Thorax had faced a lot, but nothing terrified him more than… you. Well, not you, but the feeling he got every time you walked by: that fluttery, stomach-flipping, I-might-pass-out-any-second feeling.

He tried to be smooth. He really did.

He tried complimenting your flowers once — tripped on a rock.

Tried giving you a hoof-made gift — panicked and ran away before you could even open it.

Tried saying “hello” normally — ended up blurting out something about beetles and bolting.

The worst part? Everypony saw it.

So now the Mane Six had formed an unofficial “Help Thorax Confess Club,” which mostly consisted of Applejack sighing, Rarity polishing him up with a comb, and Twilight creating highly unnecessary friendship diagrams.

Thorax, meanwhile, kept peeking nervously around corners, wings buzzing out of sync whenever he spotted you. He wanted to tell you how your laugh felt like sunlight on his shell, how your presence made his heart shift colors more than his magic ever could.

But every attempt ended the same way: Thorax freezing, turning pink, and fleeing.

Still, he didn’t give up. He walked beside Twilight as she gave him a pep talk for the twentieth time, listening to Rainbow Dash groan that he should “just go for it already,” while Fluttershy assured him gently that baby steps were okay, with a gentle; "Just be yourself."

He tried. Truly. Even if his voice squeaked. Even if his knees shook. Even if he forgot every sentence he rehearsed.

Because it was you.

And Thorax would keep trying — awkwardly, earnestly, wholeheartedly — even if the Mane Six had to push him one inch at a time. So, he showed up at your work place.

"Um... hey! I..." He had to chuckle to hold back a squeak, "How are you doing?"

Smooth, Thorax. Just like the girls said.