//------------------------------//
// Cerulean is the Warmest Shade of Blue 
// Story: The King of Love Bugs 
// by NavelColt 
//------------------------------//




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’d 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. "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 responded to a letter from 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?"

"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 referring to a changeling known throughout the hive as 'the hyperberry bug'," Tarsus drolled. "I haven’t seen him, no, but do his whereabouts really need confirmation?"

"Just some rhetoric on my part. 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."

"...Huh, you're right, actually. But, Tarsus, are you calling Calor a nymph?"

For a moment, they stopped, and Thorax's smile waited to blossom into a laugh. Tarsus delivered a trademark 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!" someling shouted. "The ball hit Thorax! Quick, what are the rules for if the ball hits a hive leader!?"

"I'm searching!" another squeaked from the corner, frantically flipping through an encyclopedia titled '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 gently lifted 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?" yet another blurted. "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 rang out.

"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."

A throng of eyes latched onto a particular red drone, who was failing to hide behind a rock.

"Guys, please, let's just say that it went out of bounds. No more cheating and no more pointing hooves, okay? There's no reason to ruin everyling's fun."

The antics were abruptly arrested, and changelings quietly turned to Thorax. He took a few steps forward before lightly tossing the homemade ball to a nearby drone. He then spotted a familiar shade of cerulean and smiled.

"Calor. 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."

With the crowd’s attention diverted, Mandible fled to the obscurity of his huddled team. Calor, meanwhile, fidgeted under the spotlight thrust upon him.

"W-we were doing really well up until a few minutes ago. Honest," he 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 changeling. Calor's bumbling stopped, and he made his way towards him. With every step, whispering and chittering roused from the crowd.

"Uh-oh, someling'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. "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 blue drone.

"Tarsus, I hate to inconvenience you, but would you mind keeping an eye on everyling here for a few minutes?" Thorax asked. "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 a boulder nearby 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 with each hoof step, exhibiting enough kinetic energy to reach the moon. Together, they emerged from the hive's shade and refuge and joined the lavish outdoor flowers working to kiss the sun.

"I wanted to talk with you about a couple of things," Thorax began, 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 like 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, returning to the material plane.

"Tours?" he asked. "Wait, but you love to give tours. A-and you're perfect at giving them, too!"

Thorax chuckled. "I've been trying harder to reach out to the other races, lately," he explained. "If things go well, tours are likely to become more common. Between all of 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 said lamely. "Well, in that case, sure! I can definitely find some changelings who’d like to help. 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." Thorax laid down and stretched out comfortably. He closed his eyes briefly in the process, 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. He sat up and placed a hoof just below his chest jewel. "If it helps out the hive, and if 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..."

Calor trailed off upon noticing Thorax's growing smirk. A red tint hugged his cheeks once again.

"O-okay, maybe I could just find some changelings for now, and volunteer once in a while."

"That sounds like a wiser choice," Thorax approved. His smile then became more somber. "Please, please remember to take time for yourself. 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 help every now and then, 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 stuck out a playful tongue. He crouched low into a pouncing position, his gossamer tail wagging behind his flank. With a coaxed laugh from his prey being his signal, he leaped and collided with the sizable alpha's chest. A flurry of petals and loosened grass enshrouded them as they rolled three times over in the meadow's embrace, and soon they landed in a heap, plagued with mutual fits of giggling.

"Now I've got you!" exclaimed Calor, standing over his king 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 as well, 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 around Thorax's form. He dragged out a sigh and closed his eyes. "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. 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."

Thorax laid his head back against the grass, feeling his mind grow hazy and opening itself to the suggestion of sleep. What made that suggestion more enticing was that the cerulean drone he held gave off 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.

"The changelings were invited to Canterlot later this week," Thorax said at last. "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?"

"Remembering that we changed," Thorax 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 that the best way to move past it is to show everycreature something new."

Calor arched his back, seeking to remove himself. When Thorax let him go, the two turned over and stood, brushing themselves of foliage.

"It should go without saying that I'd love to go," Calor said whilst doing a series of rather impressive stretches. "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, also?"

"Oh no," Thorax said at once, heading back in the direction of the hive. 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 if they'd like to go." Calor bounced 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 clarified. "Also, you're friends with basically the entire hive, Calor. What do you mean, 'your friends'?"

Gazing past his shoulder, Calor 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. "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 forth.



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 give a glare before resuming her flawless smile. It, too, was short-lived, however, for Equestria's fourth princess had stepped into the room.

"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. "To what do we owe for this pleasure?"

"Indeed. Usually, it takes an escalated threat to the country for us to see each other," 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 and summoning a scroll into existence. "Celestia and I were corresponding by 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, what with this being an exciting time for Equestria. The changelings are on the cusp of obtaining social peace with the rest of the country."

Luna snorted. "'Interrupting something' she says. Surely you jest. There is little to interrupt before the moon bathes in the cosmos, for me. You are always 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. "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, was titled Changelings and Changed Forms - Volumes I-IX by Twilight Sparkle.

"I was merely regaling Twilight about 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." Luna returned to her deep blue pillow bed. "Is he afraid that he and his changelings may be attacked? He should know no such thing would happen under our watch. He would most certainly 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 remarked. "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 said, "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. 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. He gained confidence from his visit with Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire, but he's also aware that the empire had been fairly pro-changeling already, given the events with Spike, and Thorax's stay several months thereafter. The empire has also never been besieged 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?"

"Call it an educated guess. 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?"

Celestia gave Twilight a sly look. Twilight’s jaw dropped. She decided against going with her first instinct. Questioning how Celestia knew things was like asking Pinkie Pie how she did anything.

"That's true, actually. I haven't had occasion to mention it, but not long ago Discord dropped by Ponyville unexpectedly with a bunch of changelings. Long story short, the changelings I thought he’d randomly selected were actually changeling parents. A lot of them showed interest in enrolling their nymphs at the school. I believe Ocellus's success there was a factor."

"I suppose every once in a while Discord is 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. We have four more changelings coming into our new school year, and there will undoubtedly be more the year after that. I'm 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. The children of ponies and other creatures from settlements all over the continent now gather there. Those children, under Twilight and her friend's marvelous teachings, will 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 changelings," Luna added.

"A seed of friendship for future generations. 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 stood again and walked 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 put forth, facing 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 affirmed. "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. I also thought a look around Canterlot would be a great way to help alleviate his anxiety."

"A good idea, Twilight," said Luna. "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. Her golden aura retrieved a leatherback journal and a quill. "If you could arrive in advance by a few hours, 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 could 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. "They are of 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 insisted, not 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."

The moon princess gave an amused hum.

"Best go for lavender flowers with a calming blue tapestry, then." Luna summoned a woven basket nearly the size of herself. From the popped lid emerged large and magnificent rolls of smooth fabric, enough to render Rarity comatose. They streamed through the air, suspended in the princess's deep blue aura.

"Cerulean is the warmest shade of blue. Wouldn't you agree, Twilight?"