is Home for the Summer
"There she is! There's my Sugarbug!"
For a moment, time stood still for Ocellus. Her whole world existed within her father's outstretched hooves, and so she went to them eagerly, encouraged by a smile as bright as the sun, and twice as warm.
There were no words to exchange when they embraced. Instead, Ocellus's wings buzzed against her shell, expressing her love in a song. Her father, Carapace, flexed his namesake to do the same, and so the room was filled with melodious chirping.
"...Thank you for escorting her back home, Your Highness. For escorting her to school, too, for that matter. You really didn't need to."
Lost in the scene before him, Thorax was pulled to attention. He turned his head and smiled at the bright teal changeling now addressing him, clumsily bonking his antlers against the entryway in the process.
"Please, Spiracle, just call me 'Thorax'," he said, rubbing his antler. "And it's no trouble at all. I wanted to do it. Ocellus's school enrollment is such an important step for all of us. Besides, what sort of king would I be if I didn't make sure all the changelings get home safely?"
Spiracle's lip quivered. Soon enough, Thorax too was hugged.
"You're so pure, Thorax," came Ocellus, her voice laced with giggling. Carapace had not relented his hold of her, even as she attempted to pry away. "Don't you ever get tired of being everyling's dad?"
Thorax’s face lit up. He opened his mouth to denounce such a silly question, but was interrupted.
"I think you mean 'hive dad'," Carapace chuckled, using his chin to hold the adolescent nymph in place. "I'm right here, you know."
Ocellus ceased her struggle with a sigh and laid against familiar chitin. She supposed the hugs could continue, for now. She was most definitely overdue for them.
"Don't worry, first dad, nothing could ever replace you."
"'First dad'?" Carapace sputtered. "Not even 'main dad' or 'best dad', just 'first dad'? The humiliation..."
The room shared a chuckle. Again Spiracle sought Thorax.
"It's so heartwarming to have you personally look after us, Thorax. Carapace and I have never felt so comfortable raising young changelings, before. All the same, please let us escort Ocellus to school next time. I insist. You have so many responsibilities, already."
Thorax curled his lip. Relenting his mother hen tendencies was a sad and difficult thing, even when relenting them to an actual mother. But, then, he did have quite the daunting list of other changelings that still needed fawning over.
"That sounds more than fair to me," he replied. He cast a glance to Ocellus. "Ocellus was telling me on the way back about parent-teacher conferences being next semester, so her parents being the ones to bring her to school next time would be for the best, anyway. You two should use the opportunity to introduce yourselves to Princess Twilight and her staff. I know they'd love to meet you."
Spiracle shared an enthused gasp with her mate. Ocellus's ears flicked.
"Parent-teacher conferences?" Carapace parroted. His hug broke at last when he found his daughter's face. "What are those? Do we get to go and meet your teachers, Sugarbug? Do they have those every seamstress?"
"'Semester', dad," said Ocellus, not missing a beat, "and yeah, I think Headmare Twilight wants to do them regularly. She said it's an excellent way to engage the student’s families in the learning process."
"We’d love to go,” said Spiracle, turning to Ocellus. “Only hearing about the school through your letters has left so much to the imagination. I’d love to see the princess’s school first-hoof, and I want to meet all of your new friends, too.”
“But, uh, not too quickly,” Carapace muttered meekly, placing a hoof along his daughter’s gossamer head fin. “You just got back. Maybe we can let school wait until next seamstress.”
He grinned unapologetically when Ocellus shook her head.
It was Spiracle’s turn to embrace her daughter for the first time in months. The air itself seemed to tint rose with ethereal love, and Thorax smiled, seeing that he wasn’t alone in expelling shivers from the onset of warmth. He shifted his attention to Carapace.
“I’ll leave you guys be. But first, Carapace, have four shifts a week been okay so far? If it ever feels like too much for you, please let me know. We always have other changelings ready to help look after the nursery hive.”
“Oh, not at all. I like four shifts. Though, I will keep a downgrade in mind while Ocellus is home. Thank you, Thorax.”
“Wait, what?”
Ocellus broke away from her hug lineup. Her father absently rubbed the back of his head.
“Someling has finally found his calling,” said Spiracle, holding a proud little smile. Just her look was enough to make the male blush. “It seems he's not destined for the guard units with Pharynx or staking a claim in one of the new hive hobbies like the other adults. He’s taking a page from Thorax’s book.”
"Wait, book?" Ocellus's voice cracked, daring to hope. "Hold on, are we talking about a physical book or a metaphor?"
She floundered from face to face only to get cheeky smiles. It was Thorax who reached out and rescued her.
”While you were away at school, Ocellus, the nursery hive received an expansion," he explained. "The nymph's old play area was inconvenient because it wasn't connected to the nursery chamber. We had to have two separate teams of changelings look after larvae and eggs, and nymphs. Now, the nursery has a connected chamber for the nymphs to spend time in, and it's much bigger than the old one, too. Because of that, I’ve been looking around for more adult changelings who’d like to be caretakers of the nursery hive. It takes a lot of hooves to keep a play space that size under control.”
Ocellus gave a little gasp. Her hoof found her chin. "And you volunteered, dad?"
Carapace nodded. "I did! I wanted to help Thorax with all the work he's been doing, and, since I've always enjoyed playing with your brother and sister, I figured I'd be at least halfway decent at it. Turns out I really got into it. I enjoy playing with the nymphs and showing them things."
For a moment he paused, looking at his hooves. When he lifted his head again there was something solemn to his smile.
"You know, someday soon, Axilla and Lumbar won't be such little changelings, anymore. I know I'm going to miss spending so much time with them, especially after... after never really having the chance to spend time with you, when you were a nymph. I figured that, in the nursery hive, there's always going to be nymphs looking for adults to play with."
Silence sat on the air, and once again, time froze for Ocellus. Her father showed his teeth, an attempt at a reassuring smile, but it was weak, and it did not match his eyes.
There was pain in his eyes. She knew it, because she'd seen it there before—as a frightened, jet-black nymph, approached by strangers of even stranger colors. As a young adolescent, meeting her birth changelings for the very first time.
Ocellus's eyes and nose stung. She leapt into her father again and the room was drowned in a matted, melancholic aura.
"Dad, I just got home," Ocellus whimpered. "Please don't make me cry already. You know I can't stand seeing you guys upset."
Carapace sighed. His breaths labored in his chest, as if the very air had thickened. He slumped himself to his flank before burying his snout in Ocellus's head fin, properly holding her tight.
"I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry, I just-I've been so excited about you coming home. We both have been. We get to see so little of you, and...well, 'first dad' is just a bit excited and needy, I guess. Please don't cry, Sugarbug."
Unable to form the words, Ocellus simply shook her head against her father's chest. The tears continued, unperturbed.
"I was worried something like this would happen," she sobbed. "I'm the one who should be sorry! I should have visited more so we could be a family. I thought about it so many times, but classes are so busy, and I was having so much fun with my new friends, I guess I always forgot. Maybe if I ask Headmare Twilight, she can let me come home more-"
A softer set of hooves hugged her from behind, and Ocellus found herself compressed by love on either side. The more she sniffed and sobbed, the tighter she was held. The further her tears flowed, the louder the calming thrum of her parent's shells became. It lulled her, dulling the anxiety feeding her tears, until eventually, they dried completely.
"Don't apologize, Ocellus," Spiracle cooed. "Nothing is your fault. Attending Princess Twilight's school is a wonderful opportunity, and we are so proud of you for being brave and going. You are smart, genuine, and love everything our world has to show you. You belong there."
Another unsure sniff. "But what about the both of you?"
"I'll let you in on a secret," Carapace began, his voice barely above a whisper. "Even if we had gotten to spend more time with you when you were little, even if you could visit us more often, we would still miss you terribly every moment you're not here. That's what being your birth changelings is all about. We want what is best for you, even when it means it may take you away from us. Seeing you happy? That makes missing you all worthwhile. Don't worry about us."
Ocellus succumbed to her thoughts and the mild headache now behind her eyes. All at once, fatigue had set on her. Slumping into her father, her cheek pancaked against him.
"But I want to spend more time with you, too," she mumbled.
Spiracle and Carapace shared a look and smiled. They glanced to the front of the room, where a very emotionally invested Thorax had only now finished nursing an ugly cry.
"...if two changelings began to take leave more often to see their nymph at school, I wouldn't have a problem with that." Thorax sniffed loudly. "In fact, I can think of all sorts of changelings who'd be willing to cover nursery shifts or meditation practice if need be."
Upon Thorax's interjection, Ocellus lifted her head from her paternal pillow. Little did she know Carapace was waiting for her. Their noses touched, and he smiled when she did.
"...now look what you've done," he snickered, nuzzling his snout against hers. "You've even made hive dad cry. You know how he gets when he's upset."
"Hey, come on, I'm doing better, now," came Thorax, the tremors in his voice unconvincing.
Ocellus giggled, and the heaviness in the air dispersed at once.
"We're always just one letter away, Ocellus," Spiracle assured, gently caressing her daughter's hoof with her own. "And we'd be happy to visit you on occasion, as well."
"As long as you're not afraid of us embarrassing you in front of your friends," Carapace added. He winked. "A lifetime of infiltration taught me that offspring usually find their parents embarrassing in social situations."
"I think I can deal with that," Ocellus replied, beaming up at each of them in tandem. Reassured and still altogether comfortable, she allowed herself to fall back and melt into her mother's undershell. As teal hooves wrapped around her middle and held her in response, Carapace's jaw fell open, and she giggled.
"Wait, where did my hug go?"
"You had plenty, it's my turn," Spiracle remarked playfully. Just under her tone, a deep, soothing thrumming merged with Ocellus's own. "Why don't you go with Thorax and find our other nymphs? Nap time in the nursery should be just about over, and you know Axilla will be upset if you're not there when she wakes up. I'm sure they'd love to see their sister, too, once they're fully awake."
Carapace pouted, but only for the response it got. He stood and stretched his hooves.
"I suppose that's fair," he said, looking to the large changeling still framing their doorway. "Thorax, would you like to go to the nursery hive with me? Maybe Apex is waiting for you, too."
Orange antlers rose to attention.
"Oh, Apex is always waiting for me," Thorax mused, stepping aside to allow the smaller changeling out and into the hall. "His latest habit is to hide from me whenever I'm late to a playdate with him and the other nymphs. He likes to turn the tables by 'wasting' some of my time, as well. Little does he realize that I enjoy the hide and seek."
Thorax gave a farewell nod to the female drones before following Carapace from the room. The corridor echoed with their conversation long after.
"Still as unruly as I remember him being. Does he still pine for your attention whenever you're talking with others in front of him?"
"All the time. He pines for my attention when I'm busy with others, but then when I'm looking to spend time with him while there are others around, he's iffy. I told him, look, if you want my attention around others, expect to get hugged in front of others."
"The worst Spiracle and I get from Lumbar are what she calls 'me-time moods'. When he doesn't get his way he'll sulk in solitude for a while. Beats tantrums, at least."
"Sounds like Pharynx. What about Axilla?"
"An absolute butterfly. Flutters in front of your face and touches your nose when she wants hugs."
"You know, I spend a quarter of my day playing with nymphs, and I'm still jealous. How in Hive's name did you guys end up with three cuddlebugs?"
"...rather modest of him to say, wouldn't you agree, Ocellus? If not for Thorax, none of us would be able to spend time with our nymphs. I wouldn't be able to enjoy moments like this with you."
Ocellus hummed. She could manage little else, wading deeper into the shallows of sleep. Her mother's thrumming had joined forces with the afternoon sun blanketing those parts of her left unhugged.
Surely nothing could budge her, now. Her whole body was weighted with fatigue and comfort.
"Perhaps a short nap, then," Spiracle said softly. "Though, I want to hear all about your classes later on when you're feeling up for it, Ocellus. I can't imagine your letters included everything there is to tell."
Ocellus opened her eyes, her vigor renewed. Naturally, the topic of academia alone held that power. She tilted her head back to meet her mother's knowing smile.
"Oh, we can talk about that now, if you want!"
Spiracle giggled, and as Ocellus began to craft a tale of study sessions, inspiring teachers, and friendship, she hung upon every word, squeezing her adolescent nymph tighter.
There was nowhere else she'd rather be.
"Navel, how come you almost never write Ocellus into your stories?" ~ My readers, probably
Because she's almost never at the hive, so she doesn't get included much. 
Blame friendship.
I did, however, want to write a oneshot that highlights Ocellus's parents. They are the reason why the long-standing headcanon of Chrysalis birthing all the changelings ceased to be an ironclad theory, and thus are an important part of how my own headcanon came to be.
For those unfamiliar with that headcanon, check out my recent blog that accompanies this story. And if you're confused by things like Apex's, cuddlebugs, and nursery hives, might I recommend the rest of the Love Bug Continuty, outlined on my profile. 
Do you remember in Hearth's Warming Club when Ocellus broke down crying in an instant over the thought of not getting to go home and see her family for the holidays? NavelColt remembers. 
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My Sugarbug!! And good job on the story
Aww, it was about time my little cuddlebug got to cuddle with her own family in this continuity.
Damn you, friendship!
And naturally Thorax would break down, it's his way.
And, another fantastic piece by Tigress. She never disappoints. Any chance you went to her because of my cover?
SO PRECIOUSSSSS! *faints from cuteness* You've done it again. You've killed us of cuteness overloads.
Aww this was a cute short story and this is before a horse shoe in but it's nice for Ocellus to see her family this was nice keep up the good work
One of the influences of my head cannon is often the Gameloft MLP game, it's a character collection/city build style game. Where the pick to place various characters often influences my head cannon. Related ponies usually end up in the same homes often family units or teams some just because they all come from a specific episode or comic. Ocellus' family naturally share a home with two other changelings(back ground characters) Changeling Actor and Paint Splattered Changeling both of who share a color palette with Ocellus' Mom, I like to think they are her brothers.
Also a pony who cosplays as Sailor Moon lives with Fancy Pants and Fluer dis Lee, I like to think she's thier daughter.
They also have a Royal Guard Pegasus who for some reason I like to think is named Hank, dunno why he feels like should have a mundane sounding human name like Hank, Frank, Bill or Gus.
Hmmm not enough to prove a lot though. family could be a number of things. Not saying Chrysalis birthed them all but it does lean to that direction.
What I think though to be fair is this makes a very good semi/head (I guess?) canon.
Ahhhhh, today is a good day to die of cuteness again
Please excuse me while I go hug some buggos 
Just one thing, Ocellus...
'For now?'
Seriously?! Tis a mortal sin to ever discontinue a hug with a buggo! Whatever kind of monster would do that? 
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Should check out the linked blog I included. That's the actual headcanon, laid out in detail with arguments. That ending bit about Hearthswarming is really just a throw-in point.
It really doesn't lean that way at all, to be honest, not since the final seasons.
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It helped.
You have some enemies after you, evidently.
Never seen such aimless downvotes, before.
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And the social nuances of non-hug bugs. Alas, we knew her well.
She has grown too accustomed to pony friendship.
This is an amazingly heartwarming piece. I just can't get over how great this is, all the little bits of fluff add up to a veritable barrage of heart attacks. Cuteness all around, as is usual with you, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Same. Except I'm nowhere near finished.
A missing hug? Now this is a Bugvengers-level threat!
You shall not dissuade King Cinnabug so easily when hugs are on the table.
Words cannot describe how much I want to witness this. Just this line gave me diabetes.
You fool! This is the Changeling Hive! No buggo shall go unhugged here as long as Thorax is in charge!
And there is nothing else I'd rather read than this fluff.
I better stop here, before I spend the whole day writing this comment.
Ouch, poor dad. :P
...and we get Ocellus' first stage of Twilighting.
Yeah, this was pretty short and sweet, with a lot of sadness and hugs. I'd be curious there was any memories Ocellus had before meeting her birth parents, your blog gives some idea of what their upbringing was like but still curious of how you'd interpret it in detail since I've done it in the past.
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Glad you enjoyed it, as always!
Making my day over here, pot buggo. It is your turn for hugs!
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So glad you asked. I wanted to rant about this a bit in the author's notes but they became long as-is.
Because Ocellus was so young, I imagine her past would look a lot like endless practice and lessons on stealth, acting/mimicry, patrolling, etc. The Spartan militia practices, which is what my headcanon is based on, cited that children were 'soldiers-to-be' who largely sat in grueling lessons, mentally and physically learning the ways of a loyal warrior after being removed from their families. I imagine it looked a lot like what Thorax was shown to be dealing with in his flashback, in 'To Change a Changeling', with being trained to attack doll figures, etc. One can only guess her level of engagement or lack thereof compared to Thorax, but unlike Thorax, she apparently didn't run away.
Ocellus is interesting because she's at this strange limbo age where she's old enough to have trauma from living under Chrysalis's rule (hinted at/shown in 'What Lies Beneath'), but young enough to still be considered a kid after Thorax took over. By contrast, Ocellus's siblings are both nymphs, and so it's highly likely they were either both born after Thorax took over, or were still larvae during Chrysalis's rule, and thus didn't really comprehend much of anything. In 'Hearth's Warming Club', Ocellus stated that Twilight introduced Hearthswarming traditions to them 'last year', so at least a year, if not longer passed between the end of S6 and the middle of S8. And by further contrast still, her parents spent much of their lives in the dark age of Chrysalis's reign. Every generation of their family likely has a different level of exposure to the old and new ways.
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Meh. It don't bodda me. shrug
Glad Tigress found another customer in you.
I died from how cute it was.
I'm suing. 
SUGARBUG SUGARBUG SUGARBUG SUGARBUG SUGARBUG SUGARBUG SUGARBUG SUGARBUG
so fucking cute, i love that ocellus and her parents have this need to really embrace each other because they all knew what it was like to be under Chrysalis's rule, i love the constant teasing of Thorax
good job
A very nice little one-shot. Ocellus and her family were just delightful, as well as King bugdad.
You know, there really need to be more fics covering exactly this, that tale of how Ocellus met and came to be attached with her parents, because there's clearly a very deep and emotive tale to be had there, even if you still assume the Mommy Chrysalis theory, because just imagine the emotional turmoil and social awkwardness it must of put those 'lings through, regardless of how one thinks the hive ought to work (though it really would work best if we just relent that the Mommy Chrysalis theory is debunked and stop trying to shove that square peg into canon's round hole, but I digress).
Unfortunately, I've--to date--really only seen one fic that ever got that into the subject like that. Most of the rest only just touch on it in passing at best, like you have.
Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm kinda surprised you haven't done a fic precisely like that already, NavelColt--it seems to me like it'd be right up your ally.
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If I had to cite a reason, it's because there's no character that fits that role well enough for me to dig into. I like Ocellus, but I don't have the kind of emotional investment in her character that I do with Thorax or Pharynx. But then, doing that type of story with Thorax or Pharynx would involve inventing OC changeling character parents from scratch, something I just haven't had the time or interest to pour time into—at least to the extent it would need to really pay off well. Then your third option is to create a changeling OC and his/her parents from scratch, and that's even more plot planning and mapping. Hence, the passing mention of the topic.
I'm also still in the aftermath period of getting KoLB printed, so I've not thought about new stories asides mini-fics like this one.
But I do agree it's a topic that's rich and unexplored.
Maybe if somepony wanted to collaborate on something sometime, I'd be game. 
11050977
Ooh! Me me memememememe me!
Well, at least as far as my work schedule and between-work-shifts residual energy allow... 
This was a nice story! Short and sweet.
Could use a tad more editing, though.I wonder what this family was like before Thorax became king. They act like they've always been a caring family, but Ocellus was born before Chrysalis was expelled. Did that mean they had to hide that they cared? Such interesting thoughts.
11051230
I've addressed some of these things in earlier comments, but as for their family seeming so close together, it's not from hiding care during Chrysalis's reign. In my headcanon, Ocellus did only meet her parents after Thorax's crowning, as mentioned:
And this short amount of time of being able to see each other was the point of the emotional climax. It was worsened by Ocellus going to school, and it was on all of their minds.
The reason they appear close through physical gestures despite all of that is more to do with the nature of shared love magic than family history.
Entering Heavy Headcanon Territory!
The reformed changelings comprehend, feel, and display love and emotions more deeply than other species, and gain physical benefits from it as well. Any alienation Ocellus may have felt from her parents was bridged more quickly than normal for non-changelings because of this.
If a pony hugs another pony, it's just a nice gesture, first and foremost. Sure, it can have mild psychological and physical affects long-term but it's just a gesture. When a reformed changeling hugs another reformed changeling, there is literal magic at work. They instantly feel psychological and physical benefits, and these benefits are orders of magnitude more powerful than anything other species feel under the same scenario. Now picture what that kind of exponential relationship growth would look like for changelings over even just a few weeks, let alone a few months or even a year.
That's the basis for this depiction. It's been about a year, give or take, since Thorax's crowning. Ocellus and her parents still feel a longing/sorrow in their relationship, overall, due to the years they spent apart, but they've already adopted a very close relationship in what time they've had, since.
They are ALL BABIES and THEY HAVE STOLEN MY HEART—
Welcome to my Bookshelf It takes all kinds to make a Family you are number 66.
11050977
I am SUMMONEDDDDDD!!! *crashes through the wall*
Seriously though, memememememe!!!!
I love fluffpieces of wholesome. Hive Dad Thorax is adorable
Wholesome buggy family time is wholesome. Very nice work!
The only thing gayer than my dad is my other dad.
11050977
Man, I so want to volunteer, but between animation contests and trying to write my own fics, I'm not sure if I've really got time for more collabs. I can barely keep up with my best friend on our Pokémon fanfics...
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Hive dad best dad. Thorax is unrivaled dad energy. Only Thorax comes and finds you when he's worried for your safety and scolds you like a parent, even when your actual dad (the one that signs your permission slips) is in the same episode.
None of the Thorax fluff I write is even headcanon.
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Once I'm finished my current projects I'll look more into this. 
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I was not expecting this big a response.
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Buggo fluff galore all over my page if you're ever looking for an uplifting story. 
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So glad you enjoyed it!
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Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!! *prancing around*
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Now I'm imagining a catfight over who gets to collab with the best hugbug fluff fic writer ever
Round three! Who will it be?
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*Grinning* I'd win
Well, most likely I'd just say "you guys can go first, it's okay" to be nice
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*running over while panting heavily*
c.tenor.com/8lBwt31zKXMAAAAM/i-volunteer-tribute.gif
Did I miss anything?
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*Cheers* Four volunteers for you, NavelColt!
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Whew. Wish I’d seen this sooner
11057964
, buuuut after that I'd potentially be open for something. Welcome to any ideas anyone has in the meantime.
I am finishing another oneshot + blog which may take another week or so depending on the cover art search, and then after that I've sectioned off a few weeks to get absorbed into Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond
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Alright. Whatever you do, take all the time you need.
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Eeeeeee!
Four words: Thorax-Calor, Labrum-Clypeus
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(Sorry, I just can't stand shipfics)
Anyway, something about Thorax, definitely
11058005
Well, technically Labrum and Clypeus aren't a confirmed couple...but okay
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I’d be on board for some Thorax stuff too. Bonus points if Pharynx is involved.
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And yes, Labrum and Clypeus are just close friends.
I'd enjoy doing more with those four for sure.
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Yes yes yes
11058024
Yay! About doing more with them, I mean. Don't get me wrong, Labrum and Clypeus are adorable as little friendlings, I just think they'd also make an adorable couple-like, that one couple you find buried under a mountain of pillows, cuddling together. Thor and Calor could do that too though, so still, no complaints here
11058026
Well that's part of the fun of the changelings in the headcanon lore I've developed, Labrum and Clypeus being 'just friends' can still result in all sorts of the same cute shenanigans 'couples' do, by pony/human standards. That was the whole B plot of 'Day at the Musuem—Part 2' in KoLB.
11058043
Yeah, I remember reading that in the author's note. Not saying I don't agree with it, just that either way, they're adorable
Yeah it’s so damn cute, I loved it
awww
Ocellus never even got a proper whole episode just for her in the show, so it's great to see writers give her the attention she deserves ^^