Journey of an Assassin

Remember when I said that I was cautious and not a fool? I take that back. There are times where I question my intelligence and this happens when thoughts of food conspire with an empty stomach, making decisions hard to conclude with. Its a bad combination for me, it really is. As the changeling swarm closed in around me, I did what anyone would do when cornered; I withdrew both swords and held them defensively, warning be damned. I'm not sure how many I will be able to take down, twenty maybe thirty if I'm lucky. The loud hissing and chittering mixed with the buzzing of the thousand of pairs of wings didn't help any plans formulating to escape this death trap.

"Enough!" Queen Chrysalis called out,"Do not harm our guest my children, for the runt has brought us a very special being of importance."

The swarm ceased their movements and just stared at me. Thousands of blue eyes baring down on me like hungry lions ready to pounce a defenseless calf. They obeyed their ruler and withdrew back into the shadows of the throne room. They may be out of sight, but I could still feel the eyes burning holes in my skin.

"You must forgive them. Food is scarce and there have been the most extreme of times where we are forced to rely on consuming meat."

I now know how chickens or lambs must feel before slaughter. Despite my occupation, I shuddered at the thought of being torn apart just to feed a ravenous horde of changelings.

I sheathed both krises, but kept a couple throwing daggers handy, just in case the temptation to "nibble" on me was too great. The queen descended from her throne and approached me, her eyes the most intense out of all I had seen so far.

"Your an intriguing creature. Not a hint of love or compassion upon your spirit. Nothing but a cold hard shell around you. Such is the trade of a hired killer?"

"Comes with the territory." I replied,"Emotion in my line of work? You're dead before you realized you made a mistake."

Her laugh echoed off the walls as she walked past me, her tail brushing against my clothing. Whether intentional or accidental, I will never know.

"Walk with me, my guest. I understand you have many questions, yes. I have the answers provided and a few rules to follow."

We exited the throne room, both guards bowing upon her sight. As we headed from the main chamber and made a right, I realized it was eerily silent. Moments ago this underground network was alive with buzzing, hissing changelings all over. It was quite clear any disobedience in the presence of their ruler would be dealt a harsh punishment. I noticed my traveling guide "runt" was following in tow, never once looking up. I winced at his name and regretted what I thought about him when we journeyed to his home and how true I hit the target on his status.

The room we entered was half the size of the throne room, yet still plenty of space to hold meetings or conferences. The table in the center was made of smooth stone, polished to almost a mirror sheen, which reflected the glow of the green light overhead. Queen Chrysalis took the ornament chair at the far end. She motioned with one holed foreleg to the smaller chair at her left. I seated, my gaze never leaving hers until she clapped (clopped?) her hooves together. Runt bowed and exited, some unknown requested had been given and he was sent to fulfill it.

"Now... my esteemed guest. The world you have seen thus far with your own eyes. It is a world your human kin have not stepped foot on for over a thousand years. Ancient texts, scrolls and books the inhabitants of this world held spoke of your brief appearances. The ruling monarchs however, chose to keep it secret. As your world's Three Laws have dictated so have some laws concerning your kind remain strictly enforced here."

"Go on." I replied.

"The world of Equestria is home to three nations. Canterlot which houses the sisters of the heavenly bodies of the sky. Their subjects are ponies."

The queen's horn glowed a soft green as a transparent world began to float from the center of the table. One huge continent seemed to dominate much of the planet's surface, yet as it enlarged outlines detailing kingdoms began to emerge. Equestria, the nation I was brought into looked to be at the center of the large land mass. Various cities, towns and natural wonders, each oddly named after a horse or pony were pinpointed at different sections locations. The kingdom of Equestria itself seem to span the entire continent. It as I gazed north, I realized that green lands shifted to cold barren mountains. Here a different kingdom sat. Named the Crystal Empire it was strange to set up residence with the climate being unkind and unmerciful in terms of the bitter cold. South found the red empty landscape known as the Badlands home to these changelings and their queen. East and West were met with oceans. As the world shifted, the oceans gave way to to different continents. Each were simply dubbed Griffon Nation and The Draconis Empire.

"As you have noticed Equestria is by far the largest of the three kingdoms. Yet for its size, they are not the sole rulers. Griffon Nation and the Draconis Empire are both ruled by their own govern monarchs. They too possess individuals of sentient intelligences, though the dragons tend to slip into their feral nature if they allow their greed to control their lives."

"Dragons?" I replied, rather shocked,"There are actually dragons here?"

"You sound surprised. I thought your world was home to all sorts of mythical creatures." The Queen said.

"Hardly. During the hunts dragons were nearly brought to extinction. Either by a knight attempting to gain favor with the four kingdoms, or young men attempting to win a woman's heart through brave acts, the once great beasts were almost wiped out. Were it not for wizard and mage intervention, all the would have remained would be the bones and skulls in museums. No one has seen a dragon for nearly one hundred years."

"Pity." Was her reply,"I'll have my guards draw up maps pertaining to where your job will take you." A soft glow of her horn and the image of the world faded.

"Speaking of which..." I motioned with a hand, indicating a contract to be drawn up for me to look over and sign.

Queen Chrysalis stared at me in an odd way before clearing her throat,"About that..."

She rose from her seat and gestured me to follow once more. I arched a brow, though it was hard to see given the hood, yet left my chair and followed her out of the conference room. We took the path towards the main hallway which would see us to the throne room once more. The hive was buzzing once more with activity, though more subdued then before. Once we passed through the double doors, she took her seat upon the throne pod.

"Despite my runt informing me of how skilled you are, I am afraid words alone will not win you my favor."

"Pardon?" I asked, puzzled.

"We share a link, my offspring and I. I see through all my children's eyes. It's how I keep track of each and every one and them in return, keep me well informed of the world we struggle to live in. Unfortunately when my runt entered your world, our connection was severed. Hence when you both returned, he departed rather abruptly to re-connect. Thus I was unable to see you dispatch your quarry back home."

I groaned and rubbed my brow,"So who do I have to kill to satisfy your expectation of me?"

"I'm glad you asked." Queen Chrysalis said, clopping her fore hooves together three quick taps. At the signal, one guard emerged from outside the chamber. I stepped aside as it approached and bowed before its queen.

"Guard! Show him his target of the test."

"Yes, my Queen." It buzzed before turning to face me.

I was expecting parchment with a sketch or image of who I was to eliminate. Thus I was caught by surprise when a wreath of green fire erupted at its feet. Slowly the fire ascended, enveloping the changeling as it stood there, silent and alert. I thought it was sacrificing itself to its queen to show its loyalty. But further inspection revealed a stunning fact: These changelings morph into any person or creature of this world. Its body literally morphed from a insectoid pony to a white pony.

I stood there and examined the new face. It was as tall as the zebra back in the forest, maybe a foot or two taller. The build was more stocky and the muzzle was square jawed instead of curved. I had to guess I was looking at a stallion instead of a mare, the male beings of Equestria. White coated with pale blue mane and tail, his eyes matching in hue. Adorned in armor with a horn jutting from his forehead. A well built unicorn stallion. Adorned on his flank was a shield and what looked to be a six pointed star.

"This is your test, assassin. You are to travel to the Crystal Empire in search of one Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard and prince to the kingdom."

I frowned as I circled the changeling/stallion. He didn't look threatening. The aura I got from his presence felt more regal, protective. The desire to defend those he held dear to his heart. Nothing scheming or sinister. I stopped myself from delving further into the hesitant department. Looks are deceiving. What could be an honest hard working captain, could turn out to be a corrupt, vile pony who was causing more harm then good. But why him?

"His offense against you?" I asked.

Queen Chrysalis eyes narrowed and I could feel the hatred seething behind them,"Him and his soldiers have hunted my kin. They show no mercy to us, killing my darling children any chance they get. They do not see our reasons, they do not care for our plight. To them, we are but vermin to be wiped off this world. What right have he or the celestial sisters have to judge us?"

She rose as her guard shifted back,"We are misunderstood assassin, just like you. We need to feed, yet the ponies only see us as monsters. No thanks to Shining's search parties, our attempts to stave off our hunger have been harsh."

"And what is it you crave so much that these ponies possess and refuse to share?" I asked.

"Love. Pure love is the best, but love in all its forms. It fills us, gives us strength, makes us flourish."

Queen Chrysalis turned to look upon me, only to see me stand there dumbfounded.

Love? I admit I've seen and tried some exotic culinary displays during my travels, but to eat love as an emotion? How does one feed on love? A succubus came to mind, yet these changelings hardly looked to be the seductive, alluring type despite their ability to "blend" in with the crowd. Queen Chrysalis had the best chance out of all the changelings, but it felt slim.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

Her voice brought me back from my thoughts as I shifted from left foot to right,"Its a little strange, hearing that the emotion of love is a source of food for you and your changelings."

A soft chuckled bubbled in her throat,"We feed on all emotions. Anger, Love, Sadness, Joy. It is love that is the strongest. I'm sure my words earlier would have given a suttle hint about our diet."

She did mention my lack of emotions and how I remained stone cold expressionless. Probably tried to snack on me, only to find an empty shell. Lucky me, I guess.

"Ahh, you are getting a grasp of what I mean. Under extreme conditions do we resort to physical means of food. Meat is the top of the choice, followed by what ever grows in the forest along our borders. It is hard on us as our digestive tracts have a difficult time accepting a substitute means of a meal."

"Oppressive nations subjecting misunderstood creatures only seeking means of survival. Huh. And I thought peasant live back home was harsh." I replied.

I idly rubbed my chin as the guard who shifted from this Shining Armor back to his normal appearance handed me a map. I began to wonder what other tribes out there were ridiculed or scoffed at all because they were simply different? I rolled the parchment and slipped it into one of my pockets before giving a light bow to the queen.

"Consider the job taken. Given the distance between here and the Crystal Empire, it will take me a month, month and a half in favorable weather. Seeing as its to the far north, I will require winter gear to stave off the worst of the cold if I am to be traveling by snow."

Queen Chrysalis smiled and gave a light nod,"Consider the order filled. As for the journey, my fellow kin will guide you. Beneath the world above my vast network of caves and tunnels makes traveling faster and easier. I look forward to hearing your success assassin, should you survive the endeavor. Until we meet again."

A great green light enveloped her body and with a flash, the queen was gone, leaving me standing there with the guard. I turned to him as he nodded and followed him out of the room.

So my test was to hunt this Shining Armor down and eliminate him before the real job began. How hard can it be?