Secluded was the place, echoed became the sounds of hoofsteps as Thorax and a few other changelings walked beside him into the cave.
Craggy, rough and stone terrain. Some sharp and pointy protrusions that they managed to avoid.
Then, a dead-end. A stone, ragged dead-end.
"So, that means nobody's left here," Thorax said, looking at those who accompanied him.
"That's a relief!" a changeling said. "All the grubs are safe in the outside, then!"
"It has been that way since everything changed," Thorax replied as they walked out of the cave. "We've had to make sure there weren't any eggs back in the cave."
"And, why again did you think that?" another changeling asked.
"There are some caves that are just too dark and scary for them to begin life in. I don't wanna scare them into thinking that life is like a cave."
Some of the changelings nodded. Others didn't say anything.
Then, they ventured out to the open, public area in the hive—changelings just swarming around and flying freely, speaking freely as well. Several ponies were there along with them, holding up cameras and taking pictures, joining in the conversations with the changelings, even watching some of them shape-shift into their friends and family and other ponies of interest. One pony even threw a bag of bits at them; a changeling disguised as Flam, complete with appropriate clothes and bushy mustache, received it and bowed with a held hat and a beaming grin.
Thorax sighed. "You know? Our children are going to have it better than us."
"Why?" one of the changelings around him asked.
A pause as Thorax's smooth and calm smile went across his face. "They won't have to experience the unnecessary pain that we grew up with under Chrysalis. These grub deserve a life better than one of a constant hunger for love. Smiles to see, parents to be with—maybe I've been thinking too much about how ponies structure their families. Huh." He shook his head a little. "Anyway, still, I've seen pony parents with their foals. Happiness in a small house. And, I don't want to give everyone here a chance to have that. I want to give them the assurance and certainty that they'll have that."
"Aww," the changelings surrounding him let out.
"That's so sweet!" one of them expressed.
"Eh!" a pony passing by shouted. "Too sappy for me!"
"And, here is the woodwork section!" a changeling tour guide—having a nice, fancy top hat to distinguish him as such—said, motioning a hoof towards a small group of changelings churning out wooden things and items. And, there was a lot they were working on—including both the works-in-progress and the ones that were sitting around finished: tables, desks, chairs, stools shelves, cabinets, clocks, doors, windows, floorboards and roofboards, not to mention the odd piece of abstract art here and there.
The ponies following the tour guide took several pictures of the artistically functional (or functionally artistic) work being done. In those moments, two groups of changelings became apparent: those who halted for a while to make a pose that they thought looked cool, and those who remained fixed to the task at hoof while bearing faces of neutral concentration.
"Uh, so how do you handle the wood?" the pony said. "I personally like the forest that goes around the hive. Or, around half of the hive, because, there's that big desert behind it that has no forest whatsoever."
"Wensley, what does 'around a half' mean?" the pony beside him said, adjusting his visor.
The changeling tour guide placed a hoof on his chin as he pondered. "Let's not think about that and let's get up close to the woodwork, shall we?" He motioned a hoof again at the working changelings.
Then, his eyes went wide.
"Well, it's King Thorax himself!"
The ponies looked behind him.
Thorax, in the middle of tip-hoofing, stopped. Turning his head at them, he gave an awkward and sheepish smile. "Uh, hi? How are you doing? Fine or not fine?" He coughed. "I was just, uh, passing by in a new style?"
More pictures and flashing lights.
Thorax then flew away, shouting "Please don't let me get attracted to shiny things everyday!"
Yet, the ponies kept taking shots at the fleeing changeling.
"Sorry," the tour guide said in the midst of all the photo-taking. "Thorax is not exactly the kind that likes to have pictures of him being taken."
"Just another one," Thorax said as he sat beside his wooden and sprouting throne on the raised moss-covered platform of rock.
He was also sitting beside Pharynx. "Another one of what?" he asked his brother.
"Another group of tourists taking pictures out of nowhere. It's as if they're constantly stalking me."
"Don't you remember that you're king here?" Pharynx pointed out, giving him a curious look. "Those ponies love taking pictures of royalty. First time I went out of the hive with this new form—" pointing to himself "—I saw tons of pictures of you on newspapers!" Then, he leaned closer to Thorax. "I thought you would be used to it by now, not having to run away like that."
"It's hard," Thorax said. "I don't want to act unprofessional, but the camera has lights and it's so bright!"
Pharynx groaned, shaking his head while doing so. Then, he pushed a hoof on to Thorax's face. "Resistance, Thorax. You've got to keep up that professional look no matter what."
"I know that," Thorax answered, pushing the invasive hoof away.
The two remained silent for a while as they looked off upon the sky.
Several changelings were flying up there. A lone pegasus hanging out with them.
"I also overheard what you said about the grub."
"Uh, you did?"
Pharynx nodded. "And, I guess it's good enough."
"Good enough?" Thorax repeated. "What's not good about giving them a very nice—"
"I love the grub as much as you do," Pharynx interrupted, placing a hoof on Thorax's mouth. "But, I don't want you showering them with too much this or too much that. It's gonna make them fat and lazy."
"Of course, they're supposed to work," Thorax said. "I didn't say that we should not let them work at all just so they could be happy all the time!"
"Trying to dodge the question, huh?" Pharynx retorted. "I know you want them to work. That's obvious. What I don't want is you thinking that a pony's childhood is what a changeling's childhood should be!"
"But, isn't it all good?" Thorax said. "They're the ones who are experts at friendship and—"
"Experts at friendship, Thorax," Pharynx interrupted again. "Not family."
"But—"
"Yeah, let's see: dragons have a good family, zebras have a good family, yaks have a good family, the creatures at that strange place that you go to using a mirror seem to have a good enough family from what I've heard—only doubtful one there is the griffons."
"But, I think a pony's—"
"And, before you start going on about following the ponies when it comes to the important things—I thought you were serious about it, about making this a place where changelings are changelings."
"Well, I was, but you keep on interrupting—"
"I may be too mad at you right now, Thorax. Not really mad, just very concerned. I don't know if that's all." Then, he sighed and relaxed.
The two once again took to the silence and looked up at the sky.
The same changelings were flying in the air. There was also that same pegasus from before. Now, they were playing some sort of game—chasing each other around while outrunning each other. A few laughs emanated from there, providing a sense of joy in the sky.
"I guess joining you in the Feelings Forum is making me talk about my feelings more," Pharynx said, smirking at his brother.
A few seconds.
Then, both sighed.
Shouts and sounded joys aired throughout as the changelings heralded and welcomed those six ponies arriving at the hive: the Elements of Harmony themselves. Acknowledging head nods, calming smiles, greeting hooves and wings,—the ponies brought those out as they passed by the scrambled line of disorderly changelings.
At the end of the long journey, Thorax stood along with Pharynx. Thorax had a smile on his face, quite giddy as he moved all four of his hooves about in anticipation.
Pharynx, meanwhile, stood there with an on-guard expresion on his face—serious as his eyes darted and hurried from this and that vantage point.
Finally, the six ponies reached the two large changelings, still in the midst of chaotic cheer.
"Let's take this to a, uh, quieter place, shall we?" Thorax offered.
"That would be nice," Twilight said, keeping up that slightly off grin.
In front of the wooden throne, the alicorn princess and the changeling king, with his brother, sat comfortably. The not-so far-out noise of loud voices—both changeling and pony—formed the backdrop of the solitary scene.
"How's the hive?" Twilight asked, with a cheery and optimistic voice—even closing her eyes and smiling.
"It's...thriving." Thorax made yet another sheepish grin.
"Thriving in what way, exactly?" Twilight inquired.
"They're...happy and having merry lives."
Twilight nodded.
Thorax nodded, though more slowly.
"This is getting boring," Pharynx said, pushing away an imginary object with a hoof. "I didn't expect this royal meeting to be this bad."
"We're just easing ourselves into the meeting, that's all," Thorax said, raising a hoof and emphasizing with it. "It's standard!"
"No one else is here, Thorax," Pharynx shot back. "Who's gonna judge you for being chummy with Twilight?"
"Actually, Thorax is right," Twilight said. "While I may disagree with some of the finer points of the rules of royal meetings, it's a custom that's been tried, tested, and true for thousands of years."
"Wow. No revision at all?"
"There were some, but it's mostly the same thing," Twilight said.
Pharynx grunted, crossed his arms, and straightened his sitting stance. "Fine. I'll participate in this royal meeting."
Thorax sighed. He turned to Twilight. "Alright, Twilight. Let's get to what you wanted to talk to us about."
Twilight nodded again. "I've noticed that you've been ramping up the various kinds of activities that are being done in the hive. First I heard, it was just acting, arts and crafts, dancing, weekly potluck lunch, the Feelings Forum, and a few others. Now, you've expanded to include gardening, education, emergency services training, woodwork, collection and research in the field of botany, a small business of repairchangelings going across Equestria repairing simple furniture, not to mention the guards and officers you have been training—" She faced Pharynx "—and, Pharynx, you've done a good job at keeping all the changelings here protected, safe in the knowledge that you and your force are always there to guarantee them freedom."
Pharynx managed a tiny glimmer of a smile. "Heh."
Twilight went back to facing Thorax. "I could go on listing more of the activities, Thorax." Twilight levitated the list beside her. "I've memorized all items of the list, but I guess you don't want to hear me ramble on about this for ten minutes, do you?"
Thorax smiled, remaining quiet.
"I'll take as a 'No.'" Twilight covered a chuckle.
"So, what are you trying to say, Twilight?" Thorax prodded.
"I'm here, in part, to just congratulate you on vitalizing the hive into an extremely productive nation! If I just walked here without all the applause surrounding me and my friends, I would see that this place is teeming with tons of things going on at the same time. It might as well be a city like Vanhoover or Manehattan if it weren't for the fact that it's not really a city—what with the abundance of leaves and plants and all."
"It's a thing here," Thorax answered.
"Well, I'm still trying to get used to it," Pharynx interrupted. "The plants look too pretty for me."
Twilight giggled. "Looks like there's a bit of sibling rivalry there, huh?" She leaned her head to the side at that.
"It's not much of a rivalry, Twilight," Throax said. "It's more of, uh..."
"Thorax, admit it," Pharynx said, budging his brother. "It is a rivalry."
"But, we aren't fighting. How could it be a rivalry?"
"You don't notice? All the little arguments here and there?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that it has to be a rivalry. 'Rivalry' sounds like you're trying to beat the other guy at being the best. But, we're not." He turned to Twilight, wearing still another sheepish grin. "Right?"
Twilight sighed yet still smiling. "It is a rivalry, but it's not all that bad. You can let that one aside."
A few seconds of quiet as Thorax retracted his sheepish grin and as Pharynx gave him a playful glare.
"Back to the topic at hoof," Twilight went on, "that was one reason why I came here: to tell you that you're doing good for the hive. On the other hoof, there's also two matters of interest between Equestria and the Hive."
"Are they pressing matters or they're not that important?" Thorax asked, his voice moderating a bit.
"Not that important, Throax. Trust me."
Thorax smiled. "OK."
Pharynx groaned.
"One, there's a growing amount of ponies who are more than interested to see what the changelings are producing and making. They have expressed their liking towards changeling-made things because they want to see the new perspectives that they can provide. So, some large businesses in the urban centers are asking if you can send some talented changelings their way. The money that they'll provide for the talent is extravagant, to say the least."
"They're that desperate?"
"It means that they see the potential in them. Who knows? Maybe before Hearth's Warming Eve this year, a changeling will end up being inducted as one of Equestria's greatest painters."
Thorax grinned, his eyes glittering.
Pharynx maintained that slight grouch on his face.
"That's just me saying, but, it is a possibility."
"That sounds good," Thorax said. "What about the other matter?"
"I was about to get to that." She cleared her throat. "We can't force upon our culture to you. You know this one the most, I'm sure of that."
Thorax nodded.
"Having said that, I noticed that the changeling demand for pony goods is still on the rise. Above all else, changelings are just so excited and enamored about all things pony. We still get reports of changelings being amazed by pony-made kitchenware." She smiled a little. "The same businesses who are asking for changeling talent from you—they also noticed that and are asking you if it's OK to bring in some of their stores here."
"Hmm." Thorax brought his hoof to his chin, scratching it as he squinted his eyes.
"I'd say we talk about this more," Pharynx said, raising his hoof and having a more serious attitude. "I'm not going to accept those kinds of things willy-nilly."
"I have all day to talk about this," Twilight said, gesturing with a hoof. "You're free to talk to me about all your concerns about this."
Pharynx groaned. "More of these fancy sentences, huh?"
Twilight frowned in confusion. "But, it's a royal meeting standard."