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// II-The Assassination 
// Story: Chrysalis's Wedlock 
// by Diamond Sparkle 
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Hundreds of miles from their Hive,  the "Twelve Apostles" as Queen Chelicerae nicknamed them, came to  the subtle scent trail that had been laid down as an invisible boundary marker known only to Changelings that marked the boundary between one Changeling territory and another. For Changelings to operate here from rival hives the normal procedure would be to send an ambassador to ask permission, but instead they hid behind a cloud and changed their shape so that they had the black bodies, dark carapaces and blue eyes of Queen Chrysalis's brood. Then they flew over the border and up to the Hive. As they got close they changed shape again, taking the shape of pegusai, so it seemed as if they were bringing love back to the Hive, something that commonly happened as the main source of love was never quite large enough to feed everyling and other sources were needed. They joined with a couple of others and flew to the main gate. A couple of bored guards with spears ordered them to change into their Changeling form and that was it, they were allowed inside. They didn't even ask us for a password, our own security would never have been so sloppy thought Refraction, the commander of the unit.

As it happened, they had arrived at the main meal of the day, just as the sun was starting to set, and trooped or flew down with the other Changelings for a refreshing, nourishing meal of love soup. Afterwards it was relatively easy to identify the guarded door to the Queen's private royal quarters where her main love source was. They had worked out their plan before they got there and went to the out-of-the-way armoury where the spears, swords and armour was stacked and stored in case of invasion or siege, with a single guard on duty. Unlike the two gate guards who looked heartily sick of their job and wanting to be elsewhere, he was alert and wore light armour. Refraction went up to him and said "Good news, you've been relieved of duty early."

"Really? Nobody told me about that earlier. And why would twelve guards be sent to do the job of one?"

One of the Twelve had got behind him and bit him through the throat, at a place where the mostly bite-proof exoskeleton was thinner to allow movement, and the guard died without a sound. Taking his keys, they unlocked the armoury and got what they had come for. Spears and royal armour. Armour that was only worn when not in battle by the trusted royal guards of Queen Chrysalis. Whilst Changelings could  make their exoskeleton change and feel to the touch like pony skin, griffin feathers, dragon scales, they could not fake armour or clothing properly. Armoured up, they cocooned the body and left it hanging from the ceiling as if the guard had been very unprofessional and helped himself to a snack from the grub's chamber. Then, acting like they owned the place they strutted up to the door, Refraction wearing an officer's armour. It could all still fall apart he thought, concealing the fear he had on the inside. This place is in public and there are two guards, not just one. If they ask for a password and we guess wrong, we won't be able to kill them before they raise the alarm and Chrysalis's changelings rip us into pieces, or take us prisoner which once they find out what we did, won't be much good and will only delay our deaths. We have to brass it out, attitude is everything.

Touching an epaulette with a hoof to pull rank on the guards, he stuck his nose in the air and pushed open the guarded door. To his great relief the guards raised no objection to he and his team entering the private quarters of Queen Chrysalis where her main love source was. A pony. A pony taken at birth many years ago in a love raid when she was a tiny foal, brought up amongst Changelings so she regarded them as normal, then seduced by the Queen when she was old enough. Her love for her swarm, when focused through a pony, was strong enough to provide up to three quarters of what they needed. Kidnapping and replacing ponies made up the shortfall and in particular fed the grubs before they pupated. It was easy enough to find the pony through her scent, as the only free uncocooned pony in the entire Hive. It turned out to be a blue unicorn mare with a red heart on her flank as a cutie mark. Refraction went up to her and without warning, tore her throat out with his fangs.

A few rooms away, Queen Chrysalis sat on her throne with her most trusted councillors holding court and punishing minor, middling, and major misdemeanours. She happened to be glaring at a luckless changeling who had been caught syphoning love from a captured pony who had been hung up to feed the grubs. "You made a serious mistake, a very stupid mistake. The grubs are the future of our Swarm, and..."

She let out a choking sound. Sweet Heart! Something horrible has happened to Sweet Heart! "Seal shut the Hive! Close all the gates! Someling or something has struck down the love of my life!" With a whirr of her wings she took off closely followed by her ministers and bodyguards. Refraction and the others barely had time to get away from the murder scene before the Queen arrived, and at once began to cry as soon as she saw his body. She shook it with her hooves franticly. " Sweet Heart, princess, wake up, WAKE UP!" As she carried on crying for her lost love, the love for her swarm had no non-Changeling focus with which to feed it, and all over the Hive, Changelings wondered why they suddenly felt hungry shortly after finishing their supper. One of Queen Chrysalis's generals transformed in front of her into the form of Sweet Heart, but she waved him away. "No...no, I understand you were just trying to be nice, but...but even if you could be just like her for me, it would not be the same. My love for the Swarm has to be fed through the prism of a pony to feed it...we just lost most of our love supply. All we have to feed on are the cocooned ponies and griffins, and what love our undercover agents can bring to the Hive. General, please find out exactly how much love is in the stores, the rest of you...leave me to mourn alone."

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