Crossing a Long Distance

On the first night, I assessed the population and determined that there were far too many unicorns to operate in daylight. Most of them had been instructed on how to identify changeling magic. The amethyst ring on my horn that was constantly collecting that energy served no help, only functioned as a beacon. My only option to get supplies was to break into the various buildings around town. Unable to attain any emotions from the ponies, I instead sought physical food for temporary sustenance.

It became very clear that this town was a lot less formal than Canterlot. As such, I had a lot less to worry about while scurrying across the rooftops. There weren't as many nightly activities. I was almost caught while infiltrating the local bakery. The building itself looked like food. After ripping off a few of the shingles, it was easy to bust in from then on. There wasn't much actual food to be had, only pastries and candy. Beggars can't be choosers, I guess.

After gathering other odds and ends from the stores around town, I made camp outside of town. The night went smoothly, though I often found myself drifting back into that strange, dream-like state. I slept the following day. There wasn't much to be had in the sunlight, anyway. My hooves hurt because of the painful darting from roof to roof. If I had holes in them like most of the other changelings, it would have been even worse. I was lucky to be hatched whole.

The second night, I was almost caught. A small dragon somehow resting within their community may have noticed me crawling along the roofs. I raided more supplies that night, extra careful to leave as minimal a trace as possible. Not much happened the coming nights after that. Things went smoothly and I ran into no problems. I was ready to set off, but stayed behind a little bit longer just in case.

I must've let myself slack on the cleanup or something, because that dragon figured out my predictable path. While going in for one of my last supply thefts, I was met by a tackle accompanied with a green blaze. It didn't seem to have that much heat, and only warmed my face. It did a number on my eyesight, though. I fell over into the bakery. He attempted to restrain me, but his tiny form didn't give him enough weight. He didn't take kindly to my presence, if that wasn't clear enough.

"Stop stealing my friends' stuff! That's not cool!" he shouted at me, rather pathetically. That was my cue. I had a significant combat advantage, what with his lack of muscle. In a short spar, I managed to wrap his tail around my horn and sling him out of window and crashing onto the ground. Immediately, I bolted. There was no use finishing the fight, and he was just a kid. He gave chase, attempting to be a hero. It didn't turn out well for him, and I managed to snag his tail once more. With a flick of my head, I sent him flying through the window of a boutique.

As if it wasn't clear enough, the scream from inside told me to move out of sight as fast as possible. I ran for what seemed like hours. I went to the North, closer to where I needed to go. Travelling the plains was something of absolute boredom, but I had the food I needed. The Crystal Empire was my next destination, as I couldn't reach my intended target without stopping. Safe haven was one step closer.