RING! RING! RING!
The incessant ringing disturbed the creature laying underneath the bundle of covers. A faint green glow lit up the form in a shadow as a similar glow wrapped around the alarm clock, picked it up, and unceremoniously chucked it at the far wall. To the sleepy figure's dismay, the ringing didn't stop.
"Stupid... durable... trash," he muttered as he tossed off his covers with his magic and hovered the alarm clock over to him. The switch to turn off the device was on the back. Turning it off, though, would require him to move from his comfortable position. So with a crunch of breaking glass and the whine of chitin on metal, the alarm clock ended up impaled on the Changeling's horn. Not even bothering to remove the clock, the Changeling begun to fall back into blissful sleep.
If it weren't for the knocking on his door.
"By the hive," he cursed as he dragged himself off the bed. Grumbling, he began to walk to the door before stopping by a mirror and looking into it. Seeing his green left eye and red right eye looking back at him, he sighed before channeling his magic to change. With a green flame, he felt the change happen, a tingling sensation travelling up and down his nervous system. When the flame dispered, a gray unicorn stallion stared back at the Changeling and it took a second for the Changeling to remember that the stallion was him. The red right eye was still prominent, a curse of the trait, but his once green eye was now a vibrant blue. His black hair hugged his head tightly but his tail hung halfway to the floor.
"Onyx! Open up!" somepony cried from the other side of the door, banging a hoof against it.
Grumbling again, the disguised Changeling moved to the door and opened it immediately. The neon pink pegasus on the other side had her hoof raised to knock again. At seeing Onyx at the door, she looked relieved, then confused and finally, amused.
"You know alarm clocks have off buttons, right?" she asked with a giggle as she used her hooves to slide off the clock that was still impaled on Onyx's horn.
"Requires too much effort," replied the unicorn-changeling with a smirk and a shrug as he let the pegasus slide off the clock. When it was off, he took it in his magic, now blue in color, and crushed it in his magical grasp, "Magic is much more efficient."
The pegasus rolled her eyes as she playfully hit the unicorn in the chest with a hoof. As Onyx tossed the ruined clock into the trash bin, he smiled at the pegasus. He cold faintly see the ghostly green tendril that seeped from her to him, her love. He could feel it within him, being broken down by his body to be used as fuel. The love wasn't strong as it was more of a friendly love, but it was enough to feed Onyx like a small meal would be enough to sustain a pony throughout the day.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" she finally asked, her stance becoming serious, hoof tapping in annoyance.
"Maybe work."
"Maybe work?"
"Maybe it was robbed or burnt down. You don't know what happened, Bubble" Onyx explained with a shrug, causing the pegasus to roll her eyes, mostly at Onyx's shortened use of her name: Bubblegum. Onyx knew she detested the name, especially while working, because of the lewd comments she'd receive.
"Get. To. Work," she said, punctuating with word with a jab to his chest. Onyx now rolled his eyes as he floated an assortment of clothes to his person.
"Excuse me," he said before shutting the door on the pegasus. Not a second later, he opened it back up. He was now wearing a red button-up shirt with the top button left undone, a black vest, and a black and red fedora, "Alright, Miss Work, I'll be heading out now."
"Good idea Mister Lazy-"
"-Touchè-"
"-and I gotta head to the precinct, so stay out of trouble."
"I thought today was your day off?" Onyx asked as he walked into the hallway, pulled his door closed and locked it. With it locked and the key in a special pocket in his hat, the two started their way to the elevator that would take them to the ground floor.
"I thought so too but with the increasing number of drunkards causing trouble..." Bubble trailed off with a shrug.
Onyx nodded. He kept up with the news via the radio and knew that alcohol based crime was increasing Equestria-wide. In Los Pegasus, the city the two called home, the broke drunkards had taken over the tunnels beneath the city. Every so often, they'd surface to beg for food and bits. Most gave them food and few gave them bits as it would be quickly spent on booze.
"I don't like it Bubble. It's becoming too dangerous. Even for the police," Onyx finally stated as they exited the elevator on the ground floor.
"I know but I took an oath to this city and Celestia damn me if I don't hold up to it," she replied with passion.
"Yeah," Onyx replied with a chuckle as they exited out into the street. Before he could do anything, he found pink hooves wrapping around him and bringing him into a hug.
"Be careful," she whispered.
"You too," he whispered back before the hug was broken. Onyx stayed to watch Bubble take off into the air and head to the local police station. Sighing, he turned and began to trot down the sidewalk. Down the streets he passed, he could see the tall, extravagent buildings of the Pegasus Strip. The Strip held the city's most famous casinos, bars, and theatres.
Onyx didn't work there. Famous places and hiding Changelings didn't mix. If he did work there, some stalker-if he had one-would discover what he actually was and then he'd be ran out of town by a mob of scared ponies. Onyx stopped and looked around at the ponies passing by.
Giving a sigh, he continued to walk, now fully aware of his disguise. He was aware of how it was an inch taller than his true form and little wider. He was aware of the fur being blown in the light, evening breeze. He felt a loathing for having to disguise himself just to talk to his friends. He felt a loathing for the superstitions of his former hive for they were the reason why he had to hide himself in the first place. The Changelings viewed red eyes as a sign of tyranny and evil that even Changelings feared.
"Superstitious larvae," Onyx murmured, using a Changeling insult with the knowledge that no pony was really paying attention to him. A couple minutes later, the loathing was replaced with anticipation as the disguised Changeling stood outside a small club. The lights were off as the sun was only now beginning to set. Sighing, he walked down the alley next to the club and up to the bouncer guarding the side door.
A thin tendril of green left the bouncer to go straight into the air and disappear from view. Onyx glaced briefly at the tendril, knowing that it came from the bouncer thinking of somepony she loved. Looking back, everypony he passed on the way here had tendrils going from their bodies. Some connected to a nearby pony while others looked like the bouncer's, going into the sky to find the target of the love.
"Hey Stone," Onyx greeted with a tip of his hat, stopping in front of the bouncer as she stood in front of the door, blocking it.
"Onyx," replied the earth pony mare with a nod as she stepped aside.
Walking through the door, Onyx closed it behind him before looking around. He had entered a small hallway that branched off into several other rooms. The back area of the club consisted of the storeroom, the bar's backroom, the owner's office, and the performer's locker room/ready room.
Walking down the hall a little, Onyx stepped through an open door into the performer's room. The rest of the band was standing in there already, getting their instruments ready. Also in the room were the four prettied up mares who would be shaking their flanks for the crowd while Onyx and them played. He knew that most of the patrons came for the beer and stayed for the mares but he was't about to become a mare just for some bad tasting love.
"Hey Onyx. Cutting it close as usual?" asked one of the dancers as she brought him his trumpet. Taking the instrument in his magical grasp, Onyx smiled at the mare.
"You know me Swing," Onyx replied, seeing the tendril connecting her to him. Again, he could feel it in his system, being broken apart to fuel his body. This love was stronger than Bubble's as it was a lustful desire, the burning passion to be with a pony.
"That I do, sweetheart," she replied with a wink before getting close enough to Onyx that her breath began to warm his ear, "After work, why don't we head back to your place so that we can," a hoof began to travel down Onyx's back, slowly sinking down his side, "remind each other of what we know."
Onyx smiled as the mare waited for his reply. Swing did this at least twice a week, try to seduce him that is. He accepted the offer every so often, seeing it as a free meal. However;
"Can't. My friend is coming over tonight for dinner," he said. It was a part lie as Onyx did expect Bubble to do that but didn't know if she would. Swing backed away from him with a frown,
"That Bubblegum bitch?"
Onyx sighed and nodded, noticing the tendril fade a little. It didn't matter, he was fed enough for today. Before Swing could continue with her insults, the club' show director's shout echoed around the room.
"Get out there ponies! We're gonna open soon!"
Swing gave Onyx a glare before trotting out with her fellow showmares. Onyx wasn't worried as she would be back to the her flirty self after a day or two. With his trumpet still in his grasp, he followed the band out, ready to receive the few, faint tendrils of affection that came with every show before the real drunkards began to show up.