The Art of Theft

>It has to be somewhere.
>You frantically tear through the musty old books in front of you,
>Some are so worn and used that you can barely make out the text on them.
>It’s frustrating, but you have to keep looking.
>Time is a commodity you don’t have much of right now.
>Every so often you glance back at the door, praying it’s still barred shut.
>They’ll be coming soon, you know it.
>You grab another book, looking it over.
>It’s a relatively small tome, bound in leather with the cover worn off by time.
>You start flipping through it, looking for any relevant information.
>However, it doesn’t even appear to be in any language you recognize.
>Groaning, you toss it to the side.
>There’s no time to deal with stuff like this.
>Suddenly, you hear a banging on the door.
>”Dragon! We know you’re in there!”
>Hearing that almost makes you jump out of your scales.
>Time’s up.
>You hurriedly shove a few books into your bag, not even sure if they’re useful or not.
>You just need /something/ to not make this worthless.
>Once you’ve done that, you look over towards the small window in this private library.
>Without much hesitation you open it up and jump out.

>Normally jumping from several stories up is a horrible idea, but not for you.
>You’ve gotten pretty decent at flying in the past several months after all.
>It’s still crazy to think about though, you’re /flying/ right now.
>Just as crazy as you being a dragon in some strange world.
>But hey, crazy has been your life as of late.
>After all, you’d have to be crazy to steal from a horse with such a big hate boner for you.
>The fact that the dominant species here is equine is another weird detail you’ve slowly grown to accept over time.
>Your life hasn’t always been so crazy, far from it.
>Not even a year ago you were living a happy little life in your own world, the normal world.
>Feels like it has been a lot longer than that though.
>Maybe it’s because how active your life has been ever since you wound up here.
>Or maybe it’s some weird temporal distortion causing time to move slower.
>Considering how everything else here is so fucking bizarre, you wouldn’t be surprised.
>There’s nothing you wouldn’t believe if you saw it anymore, everything feels at least remotely possible.
>Guess that means you’re an open minded individual now, huh?

>Once you land on the ground, you instantly start running.
>That damn horse has always had guards on their estate, but they’ve ramped up security recently.
>You’re pretty confident there’s a few guards patrolling the premises already.
>And that’s not even considering the guards who are going to break into that library and find the window open.
>So yeah, you need to get the fuck out of here.
>Lucky for you, this estate is pretty secluded, surrounded by thick woods every direction but South.
>You smirk a little, your obsessive mapping of this place has paid off.
>In fact, it’s paying off even moreso now.
>You’ve plotted out a perfect little escape route that will lead you deep into the woods and right towards your current base of operations.
>Purchasing a house never really came up for you, so you mostly set up camp somewhere as you move place to place.
>Currently you’re staying about a kilometer and a half away from the estate.
>At face value, it’s pretty risky, but Mr. Horse doesn’t own these woods, hell, they never even expressed interest in doing so.
>Even now the guards will only search for half an hour before giving up and assuming you got away.
>Honestly, you’ll still probably move again soon, but that’s more out of preference than necessity.

>Doesn’t take too long to run back to your little base.
>Your stamina and speed have grown ever since you became a dragon, so long runs are pretty manageable.
>You’ve covered your tent with branches and leaves, making a passable camouflage for it.
>Up close it can be pretty easy to tell it’s a tent but you have to be actively focusing.
>Which means the random hiker or an overly dedicated guard doing recon won’t necessarily see it.
>Inside the tent you have a bedroll, your food supply, a lamp, and a few odds and ends.
>You’ve never been one to hoard possessions, so the things you do keep are those that hold importance in some way or another.
>The rest you usually wind up selling at one point or another.
>It’s hard to be sure if this is because you’re a dragon, but money is one thing you always keep in high supply.
>You’ll never know when you need to purchase something big, like say- a whole new tent or renting board for a period of weeks on end.
>So yeah, money is important.
>Your little “dragon’s hoard” is a small little box locked with runes of some sort.
>You have a smaller purse for your pocket money, but your main money supply is always kept under your pillow.
>Oddly isn’t all that uncomfortable to sleep on.
>Probably more because of how soft your pillow is, but still.
>You drop your bag in the tent, fastening closed the tent.
>Today has been quite the day…

>Lying down, you shut your eyes and try to take a nap.
>You should probably get to looking at those books you stole honestly.
>But not only would you prefer to get some rest first, you’re also a little nervous to do so.
>It was hell getting into that library and you don’t want that all to be for nothing.
>So, even if there’s a /possibility/ you found what you’re looking for, you feel a little better about this.
>The moment that illusion fades, this whole operation was an entire failure.
>Sleep doesn’t seem possible right now though, no matter how hard you try.
>Instead you sit up, grabbing the small loaf of bread you started for breakfast this morning.
>Unwrapping it, you take a whiff of it.
>Still smells great.
>You consider rummaging around your food supply for any butter, but laziness prevents that.
>It’s good enough to eat by itself anyways.
>Your appetite has never been very large, so after a few large bites you’ve had enough for the moment.
>Just a light snack.
>With that done you realize just how little there is to do around here.
>You’ve been in the middle of the woods for what, three weeks now? Almost a month.
>Besides, after your little stunt today, you doubt you’ll be able to slip into that stallion’s place anymore.
>Which in itself is pretty shit to consider.
>The book you’re looking for only has a few printings, it’s quite rare.
>Most copies are lost to history, and this was perhaps the easiest known copy to find.
>Doesn’t mean it’s very easy to /steal/.

>Over the past three weeks you’ve been trying to get this damn book.
>You started off by posing as house staff to try and figure out where it is.
>It started out pretty well.
>Mr. Bluff, the stallion who hired you seemed to trust you at first.
>In all honesty you probably shouldn’t have been so insistent at trying to “clean the library”.
>Bluff fired you under the guise of “decreased productivity” about a week into the job.
>That paranoid bastard caught on fast.
>You then attempted to get the book by hiring one of your former co-workers.
>That blew up in your face when he went straight to the the boss and ratted you out.
>From then on, you were outright considered an enemy, his enemy.
>All of his employees were told to keep an eye out for you, promised a big reward for any information.
>Not to mention his gradual increase in on site security.
>Needless to say, things got really difficult for you from then on.
>You hadn’t even been able to get back into that place until today.
>So much effort, and it ended with you jumping out the window in fear with some random books.
>For a self proclaimed thief, this is pretty embarrasing to say the least.
>”Thief”, the title makes you chuckle a bit.
>Before you wound up here you were just a fucking clerk.

>Thief is sort of used loosely here.
>You don’t have years of experience and training, you have a few months’ worth.
>Finding an actual job here was pretty impossible for you, not without some real legwork anyways.
>So you found yourself doing less than honest acts to get by.
>Started with sneaking food from merchant's stalls and carts at first, pretty simple stuff.
>Then you started practicing picking locks and hiding your tells when lying.
>You’re far from perfect, but passable.
>Your recent exploits prove that much.
>A lot of times you work for hire, being sent to go knick something by some random horse.
>Other times you go out and steal whatever you think will fetch a good price.
>Most “jobs” are pretty small, involving you sneaking into somebody’s house and grabbing something.
>Not that you’re complaining, big jobs are hard.
>Like this current one for example.
>But this big job was taken on for a very good reason.
>This book is your key home, your way back.
>You get the book, you get to go home.
>It’s unimaginably simple.
>You were pretty skeptical when your “client” first told you.
>This client being another dragon, one of the few others you’ve actually encountered.
>”The book itself has a collection of rituals, a form of magic that any species can tap into.” they had explained.
>The dragon wants the book for themselves, but is confident that a ritual to take you home is also there.
>And even if it’s /not/ there are some wise dragons out there who could no doubt do the job.

>You would have been far more dubious if the dragon didn’t approach you mentioning “other worlds”.
>Ever since you’d gotten here, you never once mentioned your past to anybody.
>The dragon equated their knowledge of your circumstances came from being able to read your body language and the like.
>You seemed “out of your element” and “foreign to even the air you breathe”.
>Flowery language, but it’s fitting.
>Apparently the more knowledgeable of draconian society are aware of other worlds.
>Some even say that they have seen these other planes of existence.
>Your client is the steward for one of these “knowledgeable” dragons.
>They expressed pity for your situation, and saw this as a way for both parties to gain something.
>Mutually beneficially arrangements sound good to you.
>That’s part of why you decided to take the job on, it sounded… good.
>Some dragon gets their book, you get to go home.
>Besides, at the time, stealing a book didn’t sound too hard.
>That was until you started to do your research of course.
>But hey, a deal’s a deal.
>Not like you still don’t want to get home.
>So there’s no way in hell you’re backing out now.

>”Hey… what’s that?” says some voice you’ve never heard before.
>You instantly shoot up when you hear it.
>You slowly undo a bit of the fastening on your tent, barely enough to peek out of.
>Looking around, you see a pair of horses searching around.
>Mr. Bluff must have been extra pissed to have told his security to look this hard.
>One of the horses looks over towards the tend, locking eyes with you for a split second.
>Instantly you throw the tent shut, moving over to your bag.
>It’s obvious he saw you, so it would probably wise to make today “moving day”.
>You’re going to be traveling a little lighter than usual it seems, no need to risk slowing yourself down.
>All together you packed the books, your money box, a bit of food, and a few other personal items.
>Once that’s over with, you grab your hood and put it on.
>Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you tuck the pillow in between it in a way that’s at least somewhat secure.
>You’ll still probably have to hold it down with your arm, but that’s fine.
>Having gathered up everything you deem worth carrying, you open up the tent and book it.
>Sadly it seems that the horses caught on pretty quickly.
>”Hey, over there!” one of them yells, starting to run towards you.
>Based on the sounds of their hooves, it’s safe to assume they’re at a full gallop.
>You’re quick, but outrunning that? Not likely.
>So, to play things smart, you try climbing up a nearby tree.
>Your claws sink into the bark easily, and you scurry up as fast as possible.
>Looking back at the horses tailing you, none of them seem to have a horn or wings.
>Lucky you, the normal horses can’t do shit about heights, while the other varieties would both have very viable options right now.
>”Get down from there right now thief!” demands one of the horses.
“I don’t see much reason to personally!” you reply, seeing no need to play all stealthy now.

>The horse is quite obviously upset, why he expected you to listen, you have no clue.
>As fun as it would be taunting the two of these assholes, you’ve got places to be.
>More specifically: anywhere else but this forest.
>Extending your middle claw towards the guards, you start flapping your wings and fly off.
>You get over the treeline and head west.
>This estate isn’t too far off from a lively town, wouldn’t hurt to go blend in there for a while before trying to find your next lead on this book.
>Flying was more than a little weird at first, but over time you’ve gotten used to it.
>Honestly if you weren’t on the run right now, this flight would be really nice.
>Your grip on your pillow loosens a bit, sending the pillow falling slowly to the ground.
>Cursing a bit, you almost consider going back to pick it up.
>However, you quickly realize that’s a fucking stupid plan, and decide to just buy a new one later.
>You already needed a new bed roll anyways, so buying a new pillow wouldn’t be too out of your way.
>Still, that’s money out of your pocket.
>The rest of your flight is pretty uneventful.
>Landing just outside of town, you walk the rest of the way.
>It’s a quaint little place, overly technicolor like most places here.
>”Oh hey! You’re back!” says a voice you /wish/ you didn’t recognize.
>When you first wound up here, there was another dragon, a small, overenthusiastic purple one.
>Of all the people you could have run into…

“Um… hey there…!” you manage to say, looking over at them.
>The other dragon runs up, waving enthusiastically.
>”What brings you back to town… um… er…”
>He’s trying to remember your name, or at least that’s what it looks like.
“It’s Art, and I’m just resupplying before I go back… traveling.”
>Art, it’s technically your name.
>Your birth name is Arthur, but you quickly learned that “normal” names are anything but here.
>So you shortened it to Art.
>Because apparently names related to talents, things, or even abstract concepts are normal here.
>”Supplies you say? Oh, right, you’re an adventurer!”
>Even before you became remotely good at thievery, you knew a cover story would be important.
>That’s why whenever you were asked about who you are and what you’re doing, you mentioned being an explorer.
>Nobody can really disprove that.
>You don’t think anybody has tried investigating you or anything, but it’s nice to have fallbacks.
“Yeah, I have a feeling I’m going to go pretty far on my next trip, so I need to prepare adequately, you know?”
>The small purple guy nods, still smiling.
>Must not see other dragons that much or something.
>You remember him working for one of the horses in town, or something like that.
>Why he’s here and not with other dragons, you don’t really know, and honestly don’t entirely care.
>He seems happy enough, and it’s not your place to go prying.

>You manage to get away from the perky little dragon, having far more important things to do than partake in unwilling chit-chat.
>Your main focus right now is stocking up on supplies before getting as far away as possible from this place.
>Bluff only moved here and made his estate recently, but he’s got influence.
>So it’s only smart to get out of here as quick as possible to avoid people figuring out what you’ve been up to.
>Purchasing a new tent, some food, and other amenities, you thankfully don’t seem to draw the attention of anybody.
>Once you’ve finished your little shopping spree, you test the weight of your bag.
>A little heavy, but nothing that’s too over encumbering.
>You should be able to travel with this.
>Now, the real question is where do you travel to?
>It took a lot of questioning to figure out that Bluff had a copy, and you’re still not even sure if that’s paid off.
>Now that you think of it, you still need to check those books.
>You’ve been loitering around in this shop for a while, so a little while longer shouldn’t hurt.
>You open your bag, pulling out the three books you managed to grab and lay them out start paging through.

>None of them seem to hold any relevant information sadly.
>One is a history book, the other is a book of maps, and the third is worn to the point of being illegible.
>You can’t hide the overwhelming disappointment.
>This whole several week operation is officially a resounding failure.
>Having no need for them anymore, you shove them on some random shelf in the shop.
>Probably wouldn’t fetch a good price even if you went to go sell them.
>Walking out the shop, you decide to plan out where you’re going to head to next.
>Wouldn’t hurt to ask around in neighboring towns or something...
>Deciding to make your way to a nearby town, you start walking.
>Staying off the main streets, you stick more towards shady alleys.
>”The boss is upset dragon.” you hear a voice mutter from one of those alleys.
>Ah shit.
>You hardly have any time to react when the horse rams its head into you.
>It moves like a fucking train, knocking you down and trampling you over.
>Just going to hope nothing broke…
>In hindsight, maybe you shouldn’t have tried standing straight up.
>The moment you did, the horse’s back hoof reared to kick.
>And sure enough, it connects right with your fucking snout.
>The force behind the kick is enough to send you flying right onto your ass.
>Turning to face you, the horse sneers at how quickly he’s dropped you.
>”Going to come quietly, or do you want to lose a few of those teeth dragon?”
>Knowing Mr. Bluff, a few teeth might actually be a good trade off if you get away.

>Right as the horse takes a step closer to you, a wisp of fire shoots from your mouth.
>On a good day, you’d only really use your firebreathing to make smoke or start a campfire, but using it as a weapon has always been a real possibility.
>Its hoof rears back to avoid the fire now burning on the grass in front of you.
>Hesitation, perfect.
>Taking full advantage of this moment, you hobble back to your feet, rubbing your snout before burning more the ground in front of you.
>That’s when you take a closer look at the horse.
>Fucking. Wings.
>The horse seems to have realized this too as it’s now airborne, floating over the fire.
>In response you start trying to torch him directly.
>That’s easier said than done however, seeing as how they’re quickly building altitude.
>Once they can tell they’re out of the range of your fire, the arc over you, trying to get behind you.
>You can’t exactly run right now and they know that, if you do you’re lowering the defense your fire is allowing.
>They could rush you then and it would all be over.
>They can’t rush you openly yet either, considering you’d have full range to hit him.
>So right now it’s something of a standoff, you primed to light this guy like a match, and him flying overhead waiting for an opening to fuck you up.
>”If it’s money you want, I can pay you off!” you offer.
>The moment you start talking they start flying in closer towards you.
>In this moment you realize if you’re talking, you can’t breathe fire.
>You honestly doubt you’ll have time to focus a strong fire to deter him.
>You’re a fucking god damn idiot and this horse is about to take full advantage of that.

>The flying fucker barrels in, knocking you on the ground.
>Before he does anything else, you start swinging with the arm his body didn’t pin.
>Your claws slash against his sides, but they aren’t doing much.
>The horse raises his head, only to bash it right into yours.
>Despite your thick skull, it still hurts like hell.
>Obviously doesn’t hurt him nearly as much though, seeing as how he’s rearing back to do it again.
>Fuck it, you didn’t want to actually burn him to a crisp, but he’s forced your hand.
>Fire erupts from your mouth, blotting out most of your vision.
>The horse however goes right in for the headbut.
>Pain shoots through you yet again, causing you to lose focus and stop breathing fire.
>The horse’s face is currently on fire, so that’s something.
>Getting off of you, he starts rubbing his head against the ground, the almost comical inferno going out shortly thereafter.
>The somewhat cartoony rules of this world still baffle you sometimes.
>Regardless, he’s off of you, and your head is really starting to hurt.
>Time to retreat?
>Probably.
>He’s blocking the exit to the alley right now, but you can probably break through, right?
>Right?

>Taking a deep breath, you start breathing out a massive inferno pointed towards the ground.
>Without even thinking, you just start walking.
>If he doesn’t want to get hurt, he’ll move.
>Sure enough, the closer the fire gets, the more the horse slowly edges backwards.
>Within minutes, the two of you are out of the alley.
>And now surrounded by several concerned horses.
>Oh.
>The horse you’d been scuffling with scurries to the safety of the crowd.
>Instantly stopping your fire, you look around.
>”What in the name of Celestia is going on here?” asks one of the horses.
>”That dragon tried to kill me with his fire!” insists the horse you really wish was a burnt mass of meat right now.
>One quick look at the alley would tell you that someone got very over zealous with fire.
>The horses in the crowd are all looking at you judgingly.
>You’ll need to save yourself pretty damn fast.
“Um… you see…”
>”Isn’t that the dragon Bluff has been looking for?”
>”Oh yeah… from the posters…”
>Quick, will you ever have to come back to this town ever?
>Probably not.
>Sighing, you ready your firebreath, more than willing to push through this crowd to get away.
>If this was a movie, this would probably seem really badass.
>But right now you feel like a pathetic little bitch.

>Before you get the chance to charge through, you hear a voice try and calm the crowd.
>”Are we really going to instantly assume that /this/ sorry excuse for a pegasus is telling the truth?”
>Wouldn’t hurt to see if they can keep the horses busy while you slip out…
>The horses seem to be muttering amongst each other.
>You hear mentions of the flying horse’s less than reputable nature and can’t help but grin a bit.
>Lucky you, a shit head tried jumping you.
>”L-look, I’m sorry I took an apple from your farm that one time, and that I picked on that earth pony, and all that other stuff, but he really did try to kill me!” he defends.
“He attacked me first! I was just breathing fire to defend myself!” you retort.
>The crowd overall seems to be more on your side than his as of now.
>”He’s just saying that! It’s because he’s trying to get out of town before Mr. Bluff catches him! He’s a thief you know!”
>More murmuring, god you hate murmuring.
>So hard to tell what they’re thinking of.
“Look… I’ll just leave, okay? I was going anyways!”
>You weren’t exactly asking though, and start walking off.
>Some of the horses seem to be moving to stop you, especially the one you were fighting with.
>Another horse steps over towards you, getting between you and the crowd.
>”And /I’ll/ see him out!” she says, it’s the same horse who got the crowd to stop in the first place.
>Without another word she motions for you to start moving.
>You have no reason at this point to say no!
>Soon you’re both out of the town and the horse looks over at you.
>”Good, now you owe me~”

“Pardon?”
>The horse smirks a bit, noting your confusion.
>”You heard me! I just saved you back there.”
>Sighing a bit, you start digging out some money.
>”No, no, I don’t want that! I can get money anywhere. I’m more interested in using your services!”
>Great, now you’re getting roped into some new job.
>It beats getting thrown in jail though.
>Then again, you aren’t sure what it is yet they’ll have you be doing.
>Despite their cute appearances, some of these horses have quite the mean streak.
“Look, I don’t just do requests, I have some pretty strict standards.”
>The horse scoffs a bit, as something strange happens.
>What was once an average looking pony has turned into… you.
>The grey scales, the brown eyes, the spines going down your back…
>Every detail replicated in perfect detail!
>”Now then…” the copycat says in your voice.
>”We can start discussing our business together, or I can start making things very rough for you in town~”
>You’re in between a rock and a hard place right now.
“One thing first… how the fuck did you do that?”

>Changing back to the pony they were before, they start explaining.
>”In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a Changeling.”
“The fuck is a changeling?”
>It looks at you, raising an eyebrow.
>Are shapeshifters common knowledge here or something?
>Horse Land gets more and more insane by the minute…
>”Changelings can take on the form of others.”
“Well, I put /that/ much together.”
>”Then maybe don’t look so confused when I say I’m a Changeling, it’s even in the name!”
>They’ve got you there.
>”Anyways, now that we’ve got that out of the way, I need you to acquire something for me.”
“And that is?”
>”I need this horse’s most prized possession.”
“If you look like her, why don’t you just go and take it yourself?”
>”Because I don’t know what it is!”
“...Then why do you need it?”
>The “Changeling” sighs, annoyed at you.
>”Because then I can feed on their love of it, if it’s that important to them, it’s got to be imbued with love, right?”
“How the hell would I know? I swear it’s always about love and friendship with you horses…”
>”Don’t lump me in with ponies!”

“I don’t think I can do that, in fact, I know I can’t.”
>The changeling frowns, anger flashing on their face.
“I need to get out of this town fast, you know that big estate not too far off? The owner is out for my head, staying here any longer is me asking for trouble.”
>Sighing, the changeling looks back at the town.
>”How much time could you spare?”
“At most? A day. But I’ve got to get out of here. I don’t care what rumors and stuff you spread, I need to leave. If I don’t have an actual thing to steal, I can’t steal it.”
>With that, you turn to leave.
>If what they threatened you with has any credence, you might night have extra caution when in any nearby towns.
>”Wait a second! You still owe me! I… I have another idea!”
“And that is?”
>”If you need to get out of here fast, you can steal someone else’s most prized possession! In a town where you have time to figure that out! I can just tag along with you until then!”
>Something tells you they aren’t going to leave you alone until you agree.
>But, maybe having a shapeshifter around might be useful…
>Being able to vouch for you and all like they did back there is a pretty nice benefit.
>Fuck it, it’s that or have them start ruining things even more.
“Sure, whatever, just be sure to listen to me if I tell you to do something.”

>After waiting for them to gather their belongings, the two of you set out.
>Their current form is some other horse, this one with a more tawny coat.
>”This guy is always on the road, nobody would be surprised to see him leave town” they insist, their voice a now male tenor.
“So uh… are you biologically male or female?”
>That’s assuming these things even have a gender.
>”In my actual form, I am a female. My name is Cimex.”
“The name’s Art.” You reply.
>The two of you walk in silence for a while.
>She tries breaking that silence.
>”Don't see many dragons like you around.”
“You mean dragons that are thieves?”
>”No, dragons that are /smart/. Did you actually grow up with other dragons?”
“Not really.”
>She looks over at you, expecting you to elaborate.
“It’s a long story.” You explain.
>Shrugging, she turns her gaze back to the road.