//------------------------------//
// The Festival of Friendship 
// Story: The King of Love Bugs 
// by NavelColt 
//------------------------------//

"And these, King Thorax, I'm told are 'blueberry pastries'. They’re 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. The changeling king stuck out on the street like a sore hoof, even among the empire’s sparkling inhabitants. Standing beside him was Aphidel, apathetic as ever while passively watching changelings trot around the castle plaza.

"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 notice the crystal pony's unsure, wide-eyed expression.

"So hey, thanks for joining me, Aphidel," Thorax said quietly, walking alongside the green drone. "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," said Aphidel, her monotone voice a whisper under all the chatter filling the air. "You should be more confident in your actions, Your Highness. You’re making efforts to build relationships with other nations, rather than lining them up on a map as invasion spots. You’re breaking grounds, treading waters we’ve never tread before. That is what's most important."

"Still, I really wanted to be there with you guys as you experienced the empire today." Thorax’s face lit up as he watched changelings gallop from cart to cart, placing their hooves upon counters to better examine their wares. "I guess the most important thing is that you all get to make friends with the crystal ponies, right?"

Thorax paused. Aphidel glanced at her king, whose wings fidgeted from within his magenta carapace.

"That is what's happening, right? Like, that's what you've been seeing? Please tell me that's what you've been seeing."

Aphidel examined the crowds before answering. "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. It could prove to be a bit of a 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 the sunlight most of the time. 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."

Glossy Quartz tilted her head, attempting to discern emotion from the changeling. Fluttering his wings every few moments in a low, hissing buzz, the drone 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 just project myself 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 plaza. In a flash of green fire, the drone donned a particularly decorated sun hat, grinning to himself all the while.

"With Thorax?" Cadance asked back, 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 mirrored the eyebrow and put on a crafty smile, upping the ante.

The stallion laughed. "Well, I know we're not about to go to war with him. I'm looking for details, dear, not the results. I know what that is."

Cadance looked down at her carrying basket, laying cozily between herself and her husband. Fast asleep, Flurry Heart gripped her stuffed snail tightly, cooing periodically.

"Thorax would like to open his borders to us and have the changelings visit us regularly," she explained, gently orbiting her hoof around Flurry's head. "He’s 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. I'd love to show them all the various events 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," he defended, wearing a proud smirk. "Besides, it sounds to me like the whole idea is 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 its trail 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!"

Tibia buzzed his wings frantically and 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 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 screeching to a halt.

"Papa Thorax thinks little jokes are funny too, Tibia..." The nymph tried to reason, but he was losing his confidence by the second as Tibia's relentless smirk haunted him.

"Oh, I don't know about that," replied Tibia 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. You, however, are 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 upside-down, 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 hovering 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. In his field of vision was an upside-down bright cyan drone, welcoming him with a cold glare.

"Hey, Cornicle," said Tibia, 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 hide under a bed than carry a conversation with me, though."

Cornicle nodded his head to the side, guiding Tibia's gaze. "I was hanging out with Aphidel, but Thorax sorta took her away. 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 should leave it to Cornicle to mention it to you, but since you asked, I shall explain in his stead," stated Aphidel. "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. 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 onto 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 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."

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 so 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 mid-air in an attempt to cease his tedious trumpeting.

Aphidel spoke up. "Your Highness, you asked if we've yet to talk with and befriend the crystal ponies."

"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. They wrestled to and fro, drawing a rather large crowd. The resulting audience broke out into laughter, both changelings and crystal ponies.

"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 shone 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. I’ll be in talks with Apidae. I believe she’d 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. 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 saying 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 up on the alicorn's back. "I've had you figured out 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," she refuted, smirking while Spike 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 belch from behind. A decorated scroll with golden trimmed edges flopped down upon Twilight's snout.

"A-ha! 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 documents 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 through them, and I 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. Before the young princess could even turn and gloat, however, 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,

Princess Luna