Bug Moose is an Acquired Taste
A small squadron of changelings made their way across the rolling hills lining the Crystal Empire's outskirts. Unlike the rest of their party who’d stayed behind to tour the crystal castle, these changelings decided to explore the empire's bordering landscapes. It was a perfect chance to escape the bustle surrounding their king's political excursion, as well as take a moment to relax within this sunny oasis amidst the tundra.
Tranquil as it was, however, it wasn’t enough to dispel 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'," said a lemon-hued changeling plainly, hovering above the grass and letting her hooves run 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 also be used as an alternative way to share love-"
"-I know what he said, Apidae! 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 to give her 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 continued skeptically. "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 and turned herself upside-down, still in midair. "I doubt Thorax is even capable of torturing a changeling, Cornicle."
"Well, that would depend on your definition of 'torture'. I know I'll be skipping it for breakfast the next time it's offered. It would’ve helped if you guys hadn't let on that you were clueless about what it was. I'm the one who got stuck demonstrating."
The merciless smirks of Cornicle's peers haunted him on all sides. Their high-pitched chortles rang in his 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 flames of Cornicle's frustration further. Eventually, however, the rowdy bunch managed to quiet themselves down. Cornicle continued to fill his fellow changelings’ taste buds with his sour disposition.
"I'm just so put off by him, now," he admitted with 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," said a deep green drone from the group's rear, pausing just long enough to draw in everyling's 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 was."
"Aphidel is right, Cornicle," Apidae added, 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."
"One thing I can actually agree with you on," Coxa stated with a chuckle.
"Well, I've noticed that it's usually during cluster naps when Thorax does his playful behaviors," Apidae resumed. "Just the other day, I saw him playing with Apex and two adolescents 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 a while," 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, where she once again nested 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 wasn't exactly well-versed in the castle’s layout himself. Sunburst, having had this forethought, had rushed off after them to assist.
The vast overlook was now populated only by the royal family, and the visiting changeling king and his young nymph.
"If I may, Thorax, that's a wonderful mindset to have," the pink princess complimented. "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 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 a few of them here in the empire today, but from how Twily'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 as best as 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 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 anymore. A lot of changelings still think I'm a pushover."
Apex was now kicking his back hooves, seeking to press himself into Thorax's chest further. But Flurry could not be deterred. She 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 sternly. 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, and her eyes filled with tears.
"Oohoo, you know she won't understand that, hon," Cadance said sweetly. She used her magic to levitate Flurry's stuffed snail out from her carrying basket. Flurry grabbed hold of her stuffed toy and let loose a series of giggles, now content. Both mother and father chuckled at their daughter’s quick emotional rebound.
Thorax bowed his head to meet the gaze of the tiny nymph amidst his own 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 nymph would certainly be the death of him.
"Oh, I see how it is," snarked Thorax. "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 invited 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, and since you're the papa changeling, that means you're the one who gets to be the bed."
Thorax lightly chuckled while Apex settled against his chest, but he wasn't through with him just yet.
Thorax subtly squeezed his front hooves together, just enough to get a lazy grunt 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 him 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 went 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 cheekily.
"I sure did. You heard it here first, Twilight," Thorax stated, turning his attention towards the purple alicorn. "Changeling leaders are, first and foremost, stationary bed sets for nymphs. Even I'm learning things every day!"
Thorax, Cadance, and Shining Armor filled the chamber with three sets of laughter, and Twilight's shell of concentration was shattered at last. 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.
Adult changelings are popular cluster nap companions for nymphs. Nymphs may become agitated if their nestling disturbs them while resting, including, but not limited to, trying to move or play.
The landscape went on for what seemed like forever, dwarfing the city now far off in the distance. Blades of grass danced through the air, swaying gently to and fro in the breeze. Amidst the green slopes was the modest group of changelings, 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?" asked Cornicle.
"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 lazily turned his head to catch Apidae’s 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 tickling her body. She felt the warm sun shining down against her carapace, and the cool breeze providing relief from said sun.
She smiled. The world around her cradled 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."
She paused and took a deep breath.
"We hunted love like predators hunt prey for so long. 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 changelings turned to observe her silently, caught off guard by such reserved boldness. Cornicle also 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 a 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 her speech’s end, the breeze picked up, creating a low droning sound in each changeling's ear. Everyling gawked at one another, and at 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.
"I thought that was very well put, Apidae," said Aphidel. "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 others.
"Was that a satisfactory explanation, Cornicle?" Apidae asked with intrigue, lending a hoof to help the changeling up.
"Yeah, it was," Cornicle 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 castle, Cornicle smiled back.
"I suppose we should head into town, now, and attempt to befriend the crystal ponies," Aphidel announced to the group, casting her eyes towards the looming crystal buildings beyond the hills. "Though I'm sure King Thorax will be delighted to hear about 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. She then puffed out her chitinous chest, lowered her voice, and made 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 next time."
"I wouldn't get too comfortable with that thought," Cornicle said with a smirk. "I think I'm living proof that Thorax is slowly but surely devising new, horrific ways to reprimand changelings."
The group shared a moment of merriment, and then made their way back towards the city.
I wanted to have another transition chapter like Bugs on a Train, focused around the changelings and the varied thoughts they have regarding King Thorax. 
We've seen a lot of acceptance thus far, with not much asides Thorax talking about the opposition towards The Reign of King Cuddle Bug, so I figured it was about time to make a chapter about it. 
Oh, and as you can see there's a titular cover art with an extended background, now. 
Stats
Page generated in 0.042 seconds
Total duration
1,091 users online
2,043,889 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
This was so adorable. So sweet!!! I love these new changelings!
Jeez, that got deep towards the end.
Why do I get the feeling that introducing Apex to Pinkie would probably end up being catastrophic?
I can't wait for more!
And what happened to the politics you promised last chapter?
Anyway, I just found the perfect song for the changelings. Don't watch, just listen to the lyrics. Both segments just fit so well.
More!!!!!!!!!!! If... you don't mind to give us some more please
8139478 I mentioned in the author's note that this is a transition chapter, like 'Bugs on a Train' was.
So it doesn't count. Politics will be the next chapter~ 
Nice song match up! Didn't think of that one. :) Chrysalis is definitely comparable to Frollo. They both kept their subject(s) in the dark for their own ambitions, and they were both too corrupt to show affection or care. I think Chrysalis is like Mother Gothel from Tangled in that way, too. Her whole thing was, 'I know best', and showing fake affection to cover her selfishness. Chrysalis did a lot of the same, even if it wasn't quite as much of a Broadway musical as the way Gothel did it.
8139892
Yes! Death by all of the feels!
8141663 i.imgur.com/4xKvSzL.jpg
About how old is Apex?
8145167 He made his debut in, 'Mornings are Never Easy, Twilight Sparkle', and his age is actually stated outright.
Because they mature quickly as nymphs, I'd say a month for a nymph is a year for a pony. So Apex is five years old in pony years. Then once they become adults they grow older around the same rate as ponies. That's what I'll go with until and if the show decides to tackle the issue.
Apex and Flurry will marry in 20 years. I can see this now.
Very good but.......what class did Thorax choose in O&O? Will we ever get an answer?
8166037 Are you reading all the chapters thoroughly?
He chose a class in The Crossroads of Friendship and Love - Part 3. 
He got interrupted by changelings but it was explained later on. He went with the Holy Paladin, named, 'Xalvador the Noble and Just'. 
8166118 .....This is what I get for skimming. sorry.
Noo I am caught up I need my fix of neon bugpone. (AHHHH YOU MADE ME LIKE THE NEW LINGS.....are you a wizzerd?)
8195609 That's cool, I've still never read the comics actually.
Makes sense Shining would be a paladin. 
King of Love Bugs' TV Tropes pages describes Apex as "living to be adorable and cause comic relief mischief", which given this fic's status as pure 110% unadulterated Fluff, I have to ask: Relief from WHAT, exactly?
8210492 Don't ask me, I linked it but I didn't make it.
So now our King Cuddler has grown into Thorax the Titular Tickle Torturer!
8382314
I like to think that, while Thorax will learn to be a more confident leader, he'll always be a precious cinnamon roll, and as such he'll always have his own way of interacting with the changelings, too. 
Indeed!
This was a pretty cute chapter And I did like the way how the other changelings Having some thoughts about how things were better when thorax took over So I wonder how they're gonna make friends this should be very interesting
Nice chapter. Great humor. Nice story and characters development