Spike arrived in advance of the returning delegations so the village’s ponies would have time to assemble in the gathering meadow. The dragon’s green eyes were sparkling as he relayed some of the juiciest tidbits. "Thorax is the youngest king in three millennia, and he's bucking some longstanding traditions."
Sunset Shimmer frowned. "The changelings have never wanted anything to do with ponies before."
"It's a huge change," Spike acknowledged. "The little guy’s inexperienced, but he has good instincts. He'll be fine."
"Little guy?" Sunset asked sharply. "I find it hard to believe that the hive would follow a grub."
Spike shrugged and conceded. "He is an adult...barely. It's amazing how much he's accomplished despite his lack of seasons."
"Going to the Heart of the Forest was smart," Starlight opined quietly.
"What are changelings like?" Sunburst asked curiously.
The purple dragon grinned down at the thirteen-year-old. "Oh... a little rough around the edges, I suppose. The headpony and the Heart of the Forest gave them a crash course, but we'll have to make allowances. None of them are used to dealing with ponies."
"Sire’s Hollow is a good place to learn!" Sunburst enthused.
"The best," Starlight agreed solemnly.
Since Firelight was personally escorting the hive into the village, it fell to Starlight to give them a proper welcome. Dressed in traditional pony garb, she waited in the center of the meadow, her friends and family fanned out behind her. Stygian also held a position of honor, so Sunburst and Sunset were able to stand beside her. Starlight stole a glance at the deer delegations and smiled; Bramble looked very elegant as he filled in for his father.
Spike whistled sharply, and a moment later, the leader of the changelings strode into the clearing, flanked by King Aspen, Starlight’s father, and another changeling she did not recognize.
"Wow, look at his wings!" Sunburst whispered amazed.
"Shh," Sunset warned.
Starlight was also intrigued by changeling’s appearance. Most creatures adopted pony finery when taking on an equine form, but this creature wore nothing. His skin was green, his antlers were bright yellow, and he was unarmed. The hive’s leader's wings twitch gently on his back, betraying some of his agitation as his wide purple eyes swept the assembly. Is it the ponies or the pace that makes him restless?
There was no denying Thorax's youth; he looked about the same age as their older, high school-aged campers. Seventeen... eighteen... nineteen at the most, Starlight estimated. He must be strong if the rest are willing to follow him. I wonder if he had to fight for his place.
Reaching his daughter, Firelight rested a hoof on Starlight's shoulder before turning to include everyone in his declaration. "Raise your voices for Thorax, leader of the northern hive! He and his court are welcome in this place!"
As one, the ponies called out their traditional welcome, an offer of rest and peace. Sunburst gasped in delight as a handful of four-footed changelings lifted their heads and sang their response. "Amazing! They brought a little bit of beauty to Sire’s Hollow!" he whispered, earning a sidelong glance from the strange changeling.
Starlight nodded thoughtfully and murmured, "A changeling is not a changeling if he cannot be free."
Instantly, the strange changeling was in her face, and Starlight held very still. Dad must not have reached the lesson on personal space. She knew for a fact that it was number forty-seven on the list her father used for training newbies. Just in case she had offended him, the eleven-year-old lowered her gaze. "Welcome to Sire’s Hollow, Sir...?," she said quietly.
"Pharynx," said the changeling in a rough voice. "I'm the general and second in command of the hive."
"Pharynx!" Thorax said nervously, rushing to the pair and nudging Pharynx to the side. "I am so sorry about this! Please forgive him, he's just very...passionate about his job."
"It's alright, Lord Thorax," said Starlight, smiling widely to not only ease his nerves but of those around her also, she could see that Bramble and Sunset were ready to spring in front of her in case things went wrong. "One can never be too cautious."
"T-Thanks," he replied nervously. "Say...are you the headpony’s grub?"
"Yes. My name is Starlight Glimmer. It is a pleasure to meet you." Pharynx straightened and Starlight dared to lift her gaze once more. "I apologize if my words were an offense."
The dark changeling smiled. "Oh, no...you’ve got it right. Him, too," he added, jerking a hoof in Sunburst's direction. "I like that...you ponies aren't so dense after all."
The tense atmosphere lifted somewhat, enough to ignore it and continue with the introductions. She learned that Thorax and Pharynx were brothers, but they were as opposite as siblings came. Thorax was shy, soft-spoken, and nervous at first, but as he spoke to the other ponies his nervousness left and he turned out to be quite friendly and approachable. His brother, in contrast, was mostly quiet and kept to himself after getting in Starlight's face, but he exuded an aura of danger that made the rest of the group avoid him, even Sunburst didn't dare to make another comment about him and he stuck to Starlight's side the rest of the meeting.
They were about to enter Sire's Hollow when the Leader of the changelings suddenly stopped and turn to look Starlight.
"What was that thing?" he mumbled, glancing briefly at the filly's father. "Oh, yeah! I got my eye on you, Starlight!"
Across the clearing, where he stood beside his father, Bramble’s eyebrow twitched.