Thief

by ConnorTempest

...Can be opened

"...And to conclude, changelings are creatures that feed off of love, resemble insects, posses both wings and horn, and seem relatively more resilient than ponies; other than that...research has been...inconclusive" Twilight said. Honestly I thought there would be more information, but something is better than nothing.

"And by that I assume you mean that there never really was any research, and you're just pulling these little 'facts' out of the back of your head from what you think you remember during an encounter with them, correct?" I asked, sarcasm dripping out of my very being.

She lowered her head, "Yes..." And in the next, perked right back up, "But now..." I saw her horn glow slightly, "That you're here..." the glow intensified, "I can finally..." That glow was just bursting with light now, "Satisfy my curiosity." she finished as a bunch of tools floated into the room, each one surrounded by a bright purple glow. Does she mean...OH GODS...EIDOLON?! Oh sh*t...I think she does...LUNA?Just submit...It will be easier for you. Wait what?

Slowly backing away I speak slowly, "Now, now...no need to be hasty," I feel a bump against my rear, and raise onto my hind legs, "We wouldn't want to do anything we would regret...or maim; I know, you wanted me to tell you the legend of the Changelings from where I lived, right?" I say, whimpering the final word. I edge over to my side, the stairs are next to me, if I go just a little bit towards my right I could fall right into the staircase.

"You're right, but." she paused, thinking. I used this to edge my way to the opening, "Nah, tell me later, I NEED to know your secrets!" She said, pouncing onto me...with a force that would put The Watch to SHAME.

*CLUNK* *BUMP* *THUD*

Oww...my head, I open my eyes to see Twilight on top of me...in a very compromising fashion. Near her head were various tools, a scalpel among them. She looked at me and calmly stated, "I want to see your insides now." Well Shit...that was blunt.

A few knocks at the door leading to the lab saved me. Opening the door was the dragon from before. Thank the Gods. Honestly, I don't know if you were about to get laid...or killed. Shhh, can it E.

The dragon began to speak, "Twilight! I just got back and heard a lot of noise from down here, are you alright? Did you possibly create a bomb again?" he said, as he reached a point where he could see us, he stopped cold. "OH! Sorry for interrupting you two, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go flush my eyes vigorously with a gallon or two of mind-bleach." he said, his left eye twitching sporadically, slowly backing up the stairs.

"Wait! Help me!" I scream to the dragon. Either he was too scarred or just ignoring me, but he didn't come back. I felt a shift on top of me. the now red Twilight was in an even more...unfortunate position, which I am not willing to describe, least anything else need mind-bleach.

You know, she is kinda cute. E...shut up...we're human...were human...that's still not the point either, for one Luna told us that she is a...what was it? Alicorn. Yes that, and here that means she is royalty. Sooooo.... Well, for one she probably has plenty of suitors, if not an arranged marriage. You're still not denying that's she's cute. Eidolon...what happened when you died? I got more cynical, and senile. The point still stands that you haven't denied tha-- Yes I know, geez. Why is that the only thing on your mind? My mind? Our mind? Simple, we got here through a cataclysmic event, and what happened should have been impossible, but it did; I doubt we'll ever find a way back in all honesty.

That didn't occur to me, the prospect of returning to the City. It did get boring using the same place all the time. And here I am, a whole new world...ha.

Hey! I know a way to get you outta this jam, give me control for a sec. Fine by me...not like I have any ideas.

The transition was quicker this time, and soon I found myself in the soul room again. Luna was siting in the middle. Looking at the nearest wall I saw how Eidolon was fairing...gods what have I done...

"Hey, watch where you put those things, someone might get hurt." he said...I said...how does this work? I'll just go with 'him' and 'I' depending on whose in control...seems easiest.

I saw him raise a...hoof...up and stroked the side of her already red face saying, "You know, you're really cute." Gods, I thought she was red before, but after that...well I have never seen red that...red, for lack of better words.

E what are you doing!? Getting us out of a jam. All it takes is a bit of...suave. SUAVE? You look like you're trying to charm her! It works, right? Luna help me out here

I turn to Luna, "Tell him he's making a mistake."

To my surprise she herself was blushing, murmuring to herself, "So...B-Bold...nopony has done something so...direct in..." she trailed off.

Eidolon! Royalty! DANGER! Please, the rules here are different.

It took me second, but he was right...everything changes now that I'm here.

Looking back at the wall, I found that Twilight had passed out. See, she's out cold, we're safe! For now...better than nothing I guess. Well, I'm taking a nap; YOU'RE IN!

Blinking twice, I regain my senses. Agh...what to do now? I guess the first thing to do is get Twilight in bed.

With a sigh, I hoist the Alicorn onto my back and begin ascending the stairs. Upon reaching the top I saw that dragon again. "Hello, that mind-bleach work...I might need some if you got spare." I say jokingly, to which he pulls a white bottle from the floor, with the label 'Mind-Bleach: When you really NEED to forget!'

"Extra strength or conditioner?" he asked, brutal honesty in his voice.

I was at lost for words, my mouth agape. "A lot then?" he continued.

Regaining my wit I finally managed a sentence, "Ehh, no thanks...Though I need to get Twilight into her bed...I doubt the wood floor is comfortable."

"Upstairs, to the left." he said, "Oh, I need to talk to you afterwards for a second."

Shit...if he's the suitor then I am absolutely f*cked beyond all hope or reason.

I follow his directions, and gingerly place Twilight down. Something in the room caught my eye though, a Chest of sorts, glowing blue, looking like a cut gem. It had six locks...it made me smile. Afterward, I walked back down, and upon seeing me, the Dragon started.

"Ok, morning starts at 7:30, or when Twi wakes you up, meals are made in rotation, and you're chore are assigned at the start of the week, and--"

"Whoa, whoa, slow it down there, what?"

"Well, if Twilight finally brought a stallion home, then I guess I'm getting a new parent."

Processing....connecting....error...error...does not compute....alternative route?....Affirmative....executing.

"Say what?" I say...still comprehending what this dragon just told me.

"Oh, I'm so glad Twilight finally listened to me and decided to go out for once, where'd she meet you? A library out of town? In the square? Maybe...no, at a bar?" he asked, still not answering my question.

"HOLD ON!" I yell still oblivious to the situation, not that I have much context. "What do you mean?"

"Oh yeah, I told Twilight that she needed to go out on the town more often, meet some stallions for once, I mean she's at that age when she's in her prime, when she needs to find her life partner, you get me?" he asks.

"No..and what are you to her...and for that matter, who are you? And why aren't you freaking out like every other thing I come across, which admittedly happen to only be ponies, but still, why you?" I ask, taking a deep breath afterward.

He opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it, holding a hand to his chin (why does he have hands and I don't...unfair) he thinks for a moment. "Lets see...well, to start I'm her assistant and 'son' as she hatched me. The name's Spike the Dragon; and the reason I'm not freaking out is because of two things...ONE; weirder things happen to this place, and Twilight's group and I on a regular basis, so I'm used to it...and TWO; right now, I may or may not be extremely drunk." he finally says.

"So...you're just...La-de-da with a changeling?" I ask, unsure of the wrath that a drunk dragon could be....terrifying.

"Ummm....yep...though; break her heart, and the Captain of the Royal Guard personally gives me the permission of ripping your spine outta your throat and shoving it into your liver." he said, WAY TO CALMLY. I twitch...vigorously for a few seconds. "You feeling alright?" he asks me...as if he didn't just say what he did. He made a small shrug, "Anyway, give me a minute to shower, when I sober up enough I'll show you around town." he said, making his way upstairs...damn this house has a lot of rooms...and it's a tree...wow. About a minute later I heard the sound of water running.

Well, at least we have a guide now. Yeah, no thanks to you and your...suave. Honestly, what were you thinking? At least now we have her on our good side. You really think that she'll take kindly to what we did? She fainted for crying out loud! But you are right in one way, at least we have someone to show us around.

After about fifteen or so minutes Spike came down, and finally able to get chance, I sized him up. He was a bit shorter than me, about the height of Luna, if not a bit taller. Along his back ran, as his namesake, spikes. They seemed pretty sharp at that. At his shoulder blades came out two wings, they weren't connected to his arms...so that means he's a dragon and not a wyrm, they looked like bat wings, no scales from the looks of it, very leathery looking. Looking down I saw two things, A tail that ended in a barb, and his claws...dear gods...those look like they can cut a mountain into pieces, that in mind, he previous 'warning' was all the worse.

"So, " He began, "You ready mister...eh...what was your name?" he asked.

After a moment or so I snapped out of my terror trance, "A-Ah, Oh, the name's Garret." I finally manage.

"OK, you ready to go Garret?" he asked...he seems friendly at least.

"Yes."

He gave me an odd look before asking me, "Umm, aren't you going to...you know...change?"

"Well, you're not freaking out, why do I need to?" I ask.

"Because I'm used to all the crazy things that Twilight and company do, unlike some of the other locals."

"Oh, I don't know how to change..." I say.

"Well...I'm not a changeling expert...so I can't help you. But I have an idea!" he says, running off into another room. A few moments later he comes out...with a bunch of rags and scarves. "Use these for the time being." he says, draping the rags around me.

"Well, okay..." I start, then a thought comes to mind, "Hey, why are you trusting me? Not a single other thing has, minus Luna, but that's more of a 'equality for all' sort of thing."

"Very simple actually, if you hurt anypony, I'll flay you on the spot and eat your innards...and magic doesn't work on me, living with Twilight and being a dragon, I am completely immune." he says flatly.

Oh Gods...better not slip up.

All covered up and ready, I take my first step outside, in the bright sunny day. As soon as my...hoof, hit the ground I heard a loud siren blare. A loud voice boomed came from unknown speakers all across the little village. I look towards Spike, who had a look of terror...and amusement on his face. I began to hear something in the distance, slowly growing louder.

"WWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEE!!!!!"

What I saw was a pink blur...heading straight toward me...Shit...Couldn't put it a better way myself.

I brace myself for the impact, but it never comes. When I open my eyes I see...a pink pony...right up to my face.

"HELLO! Idon'trememberyouandIrememberEVERYPONY,sothatmeansyou'renewhereright huh,huh,huh!?" It...who I'm assuming is a she; if it is male...gods have mercy on his soul. Before my thoughts could go any further she spoke again, "Sowhere'dyoucomfrom?What'syourname?Doyawannabefriends!Ihavelotsoffriendsbutthemoretheme--" she was finally silenced by Spike, who with grace and skill, reached out, and lifted the pink mass off the ground.

"Ehem, " He began, "Pinkie Pie, this is Garret; Garret, this is Pinkie Pie."

After he set her down she took a few steps toward me, her head slightly tilted towards the ground, as if embarrassed.

"Sorry, " She started, speaking in a more...natural tempo, "I get really excited when we get a new pony in town, and when I saw you in the middle of town I just couldn't help myself."

I sigh, "Look, how about we start over then, my name's Garret." I say, reaching out a hoof, still covered in rags.

She looked up, happiness in her eyes as she took it, "Oh thanks! My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie! You can call me Pinkie!"

"Nice to meet you, Pinkie...though if you don't mind me asking, how did you find me? I didn't notice any pressure plates or wires last night, so how?"

"You came here last night!? I'm SO sorry I'm late!" she said, apologizing profusely...for some reason.

"Late for...?"

"To greet you, silly! I always meet the newcomers!" she said, a smile once again appearing.

"Um...again, how did you--"

"OH that! Simple, my Pinkie sense told me! I don't know why it didn't work when you entered, maybe it was asleep too!" She said, very gleefully.

"Your what sense?" I ask.

"WEEELLLL-" she started, before being cut off by Spike.

"Don't ask, just accept it. Trust me, it's not worth looking into. All we know is that Pinkie has some kind of sixth sense unique to her...and if her tail twitches....run for cover." He explained.

"Meh, fine by me." I say with a small shrug...how I managed or how it looked considering I'm a horse now...I don't know.

"Really? That's a first." I hear him say with a sigh of relief.

"What? Why? I mean, colorful ponies, unicorns, pegasi, dragons, changelings; is now really the time to start doubting things again?" I say.

Upon that, Pinkie gave me a strange look. "What?" I ask.

Before she says anything Spike interrupts, "He's not from around here, and he's staying with Twilight for the time being until he gets his bearings, everything is new to him." he explains.

"Okie doki! It's been nice meeting you Gary! I gotta planning to do!" She said, racing away.

"Gary...?" I ask aloud.

"Pinkie likes nicknames, don't worry. Sooner or later it'll disappear...or evolve." Spike said, adding the last part with a tilt of his head.

After walking through town we finally stop in front of...I don't really know how to describe it. It was a building with a cone-like top with a cylinder base. I stand there just watching the building for a moment before I hear a ring and see Spike walk inside.

Running up to him I ask, "Wait, why are we going in here?"

"Well since you can't transform or can't remember how to change yet, you need a disguise that covers you."

I guess that is right, though I do most of my...ehem, 'work'....at night. Then again, if I'm staying here long term then...

I sigh, walking into the building, hearing the *ring* of the bell above me when I enter. Behind me the door shut silently, save for the chiming of the bell.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique! I'll be with you in a moment!" I heard a sing-song voice say, though not sure from where. HA! The acoustics in here must be great!...Uuuggghhnn.

I felt a nudge at my shoulder, it was Spike, "Oh, fair warning...don't move..." he said ominously.

Before I could question anything a white unicorn walked into the room. I think it's a she, purple mane all curled up, and I think it's the owner of the voice from earlier. "Hello Spike, who is this friend of yours?" she asks...Yep, definitely a she.

"Hello, this is Garret, he's not from here and is staying with Twilight for the time being. For...various reasons, he needs a full body outfit." Spike said with a toothy grin.

"Oh, so Twilight finally found a stallion! Lovely!" The unicorn squealed. Ignoring Spike's earlier warning, I jumped back out of shock. She then walked up to me and rained down questions, "Tell me; how did you two meet? What was the first date like? Where'd you take her? Oh, how about the first kiss? Did you two already--"

"WHOA! Hold up!" I yelled, interrupting her...interrogation. "First off, one question at a time. Secondly, what? And lastly, WHAT!?"

She sighed and held out a hoof, "Yes, I suppose that would be more...proper. I'm sorry Dear, but when the girls' love lives come up I just get so interested. Though I am happy Twilight finally found somepony, " she took a second and glared at me, "But you won't be seen with her in those rags. Now..." she said, walking off. Soon she returned, a caste of tools surrounding her, "Stay still..." I'm getting Deja Vu...I saw a glint in her eyes...SHIT. "I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU FABULOUS!" She yelled as she slowly advanced. I seized up; I'm guessing this is what Spike's warning was about...but don't move? How's that going to help me?

Not this shit again. E, I'm not trusting you this time. HA! I hooked royalty! High-Five, Luna! *Cl--op*...not you too. Isn't Twilight related to you? No, it's a long story. *Sigh* fine, later.

I look up only to be greeted by a screen. "Wha--?" I began, only to be interrupted by the unicorn.

"Now, now; don't you move, I'm going to have to remove those rags so I can get your measurements."

I don't if I should be more scared that I'm about to be exposed...or that I would technically be naked in front of her...*shudder*. Well, to be fair, your armor fused with your skin...exoskeleton...thing...does that help?...Yes actually, thanks 'dad'...well there still is the exposure part. Eh...I got nothing. Well, things could go one of two ways. One, she freaks out and I'm screwed. Two, she stays calm and I'm not. Hoping for number two I assume? I swear, you're becoming more cynical I am. You know you love it. HA! I know I do!

As I await my fate, it turns out that neither of my ideas happened. Spike stopped her, and began to talk to her for a moment before coming behind the curtain.

"Okay, strip." he said nonchalantly.

"What?"

"I'm getting your measurements. Managed to convince her that you're a shy person, and were 'old fashion' about certain things." he said, grabbing the measuring tape.

"Thank you...what do you mean by 'old fashion' though?"

"Well, she seems hellbent on the idea of you and Twilight...though with Twilight in mind...that may be justified." he said with a grimace. After a few minutes he rolled the measuring tape up and began to jot something down a piece of paper.

I raised an eyebrow at this...if I have eyebrows...if anything I gave him an curious look, "You're a scribe?" I ask finally.

He looks up for a second, hand holding his chin, "Well, I guess you could call me that. Why do you ask?"

"You seem really...deft at it is all." I say, a little more bluntly than I had intended.

"Thanks...I think." he said, making a few more strokes with a quill. "Well, we're done here."

He stood up, handed me the rags again and left. Hastily I covered myself with the cloths. A minute or so later he returned.

"Alright then, she'll contact us when she's finished." he said. With a hand wave he gestured to the door.

We walked through town a bit more, eventually we found ourselves at a bridge, a small one, but a bridge nonetheless. Beyond it was what seemed like a park; things I only saw on the rare trip outside the City. I saw children playing about without a care in the world; something I honestly thought I'd never see. All around us were flora and fauna, and trees of all kinds. Most of all, it seemed carefree.

Spike was looking at the sky. After a few seconds he said, "Well I don't think we have enough time to meet the others, they live a bit out of town." he said. He pointed in the direction of the road, "Anyway, if you head that way you'll find the school, past that is an intersection. If you take a left you'll end up close to the Everfree, near the edge of it is a cottage, that's Fluttershy's home. If you take a right you'll head to Sweet Apple Acres, that's where Applejack and her family live. OH! and if you go forward eventually you'll find a bell on the top of a grassy hill held by a string, if you look up you'll find Ranbow Dash's house."

"Hmm...I believe I've met Applejack before...she sure didn't take kindly to me..." I reminisce out loud.

"Well, glad you're still among us then." Spike said with a chuckle, beginning to walk back to the tree house.

Pushing thoughts of how the encounter with Applejack could have gone out of my head, I follow him.

As I walk back into the house I throw the rags off onto a nearby hatstand, it wobbles a bit but stays standing. A few steps in I hear a subtle *click* come from under me. Allowing my instinct to kick in, I roll forward, hearing something fall behind me. Turning around I see that it was a metal cage.

I gotta get it together, I hadn't even noticed the trap. I was slipping, becoming so out of sync with everything. I had gotten lucky this time.

I turn toward Spike, his jaw agape and eyes like saucers. "Eeeh..." he mutters, "Eeehhh.....TWILIGHT!?" He roars, finding his sense. There is no response, so again he yells, "TWILIGHT!"

I hear a *meep* from near the stairs and slowly Twilight comes out, her head hung down. Spike looks at her for a second before sitting down and telling her, "That isn't how we treat guests. We don't capture them and preform various invasive tests on them. I know that this used to be your house, but when you left for the capital you gave the rights to me, so this is mine now, and in my household we do not treat guests like science projects. Remember, even though you came back to live here, this is legally my house now."

I walk over to Spike, "How many times do I owe you my life now? Three?" I ask him.

He turns his head to me for a second, "Eehmmm....yeah, three sounds right." He responds in a friendly manner.

"Thanks, " I say; turning to Twilight I say, "Anyway, I need to learn about....pretty much everything and anything about this place, this world...you got anything? A book or something? A manual?"

To my surprise, at the mention of books she adopted a business like attitude, posture and all. "That would depend on what you need. We have history, sciences, novels, and magics among selection."

HA! History...Hell, I am history, in a sense. If you're trying to say we don't need it, then just say it. Although I do agree with you on that. Save the novels for later. Agreed.

"I need several on the sciences: biology, physics, and chemistry; and a few on magic, any kind will do." I say after some thought.

"OK, have fun, I gotta head out to do something...Twilight...he had better not be restrained nor dissected by the time I get back." Spike said as he walked out the door.

Magic...a driving force that has pushed civilizations far and beyond. It is a practiced art that takes lifetimes and longer to master and perfect. In this volume we will cover the Equine species or 'ponies'. The ponies are separated into four (4) groups: Alicorns, Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth. Alicorns posses a horn and wings, the unicorns own a horn, the pegasi have wings, and the Earth being without any additional appendages. Now while it is fairly obvious that the unicorns posses magic due to their horn (as do the Alicorns, however we shall touch on them later) they are NOT the only of their kind to posses magic. The true fact is that the horn (made of bone, keratin, and chitin) is a conduit which they use to harness natural latent magical abilities, and therefore are able to use it in more ways than the others. Pegasi have wings, these may vary from avian-like feathers to bat-like leathery skin. They are the lightest and most fragile of the three main kinds, and for good reason. Their bones are avian-like in the fact that they are light, fragile, and hollow, allowing them the ability of flight. Like unicorns, they have access to magic, unlike them though, they do not have a medium or conduit to focus their magic into, therefore it manifests in a different way. Instead they have a natural affinity for weather based magic. This is what allows them to use clouds as platforms as well as building material. A simple instinctual form of magic, they simply support their bodies on the suspended water molecules. They also have slight electric-based magic, again instinctual, this time by charging a cloud with energy, they can create thunder clouds and storm clouds. Last major group is the Earth ponies. These bunch are the heaviest and strongest of the triad. Having both increased and more efficient muscle mass as well as larger bones with higher bone density makes them very resilient. Their magic is unable to be harnessed, as they are built to sturdy for it to manifest, with a few exceptions. They have an innate magical connection to the Earth, and manipulate the flow of energy in the ground, all unintentionally, though this leads to good harvests by the Earth group. Now for the special 'fourth' group, Alicorns. Alicorns are a rare occurrence, having both wings and horn, as well as towering above any other group. They posses the abilities of all three groups and are considered to have attained deity status, having unimaginable amounts of magical prowess, potential, and potency. On a final note; ever wonder how you hold objects with your hooves? Pretty amazing if you take time to think about it. So...Hooves...how do you work? Fortunately the answer is simple. Remember how all the races posses magic? Well that's the answer. All the races posses a natural low-level telekinesis that surrounds their front hooves, allowing objects to be handled with varying amounts of skill. This low-level field is strongest in Earth ponies, and weakest in Unicorns, due to the 'necessity' difference between the uses. It's skill-like in the fact that the more it's used, the stronger it becomes.

Well, that helps, I guess...nothing on changelings unfortunately, not that I'm surprised. Although now the magic thing seems more...plausible? No, that's not the word...useful? I guess...on to the next one then.

Magic is based on several variables depending on it's type, with a few exceptions. For all types, skill, health, affinity and concentration factor in. As we branch off other variables are introduced. These 'classes' range from broad to specific, in this volume we will be covering basics and the the four Elements, being the broadest of the categories.

EARTH: Earth magic is very strong and involves spells such as high-tier telekinesis, high-tier energy manipulation, growth (various tiers), high-tier gravity manipulation, and other nature based spells. Thought by many unicorns to be most difficult form of Elemental magic, it is not as common as the other branches. This is due to the variables that are introduced. Earth magic variables are based on the users health, fitness, willpower, strength, and general physical well-being. Unicorns however are not known for their strength, so this branch is rare to see. However, Earth is also considered to be the most useful of the basic four; boasting heavy TK (telekinesis) strong enough to fly a castle for months, better harvests potential, quicker growth, gravity spells, and healing spells. Earth magic is found in large amounts naturally in Earth ponies, Diamond Canines, Cockatrices, Manticores, Chimera, and Wrym species.

AIR: Air magic is simple, flexible, and delicate, involving spells like pressure, flight, cleansing, high-tier wards, mid-tier conversion, high-tier atomic separation, and high-tier distance teleportation. Known to be among the easier to learn is a popular 'training' Element. Unfortunately most only use Air as a training tool instead of delving further, so while many use it, it's uncommon to find a pony who is specializing in it, let alone adept at it. Most who use Air as a focus are in the military, due to it's ever changing properties, weapons are made and are extremely effective. Sadly, the use of Air as a weapon spawn controversy over whether or not it should continued to be taught. Air magic is naturally found in Pegasi, Griffons, and other aerial species.

WATER: Water magic is complex, flexible, and volatile, involving liquid manipulation, cleansing, mid-tier conversion, mid-tier healing, and contact transportation. Fluid and flexible Water is a simple to learn element, with many practicing it. This is due to it's variable; something as complex and volatile as it; emotions. For this reason, it is used in and as a therapy method. My in the medical field specialize in this element, as it is not only exclusive to water, more so it applies to liquids in general, including but not limited to; juice, water, milk, oil, liquid chemicals, and blood. Water magic is naturally found in sea-ponies and various water serpents.

FIRE: Fire magic is volatile, violent, and powerful. It's spells are energy-based. Anything related to heat, including the removal of such. So even though the end result may be freezing or cooling, it is categorized under Fire. The variables are what make Fire a dangerous and unstable element, they are emotions, knowledge, and tolerance for temperature. Allow me to elaborate, like water, emotions control the 'flow' of manipulation, lose that and you lose control. Knowledge is used for advanced spells, requiring deep understanding of how heat and energy works, without that the spell won't work, or backfire even. Finally is the tolerance for temperature, simply put, when manipulating heat and energy, you still have to follow the laws of balance. No energy is created or lost, only transferred. Tolerance is how much energy you can absorb and how much you can lose, without dying or going into a critical condition. For example; a freezing spell takes away the heat from an object, and then transfers to another object. In most cases the energy is absorbed into the user. Of course not all the heat is absorbed, a large amount is lost during transfer. Anyway if the user doesn't dispel the heat or 'cool-down' the user will die. Likewise when a heating spell is used, the heat comes from surrounding objects into another, with a large amount coming from the caster as a 'guide' for the surrounding heat to follow. If they use up all their natural heat they will die. Fire magic is naturally found in phoenixes, and salamanders.

Affinity: Affinity is how attuned a user is to magic. It too can be divided into sub-categories.

UNIQUE: Certain kinds of magic are special and can only be used by a particular user, this is called Unique magic, as it cannot be replicated by any means due to it being connected to the soul. There have been cases however of two Unique users having the same, they seemed to have a good relationship together.

Note: Certain creatures have a trait known as magic immunity, such as golems and dragons. Dragon's themselves carry large amounts of magic, the majority being 'specialized' by their species, there are a species of them which 'adapt' to all kinds of magic. This species is rare and is known as a 'Divine' species.

Pseudo-Usage: A good practice is to manipulate existing forms and 'guide' them with magic.

I look at my right hoof for a second, pretending to grasp my hand. Hearing a *tick* I turn to see the clock. By gods it was late into the night, everyone else was already asleep.

Speaking of; Luna, don't you have to prowl around the dream world or something? Tis but a simple task. I can have multiple 'projections' of me to monitor all the dreams I need to. Why stay in my head all this time anyway? It's open, and I have to keep an eye on you two, you are my responsibility after all. Yeah, yeah. I need some air....why am I even telling you this? You're in my head, so you'd know already...

In a bout of confusion I stood up and walked outside. Closing my eyes I take a deep breath trying to clear my head, take in everything that has happened. Surprisingly, it works, and as I open my eyes I feel that I can think clearer and act quicker. Taking a look around me, I see everything seems to be...amplified somehow. After a few breaths the world returns to normal.

"What was that?" I ask aloud.

While I'm not exactly sure, that could'v been the primal beginning to manifest. Why do you say that? Even though I'm not an expert, that isn't normal, and I don't think these ponies can do that either. That? What do you mean, "That?" all that happened was--A supernatural feeling, I know. The power of the Old Gods is strange and unknown, we have no idea how it may manifest, so I want to keep tabs on it. I don't see why you are so worried though. Garret, it's the power of the Old Gods in a raw form; people, and things so far from people, will try to take it by any means necessary. You think I didn't realize that? Of course I know, but have I ever gotten caught before? I'd be dead if so. We're in a new world, with a new body! We don't know how things work, and we're unfamiliar to...everything! We were never in control before, and we aren't here either...we never will be. I know that! We'll just continue to do what we do best; what we've done our entire lives...survive. Do you really think it's going to be that easy, Garret? From now on we are more than just thieves... You may have been a hero...but I am...I've always been just that...a thief. If I'm not that, then what am I? A tool, a weapon. You saw what the primal can do, that was just a contained event! Who knows what could happen if you are caught! You are more important now than ever...you can't risk getting caught, by anyone or anything...because if you are...then you will be killed...and then the world could very well cease to exist. Why should I care? The world can't be changed by one man. Because you have a duty now! And why is that!? The world has never been kind to either of us! What do we owe it!? What do I owe it!? It is a harsh world, and isn't kind to anyone. It was a harsh world, we are in a whole new land, things are different...and you owe it not to the world, but to yourself to do this. I don't understand...Child...I once had a friend by the name of Karras. He gave me my true sight back...He went mad and I was forced to kill him. I'm sorry about that, but how does that relate to us? He was a god...at the very least he had obtained the power of a god, that's what sent him into insanity. You think I'm going insane? NO, I'm saying things change, this world is new; different rules apply. For the longest time you've lived by a set of self rules don't trust anyone, work alone and only kill as a last resort. That changes here; no need to kill, trust is not a luxury, and the community will help you. How do you know that? Even here luck has it that I change into a despised creature. The Alicorn and Dragon accepted us...Luna accepted us...who's to say that others won't? Speaking of, can't Luna hear us? Eh...um...no, she's asleep. In my head? Seems like it. Though it does sound like a good idea, I have a feeling that tomorrow will be very...stressful. You'll need the rest, we got a whole new world here. A whole new world...

I wake to the sound of a knocking door. Getting up from the couch I used to sleep on, I head to the door.

"Who is it?" I ask.

"Morning letters and telegrams!" I hear a jovial voice answer me.

Quickly covering myself with a sheet, I open the door to see a gray pegasus, eyes closed, hovering slightly above the ground. On her side was a satchel, filled with what I am assuming to be letters, atop her head was a blue cap, unlike any I had ever seen before, in her hooves was a box. "Mind if I enter, got a special delivery here." she said, eyes still shut, she lifted the box slightly in a gesture."

I didn't own the place, but Spike seemed okay with anything just waltzing into here, I suppose it'll be alright. "Um...sure, come on in." I said.

She floats inside and places the box near the couch I slept on. With the burden finally gone she gives a sight of relief, finally opening her eyes. Her eyes were something to behold, a brilliant gold; though the most prominent thing was that they skewed to random directions, one to the left, the other to the ground. She looked very friendly, though her eyes...there was something to them that kept me thinking.

Finally taking a look at me, she spoke, "Ah, so you're the new guy living with Twilight that everypony has been talking about!" She extended a hoof to me, which I took, "Nice to finally meet you! My name is Ditsy Doo, but you can call me Derpy Hooves."

"Nice to meet you Miss Hooves." I say, trying to be polite.

She gave a giggle, "Stop with the 'Miss' I'm not that old yet!"

"Oh, sorry, my bad."

"It's fine! So...is it true that you and Twilight are a thing now?" she asked with excitement.

"A thing? What do you mean by that?" I respond, confused.

"Oh, you know, partners, mates, a couple, a pair." she stated. Upon seeing my still slightly confused face she added, "It means that ponies think you two are gonna get married, are bed mates, or are in a intimate relationship together."

"Oh! That makes more sense--wait, they think WHAT?!"

"Well, Twilight is royalty, along with being a heroine, and one of the most magically potent ponies alive; ponies tend to keep an eye on her and her company." she said, eyes wandering every which way. When they focused she gave a small frown, "Aren't you hot in that sheet? Why don't you take it off?" she asks me.

"I-I-Umm...have---" I stammer out.

"Oh, so you're not one of the new ones then!." She exclaims, albeit happily.

"New ones?"

"Look, I know you're a Changeling, not that you are doing much to hide the fact." She says with another giggle.

"What? How? I'm covered, and for that matter how and what do you know about changelings?"

"Well to answer your first question, it's my eyes, being related to a god can do that to you; second, my niece is married to a changeling, and sure, it may be in secret, but their feelings are mutual and---" she rambled on, though I was having a hard time following.

"Whoa, what? You're related to a god?...Please don't smite me?" I say, a small bit of fear creeping to my mind. The last encounters were...not pleasant...I really don't want to get killed like that, it's a personal preference.

"Smite you?," she asked, laughing, "Why would I do that?"

"Well Tia certainly wanted to..." I say with a small pout.

"Tia?, " she asked confused, after a moment of thinking she responded, "Oh, Celestia! Yeah, she's still really steamed about the Canterlot invasion, but my nephew, niece, and I are helping the lost ones!"

"Lost ones?" I ask.

"You don't know? Hmm...Wait! Were you something called a 'Human' ever?" she asked.

"Wha-who-eh....how did you know?"

"Oh, I know certain ponies that do certain things, in certain ways..." she said cryptically. "Now off with the sheet and take a seat, you have a lot to learn."

I listen to her, placing the cloth on the couch, and taking a seat on the floor.

"Well first off, the reason I was able to see you was due to my eyes. Some magical incident with Discord; he's a good brother-in-law, but he can be careless sometimes. Oh, Discord is basically a God of Chaos around here, nice guy once ya get to know him. Anyway, where was I?...Oh right, well some of his Chaos magic got into my eyes, sorry that sounded dirty, but it involved a worm-hole, a thermonuclear bomb, twelve dimensions, eight quid, an Ursa Major, a sandworm, a blue box, an army of aliens, twenty-seven Pinkie Pies, five gems, and three Doctors...It's a really long story, I might tell it to you someday. Next off, changelings; while I haven't 'studied' them, I know a few things about them. One is that despite looking like them they aren't Arthropods, not fully at least, they have fur, albeit hard to see at first. Interestingly they are a part of Chordata, but with a bit of a mix; they have an endo and exoskeleton. The exoskeleton itself is very interesting, as it is under their skin, so they have a fur layer, a skin layer, and a Chitinous layer. Of course this means that they have to molt to grow, though they can undergo both complete and incomplete metamorphosis allowing for some very specialized types. Oddly enough they are very closely related to us ponies, in fact they share a impressive amount of similarities to Alicorns. Ironic ain't it? Anyroad, someponies think that they have a hive mind, this is both true and false. While they can communicate using a telepathy-like magic, they are not 'controlled' by the Queen, although they have a large amount of loyalty to her along with the king. As you probably have heard, changelings feed off of love; that's the widespread belief among ponies at least. Not that you can blame them, I mean it's not like anypony came out with a study of them or anything so you can't expect any accuracy for anything--sorry, off-track. Let's see....Ah yes, while it's true that they can feed off of love, they aren't restricted to such, any emotion is up for grabs. Another thing to note is that they can digest physical food as well. All changelings also can sense emotions....for obvious reasons, though as a result they have altruism, extreme empathy. When they feed, they feel it. For example, if a changeling feeds off of...say, joy or happiness they will experience joy/happiness equal to the amount of joy the pony they are feeding off of, for the same reason. Likewise if a changeling were to feed off of anger or hate, they would feel the same amount of hate/anger that the pony they're feeding off of feels. They also can 'absorb' emotions completely; I once saw a changeling do that to a pony, she had lost all will to live, but the changeling sat next to her and in a few moments she started to smile again...later the changeling looked depressed and puked a bit, saying 'despair tastes aweful!'. Kinda explains why love is their favorite. I wonder what it tastes like?- Not the point, Now another thing about changelings is that they can..well, change. The thing about that is-" She's stopped by a sharp *Beep* from her bag. "Oops, sorry, I've got to finish my run; anyway, I want you to stop by my house, sometime tomorrow, I have off then." She says as she hands me a card. "Have a good day, Garrett!"

I smile a bit and wave, "Good-bye, Miss Ho--I mean Ditzy!"

After I closed the door, I turned and headed to the kitchen. Upon arriving I found Spike making a meal.

His ears raised in the air for a second, before he turned around to see me. A smile found its way to his face before he turned back and returned to cooking. "Morning Garrett, who was at the door?"

"It was a mail....pegasus? mail-pony? mail...mare?...it was the pony who delivers the mail."

"Ah, so you met Derpy, have you? Interesting one, she is. Real joy to have as company though! What'd you think?"

"It was very...enlightening to say the least...also I think she may have stared into my souls. Anyway, she wants me to visit her at her home tomorrow."

He chuckled slightly, flipping whatever was in the pan he was holding into the air and catching it. "Good to see you making friends here. Anyways listen, Rarity is coming over later to deliver your new outfit, when that happens I'd like you to go out and try to find a job or hobby. I'm not forcing you or anything, and while I'm not sure about changelings, you might just die of boredom coped up here all day."

"You sure? I mean won't the average person freak out upon seeing my face?"

"Person? Never mind that, I suppose you're right....Hmmm....who knows your little secret?"

"Outside of this house-tree-library-thing? That would be...Applejack." I say, quietly muttering, "and Ditzy."

"Well seeing as she didn't turn you to mush upon meeting her, then I'd say that's better than nothing."

"Did I ever tell you about how she hog-tied me?" I say, a bit condescending.

"Kinky." He said with a wink.

"WHAT!?" I yell, mouth agape.

"Just a joke, sorry; In all honesty though, your best bet is to find Fluttershy and Discord. Though it is unfortunate that your so...imposing."

"It's not like I enjoy towing over others, I'd rather be small enough to be out of sight and out of mind."

"Sure ya do, keep telling yourself that. How about this though, you head to Fluttershy's and if that doesn't work out, head to the fields, by then it's probably going to be late, so after that just come back here, okay?"

Well, it's a plan at least, "Sure, that'll do."

For the next hour or so I killed time by reading, mostly on history and things involving my...erm...trade. Lucky for me that the locks here are the same as back home. Meanwhile Spike was writing...something. I didn't see Twilight however.

I'm pulled from my book by the sound of knocks on wood, I start towards the door before I hear Spike call out, "Once sec, I"LL be right there!" causing me to immediately stop and hide in the kitchen...not my best spot, I know, but when you're unfamiliar, you gotta work with what you have...or lack thereof.

I hear a few jingles and a 'thank you!' before Spike calls out, "Garrett, your...suit...disguise...outfit...thing is here!"

Entering the living room, Spike hands me a box, "It's in there, suit up!" he tells me.

Aside from the initial awkwardness of a new body, I got it on with relative ease. An odd outfit to say the least. I was a suit...of sorts, it was a mix of blues and black, completely covering my body, along with my face, and it came with a hat...odd looking. As I debated on whether or not to keep the hat, Spike's voice came out behind me, "HAHAha! THAT'S the suit you got?"

"I guess." I say as his laughter subsides.

"Oh, goddesses, do you know what that is?" He asks.

"No...should I?" I ask.

"Well no, considering you're new to town and all, never mind that; she gave you a Mare-do-Well suit! I gotta say, it looked a lot different in the box!" He said, bursting anew into laughter.

"Mare-do-what? Who?" I ask, confused.

"Oh, nothing big, just something the girls did to help Dash with her ego problem," he said contently, as if remembering a fond memory, "But that is a story for another time! Now head off to Fluttershy and Discord's house, Good luck!"

Deciding to take the hat, I slipped it onto my head and walked out, having a somewhat good feeling about this...Wait...didn't Ditzy say something about a God of Chaos named Discord?