//------------------------------//
// No Place Like Home - Part 1 
// Story: The King of Love Bugs 
// by NavelColt 
//------------------------------//

Dear Twilight,

As always, you have really great ideas and feedback!

Since your last visit we’ve 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 letter, the less confident in his writing skills he became. It didn't help matters that Twilight was a dictionary with wings. In every letter she wrote, 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 and laid it by his side with care. His eyes shifted to the several resting changelings encircling him, all curled up like bread loaves. Numbering nine total, they’d created a tight seal of bodies, using the alpha 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."

His sarcasm was met with guttural snores. Thorax slumped his chin between his hooves. 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 to the sea of slumber, its shallow breathings a tempting lullaby. The accompanying warmth it gave off also served as an inviting anchor. 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. 

"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. 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."

Pharynx scowled as he made his way down the corridor, his dark cyan chitin complimenting the stone beneath his hooves. Following him from a modest distance was Tarsus, 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, kicking a rock across the floor in frustration. "'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?" Tarsus 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 newcomers with intrigue.

"Thorax already knows how I feel about sleeping in exposed spaces," Pharynx stated. "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 nap next to 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," said Pharynx flatly. "I think there are a lot of changelings who need to relearn 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 he scanned the room with intent, 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, and 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 hidey holes.

"Seven...six...five..."

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 had trotted over to Tarsus, obscuring him from view entirely. Pharynx smirked.

"Now that's what I like to see. Tarsus, head on outside with them. If these 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."

The crowd trotted towards the entrance tunnel, happily chattering as they went. Tarsus remained the only one still facing his gruff general.

"What about you?" he asked.

Standing alone in the center of the room, Pharynx turned his head and cracked 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 with 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 drones continued to babble in their sleep. He laid a hoof on the head of the closest one, his smile growing when the changeling's ear twitched in reply.

"You guys are way too 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’d lost track of time, something 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, which would’ve meant that not a single changeling had woken up since early afternoon.

"Just what am I gonna do about you guys?" he asked no one, 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 his elder broodmate standing over him, demanding his gaze.

"Oh, hey, Pharynx. I didn't see you there."

"Well, of course you didn't. Clearly, your conversation with yourself required total concentration."

The dark cyan changeling staked out a spot for himself on the stone floor, and Thorax's brilliant green cheeks flushed rose.

"I'm guessing that you heard all of 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’s eyes widened with newfound attention. Pharynx extended a hoof towards the drone pillow pile, and Thorax forced out 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 that you've been enabling the changelings, 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 all touchy-feely and that you 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’d ever been. All I had to offer the hive was love and...the kind of understanding I always wished Chrysalis had given us."

Thorax's frown melted as quickly as it had come. He turned his attention to the changelings at 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 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. Pharynx's hoof was firmly placed against the base of his horn, blocking his face from view.

"For the Hive's sake, Thorax, I wasn't prepared to deal with feelings today."

Pharynx lowered his hoof. The elder changeling’s expression had softened.

"Look, I wasn't trying to scold you, 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 said with a subtle smile.

Thorax beamed. "Yeah, maybe that, too."

"Truth be told, I'm glad you recognize the problem, at least." Pharynx’s smile transformed into a playful smirk. "When I walked in here, I thought I was gonna have to pry you loose from these lazy sacks of glitter."

With that statement, Pharynx had successfully unearthed a toothy grin and a laugh from his brother.

"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 someling 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 by myself."

Thorax chuckled. "Yeah, that's definitely fair. I'll call a hive meeting for later 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? 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 royal pair 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 snickered. "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 with practice, okay?"

Pharynx nodded, a content smile crossing his face. "Better communication already, Thorax."

Once he vanished through a tunnel in the wall, a hush fell over the nesting chamber once again. The quiet snickering had since dissipated, the drones surrounding Thorax now lifeless dolls. Thorax 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 grinned.