Harmony's Thieves

by 4428Gamer

...The Moon Shall Rise (1/2)

…
8:03 AM. That’s what my watch read. When I woke up it was 3:27 AM. So four and a half hours of walking around inside a dome with a girl calling herself Applebloom.

And the sun hasn’t moved an inch.

I wasn’t surprised that my watch was wrong when the sun was out. It’s what made me first realize I was moved somewhere else.

Oddly enough, the sun not moving still made me feel nervous at the pit of my stomach. After remembering Princess Celestia, I remembered her whole controlling sun schtick too.

A still sun further proved that idea, but I somehow knew that the sun wasn’t supposed to be stuck like that.

I brought myself back to the present. Bloom and I were now searching the fifth farmhouse and still no answers. There weren’t any signs of a struggle or the residents packing up.

“Nothin’ upstairs...again,” a dejected voice called out from the top of the staircase.

“Shocker,” I replied.

When Bloom reached the bottom I noticed her sour look. “Ya don’t gotta be so rude about it ya know.”

“I told you at the third house that we weren’t going to find anything.” I started, setting down the family picture I was staring at. It was a group of ponies posing underneath a healthy peach tree. “But you didn’t listen.”

“Well, what if somepony was in trouble?” She set her hands on her hips. Something else I noticed was that human mannerisms were slowly becoming more instinct for her. And they weren’t from copying me.

“What if they were?” I didn’t turn to look at her. Instead, I crouched down to open the drawer from the coffee table. “We wouldn’t be able to do much. The better idea would be to just back away safely.”

Bloom glared at me. “Yah’d do that? Jus’ leave ‘em?”

I sighed, closing the drawer when there was nothing but sentimental junk. “You say that as if there’s a choice. We’ve been over this, Ms. Bloom, there would be nothing we could do.”

I crossed the living room to enter the kitchen only for her to block the door. “Then why’re ya searchin’ every place top ta bottom?”

“A distraction.” I told her. “The more I keep seeing these homes, the more nervous I keep getting.”

“Nervous?” Her tone softened. “Is. Is that ‘cause ya can’t find any human stuff anywhere?”

I bit the inside of my cheek. “You’re partly right. It’s more that I’m starting to second guess how I’m supposed to fit into any of this. That I’m a human in a town of ponies.”

“Guess that is weird.” Bloom nodded along. “But whad’ya mean second guess? What were ya thinkin’ before?”

“...Not important.” I stood up fully. “There’s something else I wanted to talk about; how closely do you know whoever lives here?”

“Ya mean Peach Cobbler?” Bloom thought about it for a second while I pinched my nose at the name of the owner. Of course their name is peach related.

“Well, she’s an Earth Pony who moved from Manehatten a few years back. Somethin’ about inheritin’ the farm from her folks. Ah didn’t know them too well though. She always talked about turnin’ the place inta somethin’ bigger.”

Entrepreneurial spirit, I imagined. But with all of the sentimental stuff and hand-me-down furniture, I wonder how much she’s staked into this.

“Well, would she mind if we swiped a few peaches?”

“The peaches?” She glanced out the window at the peach fields. “Why would we need ta take the—” grrrrrrrrrrrggg...

The two of us let the growl play out as Bloom blushed furiously.

“Should I still answer that question?”

“n-no...” Bloom ignored her stomach as it growled again.

“We’ve been running around for five hours. We probably didn’t eat before waking up at the schoolhouse either. We need something and, despite everyone else missing for months, those peaches are ready for harvest. At least, I think they are. I don’t know farming,” I admitted.

Bloom walked up to the window and looked out at the peaches more closely. “No, yer right. They’re good enough ta buck.”

“To...I’m sorry, to what?” I blinked.

“Ta buck ‘em,” she went on without seeing the disturbing problem. “Peach Cobbler can’t buck ‘em all herself. She wears out pretty quickly. So mah family comes over ta buck Cobbler’s peaches together. She won’t let us do it fer free though so we’re allowed ta eat her peaches whenever we’d like.”

“...I see.” I nodded slowly. From her context, I realized ‘buck the peaches’ wasn’t slang. I hoped so anyways.

I played along. “Well, peaches can be eaten raw so, aside from maybe a peeler, we won’t need a kitchen.”

“Maybe some bushels though,” she informed me, stepping past the door frame to grab said bushel that was out of view from me. “Here. We’ll eat what we buck!”

“O-kay.” I nodded awkwardly as Bloom made for the front door.

“Joe, what are you a part of,” I asked myself in German before following her out the door.

…
    “Did he have brownish hair?”

    “...Darker blonde, I think.”

“Diiiid...Oh! Did he have tannish skin?”

“I-I guess?” I wasn’t really listening, as rude as that sounds.

“What about,” Lyra went on, asking more questions as my focus was instead on my hands. The whole time, I was trying to get my magic working again.

So far, I could channel aura and pull off basic spells. I was also making barriers about the size of a meter. Simple, but it helped.

Past the spells, I found out something else as a human; there’s a trade off to magic. Quality fades in exchange for quantity.

Complex spells, like city-wide barriers, for example, are much harder to cast as a human. Probably because these hands are further away from our horns.

On the other hoof, bringing out raw magic was simple but drained a pony quickly. Except, when I fired a blast of magic, it was easy.

In fact, I expelled so much by accident that it destroyed the top of a distant tree. I was light-headed but, other than that, fine.

If an untrained human had magic they could probably fire a barrage of small blasts and feel winded. Meanwhile, as an untrained unicorn, they would be exhausted after about five blasts.

Then there was me. Barrier spells took both raw magic and careful practice, which meant I was better with raw magic than most unicorns.

Meanwhile, training as a Royal Guard makes you practice that skill more. So being a human had been an advantage for my magic.

“Uh. Guys?”

Lyra and I turned around to watch Scootaloo point out towards the treeline. “The bushes are moving.”

Lyra started hopping as a goofy grin spread across her. “More humans?! Well, I guess, more pony-humans would be cool too but—”

“Girls,” I spoke up. “We need to hide,” I told them. Then I started scolding myself before turning back to Lyra.

“Lyra, do you know what a Changeling is?”

Right away her demeanor faded into concern. “Y-yeah. Why?”

I took a small breath “We saw some earlier. They spread out and became all kinds of creatures,” I told her. “We need to hide.”

Thankfully, behind Lyra’s shock she caught her bearings pretty quick. “Okay, but, where?”

“In here!” Scootaloo shout-whispered, motioning us from the bell tower’s doorway. “It’s open.”

The three of us rushed in as I stacked up against the door, prepping my magic.

“Scootaloo, where’d you see them?”

“Where you shot that tree, there was something moving the branches.”

First good luck we’ve had all day.

It didn’t take long to see what Scootaloo meant. As they pushed the last branches away, two figures stumbled out of the woods. Both of them shambling and exhausted.

The first one was the same as us; human. They used a gnarled stick as a cane and had brass jewelry adorning their limbs and neck. They had a shirt without sleeves and their black mane was very short.

Behind that human was a creature the size of a foal. It walked on two legs and had a bright green mohawk as the rest of its body was either light green or purple...

“Spike?” I spoke aloud.

“Spike?”

There was shuffling behind me before Scootaloo was suddenly right behind me trying to peek outside. “You’re right. And he’s...He’s still a dragon?”

Both of us watched closer. Spike was scratched up and had a small limp as his tail dragged behind him. He looked miserable.

The human was in better condition but they had grass and dirt stains across them, equally tired but generally unharmed.

“Hold on.” Scootaloo leaned further out the door. “That human thing. That jewelry is like...Zecora!”

I yanked Scootaloo back inside, letting Lyra shush her, and peeked out again. The human stopped walking and looked around in confusion before looking directly at us.

I lunged back inside and was about to use my magic to close the door only to remember what Morgue pointed out back at the manor.

If I close the door, it’s more obvious. Just leave it alone.

“What are you doing?” Scootaloo asked. “We need to tell them we’re here!”

“Prince Armor just said there’s Changelings,” Lyra told her. “We need to keep hiding.”

Scootaloo didn’t listen to her. Instead she looked at me. “Do you know Spike too?”

“Of course I do,” I explained. “He’s...H-He’s. Uh…” My mind went blank on me no matter what I tried. Just like before.

Not a good sign.

“We can’t just let ‘em walk away,” Scootaloo pressed on. “What if they’re not Changelings? We need to warn them!”

“And if they are?” Lyra looked guilty. “I get you know them but, I mean, two friends walking out of the forest in trouble? That’s pretty suspicious.”

The girls stopped trying to argue with each other and turned to me. Both of them had their points but I was the one with the Changeling experience.

I glanced down at my hands and watched as my aura formed a small barrier around my arm. More specifically, a shield.

I sighed. “Alright Scootaloo, you’re right. Somepony needs to talk to them.” Her expression tensed for a second but I just shook my head. “You two stay inside. If anything happens, wait for my signal and get ready to run. Do you understand?”

When I explained it to her Scootaloo’s eyes stretched for a moment. She only now realized how dangerous this really was.

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Lyra promised me, giving me a nervous smile. “I woke up at some abandoned cottage not too far. We can hide out there.”

When Scootaloo signed on to the idea, I felt more inclined to trust Lyra’s idea. Scootaloo knew her more than me anyways.

When we all seemed in agreement, I turned to the door. Here goes nothing.

…
    With Pinkie Park far behind him, Morgue was walking off down the same street that the Pinkies had led him. Although now, he felt much more relaxed.

    Hanging from his side was a makeshift satchel that now held the golden tiara he had found in the park as well as a bunch of other random tools. Then, secured to his back were three blankets all rolled up.

    It had taken Morgue about a half hour but in that time he had managed to talk circles around the identical ponies, convincing them that he had plenty of ideas to turn up the fun.

    Whether they were as blindly on board as they seemed, Morgue had no clue. But while he was there, Morgue played some of the game booths, winning all the prizes he now possessed.

By this point, the Park’s music was too far to hear Vinyl’s music and Morgue had fallen into a relaxed walk. Since hearing Big Mike got to walk out of Pinkie Park scot free, and with some hopefully-not-bug-people friends, Morgue felt a lot less rushed.

Which is probably why Morgue didn’t expect to see large shadows flying past him from above.

Morgue stopped, placing his hand over his pocket as he looked up. Above him, closing in, were two bipedal lizards with large wings circling him like vultures.

As one of them, the dragon with white and pink scales, locked eyes with Morgue, Morgue took a second to take in a breath.

Then he ran like hell.

The two dragons stopped circling and went into a dive, shouting for Morgue to stop running. When it was obvious he wasn’t, the second dragon, A deep purple with blonde hair covering its face, went with plan B.

Before Morgue could reach the door, he heard one dragon slam onto the ground behind him.

Then he heard as the drake took in a deep breath with the sound of crackling embers behind it.

Desperate, Morgue reached into his satchel and pulled out the first solid thing he touched; a brick.

Abandoning the door, Morgue turned and chucked the brick directly into the window beside him, shattering it just before leaping inside.

A moment after Morgue collided with the floorboards, he heard the dragon’s roar and watched as the curtains and outer wall lit up in a dusty yellow flame.

Morgue crawled away on elbows and heels, standing up only after the flames died out and he was well behind another wall. The smell of ash and charred wood filled his nostrils.

“Fume!” A dragon shouted in a heavy tone. “She said bring anything in fresh, not crispy!”

“Whatever, Puff,” the other one returned in, what Morgue decided to dub, a ‘dude-bro’ voice. “She also said never let ‘em get away. He wasn’t stopping, yeah?”

The first dragon growled in defeat. “Bro was right. These namby-pamby ponies can’t make up their minds.”

Morgue was half listening as he ransacked every kitchen cabinet for something useful. He discovered the water was still working and that there were plenty of big skillets but neither would help fend off flames that large.

It also wouldn’t help put out the house that was now on fire.

Morgue started swearing under his breath, still taking up a skillet before running back into the hall.

At the same window he jumped through, Morgue saw the white dragon trying to fit his massive pink horns through the space. But he only managed one horn so far.

Meaning he’s stuck, Morgue put together, looking at the cast iron skillet in his hands.

“I see it!” The dragon shouted to the other dragon still outside. “It’s coming back to. To—wait. Wait. Get back! I SAID BA—

The purple dragon couldn’t see what happened next but he saw the white dragon flinch in pain with each loud, numerous clang that echoed out the window.

When all was done, Morgue tossed the heavily dented skillet aside and picked up his brick, stowing it back in the satchel as he ran for the door opposite of the house.

“It still there, Puff?!” The dude-bro dragon’s voice demanded.

“...Puff?”

…
“Alright Bon Bon, are you ready?!”

From outside on the ground, the mayor shouted out to me.

“Uh, y-yeah! I guess.” I know I didn’t sound convincing but I just wanted down.

I woke up on this tower without knowing how I got up here. And while I’ve been stuck here, I kept finding so many things wrong with Ponyville. From the dragons flying in the distance to the Ferris Wheel and built in carnival away from me.

Funnily enough, I already knew all about humans so it didn’t scare me as much as it should have. Living with Lyra does that to you. Didn’t expect her to get so much of it right though.

“Okay Bun Bun,” a stallion’s voice called out to me. It was the largest human standing from the balcony closest to me. “I’m gonna climb up there now, okay?”

I watched as he started moving his hands in a weird way. He was stretching and pushing the fingers in a way that made them click and pop.

Then I looked at the roof ahead of him. For a human, if Lyra’s unprompted hand lectures were right, climbing wouldn’t be a problem.

That is except for the weak spots all over the place. Ever since I woke up I heard the support beams creek and shift.

I didn’t know how it would last with something Big Mike bearing down on it. So I gave him a meek nod and shuffled back towards the opposite side.

Downstairs, underneath the hatch in the floor, was Big McIntosh. He was going to be ready to catch me in case the worst happened. Meanwhile, the young filly, the mayor and whoever that third pony was were all outside watching Big Mike.

It wasn’t long until I could feel the roof react to Big Mike’s weight. A cacophony of cracks rang out as heavy steps continued up.

After five steps there was a crack louder than the others. Only now, it was met with a pile of clattering and then distant screaming.

“Sorry!” Big Mike screamed. Then as his voice strained, the watchtower shifted back and forth. “Okay Bun Run. I’m halfway there.”

“O-Okay.” I took a second to calm my breath— Krrrrk! “WAH!”

I folded in on myself and dreaded the next sound. Rather than a loud boom from Big Mike falling it was a piece of roof shattering across the floor inside town hall.

I didn’t hear Big Mac screaming. I guess he wasn’t scared.

“A-Are. Are you still there?” I called out.

“Uh-huh,” Big Mike returned, his voice breaking. “B-Big Mike—uh, wait, my arm fell through the roof. Some of the wood’s really old, Big—err, I think.”

“Huh. That’s weird,” I said without thinking. I wanted to ignore the now swaying rooftop. “Ponies crash into town hall all the time. With all the repairs there shouldn’t be anything old about this place. Hehe...”

“Well...Needs fixed again.” My nervous smile stretched out even more at that. Of course it needs fixed. Something in this town always needs fixed.

The tower groaned with a loud shriek before Big Mike’s hand grabbed the edge of the platform. Out of deliriousness, I thought his hand was bigger than my head for a moment.

I kept watching as Big Mike started to pull himself up and into the watchtower. He had a long coil of rope wrapped around his shoulder and tried giving me this huge cheesy grin.

“Hello! Big Mike’s here now.” He tried sounding jovial but his voice was starting to break again.

He stood up slow, taking up a third of the space while I was in a fetal position on the other side. His smile got weaker as he looked more serious.

“So.” He spoke with the same tone you’d give a foal. “Big Mike’s gonna tie this rope around you like a harness. Y’know, like the rock climbers do. Okay?”

I nodded along and slowly climbed up to my feet. Before, the roof didn’t react when I moved around. Now that more of it was broken, it felt like the roof moved to every breath I made.

Big Mike quickly walked me through everything, having me stand still and hold my arms up as he tied around the center of my body. Then he tied it to himself to act as an anchor.

When he finished, I leaned over the trapdoor and spotted Big Mac again. He gave me a big friendly wave as he stayed put.

“Now here’s the worst part,” Big Mike warned me. “But it’s easy. You need to sit on the edge.”

I felt my heart pumping faster but I did as he said. The floorboards bent slightly as I sat beside the hatch, letting my legs dangle below. The floor kept getting further away from me.

“Good job.” He gave me what Lyra described as a thumbs up. I think it meant ‘good job’ or something like that. “Big Mike’s gonna lift you up then lower you down really slow. All you gotta do is hold on to the rope. Got it?”

Big Mike pulled the rope taut and I grabbed it with shaking hands. As I did,, all the color in my hands turned white. Even my Cutie Marks became paler.

Big Mike took a wide stance with his legs and took in a deep breath.

“Now up!” Big Mike’s voice tensed as he lifted me up a few inches. Right away, the rooftop started crackling like it was made of ice.

My grip on the rope somehow got tighter.

“Huh.” He smiled. “You’re pretty light. This’ll be easy. Here we go...“

Before I knew it, by one length at a time, Big Mike lowered me through the hatch. In seconds I was already two meters down.

Although, I was only made more mortified. I had a full view of the roof from underneath and every part I could spot was wrong.

Each piece of wood was rotten with parts either splintering apart or bending from the strain. Most of the wood wasn’t brown anymore, just black and squishy.

The shingles were just as bad too. They were colorful on the top but underneath they were beginning to melt away or simply missing; creating the holes that I saw before.

If there was any metal that went into this roof, there wasn’t anymore. But, in lieu of nails, the mold helped to glue the beams together.

“Wha-Wha...?”

Big Mike stopped lowering me down for a moment and I felt the rope move ever so slightly from side to side. Big Mike was adjusting his grip.

Unfortunately, the roof didn’t like that. It complained with splinters flying out while one of the larger beams started twisted like taffy.

The last straw was when one of the shingles finally broke off, it didn’t shatter or clank like I imagined. It struck the upper balcony with a sick splat.

Big Mac saw this too but he stayed focused on me. I was already halfway down by now.

“How ya doing so far?” Big Mike called out. By now I was a third of the way down.

“Um...fine,” I mumbled. I started looking down. The drop wasn’t as scary as what was above me.

It didn’t last.

The sunlight that poured in from the holes and hatch suddenly vanished and for a moment, everything was black.

Before I could look up to see why, I felt the rope twist and shake as Big Mike was stepping around on the watchtower. And then, when the rope became loose, I realized I was falling.

It was only for a second but in my screaming and flailing for any solid ground, I felt the rope tighten around me at the same moment the roof let out an orchestra of sounds.

Snapping boards and falling debris were far louder than any screaming I could manage and all I could do was hug the rope for comfort, hoping nothing hit me on the way down.

When everything finally fell quiet I realized that my eyes were closed as tightly as my grip.

So, one at a time, I opened them and noticed the softer light of the moon basking down on me like a single spotlight on a stage.