Rushing down the dark street in the night as the royal guards searched for the culprit of the robbery, she couldn't even catch her own breath as it might allow them to catch up. The "goods" ,or so some might call them, were safely tucked away in some satchels on her back weighing her down and also preventing her from making a getaway by flight. She couldn't anyway, somepony might see her in the air and then she would be in huge trouble if they knew that she was here.
Seeing a sewer entrance on the side of the street, she quickly unleashed what magic she had left in her horn and teleported on the other side of the bars. She ducked as the magic light from the tips of the guard's horns lit up the street. Her breath hid in her mouth slowly leaking out as the unicorns peered into the darkness ignoring the sewer entrance. When seeing nothing they rushed forward, higher along the road.
She gasped for the breath she had been holding and signed when she was sure the guards were faraway enough, she teleported out and quietly made for the next street. Timber Wolf Lane.
Seeing that no pony was around she walked into an alleyway between a bakery and a grocery store. Hastily, she climbed up some stairs leading to an abandoned apartment above the bakery. Knocking on the door five times, she waited for what seemed like hours of nervous pacing and heard shuffling.
A small mail door squeaked open and two pupil-less blue eyes stared at her for a second before the hatch closed and the sounds of locks opening could be heard. The dark wooden door creaked open. She hastily walked in and the door was immediately shut by a black figure. She carefully walked into the main room ignoring all the stares and dust in her eyes.
"Where were you!" He shouted at her as soon as she was noticed in the dimly lit room. The others were scattered about the place on pillows, sofas, and chairs. They all perked up and lifted their heads in interest. She shrunk back when his shouts pushed against her will to stay in her fixed position. She quickly tried explaining herself in defense-
"Sorry ..I-"
"I was THIS close to sending a search party for you! You're an hour late! What was so important that it couldn't wait until after this?" He interrupted her sentence. His voice made all of them who were nearby to wince at his loud and commanding voice. She looked like she was ready to cry. Tears began forming in her big pink eyes. His expression softened at her hurt expression. He sighed, obviously annoyed.
"I'm sorry...*sniffle* I..*hiccup* I'm re-*hic*...sorry.." She said as her voice was strained by the hiccups and crying. He softly walked over to her and lifted her chin to see his blue eyes to her pink eyes. Both had no hint of them ever containing pupils.
"It's okay cherry pie, I love you. You just really worried me. Just next time get here on time okay?" She nodded still brushing away the leftover tears.
The other black pony-like creatures smiled with their long fangs showing and their twisted looks of their hooves, horns and wings relaxed now that the tension was lifted off everyone's black shoulders. Their obvious changeling textures of their...well everything really, except some of them had different shell and eye colors if they came from a hive different from Chrysalis'. She looked up and said-
"Alright...dad."
~*~
Spark Wing watched as Throbbing Horn yelled at his daughter, and for once, his mate didn't stop him. Snaggletooth looked like a mess, but she got the job done. Two big satchels full of changeling eggs. Ten in total. She had heard that some ponies had found them in the Canterlot caverns after the invasion so they delivered them to the Canterlot Creature Research Center.
How they knew this? Well, let's just say not everypony you know and see is who they are supposed to be.
Obviously both Throbbing Horn and Wind Flutter found this inponmane. They sent Zipper and Gust storm to distract and wreck the place while Snaggletooth, being the youngest (and smallest) changeling, sneaked in and "kidnapped" the eggs.
Good thing too since many ponies had recently protested to smash the eggs and in the process, kill the changelings inside.
Zipper and Gust Storm got away but the Royal guards were hot on Snaggletooth's trail as she said. She had to make a break for it on hoof. To make sure no one saw her, she had to to run, not fly. Her magic was drained so she couldn't teleport back to base.
Zipper motioned for Spark Wing to come forward and she did. He crossed his horn with hers and sparked it. An aura of pink flowed to her horn as the love inside it fed her. Now she wasn't starving, but still needed more to be full. Every little bit of love counted as it was the only thing changelings could feast on. However that proved that nature itself meant for them having mouths only to communicate through hissing and buzzing sounds.
She smiled as the love left his body leaving him drained. She licked his cheek or where it would be if he had one. He wasn't steady on his feet so she rested him on her spot, a pile of fluffy pillows. She watched him sleep as the fireflies in the lamps flickered. After getting tired of watching him sleep for a bit, she scooted next to him and rested her head on his. She was about to close her eyes and try to get some sleep but some distant noise caught her attention. Normally she would ignore it, but for some strange reason it called to her.
Spark Wing got up, careful not to wake Zipper, she trotted to the nearest window. It was intact except for a hole that seemed to leak the cold air in the abandoned apartment. Peeking carefully out the window she saw a royal carriage in the sky slowly descending toward the castle. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as it flew from view.
Scampering around all the laid changelings, Spark Wing made her way to Throbbing Horn who was laying down near Wind Flutter who was hiding a blush on her face. She gently nuzzled his hoof and he looked at her with stressed eyes. He smiled and looked almost...happy which was extremely rare for him. The stress really got to him sometimes. The two quickly and quietly ended their little love fest and blushed in embarrassment. Wind Flutter hastily got up and scampered away, almost bumping into Spark Wing. She quickly turned the corner of the room's entrance hiding the creeping blush on her soft face.
His expression turned serious as she neared him and Spark Wing leaned in and told him the news. His eyes widened and he hissed to her in the Changeling tongue, "Do you think they have a lead that could expose us?" It was obviously that worry leaked from his tired voice.
She shrugged and he told her to make sure all their look-outs were alert and not snoozing off. She went ahead and strolled toward Gust Storm and Snaggletooth.The two were quietly chatting about what they thought they should do with the eggs. Spark Wing couldn't quite hear it. They fell silent as she neared. Glancing around before saying anything, she concluded no one else was going to hear nearby. She leaned in to both of them and told the two young lings the news, excluding the part about the carriage. They nodded and she hissed, "Get to it!" They hastily rushed out to their posts and Spark Wing sighed.
'This is going to be a long night.'
~*~
Twilight landed on the smooth tiles of the palace courtyard and her friends (and Spike) followed suite. She motioned to the guards that they could go. They snorted and took off in the direction of Trottingham for whatever reason. She made sure to check her mental checklist again for anything she may have forgotten. When she first received Princess Celestia's letter, she thought (as usual) that is was life-threateningly urgent. However Celestia wrote to her asking her to come to Canterlot for some magic and changeling business. That made her even more uneasy.
"Okay girls, Princess Celestia asked us to stay here for a few days and she also told us to meet her in the throne room." Twilight told her friends. They all nodded except for Pinkie who seemed to be looking at something in the distance.
The girls and Spike started walking toward the castle and Pinkie too, but only after a few more seconds of staring at one of the walls surrounding the gardens from the rest of Canterlot. She continued with her friends but she couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching them.
"Maybe that's what Twitchy Tail, Itchy Hoof, and Drippy Nose stands for?" She wondered as her tail shook a little, her hoof needed to be scratched and her nose was dripping.
~*~
Gust Storm held his breath as the pink pony turned and left her gaze at him. Carefully peaking he saw she was no longer staring at his hiding spot behind the Garden walls. If she had seen him, they were done for. Hastily looking around, he flew off into the clouds which would shroud him from any suspecting eyes.
Hopefully he wouldn't run into any pegasi.
A/N:
Been trying to publish this for a while. It came to mind in a really weird Pokemon/Young Justice/Teen Titans/MLP crossover dream. Hope you like it! Read and review! It fuels my drive to update quicker!
-QA