"Say, Thorax how did you become the queen's right hoof?" The dragon had positioned himself behind the couch so he could watch TV without Thorax having to support the couch with a wooden block he found for the very thing. Spike may have gained a lot of muscle but he still got taller and bigger, no couch built to bear the weight of ponies could support his weight without a bit of sagging. And in the case of a couch made to support Thorax, who weighed considerably less than a pony, it didn't stand a chance without support. Thorax pondered for a moment before shrugging.

"It's not necessarily an interesting story. I'm not sure you'd wanna hear me go on about myself anyway." Spike laughed sending a jolt through the changeling. My heart's gonna burst before I get the chance to tell him how I feel if he keeps this up.

"Well I seem to remember sharing quite a few long stories with you. The least I could do is listen. Now c'mon tell me!" Spike's eyes shone with genuine intrest and Thorax knew he'd have to tell him.

"Well, I guess I could tell you." Thorax turned around to face Spike once more. "Here's how it happened..."

"Antennae, didn't the queen tell you to stop with this writing nonsense."

Antennae rolled her eyes at her brother. "And how, per say, would that be of any interest to you, Pharynx? You can't turn me in since the queen is away, and you quite enjoy my writing if i remember correctly." A scowl over took the off-colored changeling's face.

"Who said i was going to turn you in? Look Antennae, I just want to protect you. If you get yourself in trouble for going against the queen's wishes, I can't help you. I'd rather you stop than get in trouble." Antennae began on a rant about the oppression of the Crown and how the changeling government was corrupt, but her brother wanted none of it.

"We could create our own rules-"

"The queen wants us to be our best-"

"Well then we should be able to hone our own skills-"

"Which should be fighting-"

"We could do so much more-"

"Fighting is all we need to survive-"

"I could survive off my writing-"

"You'd be a failure-"

"AT LEAST I WOULDN'T BE A RUBBER STAMP!"

More silence followed this statement. Antennae had touched a nerve.

"Fine. Write. See just how far you go. I just became captain of the fourth scout division. If your writing can get you that far, I'll stop ridiculing you."

...

"I'm sorry." Ringing silence encompassed the chamber.

"I'm not."

The Queen spoke with an echoey, venomous tone, signalling her incredible distaste for the changeling before her.

"Allow me to get my facts together. You disobeyed an order and continued writing, sent me said writing depicting in great detail why you should lead a scout team, and sent me a second writing showcasing all problems you percieved with my rule." Antennae nodded.

"Yes, my queen." The queen pursed her lips before opening them once more.

"How long?"

"Hmm?"

"How long did it take you to write all of this? This is more than double the amount I do in two days, and even that leaves me so tired I can scarcely finish any other work."

Antennae tilted her head in confusion before cautiously answering, "Almost 3 hours. Maybe more." The queen began ravelling and unravelling her mane around her hoof, setting down the paper in her other hoof whenever her hair became caught. She stopped twirling her membranous mane, gave the paper one more quick glance, before standing up.

"Stand, Antennae." The queen began moving towards the door to her private chamber and Antennae quickly followed.

"MY FELLOW CHANGELINGS!" The Queen's booming voice sounded throughout the crowd, "I have an announcement!" Two changelings pushed Antennae forward until she was next to the queen. The queen pulled her closer before raising her arm above her head. "This Changeling has proven to me that they could be an asset to myself and the hive! Through their ability to write they have convinced me not of their ability to lead a scout troop, but that they would benefit from an even higher position." The large group of changelings began murmuring in surprise. The queen put an end to this immediately as soon as she opened her mouth next.

"Hail the queen's acolyte, and my personal right hand, Antennae!" Three moments of silence

1...

2...

3...

Then the crowd exploded with cheers. But the only thing Antennae could make out amongst the chaos was her brother's gaping maw, dead center in her field of vision. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and for a quick second, even just for a moment, she saw it. A genuine smile.

Spike sat gaping for a total of 10 seconds.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9...

"Wow..." He stood up and ran to his room, prompting Thorax's confused expression. He ran back down the stairs holding two jars of ink, two quils and several sheets of paper. He turned to Spike expecting an explanation, and boy did he receive one.

"I've always wanted to write a book with someone, but everyone was either too busy or wasn't into the idea," he began as he started laying down supplies. "But now that I know you're into writing too, we can do it together." He turned and held out a claw to Thorax, his face hopeful and smiling. "What'd you say?"

Thorax smiled, accepting the claw/hoof shake.

"Let's do it."

And so they began.