The King of Love Bugs is a completed My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfic by NavelColt, and the first published in the Love Bug Continuity. It and the rest of the series can be read at Fimfiction.net.
Following the defeat of Queen Chrysalis, the princesses of Equestria seek to build a relationship with newly-crowned King Thorax and forge a never before seen alliance between ponies and changelings.
While the changelings adjust to the broad, sympathetic intricacies of shared love magic, Thorax works to embrace his role as the changeling's new patriarch, demonstrating a benevolent rule far different from his predecessor.
With the help of Equestrian royalty, his brooding older brother, and even a few unexpected friends, Thorax must now introduce the idea of peaceful changelings in Equestria one escapade at a time.
The overall series (by internal continuity) consists of:
- To Love as His Own: Mere hours after the climax of season 6, Thorax gets to bond with one of the youngest nymphs in the hive.
- The King of Love Bugs: The core story, focused around Thorax and his hive.
- The Patter of Rain: It's dark and raining outside, and Thorax relaxes with some of his changelings.
- Rain Curfews: A re-imagining of The Patter of Rain above, featuring a cameo from Pharynx.
- From Your Brother, With Love: In the aftermath of To Change a Changeling, Thorax and Pharynx get to talk.
- Lingering Shadows: On their way home from meeting with Dragon Lord Ember, Thorax and Pharynx have an unexpected run-in with their former queen.
- To Hold and to Cherish: Thorax plays a game called "Squeeze the Bug" with the hive's nymphs, living out the childhood he never had.
The King of Love Bugs provides examples of:
- Badass Adorable: Thorax and his drones prove themselves to be this when they fight off a Fiery Salamander to rescue Twilight and Spike.
- The Cutie: Apex, a young changeling, lives to be adorable and cause comic relief mayhem.
- A Day in the Limelight: Thorax takes a lead role, while numerous other side characters are also given consistent roles.
- Friend to Bugs: The changelings (literal bug horses) become friends with essentially all of Equestria.
- Forgetful Jones: Shining Armor, upon realizing the changelings will be visiting the empire last minute, forgets a series of important duties and tasks he must accomplish.
- "Metaphor" Is My Middle Name: At one point Discord claims that "class is my middle name", then sits at a desk with a plaque that reads "Mr. Discord 'Class' Draconequus", to the amusement of the majority of the changelings.
- Monster of the Week: When Twilight and Spike make their way to the changeling kingdom, and are confronted by a giant fire lizard.
- Parental Substitute: With Chrysalis gone, Thorax becomes a surrogate father figure to the changelings.
- The Power of Love: The changelings start to share love with one another in the form of friendship to solve their eternal hunger, and soon discover that sharing love recovers their stamina and fatigue, as well.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Princess Luna delivers an epic one in response to some Canterlot citizens who refuse to give the changelings a second chance, calling them out for accepting Luna herself but not the changelings.
- Shout-Out: In Chapter 26, a passing reference is made to an Equestrian Expy of the black dragon Fatalis.
