//------------------------------//
// Change of Events 
// Story: The Changeling King 
// by th3l0stch1ld 
//------------------------------//

	Dinner went on as usual, but with smaller portions.  Rationing was to take place immediately, no exceptions.  In the middle of the meal, Chrysalis looked up at Amor.  He had that blank look in his eyes again.  She could tell he was thinking deeply.
“Amor, you have a plan, don’t you?”
Amor looked up from his meal.  He could see that Chrysalis was worried not only about the hive, but about him.
“Not yet.  But our chance will come”
Chrysalis, still slightly worried, seemed content with the answer she was given.  The two went back to their meals and finished with no rush.  When they were finished, Amor headed to the balcony one last time before heading for bed.  He looked out over the hive.  
“Can I really save this whole hive?  Will I find food, or fail miserably?”
Amor looked up at the night sky.  He prayed.  He wasn’t sure who he was praying to, but he prayed.
“Please, if you can hear me, if anypony can hear me, don’t let this hive starve because of me.  Let them live.  Take me if you have to.”
Amor was so caught up in the moment, that he didn’t even notice Chrysalis was watching him.  She stayed in the shadows and listened to his little prayer.  Her eyes filled with tears at the thought.  A life without Amor?  She would not let him die.  
Chrysalis walked out on the balcony beside Amor.  When he finally noticed her, he stood up and Chrysalis hugged him.  Amor was very surprised.
“What brought that on?” he asked.
“Do not die.  Did you hear me?  Do not ever die before me.”
Amor looked down at Chrysalis.  His face changed from a look of surprise to a look of love and comfort.
“Don’t worry,” he said.  “I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.”
Amor and Chrysalis stayed in each other’s hooves for what felt like hours.  When they finally headed in for bed it was very late.  They got in the bedroom and Amor began to hang his head very low, already being half asleep.  When his head fell he heard a very loud clang, like metal on concrete.  His eyes shot open and his head was up, looking for the source of the noise.  Chrysalis looked at him and giggled.
“What’s so funny?” he asked in an unserious tone.
“You.”
Chrysalis’s horn began to glow and hum, and from the floor in front of Amor floated up his crown.
“Hmm.  I forgot I was wearing that thing.”
“Yes, I could tell.”
Amor and Chrysalis fell in the bed.  Chrysalis gave Amor another good hug and a kiss, and quickly drifted to sleep.  Amor did the same.
“Amor.” called a voice that he has never heard before.
Amor opened his eyes slowly at first.  Then they flew open when he realized he was no longer in his bed.  He was nowhere.  There was no floor, no walls, no sky, just total blackness.  Amor was standing in what was the equivalent of the void.  
“Amor.” called the voice again.  The voice was definitely female, but it sounded as if though it echoed.  He tried to walk toward where he thought the voice was coming from, but when he took his first step, there was no ground in front of him.  Before he could fall, he began rapidly flapping his wings.  The insect like buzz echoed throughout the area.  So he hovered, still looking for the source of the voice.
	“Amor, you are not a normal changeling, you know this.  You must leave the hive soon.  Let nopony know where you are going, but rest assured, you will save the hive.  Trust in me.  But for now, you must wake up.”
Suddenly, Amor saw something began to glow from below him.  He looked down to see an emerald fire climbing towards him rapidly.  He tried to fly up and away from the fire, but he hit something.  There was some sort of invisible roof above him.  He was trapped, and the fire began licking his hooves.  The pain burned into his legs, his body, his neck, and finally his head.
“You must leave the hive.”
Amor shot up from the bed.  He was breathing heavily and sweating.  He looked over at Chrysalis to make sure he didn’t wake her.  Still asleep.  Amazing what she could sleep through, he thought.  Amor laid back down in the bed and looked at Chrysalis as he thought about what just happened. What was that? He thought.  None of my nightmares were ever like that, and that voice.  What could it all mean?  These thoughts stayed in Amor’s mind until he finally drifted back asleep.
He woke the next morning and got ready for the day, right after Chrysalis made sure he didn’t forget his crown again.  With a kiss they were off to their new duties: finding a new food source.  They walked to the small room where the planning was always held.  After the guards were dismissed, the two were ready to get to work.
“Okay, let’s start by looking over what notes we already have.” Said Amor as he removed his crown and sat it on the table with the map.  “Let’s see.  I’ve just about completely ruled out Ponyville and Canterlot, those two are just too risky.”
“But wouldn’t Canterlot have enough love to feed the hive for years to come?”
“Yes, but the risk is greater than the reward.  There is an extremely high chance that if we try to attack Canterlot, the city guards will overpower us, not to mention the power Celestia has.  I don’t think it is a good idea to attack Canterlot unless we get the perfect chance to strike from within.”
Chrysalis’s eyes widened with disbelief.  She tried planning attacks before, but she never thought about other factors like that.  Planning will be much harder than she thought.
“Do we have anything from Manehattan yet?  What about Filydelpia?”
“I sent spies out to those two locations days ago and I’m still waiting for a report.  I don’t know what’s taking them so long.  So far Cloudsdale would be the easiest to attack, but I’m not sure how much love we would get out of it.  Most of those pegasi are fueled by competition, not love.  Not to mention that a lot of them are a bit aggressive.  We would probably get more envy from there than anything.”
“I see.  What did you say was wrong with Ponyville?”
"I think the wielders of the Elements of Harmony live there.”
Chrysalis looked up in shock.  “The Elements of harmony?  I thought that was just a myth!”
“Trust me, it’s all but a myth.   Recently, a magical blast in town was recorded.  The last time anything of that power was ever seen was over a thousand years ago.”
Ideas were passed back and forth for hours, but when day turned to night, they still had no new plans.  Amor and Chrysalis decided to call it a night and headed to the bedroom.  Just like last night, a hug and a kiss.  And just like last night Amor ended up in the same place.