Bug Hugs

"Anyone good with heavy lifting?" Thorax asked, addressing the entire group. Two earth ponies raised their hands - clearly, they were no stranger to manual labor.

"Great! You guys go with Honeysuckle, I know she looks skinny but she has more than enough energy to move a mountain." Barely after Thorax finished speaking her name, Honeysuckle excitedly grabbed their hands and hurriedly rushed them away from the group towards... somewhere. The earth ponies looked back with an expression that conveyed a mixture of surprise and "help me".

"Alright. Now, this one's a bit more complicated, so it's okay if nobody can do this one." Thorax rubbed his neck nervously, as if he would be embarrassed if nopony were able. A slight hotness began covering Jac's face - something about Thorax was pushing Jac's buttons in some very concerning ways. He looked off towards the horizon to distract himself from these feelings.

"Is anyone here good with physics or architecture, to make sure our buildings are sturdy?"

To everyone's surprise, Gummy Bear raised two hands and jumped excitedly. "Ooh! ME! Me! I designed the houses for a whole neighborhood!"

Thorax blinked in awe. "Well, uh, alright then - that's wonderful. You can uh, go with one of your guards over to that clearing over there," Thorax instructed as he gestured towards what seemed to be a soon-to-be construction zone. "There should be two changelings with clipboards staring at the ground, don't be afraid to stop them if they don't notice you. They get really into it sometimes."

One of the guards - Jac honestly wasn't sure if he had seen this one until now; a light-gray and extremely burly pegasus - was excitedly yanked by Gummy Bear in an uncannily similar fashion to the previous group's departure.

Thorax studied the remaining ponies, his hand affixed firmly to his mouth - Jac could almost swear he was chewing on it. "So that leaves... five of you left, plus two guards, right?" Everyone looked around to verify his observation. Several nods and shrugs later, Thorax nodded in response.

The guard from the train - Carbon, if Jac remembered correctly - stepped towards Thorax. He leaned into the changeling king's ear, whispered something, and then pointed to Jac. Thorax nodded slowly, looking slightly confused. He scratched behind his ear with an uncertain expression, taking him a moment to respond.

"Okay, anyway... the next task will need four ponies. You guys will be taking care of the larvae, which will free up a few more drones for construction." The remaining group members didn't seem particularly thrilled that this is what they were (probably) stuck with, but they seemed to know each other by the casual expressions they exchanged, and they all raised their hands in tandem.

"Great! Changeling larvae are pretty low-maintenance but they are definitely pretty messy, so we'll make sure you have towels." Thorax glanced at the Carbon again, and then wordlessly motioned him to take them. Carbon gave a firm nod, and left without a word. This left only Jac and a single guard - a friendly looking unicorn, somewhat on the thicker side, with a pink coat and darker pink mane. He stood at attention proudly, yet didn't seem to be projecting his superiority or anything like Carbon - he was simply fulfilling his duty. Jac was definitely put at ease that the guard was the least intimidating of the three.

"So that leaves you, I suppose," Thorax said with a friendly gesture, beckoning Jac to step closer. Jac obliged, slightly nervous but otherwise without complaint.

"There's, uh, a couple things you could do, I guess, but I heard you had a rough time on the train." Thorax handed Jac a bottle of water. Jac wasn't even sure where it came from since he wasn't holding it before, and yet Thorax's soft and accepting expression put him at ease. Completely at ease. Excessively at ease.

"Carbon said I should give you something easy, but uh, I get the feeling you'd be the best judge of what you can do."

Jac looked at the water bottle - a rather common brand in Equestria - and opened it without much to say. After a couple quick sips, he finally spoke.

"I was just... nervous, is all. Frustrated, I guess. I just didn't want to have to deal with this kind of thing, but... it's okay. I'll be fine."

The changeling king tilted his head quizzically. "You sure? I'm just trying to make sure you're okay is all. You seem like... a really nice pony." He smiled softly. Jac nodded in reassurance.

Thorax's smile expanded as he looked into Jac's eyes. The smile quickly grew into a toothy grin, and barely a second later, the changeling king pulled Jac into a tight, friendly embrace.

"Ah-n-nnn-hhhhhaaahhhhhhh~", Jac breathed. His thoughts (and limbs) melted into a mushy goop of comfort and stupor, caught completely off-guard by the mango-colored leader's advance. While he wasn't exactly able to form a proper opinion on what just happened, much less any kind of coherent statement, there's one thing Jac did know - this three days would be absolutely fine.

Meanwhile, the water bottle Jac had been gifted fell to the ground and spilled pitifully next to them - to little acknowledgment. Truly, this was a tragic death of an unsung hero, without so much as a salute to put it to rest.

R.I.P., water.

"Jac?" Thorax breathed from around Jac's neck.

"nnnhhhh..." Jac responded eloquently.

"D- did I break something?"

Jac let out a small giggle, and pulled the changeling into an even tighter embrace in return.

"N-nggghhh!~" the mango returned.

Jac paused for a few seconds, simply enjoying the moment he was sharing with his most unexpected new friend. He felt Thorax's hand reach behind his mane and begin to stroke it gently, which sent tingles through Jac's entire body. A quiet moment passed, eventually broken by Jac.

"...not if I break you first!" Jac squealed in a childish, playful tone, and immediately began to tickle the not-so-regal king with the force of a thousand fillies.

The sounds Thorax made were pure enough to send anyone's mind into a pleasant bliss, including the nearby guard who couldn't help but put his hands to his chest and breathe "awwwhhhhh~" at the scene unfolding before him. But it didn't matter, because Jac was no longer counting the minutes until this trip was over. He was counting the seconds that the exchange lasted, hoping it would never end. The pegasus and the changeling hugged, tickled, and moaned in pleasant, childish delight, simply enjoying themselves in the comfort of each other's presence. The guard watched intently, holding himself back from interrupting because he didn't want to spoil the moment.

Seconds, perhaps even minutes later, their contact finally separated. Physically, that is. Their gazes were still locked to each other intently, filled with so many questions that didn't need to be answered - staring into each other's eyes provided the answers as clear as day. The first word to eventually break the silence...

"Well, um... that was fast," Jac stated bluntly.

Thorax began giggling once more, and the two unlikely companions embraced yet again. It would take them several more minutes to notice the soft pink glow surrounding the two of them, seeping into the ground and causing a commotion across the entire settlement; a commotion of motivation, productivity, and joyous applause.