“Flurry, where do you get off to hiding this time?” Thorax’s cheeky voice rang off of the walls as he searched for the alicorn foal. Giggling and baby babble answered back, and the changeling rolled his eyes playful, follow the source of the sound.
It wasn’t long before he stumbled across an archway, a familiar sight he’d seen far too many times for him to count. Chuckling, he tilted his head up, smirking towards the hiding foal. She was stuck onto the ceiling, her wings flapping wildly to keep her afloat. More incoherent babbling filled the air as Flurry realized she was spotted, grinning.
“You know, if you don’t want to be found, maybe pick a different spot to hide,” the changeling commented, but kept a small smile on his face. Buzzing his wings, he flew up towards Flurry Heart’s hiding place, scooping her up gently in his hooves. She giggled, her tiny appendages grasping for Thorax’s nose.
“Awak!” the foal replied, snuggling into his chest. Thorax laughed at the pronunciation of his name. “Awak fnd Ury!”
“Yes, I did!” He nuzzled her mane, bringing her back to the ground. “Was it fun?”
“Pway! Pway agn!”
Looking out the nearby window, he realized that the sun was slowly setting behind the horizon. White cloud turned pink against the darkening sky, and the stars began to twinkle into existence. “We’ve been playing for a while, Flurry. I think it’s time we head for dinner.”
Pink feather’s bristled, and a big pout formed on her face. “Aah wan pway wit Awak!”
Thorax moved to place Flurry onto his back, making sure she was secure. A whine sounded from the back of her throat, clearly not happy about the arrangement. The changeling pursed his lips to feigned a thoughtful look, humming “Well, if we eat dinner first, we’ll have time for one more game. How’s that sound?”
This got a cheer from the alicorn foal sitting on his back, her front hooves tightening around his shoulders in excitement. Thorax rolled his eyes playfully, feeling her snuggle into the crevices between his shoulder plate.
He continued down the corridor, having figured out the ins and outs of the Crystal Castle. Which was great, because this palace had more rooms than staff to fill them. Turning a corner, he found the door he was looking for, giving it a light push before entering.
“Thorax! Nice of you to join us,” a gruff voice rang with amusement, and Thorax turned to face Shining Armor.
The Head Guard was sitting at a lined table, Princess Cadence sitting adjacent to him. Three empty seats were pushed out, waiting for someone to sit.
Thorax gave a shy smile. “Er...sorry about that, Prince Shining Armor. Flurry insisted we play hide-and-seek.”
“I’m not surprised,” Cadence commented with a chuckle, and Flurry Heart flew off of the changeling’s back and into her mother’s hooves. “She loves the game, even before you started to foalsit her.”
Chitinous hooves clacked against the crystalline floors as Thorax climbed into the chair. Looking at the remaining empty chair he asked, “Is Sunburst here today?”
“He said he was visiting Ponyville for a little bit, so he won’t be joining us today.” Shining tapped the plate with his fork, and Thorax winced. Metal on metal sounds were not good sounds.
“Oh. Any idea when he’ll be back?”
“Eh. A day or two, give it take.”
Accepting the answer he was given, Thorax settled down. He quietly sat that the table, already full from the joy that Flurry radiated from their game, so there was no need for him to eat anything on the table. The awkward silence was at a standstill, only broken up by the sound of eating.
It wasn’t long before Flurry began fussing. She squirmed in her high chair, and Cadence struggled to get her daughter to eat.
“Come on, Flurry,” she cooed, prodding her foal’s mouth with a spoon. “You like oatmeal, remember?”
“Bleh!” Pink hooves swatted the utensil away, giggling as it landed on the ground. The clattering sound went on as it bounced across the flow, and Thorax flattened his ears, grimacing. It didn’t affect Flurry, however, who seemed to enjoy the sound.
Cadence sighed, levitating the spoon of the floor. Shining shook his head, an amused grin plastered on his face. “Having fun, Cady?”
The alicorn frowned, turning away from her daughter. “When it’s your turn to feed her tomorrow, don’t be mad at me for laughing.”
This promptly got her husband to shut up.
Thorax tilted his head, casting a glance at little Flurry Heart. While her mother was distracted, Flurry let out a squeal and pulling the bowl from Cadence’s grasp, sending the bowl falling towards the ground.
Lighting his horn quickly, the changeling managed to catch it before it could shatter. Bringing the plate back up to the table, he placed it well out of the reach of Flurry Heart.
Cadence looked gratitude towards Thorax, and he smiled back. Then he turned towards Flurry Heart, tapping the front of her high chair to get her attention.
“Remember Flurry, the sooner you finish dinner, the sooner we get to play!” Thorax reminded the little filly, a smirk forming on his face. “Or do you not want to play with ‘Awak’ anymore?”
“Awak pway!” she said, sticking out her tongue. The changeling laughed, pushing the bowl of warm oatmeal towards her as Flurry held her hooves out. From across the table, Cadence sighed and smile, watching as her daughter dig into the bowl with intensity.
“Thank you, Thorax.”
“No problem, Princess!” Thorax tilted his head back to grin at her, content to just sit there for the rest of the evening. “It’s my pleasure.”
“You know, I wonder how you do it, sometimes,” the Princess of Love muttered, purple eyes moving between her daughter and Thorax.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just, Flurry seems to do whatever you want without a second thought,” she chuckled slightly, brushing her hoof through Flurry Heart’s blue-streaked hair. “Even when doing her favorite things, she still gets a little fussy when I or Shining do it. Admittedly, I’m a little jealous!”
Her husband laughed. “Me too,” he agreed.
Thorax stayed quiet for a moment, before giggling. “I’ll tell you a secret,” he whispered, his wings buzzing along his carapace. “Reverse psychology and bargaining are your tickets for success. She understands you just fine, it’s just that she doesn’t want to follow what you say. It’s a foal-like thing to do.”
“Well! Can’t wait until she gets into her teenage years!” Shining quipped, which got Cadence to sigh tiredly. Thorax simply tilted his head, not understanding.
“Thanks for the tip, Thorax,” the pink alicorn picked up Flurry from her high-chair, levitating a napkin to quickly wash up her face. “I’ll put it to good use.”
Before Thorax could answer, Flurry flew from Cadence’s hooves and into Thorax's chest. “Pway! Pway!”
Shining and Cadence laughed as their daughter bombarded the changeling with demands to play, and Thorax gave them an apologetic glance.
“Looks like Miss Flurry wants to play now. I promise I’ll put her to bed as soon as possible! Just, um, maybe after she runs herself dry,” he stammered slightly, trying to keep up with Flurry’s hyper movements. Soon, they were both running down the hall, leaving the Royal Couple sitting alone.
“Well, shouldn’t be too long until he runs dry,” Shining commented.
“Eeyup.”
Thorax entered the bedroom, Flurry held tightly in his front hooves. He still felt exhausted from the impromptu game of tag, but he had finally managed to catch the alicorn foal before she could reach the fourth floor of the castle.
Speaking of which, he glanced down that the wrapped bundle in his hooves. Flurry was swaddled in her baby blanket, sleeping soundly. Every so often, she’d shift around, and she’d smile in her sleep.
Thorax found it positively adorable, even if he knew that it was likely a muscle reflex.
He was about the settle Flurry into her crib when a quiet click went off behind him. Turning, he met eyes with Princess Cadence, who was holding up a small camera in her magic.
“Did you just take a picture of me?”
“Yes I did.”
“Why?”
“Because you two look adorable, why wouldn’t I?” Cadence smiled at him, and Thorax sighed. He settled Flurry into her crib, turned on her nightlight, and looked back at the alicorn at the door.
“I don’t think that picture will be too flattering, considering how dark it was...”
She chuckled. “I’m not too worried about the quality. I find the best photos are when you capture someone just being themself, whether or not they know you are taking a photo.”
“I see...”
Thorax placed a hoof against the crib’s railing, gently rocking it back and forth. He gazed adoringly towards Baby Flurry Heart, such a gentle and loving look that only a month prior would Cadence have thought impossible by changeling standards.
“You seem to work well with foals,” Cadence murmured, watching the scene in front of her. The type of love that she senses from the changeling; it’s was akin to love given by a guardian, borderline parental. She smiled softly. “Did you used to work with foals back at your hive? Perhaps even had some yourself?”
Thorax ears perked. He shifted slightly, turning towards her. “Well, I wasn’t assigned a mate, so I don’t have larvae of my own,” he clarified first, looking a little gloomy. “Even then, I’d doubt I would be allowed to interact with them. The hive doesn’t promote familial type relationships—the closest thing I had to that was my older brother.”
He shook his head, returning a smile to his face. “But I did get to work nursery hive! Even if it was just for a short while.”
“‘The nursery hive?’” Cadence parroted, and Thorax nodded.
“Yeah! It’s where all the eggs, larvae, and nymphs stay until they’re old enough to serve the hive,” his face changed into one of nostalgia, fond memories flooding back to him. “The job of a Nursery Drone is widely looked down upon because it wasn’t an ‘active role’ and ‘you sat around to grubsit for all your life’ but it always appealed to me for those reasons. Watching young ones look after was a chore, but it was always satisfying to watch them grow from vulnerable larvae into capable young changelings.”
He sighed. “It was nice...having someone that relied on you...even if it was temporary.”
A silence filled the room for a little while, and Cadence wasn’t sure how to respond. The changeling gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry for unloading all that on you, Princess. I...understand if that was a lot...”
“No no, it’s fine!” Cadence reassured, trotting over towards him. “Seems like you’ve been wanting to say something for a while.”
Thorax shrugged.
“Why don’t you tell me a little more?” she encouraged, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “Tell me, do you remember what nymphs you looked after?”
The changeling let out a small laugh. “I remember all of them; their names, what they looked like, even the several incidents they had during their feeding time. They were all wonderful to look after...”
He let his mind wander towards the few good times he had during his stay at the hive. Watching over the larvae as they slept, feeling a nymph press up against him when it got too cold, and even participating in a moss game the older ones had come up with.
An image of a nymph he’d know very well appeared, and he smiled fondly. He shook his head, smiling up at the Princess of Love. “It was one of few moments I enjoyed while at the hive...”
Cadence gave a warm smile back. “I can see why you take such a fondness to Flurry Heart,” she whispered, gazing at her sleep daughter. “This reminds you of being a Nursery Drone, doesn’t it?”
Thorax didn’t answer, his hoof that rocked Flurry’s crib coming to a standstill. His wings sagged with exhaustion, but the content expression that he held spoke louder than words could describe.
“What was your favorite part about being a watching all those nymphs?” Cadence asked, having a good guess as to what his answer would be.
Cyan eyes blinked, and Thorax had to stop and think for a moment. “...I liked holding them...it made them feel safe and secure...”
“Thought so.” Cadence lit her horn, levitating Flurry gently with her magic. Carefully, she lowered the burrito-wrapped Princess and pressed her into Thorax’s hooves, letting him hold her for a little while longer. “Flurry loves being held, too. Usually either me or Shining will come in and watch her for the night, but I think I’ll let you do it tonight.”
Cyan eyes widened, and Thorax looked down at the filly. “Why?” he asked hesitantly.
“I trust you’ll take care of her,” Cadence assured with a soft coo. Then a smirk crossed her face. “Besides, she seems to like you.”
The small bundle shifted in his arms, and Flurry let out a big yawn. She settled back down, nuzzling into Thorax’s chest as she slept. He stood still for a moment, his eyes beginning to water.
“Um, t-thank you Princess,” he said in a shaky voice, as if unsure if he’ll be able to hold himself together.
Cadence winked, heading back towards the door. “Don’t mention it. It’s my pleasure.”
A door creaked close, and Thorax held the foal closer, his head reeling from the indescribable joy he felt. He was allowed to watching Flurry Heart for the rest of the night; through peaceful naps, through fussy hours, and to be awoken by her if he was able to fall asleep.
He leaned against a bean-bag chair that laid on the floor, wiping his eyes of stray tears. It was going to be a long night, but one that he’ll treasure until the end of time
Author's Note
April 7, 2021
Woo! More one shots.
I always seen Thorax and Flurry as more than just a babysitter relationship. A little bit more of a sibling, borderline third parental figure...which is odd...because in cannon I don’t think they spend too much time together.
So, to justify this headcannon I have, I went ahead to detail why Thorax be attached to Flurry in such a way. I hope I did it justice, but this probably is one of my weaker fanfics.
