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NavelColt

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  1. As Zipper grew more comfortable in telling his tales of excitement and adventure, the drones too grew more calm, settling down around the red changeling like lounging cats. Many of them adopted loaf-like sitting positions, smiling brightly as their exotic friend went on. Others had even taken to laying upon their neighbors' backs or resting against their laid hooves - any position seen as comfortable against the hardened ground. More than any other drone, however, Calor found himself the most invested of all. Laid upon his own hooves, the sky blue bug pony listened with growing fascination, Zipper's adventurous lifestyle. The lack of day to day routine, throwing himself to the wind in the open sky with nothing but a heading and his friends, and the courage to face all of this...it was remarkable. Calor opened his mouth, seeking to ask a question, but not before a shuddering crash made him jump. The ears of he and his fellow bug ponies perked and twitched, as they watched their king and the ship's captain console the clumsy Petallia. "I knew she shouldn't have been put on receiving duty," a drone to Calor's left mumbled to his neighbor. "She barely graduated Pharynx's training, yesterday. If Pharynx was here I bet he'd scold her about proper unloading form-" "Let me get this straight - you got a privateer airship delivery and poured the entire hive's time and energy into receiving PILLOWS, THORAX!?" The crowd froze. From ship crew to bug pony, to antler-toting beetle moose, all eyes turned to the hive's entrance to observe Pharynx, now standing with a look of doom. "Uh, or you know, maybe he has other priorities," the drone by Calor whispered under his breath, making an ugly grimace. Prince Pharynx emerged from the hive's shaded crossway, scattering drones a few dozen yards in front of him with every stride he took. All the while his deep lavender eyes pinned Thorax to his spot, daring the younger changeling to do anything but fidget uncomfortably. "Um, hey, Pharynx," Thorax put out with a sheepish grin, "nice to see you out and about at this hour!" "Says the guy who sleeps in till noon with a pile of other lazy changelings," Pharynx spat with a growl, stepping up to the ship's dock and casting a glance to the fallen crate, before turning a cocked brow. "Also the guy who said he 'completely understood' me the other day when I said, 'the hive doesn't need any more excuses to lazing about during the day'. If you're going to lie to my face Thorax, you should do a better job of covering your tracks." Amidst his tirade, Pharynx cast his gruff eye to Corsair. "Nice to make your acquaintance. I apologize for my brother's incredibly wise decision to waste your crew's time delivering pillows, of all things. His ears drooping pathetically, Thorax's discomfort turned to a frown. "Hey, it is not a waste of their time, and these pillows are worth it, Pharynx! We may have more moss and plant life now but we still live in a giant rock." "That's what bed burrows are for, Thorax," Pharynx countered. "Cocoons made from soft sand in the side of the hive's walls. Not everything during Chrysalis's era was deplorable and in need of drastic changing, you know." "We share love now, Pharynx," Thorax retorted back, "that means we regain our energy, improve our moods and grow our relationships through spending time together, not hiding ourselves away in individual bed chambers. Just because you don't like the communal nesting chambers-" "Oh here we go," Pharynx grumbled, rolling his eyes. "-doesn't mean other changeling's don't enjoy the opportunity to be closer, now. It's easier to do that when we have something soft to sleep on, instead of hardened stone floors. They'll stay in the nesting chamber, I promise." "You still should have told me about this instead of springing it on the entire hive last minute, my liege!" As the brothers continued their arguing, the lack of whispers and side conversations grew painfully more obvious.
  2. Whilst Thorax and Corsair continued their friendly conversation, slowly catching each other up on their adventures and faced challenges, Zipper had at last gained some semblance of control over his onset fanbase. Several of those closest changelings had sat themselves upon their haunches, listening intently as he retold his latest adventure with the crew. At the forefront of the group was Calor, sat respectfully and fully invested. But away from the crowd, Corsair's crew, assisted by the hive's receiving squad worked to lower the ship's cargo. With two boxes down already, Petallia had no reason to believe the next would be any different. The emerald drone gripped the crane's rope in her mouth and guided the box over the ship's edge. "Do you have the rope, Petallia?" "Vea, ah gaw eet" "You what?" I said, I-AAAH!" She no longer had it. With a round of resounding gasps, the crate fell from the drone's grasp, and with a crash, splintered its edge across the ground as it came to rest on one side. From it spilled curious white squares, gently toppling over each other and onto the unforgiving dirt and stone. Thorax could spot Petallia's shame from across the yard, but it was he who winced. Casting a quick glance to Corsair, he ran with the stallion to the fallen box, scanning the crash before looking up. "Petallia, are you okay? Was anyone hurt?" "Y-yeah, I'm fine," the drone replied, touching the tips of her hooves together meekly, fluttering in place and avoiding the eyes of anyone but Thorax. "Gosh I'm sorry, I've just been messing things up for everybody, today." Thorax beamed. "No, you're fine, Petallia. No one got hurt, that's all that matters. Besides, no one is even mad-" "Let me get this straight - you got a privateer airship delivery and poured the entire hive's time and energy into receiving PILLOWS, THORAX!?" The voice traveled the dock like thunder, and in a mere moment, Thorax's composure crumbled. He too turned with the rest of the crowd to the hive's entrance, where a lone changeling now stood, teeming with an unbridled fury. Thorax grimaced. "Uh, oh, good. Corsair, you get to meet my brother, Pharynx. Isn't that exciting?"
  3. The efforts to unload cargo had been briefly forgotten, as the effects of Thorax's powerful love magic reached every body in the area. At the mutual high received in return, Thorax gave an even brighter smile. "You don't have to apologise for following your dreams, Zipper," the king said simply. "Just don't forget that your birth home is a gentler, nicer place now, and you have a lot of friends, here." Following his release of Zipper, the bandana changeling was immediately swarmed by a multitude of other drones, all of them clamoring over each other's voices in efforts to reach him. "What's it like living in an airship?" "Do you guys go beyond Equestria, even to the dangerous regions?" "What sorts of things do you guys deliver? Ever anything exciting? Or dangerous?" Before long the poor red changeling was consumed by the mass of shiny bodies, leaving Thorax to retreat to Corsair's side, with Calor still following him like a shadow. "Heh, sorry, you guys might need to make due without him for unloading," Thorax warned with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. "I think I unleashed something more powerful than I realized."
  4. Calor, along with a plethora of other changelings stared at the bandana buggo with thirsty intrigue, but Thorax stared down at the red drone with something else - a paternal smile, brimming with glee. It happened in the blink of an eye, a hoof firmly wove itself around the base of Zipper's neck and gently pulled. The changeling came face to face with Thorax's glimmering chest gems, as he was held in a hug. "Before I turn you over to your awaiting crowd, I get to have my moment with you," Thorax whispered playfully, resting his chin a safe distance above the drone's horn. "Four months of 'we're super busy, not around those parts of Equestria, maybe in the future' leaves a hive king antsy, you know." A mere few steps away, Calor placed a hoof to his chin and beamed at the scene. A ripple of love energy washed over the crowd like a wave, and contented sighs, as well as adoring 'aww's' filled the air. "No changeling can get away from Thorax's hugs!", came a voice from the crowd. "Who would even want to?", challenged another. "Have you ever experienced another love magic as strong as his? That's why he's king, you know." Calor found himself turning to face the ground, avoiding the heightened conversation of Thorax's love magic, lest his blush be noticed.
  5. "Oh, well that's what makes things so fun around here I'd say, they're all easily excitable," Thorax commented with a mutual chuckle, scanning an eye over the observing crowd. A few changelings who overheard him playfully stuck out their tongues. "I'm glad you and the crates made it alright, and yeah, I'm not surprised they're light - they take up way more volume than they are heavy. Let's help you guys out." With a motion of his hoof, small squads of drones emerged from the encroaching crowd, ready to grip boxes that lowered from the crane. "Zipper, why don't you come on down," Thorax projected with a grin. "You still have friends in the hive who remember you, you know, they want to see you. I'm sure everyone would love to hear about your trips while we're unloading cargo, too!" The crowd of bug ponies emitted shallow gasps, and began to chitter among themselves at the prospect. But more than any other, Calor stared at the red drone with a childlike curiosity. The bandanna, the way of life, even his carried demeanor - not a single thing felt familiar to him, but yet he, too wanted the red drone to come down.
  6. Parting the sea of changelings without so much as a word, Thorax trotted his way up to the ship's docking ramp, where he quickly locked eyes with Corsair. The dull roar of his drones' excitement fell to silence, and the world paused to watch the two leaders make contact. Though noticeably taller than Corsair, Thorax found himself at eye level with him, thanks to the captain's elevated footing on the ship's ramp. "Hello, Corsair," the king greeted with a warm smile. "Great to see you again. From the looks of things everybody got here in one piece." Flashing his violet eyes, Thorax met the gazes of his hovering receivers, floating up by the ship's mast. "Great job, you guys! You can come on down, now. Let's take these boxes into the hive once Corsair's crew has lowered them off the ship, okay?" The hovering changelings smiled and nodded, and buzzed down to the ground in sequence. Thorax's attention flickered to a new target again, this time to the red changeling still on board, who stared at him with intrigue, and a hint of excitement. "Hey, Zipper! It's great to see you again, too!" Thorax called shamelessly, unintentionally casting every changeling's eye to the red drone all at once.
  7. I don't have much of an opinion for this particular development, but I can say I dislike EQD in general, so I can't say I expect anything more from them. For all their known history, Seth and his goons have been extraordinarily shunning towards written fandom works. They have a critical, in-depth 'guideline' for how to write properly, and expect such a professional and skewed level of quality that they turn down I would guess at least 90% of everything submitted to them. Somehow things that they approve don't always seem to follow their own quality standard, which sometimes makes it feel like the only things that get approved are things the beta readers personally liked. Wouldn't be so aggravating if it weren't for the fact that you can get an artwork featured on there just by sneezing it at them, practically regardless of skill level.
  8. 'I suppose you could say I'm the Kakashi to your Rin'.
  9. And that's, what, supposed to be some kind of punishment? Deer de Buggo Room is best alternative room idea, @PathfinderCS!
  10. Naruto will make a fine addition to the staff chat topics of buggos, deer puns, Jeric shenanigans, Pokemon and memes. Yes, we are deerlighted to have you.
  11. Continuing their fluid flight formation, the half-dozen drones lowered their altitude, guiding the ship ever closer to the ground. Awaiting them down below was an even larger group of changelings, all of them curiously watching the ship grow closer. Many drones sported excited grins, lifting their hooves or buzzing impatiently a few feet off the ground. "Just a little lower now," Petallia called out, rotating a hoof. "Maybe spin just a bit to your right, the left side isn't aligned yet." "Um, port-side, Petallia," a cobalt drone called out from above the deck, "the term is port-side." Petallia sighed. "Fine, turn to your port-side a bit, thirty degrees or so." Little by little the ship aligned with the approaching dock, an outcropping of stone just on a cliff-face overlooking the hive. The ship's onlookers were now within earshot, and their excited chatter began to fill the air - before long several of the receiving changelings found themselves in crowd control roles instead, holding back the crowd from getting too close to the un-docked ship. Not every changeling was so forward in their curiosity, however. Standing in the hive's cool shade stood a light blue drone, peering out at the bizarre scene with uncertainty. Only once before had he seen an airship, and by no means was it a close encounter. Dragging a hoof through the warm soil, the drone traced his eyes along the ship's deck as it grew increasingly more visible, his interest peaking at the variety of creatures onboard. When a bright red shell drew his attention, he gave a light gasp in surprise. "...is something wrong, Calor?" His heart leapt into his throat, and Calor found his body besieged by onset shakes. A familiar pair of antlers entered his peripheral, and he gulped. "Um, n-no Thorax, I'm fine," the drone stuttered. "I just thought I saw a changeling on board, but, that's silly, right? Isn't it?" Stepping into the light of the sun, Thorax's pastel shell gleamed, as did his smile. The bug monarch turned to find Calor staring up at him, his head cocked. "Actually, that is a changeling you saw," Thorax replied simply. "His name is Zipper, and he's been with Corsair's crew for a while. He's very adventurous and didn't like being cooped up in the hive all the time, so he left. I miss having him with us but, he's a lot happier so I've settled on just sending him letters. Today's delivery is a good time to say 'hi' though, don't you think?" As Calor digested this plethora of information, Thorax began to trot from the hive's entrance, but he only made it a few yards out before casting a look back. "Come on, Calor, don't you want to say hello?" Thorax prompted, gently motioning his head towards the ship. "I could use your help with getting everyling ready to bring the delivery inside. They're not heavy boxes, but they are big and bulky." Like a mother hen patiently waiting for a timid chick, Thorax stood and waited for a time. When at last the mounting pressure caved, Calor took a few steps from the hive's shade and took follow, and together the pair of changelings advanced towards the now docking airship.
  12. Them: Um excuse me do you work here? Me: *wearing the appropriate clothes and name tag* Them: Where's *insert vague item description here*? I know it's in *insert name of department on the other side of the store, here* but I can't find it. Me: *clearly doesn't work in that section* Also me:
  13. "Prince Pharynx, an airship has arrived - it's been identified as Captain Corsair's crew. Receivers are on their way to the ship dock area, now!" His lavender eyes tracing along the approaching airship, a dark blue changeling narrowed his gaze as he stepped into a nearby windowsill's casted light. His blood orange antlers gleamed in the sun, contrasted to his dark carapace, and with a curled lip he turned to the small orange drone grinning at him so readily. "Thanks, Scapus, I can see that. Be sure the receivers have enough help, I'm not sure how much cargo they have for us, let alone what it is. My brother's only referred to it as a 'community gift', whatever the heck that means." "Yes, Prince Pharynx!", Scapus replied with pep, trotting excitedly in place for a few moments before dawning a realization. "Oh, wait, I haven't seen King Thorax all morning. Shall I inform him of the delivery?" Pharynx rolled his eyes. "I'll find him, he's probably off consoling a nymph or something. He should at least be present for his delivery so he can enlighten us on what it is. Inform the ground units that we're expecting a landing, I need security present for everyone's sake." Nodding his head, the orange changeling buzzed his wings and left the room in a flash. Left to his thoughts, Pharynx stared out the window. A half-dozen changelings now beelined for the approaching airship, slowly orbiting around its hull until reaching the present crew on board. "I swear, if you got a privateer airship delivery for anything short of practical I will kill you, Thorax," the changeling grumbled, trotting from the room. -- "Hello, captain," came the sudden voice of an emerald drone, appearing alongside the ship's command deck. "Welcome to the Changeling Kingdom! Follow us to our docking bay. Well, what we're using as one right now, anyway. Kinda still under construction if I'm to be honest!" "Ugh, you're too chatty, Petallia," came an exasperated voice on the opposite side of the ship. "Just greet and beckon. Greet. And. Beckon." Petallia wore a sheepish smile. "Whoops, sorry, it's my first day on receiving! Uh, anyway, we'll lead you in, captain."
  14. @BornAgainBrony The connections you make via the fandom are more important than the fandom and show, itself. After all the entire message of the show is that friendship is magic. The show may end and the commonness of brony conventions may drop, but the connections you make from the fandom will stick with you long after that. I'd stop looking at the convention for the atmosphere, alone, and consider the grand opportunity you'd have there for meeting people with the same interests. Conventions are all about the people. Go there for yourself, enjoy the convention, make friends, create connections, buy the merch, see the things, and when you do at last leave the con, you'll have created something precious asides from mere memories of a good time. I had one close friend to speak of when I entered this fandom in 2012, whom moved away a year after I got into the fandom. Spiraling down a hole of depression, and socially inept due to anxiety, I spent 10 months on this website outside work and school, finding the social connections I just couldn't find or create in person in my very stagnant town. I eventually got invited to 2013's BronyCon along with the rest of the at-the-time MLPF staff, and got a chance to meet all the people I had spent so much of my free time working with, joking with and basically spending time with online. I made another best friend day, we call him @Creamy Arty 2013 BronyCon is and always will be a pivotal moment in my life, I really began to mature as a social creature, and I may have missed out on it if I had made any excuses for myself. If you don't have the funding available, or cannot step away from family affairs, etc, that's one thing, but I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't miss out on this opportunity just because you don't agree with a decision made by the con's staff. If that's your sole reason or even your biggest reason for hesitating, I promise you will regret it. I don't know if you've ever been to a fan convention before but it can truly be a magical experience. The drudgery of social expectations, attitudes, stereotypes and whatnot all melts away. Obviously you shouldn't go in trying too hard lest it not feel natural, but making friends, good friends is really not hard. Start with forum goers and work from there. I think going would be a blessing for you, seeing as you found such love for this show/fandom, but have felt sadness and frustration over joining later on in the show's lifespan. A convention, I believe, is a great remedy to help you - to help anyone - feel more personally included and appreciated in the fandom of which they enjoy.
  15. G5 is a G4 reboot from what I've heard so it's not going to be something entirely new and different. Whether they can make a concept new enough to grab attention, without straying too far as to get none at all is to be seen.
  16. Because being the outlier is just too much fun.
  17. Don't suppose you ever made one, Shift?
  18. Still has to buy tickets Fo sho
  19. *rolls eyes that Thorax isn't involved in the changeling kingdom - again - but nevertheless votes for, anyway*
  20. He's very shy and inexperienced with all manner of things, only having really improved recently after becoming a leader. I'd say younger than the Mane Six but still a young adult.
  21. I don't like Ocellus all that much. True, I'm bias because best bugs are already Thorax and Pharynx, but Ocellus's two most notable character traits thus far can, and for me do come off as largely generic and overused, especially within this show. She's a bookworm, or maybe a book bug. Haha get it. Too bad Twilight's character has already beaten that trope to death since S1. So far it's served little development or humor for her character. She's cute - for the same sort of reason people find Fluttershy cute, she's quiet, shy, etc. Compared to how many other characters come off as appealing and cute in thier own way, Ocellus's feels a bit like an overused trope. Suffice to say she has the potential to grow on me, and I do like aspects of her personality, but overall she's been very underwhelming by comparison to how the fandom treats her.
  22. The generic villain expressions and the overrated new character? Pass. I'll get Thorax emotes just as I'll get use of certain other Thorax things not yet revealed, just you wait.
  23. Eh, don't care if I'm late. The lack of bug emotes is soroughly lacking, and seeing as Chrysalis limits herself to 'I'm shocked' and 'I'm being evil' expressions, I recommend the most expressive bug to date. 'Aww, what a cute post. You think you're actually contributing!' *intense realization intensifies* 'Let me tell you why that's bullshit adorable.'
  24. Oh you think you're so clever. Let me show you all how an anime character has a snowball fight. Sūpā aisu fisuto! @Jeric @PathfinderCS @Artemis @Passion@Dark Horse@ImAtWorkAndCantLink50PeopleRightNow
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