Kestral laid in the bath water, almost motionless, pondering what to do next. His feet hung over the edge of the one-size-too-small tub, while the rest of his body barring his head was submerged in the warm soapy liquid. Between the sleep and the bath, he felt large amounts of stress melt away, leaving his thoughts far more clear than before. It allowed him time to think; time to plan.

But he could plan very well yet. Plans needed intelligence gathering and knowledge of the area, neither of which he had. He didn't know where any big scores were to be had, or any high-end materials to be stolen. All he had was a mark on his map to tell him there was a house to be purged. He understood that he had his work cut out for him. He managed to get away through Ponyville with some luck, but he couldn't rely on that. The city would be different; It wouldn't be forgiving if he messed up. The guards in Canterlot were sure to be efficient and cunning.

And it wouldn't just be the city. In the wake of the deaths in Ponyville, the changelings would know something is coming for them. They would be on the watch, and they wouldn't give in so easily. But what could they be planning? They needed to kill those 'Bearers', but that's all he had uncovered so far. Surely there was something going on, something bigger than a few bodies.

He couldn't stay so far in the dark anymore. He needed information, names, contacts, addresses. He needed to scope out areas, figure out ways in and out of places clean. He needed help, and more than just Discord.

What he needed was another thief.

Kestral pulled the drain plug and got out, drying himself off with a nearby towel. He walked over to the window, and moved the curtain just enough to see the open city. Many pegasai and griffons flew about, maybe even other species as well, scattering themselves across the sky. Just behind his window was a ledge that dropped off to the lower level of the city. The lower level was covered in more humble housing, with rather little continuation in style or cleanliness of each house. He wondered what the point of it was, to deliberately build two-thirds of the city higher than the other third, but thought little of it. He felt it was none of his concern.

He closed the curtain again, and moved to the bed. Using his magic, he summoned his disguise onto his body. He checked his body to ensure that he was not missing anything, then grabbed both his backpack and his satchel. He walked to the door, slid the plank from the metal slots, and exited his room. He locked the door with his key and moved down the hall.

He was about to exit through the lobby when he noticed something. Next to the front desk was a stack of black and white paper. He walked closer and saw that there were newspapers. Just above them was a sign with a gold bit and a five.

Hmm. This might give something useful.

He pulled five bits out of thin air, and looked to the employee at the front desk. Where the large griffon once was, there was now a rather frail-looking mare with the color scheme of a cherry and whipped cream. He placed the bits on the table, and she looked up from the book she was reading.

“I'd like a newspaper.” He said.

“Hmm?” She asked. “Oh. Grab one from the top.”

He did, then leaned against the counter as he began reading. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” She said in a neutral voice.

Let's see...

Union of Labor strikes against minotaur weapons manufacturer after selling faulty axes to Equestrian mercenaries. Weapons were found to be stone with metal plating after a weight test was used to find discrepancies. The manufacturer responds with-

“You do know there are seats over there, right?” She asked.

Kestral looked back to her, then to the location she was pointing at across the room. Several velvet chairs were huddled together around coffee tables, with a few people settled in. He looked back to her again. “No thanks. I'm fine standing.”

“Alright.”

Kestral skipped through the passage and tried to find anything he could use, like the location of a noble's celebration, or a museum for gold artifacts. Anything that would be lucrative for him to find. As he flipped the page, however, something far more pressing caught his attention. In big bold letters at the top of the page, there read the sentence 'CHANGELING PEACE TALKS TO BEGIN TODAY'.

What? He began reading down the article.

Queen Chrysalis is expected to arrive today in order to discuss potential integration into Equestrian society. Talks are expected to be brief and fruitless, following deaths of several changelings in Ponyville, along with another in Manehatten. Many nobles have become paranoid of a changeling threat, some even hiring mercenaries and guards to station at their homes.

“I can't even go for a walk.” Says local botanist, Flourish. “And in my own garden! What are the guards doing to keep us safe?”

Since the changeling attack, harsh punishment seems to be the only deterrent from invading body-snatchers. With current law even being seen as too forgiving, some are pressing for imprisonment for changelings that haven't broken formal law.

Sympathizers have high hopes, however, as many believe that the hate between ponies and changelings can be overcome. Some see the murdered changelings in Ponyville as nothing less than martyrs in the next step of social evolution. Some are expected to have gifts ready to give to Chrysalis herself today, as a token of peace on behalf of Equestria.

Well shit. He thought. On top of everything else, I get to deal with this.

He rolled up his newspaper and placed it in his bag, then made it disappear. He decided to go see some of the city, maybe check out the next target on his map. He walked out into the brisk air of the late afternoon. It felt fresh, even through the mask over his face. The sounds of a living city passed him by as he walked, letting him feel for himself that he didn't need to be a complete loner anymore. He could be a cog in the great machine of society again.

His mind wandered, though, about the changelings. Why would dozens of them plan to kill off ponies, then try to talk them into peace at the same time? Perhaps it was their two-faced personalities, but a lingering thought in his head told him something was still off. Why send their queen to a soon-to-be war zone? And after she had apparently already failed an attack there? It didn't make sense to Kestral, so he decided there was something missing. Something important. But it would need to wait.

He had a job to do.

Kestral looked up from his map to see his target. It was a tall stone house, with a square frame and symmetric design, almost looking modern with the shingled roof. Six windows were on the front face, with a wooden door just above the cobblestone. There was a mailbox just to the side of the door with a bland look, and a few numbers posted on the wall just above it. There was no fence nor yard, but there was an alley behind the house, and some space to the side.

He then walked down the street, passing only a few houses, before turning into the alley. If anyone had been watching him enter, he didn't want them counting him as an obvious suspect. He then looked around for anyone that may be watching. After scanning the area, he decided he was safe, and switched out his disguise for his original clothing.

He stayed close to the wall and walked towards the house. When he got to the gap between houses he teleported across and moved on. As he moved, he constantly checked the sky and his surroundings for any onlookers that may appear in the shadows during those late twilight hours. He reached the house safely, and began looking for a good entrance.

He looked over the windows, but saw that the shutters were all closed, denying him entrance unless he burned his way through. He could have gone through the back door, but he didn't feel it was safe to enter so soon after sun down. His only other option was the basement door that was barred shut. If he was lucky, there was a stairwell leading up to the rest of the house, or the pods were down there.

Kestral moved over to the basement door, and pushed the block of wood out of the way. He opened the door and descended into the dark room. He went down the small set of stairs and flicked on a flame, bright enough to see the whole room in clarity. What he saw nothing less than a stone room filled with absolute emptiness. There was not a single single distinctive feature aside from the flat stone making up every inch of the room.

“Well this was a waste of my time.”

He immediately moved back up the stairs and out the door again. He looked over the house again, trying to find any other way into the place. He walked to the side of the house, to see if there was a single window that didn't look locked down tight. There were none, so he began to look hesitantly towards the back door. He approached it, hoping that there was not a soul on the other side. I guess sometimes there's just one way in.

He checked again to ensure there were no onlookers, then he pulled out his lock pick from his rift. He pressed the metal pieces into the lock, and felt around as quietly as he could. He softly pressed each pin into place, then turned the locked, unlocking the door. He put his tools away and put his hand on the knob, slowly turning the metal until the door gave way.

He entered and, to his relief, there was not a pony standing behind the doorway. There was an oddly low amount of light, however, so he made sure to be careful about where he stepped, and occasionally flashed a small flame out for a split second to see his surroundings. Where he entered was a kitchen, fit with meager decoration and furniture.

He removed his boots, stealthily walked around the wall separating the kitchen from the rest of the house, and peered into the darkness. A flicker of fire let him know that it was a large living room, furniture fit for a dozen people, taking up all space barring the kitchen and the stairs on the side. Kestral moved around the couches and towards the stairs, since there was nowhere else to go.

He ascended the steps, making sure each step was as silent as the last. He arrived in a hall, with an open bathroom door greeting him immediately. The darkness was just as prevalent there as it was downstairs, and for some reason the air became dry, like something was sucking the water out of it. He looked to the left and began walking.

He passed by several doors, none of which seemed to contain anything important. At the end he reached the master bedroom, which he entered and observed. It was considerably decorated, with velvet cloth over the bed and red and gold designs over the wooden furniture, giving a royal profile to the room.

He kept the flame going to get a better look. He spotted an open door at the other side of the bed, so he went over and entered. It was a closet, with a similar look to the other bedroom closets he had become familiar with; Filled with clothing in questionable amounts. Further in he saw two pods connected by black tendrils. As he got closer, he saw that they were both filled, one with a unicorn mare, the other with a changeling. A glint of something shiny was off in the other side of the room, but right then his attention was on the bug.

Gotcha.

He took out his knife and made a small cut in the membrane. As fast as he could, he reached in and snatched the changeling by the horn, dragging it out. It had barely open an eye before Kestral had plunged the blade into the skull. The body flinched, but quickly stopped its movements as it died.

He dropped the chitin husk, and turned his attention to the other pod. He moseyed over to it, and made a long slice into the membrane. He grabbed the unicorn, pulling her out by a foreleg. He began dragging her unconscious body out of the closet, with the carpet rubbing off most of the goop.

As he laid the mare on the bed, though, he noticed something off. The gray fur was thinned out or even completely bald at some spots, exposing the skin a noticeable amount. He ran his finger over it, making sure that his eyes were not deceiving him. He couldn't tell why that would happen, but then he thought back to the night he started. Discord had said that the spell slowly takes a pony's life, so maybe the balding was a side effect? But then why weren't the others he had freed been like that? Was it tied to the amount of time they spent having their life forcefully sucked out?

“Crap. If they're already beginning to rot in their sleep, I need to pick up the fucking pace. Who knows how long until it starts getting serious.” He looked around the room, casually searching for goods. You know. If discord is in prison, maybe there's something I could do to hasten his search. Hell, maybe freeing him might do even better. A thought clicked in his mind. Maybe he's saving up the money I offer to him to bribe his way out? Makes sense.

Kestral looked around, and began searching under the bed. Nothing was there, so he moved to other furniture, digging his way through drawers. He moved through all he could find, only nabbing a single sack of gold. In the wardrobe, however, he found a leather necklace with diamond studs covering it. It look stunningly similar to what a pet owner would put on a dog, but he took it anyways.

In spite of the expensive looking decoration, it appeared that there wasn't much money to be had in the room, so he moved out. He suddenly remembered the glint in the closet he had seen earlier, so he walked back into the room and made the flame at his side brighter. He spotted it at the other side and walked towards it. When he realized what it was, he teleported to it instantly, in excitement.

On the wall was a golden frame surrounding a velvet material. On it was an object of desire, for Kestral. He ran his finger along the long and bent wooden shaft, feeling the smooth surface of the finely crafted weapon. He gave a firm pluck on the thick string that connected the two ends, which wasn't quite long enough to reach from the ground to his waist. He grabbed the short-bow and looked just under where it was on the display. Two arrows with long, slender heads sat there, so he grabbed those as well, making all the material in his hands disappear into his rift.

He couldn't help but feel giddy, again. A smile plastered on his face. Even with it there, he tried to focus. He began to make his way out of the rooms, figuring more gold was bound to be somewhere in that house.

And then? He needed to ask Discord a question.

Kestral stood high on the third story of an unfinished building. Masonry laid around him, but any dust in the air was blown away in the calm wind of the night. Any light from the sun had long gone, letting the moon take its place in the east. With the magical compass in his hand, he tapped away, summoning the voice he had grown to know so well.

“Why hello there, Kestral!” Discord said. “Do you need something of me?”

“Just some answers.” He said.

“Ahh.” Discord almost sounded like he was being condescending, but didn't seem to hold the intent of that tone. “Knowledge is power, and you're trying to fill your library. Very well. Ask away.”

“Okay, well, the first thing I want to say is about what I found earlier.” Discord gave a small 'hmm', but Kestral continued. “The unicorn I found in the changeling's pod had bald spots all over her, like her hair melted off or something.”

“Yes. That would be the spell they use to infuse DNA. The main side effect is to more-or-less be dissolved until there is nothing left.”

“That's...” He started. “Fuck. That's got to be painful.”

“Only upon exiting comatose. While in the pods, ponies just go about dreaming, not feeling a thing.”

“Alright...but that still leads me to my first question.” Kestral said. “Is there any way I can help to speed up the search?”

“Hmm? You want this to go faster?”

“Yes.” Kestral ducked a little as he watched a pegasus fly nearby. “If they're already beginning to rot away, then it's only going to get worse. I don't want it to get to the point that killing the ponies would be the more merciful thing to do.”

“I see.” Discord responded bluntly. He seemed to ponder for a moment, thinking of ways to answer the question. “Well, if you want to help me, then perhaps you could... cause a little chaos?” Kestral raised an eyebrow, but didn't get a word in until Discord explained more. “Those stunts back in Ponyville involving the messages and symbols were... adequate. The paranoia from the small changeling invasion is helping as well, but I've never been one to like the more malicious chaos.”

What? So me being here, doing what I’m doing, is in itself helping him help me? Weird cycle of effort. “Uhuh. Sooooo...do you eat it or something?” Kestral asked, having no clue why it would help.

“I'm a being of chaotic energy. I -thrive- in chaos. But I've never liked hurting anyone. There's just no fun in it. So I prefer the more, as most would put it, innocent chaos. Pranks, surprises, no-rules parties. That sort of stuff.”

“Huh.” He took in the information, wondering if he should even bother acting surprised. He had seen weirder things so far, why start rejecting it then? “Okay. If you want me to cause some 'chaos', where should I start?”

“Ha!” Discord laughed. “Now, that's just the question, isn't it?” He thought for a second. “Tell you what; If you can help me get a small amount of revenge on this pony, I’ll even better some of your equipment for free.”

Kestral watched as a large metal can appeared in a flash of light. He grabbed it with his telekinesis before it dropped off the edge of the building, and pulled it into his hand. He looked at the side, but failed to see any paper cover. “Spray-paint?”

“Better. It's a pheromone that attracts all kinds of birds. Just spray something and watch Tartarus unleash.”

“Oh, cool.” He said. “So, who's the target?”

“Heh heh heh.” He laughed deviously. “Why, Princess Celestia, of course.”

“Alri-...wait, what?” Kestral asked.

“Celestia.” He repeated. “Who do you think imprisoned me?”

“Uh...” He thought about it as carefully as he could. Should he really play pranks on someone that raises the sun? Probably not. But if it would help him save lives, then what's the harm? After all, it's just a prank, right? Besides. I could give those plans to Luna, and get better equipment to boot. Three birds with one stone.

“Okay. I'll do it. Just point me in the right direction.”

Author's Notes:

Slow, because i couldn't concentrate until today.

Opening several cans of worms at the same time in this one.

Have a good read.