The Crossroads of Friendship and Love - Part 1
Spike felt his breath breach the gaps between his claws. "Well, look at it this way, Spike old boy. On the plus side, she's not mad about those notes."
With the enthusiasm of a newborn foal, Twilight Sparkle trotted around her library, venturing from bookshelf to bookshelf and whisking books out in magenta auras of magic. In no time at all, two stacks of levitating books followed the young princess wherever she went, and were growing taller by the minute.
"Twilight, are you sure all of those are gonna be necessary?" Spike asked skeptically, putting together a small, modest backpack at the central reading table.
Twilight halted her collecting spree just long enough to shoot the dragon an incredulous look. What a ridiculous question to ask.
"Of course, Spike," she replied. "We're going to be visiting the changelings today, and unlike Princess Celestia, I plan on being there a while."
Spike cocked a brow. Her prances became overly-excited gallops, and the animated stacks of literature threatened to spawn a third.
"Princess Celestia covered the basics of the plan regarding ponies and changelings looking forward, and that was almost a week ago. But what's really exciting is that she wants me to be the one to work with Thorax on some initial friendship plans for the hive!"
"You mean as opposed to Starlight doing it, like in your little fantasy?" Spike quipped, trailing the alicorn with his gaze. "When you put it that way, I guess it does make sense. Geeking out over changelings is probably better than smacking them with a giant flyswatter."
"Oh, ha ha ha. I swear, I'll be an old mare by the time you let me forget about that one. Oh, and naturally, we'll also be there today to document all the new knowledge there is to know regarding changelings and their culture!"
Spike rolled his eyes. "Naturally. Though, I'm pretty sure that part is more you than it is Celestia's orders."
"Oh, Spike, I'm so excited!" Twilight exclaimed, far too giddy to pay attention to dragon sarcasm. "I hardly had any time at all to interact with the changelings when Queen Chrysalis was defeated, or at the award ceremony, but we have the entire day to spend with them, now! Oh, the things we're going to learn!"
Spike, having finished his backpack, headed towards the library doors.
"As long as you don't take up all of Thorax's time while we're there, then I'm on board for learning new things," he declared. "I learned a lot in the short time Princess Celestia and I were there, and I bet there's a whole lot more even still."
"Exactly, Spike, think of the possibilities!" Twilight replied with earnest, dotting her sentence by dropping two and a half stacks of journals and reference books on the central table with a resounding thud. "The changelings have been hostile for so long, we know as much about their culture as we did the dragons' before Dragon Lord Ember rose to power! And the entire changeling culture just went through a drastic change, to boot! I bet I can fill three books, easy!"
"Just make sure you give Thorax a little breathing space, Twilight," came a familiar voice from the hallway doors. "He doesn't seem to work well under pressure. When things got hairy for us, he looked like he needed a paper bag to keep himself from passing out."
Twilight turned her attention to the front of the library, where a light purple unicorn now stood, eyeing her with knowing amusement.
"Oh, Starlight! I'm glad you're here," Twilight said, a bright light flaring from her horn. All at once, the stacks of parchment and paper vanished, replaced by two unassuming saddle packs.
"I love this spell!" Twilight squealed with glee, clapping her front hooves together. "I sure wish I knew this 'bottomless bag' trick back in magic school."
Weathering a sigh, Starlight walked over to Spike. The unicorn's eyes synced with his in the observation of afternoon Twilighting.
"She...didn't register a thing I said, did she?"
"Nope, she's in the zone. Just ride the wave. She'll snap out of it eventually."
"Starlight, not that I'm worried, but are you sure you'll be okay watching after the castle?" Twilight asked abruptly, trotting over to the pair with her saddlebags now in place. "Spike and I will be gone for at least a couple of days, and you'll be by yourself unless you have Trixie over. Well, if the map calls some of our friends somewhere, then I suppose you might see them briefly, as well."
"Come on, Twilight, it's not like I haven't watched over the castle for you several times before," Starlight said with a chuckle. The trio left the library and made their way down the lavish castle corridors, with Twilight leading the way.
"I know, it's just that this may be the longest you've had to look after the castle before. Depending on how in-depth discussions go and what Thorax could use help with, we may be gone even longer than I'm expecting."
A magenta cloud forced open the castle doors, and Twilight trotted out into the warm, sunny afternoon. Her friends followed her down the castle's front steps, and together they convened on the modest dirt road leading to Ponyville.
Twilight levitated a rolled-up scroll out from her saddlebags and then turned to Starlight attentively.
"Alright, Starlight. This is a list of everything we have to eat in the castle. I've done some reorganizing of the food storage areas since the last time you looked after the castle, so if you can't find something, all you have to do is refer to this list and-"
A hoof pressed itself over Twilight's mouth. A teal aura gently took the scroll from her, and she watched it float by her protege's equally charming smirk.
"Honestly, Twilight, I can handle it. You and Spike should really get going, though, if you want to have plenty of time to talk with Thorax. I'll hold down the 'Fortress of Friendship' for you. In return, say hey to Thorax for me, will you?"
Her motherly anxieties now arrested, Twilight nodded.
"I will. And, you're right. I'm sure you'll have a relaxing time while we're gone. If you need anything, our friends are right around the corner...you know, proverbially."
Twilight turned to face the southwest winds, squinting at the distant horizon. Her former excitement reclaimed her. Her thirst for knowledge and her readiness to assist a friendly ally was now an all-consuming purpose.
She spread her wings and glanced at her draconic assistant. "Ready, Spike?"
"Born ready, Twilight!"
Spike climbed atop Twilight's back, and the two took to the air. As clouds engulfed them, the distant visage of Equestria expanded from over the mountain tops. Spike glanced back to find Starlight a mere speck on the ground, waving a hoof from the castle's front steps.
"So, Twilight, what are the chances we can actually start calling the castle, 'The Fortress of Friendship'?"
Spike wore a goofy, hopeful look. Twilight shook her head.
"Not a chance, Spike."
"Tarsus, can I ask you a strange question?"
With a flick of his ears, a teal changeling turned once again from his work. A few feet away, a green drone gave him a sheepish look.
"I suppose, as long as you're still doing your part over there," Tarsus answered with snark, flying upwards to smooth out a section of wall. "If your mouth keeps moving faster than your hooves, I can't be held responsible for my actions."
Nearly a week had passed since the sun princess had visited the hive. With the southern side's interior now complete, all that remained was a few watchtowers on the exterior of the hive's up-most crown. Thorax had pushed for them to take it easy, but the drones wouldn't have it. The satisfaction of completion was within reach.
"Do you think Thorax cries a lot?" Tibia asked.
"You're right, that is a strange question. Sure, I guess he does. I mean, when compared to most other changelings, at least. Literally all the time when compared to Chrysalis. Why are you asking?"
"Last week, when the sun princess was here, Thorax invited my squad and I to rest with him." Tibia moved to another section of the railing. He flipped himself upside-down in mid-air to give a little variety to the redundant work. "But then we all woke up to him crying. He didn't really tell us why, but he seemed okay. He wasn't hurt or anything. I just can't stop thinking about it."
"He's always been touchy-feely, maybe that means you cry a lot." Tarsus moved over to help Tibia smooth out the various railings surrounding the tower's peak.
"Heh. Yeah, he's a soft-shell, alright. You know, I wasn't sure what to think about the whole 'sleeping near your fellow changelings makes you feel stronger' thing at first, but it really works. It's really nice to see how happy it makes Thorax, seeing us spending time together."
"It's nice to feel like our leader actually takes us into consideration, for once. Could you imagine Chrysalis ever doing anything like that with us?"
Tibia snorted. "'If you fools have time to loaf around, you're not putting the needs of the hive first!'"
The two drones shared a small fit of laughter.
Just then, Tibia noticed something in his peripheral vision. North of the hive, approaching on hoof were two small shapes amidst the expanse of vegetation. Casting his work aside, the changeling fluttered out past the tower and narrowed his eyes.
"What is it?" Tarsus asked.
"Someone's coming. It's hard to make out. It almost looks like..."
Tibia let out a sudden gasp.
"What? Who is it?" Tarsus asked again, flying over to him.
The approaching figures peaked over the hill, and there was no mistaking them now. It was Spike, the small dragon from Ponyville, accompanied by a brilliant purple pony. Though the species eluded the changelings from this distance, the mane and coat color were unmistakable. So many times they had been taught to capture her on sight, been told of her and her friends' transgressions against the hive, by their former queen.
"That's the princess of friendship!" Tarsus shouted. "We need to let Thorax know right now!"
"Wasn't the friendship princess pink?" Tibia asked, putting a hoof to his chin.
"That's Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, you dope, the Princess of Love." Tarsus grabbed Tibia and pointed again towards the slowly advancing pair. "That is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. Now come on, hurry up!"
Tarsus buzzed down the tower exterior in a rapid spiral, vanishing inside by way of a hole at the hive's base. Tibia puffed out his cheeks and stuck out his tongue before dogging after his friend.
"He doesn't have to yell at me. I was never on intel. How am I supposed to know these things?"
"Do you feel that Spike?" Twilight asked with a radiant smile, trotting along with a spring in her step.
"My aching feet?" Spike replied, deadpan.
"We get to be an instrumental part in helping ponykind forge a brand new relationship. Isn't that exciting!?" Twilight ignored dragon sarcasm in favor of giddy remarks for the second time today. "And just look at their hive! It looks so amazing! They've done so much in just three weeks!"
"Remind me again why we're on foot, though? We flew all the way here, so why are we walking now?"
"Spike, it's incredibly rude to teleport or fly into the capital of another kingdom, even when being expected," Twilight said in her 'knowledgeable teacher' voice. "Especially for me. I'm a princess representing Equestria meeting with another kingdom's leader. We don't want to offend Thorax or the other changelings, do we?"
"This is Thorax, remember? I don't think you could offend him if you tried, Twilight."
"Even so, there's nothing wrong with being courteous, Spike. I'm sure your feet will survive."
Spike took a few more steps, mulling over a response, but soon came to a dead stop. Though his feet touched soft grass, the sensation of hot magma began to curl his toes, as if he was standing on a bed of molten rocks. He looked at Twilight with abrupt concern, wondering if it was just him. Maybe his feet really wouldn't survive, after all.
"Uh, Twilight?" he stammered.
"Ooh, I wonder if Thorax will let me see the young changelings, too. I bet there are larva and baby changelings we've never gotten...to see...before..."
Finally noticing the searing pain shooting up her hooves, Twilight pranced around desperately before taking to the air for safety. She glanced at Spike, seeing the rising alarm in his face.
"Spike, do you feel that-"
The sound of a roaring blaze drowned out her words. The two turned just in time to dodge a blast of fire.
Spike yelped in surprise and leaped behind a rock for safety. He stared past Twilight's figure with wide eyes, his lip quivering. "T-Twilight...what is that thing!?"
Twilight turned to face it but couldn't believe her eyes. Crouched low to the ground a dozen feet away, now blocking their path to the hive, was an orange lizard slightly larger than a timberwolf. Its six legs gripped the grass while its wide head pivoted to and fro. Beady black eyes sent a shiver down her spine, and she could see a long, thick tail slam the ground behind it. Upon her attempt to move, an otherworldly hiss erupted from its cavernous mouth.
"That's a-" Twilight began, only to feel her breath leave her. The creature lit its entire body on fire. "That's a salamander, Spike!"
"What's a salamander!?" Spike called out as Twilight quickly threw up a magical shield to quell the flames billowing from the creature's mouth. The fire dispersed across the bubble shield's surface, blackening the grass surrounding it.
"Magical reptiles that generate fire! Their saliva contains magical properties! It's used in a wide array of potions! But I don't understand! They live in arid places and near active volcanoes! Why is one here!?"
The creature was now a mere foot away from the princess, its gaping maw testing the resilience of her shield with an unrelenting heatwave. Twilight braced her legs against the ground, staring into the jaws of the lizard with fierce determination. Her horn was primed for a magical blast, and her heart raced to the endless inferno filling her view.
"Spike, stay where you are!" Twilight yelled, her horn sparkling with electric power. "I'm going to lower my shield, but don't worry, I have a plan!"
"Uh, Twilight, I don't think you'll need one!" Spike yelled back.
Twilight spared the dragon a glance. He was smiling. How could he be smiling?
"Spike, what are you talking about-"
"Tarsus, I need you to distract it with your squad while I push it back from the front!"
"Yes, Thorax!"
"Tibia, get Spike and Princess Twilight to safety!"
"Of course, Thorax!"
A blinding turquoise blast rained down from above, knocking back the salamander and disrupting its fiery attack. Twilight watched in awe as two groups of changelings rushed in from overhead. The drones surrounded themselves in magic auras using their horns and took turns slamming into the creature's sides, making it forget all about her and Spike.
"Princess Twilight, please, come this way!" Tibia urged, gently nudging the princess with his forehead.
"Oh, o-of course!" Twilight said absently, flapping her wings and taking to the air again. Spike had also been retrieved, and now enjoyed a scenic view from the back of a red drone.
With the pair safely escorted away from harm, Thorax touched down in front of the angry salamander, still hissing and covered in a deadly flame. Spike and Twilight looked on with bated breath.
"You have been told you are not welcome in this kingdom, anymore!" Thorax asserted, rigid antlers glowing with electric blue magic. "You will leave and make your home elsewhere, or you will be made to leave."
"I love when he gets intense!" spoke an excited changeling to Twilight's left. "Come on, blast him, Thorax! One more for good measure!"
"Yeah, what he said!" Spike reflected, only to get a light bonk on his head from Twilight's hoof.
The salamander flattened itself as it continued to hiss, but made no further attempts to attack. In perfect symmetry, Thorax held his ground, staring it down with calm reserve, ready to launch another blast of power at the slightest movement.
In the end, the tactic worked. The creature drew back, leaving a scarred trail of ashen grass as it retreated towards the far southern forest. Thorax stood firm until the creature was lost from view, at which point he let out a deep sigh.
"That was awesome, Thorax!" Spike proclaimed, breaking the tense silence with reckless abandon. "You've gotten so powerful! That thing totally turned tail and ran!"
"Thanks, Spike, but it was a team effort, for sure. And, I'm sorry about that, Twilight," Thorax said, his demeanor softening as he joined the small group. "Are you okay?"
"Of course. Thank you, Thorax," Twilight assured, pacing her breaths to calm herself. "I take it you've had problems with salamanders before?"
"Well, I guess you could say that." Thorax led the way back towards the hive, enticing his drones to trot and fly along after him.
"It may look pleasant and green now, but this entire region used to be a desert wasteland, where salamanders were quite common. After the changelings transformed, the land started to bloom with vegetation in a way it never had before. The salamanders are upset at the loss of their habitat, so they're more aggressive than usual. Unfortunately, they've also been inadvertently causing wildfires with all the new plants around. We've been trying to push them to relocate."
"They're not friendly at the best of times, but now they're even more grumpy," Tarsus chimed in, hovering above Thorax's head.
"That seems like an understatement," Spike mumbled.
"At any rate, I'm glad you both made it here safely, salamanders aside," Thorax said, relieved. "When Spike visited with Princess Celestia, he told me how much you've been curious about changelings, Twilight. I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply to most of your letters, but I'm happy to answer any questions you have while you're here."
Twilight's frazzled composure from being assaulted melted into oblivion.
"Oh yes, I am excited to learn more about you all!" she exclaimed with a grin. "Princess Celestia mentioned a few finer points of what she learned from her visit, but I'm really eager to see things for myself! And, of course, my visit today is for your sake as well, Thorax. Princess Celestia would like me to help you with where to go next regarding our kingdom's relations."
"And don't forget, Thorax, we gotta spend some time together today, too!" Spike added. "I brought my starter set for Ogres and Oubliettes, and I can't wait to show you how to play! I just know you'll love it. Some of the other changelings can play too if they want. The more players, the more fun!"
"Well, it's early in the afternoon," Thorax remarked, chuckling while using his magic to create an opening in the hive's thick exterior. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for everything. First things first, though, I'd love to give you both a brief tour of our hive's highlights. We've just about finished our re-construction, and to be frank, we're pretty excited to show it off."
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Your Majesty," Twilight replied with contained glee, following the changelings inside with Spike at her side.
"Ah, Starlight, old girl, you've got to start finding ways to get those two out of town more often."
With a look of delight, Starlight Glimmer sat down at the castle library's central table. With a large stack of spell theorems and magic history waiting to be read by her left, an extra-large pizza with basil and pineapple just picked up from Pizza Hoof on her right, and the castle absolutely silent until tomorrow evening, she was set for the afternoon.
"Take your time, Twilight. I think I'll be just fine here on my own." The unicorn giggled to herself, levitating a slice as she opened her first book.
Starlight Glimmer is best cameo. 
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Love this! But poor salamanders, though, where are they all gonna go?
7841411 :) They like hot desert regions, and I imagine there isn't one too far. Real life animals sometimes migrate thousands of miles every year - I bet it'll be a sinche for magical lizards that radiate fire like sweat.
7841411 Salamanders... they like heat right....? Maybe celestia wants her own cuddle throne?
A salamander that spits fire?
.... Nah, it's GOT TO be a coincidence
cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/thumb/7/73/004Charmander.png/250px-004Charmander.png
Starlight does make the best cameo.
7890088 the fire breathing salamander WAY out-dates charmander. the word salamander in greek means "fire lizard". its older than modern toilets.
image.wikifoundry.com/image/1/wEH3OLnMwC0LRzd9hNsSqg34876
strange how my mind went to toilets.
Eating pizza in the library? Simply barbaric.
Spike sighed and walked through the shield... and the flames... then punched the salamander in the FACE like a bawwwssss, knocking it out cold. "Dragon, remember? The whole swimming in liquid-hot magma thing? Breathing fire hot enough to melt a steel lock?"
Twilight erfed, "Well... to be fair... the show writers frequently forget that too!"
8468531
Well Twilight's pretty protective, and the salamander is ten or so times bigger than Spike is. If not flames, it could still easily squash him with a foot or tail.
Ooo! He’s like a mama bear!!
Holed up in the library with some food and a bunch of books? Starlight's pulling a me.
Isent defense Pharynx job ??
9143719
While I do edit some things to make them more canon, I can't possibly edit everything as the story goes on and gets longer. We can pretend he was preoccupied this particular day, though. 
Pharynx wasn't introduced in the show until long after this chapter was published.
9143983
Very cool chapter, and on the editing thing you could always go with the branching universe idea
9143983
9143719 To be fair, Tarsus and Tibia didn't know they were in danger and had gone straight to Thorax. Pharynx can't exactly react to something he doesn't know about.
Ah Starlight needs a break And I don't blame her lol
so twilight and Spike Are going to the hive to hang out with thorax and the other changelings that's cool And I see does song creatures in the badlands are gonna little Aggressive but at least the thorax knows about the dangers Around down specially that other creature Maulwurf This would be very interesting a visit lol
Twilight would freak out a Starlight eating at the same time of reading. At least, Starlight remembers to it.
Well damn... Thorax grew a pair after all...
From a total Pacifist to a respectable leader.
One to fight for his people if it is needed.
Great chapter. Looking forward to more
Starlight going full-on college nerd is the best contrast ending ever, lol.
Its been too long since I've read a good long-form fic; I think I'm really going to enjoy this
11055459
Welcome to Aisle Six: Fluff and Feels.
I'm sure you'll enjoy it, too.
Looking forward to what you think!
Is it bad that my immediate thought when the Salamander appeared was “oh, shit, Pharynx”? Because I think that’s what my immediate reaction was: Pharynx being a little pest in an attempt to show his affection [to the hive].
Yes, yes, yes!
Thorax being the mighty, competent leader / defensive warrior his character development deserves!
