Evacuation Plan: The Runner

The pegasus hybrid Whirlwind roams the streets of Canterlot, keeping her body low and peeking around every corner before zipping to the next point of cover. The low sun cast long shadows into the spaces between buildings, giving her plenty of covers. But Whirlwind knew the shadows didn’t play favorites, they were hiding the famished just as much as they were hiding her. The streets were eerie, quiet enough around Whirlwind for her to hear the hoof steps of other creatures several buildings down, but there was a constant noise in the background of creatures screaming and fighting near the castle. 

Whirlwind ascends the walls of alleyways, her small body allowing her to land on every tiny balcony. She checks under piles of laundry that was left out to dry in the sunlight, lumpy rugs, and even inside larger pottery. No stone was left unturned, especially after she heard another runner had discovered a changeling foal hiding inside a cat carrier. But for all her thorough searching, she found nothing and prepared to look elsewhere. 

She walks down the alleys, flapping her wings just enough to make her hoof steps quiet. If she took too high into the air, she would be significantly easier to detect. Whirlwind was fast and agile, but she knew she couldn’t dodge and outrun a famished swarm for long. Just before she left the alley, she heard the buzzing of changeling wings beating rapidly. She quickly ducked behind a dumpster and failed to not retch at the stench. Thankfully, the small famished swarm flew right by. 

Whirlwind began to make her way out, only getting a hoof out from the dumpster when she heard metal rattling. She quickly went back into cover as she watched the Daywatch Guards run past in pursuit of the changelings. The famished changelings were the obvious threat, but the guards weren’t exactly her friends either. Plenty of changelings who were somehow immune or weren’t close enough to be affected by Queen Vespa’s pheromones were detained by the guards. 

“It’s for their safety and for ours.” She heard a guard say when an earth pony protested their changeling friend being taken away. Whirlwind wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On one hoof, keeping the changelings away from the famished would keep them safe. On the other hoof, it felt like they were punishing them for daring to be changelings in the first place. Regardless, she didn’t know if she would get arrested for helping changelings escape and she didn’t want to take the risk.

The sun was low in the sky. Whirlwind predicted she would only have an hour until dusk and she would have to retreat. The famished seemed to get more active and perceptive at night. She didn’t know if the phenomena had something to do with changelings being naturally nocturnal or if the nocturnal famished were simply more aggressive than the diurnal ones. Regardless, Whirlwind couldn’t fight off the night swarm when she would inevitably get caught. 

One more look around, she told herself, spotting a condemned building hiding in the shadows of Canterlot’s larger structures. Untamed vines grew around it and the wood-rotted roof gave from a storm from years ago. It wouldn’t be safe to be in a place like that, but that’s exactly why Whirlwind would hide there if it was her life on the line. 

Entering the building through the archway that might have once held a sturdy door, Whirlwind was immediately hit with the smell of mildew and felt her lungs get heavy in protest. All the more reason to make sure that no one was hiding in here. The floorboards sagged under her weight, not even having the structural integrity to groan. She made her way through all of the ground rooms of the building and was ready to head out when she heard a quiet cry and shushing whispers from above her. 

She flew her way up to the second floor, untrusting the stairs that had few too many holes in them for comfort. Whirlwind slowly approached the room which she figured the noise came from and slowly creaked open the door. Squinting her eyes in the dim light, she saw the shadows of four small creatures. Once her eyes adapted, she saw children- three obvious changelings and one seeming-pegasus colt. 

They all looked young, with the pegasus looking to be the oldest- couldn’t be much older than fifteen or so. Two of the changelings were foals, one crying while the other bared teeth and flared their beetle-like wings at Whirlwind. And the third changeling, maybe eleven or twelve, pulled the youngest ones close to her body. They all stared at Whirlwind with quiet terror in their eyes, all probably wanting to scream, but knowing worse would come if they gave in to the urge.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Whirlwind promised. “I’m here to get you all to safety.”

The youngest changelings looked thrilled as they looked up into the face of who Whirlwind assumed was their older sister. She quivered and wiped tears from her eyes. The pegasus didn’t react much, but Whirlwind noticed his shoulders relax.

And then it dawned on Whirlwind the reality of the situation they were in. The runners had learned that larger groups attracted the famished and they were told to bring no more than three changelings with them for safety. Up until this point, it wasn’t even a problem for her. The most she ever had to bring at once were two at a time. Now she either had to leave some creature behind, or she would have to go over the recommended amount for a group. 

Just as she was thinking if she was fast enough she could get every creature in two groups, the sun hit her eyes. It was beginning to sink behind the horizon. She could only afford one trip and there weren’t many runners willing to brave the night swarm. 

She had to think quickly, who would she bring? 

“I can only bring two or three of you,” she said and her soul dropped when she saw the dread creep back into their faces. “The two youngest will come along-”

They retreated behind their older sister’s legs.

“Maybe one of you can stay behind with the pegasus?”

They didn’t budge.

“Then, I guess I’ll bring the three of you.” She turned to ask if the pegasus would be okay alone. Whirlwind watched as he swallowed and stared off a thousand yards away. His lips stretched thin and his knees began to shake.

Whirlwind sighed. It was on her to be brave tonight. 

“I’ll take you all with me. But I need you all to promise me you will do exactly what I say when I say it.”

“We promise.” the youngsters vowed while the two oldest ones nodded.

“I’m taking you to Sweet Tooth Corner. The owner set up his shop to keep changelings like you safe while you wait to get evacuated.”

“Brownie Sundae’s?” the pegasus finally spoke up, a small bit of joy finally sparking in his eyes. Whirlwind couldn’t help but smile.

“You know him?” she asked. 

“I go there all the time.” The pegasus nodded. “He gives me a special float on my birthday. Because my name’s Flashfloat.”

“That’s really kind of him.” she turned her attention to the group. “You ready to head out? We have to be fast to make it there before dark.”

The older creatures took a changeling foal onto their backs and nodded once they were secure. They flew effortlessly down the stairs to avoid the holes and out the doorway of the old building. Immediately, the cool air hit Whirlwind’s face and filled her lungs. She felt her senses heighten as the telltale droning of stirring nocturnal famished began to fill the air. They needed to be quick and quiet.

So she led them through the backroads as night set on Canterlot. She quickly maneuvered from one place to the next, jumping and using her wings to remain airborne so that her hooves hardly ever touched the ground. When she landed, she held still, and listened a moment. If she heard nothing, she swished her tail for the party to follow her. When she knew they would safely make it to her current location, she zipped off to the next one.

It was going smoothly. Too smoothly. They were only a few more blocks away from safety when she heard one of the foals scream. Whipping around, she saw a famished flying towards the older sister and the foal on her back. Adrenaline took over and she quickly changed her course. Her wings were small, but so was she, and she was given amazing airborne agility because of it.

Moments before the famished managed to catch up with the changelings, Whirlwind managed to intervene. She wasn’t strong, but that didn’t matter when she was fast. She bumped her shoulder against the famished’s chest and that was enough to knock it off course and sent it spiraling to the ground. Whirlwind’s own aerial recovery skill allowed her to safely reorientate herself before landing. 

The changelings and the possible-pegasus were frozen in place, gawking at what happened. Whirlwind wanted to allow them the moment to catch their breath, but night was upon them and the nocturnal swarm’s droning had reached its peak. She began to take the lead again, but then the changeling released a shrill noise that lasted for several seconds. Almost immediately, they heard the cry being returned in the distance.

“Book it! We’re almost there!” Whirlwind yelled. Their cover was blown and the swarm would be on them in minutes. She flew past the changelings to bring them down the route she knew was safe, never straying too far from them. They were slow. But what could she expect from them? They were young and carrying even younger, now crying, foals on them. 

It shouldn’t matter. They were only five or so turns away. They’ll make it time. But the swam was faster when responding to a call. Around the next corner, they were blocked off by a small swarm of large and very mad looking famished. Whirlwind felt her heart stop. Every part of her wanted to abandon these foals to the swarm. Almost. There was one part that wouldn’t let her leave those who came to rely on her, and it was that part that took control.

“You know where Sweet Tooth is. Take them there.” she told Flashfloat, who stared at her with wide eyes and shaking knees. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be right behind you.”

Before her body could change its mind, she flew down the street right into the nocturnal swarm. There was a lot, and she couldn’t dodge them forever. But she didn’t need to. Flying in between members and throwing out occasional kicks at them kept their focus on the annoyance rather than the goal. She was able to get them to chase, flying in the opposite direction of Brownie Sundae’s shop. 

The changelings were faster than her, but she was able to make sharper turns. She used this to her advantage to not only dodge but trick them into flying high speed into each other or walls. Just as planned, the swarm was on her and she zipped out of view of the changelings.

Flashfloat nudged the changeling filly, whose hooves became cemented to the ground. Finally, she began moving again, following after Flashfloat as he took an alternative path to Sweet Tooth Corner. Neither of them braved a look behind them in case a persistent famished was giving chase. 

Fear-driven adrenaline rushed through Flashfloat’s body, making him feel like he’ll trip at a crucial moment and get taken by the swarm. His body was shaking uncontrollably. It felt like it took no time at all and a lifetime for him to round the right corner and see Sweet Tooth Corner’s inviting building. 

“It’s right there!” he told the changeling filly he realized he never asked the name of. They rushed across the street together and Flashfloat tried to push the door open. Locked. Together they knocked on the door, yelling and crying rather incomprehensibly until a mare peeked through the shades. Seeing the children, she immediately opened the door and they rushed into safety.

Flashfloat was hit with the comforting warm air of the bakery he formed many safe memories in. It smelled of baking tarts and smelled seasonally like fresh mint and pine. He felt the changeling on his back slip off and only then did he let himself collapse onto the floor.

“Flashfloat!” he heard a warm and deep voice say before he was barely pulled off the floor and into a hug by a stallion that was hardly taller than him. “I thought you were in Ponyville. Your parents must be worried sick for you!”

“Hi, Mr. Sundae.” Flashfloat wheezed out, pushing his hoof into Brownie Sundae’s shoulder to tell him to let go. 

“I have no idea how you knew to come here, but I’m glad you did.” Brownie Sundae continued after setting Flashfloat down. “And you brought some friends! What are your names?”

They didn’t answer. 

“I think they need a moment.” Flashfloat stepped in for them. “It was… hard for them.”

Brownie Sundae nodded, not pressing the issue any further. Instead, he stepped back and gestured into his shop. It was always a cozy place, but in the few days since the famished outbreak, he had tried to arrange it to be a little more livable. There was more room to lie on the floor and sit in front of the fireplace. A few changeling children were using a plump unicorn mare as a jungle gym while others played with blocks or sloppily colored books. 

The two youngest changelings began pulling on their older sister by her mane to get her moving in with the rest of the changelings. They wanted to play with the other foals, but they were scared of leaving her side. From what Flashfloat knew of what happened to them, he couldn’t blame them. He sat on the sidelines, watching the other changelings munch on Brownie’s on-the-house pastries and chatter with one another. 

Flashfloat stared at the door, waiting for the pegasus mare that brought him here to come back. But several hours passed and his eyes grew weary before she ever came back.

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Word Count: 2,409