Internal Changeling Affairs

Chapter Twelve:  The Jig Is Up!

"Captain?!" gasped a surprised Officer Silverbadge who was standing guard at the front door of a crime scene that was Sergeant Goldstripe's home.  "how did you get them to release you so quickly?!"

"long story" Shining replied.  "not very important either.  where'e the sergeant at?"

"we're still looking for him, sir.  rest assured we will catch that traitor!"

"the hell we will, Silverbadge!  listen, I know this sounds crazy but I just know he's not the one who shot me"

"he's not?  then who did?"

"well, I really don't remember.  but you've all gotta trust me on this.  I am still your superior officer by the way"

"oh yes, sir!"

"alright, so bring me up to speed.  what's the situation so far?"

"well, sir, we have searched the premises for the sergeant but he's nowhere to be fou-"

"wait listen!"  the both of them paused for a moment.  "you smell something?"

without saying another word, Shining hobbled into the house to look for the source of the smell of body odor that can only be caused by heat and lack of the ability for a stallion to shower.  The two guards then stepped into the living room and Shining came to a halt on a throw rug when he heard his own steps landing on a hollow sounding floor.

"lift up this rug, rookie" Shining commanded.

Silverbadge obliged to his boss' request and shoved the rug out of the way revealing a closed secret door with a handle and hinges on the opposite side.

"Silver, we've really gotta review how thorough our department's searches are"  Shining said.  "this shouldn't be so easy to miss"

"I understand, sir.  I feel bad enough that I left your side last week.  I've actually been reviewing weather or not I'm cut out for this job"

"hey c'mon, kid don't worry about it.  I actually see true potential in you.  that's why I specifically chose to work with you.  kinda like how Princess Celestia chose my sister as her personal protege"

upon hearing his boss tell him that he was comparable to his sister who he had always spoken so highly of, Silver stood there looking his superior officer right in the eye and began welling up with tears.

"y-you really mean that?"  Silver asked in a very squeaky voice.

"you bet"  Shining replied  "now lets get this thing opened and see what's in there"

"that padlock looks pretty tough, sir.  shall I go get a set of bolt-cutters?"

"nah, not necessary.  I've always wanted to do this anyway"

Then out of nowhere, Shining, with his magic pulled his signature custom, gold plated, jewel encrusted .45 caliber 8 round magazine pistol out of his "borrowed" white jacket and blasted the padlock open with one well placed shot.

"let's open this bitch up!" Shining said.  "I need to hurry up and get into an outfit that makes me look more like a cop and less like a criminal"

Both of the guards then proceeded to heave at the heavy door with their magic until the door was completely turned on a 180 hitting the floor with a loud thud.

"holy crap, a light!" exclaimed a voice from the bottom of the cellar.  "I died!  oh praise Celestia, I finally died!  I'm free!  but it still stinks here!"

Meanwhile, Back on the Streets

"all units!  all units!"  Pinkie pie said on a dispatch from the chopper.  "I've sighted our suspect just over the intersection of Harmony Street and Crystal Boulevard!  he's heading northbound on wing!"

"copy that, chopperpie!"  Twilight replied on the other end.  "take him down by any means necessary!"

"10-4 on that, coach 45.  Chopperpie over and out!"  Pinkie Pie then flipped a switch for the chopper's PA and after a brief electronic screeching sound began shouting at her target.  "you're completely surrounded, pal!  give up!"

her suspect then paused to turn around and face Pinkie Pie and then made an obscene gesture by crossing his forelegs as if saying "up yours" and then proceeded to dash away.

"I need more sky support!"  Pinkie blared out.  "somepony help me get this guy!"

After hearing Pinkie's request for back up on the PA, the sergeant stopped in the air on a bit and then turned back to face his pursuer again.

"who are you calling a guy?!"   the suspect yelled.

Ignoring her target's bizarre comment, Pinkie began closing in on "him" and began turning her demands into threats.

"this is your last chance, mister!" Pinkie shouted.  "put your hooves up, slowly sink down to the ground and give your self up or we'll use force!"

"I swear if I get called a 'male' word one more time I'm gonna drag you out of that thing and rip your f-"

"hey, tough-guy!"  Rainbow Dash Interrupted as she sneaked up to about ten yards just behind him.  The sergeant turned around expecting to be choking somepony but instead was met with a rainbow maned pegasus cocking back the hammer on a fully loaded revolver aimed directly at "his" face.  Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were certain that the whole thing would finally be over and justice was about to  be served until to their surprise  "he" started laughing at both of them.

"hahaha!  you don't have the guts, punk!"

"If you make one wrong move, I won't hesitate!"  Rainbow Dash replied.  "don't think I won't fill you full of holes before you even hit the ground!"

"hmmm, tell you what, kid.  let's back up a second and assess our little situation here.  so you've got a gun I see.  well guess what?  ME TOO!!!"

As fast as an eye could blink, the rouge guard sergeant whipped out a standard issue pistol and pointed it right at Rainbow Dash.

"DROP IT!"  Rainbow screamed at the top of her lungs.  "DO IT NOW OR I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

kraKApow! BLAM!

A shot was fired from the ground leaving a hole going straight through the sergeants left rear leg in turn throwing his aim off balance and making him miss Rainbow Dash by inches.  Since the suspect had opened fire on her, Rainbow Dash was now certain that there was no other way to deal with him but to do what Fluttershy had to just a few nights before as she began emptying her .38 into the sergeant.  More shots from Twilight, who had fired the first along with the rest of the troop who had caught up with them on the ground began to join the firefight.  Within seconds, everypony's magazines had run dry and they were all expecting to be sending a code four message to dispatch informing them their suspect was down until, they had realized that he was not only alive, but conscious and still hovering.  The entire group looked in horror as he was looking over himself and at all of the completely bloodless holes in his body.

"ha!  was that supposed to hurt?!"  the criminal taunted.  "I already had plenty of holes in me.  you think I'm going to worry about a few extras?"

"holy ~squee~!"  Pinkie Pie yelled.  "this guy's loco in the ~squee~ing coco!"

"apparently you all still have no idea who you're shooting at"  the sergeant said as he pulled a two way of his own from his belt, brought it up to his face and pressed the button down.  "proceed with operation ICA!  Equestria is ours!"  he yelled into the mic.  Seconds later, hundreds upon hundreds of ponies on the ground below began disappearing in puffs of green mist along with an equally large number of pegasi soaring up and swooping back down to do the same.  Fluttershy and Rarity remembered the same type of event from the other day and knew what was happening and soon, everypony else was to find out.  As quickly as the green mist appeared, it faded leaving an infestation of changelings in it's place.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!  time to lose this guy's disguise!"  the sergeant laughed as he too emitted a poof of the foul mist to reveal his true self when it cleared.  The entire task force that was Twilight Sparkle, her friends and her coltfriend gasped in horror and screamed in unison.

"QUEEN CHRYSALIS!"

End Chapter Twelve