Cat Out of the Bag
Dragon Lord Ember, still locked inside the rocky tiled walls of the prison cell, had a sense of boredom while lying on her prison bed while being given a small green bouncy ball by the guards moments ago to entertain herself. She, being the leader of the Dragon Lands, loathed that she was being detained in a foreign land, and had to deal with the silence she was making to prevent herself from getting sprayed by the sneezing powder again even though she is a tough leader of the dragons. The two officers guarding the cell had a difficult time keeping awake at this point as she undoubtedly didn’t attempt to escape, likely because she thought she was too tough. Looks like they need another cup of coffee to get their senses back.
As she entertained herself, she heard the door from the outside of her cell open. Ember turned and noticed three guards entering the police station, all wearing armor in different shades of blue including indigo. “We’ll take it from here, men,” the indigo guard stated to the two guards, “under the orders of His Majesty.” The said two guards left their position and allowed them to take care of Ember. “Greetings. We can see that you’re that dragon who had caused the scene. Under the orders of the King, we’re here to take you away.”
“Don’t talk to her,” the teal guard ordered. “She might burn you into a roasted cat.”
“How else are we supposed to take her? ”
“Knock her out then,” the aquamarine guard asked. “She can’t do anything if she’s out cold.”
“What are you people, clowns?” Ember blurted. “I ain’t taking you seriously.”
“Silence!” the teal guard commanded. “We’ve got devices that deal with dragons like you.”
“We left them at the castle,” the aquamarine guard whispered, and the teal guard grabbed his mouth telling him to zip it while yelping in pain. Ember gave a low brow as she thought these guards had no idea what they were doing. They all faced toward the door to see Chummer, the one-eyed officer, entering the station with Shadow, Capper, and King Meowmeow following him.
“Chummer, we should be happy,” Shadow stated. “He came back like…”
“Yes, hooray, Capper’s back. I know,” Chummer expressed with little care. “Right now, we have issues to deal with.” He picked up his keys from his pocket and unlock Ember’s cell. Once the cell door opened, King Meowmeow went inside to examine.
The king of Abyssinia eyed the imprisoned dragon, not feeling too impressed. “Bizzare… I thought it would’ve been bigger than what I’ve imagined,” he commented. “Looks like we’ll need the regular police engines to transport it with a small cage car instead.”
“You have a cage car?” Shadow asked.
“Indeed. I’ve ordered the police to collect it. Best to wait and keep this beast entertained.”
“This beast has a name,” Ember stated. She looked towards Capper and held out her claws as she thought he would say something by now. Capper didn’t speak as he had a feeling that he could’ve been caught. He just glanced at Shadow, hoping she would say something.
“Um… Chummer,” Shadow said, “How much damage was caused by this dragon?”
“Only the carriage she was inside,” Chummer explained. “Fortunately no deaths and injuries were reported. We’re keeping it in the siding for evidence, but we’ll take it to the scrap yard later.”
“I don’t think you’ll need the carriage when you have somebody doing the talking right here,” King Meowmeow said.
“I have yet to hear one reason why I should do anything you guys say,” Ember blurted.
“We’re not getting anywhere with her,” Chummer said. “You should be able to get her into the cage.”
Shadow leaned to Capper as she remembered what she was told. “Cap, this now might be a good time to tell them about it.”
“They’ll think I’m a lunatic if I tell them about Ember,” Capper quietly responded.
“Well, she’s not enjoying this anymore than you are.” They both looked toward Ember, who hadn’t heard what they said, she was still looking forward to being set free. “You should tell them now. If not, then when?”
“Officer Chummer,” called a voice. Everyone who heard the voice turned to see the chubby purple and blue cat walking in.
“Officer Max,” he saluted.
“My apologies for the delay,” he apologized, “I had to help a little kitten named Molly and her new friend get back to the orphanage.”
Chummer rolled his eyes as Molly was pretty infamous to them. “Of course… Molly, that one runaway kitty cat ALWAYS likes to escape the orphanage,” he grunted. “And… Max, who do you mean by this new friend you’re talkin’ about?”
“It was a green cat,” Max explained. “He had orange ears and… what I believe… purple eyes” This reminded Capper and Ember about a certain disguised creature.
Back at the orphanage, Thorax, still under his name Chester, was hanging around with Molly in the lobby. The blonde kitten was reading a book and paid no attention to the disguised changeling. She had also ignored what other kittens were saying about the dragon that had caused the scene earlier that day, which worried Thorax.
“Molly,” Thorax said, “I wanna ask. How much do you know about…… dragons?”
“Why do you ask?” the kitten responded.
“Everyone here seems worried about it, so… I want to learn more about them.”
“Let me see.” Molly looked to see if one of the caretakers could answer Chester’s questions, she stood up and gently yanked one of the caretaker’s skirts to get her attention, but raised her paw telling her it was not the time to do so since they were all busy at the moment. The kitten groaned and grabbed Thorax’s paw and dragged him over to the bookshelves.
On that specific shelf, she grabbed a book and showed it to Thorax. On the cover page, it contained various familiar creatures, i.e. dragons and ponies. He recognized it, however, they weren’t shown as the kind creatures he had met. While the dragons were shown as stereotypically mean and greedy, the ponies were something Thorax never expected. The earth ponies were shown to destroy with their immense strength, the pegasi caused havoc with their ability to control the weather, and then there were the unicorns, the most common species in the book, using their magic to bring our terror to all of Abyssinia.
“This…. This can’t be right!” Thorax proclaimed.
“Others say otherwise,” Molly muttered. “This is one of the reasons I wanted to get out of here: to learn more about them; but they keep catching me and putting me back.”
“How old are you?”
“I have no idea. 10? I am the “grandma” of all the pussycats here. I just want fun and explorations, but they keep me from doing that.”
“...Maybe it’s because the world is dangerous in their eyes?”
“I guess. I’ve never seen them up close though.”
“They’re probably nicer than most cats think.”
“How would you know? You barely look older than me.”
“You don’t know everything about me. I wish I could show you what these creatures truly are.”
Molly was confused by this statement. “What are you talking about?”
“It’d be easier to show you rather than tell.”
Molly still didn’t understand what he meant, but she did have an idea. “So… do you want to escape from here?”
Thorax was about to decline, but he knew this would be the best way to find Ember and Capper. “…Yes, but…. how?”
“Oh, I sneak out of here all the time.” They both looked back to see the caretakers were all still busy, giving them the perfect chance to escape. The two quickly snuck upstairs and arrived at their bedroom, where Molly took out her backpack, went back down again, and grabbed a couple of snacks.
“How often do you do this?”
“It’s gotten to the point where I do it for fun. Now, let’s go.” Molly found an open window, which she quickly leaped out of, taking Thorax with her. Once outside, they ran away from the building before they got caught.
Molly almost left Thorax behind before she rounded a corner, right into a female police officer. And because of that, he quickly hid between two wooden barrels before he was spotted. He knew she was in trouble, and so he thought of an idea for how to get Molly out of this predicament.
“You did it once again, huh, Molly,” the female officer said, “Let’s get you back to…”. Before either the officer or Molly could react, they saw another policeman walk over to them, he looked to be out of breath. He has the same height as the female officer, has black fur with white eye spots, belly, and tail tip, and chartreuse eyes.
“Hold up,” he panted. “I was…. following her and…”. He held his paw to his chest, trying to catch his breath.
Molly was confused about where this officer came from while the other policewoman was concerned. “Oh, dear… Do you want me to get you a bottle of water?” she asked.
“No thanks, I’m good. I only need to take this troublemaker back to the orphanage.” He grabbed a hold of Molly’s paw, and she didn’t put up much of a fight as she was still confused.
“Okay. Have a good day, sir.” The other officer left, leaving Molly trying to break the grip of the one holding her paw.
“Who even are you?” the kitten questioned. She was dragged behind some bushes before a flash surrounded the officer. Molly rubbed her eyes from the flash and blinked a couple of times thinking she saw some kind of bug horse before another flash revealed Chester the kitten.
“I’ll…. explain the situation later,” Thorax said. “Right now, I need to find my friends.” He stepped out of the bush with a confused Molly following him.
“Did you just turn into some sort of bug creature?” Molly asked.
“It’s a long story, but the short version is I’m not supposed to be here. Legally at least.” Thorax began explaining what happened so far as they headed downtown.
Back with Ember, she had been moved into another cage that was attached to a flatbed. It was being coupled up to one of the police engines. Chummer was assisting with securing the dragon as the others watched from afar.
Shadow leaned to Capper and whispered, “Come on, Cap, say something to him.”
“What should I say?” Capper quietly reacted.
“Anything at this point,” Shadow stated. “You said you knew that dragon. Get your silver tongue out and tell him why you’re here!”
Capper knew his old friend was right. He sighed, adjusted his jacket, and he approached Ember and Chummer. “Um, sir,” Max the chubby cat called, “please stand back.”
“Sorry I didn’t speak up earlier, officer,” Capper said, “But… that dragon and I know each other.”
Max and Chummer were confused by this statement, and the latter was feeling suspicious. What?”
“I’m not joking. I knew her.”
“How long have you two known each other?” Chummer questioned.
“It hasn’t been too long since we met,” Capper continued. “But she isn’t the first one of her kind I’ve interacted with. I’ve met a little purple one who’s been with some ponies and…”
“He’s been with ponies!?” King Meowmeow gasped. “Seize him!” The three guards followed his orders with no second thoughts, pouncing at Capper before he could get any more words out.
“Ow! Hey, what are you…?”
“Silence, pony cat!” the indigo guard cried. He instinctively picked him up and tried to open Ember’s cage, only to see it was locked. Sheepishly, he looked towards Max. “Um…. Could you please…. open the cage for me, so I can toss Mr. Traitor in with his dragon friend.”
“This ‘friend’ has a name,” Ember stated, sounding very annoyed.
Max unlocked the cage and Capper was quickly tossed inside. The cage got locked up again by Max before Ember could escape. With the two prisoners locked up, the policemen started their engines and pulled them away.
Shadow looked towards her husband to voice her concern. “Andy, we can’t let this happen,” she stated.
“I’m sorry, but there’s no way we can fight with the law,” Andy noted. Shadow watched as Capper was taken away feeling pitiful.
Capper himself meanwhile just looked at Ember, feeling like asking the obvious question. “Shouldn’t you have broken out by now?” he asked.
“I’ve been trying to play nice,” Ember stated. “As much as I want to breathe fire on those guys, it could make things worse.”
“Fair point. Can’t you at least bend these bars apart? You’re the strong one. They act without thinking and they didn’t hear me out.”
“That I can do.” Ember grabbed hold of two bars and made an effort to bend them. Unfortunately, she was struggling, finding it more difficult to bend than she was expecting. “What the hell was this made out of?” So, she planned another strategy. This time. she used her fire breath to weaken them and snap them out of place. Thankfully, it worked. “There ya go.”
Capper carefully stepped around the hot broken bars and checked how fast the train was going. So far, the train was traveling fast, nearly far from the police station. “So, when shall we jump?” he asked.
“We’re not jumping.” Ember quickly grabbed Capper under his arms and told him: “We’re flying!” She leaped out of the cage and took to the skies. The police saw their escape and promptly brought the engine to a stop.
“Max, I told you to give her the damn muzzle!” Chummer cried.
“I didn’t want to risk getting burned,” Max stated.
Chummer facepalmed in disappointment. “Imbecile! We’re going back. Reverse the engines!” The police heard his command and reversed the engine back to the station to quickly alert the king.
Once they got back, they quickly gave a short explanation about the escape of Ember and “Mr. Traitor.” King Meowmeow wasn’t pleased. Shadow and Andy heard their conversation, and she was shocked as well that Capper was able to escape. “Oh my gracious,” he groaned. “This is not good. I order every officer to search for them immediately.”
“We’ll send out the squad, Your Majesty,” Chummer noted. “It would be best to have every citizen of Panthera in lockdown until the criminals are taken to justice.”
“Wonderful.” King Meowmeow then turned back to his three guards. “You three, head back to the castle grounds immediately and gather all troops.”
“Does that mean we can get Shiela?” the indigo guard asked.
“Yes, you can get her out. She’ll be a big help.” The guard cheered as he got back into the private coach just as Max had the police engine back down on the tram.
“Mr. and Mrs. Fluffington,” Chummer called, “you two should head back home now until further notice as we’re about to implement a lockdown. Take your coach, I’ll drive you back with it.”
“Chummer, Capper said that…” Shadow spoke but was swiftly cut off.
“Get in!” A faint growl was heard from Mrs. Fluffington as she and her husband got back into their private coach together with the king. They were towed away as Andy made an effort to calm his wife down.
“Shadow, I know you and Chummer have had bad blood in the past,” he said, “But you…”
“You know that Capper knew that dragon personally,” Shadow interrupted. “The guards interrupted him before he could explain. You thought that’s right!?”
Andy felt like he was put on the spot. “I’ll try to talk with him and see if we can settle this.”
Shadow sighed. “Do what you must.” She sat back and glanced over to where the king was sitting. She thought back to when she was a kitten and had fun with her friends and their schemes. She remembered that she was the most athletic of them and often jumped into tricky situations while the boys kept the unlucky fool distracted or planned things out. Shadow pondered about this and wondered if it was time she had taken matters into her paws.
Elsewhere, Thorax and Molly were wandering with no one knowing Thorax’s true form. “You dated a dragon?” Molly questioned.
“Yes,” Thorax confirmed. “she tries not to show her emotions too much, but she’s nice and friendly once you get to know her. Although my first dragon friend was Spike.”
“Yeah, you already said that. You seriously hid from an entire kingdom?”
“Yes. You could say I’m used to it.” A bit of a down tone could be heard when Thorax said this. “I’m… hoping that Ember’s okay.”
“You told me how tough dragons are, we don’t have anything that can hurt her.” The two carried on until a large shadow passed over them. Looking up, they saw a zeppelin flying above the city.
It was painted yellow and blue, just like the police’s engines and rolling stock. From the zeppelin, a voice announced to everyone in Panthera. “Attention citizens, we interrupt to bring you the following official announcement. There has been a blue dragon breaking free, and it’s now on the run, together with a culprit who collaborated with it! The Royal Guards are now sending their troops to contain them. Until then, we urge everyone to get back home and remain indoors until further notice. The City of Panthera will be now under lockdown.”
This was more than enough to send panic and commotion to several Abyssinians. They began running to their nearest homes with some cramming their way onto any available tram. Many citizens began pushing and shoving each other to save themselves from the “danger”.
“We better hide,” Thorax shuttered. He and Molly searched around for any place to run. They attempted to catch the tram, but it quickly puffed away before they could get on board. “Darn it!”
“Can’t you just shapeshift?” Molly questioned
“Not in the middle of the public.” Thorax started to get anxious as his back was soon against the wall. Molly meanwhile grabbed Thorax by the paw and looked around and heard a couple of voices talking. They walked around a corner and could see some railway workers trying to get a few tankers and vans ready to go.
“Can’t we just leave this behind?” a workman asked.
“No, you know how the last time trucks were left in this siding, it caused a huge traffic jam,” the tram driver stated.
“A dragon is flying around here! We could get burned.”
“Either I get burned fleeing like a coward, or I get burned to stop another problem from occurring. What’s the difference?” The workman grumbled as he got the trucks coupled to the tram.
Because he was in a rush, he didn’t pay attention to the doors of the vans. A couple of them were unlocked. Molly scurried over one of the doors and climbed inside. Thorax wasn’t pleased. “Molly, what are you doing!?” the disguised changeling cried.
“Getting a ride out of here,” Molly responded.
“But we can’t be caught in these kinds of cars.”
“Your species isn’t legally supposed to be here.” Molly got comfy in the new van as Thorax knew she wasn’t wrong about the laws around here. He quickly jumped on board just as the tram pulled the rake of trucks away.
Nobody saw the stowaways in the van as the train carried on through an already dead-silent city. Peaking out of their hiding spots, Thorax and Molly couldn’t see a single civilian out on the streets and the only sounds they heard were the puffing of the tram and the ring of its bell. “Wow, they’re really afraid aren’t they?”
“Tell me about it,” Molly groaned. Thorax kept watching for what was outside as Molly would try and get comfy inside the van.
Meanwhile, in the air, Capper was riding on Ember’s back as it felt like the most secure position to be in right now. “You seriously had to keep that honor you had?” Capper questioned.
“I wouldn’t be able to help with the dragon stereotype if I just set that place on fire,” Ember retorted. “We should do everyone here a favor, find Thorax, and get out of here.”
Capper wanted to say something about his friends, but he had a feeling one of them didn’t want him around. They would struggle to find a place to hide since the police were on the streets either on foot or with an engine. Capper examined the streets for a moment to see if he could find it. Luckily from there, he could see a manhole, and that is where he got the idea.
“I think I know where we can hide,” he informed, “but… you might not like it.”
“What is it?” Ember begrudgingly asked. He pointed down towards the manhole. Immediately, her eyes went narrow, realizing what she’ll go through. “Oh heck no.”
“We have no other choice. We’re hiding in there.”
Ember sighed. “You’re right.”
So, she flew down and landed near the manhole. Capper hopped off her back and with his remaining force, he was pulling the metal cover. It was very heavy. “Need some help over here.”
Pushing him aside, the Dragon Lord effortlessly lifted the cover, and the con cat leaped into the shaft first to hide. Ember followed suit and quickly put back the lid. The police were none the wiser as they kept searching the streets, just right over them. At least they made it in time.
Both of them could already smell the pong of the sewers. Ember, covering her snout while trying not to have a dry heave, hovered above the water as Capper also covered his nose, holding onto not wanting to fall in. “Okay, so it’s either this stench or getting caught by the police and possibly guards.”
Ember groaned as she already couldn’t stand the smell. However, she couldn’t stand the guards either. “Let’s stay down here until we find an exit,” she grumbled. “This could be a lot easier if you were more open to your friends.”
“I said we had a bit of bad blood between us.”
“You ended your story with the three of you becoming a team. What happened to the part when you split up?” Capper didn’t answer. He held up his jacket so it wouldn’t get wet as he jumped off Ember’s back and started walking through the ankle-high water.
“You wouldn’t want to talk about it if it destroyed everything you trusted.” Ember didn’t understand that statement, but the tone of Capper’s voice indicated it wasn’t pretty.
Back on the surface, Thorax and Molly arrived at the shunting yards. It was unusually quiet apart from the sounds of the tram. At the first chance they got, the two jumped out of the van and ran to the workman’s hut. It looked like it was evacuated as there were a couple of books and cups on the floor. “You think we can hide here until they stop the search?” Molly asked.
“I don’t think so,” Thorax commented. “The railway is essential to the city from what I heard, so somebody will likely be back.”
“Okay, there should be an engine nearby. Let’s take one and get out of here.”
“First of all; that’s stealing. Secondly; I can’t leave my friends in trouble with the law. I have to help them clear their names.”
“Okay. You can do that. This is the furthest I’ve ever gotten from the orphanage.” Molly then headed towards a shed where the engines were kept. She found a tank engine and a few trams inside.
She hopped into one of the cabs and could see the fire in the firebox hadn’t fully been extinguished. Smiling, Molly started tossing in some coal and pulled on the throttle. After a few seconds, nothing happened. Molly quickly got upset and jumped out of the engine, kicking one of the wheels in frustration. She didn’t think it through and ended up grabbing her foot in pain. “Ow! Stupid train!” she cried.
“Hey, did you hear that?” the female voice jumped. Thorax had heard the scream too and knew what would happen. The driver and fireman did some quick checks on their tram as the disguised changeling ran to find the kitten. He found her and the moment he got her away from the engine, the driver and fireman found them.
“What are you two doing here?” the fireman questioned.
“We’re sorry, sir,” Thorax said, “We got scared when we heard about the dragon on the loose…” He began to stutter as he didn’t quite know what to say.
“If you wandered off because you were scared, that’s understandable,” the female driver stated. “Come with us and we’ll get you somewhere safe.”
“Easier said than done, mate,” the fireman proclaimed. “The blonde rascal there is named Molly. Everyone lost count of how many times she broke out of the local orphanage.” Molly simply stuck her tongue out when she heard that.
“Come on, she’s only a kitten,” the driver said. “Besides, they’re alone and if that dragon catches them, they’d be eaten alive. Come on kids, let’s find somewhere safe for you.” She reached to hold Molly’s paw, but the kitten scampered out of the shed with the disguised changeling and the engine crew chasing after her.
Eventually, Molly would try climbing over the trucks and managed to get on two vans before she jumped on a cover from an open truck, making some dust of black powder spill out. Molly landed on the ballast-covered ground as Thorax got a face full of the powder from the truck. He coughed and wheezed as the tram crew turned at the truck’s spilling cargo.
“Aw, that’s torn it,” the fireman groaned, “She spilled the black pepper.”
“I can see why you sounded annoyed by her,” the driver said. He then looked at the disguised changeling, who was coughing from getting pepper up his nose. “Are you okay, lad?”
Thorax was unable to talk as his nostrils were burning. He couldn’t hold it in as he let out a big sneeze and he lost his balance as he shapeshifted right back into his changeling form. In a state of worry, he was fearfully breathing to get caught. The driver and fireman were shocked and speechless by the creature they witnessed.
“What the meow is that!?” the driver cried.
“Whatever that is, but it’s got some kind of magic!” the fireman guessed. He swiftly grabbed the shovel and was going to strike him. “I’m gonna kick ye ass! C’mere!”
Thorax was frightened as the fireman raised his shovel and was about to strike Thorax’s face, but not for long with Molly biting down on his tail, and he loudly shrieked in pain and dropped the shovel. With the fireman yelps, Thorax and Molly ran off as the driver was too much in shock from the scenario.
“You couldn’t hold that in?” Molly asked angrily.
“I couldn’t help it,” Thorax responded. “My cover is blown and I need to hide somewhere!” The changeling king was in panic mode, but Molly remembered something: she recalled that the street they recently passed by had a manhole, and so her light bulb lit above her head.
the part of the city
“I have an idea!” Molly exclaimed. “Follow me.” She held his hoof and dragged him along the way to the said pinpoint. Thorax was confused. They eventually arrive at the manhole. “Here. We can hide inside there.”
“The sewer hole? No way, that’s gross,” he gagged.
“What other choice did you have?” He was about to argue when he rethought the decision.
“Okay,” he sighed. “I guess you are right.”
She ran over to the cover and pulled the cover to open. Because she’s a kitten, she was struggling to lift the metal cover. Thorax thought fast and quickly turned himself into a dragon, and instantly lifted the cover with ease, opening the shaft completely.
“Oi, there’s another one!” cried a nearby policeman.
Molly quickly dove into the sewers with Thorax diving in after her. The police looked down but they quickly lost sight of the two. “Did we see another dragon in Panthera?” one of the officers suspected.
“I think there was a word about a shapeshifter around here,” another officer said. “That could’ve been it.”
“Do you remember that myth that dragons have the power to shapeshift? That could be possible.”
“We better let the rest of the squad know about this. Onwards!” The two policemen ran off as Thorax and Molly began their journey through the sewer systems. Thorax had changed back into a changeling as Molly held onto his horns to stay on his back.
“Hold tight, Molly,” Thorax warned. “I think we… phew… can both agree you don’t want to get… washed away down here.”
“Right. I hate water, but…” She gagged as the odor alone was making this experience a disturbance. The two flew down the sewers while covering their snouts, hoping the police would get off their tails, staying above the filthy water.
As they flew around for a while, they saw and heard nothing. Nothing but sounds of dripping from the pipes and flowing of sewage. They kept going until they heard voices coming from the front. They were scared, thinking it was the police, but when Thorax listened closely, they sounded familiar. He went forward and turned a corner, and saw a blue face right in front of his face making them jump in fright. Thorax then realized it was Ember with Capper behind her back. Needless to say, the three creatures were delighted to see each other.
“Ember!”
“Thorax, you’re alive!” Ember cheered. She instinctively flew up to her boyfriend and hugged him, accidentally knocking Molly off of his back. The kitten ended up splashing into the water, much to Thorax and Capper’s shock.
“Who’s that kitten?” Capper asked.
“That’s… Molly,” Thorax said. He released the hug and flew back down to help Molly up. “Are you alright?” Molly only pouted the sewage water at Thorax’s face, showing she wasn’t very happy. “Sorry.”
Capper approached the now-soaked kitten. “Where did you come from, anyhow?” he asked.
“I’m attempting to escape the orphanage and explore,” Molly proclaimed. “I’ve been doing this multiple times.”
Capper smiled as he thought back to his younger days again. “Well. You remind me of myself when I was your age, kid. How many rules did you break?”
“A lot. I just want to explore Panthera and beyond.”
“I know that feeling. Right now, we’re in a bit of a bad stop, so how about we help each other out here right after we go out? Okay?”
“If you can get a train to somewhere out of the city, then it’s a deal.”
“No promises.” Capper helped Molly onto his shoulders. “Let’s go.” They carried on through the sewers, fighting through the smell.
Back on the surface, Shadow and Andrew we’re back at their mansion with Chummer assisting. She was still disappointed and irritated with the officers for not listening to him, especially with Chummer, why would he do such a thing? He was Capper’s old buddy. At the entrance, Chummer was standing in front of Andrew Fluffington talking about Capper. Like Shadow, he was also disappointed with Chummer.
“Shadow only wanted to explain,” Andy said with a disgruntled tone, “and you didn’t listen and towed us back here. Mr. Dapperpaws has done nothing to you!”
“My apologies, Mr. Fluffington,” Chummer said, “I’m clarifying to you that I don’t make the rules, and…”
“And you follow them like a loyal fool,” Andy finished. “A puppet! Imbecile!” Chummer then stood silently after he finished his sentence with a sigh. “My apologies as well… I know the risks, but I’m worried about my wife. I haven’t seen her this upset before.”
“I think I know the reason. Do you mind if… I come in, so we can have a conversation with her?” Andy nodded and led the officer upstairs to Shadow’s bedroom, which was locked shut.
He requested the male butler to find the keys to the bedroom as Andy and Chummer knocked on the door. “Shadow? Honey? Can we have a minute?” There wasn’t a response, so he knocked on the door again. “Chummer’s here to talk with you.” Still, no response.
“Shadow, I understand we’ve got bad blood after the situation when we were teens. You… You know I can’t go against the king’s orders and… the law is the law.” Chummer felt like he was struggling to think of the right words.
There was still silence. Eventually, the butler came to them with the keys Mr. Fluffington requested and gave them to him. He unlocked the door, and instead of finding the cat sulking, they all found that Shadow’s dress was lying on the bed with the window wide open. “Oh, bugger!” Andy cried.
Chummer sprinted to the front door where the police engine was waiting. “We’ve got a runner!” he cried. “Mrs. Fluffington has left the building!” The engine crew started the police engine and headed down the track to find her.
Shadow, meanwhile, had wrapped her body in black bandages with a gap for her eyes. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop before she stopped on one of the highest buildings and glanced over the city. She also took a moment to catch her breath. “Boy, this was a lot easier than I was a teenager,” she muttered.
Shadow noticed one of the blimps behind her start to get closer to her. She avoided getting spotted by hopping down the buildings and running along the streets. She hoped that she would have an easier time hiding since it was getting close to sunset. Shadow carried on searching for where Capper ran off to. “Capper, I’m coming for you!”
The said cat was pushing one up a manhole cover to peek out on the streets. The only sounds being heard were the puffing of the police engines patrolling the streets. “Is it safe?” Thorax asked.
“I don’t think so,” Capper guessed. “I could still hear the engines. Can you turn into something that won’t be suspicious around here?” Thorax pondered quickly and he already thought of a disguise. He shapeshifted into a pigeon, which seemed to please Capper. “Perfect.”
With his disguise set, Thorax flew out of the sewers and checked the city from the air. He could see a couple of exits that led to where Canterlot’s airship was blocked off by the police. Then there was more trouble. Another police engine was heading back into the city, pulling two coaches.
Curious, Thorax flew down to peek inside and could see the ponies from the zeppelin locked inside, none of them looked happy. Seeing this, Thorax flew back to the hiding spot to explain the bad news.
“We’re going to be stuck here for a while,” he informed.
“How many policemen do we need to get past?” Capper asked.
“It won’t matter if we pass a duo or an army. They have the crew of the zeppelin so we can’t fly home.”
“But you have wings,” Molly commented.
“It took nearly a day for us to get here by ship,” Ember stated. “I think I can make it if I put off sleep, but I’m not testing Thorax’s stamina.”
“And another obvious thing is that I can’t fly,” Capper added.
Molly thought about these details before thinking about something. “I can distract the police while you get away,” she proclaimed.
“Molly, that’s too dangerous,” Thorax noted. “We’re not letting you get involved.”
“But I want to help!”
“How about you help… by not helping,” Capper asked. “Can somebody else be a distraction?” He looked towards Thorax, who quickly figured out where this was going.
“Okay, which form do I have to take?” he asked.
“Assumably… a troublesome kitten.” Molly was perplexed when Capper said this until she saw Thorax turn into an exact copy of her. The two of them moved in sync like they were both looking in a mirror.
“Whoa! You can copy others too?” the real kitten gasped.
“Sure can,” Thorax said in Molly’s voice.
“Hold on a minute,” Ember proclaimed. “Are you saying that you guys are staying here while I fly back to Equestria?” Capper nodded in reply. “Heck no! I’m not leaving Thorax here.”
“We don’t have too much of a choice,” Thorax stated. “If you can get help from Equestria, we’d have a better way of reasoning with the king.” The Dragon Lord groaned, as much as she wanted to give them a piece of her mind, it would make their relationship worse than it was before.
“Fine, just… Stay safe.” She gave a hug to the disguised changeling before Thorax started climbing out of the sewers. He made it up and with the help of Capper below, he shut the manhole tight and sprinted away. As he ran, he noticed a bunch of policemen blocking the city’s exit. He knew that it was going to be risky, so he had no other choice. So, he approached the officers.
“Excuse me, officer,” the changeling said with the kitten’s voice. “I… I got lost.”
“Molly? How’d you wander so far?” an officer questioned.
“She’s acting better than she usually does,” another officer noted. “Come on, let’s take the wee lass back to the orphanage before any kind of trouble starts.”
“You know we can’t leave our post.” From the hiding spot, Capper, Ember, and the real Molly watched Thorax, trying to convince the policemen to move.
“What’s he doing?” Molly questioned. “I would’ve gotten them chasing after me by now.”
“Thorax is too sweet for this kind of trick,” Ember noted.
“He’s still good at doing tricks, right?” Capper asked.
“Of course. Come on, Thorax, mess with them or something.”
Thorax was staying quiet as one of the policemen took her inside the coach. They both turned to Max, who was inside filing papers. “Oi, Max,” the policeman said, “Can you watch this kitten for a moment until we can take her home?”
“Sure can do,” Max responded. The officer thanked Max then walked outside to tell their colleagues why he didn’t understand why Molly was such a troubled child. The fake kitten waited inside the coach before he noticed Max sitting inside, filing some papers.
The big cat looked at the small kitten. “Hi there,” he said. “You’ve wandered pretty far this time, haven’t you?”
“...You could say that,” Thorax noted. He looked outside at the other officers talking and had to ask Max something. “Why does everyone hate magic?”
Max stopped working on his papers as he thought of the best way to explain them to her. “The thing is… There are a lot of horrible creatures out there who use magic to get their way. Citizens like me are afraid of what we don’t understand.” Thorax sighed as he remembered how changelings were treated once they started getting their reformations.
“Do you think all creatures are bad?”
“Not entirely. I’d like to meet one, but I don’t know who’s safe to talk, or a threat to be risked.” Thorax would like to show Max who he truly was, but he didn’t think it would be worth the risk with the amount of police outside.
The real Molly was getting impatient. “Can’t I run in and do double trouble with Thorax?” she asked.
“Then they’ll know one of you is the imposter, and it’s likely they’ll injure you instead of him,” Capper warned.
“I’m honestly thinking we’re screwed,” Ember noted. “The first second a wrong move occurs, I’m making a beeline back for Equestria.”
“Just give him another minute.” Capper looked around and then noticed King Meowmeow, walking up to the coach, along with Chummer.
“Listen, your friend is slick, but my men will find her,” King Meowmeow stated.
“She and I haven’t been on good terms for a while, Your Majesty, but…. promise me you won’t be too hard on her. I beg you!”
“That depends on the crime she commits.” The two stepped inside the carriage, where Max and Thorax were at. The fake kitten seemed quite tense when he saw the king entering. As he sees the fake Molly, King Meowmeow peeked at his staff, seeing that the violet gemstone on that staff was glowing, indicating that there is something suspicious going on.
“Your staff’s glowing,” Chummer clarified.
“I know,” the king replied, taking a peek again at the glowing gemstone. “It means that intruder is somewhere close… closer than you think.”
“Th… That’s sus.”
The king turned back to him in confusion. “Sus?”
“Sus… as in suspicious. I learned that young kids.”
“Riiight….”
Thorax started clinging to Max as he was scared about getting caught.
The others saw the cop and king stepping inside the coach. At this point, Ember couldn’t stand on the sidelines anymore. “Screw it,” she growled, “Capper, are you going back to Equestria or not?”
“I was planning on it,” Capper admitted. Without warning, he was picked by Ember and they both took off towards the coach, with the real Molly sprinting out of the hiding spot.
King Meowmeow picked up Thorax by the back of his neck, seeing him start to fidget around. “Sir, might I ask… what you’re doing?” Chummer asked.
“Wanting to test something,” King Meowmeow said. “There are things that are not what it seen to your naked eyes.” Before he could do anything, Ember broke through the wall of the coach. She quickly grabbed hold of the disguised changeling to take him and Capper outside so they could make a break for it. King Meowmeow, Chummer, and Max stepped out of the coach seeing them fly off, unaware of the real Molly showing up. “Oh no… you’re not going anywhere!”
Unbeknownst to anyone, the king held his staff higher, with the gem on the end glowing as Ember stopped in mid-air. “What the… AHHHH!” She, Capper, and Thorax plummeted to the ground with a heavy thud. This made Thorax dizzy and he shifted back to his regular form.
“....What the bloody Tartarus is that?” Chummer questioned.
“Shapeshifter,” King Meowmeow commented. “I have a hunch there are more.”
Some policemen turned around and saw that Molly was there. Two of them turned to each other before they thought of something. “You think that she’s a shapeshifter too?” one asked.
“You’re telling me,” the other commented. “Maybe it could explain why she’s constantly attempting to escape.”
The three failed escapees could tell things were going to get ugly fast. “They can’t be serious,” Thorax gasped. He glanced toward Ember and Capper, who were puzzled about what just happened.
“Did anyone else feel… like they were pulled down by something?” Ember grunted.
“Who cares, we need a diversion for Molly now!” Capper proclaimed. They could see the police surrounding them. Then Capper had an idea and turned to Ember. “Now might be a good time to sneeze fire.”
Ember understood what he meant and, with her mouth, she huffed smoke to create a smokescreen, blinding everyone that got caught in the vicinity. The Dragon Lord and the changeling king took this chance to grab Molly and fly into the city while Capper tackled whom he thought was a policeman to the ground.
When the smoke was cleared, Chummer caught a glimpse of Molly flying away with the dragon and changeling. What everyone else was focusing on was who Capper had tackled; instead of a policeman, it was King Meowmeow, who stares at him with ire.
“Oh… nuts!” Max quickly grabbed hold of the con cat as Chummer helped the king stand up. “I don’t see how the Fluffingtons would let a hobo like you became so close,” Meowmeow complained.
“Hey, I was close,” Capper stated, “At least one of them.”
“You tackled the King of Abyssinia… to the rocky asphalt… almost had your dirty fist to my face. For this assault, in addition to colluding with magical beings, you’ll be sentenced to jail for life with maximum security. Guards, take him away!”
As they held Capper in handcuffs, he gazed toward Chummer, who refused to make eye contact with him. The now-declared fugitive sighed as he was taken into the remains of the coach. From the buildings’ rooftops, a shadowy figure was watching the scene unfold and knew that she had to get involved. So she parkoured her way across the buildings to keep pace with the police engine.
Stats
Page generated in 0.018 seconds
Total duration
650 users online
726,809 hits today, 2,167,270 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
11539723
Hello, this is Gregory the Griffon, editor and proofreader for PonyPixel.
To answer your questions here:
Bizarre
That's probably this kind of thinking end up in the future of G5 but luckily a certain earth pony will change everything along with her friends
Aww that's actually nice of ember try to defend him
Oh yes that term I remember hearing that in the game Among Us
Well then things did not go as plan as the others could have gone so ember was about to be taken to another cell inside of a cage but Capper tried to reason with them they know each other but unfortunately the guards did not take it too well and even sending him into the cell with her with that they had to make their escape after that they had to hit an underground until everything is all clear meanwhile thorax was still worried about ember and capper but it looks like he's not doing alone a kitten named Molly is going to help him to sneak through the city and after the chaos been going on Unfortunately they are being chased so they had to take hidden underground as well but it looks like all three of the creatures finally reunited but they need to find a way to escape and also warned Twilight about the situation but escaping in the city is going to be this hard because now everything is very high security shadow on the other hand couldn't take it so she had to help out as well knowing to the fact that she will also get in trouble as well and Chummer was afraid this would happen knowing their history meanwhile Capper and the others try to figure out how to get themself out of here but it looks like escaping is not an option but maybe thorax wants to try to get them away while he's in disguise but unfortunately the king had other plan and use the scepter on thorax but then ember Capper and even Molly saved him but now they are worried about the little kitten so they had to make a decision Capper stayed behind while the others make their escape despite that knowing that he is going to be so much in trouble I wonder how they're going to get themself out of the situation I guess we'll find out next time
11541015
I'm no fan of these Among Us jokes because they're too annoying... and as I'm editing this story, that's the first thing that came into mind, and decided to add that for some reason.
11541796
That is just like that other old joke about any romance movies or shows are better than Twilight Saga which that's getting old as well and im not a big fan of that movie either but I hear that so many times and it gets old and the game wasn't too bad either it's a fun one but never got into it either as well my niece and nephew played it so that's why I know about these sus and all this stuff
That was a lot- I hope Capper's okay!