Isabella, The Half Changeling
Isabella sneered down from her perch at the streets below. At the ponies that milled about their pointless lives. They were food. Nothing more. Every couple she saw would feed her hunger. She did not need to become the direct target of a ponies love to steal it. She could snatch it right out of the air and drain it from them. It didn't even have a detrimental effect on the ponies. They walked on by, thinking life was perfect as she slowly ate what came from their hearts. She could easily survive here, where love was abundant and fools plentiful.
She was a changeling, but in all reality, she was only half changeling.
Queen Chrysalis made mistakes some times, and Isabella was the result of one such mistake. She was born... different. Her mother had always told her she was a mistake, that she should never have been conceived, but she knew. She knew her mother feared her. She feared her abilities and what she could do. Even as a foal, she was faster and more agile than any other changelings. She could slide through crowds, unnoticed, and rob every one of them blind.
"Changelings do not need such foolishness!" The queen would shout at her, after she would return with several wallets and wads of money, and would throw them aside. Isabella would just stand there and stare at her mother, a smug look stretching her muzzle.
It would always end the same. The queen would slap her and have her placed in solitude. There, she was expected to cry and try to become a better changeling, but she never cried. She never thought about the colony. She had plans. She knew what she wanted, and she would leave the hive to get it.
And when she had followed those plans, she had ended up here. In Canterlot.
It didn't take her long to build a reputation. She had the quickest hooves in all of Equestria and soon after her arrival, criminals came to her, offering her rewards for procuring certain items. Not only was she skilled at pickpocketing, she was an expert lock picker. If she found a locked door, it wouldn't be locked for long.
After two years in Canterlot, she reached the age of eight and became the leader of her own criminal organization. They stole, plundered, robbed, mugged, and basically took anything that wasn't theirs that had a value of more than ten bits.
She became aware of her actual need to feed at the age of ten. This didn't hamper her abilities in the slightest and made her even more eager to do the heists herself. She loved the thrill of hiding in shadows as guards walked past her, two inches away. She loved the feeling of picking a lock, and the sound of the tumblers as they slid into place.
She rose in social standing in her eighteenth year, by flaunting some of her ill begotten wealth. She purchased an expensive home and attended fancy social gatherings. These were perfect for feasting on love and picking new targets. After every party, some pony with high standing in society was robbed blind. They were surprisingly dim witted and could never seem to put the fact that Isabella never lost a penny to thieves together with the fact that outside of parties, she had no social life and was never seen out side her mansion. Those that ever did figured it out though would wind up having an untimely death, such as tripping and falling off a balcony, or chocking on their food or wine.
Now she stood in her tower and watched the little ponies live their lives. It was very dull. In fact. Her life was getting very dull.
She stepped away from the window and look at her self in one of her several mirrors. She was beautiful, and she took great pride in that. She could get anything she wanted from a stallion, before he died a mysterious death, of course. Her eyes, were a venomous green with narrow, but not slitted pupils. Her mane was long and flowing and gleamed a deep, velvety blue, and her tail followed suit. Her body color was that of a blisteringly bright white, that would catch the eyes of any pony.
Several stallions had tried to court her, and even a few mares, but she had no interest in them. She shot each and every one of them down, in some cases, literally. Once, a pegasus tried to fly by with a poster of her and the question 'Will you dine with me?" scrawled on it. A crossbow had put an end to that.
Now she stood in front of a mirror, looking at her self and she felt displeased. She had nothing to do. It had been too easy. She had the city almost under her control via the underground, had enough money to buy the city three times over again and was fed constantly by the ponies that lived here. What was the point of staying?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hooves coming up the stairs. She gingerly picked up he crossbow and readied it. They knew the rules, and she expected them to obey them.
The hoof steps got louder and louder until they were right outside her door. She heard her first in command say "Wait, you fool!" before the door opened. She turned and shot the crossbow. The bolt found it's target, in the forehead of some pony. He hit the ground with a loud 'thump' as Isabella loaded another bolt into the crossbow. Even though the door was opened, her first in command reached forward and knocked on the door.
"You may enter." she said, setting the crossbow down. Her first in command stepped over the corpse of the newly dead pony and bowed his head to her, saying "Ma'am."
"Give me the report Dungus." she said sitting down on her haunches and looking down at him.
"Ma'am. We have picked up intel that Sir Roderick has procured a large amount of jewelry, hoping to woo a young woman. If we move this evening, we may be able to save him from a disastrous wedding." said Dungus, hardly keeping the grin out of his voice. They cared nothing for Sir Roderick, or his numerous attempts to find love. They wanted the jewelry. Sir Roderick always bought the most expensive jewelry for his prospects, hoping to win them over this wealth rather than charm. It hadn't worked on Isabella, and he hated her for it.
"Indeed. Well, I have tried and failed many times to get him to understand that he is not going to be married. I think I shall see to this one... personally." she said, adding the last part as she turned around and looked out the window again, down at the street. Finally something to do. She had been itching to go on a good heist for so long now and this was the perfect opportunity.
Sir Roderick was a hopeless romantic, but he was wealthy. He was the only reason that Isabella didn't own the entire city guard. He already had most of them in his pocket, and that meant storming his 'fortress' would be all the more entertaining.
After Dungus had brought her the news, she had descended into the depths of her home with him in tow. Most ponies that entered her home would expect to see lavish decorations. Rugs, tapestries, vases, and fine furniture. There was only a few places where those things existed in her home. The welcoming hall and her own personal room. If any pony ventured out of the welcoming hall, they would be unpleasantly surprised.
The rest of the mansion was built like a barracks. Some rooms were stacked high with bunk beds and hammocks. Others had the walls lined with crossbows, daggers, and other implements of destruction, as well as full suits of bark leather armor. Here, she housed her minions. All those loyal to her, or her coin, would use these facilities. If one of her ponies compromised their position, she would pretend that she had never met them, and have them removed shortly after.
She stepped into the main hall, the social gathering place for her scum, and all of her ponies that saw her bowed their heads. She was partial royalty, but she demanded the respect of a full blooded princess. Any one of her ponies that rose against her was silenced by her blade. Dungus led her through the mass of ponies to her own personal armory, which was located in a hidden room, at the end of the hall.
She opened the doorway, let Dungus in and followed him in. They were surrounded by beautiful, but harsh looking weapons and armor. There were several sets of steel studded bark leather armor, crossbows by the dozens, daggers, each one sharpened to razor sharp perfection and curved upward for a thrust under the ribs, and a wall dedicated wholly to strange devices she had constructed herself.
There were odd claw contraptions, that would wrap firmly around the hoof. The claws were designed to sink into the stone of a wall, allowing the pony who wore them to climb up a wall with ease. There were lock picks, each one made perfectly, bent slightly at the end to knock the tumblers up into place. There were several small bottles filled with chloroform, each one with a rag wrapped around it, great for knocking out any pony quickly.
After Isabella pulled her hair back and tied it with a blue bandana, Dungus went to work. He slid her armor onto her, making sure not to touch her as he buckled it. He slid five of her curved daggers into her chest sheaths, and five more in her belt, along with her usual twelve bottles of chloroform. In the pouch she carried around her neck, she carried six of her climbing claws. Always two extra, in case she accidentally broke one or two.
He was just about finished when he brushed her side. Isabella's eyes flashed as she turned her head towards him. He fell to the floor and began to gibber, his eyes filled with fear. "Please, ma'am, it was an accident! I didn't mean to! Don't kill me!"
She glared down at him. She was never touched. That was one of her highest rules and those that broke it, were broken.
"Give me your hoof." she said calmly, but the rage in her voice was unmistakable.
"Ma'am?" he said, looking up into her face, then looking down again quickly.
"Your hoof, Dungus. Give it to me." she commanded, her voice dripping with malice.
Dungus raised a shaking hoof and Isabella grabbed it. She looked at his hoof for a moment, before she twisted it. There was a loud 'SNAP' and Dungus almost cried out, but he knew it would be his neck if he let a single sound escape his lips. He limped out, on three legs, holding his newly injured leg off the ground, and was followed out by Isabella. She saw her minions throw furtive glances at her and then look away. They knew what had happened, and they knew Dungus was lucky to be alive.
"You there!" yelled Isabella, pointing at a random stallion. He jumped and saluted her. She walked over to him and pushed his head down in a bow. She was not a general, she was royalty, and she would be addressed like royalty.
"Dungus has had an accident and I need a replacement for this evening's heist. You will act as my partner!" she said to the stallion she had forced into a bow.
"Y-yes ma'am. Will d-do ma'am." he stammered out.
"Well? What are you waiting for?!" she yelled as she force him away from her. He stumbled, then caught his feet and ran off to get prepared. "The rest of you!" she bellowed, turning around to see the rest of her minions staring at her, "I want no pony here tonight. Go out and cut a purse! It will act as your food ticket tonight. Now GO!"
The main hall became a tumult of noise, shoving, and movement. No pony wanted to be the last pony in the hall.
When the large room was empty, Isabella stepped out into the entrance hall and looked about. Nothing was out of place. Good, not only were they willing to steal, but they were more than just plodding foot soldiers.
Isabella heard hoof steps behind her. She turned to see the stallion she had randomly selected in full armor. She looked him over, nodded and began walking. He followed her out of the mansion and into the night.
That night, the guards were thick on the ground. Evey way Isabella turned, there seemed to be another guard. Luckily the stallion that she had brought with her was one of the less clunky ones and could keep himself in the shadows. They flitted in and out of the shadows, dodging around guards every few streets.
They finally reached the walls of Sir Roderick's estate. The stallion that was with her looked up at the walls, trepidation in his eyes. Isabella grabbed him by his armor and hissed "Now listen. If you run off on me, I will find you, and I will wear your hide as my new armor. Do you understand me?!"
He nodded quickly as she let him go and melted away into the shadows. She knew he wouldn't move. He was more afraid of her, than the jail time he would receive for being caught.
She pulled the climbing claws out of the pouch around her neck and fastened them to her hooves. Once she had them tight enough, she looked back and forth. No guards in sight. She ran at the wall and lept, flying into the air. When she began to fall, she reached out and sunk the claws into the wall. They skidded for a moment until they caught and she began the climb.
It only took her a minute or two before she was on the other side. Sir Roderick's guards were every where, but luckily for her, he was dumb enough to have a garden. Plenty of bushes, trees, and vines to hide in. Getting past the guards was a piece of cake and now she just had to find a door. She roved around the estate for a while, hiding in the shadows and eying the guards. Finally, she found a small door. It seemed to lead into the kitchens.
She picked the lock, reveling in the sound it made and shuddering with pleasure as the lock clicked. It had been too long since she had done this.
After she slid into the kitchen, she made her way through the winding corridors. They were meant to confuse thieves, but Isabella was not so easily tricked. She slid around guards and through different rooms, until finally, she found a set of large oak double doors. This had to be his room. There were two guards stationed in front of the door and a key hung around one of their necks. She looked around for a possible second entrance.
There it was. A small window just above the door. Why did architects make these things so easy?
Climbing up the walls like a large spider, Isabella moved up and over the guards. Once there, she attempted to open the window. It wouldn't budge. Damn. The thing was locked. That wasn't the problem though. On the other side, there were many hard steel bars, blocking the way. It looked like there was only one option.
Isabella pulled her claws out of the wall and landed right between the guards.
"Evening." she said as they looked down at her in shock.
Before they could even react, she reached up and slammed their heads together. They fell to the floor in pain, but these were elite guards. There was no way that would knock them out.
Isabella acted swiftly. She pulled out a bottle of chloroform and dosed two rags in the liquid, before she forced them over the guard's mouths and noses. They struggled for a moment before they passed out. Their heads fell back down on the floor with a light 'thump'.
She smiled down at the stallions and pulled out her lock picks. Yes, there was a key right in front of her, but what was the fun in that?
She played with the lock for a moment before it popped open. She was in.
Silently, Isabella stepped into the room. The only sound was that of Sir Roderick's breathing. She snuck up and looked down on him, triumph gleaming in her eyes. But then that triumph faded. The stallion, lying in the bed, was not Sir Roderick. It was Dungus.
Damn it. She never should have let him leave. Of course he was resentful. He had been shamed and replaced by a random pony. He must have come here right after being humiliated and told Sir Roderick every..... thing.
Isabella dashed out of the room and looked out of the window. The guards were massing behind a single form on the grounds. It must be Sir Roderick. She ground her teeth as she heard him shout out to the estate in his thick British accent.
"Isabella! We know you're in there! Come out now and I may allow you to live!"
Ha! That was unlikely. He continued as several guards dragged a form forward.
"Also! This is one of your thieves! He will be spared if you reveal yourself!"
Isabella ignored him. She didn't care about a simple thief. She had some unfinished business to attend to.
She trotted back into the bed chambers and looked down at Dungus sleeping. She drew one of her blades and tapped him on the shoulder with it. He stirred, but didn't wake. Isabella had no time for this. She sank her blade into his shoulder this time, making him wake up with a yelp. He looked up into her eyes and his face seemed to lose every once of blood in it. Even his eyes seemed to turn gray.
"M-m-m-ma'am." he said, his voice a whisper.
She glared at him, her eyes flashing. With a single thrust, she brought the blade up and buried it in his throat, just under his jaw. He gurgled and his eyes bulged as the life faded from his eyes. It was done. Now she had to get out of there.
No. She had to get out of Canterlot. And fast.
She pelted from the room and looked out the window. The guards were charging into the building. The thief she had brought with her was dead, and she was the only one left.
She dashed through the hallways. Guards began to appear and attempted to grab her, but she dodged from side to side. At one point, they blocked one of the entire corridors and she was forced to go down another.
Soon, she was boxed in. They were advancing on every side. She looked at her options. Die, or jump out a window. The latter seemed the best idea. She glanced out of the window closest to her. Yes! The gardens were directly below.
She feinted to the side and then threw herself out of the window. The guards watched her fall, expecting her to hit the ground and break, but she caught onto a tree. With a rush, they ran to get to the grounds as Isabella slid to the ground and ran for the wall. Her climbing claws were still fastened to her hooves so she ran up to the wall and began clambering up. She was half way up the wall, when the climbing claw on her back left leg slid and the claws broke off. She continued to pull her self up, but she was a little slower now.
Once she mounted the wall, she jumped and slid down the other side. The other climbing claw on her back hoof and the one on her right front hoof snapped off, making her free fall for the last fifteen feet. She landed and began running, but her hoofs stung from the fall. She had to keep running.
She ran and ran. She couldn't go back to her mansion. Sir Roderick knew Isabella was the thief and had probably already posted guards all around her mansion. Thank the goddess that she had told her minions to leave for the night. They wouldn't be able to link her to anything else. Dungus couldn't testify against her any more, and Sir Roderick no longer had any evidence against her, but the guards had seen her in action and she wouldn't be safe here any more.
She stopped for a moment at the gates and looked back at this place. It was more her home than the hive had ever been and now she had to leave. Damn it all.
She turned and ran out of Canterlot.
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I've been waiting for a long time for a half-changeling story. The tags make me think there won't be a lot of introspection and contemplation on the nature of being a half-breed or how her parent's differences (if they showed her their conflicts) affected her. But, I love a good kissy-kissy action-adventure bit.
524111 Sorry. It's mostly the romance and action stuff I like to write. I'll try to explain somethings, but she isn't going go thinking much about her family. She doesn't know her dad, and she hates her mom, so its more of a focus on her present.
Additional commentary on reading and reflection: Spellcheckers don't detect context, leaving behind homophonic errors. There is also at least one plural/possessive error. It's hard to get through given the errors. And I feel rather saddened that there's no exploration of the "mistake" that gave rise to Isabella. And really: Dungus? Did you mean Dingus?
I liked this thieving sequence way more than the other, much more detailed and pretty darn awesome
Amazing every thing you would want in a story ponies, blood, thief's, changelings and half changeling super killy mega thief pony just epic proper looking forward to more!
very good hope you continue this
is this a replacement to your other story?
527452 Yes it sure it. It is the revised, and (in my opinion) much better version.
527502 i'll have to agree it just seems to flow so much smoother
527582 I know right?
Some quick notes and examples
"She did not need to become the direct target of a ponies love to steal it." That should be pony's, it's possessive, not plural in that context.
"thinking live was perfect" 'life' should be there. Or 'their lives' if that's more to your preference.
"a smug look stretching her mussel." The word is "muzzle". That's almost a slant homophone, depending on native pronunciation.
So it's just little things like that. But as I said, overall I like this.
Because my dear, you are a filthy Sue. Go die horribly.
You know, most ponies can play hard-to-get without actual weapons. Just saying. A "no" would have sufficed.
Sexual harassment policy is HARSH in this underworld.
Fortification architects are bound by union code to include inconspicuous alternate entrances to all structures for ease of infiltration. It's why most large buildings have air ducts large enough for a grown man to walk through while crouched.
Yeah, honestly, it's kind of surprising this sort of thing hasn't happened before.
Work that Intelligence score, yeah! Epic split-second decision making!
That's what you get for reflecting upon your evil genius and expressing boredom. That kind of hubris begs for a kick in the teeth.