//------------------------------//
// Escape: To a new world 
// Story: Learning to Live 
// by Danosaur 
//------------------------------//


Escape


by Danosaur



She woke late in the night, her brother sleeping soundly in his cloud bed to the right of the room, straight ahead of her. She concentrated and began to change. The fire slowly enveloped her body, burning softly through her fur. The flames were softer than before and less bright. 
She emerged from the flames as a winged black mouse, and she finally realized what that spell did. A small, green collar was still attached around her neck, chaining her to the cage wall. She instantly had to flap to avoid causing a racket. A minuscule bridle and bit were still locked to her head, but she was lucky her brother forgot to put on the wing cuffs, otherwise…
The mouse began to grow a horn, a small flame extending about a centimeter in length. She focus the green aura from her horn and, as she flapped, she focus the magic on the chain.
After a short period, the rest of the chains fell loosely and hung, almost touching where the Princess once lay. Two links were dangling from the Princess' collar.
Her brother twisted in his sleep, yawning loudly as she fell towards her gooey mattress. She scampered between the bars and fell towards the floor. She opened her wings and flew to the window. She landed quietly on the windowsill, and forced the window up. She barely managed to lift it up, but she flew under it, narrowly missing chopping her tail off. She flew down, staying close to the building as she escaped, flying under her personal guard. 
She flew close to the ground, flapping her wings as hard as possible. She flew long and hard, avoiding the worker changelings.  She grew tired quickly, but continued, otherwise she would lose all freedom.
She reached the woods, close to Morphopolis, and quickly changed into a worker drone. She modified her body slightly, reapplying a few features that would make her appear as a traveler drone. 
Baskets.
“Shoot.” She murmured in the low pitch of the drone.
Shaking her head, the Princess flew onward, towards the border. Anywhere but here was her destination now. The only place which was safe for her. 
She quickly ran a hoof over the scars along her wings from the earlier abuse. Even changing could not erase that. Time might, if she was lucky. 
The reddish land flew from beneath her, as she took to the skies once again. This time her plan was to stay as high as possible, as travelers often stayed higher up. She didn't encounter many other drones, but one stopped her. 
“Oi! ‘E ‘ighways are reserved for ‘e Royalty, trekkers an’ travelers only. Where are ya baskets?” It demanded, its horn glowing green as it prepared a spell.
“My baskets are at my collection point.” She replied, hovering above the drone slightly. 
“Why ain’t they on ya?” He growled, his knackered horn glowing brighter. Its eyes were bitter and black – the colour of a common trekker drone – shining in the moonlight.
“Because, they’re at my collecting point!” She hissed back, her horn beginning to glow in aggression. She dodged a shot of its, kicking at it with her front hoof.
“My job is that I collect baskets for new travelers.” She exclaimed. 
“Ah, ye jokin’. Tha’ point never runs outta baskets.” The traveler drone spat at her. 
“That’s because I collect the baskets.” She snarled. She sighed as it flew off, but as it did, it aimed a kick at her left hind hoof. She spun around and kicked it back, her front hoof connecting with its muzzle. It flew off, grumbling. 
She flew onward, fighting through sleep and hunger, determined to reach the border, but with every hour, every minute, every second, the journey began to drag. Eventually, she decided to rest in the forest, her chosen bed being a bush. As she lay her head down to rest, world seemed to slow.

The princess woke with a start, six hours later. Something… sounded different. A faint hum in the air sounded like the wings of many drones. A quick scan of the grounds with her magic, revealed that over a thousand searchers, created a wall of drones, led by her brother and the traveler she encountered. Several scouts flew ahead of them, about 30 in total. Yelping, she hurriedly shot into the sky. She began to panic as she flew for over an hour, watching the same ground pass under her, dodging the few travelers flying from the border.
She started to feel negative, almost certain she wouldn't make it, as the red ground, unrealized by the flying Princess, was lightening. 
Several moments after the gradual lighter shades of red-orange, her black eyes lit up in hope. She pushed her wings to the limits as she flew as fast as possible. 
But she was no scout drone.
The thought crossed the Princess’ mind. She flew slower, flames engulfing her mid-flight, as she changed forms. 
Her sleeker body almost immediately soared faster than before. Of course, she would have to fly lower to the ground. But even less drones were on this path, and so she flew as fast as her modified body would allow. Finally, she saw the high front of The Wall. She focused her now purple eyes on the approaching brown walls, as the drones started to gain on her. But she was one of them. 
Right?
Four scouts started to narrow in on her from the sides, another cutting off her speed head of her, as the others flew inwards. 
They knew. 
She quickly fired up a spell, affecting a bat flying beside her. She switched its’ appearance to match her own. Two of her pursuers dived after the bat, the other three still on her. She focused on the bat, making it stop and roll out of the way, as the Princess flew more jaggedly. One more changeling dropped off of her trail and began to pursue the bat. Decreasing her speed, her magic was still focused on the bat. She flew over The Wall, and onto the Brown Death. A mile and a half of brown grass, an intersect between Equestria and The Changeling Kingdom. Still, it was technically changeling land.
The Princess skittered backwards and forwards, as she concentrated her magic on the bat, forcing it to roll and dive, as more scouts dived onto it.
Eventually, the largest scout pounced onto her, just before the bat was caught. The second the bat was knocked into the brown turf, she focused her magic back onto herself, fluttering away as a carefree bat, her accessories barely visible. Her captor was confused, as the real Princess worked her magic to manipulate the bat into struggling, before turning it submissive. 
She flew the last half mile, after changing into a well adorned vulture, and smiled as the green land of Equestria came into view. She landed safely away from the Brown Death, morphing into her original form.
She did it. 
Princess Cythilia Limeiy Chrysalis Everstar was free.