"Alright, it's definitely time to get off, you guys," Thorax said decisively.
"What's their deal?" Xenica asked, fluttering off the alpha changeling's back and 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 felt an abrupt 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? 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 group, and Apex inflated his cheeks defiantly.
"Thorax, what should we do?" said Tibia, trotting up to the monarch's side. "Princess Twilight and Spike got swamped by the crowd."
"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."
Thorax let out a deep sigh and looked past the mayhem, towards the crystal castle. Taking to the sky to seek out the princess would probably invoke even more panic. 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 mobs. With a dawning smile, Thorax 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. "Everyling, please stay close to me. I don't want anyling wandering off and causing even more of a panic."
"Thorax!" shouted Shining Armor. He slowed to a trot once he reached the squadron of changelings, and gave them their first welcoming smile whilst catching his breath.
"First of all, I'd just like to say thank you for taking the time to visit us today. 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 her friend. 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. 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?" said Cadance. Her smile cooled to something more serious. "But I'm afraid proper pleasantries will have to wait. First and foremost, we must apologize for this fiasco."
Cadance ever so subtly shot a look at her husband. Shining picked up on it within moments and turned to face the crowd of crystal ponies, all of whom had stopped in their tracks upon seeing the empire's royalty interacting with the strange newcomers.
"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, led 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 hiding spots.
"At this time, King Thorax and the changelings will be accompanying Princess Cadance and myself to the castle. 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 convoy towards the looming castle and leaving the crowd to decide their next course of action.
As the mob dispersed, Twilight and Spike were liberated from its clutch. Twilight quickly caught sight of her brother, and thus enveloped Spike in magic before venturing over to join him.
"Cadance, if you can take Thorax and the changelings to the meeting room, I'd be happy to address the crystal ponies properly," Shining offered. "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."
Cadance put on a modest smile and met her horn to her husband's.
"Hmm, good answer."
Cadance led Thorax and his troop of drones down the crystal castle's iridescent halls. While the changelings glanced around at the architecture with reserved interest, Thorax examined every corner of his old haunt like an enthralled nymph. 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. He couldn't help but prance 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 here so many times."
"Despite my best efforts," Cadance admitted with a nervous chuckle.
"Ooh, and that's the crystal ballroom! 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 convoy came to a fork, and with a hoof, Thorax signaled the princess to stop. Turning to his charge, Thorax visited each face with painfully unsubtle earnestness.
"So, what do you guys think so far?"
With bated breath, he beamed and scanned their fidgeting forms for signs of intrigue. But as the bugs glanced around the hallway once more, all they could offer in return were shallow grimaces.
"Thorax, we get it," a green drone began, speaking for the group. "You lived in a castle, and that's pretty exciting, but, frankly? 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 tell you guys outside about being polite?" He lowered his head, forcing them to meet his gaze. Those 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 cheerfully. "They're just being themselves. I don't take offense. In fact, Shining Armor 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 'shiny' by now," Thorax mused. "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! Hey, guys, disco tail rave!"
Thorax and Cadance turned their heads at the bizarre proclamation. Once passive and apathetic, the squadron of drones was 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 refuge in the flat 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 in exasperation. "When they first figured this out 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 said. "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 that you 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?"
"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. Though undisturbed in their merriment, the drone's shrieks became mute from outside the teal dome that now surrounded them.
"Sound equalizer bubble," Cadance explained. "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 that the changelings have transitioned so well. I mean, I'm a pretty optimistic pony myself, 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.
"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. I still wake up some days, amazed at how things turned out."
Cadance's dome broke at last, and the air fell quiet for some time as the group rounded a corner and ascended a 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.
"As far as I know. There isn't a changeling alive today who remembers a time where she wasn't in power. 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', 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."
Cadance found herself sullen.
"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. "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. 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. 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."
They reached the staircase's summit and came to a standstill. The drones spread themselves out throughout the new room, while 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 gently. "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 an 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 wandering drones and spoke, pointing at the massive windows at the room's opposite end.
"This is one of the highest points in the castle. 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 winked, and enthused smiles began to bloom all around.
"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!"
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 as ponies processed 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 voice from the audience, inspiring the entire crowd to nod in agreement. An outbreak of hoof stomps ensued, and the 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 everypony 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 exploded with a synchronized round of cheers and flailing upper hooves. 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, Twily. I already forgave you. And, you know, I'm actually kind of relieved to see that you still blaze through things when you're excited. Same old Twily."
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 an advance notice."