She did not notice the screams of anguish. She did not notice the sounds of fighting coming from all around her. She did not not notice the frantic sobbing coming from a nearby alley. All the unicorn’s world consisted of was the sound of her breath and the eight galloping hooves behind her.
The pink mare chanced a look over her shoulder and looked at the sleek carapaces of the two changelings, the fires that surrounded them danced eerily off their strange blue eyes. Their fangs contrasting with the almost iridescent black chiten that coated their bodies. They had come from nowhere and now they filled the streets of canterlot.
As Amethyst’s head came back round she just managed to catch a yellow and orange streak batter down a black and green smear, which fell to the ground nearby. Fighting through the tunnel vision she noticed pegasi overhead fighting for the capitol. “I can't fight, they will kill me if I fight. Best to run,” the thought shot frantically through her mind.
She saw shop she knew had a door leading out the other side and quickly ducked in, hoping to make her way towards to castle. “If I can get there there will be guards, they will keep me safe,” but doubt nagged at her “If I can even get there,” she thought.
She broke through the other side of the shop with the two Changelings close behind, one diving through a window cutting of the path towards the palace, forcing her to turn towards the canterlot plaza. Ears pressed flat against her skull she cursed her luck and ran.
A small bundle of pale purple and gold, “A Filly! No, No, No,” She glanced over her shoulder. She had time. Her horn glowed a brilliant raspberry as she scooped the shaking foal up mid stride. A small smile with worried eyes greeted her as she levitated the filly onto her back.
A third jumped down right in front of her. To her front and rear, Changelings. To her right, a wall.“Only one way left,” she felt her passenger and then looked down to her left, the ten foon drop looked intimidating, but one look bat at the creature advancing on her and the desicion was made. “Hold on!” she shouted. Immediately she felt the filly nod, the small limbs curling round her neck and the little muzzle pressing into her mane.
Amethyst jumped.
She hit the ground. Hard. Not chancing a look back she hoped it had surprised the changligs, it wouldn't keep them long. “Freakin wings.”
She only took a second to regain her forward momentum, but by then they had closed the distance. The three eagerly chasing after her. She wade a quick right turn skidding slightly as she tried to gain traction. Passing by a small alcove she saw a prone form among some boxes. At the end of the alley she turned left going down another alley.
Another quick glance over her shoulder, and she nearly tripped over a Changeling. He... it? had been dragging a limp compatriot out of a detritus filled alley. “Horrid luck…” she began to sprint building up speed. Her jump carried her clear over the two changelings. the one who had been tending to the other must have looked about in confusion.
“Almost to the plaza now.” She passed under a bridge trying to get to the ramp that would take her to the level below. A nearby window catching her frantic expression and that of the filly riding on her back.
“At the end of this hall… WHY,” another Changeling dropped down right at the exit to the hall blocking her access to the ramp, or maybe one of them had flanked her. Either way she was done running. “its not just me now.”
She bucked sending the filly flying through the air giving her time to drop down, letting her back legs slide forward. she caught the foal and brought her right hind leg up in a kick that was more than enough to shatter the chitin of the Changeling blocking her path. as she slid towards the bronze railing her hind legs kicked at the banisters trying to slow her.
Once she was stopped she twisted, rolling onto her stomach just long enough to allow the filly to climb onto her back. “I can't let them have enough time to recover, I need to move.”
she dashed down the ramp. “WHY. why do you keep doing this. you must love those damned wings of yours” there was no room to dodge. With a nervous look at the railing, she jumped towards it while twisting in midair and hooking her hooves over the railing. swinging inwards she let her hind legs come close to the underside of the ramp, kicking hard and releasing her forehooves. She fell, the young filly must have been terrified.
“finally lost them,” the cheerful thought quickly extinguished as she looked forwards again. “too many,” she skidded to a halt. The four changlings in front of her looking up and advancing. backing up and turning around she found her retreat cut off by two more.
“Of course it would end this way…” she thought as she began backing into an ally. with her back up against a wall she was resigned. she levitated the filly of her back and bushed her backwards with a hind hoof. “I can at least make a show of it, not that it will make much difference”
A changeling flew down… and crashed face first into a box to her left. with eyes wide she looked up to see a grey and gold pegasus swoop down between her and the changelings.
“...Freakin wings… finally…”
The golden maned mare turned her head giving the foal the most loving smile Amethyst had ever seen, then something seemed to change about her as the mare turned back and the changelings started to back up, and then… charge forwards.