Breathtaking

Well the workin' man does his best to provide
Safety and shelter for kids and a wife
Givin' a little of his soul every day
Makin' overtime to keep the wolves away

My eyes opened the next day while the daylight spilled into the room around me. I started to lift myself off the cot and look around, but a hoof gently pushed me back down.

"Easy, Mr. Marshall. Relax for a moment. Take a few breaths; you're gonna be okay." I looked around again, this time seeing the chocolate-colored pegasus mare.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the Las Pegasus Royal Guard Barracks. I'm Rain Maker, one of the resident medics. Take it easy for a minute and I'll bring you something to drink."

As she trotted out of the room, I sat up slowly. Royal Guard Barracks, huh? The sterile, white room was glaring into my eyes when I realized I was in something that looked like a drunk tank. I felt myself over, making sure I still had everything important. Luckily, no one found the knife at the small of my back and breathing a sigh of relief; I pulled up on of the legs of my jeans and put it safely in a boot. A minute later, the mare returned with a cup of water that I graciously accepted. She sat down and regarded me with a concerned look.

"Mind telling me what happened?" she asked. I felt my face. The pain I was rewarded with told me everything I needed to know about how I looked.

"I pissed off the wrong pony, apparently." She chuckled.

"Las Pegasus has a way of finding ponies that you don't want to do that to."

"Yeah. Some asshat that didn't like it when I pointed out he was a sore loser," I said with a wince. Moving my face too much hurt like hell.

"Well, making someone look like a mule isn't usually advisable." I looked at her pointedly.

"Oh really? I just figured he was doin' it so well on his own, he had to know already." Her gaze moved over my face.

"Well, he must have not thought so." I sighed and took another sip of water.

"I guess my next question would be: why am I here?" Slowly, she explained the situation.

"You were found by hotel staff in your room, unconscious. The royal guard was contacted and we picked you up."

"Y'all make a report?" I asked, curious.

"Word was sent to the Captain of the Guard this morning. We're waiting on a reply." Almost as quickly as she said it, somepony walked in with a piece of parchment. Rain stood up quickly and snapped a sharp salute.

"Lieutenant! Any news from Canterlot?" The older stallion nodded slowly.

"We're to take Mr. Marshall to Canterlot as soon as possible. Is he ready to travel?" The subordinate nodded once.

"Yes sir, I-" Quickly, I interrupted and stood up.

"No, I don't think I'll be goin' just yet." The lieutenant looked at me in alarm.

"What did you-"

"I said, I'm not goin'. I'll report back in a couple of days and go then." The officer looked angry. Like nopony had ever talked to him like that before.

"By order of the Royal Guard, you are to accompany me immediately!" I laughed.

"What are you gonna do? Arrest me?" He scowled menacingly.

"You're surrounded by a garrison of Her Majesty's Royal Guard. What's stopping me?" I laughed in his face at that.

"Sir, with all due respect: Go fuck yourself. I'm not a citizen of Equestria, I'm not a subordinate of yours and even if I was a member of the Guard, you wouldn't have authority over me and you damn sure wouldn't be in my leadership. Now, I'm not askin'," I said, drawing myself to my full height, "I'm tellin' you that I'll be back to 'surrender myself into your custody' another time." I grabbed all of my salvaged personal effects including my clothes and smokes and grabbed somepony's pack from the main room, cramming my stuff inside of it. "And I'm borrowing this."

I started to walk out of the barracks with the stallion sputtering and spitting in my wake. I tuned him out. John, what are you doing? I thought you already decided to go home?

Shit changed. I've got something to take care of.

I came back to Light City that evening after dark. Just as before, when I was stalking the changeling, I could in no way be subtle about public movement, so I had to settle with incredibly casual. I stepped into the bar and immediately caught the attention of everypony inside, bartender included. I came up to the bar and sat down on a stool.

"Miss, do you remember that amazing tip I gave ya last time?" She scanned my face and saw the grotesque bruises Sharky left the other night. Her eyes softened knowingly.

"Yes," she said finally.

"Mind buyin' me a beer while I ask you some questions?" She walked off and popped the top on a beer while I lit a smoke. They might have smashed the packs, but most of them were just bent a little... It all smoked the same, trust me. Hesitant at first, the barmaid placed the bottle in front of me and leaned her forelegs on the bar so we could hold our hushed conversation.

"So what happened?"

"Stuff. I wanna know everything you got on that Sharky character." She shook her head vigorously.

"No."

"I'm not gonna say a thing. You gonna say somethin'? They won't hear it," I said as I waved in the direction of the other patrons across the bar. "Just between us. Talk to me." Again, she looked around and frowned.

"Okay, okay." I turned my ear towards her and kept watch while she talked. "He's wanted for a lot of things, but mostly bribing local police, various acts of violence and a few extortion jobs." I nodded, signaling that I was still listening.

"Where is he usually? I imagine the police haven't caught him yet because of the bribes. Like you said, he isn't subtle."

"If he's not out mixing in the casinos, he's in the Lucky no.7."

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's a small bar a few blocks west down the next street North along the Strip."

"Does he keep an entourage with him?"

"Just a couple of stallions, but that's a private bar and a syndicate hideout. You won't find any friends inside." She added quickly.

"Won't need 'em." I said, draining the rest of the beer and standing up. "Thanks for the drink."

"Mr. Marshall, don't do anything. He's dangerous. You've already seen this." I looked her dead in the eyes, holding her gaze for a few seconds before speaking.

"You and Sharky both made the same mistake." She looked at me, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You've both assumed that I'm nothin' to worry about."

With that said I tossed the cigarette butt on the floor and ground it out with my boot, my knife rubbing comfortably against my ankle while I stepped towards the door.

"Mr. Marshall," she called back to me. I turned around as I touched the swinging front door. She walked around from behind the bar and came up to me.

"He'll be using the back door... Be careful." I nodded and walked off wordlessly into the night.

Lucky no.7 was easy to find. It was just like she said: a couple of blocks to the west. It was the only bar up or down the street that I could see, but nobody moved around outside of it aside from a burly bouncer. Casually, I ducked into the alley that ran behind the row of buildings, looking for a place to observe from. Five minutes later, I was perched on the third floor fire escape of an apartment building across the corner from the speakeasy.

The alley was empty. I had almost expected a doorman at the back, but some kind of surveillance even more so. Nothing stirred back there for hours, but I kept my focus on the door, glancing around every once in a while to make sure no one else was coming along to see me.

It was well past midnight when the back door finally opened and out came Sharky and several other ponies. After a brief conversation and some laughing, they split ways. I heard their last words to each other: an arrangement to meet up and get ready for another job. Well boys, it's too bad you won't be seein' him much longer. I put out my cigarette and started my quiet climb down.

Sharky had already made it to the end of the alley by the time I climbed down and started my pursuit properly, careful to stay in the shadows and not make too much noise. He walked slowly and alone. His self-assurance in a place like this would be his mistake. My words to him the other night played back in my head. You might scare everybody else, but yer gonna have to try just a little harder with me.

A few blocks more to the west and the town continued to get a little more seedy. Trash blew in the wind and the buildings were in a state of disrepair. My target came to a street corner and stopped, looking around expectantly. Slowly, out of the shadows came a mare. I couldn't see her that well, but in the quiet night, I easily heard the conversation.

"Hey baby. You lookin' for a good time?"

"Oh yeah, sweetie. Why don't we go back to my place and work something out?"

"I'm yours for the night, handsome!" I felt myself deflate. It was a goddamn hooker.

John, I'd say tonight is scrapped. Follow him to his place and come back when she leaves.

I followed, listening to the conversation and keeping my distance just in case.

"You remember the place, right girl?"

"How could I forget?" So... It's habitual.

"You just wait for tonight, doll... I'll give you something you'll die thinking of." Something about the inflection in his voice sounded to me like it would be just a little more than his dick. I continued to monitor him intently. A short walk later and Sharky and his escort turned towards a small house and walked up to the door. 247 Oak Leaf Street. Done deal, John. now bug out. No... Something isn't right. Sharky opened the door and pushed the professional girl inside roughly.

"Hey!" She said in protest.

"Shut up, bitch," he said quickly and closed the door behind them. Shit, John. Now what? Gonna be a Peeping Tom? This isn't good. I quickly approached the house and saw a light flip on towards the back. Muffled talking could be heard through the window of the room. I sat under the windowsill and listened in.

"Hey baby, it's all good. You know I like it a little rough!" the mares voice rose up again in reply.

"That's gonna cost extra this time, stud. My boss doesn't like it when you mishandle his girls."

"If he wants to say anything, he can say it to my face. He knows where to find me." I heard the bed creak as the two ponies flopped onto it and started to get busy. I moved around to the back of the house and looked for a way in. The back door I found was locked. This isn't Ponyville, John. They're a little more cautious here. Yeah, yeah.

I found a window to open and inspected it for weakness. The panes looked weak as hell, but they would still make noise if I broke them. I pulled my knife out of the sheath and started to work on the molding between the panes. If I could get one loose, I could reach through the hole and unlock the window. It was then that I heard the headboard in the next room start bouncing off the wall. You're too busy to hear anything now, chico.

I worked slowly, trying to quietly whittle away enough wood to loosen the glass from the window. Get in, get some intelligence and get out. It took a couple of minutes, but finally the pane fell out into my palm. After setting it down in the grass, I reached inside and flipped the latch to release the window, allowing me to slide it up. Softly and quietly, I climbed through; once again careful not to make my presence known. After I got in, I pulled the blinds behind me, concealing the open window.

The room I came into looked like a small office. A couple of filing cabinets stood in the corner and a large desk sat facing the door. I poked around a little in my search for something that would give me a clue to what his habits were. I saw the closet and desk as potential goldmines, but was interrupted by the sound of a voice traveling through the house. I noticed too late that the headboard wasn't making any noise anymore.

"I'll be right back. Gonna grab something to... enhance the experience."

Fuck.

I quickly slid under the desk, almost completely hidden, but not if he came in and spent any time looking around. My heart jumped in my chest when the door opened and the light came on. With my knife at the ready and tensed to strike, I waited for him to find me coiled under the desk.

Fuck John... Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Shit Fuck Fuck

Sharky's hoofsteps drew close, started to come around the side of the desk and I tensed further. Easy, John... Easy.

I heard a cabinet open and some keys jingle before he moved away and towards the closet. Things were shuffled around inside and I heard the telltale click of a lock and a door creaking open. A safe, huh? Worth inspection. A few moments later and the keys landed on the desk with a clatter and the door to the room closed behind him. I waited for a couple of beats before coming out of my hiding place and snagging the keys from the desk. After a quick search of the closet, I found the wall safe partly hidden behind a couple of coats. Fur coats. Well, son of a bitch. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. The guy was into a lot of shady bullshit, why not illegal furs?

The safe opened easily and inside I found a lot more than I expected. Several small packets of white powder sat atop a huge sack stuffed with bits. My bits. I thought to myself. I heard a loud snort from the next room and shook my head. Before too much longer, the headboard of the bed started banging against the wall again. Shoving the drugs in my pocket and tossing the bits into my pack, I closed the safe and made for the window. Raised voices stopped me in my tracks.

"What are you doing?!"

"Shut up!"

"That hurts! Get your hooves off me!"

"Shut UP!" I heard a struggle and a cry of pain. I fucking knew it. Strangled cries squeaked out of her mouth and the bed slammed harder against the wall. What to do, John... Be a good guy tonight, or play it safe? I hesitated at the window. No. I had to, now.

Quietly, I moved to the door and pushed my way into the hall, knife at the ready. She cried out again and I heard the sound of him hitting her. I eased the pack off my back and creaked open the bedroom door to peek inside. Sharky had his hooves pressed against her throat and was seriously gettin' after it. Slowly and carefully, I moved into the room in a slight crouch, quietly stalking up behind the pony. I saw the mare's eyes bulging and her struggle became weaker and weaker. Sharky had his perpetual grin plastered across his face. Fucking psychotic asshole. Anything that would have been in my mind keeping me from harming a pony was gone and I set my jaw.

Ready, John? 3.... 2.... 1.... Go.

I leapt from behind him, throwing my arm around his neck and catching him completely by surprise. My full weight against his back caused him to collapse on top of his victim. In a quick movement, I slid the knife between the two bottom ribs, aiming for the kidneys or the bottom of a lung. A surprised cough escaped the stallion and he tensed. Gripping his sides with my knees, I rolled off the bed, pulling him off the mare and crashing to the floor with his back on top of my chest. I lost my breath for a second, but never let go of my grip. As soon as he was removed, the mare coughed and sputtered; her voice was hoarse and weak. Sharky struggled briefly on top of me, his legs flailing uselessly in the air as I pulled his head back towards mine and whispered in his ear.

"Better to be a monkey with a knife than a prick mob boss with a mean streak." His eyes opened wide in recognition and he coughed a few more times, producing a little blood.

I slid the knife out of his side and plunged it back in lower all the way to the hilt. I felt his body shudder under the trauma I was causing to his system. I twisted the blade in his side, shredding anything around it and inflicting massive amounts of pain that caused him to cry out... as much as he could. I could feel the wind whistling through the hole next to my arm, blood bubbling and frothy with air. For the first time, the smile was replaced with shock and terror.

I removed the blade and plunged it back in, closer to the heart this time and further tearing apart the wounded lung.

"Wha.... wha.... wha..."

"What's the matter? Monkey got your tongue?"

"Wha.... wha..... wha..."

My reply was to remove the knife from his side, turn it over in my hand and hold it in front of his face, showing him the color of his own blood.

"How's it feel, Chuckles? Think you're ever gonna smile again?" He started to struggle harder while the drugs in his system barely kept him conscious. "You let me live. You shouldn't have. I'm not all that sorry to say that I won't be extendin' you the same courtesy."

"Wha... wait." He finally croaked out. Quickly, I jammed the knife into his throat, opening his windpipe and severing his carotid artery. The tip of the blade didn't stop until it slammed against his spine. I felt the life ebb from his body slowly, eventually going limp. I held him tight for another thirty seconds, making sure I didn't feel a heartbeat or his chest rise with breath. When I was satisfied, I pulled my knife out and pushed his lifeless form off me. The hooker was wheezing slightly on the bed, still largely unaware of what just happened.

I wiped the blood off my knife on Sharky's dead body before slowly standing up and getting a good look at the poor mare. She looked at me and her eyes went wide at the sight of all the blood. If she could have screamed, she might have, but her throat was still in too much pain to form words. I looked at her stoically and eased her fears... Slightly.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, but if you say a word about this, I'll make sure somepony visits you in the night. Do you understand?" She nodded slowly and massaged her neck. I moved out into the hall to grab my bag. Dumping most of the bits into the pack, I left about three hundred or so in the sack and tossed it on the bed.

"Take that and get out of town. Get a train ticket and don't stop until the railroad ends." She nodded again. "Go. Now." The stern tone I had taken with her galvanized her into action and she picked herself up and left the house as quickly as she could. I thought I scared her enough to keep her trap shut, but you never can tell. Cleanup time, John.

I moved with a purpose. Quickly, I pulled the sheets off the bed and wrapped the body inside of them. I drug it to the hallway towards the middle of the smaller house, ignoring his personal items on the walls. Pictures, presumably of family members, adorned the hallway... just like any normal house. Not my fault you're blood is a psychopathic asshole.

Once making it to the hall, I stripped out of my bloody clothes and put on some clean ones, tossing the stained evidence on the pile of sheets. Searching the kitchen cupboards produced a bottle of kerosene that I dumped all over the pile of shit in the hall, making sure to use every last drop. I noticed that the oven in the kitchen was a gas range, so thinking quickly, I pulled it from the wall and kicked the hose loose, slowly filling the house with gas. I walked back into the hall and lit a cigarette, looking at the bloody mess at my feet.

"Burn in hell, motherfucker."

Dropping the match on the pile and moving to the back door, I started counting down from thirty. I opened the door and stepped into the night.

25... 24... 23... 22...

I picked up the pace as I made my way around the side of the house.

18... 17... 16... 15...

I turned my fast walk into a jog once I hit the street, putting as much distance from me and the house before the attention of the neighborhood would be on me.

10... 9... 8... 7...

The rough estimate proved to be close to correct. A deafening explosion rocked the residential area and I darted into the nearest alley out of sight from the street, once again walking calmly into the night.

It was early morning the next day when I arrived in Canterlot. The chariot landed in a familiar courtyard and I stepped off to walk inside. My transport flew off quickly to report back at Las Pegasus, leaving me alone in the growing light. As I started for the main doors, they slowly opened and out walked the one and only Captain Shining Armor. He strode forward with a confident smile, meeting me halfway between the landing area and the enormous double doors.

"Well, well. If it isn't John Marshall. A pleasure as always to have you here." I blinked owlishly, tired from the journey.

"I'm sure the pleasure is all yours."

"Still an abrasive drunk, I see." I smiled icily at him.

"Still a fuckin' prick, I see." He chuckled and shrugged off the comment.

"You mind telling me why you were so late coming back? I believe I sent for your transport here early yesterday." He said accusingly.

"I had to put some affairs in order before I left that place in the dust. I'm sure you understand." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Yes, it seems that no matter how hard you try, there's always something to take care of. Some kind of trouble."

"Trouble... Sure. At any rate, what does the illustrious Royal Guard need from me that's so damn important?"

"Well Mr. Marshall, this doesn't have anything to do with your extra-curricular activities whatever those might be, but we do need you to do something." He said finally.

"Another changeling to kill, or are you out of the contract killing business?" The captain shook his head.

"No, but close. I do have something to show you, though."

We made our way into the castle and headed down a flight of stairs into a sub-level of the castle that could only be one thing: the dungeon. We took a right down a long corridor lined with solid metal doors. A hundred yards down this long hall, two guards stood on either side of a door. When I approached, I read the words painted on the exterior in red letters.

Extremely Dangerous: Do Not Handle Without Supervision

Shining Armor pulled me into a side room and we sat down. The interrogation room was set up like a police station interview room and sitting chained to the chair while facing the one-way mirror was a changeling drone. Shining looked at me expectantly.

"Well? What do you think?" I shrugged at him.

"Okay? The fuck do you want from me, then?" He closed the door and approached me slowly.

"I felt like you should have a more official role in the activities of the Royal Guard... and the princesses agree. You would be quietly given the special agent rank and authorized a secret clearance in order to grant you access to-" I cut him off there.

"I don't want your position. I don't want rank, I don't want clearance, I don't want shit from you except to leave me the fuck alone. Now tell me what you want so I can say fuck no." Shining Armor shrugged.

"It would be a simple information extraction. Our current operations are privileged information, but essentially, we need more information before we can plan the mission." My interest was piqued.

"I would need to know what kinds of questions to ask. What's the mission?" Shining looked uncomfortable at first, reluctant to say anything.

"Basically a maneuver to find and remove the changeling threat on a... greater scale." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You want me to torture this creature in order to get the information necessary for you to invade and exterminate a race?" Undaunted, Shining Armor continued.

"We haven't had any luck getting it to talk. We need somepony with experience and-"

"That's the thing, Shiney... I don't have that kinda experience." He shook his head.

"Perhaps not, but you've shown a considerable ability to adapt to many adverse situations effectively and deal with other problems creatively. My ponies can't do that nearly as well."

"And you think that would qualify them to attack the enemy at its home?" The captain was silent. "With all due respect... and I mean with ALL due respect... Your best ponies are close to detectives in their skill level and most of the rest are barely better than security guards." His chest puffed out and I held up a hand. "No, captain. You're not gonna convince me otherwise.

"Equestria, other than its problems, is a peaceful place and has been for centuries. You have little to no experience in war other than theory and the brief defense of Canterlot a few years ago. If you'll remember, y'all got yer asses handed to you and YOU weren't even in a position to lead. Your ponies aren't ready for war and they never will be."

He stopped. Instead of protesting, he looked at the creature through the window. I continued my explanation.

"And I'm willin' to bet that your morbid curiosity with death is a sure sign that you've never had a hand in it... or a hoof I should say." He sighed heavily. No longer the tough exterior that he usually showed, he looked more worn down. Tired. A far cry from the hard-ass I usually had to deal with. I let him talk.

"Mr. Marshall... John... The Incursion showed us how unprepared we would be for anything of that type. We need an edge. I have to protect my ponies. It's my responsibility to keep this place safe."

"I understand, but at the time, security is what you need to focus on, not running off into the woods, beating your chest and getting slaughtered for the sake of doing something." He looked at me desperately.

"Then HELP us. Get the changeling to give us something. ANYTHING. Name your price and its yours. We need this." I sighed and shook my head.

"Captain, you're lucky I'm even considering it at this point. It's fast approaching the time when I'll tell you to shove it up your ass." He looked up at me with a somber face.

"If it helps to motivate you, we found this one in Ponyville, too. Lurking around the Carousel Bouti-" I turned and walked out the door to the hallway. My hands shaking, I pulled a cigarette out of a pack and put it in my mouth. The matches wouldn't strike and I dropped four before I finally got the smoke lit. After a deep drag, I walked calmly back inside and pulled Shining Armor close to me by his gold-plated chest piece.

"Tell me everything."

I waited patiently for my face to heal up. A few days after my conversation with Shining Armor, I was getting ready for the interrogation. My blood boiled at the thought of the changeling caught looking into the window of the boutique. It wasn't long before I had the guard move the creature to the cell I wanted to work in. The sterile white of the room Shining had set up wasn't intimidating.

The tools I asked for raised a few eyebrows at first, but the captain quickly signed off on everything I desired. In exchange for my 'specialized services' I was to be granted a home in Ponyville, built to my liking with a small sum of money in addition. The castle architect was sent out to help me draw up designs and make sure it stayed well within the allotted budget. It was still not excessively expensive, coming in at just under what my first job paid out because the material costs were kept low and affordable for the most part and labor wasn't hard to come by. Personally, I was just happy at the prospect of having a place to call my own.

When I wasn't busy with other things, I was spending the time using the Royal Guard's gym, trying desperately to get myself back into the shape I used to be. Pushups and sit-ups every once in a while weren't cutting it and I'd lost a combined twenty pounds since I'd arrived in Equestria. My diet mostly became as much protein I could stand in the form of eggs, beans and fish.

When the day finally rolled around for the job, I woke up and pumped out a couple dozen pushups. A quick workout like that tenses your muscles and makes them look bigger than they are at rest. Shining Armor came to get me in the barracks where I stayed.

"Are you ready, John?"

"More than ready."

We took the trip down to the lowest levels of the dungeon. Updated from the throwbacks of the medieval ages, these rooms were stonewalled, reinforced and slightly modernized. It was installed with another one-way mirror and speakers I specifically asked for. The former so that someone could watch without being seen and the latter for blasting loud noises and music into the room. The soundproofed door made sure nothing was heard outside.

The changeling was moved into the room the week before, given only minimal food and water and subjected to the loudest and most obnoxious music we could find as per my request. At this point, it was suffering from a mild case of sleep deprivation and the beginnings of starvation. The chair it was tied to was the only thing standing in the room other than the small cart full of tools I asked to be wheeled in.

The live and captive changeling was a special case. When they know they're caught, they disguise themselves as ponies in order to elicit feelings of guilt or conscience... even sympathy, hence the "Don't handle without a boss present" sign on the first door.

I stood outside of the room with Shining Armor and looked at him, determined to see this through.

"Are you sure you're ready?" He asked apprehensively.

"Are YOU sure you're ready? This is a whole 'nother ball game. Its more than just killin' somethin'." He nodded so I patted him on the shoulder. "Then get ready to start writing." He walked off into the side room and took a seat, looking at the changeling intently. I stepped in to look at my victim.

"How long since it's had contact with something?"

"About four hours."

"Has it slept at all?" Shining shook his head.

"Briefly a couple of days ago. We started up the speakers a few hours later."

"Good. Shut them off." Shining did as I asked and killed the noise. With a look of surprise, the changeling started turning its head, now confused at what was happening, but still too tired from the lack of sleep and sugar. I stepped out of the room and closed the door, this time pushing open the interrogation room and walking inside. As soon as the door opened, the changeling transformed into an elderly mare.

"Please, sonny... Let me out," it moaned. "I haven't done anything wrong!" Once I stepped into view however, it flashed back to its normal form, hissing at me angrily.

"Yeah, you know who I am." I said calmly. "Do you know what I do to things like you?" It hissed again and tried to buzz its wings. "Yeah, I'm guessing you do. I'm sorta famous around here." Without missing a beat, I picked up a hammer and smashed it down on the creature's knee, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Now, I know you can speak my language, but you ain't. You should probably start that real quick." It started to hiss again and I smashed the other knee, eliciting a similar reaction as before. "Now, look here. I'm gonna ask you a few questions that I already know the answer to. I'm also gonna ask a few questions that I DON'T know the answer to. You don't tell me the truth and you get hurt. It's a pretty simple game, really. You lie and you piss me off. The only rule about this game is that you don't piss me off. Are we clear?"

It hissed again. I crouched in front of it and held the hammer above a foreleg.

"What was that? I didn't quite understand you?" In a flash of green fire, the changeling transformed into a carbon copy of myself. The only difference being that both knees were broken and bloody. I held the hammer over the copy's hand. I watched the face distort as it voiced its opinion.

"You will NEVER stop the changelings! The Legions will find a way to capture Equestria. Long live the Brood!" It cried in my voice. I looked at it with my head cocked to the side.

"Right. You know, that's great and all but you've gotta figure out how to do that first. So, what is your name?"

"I'm John Marshall." Quickly and viciously, I swung the hammer several times down on the hand, hearing the cracks of bone and bringing a cry of pain.

"No. What is your name?"

"Cl... Cl... Clax."

"Clax... Now we're gettin' somewhere. Now Clax, I'm gonna tell you something. This hammer ain't the only thing I have to hurt you with, okay?" The John Marshall copy nodded. "Okay now, what were you doin' in Ponyville?"

"No!" I smashed the other hand several times in reply. "I'll tell! I'll tell! I was looking for somepony!"

"Who?"

"One of the Elements. We know that they are around Ponyville. We know they are a formidable force." It explained.

"Yeah, yeah... Why?" The changeling immediately stopped talking and was stock still. "Okay. Have it your way." I walked over to the tools and selected a pair of bolt cutters. Showing them off, I walked back to the fake me and slipped the cutters over a finger. "You wanna talk yet?"

Quickly, the changeling changed back. Seeing that I was without a finger to cut, I shrugged and went for one of the horns.

"You wanna rethink that one?" I barely left enough time for it to think anyway before putting pressure on the cutters and biting into the horn. The changeling hissed defensively and squealed in pain. Instead of thinking of this, I imagined dehorning a cow. A loud snap cut through the room and the changeling shrieked. When it changed back to me, there was a small piece of skull missing. Quickly it began to talk.

"We're planning a.... a.... an invasion."

"And so you're looking to disable the Elements of Harmony?"

"Yes!" I stepped outside quickly, leaving him alone for a minute. Shining Armor came out of the side room shortly after.

"Did you hear that?" I asked him, incredulous. He hung his head and shook it lightly side to side.

"I knew it. I didn't know how, but I knew that it would be something bad." I looked at him for a second.

"Hey, your sister can handle herself. Don't worry."

"I know, I know. What now?" He asked.

"Gimme the sugar." Shining then produced a bowl of sugar from inside the room. The sweet crystalline substance would be sure to drive the changeling wild. He handed it to me and walked back in the interview room while I walked back inside of my room.

Almost immediately, there was a change in it. Hungrily eying the bowl, he had to have already smelled the presence of a food source.

"Yeah, I was told you hadn't had much to eat in a while. This is yours, but there IS a catch. You have to tell me which of the Elements are targeted." Clax looked hesitant at first, but I was intent on learning this information. To give him something to think about, I set the bowl on the floor and picked up the bolt cutters again.

"NO! No! Wait! ...I'll tell you."

"You seem really eager to talk. What, not afraid of gettin' into trouble?" The copy shook its head.

"If we're captured, we are disconnected. I have nothing but the pain, now."

"Alright then. Let's see what we can do for you, but first you have to tell me who the targets are." He opened his mouth and started to blab.

"The yellow one is not currently an option. The army has no counter for the phenomena known as "The Stare." The pink one is a possible choice, but her abilities to disregard basic rules of nature make her almost impossible to corner and catch. The rainbow pegasus and the farmer are too strong to risk a direct confrontation with and the Element of Magic is too powerful even alone. This leaves only one option: the dressmaker... Generosity."

"Is the plan now abandoned?"

"I don't know. I was disconnected after capture." I nodded.

"How many changelings are there?"

"The numbers grow by the week. There are legions of us." I nodded my head and looked at him again.

"So as long as the Elements of Harmony are active, you will not attack?" I asked. The changeling shook his head vigorously.

"And we dare not attempt another incursion such as the last one." Without saying another word, I picked up the bowl and set it in the changeling's lap. As I walked out, his cries of frustration could be heard in the hall before the door sealed shut behind me. I frowned as I walked down the hallway, waiting on Shining Armor.

Rarity... Son of a bitch.