And I thought we were normal. How wrong I was.

   I wake up in a small daze and I rub my eyes carefully with my hands which are still covered by my gloves since I went to bed without any real idea as to why. I guess I just had a little bit of a subconscious stir whenever Berry decided to move in as my parent. I should really apologize for being so distant. I decide before removing my gloves as I usually do before my daily shower, but I notice an odd change has occurred to my left hand. What the hell?

   Where there used to be a dull odd looking plate of the exoskeleton material there is now a neat formation of triangle shaped plates of what seems to be the same material as before but it's much smoother, lacks any holes and instead forms a single large triangle on the back of my hand with a base of about 5 of the triangles building up to the point which lies just below my knuckles. Alongside this new change there is also a scarlet coloured glow coming through the small openings between the pieces and on the outer edge of the formation. What the hell happened to my hand?

   I flex my fingers a few times to make sure everything is still as cognitive as it was before and it seems to have checked out alright.

"But why would it change so suddenly?" I ask to nopony in particular while continuing to flex my hand. "It would help if I knew more about changelings I guess." I say before remembering what Berry has said the night before.

"Yeah, 3/8s changeling. Nothing you can see besides my teeth but most my insides are similar to theirs."

Now that I think about it she might actually know something about this. I think as I walk into my bathroom and strip off the rest of my clothes and accessories. Bur first; a shower.

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   I walk out of the bathroom with a new set of clothes on and most of my accessories back in place and I walk over to the bookshelf that my necklace is sitting on and I look at the lone piece of apparel. I remember when I first got this thing. It gave me a little sense of pride I think at the time. It gave me the sense that I actually did own something in this world, but then against doesn't mean any of that now. Now it just reminds me of that bitch who tried to kill me. I think as I close the box so I don't have to look at it anymore and I walk away before turning my head back slightly to look at it. Maybe I'll wear you again someday. If the day ever comes I can forgive that 'princess'. I contemplate before walking out of the room.

   I walk out into the main room and I already see Berry sitting in a wooden rocking chair which now sits in the middle of the room where the other couch used to be.

"What happened to the couch?" I ask while walking put to and leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Oh that old thing? I sold it last night and used the money to buy this." She says demonstrating the rocking motion of the chair. "Pretty nice isn't it?"

"Yes quite nice. What happened to the rest of the money you got for the couch? I know that chair couldn't be worth as much as that couch was." I deduct.

"Alright you got me. I've owned this chair ever since I stole it 14 years ago when I was 22 years old; it was the first thing I ever stole on a real job. It's not like those little missions I had before it like stealing my own food and such." She says as she slowly goes back and forth in her chair.

"So I'm doing crap-jobs am I?" I ask to humor her ulterior motive.

"No you're just doing jobs that would be expected of somepony in your position on our ladder of power. You're at the bottom so you have to earn respect first." She says sympathetically. "Thunderback and Macintosh didn't start like this though. Since Spacial taught them entirely with training rather than real jobs, they got to start on good jobs automatically. I'm training you the way the old guild leader trained me, by actually stealing. It's the same way he was taught and the same way and the master before him. He always said it was the best way to raise a thief." She explains with almost a hint of sadness at the mention of the old guild master. This seems like a sensitive topic for her so I'm going to move on before it gets bad. My cheesy lines probably won't be enough to cheer her up if she gets sad.

"Well, thank you for the special training." I thank her.

"You probably wouldn't be saying that if you knew how Thunderback and Macintosh responded when I told them the jobs I'm having you do." She says with a small giggle.

"I guess not. This doesn't answer my question though. What happened to the money you get from the couch?" I ask confidently. You didn't think I had forgotten, did you?

"Oh yes that. I used to pay for the movers to bring my possessions in and get them set up." She says while pointing a finger at the wall behind me and I turn around to see a large steel door, which looks almost like a small bank vault, where part of the kitchen counter used to be.

"What is that for?" I ask in a dumbfounded manner.

"That, my dear son, is my wine vault. It contains all 207 bottles of wine I own. Some are valuable some are cheap; some are stolen some I bought with stolen money, the point is that you are not to enter that room without my permission and you will only be given the unlock code when I trust you enough or when I die." She answers in a cold manor and I continue to look at the door.

"Was that vault door really necessary though?" I ask politely.

"Some of those bottles are worth thousands, even tens of thousands, of bits. Some date as far back as over 2500 years approximately. I don't drink those bottles but their collector value is historically high." She says in great defense of her position.

"Nice pun." I say sarcastically with a small chuckle.

"Thank you. I thought so as well." She responds.

"Well now that that is taken care, of what is my job for today?" I ask knowing that she has some sort of plan made already.

"Always as sharp as a tack huh? Well to find that out you'll have to step outside and see for yourself." She answers and propels herself out of her chair.

"One thing first." I say to stop her and thankfully she responds to the message.

"Yes?" She asks while raising an eyebrow.

"How much do you know about changelings?"

"A good bit more than most because of my genetic heritage. The old guild master took me to their main hive for a few months to help train me to own my skills as a member of the changeling bloodline just as he did. So yes I know a lot about them." She explains calmly.

"Then could you explain this?" I say while removing my left glove and showing her the odd development of the chitin on my hand. "It didn't look like this yesterday and it didn't have this glow either."

"Oh I see what happened. You collected a bit of 'love'." She says while walking over and inspected the hand.

"I did what?" I ask in a bewildered manner.

"You collected a bit of love or rather in this case some stronger positive emotions, like infatuation or compassion." She answers and gives the chitin a few taps.

"I still don't follow."

"You see, changelings collect love for two reason food and to enhance themselves."

"Yes I know."

Well the enhancements they gain are mental, physical and internal. Being as we aren't pure blood we only take on parts of those attributes. There are also a few different types of changelings. Simply put for a changeling to change its type it must upgrade itself by absorbing love into and becoming upgraded to a better type like guard or collector. For us however we are set into one of a few categories when our genetics manifest themselves. For example, I am a prowler type. My insides are composed to not contain much love but to be able to process and use it more quickly. My legs are also hollow like a changeling's legs but they are just as strong as a changeling's legs as well. However, because of my disposition, I cannot enhance my mental or physical abilities. I can however upgrade my internal stability to process and gather love to use as a resource to sustain myself. I'm currently at Royal Assassin level in my class meaning I have the same internal integrity as the most elite changeling assassins." She explains proudly.

"Nice, but what am I?" I ask genuinely interested.

"You're a tactician type like the old guild master was. Chitin will grow to cover a portion of your body and you can enhance the physical aspects of that chitin to be more advanced such as its appearance will change and it will become stronger. Your brain is also more like a changeling's brain. While you can't enhance this skill you'll find that you have a natural ability to work around some mental problems and you will also be able to find ways out of the worst situations subconsciously at times through a changeling's natural escape instincts. Examples of this ability are things such as a changeling's ability to convince those who are weak willed through flashing green eyes or slightly unnatural reflexes although these abilities cannot be activated by force nor are they common." She says and I think of when I was being executed. Now that I think about it all my movements then were instinctual and when I had to convince those guards I remember my vision flashing for a moment. So those were changeling attributes showing through? Interesting enough.

"How can you tell I'm a tactician type?"

"By the way your chitin sounds and by the scarlet glow. Tacticians have a natural ability to collect any love being directed at them. However, they cannot collect love being directed at another pony. That is an ability reserved for all other types and mainly prowlers. That glow is a sign that you're near being able to enhance your abilities." She says pointing at my hand.

"So why didn't you tell me this before?" I ask.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know what type you were. The type of changeling you are is only revealed when you collect strong positive emotions for the first time." She answers simply.

"So what level will I be after I upgrade?" I ask giddily since this notion actually excites me.

"When you upgrade next you will be a miner's level." She answers with a sly grin.

"Just a miner?"

"Yup; the lowest rank before newborn."

"I guess I have to start somewhere." I decide aloud.

"Isn't it the truth?"

"What level was the guild master when he died?" I ask with my own curiosity taking hold.

"The highest possible, Royal Family. He obtained enough love and experience from a single pony to bring himself up to the same level as the queen herself." She says with a tone of reminiscent. Wow. Just what kind of mane as he?

"Wow. So I guess that's what you're aiming for?" I question her.

"Nope. I don't have any desire to be royalty. I'm glad to be an assassin." She says bluntly.

"I guess everypony has their own priorities." I say evenly.

"Exactly. I'll tell you more later but for now let's go out into the forest for some fun." She says and we climb up the lander but I have one question left in my mind. Who did I collect the love from?

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"Alright here's the plan for today." The magenta mare says as we enter the center of town together. "To be brief today we are going to play a hunting game. Here's the idea; I'm going to give you a thirty minute head start. After that time expires I'll begin to hunt you down with Spacial. Your goal is to hide out for the whole day until morning without being found by us. Of course this doesn't mean you can only hide in the traditional sense. Try to be creative with it. You have three chances so if we manage to find you three times you lose. If you lose you will be punished. Simple enough?" She says with a wide grin.

"Wait; what do you define as having found me?" I ask to make sure the rules are clear. Normally I'd object, but that isn't going to get me anywhere. I just have to play along.

"We have to be within 3 meters of you and we have to talk to you directly. Also, you are not allowed to leave the town." She answers simply.

"Alright then. When do we start?" I ask

"Now." She says and I dash off towards where we came from. And so it begins.

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   I finish climbing up the ladder I made to get onto the roof of the restaurant and I lay low on top of it as I'm pretty sure my half hour has run out. I first ran off towards my home in an attempt throw them off and from there I looped around towards the dining area of town and climbed to the top of this roof. This should work for a while but I'll need to change spots eventually.

   I crawl over to the edge of the roof facing the street and I peek my head over the side to keep a lookout for Berry or Spacial. I spend the next 45 minutes lazing around and watching out for my stalkers. I thought for looking up another spell but there is no telling when I might be in danger.

   I watch as another pony comes around the corner and I immediately duck down. Shit. I'm not very sure what skills Spacial has but I can't underestimate her. I peak my head over just enough to see into the street. However, I do not see her anymore which I find a little scary. Where did she go? I think before looking down into the alleyway and I see the mare standing below me in the alley.

"Ah shit." I mutter and her head immediately shoots upwards to me and I fall backwards on my ass. Fuck; I think she saw me. I need to leave, but how should I go about it? I think before activating a light cancelation spell over the area and I begin to turn around before light begins to rip through the spell and the dome falls apart into a cascade of small black feathers and seem to burn up in the air. It font of my stand the imposing figure of Spacial with one outstretched arm and with a sliver golden mist around her arm and she looks down at me in what seems to be disgust.

"That's one down." She comments in an extremely cold manor.

"But.... How did you....?" I mutter as I find myself at a loss for words.

"That cheap spell may work on somepony who isn't expecting it but for somepony like me tearing it apart is easier than you could imagine." She scolds.

"But how did you find me?" I ask before standing up.

"You reek of your own magic. It's disgusting." She says before disappearing into a cloud of dark mist. What the hell? I reek of my own magic? I think before smelling the air and nothing seems to be off of the norm. I don't smell anything. Either way I need to move before they can find me again. I think before making another ladder and climbing down from the roof.

"I think I'm clear to go." I say as I activate a speed step spell and run down the road. I can't afford to waste any time. After all I'm only an hour into this game and I already lost one of my chances.

   As I run aimlessly across town I place magical blocks in some easy hiding places and I use my substitution spell on them to make them look like me. Thankfully only a few ponies are actually out and about right now so I can move freely. After placing about 17 fakes across town and vomiting 3 or so times, I stop behind a dumpster in an alleyway to hide in and I hope that the magic coming off of the fakes will be able to confuse Spacial and that Berry won't be able to find me for a while since she'll be preoccupied hunting the fakes. It probably won't work but it is my best shot.

   I wait with a constant vigilance on the two ends of the alley and I listen closely for anypony approaching. Thankfully I am able to wait for a good two or so hours with few visitors and I can actually relax. I open my book of spells and begin to flip through my index for something interesting.

"What-cha readin'?" I hear a familiar voice question as soon as I look down. Fuck.

"Fuck." I say as I look up to see Berry sitting on top of the dumpster.

"Only one chance left now." She comments with a smile.

"How did you find me? Didn't the decoys confuse you?" I ask in a bewildered tone.

"Those cheap knock-offs? No. I'm a prowler type I told you. I can trace you down by your emotions easily. I just didn't think it'd be fun if I didn't give you a fair chance at winning so I went out to eat with Spacial for a while." The mare says while hopping off of the dumpster.

"But wasn't she confused by the magic they're made of?"

"Not in the slightest. It isn't hard for her to tell what is and isn't magical and those things screamed magical and since they had no emotions I could easily pinpoint you after I got close to you." She says evenly. So that's what Spacial meant by 'You reek of you're own magic.'

"So for you to find me with your prowler abilities you have to be close to me and Spacial can just trace me down by following my magic?" I ask for some clarification. I have an idea.

"That is correct. Now let's begin again you only have 13 hours left." Alright. If Spacial is tracking me through my magic and Berry is only able t find me when she's close... I have a plan now.

"Yes let's," I say before pulling out my lock-picking tools and shattering them against the wall. "because things are about to finally get interesting." I finish and she gains a genuine grin which seems to emit a sense of pride.

"So you finally came up with a good plan..."