Thief

by ConnorTempest

What is Locked...

"*Hurk*...mmmphh..."
I slowly rose, emptying my stomach of my recent meal. What happened? AGH this pain! M-my eye..it burns!
"AAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I scream as the sensation of molten lead flushes through my right eye. I begin to grasp my head in my hands, but no...I can't feel them...they're gone! My most important tools...rend from me.
I gasp and roar as the pain intensifies.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!----"
I feel a thump on the back of my head before the pain begins to fade...and I am left in darkness...a true friend...

I awake in a field...at least the pain in my eye subsided...now that I think of it...what the hell happened? I take a deep breath and relax trying to remember...Erin...the Claw...the Cloaks...and the Baron...the fall...the light...the ceiling...my eye, the pain...my hands...MY HANDS...oh god.
I look down expecting the worst, such as them being bloody stumps. I got that half right. I see...stumps, but no blood to be seen and they were...black...shiny black...a burn perhaps? Still I was horrified, my oldest and most trusted tools gone and for a moment I don'f feel like myself.
*HRK* *BLH* More vomit...great...wait...this doesn't look like something I ate. It was very gooey and thick, no like puke...more like a resin. I dip what remains of my hand in the stuff out of pure instinct...new things aren't a good sign, acquaint yourselves quickly. It was very sticky and slightly warm...weird...it had no smell, in fact it masked any Oder going through it...at least it's useful. After a minute or so it began to harden; I shuck the goop off my stubs and watched the stuff change from a liquid to a solid...it could be a polymer of sorts, I guess, but why was it in my --
"Yeah girls, it was over the hill there, hit it with a tree branch, it shouldn't be waking up in quite a bit" a voice, feminine, rang out across the hill to my right.
So a girl got me while I was having an mental crisis, great, also she though I was an 'it'. Then again, seeing as how my hands are in their current state, whose to say anything about what I look like in whole.
*tep**tep**tep**tep*
Shit! The I gotta hide, fighting isn't an option now that my hands are...missing *sigh* I miss them already. Now...gotta hide, gotta hide; there's a forest to my left another hill in front of me and behind me is a cot...normally I would take my chances with the forest, but in my condition...no, I'll have to risk the cot...hopefully I can find some long forgotten area...unlikely.
Slowly I stand up...it's much more difficult to stand than I remember, but I manage and trudge my way to the cot...now that I think about it...I can't feel my toes either...did the Cloaks find me unconscious and take them from me as a punishment...a very real possibility. Dammit.
Finally I reach the cot, I hope it's unlocked, I can't pick anything with these stubs. To my luck the door opens, inside it are a couch, some standard furniture, a few bird cages...and a lot of animals, from rabbits to dogs to falcons...wait, is that a bear? I look again, yep a bear...a very large brown bear. Lucky for me the look in its eyes told me that it was tired, or had just woken up. I didn't move, didn't even breath; assessing my situation I looked around, eyes only, scanning the room. Ah ha! A closet, at least it will give me some time to think...away from the eyes of the bear...drowsy as it may be, I'm not stupid enough to relax in its line of sight, and right now I smell of the forest so no worries there. I walk up to the closet and open it with my teeth, seeing as I don't have hands anymore. I step in and silently shut the door. I wait for the bear to leave, it's obviously not a pet, most likely is scavenging the cot...seemed smaller on the outside, then again I had only seen one face of it. Soon I began to drift off, feeling weak I sit down in the closet and closed my eyes...

I awoke with a pain in my right eye again, not nearly as strong as before, but blinding all the same, I forced myself not to make a sound in case the bear was still around. How long was I out? I didn't check the sun when I awoke in the field and I didn't look for a clock when I entered the cot so I was completely lost time-wise. After a minute or so the pain subsided, with my head not pounding I stood up again. Damn still hard to even stand...what the hell led to this? I vaguely remember a wall crushing Erin and I but that hit me head-on, not to the side or from below...How did I even survive? No matter, I can worry about that later, for now the bear. I lean my ear against the door, seeing if I could hear footsteps, breathing, anything that told me life was on the other side...one...(nothing)...two...(silence)...three...(all is clear).
I began to creak the door open when I caught sight of...something. A door creak, just great. I rear back into the closet, and listen intently.
"What a waste of time, I swear I hit it hard enough to knock it out for at least a day or so." a voice rang out, apparently the same voice from earlier, arrogant sounding, good they are the easiest to outsmart and outmaneuver.
A softer, kinder voice came out, "Oh Dashie, why do you always have to be so headstrong on some things?"
Dashie? Must be a nickname or alias of some sort.
"You know what those... those THINGS did to Canterlot! They're evil!"

"Now, now you jumped to conclusions and may have very well attacked a friendly one." The soft-spoken one has an open mind, that's good...for her, but makes her a threat to me.

"Flutter I---never mind, you should know how dangerous they are and that they need to be gone from Equestria for good!" Equestria? So that's where I am...I don't remember even hearing tales of this place. Country or town or village I wonder?

"But Dashie all I'm saying is that you need to give them a chance."

"Yea, you can do that, but don't come running to me when they've sucked you dry; I'm heading home it's getting late."
I hear more steps and a door slam. I winch slightly as I remember the blow to my head. Seems even here there are thieves, not professionals though as the one called, "Dashie" described them.
Enough of that, I already have my own questions, hell how did I even get there, this 'Equestria'? How did I survive the collapse? Where is Erin, and is she okay? The thought of Erin brought me back to our last meeting...an argument, one which i don't regret, she shouldn't have gone done the path that she did, she violated our rules, she was too reliant on here tools as well; speaking of which...
I pulled out the claw device that Erin used. I suppose it's useful...at least now I can reach higher ground. holding things with two hands...stubs...dammit...to appendages is going to be my downfall if I don't find someone who can fix this.
*click*
The lights flick off; that's my cue. I creep from the closet to the door I used to enter...screw the bear, I need our, just in case they bring the blood hounds. Sticking to the darkest of shadows I eventually make it, though struggling. I open the door and make my way in a random direction.

Ever since the incident I've had trouble maintaining balance and it's hard to walk on my own two feet...though consider what happened, it's a miracle in itself I'm not dead. I keep walking as far as my legs can carry me, then I fall on the spot. a low rumble reminds me that I haven't eaten since before the last mission...however long ago that was. I'll take a small break, a small rest, yes that sounds nice...jussst...a...quick...resss-" *THUMP*

"Okay Rainbow Dash, I'll humor you again, but we can't keep on rushing out at things, especially if they aren't real." Twilight said to her frantic cyan friend. She had pestered her, despite how dark it was, until she agreed to take another look for...whatever the flying mare thought she saw; she never really said what 'it' was.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I saw it in the forest, and I knocked it out cold, we probably just didn't look hard enough."

"I said I would go, everypony else has work to do today, but this is the last time I'm going to go on a wild goose-chase with you, alright?"

"Fine."

Soon the duo came across an open grassy field. A sound rang out, causing them to stand straight and alert....again came the sound, a deep-
*GGEEERRRRHHHHH...*
...stomach growl...

"What the hay is that!?" thought Twilight aloud.

"I don't know, you're the bookworm!"

A distinct *THUD* was heard over the next hill.

"What was that!?" "Let's check it out!" range out simultaneously.

Dash, filled with curiosity, sped forward leaving Twilight behind yelling, "WHAT ABOUT CATION!?"

After trotting after her Twilight finally caught up to Dash enough to see a smile plastered on her face.

"Why is she so happy all of a sudden?" thought Twilight, "Must be something pretty exciting at least."
As she walks closer she sees something lying near her friends hooves, but it was too dark to make out any details, all she saw was a large pile of cloth, a metal tool on top of if.

"What I tell ya? I totally knocked it out!" Dash said with a smile.

"What exactly is 'it' though?"

"Ha! Take a look!"

Twilight sighed and walked closer to the cloth pile, "So whatever it is that got Dash so excited is under this huh?"
Carefully Twilight tried to pull the cloth off, but the cloth was attached to whatever it was hiding; resulting in here flipping the thing it was connected to over. One look was all that was need, but she knew what this was, she remembers them clearly.

"I don't trust them...you know what they did all those years ago!"

Mnnn...what is that? Voices? Both female...young adult by the sound.

"Yes, of course I remember I was there! You can't let the past decide your future! You may be the smart one, but right now you're acting really narrow-minded!"

UGGHHH....where am I? feels odd...a chair? No, a table. Are these...yes they are, shackles and restraints. Fuck...vertical too...I can feel gravity wanting to pull me down.

"Look, it's waking up."

I open my eyes to see...to see...a light-blue...horse with wings...wait, what did those old stories call them again? Emmm...Oh yeah! a Pegasus...WAIT WHAT!? I take a deep breath. Scratch that, I hyper ventilate. My instincts are absolutely screaming at me to sprint away, but I'm held down with the metal restraints. Still...I see a pegasus...how is that even possible? They only live in myth and legend.

"Oh, and I'm not?"

The hell? Who are you? How can you tell what I am thinking...for that reason how can I hear you?

"Well, after looking through your memories I learned how long I've been gone...a damn long time. More to the point, your generation knows me as 'The Sneak Thief', my actual name became a nom de guerre, one which binds you and I together"

So...you're the One Eyed Thief, the One True Keeper, the Thief of Old...Garrett.

"Correct, but I'm long gone now, physically at least so now all that remains is name and a legend."

Why invade my head Master?

"Master? Meh, I'd rather do with Father or something along those lines...off topic, anyway the reason you and I are now connected is because of the Primal, an old energy used by the Old Gods, somewhere along the line you absorbed tons of the stuff, in other words, from now on even gods wouldn't want to fight with you. Soon you'll get used to it and adapt, then start producing the stuff yourself naturally."

OK...are you here to help me...or to hurt me?

"PFFFTT! HA! Why would I hurt you? No, I'll be your guide though, I can teach you things kid, so many things. I'm here to help. Hell, I need you."

That all I need too know. However, what's with the One Eyed Thief? Where you born with one eye or --
"An Old God by the name of 'the Trickster' ripped it out, got it replaced with a mechanical one later though."

Oh...owch...so the pain in my eye is...?

"Unrelated, well the pegasus is looking at you, good luck!"

Again I turn and look at the bright blue horse pegasus. I open my mouth to speak when a fierce *THWAP* hits the back of my head...and I fade away...only after hearing, "Come on! It was about to speak!"

I 'awake' in a black room, a glowing figure in front of me, wearing a set of rags and leather.

He spoke, "So, looks like they upgraded since I was last alive, very nice, very stealthy."

"F-Father?"

"There we go, warming up to me now, huh? I may as well have been your father, our lives lead two very similar paths."

"Really now? Anyways, where are we?"

"Where as in here, this room or as in wherever the hell our body is?"

"Our body? Never mind, I understand, but how about both?"

" I'm inhabiting your body, so it'll be like a multiple ownership thing, you have complete control though, so keep us safe, can't say I liked dying...old age is a dammed curse. Anyway This is inside our mind, one collection...as for our body, I have no fucking clue."

"Does having you in my head cause me to go...you know, crazy?"

"If you're asking whether or not I caused you to see the blue pegasus, then no, I'm as confused as you are right now."

"You were talking about the Primal, the teal mist right? Is that why I lost my?"

"Yes, that was a large amount of pure Primal energy, as for your hands...I've looked through your memories but can't find the cause."

"Power of the Old Gods huh? How does that work?"

"Not entirely sure, but if you have it in you, you must be able to use it somehow."

"One last question...you're dead, so why are you in my head?"

"I'm not sure, perhaps my soul was restless and urged for some excitement, perhaps I was in the mixing pot of Primal, I don't really care. I'm here now and that's what matters. Anyway, get ready Garrett, you're about to be pulled back, and remember...I'll always be there, right beside you..."

He started to fade, a door opposite me opens revealing a white light. Taking a moment, I stride toward it.

"There, he's waking up again, now don't hit him!"

"Fine, but when he kills somepony, it's on you."

Some....pony? The hell? Am I hearing things now?

Nope, your'e all green in here, heh, that might just be the Primal! But in all seriousness you are hearing just fine.

Another groan escapes my lips as I try to stand, then feel a tightening...oh right, the table. My vision is all hazy...should clear up in a minute or so.

"Where am I?"

"You know perfectly well where you are monster!" steamed one of my captors.

Geez, what did you do to piss her off? I don't know, I just met her...hell I still can't see, too hazy. Best thing I can do now is stay calm as my vision returns.

I clear my throat and mildly say, "Ehem...well that was rude and uncalled for."

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" *BAM*

...You okay Garrett? Man, she slapped us...slapped us hard! GODS I can feel it! HOW CAN I FEEL IT!?

I shake my head to try and get rid of the stinging feeling on my cheek, luckily she must have hit me hard enough to get my senses back in order, because my vision was finally clearing, only a little foggy.

"Oww..." I groan out, "Why'd you have to go and hit me? I don't even know you..." the more I speak the more it grows into a moan...*GURRG*...and I'm still hungry...shit.

She spoke again, malice etched into every word, "I never thought...I never wanted to see you monsters ever again, did you really think your kind could just walk back in?"

I laughed, "Our kind? Listen girl, there will always be thieves as long as there are social classes and the concept of wealth, it's part of life."

She hit me again. You don't learn, do you? shaddup, I'm starving, dehydrated, and beaten...I can't really think straight.

That last punch had power in it, enough so that my vision came back. I stared at my assailant...then closed them, took a deep breath and opened them...again I stare into the eyes of my captor...a purple unicorn...what the various hells.

Sneak Thief, you seeing what I am?

A bright purple unicorn? Yes....so it wasn't just me. My advice...don't piss her off any more...that horn looks menacing.

Now, normally I am much calmer...but given the recent events and the new occupant of my mind...I kinda freak out...a lot. I take another look at the unicorn...take a deep breath...and scream, "HOLYSHITIGOTABDUCTEDBYATECHNOCHROMATICUNICORNTHATWANTSTOBEATMETODEAH!!!SOMEONEHELPMEFORTHELOVEOFTHEVARIOUSGODSHELP!!!!!AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" (Translation: F*cking Sh*t, a purple techno color horse with a horn has kidnapped me and wants to beat me senseless. I require assistance as soon as possible, I invoke the names of the multitude of deities to come to my aid. screaming.) I mindlessly try to loosen the bindings, flailing in a spastic manner. After a minute or so I stopped yelling and accepted my fate. Not my best moment, but the human mind wasn't used to something like that...even accepting that my head holds two minds is hard enough to take in, mix that with a near-death experience, I wasn't in my best condition.

The look on her face showed confusion, which surprised me. Honestly, what could she be wondering about. Then she frowned and scrunched up her face like she was thinking. She sighed and put a hoof to her head saying, "Your aren't like the rest of them, are you?"

I look up confused, "The rest? What do you mean by that? By now I'm guessing you aren't talking about thieves."

She gained another frown, "OK, we'll start simple; Who are you?"

Finally something that I can understand, "My name is Garrett."

"Garrett...?"

"Just Garrett; orphan."

She turned slightly red and looked down, a face showing some shame, "Oh...I'm sorry."

"It's fine, next?"

She perked up at this, taking on a look of curiosity.

"Why are you here?"

"...Because something knocked me out in a moment of weakness and you dragged me here..."

She frowned and gave me a look of disappointment, "You know that's not what I meant."

"In all honesty...I don't know how I got here or why I'm here...it's all...fuzzy. Not that the table helps" I say, adding that last bit on.

"Don't know? Hmm..." She said as she raised a hoof to her chin, "Then how far back can you remember before things get hazy?"

"Let's see...first clear memory...that would be waking up in that field, hurling, going to the fetal position in pain, then getting hit in the back of the head. Before that...it gets personal, you wouldn't believe me anyway." An idea then appeared to me, "Actually...if you do me a favor I just may tell you."

She cast a skeptical glance toward me, "What would that be?"

"Look at my eyes...what do you see?"

"Um...your eyes?"

"No, no, I mean what do they look like"

She leans over to get a better look, "Your left eye is golden...strange; anyway," She moves over to my right, "And your right eye is...this is even stranger...a glowing teal...perhaps turquoise."

"But it's still there!?" I exclaim with more excitement than I wanted to show

She gave me an odd look and began to raise a mirror up towards me saying, "Pretty sure, that's what I see at least."

I take a look at the now raised mirror. What I see both fascinates me and terrifies me. Staring back at me is a black creature that looked an awful lot like the unicorn and pegasus, wearing a shoulder pad and cloak identical to mine, however instead of my leather armor...it's skin seems to have a look almost identical to it. It sported a horn much sharper than the purple one's, and it wasn't exactly...straight. the creature had a dorsal fin instead of a mane like the equines, it had spines that were without a doubt sharp, a set of wings, gold in color, and it's limbs...they had holes in them. And it's eyes, God it's eyes...it's right had a vertical scar straight up, the eye itself unharmed and the other one...Damn...what happened to us? I don't know...a closer look showed that the horn was shaped like a lock-pick...Oh, the irony burns. I look over at the purple unicorn and stammer out while pointing to my reflection, "W-W-What am I?"

"I don't know why, but your memories are gone...to a serious extent for you to forget something like that...or you're lying to me."

"J-Just tell me what the HELL I am....please...I need to know. I need to know what I became."

"You are what is known as a changeling...monsters...parasites..." Her voice changed to malice when she mentioned the creatures. "Of course, you know that, being one of them...I doubt that you could forget that, no matter what."

"I'm...this isn't...I-I..." I stammered out, what happened to me? I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and to my luck, it works a bit, "Look, I don't know you, and you don't know me, but hear me, there is honor among thieves, an unspoken code, and while avarice is seen as wrong a true thief never lies."

"And how's that supposed to make me believe you?"

"Come over here and look into my eye..." She does so, looking into my teal eye, "Emm....sorry, wrong one, look into the other one." She looks at me with a odd glance, but nonetheless does so, "Now, I am telling you a thief, a true thief never lies, never snitches, never kills, and is never seen." That last bit brought a smile to the purple ones eyes.

"You seemed to fail that last one." she said, giggling.

"Yes, and I lost my hands, topping that off, I got changed into a...changeling."

"Hands?"

"Yes, hands...thumbs and all." I gave her an odd look...then she moved out of my field of vision.

"But changelings don't have hands...how could you lose them?"

Hey Garrett, give me control for a second. Wait what? Let me speak to this one, I have a theory. OK...I trust you...me...screw it, how do I do that? Just allow me access. Alright, here goes.

In a flash of light I am brought back to the black room I had met with the Sneak Thief earlier....so then this must be my mind...I guess. I walk to the middle of the room and sit down, noticing that I was back to normal...odd...I'm going to call it a soul room, the soul retains the shape of it's origin, right? Close my eyes for second to clear my head, when I open them the room has turned back to my body. More aptly the walls are showing me what my body is seeing.

Are you in control now? Yes, sure is helpful that our souls are compatible. Compatible? What do you mean by that? Means that we don't fight for control and neither of us 'die'...by die I mean erased.

The Sneak Thief looks at the purple equine, "Look, I don't expect you to fully comprehend this, but we aren't a changeling, not from here nor from our homeland. Though from what I can tell you haven't had many positive encounters with them, have you?" She shook her head, "But I also feel that you don't understand them enough to create a strong case."

She looked at him with a rage, "You weren't there! YOU never saw what they did! YOU DIDN'T SEE THEM!"

"So you've accepted that we had no part in that event? That would mean that you attacked us unprovoked without motive nor method; I don't know about you or your culture, but where we come from, that's reason for punishment."

"W-WHY YOU!" She screamed in rage, picking up...something and--*THUNK*

Master, you might want to switch out now...probably a good idea.

A quick blink later and I'm back in my body. *THUD*

"QUIT THAT!" I yell, "You're going to kill me if that keeps up; what are you even using?" I glance up to see the unicorn has a large hardcover book grasped between her...hooves. She stops, tears in her eyes...shit now I feel bad.

"OK, OK, Sorry, " I start, "It may have been rude of him, but there's no reason to be so upset abo---" I'm cut off as she hugs me tight, crying into my shoulder...odd position considering I'm lying down on a table...and the fact that I am strapped down, that too. I dart my eyes around, trying to find a solution; they land on the unicorn's back...wing, she has wings....that's new, I don't even remember hearing about creatures like that. Nor me for that matter. Not knowing or comprehending what has happened I do my best to calm her, whispering into her ear in a somewhat soothing voice, "Shhh....there, there...It's going to be alright. Whatever is bothering you now will soon leave." I assume that 'whatever' is me, and I most surely will be gone soon....if these bindings come off.

Far to my left a hear a voice, the owner outside my field of vision, call out, "Hey bookworm, you okay?" She is met with silence coupled with the occasional sob. "Now look what you did," the voice said, "You made the princess cry." Princess? This day keeps getting worse and worse.

Finding my voice I croak out, "I don't know what happened, she-this-I-just-me-her-*GAK*-help she's choking me!"

At that the owner of the voice stepped into view, it was the blue pegasus. she walked over to the purple one, placing a hand hoof over her shoulder, "You gotta quit this Twilight." she said bluntly. I felt the grip tighten and 'Twilight' began to sob louder.

So...this is how I die? Strangled by a purple winged unicorn? Never thought I'd go this way...guards maybe, heck even poison...but this is simply unbelievable. HA, you're telling me, I don't think it's our time yet though...I got a feeling. OH, that's good.

I relax as my vision grows darker, and then I am thrust into the void of blackness...back to my mind.

I 'awake' back in my soul room, the Sneak Thief sitting in the middle.

"So...are we dead?"

"No, but seeing as we're both here, I'd say that we're out cold."

"Great...just great...you have any idea what happened to us?"

"Unfortunately no, I can't find a thing; just the Keepers, Erin, and the wall."

"The Keepers?"

"The men in cloaks, I was one of them long ago, defected, and the rest is hidden history."

"Never really cared about history, not that I ever had the motive to; How long you think we're going to be out for?"

"Not terribly long, once the air gets back to our head we'll be fine."

"What then? For all we know they want us dead."

"What then? Then we do what we have always done...survive."

I nod and sit across from him...nothing to do now but wait.

I awake again, this time in a chair, no restraints that I can see. "Perfect..." I whisper under my breath, a smile forming on my face. I try to get up, but am held my some force. What!?Hey, take a closer look. squinting at my arms I see a faint yellow glow. "What is that?" I think aloud.

From the other side of the room a new voice rings out, "Magic."

"Who's that?!" I ask, annoyed that I can't move.

"Oh, I think you know." she replied.

"Stop with the riddles, I want answers!" I yell...why am I reacting so much? This isn't me. I need answers though...I need something!

She walks forward, "Familiar now?" Now in view I see the most insane thing yet...a large white horse with a mane that...well, that floated as if a breeze caught it...and it was multicolored...how surreal...it had the same wings and horn the purple one had...albeit larger on this one. Atop it's head was a crown...so that's the ruler?

"Can't say I do." I say in complete honesty

At that she cast a dumbfounded look at me, "Really? Then I suppose you don't remember the battle for Canterlot?"

"Canter-what?"

She put on a more annoyed face, "Are you telling me you haven't heard of the capital of Equestria?"

"Equestri-What?"

At this point I had a hard time telling whether or not she wanted to kill me. She took second to take a deep breath and look around, seeing that no one was there she walked up to me, "I suppose you also don't know who you are."

"Actually, that's all that I do know...so if that's all, can you undo the magical binds, and I'll be on my way!" I say, putting on a cheery face. Apparently she didn't believe me, because I felt a searing pain in my head. Garret! Incoming! She trying to force her way into our head! I doubt she's just a ruler here!

Feeling the pain of something trying to enter my head without my own violation was unthinkably agonizing, worse than getting hit in the head with metal shovels....repetitively. When I tried, I couldn't scream, it's as if I was stuck in time.

Hey now! this is occupied! No room for you, your highness! I heard the Sneak Thief shout towards the white queen, adding sarcasm on the 'your highness' bit.

"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!!!!" I heard a new voice shout out. I wonder, will this be my savior or a new warden? Opening my eyes I see another of the winged, horned horses. This one was a deep blue, navy I think, she looked a bit smaller than the white one, but her mane had the same 'breeze' effect...it reminded me of the starred sky that lit my night, surprisingly calming.

Throwing away my pride I looked at the newcomer, "Whoever you are please help me! The white one is trying to invade my head! It already is full!"

She tilted her head down and sighed. Lifting her head again she shouted, "SISTER! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF SUCH TRANSGRESSIONS!?"

Sisters eh? Now we're double screwed! Shaddup, we've yet to die.

The white one turned to her side, and I noticed two things; one, her tail had the same damn 'breeze' effect that her mane did; and two, she was branded, a sun on her...ehh...what's it called for equines? A flank I think. Yeah, that's it. Though it's odd for royalty to have brands...unheard of actually. Could be a birthmark though....perhaps a family emblem.

HAHA, three of our worst enemies, Light, Leaders, and Ludicrous godly powers!

"--You can't just do that!" I heard 'night-mane' say to her sister.

"He's a threat!"

"How so?"

"Look what he is! They are not to be trusted! They live on deceit!"

"Are you not the one always preaching about tolerance and comradery between things?"

"Yes, but--"

"NO! To refuse that to this one would be hypocrisy!"

Seemingly defeated, the white one lowered her head. 'Night-mane' then turned toward me, "And as for you, what do you know?"

I'd say we trust her, she may have just saved our life. Agreed, tell her what we know.

"First off," I start, "We don't come from here, we've never even heard of 'changelings' and unicorns and pegasus are but legends, myths. Truly I have no idea why we're here, nor why everything we've met wants to beat us senseless. What we know is that we happen to be this creature known as a 'changeling' and that we're stuck in a place where everything wants to beat us senseless....that's about it regarding this place and our 'condition'."

"What do you mean by 'we'? Are you royalty? Or perhaps you have a companion hidden somewhere?"

"Sort of...but not really...it's hard to explain..."

"We have time."

"Well...actually he's in my head....so to speak...I don't fully understand it myself, but he's there and I can speak to him."

"Interesting, do you intend on hurting any of the inhabitants here?"

"Funny question considering that every living creature I've met here has tried to beat me, and no; it's a personal code I go by to never needlessly kill, among other things."

She smiled at that, "That is reassuring, one last question; you said that you aren't from this land, what were you? More specifically, what did you do?"

I gave a small chuckle, "I was exactly what I wanted to be; nothing. A ghost....A shadow." Why am I telling them this? Magic? Apparently that's an option here, so it's not out of the realm of possibility.

"That's all we need to know," she turned toward her sister, "See Tia? I can be calm, and it payed off! HA!"

"...Soooo...Can I go now?" I ask.

"Of course not!" 'Tia' said.

"Forget her, yes, you may leave now...Tia, the bonds?"

"But look at it! It's larger than Chrysalis!"

"Yes, but whether or not you like it the law states that simply being a certain species will not void your rights."

Curious I ask, "Emm...who exactly is Chrysalis?"

The white queen stared at her sister is disbelief, mouth agape. Night-mane seemed less surprised and calmly answered, "Chrysalis is the Queen of the Changeling Swarm, in charge of the entire hive." Swarm? Hive? Sounds like insects.

"Now that this little misunderstanding it cleared up, what are you to do now? Return to the Hive, rejoin the Hive, and report to Chrysalis?" she asks me.

"Honestly no, I can't stand hierarchy and royalty and all that business. No, we'll just do what we always have done, survive." I say, finally feeling the bonds dissipate. I get up and start walking towards the door; still finding that walking like normal was extremely difficult. What's with this 'Changeling' anatomy that makes it so hard to walk?

Before I make it half-way there I fall flat on my face. This brings a laugh out of Tia...keep laughing sunbutt...

"What's with the posture?" She asks, still laughing.

"I don't know what you mean." to this she places a mirror in front of me. Again I look at this creature that is me...intriguing. I had not lost my hands it seems, but instead they had turned to hooves, some holes in them, and each one made a hook-like half-hole. Looking at my face I saw I still had my cowl, the mask pulled down. My right eye emitted a ghastly teal, a scar going through it vertically, the left a brilliant gold. My head is topped by a horn, straight at first then curves down and up....like a lock-pick. Two fangs protrude from my mouth. Turning a bit, I look at my back, the same gold as in my eye colored my wings...they looked like they were made of a membrane. In place of a mane I had a dorsal fin, the 'skin' connecting the spines gold...seems to be a pattern...lastly my tail. Gold?...nope the same chitinous black that made up the rest of my body. That mimicking my leather armor suit in design. I still had my cloak, my cowl, my bow (Thank the Gods), my gloves, arrows, and my tools; pretty lucky if I'd say myself.

"So I can only walk on fours now though?" I ask aloud to no one in particular.

"Well, walking on your hinds is an option, I don't think it would offer any long-term benefits." Night-mane said.

"I don't know, if he's on his hinds the entire time, it'll make it easier to catch him!" sunbutt said.

Speaking of...I don't see a mark on me, so does that mean it was a birth mark or emblem? I take a quick peak at Night-mane to see if she had one. She did, but not the same as her sister's.

"Oh, admiring my cutie mark are you?" she asks me.

"What mark? So that isn't a birth mark...or some kind of family symbol or whatnot?" I ask instead of replying to her question.

To my luck she takes the question seriously and begins to think, "Well, the most accurate way to describe them is that they display one's special talent or ability. This my manifest in literal ways or metaphorical symbols. the reason you don't have one is due to the fact that they are unique to the ponykind."

"Okay, simple enough, thanks Night-mane." I say, once again walking towards the door, on all fours this time.

"My name is Luna, and what are you doing?" she says, the final statement stopping me.

"Well...Luna, I'm simply leaving." I say, wondering why she asked me.

"Without a disguise? You might get killed by the occasional angry stallion."

"Disguise? And better yet, why would someone want to kill us? We just got here, we've done no wrong."

"All Changelings have the innate ability to disguise themselves, as for the warning...well let's just say that Changelings are really welcomed by the vast majority." she said, refusing to make eye contact with me.

Disguise huh? Master, you know how we can to that? Not yet, but if what she says is true, then eventually it should come naturally...I guess. In time, yeah...

Putting my cowl back into position I start to open the door. I am greeted by the night...the beautiful, protecting night. Smiling I wave good-bye and walk off, heading nowhere in particular.

After noticing that I had absolutely no idea about the place I'm in I decide to back track to the place I was held captive...yeah, I know it's not smart, but Luna did tell me that I would be safe as long as I didn't hurt anything. Backtracking wasn't the easiest thing to do here, and all I had was a name. It was "Twilight" I think...heh, they sure have odd names here. But to be honest, it's a nice name, I always have loved the twilight, it meant my hunt could start soon. I sigh, today we aren't going to find her...I don't know why but I bet she knows something, that bookworm comment helping a bit. I look up to see a waning moon...what a grand thing that is...the only light I trust. Garrett, time to quit daydreaming, we have to find a spot for the night, during the day we can ask around about this...Twilight. Yeah, you're right...but where, from what I heard we aren't welcome, and I don't see any abandoned buildings...in fact I think we left town several minutes ago. It's been too long since I had a nice stroll come to think of it...relaxing, peaceful even. Far in the distance I see a fenced clearing...a pastor maybe? No, there's too much soil for a pastor, then farmland? Could we be near a delta?

A brisk 'trot' later and I confirm my earlier suspicions, a farm, heavy with crops. at the center was a red house, pas that a barn, the same red hue. The barn seems like a good place to stay the night, you need the sleep too. True, I haven't slept in quite some time, unconsciousness doesn't count as rest. Coming closer I see the barn has a large padlock on it. HA! It'll take a lot more than that to stop us! Sure will.

Walking up to the lock I 'crouch' down best I can and look into the keyhole, lifting it so that the moonlight shines into the hole. "Standard tumbler.." I say and I get my tension wrench and pick and place them into the opening, "...Eight pins..." I say to myself aloud while working, "Back to front...3cm...5cm...2cm...4cm...1cm...5cm...3cm...4cm...and...*click*...that should do it." I say smiling, placing my tools back into my gloves. Then it hits me...I used my wrench and pick with precision and skill without my hands. I look down at my hooves and ask aloud, "Hooves...How do you work?"

Opening the door I walk in, closing it behind me. Taking a look around I find the place surprisingly abandoned...not even a rodent found it's way into here. Taking another go around I find a spot of hay and lie down...from there I drift off to a peaceful slumber...considering what has happened...I dare say I deserve this...

Upon waking I find myself in an odd situation...I'm hogtied by my feet hooves, hanging from a tree like a pinata. Not this shit again...I yawn, louder than I expected, and soon I hear in a thick accent from the south say, "So, ya finally decided to come back ya filthy varmints! Then nerve of ya!"

Not wanting to repeat yesterdays events, while still not knowing if this voice belonged to someone that could invade my mind, I blurt out, "WAIT, WAIT! PEACE! DEAR GODS PEACE!"

"Peace ya say? Ya'll never offered that to us fore' you attacked us now did ya?"

"AAGGGHHH! YOU TECHNO-COLORED MAGICAL HORSES QUIT WITH YOUR RIDDLES! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" I scream, mostly due to all the; whatever I have in place of blood now; filling my head.

She smirks at me, "Now ah' don't know if yer tellin' me a bad joke er' a bad lie."

Returning a smile to her, though I'm not sure how well she saw it the cowl and all, I tell her, "Well, while I'm not much one for jokes, I never tell a lie."

The look on her face...I don't know if she was going to burst out laughing or have a heart attack, or both for that matter. Fortunately it was the former, "OH! That's a kicker! Now tell me why ah should put mah trust in you? Why wouldn't a monster like ya and yer kin not lie?"

"It's very simple really."

" Oh, an' why is that?"

"To be perfectly honest...It's too easy. Where's the fun in it? The excitement? The thrill? The feeling of...living?"

" 'Scuse me? Fun? Excitement?" she asked, "In what exactly?"

"Secret, now will you let me down...I can see wonderland with all the...stuff flowing into my head."

"Ah suppose I could, " she said, seeming to ponder on gods knows what, "But tell me, why ah shouldn't get mah entire family here with bats an' see if yer filled with goodies?"

"But I didn't do anything wrong...here. Plus Luna said I would be safe...reasonably, as long as I don't hurt any living creature." I say, after experiencing it several time, I can say it wasn't a pleasant feeling, getting beaten to a pulp.

"That doesn't mean yer tellin' me the truth."

"AGGH! What can I do to get you to believe me!?" I shout...yep all that gooey blood stuff was in my head.

"Well, since yer so eager, hows about' this--" she said, offering me a deal...more importantly, a job.

"That's all? Just bring it back and you'll believe me?" I said to her, overjoyed at not only the assignment, but also the prospect of not being beaten to a gooey, bloody pulp.

I take a deep breath...finally something that feels...natural in this strange place. Retrieval jobs usually were simple, nab the objective and get it to the client, unfortunately for me this job seems to be more...complicated than most. Somehow or another the orange one managed to get on the bad side of a dragon, A BLOODY DRAGON; of course there would be dragons in this strange place. Normally I can get some kind of information on the target or who I'm taking from, but I know nothing about how anything works here, bah!

Let's just get this done with, the quicker we do that the faster we can get our bearings. And on a side note, how do you think she got so much information on the dragon? I mean if it was just a raid then she would've had to follow the damned beast.

Good question, but hopefully the dragons here hoard vast amounts of boon like they say in the stories back home. I'm going to have to replace my equipment, though I'm lucky I still have my bow and picks...though I still can't use them...bloody hooves...at least they bring me a measure of comfort.

I suppose you're right, whole new world and all, but eh...are we lost?

No...this map she gave us is...difficult to hold to say the least. I glance down at the directions and they make no sense, it was like a kid made this...actually I don't know how old the orange one is...meh, not important.

"Let's see..." I think aloud, "Odd names - Pegasus's Peak, Griffons Garrison, Minotaur's Mine, Canterlot....really? Just...ugh...WHY NOT!?"

You sure that's the right way to read it?

No clue, but from what I can read we have to head to a place nicknamed 'Dragon's Summit' a bit north of some settlements near a forest by the name of Everfree. It's a start, and from what she told us the forest is close by...Looks like I got a lot of hiking to do.

*Sigh*

Agreed.

Turns out the forest was much larger than I originally thought, and while for the most part I didn't have much trouble getting through it, by the time I exited the forest, more of a jungle if you ask me, it was getting late; more aptly the sun was rising.

We should sleep for the day, at night is when we need to be alert. I know, I know.

I walked to the closest tree and sat down, going through my equipment. "Bow...one of each arrow...five flashbombs...Erin's claw...prybar...picks...blackjack...wrench...razor...wirecutter; I'll definitely have to get some more arrows, probably get another set of picks, another wrench, and I'm going to need a work station if I want to improve my gear." Satisfied, I lean my back against the tree and slowly drift off to sleep.

As I open my eyes I find myself back in my spirit room with the old legend.

"So, no rest for the wicked?"

"To be fair, we are resting; however dreams are normal...what's the difference this time?"

"Why are you asking m---" I start before I notice a ripple in the nearest wall. Immediately we face it, fists raised. Honestly I don't know what I expected. Out of the ripple came the dark maned horse, Luna I believe.

"How'd you get in? Your sister tried to force her way in and couldn't so how did you? The Sneak Thief asked her.

"I noticed you were sleeping, so I decided to pop in for a visit." she said matter-of-factly.

"What? Wait, HOW?" I ask.

"You do not know? As ruler of the night I also govern the realm of dreams."

"Well, after being thrown into a world full of myth and magic I'm willing to listen to just about anything, so yeah; how about you Master?"

"Same here, though we had magic back in our realm too."

"What?"

"Yeah, the Primal."

Returning to our 'guest' I ask her, "So, why did you stop by? Is your sister out for our death again?"

That got a small giggle out of her, "No, non of the sort. However Tia said that you were my responsibility, and you step out of line...well..."

"Yeah, Yeah; we get it." I say waving a hand.

"It's almost odd that a god doesn't want to kill me...wow that sounded depressing."

She chuckled and said, "To be fair, we are goddesses."

The two shared a laugh as I exited the soul room.

When I awoke, the sun was still setting. "Well, good as time as any." I said aloud.

"Already? Stay awhile." I heard a familiar voice say in the back of my head.

Luna? What are you still doing in my head? I thought you said you could do it because I was dreaming...or asleep at least. Oh, that, WELL normally yes, but your father here allowed me to stay. Father? Oh, the Master Thief...we need to get you a new name. "Well, you could call me dad you know. Sure, why not; that's not the point, when you're in control, we need a name for you. If I may, most ponies have names in relation to their cutie marks. There what marks? Cutie-what? Honestly, if you were a spy, I'd say you're doing a great job. We aren't spies! Cutie-what-now? Simply, a Cutie-Mark is a mark on the flank that displays ones talent. So it isn't a brand or birth mark? Nope. Anyway, the bottom line is that the inhabitants here are commonly named after their talents, correct? Yes/ Well, I can't go around being called Sneak Thief, or Master Thief...or God Killer. Of course not...How abou--Wait! Why don't we just check our cutie mark...god that makes me feel like a--Due to their nature, Changelings don't have cutie marks, when disguise they usually fabricate their own. Well that idea goes to trash. I GOT IT! How about Ghost....or Shadow...OR Ghostly Shadow...though that sounds quite odd...how about...Eidolon Umm....Luna? Seems legit. Sure. Now, you're just gonna tag along with us Luna?
Yep! Wait, why didn't my head not feel like exploding when you entered and stayed, unlike when Eidolon did. Well, when I entered, there were a hell of a lot of locks that I had to bypass, and you subconsciously attempted to reject me. Your mind is surprisingly roomy...and comfortable. How does that even make sense!? She has a point. What do you mean? It's nice in your head. Very homey. Oh...Kay?

With that mind-fuck over I return to my journey to Dragon's Summit.

And so we trekked across this strange world, the land known now as Equestria, Luna told us. She told us of about the Pegasi and Unicorns and Earth ponies. Along with some major events...like the Invasion. Lucky for me and 'dad' we're used to the hate. Eventually we reached Dragon's Summit. It was simple to find what we needed, It was a necklace, gold with a ruby and emerald in the shape of an apple and the leaf set in it, to our luck though, the dragon was no where to be seen. After some personal...procuring (looting) we left, unnoticed. When we finally made it back to the orange one's farm it was night, so we decided to return the item in the morning.

When I awoke I came upon a familiar scene. Me hanging upside-down with a pony in front of me. This time it was a large, red, stallion. When he saw me open my eyes he frowned and started to say something, until I cut him off.

"Wait, Wait! Let me guess; Ehem 'You varmint how dare you have the nerve to come back to our peaceful lands, etc, etc, I should kick your skull in, blah, blah, we were fine until you came?' that about right?"

He stared at me for a second, head looking around thinking, then looked at me and said, "Eeyup."

"Fine, just get the orange one out here first, I have something for her; just...call her or something."

To my surprise he just walked into the house, leaving me alone. About a minute later he came back with the orange one.

She walked up to me and stared me down, "So, another one of ya' insects." she said

"Nope, same one!"

"What? Even after ah let ya' go? Either yer crazy er' want ta' get bucked."

"What do you mean, you said if I go the necklace back you'd at least hear me out!" I yelled, slightly angry.

"An' ahm jus' supposed ta' belive ya'd actually do that?"

"Eh...yes?"

At that she burst out laughing; crazy ponies. "What's so funny?!" I demanded...which probably didn't have any effect considering I'm hanging by my feet...er...hooves.

"Oh boy! Ya' had me going there fer a sec'.

"What do you mean!? I have the trinket right here, if you'd let me down!" I yelled, not because I was angry, but because all the gooey whatever I have for blood was rushing to my head...again.

The look she gave me was between confusion, skepticism, doubt. "Huh? Say what now?"

"Yeah, left pocket, jeweled necklace, emerald and ruby...now can you let me down! What ever I have in my veins is rushing toward my head!"

With a slight sigh she kicked the tree I was attached to with her back hooves and I came falling down.

*THUD*

"Finally...owch." I said while reaching toward my pocket for the object.

Finding it, I hold it out for her to see, "This is the one, right?" The only word I can think to describer her face is...flabbergasted, jaw hanging in...surprise? "What? Not used to a finished job?" I say with a sly grin.

"Wha---but---huh? How in tarnation didja manage that?" she asked, jaw still agape, eyes fixed on the necklace.

"Well, the dragon was gone during my sneak in, so the worst part was finding it...let me tell you that map was not easy to follow."

"YA COULD ACTUALLY READ THA MAP!?"

"Umm...sort of?" I say, not really sure what this girl wants.

Looking down, she gingerly takes the necklace from my extended hoof and sighed, "Fine, a deal's a deal; head towards tha heart of our lil' town til' ya see a large tree with a door; ya should be able ta find Twilight there, first ya need ta convince her ya ain't gonna go an' suck up her emotions an' all."

Extending a hoof out of habit for some sort of hand shake I wait, apprehensively she reaches out and somehow shakes it, "Nice doing business with you miss...?" I ask.

"I ain't no miss, though mah name is Applejack. Why do ask, no offense, but y'all bein' parasites an' all..."

"One: I might be here for a long time, may as well establish a clientele or at least in the good side of those who live near me, and two: I have no idea what you're talking about with the whole parasite thing...OH, and three: thanks for keeping your word, I like that."

"Well, that's all fine an' dandy, but yer soundin' a might crazy...speakin' o' crazy, watch out for Pinkie Pie...she loves newcomers...too much fer their health."

"Erm...is that supposed to scare me or? No, better yet; can someone explain why everything I've met here has had some sort of unknown grudge against me?"

"How can ya not--nevermind, it's best if Twilight tells' ya'. And the Pinkie Pie thin'...that was a safety measure."

"Okay...fine...and thanks? I guess." I say awkwardly.

As I began to leave I heard Applejack yell to me, "OH, an' ye might wanna' avoid tha' townsfolk fer a bit til' ya' sort out the whole identity crisis thang!"

After an hour or so of sneaking around I finally make it to the large tree. Now...how to approach this? You could always try and knock. I heard a voice say with a giggle. Really? Just waltz right up and give it hit? Last time she saw me it was like she couldn't decide if she wanted to kill me, mutilate me, or hug me. Well, you're going to have to face her sometime or another, may as well get it done quick. Two out of three? Fine...if we die, I blame you 'dad'.

I knock three times and wait. After another minute or so, I knock again. After the second knock the door opened; revealing a large purple lizard....with wings....F*ck I think it's a dragon. It stared at me and yawned, rubbing it's eyes, "Yoooou looking for Twillliiight?" it asked tiredly. "Shheee's inn the studdy..." he continued, still half-asleep.

"Ummm....thanks?"

"Sure, sure,--" he let out another yawn, "Tell her I'm taking a walk." he said as he pushed pass me.

Odd...Anyway, I made my way inside and search for her study. All along the wall to my left and right were numerous books of all subjects. Is she an Alchemist? Or some sort of doctor? It's possible she's just a collector, but wow is this overkill. Eventually I found a set of stairs that led downward, might as well start there.

Descending the stairs I began to smell something foul, sulfur I think. As I reached the bottom I see the purple one from earlier, Twilight I think, wearing a white coat, leaning over a bench crowded with vials of liquid. She was muttering to herself, "No, no, two part ammonia, one part bromide, four parts nitrate oxide...No that won't work!" Again she began mixing the various chemicals; until one of her concoctions began to boil and froth. At that point she threw it away from her...and towards me.

Moving, or more aptly, jumping down the stairs I look back to see where I was standing now a sooty black ring. "You have to be more careful with that stuff, someone might get hurt." I say jokingly.

"You again! Who let you in?" She asked, unfazed by the chemical explosion, as if this happened normally.

"The sleep-walking dragon...he is a dragon, right?"

"Why did he--never mind, SPIIIKE!!"

"He wanted me to tell you he went for a stroll." I say, walking up to pseudo bomb maker.

"What?! Why?"

"I don't know, but it looks like he needed something to wake him up a bit more."

"Dragon sleeping patterns are odd..." she muttered.

"So he is a dragon!"

"Yes, what do you want?" she sneered.

I put on a showy frown, "That's no way to treat your guest, is it?"

"Like you'd know..."

"Actually I wouldn't, I mostly do solo jobs."

"Jobs?"

"Yes, I'm not from here; not from this world I think. Well...at the very least, we didn't have any unicorns...or pegasus...pegasi? We really didn't have talking horses either. Nor were they nearly as colorful."

"Given that your kind live on lies, I highly doubt that."

"I don't know much about this place, all I know is what Luna told me; Though she did say she herself was not present during the invasion, off doing diplomatic work in some far off place."

"When did you talk to her?"

"She's in my head." I say, not realizing how odd that sounded, "Um...it's hard to explain..."

"Sure it is." she said back to me in a now bored tone. "Let me guess, she also told you that rainbow are made of ponies too."

"Wha-no where in the world did you get that idea from...or are they really--"

"No! of course not."

Argh...these bloody ponies, I can't tell if they are serious or not; or really anything about this place. No matter, but I need to gain this one's trust...or at least her respect if I am to learn how this place works...she at least tolerates what I've become, pissed at me, but still tolerate. Looking around for something to start a conversation with, or at least a better conversation, I spot the bottles of chemical left on her bench, in particular a yellow vial.

"Are you dissolving gold? Platinum perhaps?" I ask.

"What are you talking about?" she says in return.

I point toward the yellow chemical, "Aqua Regia, right? back where I come from we use it to refine royal metals."

"Oh, that...that actually is a urine sample from one of Fluttershy's animals, it's for a pregnancy test."

I raise my hoof to my face for thinking such a stupid thing to start a talk.

"But tell me about this...'Aqua Regia'." She said, her eyes like saucers...it was surreal how large her eyes got, but they glimmered with a look only the curious could. and there might be a change that this little talk could be saved.

"Sure, I worked with it quite a lot, among other chemicals; what do you need to know." I say, choosing my words carefully.

"OK, first what does Aqua Regia mean?"

"I believe it means 'Royal Water', appropriate at the very least."

She took a second to jot some notes down on a pad...that I didn't remember her grabbing...odd. after she finished she raised her head again, "How is it made? or is it a naturally occurring chemical?"

Thinking hard I slowly speak, "I believe it's a mix of....nitric acid and...hydrochloric acid...one to three ratio; at least that's what I used with Basso."

"What is 'Basso'? Is it another chemical?"

"No, no, Basso he was....he was the closest thing I had to a friend back in the City." I say, starting to feel a bit of melancholy.

She gave a look of...I don't really know of what, just a look, torn between disbelief, pity, and something else...sorrow? "You really aren't a changeling, are you?" she asks.

"The answer is still no, but since I am now, tell me a bit about them, they seem to be different from the ones back in the City."

"You had changelings back in your world?"

"Yes...Well, no, only stories." I said. Not a moment after I said that she had her pen and paper ready to write. "Why don't you tell me about the ones here first?" I offer.

She seemed a tad mad, but put away her tools and began.