Later that evening, Rarity and I walked out towards the little restaurant to go meet Pinkie. I was glad to see her attitude about everything visibly improved. She was even laughing at stupid jokes again. Well John, you think she's gonna be okay? Poor girl nearly lost her head over you. Yeah yeah.

Honestly, I think Rarity is a lot stronger than lots of folks give her credit for. At least more than her friends know. Through the drama queen antics and the theatricality, she really did feel and hurt like everyone else. It just took some serious shit to do it to her. Yeah, she might could put up a good facade of helplessness, but when she broke down earlier that day it was genuine. When she'd seen me and knew I was alive, it didn't take her all that long to dry up those tears. Now, we were walking and chatting like it was any other day. The only evidence of her earlier sorrow were the salty spots on my shirt.

We came up to the place we would meet Pinkie Pie: Skillet's. It was a good place. Kind of reminded me of a Chili's... Except they served a lot of good food and I liked the atmosphere. One of the waitresses we knew saw us come in and waved.

"Hey, guys! Go ahead and grab your own table, I'll come and find you!"

I love small towns. Everyone knows you... and it was always nice to know the folks that served your food. I grabbed a few menus and led Rarity to our usual table a little away from the rest of the patrons. I pulled a cushion out for her and went to sit down myself. Usually, I looked for a bucket or something to sit on in a situation like this; this place didn't have much in the way of chairs, but our waitress trotted up and I turned to talk to her.

"Hey, Blossom... What's this?" Honey Blossom was moving towards us with a bar stool.

"You come in here so much, Skillet let us unbolt a stool and keep it around just for you!" Sweet.

"You're too good to me. Hey, we're waiting for Pinkie Pie, think you could just bring us out the usual?" She smiled, nodded and walked off towards the kitchen. "I've got no idea why I even grabbed menus. We always get the same thing here." I said more to myself than Rarity. Honey was back with a couple of glasses pretty quick. Water for Rarity and beer for me. Rarity. She looked lost in thought for a moment.

"Hun, you okay?" Shaking herself back into reality, she smiled.

"Of course, darling, of course." She took a dainty sip of water. "So, I sent out a letter to Arrow and Cross. They would be more than happy to bring a chariot out here for the night of the ball." I smiled

Those two guys were great. Ever since that day with the princesses, we'd kept in touch. They even came to town a few times and went out to the bar with me. Hell, even Rarity liked them when they finally met and boy, did they like her. It wasn't long before I was getting dating advice from them, too. I almost halfway expected them to jump on the idea of being our flying limo service.

"I'm sure those guys would do anything for us. That's what I call good friends." She shook her head slowly and smiled.

"I'm sure they would still be scouring the forest looking for you if they knew what happened. How DID you get away?" Oh I was gonna have fun with this. Without even a hint of a smile, I told her a little story.

"Well, Fluttershy took off into the forest to safety while I took on the wolves. I got like... six of them before the rest pulled me down and started bitin'. That's how I got the evil cuts all over and y'all found the blood. Anyways, after I beat 'em all off of me, I ran into the forest and methodically ambushed each and every one of 'em until there weren't any left to chase me. That's when I found a little sharp stick and used hair from my chest to stitch the cuts closed."

She started to laugh and roll her eyes, but my expression didn't change. After a few seconds, her look of disbelief turned into a frown and from there it just got worse. Her expression changed into a look I might have gotten if I had just stood up, dropped my jeans and shit an octopus on the floor in front of her. I waited for a few seconds with a serious look on my face before I started laughing.

"I'm just messin' with ya! Zecora came by and saved me." She rolled her eyes again.

"John, can you never take anything seriously? What ever shall I do with you?" I shrugged and gulped down some beer just as Pinkie Pie came through the door. It didn't even seem like she had to look for us. She just waved at someone across the room as she made a bee-line from the door. How the hell does she do that?

"Hi guys! Did you already order?" I set my glass down and smiled at her.

"Yeah, Honey'll come by here in a minute and fix us up. What's new, Pinkie?" As if forgetting everything else in the room, she took off explaining her entire week.

"Well, last Monday was Roseluck's birthday, so I spent the day baking a HUGE cake for her! Then, in the middle of the party, I was gonna shoot myself across the room, but I got stuck in the Party Cannon! SO EMBARRASSING! Then YESTERDAY, I broke the Ponyville record for the number of bounces on a trampoline. SPIKE said it couldn't be done, but I showed him!" She continued to regale us with stories of the week.

I didn't hear Rarity ask her another question, I was too busy looking at the crowd that had grown in the restaurant. Staring around, I couldn't help but think of the changeling I had yet to find. It had been a month since I got the assignment and I did my research, sure... but I haven't done shit towards actually finding it. Anyone in this room could be the bug. Anyone. Rarity stood up to leave and I snapped into the here and now. Grabbing her shoulder, I pulled her close and held her still.

"Where are you going?" She looked annoyed, but curious.

"The washroom to clean my hooves, is that quite alright with you?" She said sarcastically. I shook my head and let go reluctantly.

"I'm... sorry. It's... no, nothin', nevermind." Her brow furrowed and she walked off... And I watched her like a hawk the whole way. I needed to find this thing soon. I looked over at Pinkie, happily sipping on her glass of soda she seemed to pull out of nowhere. Whatever. It was Pinkie Pie. Going out on a limb, I figured it couldn't hurt to ask her if she knew anything. "So Pinkie, you ever notice anythin' weird around here?"

"Oh, all the time!" My ears perked up. "The number of blades of grass keeps changing around Sugarcube Corner, BUT its only ever one blade at a time! Also, did you know that baby birds snore?! I don't know if ADULT birds snore, but the BABY ones DEFINITELY do. Last week, I found out that even though bubbles are all rainbowy, they dont taste NEARLY as spicy as REAL rainbows!" Fuck.. My head sank into my hands. This was going nowhere. "But so far, the weirdest thing is Caramel. I feel like throwing him a welcome party, but I don't know why! He already GOT a welcome party YEARS ago!" I didn't even know where to start looking for a changeling, how was I gonna- now wait just a damn second...

"What did you just say, Pinkie?" She looked confused.

"Ago?"

"No, before that."

"YEARS!"

"No, no, the whole thing."

"Well, last Monday was Roseluck's birthday party and I-"

"No Pinkie! I mean the part about Caramel."

"Oh. For a few months now, I've felt like he's new to town, but that's impossible... He's been here for years!" My mind was filling up with questions.

"Where does he live?"

"He lives just down the street. He's sitting over in the other section. I waved at him when I walked in!" Gears were turning in my head. Rarity was walking up just as Honey Blossom was bringing out our food.

"Pinkie, what does Caramel look like?" I don't think I've met him before."

"He's the tan stallion with the blue horseshoes for a cutie mark." I think I've seen him before.

"Excuse me." Rarity took a seat as I stood up and started walking.

"John, darling, where are YOU going?"

"I'll be right back." Moving casually through the restaurant, I made like I was going to the bathroom. Avoid eye contact, John. In my periphery I could see tables surrounded by ponies, but there weren't any traces of the brown stallion. I pushed open the bathroom door. Gotta look harder on the way back to the table. I wasn't prepared for what happened next.

I went to the sink and started washing my hands. Before long, I could hear the flush of a toilet behind me and the stall door open. Looking up into the mirror caused a tingle of shock to run through my heart. Caramel walked up to the sink next to me and started to rinse his hooves off. Shit, John. I shook the excess water from my hands and grabbed some paper towels. Naturally, he looked up at the only human he's ever seen and our eyes met. I smiled nonchalantly and walked out. The inner voice was screaming and hollering at me. FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!! CLOSE John. Too close.

For the rest of the evening, I watched the door like it was gonna sprout legs and take off running. The moment I saw him leave, I would excuse myself from the table and follow him out. Find where he lives. That was the important part. Where does he sleep? He was there with friends this evening. Hopefully, they wouldn't get in the way or change the plans. I was only half paying attention to the conversation between Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

"John? JOHN!" I looked over at them.

"What?"

"Are you okay? You're being awfully quiet. If you'd like to leave, that's fine." Rarity suggested. I smiled disarmingly.

"Y'all don't worry about me, I'm alright." Rarity looked less than satisfied.

"Well, I think its time to leave. It is getting late and the day has just been DRAGGING by." Pinkie nodded in agreement. Well, John, you can't sit here all night alone. That would be too suspicious. I pulled a bag of bits out and paid the bill for the girls. As one, we got up to leave and walked into the night.

The clock up on the town hall read 9:30. Shit, when was he coming out? Pinkie Pie and Rarity felt like standing with me for a few minutes while I smoked a cigarette, but it wasn't long before they left for home. I'd have walked them to their doors, but being a gentleman was the farthest thing from my mind.

I was leaning against the wall in the shadows a few building down from the restaurant. Taking a drag on my cigarette and exhaling slowly, I finally saw the target coming out of the front door, laughing and carrying on with the small group of friends. I almost thought I needed to change position, but they moved away down the street towards the outside of town. Still loudly talking and laughing, one by one they parted off and entered their own homes and I continued following the... well, the caramel pony. Hah. Caramel. Not light enough to be vanilla, not dark enough to be chocolate. Caramel fit.

Just when I thought it was going to be forever before he got to his house, the two remaining ponies came to a step in front of a two story, brick home. It was a nice place, but what I noticed the most was the spiky holly bushes planted around the house, mostly under the windows. Someone either likes those pokey bastards or they don't want folks peeking inside.

Caramel stood with his friend out in the front yard for what seemed like hours, just bullshitting. I patiently waited a little ways off, just far enough away that they wouldn't notice me, but close enough that I could still see detail and hear the conversation.

"Alright, I'll catch you later!" Finally.

I was pleased when I saw Caramel step up to the door and turn the knob, letting himself in. No locks on the door. Someone went to all that trouble to put up thief deterrent, but they leave the doors unlocked. I filed that away for later in the important information part of my brain and moved directly across the street from the house. The top floor window lit up for a few minutes and flashed off. Bedroom? Slowly, my plan was coming together.

I was glad AJ let me off of work for the next couple of days to heal, because I would never have been able to do what I was planning. I stood on the outside of town the next day watching Caramel's house. The front door stayed closed for most of the morning, but I hoped he didn't leave before I got there that morning. Would have been nice if I had someone to stand around and wait out here for me while I left. Yeah, and if a frog had wings, it wouldn't bump its ass every time it jumped.

A cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other, I hoped I looked about as casual as a human in Equestria could look. At around 10 or so, the door finally opened up and Caramel walked out into the morning sunlight. Bingo. He walked off into the town... probably headed for the market. I snubbed out the cigarette and took a sip of coffee before setting the cup down in the grass at my feet. Okay, John. You've got about 15 minutes to get in there and get out. I had no idea when he would be back, but I was eager to go and I was running out of time. Quick walking towards the back of the house, I started looking for a basement window. There. Between the bushes, low to the ground. I laid down on my stomach and looked in.

Through the darkness, the basement looked like a maze. Stacks of cardboard boxes were everywhere, but I found what I was looking for. A staircase led up from the center of the room up towards the first floor. Good. Now, I have a general idea of where the basement door was. Captain Armor told me to look in the basement for the real Caramel (if this was the real deal) and go from there.

I pushed on the window; of course it was latched from the inside. Okay, back door. I got up and came up the back step and tried the knob. It turned and the door clicked open. Well, would you look at that. I stepped inside and took my boots off. No sense in leaving a trail of dirt through the house for him... it... whatever to see later. Hey, John. Breaking and entering. Been a while since you've done that, huh? I grinned momentarily at thoughts of my childhood, but quickly pushed them from my mind. Focus. Can't start reminiscing now. I picked up my boots and moved quietly through the spacious kitchen.

I looked around while I was in there. Empty bags of sugar littered the counter top. Interesting. I walked on, finding a door and opening it. The basement. Good. I passed that one up and walked around the downstairs. A simple set of furniture and a fireplace were in the living room. Noted. I quickly climbed up the stairs in the living room up to the second level. 9 minutes, John.

Moving upstairs, I noticed the creaks of the steps as I climbed. Skip step 3 on the way up. Skip step 9 on the way up. I got to the top of the landing and looked around. Two doors at the front of the house where I saw the lights come on the night before. The bathroom door on the left was open, but the other one was empty. Bedroom maybe? I moved towards it and tried the knob. It clicked open and swung slowly inwards. The bedroom was a rat's nest compared to the rest of the house. The bed was unmade and garbage was randomly thrown about, mostly in the form of empty bags of sugar. Hey, lots of folks have messy rooms, right? But so far, it was all adding up to mean one thing. 6 minutes.

I closed the door and headed downstairs. Basement time. I opened that door and started down the stairs into the dark area below the house. Light streamed in through the leaves on the bushes outside, dimly illuminating the room. I started sifting through boxes trying to find the cocoon, but the stacked cardboard was just the beginning of the mess downstairs. Small piles of trash were scattered all across the floor. Weaving my way through stacks of old newspapers and shredded boxes, I didn't worry about making more of a mess; it would have been impossible to fuck this place up anymore than it was. 4 minutes before I needed to get out.

It wasn't too much longer before the entire basement was cleared and I was empty handed. Dammit. Even with everything else in the house, I couldn't just kill the thing and run the risk of... well, murder. Sure you can, John. Its not like you haven't ever done it before. Shut up.

I stood upright in the middle of the room. Shit, I needed to figure something out fast. 3 minu- sheeit. I heard the front door open upstairs and the clip clop of hooves on the hardwood floor. I looked straight up at the ceiling. Caramel was standing right above me, but so was something else. A large, green sack was plastered to the ceiling above me against the support beams of the house. Bingo. The cocoon was cloudy on the inside, but I could still make out the basic shape of a stallion through the green muck. There he is. Close enough for government work, right?

I didn't dare take a breath. There was a changeling upstairs. All of the sudden, this harebrained idea was seeming pretty fucked up at the moment. I didn't do this back on Earth. They always told me who the bad guys were and they always had the intel already gathered. Regardless of the quality, intel was something. Oh come on. Military intelligence... Isn't. The hoofsteps stopped somewhere around the kitchen area. Please tell me I didn't make a noticeable mess upstairs. Please tell me I'm not stuck down here for the day. Please tell me I'm not about to get completely owned by a bug-pony. This solo bullshit wasn't part of my job description. I always worked in a team. Always had someone watching my back. And there wasn't any of THIS sneaky bullshit involved. I wish I had my rifle.

After a long few minutes, the hoofsteps moved out of the kitchen towards the front of the house and thankfully, the door opened and closed. Fuck me. I think I just lucked out. Mental note: Make sure someone knows where I am before I leave and do something like this again. I stood stock still for a few minutes to make sure it wasn't in the house anymore. Satisfied, I quietly moved towards the basement window to get ready for my entry later that night. One unlatched and slightly ajar window later and I was ready to get the hell out of Dodge.

Moving quickly and quietly, I surveyed the entire downstairs again. Sitting room, fireplace, couches etc. Okay, time to get out. I pulled my boots on at the back door and pushed it open, walking casually out and around the house. As far as I knew, nobody saw me go in or leave and I was happy with that. Breathing a sigh of relief and picking up my now cold cup of coffee, I started to walk away and lit a cigarette to calm my nerves. Whatever happened to cutting back, John? Fuck you. I shook my head and walked towards the market, thinking to myself of ways to do this better in the future.

If I had to.

I got back into the cottage around noon and found Fluttershy in the kitchen cleaning up after feeding the animals their lunch.

"Hey Fluttershy, my stitches come out tomorrow. Do you think you could help me with getting them taken care of?"

"I would be happy to, John. But you should ask Rarity to do it. She can control the scissors a little better than I can." Oh. Right.

"Just a thought. By the way, tonight I'm gonna be a little busy so don't expect me to be home until late. I won't feel bad if you don't wait up for me." She smiled and nodded.

"Just be careful. You won't be drinking, will you?" I laughed.

"Nah, not tonight. Don't you worry about me, darlin'. I'll be ok."

"Oh. Okay. I have some things in town to take care of, so I'll be back later."

"Sounds good. Have you seen Angel around?" She thought for a moment.

"I think he's sleeping in today. Look on the couch." I nodded.

"I'll take care of the rest of these dishes if you want to go ahead and leave."

"Well... Okay. I'll see you later, John." She left the kitchen and grabbed her bags. "Goodbye Angel Bunny! Be a good boy!" The front door opened and closed and I got to work cleaning up the kitchen. Fifteen minutes and a stack of clean dishes later, I was standing in a clean kitchen.

I wonder if Fluttershy has anything black that would fit me... Lord knows my white-ass arms could be seen pretty clearly in the darkness. I walked into the living room and found the little white rabbit relaxing on the furniture. I sat down on the end of the couch and nudged the little bunny.

"Angel... Angel... Hey buddy, its time to make good on that little favor you owe me." He regarded me with a nasty look, but sat up and crossed his arms giving me the 'Yeah yeah, what do you want?' look I've come accustomed to getting from him.

"You're being sworn to secrecy right now, got it? A single word or chitter or whatever the fuck and I'll turn you into a stew and eat the evidence." He rolled his eyes and held up his right paw. Okay, okay. "I'm doing some pretty dangerous shit tonight, follow me?" He seemed to look intrigued for the first time... Ever.

"You're gonna help me anyway I need, got it?" He shook his head vigorously. "YOU aren't doing anything except for keepin' your mouth shut unless somethin' happens." The rabbit gave me an exasperated sigh and nodded reluctantly. "First things first, does Fluttershy have anything black to wear?" The rabbit bounded over to a closet at the other wall. Digging through the bottom, he found an old, black turtlenecked sweater.

"Oh man, that's... perfect." I picked it up and found a small embroidered marking that made me smile. "Of course Rarity made this." I put it on over my shirt and found that it was pretty snug, but it covered what it need to. "Okay, second thing. And I promise this is it, okay?" He crossed his arms and stamped his foot. 'C'mon... gettin' bored here.'

"If I'm not back here before sunrise, I need you to tell Fluttershy that I'm in trouble. Tell her that I'm in trouble and she needs to get Twilight to send Shining Armor down here to Ponyville and find me at Caramel's house. Do you know where that is?" The rabbit nodded slowly. At least he was taking this seriously, now.

"That's all I'll ever ask you to do, okay? You keep it a secret unless I say and you get to stay out of the bunny fire. You DO know what a bunny fire is, don't you?" Angel looked worried for a moment, but he nodded. "Cool." I picked him up and set him on the couch.

"Thanks bud. And don't forget." He stretched languidly and laid back down for another nap as I turned and headed for the bedroom to sit and gather my thoughts. Shedding the sweater and laying on the bed, I started to outline my plan.

Alright, John. First things first, I should probably wait for the changeling to get inside before I try to get into the house. Enter through the basement. Verify that the cocoon is still there, secure and intact. I can't cut him loose right away, its just never a good idea to have the victims moving around and flailing and talking when you're trying to be quiet. Move upstairs. Verify downstairs is clear. I should probably find a weapon or something.

Digging through a drawer for cutlery would be stupid. Too noisy. What about the fireplace? There should be something around there worth finding. Check it. Move up the stairs, skipping steps three and nine. Check the bathroom for occupants and move to the bedroom door. This is where it gets iffy. Changelings aren't nocturnal, but the books suggested they go through periods of rest in which they go into a 'light, sleep-like state' for a half hour or so at a time. This one doesn't get its rests during the day, so unless it stays disguised as Caramel during the night, it could either be awake or asleep.

I figure, the best way to tell this is if you can hear the wings humming periodically. So, listen at the door for that. Something else to worry about: Horns. Yes, changelings have a unicorn-like horn that they use for magic, but there's a set of sharp... I guess antlers would be the best way to describe them, which they use for defense and show.

Getting the drop on the creature would be practically necessary. From there... Well, I'll play it by ear. Kill it, save the stallion, go home. Shining Armor will probably get the news on his own and I'll see him at the ball anyways.

I rolled off the bed and did a few push ups, working out some of the nervous energy. What happens if it all goes south? I wasn't worried so much about myself as I was everyone else. Yeah, Angel was gonna let folks know what happened, but what about after? Captain made it sound like there were more ponies out there that needed help. More changelings that needed attention. He can't deal with it. The guard not taking care of this shit was understandable. Its not like what I did earlier was perfectly legal, you know?

What about my promise to Princess Luna? Continue being a service to Equestria. Well, I was. But if I died, its not like I can keep doing it. I lay on my stomach on the floor and thought about dying... again. It wasn't fun the first time... and there wasn't another Equestria waiting for me when I wake up this time.

What about Rarity? I promised to be more smart about this shit, right? Well John, its not like you didn't make that promise a hundred times before. I know. Some promises you make just to make the other person feel better. What momma don't know won't hurt her, right? Well, she's damn sure gonna know if you get your ass killed. No kidding.

With a heavy sigh, I stood up and went to the kitchen. Time to find some food.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Help Fluttershy with some animals. Sit around the house. Lots of pacing. Jesus, John. You need to calm down. You never used to do this before a mission. What's wrong with you? Shit. Maybe it had something to do with the lack of help, the lack of good knowledge, and no boomstick? Truth be told, I didnt really know what was so weird about this. Three months ago... Literally RIGHT before you got here, you killed a man. This is nothing. Sure. Nothing. Because pointing a gun barrel at someone and pulling the trigger is so much like killing something in its sleep with whatever you had to bludgeon it with.

I was over thinking it. The only part that doesn't get easier is the time right before the green light. The anticipation. The waiting. That's when you get the time to really let what you're doing sink in.

Just don't think about it. You've got this.

Easier said than done.

Darkness started to creep in around the cottage. Sighing, I went into the front room to find Fluttershy on the couch reading a book.

"Fluttershy, I found this sweater in a closet today." I said, showing her the turtleneck. Looking up from her book, she took a moment to figure out what I was talking about.

"Oh that. Rarity made that years ago. She gave it to me last winter when it froze so badly."

"Do you think I could borrow it for a while?"

"Oh, of course! I don't think I need it. If you do, you should take it."

"Thanks. I'm going to head out for the night. I'll see you later!" She smiled and went back to her book, oblivious to what I was going out to do. I walked outside, pulling the door shut behind me. Putting the sweater on, I stood out on the lawn and turned to face the house.

"I will be back. I will be back. I will be back." My little ritual done, I moved out towards town, determined to see this through to the end... and drink a beer on the front porch when all is said and done.

The long walk ahead of me gave me plenty of time to over think again, but nothing pushed its way into my brain. Nothing important anyways. Arrow and Cross were coming into town in a couple of days to pick Rarity and I up. Arriving at the ball in a Royal Chariot... How cool was that? If something like this ever comes up again, I'd have to get Rarity to make me a couple of American flags to hang up on the front corners. Represent the homeland, right? I laughed out loud at myself and my train of thought jumped to something else.

Man, I miss eating meat. I wonder if there's a place in Canterlot where I can at least get some fish or chicken. Beef sounds really good though. My mouth watered at the thought of a medium-rare steak. Oh, hell yes. The trip seemed to go quicker than normal, but I still got into town just as the sun went down. Okay, get into position.

The trick to not standing out, regardless of the situation was to act like you belonged where you were. Granted, humans don't really 'belong' in Equestria in the first place. Not to mention everyone knew me by sight, but that was besides the point. It would look ten times worse if I was creeping around in the shadows.

A few folks were out and headed home. It was about that time anyways. As long as nobody saw me go into my waiting area I was good. I approached the house at a steady pace. Making sure no one was around and watching, I ducked into a small corner and sat down on the grass in the shadows. No smoking John. You don't need to smell like smoke now. Recon. Dammit, John... You need to take more time for recon next time.

I waited for what felt like several hours, tensed and ready to go. Scanning the parts of the street I could see, I noted every movement in the back of my head. Anything that looked out of place was checked, double checked and triple checked until I was satisfied that it belonged there. After an eternity of waiting, I could hear the clip clop of hooves coming up the street.

Talking.

Laughing.

I lucked out that the changeling worked a routine. The two ponies, "Caramel" and his friend that walked with him the night before came into view and headed towards Caramel's door.

"Hey man, you take care. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Right! Later, Caramel!"

The changeling moved towards the door and opened it, leaving his friend to walk off into the night alone. Routine wasn't something you wanted to follow if you were serious about avoiding detection, but it seemed the creature was comfortable in his secrecy. Good. He won't expect the next few minutes then. He closed the door behind him and the street was quiet again. A few minutes later, just as expected, the lights on the upstairs came on, stayed lit for a few minutes and went out. Okay. Give it about ten and head inside.

The anticipation was killing me. Subconsciously, my hand went for my cigarettes. No, John. When its over. I silently cursed myself and waited it out. After eight long, agonizing minutes I slowly stood up. Leaning out to make sure no one was around, I quickly crossed the street, the toes of my boots making a soft click on the cobblestones.

Back in the shadows again, I moved quietly towards that back of the house where I left the basement window just open enough to allow entry. Crawling through the holly, cursing it silently the entire time, I slipped into the basement and landed quietly on a flattened box. I crouched there in the darkness, listening for any noise upstairs. Satisfied with the silence, I quietly walked over to where I saw the cocoon earlier.

Still there, aren't ya buddy? Striking a match and holding it up for light, I could see the green, fluid-filled sack knew he was. I'll be back for you in a minute. Slowly moving my way up the stairs, I became conscious of every little sound. Every creak. Every pop. Every step. My entire body tensed to turn the knob on the basement door.

The dark house was silent and I could hardly see three feet in front of me, slowing me down further. It was a good thing I came in here beforehand... Navigating a strange house in the dark was a bitch. Probing the darkness softly with the toe of my boots, I tried carefully to not make any noise tripping over shit that might be laying out.

The downstairs was clear. No nothing. No movement, no life. Nada. Moonlight streamed in through the window in the first room, bathing the furniture in a soft light. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glint of metal. The fireplace. I walked slowly towards it and found what I was looking for. A small stand was set up just to the right of the couch, holding various items.

A small broom. Shovel. Fire poker. Fuckin' right. Removing it from the stand, I hefted the heavy brass rod. It would have to do. And boy, I bet it would. Crude, but in the right hands, it could do considerable damage. Shit, you would be surprised what something as simple as a rock could do to someone's head.

Back to the stairs. I didn't dare take my boots off. Barefoot fighting was not fun and the boots I had on my feet could be used as better weapons than my bare feet. Steel-toed boots would have been better, but I've been kicked with enough Ariats to know that they hurt pretty fuckin' bad. I moved up the stairs slowly. One. Two. Skip. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Skip. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Good. I paused again at the top of the landing. No noise. No movement. Go. I slowly moved past the bannister and moved for the door.

I crouched on the outside of the bedroom and listened intently. Silence. I waited. Frozen in place waiting for any kind of indication of the status of the changeling inside. I heard a slight shift behind the door and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as my senses sharpened.The water faucet in the bathroom was dripping slowly. A dog barked outside. Clouds moved over the moon and dimmed the available light even further.

A soft snore arose from the room. Okay, John. Its now or never. I paused in my crouch. A couple of slow breaths entered and exited my lungs and I turned the knob on the door silently. Pushing the door open slowly and moving into the room, I could make out a covered form on the bed.

The changeling.

It.

I moved forward quietly and lifted the poker, ready to shove it into my target. I paused over the dark shape. A couple of deep breaths. One. Two. Three.

I put all of my weight into the tool, shoving it deep into where I guessed the heart would be. There was relatively little resistance, surprisingly enough. Isn't there supposed to be some kind of shell? Not if he isn't changed back. I pulled the poker out and reached forward to pull the sheets back.

Only to find a couple of pillows.

Nothing... Awwww FUCK.

Before I could turn around, a heavy weight landed in the small of my back, knocking me to the floor. Dammit, John... Why? Why are you so fucking stupid? The changeling's hiss and buzzing wings were loud in the silence of the house.

Don't think.

Don't think.

React.

I tried to roll, but the creature was heavy and balancing itself well on my back. I swung wildly behind my head with the fire poker in my hand and felt something connect. A high pitched squeal escaped its mouth and it staggered off of me onto the floor. I pulled myself up to a crouch and stood up. The changeling was messing with something; its form was low against the floor. Now, John.

Now.

I dove across the room and was immediately kicked in the shoulder. Pain exploded through that side of my body, but the adrenaline was running thick and I didn't give a shit anymore.

It was surreal. I felt myself get up on my hands and knees and leap onto the things back. It knew I was back there and immediately started to try and buck me off. Its wings fluttered like crazy, but it failed to dislodge me. Think, John! THINK! It stopped bucking momentarily and I took the poker and held it against the creatures throat, grabbing both ends.

The book said the neck was flexible, but tough and quite possibly, one of the more vulnerable parts. Was I strong enough? I pulled with all of my might on the poker, trying to strangle the creature under me.

It wasn't working. The creature screamed wildly and redoubled its efforts to throw me off. I'd never ridden a bull before. Not like this, but I held on for dear life hoping that it would tire out soon. Suddenly, something snapped inside my head.

Fuck.

This.

Bug.

"C'MON, BOY! I'VE TAKEN SHITS BIGGER THAN YOU!" It screeched again and readied itself for a strong buck. I kicked out as hard as I could into its knee joint and earned a little crack. The bug fell sideways with me still on its back. With all of my strength, I lodged my free knee in the back of its neck and pushed.

No?

Fine.

Fuck you.

I relaxed a little and pulled the fire iron up violently, killing the screech with a crunch.

I lost my grip on the iron and the changeling skittered away from me across the floor, beating its wings wildly and crashing into the walls. I pulled myself to a wall and sat down with my back against it, catching my breath and watching a dark shape move around the floor. The clouds parted and exposed the room, letting light shine into the room and allowing me to see my quarry more clearly.

Its fanged jaws opened and closed repeatedly; I could have guessed what it was doing. The crunch was my poker breaking the shell and completely closing off the changeling's lungs from the air.

The bug's fluttering wings slowed as it suffocated. Its erratic movements tapered off gradually until it was still. The deed was done.

Still panting, I reached into my boot. Pulling out a horribly bent smoke and striking the last surviving match against my face, I lit my cigarette and took a deep drag.

"Goodnight, Gracie."

Author's Note

My pre-readers had a concern with how this just seemed to fall into John's lap. There was no real build up, and honestly, there could be another complete chapter written to draw this out.
This is true.
But it was really meant to be like that. Yeah, I know, plot development and all that, but sometimes... IRL... Shit just falls into your lap and you gotta move on it. Intel sources are usually the last thing you would think of; Pinkie being the VERY last pony that he would ever ask about something like this.

In short, I know... Its sudden. But shit tends to happen.

Finally, I found a really sad fic that hasn't gotten a whole lot of recognition. Yeah, its a little different. The author even admitted it was a little contrived, but it was good nonetheless.
Auld Lang Syne. Check it out. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/76032/auld-lang-syne