Liar!

by Trolleroids

Chapters

• Prologue. Pay the Debt...
• Chapter 1. Deceiving One's Form
• Chapter 2. Target Marked...
• Chapter 3. The Plan...

Prologue. Pay the Debt...

   I walked in a semi-entranced state through the cold, frozen pavements of this normally bustling town, a dreary, neutral expression adorning my face as I indulged in my music via headphones. Those within my vicinity would find the music emanating from my headphones more than audible.

   What can I say? You can't listen to music without risking deafening yourself, right?

   Eh, forget what I said. It's irrelevant. I couldn't help but look around my environments. For as far as one's eyes could perceive, there were large buildings everywhere. A thick layer of chilling snow enveloping the surface and other exposed areas of the buildings around me.

   To the right side of me, was a road. People with varying intents and purposes in their vehicles zoomed past by me with an audible sound from their cars.

   As I walked, I couldn't help but sneer as I saw someone slip due to some inconveniently placed puddle that he failed to detect in time. The result due to his naivety was, for simplicity's sake, he slipped into some pile of snow. The snow cushioned his fall, but his clothes were now doused with water.  

   Don't mistake me for some sadistic, reclusive bastard, mind you. I genuinely felt pity for the guy, though, my chuckling might protest to that. Oh well, you can't blame me for laughing. It was pretty hilarious.

   Proceeding on walking, a recently formed smirk on my face, a coffee shop emerges into my sight. I hesitated, a well-brewed coffee would be something that I would find that would reinvigorate my currently groggy state.

   Slowing my pacing of my walk, I contemplated. Ah, coffee. Simply one of the many marvels humanity crafted. It'd be a god-sent if I decided to purchase a cup filled with it.

   Though, ultimately, I decided to postpone the acquisition of some coffee for sometime later.

   As I passed by the coffee shop, I couldn't help myself from peering into the glossy, black-tinted windows of the quaint coffee shop. There, I could see a multitude of people taking refuge from winter's frigid embrace in the interior of the shop while helping themselves with a cup of coffee.

   I grew more reluctant as I continued on walking. Though, I persevered, I resisted the enticement of a lukewarm coffee, though, that proved to be difficult due to the fact that the there was a faint aroma of coffee lingering around the structure, threatening to lure me in.

   But then, it wouldn't be wise to keep my client waiting, right?

   Oh pardon me, you don't even have the slightest clue of what I am talking about. Well, if you haven't noticed by now, I have a... meeting with some shady, vague person.

   Yes, I know that does seem vague, but I don't have the slightest clue on who this guy is. Hell, I didn't knew about him until he called me early this morning.

   What does this ominous individual offered me? Well, to be concise, a chance to repay all of my debts.

   In case you were pondering, yes, I do owe a dreadful quantity of money for an alarming number of people that I'd rather not name.

   Why am I so trustful of this person, you ask? Well, to be sincere, I don't have a lot of viable options for me remaining, and besides, this guy seems legitimate.

   He may seem legitimate, however the question still remains, is he actually legitimate?

   Well, I was about to discover the answer to that question; the location that the mysterious client designated for me to go to was just a few feet away from me now.

   I didn't like the look of this, it was a seemingly abandoned building. Some of the windows were missing, cracked, or just barricaded with wooden beams. The door that is traditionally placed on the entrance is non-existent, and finally, there was a miscellany of graffiti of varying styles covering the walls of the building.

   "Oh hell, I am an idiot, but I'm not that much of an idiot that I'd simply walk into that simply because someone promised me a job with a decent pay." I muttered to myself as I began to turn around. I really hope being homeless isn't as bad as it seems...

   "Hey! Over here!" I heard someone call for me, albeit barely due to my headphones obstructing my ears. Had the song not ended, I doubted that I could hear whoever just called for me.

   Dammit, that must be the one who called me... Turning around hesitantly, I saw the origin of the shout, a youthful-looking man with black hair, a jet-black hoodie, he also donned a white scarf, along with a pair of black pants and a pair of black boots. Much to my bewilderment.

   Oh, and most peculiarly, he featured a pair of teal eyes. He must be wearing contacts, or something.

   Eager that he had caught my attention, he swiftly approached me, a grin forming on his face. "Hey! You're the one that I've contracted, right?" He asked.

   I paused for a second, I was having difficulty believing that this is the one who called me. "Uh... yeah. That's me, I guess. Listen, kid, I don't have much time for-"

   "N- no!" He stammered desperately. "I can assure you, I actually do have a task for you, and the reward is staggeringly high."

   "Uh, I might as well play along..." I muttered inaudibly to myself. Come on, this kid is probably no older than me, judging by his appearance. "Alright, kid. What do you want me to do?"

   "Heh, glad you asked!" He chirped, his tone hinting relief. "Well, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. So for now, here. Take this mask."

   He proceeded to retrieve a peculiar looking mask from his bag. The mask had one half of it painted white, while the right half was painted black. There were also some detailed markings on each side of the mask.

   On the white side of the mask, there were black markings. This also applied respectively to the black half of the mask; there were a few white markings on it.

   Amused, I accepted the mask, nodding as I took it from him. "Alright, what do you want me to do with this?" I asked.

   "Well, what do you expect?" He questioned in a tone that implied that the answer was glaringly obvious. "Wear it!"

   Doing what he has requested of me, I began to place the mask on my face, however, just as the mask mask was inching closer to my face, the boy's smile widened.

   What a disconcerting grin... What is this guy up to? I inquired to myself.

   However, I had no additional time to continue on speculating his intentions as the mask made contact with my face, I promptly collapsed to a crouching position, a searing pain embedded in my chest.

   Shallowly breathing, I attempted to ask what the hell he just did to me, but as soon as I looked up, the sly-looking man vanished, he vanished completely from my field of view.

   I struggled to get up, but to no fruition as the pain prevented me from recuperating from whatever is happening to me right now. Slowly, my vision blurred.

   The snow-blanketed buildings around me gradually became more obscured as time progressed. It escalated to a point where I could barely see anything through the shrouds of darkness obstructing my vision.

   Finally, I fell to the pavement below me. Fortunately however, the snow lessened the pain of the impact.

   So I lay there, almost completely motionless. One might've mistaken me for a rotting corpse, but my still beating heart would deny confirmation of that.

   I could see nothing. Understandable, considering that my eyes are unopened. However, I could still hear the snowy breeze traveling through the wind.

   If I don't awaken from this slumber, I'll inevitably succumb to death due to the freezing temperature. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't wake up.

   I've forgotten how long I was rendered unconscious for. Minutes? Hours? I no longer could recall. Dammit, I don't want to accept this, but I am probably going to die.

   Really? Is this the best I could aspire to be? Hmph, I feel pitiful towards myself now, but now's not the appropriate time for that, or is it? I mean, there really isn't anything productive for me to-

   The winds suddenly stopped-- No, the winds didn't cease their wanderings in the air. It's just that I could no longer hear it.

   Dammit! Am I... dead? I dreaded within the confines of my mind.

   Out of sheer panic, I tried to open my eyes. Much to my relief and surprise, I could actually open them!

   Rising up from my prostrate position from the... floor? Hold on, my memory might possibly be hazy, but I am quite certain that I fell on a pavement glazed with snow.

   Regaining my footing, I scanned the room around me. Everything around me... was devoid of any details; there was nothing for as far as one could see.

   Panic completely embraced my mind as adrenaline surged through me. "Dammit... Dammit! I'm dead, aren't I?!" I shouted out in frustration, not worrying if somebody heard me or not.

   Much to my dismay, however, somebody actually did hear me. "Ah, no. You aren't deceased... yet." I heard a familiar sly voice speak from behind me. Also, what does he mean by that I am not deceased "yet?"

   Turning around in a swift motion, I spotted him, the same man that gave me the mask. "You!" I bellowed with a low growl. "What did you do to me?!" I demanded.

   He shrugged, waving his hands casually, "Hm? Isn't it obvious? I rendered you unconscious and transported you here." He pointed to the ground below him as he finished that sentence.

   He added, "Well, you wanted a job, didn't you?"

   "A job that doesn't involve in me getting kidnapped!" I shouted

   Before I could let loose a staggeringly aggressive response, he quickly spoke.

   "Now then, before you unleash a torrent of spiteful words at me, I will attempt to justify my actions." He stated. "Now then, the reason why you're here is because I need some assistance in causing some chaos."

   I stare at him quizzically, prompting him to elaborate further.

   He added, "Well, that's confusing to someone like you, no doubt. Allow me to give you an explanation." He snaps his fingers, conjuring some sort of portal to open on the ground in front of me.

   I peered into the tear within reality in disbelief. The portal was positioned to give me a view of some sort of statue carved in the image of some sort of a serpentine abomination of a mishmash of several animals.

   "You see, that cold, unmoving statue there is my father." He clarified, causing me to look at him with a puzzled glare.

   He added a bit too hastily, "Um, for further clarification, he didn't exactly gave birth to me. He is kinda the God of Chaos, and using his bestowed powers to manipulate reality, he conjured me! Don't let the human look deceive you, this is simply a guise that I used to go undetected in your world."

   "So... the God of Chaos is a statue?" I said in a confused tone. "I've seen very absurd things in my lifetime, but this is just way too nonsensical for me." I glared at him. "Are you just messing with me?"

   He chuckles. "I can assure you, I am not jesting with you."

   I responded, "Alright then, why the hell did you pick me?" I asked him, "I just don't see how choosing me, a loner who has little to no training, would be appropriate for this job."

   He shakes his head, "Ah! I'm glad you asked. Well, the reasoning behind that is because only you have the capability of wielding this!"

   He snaps his fingers once more, and suddenly the mask from before materialized inches from my face, but instead of falling, the mask simply remained afloat, being levitated by some sort of unseen force. I backed off from the hovering mask, considering that it was far too close for my preferences.  

  "Believe it or not, an ancient, and long dead, ancestor of yours created that mask." He said with a smirk of intrigue, "I've no idea how he engineered such a marvel, but he used it to deceive the inhabitants of Equestria." He grabbed the mask, rubbing his hand on it as if it was some sort of pet. "Oh, and he designed in such a way that only he, and his relatives, could use it."

   "So," I paused, taking time to process all of this, "I take it that this has magical properties or something?" I wanted to facepalm due to what I just said, but really, that seemed to be the case.

   He clapped his hands, and confetti abruptly appeared out of nowhere, showering me and the mysterious entity with its vibrant colors.

   "Bingo! You catch wind of things fairly quickly." He said with a grin, "I'm sure that you'll do just fine."

   I shook my head, "Look, I don't really work for free-"

   "Free? Who said anything about working for free?" He snapped his fingers once more, a portal tearing the fabric of reality behind him.

   He stepped out of the way, giving me a clear glance on the portal. What was in the portal made me want to jump directly into it. Within the portal was a boundless river of gold coins. Said coins glistened, their blinding luster made me want to bathe in them.

   "You like it?" He asked me. "That's the currency of Equestria, they are known as 'bits.' They're made out of gold, and if you take the job, you might encounter some of these bits on your quest to cause chaos."

   "I think I'm going to be fond of this 'Equestria' " I said, managing to regain my composure. "Fine. I'll take the job... So, how does one cause chaos, and why does one want to cause chaos?"

   He snickered somewhat condescendingly, "Pft. What a rhetorical question, but if you truly don't know, just cause some fires, cause a catastrophe, murder somepony. There are countless ways of causing chaos!" He continued, "Oh, and to answer that last question, it's because it's the only way to let my father loose from his stony confinement."

   "Somepony?" I repeated.

   "Oh, I should've said this sooner: the majority of the inhabitants of Equestria comprises mostly of ponies." He said, snapping his fingers once more to cause a portal to open.

   This time, the portal appeared just a few feet above me. The portal displayed an overview of a medieval-styled town with rather colorful small equine beings walking, conversing with themselves, and a myriad of other activities.

   I said nothing, simply gawking at the sight before me.

   "Do not underestimate them, the reason for why the God of Chaos is confined in a cold, stony imprisonment is because of them." He said with a grimace.

   Well, it's either that these ponies are really competent, or it's just that the God of Chaos is just really, really pitiful. I thought to myself.

   "Wait, if you want this Chaos God to be freed, why don't you do it yourself?"

   "Simple. I am dying." He said, looking down with a smile feigning sadness. "With the lack of chaos in Equestria, and me being an entity fueled by chaos, I will soon cease to live, and considering that I've utilized a great deal of my energy in finding you, I won't make it another day."

   I regret asking that question somewhat.

   "So, if you want, I'll open a rift that leads to somewhere you might find intriguing; the Crystal Empire, a place where one of your most threatening adversaries is currently having a simple vacation at. That is, if you're willing to take the job."

   He asked, eying at me with pleading eyes, "Please? Do it for a chaos-spawn that is soon to be dead."

   I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, sure. It's not like that I'm going to pay my debts without taking this job anyways... I am out of options, to be concise." I added, "But do tell me, how am I supposed to return once I accomplished my objective?"

   "Simple, Discord, the God of Chaos, would be more than appreciative once you unleash him." He said, "Just simply ask him to warp you back to your home."

   "Hmph, I guess that's reasonable. Very well then, send me there." I answered. Before he could do anything, however, I added, "But I'll be needing a good cup of coffee."

   "But of course." He said, snapping both of his fingers. A cup of coffee with a divine aroma permeating around it materialized in front of me, levitating much like what the mask did. Shortly enough, all of the portals that were once present dissipated and were replaced by a portal that emerged behind me.

   Taking the coffee, I began to make my way inside the portal, sipping the coffee that I was given, but I was suddenly stopped by a shout from behind me, "You're forgetting something!"

   Turning around, I saw the man toss something at me. With exemplary reflexes, I caught the object mid-flight with my free hand. The aforementioned object was the mask. Of course, how could I forget this thing?

   "How do I use this thing, exactly?" I asked, waving the mask within my hand. "You don't mind giving me an instruction manual for this thing, do you?

   "When the necessity arises, I will give you a demonstration." He made a gesture for me to go. More specifically, he waved his right hand at me. "Now go, Equestria needs a troublemaker."

   Shaking my head slowly, I proceeded into the portal. For a few seconds, nothing but a white radiance enveloped my vision, causing me to shut my eyes close. Finally, the accursed light dispersed, and once more, my vision was clear.

   I was in the middle of a frozen wasteland.

   The shivering cold winds battered me with unrelenting pressure. A scarcity of mercy was present in this environment. A thick mantle of numbing snow mitigated my vision, thus, I could only see for a few feet or so.

   Wear the mask. A distorted, shady voice resonated from my mind.

   I couldn't exactly protest, nor question the sudden command due to my brain not being able to form any coherent thoughts due to my body temperature plummeting alarmingly fast.

   So, doing as I was told, I placed the mask on my face.

   Nothing occurred at all, what a surprise. "D- dammit. This thing isn't working." I cursed at nothing, the buffeting winds suppressing the volume of my voice.

   "Of course nothing happened yet." The same voice that spoke with a static-noise stated, "I just wanted you to wear that."

   The garbled voice added, "See that colossal establishment to the left of you?" He asked, prompting me to turn my head to the left direction.

   The display before me astounded me. Just a few feet away from me was civilization, a large one to be more accurate. There were structures constructed out of some sort of gleaming, crystal-like material. The luster of the buildings made me want to just demolish them and salvage the remains, and sell them for a profit.

   "Go there." The voice commanded.

   And so I began to brave the freezing gusts of this barren, frost-enveloped land, intending to arrive at my designated destination...

Chapter 1. Deceiving One's Form

   The winds did not relent as they attempted to strike me down using the sheer cold. My steps were slow due to the deep layer of snow blanketing the ground. The staggering gusts were also making my movement sluggish.

   Closing in the distance between me and the barrier that served presumably as a method of isolating this place from the brutally cold weather conditions surrounding it, I managed to pass through it. I nearly fainted, or possibly died from the sensory overload the relentless frost.

   Ugh, what am I even saying? Such words are nonsensical, not having a crumb of sanity behind them, yet, those words are accurate to describe my current quandary. Then again, I arrived here with the intentions of freeing a god who is bound in a petrified state, and that's even more nonsensical.

   "Why... why did you position my arrival in a damned place where I could've froze death?" I barely managed to utter as the lingering feeling of cold agony haunted me.

   If I teleported you within the boundaries of this Empire, you would've been noticed by the more... magically sensitive folk living here. The voice answered.

   "Screw... you." I cursed as I slumped downwards to the ground, succumbing to the formidable hold of the cold.

   He did not respond, probably because it is rather difficult for him to communicate with me via telepathy. Well, either that, or is that he is deliberately trying to make this more difficult for me.

   Sighing in despair, I crawled towards a nearby wall, leaning on it for support. Shivering, I waited for the paralyzing cold to depart from my numbed limbs.

   As I waited, I examined the adjacent vicinity. I appeared to be in a corner of some sort between two buildings, that should decrease the chances of the risk of compromising my unnoticed presence.

   That's convenient. Anybody that possesses the ability to conduct rational decisions would be dissuaded by the ominously dark, imposing appearance of this alleyway.

   There were tattered newspapers trashed throughout this eerie alleyway.

   "Pollution. A problem present in all of the universes." I muttered to myself.

   Grabbing one of the discarded newspapers that were relatively nearby to my reclining position, I attempted to decipher the faded texts of the paper.

   I wasn't able to salvage much of the words from incoherence, but the article was detailing some sort of heart made out of crystals, or something. I am not certain, the sentences wilted into a mess of barely visible ink. No doubt that rain blurred the ink of this thing.

   Though, I managed to discover the name of this particular place; Crystal Empire. Eh, what a lazily conceived name, but suiting nonetheless. Considering that I've no further practical use for the newspaper, I squeezed it into a spherical form and casually tossed it away.

   Finally, my limbs finally recuperated from the freezing ordeal. Seeing this, I stood up, dusting myself off as I did. "Finally, I don't think I could go on without feeling my limbs for another minute."

   I could hear it from a distance, the sound of people- er, horse-things traveling along the stone pavement, their hooves making a consistent sound as they continued on trotting.

   The sound of colloquies were pervasive, although, I couldn't decipher any of them, considering that all of the conversations were deformed by other conversations. So, attempting to eavesdrop would be futile.

   Looking back to the lifeless, frozen outskirts of this establishment, I felt grievous for the cup of coffee I had unfortunately dropped upon being teleported here.

   If only I could find it... Maybe- No. It's beyond salvageable now, and I wouldn't want to experience the mercilessness of the debilitating cold again.

   Still, it was a depressing thought. To be aware that out there, in the vindictive, frozen wasteland, there's a coffee lying on the thick coating of snow. Nevertheless, I persevered on avoiding to go back.

   I looked forward to the the streets from the corner that I stood in, scratching my forehead. Well, I would be scratching my forehead right now, have it not been for this dumb mask obstructing my hand.

   Shaking my head, I pondered. How am I suppose to conjure chaos? Will simply igniting a house ablaze work?

   Suddenly, the distorted voice returned, saying, Use... mask... Shift. Into pony's form.

   I couldn't make tails or heads of the voice, it was too warped, but if I had to guess, it's the one who sent me here.

   Although, some of the words were unclear due to them being replaced with a peculiar static noise, I acknowledged what the voice was instructing me to do; give the guise of a pony to myself using the mask, but the question is: how am I supposed to do that?

   Concentrating my vision on a random blue mare passing by, I muttered to myself, "Shift." I don't know why I thought of that word, but I just thought that it would be fitting.

   Apparently, it worked, much to my astonishment. A shroud of foggy darkness enveloped me, and I felt myself morphing into a form that I will probably not ever get accustomed to. As the cloud of inky blackness depart from me, I felt addled.

   No effects- No, wait. Everything seems taller now... I looked around, and I can confirm that everything was seemingly taller now. Upon further inspection, my hands were replaced with hooves, and legs that were colored in a deep shade of cyan. I felt my mane; a silky rose mane.

   "The hell-" My words were cut short as I suddenly realized that my voice was more feminine now. "Huh, mimics the target's voice as well, not bad."

   This is really, really uncomfortable. I mean, I basically switched genders! If that doesn't disconcert you in the slightest, whatever does is beyond me. Well, if it is of any recompense, the imitation succeeded flawlessly.

   Shrugging the awkwardness off, I tried moving forward, but I ended up fumbling a bit, and ultimately resulted in stumbling to the ground face first. If someone was to spectate my miserable display at walking, one would be amused, if not chuckling.

   "This is definitely problematic." I muttered to myself, struggling to retain firmness of my footing.

   It seems that learning another species' motor movements seems to be unavoidable to grasp even the slightest mastery over this peculiar mask. Ugh, well, I better get started then...

   Finally, after several attempts later, I finally learned the most efficient way to operate the motor skills of this damned form, and no, it is definitely a lot more complicated than you might anticipate.

   It was excruciatingly tedious and repetitive, but I finally managed to learn how to properly move in this form. I can't accurately describe how I managed to learn this, but nonetheless, I managed to accomplish it!

   With a smug grin of confidence, I walked out of the alleyway and into the streets, bumping to several ponies on the way there. So, I began to walk along, blending into the myriad of ponies.

   I noticed something peculiar about these horses- er, ponies is that they have images displayed at both of their flank-region. The purpose of these tattoo-like images exceeds my knowledge, but if I had to guess, it's some sort of ritual for obtaining these tattoos, or it's just some sort of fashion trend.

   But I could care less, I am here for a task, and that task is to cause some anarchy. Thing is however, I am not exactly sure on how to cause aforementioned anarchy. That proves to be troubling, but I will find a method of doing so eventually.

   I guess I could just deck someone in the face? Would that even work? Looking around, I eyed at my victim, a random unsuspecting pony.

   Testing out my theory, I swiftly swung my hoof at his face. The collision made a sickening crunching noise. The impact made him stumble backwards as well, wincing at the pain. A cascade of pity washed around my mind, making me hesitate.

   The crowd of ponies suddenly stopped, witnessing the assault of this undeserving individual for no apparent reason. Slightly panicking, I pierced through the cloud of doubt, Iadding a quick buck from my hind legs to further the damage inflicted.

   Everything seemed to slow down, making things more dramatic, thought, things got even more unbearably dramatic when the crowd that gathered to spectate this beat-down collectively gasped at the finishing blow.

   I might have placed an excessive amount of force into that strike, seeing that the poor pony flew several feet backwards. Oh, and I might have induced a comatose state into that pony.

   Looking around sheepishly, I took notice that the majority of the ponies stopped and looked at me, their jaws agape. Seeing this, I slyly crafted an improvisation.

   "And that's what you get for cheating on me!" I yelled out just before galloping out of the area. Brilliant. Oh so brilliant was that flawless deception. I sarcastically spoke to myself.

   I looked backwards, I've ran- well, technically galloped a considerable amount of distance but the crowd still hadn't dispersed yet- oh wait, they're examining the stallion that I just submitted into unconsciousness.

   The crowd was now murmuring to themselves, though, I couldn't exactly hear what the topic of their discussion, it's pretty obvious that they're probably talking about me; questioning my sanity.

   I stopped galloping, seeing that I've traversed a considerable distance already. I began to slow down to a simple walk, making me once more indistinguishable from the crowd of ponies.

   I took cover behind a conveniently placed wooden crate. Hopefully, nobody caught a glimpse of me, but the chances of that is rather slim. I'm pretty noticeable with this shiny coat...

   Nice... one. Look, my... is running out. I'm... dying faster... than I thought. Farewell. I heard the voice spoke once more, it progressively got more inaudible as it spoke. Noting the choice of words of the voice, I can finally confirm that the owner of the voice was that man that sent me here.

   "It appears that I'm all alone now." I muttered to myself, feigning a bit of fear and reluctance in my voice.

   Nonetheless, that did not dissuade me into peeking out from the wooden box. Spotting yet another random pony after a short length of time. The pony was, once again, a mare. Perhaps I could repeat my previous tactic? It deems to be actually viable.

   The mare had a green mane, red coat, and possessed a horn. A unicorn perhaps? Anyways, this time, the mare was conversing with another pony. A stallion, to be specific. If I had to guess, they are dating, or something.

   Aw, isn't that just adorable. Horses... having dates with other horses. Ugh, what am I doing?! Wait-

   I took notice of something, every single one of the ponies had a gleaming body. They had sparkling shimmers surrounding them entirely. If I had to remark in snide, they appear to be made out of Crystals-

   Oh, isn't that just fitting? These crystal-based beings reside in crystal-based houses which are located in a place called "Crystal Empire." This is such a sadistically cliched world.

   Returning my focus on that pony I stalked earlier, I analyzed her. I pondered, is the mask's shape-shifting ability able to utilized while already under the guise of being? Well, I technically still am wearing the mask. The mask may not be visible, but it's definitely there.

   "Shift." I spoke inaudibly.

   Once more, I morphed into the targeted pony. My mane, tail, coat, and other features copying the pony, however, this time, it was more subtle and more swift; the shroud of darkness did not occur when I stole the pony's appearance. Heh, I guess it has something to do with my current form.

   When already in pony form, it doesn't take much to morph into another pony. I noted mentally.

   Well then, time to break some hearts... And perhaps some faces.

Chapter 2. Target Marked...

   Princess Cadance strolled on one of the many parks her beloved empire boasted. With each step she took, she relished each breath of fresh air she breathed. Looking upwards, she marveled at the cloudless skies and the elegance of the sun. Surely, no day is better to take a stroll like this one.

   A leisurely walk is rare for somepony like herself. The mental stress and tension one endures due to her title as 'Princess of Love' can fracture even the most staunch of resolves, and possibly sufficient enough to toss a regular pony's mind into the abyss of insanity. Though, she felt loneliness; her husband, Shining Armor, was not within her company due to his duties.

   Nonetheless, the cooling breeze and the warm sun were simply divine to someone so accustomed to the confines of a colossal castle for the majority of her time.

   This park, not exactly renowned, was simply a paragon of the many artisans that resided in her growing empire. This park was recently constructed as well.

   She trotted from the grassy meadow of this little park to a crystallized bridge. While not being exactly practical, she appealed to the design of the alluring bridge. This simple archway was comprised almost entirely out of crystals. It gleamed with a shimmer as the sun bathed it with its bright rays.

   This overpass would have entailed much time to be built, but due to the recent advancements of magic, courtesy of foreign pony scholars from Canterlot, the required duration for the construction of the likes of this bridge built has been reduced considerably.

   She walked over the bridge, gazing at the small depression filled with water below. The small pond was devoid of any fish nor any animals that one would usually see at a park's pond, but that was due to the difficulties of said animals to the pond. The binding cold outside of this empire is an efficient exterminator of fish.

   She gazed at the vibrantly green meadows of the park. The grass swayed back and forth due to the breeze, and the several crystal-themed monuments stood, boasting their finely crafted textures with pride. All of this created a surreal feeling for the princess.

   She sighed and carried on further with her little venture around her empire. She decided that she had lazed about in this little park enough and pondered where she would be headed next. Though, deciding on her next destination proves to be difficult for her.

   It's not that she couldn't decided where she wished to go, it's just that she didn't know anywhere interesting enough to go to. Quite ironic, considering that she's the princess of this land, though in her defense, she is relatively new to this whole 'Princess of Crystal Empire" occupation.

   Nonetheless, she loved her subjects and is more than honored to be their princess.

   She wondered, but to no fruition. She just couldn't decide.

   "Well, I guess-" She started to mutter but was cut off by the sight of her husband, Shining Armor.

   A smile grew on Cadance's face, but that smile promptly shifted into a worried look when she saw that Shining had a rather desperate looking, a distraught, anxious expression plaguing his face as he galloped towards her.

   He galloped to her frantically. "Cadance!" He shouted. "I'm glad I got here before they did," He uttered feebly, panting due to the exhaustion induced from his sprinting.

   "Woah. Slow down. What do you mean by 'they?'" Cadance asked, both curious and nervous for the answer.

   Shining Armor took several seconds in order to recuperate from the fatigue, "Our ponies. Our subjects are... perturbed by something that they accuse you of doing."

   "Huh?" Cadance blurted out, puzzled and bewildered. "I don't think I've done anything to cause anypony to be mad." She stated. "Did I?" She asked.

   "I doubt that going for a walk would cause anypony to be mad." Shining Armor answered.

   "But they might think I'm slacking off with my duties as princess-"

   "No. If anypony deserves a break here, it's you." Shining Armor reassured.

   "Oh, thank-"

   Before the two could discuss further, a shout sounded from the distance behind the captain. "There! There she is!" Following that resounding exclamation was the sound of several hooves beating down on the stony pavement.

   Just behind the captain was a sizable crowd of rioting pony citizens. Every single one of them making their way to the ground they are currently standing on.

   Shining Armor gasped in both alarm and disbelief, all the while causing the princess to be even more confounded. "What's happened? W-why are they so troubled?"

   Shining Armor, however, did not even respond as the crowd of ponies accosted them with either outraged, dismayed, or criticizing statements.

   "Our princess! Why... why did you do stood there idle when our loved ones departed from us?" One of the ponies shouted, causing an uproar of similar other questions from the crowd.

   Cadance's eyes darted back and forth consecutively, a drop of sweat forming on her head. The crowd was both grievous and outraged, and some of them appear to be nursing bruises on their snouts, for some reason that is not within the grasps of her knowledge.

   "Please, tell us! Give us an explanation to all of this!" A shout sounded out from the frenzied crowd of ponies.

   "You told us that you would spread love in this land, not take it!" A mare with tears cascading out of her eyes stated with an emotionally-devastated tone.

   "You were the chosen one!" Another similarly angered stallion shouted.

   Finally, the concussing volley of complaints merged into an incoherent, garbled sound as the entire mob of ponies began talking, or shouting, simultaneously.

   "Please! One at a time!" Cadance pleaded, somewhat silencing the crowd. Satisfied that the crowd had been somewhat silenced, but still not appeased, she let out of a sigh of relief.

   With the turmoil dispelled, but not entirely, from the crowd, Cadance thought to herself, All I wanted was a walk, not this...

   I casually walked, almost skipping in a carefree fashion, in the facade of another pony through this shady hallway, a smirk embedding my face. The reason for my visual display of ebullience? I've caused a rather significant decline of lovers in wherever this is.

   The satisfaction of never being able to be subdued for my rather duplicitous actions is unparalleled. Quite ignoble of me, I still find indulging in this activity amusing. It seems that I just can't seem to withstand the addiction of this mask's power.

   At this point, I've forgotten the amount of unlucky ponies I've rendered almost unconscious, but judging by that continual sobs of sorrow audible and quite pervasive around this place, it's probably safe to admit that I've decimated many a lover.

   Though, I must admit, I'm afraid that this is getting all too dull now, and my hoof is starting to ache due to over-usage. I ponder, Does this mask feature more than this ability to mimics one's form?

   "Tch, I doubt that-" As if by coincidence, I tripped over an inconveniently placed sturdy stone on the alleyway's pavement. Landing face first, I felt myself being distorted into a more familiar form.

   I stood up, "Ouch, the hell-" My words were cut short as I took notice of my hands being back again. I gazed around the vicinity, spotting the mask resting on the filthy pavement of the pathway.

   "Huh, so it seems that I revert back to my human appearance whenever... that happens." I muttered to myself, rubbing my nose as it was injured in the process of my rather inelegant collision with the ground. "Avoid experiencing painful stimuli... Gotta remember that," I noted.

   Clutching the mask in my hand as I recovered it from the ground, I began the process of concealing my face with it, but abruptly halted midway. "You know... I think I'll just wander around a bit with this body." I hesitated, but went on with it anyways.

   All that is entailed is that I remain unnoticed by the locals. Should be relatively effortless, right?

   Steadying the mask on my face, I resumed my little walk, much more comfortable than previously due to the reacquisition of my human limbs.

   The ubiquitous crying in the surrounding area grew more irritating. How loathsome, can these ponies be this excessively pitiful? Gah, I don't know. Nevertheless, I continued on walking, trying to dispel the annoyance caused by the prevalent sobbing.

   Continuing on walking, I saw the end of this alleyway, and upon sighting it, I grinned maliciously. I peered out of the cover of the alleyway. Had I moved a bit further, I would've been detected by the many locals passing by.

   I wondered to myself, "Now then, time to see if this thing does have another power..." Fidgeting the mask in my hands, I hopelessly tried to make something occur.

   Naturally, nothing happened, of course. Sighing, I began examining the bustling street for a guise. Suddenly, something caught my eye as the pedestrians stepped aside, making way to a rather imposing cluster of guards.

   I glanced at these guards. They had the appearance of being made out of crystals, however, the only thing distinguishing them from the crowd was the fact that they were wearing armor.

   Oh, and guess what? Their protective gear was also similar in appearance to the pigment of their fur. I swear, things are gradually degenerating into a cliche-fest. Their 'armor' almost blends in with their bodies. If someone had poor visual-perception, one might mistake their armor for being a part of their bodies.

   Though, I must ask, why are guards here? Heh, must be related to my recent antics throughout the town. I sneered mentally. However, I'm not sure for certain, so I suppose it's best that I continue on watching.

   Dismissing the thought with a suppressed sigh, I continued on peeking from the corner of the alley, letting the shadows from the alleyway envelope me so that my presence here is obscured. I intently watched the guards, trying to conclude whatever is currently happening.

   I finally caught a glimpse of someone in the center of the small group of guards. It was a pink coated unicorn, or a pegasus. This is peculiar, I swear I saw a horn on that pony, but I'm confident that I wasn't hallucinating those matching pink wings on her back. Interesting; a hybrid, perhaps?

   Suddenly, a deafening, rioting hail of complaints barraged the pink hybrid pony. For whatever reason these ponies are criticizing this single pony, I've not a clue, but if I had to guess, she must be notorious for something she has committed.

   "Why do you permit such degrees of misery?!"

   "Why is everything related to love here crumbling?!"

   "I don't see how you can plunge this deep into incompetence!"

   The array of protests boomed through the street as the guards warily advanced through the haze of apoplectic crystal ponies. Whatever this "Princess of Love" is, I intend to find out more about her. I've got nothing more productive, nor more interesting, to do anyways.

   Ha. I snicker at that title, 'Princess of Love?' I presume that she's responsible for maintaining a favorable amount of love in this place, or does she distribute it? Bleh, irrelevant. She's a being of royalty nonetheless, the fact that there are guards donning armor enforces that.

   She seems to be powerful, seeing that she has escorts following her. I wonder how much power and influence she has on these ponies, such is a conundrum. Perhaps I should find out about that? Besides, I'd like to experience the power of a royal.

   It wouldn't be that difficult. All I have to do is locate her, ambush her when no witnesses are present, proceed to drag her somewhere secluded, preferably someplace that nobody bothers examining, and finally, disguise as her and practice in tyrannical abuse of power.

   I had to suppress a semi-hysterical laugh, "Heh... Should be easy, indeed. After all, with this mask, and them being feeble horses, what could possibly happen?

Chapter 3. The Plan...

   Walking down the street, I intently listened for anything interesting enough. To say the least, it was kinda boring. Of course, I was wearing a pony's appearance. I have still yet to discard the foreign feeling of being stuck in a body that is not of mine.

   Anyways, I've only managed to catch irrelevant conversations and vague murmurs of this "expedition team" recently having arrived here. That's not all that I've heard, though. Here are some of the things I've learned through intense amounts of eavesdropping:

   Princess Cadance is apparently the one managing this place, and she is supposedly called as the "Princess of Love." Quite a peculiar title, isn't it?

   Heh, I'll never get tired of this place...

   The cold night breeze blew past through me, grazing my skin- er, coat. Seriously? Being a pony is extremely uncomfortable. I swear, I'll never get over the feeling of having fur everywhere. Well, I suppose I'll have to simply cope with it.

   Just a few feet away from me was a rather modest looking bench... made out of crystals. What a surprise. I only say that it was modest in appearance due to the fact that it looked as if it was literally carved out of a bigger crystal fragment, and it being made out of crystals does not make it special, considering that this entire place is almost comprised entirely of crystals.

    I looked upwards towards the night sky blotted with alluringly ominous clouds. The moon illuminated this particularly empty, lonely street, along with a couple of street lights. The orange glow emanated by the previously mentioned street lights bathed everything in its orange, warm glow.

   Finishing a rather tastier than usual apple that I definitely didn't stole from somewhere, I threw the remnants of the fruit away, deliberately discarding it on the street. Hey, I am not one for pollution, but you have to understand, I have to cause chaos, even if its seemingly pettily small.

   Although, I only managed to hear small bits of this, but, there was this shadowy guy, and he was the former dictator of this place, well, that was, until a dragon arrived and blew him up, or something... I dunno. I might want to research on this further.

   Also, guess what? There are more civilizations who are being controlled by even more ponies. Isn't that such a pleasant revelation?

   Oh, and lastly, I've heard that they're setting up a coffee shop just across this place thanks to the recent discovery of such thing. It's this town's first one ever. Interesting, isn't it?

   Actually, I can see it right now; a closed off building with a sign suspended on its glass-paneled door displaying the word 'Closed' in bold red letters. Oh. It's opening the next day, actually.

   You know, I never liked coffee... But hey, I've heard they're selling things other drinks other than that. Perhaps I should go there sometimes--

   Oops. Sorry. I'm getting sidetracked here.

   Back to the expedition team that has arrived here...

   Apparently, one of the aspects of the indigenous crystals is that they are extremely durable and malleable, making it a very coveted building material. In pursuit of obtaining these crystals, this expedition team traveled all the way here, and with them, lots and lots of equipment designed for mining.

   Wait, hold on for a minute. These guys would have need to gain permission from Princess Cadance herself before they could begin their mining operations. If I could just disguise as her and deny them of it-

   Then I'll proceed to spread rumors around about her wanting this place to say secluded and isolated. That should be more than enough to spark some mutiny, and perhaps bring some ruin to her image.

   Ack. I've forgotten--they're already setting up, that means that they already obtained it. What a pity. Eh, it doesn't matter, anyways. It wouldn't have too anarchic...

   And that would've meant that I would have to extract information on where the meeting would be held. I need to think of another plan. Something more chaotic....

   You know, it would be quite chaotic if their equipment caught on fire...

   Yup, You guessed it.  That is exactly what I'm planning to do--sabotaging them. Yes, screw resource exchange. I'm such a bastard, ain't I? Though, I don't even know where they're going to start their mining operations, I don't even know if their equipment can catch on fire. That's quite problematic...

   Eh, I'll find out about it some time later.

   Hm, wouldn't it be even better if I somehow managed to blame the damage on Princess Cadance? That would be like hitting two birds with one stone, but how would I do it?

   Hm...

   I got it.

   So, if this coffee shop is opening tomorrow, that means that it will become the only source of coffee in this place. Whenever there's coffee... there are aspiring, and hard-working employees. So, if I just happen to "encounter" one of the mining, and talk to him about his line of work, I might be able to discover some vital info.

   Oh, and let's say if anything was to happen to him, I might be generous enough to take his role.

   I chuckled a bit too grimly, "Oh this just might work..."

   Unfortunately, I have nowhere to sleep. I looked around, seeing nothing but buildings with locked doors. I sighed, hinting a bit of disappointment "I suppose this bench will suffice."

   I woke up early. Very early, in fact.

   I waited for hours upon hours for the coffee shop to open. The acquisition of the clerk's body must be attained as soon as possible. I will have a much greater chance of communicating with my target if manage to steal an employee's appearance.

   Hm. I might also be able to allow myself the leisure of luxuriating in drinking free coffee, but I shall refrain from doing so.

   As the rather large crowd gradually blockaded the entire not exactly spacious street, the one, who I presume is the founder of this establishment, opened the entrance to the shop, allowing the multitude of ponies entry.

   "It's about time," I said with a suppressed groan of irritation. I got up from the bench, my backside still recuperating from being ravaged by a terrible aching pain that originated from sleeping on said bench.

   I trotted, managing to avoid the myriad of ponies swarming into the cafe, albeit through a mishap of numerous awkward shuffling. "Argh. The hell? What's up with all these ponies?" I nearly tripped over as someone just happened to shove me by accident. "I suppose that either these ponies are curious on what coffee is, or it's just that this place is well-advertised."

   Finally entering the rather cramped cafe, I marveled at the interior of this building. It was quite spacious for a cafe, curiously enough. The lighting consisted entirely of modern-day lights; the ones that weren't too harsh, nor too dim. It was surprisingly cold in here, just below room temperature. There was no air-conditioner present, nor sounding, though.

   The tables were all carved out of a sky-blue crystal. Elegant and masterfully precise engravings were present on them. Quite the regal sight.

   Of course, there was a velvety, red carpet that was lengthy enough to stretch out from the entrance, all the way to the counter. There were some stairs leading up to a second floor, apparently.

   Although my visual perception was coordinated intently on the employee taking orders. "Great, now I have one more in my arsenal of masquerading."

   My eyes shifted from left to right, trying to see if I could discern one of the many ponies here as one of the expeditionary miners. None. They were all generic, non-descript, other than color, mane, mane size, that image on their butt, similar-looking bystanders.

   I sighed as I approached the stairs, "One of them will come eventually," I let out a semi-disgruntled sigh as I approached the stairs.

   Why was I so confident that one of them will come here? Well... this place sells coffee. What kind of person who presumably works a lot doesn't drink coffee? Well, I know a few, but I am certain that at least a few of them will come here.

   I waited longer than I anticipated, much to my growing boredom. Sipping on a cup of coffee that I managed to stealthily steal, I observed from a balcony-like platform overseeing the floor below. Suddenly, I saw something that made me squeak in triumph, "Finally!"

   Poking out from the crowd of indistinguishable ponies made of shiny rock, was a uniformed pony. What primarily made him stand out was the absence of crystals on him. He appeared completely out place.

   I took note on his appearance. He had a blackish brown coat, a cherry-red mane, and a pair of golden eyes. Oh, and he appears to be sporting a pair of glasses. Short-sighted, perhaps? Oh, and his butt-mark was a letter with a few gold coins placed beside it.

   Discarding the coffee cup, I moved towards a rather intricately wired, but very subtle switch. It was a tool of my making, really. I simply wired all the mechanical equipment, rigging all of them to either fall, or collapse apart, when I flip this switch. This should hopefully cause a panic.

   Yes, this was improvised, seeing that this guy would probably avoid from conversing with strangers, I thought that if I could lead him to safety, I'll get a better chance at talking to him. Besides, this is much more fun this way.

   Approaching the switch, "Hm. I wonder what their reaction will be-" I staggered as a random pony unknowingly collided with me from the side. I impacted an inconveniently placed pillar.

   I winced in pain as I grasped my forehead in agony, "Hey- why don't you-" Wait. Hand? I looked around in bewilderment. My human limbs and body were apparent, my mask laying on the floor. It appears that my disguise was cancelled by the bludgeoning.

   Several ponies' gazes were fixated on me. I could see their shocked, horrified faces.

   Seeing that I've been compromised, I snatched my mask from the floor, placing it on my head, and flipped the switch. Just before all the lights were forcibly shut down, I spoke in a rather cold tone,  "Lights out."

   The glass fell from their respective sockets subsequently as I flipped the switch, falling to the floor, shattering upon collision. I could hear mortified screams as sudden darkness conquered their vision. Accompanying the blackout were several other shattering sounds coming from the other rooms.

   Sparks and flickering flames illuminated every single room, screams and panicked running following it. Soon enough, flames started to ignite, overflowing the room with smoke. Much to my dismay, there was no fire-prevention water system installed, and there was a lack of a fire-exit.

   I guess I should have inspected the place a bit more, eh? Ugh...

   "Crap! Crap! This was a dumb idea!" I said in frenzy as I placed the mask on my face once more, "Well, at least I managed to find out about his appearance," with his appearance in my mind, I allowed the transformation take place.

   Much to my distaste, I find myself being in the body of a pony, though, those few seconds of walking- er, running on human legs was a relief.

   I quickly assessed my options. I couldn't go downstairs because the inferno is located primarily there. I looked around, nothing but fallen over debris immolated in flame was behind me, and I'm pretty much all alone now, seeing that the crowd of ponies flooded downstairs to escape via the main entrance.

   Unfortunately, the door was blockaded by some fallen debris. It seems that I've overestimated the integrity of the structure of this place...

   There's no time to dawdle, I've gotta find a way out. However, the only thing visible was the billowing smoke, and the orange, licking fires.  A small flame danced before me, illuminating the window.

   As if beckoning to be opened, I approached it. I peered through the glass. A crowd of extremely worried, distraught ponies was forming around the building. I looked downwards, cursing at the height from here to the ground, 'It's a rather long way down, but I think I can survive it...'

   The feeling of nausea cascaded over me, I thought with dread to myself, 'Then again, I am afraid of heights...' Suddenly, an unknown blast suddenly resounded from somewhere in this building.

   "Okay, never mind." Opening the window a bit too frantically, and with a lot of difficulty due to these damned hooves, I spoke to myself, "Wow. It was this easy? All I had to do to escape was open this window..."

   "I guess I frightened them a bit too much with my human form." Gulping in nervousness, I prepared to jump out of the window. "Calm down. The fall won't kill me... probably," I said to myself in an attempt to appease the hesitation within me.

   I hesitated, and hesitated. 'It seems that I won't be jumping out-' Suddenly another explosion came from the lower floor, causing me to act out of reflex and fright and jump out.

   And in seconds, I was in midair. Everything seemed to slow down as adrenaline surged through me. I could see the stunned gazes of the ponies below me. Relief washed over me, seeing that I've escaped a very painful death.

   Suddenly, the relief faded as I saw that I was inching closer to the ground. I almost screamed, but I was cut off as I landed without even feeling the slightest of pain.

   "Huh?" I spoke to myself in confusion. "Oh yeah, strong legs and what-not..." I spoke to myself in disbelief.

   "Hey!" I heard someone call out to me. "Are you alright?" a pony wearing a similar uniform to mine asked me, genuinely concerned.

   I shrugged. "Never better."

   "Let's go to the boss, I'm sure he'll give you a day-off for what you had to go through."

   I replied, "I guess... But what about the ponies trapped inside the cafe?"

   "There's nothing we can do, really." He said in disappointment, "Let's just hope that help arrives quickly." He gestures me to follow him as he started trotting, "Now come on."

   Slowly, I followed him. "Plan was a success, I think..." I muttered.