The Changeling Queen smiled. "You have done well; you have not only partly avenged yourself, but you have well and truely proved yourself to everyling in this Hive. I did the right thing in allowing you to join. Because of you, tonight there will be enough love for all the Changelings to feast, and I intend that you will be the guest of honour so that they know who brought them such a meal." Messenger Changelings were sent by royal to all the different parts of the Hive, and everyling who was not in the middle of a vitally important job was summoned to the feeding chamber where the Queen and Diamond Tiara waited. "Everyling, I have some very good news. Our new recruit, Diamond Tiara, has not only partly avenged the deaths of her parents, but has brought back so much love in one go that it almost filled our central well to the brim," the Queen announced. "As a result, today we will feast, everyling can have two bowls of love, and from tomorrow the love ration for everyling will be raised from one bowl to one and a half bowls for the next three months." The Changelings cheered and clapped and blew kisses to Diamond.
The bowls were brought out and everyling started feasting upon the delicious love that Diamond had brought. "Diamond, should you ever have to fight for the Hive it will be as a corporal, not a mere private."
"Thank you, your Majesty."
"Also, I suggest that you make your other two acts of revenge different so that nopony suspects anything. And when the other two murderers are dead you will feel so much better and can replace somepony's true love; or maybe find a true love of your own without having to replace anypony. But if you can't do that you are welcome back in the Hive, where you have a good chance of earning further promotion and getting an interesting job. Perhaps teaching the pupa how to gain love since you are so good at it."
When the feast came to an end Diamond was told "You have a new bedroom in the Hive now. One a little bigger then your previous one, with an extra-fine hammock newly woven for you. And you may if you wish make the two stripes of a corporal appear upon your arm. Her Majesty wishes you to stay the night here before going back to seek revenge upon the other two killers." As she went to her new room Changelings stopped and thanked her, and she could sense how happy the entire Hive was. Her new room was still pretty spartan, but it was bigger then her last one. The next day she took pegasus shape and decided to go after Silver Tail, the second killer. She discovered that when he was not out committing crimes for his now petrified boss, he worked as a zoo keeper at the Manehatten Zoo.
This could be interesting she thought.
Silver Tail took a last look around the zoo to make sure that nopony had accidently or deliberately got themselves stuck inside after closing time. Zoo work certainly was a challenge, from feeding the parasprites and keeping even one from escaping, to cleaning up the dung of a manticore and making sure that everypony wore magical anti-petrifying spectacles when viewing the cockatrices. I may have done some...bad things in my life, but I'm not all bad. Besides, when the Manhatten City Guards ask me where my money comes from, I have a nice legal job to account for it.
He heard a howl behind him. A timberwolf. But, I checked the cage a short time ago, the timberwolves are properly locked up... Turning around, he saw a fully grown timberwolf just behind him, a second before it pounced and tore his throat out. Diamond Tiara changed to unicorn shape, took his keys and unlocked the timberwolves cage before quickly taking pegasus shape and getting out of there.
Perfect. His death will be put down to either bad luck or his own stupidity in leaving a cage open. Hopefully the real timberwolves will eat his body before any help comes. And nopony will suspect that his death was really caused by a changeling. We changelings can be really subtle when we want to be. One in stone, one reduced to bone, one left to go. She changed shape again, briefly becoming snakelike to fit through the bars that prevented the pegusai from flying into the zoo without paying anytime they felt like it. Feeling a bit tired, she decided to fly back to the Hive to feed, rest and plan her next move.
The next day the last of the three killers, Bronze Eye, was walking through the Canterlot Sculpture Gardens reading a newspaper. It has to be a murder. I know Silver Tail well and he loved animals and he also knew their dangers, and there is no way that he would leave a timberwolf cage open and turn his back on it. It has to be a targeted killing, but who did it to him? Did he fall foul of the boss for some reason? Did a rival criminal gang bump him off? But how could they have got into the zoo? The place was locked and pegusas proof.
He came to the statue of Discord. After what had happened when he broke out and caused chaos, everypony knew and was thankful that he was trapped once more in stone. But it made him feel uneasy. He looked around at the other statues, including one of three foals, and thought Is Discord the only living statue trapped here or are there others? Are all these statues really alive, aware, but petrified ponies? That would be really horrible. He stopped when he came to a statue of Gold Bar. Oh no...if that rumour about Gold Bar's blasphemy about Her Majesty is true...then that is not a statue of Gold Bar...it is Gold Bar. Look at the horror on his face and in his eyes-he's been reduced to a living statue.[/i ]
"Boss...Gold Bar, I would change you back if I could but I just don't dare. Only Princess Celestia could have done this to you and if I turn you back, she'll come after me too." Who or what got Gold Bar stoned and turned Silver Tail into timberwolf bait? Whoever it is, you will not get me.