//------------------------------// // Work Begins // Story: The Half Changeling: Isabella's story // by Sdlghskjvnkj //------------------------------// This was insane! Isabella had been cleaning the shack since early that morning. And she was enjoying it! Big Macintosh had made her wake up rather early so he would have time to tell her what all needed to be done. The list had seemed huge and she had simply gawked at the stallion. He had not been joking and left her to the cleaning while he left to buck apples. For a while, she just looked around at the messy shack and thought to herself 'This is impossible.' The bed was a disaster, the main chamber a catastrophe, and the two other rooms, the storage room and the closet, were abominable. How could anypony live like this? She had begun with the bed. She had ripped the sheets out and set them to wash in the tub Big Macintosh had let her bathe in, then she had gathered the old worn hay and pitched it out behind the shack, where she was surprised to find a small garden, filled with beets, carrots, celery, and several varieties of flowers. Not dwelling on the garden, however, she had returned to the bed and began to take care of the pillow. It was in dire need of re-stuffing, which she had done with surprising ease. It had been at that point that she had realized she had quite a knack for cleaning. It had all come so naturally to her. Soon after that was when she had realized she was beginning to like what she was doing. For once, she was doing something constructive. It was an odd sensation. The one she got from helping some other pony. Very much like that feeling she got from the connection between her and Big Macintosh. Soft, warm, and blanket like. If she had known doing stuff like this would make her feel so... fluffy, she would have spent her entire life doing this rather than being a thief. After she had managed to re-stuff the pillow, making it soft and bouncy, she had begun to wash the sheets, making sure they were spotless before she dragged them out of the tub and hung them along the back wall. Now she had to find some hay. She stepped out of the shack and had looked around for a little while before she found the hay out a ways past the garden. She made many trips, bringing as much as she could each time, and finally had managed to cover the bed with a new layer of hay. After making sure it was all even spaced out, she grabbed the dry sheets and made the bed, tucking it in, instead of just draping them over the hay. After having tackled the bed, she turned and looked at the room. It was awful. The floor was filthy. She gagged slightly at the thought that she had been sleeping on that for the last few days. There were tools, books, utensils, and other miscellaneous items scattered about, and several old apple cores laying about as well. Anything that hung on the walls or had a stationary spot was covered in dust. Wiping her forehead with her foreleg, Isabella got to work. She had finished sweeping and was halfway through picking up and organizing Big Macintosh's stuff when she heard some pony enter. It was Big Macintosh himself. He was slightly sweaty and his hair was mussed, but he wasn't in bad condition. "Well, ya certainly did a job on the bed. And the floor is lookin great. How many times have ya done this?" he asked her, with a smile on his face. "This is my first time." she said, setting a book on a small table, and picking up a small hammer off the ground as she headed for the storage room. When he didn't say anything, Isabella turned to look at him. He looked shocked, but then his face broke into a grin. "Now I know yer just pullin my leg." Isabella shook her head. "No. Remember, my large friend. I come from a wealthy family. I was not expected to do any cleaning. My being good at this is just as surprising to me as it is to you." she said as she finished organizing his stuff and began to throw apple cores past him, through the open door. "Sure." he said with that infuriatingly smug grin he always used. Isabella threw the pillow at him as she walked toward the storage room with her head in the air. A moment later, her head wash pushed forward as she felt the pillow hit her in the back of the head. She turned around and looked at him in shock while he simply laughed. His laughter was cut short when she ran up to him and clobbered his face with the pillow. They began to beat each other with the pillow, running about attempting to escape each other, until they finally discarded the now deflated pillow and just began to wrestle. Isabella was positive she could beat Big Macintosh, but every time she thought she had him pinned down, he would simply move out from under her. Finally, after almost an hour of rough housing, Big Macintosh managed to pin her down. He smirked down at her and said "Say uncle." Isabella frowned up at him and shook her head. Suddenly, Big Macintosh's eyes got huge and he launched himself off of her. She looked at him in surprise he began talking. "Ah'm so so sorry! I completely forgot! Please forgive me!" he yelled, backing away from her. Isabella was confused, until she remembered the story she had told him. He was worried that she thought he was about to rape her. She stepped toward him and raised a hoof. He flinched, dodged past her, and dashed outside. She let her hoof fall back to the floor. For some reason, she felt terrible. Was it because she had lied to him? But she was accustomed to lying to ponies to get what she wanted. Even as she fixed the room up and re-stuffed the pillow, she was thinking. Was this telepathic connection making her emotionally close to Big Macintosh? Not as in love or something like that, but just emotionally connected. When he felt bad, she felt bad? Was that it? She couldn't get the thought out of her head. Crank was putting all of his equipment into a satchel he would be carrying around with him as he and Grunt were hunting, when a knock came on the door. "Come in Grunt." he said rolling his eyes, not bothering to turn around. He heard the door open and the voice of a mare say "I am not Grunt." He turned and looked at the mare with a brown coat, violet mane, and blue eyes. One of her eyebrows was arched and she was frowning. "Who are you?" asked Crank. He had no patience for ponies that bothered him for no reason. His eyes shot open as the mare kicked the door closed and her form shifted. He coat shifted to a shimmering black, her hair disappeared, she sprouted horns and long insectoid wings, and her eyes morphed. The pupils were gone and they became solid aqua. "Sir Roderick sends his regards." she said, her voice sounding more like a hiss now. "He's... he's working with your... your 'mother', then?" asked Crank, fear in his voice. He had never met a changeling, but he had heard about Sir Roderick's dealings with them. "Yes. The one you seek is what some would call our 'sister'. We do not consider her this. She abandoned the hive. She will not be missed. We will kill her and take her head back to mother." said the changeling, smirking cruelly. "Our mother?' There is more than one of you?" he asked, slightly apprehensive. "Yes. There are two of us. My brother is waiting outside. We will move silently with you and we can spread out further when there are four of us, rather than just two." It said, bowing It's head slightly. "Very well. We need to begin work today. I've figured we can start near the center of town and begin asking around this little town. What are your thoughts on the matter?" Crank asked the changeling. "I think that plan is sound. We will begin as soon as you're able." It said as It changed back to It's old form and backed out of the room. Crank smiled to himself. This would be much easier. With the changelings here, they would be able to identify the mare without a hitch. Isabella had been in the middle of cleaning the storage room when Big Macintosh called for her from the main room. "Ms. Isabella?!" She walked into the room and saw him standing in the door. He looked like he needed to say something. "What do you need?" she asked. "Ah... Ah wanted to apologize fer earlier. Ah had no right to do that. Ah..." he trailed off, looking down at his hooves. Isabella sighed and walked up to him. When she stood infront of him, she placed her hoof under his chin and pulled his head up. "It's fine. I know you weren't trying to do anything. We were... 'playing' i think the term is. You meant no harm, I understand that." she said, looking into his emerald green eyes. He stood like that for a moment, staring into her eyes. When he began to move forward, Isabella was confused for a second, but when she felt the chain of light connecting them pulse strongly and realized what he was doing, she leaned back slightly and put her hoof to his lips. "Calm down. I don't know you that well." she said, smirking and arching an eyebrow at him. He looked into her eyes for a little while longer, before he closed his. Isabella felt a smile spread across his face under her hoof. "Thank ya fer stoppin' me. Never kissed anypony before, and didn't want my first one to be a mistake." he said, chuckling a little as he opened his eyes. "Then why did you attempt to do so?" she asked. In truth, she had never kissed anypony either, and had never had the desire to. That had not changed, but she was still rather curious as to why he thought he should kiss her. "Ah dunno. Ah just felt this weird connection. Kinda like a... a... a tuggin on my mind. Ya know what Ah mean? Like somethin' told me Ah should. Ya ever get a feelin like that?" he asked her, straighten up and looking down at her, with a perplexed look on his face. Yes. Yes she knew exactly what he meant. Ever since that little bond between them had appeared, she had been having feelings just like that. She thought that she was the only one who could feel it, but now it seemed, he was beginning to become aware of it as well. It was obvious the connection had been formed by Big Macintosh's love for her, however small that love may be, but now it was something much more. She wished she knew, but she had never taken any real time to study magic when she was younger. She had no reason to. She was an earth pony after all. Even the fact that she was a changeling didn't make that any different. "Yes. I know what you mean." she said, smiling again, "But now, I have work to do and so do you. Get back out there and help your sister. There's still some sunlight left." Big Macintosh laughed and nodded at her before he turned and trotted back outside. Isabella smiled and shook her head. He was a silly stallion, but he was growing on her. He was the closest thing to a friend she had ever had, and she wasn't going to let his ridiculous notions of romance destroy it. She had no interest in romance anyways, but the fact that he had interest in her that way made her feel giddy for some reason. After a few more hours, Isabella was nearly finished with the storage room. It had begun to rain, and when Big Macintosh returned, he was covered in mud and was dripping wet. Isabella came out of the storage room and gasped when she saw him. "What?" he asked. "No! I just cleaned that!" she yelled at he moved toward the fireplace. He stopped and looked at her in confusion. "Come. You're going into the tub. No. Do not argue." she said raising a hoof to silence him as he opened his mouth to protest. She walked around him and began pushing him toward the storage room. Luckily, she had already filled the tub and heated the water. She had intended on washing a few more things. "Alright! Alright! Ah'm going." he said, laughing as she continued to push him. She finally managed to get him into the storage room and stood infront of the door with her front legs crossed looking at him as if to say 'Well go on.' He laughed again and clambered into the bath. "Now," said Isabella, "you are to stay in there for at least a half an hour. Wash yourself and relax for once. But so help me, if you come out before a half hour, I will drag you by the hair and dunk you right back in there. Do you hear me?" "Sheesh. Ah guess y'all Canterlot folk really do take baths seriously." he said, smiling to himself as Isabella turned her back and went back into the main chamber. She had been sitting infront of the fire reading a book on the proper care of a growing apple trees, there wasn't anything better to read, when she heard Big Macintosh get out of the tub. She looked outside. The sky was dark and the moon was rising. It had been long enough. After a minute or two of silence, the door opened and Big Macintosh stepped out, still drying his hair. He had removed the yolk that normally hung around his neck and hadn't put it back on. He looked slightly smaller without it, but he was still huge compared to her. "Did you enjoy yourself?" she asked without looking up from the book. "Actually, Ah did. It was rather relaxing." he said, sitting down next to her, "Learn anything new?" "Not much. Just skimming through really. I had nothing better to do. But now," she said, as she closed the book, "I think it's times to get some rest." "Yer right. Big day tomorrow. Ah wanted to go into town tomorrow. Care to join?" he asked as he rose and walked over to his freshly made bed. Isabella looked at him. Going into town? The idea intrigued her. She was no longer looking for a food ticket, seeing as she could only consume the love of ponies that felt affection for her, but she still liked the idea of seeing the town. Maybe she could make more... friends. She smiled at the idea and nodded. "I'd like that." she said. Big Macintosh grinned at her, but frowned as she rolled her shoulder. "Whats wrong?" he asked. "Oh, nothing. Just a little stiff." she said laying her head down on the floor. She was about to close her eyes when Big Macintosh appeared next to her. She raised her head and looked up at him. He gestured towards the bed and held a blanket out to her. She raised an eyebrow at him and asked "Are you suggesting I sleep with you?" "Not at all." he said, chuckling, "Ah simply figured ya may want to sleep on a real bed. You were the one that fixed it up anyways. Besides, yer a lady. Should be you sleepin in the bed, not me." She blinked at him, then smiled. "Thank you, Macintosh." she said, as she took the blanket and lay down on the bed as Big Macintosh set himself down next to the fire. Sir Roderick was getting more and more angry with each passing interrogation. None of the ponies that had been captured seemed willing to tell him anything about Isabella's whereabouts, even with Chrysalis's help. He had moved on to torture now, but even that wasn't working. Once or twice, he had genuinely believed they knew nothing of her location, but he would swiftly thrust the thought aside. They must know. They had to. He had just finished torturing a pegasus. He and Chrysalis had taken it in turns to first break his wings, then each of his limbs, and finally began to skin the wings. It still hadn't worked. Sir Roderick had simply decided to kill the stallion and take a break. Chrysalis had taken up residence in his household under the guise of a tall unicorn with a black coat, green hair, and violet eyes. The only time she changed her form back to normal was when they were in Sir Roderick's private study or when they were interrogating some pony. They were standing on a balcony that over looked the city, trying to get some fresh air. Chrysalis was leaning on the banister while Sir Roderick was pacing. "You know. They may all be telling the truth, Roderick. I know that mistaken child better than anyone else. She would never have told anyone her plans for this kind of thing. It would have been a risk of untold measure. She would have to trust someone very much, and she has never trusted anyone before." said Chrysalis, following Sir Roderick's progress with her head. "I know!" he barked. He didn't not have any patience, even for such a dangerous pony as Chrysalis. He was not used to his strategies not working. It made him... upset. "I don't see why you're so unhappy. Its not like she'll be able to avoid us for very long. With my children and your 'soldiers' hunting her, the likelihood of her remaining undetected is very low. Now calm down before I take it upon myself to sedate you." said Chrysalis, tossing her hair slightly. Sir Roderick came up to the balcony and glowered over the edge. There were only a few ponies wondering the streets at the moment, but his mind was still parading around the idea of finding Isabella. The fact that there wasn't anything he could do to advance the speed of his search was very distressing. He hated waiting. Chrysalis sidled over to him, looking down over the edge, too. "What will you do once she is dead?" she asked him. "I'll simply go on living the way I have been. It's quite simple. Kill her, dispose of the corpse, continue living the way I always have. What did you expect me to do?" he said, turning to look at Chrysalis. Chrysalis laughed, "Well, normally, when some one plans something dastardly, they do it to change something, but I guess you're right. This is just vengeance for you. For me, it is the preservation of my people." "You really think she would try to take the throne from you?" he asked, not looking up from the street. "Yes. Even if she is a mistake, she carries my traits. She is power hungry, and a natural born leader. She will come to take the hive from me. I will not allow it." she said, tossing her hair again. "What of her father? What if she takes after him?" asked Sir Roderick, finally looking up at her. "Her father was a fool. If she takes after him, she will be much easier to find." said Chrysalis, brushing the topic off. "Tell me about him." said Sir Roderick. He was interested now. Who had the Queen of the changelings lain with to make such a creature as Isabella? Chrysalis eyed Sir Roderick for a moment before apparently figuring it would hurt nothing to tell him. "He was a Unicorn. I was planning something big, so I found a couple that was madly in love with each other, took the place of the mare, and stayed there for maybe two weeks. I had to partake in certain... activities, whilst there, and after having left, I discovered I had conceived." said Chrysalis, obviously trying to get the story out of the way quickly. Sir Roderick laughed. "Didn't enjoy 'pleasing' your partner too much, did you?" "No. I daresay I didn't." Chrysalis had convinced her self over time she had never cared for the stallion, but the bond of a child, however mistaken the child was, still made her wonder sometimes. Where was he now? Was he still alive? He couldn't know he had been a father until his real wife conceived a child for them. But if he knew about his child, would he protect it? She mentally shook herself. The stallion didn't matter. He was just a pawn and she had made a mistake. Now, she was going to remedy that. She would remove that stain on the changeling name forever.