This story is a sequel to To Love as His Own
Following the defeat of Queen Chrysalis, the princesses of Equestria seek to build a relationship with newly-crowned King Thorax and forge an alliance between ponies and changelings that has never been seen before.
While the changelings adjust to the broad, sympathetic intricacies of shared love magic, Thorax works to embrace his role as the hive's new patriarch, demonstrating a benevolent rule far different from his predecessor. Through sleeping and resting together in groups, he aims to cultivate harmony and empathy in a once turbulent hive and find a place for himself within it at last.
With the help of Equestrian royalty, a few good friends, and his brooding older brother, Thorax must now champion the idea of peaceful changelings in Equestria and show the world that his kind can change more than just their looks.
* Now in physical print! Check here for details!
* Main entry of the Love Bug Continuity!
* Takes place between seasons 6 and 9.
* Featured on a Tv.Tropes page.
* Story artwork created by Racingwolf.
* Edited by Double R Forrest.
Hug all the changelings. HUG THEM.
This looks really promising! Thorax is proving to be a good leader, and it would be interesting to see how they manage to build the relationship between the two species (the start of the Ponyling Commonwealth...
)! Tracking! 
Hints of Princess CelestiaxKing Thorax?
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I'm glad you enjoyed it so far!
Taking off the serious gloves for a minute, I will gladly ship King Thorax with absolutely anyone and everyone.
He's the majestic deer bug of love, after all! 
You'll come to see more princesses than just Celestia, so hold that thought. Obviously the only true answer has to be King ThoraxXAll Four Princesses at the Same Time.
I'd snuggle the shit out of a changeling.
This was adorably hopeful start. Good to see King Thorax being himself despite his change in status and stature. Bet Celestia enjoys seeing foreign royalty so entuned with their subjects and being genuine with their feelings. Let's see how things progress from here.
Hah, I rather like the snuggle-pile changelings; very much like how bees dogpile their queen to protect her.
One wee nitpick (that I only bring up because I'm starting to see it everywhere):
Exhale (and inhale) are verbs, not nouns.
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Making the changelings like ponies, but with a lot of primal behaviors you see in insects and animals like closeness to keep warm (in this case, share love), the king/queen acting like both a leader and a parent to large groups, etc, is a theme I very much enjoy writing with changelings. It might seem strange to some that cuddling together would be so important, but to me it makes perfect sense for a species that sustains itself through love. 
Honestly reformed changelings are just a big excuse for fluff fiction, really.
And thanks, fixed. Can't say I'm the greatest with verb vs noun differentiation, yet.
Grammar has never been the keenest point of my writing, I get so distracted by descriptions and the definitions of words. Always something to improve on!
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.
Love it!
Enjoyed the story, there aren't too many reformed changeling fics (as of now) and its nice to see some light shed on how King Thorax interacts with his empire with being crowned king and all, I look forward to reading more of this story.
7828514 Fair enough - I confess that I'm partial to Thoralestia (Thorax x Celestia) due this fanart
derpicdn.net/img/view/2016/11/19/1299157.png
And after the developments of the last chapter, would be nice to see what Thorax's subjects will do if they decide to play wingbugs to him
7829065 Who cares how or what you write, so long as you the writer are happy with your ability?
i used to like writing stories until...certain people...made me abandon the literary arts for a long time. i'm only just barely managing to come back to writing stuff again, but it's taking so long for my interest to kick in.
You, on the other hand, clearly have quite a knack. i like your presentation, and the switching of scenes between Thorax guiding Twilight around the Hive and Spike teaching the drones how to play board games in the third chapter was done very well. You've a skill I'd have grown envious of had I not taken interest in animation.
So worry not about your grammar so long as you do your best. I'd gladly and very happily take a story with poor grammar over those dumbass clopfics any day. Then again, most clopfics are nothing but poor grammar so I'll withdraw my statement actually. XD
By the way I've save the cover art onto my computer because I freaking love that image.
This is extra amusing when taken out of context.
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But rest assured this story won't have an official shipping going on. Subtle undertones here, a scandalous hot spring soak there, but nothing direct.
If I had to ship Thorax with a princess it'd probably be Celestia.
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Grammar isn't nearly as important as the craft itself, I agree. I just tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, and lord knows people love to point out spelling mistakes. xD But seriously, thank you for the vote of confidence and praise, it's very appreciated. :)
You're right
The artwork is a commission I bought, partially for this story, also because we need more artwork of King Thorax cuddling with his new subjects.
It's on derpibooru, linked to in the story description.
I love the "changed"lings very much, and you make me want to snuggle one even more, damn you author, damn you and your great writing!
7859705 Voice of confidence? I was speaking the motherbucking truth, you twit. You've got a skill, mate. Make sure you never throw it away for a clopfic.
Keep up the good work, good sir or madam. (bows politely to you)
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I think a Tarsus X Thorax pairing would be nice. Seems like Tarsus really likes him...
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You're right, again. I'm being one of those artists who can't appreciate their work.
Truthfully though I am proud of my writing, nitpicky as I can be. Self-taught from a humble beginning of writing terrible Sonic fanfiction ten years ago.
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Hold that thought, the ship fuel has yet to come!
7860477 You seem icy.
That was an awful jokey way of saying 'you're cool'.
Are we friends now or should hop to the next town over and start a new life and another shot at making friends?
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Mine are sea salt and sarcasm flavored. Come and join me as we slowly die from diabeetus from cuddling changelings. 
Friendchips are available in a wide variety of flavors.
7860527 So basically you want me to go and kill myself and never waste your time with my stupidity?
I'm sorry, I don't quite understand.
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Nah dood, we friends. c:
7860539 Oh, I get it now. Hooray!
Now get on that next chapter while I phone Don and find out where those pictures I asked for got to.
If anyone - ANYONE - in this comment section knows what movie I was referencing with that line, I will do a 30 second YouTube animation of your choosing. But you only have until tomorrow to figure it out. I'm not waiting around so you can cheat using Wikipedia or whatever.
Anyway, take care of yourself NavelColt. Hope we get to talk sometime. Be safe and healthy, my friend!
I was just listening to the soundtrack from that movie.
Imagining Thorax standing on a hill with a bunch of rainbowlings arrayed around him, interlinking love-beams into him so he can become a gigantic love-laser cannon.
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Shhh, don't spoil the S7 Finale! That's how Chrysalis is finally defeated!
That ending made me laugh a bit.
"Otherwise, including me we have two wizards, two warriors, a warlock and a rouge."
and just one rouge and one monk." [ rogue ] I think, in both places
"No way, be a rouge! and again
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
7867334 Correct. Rouge is a shade of red, though it's also the name of the bat from Sonic the hedgehog. Rogue is the thief class after the definition of a scoundrel or traitor or villain of some sort.
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Autocorrect: Rogue? We do not recognize this as a word! You must mean rouge!
Me: Okay! *distracted with storyline formation*
7867421 Happens to me all the time too. X3
That art is so adorable, it's nice to see people not actively hate on the new looks.
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Couldn't agree with you more!
I've been on a bit of a mission to spread love for the new designs, on account of how they seem to be getting nearly as much hate and mixed opinions as Twilicorn first did during the S3 to S4 hiatus. A lot of people will get over it as we get used to them in S7 and beyond, but I think the bug fairy design is pretty interesting.
I commissioned the story artwork, and have been writing this story as my sort of re-entrance to the fandom after a five month hiatus from the show.
Also, to kill people with changeling cuddling. 
Nothing turns frowns upside-down like diabeetus! Can't hate something if it's too adorable to handle, or at least very least, can't hate it quite as much. 
King or not, Thorax is still a cinnamon roll.
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Changeling Food Policies Through the Ages:
Chrysalis: Hungry? Conquest! Conquer nations! Kidnap ponies! Steal love and take all you desire!
Thorax: Hungry? There's hive-wide cuddle parties from 12-2 and 6-8 every day, everyling! All you can eat buffet!
That was adorable.
I loved the ending, Poor Luna is not pleased when she finally realized she'd became a mail pony via dream walking. Aha!
It'd be kinda cool to see a queen changeling, but not chrysalis, like one of the colorful ones slowly getting taller and such.
Or maybe more on how new baby changelings are being made, since King Thorax is a King, I figured most of the changelings are a mixed of gender right?
I'd love it a baby just imprinted on Twilight and kept following her around.
This entire story is such a sweet thing to read!
I normally read only dark acion or mystery stories but I'm for some reason digging this.
Thorax should play as the tactician. XD
I keep seeing so many comments about snuggling changelings...I wonder...has anyone made a cute plush of the new forms yet?
7841411 Salamanders... they like heat right....? Maybe celestia wants her own cuddle throne?
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One custom made King Thorax plush by a plushie artist, all I've seen so far. Certainly nothing mass produced yet. I'd buy three drones and Thorax and have them in a cuddle pile at the foot of my bed.
*Work on next chapter happening this weekend, folks*
Simba? Nala? Is that you?!
Oh wait, nevermind.
Curious though, are all your changelings male?
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
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All the named drones I've introduced so far are, doesn't mean they're all guys. Might see females eventually. I guess I tend to fill the estrogen-dominant FiM universe with boys whenever I write, gives it more balance.
God, I can already just picture Silver Quill raising his "DOOM Flag."
t05.deviantart.net/IYBRn831G0BW3GzqGSM0wMqaKw8=/fit-in/700x350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre01/f5b1/th/pre/i/2017/031/5/0/doom_flag__copyright_silver_quill__by_darthdemolsis-daxe8sm.png