in the warm indentation of pouf Thorax had created with his head. Those subtle pats had not roused him, and so Thorax grew more daring. Rotating the seat to find a colder portion, he laid down once again, displacing the surface with fluctuations from his weight.

When Apex twisted about in reply, Thorax beamed. With Twilight as his backdrop, he allowed himself just another moment of bliss in closing his eyes.

Oh, yes. Cluster sleep was addictive, alright, and he was the undisputed leader of cuddler's unanonymous.

"Thorax, I have an idea, and I want to relay it to you before I involve Twilight and my sister."

"Oh, sure. Go ahead. I'm listening," Thorax said, forgoing his own whispering in the absence of the princess's. His will to ensure Apex's continued rest dwindled dangerously. More hugs were to be had, and the best ones could only be claimed while he was awake.

"Your speech at the museum yesterday was truly inspiring," Celestia lead. Like movements from underneath a sheet, the alicorn's tended changelings moved about under her wings and ruffled her layers of feathers. And when some changelings roused, all of them did. Yawns and groans came from all directions, even from Pharynx, who audibly mimicked an irritable grizzly more than anything. Celestia found amusement in all of them.

"Thorax, before you leave this afternoon, I would love for you to join myself, my sister, and Princess Twilight in addressing the ponies of Canterlot," she continued. She nodded in reply when Thorax's frantic head shot up from its nest. "Not so long ago, I addressed Canterlot and told them of our efforts to forge relations with the changelings, now under new leadership. That speech was recorded in transcript and sent to every corner of Equestria. You see where I'm going with this, I assume?"

Oh, no.

Thorax grimaced. Within moments, bug pony heads sprung up to find him and locate his source of broadcasted distress. Out from the woodwork of fluffy alicorn wings did they crawl, pulling themselves up and stretching their hooves before joining their alpha where he sat.

"...you want me to give a speech about the changelings and send it across Equestria?"

Celestia shook her head. "All I would ask is that you give a brief speech, Thorax. Leave recording and distribution to us."

Thorax twitched nervously. Several changelings stood on their back hooves to lunge forward and hug him desperately.

"Deep breaths, Thorax," Apidae instructed.

"Don't worry. You can totally give a speech to the city ponies!" Calor said with pep.

"Yeah, and if you can't, we'll just throw Calor out there, and he can pretend to be you."

Calor glared at Xenica for a moment. He teetered his head. Actually, it wasn't the worst idea.

"Less preferable, but yeah, I could totally be you, Thorax. I've practiced."

"I believe it would be a fitting endnote to these initial efforts of yours to reach out in Equestria, Thorax, as well as a welcoming statement to those nations you've yet to visit," Celestia added, her tones reassuring. "A state-wide address in Equestria will be news even for the dragons, the hippogriffs, the yaks, and the griffons. You can make your intentions clear before even stepping hoof in another kingdom. Before you leave Canterlot on such a positive note, King Thorax, please allow us to give your voice power."

Only now did Twilight break the surface of her dreams, welcomed into the waking world by a settled silence. Getting to her hooves, she scanned her surroundings and was surprised to see that everyone but Luna had already gotten up.

More pressingly, she was surprised to see that Thorax looked as if the floor might give way from under him, pouf and all.

"Oh, horsefeathers," she murmured. "I slept in and missed out on something important, didn't I?"

An hour had passed for Thorax in what felt like a few erratic heartbeats.

Shortly after his initial panic attack, Twilight had offered to fetch them all 'donuts' and 'coffee' from a local shop. During her absence, Princess Celestia had awoken her sister, much to the latter's disapproval, and the group headed out into the picturesque morning.

They had been lead to a corresponding tower on the castle's grounds. Tall and decorated with a golden cap and outside stairwell, it stood at the royal gardens' edge and down a brief path from the palace. The princesses had mentioned that it was a library, and of course, they had a key, but from the moment they'd approached the building, the alicorns seemed to have a sly look about them that Thorax couldn't place.

Was this not their library?

Inside the crown was a circular room that overlooked the gardens and castle estates of Canterlot. Two levels of antique bookshelves lined the eastern and western walls, but collections of literature weren't what fascinated the changelings. A massive hourglass sat just by the northern window, which took up the entire wall. As big as Princess Celestia, the hourglass seemed to mark the day's passing through the falling of sand grains. The changelings took turns pressing their faces to the glass surface, their cheeks squishing to pancakes while their large eyes magnified to even absurder sizes.

It wasn't until the changelings had begun to more deeply probe and explore the corners of the library that an unfamiliar voice called out in shock.

Whaa! B-bug ponies? A-are those changelings!? Princess Celestia, what is going on here!?

The princesses seemed to feign ignorance of her presence, laughing off the situation, but Thorax could read the cunning behind their smiles. This had all been planned. And whatever that plan had been, it succeeded. What began as a startle and misunderstanding quickly became a new budding friendship.

I'm sorry that we scared you. Princess Celestia didn't tell us anypony would be here. My name is Thorax. It's a pleasure to meet you! We are changelings, but as you can see, we're pretty different now, so don't worry. We don't feed off the love of others anymore.

My name is Moondancer. I-I had no idea that changelings could look like this. So, are you, like, emotional vegans or something, now? None of my books ever mentioned anything about progressive changelings.

They'd gathered in the open center of the library, sitting on removed chair cushions. Pleasant conversations of defeated despots, rebuilt hives, and politically-advantageous cuddling had hidden the fact that Luna had long since vanished from their impromptu feelings forum. By the time this was noticed, she returned, and not alone. Trotting up the library steps behind her was a rather frazzled Twilight, four boxes of donuts and coffee floating patiently in a cloud of pink magic above her head.

A touching reunion between Twilight and Moondancer clued in Thorax to a depth of past friendship, and together, the group partook in the confections of sugar, dough, and liquid coffee grinds.

"She wants you to give a speech to the entire city?" Moondancer repeated, nearly doing a spit take of her cappuccino. She glared at a certain snowy alicorn, who foalishly averted her gaze. "Suddenly, those science reports in school don't seem quite so demanding."

Twilight alone snorted from across the circle and adopted that spit take.

"I've gotten used to giving speeches to the changelings at home," Thorax elaborated. "I'm just nervous around other creatures, and in a city that already doesn't have the greatest opinion of us. I guess I'm not really over my stage fright yet."

"Okay, first of all, the reason you can give speeches so easily at home is no great mystery, Thorax," said Pharynx, stolid and still on the most outer rim of the group. "At home, you are a dork talking to a bunch of reborn dorks. I don't know the intricacies of hippie love magic, but our transformation seriously cooled down tempers in our hive. Even I have more patience for you these days."

Pharynx smirked to his brother's taught brow.

"Secondly, your caring about what others think of you continues to be your first mistake. Who cares? Be yourself, and always improve. If anyone can't handle that, or the way you do that, they're not worth your time."

"Shound advish," Luna said through a mouthful of donut. "Personal growth is a personal journey. You should not allow others to define it for you. Oh, and Twilight, these are quite tasty, by the way. Clearly, I've made a grave error in never visiting Donut Joe's before."

"Perhaps if you ever cared to try new places with me like I always offer."

"What was that, sister?"

Luna's eyes sharpened. Celestia's sparkled with presumed innocence.

"Joe's place has become a tradition in my group of friends," Twilight replied, perfectly wedging herself between the budding tension. She looked to Moondancer and inspired a smile. "It's a place of reconnection and celebration. Every time I've gone there, I've been in the company of good friends. My friends from Ponyville and I go there every Grand Galloping Gala, and now, it's where my Canterlot friends and I catch up."

"Wow, you really are the Princess of Friendship, Twilight," Thorax offered, seeking some of that same inspiring gaze. "I mean, I've taught the changelings all I know about friendship, but that's still so little. You have so many friends in all sorts of places, and they're all so different. Spike told me you got your wings when you became a princess. I can definitely see how deserved they were."

The social spotlight befell Equestria's youngest princess. She fluffed her wings and tamed a blush.

"Thank you, Thorax, but it's not the number of friends you have," Twilight said sagely. "It's the compassion and effort to show empathy for other ponies, and that is something that all of us are always learning about, getting better at utilizing. Even after becoming a princess, I've had lessons to learn, in the same way that you still have lessons to learn as the changeling's leader."

"Or that my sister and I must learn as Equestria's figureheads," Celestia added, offering a hoof to her sister. It was accepted with a nod. "As millennia have gone by, I've found that no amount of time will ever stop you from learning new things. The extra time only gives you more opportunities to give others the same opportunity to explore friendship and discover its bliss for themselves."

Silence followed. As the quartet of ponies shared entire conversations with just their looks, Thorax gave a humble little sigh. Warmth filled him from within and from without as changelings closed ranks around him, drawn to his rising contentment. He cast a welcoming eye to Pharynx, and so too did the changelings. Pharynx rolled his.

"Don't give me those puppy eyes," he mumbled. "If you want sap, go tap a tree."

Thorax chuckled. His attention swiveled to a sudden, modest voice.

"Um, it's 'King Thorax', I take it?"

"Just Thorax is fine, Moondancer," he encouraged. "I don't believe in titles that much."

Moondancer nodded, her focus on the thin trails of dust sullying an otherwise immaculate stone floor. Curses. Of course, only on the day she had three political figures over to her library would she forget to sweep.

Her ears perked. The dark blue changeling with antlers pretended to gag all over her floor while the others continued to hug each other. Ugh. Scratch that, four political figures.

"Honestly, I'm not very good with advice. In fact, I'm probably the last pony to ask for advice. That said, it seems like Princess Celestia brought you here for a reason, and I wouldn't want to disappoint my old teacher and current princess."

As the young mare spoke, Thorax had become visibly enraptured. Changelings clung to him all over, and his petulant brother continued to disregard his efforts to incorporate him into the impromptu hug, but none of it could distract him. Just how spoiled was he to receive advice from not just princesses but even random ponies he'd never met before?

"I just wanted to say that I used to struggle a lot with leaving my comfort zones, too," Moondancer continued, adjusting her glasses with a hoof and offering the alpha her best smile. "Twilight helped me come out of my shell, and you know, it was scary at first, just like I knew it would be. But, looking back, I'm glad I did it. I'm happier now than I ever was, holed up in my home, only thinking about the opportunities I didn't take. So my advice? Give that speech a try. Chances are you'll be glad you did."

Thorax showcased a film of tears in his typical fashion and proceeded to gush on the unicorn with thanks and appreciation. Soon after, their free-flowing conversation rerouted. Two cautious crabs emerged from their shells, they empowered each other, and the resulting enthusiasm was obvious for all who watched them.

"So, you used to be a homebody, too?"

"That's a gross understatement. But yes, and I still am, sort of. I still enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with being home or at the library. I just go outside with friends more often. What about you?"

"Oh, I know what you mean. Being home is really calming, now that the changelings and I get along. And, well, I guess it's more accurate to say I always wanted to be a homebody but wasn't able to until recently. I never felt like I fit in with the changelings before our transformation. I actually ran away from home, just to try and find somecreature who would want to be my friend. When everyling back home did transform, we started to consume love magic differently and could produce it for ourselves. It became so much easier to make friends."

"Huh, I wish ponies came with an easy-fix transformation. That sounds really helpful. I never fit in, either, obviously. I made some friends when I was younger, but...things didn't work out. It took me a while to give it all another chance, but here I am, complete with a library where I host card games on weekends for friends. I guess it worked out for the best for both of us."

Thorax beamed. "Yeah, it seems that way. Making friends sure isn't as easy as they make it out to be, is it?"

Moondancer giggled. "No, no, it isn't. But you know, I'm finding it easier and easier to make new ones these days."

Respectful and still, even Apex and the more rambunctious changelings in Thorax's troupe had locked away their high spirits for the moment, settling to merely watch. The sheer warmth and serenity radiating from their alpha was rare and dear. To interrupt would be to halt magic, a feat as impossible as it was thoughtless.

Meanwhile, from across the friendship circle, Twilight stretched a cheeky grin while probing for Celestia's attention.

"You know, Princess Celestia, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've had some sort of master plan for Thorax all along," the purple alicorn cooed. "I didn't realize you had a plan for me until I had already become a princess, but ever since then, I've begun to pick up on your patterns. It was pretty sneaky of you, introducing these two."

"She takes lessons from the draconequus in being manipulative," Luna jabbed, winking past Celestia's neck armor. "If you ask me, they are both getting stale and predictable."

"I cannot believe what I'm hearing," Celestia chimed, her smile as bright as her sun shining through the window. She watched with fond eyes, Thorax and Moondancer so flawlessly hit it off. "Especially from you, Twilight. Do you mean to tell me you, of all ponies, doubt the power of friendship? After all those friendship lessons, security threats, and mentoring challenges you solved with the help of your friends? That sounds an awful lot like treason, young lady!"

The trio inspired laughs in one another. Luna began to share another thought, but Twilight's focus had slipped from her grasp when the high pitches of Apex and the other changelings spoke up rather suddenly. She found that Thorax had pivoted to them, drawing them in with his welcoming body language. Then again, perhaps it was those elusive love auras that she couldn't feel.

"You guys really think I should?" Thorax asked, an odd half-smile on his face. "I don't want to be overbearing—this is our first visit back to Canterlot, and we already made an impression at the museum. Maybe we should wait until next time. We could make a speech when we come back to pick up those shop pillows for everyling, right?"

Twilight recognized that smile all too well, and it was infectious. It was a tool found in her own repertoire. It was for when Pinkie sought her help in baking cupcakes with questionable but innocent ingredients. It was for when a student timidly stepped into her office and asked for her blessings in doing out-of-campus extra credit opportunities. It was a smile so often followed by a warm, 'should we really, though?' or a 'do you think that's a good idea?'.

It was a farce, and the changelings fell for it. Thorax included them in the decision process, but he'd already made up his mind.

"Of course you should!" came Calor. "We came to Canterlot to show everypony that we're friendly now, Thorax. What better way to do that than talk to everypony in the city at once?"

"Yeah, plus, the museum was busy, but there's no way everypony in the city was there. Right?"

Cimex glanced to Celestia for confirmation. When she nodded, his confidence flared again.

"There are a lot of ponies who missed your other speech, Thorax, so you gotta do another one," Xenica reasoned.

"If we leave now, there will still be a lot of doubt about us. If you address the city, then the rest of Equestria will know how hard we're trying to reach out, too. You have to, Thorax!" Apidae added, pumping her hooves for effect.

"At this point, I don't care what you do, Thorax. Just make a decision so that we can go home."

Brows furrowed by the half-dozen and glared at Pharynx. The beta unapologetically rubbed his snout with a hoof.

For a moment, Thorax pretended to fiddle with his leg, rubbing it with his adjacent hoof. He darted a look behind him, to Moondancer, and to his left, where the princesses stood, still watching him with such patience and encouragement. When he looked ahead again, he found an expectant wave of shining faces waiting with bated breath.

Thorax chuckled. Awake or asleep, the changelings would always be a weakness of his.

"I can't really opt out after a rally like that, I guess. Okay, I'll do it."

There were resounding cheers and hoof stomps, full of mirth and a foalish abandon. They instigated laughs from the observing Equestrians, none of whom were confident they'd ever truly get used to seeing such antics from changelings. And Celestia on high, wasn't that such a wonderful thing indeed?

Nodding to herself, Celestia broke rank from her fellow princesses. She respectfully adopted attention from one face after the other by flaring her wings and clearing her throat. Her regard fell not on Thorax but the resident bookworm they'd so rudely barged in on today.

"Moondancer," she began, soft and calm, "I would first like to apologize for dropping by unannounced this morning and startling you. It was my intention to introduce you to King Thorax, but I truly did not expect you to already be at the library this time of day. It is my fault for not checking in with you beforehand. I'm reminded why spontaneity is so often the precursor for plans gone awry."

Moondancer did not reply. She did, however, give a gracious nod and an even warmer smile. Celestia returned it.

"Secondly, there will be a mandatory, city-wide address exactly three hours from now. It will take place in the castle's southeastern courtyard, where Princess Twilight's coronation took place. Before you reach the courtyard, beseech the nearest guard pony you can spot to aid you in finding your very own balcony to observe Thorax's address."

Moondancer's lofty expression shattered. Her glasses rebelled against the bridge of her nose as she frantically sought to stabilize them. "B-but, Your Highness, the balconies are for Canterlot aristocrats and special guests."

"They are."

"But then, why would-"

"Moondancer, we have hardly spoken since you were a filly, but I was your teacher for quite some time," Celestia interjected. A soothing tone grew with every word. "I still remember how you feel about large crowds. After inconveniencing you this morning, this is the very least I can do. You are welcome to bring along Twinkleshine and your other friends, should you happen to see them this afternoon."

Moondancer's mouth opened, but Luna was ready to dive.

"If you are dreading trouble along the way to your balcony, please spare yourself the stress," Luna said simply, a snark behind her smile and fire behind her irises. "If anypony, guard or aristocrat, even attempts to give you or any of your friends trouble, they will answer directly to me. I have scolded both already during this visit, and I will do it again if need be."

Left little more than speechless, Moondancer felt her hooves melt into the floor of her library. She sniffed. Attention drowned her, but she was too overcome with gratitude to pay her anxieties any mind for once.

"...a-alright then, I'll be sure to, Your Highnesses. Thank you."

Celestia nodded. With purpose, she turned to Thorax. The alpha changeling had since reclaimed his youngest field trip attendee atop his head. Celestia fought to retain her political composure as tiny red eyes peered curiously at her from between a set of equally tiny, clasped hooves.

"Thorax," she labored, "I will not ask you to remain at my side until it is time, but please do not wander too far from the castle. I will be in my personal study until then, prepping our speech recorder on what I expect. If you could find me shortly before it is time, I would like to go over the finer points of how things will proceed."

"Will do, Your Majesty," Thorax replied readily. Apex poked out his tongue between his lips, and so Celestia felt her heart attack quickly approach. She stole herself in turning to her sister, who patiently awaited her.

"Sister, if you could please rally the guard ponies and have them begin to spread the word of the address, I would be forever grateful."

"At once," said Luna. "I will also do a dream-check for those who may be asleep due to nap or night-shift schedule, and warn them."

Another nod. Saved for last, Celestia turned to her former pupil, now a princess in her own right. Though maternal love pulled at her heartstrings, the snowy alicorn held back any tells of a quivering lip. Time and space bowed to them as they shared a glance, and as Twilight beamed, so did Celestia.

"Princess Twilight, if you would care to indulge me, I would adore your company as I prepare for the address in the castle. It is a process I believe you'd find interesting, and it is also a process I'd like for you to grow more familiar with."

"Of course!" Twilight replied, her eyes glinting. "I'd love to. May I ask why, though? I'm not sure how many state-wide addresses I'll need to make as a more social-oriented princess."

The tip of Celestia's horn flickered as the sun continued on its path across the sky. She took in the quiet splendor of her pupil's old library with a sigh, and for a long moment, sat amidst a flurry of memories. Voices in this room were loud and concise, yet ghosts to all but her. Had it really been so long ago when she last set hoof in this room?

Are you really sure I can live here, Your Highness? Isn't this your library?

Of course, Twilight. I wouldn't offer if I weren't certain.

But aren't these your books? Your scrolls? Your artifacts?

Consider them yours, now. Study them, learn from them, and share that knowledge. Record all of your findings, Twilight Sparkle, because one day, we'll sit down together, and you will be able to teach me about the wonders of our world.

I-I will! Absolutely! Thank you, Princess Celestia! Just watch. I promise I'll be the greatest student you've ever had!

...

"...Princess Celestia?"

Celestia blinked, and her thoughts dissipated like a lifting fog. She returned to her former student with a look that positively glowed.

"Oh, no reason in particular, Twilight," she said, guiding the petite alicorn towards the door with a motion of her unfolding wing. "I just have a feeling the knowledge might one day serve you well."

Thorax could hear the crowd beyond the balcony's red curtains. He swallowed the lump amassing in his throat. The balcony was empty right now, but even still, the white noise of thousands of indiscernible, simultaneous conversations was deafening.

The alpha bit his lip, and his anxiety poured forth as additional nervous ticks. In response, bug ponies hugged him in a coordinated effort, but his insecurities would not be soothed so easily this time. Even as Apidae hugged the better portion of his foreleg, his nerves still found the strength to rub his opposing leg with it. Apidae's hindquarters, the only part of her left unanchored, swept along the floor in a wide arc.

She seemed rather amused with the ride, at least.

"I believe we are all set," Celestia began, nodding to her scribe. Thorax's panic caught her eye, and she giggled. "Well, as ready as we can be, I suppose."

"I'll be okay," Thorax squeaked, blue hooves wrapping around his neck from behind as he was properly mounted as a pastel steed. Draped along his alpha's back, Calor buried his snout into a deep fuchsia shell and thrummed, his entire body vibrating with the effort. Thorax's voice sounded as if it'd gone through a fan. "Just not used to crowds this big, that's all. The entire hive barely gets to over half this size. That's a-that's a lot of emotions to be faced with all at once."

"Please," came Pharynx, leaning lazily against a marble pillar. "Just jabber on about 'unity' and 'friendship' for a few minutes and you'll be fine, Thorax. No one is here for details—they want to be reassured we're not all about to go to war so that they can go home. It's really too bad, by the way. Life is getting way too predictable without a good conflict."

There was silence. Somepony coughed, though it wasn't clear who.

"...as...candid as your brother is, he's absolutely right about one thing, Thorax," Twilight piled on, offering him a friendly hoof. "For most ponies, just seeing the princesses publicly endorse you will be enough for now. That said, your positive attitude will really make the difference between 'going along with it for now' and 'actively being engaged with it'. That's why giving a brief speech is so important."

Twilight chanced a glance from her mentor and got a wink. Calm and regal in stride, Celestia parted the curtains and prompted a wave of cheers. She paused, even under such expectancy, to offer Thorax her most encouraging smile.

"I could stand on this balcony all day and passionately talk about friendships with other nations, Thorax, but for my subjects, there is no meaning behind it, alone. Only when they see that passion emulated by our allies do they begin to feel it, themselves. Today, it may just be words, but all promises have to start somewhere. Let's start this journey together. Equestria is ready."

Sunlight flooded the balcony's vestibule and engulfed Celestia, her snowy coat so fluidly disappearing in it.

For some time, not a word was uttered from behind the curtain. Everyone held a stake in the events taking place out in the sun, and they formed their own visuals to the tune of crashing cheers finally tiding in. When Celestia spoke, her voice drifted somewhere between her regular pitch and the archaic Royal Canterlot tone.

A wonderful afternoon to you all, and a heartfelt thank you for entertaining this sudden summons. I know that many of you have taken time away from your workday and other responsibilities to be here today. I promise to be as brief as I can be. Yesterday, a series of efforts to introduce a new ally to the eyes of Equestria culminated in a visit to our city. Before our guests head home this afternoon, I wish to include you all in this marvelous occasion.

Thorax's heart besieged his ribcage with steady thumps. Bug ponies squeezed him tighter. Pharynx rolled his eyes harder. Twilight closed the gap between herself and fluttering bug pony wings, offering emotional support through proximity.

For those who attended our city's museum opening, our guests need no introduction. For those who attended my previous city address, you may recall Equestria's efforts to extend a hoof in friendship to the new Changeling Kingdom, under the leadership of their benevolent new king. I'm delighted to say that progress has been made, not only with Canterlot but with our friends in the Crystal Empire.

"Ah, thank goodness. Dear sister is still monologuing, I see."

Stepping from a side-chamber, Luna entered the room with an air of urgency, her smile mismatching her frantic eyes.

"Yup," Pharynx monotoned in reply. "And Thorax is still having an episode, and the others are still drowning him in love magic, and I'm still fighting the urge to upchuck from it. All is normal on the front, lieutenant."

Luna approached the lumbering ball of hugged changelings. She raised a sly brow when Thorax's antlers preceded his head, poking out into view. His lip remained bit and offensively adorable.

"You will give a fine speech, Thorax," she encouraged with a wink. "And I'm glad I got here in time to witness it. Apologies for the close call. Ponies seem awfully lost and confused on where to locate their assigned balconies this afternoon."

"She's just about finished, Thorax," Twilight said suddenly, letting off a few prances to dispel energy. With a wave of her hoof, she politely shooed away bug ponies from her prominent public speaker. "Are you ready?"

Thorax swallowed again. The lump in his throat was stubborn. He glanced around to his changelings and took a role-call in his head. Upon finishing, he found Apex flopping about in presumed boredom atop Calor's back and frowned.

"Apex, you're going to stay here with Uncle Pharynx while I go outside and talk with everypony, right?"

Lime ears budded from behind Calor's head.

"How long are you gonna be, Papa Thorax?" came the voice from Calor's shell. "The daytime princess pony is talking to the ponies already about us, so why do you need to? This isn't more polo ticks, is it? Why can't we do fun things? I want more of those donuts the purple princess got us!"

"Answer my question please, Apex," Thorax said more sternly. His frown passed through a sheepish Calor. "This is really important. I need you to stay here with Uncle Pharynx and everyling else until I'm done, okay? I promise we're all going to head home soon after that. Maybe we can pick up some pony snacks on the way home."

Protests sprouted but were cut short by teal light. There wasn't time for their typical back and forth. Apex was whisked from Calor's azure shell and cast upon a darker cyan, which provoked a low grumbling. Literally saddled with responsibility, Pharynx pushed himself off from his marble pillar with a sigh. An unsightly little creature had begun to climb his neck, using his antlers as hoofholds.

"You'd better be quick about this," the beta changeling muttered, lancing his brother with his look. "If I start to develop a headache from singing or tap-dancing, he's getting tossed off that balcony-"

"-can you just not, with the attitude? I just cannot deal with it right now. Just look after him until I'm finished, please. It isn't that hard. Weren't you the one who said we're all basically on vacation and have the princesses to help us?"

Pharynx blinked, his suave sass halted in its tracks. Thorax began to advance towards the red curtain with Twilight and the assistant scribe pony, just as finishing remarks could be heard echoing around the courtyard.

Pharynx huffed, but his pride recovered just as quickly. He smirked to himself, resuming his lean against the nearest column of stone. Well, he'd only himself to blame, hadn't he? Hit the dummy hard enough, and it'll always swing back to hit you, just as it's meant to.

"Careful, Thorax, or you might fool me into thinking you've actually grown an exoskeleton over there."

Today, it is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you all the new leader of the Changeling Kingdom, King Thorax!

Celestia's sun embraced him, calming the worst of Thorax's nerves even as they frayed to scattered hoof stomps and cheers amid a largely silent crowd. He raised a foreleg to shield his eyes while they adjusted, and there, he spied lukewarm faces peering up at him by the dozens. His anxieties, old and set in their ways, ground against his heart, against his love for the changelings, as a social spotlight like none he'd ever felt before weighed down on him from all sides.

But still, he did not withdraw even a step. Fear gripped him, strangled his throat, and attempted to scatter his thoughts, but he stood tall regardless. He lowered his leg with great resolve and drank in the afternoon air, crisp and cool from the mountaintop above him. He met the faces of one pony after another, and through the filter of light, smiled.

He'd not come this far to let the changelings fall into obscurity, to let his own faults stunt social growth before it could even begin. They deserved better. He deserved better. And by the Hive's name, it was about time the rest of Equestria knew it, too.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Thorax. A long time ago, I fled my home because I couldn't live with myself. I couldn't live with the way my kind preyed on innocent creatures, stealing something that should be cherished. I couldn't live with the way my kind rejected friendship and empathy, the only things I ever wanted in life. I fled my hive and branded myself a traitor, and I would be lying if I said I was optimistic. I wasn't sure I'd ever find another creature willing to offer something like me friendship or compassion freely. But I was determined to try. It was all I could do."

As if by magic, the scaled hide of a familiar face stuck out from the crowd. When Thorax found Spike's prideful grin staring back at him, he found that he was not alone. The rose garden streaks in Princess Cadance's mane framed an even grander look of pride, shared in equal part by the love princess's husband. Together they stood and watched from one of the farthest rows, their heads gently laid against one another.

"In the least hospitable place in Equestria, I found someone, against all odds. His friendship cured my hunger, and with his help, I was able to show the Crystal Empire that not all changelings were the same. I found a family there in Princess Cadance and her husband and their daughter, Flurry Heart. They taught me about love magic, about empathy among ponies, and I was shown a world I never knew. I was in awe, and more than anything, I wanted to show the changelings what I had learned. I wanted to show them a better way to live."

A vortex of chaos magic tore itself open from the unseen roof of a far balcony, and out from it stepped Discord. Though far out of earshot, Thorax could still hear the snap of that eagle claw in his mind as Discord summoned forth a floating beach chair and umbrella with which to pamper himself. There, he sat and respectfully offered his attention, holding perhaps the most peculiar smile Thorax had ever seen.

But in that aged smile, Thorax was reminded of another—one far more sinister and cold, accompanied by a foul laugh he'd not soon forget. The sting of tears came to him, fueled by emotions far hotter than distress. He clenched his teeth.

"Even with what I learned, though, showing the changelings a better way was not easy," the alpha continued, his attention falling again to his audience. "Chrysalis was a tyrant who ruled over us using fear and desperation. She separated our young before birth and raised them to be warriors. From birth, she taught us that we were predators, doomed to a life of hunger if we didn't seek conquest over others. She was cruel and selfish, and I don't believe there's a single changeling in my hive today who isn't repulsed at the mention of her name."

He paused, not for the crowd's sake, but his own. His composure demanded a cooldown. Through it, the tan balcony floor was his only companion.

"...it was only with the help of my friends from Equestria that I was able to show my hive that better way. We rejected Chrysalis, together, and have tried our best since then to make our hive a kinder, gentler place to live. In doing so, I've done my best to erase her influence and replace it with what I learned from my friends in the Crystal Empire—that love and magic are interconnected and that they are things we can create for ourselves."

A soft hoof upon his flank caused the alpha to jump. He turned to find that his fiery emotions had clouded his awareness of where his bug ponies were. Now gathered around him, they freely exposed themselves to the crowd, their myriad of colors complimenting each other in the sunlight. Not one of them attempted to speak or make an elaborate display. Instead, mirroring their king, they gave pleasant looks to those who would have them and offered waves where appropriate.

Revitalized, Thorax's tear wells dried. He cleared his throat and stood that much taller. By chance, he found Moondancer sitting among a small group of mares that he did not recognize. When she noticed his gaze, she adjusted her glasses and nodded, and so he nodded as well.

"Through friendship, we eliminate hunger. Through resting together, we regain energy. We're no longer a swarm but a pack. We live together, play together, and look after each other because that is what packs do, what families do."

Tiny hooves trailed after the sound of eager, buzzing wings, and they clamored up Thorax's shell before he could react. He could see the trajectory of a thousand eyes trace his face to find the tiny, energetic creature now perched above it—a crown far more memorable than any pair of antlers.

Thorax curled his lip. He did not turn, and he did not need to. His brother's low growling was audible even from here.

"Oh no, the gnat got away from me," Pharynx deadpanned, absently studying his hoof. "What a tragic twist."

Hooves pressed into Thorax's scalp and lidded his eyes, and an immature, high-pitched voice rang around the courtyard.

"Okay hello everypony, my name is Apex and we're all cuddlebugs now, except me though and Uncle Pharynx! We're friendly and stuff now so please don't ask Papa Thorax to talk too much about polo ticks! He does it a lot, but I don't think he likes to because he always gets nervous!"

Searing heat flooded Thorax's veins once again and secreted sweat, but it was from his old friend, anxiety. He should have known better—he did know better. With or without his brother's betrayal, his nymph was inevitable.

He noted the snickers throughout the crowd but also the familiar cooing of adoration. What he didn't expect were the clops of hooves that followed, at first pitiful in number but daring to lead the courtyard all the same. Before his eyes, Thorax watched it slowly spread, a contained uproar that soon threatened to vibrate the entire castle plaza. Cheers seasoned the rumble when the crowd grew visibly spirited, and as individual voices fought with each other to catch his ear, Thorax could scarcely hold back his dopey grin.

"What a moving tale. Bravo on all of you!"

"The witch never deserved your loyalty! Long forget the queen, I say!"

"Spoken from the heart, yet so well-organized! Very impressive, young monarch!"

"How old is he? The little one, I mean. He's adorable! To be honest, you all are!"

It was then that Thorax could sense his brother's presence, courtesy of his now fully readable aura. Calm and firm even before a thunderous assembly, the beta changeling joined Thorax by his side, side-glancing a smile neither sarcastic nor condescending. In mere expression, Pharynx conveyed all the pride he could muster and offered the curve of his hoof.

His long-held grin crumpling to something more heartfelt, Thorax bumped his brother's hoof with his own.

But the sentiments did not end there. Like an animal lured in by the promise of food, Pharynx fell for the spring of the trap. In an instant, he and Thorax found themselves sandwiched amid a flurry of affectionate changelings. There, on display for a thousand Equestrians, the Changeling Kingdom's monarchs were made the victims of an awkwardly positioned hug.

They all of them laughed, save Pharynx. But though his eyes rolled, his snout huffed, and his groans expressed dissent, his smile still clung on through it all.

And unbeknownst to the embraced bug ponies, sets of royal eyes looked on with fondness from the balcony's curtains. They, too, had been humbled by the roars of acceptance, which were now likely audible to half of Equestria.

"This is a victory, Twilight."

Twilight found her mentor on demand. Celestia had gone from the room—not in body, but focus. With a lofty stare, she watched the changelings, shedding a tear that gleamed even in the dimmed light. It seemed an eternity before she turned, beckoning the purple alicorn with an outstretched wing.

Trotting forward, Twilight found herself succumbing to those same tears, wrapped in angelic wings.

"It is your victory, as well," Celestia continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "Despite your growing responsibilities elsewhere, you've poured yourself into helping Thorax find his start in Equestria, and I am so proud of you. This is what a compassionate and capable leader looks like, Twilight. I'm saddened that you could not join us yesterday, but I am elated to have you here for this."

"I'm glad to be here too," Twilight whispered back. She breathed deeply in a field of down. "But I can't take all the credit. A wise pony once told me, 'what is a princess of friendship without her friends?' If I can't help a single friend in need, how can I ever call myself a princess?"

"...goodness me. Go on, keep it up, you two. I'll be gushing as well, at this rate," Luna said with a giggle-laced tone. She made efforts to join the pair, but as she did, a new set of voices stopped her in stride, hailing from the corridor.

"You won't be the only one, auntie."

"For a sun princess, she's always had a knack for starting the waterworks. Don't you think, Twiley?"

Stepping into the relative light, Cadance and Shining Armor beamed in tandem to their host's sudden excitement.

"Oh, Cadance, you both made it," Celestia purred, releasing Twilight from her grasp as she sought to greet her family. "Being so last minute, I wasn't sure you'd be able to attend in time, let alone receive my letter."

"Of course we did," Cadance dismissed with a laugh, fluidly transitioning to her sacred greeting dance with her former foal-sittee. Upon finishing, she swung her mane from her face and acknowledged her aunts with a gracious nod. "How could we miss our favorite changeling giving a speech in Canterlot? Thorax is practically family."

"Thankfully for us, Sunburst had an old book that explained how to use a long-distance transportation spell," Shining Armor followed up, holding his sister for a long moment when given his turn. "We're both a little rusty. Usually, we prefer to take the train. But we've been chomping at the bit ever since Thorax's visit with us, just waiting for him to make Canterlot his next visit. We might not live here anymore, but Canterlot will always be important to both of us."

"His speech was beautiful," the love princess expressed, casting a tender glance out the balcony archway. "He was never that brave or eloquent when living with us. He's grown up in more ways than one, that's for sure."

As they finished their exchange of physical greetings, the voices from beyond the curtain again drew their attention. With the roaring applause settled, a steady back and forth had begun as Thorax did his best to field questions from the crowd. At every opportunity, he was interrupted by his brother's brusque interjections and counterpoints, or his changeling's unbridled enthusiasm.

But then, judging by his foalish laughter upon each occurrence of either, he didn't seem to mind too much.

"Cadance, Shining Armor," Celestia began, eyeing the pair suddenly. "While I have you both, I would adore the opportunity to catch up. I'm sure Thorax would be delighted to see you again as well before he heads home. First, though, I'm afraid I have some matters to attend to. Before the address is adjourned, I must see to the guard units and their exit planogram. Perhaps you'd care to wait for Thorax with Twilight for just a few minutes?"

"The more abrupt an address, the more hectic getting everypony out of the plaza without trampling mishaps becomes," Luna added.

"I seem to remember crowd control for large events being the Royal Guard Captain's job," Shining put out, neither a full question nor a statement.

"You remember correctly, then," Luna replied, swiftly becoming the second deep blue co-monarch to sass her company today. "Ever since our niece ran away to the Crystal Empire and took our favorite guard captain with her, we've had trouble finding somepony brave enough to take the position. For now, my sister and I share the responsibility of overseeing the guard units. It is not a job we're unfamiliar with, just one we've not had to hold since centuries before my banishment."

Shining Armor hummed in response and nervously looked elsewhere. Cadance and Twilight laughed.

"We'd be happy to stay put," Cadance replied, signaling a grin from Twilight. "Sunburst opted to stay home and watch after Flurry Heart this afternoon so that we could attend, so trust me, we're in no rush. I seem to recall that Twilight still hasn't shown me her full library, and if I had to guess, Thorax will be ready for something calm and quiet after this, too. I'm very excited to spend some time with everyone, maybe visit a few old haunts."

"Actually, as it turns out, I've already given Thorax a bit of a castle tour. But I can think of a dragon I know who might want to spend time with him before he heads home. I'm sure the boys can entertain themselves long enough for me to give you and Shining that tour."

Twilight trailed off, noticing that the sun and moon had begun a hushed side-conservation. She sheepishly cleared her throat.

"Please, go on, Princess Celestia," she probed. "We'll be here when you get back. I'm sure Thorax will need at least that long just to calm the changelings down."

Celestia pivoted her focus from Luna to Twilight and back again. She nodded.

"Very well then. Luna, would you accompany me? We'll be back shortly. If we're fortunate, the guards had their coffee this morning and will already be on top of things."

"Spoiler alert: they didn't, and they won't be," Luna mumbled.

Sharing one last round of mutual merriment, the elder monarchs split off from the group. Even as they left, their heads and attention were behind them, listening to the whimsical sounds of Twilight catching up with her beloved brother and sister-in-law. Past those, the more muffled sounds of Thorax conversing almost casually with the audience he was once so frightened of was a joy to hear.

The halls extended in front and behind them the longer they walked, and so before long, a reprieve of silence cradled the alicorn sisters. Their hoofsteps slowed in the wake of it.

"She has come far, even since the crown. I do not dote on her or keep up with her progress as much as you do, but even I can see it. Her published literature on friendship and connection, creating and running her very own school—it is all very impressive. Still, in your praises for her, do not forget your own contributions, sister. You've assisted Thorax quite a bit, yourself. Lest we forget, you are the one who first initiated contact and planted the idea for bonding with the Crystal Empire. Are you still so certain she is ready for unassisted governance?"

"I am. I decided to overreach, and it was not because I doubted Twilight. I overreached because Thorax was a timid and unsure monarch, thrust into a position of power unexpectedly. I wanted to assure him that Equestria's leadership was ready to help, on all its levels, and that we had a solid plan right from the start. Had the Thorax we saw today risen to power all those months ago, I'd have been far more hooves-off."

Celestia hummed before adding, "besides, nothing will be truly unassisted, Luna. You heard my faithful student. A princess of friendship always has her friends."

Luna shook her head and smiled. "You're so very proud. It's adorable. And yes, that is fair, I suppose. I had nearly forgotten the precarious situation the hive was in after the she-demon's leave. You can scarcely blame the changelings for accepting a former enemy's help so readily."

"Twilight may not have directed the finer points this time, but I believe she excelled in what she did bring to the table—companionship and personal guidance. Do you not think she's ready, based on this experience?"

Luna chewed her lip. She ejected her eyes from the conversation, up towards the ceiling. "I simply wonder if ally recruitment would have yielded a clearer picture of her progress if the candidate kingdom had been more...challenging. Even with desperation aside, it's unlikely that Thorax would have ever denied help, even the hoof-holding variety. I believe I'd be even more impressed with someone who actually failed to foster friendship with the changelings, under him."

"Be nice, Luna," Celestia giggled. "What did poor Thorax ever do to deserve disrespect like that? Just wait until I tell Starswirl. Oh, the stern beard twirls you'll get."

Luna's eyes plummeted from orbit and opened ten-fold. "My apologies, I did not realize we were in grade school once again. It was a compliment! He is charming and sweet and assuredly too pure for this world. I used to think only the yellow one held that power."

"Twilight is learning all the time, just as she always does, and there will be further opportunities for her to demonstrate it," Celestia continued, ignoring the glare she got for again twisting the subject in her favor. "Just today, I've introduced her to address recording and safety procedures. I have plans for further lessons I'd love to give her in the coming weeks."

"Sounds very unsubtle of you, sister."

More giggling. "Perhaps, but I do not believe there is a need to keep our plans from her for much longer, anyway. Wait too long, and, as you've alluded to, she will begin to see the signs."

"So it is time, then? You wish to tell her and her friends?"

Celestia stepped out from the cool castle walls and basked in the awaiting sun. The breeze of the mountaintop dove upon her and carried her mane. It flowed past her, flowing over the crowd now beginning to disperse from Thorax's address. So far, the guard units seemed to command the situation, though the pace of leaving bodies left something to be desired.

She threw her glance to the balcony, seemingly now so far away. While some of the changelings had adjourned, Thorax remained, now joined by Twilight, Cadance, and Shining Armor. Celestia smiled something warm and yearning. She needed no context of a conversation to see the joy in their movements and expressions.

"Yes, Luna," she said quietly. "It is about time we told them."

Thorax shivered, though there was no breeze to blame for it. The entire valley had grown eerily still now that the conflict responsible for shaking the land had decayed to recent memory. Since making his way down the mountain, Thorax had taken to curiously peering around the fields at its base, watching as various groups of creatures met in the aftermath. More than once was he smitten by conversations he could only make out segments of, as figureheads and representatives from every race balanced their nation's futures on their tongues through little more than glorified chitchat.

Thorax furrowed his brow. The more he thought about it, the more miraculous the whole situation became. After being rallied by mere school children, an excess of five different kingdoms had converged on a nameless hilltop outside Ponyville to assist Equestria in ridding itself of its darkest villains. True cooperation was achieved in the face of true evil, even down to the charge into battle being led by a unicorn who once held a reputation for xenophobia.

The irony was there, but Thorax wasn't laughing. The dust may have settled, but the conflict had left something foul and bitter in its wake. A problem he had been avoiding now confronted him, demanding his attention with cold, calcified eyes. Even now, as he stood amidst piles of confectionary goo and sprinkles, Thorax found himself just as frozen as the statue he surveyed.

"Typical. Leave it to the Equestrians to hog all the fun, and just when we finally got to see some action, too. They always did enjoy being judge, jury, and...well, I suppose the last bit doesn't really work in this context. Is 'jailor' not literal enough? 'Sculptor', maybe?"

Thorax acknowledged his brother's hoofsteps, as well as his humor with a lopsided chuckle, but his focus remained on the grim figures before him. Like an isolated grave draws a foal's imagination on his way by the fence, Thorax felt he could not yet leave without witnessing this monument of hate, greed, and deceit.

The sociopathic foal, Cozy Glow, clasped her hooves to her cheeks, her eyes wide in a moment of realized terror. Whether it was real or just another hollow ploy for empathy was anyone's guess, but for Thorax, all it needed to be was unsettling. A short, thick buttress of stone transitioned from her lower hoof and tail to the centaur, Tirek, propping her up and effectively maintaining the illusion of flight. Decrepit and wretched, Tirek cowered from the inevitable in a similar form, having closed his eyes before the effects of petrification could reach them.

Only now did Thorax realize his breathing had become short and ragged. His mind knew what his nerves did not. The protruded tongue, bared fangs, and pouncing posture of the statue's third figure posed him no threat, but it haunted him from his peripheral, daring him to look away from its accomplices and meet its hideous face.

"...Thorax."

"...y-yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

There was impatience in his brother's voice. Cocoon slime, just how long had he been sitting there? A wave of heat heralded sweating, and so Thorax scrambled his melancholy look to a dopey smile.

"I'm fine, Pharynx. I'm just thinking. Is everyling okay?"

Pharynx flattened his lip. This conversation was not over.

"Define 'okay'."

Thorax frowned, and the effort got him to turn. "You know what I mean. Was anyling hurt in the fight?"

Pharynx guided his brother's gaze to a medical station tossed together by the far treeline. It consisted of a snowy tent with a cross and a series of wooden benches. There, in the shade of the trees, a few changelings, dragons, and yaks were being tended to by a staff of nurse unicorns.

"A few scrapes, a few bruises," Pharynx assessed, his tone as dismissive as his face. "Nothing to write home about, and certainly nothing for you to coddle them over. Hive forbid we have even a little pride in our war scars. Most of them are just coming off the adrenaline. Not every day you get to face your ex-queen and her band of freak shows in decisive combat."

Thorax's ears nervously flexed down, then up again. His face reflected the mild concern his heart felt. True, the changelings by the tent seemed to be casually chatting with their unicorn nurses, but just the sight of bandages on his bug ponies was a distressing thing.

He'd need to make a mental note of which changelings would be requiring additional hugs later. His brother didn't need to know.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you okay?"

Pharynx scoffed. "Actually, no, it was way too chilly on that hilltop, Thorax. You know, the one far away from the action? I'm rather upset about it. Those unicorns could have at least installed heating in their little barrier spell while we puppy guarded the princess and her friends."

"Guess you're fine," Thorax mumbled. "Your sarcasm is working."

"Is it? Wow, gold star, Thorax. So what are we doing next? We going home, or what?"

"Shortly, yes. I wanted to stick around and see if any of the princesses wanted to talk at all. Also, I've been looking to see if Queen Novo was here. Have you seen her?"

"The hippogriff queen? Why?"

"We've been exchanging letters for a while. A while ago she said she'd enjoy either us visiting her, or her visiting us sometime. Not long after that, I got another letter talking about how she'd heard wonderful things about us from Silverstream, who is really close friends with Ocellus. Ocellus even visited Seaquestria over this past school break. I haven't heard anything back from the queen since then. I wanted to see if she came here with the rest of the hippogriffs."

"I doubt it."

"Huh? Why?"

Again Pharynx jabbed his head in a given direction and invited Thorax to follow. A tall, commanding hippogriff with teal plumage was talking with Silverstream in a clearing behind the medical tent.

"See him? That's General Seaspray. He is to the hippogriffs what I am to us, except wetter. You might have met him before. He probably visits the princess's school for Silverstream, like you do, for Ocellus."

"Wait, what do you mean 'wetter'? Like, as in the navy?"

"Yes."

"Pharynx, you're in charge of our navy too. We just don't have an official one because we don't live anywhere near water-"

"Missing the point, Thorax," Pharynx growled. "Seaspray is not just the leader of the hippogriff's navy. He is also their lead dignitary. In all situations where Novo would make a political visit, he goes in her stead. The hippogriffs may have emerged from their little ocean bunker, but that doesn't mean the queen has. I've heard the only time she ever comes on land is for special occasions on Mount Aris."

Pharynx paused. He waited for something, anything—a meager sigh, an ear flop, a quivering lip, but none came. Instead, his brother looked to him with something sappy and terrifying, placing a hoof to his chest.

"Pharynx...when did you get so knowledgable about all the other kingdoms? I'm so proud of you!"

And there it was. He was related to a complete idiot.

"You-I'm supposed to know about-my old job literally required me to-...you know what? Nevermind. I'm not entertaining this, today. This was my day off before we all got collectively called on to come and solve your friend's problems."

Thorax blinked, and his brother advanced on him, pinning him with that familiar, unapproving glare.

"You can chase hippogriffs and seapony queens later. Let's talk about what's up with you."

"Me?"

Pharynx eyed the stone statue. He eyed Thorax. He cocked a brow. "Don't play dumb, Thorax. Neither the princesses nor Seaspray are over here, so why are you over here, sitting alone? What's so fascinating about some defeated enemies? You're acting weird, even for you."

As if his brother's words had returned their power, Thorax was again consumed by the petrified moirai of corruption. This time, he bravely faced the mad look of his former queen head-on. A flurry of painful memories bombarded him, stealing away his breath, but he couldn't look away. She could not blink, speak or express her hatred, but Thorax could swear he could still feel it—an eternal flame of selfish fury, immortalized along with her body.

"Do you think she can still hear?"

"...what?"

"Chrysalis, Pharynx," Thorax repeated more firmly. His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, and his chest tightened. "During Discord's latest visit, he and I talked about his past a bit. He said that during the millennia he was petrified, he could still hear, even though he couldn't see or feel. Do you think it was because he's a special kind of creature, or is all petrification the same?"

As the true nature of the situation came to light, their private section of the clearing fell silent. When Pharynx spoke again, it was only after exhausting a sigh long and haggard.

"I get it, now." Pharynx's tone had sullen, grown quiet. He walked behind Thorax and to his other side, where his former commander's image was clearer. He regarded it with a sneer. "It's closure, you're after."

Thorax didn't reply. He didn't need to. His brother's empathetic senses were long-since fully developed, and the hinges of his composure were now buckling. He knew Pharynx could feel his growing anguish, a bleak mixture of anger and despair.

"I just, I-"

Thorax feared an interruption, though he knew he shouldn't. Gone were the days of Pharynx's callous remarks. He glanced over his shoulder and found only stern patience. Nothing in all the land, sea, or sky could now waver his brother's attention, concentrated and serious. He watched and waited as if expecting Thorax to collapse at any given moment.

In that comforting thought, Thorax fell apart.

"...I almost wish she had come back for the throne, Pharynx," Thorax said, his trembling whisper overflowing with emotion. "I'm so glad she didn't because I didn't want the changelings put in danger, but...I wanted her to know just how far we've come without her. I wanted her to see for herself that friendship and happiness weren't a weakness—they were how we became self-reliant."

A firm hoof cradled Thorax's back. When Thorax began to sniff, to hiccup through his tears, the hoof began to stroke.

"Don't tell me, Thorax. I'm not the one who needs to hear it."

Thorax raised his head and all too suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. He was again in the bowels of the hive, sobbing hysterically in a release of anxiety. He was again being comforted by his brother in a rare moment of compassion. He was again beside himself, finding a side of Pharynx he'd no experience with.

But this wasn't déjà vu, and they were not hidden away in the hive's bowels. His anxieties had nothing to do with this pain, and his brother comforted him now in the broad, open daylight—around other creatures without a second thought.

Thorax clenched his teeth in a display of harnessed heartache. With a sniff, he cleared his throat, trails of saltwater staining his lime cheeks and blurring Chrysalis's gaping maw from view.

"I know you wouldn't care," he murmured, his voice growing steadier by the word. "I know you wouldn't hesitate to reclaim the hive by force if given the chance. I know that our happiness is irrelevant to you and that it always was. I used to hope that you'd one day change your ways, that you would treat us better. I used to dream of a hive that I belonged in, that welcomed me for who I am, instead of demanding I hurt others to fit in. I stopped dreaming the day I decided to run away. I guess I finally realized it would never happen."

Pharynx's hoof rose and fell along the curve of Thorax's shell in a steady rhythm. It coaxed the younger changeling to continue, to allow his distress to boil off and guide every last one of his thoughts.

"And it turned out I was right, wasn't I? You never changed, Chrysalis, and that's why you're here, now. You couldn't accept that noling wanted to follow you after they were able to care for themselves, so you lashed out. You lashed out at everyone around you, doing what you've always done—inflicting pain on others for your own gain. Well, this time you went too far. Equestria has no more tolerance for your hate, and neither do the changelings. We may be irrelevant to you, my queen, but I want you to know how irrelevant you are to us, too. The changelings are prospering without you."

The hoof came to a sudden stop, and Thorax nearly lost his train of thought. Though still and silent, mild shock now came off his brother's aura.

"I guess this is goodbye," he breathed at last, his back stretching against Pharynx's hoof. "I think I'll always wonder what might have been, Chrysalis. I'm always going to wonder what could have happened if you'd decided to consider Starlight's words, instead of rejecting them for the only thing you've ever known."

Thorax stood from the grass and found his knees coated with grass blades and sprinkle-coated frosting. He forced a weak smile—it only served to lift his mood. The next time his glance fell on the statue, his chest did not tighten, nor did his teeth seek to shut. He supposed that was a good thing.

"Wow," came Pharynx. He offered naught but a stare, but it helped reign in the moment's tension all the same. Thorax chuckled.

"What? You're the one who told me to talk to her."

Pharynx dipped his chin and sharpened his stare with it.

"You're right, I did. On the one hoof, well done. On the other, where in Hive's name did all of that come from? I don't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't latent savagery. You have latent savagery, Thorax?"

Thorax's chuckle bloomed to a fuller laugh, dispelling the last of his gloom.

"I just-I guess I've never expressed any of this out loud before, at least to this extent," Thorax admitted. He fell to his flank to give his brother his attention, away from the condemned trio. "Not even to you. Certainly never to Chrysalis. I guess I had a lot to say. You must have known I was torn up with how she treated everyling. I was even more torn up about not being strong enough to do anything about it. There are a lot of reasons why I left the hive, and she's just one of them."

"Well, it's better that you didn't tell her off, before. You're right, she never cared, and I doubt she would, now. It might be less impressive to sass a statue, but at least the statue can't hurt anyone when it's told something it doesn't like. For what it's worth, though, I doubt I could have sassed her any better, myself."

Thorax beamed. When he made to respond, a familiar figure called out to him, now bounding towards him from across the clearing. It was General Seaspray, and his smile hinted to a sudden notice of their presence.

"Ah, King Thorax, what a pleasure it is to see you well," said Seaspray, his gallop falling to a trot and then to a standstill in the space of a few steps. He gave an elegant and exaggerated bow before glancing to the statue at Thorax's side. He nodded. "Quite a showing we gave those rogues, hmm? I cannot wait to relay our grandiose victory back to Her Majesty, Queen Novo."

From behind Thorax, Pharynx rolled his eyes.

"Which brings me to my earnest in seeking your company," Seaspray continued, reaching into a large, brown satchel at his side with a claw. Curled in it upon exit was a wrapped scroll, which he readily offered to Thorax. "Her Majesty, Queen Novo, has requested that I deliver this to you posthaste."

"Thank you," Thorax replied on reflex, summoning the scroll with a spark of teal magic. He smiled at the polite dignitary with double his offering. When Seaspray calmly stood and waited, Thorax sheepishly grimaced and opened the letter's aquatic blue seal with a snap. Unfurling in the air, Pharynx curiously read it along with him.

Dear King Thorax,

I have to apologize for my silence as of late. Ever since my subjects regained their safety in again treading the land, it has been a n i g h t m a r e trying to coordinate or contain just about anything in my kingdom. These hippogriffs got their heads in the clouds in more ways than one. You remember when I talked about the rebuilding of our village on Mount Aris? Well, you better believe I am starting to have regrets already. If I have to come up there one more time and tell Sky Beak to put a lid on these screeching contests in the late evenings, I tell you, momma is gonna have a conniption.

Oh, Thorax, I do so appreciate you letting me vent my heart out in our letters. None of my guards and advisors listen to me the same way you have. Princess Celestia of Equestria has always been a generous ear, as well, but she's been so busy lately with the state of things in Equestria and I can't blame her. You have been a sweetheart and a life saver these past months.

That is why I've decided to pay you the honor of visiting you and your subjects, personally. I figure it is about time I stretch my wings a bit, and I've been hearing nothing but love from my niece about her adventures with her little changeling friend. It's about time we met face to face, and I've been getting a might antsy about visiting my first changeling hive.

Please do get back to me as soon as you can, so that we can plan a date and time.

Yours,
Queen Novo

Thorax re-rolled the letter and found Seaspray looking quite pleased with himself on the other side.

"Well, gents, if you'd care to craft a letter here and now, I shall be on my way home shortly and can bring it to Her Majesty before the sun sets. Otherwise, do feel free to reply at your own pace—I believe we could all do with a good rest after that fiery fray, and so I shall not rush you."

Thorax grinned. He turned to Pharynx with a renewed zest, and in doing so, drained his brother of all expression.

"Pharynx, Queen Novo wants to visit the hive, herself! Isn't that great!? Oh, I have to set up a tour plan at once! I mean, I set up a committee for it but, Queen Novo? I have to be there! Thank you, General Seaspray! If you have any spare parchment and quills, I'll happily reply now!"

Pharynx could feel his grouchiness claim his mouth with a curl and guide his eyes with half-lidded indifference. He watched with great effort, Thorax prance about in anticipation while Seaspray wrestled with his saddlebag to draw out parchment and writing supplies.

"You know, when the Equestrians wanted you to come over so they could hug changelings and gush all over you, you cried at me for a week about how scary politics were. But when the prissy hippogriff queen comes calling on a whim because you're the only one who will listen to her drama, you're delighted? I think we need to have a conversation, Thorax."

"Gwrraa! I am the maulwurf, Papa Thorax, and I am back for revenge! I am gonna eat all your vegetables!"

A lime nymph leaped upon a boulder and reared up on his hindlegs, posturing himself before a changeling nearly quadruple his size. The changeling cowered in response, and with a chirp, desperately clutched his hooves over his head.

"Oh no, not all my vegetables!" Thorax expressed. With a muffled thud, he fell to the floor, hiding his face in his hooves. "You're so intimidating, maulwurf! Please leave us be! I'll give you some lettuce if you go home!"

Thorax held up a head of lettuce. Apex promptly swatted it away.

"I refuse!" yelled the not-maulwurf, jumping to Thorax's back and proudly strutting around atop it. "I will have all of the vegetables, and then I will be the fullest maulwurf in all the land!"

"We are the mighty changelings, fear us," came the tones of Pharynx. He wearyingly examined the day's mail scrolls from beside his brother's throne and raised his cool eyes to watch the glee as it transpired.

The beta changeling rubbed the space behind his horn with a hoof. Never could he have imagined that peacetime would ever give him a greater headache than wartime.

"The mighty changelings are no match for the mightier maulwurf!" Apex proclaimed, now jumping up and down with reckless abandon. His euphoria masked the grunts coming from his conquered target. "I only left last time because Uncle Pharynx was super smart and outsmarted me! But he's not here to help you now, Papa Thorax. He's too distracted! Now give me all your vegetables!"

The bouncing continued. Thorax prepared a smile, and with a flicker of his aura, caught his brother's attention.

"Somehow I don't think the maulwurf would even eat the vegetables once he gets them," Thorax chuckled, his breaths a musical tone played by Apex's weight. "How about it, Uncle Pharynx? Care to lend a hoof?"

"Nope," Pharynx replied shortly, harboring a smug grin as he continued to read. "Maulwurf is right—you're on your own over there. You let it come back—you deal with it."

"Yeah, Uncle Pharynx won't help, and neither will anyling else!" Apex puffed his cheeks and blew a raspberry. The bouncing grew more aggressive—the nymph now endeavored to see how high he could make each leap. "I have changed my mind. I want all your vegetables and that extra lettuce! I need lots of greens so I can sleep through the wintertime!"

"You'll also need something to keep you warm, maulwurf. You don't seem to have your usual layers of fat to keep you warm during the winter."

"You're right. Burrows get cold underground, Papa Thorax. You can ask the princess ponies for blankets, and I shall take those too!"

"Quit while you're ahead, Thorax," Pharynx called lazily. "We don't negotiate with intruders. I really shouldn't be letting you negotiate at all."

Apex's head pivoted on command. His protruded lip slandered the blue changeling.

"Do not meddle with maulwurf affairs, Uncle Pharynx! You are supposed to be distracted!"

Pharynx blinked. He looked up to ogle the nymph, but his attention had already returned to tormenting Thorax.

"Guess I must have forgotten my place there for a second," Pharynx uttered with pitiless snark. "My apologies, gnatwurf. Hey, Thorax, quit messing around and step up. Toss this intruder out on his flank already. This is embarrassing."

"Just trying to breathe right now," Thorax growled. The assailing hooves now pegged his head as Apex's brutal massage therapy branched out in range.

"This one is tough. I won't get any blankets or vegetables at this rate," Apex narrated aloud, leaning forward to tap into Thorax's neck with his front hooves rapidly. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be, Papa Thorax!"

"Ouch! Okay-ow! Alright, that's enough of that I think, maulwurf."

Teal magic seized the nymph by his hooves and playfully pulled him out from under himself, causing him to wriggle in the open air. His protests drew giggling from elsewhere in the room as Pharynx's stationed guard changelings finally succumbed to the antics themselves. They watched as their alpha arched his back and regained his former posture, turning to his captured intruder with a ready smile.

"Apex, I think you're starting to get too big for stunts like that," Thorax said. He pressed a tiny nose and got a huff in response. "Playing aside, it's starting to hurt my back, okay? Let's do something else."

"If he'd turned into an actual maulwurf, you wouldn't have a back left to complain about," Pharynx mumbled again from his corner. Again the guard changelings snickered, lowering their heads to obscure the noise.

"And I am not too big!" Apex added, swinging his hooves at the large, upside-down mooseling. "Don't call me fat, Papa Thorax, that's mean."

Thorax chuckled outright, himself, and trailing his hoof upwards, poked a deep red carapace.

"I'm not saying you're fat, you goofball. I'm saying you're growing, as you should be. You're only a little smaller than Ocellus, now, and she's a pre-adolescent."

Apex crossed his hooves. His struggling had stopped, but the momentum he had built up from it had not. He now slowly spun in place, helpless to do anything but petulantly buzz his wings against the self-imposed gravity of Thorax's magic. On every rotation, a new goofy expression from Thorax awaited him, and so with every rotation, another crack appeared in his grumpy demeanor until giggling shone through in all its joy.

"Have you tired yourself out yet?" Thorax asked. He already knew the answer.

"I'm never tired," Apex lied, a yawn punctuating his claim. His stubborn frown and buzzing returned when Thorax adopted a smug look. "The maulwurf is saving his energy! Once you let him go, he'll be ready to fight!"

"All this third-party referencing is giving me flashbacks," Pharynx moaned, casting aside his freshly-finished scrolls to the seat of Thorax's throne. "Next thing we know, he'll start calling himself the Great and Powerful Maulwurf."

Again Thorax laughed. For a change, it got his brother to smile.

"Hmm, I dunno," Thorax began, eyeing his captured maulwurf and dragging out his syllables. "If the maulwurf is tired out, it sounds like it might be cuddle time. I bet that would calm him down. Maybe then we can negotiate about blankets and lettuce a little more kindly."

Apex's brooding seemed to slough right off of him. Acute horror took its place.

"Maulwurfs do not cuddle!" he declared, adamantly resuming his desperate swinging. "We are tough hunters of the underground! You cannot make me!"

"Don't give me that," Thorax chuckled, watching small hooves harmlessly graze by his nose. His own inner-nymph coming out to play, Thorax taunted the hoves in turn by repeatedly extending his snout just within their reach before withdrawing it. "You need a nap today, anyway. I should know. Someling kept me up most of the night, last night, asking about stars—what they're made of, how they work, and how likely it is they'll fall on us while we sleep."

"They are blinkie, and I do not trust them!" Apex defended. Even the slightest rose tint was a blemish on his evergreen cheeks, and Thorax's grinning clued the nymph into them. He desperately tried to cover his cheeks with his hooves, making his best impression of a hiss when Thorax showed signs of advancing.

His ploy was unsuccessful. He was quickly beset by hugging hooves seeking to hold him in place of Thorax's magic.

"Uncle Pharynx, Papa Thorax is cheating!"

Thorax merely giggled as he obtained his hug.

"Is he?" came the uninspired reply from across the room.

"Yeah, help!" Apex yelped. At least one of those rosy cheeks would cause him no further embarrassment. Thorax had pressed his own against it. "This is not a fair way to fight a maulwurf!"

"Sorry, wish I could, but I seem to be very distracted," Pharynx continued, lounging in his brother's vacant throne for comedic effect. His guard changelings had lost their stolid composures, their legs bending under the weight of their chittering. "Should have been practicing your transformations more often, like I told you to, gnat. You could get away from Thorax's sap more easily. That's what I'd do."

Held fast to a wall of thrumming green chitin, Apex could feel his defiance draining away. In his tiny form, there was no room for rebellion when love magic came knocking. It flowed through him like a great wave, drowning and numbing his focus. But even still, he bit his lip, pushing against Thorax with everything he had.

"No, the maulwurf will not relent! Silly hugs will not defeat him!"

Thorax cocked a crafty brow, watching the attempt with amusement. "Give in to the hugs, Apex. Naps are your destiny—mine too, actually. I could definitely use one about now, myself. Also, you know, with all the other nymphs and changelings wanting my attention all the time, you hardly ever get me to yourself. Here I thought you'd jump at the chance not to have to share my attention. Don't you want to spend time with me? I want to spend time with you."

The frivolous antics, yes, the very expectation for them seemed to drain from the room. Apex stopped struggling, and with large, bulbous red eyes, stared at Thorax a moment without expression. Thorax readily stared back, relaxing his grip so that he might use one hoof to flick at the nymph's elongated ears playfully.

Like a true insect suddenly spurred to move, Apex hugged Thorax. His body too tiny to wrap around the large changeling, he merely flattened himself against lime carapace instead. Thorax made a sound weak and adoring, squeezing the nymph in response, and in doing so, permeated the room with the miracle of love magic.

The guard changelings by the door sighed in content as they shivered, overtaken by their alpha's aptitude for broadcasting energy through love. It was a blanket to enshroud them, a tropical wave to engulf them. They smiled, almost goofily, and resigned themselves to observe the pair. From his seat, Pharynx also shivered, though he held a look far less comfortable. Though he tempered his scowl to something less offensive, his skeptical brow remained merciless.

"Hive's sake, Thorax," he grumbled. "Warn a changeling when you're about to gush all over the place. You're ten times more powerful than anyone else with that. Like getting smacked in the face with a few tons of sugar."

At the epicenter of the outburst, Apex allowed the hug to go on without end. He was long used to it—being the trigger for such unrelenting love—but seldom did he slow down to think about it. However, he had grown to learn that the more Thorax talked, the more he should consider slowing down and granting the large changeling his sought hugs.

It always seemed to make him happy.

"How come we're playing alone in the throne room today, Papa Thorax? We usually play with the other nymphs in the nursery hive."

Thorax beamed. "Surprised it took you this long to ask. Well, today is sort of special, so I wanted to spend time with just the two of us. Well, you, me, and Pharynx. He's protective and gets moody if I tell him to go away."

Apex giggled. A glare burrowed through the back of Thorax's head.

Apex anchored his chin against Thorax's carapace to look up and meet his gaze.

"Is it my hatchday?"

Thorax chuckled. "No, you know your hatchday, Apex, I know you do. We celebrated it a few weeks ago. It'll be a while before your next one."

"Is it your hatchday?"

Thorax shook his head. Limitless patience poured from his aura and smile. "Nope, not my hatchday, either. It's a special day today because, a year ago, this is the day the changelings changed. Do you remember that, Apex?"

Apex nodded.

"Do you remember what else happened that day?"

Apex's tongue peeked through the indent of his mouth—a true sign of dedicated thought.

"I changed," he replied. Thorax nodded.

"That's right, you got your colors, too. That's the day almost everyling embraced a better way of life and a safer, friendlier hive. But that day was important to me for another reason. Can you guess what it was?"

The answer, so obvious in the situation's context, eluded the nymph, who continued to wear his adorable sleuthing efforts on his face. They prompted Thorax to smile ever brighter.

"...is it because you became a king changeling?"

"You'd think so, but becoming the hive's leader wasn't very exciting for me at the time. I didn't enjoy that until I was able to make a difference in everyling's lives. On the day we changed, I met someling—someling who ended up meaning a lot to me. I'll always remember the day we met."

The self-imposed mystery having outlived its purpose, Thorax threw subtlety to the wind and pressed that tiny nose once more. Red eyes crossed to watch it happen.

"It's you, Apex."

"Me?" Apex repeated curiously. A hoof playfully rubbed his head, but he endeavored to lean past it in his continued stare.

"Of course, you," Thorax mused. He turned to seek out his sibling, his soft composure shifting as he did. "Pharynx, I think I'm gonna try and get that nap in, now. We'll see how it goes with him. You can head downhive if you want to help everyling else with the project, there—I know Tarsus and Tibia would appreciate it."

Pharynx seemed to silently mull over the thought a moment before mumbling, "yeah, alright." Stretching from his lackadaisical spread, he cast a stern eye to his guardlings. Their composure grew rigid. "You hear that, Palpilla? Haltere? Stay here with Thorax. Watch the gnat. If things even think about going south, find me."

Haltere saluted his prince. "Of course, Pharynx. Where will you be?"

"As Thorax said, downhive," Pharynx replied briskly. "We'll be repurposing those sections all week, and I should check in with the progress. You might see some communal guest rooms for visitors by week's end. Definitely more storage."

Fluttering to the doorway, Pharynx huffed before adding, "if anyone tries to touch my brooding space, though, we'll have issues. See you later, Thorax, Gnat."

Pharynx departed, and all traces of a sour aura left with him. With his leave, the guard changelings saluted their king in turn, and Thorax offered another wave of energy with nothing but an appreciative look.

"Today is special because of me?"

Thorax returned to the topic at hoof. Apex still regarded him with intrigue, waiting for clarification. All he got was that mystifying, unwavering smile he'd come to know so well.

"Today is special because of you."

Thorax laid upon the cool stone floor and placed Apex in the fold of his form. The world, in all its trials and tribulations, became irrelevant around the nymph. His anxieties shriveled in the greater purpose he found in catering to him, looking after him. He was a miracle all his own, and even as Apex protested his placement in the sudden two-bug cuddle pile, darting Thorax with unimpressed eyes, Thorax had nothing to offer but love.

I think it’s really great that you care so much about us, Thorax.

The bug monarch sniffed. It wouldn't do much good to worry his guard changelings with waterworks—nor any other drones within empathyshot, for that matter. He really did have a bad habit of crying too easily.

To me, it makes you seem like a papa changeling. I mean, we’ve never, ever had one before, but...I think this is what it’d be like to have one. And that makes me really happy too because I think it’d be nice to have a papa changeling.

Thorax looked to the sun and closed his eyes. Perhaps the warmth would dry his tears. Perhaps the sun would forgive him for the request. Perhaps, though, a king of magical empaths shouldn't be sorry for crying so much.

Thorax, do you think if I called you ‘Papa Thorax’ that other changelings would start to as well?

"...Papa Thorax? What are you looking at?"

Thorax smiled, summoned to Apex in an instant. The sun had heeded his wish.

"Nothing, Apex. Will you sit quietly with me for a while, even if you don't feel like sleeping? I'd like to take a nap, and I'd enjoy it more if you're with me."

Apex thought to protest. He did want to protest. Sitting still was boring, downright evil, even. But there was something in Thorax's voice, in his eyes that made the nymph reconsider. Thorax could maybe hide his tears, but he could not hide his emotions, especially not from this distance. A strange mix of excitement, affection, and melancholy had come together to baffle the small bug pony. It left him little tools to respond with, save the one offered to him.

And so Apex pressed himself against Thorax, his cheeks squishing upwards. Whatever was going on, he supposed he would have to stay put to find out what. Thorax was acting strange today, wasn't he?

Thinking of these things, Apex closed his eyes, and sleep quickly came for him.

As his consciousness faded away, a voice seemed to reach out to him. It was not urgent, as if seeking to pull him back, but gentle, like a hoof waving a temporary farewell. Like the nursery's iridescent cocoon lanterns, it brought him comfort as he fell into a world of thought and make-believe.

"I'll see you soon, my rambunctious bedbug. I love you."