Even with the loss of appetite, Celestia managed to convince them to at least have some tea to calm their nerves. As they took their seats at the dining room table, the group noticed that at some point Kormac had slipped away. He reappeared once more as Celestia was pouring the tea. His second eyelids were of course down and he carried two strange items. The first that they noticed was a rough, waxy, bright pink orb about the size of a pony's head. The second item was two curved pieces of wood in a cross shape.
Kormac first placed the cross shaped wood, which was quickly revealed to be a stand when the orb was placed snuggly in it. The table was silent as the changeling commander then used his magic to carefully cut the top of the orb. With the cut made, Kormac then gave the top a twist before pulling it off. As he lifted the 'lid' off, little strings of sticky pink liquid followed. Once he'd carefully placed the 'lid' on the table, Kormac then pulled Fluttershy's teacup and a spoon towards himself. They then watched as Kormac dipped the spoon into the hollow orb and drew out a spoonful of a thick, clear, rich pink liquid with golden crystals floating in it. As he pulled it out and stirred it into her friend's drink, Twilight noted that this strange substance seemed to have the exact consistency of honey. After passing the cup back to Fluttershy, Kormac then repeated the process for the other changeling queens.
Twilight looked into her cup, which now had a pink and gold hue and a tantalizing sweet scent. They looked at Kormac, who only nodded and made a gesture for them to drink. They only hesitated a moment more before taking sips. The effect was almost instantaneous. As expected, it was sweet but also refreshing like a breath of fresh air, giving a pleasant sensation as it traveled down their throats; followed by a comforting warmth that relaxed and energized them, as if they had miniature suns in their bellies.
"Dear me, that was simply glorious!" Rarity exclaimed. "What do you call this stuff?" She asked as she began to take another sip. Pinkie Pie was of course quick to gulp her cup down followed by melting in her chair with a smile.
"Motherly affection." Kormac answered. "A bit hard to collect, but worth every drop."
The ponies and queens contemplated this answer. "So this is love?" Applejack asked as she studied her cup again.
"Indeed." Kormac confirmed. Applejack studied the cup once more.
"Don't ya normally get that from special someponies or somethin'?" She asked uncertainly.
Kormac chuckled good naturedly. "A common misconception." He said. "You ponies use the term 'love' to define the romantic relationship between two ponies. However, love is more than romantic. There is love between a mother and child and vice versa. There is familial love between family members. Even friendship is a form of love."
"And ya'll jus suck it from ponies?"
Kormac shook his head. "That's not how it works, Queen Applejack. True, we could do that; but the resulting love, while powerful, would have little flavor and nutritional value and would do us no good in the long run."
"So how does it work?" Twilight asked, her eyes bright with academic curiosity that Kormac could feel in the air and through the link.
"Most species don't realize it, but emotions emit a sort of energy that changeling bodies automatically absorb. We have very little control over this function as it is as natural as a pony breathing." As Kormac explained, Twilight nudged Spike, who immediately pulled another scroll and a new quill. "Some centuries ago, a queen conducted a series of experiments that revealed that freely directed love was healthier and tastier than stolen love. Since then, most if not all hive collectors, including ours, create their own identities and establish a life of their own." He tapped a hoof against the orb. "This particular batch was collected by one of our collectors when she had a run in with Celestia. When she spoke of her experience, she would say that she nearly fainted at the sheer amount of motherly love directed at her." Celestia smiled.
"Hmmm, fascinating." Twilight hummed. "But I have a question. How do you turn emotive energy into that?" As she asked, she pointed to the orb beside him.
Kormac paused as he contemplated how he could put it tactfully. "Queen Twilight-" he began before she interrupted.
"Just Twilight, please."
"Very well. Twilight, are you familiar with how bees produce honey?"
Twilight nodded. "I am. When bees travel from flower to flower, they-" Twilight halted her own lecture as her eyes widened. "Wait a second. Do you mean to say....?"
Kormac nodded. "Indeed. After the emotive energy is absorbed into our bodies, certain organs process the energy into a substance and infuse it with vital enzymes and nutrients that we require. What follows is a process identical to how bees process their honey. The end result is a substance on par with bee honey. Some hives call this changeling honey."
There were several gags and disgusted looks around the table. Twilight Sparkle however looked excited and pulled the orb towards her with her magic. "That's amazing! You said it's on par with honey, right? Does that mean that ponies can eat it safely?"
"In theory yes."
"And in practice?" Twilight prompted.
Kormac shrugged. "Many have theorized what would happen if a pony ate it, but none have been put to the test since no pony or otherwise have had any."
They contemplated this and looked around the table. Suddenly Luna raised a hoof. "I shall give it a try." She volunteered before pulling it near and dipping a hoof in it. Everypony held their breath as Luna slowly brought the small crystal free glob up to her muzzle and licked. The Lunar goddess's eyes shrank into pinpricks as she froze and, for a time, everypony and changeling were afraid something went wrong. Then Luna shook herself from her stupor and cleaned the rest of the honey from her hoof without any other incident.
"This is not half bad." She commented as she licked up the rest of the 'honey'. "Tell us, what are these crystals?"
"Bits of magic." Kormac answered. "We have no idea why, but little bits of magic always mix in with the emotive energy. Not enough for there to be any side effects for the pony of course. Unless we forcefully pull in."
"What happens when thy forcefully pull in?" Luna asked.
"We get more magic than emotive energy." Kormac explained. "It isn't heathy, but it lends a bit of power to our magic and is only used in times of emergency. The affected pony would experience headaches as well as a drop in power, but nothing permanent."
"So that's what Chrysalis did." Shining said and there was a sudden silent somberness as Kormac stared at Shining.
Finally, Kormac spoke. "Shining Armor, we do not expect any forgiveness for the wedding, but I do wish for you to understand a few things. Changelings make their nests in the Badlands, a very hostile place for almost any life form. Add to that the fact that queens tend to war with each other over territory and whatnot, and you find a lifestyle that is not for the faint of heart. Before the wedding, we received word that a couple of the larger hives were getting ready to make a bid for our territory and hive, the result of which would have been the end of many lives.
"Amongst changelings there are three times when we can get a boost in love. The best chance to receive a boost is during weddings so at least one collector will attend or sneak into a wedding. You may have met a few. You know, that pony that nopony knows who invited them. Once, one of our collectors snuck in as a dog and hid under the cake table. Since then he's had a fondness for chocolate cake with raspberry filling. When we heard of the wedding we knew it was the perfect opportunity to get what we needed since it was a royal wedding. We fully expected to sneak in three, maybe four or five collectors amongst the guests; and the collector I mentioned before was planning on pulling the same trick and managed to convince a couple others to join him. We did not expect Chrysalis to infiltrate the wedding party, much less as the bride herself.
"At that point we aren't sure what was going through Chrysalis' head; but we could feel her intense fear for herself and her changelings, and it only increased when she could feel Twilight's suspicion directed at her. She was already doing a poor, but passable, impression of Princess Cadence and feeling Twilight's increasing suspicion only further knocked her off her game, to the point where she began to think about after and if she was going to survive. I have no idea what she did since that kind of magic is known only by the queens, but I hope you understand why she did everything she did."
There was silence as Kormac finished and they contemplated what he'd said. "But does it have to be like that?" Fluttershy asked quietly. "Does war really have to be the only way to do things?"
Kormac smiled a little at her. "Before she died, Chrysalis said something similar. She told me that we needed to change our ways and that she had faith that her chosen heirs would do that."
That was a surprise. None of the ponies expected that and the resulting silence stretched until Rarity decided that a change of topic was in order. "So, you called this motherly affection?" She asked as she indicated the orb.
"Yes. While it has the same nutritional value of the more easily gotten emotions, it is valued as a very effective comfort food amongst the queens."
"Only amongst the queens?" Rarity asked curiously. "Why not amongst the other changelings? Surely you have felt the need for some sort of comfort."
Kormac was quiet for a time as he contemplated the answer. He hadn't expected this to come up so soon and he was currently speaking with a few of his siblings who had caught notice of the conversation.
~Tread carefully brother. They probably won't react very well to the answer.~
~Perhaps you should stall the answer brother.~
~No.~ Kormac said firmly. ~They will learn soon and they may as well know now.~ 'But that doesn't mean that I shouldn't be tactful with this subject.'
"Um.... yes it is true that there are times when we do require a little reassurance." He said slowly. "But we already, or at least used to, had that in excess with Chrysalis."
"What do you mean darling?" Rarity asked quizzically.
Kormac hesitated a moment more. "Um, you see, this type of love is maternal love and since Queen Chrysalis was our mother, we had plenty."
"Eh?" Was the simultaneous reply from all six of his queens as they tilted their heads.
"Within a hive, a queen isn't just a leader. She is also the mother to every single drone that makes up the population of the hive." Once more, Spike found his quill broken and once more everypony froze. Then Rarity fainted.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Ten cups of tea with changeling honey later, the girls agreed that they would file this away for later. Meanwhile, they wanted to speak with the collectors. Kormac had informed them that all collectors had returned to the hive two weeks ago, and they have been rationing their stores since. With that comment, they'd also wanted to see what they had. And so, they journied to one of the bedrooms.
In a pile in the the room were roughly forty orbs. Some were various shades of pink, but others were several different colors. Applejack pointed at the orbs. "Why are there other colors?" She asked.
Kormac gently placed the now resealed previous orb back onto the pile. "We don't just absorb love. We also absorb other emotions, though only love gives us sufficient nutrients. Pink is love, and the deeper the emotion, the deeper the color. The other colors are different emotions."
"Any emotion?" Twilight said as she studied a bright blue orb.
Kormac shook his head. "Not any emotion. Just positive emotions. Negative emotions are unpalatable."
"There's not an awful lot for so many changelings." Fluttershy whispered worriedly.
Kormac shrugged. "Maybe so, but we'll make it stretch. It helps that it isn't all we eat."
"It isn't?"
"No. Love still remains a very important part of our diet and at times when there is drought or famine, we can still sustain ourselves on just love, so long as there is a steady flow."
"So what else do we eat?" Pinkie asked as she bounced in front of him.
"Fruits and vegetables are one part of our diet." Kormac answered. "But we also process nutrition from meat."
The six queens ground to a halt. "Meat? As in...meat?" Twilight asked.
"There is very little edible vegetation, or farmland in the badlands."
They blinked and then, to everypony's surprise, Rainbow Dash smiled. "Aw yeah, I can't wait to see how bacon tastes." Then, noticing the looks directed towards her, Rainbow shrugged. "What? Gilda always teased me about the stuff and I've been curious ever since."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Their next stop was the ballroom to meet with the collectors. While they could technically ask them to meet in that room, the queens felt that if they were going to rule over these changelings, they may as well mingle. The adult changelings mingled about while smaller dark forms wove amongst them. At first the group assumed that they were all changeling nymphs, but that thought was quickly amended when a small dark shape ran into Celestia's leg.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry litt-" Celestia began speaking as she helped the form up, only to stop once she got a good look at it. While it was black all over and about the size of the other nymphs, this creature was definitely not a changeling. It was dog like in shape, with a long broad muzzle with fangs poking out and covered in pitch black fur. There was a long snake-like tail with a brush of fur at the end, like a lion's tail, and on its shoulders were dark plates and large broad claws. But the most striking feature of this beast were its eyes. They were solid crimson with a golden circle in the center that seemed to serve as a pupil.
"What is it?" Twilight asked.
"A hellir valdr." Kormac answered her. "Translated into Equestrian it means cave wolf. Hellir have been a very important part of every hive for as long as we can remember."
"Are they sapient?" Celestia asked.
"No, but they are highly intelligent and very loyal. We train them for a variety of tasks. Digging, hunting, guarding, search and rescue, and more. They even make excellent pets and companions."
"So they're like changeling dogs." Applejack summed up as her thoughts drifted to Winona and home.
"Exactly. Every hive has a pack. They're even able to use the Hivelink, though they don't have a permanent link."
"Oh my gosh, it's so adorable!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she began cooing over the cave wolf.
"Yes, the pups are rather adorable." Kormac agreed.
It took a full five seconds for the sentence to fully register in Fluttershy's mind. "Pup?"
Kormac nodded. "This little one is a two month old female pup. Her mother is right over there."
They turned in the direction indicated and their jaws dropped. The adult cave wolf was exactly like her daughter, but much taller and more mature. Standing at full height, she was a little taller than Luna with longer, sharper fangs and powerful muscles rippling under her fur. For a moment, all was quiet as the adult cave wolf stared down the group. Finally, Fluttershy spoke up.
"Um, sorry about playing with your pup without asking. I'm sure I must've worried you."
The female only snorted and bowed her head before turning around to make her way to the orchestra, stage where a large mass of adult cave wolves were piled together either dozing or fast asleep.
"Oh dear. I hope I didn't upset her." Fluttershy fretted.
"Not at all, Queen Fluttershy. She took no offense to you. On the contrary, she acknowledged you as her alpha."
Fluttershy looked confused. "But I didn't do anything to assert any form of dominance. In fact, I think I was very submissive towards her."
"Hellir valdr have held a very deep connection with changelings for longer than our 'history' can remember. It's why the adults are comfortable with resting from our journey while their young play with the nymphs. They view the hive as the pack and automatically recognize the queen as their alpha. The only reason why she came here was because she was concerned about her pup's proximity with the ponies, but you allayed her fears."
"Oh, well I guess that's good. So why do you think they have such a connection with you?"
Kormac shrugged. "If there was an answer, it is long lost to the ages."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
The collectors were a varied bunch. After the initial bowing, they then asked the collectors questions about their lives which they were happy to answer. One by one they shared stories about their homes, jobs, friends, alternate identities (known to changelings as hamingja) and even families. There were laughs and tears shed, but the bottom line was that each and every collector expressed an interest in returning to their second homes.
The last collector in line was very unusual. He was a changeling to be sure, but at the same time was very different. He was a little taller than his fellow changelings and covered in thick black fur with shoulder plates and a black backplate where his wings were perched. His forelegs were more like a cave wolf, with powerful muscles and strong broad claws. Only his hindlegs looked like a changeling and his second eyelids were golden.
Kormac, noting the queens and ponies studying his brother, cleared his throat and began speaking. "Your highnesses, I'd like to introduce you to one of our collectors, Raoul." The changeling in question waved, thereby snapping the queens from they're curious trance.
"Um, hey." Twilight greeted. Raoul nodded and they got the feeling that he wasn't much of a talker. "So...um, uh...." She wasn't sure what to say. Sure they wanted to know why he looked the way he did, but they didn't want to say anything to offend him.
"You're all curious about me." The changeling stated with a deep rumbling voice that would have many fillies fainting.
"How'd you know?" Applejack asked.
Raoul shrugged. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. Even without the link, I could practically see you working up the courage to ask. And I am not offended. The reason why I am so different from my changeling brothers and sisters is because of childhood folly."
"Oh, really?" Twilight leaned forward a little to listen.
Raoul nodded. "As a nymph I was very energetic and eager to explore. One day my 'exploration' took me where I wasn't meant to be and I was in a terrible accident that injured me to the point of death. The only way to save my life was for Chrysalis to perform a fusion spell."
"A fusion spell?"
"A fusion spell is a common spell amongst the hives." Kormac interjected. "Changeling DNA is compatible with almost every species. A fusion spell basically fuses two subjects in body and soul. Queen Chrysalis rarely used the spell, and when she did it was usually for medical purposes. In the case of Raoul, she fused him with a hellir valdr pup. Since then, he's been more quiet and thoughtful than loud and rambunctious. Whether it was the result of his soul being fused to a hellir or because the experience itself was humbling is anyone's guess."
"He surprised us all when he picked collector." Another collector by the name of Bjorn said with smile. "We all expected he'd want to be a guard or even the Queen's Guard since he was so grateful to mother for saving him."
Raoul smirked. "I may have become quieter than I used to be, but that doesn't mean my adventurous spirit died that day." They all shared a laugh.
"Yeah, and his hamingja is ingenious." Edda added.
"It really isn't that wonderful." Raoul said evenly.
"ARE YOU KIDDING!?" They said altogether. Raoul didn't flinch at the increase in volume.
Cadence chuckled. "So what is your hamingja?"
"A dog." Raoul said plainly. That was new.
"A dog?" Celestia asked. Raoul only nodded and the collectors laughed.
"Yep." Edda said with a grin. "Usually collectors take on pony forms and build pony identities. Raoul here however only ever feels comfortable in more canine forms."
"It's not like he can't take on a pony form." Gytha stated matter of factly. She'd established herself as the level headed voice of reason. "But he still feels more comfortable in a dog form. I remember that's how he infiltrated a wedding for his first collecting. He hid under the cake table and snagged a few bites."
Pinkie Pie brightened and bounced up to Raoul. "Ooh, you must be that changeling that likes chocolate cake with raspberry filling!" Raoul nodded and Twilight swore she saw a bit of drool. Pinkie squealed with joy. "Then I definitely need to make you a cake!" Now Twilight was certain that it wasn't her imagination. Raoul was definitely drooling.
Edda began laughing maniacally. "So...yeah. Tall dark and serious here got himself adopted by a family in Trottingham and has since been a loyal companion to the kids."
Raoul nodded, and looked both his queens and the princesses in the eye. "It's been a few weeks since I've been at my second home. My family must be very worried by now since I've only ever disappeared for a day at most."
Gytha nodded. "When you're a collector, anything you collect has to be processed and stored where you are. You can't always be going back to the hive every time you've got love. It would look too suspicious if you went on vacation every week. When you're a pony you have the benefit of a cellar or storeroom to process and store your earned love. And whenever your room gets full, or something comes up, you can always 'go on vacation'. But as a pet, you don't have that advantage."
"But we fixed that." Edda said as she jumped onto Gytha, who sighed in annoyance. "Since Raoul couldn't have a storeroom of his own, we let him use ours. Once a week he'd come either my place or Gytha's and hang out for the day. Otherwise he'd be with his family. Ah, those were the days."
"Indeed." Raoul said with a small smile of his own. "And I wish to return to it."
"Ah completely understand partner." Applejack said with a nod. "Ah mahself wanna see may family again. But ah'm not very comfortable with th' idea that yer lyin' ta them."
Raoul nodded. "That is understandable since you are the Element of Honesty."
Applejack shuffled her hole riddled hooves a bit. "Ah'm not so sure how accurate that is."
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"Because, look at us." She held her hoof out for all to see. "We ain't ponies anymore."
"So?" Raoul shrugged like it didn't bother him. "You may have changed physically, but your souls are still the same as always. I find it hard to believe that the Elements of Harmony would reject you simply because of a change in species. If they did, does that mean that friendship is limited to one nation and one species?"
The Element bearers gave it some thought. "Ah guess not. It just seems ta fly in tha' face of everthin' harmony and friendship stands for in th' first place." Applejack said with a small smile.
Celestia also smiled. "I have no doubt that the Elements will still recognize you as their bearers. But that aside, there is still the issue of your love supply."
"Ah'm not comfortable with them lyin' ta their loved ones." Applejack said firmly.
"Of course not Applejack." Celestia replied. "Neither am I given our circumstances. My little ponies will get suspicious and they would eventually be revealed. Yet this emotive energy is important to your hive's survival."
"It would seem as though our only option is public integration." Luna said grimly.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Luna stepped up to the podium on the stage set up in the castle courtyard and looked over the crowd of reporters and nobles. Sitting in seats right behind were Celestia, Cadence, Shining Armor and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony wearing said Elements. It was almost unnoticeable, but if one looked closely one could see the Elements fidgeting slightly and casting glances across the crowd. The few ponies that noticed this passed it off as nerves from being in public. There were a scant few in the crowd however whose eyes had initially widened before settling into neutral expressions. Luna cleared her throat and began addressing the crowd.
"Greetings to all." She announced to the crowd. "First off we'd like to thank you all for bearing with us these past three days. Thy patience is greatly appreciated. Since you all are bursting with questions, we shall not stand on ceremony any longer. We already know that your first and foremost question will be why are the changelings here." The press leaned forward a little to make sure they didn't miss this.
"Recently these changelings have lost their queen and her heirs were in Canterlot." Luna answered. "We have personally spoken with these new queens," there was a slight grimace from Applejack "and we have determined that it would be beneficial for all of us to unite our nations."
There was an explosion of questions from several members of the press. Silver Pen however wasn't amongst them as he remained seated and taking notes on a pad of paper. Eventually Luna raised a hoof to quiet them down before continuing. "For the time being, a majority of the hive will remain here in Canterlot castle. The rest will openly mingle with the rest of Equestria."
There were whispers of shock and a few exclaimed the horror of it all. Eventually the shock wore out and gave way to protests.
"Are you kidding me!? They're nothing but monsters!!"
"Aren't you forgetting how they invaded us?!"
"We should be destroying those things, not making treaties!"
"The horror! The horror!"
Twilight and the other Element Bearers shifted back like they wanted to curl in on themselves but they held themselves. Shining Armor looked like he was itching to jump in front of them with a weapon drawn, but Celestia shot him a look that told him to hold fast. Shining reluctantly nodded before edging closer to his sister. Luna however stood in stony silence. Celestia made a move to step up and intervene, but Luna turned her head and they briefly conferred in a way that only close siblings could. Celestia sat back down leaving the matter in her sister's hooves. Luna then turned back to the increasingly angry crowd.
"BE SILENT!!!" She thundered in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Shocked at the sudden sound, they did as they were told. Luna glared at they ponies before her. "Thou would have us cast aside those who wish for help? Have us cast aside those who have asked forgiveness? Have us cast aside the very principles that Equestria itself was founded upon?!" That last part silenced those who would've protested the first two. Luna only pressed on undeterred. "Was not Equestria founded upon the principles of unity, friendship and forgiveness? If we were to rebuff those who seek the same, what does that make us? Does friendship truly reside within one nation and not anywhere else? I say thee, nay! I myself have been offered forgiveness when I felt I did not deserve it. Who am I to deny the same? And so I swear by the sun and moon under mine and my sister's control that we shall be the peacemakers, not just towards the ones who have wronged us, but also towards any and all changeling queens who come to us for the same."
The crowd stood silent as Luna's declaration echoed across the courtyard. Then, the sound of hooves stomping was heard as Silver Pen applauded the speech. Many more from the audience joined quickly, and soon most of the ponies present were stomping their hooves.
Luna smiled. 'Well, that's one hurdle cleared. Let us hope we can clear the others.'
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Silver Pen flipped through his notebook as he trotted back to his apartment. There had been a few more announcements before they'd all been sent home. On the outside, the unicorn reporter looked as though he was entirely focused on his article. In reality, his attention was elsewhere.
~So, what do you think my queen?~ He queried. There was a pause on the other end of the link.
~Most interesting.~ Came the reply. ~I never would've suspected that Chrysalis would use the Heir spell, much less on the Element Bearers.~
~I do not think any of the other queens saw that coming either.~ Silver observed. ~I felt several other infiltrators at that press conference. One or two even attempted to start a riot.~
~Hmmmm. No doubt they were Riselle and Valli's. Those two have always seen ponies as below them.~
~Indeed. And what are your thoughts? What are we to do? This changes much for us. Some might even attack the hive.~
~For now we carry on as though nothing is different. This isn't the time for snap decisions. We must think long and hard.~
Silver Pen reached his apartment and entered. ~And what do you think I should put in my article? ~
There was a warm chuckle that made Silver smile. ~Publish the truth as you see fit.~
~Of course your hig-~
~Ehem~ came the firm but kind interruption.
~Sorry. Mother.~ He amended.
~That's better.~ Silver Pen smiled. Unlike most queens, his insisted that her subjects refer to her as mother, mom, etc instead of your highness. He and his siblings supposed it was because of her pony origins. After ending their conversation, Silver Pen, otherwise known as Torgny, began writing his article, giving as much support as he could. Celestia knew they'd need it.