The pleasure of the hunt...

Morgana's heart pounding in her chest as she crept through castle court yard. Only this was a different feeling, a different type of hunt. Why was it different? Simple, her prey was in a box. A box in which she needed to sneak her way to. Oh this was a new and fun feeling... It's like the game of Seek-and-Kill! The game she played when training with animals out in the wild. It was a little different now, but it was just like following the animal to their den and killing them all when she found them.

She wasn't the perfect predator, she knew it. If she was she'd have been in and out of here already. The guard rotations were getting on her nerves... It took her around an hour to get inside and get eyes on her target. Shining Armor... There he was, laying there sleeping so peacefully. She wasn't alone however, there was another guard down here with her. He wasn't exactly doing his job very well... he had fallen asleep at the desk he was sitting at.

Was it really going to be this easy for her? For her to kill such a important pony... so easily? Making sure to take quiet steps she looked down at the pony sleeping at the desk. Falling asleep at one's post is never a good habit... It could have dire consequences. Licking her lips she reaches to the guards waist and takes his keys. Her smile widened at the stallion.

'Oh how I'd love to drag you and Shining away with me and torture you both to my hearts content...' She thought as she sighed internally. 'But sadly... My king has forbidden me to harm any of you possible toys...' Moving back to Shining's cell she slowly unlocked the cell. It wasn't hard with magic, just a simple deafening spell and the door opened without a sound. Placing the keys on the ground just as quietly with her magic. Just because she was in a pegasus form didn't mean she couldn't use her magic. Taking another glance at the guard desk making sure he was still asleep she reached out for Shining's neck.

This was too easy, it was almost sad. This had to be a trap, but she checked everything. She even checked for surveillance spells. There was only one... the one that saw her come in in disguise. No there wasn't a trap... She was being a little over paranoid that's all. Shaking her head she hovered her hands over his neck once again only this time she was going to do it. Rid the world of the stallion that would stand in her king's way if he continued to live.

The swift motion and the echo of the snapping of bones and it was over. It was so... ugh that word she couldn't remember... it was making her feel sick to her stomach. Checking for a pulse and not finding one as well as feeling no emotion at all coming from Shining's limp body she sighed but then smiled. She was free to play now, all she had to do was leave the place while still disguised and it was all going to end as her King planned.

Getting out the way she came in was a lot more difficult than she planned. She got stopped and questioned by the door guards as to why she was there. A few lies and convincing reason for being in the prison later and she was on her merry way. Out of the castle and into the dark moonlit streets of Canterlot she stalked her way towards the Canterlot hospital. Her disguise shifting to a different pony now. This one was a nurse, wearing a needlessly skimpy version of a nurse uniform. That is just in case she'd have to bend a doctor or two to her will she'd have no hassle doing it so she could get to her goal.

Sneaking into a hospital at night...

... was so

.

..

...

EASY!

However finding her target was not... Her sense of smell was sharp she knew it... but where was she? Where was this home-wrecking whore of a mare?! This was starting the infuriate her. All she had to do was follow her nose to the scent of Shining's currently unborn child in the maternity ward... but she keeps ending up near the room with the foals sleeping peacefully. Each one of them.. so defenseless, so... inconsequential.... their little lives so insignifi-

Morgana's thoughts were cut off as her eyes stopped on a baby laying there, staring at her. She knew one thing about babies when they were awake they cried... but this one just seemed to be looking at her. Morgana walked over to the baby and sniffed. Her body started to tremble... Her right eye twitched slightly as a sickeningly insane smile appeared sharply jagged on her face.

Thhhheerrrreeee you are." She whispers picking up a clipboard and reading the information just left there for her to find. Like little bread-crumbs leading her to her gingerbread wonderland! There's the name she was looking for... and how convenient, there's the room number too. Looking up from the clipboard to the baby unicorn she froze. Something wasn't right with this child...

Tearing her gaze from the baby girl she looked at the clock on the wall. She had very little time left... less than thirty minutes. Her eyes widened in shock, she'd been staring at the child for nearly 3 hours. The night was almost over, and if she wanted to play with this child's mother she'd have to hurry... Turning she took two steps only to here a slight sound that stopped her in her tracks.

Was it a soft cry? Turning herself partway around she could see the child looking at her. She was going to kill this child's whore of a mother... and she had already killed her waste of space father. She was going to be alone...

"Alone... Just like me...." Morgana's usual smile was gone as she looked at the floor. She wasn't the least bit guilty for what she's done and what she still plans to do... She wants to torture and kill that mare and she's going to do it, but... "Can I really leave you all alone? Maybe I should just kill you too... put you out of your misery early... You'll have no one to take care of you... You'd be better off dead." Balling her hand into a fist she raised it high and brought it down.

Morgana closed her eyes as her body tensed stopping herself from moving. She cracked her eye open and looked down at the child whom she failed miserably to hit. Shaking her head slowly reaching down with both arms and lifting the baby to her chest. "Don't you worry little one... Morgana will make sure you're never alone." The child was silent as it closed it's eyes nestling herself into Morgana's chest.

The hospital was going to become very active and quickly. She couldn't waste any more time, she had even more motivation to get this whore out of the picture... She was going to keep this child and NOTHING was going to stand in her way. Opening the door to her targets room quietly she stopped again. She looked at the room and she couldn't believe the cyanide surprise that she had before her eyes. The mare she was going to play with...

Was already dead...

... but how... and more importantly who would DARE to take away her satisfaction!

Looking around the room and at the body it gave her a few hints. The window was open but the blinds were closed a slight breeze confirmed it by moving the blinds slightly. The mare was beaten badly, her stomach was cut all the way open and seemingly all her organs were methodically removed while she was alive to feel it all. Morgana couldn't help but admire the work as if it were fine art. All with a sadistic and crazed smile on her face. Who ever beat her here was skilled... very skilled indeed... She was going to find and kill this thief.. and when she did she's going to make him suffer.

Snapping herself out of her own head upon hearing someone heading down the hall. It was soft shuffling but someone was coming. Taking advantage of the window being open she changed her form and flew out the window quickly keeping the baby close to her.

It took time to get to a location she thought was safe enough but she sat down in an alley and laid her back against a wall. She closed her eyes, she needed a bit of rest. However the baby she was holding had other plans. The baby girl began to cry, forcing Morgana's eyes to open and look down at her. She could feel the child's want for attention and hunger. Giving a frustrated growl under her breath she used her magic to move a few things in the ally to conceal them before dropping her disguise.

When a changeling decides on a gender as a child they are stuck with that gender until they die. They can change it but there is a few things that they are unable to do. If a male changeling were to become a female they couldn't bare a child or produce milk for a foal. Morgana however, she choose to be a female when she got to the appropriate age to solidify her gender. Meaning she could feed this child... however in order to do so properly she'd have to drop her disguise.

The baby promptly latched itself to her nipple making Morgana get an uncomfortable look as she felt the pressure of the child trying to get milk from her. It took a minute or so but Morgana forced her body into that stage of mother-hood. To changelings like herself it wasn't hard to do.

Her eyes widened when she felt her king reaching out to her. She felt something... new... w-what was it? She'd never felt this way, she was shaking slightly.... but it wasn't in pleasure or excitement... She took a breath and answered.

"Y-Yes my king?"

"Was the mission successful?"

"It was... Shining Armor is dead... His neck was snapped by the hands of the individual you specified. I made sure to be seen by a surveillance spell while disguised... They'll be hunting down a dead stallion."

" *sigh* Fine... I'm sensing that you're hiding something from me Morgana... Tell me, what is it you're hiding?"

"I... My king... I went after the mare that my target had impregnated. I wanted to play more... but I found her dead."

"Did you... hmmm.... It seems as if someone else may be in play... although... you are still hiding something from me. Tell me or I shall open your mind and find out for myself."

"I took the child..."

"....... Did anyone see you take the child?"

"N-no my king... No one saw me take the child."

"Good... *sigh* That will make it easier... If you had been seen then you'd have to kill the child... but I believe that we may have a use for it. At least in time... Now, find a place to lay low while caring for the child... Actually... I have a plan... It may just work out in our favor... Morgana.. You are going to feel something strange for a few moments... I found it unnecessary until now but I'm going to fix your broken mind or at least somewhat fix it. You will be the mother for that child, and that is an order."

Morgana felt a bolt of pain rip through her skull as she hissed in pain. Balling her right hand into fist, she slammed it into the ground restraining herself. It hurt so badly but she somehow felt more at ease as the pain melted away. Looking down into her left arm the child was still suckling away on her nipple and she felt herself smile. Not her normal smile, no it was a soft and gentle smile that felt so... wrong on her face but she couldn't stop.

"I will set a few things in motion... and when I tell you to... you will leave Canterlot and return the next day with the child... Undisguised... am I clear?'

"Yes.. I understand my king. I will do as you've commanded."

Zenith sighed as he lay in his bed. Morgana, she had just unintentionally made his job so much harder. She stole a child from a hospital... Not only that she discovered a mare murdered in said hospital. Someone had a grudge, but why? More importantly... who? Zenith huffed in frustration sitting up and putting his hand on his face. This was going to get out of hand if he didn't keep everything squared and going smoothly... He had Cadence almost completely victim to his influence, even if that isn't what he wanted. Celestia didn't seem to find him that big of a threat... at least from what he could tell.

What he just did to Morgana had drained him of a lot of his strength. He knew that something was wrong with her when she woke. She wasn't acting as a guardian should. Normally Guardian changelings can't question the orders of a royal... While true Morgana is a special changeling and she was borderline insane she was going against his orders. Since when she woke she was following her objectives he didn't think that a change was necessary. He told her specifically not to harm anyone but the ones she was ordered to kill. However she was going to disregard his order just because she wanted to? He couldn't allow that, not when he's so close to achieving his goal.

He had split Morgana's mentality into two pieces and forced the more dangerous part into a dormant state. She wasn't going to be needed for a while... at least he hoped so. Although something didn't quite make sense to him. If Morgana was truly insane... then why keep the child at all? All her actions thus far would indicate that she'd normally just kill the child and move on... unless, she-

A few hard knocks on his door drew him from his thoughts only for the door to be kicked in. Said door busted off the hinges and fell to the floor. A very angry Celestia was standing there horn glowing and with a few guards behind her.

Zenith dropped his hand from his face and rested his head on it a smile coming to his face. "Well a good morning to you as well... Thanks for knocking first... but was knocking it down really necessary?"

Author's Note

It took me a while to write this... Hope you enjoyed it.... Ugh... I'm tired right now. I may have to give myself a break from writing for a little while. However I'd still appreciate your input and would love to hear from you all.